Salem, Feb 27: Rectified spirit worth Rs 44 lakh was seized from two lorries coming from Bangalore at two different places near here today, police said. Spirit worth Rs 17 lakh was seized from a tanker near here. It was coming from Bangalore and was going to Kerala, police said. Two persons were arrested in this connection. The lorry was also impounded, police said. In another incident, rectified spirit worth Rs 17 lakh was seized near Harur. The lorry was coming from Bangalore and was bound for Chittoor. Two persons were arrested in this connection. (Agencies)
Evaluation of jewellery exaggerated, says Sasikala
Thursday, February 27, 2003
PTI CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's close aide Sasikala Natarajan told a special court on Tuesday that the evaluation of her jewellery by an appraiser was exaggerated and the assessment of the value of Poes Garden buildings in the city, where Jayalalithaa resided, was 'atrocious.' She was answering questions posed to her by special judge R Rajamanickam during questioning in the Rs 66.65 crore 'disproportionate' wealth case against Jayalalithaa. Sasikala, her sister-in-law J Illavarai and the AIADMK Supremo's disowned foster son V N Sudhakaran are also arraigned in the case. As per the court's directive, Jayalalithaa, who was exempted by the Judge from personally appearing in the court today for questioning due to being indisposed, filled in the questionaire containing 299 querries sent to her by the judge through her counsel. On Monday, the judge had told Jayalalithaa's counsel N Jyothi to return the questions filled up by his client by 5.00 PM today. In reply to a question, Sasikala said, "The appraiser's report on the value of her gold and diamond jewellery and silver ornaments has been exaggarated". To another question, she said that she was not aware what had taken place when the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had conducted a search in Nos 36 and 31-A Poes Garden in late 1996 as she was in prison at that time.
Polaris refutes allegations of Indonesian Bank
Thursday, February 27, 2003
PTI CHENNAI: Chennai-based Polaris Software Lab on Tuesday denied certain allegations reportedly made by the President-Director of Indonesian Bank Artha Graha (BAG) with which Polaris is currently involved in a commercial dispute. In a statement issued here, the company alleged that BAG in fact had failed to pay a sum of $440,000 due to it under a contract and that BAG had unilaterally terminated the contract prematurely in November last year. Reacting to the reported statement of Anton Hudyana, President Director of BAG, which had initiated arbitration proceedings against Polaris in Singapore, the statement said that BAG and its officers tried to use 'deplorable tactics' to extort $10 million from Polaris and when that failed, commenced arbitration proceedings. It may be recalled that Polaris Chief Arun Jain and a senior executive were arrested by Indonesian authorities on Dec 13 when they were visiting Jakarta for talks in connection with the pending commerical dispute with the bank and were held for almost a week before being released. Polaris was awarded a contract worth $1.3 million in 2001 to install a banking application for BAG. The statement said the project was supposed to have been completed only in July 2003 and not to "go live in four months of commencement of work in January 2001", as stated to the press by BAG.
Jaya should resign on moral grounds: Karunanidhi
Thursday, February 27, 2003
PTI CHENNAI: DMK President M Karunanidhi on Wednesday demanded that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa resign her post on moral grounds, as the Election Commission had "strongly indicted" her for announcing several pre-poll sops in Sattankulam constituency. He told reporters here that the EC's indictment had clearly proved that Jayalalithaa violated the model code of conduct during the electioneering. "It is up to her to resign on moral grounds", he said. He said the EC had also stated that the explanation offered by the Chief Secretary was "unsatisfactory" and added that the officer was "compelled" to give wrong details. Stating that there was documentary evidence to prove that Jayalalithaa had promised to set up a cement factory, a women's college, a sports complex and a polytechnic for the electorate, he said Jayalalithaa should ponder over whether she should continue in office after being indicted by a constitutional body. On the ongoing controversy over the unveiling of a portrait of Veer Savarkar in the Central Hall of Parliament, Karunanidhi said he did not want to involve himself in a debate over a person who was no more.
HC acquits 8 in constable murder case
Thursday, February 27, 2003
PTI CHENNAI: The Madras High Court today acquitted eight persons convicted for the murder of a traffic cop in Coimbatore in 1997, which sparked off communal clashes and serial bomb blasts subsequently. The court gave the order of acquittal after giving the benefit of accumulative effect of doubts to the eight persons. Allowing appeals by the eight convicts against the death penalty awarded to four and life sentences to the other four by a Coimbatore Fast Track Court judge Premkumar on December 20 last, for the murder of constable Selvaraj in November 1997, a Division Bench, comprising Justice R Balasubramanian and Justice N Dinakar held that there was no legal material to connect them with the crime. Stating that substantive doubts hovered in their minds for which they were unable to find an answer, the judges said "hence we have no hesitation in giving the benefits of these doubts to the accused". Rejecting the statements by eyewitnesses to the murder produced by the prosecution, the bench said their evidence could not be admitted in law, as they contradicted each other. The murder of Selvaraj by some fundamentalists belonging to the banned outfit Al-Umma on November 29, 1997, led to communal clashes and police firings in Coimbatore city, claiming 24 lives. The incident culminated in the February 1998 serial blasts a short while before senior BJP leader and Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani were to address an election campaign. In all, 58 lives were lost in the blasts.
More than 55 pc exercise franchise in Sattankulam
Thursday, February 27, 2003
CHENNAI: Barring stray incidents of voters chasing outsiders, polling in the by-elections to the Tamil Nadu assembly from Sattankulam passed off peacefully, with more than 55 per cent of electorate of the 1.74 lakh voters exercising their franchise. The Chief Electoral officer of Tamil Nadu, Mruthyunjay Sarangi, in a press release, said that the actual percentage of voting would be known only late in the night. He said the polling had passed off peacefully without any untoward incident. Officials at Sattankulam extended the voting time by 30 minutes to 45 minutes in the booths where the EVMs got stuck. AIADMK candidate Neelamegavarnam himself had to wait for 45 minutes as the EVM at padukkapathu village did not work when he tried to cast his vote, officials said. He was assured that the voting time would be extended for the booth. Tension prevailed in Kandankottai, the native village of Congress candidate Mahendran when the AIADMK MP Maitreyan visited the place. The local people asked the MP to get out of the constituency, which he did only after a heated exchange of words.
Wealth case against Jaya politically motivated: Sasikala
Thursday, February 27, 2003
PTI CHENNAI: Charging that the wealth case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was politically motivated, her close aide Sasikala Natarajan on Wednesday alleged that it was registered by DMK President M Karunanidhi in an attempt to tarnish the image of Jayalalithaa and pave the way for his son MK Stalin's political ambitions. Answering questions posed by Special Judge R Rajamanickam for the second day in the Rs 66.65 crore 'disproportionate' wealth case against Jayalalithaa, Sasikala alleged that the case was registered at the instigation of Karunanidhi to sully her image, that of the AIADMK Supremo, her family members and the AIADMK party. Stating that a large posse of police personnel were involved in the investigation of the case, Sasikala, who is also an accused in the case, alleged that the police had threatened witnesses and their relatives. Alleging that a former top police officer and other police personnel with leanings towards the DMK were involved in the investigation, she said Investigation Officer N Nallamma Naidu was given extensions in service to keep him on the case. Sasikala also alleged that Janata Party President Dr Subramanian Swamy and Karunanidhi had conspired to foster the case on Jayalalithaa and tarnish her image. Besides, Jayalalithaa and Sasikala, her sister-in-law J Illavarasi and the AIADMK Supremo's disowned foster son VN Sudhakaran are also arraigned in the case.
Karunanidhi describes EC’s censure of Jayalalithaa as delayed justice
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Chennai, Feb 26 - DMK president M Karunanidhi has described the Election Commission’s indictment of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for violation of the election code in Sathankulam as delayed justice. Karunanidhi was speaking at a function organised by the Manavazhagar Mandram in Chennai. Former Gujarat Chief Justice Gokulakrishnan and poet Vaali, among others, took part in it.
Polling begins in the Sathankulam by-elections with elaborate security arrangements
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Sathankulam, Feb 26 - The polling for the Sathankulam assembly constituency in Thoothukudi begins this morning amidst tight security and under the watchful eyes of the five central observers. Reports say polling delayed for more than one hour in at least eight booths due to technical snag in EVS while the polling began dull note in rural areas. There are 25 candidates are in the fray. However, it is straight fight between the AIADMK candidate L Neelamegavarnam and Congress nominee A Mahendran. 14 check posts have been put up to check outsiders entering the constituency. Sathankulam by-poll was necessitated to fill the vacancy caused by the death of sitting member Mani Nadar. While the DMK, BJP, MDMK, Pattali Makkal Katchi and left parties took a decision not to contest the polls, there are 23 independents candidates besides the AIADMK’s L Neelamegavarnam and Congress nominee A Mahendran. For the first time, the Election Commission has chosen central government employees to man all the 173 polling stations. The polling which began 8 am this morning will close at five in the evening. Electronic Voting machines are being used in the by poll. There are 85,932 male and 82,161 female eligible voters are in the constituency. To avoid bogus voting, the indelible ink will be applied two times on the left forefingers of the voters. At the close of polling, the EVMs will be sealed and moved to the counting centres. They will be kept under safe custody. The counting will be taken up on 1st March and the results are expected by noon the same day.
EC indicts Jayalalithaa for pre-poll promises
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday made a strong indictment of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for announcing several pre-poll sops in Sattankulam constituency and conveyed its "disapproval" of the actions taken by her. "The full Commission has gone through carefully the contents of your letter and it is regretfully mentioned that the explanation offered has not been found satisfactory by the Commission", an EC spokesman said after a Commission meeting which considered the state chief secretary's letter to it. "Using technical loopholes, indulging in semantics and quibbling between 'promise' and 'promise to consider' are not the defence that the Commission expects a person holding a high political office to take shelter under", it said in a letter to the Chief Secretary. The Chief Secretary had said on Monday that the Chief Minister had made no "specific promises" during her electionneering but only assured that some of the long-pending demands of the people would be considered by her Government. The full Commission "regretfully conveys its disapproval" of the actions taken by the Chief Minister in offering projects to the electorate on the eve of elections when the model code of conduct was in force and was "constrained" to observe that this could only have been made to obtain electoral gains", the EC letter said. By-election to the Sattankulam assembly constituency is being held 0n Wednesday. --
Students resort to road blockade in Coimbatore
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Nearly 150 students of Government Law College here on Tuesday staged 'road roko,' demanding stern action against the principal of a women's college in Palani, for allegedly sending some students with an expert term. According to the police, students, including 50 girls, squatted on the road and raised slogans against the adminsitration of Palani College. Vehicular traffic was disrupted for nearly one hour, following the agitation, which was withdrawn after the intervention of district and police officials. An inquiry was going on into the allegations that some girl students were sent to Kodaikanal with an expert committee, which had visited in October last for giving accreditation to the college, the police said.
A thriller on the cards as India takes on England
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Durban (UNI) An intriguing war of attrition and nerves is in prospect as two rejuvenated but desperate teams -- India and England -- take on each other in a crucial match, outcome of which could decide their fate for a berth in the Super-Six in Kingsmeads here tomorrow. Both teams have found some form of resurgence on the way to KwaZulu Natal. The English come here after refusing to go North to Zimbabwe but put themselves in contention for a place in the Super Six by beating the Pakistanis soundly at Newlands in Cape Town. ''We know and understand the importance of the match,'' Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly told newspersons adding that ''We have good record against them (England) in recent times.'' ''We are in good nick and looking forward for tomorrow's match,'' Ganguly said but refused to get into spat with England bowler Andy Caddick who made light of India's win against Namibia, yesterday. ''A win here will be a tremendous boost for us,'' the Indian skipper said and added ''it will being us closer to Super Six.'' England skipper Nasser Hussain expressed confidence that his team would put up another good show against India. ''I think we are ready for the contest. India are a good side but we have beaten them at their home,'' the England skipper said. He said India chasing over 300 runs to beat England at the NatWest final in Lords last year was exceptional and ''such things happen rarely''. The skipper said beating Pakistan a match before meeting India has boosted his team's morale because ''Pakistan was the first major team we have played in this cup and they can beat anyone on their day.'' The Indians are here after finding their cricketing feet in Harare and their batting form in Pietermaritzburh after paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi. They are also in earnest contention now for a place in the Super Six.
A thriller on the cards as India takes on England
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Durban (UNI) An intriguing war of attrition and nerves is in prospect as two rejuvenated but desperate teams -- India and England -- take on each other in a crucial match, outcome of which could decide their fate for a berth in the Super-Six in Kingsmeads here tomorrow. Both teams have found some form of resurgence on the way to KwaZulu Natal. The English come here after refusing to go North to Zimbabwe but put themselves in contention for a place in the Super Six by beating the Pakistanis soundly at Newlands in Cape Town. ''We know and understand the importance of the match,'' Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly told newspersons adding that ''We have good record against them (England) in recent times.'' ''We are in good nick and looking forward for tomorrow's match,'' Ganguly said but refused to get into spat with England bowler Andy Caddick who made light of India's win against Namibia, yesterday. ''A win here will be a tremendous boost for us,'' the Indian skipper said and added ''it will being us closer to Super Six.'' England skipper Nasser Hussain expressed confidence that his team would put up another good show against India. ''I think we are ready for the contest. India are a good side but we have beaten them at their home,'' the England skipper said. He said India chasing over 300 runs to beat England at the NatWest final in Lords last year was exceptional and ''such things happen rarely''. The skipper said beating Pakistan a match before meeting India has boosted his team's morale because ''Pakistan was the first major team we have played in this cup and they can beat anyone on their day.'' The Indians are here after finding their cricketing feet in Harare and their batting form in Pietermaritzburh after paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi. They are also in earnest contention now for a place in the Super Six.
Julie Ganapathy
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Cast: Jayaram, Saritha, Ramyakrishnan, Delhi Ganesh Music director: Ilayaraja Producers: V. Gnanavel and V. Jayaprakash. Story, screenplay, dialogue, camera, editing and direction: Balumahendra. With the age some grow wiser and some become nagging nanas. Ace Filmmaker Balumahendra falls in the former category. His new offering, JULIE GANAPATHY is an intellectually rich film. After a long hiatus, he comes up with stunning, qualitative good film. His taking style is very matured too. Though the film has commercial elements, it caters more to an intellectual audience than ordinary filmgoers. Saritha's stunning comeback in the film is praise worthy. Her body language (with heavy body) and her acting style are on par with international standards. Julie Ganapathy (Saritha) is a middle-aged sadist woman. She saves Thenkasi Balakumaran (Jayaram), a famous screenplay writer, from an accident. But she yearns for his love. She forcibly keeps him in her house and tries to win his heart in a crazy manner. Rest of the film forms about her craze for Jayaram. The film is all about Julie Ganapathy, a psychic. Saritha's acting is stunning. Though Jayaram looks good, Saritha overshadows everyone in the film. Ramyakrishnan, who plays as Jayaram's wife has not much scope. Ilayaraja's music is good. But it's not so catchy. Balumahendra is still in a good form.
Kiran Rathod pairs up with Arjun!
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Action hero Arjun is back. After a hit film, EZHUMALAI, he is back to directing his own films. His latest film PARASURAM is already creating waves as it has Rehman's music. Arjun's directorial ventures have been successful. To add spice, this time he has roped in Kiran Rathod for the role of leading lady. Another sexy siren Gayathri Raghuram adds more spice. Recently couple of scenes was shot on Arjun and Kiran in MGR studio, Chennai. Arjun plays the title role of an honest police officer for whom the duty comes first. Kiran is a happy girl whose only aim is to marry Arjun. However, the film is not just about Arjun and Kiran's romance but deals with more serious matters as well. This is produced by Prabhakaran of Anbalaya Films and Cinematography by K.S. Selvaraj produce this.
Mumtaz doing heroine roles again!
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Taking a break from her sizzling song and dance sequences in Tamil and Telugu films, sexy starlet Mumtaz is back to do main roles. After MONISHA ENN MONALISA, AMMO OKATO TAARIKU (Telugu) and couple of other films, she has moved from heroine roles to item numbers. And these item numbers fetched her recognition and fame. Now she is again playing leading role in THATHI THAAVUTHU MANASU. Kalabhavana Mani, who had created ripples in Tamil filmdom with his eccentric style of acting in GEMINI, plays the male lead. The film, incidentally is being produced by none other than her manager, V.K.Riyaz Ahmed. It may be interesting to recall that his wife and Mumtaz were linked by Tamil film magazines. The film is reportedly based on a true-life incident that happened in Chennai some time ago. And debutant director Azhaguraj Sundaram wields the megaphone. The film's shooting is currently at brisk pace.
Vikram on top of the tops!
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Chiyan Vikram is now ruling the roost in Kollywood. He has started this year with big bang. With first blockbuster of the year, DHOOL, he is now on top of the Tamil Cinema. With huge fan following like Rajanikanth has, Vikram's position is now firmed up. After sensational hit, GEMINI last year, he had tasted two duds in a row and people began term him a 'flash in the pan'. With DHOOL, he twisted the wagging tongues. The reason behind his success is his ability to go into the skin of character. When he plays a mass role, people really believe him. DHOOL is the perfect example. After Rajinikanth, only Vikram has this talent in Tamil Cinema. Having tasted two flops last year, he is treading the path cautiously. "I will do only one film a time. I won't do two, three films simultaneously henceforth," he declared after the success of his Pongal release. Here is the list of films that he is doing now or accepted. ATHISAYAM The film has almost finished up and is readying up for the release next month. Durai, of MUGUVARI fame, is directing the film. Unlike DHOOL, this film is family drama and has music by Deva. Chakravarthy of NIC Arts produces the film and Priyanka Trivedhi plays the female lead. SAMI This much-hyped film is now under production and will release in the summer holidays. The prestigious banner Kavitalaya is producing the film. Hari, of TAMIZH fame, directs the film. Trisha paired up with Vikram for this film. Music is by Harris Jayaraj. PITAMAGAN After SETHU, Vikram joins again with director Bala. The film has another hero too, Surya. A. V. Durai produces the film and music is by Ilayaraja. Laila is selected for one role.
Prostitution flourishes in Kodambakam!
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
The bazaars of Tamil filmdom were notorious for 'prostitution'. Earlier it was T. Nagar. Now it has moved to Kodambakam and Saligramam area in Chennai. More number of junior artistes who are conducting 'mehandi' type houses are getting arrested on the charges of prostitution. After Madhuri, now a small time heroine Sindhu was arrested for it.
Jyothika: Single and Happy!
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Being single is hard for young girls. Particularly, in show business it is even more difficult. But Jyothika has been living happily without having any amorous affairs with anyone. Strange. While her colleagues are getting tied the knot or having live-in relationships, she is happily living in her Chennai flat without any strings. It doesn't mean that she hasn't had affairs. Indeed, she had had a boy friend, a pilot, who insisted her to 'settle down' in life way back in 2001. But things didn't go well and they've parted ways. Like her sister Nagma, Jyothika is enjoying the fruits of spinsterhood. Meanwhile, DHOOL made her spirits go once again. Her career is now again on right track
Srikanth's MANASELLAM ready for release
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Notwithstanding the average fare in the form of APRIL MADATHHIL, Srikanth has high hopes on his latest film, MANASELLAM. The film, which is under production, is readying up for February release. Well-known producer Oscar Ravichandran, who incidentally produced ROJAKOOTAM - Srikanth's debut film, is producing the film. Newcomer Santosh wields the megaphone. The film is a romantic entertainer. Latest craze Trisha pairs up with Srikanth for the movie. The film has music score by Ilayaraja.
Kamal Hasan as CHANDIYAR
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
It seems flops won't affect Kamala Hasan's enthusiasm. He goes by his passion. Though ANBE SIVAM is not making waves at box-office, he feels that the film came out very good. And now is wielding the megaphone once again with CHANDIYAR. His home production company, Rajkamal International, will produce the film. Sathyaraj and Nasser will share the screen with him. The film will go on floors very soon.
Ajith's JANAA is getting ready
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Ajith's new mass film, JANAA, is getting ready up for the release. With a string of flops, Ajith pins all his hopes on this film. For the first time he is working with a well-known Malayalam director Shaaji Kailash. Shaaji who made blockbusters such as NARASHINAM with Mohanlal in Malayalam is said to be making similar kind of a film. The film, being produced by Khaja Moiddin of Roja Combines has almost finished shooting all the talkie part. Climax sequences are being canned at Chennai presently. Sneha is the female protagonist. Current young hot music director Yuvan Shanker Raja scores the music for the movie. The film is slated for March release.
Jayalalithaa has a quiet birthday
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
CHENNAI FEB. 24. The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, had a quiet birthday today, but her partymen and supporters spent the day offering prayers, distributing sweets, donating blood and displaying banners to mark the occasion. Among those who greeted Ms. Jayalalithaa was the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, who spoke to her over telephone and conveyed his best wishes. The Governor, P.S. Ramamohan Rao, also greeted her over telephone. Leaders of political parties, officials and film artistes sent messages and greetings to the Chief Minister. At the AIADMK headquarters, the Finance Minister, C. Ponnaiyan, released a souvenir. The first copy was received by the Law Minister, D. Jayakumar.
EC meets to consider government’s clarifications on Jayalalithaa’s poll speeches
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Chennai, Feb 25 - The Election Commission is meeting today to consider the clarifications given by the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary on the reported poll violations. Taking Suo Motu notice of media reports, both print and electronic, of certain promises made by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa during her electioneering in Sathankulam assembly constituency, the Election Commission had sought clarifications from the Chief Secretary on the alleged poll promises made by the Chief Ministers. In another development, cases have been registered against Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry Minister Anitha Radhakrishnan and TNCC working president E V K S Elangovan in connection with poll clashes.
Pavala Kodi
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
(Vijay Sarathy, Paval) He is a familiar face on the small screen anchoring a music-programme which requires him to go to different places of tourist attraction, and ask people their choice of songs. Now Vijay Sarathy takes to acting for the big screen in a film titled 'Pavala Kodi'. Paired with him is debutant Paval from Mumbai. Robert, Nirosha, Shama, Madan Bob, Crane Manohar, Crazy Kumar, Anuradha, Rajakrishna, Poochi Senthil and Anu Mohan form the supporting cast. Incidentally hero Vijay Sarathy also happens to be the son of the late Sashi Kumar, a hero of yesteryear. The film is directed by the debutant duo of Ram-Saravanan. The duo have taken their training in direction and worked for four films in Hollywood, before they ventured into the Tamil film arena. Say the duo, "A beautiful girl is wooed by many, but whom she loves is the important factor. In our film the hero and the heroine are college friends. They separate after they graduate. A few years later, the hero tries to trace the girl and finds out that there are other men in her life too". A scene was taken on the lead pair with Anu Mohan too participating. Shiva has loved Paval during their college days, but before he could express it to her, she had left the place. Seven years go by and Shiva finds himself thinking about Paval and wondering how she is. Based in Madurai, he gets his cousin Mohan to accompany him to Chennai to trace out Paval. All his efforts end in failure, and as the duo take a bus back to Madurai, Shiva suddenly spots Paval near a fruit-juice shop. He rushes to her and eagerly greets her, only to have her look at him without any enthusiasm. Shiva is heart-broken at her cold response. With Vijay Sarathy playing Shiva, and Paval playing Paval, Mohan was played by Anu Mohan. The shots were canned by cinematographer Suresh. Produced by Shivkumar for V Star films, the film has editing by Lancy Mohan, music by Sirpi, and dance choreography by Robert.
Rahman pours his heart out for cancer
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
All roads in Chennai led to the India Pistons Grounds at Taramani, where it was a musical extravaganza nite by A R Rahman for a noble cause, to help those afflicted with cancer. However, entering the venue was a difficult task as there were traffic jams with the large number of vehicles moving to the venue. The concert 'Unity of Light', in memory of music composer Mahesh who passed away recently due to cancer, was dedicated by Rahman not only to Mahesh but also for the millions fighting this disease. The event organised by the Mahesh Memorial Trust to help those affected by cancer had attained its objective, thanks to this talented composer. Even though he had stamped his authority as a prodigal music sensation and even took the entire Britain by storm through Andrew Llyod Weber's ' Bombay Dreams', Rahman had stayed away from live shows. But this was what the music lovers in the city got; sung by A R Rahman himself, it was indeed a sort of music which had gone into the hearts and nerves of Chennaivasis. It was S P Balasubramaniam, Mano, Hariharan, Sreenivas, Sukhwinder Singer, Karthik, Unni Krishnan, S Janaki, Chitra, Swarnalatha, Sujatha, Anupama, Mahalakshmi, Sadhana Sargam and Vasundhara Das who joined hands with Rahman on the stage. The chartbusters from 'Thiruda Thiruda', 'Gentleman',' Kadhalan', 'Roja', 'Bombay', 'Uyire', 'Jeans', 'Muthu', 'Baba', 'Alaipayuthe' a couple of Hindi blockbusters - 'Lagaan', 'Taal' and even a song from his smashing-hit 'Bombay Dreams' were performed. The pick of the evening was Rahman rendering 'Vande Mataram', which has become an anthem among the youngsters. Earlier, lyricists Valee and Vairamuthu complimented Rahman for accepting to perform for a noble cause. Director Mani Ratnam looked after the arrangements, while Suhasini Mani Ratnam hosted the show.
Student Number 1
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Director: Selva Cast: Sibiraj, Sherin, Yugendra, Nasser, Manivannan, Vanita, Vinu Chakravarty It’s a law college, lorded over by senior student Sathya and his gang of rowdy classmates, who make life miserable for studious guys like Sibi. Sibi, whose aim was to become a lawyer and restore his image in his estranged father’s eyes, tolerates Sathya’s taunting and harassment for some time, and then decides on a game plan. Realising that Sathya was naive in matters of the heart, Sibi inculcates in Sathya the belief that falling in love would change life dramatically for him. Sathya starts searching for the Ms. Right, and zeroes in on Anjali, their classmate. But Anjali has a soft corner for Sibi and had even expressed her feelings to him. Only, Sibi had set some goals for himself, and love would come later. Sathya’s proposal and Anjali’s furious reaction to it, gets Sathya back to square one, and back to his rowdy ways. Time for Sibi to take a stronger approach and reveal his real identity. He was a jail-bird convicted for a murder, and attending college with special permission. He had prevented a girl from being raped by a gang, and in the tussle accidentally killed one of them. He’d never had a good relationship with his father, and after this incident, Raghavan had totally disowned his son. Sibi had surrendered to the police, been convicted, and it was a considerate jail warden who had got him the permission to pursue his studies, and fulfill his father’s ambition of making him a lawyer. Sibi’s confession has the desired effect, and a chastened Sathya and gang promise to cleanse the college of evil elements. The main villain being the ‘Leakage Leader’, who for a sum, leaks out question papers, spoiling the careers of the deserving students. The unscrupulous man had even framed Sibi’s father in a bribery case, when he refused to co-operate in his shady deal. Raghavan is jailed, and it is up to Sibi, now a full-fledged lawyer, to clear his father’s name, and exonerate himself in his father’s eyes. The original film in Telugu starring NTR Jr., was a big success. But this version has turned out to be just an average entertainer. The plus point is that it has given yet another promising hero to Tamil films. Sibiraj (son of hero Satyaraj) goes through the entire gamut of emotions which the role has offered him without much hitch. His only drawback seems to be his voice, a better modulation in dialogue delivery would definitely help. Sherin has the oomph to carry her role though, while Yugendra plays the spoilt brat to the hilt.
Ganesh Raghu
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
(Producer of ‘Nandha’ & ‘Mounam Pesiyathe’) Though born and brought up in Chennai, he’s based in the US, where he runs his own software computer firm. Now, six years later Ganesh Raghu drawn by the magic of films returns to Chennai as a film producer. With some NRI partners, Ganesh launched his banner ‘Aparajit Films’ and has since produced two Tamil films ‘Nandha’ and ‘Mounam Pesiyadhe’. His attempt has been to make good quality cinema, and the producer has been successful to an extent. Ganesh, on to his next film with Aishwaria Rai in the lead, met the press for a tete a tete. Q: How did her get interested in Cinema? G: While I was in school I used to frequent theatres, and was drawn by the magic of films. But a career in computer software took me away from Chennai to the US. There too I used to see a lot of films. But I found most of these films unpalatable for the children and the young crowd. It was then that I happened to see ‘Sethu’, and I loved that film. I contacted director Bala immediately, and asked him to do a film for us. The result was ‘Nandha’. Though the film was critically acclaimed, it was not a profitable venture. But I’m glad that it launched our company as makers of quality films. Q: What made him chose a debutant for his second film? G: It’s the assistant directors and the script-writers who contribute largely to the success of a film. But it is these very people who are given a raw deal by the industry. While ‘Nandha’ was being filmed, I’d watched Amir, Bala’s assistant from close quarters. I was impressed by his sincerity and commitment. He narrated a story to me and I liked it. And the result was ‘Mounam Pesiyathe’. Amir wanted Laila to play Surya’s beloved and I gave him full freedom to exercise his creativity. The film has received good reviews and is still running in 28 theatres, despite the ‘Pongal’ release. Q: He’s supposed to have had problems with Amir during the shooting? G: If that was the case, the film wouldn’t have seen the light of day. I do admit that we had differences of opinion during the story discussion stage. But that happens every time. Film-making is a team effort and I’ve never tried to act the boss on the sets. We’re still friends. Q: And the problem with cinematographer Ratnavelu? G: Ratnavelu had earned accolades and awards in our first film ‘Nandha’. So we decided to take him for our second film too. We paid him an advance out of his fee of Rs 7½ lakh. He’d shot for us a few days, when he got another offer. Probably he must have been promised more remuneration there! I do not know the real reason why he left us. Was it the money or the film, or the apprehension of working with a new director. We let him go, and we signed Ramji. Now that the film is a success, it’s he who must be regretting his decision. Not me! One fact to be noted is that, for a cinematographer to be allowed full creative freedom, the support and co-operation of a producer who is willing to spend money, is needed! Q: Did he expect ‘Mounam Pesiyathe’ to be a success? G: Definitely! I was one of the eight siblings in my family, and we were not financially strong. But it was self-confidence and a positive attitude that took me to the US for higher studies. When I opened my own computer software firm later, I had just 300 dollars in my pocket. Today my firm employs 150 software engineers. We have branches around the globe, and a turnover of 28 million dollars! It was my intuition that it would work out then, and it was the same intuition that made me do ‘Mounam Pesiyathe’. Q: Did he have a problem marketing it? G: All comments were not positive ones, after the first preview of the film. A Telugu producer told me the film would not run, because it did not have fights and an item dance. But today the same producer has approached me for the Telugu rights to remake it with Mahesh! Approach a work with confidence and success will follow! Q: On his next project? G: I’ve signed Aishwaria Rai for my next film, and it’s to be directed by director Maharajan. I’ve approached both Vijaykant and Vijay to play the male lead. One of them will be the hero.
DMK chief donates Rs 10 lakh to trust
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Chennai, Feb 25: DMK president M Karunanidhi has donated Rs 10 lakh from the sale proceeds of his latest book ‘Tholkappiya Poonga’ to the DMK charitable trust. In a statement here, he said the amount would be utilised for paying scholarships to the wards of DMK members and for medical expenses of partymen. He said the sale of the second edition had been “beyond expectations”. When the edition was brought out at Madurai on Sunday, the proceeds stood at Rs 29 lakh. The DMK chief said he planned to bring out the third and fourth editions of the book. (Our Correspondent)
Shekhawat, Vajpayee greet Jaya
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Chennai, Feb 25: Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Prime Minister A B Vajpayee have greeted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who turned 55 yesterday. An official press release here said both the leaders had written letters to her, congratulating her on the occasion of her birthday. (Our Correspondent)
Man gives his little finger for Jaya
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Chennai, Feb 24: An AIADMK volunteer chopped off his right hand little finger and offered it to the presiding deity of a temple in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu for the well-being of party supremo Jayalalithaa on her birthday today. Expressing shock over the action of Gnanasekaran, who made the sacrifice at the Lord Ayappan Temple in Ayanur village, Jayalalithaa arranged for him to be brought here for treatment, an official release said tonight. The worker has been admitted to Apollo Hospitals where he would undergo plastic surgery for restoration of the finger and the AIADMK would bear the medical expenses, it said. Jayalalithaa turned 55 today. Last year, an AIADMK worker from Mayiladuthurai town chopped off his tongue to fulfil a vow taken by him for the success of Jayalalithaa in the Andipatti by-election. Then also the party undertook his medical expenses. (Our Correspondent)
Special court sends questions to Jaya
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Chennai, Feb 24: A special court trying the Rs 66.65 crore “disproportionate” wealth case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and three others today fixed tomorrow for questioning them under Section 313, CrPC, but dispensed with Jayalalithaa’s presence following her petition that she was indisposed. Allowing her petition, judge R Rajamanickam provided a set of questions to be put to her, to her counsel N Joyti and directed him to return the answers by 1700 hrs tomorrow. In the petition, Jayalalithaa said she was running temperature and on medical advice could not physically attend the court for a week. Section 313 of the CrPC gives the presiding judge the power to examine the accused for enabling the accused to personally explain any circumstance appearing against them, which the court may consider necessary. Jayalalithaa’s close friend Sasikala Natarajan, Sasikala’s sister-in-law J Illavarasi and the Chief Minister’s disowned foster son, V N Sudhakaran, are the others arraigned in the case, relating to amassment of unaccounted wealth during the AIADMK supremo’s tenure as Chief Minister between 1991 and 1996. In all, 259 prosecution witnesses, including investigating officer Nallamma Naidu, were examined during the trial. (Our Correspondent)
Campaigning hots-up in Sattankulam
Monday, February 24, 2003
PTI SATTANKULAM: With barely two days left for the close of electioneering in the February 26 by-election to this Tamil Nadu Assembly constituency, the campaigning has reached a crescendo with almost all key political leaders camping here. While AIADMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa wound up her six-day long campaigning last night, Congress leaders led by AICC secretaries Ramesh Chenithala and GK Vasan are making a last minute bid to woo the voters. CPI leader R Nallakannu, DPI General Secretary R Thirumavalavan, Puthiya Tamizagham Chief Dr K Krishnaswamy and Makkal Tamizh Desam leader S Kannappan are also campaigning for the Congress candidate R Mahendran, who is pitted in a virtual straight fight against AIADMK's Neelamegavarnam. Menwhile, DMK, which had asked its cadres not to vote for the AIADMK nominee, organised a meeting at Sattankulam last night presided over by party youth wing leader MK Stalin to protest against what it termed the AIADMK government's 'political vengeance against the DMK MLAs'. While Jayalalithaa, with an eye on getting the support of Christians, who formed a sizeable chunk of 1.55 lakh voters of the remote constituency, had campaigned that the recent anti-conversion law was not against the minorities, Christian leaders announced at Chennai yesterday that the Christians would not vote for AIADMK as long as the law was in force. The Congress, which is harping on the 'misdeeds' of the AIADMK Government, had not taken up the anti-conversion law issue
Anti-conversion law would not be misused: Jaya
Monday, February 24, 2003
SATTANKULAM: Winding up her campaign for the February 26 by-election to Sattankulam Assembly constituency, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK Chief Jayalalithaa on Sunday said the anti-conversion law was not against voluntary conversions and assured Christian community it would not be misused. On the final day of her five-day campaigning in the constituency, which has a sizeable Christian population, she said the law has not been used against anyone ever since it was passed by the assembly. It was neither against voluntary conversion, nor would it prevent voluntary conversion. "For me all religions and castes are equal. The very fact that there was no caste or communal clashes in the last two years (of the AIADMK rule), proved I am not against any religion, nor support any particular religion," she said. Jayalalithaa, who toured 17 villages on Saturday, told the Christian community that her Government was not against them. She said the anti-conversion law would not be misused. Jayalalithaa was accorded reception in Kerala tradition with elephants at Kalvai village.
PTI COIMBATORE: In a series of robberies, a gang of four-masked thieves looted about 18 sovereign of gold ornaments, after assaulting the inmates of two houses in Udumalpet, about 70 Kms from here, early on Sunday. In the first robbery, the robbers gained entry into the house of a lawyer, breaking open the back door with a grinding stone at about 3 am, police said. One of the gang members carrying lethal weapons, hit the lawyer with a wooden club and relieved gold ornaments weighing little over 90 grams from his wife at knife point, they said, adding the lawyer, who had lost two teeth in the attack, had been admitted to hospital. The gang then broke open the front door of a house in the next street and robbed about 50 grams of gold ornaments, after attacking the house owner, who had sustained minor injuries. Attempt of the gang to strike at a nearby house was foiled by the alert house owner and neighbours, police added.
MHC pays Rs 2 lakhs compensation to criminal's widow
Monday, February 24, 2003
PTI CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has awarded a compensation of Rs 2 lakhs to a widow who lost her husband while he was in police custody in October 1989. Disposing of a petition by the woman seeking compensation, Justice P Sathasivam held the report of the Revenue District Officer (RDO), who conducted an inquiry into the man's death, acceptance of the report by the government and initiation of departmental and criminal action against seven police personnel, showed the person in question "died due to torture while in custody". On the special government pleader's contention drawing the attention of the court that the seven policemen have been acquitted by a Madurai Sessions Court, the Judge held merely because the case ended in acquittal of criminal charges it would not exonerate the responsibility of the government to pay a reasonable compensation to the victim's next of kin. Stating that the ends of justice would be met by making authorities concerned pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakhs to the widow, he directed Rs 1.5 lakh be put in a fixed deposit in the woman's name, after noting the government had already deposited Rs 50,000 in a fixed deposit in her name. The woman, Pandiammal, said her husband Vellaiyan was reportedly taken to the police station at Allanganallur in Madurai district on October 20, 1989 in connection with a theft. The next day his body was found in a canal allegedly bearing signs of torture, she said. It was a case of custodial death, she added.
I'll use politics, literature to benefit Tamils: Karunanidhi
Monday, February 24, 2003
PTI MADURAI: DMK President M Karunanidhi on Sunday said his literary pursuit would continue along with political activities. Whether it was writing or political activity "I do it for the cause of the Tamils and protecting their rights," he said at a function here to release the second edition of Tolkappia Poonga, an exposition authored by him on ancient Tamil treatise Tolkappiyam. He said even if he wanted to pursue only literary works, quitting politics, some rival politicians were not allowing him to do so. "They discuss about me in the Assembly and drag me back into politics." "Now I have decided, I will not give up politics for literature or literature for politics. I will use both for the benefit of the Tamils who are being denied their rights and insulted and humiliated everywhere," he said. He said the Tamil language and its grammar had been protected for the past 3,000 years and with the interest evinced by the people to read Tolkappiam, "I am convinced that Tamil will live and Tamils will live for a long time to come" While releasing first edition of the book in Chennai last month, Karunanidhi had said he would hereafter give first preference to his literary work.
TN, UP only states to misuse POTA: Kannappan
Monday, February 24, 2003
PTI TIRUCHIRAPPALLI: Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh were the only state governments in the country to misuse POTA for political vendetta, as they were more interested in taking vindictive action than containing terrorism, MDMK Treasurer and Union Minister M Kannappan, alleged on Sunday. The MDMK had not sought the Union Government's intervention to get the release of party leader Vaiko who had been arrested, though they had filed a case in the Supreme Court against his arrest under POTA, Kannappan, who is Minister of State for Renewable Energy Sources, told reporters. He also pointed out that the Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani had "once assured to file an affidavit, if a case was filed in the Supreme Court against the arrest of the MDMK leader Vaiko seeking his release". On Sattankulam by-poll, he said he was confident that the ruling AIADMK would be defeated. The General council of the MDMK would meet at Chennai on March 1 to discuss the political situation and decide on its future course of action.
Farmers eating rats for hunger? Far from truth, says Collector
Monday, February 24, 2003
THENI: The accusation made by a farmer that the villagers of Erathimakkalpatti were eating rat to appease their hunger pangs has no truth in it, says District Collector Atul Anand.In a press communique, he has stated that after the farmer Ayodhiraj stated at the farmers grievance day meeting chaired by the District Collector recently that the ryots of Erathimakkalpatti were eating rats, the Periyakulam RDO Raghavan, under orders of the Collector, rushed to the village and made an inspection. The villagers themselves admitted that they were not eating rat for hunger, the release added. The Collector has also stated that a `vadikal' (drain) at an estimated cost of Rs.50,000 was constructed at the village under the Food for Work scheme and this work took 550 days. Those who were engaged in the work were provided with 2,750 kg of rice. Cement road works and group housing works at a cost of Rs.4.10 lakh were also completed under the scheme. Desilting works at three tanks in the village and repair works on approach road to graveyard would be taken at a cost of Rs.4.50 lakh which will benefit as many as 170 villages. Under the `Free Rice to Ryots' scheme, as many as 95 villagers were being given 30 kg of rice in this village. Similarly at Marikkundu, a village near Erathimakkalpatti, works under Food for Work scheme were taken up at a cost of Rs.five lakh and at M Suppulapuram metalled road works were being executed at a cost of Rs.50,000, the Collector added. During 2001-02 fiscal, under the scheme 1,020 metric tonnes of rice was distributed while during 2002-03, 4,882 metric tonne rice was being provided, Atul Anand pointed out concluding that the farmer's statement alleging people were eating rats was far from truth.
Forget the law, selling kidney is easy in Chennai
Monday, February 24, 2003
CHENNAI: Three years ago Thambu, an auto-rickshaw driver residing at Subbarayan Street `sold' his kidney for Rs 80,000. Today, he neither has money nor good health.``They promised to give me Rs 1.5 lakh with which I thought I could settle my debts. I had to fight to get the Rs 80,000 itself. Now I fall ill frequently and am not able to meet the medical expenses,'' says Thambu. The sale of kidney has been banned through the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994. The act also makes it mandatory on the part of the donor and the recipient to get the approval of the state authorisation committee if the two are not blood relatives - father, mother, siblings or wife. The committee has to satisfy itself that the donor is ``emotionally attached'' to the recipient and there is no transaction of money between the two. The committee, however, cleared Thambu for donating a kidney to a patient admitted to the MIOT hospital ``believing'' they were ``cousins''. However, still Thambu claims that he has not seen his so-called cousin. Thambu's wife Indumathi said, ``In fact, I, did not even know that my husband was selling his kidney till the day of the surgery. ``Only at the hospital the broker told me that he had arranged another woman by paying her Rs. 2000 to appear before the committee claiming to be the donor's wife.'' Indumathi said that she had fought with the brokers Baskar and Tirumal right in front of the doctor minutes before the surgery for pulling her husband into a trap and keeping her in the dark. ``But they threatened that they would prefer a police complaint against us. We could do nothing. My husband was wheeled into the operation theatre by then.'' She said that she received Rs. 40,000 at the basement of hospital immediately after the surgery. ``We had to fight with them for long to get more.'' Even before the family could recover from that shock, Basker had lured Indumathi's mother Jaya to donate her kidney at the same hospital. Hospital authorities said they were not aware of any such thing. Dr P Ravichandran, Nephrologist, MIOT, said, ``We do not encourage such things in this hospital. But if it has happened it is beyond my knowledge. It is a donor-patient deal.'' Meanwhile, Baskar had managed to get many more women in the same area - Selvi Ganapathy, Prema and Lakshmi. ``It was simple,'' said 30-year old Selvi Ganapathy pointing to the scar on the left side of her waist. ``I first went to a private hospital for check-up. They certified me as healthy. As instructed I told the committee that I was related to the 50-year old patient admitted to the Madras Medical Mission (MMM). They approved the transplant and the surgery was performed on Dec. 29, 2001. I was paid Rs 35,000 for the kidney.'' Though Dr Shanmuga Baskar, Nephrologist of MMM could not be contacted, another doctor of the same department, who preferred anonymity said, ``I do not know if the transplantation was done here. I can only assure you that we never do a transplantation without proper documents.'' This is where the matter gets tricky. Director of Medical Education Dr C Ravindranath, who is also the chairman of the authorisation committee himself admits that the system is faulty. ``Recently, we discovered that most donors had produced false addresses. Some even managed to fake our letters,'' he says. There are 45 recognised kidney transplant centres in the state, including 28 in city, approved by the authorisation committee. ``We meet only once a week and we are forced to clear at least 30 cases in that sitting. Despite lack of time we manage to counsel each and every donor. Hospitals and the doctors should be morally responsible for the surgeries they do,'' said a committee representative from the Directorate of Medical Services. The Indian Medical Association and Tamil Nadu State Medical Council, meanwhile are up in arms. ``How can the committee hold hospitals responsible when their letters are fake and documents false? It would be better if they are more responsible instead of just blaming us,'' says Dr TN Ravishankar, Secretary, IMA (Nursing Home Board). Dr M Jayakumar of Guest Hospital said that the system itself had loopholes. ``As long as the law says that emotionally attached people can donate kidney, it cannot be stopped from misuse. Even maids can claim that they are emotionally attached to the patient.'' This is only one part of the story. Prema and Lakshmi are examples of a greater number of people who did not even appear before the committee. ``We did not even know something like that existed. Three years ago, Baskar took me to the hospital and my mother was taken to the same doctor at a different hospital a year later,'' says Prema, 24. According to the local residents, Baskar, who was residing on Subbarayan Street till a few months ago, is now missing. ``He seemed to be having too many problems. He pleaded before us to save him. One day, he ran away,'' said Selvi Ganapathy. But many donors have now graduated themselves into brokers and hence the hamlet no longer yearns for Baskar.
"Assembly still not safe"
Monday, February 24, 2003
Madurai, Feb. 23. (PTI): DMK Chief M Karunanidhi today said that the Tamil Nadu Assembly was still not safe for him to attend. He was asked by the reporters here whether he would attend the Assembly now that Speaker K Kalimuthu had assured that protection would be given to him. "The very fact that the Speaker is offering protection for me means that there is no safety in the Assembly," he said. He referred to the alleged remarks made by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that former Central Minister and Congress leader S R Balasubramanian was egotistic. The remark against such a senior politician had not been expunged from the Assembly record so far, he said. He also drew comparison between DMK Speaker P T R Palanivelrajan who gave only one week of suspension for AIADMK MLA Tamaraikani, who assaulted DMK Minister Veerapandi Arumgam in the face leading to bloody injury, and the AIADMK Speaker K Kalimuthu who directed the police to register "murder attempt case" against DMK leader Parithi Ilamvazhuthi for some remarks, and asked the reporters to draw conclusions.
"Assembly still not safe"
Monday, February 24, 2003
Madurai, Feb. 23. (PTI): DMK Chief M Karunanidhi today said that the Tamil Nadu Assembly was still not safe for him to attend. He was asked by the reporters here whether he would attend the Assembly now that Speaker K Kalimuthu had assured that protection would be given to him. "The very fact that the Speaker is offering protection for me means that there is no safety in the Assembly," he said. He referred to the alleged remarks made by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that former Central Minister and Congress leader S R Balasubramanian was egotistic. The remark against such a senior politician had not been expunged from the Assembly record so far, he said. He also drew comparison between DMK Speaker P T R Palanivelrajan who gave only one week of suspension for AIADMK MLA Tamaraikani, who assaulted DMK Minister Veerapandi Arumgam in the face leading to bloody injury, and the AIADMK Speaker K Kalimuthu who directed the police to register "murder attempt case" against DMK leader Parithi Ilamvazhuthi for some remarks, and asked the reporters to draw conclusions.
Date extended for hall tickets
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Chennai, Feb 20 - The Directorate of Government Examinations has announced an extension in the dates specified for private candidates of the upcoming class XII examinations to obtain their hall tickets. A press release here said that private candidates for the Higher Secondary examination who have failed to obtain their hall tickets within the specified dates, may collect them from the allotted centres on either February 28 or March 1, 2003. This is the last date of issue of hall tickets as the exams begin on March 3. Nor will the hall tickets be sent by post. This extension of dates to collect hall tickets is in addition to the Tatkal scheme introduced to allow private candidates to apply for the Higher Secondary Exam at the Directorate of Government Exams in Chennai between February 17 to 22, 2003.
No need to use anti-conversion card for votes: TNCC
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Sathankulam, Feb 20 - TNCC president S Balakrishnan has said that there is no need for his party to use the anti-conversion card to garner votes from the people of Sathankulam. Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, he said, "We cannot differentiate between a Hindu Nadar and a Christian Nadar in these parts. Since inter-religious marriages are common here, in one extended family, there would be both Christians and Hindus. Of the about 80,000 Nadar voters in this constituency, half are Hindus and the rest Christians. "In a way, they all follow only the Hindu culture. In the circumstances, everyone feels jolted by the law and they would spontaneously vote against the AIADMK. Why should we rake it up". In fact, Balakrishnan revealed, it was the Christian religious leaders themselves who had suggested the fielding of a Hindu candidate by the Congress. Evidently the idea was not to give the AIADMK any opportunity to play the Hindutva card on the sly. He went on to ridicule Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for her inability to speak of any specific achievement during her campaign, but merely sticking to claims that Andipatti was being transformed into a model constituency. The AIADMK had failed in all its attempts to woo the voters, Balakrishnan asserted. He said he was happy that the Election Commission had decided not to accept VAO certificates for purposes of voter identification. Meanwhile, G K Vasan, AICC secretary, who launched his campaign in Sathankulam on Thursday admitted that his party was severely handicapped by lack of resources but hoped the people's support would enable it to win in the face of the "various irregularities" committed by the ruling party.
DMK to felicitate Suresh Kumar: MK
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Chennai, Feb 20 - DMK president M Karunanidhi on Thursday announced that his party would organise a big function to felicitate S Suresh Kumar, DMK's secretary of the Chepauk Assembly constituency, against whom the police have registered a case for 'power theft'. The alleged case took place during the DMK meeting in Chindatripet on February 18. The DMK chief, who was addressing a marriage celebration in the City, said the 'rulers', unable to digest that the meeting which was addressed by him had a good turnout, registered the case to put Suresh Kumar in jail. Suresh was the one who organised the meeting to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Dravidian movement, he said. He also charged that the state was witnessing a 'police raj' and said those who take such measures ultimately get trapped in the process. Karunanidhi recalled that he had seen Chief Ministers like Rajaji, Kamaraj, Bhakthavatsalam, Omandur Ramasamy Reddiar, Anna and MGR. However, none resorted to such behaviour. Recalling the measures taken by the erstwhile DMK regime for the welfare of police personnel, he pointed out that it was his government which appointed the Police Welfare Commissions and recruited women cops for the first time in the State police.
Linking rivers will help economy: Kalam
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Coimbatore, Feb 21 - With the country facing severe water crisis, interlinking of rivers would help in bringing more areas under cultivation, giving an impetus to agriculture, President A P J Abdul Kalam said today. Talking on ‘I have a Vision’, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here, he said water shortage was posing a major problem to the agriculture sector and the growth of its economy. The committee formed on interlinking of rivers was likely to submit its report in a year’s time, he said, adding that a decision on interlinking would be taken based on its recommendations. On his vision, the President said the country should attain self-sufficiency in food production, improve standard of living, achieve eight per cent economic growth, 100 per cent literacy and self-reliance in critical sectors, by 2020. India, with its core strength of vast coastline, minerals, natural resources and biodiversity, besides great human resources, would be able to achieve the desired goal of food, economic and national security during the targeted period, he said. Exhorting the student community to excel in academic standards and become knowledge workers, Kalam said he had designed a scheme - Providing Urban Facilities to Rural Areas (PURA) - under which the country as a whole would have physical, electronic, economic and knowledge connectivity.
EC directive on voter identity in Sattankulam
Saturday, February 22, 2003
New Delhi, Feb 21 - The Election Commission today announced that passbooks of new savings bank accounts in post offices and cooperative banks, opened after December 31 last in the Sattankulam Assembly constituency, would not be accepted as voter identity. The Congress had drawn the Commission's attention to the alleged opening of new bank accounts in the names of fictitious persons for being used as identity for casting bogus votes. Sources in the Commission said the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) had been instructed that only those accounts opened prior to December 31 should be accepted. The certificates issued by the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) and the Slum Clearance Board shall not be accepted as proof of voter identity. On the allegation of the Congress that the ruling AIADMK was mobilising a large number of anti social elements in the constituency and threatening voters and the demand for deployment of the CRPF, the sources said the observers would monitor the situation and take necessary action. The Commission had directed the CEO that only Central Government employees should be posted as presiding officers in all the polling booths. This had been complied with and necessary safeguards had been taken to ensure smooth conduct of the poll, the sources said.
Improve in education, poverty will rid communal clashes: Kalam
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, Feb 21 (UNI) India can get rid of religious and communal clashes once the deficiency in education and poverty was improved, President A P J Abdul Kalam said today. ''Communal differences exist in our country only because of the deficiency in education and poverty,'' he said while interacting with school students here. As education paved way for forging unity and integrity, the country could bring down the internal problems, he added. Advocating nuclear power, Dr Kalam said the country was presently generating 2000 MW to 3000 MW of power through nuclear energy, which could go up to 20,000 MW by the year 2020. The Department of Atomic Energy was working on this, he pointed out. Turning nostalgic, the President recalled the contribution of his teacher and renowned scientist Vikram Sarabhai in space research and said he had a vision of India making its own launch vehicles and satellites in 1962, which has become a reality now. To a question on the future of India, in the backdrop of persistent communal tensions and quarrels over religion, Dr Kalam said the 90 long years of Independence struggle had produced many leaders for the country and one need not fear about the future. ''The vision 2020 would bring us more leaders who would guide the country in the path of development and prosperity,'' he hoped. Regretting that there were still 26 crore people living below poverty line in the country, Dr Kalam said they could be uplifted only through education, employment and scientific development. Exhorting the students to dream, he said dreams would transform into thoughts and thoughts would result in action.
Kalam arrives amidst tight security
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Pondicherry, Feb 21 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam arrived on a day's visit to the Union Territory amid unprecedented security today. Pondicherry Lt Governor K R Malkani, Chief Minister N Rangasamy, his Cabinet colleagues, Speaker M D R Ramachandran and senior officials received Dr Kalam at Ouppalam when he arrived by helicopter from Chennai. Dr Kalam was given a guard of honour by the Pondicherry armed force. The President is scheduled to inaugurate Rs 30-crore Arvind Eye Hospital, pay homage to Mother at Aurobindo Ashram on the occasion of her 125th birth anniversary and interact with 100 students at Rajnivas before leaving for Tiruppur.
Veerappan is surrounded, says TN police
Saturday, February 22, 2003
PTI[ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2003 01:44:09 PM ] MADURAI: Forest brigand Veerappan has been surrounded in the MM Hills area by the Special Task Forces of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and he would find it very difficult to escape the dragnet, a high-ranking official of the Tamil Nadu police said on Wednesday. "Veerappan is holed up now and he will be nabbed very soon," Tamil Nadu Director General of Police, R Rajagopalan, told reporters here. The DGP, who had himself ventured into the forest recently and stayed there for three days for an on-the-spot assessment of the progress made in the efforts to nab Veerappan, said police had fixed four 'points' for intensive combing operations. These were Ilanjikarai, Kattakarai and Palaru in Tamil Nadu and Thengadi in Karnataka. Asked to comment on reports that Veerappan was planning to strike again, he ruled out the possibility and said, "How can a man on the run in a restricted area strike?"
India has technological strength to face the world: PM
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, Feb 21 (UNI) Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said India has the capacity to face the world with her strength in technology and would soon go ahead with plans for a mission to the moon. Addressing a public meeting at the Agriculture University grounds here, Mr Vajpayee asserted that the country of 100 crore people would grow from strength to strength. ''We should have the will to move forward and there is no need to get demoralised,'' he added. Indians have a positive inherent quality which uniteds them whenever the nation faced a threat, he added. Obliquely referring to the Ayodhya issue, he said there were some minor matters which could be sorted out through mutual dialogue or through the intervention of the Court. He said the court process in settling such disputes should be expedited. He said the nation was thankful to the Congress for leading the freedom struggle. However, the party ''has grown old now and has no role to play'' and should leave the field to others. Referring to the democratic traditions, he said the people of this country took decisions through ballot and not through violence. Violence has no place in India, he added. Mr Vajpayee criticised the opposition parties for carrying on ''a tirade'' against his Government on the basis of ''incorrect news reports'' of starvation deaths. He also accused the Congress of having ''stooped low'' in its propaganda that he was eating beef. During the 50 years of his political career, he said, he has never resorted to ''such tools'' against his opponents. Polls should be contested on the basis of principles and issues and not by mud slinging, he added. He said during the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance rule, India witnessed an overall development particularly in the field of IT and Telecommunications. Software worth Rs 40,000 crore was exported in the telecom sector. Realising that road links were the lifeline for development, Rs 7,000 crore was spent on their construction. About 70 lakh houses were also built to provide shelter to the people.
Tamil parties defeat no-faith motion against Defence Minister
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Colombo, Feb. 18. (UNI): The Tamil parties today defeated the no- confidence motion moved by the Opposition parties against Sri Lankan Defence Minister Tilak Marapona, when it was put for voting after a scorching debate. The motion, drafted by the main Opposition People's Alliance (PA) led by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, accused the Defence Minister of failing to control the violence by the Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's war-ravaged North-East region, despite the fact that the ceasefire agreement with the rebels was in operation. However, the motion, which was taken up for debate today after being put off for several months, was defeated with a comfortable margin of 42 votes with 84 MPs voting for the motion and 126 voting against it in the 225-member Assembly. Both the PA and the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) voted against the motion saying the Defence Minister has allowed the LTTE to carry out their violent activities in the North-East by failing to take stern action against them. But the North East-based Tamil parties like the four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) led by former Minister Douglas Devananda, and Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF) commanding 18 seats in Parliament defeated the motion. It is for the second time that a no-faith motion brought against the same Defence Minister by the Opposition parties faced defeat. The no-confidence motion against the Defence Minister was brought as a 'test field' at a time when the PA and the JVP are hell-bent at overthrowing the United National Front (UNF) Government led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and trying to form a Government under President Kumaratunga. However, with the motion being defeated with a comfortable margin, the UNF has proved once again that it enjoys a solid majority in Parliament and there was no scope for the President to dissolve it in the near future.
No CRPF for T.N. bypoll
Saturday, February 22, 2003
NEW DELHI FEB. 21. The Election Commission has rejected the Congress' demand for deploying the CRPF for the February 26 Sattankulam byelection in Tamil Nadu. A Congress delegation had submitted a memorandum to the Commission on Wednesday stating that in view of fear of "largescale violence" during the poll, the CRPF be deployed to ensure a free and fair election. However, Commission sources said that as a general practice, Central forces were not used for byelections and no special circumstances existed in this case also, warranting any change in the practice.
Kalam calls for affordable medicine
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Pondicherry, Feb. 21. (PTI): President A P J Abdul Kalam today stressed the need to develop necessary infrastructure in the country to support technologies involved in health care so that proper treatment could be provided to millions of people living below the poverty line at an affordable price. Inaugurating the Rs 30-crore Pondicherry unit of the Aravind Eye Hospital at Abishegapakkam near here, the President said a national mission for fast track treatment method should be evolved throughout the country. (PTI photo shows Kalam being received by Tamil Nadu Governor P S Ramamohan Rao and Finance Minister Ponnaiyan at the Chennai airport on Thursday night.) India has a national programme for control of blindness and also 'Vision 2020: the right to sight initiative'. He said 30 per cent population still lived below the poverty line and medical care had to be provided to a large population. Kalam said the major problem in Indian health care delivery system including the area of ophthalmology was the near total dependency on medical imports of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment and devices including consumables. Every year medical devices and equipment worth over Rs 3000 were being imported. While the common man seldom bought anything imported he was made to purchase or pay partly for the cost of the imported gadgets for healthcare, he said. "We need to create an infrastructure capable of producing our own medical devices, consumables and equipment based on the technology available and to be developed within the country at affordable cost," he said.
TN, AP qualify for basketball super league
Saturday, February 22, 2003
PTI[ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2003 05:39:48 AM ] KOCHI: Formidable Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh men qualified for the super league of the all India BSNL basketball tournament, being held at the Rajiv Gandhi indoor stadium here. Tamil Nadu defeated Punjab 78-35, while Andhra Pradesh registered a 78-51 win over Maharashtra. In other matches, Kerala got the better off Uttar Pradesh 43-23, while Karnataka crushed Himachal Pradesh 64-24 and Madhya Pradesh beat MTNL, Mumbai 36-24. Results: AP 78 (Madhusudhanan 34, Jayachandra Sekhar 15) bt Maharashtra 51 (P Suresh 14, V Sunil 12); Tamil Nadu 78 (S Siva 22, Balasubramaniam 20) bt Punjab 35 (Ravindranath 20, A K Munna 11); Kerala 43 (G Mahesh 27, K V Biju 10) bt Uttar Pradesh 23 (Gurudeep singh 8); Karnataka 64 (Venugopal 23, Chindha 10, Selvakumar 12) bt HP 24; Madhya Pradesh 36 (P R Antony 10) bt MTNL, Mumbai 24 (Mavan Gadgil 11).
Ottran
Friday, February 21, 2003
After the Arjun-directed ‘Ezhumalai’, the Arjun-Simran pair come together in yet another film titled ‘Ottran’. Directing the film is first-timer Ilankannan, who had apprenticed with director Shanker. Arjun plays a secret agent in the film, which gives him scope for enough of action scenes. Shooting commenced in Chennai in a forty-day schedule. Some scenes were shot on Arjun, Simran and Manorama, who plays Arjun’s mother. The scene had Manorama waiting anxiously for her son to return home. It is well past midnight, when she hears a knock on the door. Expecting her son, she opens the door, to find him with a strange girl in tow. As she stands with a surprised look on her face, Arjun tells her, “She is an important guest, and she’ll be staying with us for a few days”. Manorama wondering who the girl is and invites her into the house. Before she could ask Arjun more about the girl, he walks away to his room. As the director guided his artistes, S Saravanan canned the shots. ‘Ottran’ has music by Bharadwaj, sets designed by Thotta Tharani, editing by Sai Suresh, and graphics by Venki. With the supporting cast of Sharat Babu, Vivek, Anu Mohan, Ambika and Kashmira Shah, the film is produced by Kanthilal Bhansali for Popular Films. (Source: ChennaiOnline)
Filmfare Technical Awards announced
Friday, February 21, 2003
MUMBAI: Writer-director Gulzar and Jaideep Sahni shared the Filmfare Award for "Best Dialogue" for Saathiya and Company respectively. Sahni also won the trophy for "Best Story" for Company. The technical awards for the 48th Annual Manikchand Filmfare Awards 2002 were announced here on Tuesday. The event will be held in Mumbai on Friday. The Filmfare trophy for "Best Background Score" went to A R Rahman for The Legend of Bhagat Singh, while Mani Ratnam won "Best Screenplay" award for Saathiya. Devdas fetched Nitin Chandrakant Desai a trophy for "Best Art Direction" and the "Best Cinematography" award for Binod Pradhan. The "Best Editing" trophy went to Chandan Arora for Company. The event will be telecast on Sony Entertainment television from 9 pm onwards.
Mouli (director)
Friday, February 21, 2003
After the success of Pammal K Sambandam, director Mouli is making another film with Kamal Haasan. But this time, Haasan is not acting in the film. He is the producer. Nala Damayanthi, produced by Raj Kamal Productions, will star Madhavan (Nala) and Geetu Mohandas (Damayanthi). Mouli was preparing to go to Australia this month where major portions of the film will be shot. He was a relieved man when Shobha Warrier met him as the long search for the heroine had just ended. For the last few months, the director and production house had been interviewing and auditioning several girls but could not find the girl they had in mind. Their search ended with Geetu Mohandas. What have you been doing after Pammal K Sambandam? I was planning a film with Chiranjeevi in Telugu. He saw Pammal K Sambandam and liked it immensely. He suggested we make a lighter film like that in Telugu. We discussed various subjects and even finalised a story. I wrote a rough script too. We wanted it to be a humourous film, but one that would suit Chiranjeevi's image. We would have started shooting the film if Nala Damayanthi did not happen then. We have to shoot this film in Australia in February and March, hence the Telugu film has been delayed. Why February and March? In these months, the climate is conducive to shooting on location as it is summer in Australia. We will get longer days to shoot, as sunset is around 8:30 pm. That will give us plenty of time to work during day time. Another reason was that Madhavan's dates were available only during those months. I decided to finish Nala Damayanthi first. Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi is doing another film in Telugu. After he finishes his film, we will come together and make the film that we were planning. How did the offer to direct Nala Damayanthi happen? I have been associated with Kamalji as a friend for several years. I read and hear all the stories that he writes. Kamalji wrote this story about five, six years ago. I was fascinated when I first read it. We planned to make the film with Kamalji but somehow, it did not work out. After Pammal, I was planning to make a Tamil film and another in Telugu. Suddenly, I remembered this script and asked him whether I could make a film out of it. At that time, Kamalji was planning to make a film with Madhavan. He said, why don't you do it for us? Kamalji approached Madhavan and he readily agreed. That's the story behind Nala Damayanthi. Has the film anything to do with the mythological characters, Nala and Damayanthi? Nothing, except that the hero in this film is a cook from Palghat. As you know, Palghat Brahmins are famous for their culinary skills. Nala, the king, was supposed to be a master cook. The story is about an Indian cook on foreign soil. When he is in dire straits, he is offered the job as a vegetarian cook in a Chettiar house in Australia. It is because of sheer necessity that he goes to Australia. Otherwise, he is quite happy cooking in Palghat. Unfortunately, after he lands in Australia, he does not get the job. He is forced to look for some other job. Luckily, he finds a cook's job in an Indian restaurant. In the entire fiasco, the uneducated cook loses all his documents. He has no idea how dangerous it is to stay in a foreign country without proper documents. Fortunately, some people, including a young girl, help him out. Slowly, love blossoms between the not-so-educated cook and the educated girl who is born and brought up in Melbourne, Australia. Is it a comedy? Not exactly. The film is not about humour and laughter alone. There is a poignant story in the film. There is a lot of humour but we have not created any situations just for laughter. The situations just happen and make you laugh. For example, this man suffers because of his lack of knowledge of English, which may look funny to the viewers but to him, it is not funny. Were you more keen on directing Kamal Haasan as Nala? I would have preferred Kamalji because he had written the script. It was meant for him. I am happy that Madhavan also suits the character well. I discovered that when we shot a wedding last week. We have finished a week's shooting here. Are you satisfied with the way Madhavan portrayed the character? Yes. Madhavan had done quite well. Of course, Kamalji would have done a little differently. Madhavan is doing it in his own way. I must say Madhavan has understood and portrayed the character very convincingly. Did you ask Kamal Haasan to do the role? No. If he was interested, he would not have offered it to Madhavan. After Pammal and Panchatantram, he was more interested in doing a serious film. One of the roles he did in Michael Madana Kama Rajan was that of a Brahmin cook from Palghat… He has done shades of similar characters in other films too. Perhaps, that is why he decided not to do it again.
Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque should be opened : BJP
Friday, February 21, 2003
PTI CHENNAI: The BJP on Wednesday said it was in favour of opening of Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque premises in Madhya Pradesh for prayers to Muslims and Pooja by the Hindus. "We disapprove of any violence to enter the locked place of worship. But we are in favour of opening it for Namaz by Muslims and Poojas by the Hindus", BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu told a press conference here on Wednesday. He said by police action against the protesters, who were demanding the opening of the locked place of worship, the Madhya Pradesh government had precipitated the matter. On Ayodhya issue, he said there was no need for any discussion in Parliament on the issue, as the government had stated that it would go by the Supreme Court's judgement. The opposition, led by the Congress, which wanted to bring a censure motion in the Lok Sabha yesterday itself, backtracked from it and demanded that the motion be taken up on Feb 26, he said adding the Congress was afraid that if the discussion had been taken up yesterday, it would affect it in Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls. He said NDA government at the centre had filed a petition in the supreme court for expediting the case as per an all party meeting decision, which wanted the case to be disposed of quickly. The Congress, which was a party to the decision then, was now talking in a different tone, exposing its double stand on the issue, he said.
HC extends stay on trial in Coimbatore blast case
Friday, February 21, 2003
PTI CHENNAI: Madras High Court on Thursday reserved its orders on a petition by an accused in the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blast case, who sought a direction to permit him engage an advocate of his choice, to represent him in the case. Reserving his order on the petition filed by A Mohammad Amjeth Ali, Justice V Kanakaraj also extended the interim stay on a special court proceeding with the case till February 24, the day the judge would pronounce his judgement on the petition. Earlier, the judge had granted the stay effective till Thursday. The petitioner is one of the 166 arraigned in the case, which include leader of the banned fundamentalist Al-Umma outfit, SA Basha and president of Kerala based People's Democratic Forum Abdul Nazir Mahdhani. Sixty people were killed and 250 others injured in the serial bomb blasts at Coimbatore, on February 14, 1998. The petitioner prayed that the High Court summon records connected with the special judge's October 3 last order, dismissing his petition, to permit him to engage a counsel of his choice for the case and to set aside the order. He had also prayed that prosecution witnesses examined after dismissal of his petition be examined afresh.
Indian Atomic energy programme to enter new phase
Friday, February 21, 2003
CHENNAI: Indian Atomic energy programme is all set to enter a new phase with the work on the Rs 2800 crore Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, scheduled to commence by April-May this year. "The final green signal for the 500 MW project from the cabinet sub-committee on economic affairs is expected at any time," S Bhoje, Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam told in an interview here on Thursday. Meanwhile, formalities were nearing completion for floating a separate corporation for implementing the project, which was conceived and designed by IGCAR, following the 17 years successful track record of the indigenous Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam, he said. In the proposed corporation being floated jointly by IGCAR and Nuclear Power Corporaton Ltd, Government share would be 75 per cent, NPCL's five per cent and the rest raised through borrowings. IGCAR would be responsible for the design as well as R and D of the PFBR, for which trial excavation had already commenced. Tenders would be floated soon for actual excavations at the site, Bhoje added. "Though the project is scheduled to be completed in the next seven years, we are hopeful of advancing it by at least one year," he said, adding that, the cost when completed would be around Rs 3400 crore.
Cong moves HC on TN voter ID
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Chennai, Feb 19: The legal cell of the Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress has moved the Madras High Court for a direction to the Election Commission of India to permit only voters with identity cards issued by the commission to cast their votes in the February 26 by-election to the Sathankulam Assembly constituency. When the petition filed by the legal cell’s president, A P Suryaprakasam, came up for hearing today, a division bench comprising Chief Justice B Subhashan Reddy and Justice Ravi Raja Pandian posted it for tomorrow. Alleging large-scale misuse of the official machinery by the ministers, including Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, during campaigning, the petitioner also sought a direction from the court to the ECI and the government to prevent such misuse. He expressed the apprehension that allowing even the use of recurring deposit passbooks as identity cards would lead to large-scale bogus voting. The EC had decided yesterday not to allow the use of certificates issued by village administrative officers and Slum Clearance Board as voter identity. The petitioner said the use of such identity cards in the by-elections to Vaniyambadi, Saidapet and Andipatti Assembly constituencies had allegedly resulted in the casting of bogus votes and did not reflect the real will of the people. (Our Correspondent)
Tiruchi REC becomes NIT, deemed varsity
Thursday, February 20, 2003
New Delhi, Feb 19: The Union Cabinet tonight approved the takeover of 17 Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs) in the country as the National Institutes of Technology with Deemed University status. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the Centre would fund these institutes fully unlike in the past when the Centre bore 65 per cent of the cost. This involves an additional liability of Rs 70 crore annually on the exchequer under non-Plan head with an annual increase of 10 per cent for a period of five years from 2002-03 onwards, she said. The RECs are located at Allahabad, Bhopal, Calicut, Durgapur, Hamirpur, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Jamshedpur, Kurukshetra, Nagpur, Rourkela, Silchar, Srinagar, Surathkal, Surat, Tiruchirapalli and Warangal. The Minister said making NITs fully Centrally-funded would enable them to become national centres of excellence and help produce quality manpower comparable to IITs. (Agencies)
Pepsi, Coke defend bottled water purity
Thursday, February 20, 2003
New Delhi, Feb 19: In the face of the government issuing warnings or withdrawing ISI marks for bottled water following the controversy over presence of high levels of pesticides, leading players, including Pepsi and Coke, today asserted that they was complying with all norms in India. The spokesperson of PepsiCo, whose Bharuch plant was debarred from using the ISI mark for its bottled water, said, “The water line in the Bharuch factory is very new and was, in fact, scheduled to receive its approval for starting operations last week.” “We had done independent tests of bottled water at our nine plants in the country last week and it was found that all of them meet the BIS, WHO and EU standards,” she said. Asked about the warning issued to Coke’s Kheda (Gujarat) plant, Coca-Cola India vice-president (external) Sunil Gupta said, “We are not aware of any such notice. Once we receive it and study it, we will take necessary action. “We reiterate that we provide 100 per cent safe drinking water,” he said, but did not reply to the query if Kothari Beverages of Thane, which has lost the ISI mark, was bottling water for Coke. A spokesperson of Mumbai-based Ion Exchange said the company’s consumer products division, which handles the bottled water business, has not received any letter from BIS on withdrawal of the ISI mark. Ramesh Chauhan of Bisleri International, whose Bangalore unit figures among the eight bottlers debarred from using the ISI mark, could not be contacted as he was away from the Capital. An official at his Delhi office declined to comment on the issue. (Agencies)
Kovai undertrials on fast
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Coimbatore, Feb 19: A section of undertrials in the central prison here today refused to take food in protest against the alleged attack on them by jail staff. According to jail sources, seven undertrials belonging to the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army and Tamil Nadu Retrieval Troops, have been refusing to take food since last night. Four jail staff had suffered minor injuries in a clash with the undertrials yesterday. A majority of the undertrials were arrested in connection with cases related to forest brigand Veerappan, the sources said. (Agencies)
Tiruchi REC becomes NIT, deemed varsity
Thursday, February 20, 2003
New Delhi, Feb 19: The Union Cabinet tonight approved the takeover of 17 Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs) in the country as the National Institutes of Technology with Deemed University status. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the Centre would fund these institutes fully unlike in the past when the Centre bore 65 per cent of the cost. This involves an additional liability of Rs 70 crore annually on the exchequer under non-Plan head with an annual increase of 10 per cent for a period of five years from 2002-03 onwards, she said. The RECs are located at Allahabad, Bhopal, Calicut, Durgapur, Hamirpur, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Jamshedpur, Kurukshetra, Nagpur, Rourkela, Silchar, Srinagar, Surathkal, Surat, Tiruchirapalli and Warangal. The Minister said making NITs fully Centrally-funded would enable them to become national centres of excellence and help produce quality manpower comparable to IITs. (Agencies)
EC team begins inquiry in Sathankulam
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Sathankulam, Feb 19: Election Commission observers began an inquiry into reports of gifts distributed by the ruling AIADMK to woo voters here. Official sources said there were complaints from opposition parties that the party was distributing freebies in various places in the constituency to attract voters. (Agencies)
EC team begins inquiry in Sathankulam
Thursday, February 20, 2003
EC team begins inquiry in Sathankulam Search for More News Sathankulam, Feb 19: Election Commission observers began an inquiry into reports of gifts distributed by the ruling AIADMK to woo voters here. Official sources said there were complaints from opposition parties that the party was distributing freebies in various places in the constituency to attract voters. (Agencies)
Technical snag mars first day of online EPIC
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
Technical snag mars first day of online EPIC CHENNAI: Despite the official claim that the Chennai Corporation's online Electors' Photo Identity Card programme will cover 14 lakh voters who have not been photographed till now, lack of planning and technical snags marred the first phase on Tuesday. Voters not photographed so far and those whose names have been included in the recent special revision of electoral roll, 2002, were asked to make use of this programme. It will conclude on April 6. Accordingly, two constituencies - Harbour and Royapuram - were taken up for the first phase of the programme beginning Tuesday. The first phase of the programme, which will go up to Sunday, expects to cover 95,110 voters. Though the programme did evoke a response from the public in the beginning, technical snags developed in the computers later, leading to the failure of issuing of I-cards for those who had been videographed in many Distinguished Photography Locations (DPLs) on Tuesday. For instance, at Maraikair Street in ward no. 27 (Seethakathi Nagar) in Harbour constituency, only 35 voters were videographed till noon, when the computer in the DPL developed trouble. "We have asked the computer agency to provide alternative measures to videograph the voters. To our dismay, the snag could not be rectified till evening, and we have told the voters to come tomorrow," said an election official on duty. Even as the distribution process here came to a halt, what annoyed the outsiders was the lackadaisical attitude of the staff in making a complaint to their higher-ups. No sooner had the officials launched the programme at Thambu Chetty Street in ward no. 28, than the only printer in the DPL developed a snag. This did not hamper the process of videographing, but the officials withheld the process of distribution of ID cards. The officials at a DPL in Nattu Pillair Koil street in ward no. 29 also complained about the camera. "We could videograph only 22 voters, who even came with their wedding invitations as a proof of identity. However, we could not continue videographing in the noon," said an official. Incidentally, at B R Garden in ward No 25, the technical flaws in the printer led to similar problems. Interestingly, at a DPL in Mint Street in ward No 23, where the Corporation Commissioner M Kalaivanan launched the programme in the morning, complaints poured in from various sections about the 'quality' of the cards issued. "Even the outsiders came in to our rescue, claiming that they would print good quality ones. But we had to convince them that the rules did not allow us to do so," another official pointed out. The election officials at Ripon Buildings said the issue would be sorted out soon as the voters had another five days for videographing. At the end of the day, 347 voters were videographed in Royapuram constituency out of 53,591 targeted voters and 257 in Harbour constituency out of 41,519 targeted ones, sources said. Meanwhile, Kalaivanan said the voters of Royapuram and Harbour who had been videographed in the previous three-month EPIC programme would be given I-cards on February 24 and 25 in the divisional offices. In other constituencies, ID cards would be distributed as soon as the six-day programme would conclude in those constituencies.
Censor board says its wings are clipped
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
CHENNAI: Chennaiites are no strangers to theatres that screen blue films under funny titles. And, sleazy posters are invariably the best guides to those who flock in to watch such movies. But, what a 'conservative' city resident would do in such a case is to have a peek and eventually ask the predictable, "What is the censor board doing?" "Times have changed," says S Raju, Regional Officer (Chennai), Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). "Earlier, only the censor board officials got to see the explicit and 'uncut' version of the films and the producers were told what scenes had to be deleted before the movie hit the screens. But it is the other way round now," he adds. "Producers of the movies that show women in bad light explicitly to attract audiences do not show the board these scenes. What comes to the table is a film in which there are distinct cuts when the door shuts behind a couple entering a room or a woman walking into a bathroom in her bathing robe," says the official. And it is these cuts that find their way back into the reels through interpolation. Meaning, soon after the board certifies the movie confirming that there are no 'explicit' scenes, the producer releases the main reel box of the film along with a smaller reel box. "The small box normally contains scenes cut before screening for the board officials. When the movie is finally screened after being widely publicised through obscene posters, it will eventually show what happens behind closed doors," say the board officials. Interpolation is a cognisable offence, say the board officials, which gives the freedom to any member of the public to file an FIR with the police stating that an obscene film is being screened in a theatre. The police have the authority to act on the screening of an uncertified or unlicensed film with objectionable scenes that are shown without proper certification. The offence can attract a penalty of revoking the licence for screening any movie in that particular hall. The officials add that cinema owners are expected to display a cut-list of the films screened in their hall. The list will state clearly as to what are the scenes recommended for deletion by the censor board. However, most of the cinema halls do not follow the procedure of displaying the list following which the CBFC decided to display the cut-list of all the movies, certified by them since Jan 2000, on their Web site (www.Cbfcindia.tn.nic.in). "Members of the public can browse through the cut-list and if a movie violates the deletions recommended by the board, it is an offence that can be taken up with the enforcement authorities _ in this case the local police," the officials say. As for the movies that are shown on television, the matter could be taken up under the Cable TV regulations Act and screening of objectionable films could be dealt with by any viewer by approaching the police, they add.
HC stays examination of witnesses in Coimbatore blast case
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
HC stays examination of witnesses in Coimbatore blast case CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has stayed till February 20, examination of witnesses in the Coimbatore bomb blast case pending before the Special Court for bomb blast cases there. Justice V Kanakaraj granted the interim stay on February 14 while admitting a writ petition from A Mohammed Amjath Ali, one of the accused in the case, seeking to set aside an order dated October 3, 2002 of the special judge refusing his plea to permit him to choose an advocate of his choice to defend him in the case. The petitioner, facing prosecution under Section 302 IPC, originally filed a petition before the trial court to permit him to engage a state-brief advocate of his choice at the cost of the Government. The special judge asked him to choose an advocate from the 26 state-brief advocates on record. The petitioner had stated that even though the Government had appointed 27 state-brief advocates, there were only 26 such lawyers conducting the trial. Therefore, he be permitted to have one counsel of his choice, he pleaded. The special judge, however, rejected the plea and appointed Dhanraj Cangan as the advocate for petitioner. Hence, the present petition. The petitioner contended that the trial court could not impose a counsel on him against his will and wish. PLEA DISMISSED: The Madras High Court has dismissed a habeas corpus plea from a father to produce his son in the court and to set him at liberty, as the boy was produced before the court on Monday. According to P Jayaraman of Velanservaikaranpatty in Dindigul district, his son Muthupandi, 13, was employed by businessman P Mani alias Subramani in Palani in February 2001. Since there was no information on the whereabouts of the latter, the petitioner lodged a complaint with the local police. As it did not register a case, he moved the Madras High Court with the habeas corpus petition. The incident created a flutter in Dindigul district. Advocate A Natarajan contended that the boy left Mani long ago and his whereabouts were not known. He also denied the petitioner's charge that the boy was tortured by his employer. The court issued notice to the police and ordered the production of the boy in the court. Muthupandi was produced before a Division Bench comprising Justice P Shanmugam and Justice K P Sivasubramaniam at their chambers on Monday. The boy told the judges that he left his employer a year ago and found a job in Mumbai.
AIADMK's wooing game in Sathankulam
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
SATHANKULAM: "Please consider this sympathetically," writes a senior AIADMK Minister to one of his party leaders, recommending educational assistance to a Dalit student of Sengulam, who is studying in an engineering college in Pune. The student may or may not have got the money he is seeking which is around Rs 41,000. But the incident exemplifies the point that an AIADMK which is determined to win at all costs is ready to consider even individual obligations to woo the voters in this constituency. If the Chief Minister goes about virtually promising the moon to the electorate, to turn Sathankulam into a model constituency, the gifts galore awaiting the voters, in area after area, seems to have overwhelmed them. Senior functionaries could be seen bargaining with the village representatives on the amount due to them towards renovating a temple or a community hall. In contrast to the relatively laid-back approach of the Congress, which also seems to be handicapped by a severe lack of resource, the AIADMK leaders are going out on all four cylinders, persuading the voters through every conceivable means. One can run into a Minister or a senior functionary at almost every corner, all of them working frantically, as if their very future is at stake. "Because of Amma, we are all here and we are working so hard. See how many Congressmen are here. They are no match for us either in terms of electioneering or discipline. This is like a match between South Africa and Namibia," said a senior functionary. Such confidence could stem from Jayalalithaa's popularity, but it fails to take into account the silent wave of support for the Congress in many places. The Nadar vote bank which had deserted the Congress temporarily seems to be coming back to its fold, gradually though, cutting across the religious barrier. In an attempt to win over the Nadars, Jayalalithaa made it a point to tell the people that the late MGR did not field a candidate against C P Adithan, a newspaper baron from the community, in 1977. But then the Congress is giving a mischievous twist to her promise to convert Sathankulam into Thevankulam (Tank of Satan into a Tank of God) by insinuating she is attempting to make it a Thevarkulam - Thevars being the supporters of Jayalalithaa. The continuing attacks on the cadres of the opposition could also spoil the chances of the AIADMK. It is too early to predict. But the Congress is indeed giving the ruling party a run for its money, and the DMK too is hesitantly closing ranks with it. The AIADMK banks heavily on the charisma of its supremo and the advantages that go with being in power. Perhaps, for the voters, the promises made by Jayalalithaa can bring in developmental works to them. But, Sathankulam is not Andiapatti. For the ruling AIADMK, winning Sathankulam is really a great task indeed.
Volkswagen-HM In Alliance Talks
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
Chennai, February 18: German auto giant Volkswagen AG (VW) has evinced keen interest in forging a strategic alliance with the CK Birla-group car maker Hindustan Motors Ltd (HM). The auto major is in talks with HM to work out a suitable deal. HM sources, when contacted by FE, confirmed that talks are on. A VW team is currently in Chennai and will meet with HM officials to explore various possibilities including forging an alliance for production of Volkswagen automobiles. Sources also indicated that VW may also explore the option of a possible takeover of HM’s Thiruvallur plant near Chennai.“The VW team will meet the HM officials on Wednesday. An alliance with HM or the takeover of its Chennai facility are some of the options they are looking at,” they said. HM officials, when contacted, confirmed that they are meeting with the VW team. They, however, declined to comment on the issue of the alliance, or specify the purpose of the meeting. They also discounted the possibility of the takeover of the plant by VW. “Talks are at a very preliminary stage. Something could come out of the meeting or the talks could just fall through,” the HM official said. HM has invested Rs 300 crore at the Thiruvallur facility, which has a capacity of 12,000 vehicles per annum, and manufactures the Lancer and Pajero range of cars under license from Mitsubishi Motors, Japan. The alliance with Mitsubishi does not restrain HM from entering similar arrangements with other auto makers. Meanwhile, the VW team is on the look out for a suitable site for setting up a green field project in India. “The team will look at suitable sites in and around Chennai. They will be visiting the Oragadam industrial park developed by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd near Sriperumbudur. They will also be considering ‘Mahindra City’, an integrated township developed by the Mahindra Industrial Park Ltd for the project,” official sources said. For setting up a facility, the German company will require about 500 acres of land, they noted. Besides scouting for a suitable plant location, the team is also meeting up with a couple of major auto component majors for supply of auto parts for its proposed project. The VW officials had earlier met Andhra Pradesh chief minister Mr N Chandrababu Naidu, who is promoting the state as a suitable investment destination. They will also meet the chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa in Tuticorin on Wednesday. Currently, Tamil Nadu is being portrayed as the Detroit of South India. Chennai houses leading auto majors such as Ford and Hyundai besides a whole lot of auto ancillary companies. Ford, for instance, sources more than 70 per cent of its components from within a 50 km radius from its factory. VW now has a small presence in India through its wholly-owned subsidiary Skoda Auto India Ltd which assembles cars at its Aurangabad facility in Maharashtra. Evidently, with the current moves, Volkswagen, which some years back had been lukewarm towards major investments in India, may now once again be bullish on India.
DoTE to save harassed Deen Dayal College students
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
CHENNAI: The Tiruvallur police on Sunday registered fresh cases against Deen Dayal Engineering College chairman T D Naidu even as the Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE) decided to bail out traumatised students with an ``extraordinary'' mid-year transfer to other colleges. According to sources, the students might be accommodated in nearby institutions based on the vacancy position. If need be, the number of seats might be increased in some colleges to facilitate additional intake of students. It is learnt that the DoTE has decided to offer a ``unilateral'' transfer from the college to students on individual request. Normally, a transfer is effected only with the consent of the managements of the present and future colleges. However, in the instant case, education authorities feel an ``extraordinary situation'' had arisen wherein ``in the interest of students'' they would have to be shifted to other colleges if parents made a representation. Besides, a unilateral transfer seems to be the only immediate option to help the scared students who at a meeting with Anna University vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy on Sunday categorically refused to attend college from Monday fearing victimisation. ``There is no safety for the lives of our children. We would rather have them at home,'' anxious parents shouted in unison. The Government's move to disaffiliate the college would be a long-drawn out process, and the students cannot be made to wait till then, it is felt. At the same, time the DoTE cannot effect an en masse transfer of students as some of them, who are apparently close to the management, might resist such a move. In a related development, the college management on Sunday evening virtually surrendered to the district administration. Its principal Ibrahim assured Collector N Dhananjayan that the students who wished to leave the college would not be harassed. The college has agreed to hand over all documents including mark sheet, community certificate and transfer certificate in original to students or their parents who wanted to move to another institution. The documents would be handed over on Monday in the presence of the RDO, officials said. Earlier in the day, the collector and the police top brass including Chengai East DIG Jangid and Tiruvallur SP Ayushmani Tiwari coordinated with the Anna University Vice-Chancellor to facilitate students and parents to lodge their complaints. According to Tiwari, cases were being registered against Naidu and others based on these complaints. Already a couple of cases were pending against Naidu in the local police station and he had obtained anticipatory bail in one case. MORE SKELETONS: Meanwhile, for the second consecutive day nearly 150 children and parents continued with their moving narration of the mental and physical torture that they allegedly underwent at the hands of T D Naidu and Ibrahim. Parents and students said that even on Thursday, when they went to meet the District Collector, the principal along with some others manhandled students. A girl was allegedly chased by the principal near the Tiruvallur bus stand for daring to complain against the institution. Many students complained that they had received intimidating calls for representing their problems to the Anna University and the collector.
Sun's Telugu FM on air, 2 Tamil stations from Mar
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2003 06:37:41 AM ] CHENNAI: HAVING successfully established itself as the market leader in satellite television business in all the four southern languages, Sun Network has now turned its focus on radio. The network’s Telugu FM station, Visaka FM, operating out of Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, went on air on February 7. Its two Tamil FM stations from Coimbatore and Thirunelveli (both in Tamil Nadu) and called ‘Suryan FM’ are going on air from March 7. The group’s FM station in Chennai, where the private FM players will be on a common infrastructure platform, is expected to start operations some time in April. “Both Coimbatore and Thirunelveli stations will each have a circle coverage of 100-120 km for the stereo signals, while mono will have a still wider reach,” Mr Kalanithi Maran, CMD, Sun Network, told ET. This is expected to bring all major cities and towns in southern Tamil Nadu under the reach of these two FM stations. These include Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Pollachi, Ooty, Tuticorin, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Madurai and Thiruchendur in Tamil Nadu and Thiruvananthapuram and Palghat in Kerala, besides Coimbatore and Thirunelveli. “Our focus will be entertainment, especially light entertainment. There will be less of talking and more radio-jockeying,” Mr Maran pointed out. The network has roped in HTA for the launch campaign, which will also see the introduction of “innovative marketing schemes” to promote radio as a medium. According to Mr Maran, in today’s context, for most people, satellite television channels have become the fulcrum of entertainment. “In addition to promoting radio as an entertainment tool across these regions, in a place like Thirunelveli, which never had an FM station, we need to promote the concept of FM itself,” he said.
Volkswagen team likely to visit Chennai
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
CHENNAI FEB. 17. German automobile major Volkswagen is reportedly exploring the possibility of setting up a production base in India, it is learnt. Volkswagen is being wooed by many a State Government, it is further gleaned. A high-level team from the company is expected to visit Chennai soon. The Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK Government in Tamil Nadu is believed to be quite keen on rolling out a red carpet for the German automobile company. With no tangible flow of foreign direct investment into the State since the return of the AIADMK to power, the present Government was understandably anxious to ensure that some major names had indeed set up shop in Tamil Nadu, it was pointed out. Highly placed sources said this time around the State Government was confident that it could leverage the superior infrastructure facilities obtaining in the State to convince Volkswagen like organizations to come to Tamil Nadu. Time was when State Governments fell head over heels to woo multi-national companies with sales tax concessions and the like sops. With the system of tax-based incentives consigned to the pages of history, there was a realisation in the political quarters on the need for hard-selling the availability of quality infrastructure to woo foreign direct investment. Sources were optimistic that Chennai, considered the Detroit of India, could become a decisive destination for Volkswagen. In this context, they pointed to the presence of big names like Hyundai, Ford, Mitsubishi, Ashok Leyland, TVS Suzuki and the like. A rough estimate suggested that nearly 35 per cent of the country's auto component production came from Tamil Nadu. The presence of big names coupled with a strong component base, it was pointed out, could be effectively marketed to the visiting Volkswagen team to consider its decision in favour of Chennai. Though the Chief Minister was busy with the run-up to the crucial by-election, sources said she was keen on a direct meeting with the Volkswagen team to clinch the decision once and for all in favour of Chennai. Sources said the State Government had already sounded out Volkswagen on 2-3 possible locations. These ranged from a site closer to the St.Gobain glass plant near Sriperumbudur, an area near the Mahindra industrial park and a place near Maraimalai Nagar. Sources said the State Government was willing to walk the talk and provide Volkswagen readily developed land with easy access to the national highway and airport. Further, sources said, the State Government was willing to make available all related infrastructure needs at affordable price. The State Government was believed to be leaving no stone unturned in going aggressively to woo Volkswagen. It is not quite clear, however, what Volkswagen is really looking to produce in India. Volkswagen, it may be noted, makes both cars and light commercial vehicles.
SC directs TN police not to arrest BJP functionary
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
NEW DELHI Feb. 17 . The Supreme Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Police not to arrest the commercial wing secretary of the BJP alleged to have been implicated in a murder case. The direction was issued while ordering notice to the Tamil Nadu police on an anticipatory bail application filed by the petitioner. A Bench comprising Justice Santosh N. Hegde and Justice B.P. Singh ordered notice after hearing senior counsel, K. Subramanian, appearing for the petitioner, S. Gnanasekaran of Tiruvarur. The Bench said ``notice and in the meanwhile the respondent shall not arrest the petitioner''. Mr. Subramanian submitted that in the first FIR, the police had not cited the petitioner as an accused. However, his name was included one month after the incident. He said the High Court had rejected the petitioner's anticipatory bail, only on the ground that being a murder case, his application could not be accepted. The appeal was directed against this judgment dated January 13. In his special leave petition challenging the High Court order, Mr. Gnanasekaran said that a substantial question of law arose for consideration in this case, viz. whether the High Court was right in holding that being a murder case petition for anticipatory bail did not merit acceptance; and whether this approach was not contrary to the recommendation of the Law Commission for introduction of Sec. 438 in Cr.P.C. for grant of anticipatory bail. The petitioner prayed for setting aside the impugned judgment and anticipatory bail in the event of his arrest.
Escape from Taliban Movie Preview
Monday, February 17, 2003
Escape from Taliban is a true story, based on bestseller "Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife" by Sushmita Banerjee. The movie is produced by Ashok Khemka and Vijay Nopany and directed by Director Ujjal Chattopadhyay, who has directed two national award winning Bengali films. The main star casts are Manisha Koirala, Nawab Khan from Afghanistan in the lead role. Escape from Taliban is a riveting drama that confronts the unspeakable truth of Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban. Sushmita (Manisha Koirala) is a young woman from India who falls in love with a handsome Afghani. Abandoning country, community, and family, she follows him to his homeland. Jaanbaz (Nawab Khan), her husband, eagerly describes the wonderful life they will share and the family they will raise in the hilly terrain near Kabul. Sushmita believes she has never been happier in her life, but she will soon discover that in following her heart to Afghanistan, she has made the biggest mistake of her life. In Afghanistan, Sushmita is confronted with a horrific new reality. Under the rule of the Taliban, women are considered commodities whose sole purpose is to bear children. Sushmita's individuality and spirit are crushed as she is forced to cover herself completely and instructed to be compliant and meek. At first, Sushmita's love for Jaanbaz makes the ill treatment bearable. But one night, Sushmita discovers her husband's terrible secret, and realizes that he, too, has considered her little more than a commodity all along. The love she thought they shared turns out to be a lie. Trapped in a loveless marriage in a suffocating, intolerant society, Sushmita makes an unlikely and courageous decision. Source - glamsham.com
Simran as ‘Silk’ Smitha in Oru Nadigayin Kathai
Sunday, February 16, 2003
In filmdom, it is generally an unwritten rule that nobody dare speak about the darker side of an actress' life. Though almost everyone knows the goings on in the industry, they are seldom publicised. In the event, it is surprising that somebody should actually make a film on the life of an actress. But when Simran is roped in to play the lead role nobody is surprises. For, Simran has been like that -- never new to controversies. The film we are talking about is Oru Nadigayin Kathai, believed to be a take-off on the life of Tamil film's sex siren 'Silk' Smitha. Some sections in the industry are questioning that why should Simran do such a contentious role. 'Silk' Smitha, who dramatically captured the imagination of Tamil film fans through her seductive appeal, found an end, equally dramatically, by committing suicide. But Simran is unfazed at the raised eyebrows over her choice. "I don't see any controversy in this. I like new challenges. I don't like doing the same roles again and again. If I cannot do this role now, I perhaps cannot do this any other time," she says. Simran has a valid point. She is still the number one in Tamil and it is not a role that she has accepted out of desperation. Talking of Silk Smitha, Simran says the film is only loosely based on her. "Actually, you can find the shades of many actresses' lives in Oru Nadigayin Kathai." "I am a great admirer of Silk Smitha. She almost ruled the Tamil industry for nearly 15 years. But in the end, she just threw it away. I don't know why she chose such an end," Simran says. In a sense, Simran is better equipped to do the role of an actress who commits suicide as her sister Monal too committed suicide last year. "I think they all felt that they are escaping from a problem by committing suicide. But it is foolish," she says Oru Nadigayin Kathai will be directed by Rajeshwar. He says he always likes making movies on real life incidents. "The moment I decided to make this film, I made up my mind to cast Simran. She is the one capable of handling such a subject,' he says. Simran also reflects the confidence. "I think I can do justice to the character". That is pretty much in character with her approach.
Simran as ‘Silk’ Smitha in Oru Nadigayin Kathai
Sunday, February 16, 2003
In filmdom, it is generally an unwritten rule that nobody dare speak about the darker side of an actress' life. Though almost everyone knows the goings on in the industry, they are seldom publicised. In the event, it is surprising that somebody should actually make a film on the life of an actress. But when Simran is roped in to play the lead role nobody is surprises. For, Simran has been like that -- never new to controversies. The film we are talking about is Oru Nadigayin Kathai, believed to be a take-off on the life of Tamil film's sex siren 'Silk' Smitha. Some sections in the industry are questioning that why should Simran do such a contentious role. 'Silk' Smitha, who dramatically captured the imagination of Tamil film fans through her seductive appeal, found an end, equally dramatically, by committing suicide. But Simran is unfazed at the raised eyebrows over her choice. "I don't see any controversy in this. I like new challenges. I don't like doing the same roles again and again. If I cannot do this role now, I perhaps cannot do this any other time," she says. Simran has a valid point. She is still the number one in Tamil and it is not a role that she has accepted out of desperation. Talking of Silk Smitha, Simran says the film is only loosely based on her. "Actually, you can find the shades of many actresses' lives in Oru Nadigayin Kathai." "I am a great admirer of Silk Smitha. She almost ruled the Tamil industry for nearly 15 years. But in the end, she just threw it away. I don't know why she chose such an end," Simran says. In a sense, Simran is better equipped to do the role of an actress who commits suicide as her sister Monal too committed suicide last year. "I think they all felt that they are escaping from a problem by committing suicide. But it is foolish," she says Oru Nadigayin Kathai will be directed by Rajeshwar. He says he always likes making movies on real life incidents. "The moment I decided to make this film, I made up my mind to cast Simran. She is the one capable of handling such a subject,' he says. Simran also reflects the confidence. "I think I can do justice to the character". That is pretty much in character with her approach.
Sivaji’s grandson to make debut
Sunday, February 16, 2003
There’s none to surpass Sivaji Ganesan’s talent in Tamil cinema. Be it the role of a king or a pauper, Sivaji would make it come true. It is always difficult to step into his shoes. For that matter, his son Prabhu was able to achieve some amount of popularity. But the glory and fame his father earned within short period never came to him. Now it’s Dushyanth who is trying to step into Sivaji’s shoes. Dushyanth is the son of Sivaji's son Ramkumar. Dushyanth is testing the waters with ‘Success, Success’. Dushyanth is, however, undaunted. "It is inevitable that they would try and compare me with my grandfather or my uncle Prabhu,' says the third year B.Com student. “But all I can say is “don't weigh me down with expectations," says he. “Success, Success” is apparently the first words Sivaji spoke in front of the camera in Parasakthi decades ago. "Surely those words were the inspiration behind the name of the film," Dushyanth says. Dushyanth has two new heroines in the movie -- Sonia Agarwal and Nandana. Director Suresh Prasanna is also a debutant. This big budget film also has Roja and Urvasi in the cast and will go to floors later this month. The producers, Isaki Sundar and Subbiah, sons of a long-time associate of Sivaji, too are new comers. A chance of Dushyanth meeting the producers what made them to sign a film with him. "Though I have grown in film environment, I have been giving a thought to films only since last year. And a serious action has gone into it only in the last few month," the young hero says. Having decided to step in, Dushyanth has started honing his dance and fighting skills. "I am also brushing up my Tamil pronunciation. I cannot afford to goof up on that," he says. Since his grandfather is not around, Dushyanth, the moment he decided to take the plunged, approached his uncle Prabhu for advice. So what were his tips? "I just told him to be professional in his approach. Don't be flippant," says Prabhu enthusiastically. Dushyanth has all the goodwill going for him. But the trickiest part is just around. Living up to the reputation of his grandfather and uncle. Hope the name of the film proves to be true to Dushyanth too.
Ameesha to make Tamil debut
Sunday, February 16, 2003
If a Tamil actresses' career graph is going north then she will go to Bollywood. And, if a Bollywood beauty's career has hit a downward spiral, she will come south, literally. And Ameesha Patel has. Close on the heels of her debut in Telugu, the news is that the Kaho Na Pyar Hai girl is stepping into Tamil. According to Kollywood reports, Amesha has been signed to play in a film named Geethai. The film to be directed by a newcomer Jagan will have Vijay as the hero. Geethai will also have Meera Jasmine as another female lead. So it is intriguing that Ameesha should make her debut in Tamil through a film which will be hero-dominated and also features another popular actress. But Ameesha is unfazed. The actress is said to be extremely pleased to step into Tamil which has been generally kind to imports from Bollywood. Yet, Ameesha has to be careful as Meera Jasmine is known to steal the thunder from others. And Vijay himself is known to walk away with scenes. Reports have it that Vijay has a director-backed role. He is said to sport six fingers in his hand for the film. But Vijay would need a few more hands to back him as his last few films including the latest Vaseegara have sunk unceremoniously. Coming back to Ameesha, her career in Bollywood is at the crossroads. She had a good hit last year through Humraaz. But she is not the most happening actress there. In Telugu, she is to play the heroine in Surya's New (the same role is played by Simran in Tamil). It is clear Ameesha has the looks and ability to be a top-line actress. All she now needs is potful of luck. She is in Kollywood for that.
Thathi Thaavuthu Manasu
Sunday, February 16, 2003
Mumtaz, Kalabhavan Mani, Rajashri) Mumtaz was introduced as a heroine in T Rajender’s ‘Monisha Enn Monalisa’, but when there were no offers forthcoming for the lead role, Mumtaz wisely switched over to what she is best at. Sizzling the screen with her dance numbers. Now Mumtaz has taken a break from her dancing, and is playing the heroine. Titled ‘Thathi Thaavuthu Manasu’, the film has Kalabhavan Mani playing the male lead. Also in the cast are debutant Sona, Sindoori (one of the heroines in Shankar’s ‘Boys’), and Archana, a former Ms. Bangalore. The film is produced by V K Riyaz Ahmed for his banner Light Visions. Riyaz, apart from being the manager of Mumtaz, also looks after the dates of top artistes like Khusbhu, Abbas, Sanghavi, Vijayshanthi, Ramya Krishnan and Sangitha. Co-producing the film is J Bismi, a free-lance journalist, and Samreen. Directing the film is debutant Azhaguraj Sundaram, who had worked as assistant to directors like Bhagyaraj, Vikraman and Pandiarajan. The story of the film is penned by Thulasi Pazhanivel Bharati who works as a PRO for concerns like the AVMs. The supporting cast has Nizhalgal Ravi, Vittal Prasad, Rajashri, Ilavarasu, Subhashini, and Kalairani. Vadivelu has been roped in for the comedy. The technical credits include cinematography by A. Nityanandam, art by G K, stunts by Jagura Thangam, dance choreography by Kala, editing by K Pazhanivel, and music by Sirpi. The locations chosen for the shooting are Chennai, Thiruvannamalai, Kalahasthi, among other places. The film is reportedly based on a true-life incident that happened in Chennai some time ago.
Parasuram
Sunday, February 16, 2003
Parasuram (Arjun, Kiran, Gayatri Raghuram, Abbas) After ‘Vedam’ and ‘Ezhumalai’, action-king Arjun is on to his next directorial venture titled ‘Parasuram’. Apart from penning the story-screenplay and wielding the megaphone, Arjun plays the central role of the honest, duty-conscious cop who makes it his life’s mission to destroy the anti-social elements of the country. Action-oriented, the film will have romance and sentiment too. Paired with Arjun are Kiran and Gayatri Raghuram. A light-hearted scene was taken on the lead pair. Present were the supporting cast of Murthy and Vyapuri, who play the father and the uncle of Kiran respectively. Business tycoon Karunakaran’s whole world revolves round his daughter Anjali, and he’s willing to do anything to fulfill her wishes. Anjali’s uncle Nallathambi too supports Anjali in all her endeavours. But Anjali has eyes for only one man. Parasuram the gutsy cop, whom she follows around to his irritation, clicking his photos, and sticking them all over her room. But Parasuram, a dedicated no-nonsense cop, has little time for romance, and wards off Anjali’s unabashed wooing. The only one to benefit from this whole exercise is a photo studio owner, who from a small studio owner, becomes a lakhier all due to Anjali’s obsession with the cop whose photos she gets printed at his studio! Canning the shots for this lighter part of the script was K S Selvaraj, the cinematographer for most of Arjun’s films. Produced by Anbalaya Prabhakar, the film has music by A R Rehman. Editing is done by Saisuresh, sets designed by Mohan Mahendran and stunts choreographed by Kanal Kannan. The supporting cast has Goundamani, Ilavarasan, Vijay Krishnaraj, Baburaj, Mohan Vaidya, Mohandas, Nirmal and Kumaresan. Abbas plays a crucial role, while Mumbai model and actor Rahul Dev has also been roped in.
Azhagam Perumal directs Srikanth and Meera Jasmine team up!
Sunday, February 16, 2003
The brightest among the breed of newcomers in Kollywood these days are Shrikanth and Meera Jasmine. Now, they get to unite onscreen and sing duets for us. Azhagam Perumal, who directed 'Dum Dum Dum' is going to direct this film. Shrikanth and Meera Jasmine have consented to act in the film. The soon-to-start film is going to be produced by Lakshmi Productions, the people who made 'Dhil' and 'Youth'.
Rajini's World Tour
Sunday, February 16, 2003
As usual, Rajini has left for another world tour with his family. Rajini goes on a holiday abroad each time he starts working for a new film. The excitement and energy that the tour generates continues throughout the film. He is following the routine now. He is involved in discussions with director KS Ravikumar for his next film. In between, he has decided to take a break along wiht his whole family and has left for Malaysia and Singapore. He plans to go straight to the US and stay at Swami Sachchidaananda's ashram. He is expected to get back to Chennai during the first week of March. He has requested KS Ravikumar to complete the preparations for the next film before his return from the trip. Which means, shooting for his next film begins in either March or April.
Extra funds allotted for TN highways
Sunday, February 16, 2003
KARUR:The Department of National Highways has allotted more funds for roads in Tamil Nadu than the average amount, Union Minister for State for Highways and Transport P C Kandhuri said here on Friday. After inaugurating the four lane Salem-Karur National Highway at Manmangalam, near Karur, the Minister said Prime Minister Vajpayee announced the conversion of the national highways into four-lane traffic roads in 1998. It was then announced that 14,846 km of national highways would be converted into four-lane roads at a cost of Rs 54,000 crore. Many ridiculed the proposal and questioned the feasibility of the project. During the 20 years after independence, the successive governments proposed many grandiose plans, but they did not fructify. But during Vajpayee's regime, the people have started enjoying the benefits of these schemes. Already 2,000 km of highways had been converted into four lanes, he said. This project was not launched to garner votes but to create self-confidence among the people and to take the country on the path of development. During the past 50 years, only 556 km of highways had been converted into four-lane roads. But now, work was underway to convert 14,486 km into four lanes within five years, he said.
TITAN lock-out leaves Hosur economy in peril
Sunday, February 16, 2003
HOSUR: The management of the watch major, TITAN Industries, announced a lock-out on Thursday sending ripples of shock across Hosur. Coming out of the blue, the move is likely to have a domino effect in the economy of the industrial town. The Rs 4 crore which the company disbursed as salary every month to its employees, accounted for a major chunk of money floating in Hosur. Besides, the closure of the watch company is likely to throw its ancillary industries - there are 175 of them - in a quandary. Apart from these, 3000-odd employees, including 1800 women and about 200 deaf and dumb workers, now stand to be jobless without any immediate takers for their specialised skills. The industry was plagued by trade union trouble since some time. The lock-out move seems to have been spurred by the decision of the employees' union to go for an indefinite strike on February 15 over their demand for a Rs 3,500 hike in salary. Earlier, faced with a slump in business, the company had refused to comply. A role model of an industry once, TITAN, owned by TATA group of companies with the 27 percent stake of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), started in SIPCOT industrial estate in Hosur in 1985. It adopted a unique recruitment style by selecting school toppers through campus interview across the state. According to industry sources, TITAN was the first industry, which gave highest pay to the just passed out SSLC and HSC candidates in Tamil Nadu. Within a short span, company started exporting 3 million quartz watches per year to more than 30 countries and acquired 70 per cent of local watch market. The company also strted a jewellery division in the name of TANISHQ in Hosur industrial estate in 1994. Initially, there was a slump in TANISHQ performance due to the fluctuation in international gold market and relaxation in duty for the air travellers carrying gold from abroad. But it picked up from 2001 and earned good profit. For the employees working in Titan and TANISHQ factories the company, allotted HIG (higher income group) houses. At one stage, other medium and large scale industries here were sore over TITAN for its healthy package to the employees. Citing the sound pay scale of TITAN employees, trade unions in other industries sought increments every year and resorted to strikes. Due to industrial slump across the country, TITAN announced VRS option and more than 300 employees with good package (about Rs 12 lakh per employee) availed the scheme. When all was good, the workers raised flags nine months ago during settlement talks. When the trade union urged more than Rs 3,500 increment per worker, the company refused and did not enter into a new settlement. According to trade union sources, workers planned an indefinite strike from February 15. But TITAN administration, without any prior announcement, locked up the factory. More than 2500 workers, witnessing temporary lock out notice on the factory gate, tried to block road. But Hosur police rushed to the spot and defused the tension. TITAN Managing Director Baskar Batt informed the employees through a statement that the company was not in a position to meet the demands.
Anti-war demo in City
Sunday, February 16, 2003
CHENNAI: Members of the Movement for People's Unity (MPU), Movement Against Nuclear Weapons and Citizens for Peace on Saturday staged a demonstration here condemning the US war move against Iraq. Addressing the gathering, MPU convenor J Sri Raman said the demonstration was organised in response to a call given by World Peace Movement to observe February 15 as anti-war day protesting US designs to wage a war on Iraq. Noting that the people wanted only peace, he said, ``The war will not only affect Iraq, but also a number of countries in the region and hence international opposition to the US is the need of the hour.''
TN engineering college faces disaffiliation after torture allegations
Sunday, February 16, 2003
CHENNAI: Terrorised is too light a word to describe the state of mind of students of the Deen Dayal Engineering College in neighbouring Tiruvallur district. Girls and boys, just in their late teens, have allegedly been victims of physical violence and perverse intimidation from the college management and its chairman Deen Dayal Naidu for nearly three years now. So traumatised were the students by the high-handed treatment meted out to them that they rushed to the Anna University on Saturday and pleaded with Vice-Chancellor E Balagurusamy to transfer them to ``some other safe college.'' A delegation of victims comprising anxious boys, girls and parents later met Tiruvallur district collector N Dhananjayan and sought his intervention in the matter. Unlike some other institutions where hall tickets would be withheld or internal marks tampered with, at this self-financing college students who dared to question monetary exploitation are allegedly beaten up and threatened with a false police complaint. Girl students, who incurred the ire of the chairman, are reportedly harassed by securing forcible statements against them from classmates of the opposite sex. A couple of girls were almost in tears while narrating how the management cast a slur on their character by forcing boys to write down cheap things about them. All because, they had sought a receipt for the fee of over Rs one lakh that they paid for the first year, though the university had fixed just one-fourth of the amount. They were also slapped and abused in unparliamentary words, the students said. Similarly, boys who insisted on a receipt for the fee collected from them were intimidated into giving statements that they had indulged in ragging and eve-teasing. ``Using this letter, the chairman threatened that he would send me to jail,'' a student said. Some humiliated students even contemplated suicide on a few occasions, it is said. Parents who questioned the management on the physical attacks and harassment of their wards were also abused and intimidated by the college authorities.Æ Residents of the women's hostel also lived constantly under fear. The girls were allegedly called to the chairman's room at night under the pretext of ``enquiry.'' At times, the chairman himself visited the women's hostel at odd hours in an inebriated condition. According to sources, a three-member inquiry committee constituted by the Anna University had indicted the college and its chairman for serious academic lapses and harassment of students. The committee, headed by A R Santhakumar, was constituted following a specific request from the offices of the Governor-Chancellor and the Chief Minister in the wake of several complaints from students and parents. The committee, which held its inquiry in late January, apparently found that the staff list contained fictitious names and the students were ill-treated by the chairman. He had also misbehaved with them and parents. The college had also attempted to scuttle the inquiry and returned the letters sent by the University Registrar and Vice-Chancellor citing lame excuses.Æ It is learnt the government is contemplating measures to disaffiliate the college and transfer the students to a better college. In fact, the three-member committee recommended such a course of action, it is learnt.
Stanley doctors give woman a new lease of life
Sunday, February 16, 2003
CHENNAI: The Stanley Medical College has given a new lease of life to a farm hand whose liver was damaged after she accidentally fell into a well at Acharapakkam in Kancheepuram district. According to doctors, Vijayalakshmi last month slipped into the well which had been dug by her husband for irrigation purposes. She was rushed to a private hospital in an unconscious state, where she was treated for head injury. However, it was detected that a blood clot had formed in her liver and she was referred to the Stanley Hospital here. On examining her, doctors found that there was 70 per cent damage to her liver and advised her relatives to take her to the Government General Hospital. Despite their best efforts, the doctors at the GH were unable to identify the exact spot where the blood clot had occurred. Subsequently, she was brought back to Stanley Hospital, where a team of doctors, headed by Dr Daniel, was successful in treating her.
AIADMK trying to buy voters in Sathankulam, alleges Congress
Sunday, February 16, 2003
AIADMK trying to buy voters in Sathankulam, alleges Congress THOOTHUKUDI:Having failed to win over the voters, the AIADMK was now trying to purchase them, S Balakrishnan, president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, said here on Saturday. Speaking to mediapersons after calling on Catholic Bishop Peter Fernando here along with working president of the TNCC E V K S Elangovan, Balakrishnan said the Congress would not be cowed down by the `undemocratic' activities of the ruling party. Both the leaders said the Congress was committed to peaceful poll in Sathankulam but the ruling party was determined to unleash violence and tyranny. An example of this mode of campaigning by the AIADMK was the explosion at Chockalingapuram. They hoped that the Election Commission would take appropriate action in this regard.
Education broadcast via satellite from Feb 28
Saturday, February 15, 2003
CHENNAI: Vigyan Prasar, an autonomous body under the Union Department of Science and Technology, is to start educational broadcast through satellite radios from Feb 28, its director Vinya B Kamble, said on Friday. The broadcast, in collaboration with the world space satellite radio, would be of one hour duration -- half an hour in English and the rest in Hindi. This would be exclusively for school children, he said at a press conference here. The broadcast would be in the areas of science and technology, environment, health, education, he said adding that Vigyan Prasar would be broadcasting 110 episodes of human evolution. The broadcast would be extended in Tamil and other Indian languages at a later stage. He said the Vigyan Prasar was setting up a network of science clubs for children and already over 5000 clubs had been established. The ultimate aim was to set up 50,000 clubs to spread science and technology among the young kids, he said.
HC rejects govt order on college admission
Saturday, February 15, 2003
HC rejects govt order on college admission PTI[ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2003 10:02:24 PM ] CHENNAI: Holding as "inoperative" a Tamil Nadu government order fixing the upper age limit for admission to under-graduate degree courses at 21 years, Madras High Court on Friday directed the authorities to admit two Scheduled Caste men who had crossed the age, to a college for academic year 2003-04. Allowing petitions by Chinnadurai and Anandan challenging the June 19, 2002 government order, Justice K P Sivasubramaniam directed the government to suitably amend the order failing which the objectionable portion was liable to be quashed. The judge told the authorities concerned to evolve a proper policy under which deserving SC/ST candidates, women, physically handicapped persons among others were entitled for relaxation in the upper age limit, for such courses, subject to a prescribed limit of about three to five years. Noting that due to financial difficulties the students could seek admission in college only after reaching the age 22 years, He pointed out that relaxation in age was being given to SC/ST students even for admission to professional courses and higher studies. "Therefore the denial of admission to the petitioners has to be held as unreasonable and opposed to the basic concept of granting relaxation in favour of SC/ST candidates", the judge said.
PopCorn
Friday, February 14, 2003
Cast: Mohanlal, Simran, Vivek, Jyothi Director: Naseer Nasser has a way of doing things differently. Cinema and popcorn go together all right, but only Nasser could have thought of launching his latest directorial project Pop Carn, a film that's not about Pop Corn but about music. The name of the film as it suggests is coined from the phrase Pop-Carnival. Nassar had made offbeat films like Devathai, Avatharam and Mayan in the past, but none of these films have clicked well in the box-office. In his latest film Pop Carn he has roped in Mohanlal, one of the top actors of the Malayalam film world along with the number one Tamil actress Simran to make another film based on Kagaz Ke Phool. But the director fails to impress the audience with this film. The screenplay is so weird that you wish Nasser had taken more care to make matters more simple, engaging and palatable. The story is about Vikramaditya (Mohanlal), a singer and his wife Jamuna (Simran), a fusion dancer. They were crazy about each other's career before marriage. But Jamuna's over ambitious nature and unexpected pregnancy lead to a small misunderstanding, and she walks out of Vikrama's life in a huff with her newborn baby. After 18 years their daughter Megha (Jyothi) comes to perform in a Pop carnival, a national talent contest in Chennai along with her team led by her mother. Megha and a group of other performers set in search of her father and find him as an alcoholic who runs a petrol bunk. How she brings her parents together forms the rest of the story. The flaws in the script and narration are far too many. Mohanlal with too much weight and Simran are the saving grace in this otherwise dragging film. The idea of Mohanlal dubbing in his own voice has fallen flat as it sounds neither like Tamil nor Malayalam. Jyothi, who is Simran's real life sister, lacks screen presence and looks very ordinary. Music director Yuvan Shankar Raja has let us down. Actor-director Nasser clearly seems to be out of his elements. The cast also includes Vivek, Alphonsa, and a Mumbai model Sakthi. The camera is by Sridhar and Vikram Dharma is the stunt master. Kameela Nassar produces the film.
Anpe Sivam
Friday, February 14, 2003
Cast: Kamal Hassan, Madhavan, Kiran, Naseer Director: Sundar C Sensitive and touching, light hearted and humorous, Anpe Sivam is a film to be watched. The film is about Anpu and Sivam, an engaging story, laced with humour and emotion, narrated with sensitivity by Sunder C, a meaningful film from Lakshmi Movie Makers. Kamal's interesting story and screenplay and Madan's punchy, meaningful lines form the backbone to the narration. The story starts off with two men who are poles apart in their nature meet and is forced by circumstances to travel from Bhubaneswar to Chennai together. Nallasivam (Kamal) is a grotesque looking blabbermouth whom the savvy and handsome Anbarasu (Madhavan) meets at the Bhuvaneswar airport. Anbarasu is an ad filmmaker, on the way to Chennai to get married and when the flight gets cancelled due to bad whether, he is irritated and frustrated. But when he learns that he has to share a room for the night with Sivam who is crude, never short of advice and conversation, he has no other way but to tolerate him. Anbarasu goes through many crazy situations as his wallet gets stolen, train getting delayed due to derailment and above all the company of the irritating Sivam. In a flashback the handsome Nallasivam is a left wing Marxist sympathiser, a mock street theatre activist, union leader and a painter. A dirty capitalist factory Muthalali's (Naseer) only daughter Bala (Kiran) falls for him at their first meeting itself and he plans to elope with her. But unfortunately Sivam meets with a bus accident and his face is disfigured. And in the climax to cut a short story shorter the audience discovers that Anbarasu's bride is none other than Bala. Kamal re-establishes his credentials as one of the finest actors we have. The perfect foil is Madhavan. Pitted against an actor of Kamal's calibre, Madhavan plays the fussy self-centred, suave man with perfect ease. Kiran is a revelation. Her voice dubbed by Anuradha Sriram, fits her perfectly. She portrays the scene where she argues with Kamal about their love to perfection. Uma Riyaz Khan as Kamal's friend doing street plays with him, hiding her love for him, resenting when she sees him closer to Bala, and in a final outburst berating him for not reciprocating her love, a nice comic tragic touch to the scene. Nassar as Bala's father and Santhana Bharathi as his right hand provide support. Arthur Wilson's camera and Vidyasagar's music captures the mood throughout. Slick editing and authentic sets embellish the movie
Laysa Laysa
Friday, February 14, 2003
Language: Tamil Director: Priyadarshan Music: Harris Jayaraj Lyrics: Valee Cast: Shaam,Trisha,Vivek, Radharavi, Nirmala Songs:www.jukestation.com Official website: www.laysalaysa.com Synopsis Noted Malayalam, Hindi film director Priyadarshan is back in Tamil with his new release "Laysa Laysa", after the not so successful movie "Snehithaye". "Laysa Laysa" is a remake of the Malayalam Super hit "Summer In Bethlehem". The Film has Shaam and Trisha(Miss Chennai) as the lead pair and supported by Vivek,Radharavi,Nirmala,and some new comers. The film is produced by Vikram Singh(12B) and art direction by Sabu Cyril. Harris Jayaraj has composed the lyrics of Valee. The songs are already in the hit charts. The makers released a single in cassette for Rs.9 much before the original cassette release and claims it as a huge success.
Nabard allots Rs 84 crore to Tamil Nadu
Friday, February 14, 2003
THE National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned Rs 83.93 crore under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund-VIII (RIDF) to Tamil Nadu, according to a press release from Nabard. This sanction includes Rs 24.91 crore for system improvement in power sector in Ramanathapuram, Theni, Erode, Kanyakumari and Vellore districts, Rs 28.87 crore for two reservoir projects in Tiruvannamalai and Vellore districts and Rs 30.14 crore for constructing 48 bridges. The system improvements to the power sector projects in the five districts will be implemented by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, which will complete the works before March 2004, the release said. The Water Resources Organisation of Public Works Department will implement the reservoir project before 2005. The irrigation will benefit 3339 hectares.
DMK MLA Parithi released on bail
Friday, February 14, 2003
PTI[ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2003 09:16:47 PM ] CHENNAI: DMK MLA and former deputy speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly Parithi Illamvazhuthi, arrested on January 31 for allegedly threatening to kill an MLA, was on Thursday released on bail on the orders of the Madras High Court. Parithi was arrested after the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution, directing the police to initiate criminal proceedings against him for alleged threat to kill Tamil Maanila Kamaraj Congress legislature party leader Dr D Kumaradoss following a verbal duel between the two in the House on January 30 last. Immediately after his release, he called on the DMK president M Karunanidhi to seek his blessings. He told reporters outside the central prison here that his arrest was due to 'political vendetta.' Parithi's arrest had united a disunited Opposition in the state, which had jointly organised a public meeting here last week to condemn his arrest and demand immediate release. Earlier in the day, Justice P D Dinakaran, while granting Parithi bail, directed him to furnish a personal bond for Rs 10,000. On Tuesday, a lower court had denied him bail.
Oracle to expand India operations
Friday, February 14, 2003
Oracle to expand India operations By Our Bureau ADVERTISEMENT HYDERABAD, Feb.13 ORACLE India, part of the global major Oracle Corporation, has announced that it has firmed up plans to expand in India, ramping up operations from about 2600 people to about 4,000 and establishing a new development centre in Hyderabad to be commissioned over 18-24 month time frame. The Vice-President, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Execution, Oracle Corporation, and in charge of India Development Centre, Mr Rick Jewell, said "our expansion plan announced in August 2002 has now been firmed up. We will have a large campus of our own in Hyderabad with over 8,000 sq.ft of built-up area. We have already brought seven acres of land and are in the process of finalising the building and construction schedule." " I am very excited about our E-Business development team in India. The team works closely with our development team at our headquarters in the US, on each and every aspect of the Oracle's applications products. Since India has a 12 and half hours time difference with the US, the centre here is uniquely positioned to take over where our US development team stops at the end of their days' work," Mr Jewell said. While showcasing the new warehouse management product, which is a module of highly successful Oracle E-business Suite, Mr Jewell said a significant part was developed in India through a virtual interface between two development centres in Redwood shores and Hyderabad.
Hindu Munani wants ban on Valentine's Day fete
Thursday, February 13, 2003
PONDICHERRY: V Selvam, president of the Pondy unit of Hindu Munnani, has urged the Territorial Administration to ban the Valentine's Day celebrations in the Union Territory. In a statement, he said the celebrations were an erosion of Indian culture and was diverting the youth from their duties. He said if there were any celebrations organised in hotels and restaurants, Hindu Munnani volunteers would oppose it by holding agitations. REGULATORY ORDER: Regulatory order under Sec 30 (2) of the Police Act has been promulgated in North region comprising Grand Bazar, Odiansalai, Muthialpet, Lawspet, Kalapet, D'Nagar, Orleanpet and Mettupalayam police stations for a period of 15 days from February 11 in view of the Maasi Magam festival. Bandhs, demonstrations and picketings on any road or thoroughfares or public places would not be allowed during this period, according to V J Chandran, Superintendent of Police (North). DPI PLANS DEMO: DPI volunteers, led by their leader R Thirumavalavan, are to stage a demonstration in front of the Territorial Assembly on Thursday to seek adequate compensation for the 15 families of Sorapet who lost their dwellings in the arson. They will also demand action against those accused under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
Thirupullani temple kumbabishekam
Thursday, February 13, 2003
RAMANATHAPURAM: The kumbabishekam of the Arulmighu Adhi Jaganatha Perumal temple at Thirupullani was performed on Wednesday in the presence of thousands of devotees. This famous ancient temple belongs to the Ramanathapuram Samasthana Devasthanam headed by Rani Sethupathy Rajeswary Natchiar. Yaga sala poojas, prelude to the kumbabishekam, began on February 8 with `Kalakalrshanam', `Agni Prayanam' and other ceremonies being performed by 108 pattacharyas. Sriranga Ramanuja Narayana Jeeyar and other religious dignitaries participated in the kumbabishekam ceremony. District Collector S. Vijayakumar, Sunilkumar Singh, DIG, Ashok Kumar Das, SP, TNCC president S. Balakrishnan, and many others participated.
Cells in colleges to fight tobacco abuse
Thursday, February 13, 2003
CHENNAI: Concerned about the increasing incidence of cancer, heart ailments and other related diseases, the Cancer Institute, Adyar, has planned to set up anti-tobacco cells in all city colleges. The institute will create awareness among students and organise a workshop for them. Health Minister S Semmalai will inaugurate it on Thursday. ''College is usually where smokers pick up the habit. It is easy to make a smoker quit the habit at that stage. It is better if the students can do it with the help of their peers,'' feels Dr Rohini Premkumari of the Cancer Institute. According to statistics, the tobacco industry generates Rs 5,000 crore per year in revenue. However, the amount spent on the treatment of diseases due to tobacco and rehabilitation runs up to Rs 13,500 crore. A study made by the Indian Council for Medical Research points out 55,000 children take to smoking every year due to peer pressure. Smoking kills more than eight lakh people in the country every year. Though the State has banned the sale of tobacco and allied products, the latter have gone undercover. ''I still get my gutka packet from a few petty shops in Alwarpet. Initially, they hiked the prices. But once the raids stopped, the prices fell down,'' says a commerce student of Vivekananda College. This is exactly why psychiatrists say smokers need psychological support to quit smoking. ''Quitting rate remains low because smokers find their withdrawal symptoms overpowering their will power. Medication without motivation cannot be effective. This needs motivational support,'' says Dr Kumara Babu, psychiatrist, Stanley Medical College and Hospital. Medical experts also admit that many smokers require pharmacological support. ''Nicotine stimulates the release of a number of chemicals in the brain, most notably dopamine and norepinephrine. While dopamine is associated with feelings of pleasure or elevation, norepinephrine enhances alertness and increases energy levels. So, when a person stops smoking, the activities of the dopamine and norepinephrine stop, and he/she becomes restless,'' states a neuro-physiologist. The addicted brain unlike the normal one is changed forever, he adds.
Jaya says `no' to birthday bash
Thursday, February 13, 2003
CHENNAI: Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday appealed to her party cadres not to celebrate her 55th birthday on February 24, but concentrate on the electioneering in Sathankulam instead. In a statement she said she did not want to celebrate her birthday in view of the plight of the farmers following drought conditions due to failure of monsoon and non-release of adequate Cauvery water by Karnataka. Though she knew the anxiety and affection of her party cadres to personally greet her on her birth day, she did not think that it was necessary at this juncture. If at all the cadres wished to celebrate the day they could do it in a constructive way without pomp and extravaganza by helping the oppressed classes, aged, destitute and handicapped persons. ``I take this as your real birth day greetings to the me.'' She said she strongly believed that `affection' should be shown in action and not in words.
Teachers' body demands for more teachers in rural schools
Thursday, February 13, 2003
CHENNAI: Schools in rural areas lack adequate teaching faculty because of the state government's policy to restrict the number of teachers, the Tamil Nadu Teachers Federation has said. In a statement issued here, the Federation condemned the attitude of the government in not taking any steps to meet the demands raised by the Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers and Employees Organisations (JACTTEO). After the meeting of the Chief Minister with JACTTEO, there has been no follow-up action by the state to meet the 15-point charter of demands, it said. Some schools in rural areas have only three teachers despite a strength of 400 students in eight classes, the statement said. The Federation also raised the issue of appointment of Central Government employees to manage the polling booths during the Sathankulam by-elections. ``Does not the state government have confidence in its own employees?'' said the statement. The Federation hoped that the meeting called for by the Secretary of School Education on February 14 with associations under the JACTTEO would facilitate the implementation of their demands. The Federation started its protest movement against the government through meetings with the public in all district headquarters between February 10 and 19, the statement added.
Governor for `free hand' to counter terrorism
Thursday, February 13, 2003
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Governor P Ramamohan Rao on Wednesday expressed the view that normal consideration of law could be subordinated while dealing with terrorism. ``In areas of terrorism and dealing with it, in my view, there is a case for giving a secondary place for normal considerations of law. To put it bluntly, you cannot fight terrorism with your hands tied in the back,'' he said while releasing the study material for a Master's degree correspondence course in Criminology and Police Science launched by the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University here. There was always a conflict between the judiciary and police on acceptable actions while dealing with criminals or terrorists. The courts dealt only with law and did not take into account the ground realities. Nonetheless, there was a great need to exercise moral judgment in subordinating ethics and law while countering terrorism, he said. He hoped that the courses on Criminology would focus on issues like in which cases ethics should be given preference or subordination over societal perceptions. Referring to certain remarks on exercising the powers of clemency made by the Madras High Court Chief Justice B Subhashan Reddy, who spoke earlier, the Governor said mercy to a convict was granted only when there was a ``miscarriage of justice.'' Recently, an innocent deaf and dumb foreign national, who was convicted for smuggling contraband, was released after he (the Governor) had referred his case to the Himachal Pradesh Governor. Even the Prime Minister had intervened in the matter. Rao was of the view that the exercise of the power of clemency can be liberal where offences against the State are involved. He commended the Manonmaniam Sundaranar Unversity for launching the Criminology and Police Science course through the distance education mode. It will be an excellence supplement to the training in police academy. Forms and ramification of crime is changing. Crime no longer has any constituency. Sophistication, mobility of crime increased enormously. Conventional training to cops no longer adequate. New types of crime IPR, cyber crime, human rights. Principles of jurisprudence not taught adequately. Need to harmonise between penology and victim logy. Qeustion of reconciling between individual rights and societal needs.
Chennai cops crackdown on first case of World Cup bookies
Thursday, February 13, 2003
CHENNAI: Flower Bazaar police on Wednesday cracked down on two suspects involved in betting to the tune of about Rs 30 lakh on the World Cup 2003 matches. This is the city's first arrest in connection with the betting racket in the ongoing series in South Africa. Following a tip-off that two persons in Sowcarpet area were involved in betting, officials raided the houses of Bharat Kumar a 35-year-old private financier and Vijayakumar, a Chartered Accountancy student. A couple of television sets, 13 telephone instruments and hand written record books containing details of cricket matches and One Day International statistics along with betting rates were seized, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Flower Bazaar) Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal told this website's newspaper that both Bharath Kumar and Vijayakumar have been arrested. At least 50 people had put in their money in the operation which was managed by the two accused, he said. The racket commenced as soon as the first match of the World Cup 2003 series between South Africa and West Indies began. It was not immediately known if the two persons held on Wednesday were betting on some specific matches in the series, he said. He also ruled out the possibility of the accused having any hand in fixing the matches in the World Cup series. ``Police will mainly be on the look out for those organising such activities and transacting huge amounts while betting on matches,'' he said. The operation between the bookies were mainly between a very closely knit circle, he said. ``In most cases betting was being carried out over the phone between well-acquainted persons involved in the racket. The amount being placed on a particular team is specified over the phone and the transaction takes place later,'' he said. Police sources said the members in this network were known by their code names and no stranger could enter into the thresholds of their coterie. The various measures taken by police to curb the menace has had very little deterrent effect on the bookies. This is apparently due to the possibility of the accused being let out with a minor punishment even if convicted. The law in such cases is not stringent, it is felt.
TN govt attempting to gag the press: Karunanidhi
Thursday, February 13, 2003
UNI CHENNAI: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M Karunanidhi on Wednesday accused the Tamil Nadu government of stifling the Fourth Estate. In a Statement here, the former Chief Minister alleged that the press, which mirrored a dispensation's governance, was being destroyed. The attempt to gag the press was reminiscent of the rule of Imelda Marcos of the Philippines, he charged. Karunanidhi claimed that the press was asked not to report the depositions of some witnesses in a corruption case pending against Jayalalithaa. Despite the order, a section of the media had reported it boldly, the DMK Chief pointed out, urging the others to follow suit without being cowed down by pressure. The hearing of the case, filed by the erstwhile DMK government, had resumed after several obstacles, he charged
Car hijacked in Vadapalani, owner robbed at ATM
Thursday, February 13, 2003
CHENNAI: It happened on Tuesday night too. And in similar fashion. Only, this time the victim was driven to an ATM centre, robbed and then told to get out of the car. It began in Vadapalani. On Monday, it had happened in Adyar. Venkatadri, who owns a photo studio in Vadapalani, was driving to a friend's house in the same area after closing for the day. It was 11 pm then. Venkatadri lives in T Nagar. He was driving his Ford Ikon. The police said two men asked for a lift when he slowed down near a prominent hotel in Vadapalani. Venkatadri obliged. But as soon as they got in, they took out knives and took over the driving. At knife-point, they made Venkatadri give up his ATM card. The police said that the carjackers-cum-robbers did not have any trouble getting the Personal Identification Number (PIN) of the ATM card — Venkatadri had written it on the back of the card. They then asked him for directions to an ATM outlet of the bank in Nungambakkam. They drove up to the outlet, but failed to withdraw money: there was a technical problem with the ATM machine there. Next stop was an ATM outlet of the bank on Anna Salai, very close to the D2 police station where policemen are up and about all night. At this ATM outlet, the carjackers-cum-robbers succeeded, withdrawing the maximum amount that was allowed in one go — Rs 11,000 — from Venkatadri's account. Then, they drove to Saidapet, stopped the car, told Venkatadri to get out and sped away. A shaken Venkatadri flagged down an autorickshaw and went home. He called up the local police from there and narrated his ordeal. Not much later, a police patrol vehicle found the Ford Ikon abandoned in Saidapet. The police agreed that this incident resembled what had happened on Monday night in Adyar, when a three-member gang forced itself into a Maruti car near Gandhi Nagar, robbed the owner of money and his ATM card and escaped after ramming the car into a tree. The police, however, said they weren't sure if the same gang was behind both the incidents. Meanwhile, an official said that investigators had established the identity of one of the men who robbed Venkatadri. He didn't elaborate, but added that the investigators are working hard to identify the second robber. The police also said a reward of Rs 50,000 would be given to anyone providing suitable information that could lead investigators to the two men behind the Vadapalani incident. The official appealed to vehicle owners to refrain from giving lifts to strangers.
Tiruchi corpn gearing up to face water scarcity
Thursday, February 13, 2003
TIRUCHI: The Tiruchi Corporation's move to restrict water supply to once daily from this Sunday till the end of May is expected to ensure that the city does not face water scarcity in the coming months. While the current supply of 105 MLD (million litres daily) to its eight lakh plus residents, including those in the peripheries, ensured daily per capita allotment of 140 litres, this would be curtailed to 110 litres when the supply was reduced to 82 MLD from Sunday, sources said. This water-saving measure would help ensure supply to areas controlled by the pump house at Golden Rock which, due to its shallow depth, would be one of the first to be affected, when the water table receded, it is said. Many were optimistic of the city tiding over the problem when the Central government ordered Karnataka to release 4,500 cusecs of water into the Cauvery as this water perforce had to cross Tiruchi to meet the cultivation needs of delta districts' farmers. But hopes diminished when it was reliably learnt that the water would be stored at Mettur dam only. Even otherwise, for Tiruchi to feel buoyant, water would first have to cross the regulator at Mukkombu before it could recharge the aquifer at the main pumping station located at Kambarasanpet. Readying themselves for any emergency, corporation commissioner R Venkatesan and engineer V Sivaraman on Wednesday inspected the sinking of a substitute bore at the headworks which already has 12 functional borewells. The substitute was for emergencies as borewells would function well for about five years and then silt would form when the water table recedes, sources said. However, the current measures would ensure that water distribution was not a problem as the corporation had already pressed into service 17 of the 21 giant overhead tanks constructed at strategic locations in the city. Four OHTs, located at Viragupettai, Chatram bus stand, Kondayampettai and South Ramalinga Nagar, with a total capacity of 55 lakh litres, were yet to be readied due to various reasons, officials said. Even then residents could be assured of daily supply ranging between 30 minutes and two hours, officials said. However, the corporation would do well to ensure that air valve leaks on the main line at three locations - near Oyamari burial grounds, adjacent to the Murugan Temple at Pitchai Nagar and on the by-pass road at Sangliandapuram _ were rectified as this would save another 50,000 litres daily. This amount might be negligible now, when the quantum of daily supply was calculated, but every drop would count if and when the situation worsened, it was felt. Corporation engineer V Sivaraman said locals in the above-mentioned locations, prone to leakages, were in the habit of using a stick to push a ball inside the pipe which acted as a buoyant control device to prevent air locks on the supply lines. Slum dwellers, using this ``leaking'' water to bathe and wash clothes and even bathe livestock, is a common sight. Thus, it is upto the farmers to demand immediate release of water from Mettur dam as this will ensure that Tiruchi city does not face water scarcity
Talks on weir construction tomorrow
Thursday, February 13, 2003
Talks on weir construction tomorrow Chennai, Feb. 12. (PTI): A Tamil Nadu delegation headed by Public Works Minister, O Panneerselvam, will hold Ministerial-level talks with the Kerala Government tomorrow on the latter's proposal to construct a weir across the Bhavani river near Mukkali village, to divert water for irrigation. The team would hold talks with Kerala Minister for Water Resources, T M Jacob, at Thiruvananthapuram, according to an official release here today. On coming to know of the Kerala Government's plan, Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, shot off a letter to her Kerala counterpart, A K Antony, on December 31, pointing out that the diversion of water outside the Cauvery basin would severely affect the interests of Tamil Nadu and that the people residing in the drought-prone areas of Coimbatore district would be denied water for drinking and irrigation purposes. She had also pointed out that the issue of sharing of waters in the Cauvery basin including Bhavani river was under adjudication before the Cauvery water Disputes Tribunal and requested Antony to 'reconsider' the matter and desist from taking further action on construction of weir, till the issue was settled by the Tribunal, the release said.
Panneerselvam to lead ten-member team to Kerala for talks
Thursday, February 13, 2003
UNI CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu public works department Minister O Panneerselvam will lead a ten-member team to Thiruvananthapuram to hold talks with the Kerala government on the Bhavani river issue on Thursday. Following a request from Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony for holding a ministerial level meeting of both states for resolving the long pending inter-state water issues and arriving at acceptable solutions, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had directed Panneerselvam to lead a team, an official release here said. The team, comprising among others, Finance Minister C Ponnaiyan, Law Minister D Jayakumar and Chief secretary Lakshmi Pranesh, would hold talks with Kerala Water Resources Minister T M Jacob and other officials, the release said. The Tamil Nadu government, which had already moved the Cauvery water disputes tribunal with a plea to restrain the Kerala government from constructing a weir across river Bhavani, decided to hold talks after legal experts opined that talks could be held without prejudice to its stand before the tribunal, the release said. The release also recalled Jayalalithaa's letter to Antony on December 21 last, stating that the construction of the weir and diversion of water outside Cauvery basin would affect the interests of Tamil Nadu and the people living in the drought-prone areas of Coimbatore district. After requesting the Centre to direct Kerala to stop the construction of the weir, Tamil Nadu also filed a civil miscellaneous petition before the tribunal on January six, the release pointed out.
BJP demands compensation for drought-hit farmers
Saturday, February 8, 2003
CHENNAI: BJP's national secretary L Ganesan on Friday appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to pay a compensation of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per acre to farmers whose crops had been lost due to drought in the state. He also demanded that farmers be compensated at the rate of Rs 1,000 for each coconut tree that withered. In a statement here, he said that his party would organise state-wide demonstrations on February 10, to impress on the government to abandon the new Veeranam scheme, which was launched by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa a week ago.
36 nominations filed for Sattankulam by-poll
Saturday, February 8, 2003
CHENNAI: Twelve nomination papers were filed on the last day on Friday for filing papers for the February 26 by-poll to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from Sattankulam constituency, taking the total number of nominations filed to 36, according to official sources here. Prominent among those who are in the fray are L Neeelamegavarnam of the AIADMK and A Mahendran of the Congress party. Most of the others are independents. The vacancy was caused by the death of Mani Nadar of the now defunct Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), which had now merged with the parent body, Congress. Scrutiny will take place on Saturday and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 10. While BJP had decided not to field a candidate, parties like the DMK, PMK and MDMK, had decided to boycott the polls, fearing large-scale misuse of official machinery. They also fear that the polls would not be 'free and fair'.
HC rejects Pota detenu's plea for transfer
Saturday, February 8, 2003
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday rejected a petition by a Pota detenu belonging to the MDMK seeking transfer from Central Prison Tiruchirapalli to Madurai Jail on the ground that his aged mother, residing near Madurai, was suffering from cancer and unable to visit him. Dismissing the petition by Nagarajan, a worker of that party, Justice P Sathasivam held that even if it was accepted that the detenu's mother was unable to visit him, the petitioner, being a Pota detenu, could not visit her without orders from the court. Since the request was not based on valid reasons and in view of the safety and security aspects involved relief could not be granted to the petitioner, the judge said. The petitioner was arrested on July 9 last for allegedly speaking in favour of the LTTE at a public meeting at Thirumangalam in Madurai district. MDMK leader Vaiko was also arrested under Pota for his speech at the same meeting.
Fernandes meets Vaiko in Vellore prison
Saturday, February 8, 2003
CHENNAI: Defence Minister George Fernandes called on MDMK leader Vaiko on Friday afternoon at Vellore central jail, where he was under detention as a Pota detenu, police sources here said. The meeting lasted nearly 45 minutes.
AR Rehman's magnificent Musical Nite in Chennai
Thursday, February 6, 2003
AR Rehman doesn't usually conduct programs in public. On the 21st of February, he is going to- a rare performance at the Race Course Club. His close friend and music composer for the film 'Nammavar' died of cancer recently. Before his death, he started a Foundation. It is for this foundation that AR Rehman is going to conduct the show. The series of show is titled 'Unity of Life World Tour- 2003'. The programs are being conducted on behalf of Mahesh Memorial Foundation to benefit children affected with cancer. More than 95 musicians, dancers and art technicians are uniting to conduct this event. AR Rehman had this to say about the event- " The program is going to last for three hours. My father was also affected by cancer. I know the pain that one has to go through. "I couldn't bear the fact that my close friend Mahesh died of cancer. "In accordance with his wishes, the proceedings from this tour will be given to the cancer trust." Tickets for the show will be available from the 1st of February.
Tamil Nadu gain healthy lead over Punjab
Thursday, February 6, 2003
An unbeaten century from left-hander S Sriram has secured Tamil Nadu a healthy first-innings lead over Punjab at the end of third day of the Elite Group encounter between the two sides at Mohali. Sriram made 160 not out (237 balls, 19 fours) to ensure that his side gained a 101-run lead over Punjab with three first-innings wickets in hand going into the final day. Skipper S Suresh (32), S Ramesh (39), S Sharath (35) and MR Shrinivas (30*) were the others to get among the runs for the visitors. For Punjab, Vineet Sharma claimed four wickets. At Delhi, a Gautam Gambhir ton saw the hosts post a strong reply after Hyderabad declared their first innings at 297/9. Delhi were 260/3 when stumps were drawn at the end of the third day's play. In the morning, Hyderabad, who resumed at 180/5, were well served by overnight not out batsman D Vinay Kumar, who went on to make 96. With Arjun Yadav (35) and I Khaleel (30) chipping in with useful hands, the visitors managed to post a respectable first-innings total. Amit Bhandari, who claimed four wickets, was the most successful bowler for the hosts. When Delhi replied, opener Gambhir played masterfully to make an unbeaten 140 (196 balls, 22 fours). The 19-year-old Salil Oberoi, who made 64, was the other home team batsman to make an impression on the day. Assam, meanwhile, are pushing for an outright win against Uttar Pradesh in another Elite Group encounter being played at Guwahati. The hosts, replying to Uttar Pradesh's first-innings total of 211, made a massive 469/9 before declaring. Kiran Powar (175, 350 balls, 24 fours) and Manoj Joglekar (80, 150 balls, five fours) were the men who were mainly responsible for guiding their team into such a strong position. Fighting to avoid an outright defeat, Uttar Pradesh were 28/0 in their second essay when play ended on the penultimate day. In another match at Kolkata, Andhra needed 80 runs with all second-innings wickets in hand to complete a win over hosts Bengal. In the morning, the visitors, who resumed their first innings at 275/8, were bowled out for 319, having secured a lead of 130. When Bengal batted for the second time, Devang Gandhi (102, 143 balls, 13 fours) and Deep Dasgupta (66, 154 balls, seven fours) laid a solid platform. But off-spinner Hemal Watekar (4-73) and D Kalyan Krishna (3-41) precitipated a collapse that saw the hosts lose eight wickets for the addition of just 52 runs. Needing just 108 to complete a second sucessive win, Andhra were 20/0 when stumps were drawn on the penultimate day. At Jaipur, Mumbai earned a 12-run first-innings lead over Rajasthan. By the end of the penultimate day's play, they had managed to extend it to 107 by reaching 95/1 in their second essay. Mumbai medium-pacer, Robin Morris was the man responsible for gaining his side the all-important first-innings lead. He claimed 6-39 in 19 overs to almost single-handedly wreck the hosts' hopes of gaining a point out of the match. Opener Vinayak Mane (43) was the only wicket to fall when Mumbai batted a second time. In the only other Elite Group match, Railways reached 139/1 in 35 overs in their first innings against Himachal Pradesh. Amit Pagnis (59*) and Tejinder Pal Singh (60*) were the two not out batsmen. Rain had earlier prevented pplay on the first two days and most of the third day.
Tamil Nadu in second river water row
Thursday, February 6, 2003
NEW DELHI - Another river water dispute is brewing in south India, this time between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, with the federal government intervening and ordering that work on a dam be stopped immediately. This dispute comes days after the row between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing the Cauvery waters appeared to have subsided, though not fully settled, with the intervention of the rain gods. Advertisement After getting the federal government's clearance in October 1999, the Kerala government started its work on a small dam across the Bhavani. The river originates in Kerala's densely forested and ecologically rich Silent Valley in the west and flows east across the border into Tamil Nadu. Kerala's intention was to divert some water to the Mannarkad area within its borders, where water sources were drying up. But Tamil Nadu objected to the plan, saying that the Bhavani water would not flow beyond the Kerala border if the dam were to be constructed and that would affect the farmers in the Bhavani valley downstream. However, Kerala is believed to have brushed aside Tamil Nadu's objections, saying that it was taking only what had been provided for in an agreement between the two states on sharing the Bhavani waters. There is another complication. Tamil Nadu sees a link between the Cauvery and the Bhavani disputes. The Bhavani originates in Kerala and the Cauvery in Karnataka. But both the rivers come together in Tamil Nadu forming part of the Cauvery basin. So Tamil Nadu has contended that Kerala cannot construct the dam because it would mean diversion of water out of the Cauvery basin, which itself was the subject of the bigger, unresolved Cauvery dispute. The Cauvery dispute arose from Karnataka's refusal to spare water on the ground, arguing that there was not enough supply for its requirements. It sparked violence last year in Karnataka after the state government, in deference to a Supreme Court ruling, agreed to release water to Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka chief minister, Mr S.M. Krishna, who belongs to the Congress party, came under attack for giving in to Tamil Nadu's demands. The politically and emotionally charged issue cooled down a bit when it started raining and water started flowing in the Cauvery. Now in Tamil Nadu, its chief minister, Ms J. Jayalalitha, has denied that her government was slow in responding to the Bhavani situation. She said she was awaiting the opinion of legal experts and that she had already written to the Kerala government listing her objections. Meanwhile, the federal government sent its order banning the construction of the dam across the Bhavani. According to a report in The Hindu, the federal government order has come on a complaint that to make way for the dam and its channel, trees were being cut down and that it could cause ecological damage. Also mentioned in the complaint was the claim that the dam would supply water to farmers in Tamil Nadu. But that complaint has come from the Bhavani River Water Protection Committee, based in Coimbatore and Erode districts of Tamil Nadu. Now will the people of Mannarkad register their protest just as the farmers in Karnataka did?
Depleting water resources, a global concern: PM
Thursday, February 6, 2003
New Delhi Feb. 5. Four days ahead of the Cauvery River Authority meeting, convened to resolve the Cauvery water dispute, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, said here today "while Tamil Nadu's demand is reasonable, Karnataka's demand is also not unreasonable." He was hinting at the drought situation in both the States. Mr. Vajpayee has called for the meeting between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Pondicherry and Kerala over distress-sharing of the Cauvery waters on February 10. Inaugurating a curtain raiser of The Freshwater Year, 2003, he said depleting water resources had become a global concern. He emphasised the need to end the indiscriminate exploitation of ground water and urged the States to legislate on the issue. In a veiled reference to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link dispute between Haryana and Punjab, Mr. Vajpayee pointed to the Haryana Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala, who was present, and said, "I understand his anguish.'' Freshwater was important for man, animal and environment and the slogan should be to catch water where it falls. Bemoaning the refusal of `sants' to take a dip at the "polluted sangam'' in Allahabad recently, the Prime Minister said the Ganga Action Plan and the National River Conservation Plan should be implemented with a greater sense of urgency. Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, K.C. Pant, said reports about the presence of high level of pesticides in bottled water were "disturbing.'' He also expressed concern over reports that some State Governments were contemplating commercialising reservoir or river waters and said that doing so would not only place undue hardship on riparian users but also make drinking water supplies prohibitively costly and beyond the reach of the poor. A strong regulatory regime, sensitive to the poor, should, therefore, be first put in place, he said. The Union Water Resources Minister, Arjun Charan Sethi, said the development of water resources should be accelerated along with efficient management measures and increased attention towards managing the demands. The Secretary, Water Resources, A.K. Goswami, underscored the need for a participatory approach for "meaningful and informed decision-making'' and capacity building. The conference was attended by Water Resources and Irrigation Ministers from the States.
Bhavani row: T.N. asked to file supplementary affidavit
Thursday, February 6, 2003
NEW DELHI Feb. 5. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal today directed Tamil Nadu to file a detailed supplementary affidavit, after an inspection by senior officials of the site near Mukkali, where the Kerala Government has proposed to construct a weir across Bhavani river for diversion of water towards the western side. The tribunal, comprising Justice N. P. Singh, N. S. Rao and Justice S. N. Agarwal, gave this direction after senior counsel for Kerala, Rajeev Dhavan, who raised preliminary objections, said that Tamil Nadu's application to restrain Kerala from proceeding further with the construction of the weir was bereft of details and based merely on media reports. Justice Singh, chairman, also told senior counsel for Tamil Nadu, C.S. Vaidyanathan, that the application looked like a public interest petition before a court. He wanted counsel to ask senior officials of the Tamil Nadu Government to make an on-the spot inspection of the site, ascertain the nature and stage of construction, whether it was within the jurisdiction of Kerala and whether such construction would affect Tamil Nadu's interests. A supplementary affidavit should be filed by tomorrow so that the tribunal could take up the application for hearing on Friday, he said. Earlier, the tribunal was inclined to order notice to Kerala and ask for status quo to be maintained in the meanwhile. But Mr. Dhavan argued that the tribunal had no power to pass an interim injunction. Kerala could respond only if it had all the facts before it, he maintained. Justice Singh told Mr. Dhavan "our anxiety is that none of the States in the Cauvery Basin should do anything that would adversely affect the adjudication process. Also, diversion of water from the basin, even it is only a small quantity, shall not be permitted.'' Centre seeks details The Union Water Resources Ministry has sought details of the proposed project from both Tamil Nadu and Kerala, to decide on the future course of action. In its application, Tamil Nadu had submitted that Kerala did not sound the State or the tribunal of its proposed move to construct the weir. Cauvery basin being a deficit basin, any diversion of the Cauvery waters towards the western side would mean diversion from a deficit basin to a surplus basin, which was not permitted.
GMR buys out CMS, PSEGs stake in two power plants
Thursday, February 6, 2003
NEW DELHI FEB. 5. The Bangalore-based GMR group has bought out equity stakes of U.S. power majors CMS Energy and PSEG in Tanir Bavi and Basin Bridge power plants. Under a deal concluded recently, the GMR group would hike its stake in the 220 MW naphtha fired, barge-based Tanir Bhavi power project in Mangalore, from 26 per cent to 100 per cent after buying out the stake of Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), according to sources. In a separate deal involving the 200 MW, LSHS-fuelled Basin Bridge project in Chennai, the CMS group has sold its entire 48 per cent stake to the GMR group. While GMR refused to comment on the size of the transaction, sources placed the deal in the range of Rs. 200-300 crores. PSEG, which holds around 20 per cent stake in PPN power project (PPN Power Generating Co.) in Tamil Nadu, is reported to be scouting for buyers to offload its equity as part of strategy to exit the country. PSEG is understood to be unhappy over non-payment of dues by the Tamil Nadu State Electricity Board. In the case of CMS, another multinational energy giant is also reported to have firmed up plans to exit the power business in India as part of a strategy to cut its losses and concentrate on its U.S. business. CMS also owns 23 per cent stake in the Andhra Pradesh-based gas fired Jegrupadu power project where it has sounded out the promoters GVK group over its plans to sell its equity. While the Basin Bridge project sells all of its power to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, power from the Tanir Bavi project goes to Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation (KPTCL). The move by the two corporations to exit the country follows similar exercise by several other power giants such as the bankrupt Enron Corporation, which promoted the Dabhol Power project. Enron has been looking for buyers after the 740 MW, Maharashtra-based project ran into payment difficulties with State electricity board over high cost of power. Others who have quit include Congentrix which opted out of another Mangalore project. AES, which owns a stake in one of the three Orissa distribution circles, had last year threatened to write off its investments after disputes with the State government over settlement of dues. — PTI
