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Kapil Dev

2010-01-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

Kapil Dev Nikhanj was India's finest all rounder in cricket. He was born on 6th January 1959 in Haryana. He was the former captain and new national team coach.

When Kapil was just 20, he set a new record of scoring 1000 runs and taking 100 wickets. He made this record within a period of one year and 109 days only. Kapil Dev started playing in the first class cricket in 1975, and the opportunity for him to play in a test match for the first time came in 1978 during Indian team's tour to Pakistan.

He also achieved the unique double of 4000 runs and 400 wickets, the first ever Indian player to do so. He also set the world record for taking the highest number of wickets (432) in test matches in February 1994. Indian government honoured him with the 'Padmabhushan' award. Kapil Dev has written his autobiography under the title 'By God's Decree'.

Biography

Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj (born 6 January 1959, Chandigarh), better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer who was regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the game, and was named by Wisden as the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. His most famous achievements were captaining India to their first and only World Cup title in 1983, and holding the record for the most Test match wickets, between 1994 and 1999. In 1991, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan.

Profile

Kapil Dev was a right-arm pace bowler noted for his graceful action and potent outswinger, and was India's main strike bowler throughout most of his career. He also developed a fine inswinging yorker during the 1980s which he used very effectively against tailenders.

As a batsman he was a natural striker of the ball who could hook and drive effectively. A naturally aggressive player, he often helped India in difficult situations by taking the attack to the opposition.

His nickname was The Haryana Hurricane - he used to represent the Haryana cricket team, although he is himself a Punjabi.

Early charisma

Kapil made his international cricket debut against Pakistan at Faisalabad in 1978-79 and became an instant success with the Indian masses when he hit two clean sixes on his way to his first half-century in the 3rd Test of that series. When Pakistan returned for a six-Test series in 1979-80, Kapil was the man of the series and the main factor behind the 2-0 win for India. More success followed in the next season in Australia, where he helped India defend a small second-innings score at Melbourne against a formidable Australian batting line-up. He was the man of the series against England, both in the home series of 1981-82 as well as the "away" series in 1982. Following India's disastrous tour of Pakistan in 1982-83, he was appointed the captain and within a few months of taking over the captaincy from Sunil Gavaskar, he led India to the World Cup win of 1983. His best bowling analysis of 9/83 came the same year against West Indies at Ahmedabad.

Difficult captaincy

Kapil lost the captaincy in early 1984 to Sunil Gavaskar. He regained it in March 1985 and guided India on a Test series win over England on their tour in 1986. This period saw one of the most famous matches played during his reign, the second Tied Test in which he was named joint-man of the match with Dean Jones. In the 1987 Cricket World Cup he faced the blame for India's loss to England in the semi-final, as he holed out to deep mid-wicket triggering a collapse that led to the unexpected loss. He did not captain India again.

The captaincy period was on the whole a difficult one for him as it was mired with reports of differences with Gavaskar, as well as his own inconsistent form as a bowler. However, both men have since insisted that these reports were exaggerated.

Records in Test cricket

By the end of 1983, Kapil already had about 250 Test wickets in just five years and looked well on his way to becoming one of the most prolific wicket-takers ever. However, following knee surgery in 1984, his bowling declined as he lost some of his majestic jump at the crease. He continued to be effective, if not devastating, for another ten years and became the second bowler ever to take 400 wickets in Test cricket in 1991-92. In early 1994, he became the highest Test wicket-taker in the world, breaking the record held by Sir Richard Hadlee. Kapil's record was broken by Courtney Walsh in 1999.

Kapil is the only player to have achieved the all-rounder's double of 4,000 Test runs and 400 Test wickets.

Always an entertainer

At his best, Kapil was one of the world's most destructive batsmen. During the Test match series against Pakistan in 1982-83, he demolished Abdul Qadir's leg spin, which the English and Australian batsmen had great difficulty in reading earlier in the same year.

He was also fearless in attacking the world's best fast-bowlers. During a World Cup match against the West Indies in 1983, he drove Michael Holding straight over his head for a six, a shot that would have been considered unimaginable by most against a bowler of Holding's pace.

In a match on route to the World Cup final of 1983, Kapil smashed a captain's knock of 175 not out against Zimbabwe helping India recover from an extremely poor start. India had collapsed to 9/4 when Kapil came in to bat, and were reduced further to 17/5. His 175 not out turned the game completely in India's favour and was at the time the highest-ever individual score in ODI cricket. It was also the first ODI century by an Indian. Surprisingly, it was also Kapil's only ODI hundred.

Another memorable incident relates to a Test match against England in 1990. When India needed 24 runs to save the follow-on with only one wicket remaining, Kapil met that target by hitting four consecutive sixes off Eddie Hemmings. This proved to be the right decision, as in the next over itself, the number 11 batsman Narendra Hirwani was dismissed with no further addition to the score.

A further example of his competitive spirit was during a match against West Indies at Sharjah in November 1986, when he tried to cajole Viv Richards into bowling the last over of the match with India needing 36 runs to win. Unsurprisingly, Richards did not give in to his request.

Kapil's batting talent and competitive spirit were evident until as late as 1992, when during a Test match against South Africa, he counter-attacked Allan Donald and the rest of the South African pace attack on his way to his final Test century, an outstanding 129 out of a total of 215. The next highest score was only 17 and none of the top six batsmen got into double figures.

In retirement

Kapil retired from playing cricket in 1994. After spending a few years away from cricket, he was appointed coach of the Indian national cricket team in 1999 succeeding Anshuman Gaekwad. However, his tenure was not a success and he resigned from the post in 2000.

Since retirement, Kapil has also taken up the sport of golf. His autobiography, titled Straight to the Heart, was published in 2004 (ISBN 1403-92227-6).

Awards

1979-80 - Arjuna Award
1982 - Padma Shri
1983 - Wisden Cricketer of the Year
1991 - Padma Bhushan
2002 - Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA [1863-1902]

2010-01-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S inspiring personality was well known both in India and in America during the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth. The unknown monk of India suddenly leapt into fame at the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, at which he represented Hinduism. His vast knowledge of Eastern and Western culture as well as his deep spiritual insight, fervid eloquence, brilliant conversation, broad human sympathy, colourful personality, and handsome figure made an irresistible appeal to the many types of Americans who came in contact with him. People who saw or heard Vivekananda even once still cherish his memory after a lapse of more than half a century.

In America Vivekananda's mission was the interpretation of India's spiritual culture, especially in its Vedantic setting. He also tried to enrich the religious consciousness of the Americans through the rational and humanistic teachings of the Vedanta philosophy. In America he became India's spiritual ambassador and pleaded eloquently for better understanding between India and the New World in order to create a healthy synthesis of East and West, of religion and science.

In his own motherland Vivekananda is regarded as the patriot saint of modern India and an inspirer of her dormant national consciousness, To the Hindus he preached the ideal of a strength-giving and man-making religion. Service to man as the visible manifestation of the Godhead was the special form of worship he advocated for the Indians, devoted as they were to the rituals and myths of their ancient faith. Many political leaders of India have publicly acknowledged their indebtedness to Swami Vivekananda.

The Swami's mission was both national and international. A lover of mankind, he strove to promote peace and human brotherhood on the spiritual foundation of the Vedantic Oneness of existence. A mystic of the highest order, Vivekananda had a direct and intuitive experience of Reality. He derived his ideas from that unfailing source of wisdom and often presented them in the soulstirring language of poetry.

The natural tendency of Vivekananda's mind, like that of his Master, Ramakrishna, was to soar above the world and forget itself in contemplation of the Absolute. But another part of his personality bled at the sight of human suffering in East and West alike. It might appear that his mind seldom found a point of rest in its oscillation between contemplation of God and service to man. Be that as it may, he chose, in obedience to a higher call, service to man as his mission on earth; and this choice has endeared him to people in the West, Americans in particular.

In the course of a short life of thirty-nine years (1863-1902), of which only ten were devoted to public activities-and those, too, in the midst of acute physical suffering-he left for posterity his four classics: Jnana-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, and Raja-Yoga, all of which are outstanding treatises on Hindu philosophy. In addition, he delivered innumerable lectures, wrote inspired letters in his own hand to his many friends and disciples, composed numerous poems, and acted as spiritual guide to the many seekers, who came to him for instruction. He also organized the Ramakrishna Order of monks, which is the most outstanding religious organization of modern India. It is devoted to the propagation of the Hindu spiritual culture not only in the Swami's native land, but also in America and in other parts of the world.

Swami Vivekananda once spoke of himself as a "condensed India." His life and teachings are of inestimable value to the West for an understanding of the mind of Asia. William James, the Harvard philosopher, called the Swami the "paragon of Vedantists." Max Muller and Paul Deussen, the famous Orientalists of the nineteenth century, held him in genuine respect and affection. "His words," writes Romain Rolland, "are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Handel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages of books, at thirty years' distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shocks, what transports, must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero!''

Maruthamalai Temple

2009-12-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

Maruthamalai Temple, situated on a hillock, about 12 kms from Coimbatore, is an important temple dedicated to Lord Muruga.

The temple gets its name from the Marutha trees in the forests on the hill. The hills also have many medicinal herbs in their forests.

The story behind the temple is that a thirsty Sanyasi was walking through the forest and took refuge under a Marutha tree. To quench his thirst, he prayed to Lord Muruga, who answered his prayers and water sprang from Marutha trees. Hence Lord Muruga has been hailed the Lord of Marutha.

This temple was built about 800 years ago. The temple was renovated recently and Kumbabishekam (renovation) performed. The temple and its surroundings are abuzz with devotees who can be seen trekking the 700-odd steps to the top of the temple, as penance. There are frequent buses from Coimbatore city to Maruthamalai. From the base of the temple local buses ply to the temple.

The word "Marudhachalapathy" or "Maruthamalai Andavar" means Master of Hills, abounding in Marudha trees. The name has also a legendary origin. A Siddha, overcome by excessive thirst and tiredness, sought shelter under the shade of a Marudha tree and prayed to the mercy of the Lord Muruga for a shower of water, which sprang at once as though by a miracle from beneath the tree! As water gushed out from the roots of the marudha tree, the Siddha leaped in joy, glorifying Muruga as the Lord of "Marudha" and "Jalam" (water) with the passage of time, "Marudhajalapathi" became "Marudhachalapathy.

The "Marudha Thirtam" and the"Pambatti Sunai" are springs on the hills with holy waters for ablution and a dip in them cures a number of diseases for they contain Medicinal Properties.

Kamal Haasan

2009-12-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

Kamal Haasan (Tamil: கமல்ஹாசன்) (born November 7, 1954 in Paramakudi, Madras State, India) is an Indian film actor, script writer, and filmmaker, considered one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. Haasan is known for winning several Indian film awards, including National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards, and has the distinction of being the actor with the most number of films submitted by India in contest for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In addition to acting and directing, he is a screenwriter, lyricist, playback singer and choreographer. His film production company, Rajkamal International, has produced several of his films.
After several projects as a child artiste, Kamal Haasan's breakthrough into lead acting came with his role in the 1975 drama Apoorva Raagangal, in which he played a rebellious youth in love with an older woman. He secured his first Indian National Film Award for his portrayal of a guileless school teacher who tends a child-like amnesiac in 1982's Moondram Pirai. He was particularly noted for his performance in Mani Ratnam's Godfatheresque Nayagan (1987), which was ranked by Time magazine as one of the best films of all time. then he has gone on to appear in other notable films such as his own productions, Hey Ram and Virumaandi, as well as the magnum opus Dasavathaaram, in which he appeared in ten distinct rolesBiography

Early career: 1960s – early 1970s
Kamal Haasan made his film debut as a 6-year-old child artiste, in the film Kalathur Kannamma, which was released on August 12, 1959, directed by A. Bhimsingh. He was cast along with the veteran Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan in the film, which won him the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. He acted as a child actor in five other Tamil films in the subsequent few years co-starring with Sivaji Ganesan and M. G. Ramachandran.
Following a nine year hiatus from films, to concentrate on his education as well as learning karate and Bharathanatyam, Haasan returned with a series of low budget films in 1972, in all of which he played supporting roles. These films included roles in Arangetram and Sollathaan Ninaikkiren, both co-starring Sivakumar. His final supporting role before establishing himself as a lead actor was in Naan Avanillai.[5Late 1970s – 1980s
Kamal Haasan first received a regional Filmfare Award for acting for his role in the Malayalam film Kanyakumari (1974). In the next four years, he won six regional Best Actor Filmfare Awards, including four consecutive Best Tamil Actor Awards. He acted in director K. Balachander's Apoorva Raagangal, an exploration of age-gap relationships. The late 1970s was a period that saw Kamal Haasan's frequent collaboration with K. Balachander, who also cast him in many of his socially-themed films such as Avargal (1977). The film won Haasan his first Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award. In 1976, Haasan appeared in the drama Moondru Mudichu with Rajinikanth and Sridevi, another K. Balachander film, Manmadha Leelai, and Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu, which won him his second consecutive Best Actor Award. 16 Vayathinile won him his third consecutive award, where he appeared as an mentally ill villager, once again alongside Rajinikanth and Sridevi. The fourth consecutive award came with Sigappu Rojakal in which he appeared as an anti-hero who is a psychopathic sexual killer. In the late seventies, Haasan appeared in other films such as the comedy, Ninaithale Inikkum and the horror film, Neeya.
Haasan's pairing with the actress Sridevi continued with Guru and Varumayin Niram Sigappu in 1980. Kamal Haasan also made guest–cameo appearances, such as in the Rajnikanth film Thillu Mullu; Rajinikanth had previously appeared in some of Kamal Haasan's previous films. Haasan's 100th career film appearance was in 1981's Raja Paarvai, which also marked his debut in film production. Despite this film's relatively poor reception at the cinemas, his portrayal of a blind session violinist earned him a Filmfare Award. His next acting role, in Ek Duuje Ke Liye, became his first Hindi-language film. It was the remake of his previous Telugu-language film, Maro Charithra by K. Balachandar. Following a year of starring in commercially-oriented films, Haasan won his first of three National Awards for Best Actor with his portrayal of a school teacher who looks after a mentally retarded girl in Balu Mahendra's Moondram Pirai, alter reprising the role in the Hindi version, Sadma. In 1983, Haasan appeared in Thoongadhey Thambi Thoongadhey playing a double roleTill 1985, Haasan began to appear in more Hindi language films, including Saagar, for which he was awarded both the Filmfare Best Actor Award and the Best Supporting Actor Award, making him the first actor to win both awards for a single film. Saagar portrayed him alongisde Rishi Kapoor both of whom were pinning for a woman, but Haasan ultimately loses out. Haasan also appeared in Geraftaar. He featured in Tamil cinema's first sequel Japanil Kalyanaraman, which followed up his previous, Kalyanaraman as well as acting in Uruvangal Maralam co-starring Sivaji Ganesan and Rajinikanth.
In the mid-1980s, Haasan appeared in two Telugu language films, Sagara Sangamam and Swathi Muthyam with director, Kasinadhuni Viswanath. The latter film was India's representative for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1986. Whilst, the former film portrayed Haasan as a drunkard classical dancer, Swathi Muthyam portrays him as an autistic person attempting to change society. Following Punnagai Mannan, in which he portrays dual roles including a satire of Charlie Chaplin and Vetri Vizha as an amnesiac, Haasan appeared in Mani Rathnam's 1987 film Nayagan. Nayagan portrays the life of an underworld don in Bombay. The story revolves around the life of a real-life underworld don called Varadarajan Mudaliar, whilst sympathetically depicting the struggle of South Indians living in Mumbai. Haasan received a Indian National Award for his performance and Nayagan was nominated by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1987 as well as being included in the Time top 100 movies list. In 1988, Haasan appeared in his only silent film to date; appearing in the black comedy, Pushpak. In 1989, Haasan played a triple role in Apoorva Sagodharargal. The commercial film portrayed him in a role as a dwarf. He then attempted dual roles in Indrudu Chandrudu and its Tamil remake, winning the regional Best Actor Award for his performance

Kamal Haasan in his yet-to-be-completed Marudhanayagam
Michael Madhana Kamarajan in 1991 saw Haasan go one step further, acting in four different roles as quadruplets, the film started an ongoing collabaration for comedy films between Haasan and Crazy Mohan, a dialogue writer. Haasan won successive best actor awards for his portrayal of the protagonist in Guna and in Thevar Magan, where he played the son of actor, Sivaji Ganesan. After films such as Singaravelan, Maharasan and Kalaignan; Haasan began to appear in comedies such as Sathi Leelavathi, based on the English film She-Devil, as well as renewing his collobaration with Kasinadhuni Viswanath in his last Telugu language film till date, Subha Sankalpam. In 1996, Haasan starred in the police story, Kuruthipunal. His success in Kuruthipunal, was followed by his third National Film Award for Best Actor in Indian. Playing dual roles of a freedom fighter and his untrustful son, the film also won Haasan regional awards and plaudits for his portrayal.
Haasan appeared as a woman in Avvai Shanmughi inspired by the Hollywood production, Mrs. Doubtfire.In 1997, Haasan began his first directorial venture, the biopic of Mohammed Yusuf Khan, Marudhanayagam which failed to complete its schedules with only half an hour and a trailer being recorded during its shoot. Marudhanayagam had been speculated to be the biggest and most expensive film in Indian cinema with a number of high profile actors technicians signing up for roles. Moreover, the film was launched in a much publicized ceremony by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom during her visit to India in 1997. Due to budget constraints, the film failed to materialize into feature length but Haasan has sinced stated his interest in building up funds for the project since. Haasan soon made his debut as director with a remake of Avvai Shanmughi in Hindi titled Chachi 420.
2000s: Hey Ram and onwards

Kamal Haasan pictured with Manisha Koirala in Aalavandhan
Following a two-year hiatus in Indian cinema, Haasan opted against reviving his magnum opus, Marudhanayagam, and filmed his second directorial venture, Hey Ram, a period drama told in flashback with a semi-fictional plot centering around India's Partition and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Haasan also took on roles as the writer, the lyricist and the choreographer as well as producing the film under his home banner. The film, also featured Shahrukh Khan and was India's submission for the Academy Awards that year. His following film was Aalavandhan, where he portrayed two distinct roles, for one of which he had his head tonsured and gained ten kilograms. Despite much publicity prior to release, the film failed commercially, wih Haasan opting to repay distributors who had suffered losses with the film.
Following a series of successful comedies in Thenali, Panchathantiram and Pammal K. Sambandam and a couple of guest appearances, Haasan directed his third feature film in Virumaandi, a film about the death penalty. Haasan also appeared in Anbe Sivam alongside Madhavan. Priyadarshan, who started the film, departed allowing commercial director Sundar C to complete the film. Anbe Sivam told the story of Nallasivam, enacted by Haasan as an idealist, social activist and communist. Kamal Haasan's performance was highly lauded by critics with The Hindu stating that Haasan "has once again done Tamil cinema proud".
Haasan then appeared in the remake film Vasool Raja alongside Sneha. In 2006, Haasan's long delayed project, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu emerged as a blockbuster.Gautham Menon's Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu was Haasan's first cop film since Kuruthipunal. In 2008, Haasan appeared in K. S. Ravikumar's Dasavathaaram portraying ten distinct roles in the venture which to-date remians the most expensive Indian film ever made. opposite Asin Thottumkal, the film became the second highest grossing film ever in Tamil cinema and won Haasan critical praise for his enactment. He had also undertook the opportunity of being the story and screenwriter for the project. Following the completion of Dasavathaaram, Haasan opted to direct his fourth directorial venture, with a film tentatively titled Marmayogi, which after a year of pre-production became stalled. He then opted to produce and star in a venture, Unnaipol Oruvan, co-starring him with Mohanlal. The film, which had Shruti Haasan appear as the music director, became a successful venture for Haasan at the box-office.
Personal life

Family
Kamal Haasan was born on November 7, 1954 to a criminal lawyer named D. Srinivasan and his devout wife Rajalakshmi, both a part of the Tamil Iyengar caste, in the village of Paramakudi in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. Haasan has referred to his parents in recent films, with references being made in Unnaipol Oruvan as well as in the song, Kallai Mattum from Dasavathaaram.Kamal Haasan was the youngest of three brothers, the others being Chaaru Haasan and Chandra Haasan. Chaaru Haasan, like Kamal Haasan, is a National Film Award-winning actor, who appeared in the noted Kannada film, Tabarana Kathe among others, but he has semi-retired from films since of recent times. Kamal's niece (Chaaru Haasan's daughter), Suhasini is also a National Film Award Winner and is married to noted director and fellow Award winner, Mani Ratnam, who collaborated with Kamal Haasan in 1987's Nayagan.Chandra Haasan has appeared as the producer for several of Kamal Haasan's films as well as being an executive of Kamal Haasan's home production company, Rajkamal International. His brother's daughter Anu Haasan has appeared in several films in supporting roles, most notably in Suhasini's Indira.
Relationships
Despite his much praised and applauded film career, his personal life had some setbacks which have been exploited by the media. In Haasan's early career, he co-starred in several Tamil and Malayalam films with noted actress Srividya. The pair were reported to have been a part of a notorious affair in the 1970s, with their relationship being explored in the 2008-released Malayalam film, Thirakkatha by Renjith, with Anoop Menon portraying Haasan and Priyamani playing Srividya. Srividya, who died in 2006, was visited by Haasan at her bedside during her final days. In 1978, at the age of twenty four, Haasan met and married danseuse Vani Ganapathy, who was elder to him. Vani put on the mantle of costume designer for her Haasan's movies and was publicized for walking along with Haasan into the Filmfare Awards South ceremony of 1980, immediately after their wedding. However, the pair split after ten years together, after finding out that Haasan was dating fellow actress, Sarika, with Haasan confirming in a recent interview that he and Vani have never been in touch since.
Subsequently, Haasan and Sarika married in 1988, with the pair having two children: Shruti Haasan (born 1986) and Akshara Haasan (born 1991). The former is a singer as well as an upcoming actress, whilst the latter is pursuing higher studies in Bangalore. Sarika, retired from acting roles soon after her marriage with Haasan, replacing his ex-wife, Vani Ganapathy as Haasan's costume designer, with acclaimed work in Hey Ram. However, the pair filed for divorced in 2002, with Sarika estranging herself from her children as well as Haasan by the end of the procedure in 2004. Haasan's intimate relationship with co-star Simran Bagga, who is twenty two years younger, became the reason for the split. A brief relationship with Simran, who appeared opposite Haasan in two consecutive ventures with Pammal K. Sambandam and Panchathantiram, followed after she ended her relationship with choreographer Raju Sundaram. However, the pair's companionship was short lived, with Simran going onto marry a childhood friend in 2004. Currently Haasan lives with former actress, Gouthami Tadimalla, who co-starred with Haasan in several films in the late 80's to the early 90's. Haasan helped her during her traumatic experience suffering from breast cancer and the pair have been in a domestic relationship since 2005. Along with Shruti and Akshara, Gouthami's daughter, Subbalakshmi, from an annulled marriage also lives with them.
Awards and honours

Main article: List of Kamal Haasan's awards, honours and recognitions
Kamal Haasan, a Padmashri holder, is the most decorated actor in terms of awards in the history of Indian cinema. He holds the record for the most National Film Awards for an actor with four, three awards for Best Actor and one for Best Child Artiste. Moreover, Haasan holds a record nineteen Filmfare Awards - ranging across five langauges, and after his latest award in 2000, wrote to the organisation to exempt him from further awards. Other recognitions include a string of Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Nandi Awards and Vijay Awards, in which Haasan won four separate awards for his contribution in Dasavathaaram.
Notable filmography

Further information: Kamal Haasan filmography
Year Film Role Language Notes
1960 Kalathur Kannamma Selvam Tamil Winner: National Film Award for Best Child Artist
1975 Apoorva Raagangal Prasanna Tamil Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
1982 Moondram Pirai Srinivasan Tamil Winner: National Film Award for Best Actor
1983 Sagara Sangamam Balakrishna Telugu Winner: Filmfare Best Telugu Actor Award
Winner: Nandi Award for Best Actor
1987 Nayagan Velu Nayakkar Tamil Winner: National Film Award for Best Actor
1988 Pushpak Pushpak Silent Winner: Filmfare Best Kannada Actor Award
1989 Apoorva Sagodharargal Sedhupathy,
Raja,
Appu Tamil Portrayed three roles; one was a dwarf
1992 Thevar Magan Shakthivelu Thevar Tamil Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
Scripted and produced by Kamal Haasan
1996 Indian Senapathy Bose,
Chandra Bose Tamil Portrayed a dual role
Winner: National Film Award for Best Actor
Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
2000 Hey Ram Saket Ram Tamil Winner: Filmfare Best Tamil Actor Award
Simultaneously made into Hindi as Hey Ram
Scripted, produced and directed by Kamal Haasan
2008 Dasavathaaram Ten different roles Tamil Portrayed 10 different roles
Scripted by Kamal Haasan

Mahendra Sigh Dhoni

2009-12-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

Passion seeps through his gaze. The stylish hunk of the Indian cricket team has it all, best wicketkeeper, best batsmen with a strong value for teamwork. Unfold the life story of an aggressive right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, and the Indian ODI Team's vice-captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has clinged to the throne of glory from the first day.

His Early Days To His Step To Glory:
Mahendra Sigh Dhoni was born on July 7 1981 in Ranchi to Pan Singh and Devaki Devi. He has two siblings, a sister Jayanti Gupta and a brother Narendra. As a child he loved to play Badminton and football. He scored so well in the sports that he was selected at district and club level to achieve greater heights. However the destiny has always taken a varied path to taste sweet success. It drove him to the field of cricket to be recognised as a cricketer than a football or a badminton player.

Although Dhoni had not played cricket, he impressed with his wicket-keeping skills and became the regular wicketkeeper at the Commando cricket club within a short span of time. In his college days he slowly drifted from his childhood interests and focused only on cricket. Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship and he performed admirably Dhoni, referred to as 'Mahi' by his friends, debuted in the Bihar cricket team during the 1998/99 cricket season and was selected to represent India for a tour to Kenya in 2004. As a child he idolized three people, Cricket teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and singer Lata Mangeshkar. In one of the interview he states the pleasure of meeting his idol Mr. Bachchan as the most memorable moment. Besides his love for field sports he also loves to buzz in the streets with his remarkable bikes.

Marketable cricket icon
Dhoni has been riding high on style not just because of his tinted hair but also because of his shimmering smile. He is reputed to have 17 endorsements. From ceiling fans, shoes, electronics, men's fabirc to petrol, he's done it all. In 2006 he was voted MTV Youth Icon. He joins cricketers Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in winning the award.He garnered maximum number of votes to win the honour ahead of five other heavyweights -- Navjot Singh Sidhu, Abhijeet Sawant, Vijay Mallaya , President A P J Abdul Kalam and John Abraham.

His quote
"Ranking does not matter. The team is more important. As long as my contributions lead to the team's victories, it is more important than the top ranking,"

His Cricket career
Dhoni burst into the cricket field with complete zest in 2004. He immediately established himself as a swashbuckling batsman besides being a good wicketkeeper. He was credited by critics, 'as the man who can decimate any bowling attack with his powerful hitting'. Dhoni has so far played in 66 One-Day Internationals for India in which he has amassed 1958 runs. He has a highest score of 183 not out which he achieved against Sri Lanka in Nagpur.

Dhoni is known for his awesome strike-rate of 98.49 and averages 46.61 per match. He hit 10 Sixes, the most by an Indian in an Innings, and the second highest in ODI cricket. Till date, he has managed to climb the third spot while Sachin Tendulkar slipped to the 19th in the International Cricket Council (ICC) one-day international ranking till February 2007. However his first trip to world cup did not fetch him any applaud due to his unexpectedly poor performance.

After the loss to Bangladesh in 2007 Cricket World Cup, the house that Dhoni was constructing in his home-town Ranchi was vandalized and damaged by political activists. The local police arranged for security for his family as India exited the World cup in the first round.

With the built in shame and the will to win back the world of fame, Dhoni rose back to his stardom within a years time. Twenty20 match was a blessing to the young Indian team headed by Dhoni to win all that they lost. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 World Twenty20 against finalist Pakistan Team. He made the attempt to give India the celebration of 1983 World cup. Kudos to the hero who dared to achieve what he dreamt with his humble leadership techniq

Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS

2009-12-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

Bajaj India has launched the much awaited New Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS (Light Sport). As per the speculations made Pulsar 135 LS features the same headlight as seen in the XCD Sprint Concept shown at the Auto Expo, 2008 in New Delhi. Bajaj had recently launched the updated versions of Pulsar 150, Pulsar 180 & Pulsar 220. Also the Pulsar 200 was discontinued recently, so the main reason of launching Pulsar 135 LS is that they want to eat into the sales of Honda CBF Stunner.
Pulsar 135 LS has been launched with a price tag of Rs. 51000.00 (Ex-Showroom) which is very reasonable in comparison to the features on offer and also the 135cc engine is more powerful in comparison to the engine of XCD 135.

Styled aggressively, the motorcycle draws styling cues from its elder siblings in the Pulsar range, but sports a freshly-styled fuel tank with chiseled lines and fresh tank flanks. The headlamp unit sports a bikini fairing with sharp, rakish lines and looks futuristic. The sleek rear-panels give way to a two-piece split grab rail on the split type seat. The footrests are slightly rear-set, and make for a sporty riding position in combination with the two-piece handle-bars.
- All New Design For Fuel Tank Like We Have Seen On The XCD Sprint Concept
- New Design Air Scoops - Again From XCD Sprint Concept
- New Design For Alloy Wheels - Black Matt Finish Mag Wheels
- New Digital Instrument Console
- Restyled Headlamp & LED Tail Tamp - From The XCD Sprint Concept
- Sharply Styled Turn Indicators - Like We Have Seen In XCD 135
- New Exhaust Design
- Sporty Split Seats & Split Grab Rails
- Sporty Rear With High Stance & Sporty Mud Guard

Engine Of Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS - World's First 4 Valve DTS-i Engine
According to Bajaj the 135cc DTS-i engine in Pulsar 135 LS is the world's first DTS-i engine to feature 4 valves. This engine generated maximum power of 13.5 PS at 9000 rpm with maximum torque of 11.4 Nm at 7500 rpm. It has been designed for better performance than regular a 2-Valve engine. Combined with the revolutionary DTS-i (Digital Twin Spark-ignition) technology which maximizes combustion to deliver enhanced power and superior mileage with low emissions, the Pulsar 135 LS has one of the most efficient production engines ever.
1. More Power: The 4 valve provides for a greater intake and exhaust area resulting in more power, almost equivalent a 2 valve 150cc engine.
2. Sustained Top End Power: The light-weight character of the four smaller valves (as opposed to two heavier valves), which allow the engine to effortlessly rev to an eye-popping 10,500 rpm.
3. Sporty Ride: Given the wider rpm band, the engine can be revved hard and high in each gear resulting in a genuine sporty ride.
4. More Mileage: Established superiority of DTS-i blended with 4 valve not only enhances the performance but also returns a very good fuel economy - 68.1 km/l certified by ARAI.
5. More Green: Comfortably meets BSIII regulations.

More dangerous than smoking 'Mobile phones'

2009-12-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, a study by an award-winning cancer expert has concluded. He says people should avoid using them wherever possible and that governments and the mobile phone industry must take "immediate steps" to reduce exposure to their radiation.

The study, by Dr Vini Khurana, is the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks.

The National Radiological Protection Board is a statutory body advising the Government on radiological issues relating to health. The report advises parents to limit the amount of time children spend on mobile phones until they are proved to be safe. This echoes the findings of a report five years ago, which urged a “precautionary” approach – particularly among children. Sir William Stewart, the Government’s chief adviser on mobile phone safety says, “Parents have a serious responsibility to their children in this field and they have a lot to answer for. They can’t just throw a child out with a mobile and think that they are safe.”

The risks

Around 25 per cent of primary school children and 90 per cent of pupils aged 11 to 16 are now thought to own a mobile phone. But there are concerns that mobile users are at increased risk of headaches, memory loss and sleep disorders, and also that handsets emit radiation which could cause brain damage and tumours – particularly in young people whose skulls have not yet fully matured.
Professor Hyland of Warwick University says, “Pre-adolescent children can be expected to be particularly at risk because the absorption of microwaves of the frequency used in mobile telephony is greatest in an object about the size of a child’s head. The immune system, whose efficiency is degraded by radiation of the kind used in mobile telephony, is less robust in a child, making it less able to cope with any adverse health effect that might be provoked by chronic exposure to such radiation.”

Take action

While the report found there is no “hard evidence” of adverse health effects caused by mobile phones, NHS advice is to adopt a cautionary approach. So encourage your children to:

Only use their phones when necessary
Keep calls short
Only use their phone when the reception is strong – this is often indicated by bars of energy on the phone’s screen. Weak reception causes the phone to use more energy to communicate with the base station.
Carry their phones away from their body when it is on standby.
Go for a phone with more “talk time”. It is more efficient with less powerful emissions.

Before buying a phone find out the SAR (specific absorption rate) online at www.mmfai.org. The lower the better. You can also minimise risks by encouraging children to text rather than chat and by choosing a plan with the fewest inclusive minutes so the phone is used only where there is no other option. Or encourage the use of a hands-free kit or wireless Bluetooth handset. There are also devices that attach to phone to combat potentially harmful low-level radiation.

Yoga

2009-12-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

Yoga is a way of life, an art of righteous living or an integrated system for the benefit of the body, mind and inner spirit. This art originated, was perfected and practiced in India thousands of years ago. The references to yoga are available in 'Upanishads' and 'Puranas' composed by Indian Aryans in the later Vedic and post- Vedic period. The main credit for systematizing yoga goes to Patanjali who wrote 'Yoga Sutra', two thousand Years ago. He described the principles of the full eight fold yogic discipline. He composed the treatise in brief code words known as 'Sutras'. 'Yoga Sutra' is the most important basic text on Yoga. It is through this basic treatise that the essential message of yoga spread throughout the world.

Aim of Yoga is the attainment of the physical, mental and spiritual health. Patanjali has recommended eight stages of Yoga discipline. They are

Yamas- Yamas (abstentions or restrains)
Niyamas- Niyamas (observances)-austerities, purity, contentment, study, surrender of the ego
Asanas- Physical postures or exercises
Pranayama- Control of vital energy (Breathing control)
Partyahara- Withdrawal of the senses
Dharana- Concentration of the mind (Contemplation)
Dhyana- Meditation

Samadhi- Attainment of The super conscious state

'Asanas' in Sanskrit means posture. There are around 84 asanas - each one has a special name, special form and a distinct way of performing. Asanas are designed to promote, a state of mental and physical well-being or good health. This may be defined as the condition that is experienced when all the organs function effectively under the intelligent control of the mind. Asanas have an extraordinary capacity to overhaul, rejuvenate and bring the entire system into a state of balance.

LIST OF ASANAS

SURYA NAMASKARA (THE SUN SALUTATION )

UTTHAN PADA ASANA

PASCHIMOTHAN ASANA (THE FORWARD BEND)

BHUJANGA ASANA (THE COBRA POSTURE)

SALABHA ASANA (THE LOCUST POSTURE)

SARVANGA ASANA (THE SHOULDER STAND)

MATSYA ASANA (THE FISH POSTURE)

DHANUR ASANA (THE BOW)

HALA ASANA - (THE PLOUGH POSTURE)

SHAVA ASANA (THE CORPSE POSE)

For More details Visit

Yoga Asanas

Amithab in "PAA"

2009-12-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, Nov 27 (IANS) Amitabh Bachchan says "Paa" was crucial for his production company AB Corp and says son Abhishek has done a remarkable job as a producer by wrapping up the film within a Rs.15 crore (Rs.150 million) budget. Any film that a producer makes is crucial for him financially. And we completely recognise that. We can only hope that 'Paa' does well. This time Abhishek has managed all the production hassles and I am glad he has done it with a high level of maturity," Amitabh told IANS in an interview on phone from Mumbai. We had set out to make the film within an estimated budget of Rs.15 crore and Abhishek managed it in Rs.14.75 crore. This, in times when movie budgets are soaring to Rs.50 crore. "I think he has done a remarkable job. I give huge credit to him for making the film without compromising on the quality or the shooting locations. God willing, it will pay off well," he said. The real life father-son duo star in reverse roles in the film. Amitabh says he was "quite well-behaved and obedient" on the sets unlike the "troublesome child" he was called by Abhishek who plays his father.

Abhishek must have been fooling around when he said I was a troublesome kid. In fact, I was quite a well-behaved and obedient child (on the sets). I followed all instructions of the script and did as much mischief as the script and director Balki required from me. It was all in good fun," Amitabh said. In "Paa", Amitabh will be seen as Auro, a 13-year-old suffering from progeria, a rare condition which causes premature ageing among children. While Abhishek plays his dad, Vidya Balan essays the role of his mother. Amitabh, 67, had to wear over eight pieces of specially crafted clay pieces designed by international make-up artist Stephan Dupuis for his role and says he was pampered well during the entire process. "I was quite pampered on the sets. Actually they (unit members) were more worried about the makeup as it was very tedious. I used to have a lot of problem in breathing, eating and used to feel itchy - but everyone was extremely courteous. "I couldn't eat properly, couldn't speak and liquid supplies were given to me using straws. Everyone was quite nice to me and pampered me," he said. But isn't he pampered much at home as well? "Well! Of course, I am. But for 'Paa', I was really pampered like a kid," he quipped. Asked about the experience of playing his son's son in the film, Amitabh said: "It was fine. It wasn't tough. Actually, once you decide that this is a role you have to play in a film, the father-son relationship takes a backseat.

"We just played our parts. For an actor, I think it's all about catching the right attitude of his character and that's what we have both tried to do. "Amitabh is all praise for Abhishek's acting skills. "I think Abhishek is maturing with each film. He really suited the role he has played in 'Paa' and I must say he has done a marvellous job.

"Amitabh is being lauded by film critics and industry members for his portrayal of Auro. Many have called it "awesome", "amazing" and his "best performance till date". But Amitabh said humbly: "I'd rather wait for public opinion."

After "Paa", which is releasing Dec 4, Amitabh will be seen in Ram Gopal Varma's "Rann" and Leena Yadav's "Teen Patti".
As of now, he can be seen as a host on reality show "Bigg Boss 3", which airs on the channel Colors.

Vision 2020 for Passenger Aircraft Say's Abdul Kalam

2009-12-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

Air transportation is a vital component of the communication network which helps to transport people on business, government officials, leisure travelers, transport of perishable and other goods. The networking helps to establish production centers in the interiors where there is advantage of low cost labor, low raw materials cost and low infrastructural cost. The air transportation while helping growth of interior regions, also helps industry, business sector to produce products at lower costs enabling competitiveness in the global market. The aircraft chosen for operation along with the airport infrastructure provided must be able to provide low cost solutions for transportation of men and materials. It would mean that there is a need for an aircraft whose acquisition and operating costs are low and also it should be capable of being operated from airports with minimal infrastructure and instrumentation facility. It may be pertinent to point out that the infrastructure cost for providing air connectivity between city pairs is lower than that for either road or rail connectivity. Is it a dream or is it possible?


There is a need for new generation of turboprop and turbojet aircraft that are cheaper to acquire and costs less to operate and are independent of costly airport infrastructure and instrumentation. Safe, nearly all weather access to any location in the country with an existing landing facility is a critical need for all round growth. With this goal in mind, I would recommend NAL to become the nodal agency to work on a 70 seater aircraft which should be so designed that with only change in fuselage length should be able to vary the passenger capacity to 50 or 90. With the technology available in the space programme, missile programme, LCA programme and other aircraft programme in the country, definitely realization of design, development and leading to production of 70 seater passenger aircraft before 2020 is possible.


Missions for enabling timely availability of a cost effective state of the art aircraft in service before 2020 are 1. System design: Modular system design leading cost effective variants of passenger aircraft of different capacities. Objective should be to reduce acquisition cost by 25%, operation cost by 25%, maintenance cost by 50% and emission reduced by 70%. 2. Avionics: Design and development of integrated avionics with COTS technology and open system architecture. 3. Power Plant: Next generation modular power plant for varying thrust condition. 4. Structures: Composite airframe, NLF adoptive wing including structural health monitoring system. Self clean, De-icing and abrasive resistant coating system. 5. Control system: Fly by wire flight control system. Aim for all electric architecture. 6. Maintenance: Advanced maintenance systems using IVHM, SHM and faster trouble. 7. Integrated Health monitoring: Development of integrated monitoring system for all utility system over the entire fleet for enhancing reliability and reduce maintenance cost. 8. Simulator and flight testing: Development of state of the art simulator which will reduce the over all time required for training of the pilots and also reduce the number of hours of flight tests needed for certification for induction into operation.

Rajini, Shankar & AR Rahman again in ENTHIRAN- The Robot

2009-12-02T23:27:00.000-08:00

The Boss of the Box-Office will soon be back. Months after Sivaji The Boss set the cash registers ringing worldwide, Tamil superstar Rajnikanth [Images] is teaming up with the out-of-the-box director Shankar again.

If top industry sources are to be believed, Shankar will work with Rajnikanth in Robot, which was planned to be shot with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead and as producer. But the project apparently did not work out owing to 'creative differences', with Shah Rukh himself confirming the separation. Later, it was reported that Shankar approached Aamir Khan [Images] for the role.

Though the film's thread is not confirmed, the name 'Robot' and widely-speculated media reports suggest the story is about a maverick scientist who creates a robot and later runs into trouble with his pet creation.

When the movie does hit the screen, Shankar, known for his expertise in state-of-the-art film-making technique, could thrill filmgoers, especially Rajnikanth fans wordwide. Film buffs and Rajnikanth fans say if the duo team up again, it could be "explosive".

Sources say a top production house in Mumbai will produce the film, in what could be the most expensive film ever made in India. If Sivaji was shot for a whopping Rs 80 crore (Rs 800 million), the new film is expected to cost more than Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion).

According to sources, Shankar has held discussions with the Mumbai production house, which has shown a keen interest in the film with Rajnikanth, the highest-paid actor in the country.

Interestingly, a search on 'Robot-Shanker-film' throws up many actors' names as the heroes of this dream project -- the latest being Ajith of Billa fame in the lead.

When official confirmation comes that Rajnikanth will star in the Shankar film, remember you read it on rediff.com first!

Trisha with Akshay Kumar

2009-12-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

In picture: Trisha with Akshay Kumar on the sets of Khatta Meeta Trisha is back with the unit of Priyadarshan's Khatta Meeta, near Pune. She is loving every minute of the shoot, especially the three days her mother Uma visited her on the sets. 'It is an new experience for me because Akki [Akshay Kumar] andPriyan [director Priyadarshan] have gone out of their way to make uscomfortable, and the shoot is progressing fast,' said Trisha.'Currently, the actress has completed Gautham Menon's Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya with Silambarassan and Namo Venkatesa in Telugu with Venkatesh.

'I had a genuine date problem doing Vrindavanam with NTR,' said Trisha.'Now my priority is to complete Khatta Meeta in the next few months, and then take a call on my future moves. But I will still continue to be a part of South cinema.'

Biggest Snake ANACONDA

2009-12-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

Anacondas in the wild spend most of their time hanging out in rivers hunting for their food. They are solitary creatures that are somewhat shy and not many of them are easily seen. They are very well camouflaged in the swamps and bogs in which they thrive. There are some historical reports of early European explorers of the South American jungles seeing giant anacondas up to 100 feet long and some of the native peoples of the South American jungle have reported seeing anacondas up to 50 feet long. No one has caught and measured an anaconda anywhere near that size. It is important to note that when a dead anaconda's hide or skin is laid out it can be stretched very easily, expanding to much longer lengths than the snake exhibited when alive. Reports of outsize anacondas that cannot be verified are usually due to distortions in perception, or a snake skin being disproportionately stretched and inaccurately measured. People are generally really bad at estimating length, especially for larger snakes. In fact, the larger the snake, the larger the margin of error.

Anacondas like to hang out in rivers so it would be difficult to estimate the length of one seen swimming, without seeing the entire snake. It's the anaconda's ability to remain partly hidden in the water that makes it difficult to accurately find (and document) a specimen that exceeds the current world's record. (Would you want to jump in the water after a giant anaconda to try and measure a snake big enough to kill you?)

The Biggest Snake to Have Ever Lived

If you think that an anaconda big enough to swallow a capybara or tapir whole is big, you should see the size of the giant snake scientists discovered in a coal mine in Columbia, South America in 2008. Fossils of an enormous snake were discovered in an open coal mine in the Amazon rainforest. Paleontologists estimated the length of the snake to be 43 feet long and estimated to weigh 2,500 pounds! Based on their findings, the scientists who identified this new species of snake said it was large enough to prey on crocodiles. Since snakes are cold-blooded, the average temperature of the Amazon had to have been 6 to 8 degrees warmer to support a snake that enormous.

Killer Snake

Anacondas are members of the boa constrictor family of snakes. That means that they kill their prey by coiling their large, powerful bodies around their victims and squeezing until their prey suffocates or is crushed to death and dies from internal bleeding. Then the snake unhinges its jaw and swallows the victim whole. Anacondas are much more likely to eat aquatic creatures, such as fish. Occasionally they have been known to eat: caimans (a relative of the alligator), other snakes, deer, and even jaguars. Anacondas are rather slow-moving snakes, so they have to rely on stealth and the element of surprise to catch their unsuspecting prey.

Do Anacondas Bite? Just about every species of snake on earth has teeth, but the anacondas' teeth are not used for chewing. Snakes' teeth are used for holding onto their prey, preventing them from escaping. Some snakes have venom in two specially designed, extra long teeth (called fangs) which they use to kill their prey. Anacondas have teeth, but they are not a venomous snake. They rely on their enormous size and power to subdue their victims. It is possible to be bitten by an anaconda, but the bite itself would not be fatal.

For many people, snakes are a slithering, terrifying creature to be avoided at all costs, while others harbor a grim fascination or even fondness for them. Many people keep snakes as pets, including anacondas and reticulated pythons. Like any other pet, snakes can be a big responsibility that should be taken seriously. If you choose to keep a snake in captivity you must accept responsibility for its care and feeding, as well as preventing it from escaping into the wild.

Pierre Hassner: “Nobody has the power to lead the world”

2009-12-02T20:31:00.001-08:00

Pierre Hassner, research director emeritus at the Center for International Studies and Research in Paris, talked on Thursday, Nov. 26, in the NAB Auditorium about the role of the US and the EU in international politics. The third event of the Ambassador Elena Poptodorova Distinguished Lecturers Series for this semester was held under the title "How Important is US and EU Leadership for World Stability?"

"I don't know the answer," Hassner said about the question of whether there is such a thing as leadership and stability at all. The world is not stable; it is moving in opposite directions and the idea of unilateral leadership is difficult to comprehend. Hassner gave as an example the situation of the so-called failed states such as Afghanistan and North Korea, whose central governments are so weak that that they have little control over the country's territory. Partly because these states are difficult to control and stabilize, the overall international political stage is insecure. "Nobody has the power to lead the world."

"There is no substitute for the EU and the US," Hassner said. However, their disagreement lies in the way they defend their beliefs in an uncontrollable world. While the US has a history of intervening militarily in almost anarchic ways, the EU is an example of how institutions and mechanisms can create external power. As a result, they are growing more and more apart, Hassner said, adding that the French proverb "If the young only knew; if the old only could," illustrates the interdependence of the EU, or the "old," and the "young" US. An example of this relationship is the time when France advised the US not to engage in the Iraq war, Hassner explained.

Still, in a complex world filled with contradictions, adversaries, competitors, and allies, the EU and the US face the same challenges, Hassner said. He gave the example of the Chinese emerging economy. With the arrival of Obama, it seemed that the EU and the US could work together. However, Obama, indecisive, and disrupted by global problems, has not achieved any success yet, Hassner said. He added that this was the only time he allowed himself to be optimistic about politics.

Hassner said that in international relations, unipolarity in the distribution of powers does not exist, as the world we live in is a complex system. There is no right and concrete solution to the question of leadership and stability, he said.

Junior Ermela Bufi called the lecture "a frightening reminder." She added that even though Hassner argued how fragile democracy can be and how the world cannot find stability, he also gave hope and showed some instruments that can at least help make the situation better.

Sophomore Aleksandra Ivanov said that judging from Hassner's biography, she expected a more interesting lecture. She added she was hoping for more concrete and less pessimistic answers to the EU-US cooperation on global problems.

Earthquake

2009-12-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the Earthquake is the most fearful natural phenomenon in the human life. It is more so, because it is unpredictable and arrives without notice or without announcing it's vigor and strength. Scientists are constantly in search of this unknown. The major events of the earthquakes from the human viewpoint are realized on review of some major catastrophes. Minute observations and records at least have been able to pin point the focus or the epicenter of these earthquakes in the historical past. These studies could reveal two great seismic belts in the entire globe.

This article in fact, is just a browsing in the memory in response to the curiosity of Internet hunters. Therefore, it should start with the very basic question-

What Is An Earthquake?

Apparently the answer is simple - numerous tremors, both powerful and weak are the results of disturbances within the body of the earth itself logically are called Earthquake.

Why & How Earthquakes Happen? Reasons could be many; pinpointing is always after the event. They may be caused by various activities at the earth's surface such as ebb and the flow of the tides, the rush of traffic in the city streets, the tumbling of streams over high falls, magma tic outbursts from within the interior of the earth or explosion of high power nuclear or atomic bomb and so and so forth.

We should have first hand information about the two great seismic belts in the globe.

What Are They? Most of the catastrophic events of earthquakes are associated with any of these two belts. Seismically active region in these two belts are categorized as follows

1. Western Coasts of North and South America, the Aleutian Islands and the island groups along the eastern Coast of Asia such as Japan and the Philippines and thus borders the Pacific Ocean on the east, north and the west.

2. It includes the Mediterranean, the Alps, the Caucasus and the Himalayas and continues into the East Indies, where it intersects the first belt. Uttaranchal- Assam and Andaman- Nicobar island chains fall within the second belt and thus face frequent earthquakes of devastating nature.

Why It Happened?

It is known that the west Coast of India, as a whole, had been affected by numerous fault sets in the recent geological past around 80,000 to 1 million years before. Kathiawar coast with milliolite limestone was raised high from beneath the seabed. These faults are sharp N-S or E-W trending. The overall E-W trending Palghat Gap is well known. It lies across the Western Ghats in Kerala forming a major break in the continuity of the hills and connects Western Coastal Plain with the rest of the southern States. This landform or the Pass is bounded by steeply rising Nilgiri hills to the North and Anai Malai- Palni hills to the south. In the offshore about 90 km west of Ponnani there lies a topographic high known as Ponnani mount. It emerges at the continental slope adjoining shelf edge. ENE-WSW striking broad valley with steep northern wall has been observed about 25 km SE of the Ponnani Mount in the offshore. This valley, about 8 km wide fall in the same line with the Palghat Gap present in the NE of the area.

The other studies like magnetic observations confirm that the Palghat Gap is a faulted graben and continues beyond the land and towards the seabed in the offshore. Similar fault planes criss-cross this domain of Western Coast. Although these fault planes are inactive at present, it can reactivate to any extraneous force of considerable magnitude like impounding of sea waves or tides or even high power explosion & rush of heavy traffics. Incidentally, the area around Palghat Gap forms a weak zone with fault traces and contacts of younger rock formations like Vakrala sandstone with the oldest gneissic rock of more than 3000 m.years.
Who knows the famous festival of Trissur Pooram accompanying huge explosion of fire works and thousands of processions might aggravate the weak planes and causes tremors of human concern.

Tamil Nadu finalises unifom school syallabus

2009-12-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

The final syllabus drafted after consultations with academicians was submitted to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi by Minister for School Education Thangam Thenarasu.

Under the new curriculum, students of Class 6 to Class 10 will study computer science, and to inculcate reading habit among them a library period has been added.

In addition, Economics has been included as a part of Social Studies subject.

Angora Rabbit

2009-12-01T09:13:00.001-08:00

The Angora rabbit is a variety of domestic rabbit bred for its long, soft hair. The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, originating in Ankara , Turkey , along with the Angora cat and Angora goat.. The rabbits were popular pets with French royalty in the mid 1700s, and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century. They first appeared in the United States in the early 1900s. They are bred largely for their long wool, which may be removed by shearing or plucking (gently pulling loose wool).
There are many individual breeds of Angora rabbits, four of which are ARBA recognized. Such breeds include, French, German, Giant, English, Satin, Chinese, Swiss, Finnish, to name a few.

Komondor Dog

2009-12-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

Females are 27 inches (69cm) at the withers. Male Komondorok are a minimum of 28 inches at the withers, but many are over 30 inches tall, making this one of the larger common breeds of dog. The body is not overly coarse or heavy, however, and people unfamiliar with the breed are often surprised by how quick and agile the dogs are.
Its long, thick, strikingly corded white coat (the heaviest amount of fur in the canine world) resembles dreadlocks or a mop. The puppy coat is soft and fluffy. However, the coat is wavy and tends to curl as the puppy matures. A fully mature coat is formed naturally from the soft undercoat and the coarser outer coat combining to form tassels, or cords. Some help is needed in separating the cords so the dog does not turn into one large matted mess. The length of the cords increases with time as the coat grows. Shedding is very minimal with this breed, contrary to what one might think (once cords are fully formed). The only substantial shedding occurs as a puppy before the dreadlocks fully form. The Komondor is born with only a white coat, unlike the similar-looking Puli, which is usually white, black or sometimes grayish. However, a working Komondor’s coat may be discolored by the elements, and may appear off-white if not washed regularly.

Sun Bear

2009-12-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

The Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) is a bear found primarily in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia .
The Sun Bear stands approximately 4 ft (1.2 m) in length, making it the smallest member in the bear family. It is often called the dog bear because of its small stature. It has a 2 in (5 cm) tail and on average weighs less than 145 lb (65 kg). Males tend to be slightly larger than females.
Unlike other bears, the Sun Bear’s fur is short and sleek. This adaptation is probably due to the lowland climates it inhabits. Dark black or brown-black fur covers its body, except on the chest where there is a pale orange-yellow marking in the shape of a horseshoe. Similar colored fur can be found around the muzzle and the eyes. This distinct marking gives the sun bear its name.

Canon EF 100mm F2.8 L IS USM Macro

2009-12-01T09:07:00.000-08:00

Canon took the distinctly unusual step of announcing a new technological development completely in isolation from any products. The subject was a novel 'Hybrid' optical image stabilization system designed to compensate for two distinct types of camera shake. You can read more about it here, but in essence the stabilizer is different from existing systems, which only detect and correct for changes in the angle the lens is pointing, by also compensating for vertical and horizontal shifts in the position of the lens caused by handshake. This has little benefit at long focus distances, but as the subject gets closer it becomes progressively more important, and in principle offers maximum benefit for macro shooting.

In September the company duly introduced the first lens to feature this new technology, and to no great surprise it turned out to be a 100mm macro. The EF 100mm F2.8 L IS USM Macro joins Canon's impressive short-telephoto lineup as a supplement to (rather than a replacement for) the existing EF 100mm F2.8 USM Macro, and at a significantly higher price. Alongside the latest and greatest IS technology it gains all the usual benefits associated with the premium 'L' badge, including robust, weathersealed build and the use of exotic glass for the correction of aberrations. The optical construction is of 15 elements in 12 groups, including a single ultra-low dispersion glass element, and the 1:1 maximum magnification is achieved at a minimum focus distance of 0.3m.

Canon makes some quite specific claims for the effectiveness of its new IS system, and it's worth looking at these in detail. The stabilizer is supposed to give a 4 stop advantage at longer focus distances, dropping to 3 stops at 0.5x magnification and 2 stops at full 1x magnification. The first of these specs is pretty much par for the course for Canon's current IS lenses, but even with the Hybrid system it's clear that the level of stabilization at close distances is expected to be relatively low (this despite Canon's publicity material claiming that it 'enables photographers to capture stunning close-up shots without the need for a tripod'). So the question potential buyers will surely be asking is whether the blend of features offered by the new lens is sufficiently compelling to justify buying it over the older, but well-regarded non-stabilized 100mm macro.
Headline features

* 100mm fixed focal length; F2.8 maximum aperture
* Macro focusing: 1:1 maximum magnification
* 'Hybrid' image stabilization system for increased effectiveness at close focus distances
* Canon EF mount for full-frame and APS-C DSLRs

Chennai

2009-12-01T06:06:00.000-08:00

Chennai, the gracious capital city of Tamil Nadu is the fourth largest metropolis in India. Located on a 17km stretch of the Coramandel coast, the city is trisected by the waterways of Cooum and Adyar and the Buckingham Canal. With a population of 6 million people, Chennai is a vibrant city ever growing, expanding and changing every year.

Popularly regarded as the "Gateway to the South", Chennai presents culture that is distinctly different from that of northern India. Music, dance and all other art forms of the South are cherished and nurtured in this city which, though industrialized, continues to be traditional and conventional in many ways.

Chennai is a city where the traditional and the modern blend in life everywhere. From traditional vegetarian fair to fast foods, from nine-yard sarees to the latest in fashion, from ancient temple architecture to modern high-rise - with Indo-Saracenic and Victorian as stops along the way - from classical music and dance to discos throbbing to heady beats, Chennai has them all and many more vivid contrasts that are a pleasant surprise. And perhaps the most striking of them all is that here is a modern metropolis with beaches, parks and even sanctuaries in the heart of the City. Chennai offers a wealth of nature and a rich historic past to visitors in the ambience of a city with every modern facility.

The region of Chennai was called Tondaimandalm in those days and had its military headquarters at Puzhal, which is now a small and rather insignificant village on the outskirts of the city.

Modern Chennai grew out of a small village when in 1639 a fishing hamlet called Madraspatnam was selected by early English merchants of the East India Company as a site for the settlement.

Chennai is a gracious city that has a clear skyline, long sandy beaches, parks, historic landmarks and tourist infrastructural facilities which make it a convenient entry point or base to start your tour of Tamil Nadu and South India. Where religion is concerned, history has certainly left its mark on this city which is believed to have been the place of St. Thomas, in the outskirt of the city. There are a number of churches in Chennai that are connected with the life and times of this apostle. There are also several ancient temples around Chennai, and, within the city itself are two magnificent temples - a temple in Triplicane and another in Mylapore.

Area : 174 Sq.Km.
Altitude: Sea level
Temperature: Max- 37 C and Min-21 C in Summer, Max-32C and Min-20C in Winter.

Rainfall: 1,272 Mm ( June to Sept )
Best Season: Throughout the Year.
Best time to visit: November to February

Clothing:
Summer-cottons
Winter- Woolen

Language: Tamil and English
STD Code: 044

Reaching Chennai:
Kamraj National and Anna International Airports are situated at Tirusulam about 20 Kms from city. Chennai is connected by rail with all major towns and cities in India. Main Railway Stations: Central and Egmore. Chennai is connected by good network of roads with all important places in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India.

Near by Cities:
Kancheepuram - 75kms. Bangalore - 334 kms.
Pondicherry - 162 kms. Tirupati - 154 kms.
Mamallapuram - 58 kms. Vellore - 145 kms.
Thirukkazhukundram - 74kms Vedanthangal - 85 kms.