Chiranjeevi fans attack Rajasekhar and family

Irate fans of mega star Chiranjeevi on Monday chased, attacked, and injured fellow actor Rajasekhar, his wife Jeevita, and their two kids for a comment made about their hero's entry into politics.

This is not the first time that Chiranjeevi's ‘fans' have taken the law into their hands and attacked ‘rivals' of their idol. However, the attack on Rajasekhar and his family in front of the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Panjagutta is a new low even for them.

In a bizarre re-enactment of the kind of sequences seen in Tollywood films, Chiranjeevi ‘fans' chased Rajasekhar's vehicle in four cars and attacked him and his terrified family with stones injuring them.

The actor had commented the other day had that he would not join Chiranjeevi's proposed political party "because he has no experience in politics". This was enough to arouse Chiranjeevi ‘fans'.

Rajasekhar, Jeevita and their children were treated at Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills.

THEY WERE FOLLOWED

Chiranjeevi fans had been stalking them right from Guntur. They entered the Narsapur Express in which the family was travelling but could not locate them. Once they got to know that Rajasekhar had reached Hyderabad and was going towards his house in a car, they chased him.

They not only attacked the actor and his family but also filmed the attack and brazenly handed over the footage to TV channels.

She added that however much the ‘fans' loved Chiranjeevi, they should never have acted like this. "My husband didn't say anything about Chiranjeevi's party," she said. "He simply expressed his opinion. Whoever instigated the fans has to be brought to book."

Later in the day, megastar Chiranjeevi went to Rajasekhar's house and apologised on his behalf and on behalf of his ‘fans'. He termed the attack "unfortunate" and waited for over an hour at Rajasekhar's residence since the couple had gone for a recording in a TV studio.

"Rajasekhar has only expressed his own opinion and my fans should not have taken the law into their hands," said Chiranjeevi. "Their aggression was unwarranted. I am very sorry about the incident. Rajasekhar is like my brother and I urge my fans not to be unruly."

Rajasekhar is planning to meet the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, to request for more security cover to his family. A police picket has already been set up in front of his house.

The attack on Rajasekhar took an immediate political turn with the Greater Hyderabad Congress chief Danam Nagendar visiting the actor's residence and expressing solidarity. Minister for Housing, Mr Botsa Satyanarayana, also turned up at the actor's bungalow.

In the train, it was the bodyguards of Maganti Venkateshwara Rao, minister for minor irrigation, who saved Rajasekhar from the irate ‘fans'.

In Chittoor, Telugu Desam activists staged a protest against Chiranjeevi expressing solidarity with Rajasekhar, who had supported the party in the last polls. However, in other parts of the state, Chiranjeevi's ‘fans' burnt the effigy of Rajasekhar.

Actor Mohan Babu, who has also faced the ire of Chiranjeevi fans, called on Rajasekhar and Jeevita and expressed anguish over the incident. "I have come as a friend and not as a representative of the film industry," he said. "The attack on Rajasekhar has caused me a lot of pain. In a democracy, every person has a right to express his or her opinion without any fear. What if someone from the family had got seriously injured?"

Sania Mirza is Asian No.1 in women's tennis

Controversies, injuries and inconsistent form have threatened to derail Sania Mirza's career time and again but the Indian star continues to rise nevertheless, touching a new high on Monday by becoming Asia's number one woman tennis player.

After her third round appearance at the Australian Open, Sania gained three spots to rise to the 29th position with 931 points to become Asia's new numero uno player in the latest WTA rankings overtaking Chinese ace Na Li, who dropped to the 32nd position.

Sania, who lost to Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the third round, however, slipped in the doubles rankings, losing five places to drop out of top20 and be placed 23rd in the latest list.

She had teamed up with Australian Alicia Molik in the Australian Open and the duo had been knocked out in the third round.

Becoming the Asian number one is yet anoth er remarkable achievement for the 21-year-old Hyderabad lass, who has been India's lone flagbearer in women's tennis after a breakthrough season in 2005.

"I am very happy, I think this is the first time I have become Asian number one, so it's an honor," Sania said.

She became the first Indian to break into the top 50 of WTA rankings and has notched up some memorable wins over Grand Slam champions like Martina Hingis and top 20 players like Patty Schnyder and Dinara Safina.

However, the glamorous star has had to deal with heightened expectations and one controversy after another ever since her rise to prominence.

Her on court attire, her views on pre marital sex and numerous other petty issues have raised the heckles of Islamic fundamentalists who have never wasted time in issuing one fatwa after another against her.

Injuries have also hampered her and she continues to play with minor niggles but all this has not affected her performance.

A WTA title eludes her and the best she has done at a Grand Slam is reaching the fourth round of US Open, but her fighting spirit and determination have won hearts wherever she has played.

"I'm 21 and I'm trying to be the best I can be," a bit upset but resolute Sania had said after off court furores forced her to think of quitting the game altogether a few weeks ago.

Cyberabad cops first in S. Asia to get GPS radio

The Cyberabad police is set to become the first force in south and southeast Asia to get a GPS-based Tetra radio system.

The police is using an analogue radio network that jams when an excessive number of users use it. In Tetra, or Terrestrial Trunk Radio System, the channels are multi-pronged. The police frequency cannot be intercepted by terror elements.

The police can create different groups for law and order, crime and traffic. Closed groups can be created to hold conversations that cannot be heard by those outside the loop. The police can talk and listen at the same time like in cellphones.

"Tetra is like GSM. With hand-held compact radio sets, voice calls can be made and SMSes can be sent," said Mr Vinay Ranjan Ray, director of police communications.

The police entered into an agreement with European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), a multi-country consortia, last month for procuring the system. "The system would become operational by March end. It will help the control room know the location and movement of personnel carrying the handsets," Mr Ray said.

IIT aspirants up in Andhra Pradesh

The number of students from the state who are trying to get into Indian Institute of Technology has increased by 25 per cent when compared to last year.

While nearly 39,000 candidates had applied for Joint Entrance Examination in 2007, the number went up to about 50,100 this year. Last year, over 500 students from the state secured seats in various IITs.

The JEE-2008 for admission to various undergraduate courses in the seven IIT's and other technological universities of the country will be held on April 13. The last date for submitting application forms ended on January 4.

"There has been more than 25 per cent increase in the number of applicants across the country and not just in Andhra Pradesh," said Mr N.M. Bhandari, chairman of JEE-2008.

Last year, 2.43 lakh students had appeared for the test and one lakh more students have applied for JEE-2008. The number of students competing for a seat has gone up to 77 while it was 55 last year.

There are nearly 4,500 seats available in the seven IITs across the country.

"The number of students competing for a seat in prestigious global universities such as Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology is eight," said Mr Bhandari.

"The competition for IITs is tougher."

Veteran IIT trainer and MLC, Mr Chukka Ramaiah, said the drop in standards and lack of faculty and infrastructure in most engineering colleges of the state had forced students to opt for IITs.

"Most of the engineering colleges in the state produce graduates who are unemployable," he said. "They are forced to undergo training in Jawahar Knowledge Centres to develop skills."

Meanwhile, the newly announced IIT at Medak may not start functioning from this year.

Shoaib Malik - A cricketer, not a gentleman

This is one love story that has unfortunately gone sour. Pakistani cricket captain Shoaib Malik has done a volte-face and claims he never married Hyderabadi girl Ayesha Siddiqui, and was only involved with her in a longrelationship. He further adds that the couple split because their families could not reach an agreement on the marriage issue.

This is in complete contrast to his confession last year when Shoaib visited India. He had acknowledged in an interview to this newspaper, on March 26, 2007, "We met in Dubai for the first time. The nikaah was performed on phone on May 2, 2003." It was reported then that in 2002 the couple had met in Dubai and sparks flew instantly. Two years later, they got married through a clandestine phone-nikaah. Shoaib was based in Sialkot and Ayesha in Hyderabad, India.

But the cricketer who has now become the captain of the Pakistan cricket team suddenly seems to have had a change of heart and has unceremoniously dumped Ayesha. Shoaib Malik as well as his parents started avoiding talks with the Hyderabadi family.

Though the first few months after the revelation of the secret marriage passed happily, soon relatives and friends started inquiring about the bride's future plans. Ayesha's family gradually realised that the Maliks were in no mood to discuss the future.

Despite all odds Ayesha's family members tried to meet Malik, who refused to even meet his in-laws citing inane excuses, according to a close friend of Mr Ahmed Siddiqui, father of Ayesha Siddiqui. "Mr Siddiqui tried to contact Malik who refused to meet his fatherin-law," says a family friend.

This is in complete contrast to the happy family picture that was portrayed when the Pakistani team was here last year. Ayesha's father, Ahmed Siddiqui had hosted a grand dinner for his son-in-law and the entire Pakistani team when they were in Hyderabad last year.

What's more his mother Farookh Sultana had stated in a telephonic interview from Sialkot, "Yes Shoaib has chosen a girl from Hyderabad. We all liked the girl very much. She is a good looking, pyari girl. We have decided to conduct the wedding in India."

Sadly, the proposed wedding ceremony, which was slated for August 2007 never took place dashing Ayesha's dreams of joining her husband.

Ayesha has completed her MBA but is not working. The family of Mr Siddiqui, a retired Saudi Airlines employee, lives in Banjara Hills. "They don't share much about what's going on in their life and Mr Siddiqui seeks advice very rarely with his close friends," says a friend. "It's better that it happened now. Who knows what kind of life Ayesha would have encountered with Shoaib in Pakistan," adds another close friend.

The family members refused to comment on the issue, hoping to put this unfortunate incident behind them and get on with their lives.

Remedy tours take pilgrims to temples for specific cures

Tour operators of the state have given a slight tweak to temple tourism and are promoting it as ‘Remedial Tourism'.

Instead of shepherding pilgrims from within and outside the state to a host of famous temples, tour operators are taking them to holy spots which offer solutions to specific problems.

For instance, more than 12,000 tourists visited the Naga Temple located in little known Fazullabad in East Godavari district last year to get relief for Rahu Dosha. The temple was built by a Muslim officer Fazulla Khan in 1200 AD.

Similarly, "remedial" tours are being conducted to temples of deities who have powers to sort out problems ranging from family troubles to financial mess.

Temples in Muramandla and Vasanthavada villages, also in East Godavari, are witnessing heavy rush of people who have unmarried children.

Santhana Venugopala Swamy Kshetram in Nemili village of Khammam district and Pynaraju Palem of East Godavari are seeing a constant stream of couples who don't have children. Similarly, ailing people are even taken in ambulances to Mrutyunjayeswara Temple at Juittuga near Tanuku. The deity is believed to have power to restore people to health.

"Many persons who were on their deathbed got new life after visiting this place," said Mr D. Nagarjuna Sarma, managing director of Imprint, a leading tour operator.

Tourists are being shipped outside the state too. Many have been taken to Bhagheeswar in Uttarakand where Lord Siva reigns in the form of Mrutyunjayeswara and is believed to be very powerful.

Interestingly, there are also holy places which cater to mundane problems such as transfers.

Those who want transfers to preferred spots travel to pray at Sri Narasimha Temple near Eluru in West Godavari and Lord Jaganmohan Kesava Swamy temple near Ravula Palem. "Ministers, MLA and MPs don't come here since they are afraid of being shifted from their posts," said Mr Jandyala Jagannadha Sastry, a vedic expert.

Mr Sanjeev Reddy, Chief Operating Officer of Usha Tourism, said some of the temples in the ‘remedial circuit' had even got recognition from UNESCO.

Tour operators are now offering specific packages to relieve a host of astrological problems including Kuja Dosham, which prevents marriage, Guru Dosham, which creates work related crises, and Sani Dosham, which generally messes up one's life. "We are getting many enquiries," said Mr Sharma, "Last year we organised 21 tours taking about 4,000 people to various holy spots." Mrs Malati, a retired lecturer who is busy organising remedial tours for big companies, said the government should take care of temples which have such unique powers.

100 crore gift to Shirdi Sai Baba

A Chennai based information technology industrialist has promised to donate Rs 100 crore to the Sai Baba temple trust in Shirdi.

Sources in the cash-rich temple trust said it was the biggest ever donation in its history.

KV Ramani, the CMD of Future Software, will be donating the money to the Shri Saibaba Sansthan for the construction of a Bhakta Niwas, a residential complex for devotees on January 10.

Ramani was not available for comment but the chairperson of the trust, Jayant Sasane, confirmed the donation. Sasane said negotiations between trustees and Ramani had been on for almost a year. The residential complex will come up on 14 acres of land owned by the trust.

Ramani, a great devotee of the Sai Baba, has asked the trust to reserve 10 per cent of the total number of rooms in the complex for poor devotees and give out 30 per cent at concession rates.

Sasane said 15,000 devotees could be accommodated in the facility. The foundation stone will be laid on January 10. Construction is expected to be complete within a year and a half.

Ramani set up the Shirdi Sai Trust with Rs 250 crore that he had in his kitty. His trust has been spending Rs 20 crore every year for social causes and for construction of Sai Baba temples at various places.

Sources in Shri Saibaba Sansthan said Ramani believes he owes his wealth to Sai Baba and he has to donate it to him. The sansthan, controlled by the Maharashtra government, has an annual turnover of around Rs 200 crore.

Rajnikanth as Shankar's Robot?

The hottest news that is making rounds in Kollywood is about the teaming up of superstar Rajnikanth and ace director Shankar for the second time.

According to sources, the project is Shankar's dream sci-fi venture Robot, which he announced with Shah Rukh Khan a few months ago, since the subject required a national star.

The project, which was supposed to be produced under Shah Rukh Khan's home banner Red Chillies was dropped for various logistic problems, which the director himself confirmed.

Now the buzz is that after the stupendous success of Sivaji, it became easier for Shankar to approach the superstar and it's believed that he also completed one sitting of the story narration. While Shankar has confirmed that talks are going on with the superstar, nothing has been finalised.

The film is produced jointly by Mumbai based Eros International and Ayngaran International, an association that was mediated by producer A.M.Ratnam.

If sources are to be believed, this could be the most expensive project ever made in the country. Shankar, who has clout in Mumbai, is trying to rope in the latest Bollywood sensation Deepika Padukone to act opposite Rajnikanth. A.R. Rahman has been confirmed as music composer for the film.

Official announcements, according to sources, will be made during the silver jubilee function of Sivaji.