Lesbian marriage stuns Vizag

Vizag: Two young lesbian lovers got married in a temple recently shocking their families and neighbours.

The lovers, K. Kumari, 19, and Varalakshmi, 18, tied the knot at the Lingala Tirugudu temple near Sabbavaram on October 16 and later exchanged Bibles in a local church to further cement their relationship.

They have also started living together in a separate house like any other married couple and are working in a nursery.

Kumari dons the role of the ‘husband,' wearing trousers and shirt while Varalakshmi, the demure one, wears the mangalsutra.

Though the shock is yet to wear off, the people of the small town of Sabbavaram are now slowly accepting their relationship.

Sources said that Kumari, a native of Anakapalle, came to the town to live with her married elder sister after she lost her parents.

She soon met Varalakshmi, who lived in the neighbourhood, and they became close friends.

The duo started working in a church together to earn money, but they were sacked after their colleagues complained about their ‘intimate' behaviour.

Undaunted, the couple rented a small house and started living there. However, Varalakshmi's mother was upset at her daughter's friendship and took her home. But the couple got married without much publicity and during Dasara, Kumari appeared with cropped hair. "She was wearing trousers and T-shirt like a man," said a neighbour. Another curious neighbour saw a photograph in a local studio in which Kumari and Varalakshmi were exchanging Bibles, which is how Christians in the rural belt get married.

They made further enquiries found that the young women (both belong to the goldsmith community) also got married according to Hindu rites in Lingala Tirugudu temple.

It was performed according to traditions and Kumari tied a mangalasutra on Varalakshmi's neck.

Interestingly, Varalakshmi's mother and another witness were present during the exchange of vows.

"We are not ashamed," said Kumari. "First we became good friends and later lovers. Now we live as husband and wife." Varalakshmi was earlier married to a man in Srikakulam but walked out of the marriage. She is not formally divorced. The owner of their rented house is not too bothered about their relationship. "As long as they pay the rent and keep quiet, it is ok with me." he said. Women in the neighbourhood have also more or less accepted their relationship. Of course, they have stopped taking baths with Kumari in the pond, which is fair enough.

S.S.P. Yadav is new DGP

The State govern ment on Tues day appointed S.S.P. Yadav as the new director general of police bypassing two of his seniors, P.V. Naidu and M.L. Kumavat.

It is learnt that the police officer got crucial help from Union railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and a cop close to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy in the race for the coveted post.

Dr Reddy had to opt for Mr Yadav after the Lalu factor swayed the Congress high command too.

While choosing a person from Bihar, the Chief Minister had to dump the local favourite, Principal Secretary (Home) Naidu, who belongs to the Velama community.

The Chief Minister called Mr Naidu and explained the circumstances under which Mr Yadav was chosen. Mr Naidu was reportedly shocked by the turn of events.

When contacted, he said he had not got any information of the appointment and would comment only after confirming it.

Sources said that Mr Yadav enjoyed close contacts not just with the railway minister but also with former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.

A 1972 batch officer, he is presently DG of the Anti Corruption Bureau. He will take charge on Wednesday, when the present DGP, M.A. Basith, would retire.

The State government had meticulously followed the rule book in the appointment of Mr Swaranjit Sen and Mr Basith as DGPs, but had to push it aside while choosing Mr Yadav.

The previous Telugu Desam government too had appointed Mr P. Ramulu as DGP after bypassing his senior C. Anjaneya Reddy.

The new DGP told this correspondent that he would lay stress on basic policing and would strive to make the force people friendly. He also thanked Dr Reddy for making him police chief.

Mr Yadav would be overseeing the crucial Assembly polls before retiring on August 31, 2009.

He had earlier served as Karimnagar superintendent of police, DIG Guntur and Anantapur range, DG (fire services).

Local bands rocked the city

Hyderabad rocks", a 1,300 strong crowd of young rock fans said that loud and clear on Saturday night. Durgam Cheruvu saw head banging like never before during the Hero Honda Motorola Campus Rock Idols 2007. For the fourth successive year, young aspiring amateur bands in the city got a platform to perform and showcase their talent under a professional production umbrella.

Several local bands vied for the top two slots to go on and compete in the South Zone Finals to be held mid November at Manipal. The Hyderabad Regional Selections round had the bands Pash, Caution, Modus Vivendi, Delay 4,5,6, Cafe Dilemma, Skrypt, Wreckage and Ensigns battling it out on the moist Saturday evening. The crowds went berserk when the bands played favourites like ACDC, As I lay Dying and other popular numbers. But the highlights of the show were the performers themselves. What with artists like drummer Venkatesh Potluri of Modus Vivendi who is merely in Std X and the band Skrypt boasting of a female lead guitarist Ramya, the show had the crowds digging into their music.

God and Caution Link 182. The others belted out Hate Breed, Drowning Pool, Jal and other popular numbers. Vocalist Yamini. of Cafe Dilemma drove the crowds crazy while the flowing hair of other male band members rose quite a delirium.
The finals will be held at Delhi on December 2. Septa from Mumbai rounded up the show with a couple of Metallica and Nuclear covers and their anti smoking anthem, Charred.

New city airport to have cabs with GPS

The government has ordered transport department to introduce cabs with global positioning system to prevent drivers from cheating travellers entering the city via the Shamshabad airport that is scheduled to be operational by March next year.

"The radio cabs with GPS will enable passengers to know where they exactly are," said joint transport commissioner C.L.N. Gandhi.

The drivers will not be able to take passengers on roundabout routes. "We studied the cool cab system in Mumbai," Mr Gandhi said.

The government framed tough guidelines for cab licences in view of the safety of passengers. Each operator has to maintain at least 100 cabs fitted with electronic fare meters.
The driver should be fluent in English apart from local languages.

Tirupati beats God's own country, retains top spot

Tirupati, the abode of Lord Balaji, has become the most visited spot in the country for the third year in a row. Andhra Pradesh also came on top in the domestic tourism circuit by getting the highest number of visitors from within the country.

Tirupati is attracting more tourists from within the country and outside than the elegant Taj Mahal or the verdant Kovalam beach. Of course, pilgrims who seek the blessings of the Lord constitute the majority of the visitors.
In recent times, foreigners are also coming in droves, both to worship and also to find out what it is about the temple which gains it more donations that even the Vatican.

Tourists from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France and Sri Lanka regularly visit Tirupati. Sources said that about 5.9 per cent of foreign tourists coming to the country choose to visit Tirupati.

"Pilgrimage is a high priority for domestic tourists while spirituality is again gaining ground in western countries," said Mr Ramanachari, executive officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devastanams. "Tirupati is an obvious destination."

For instance, more than 1.5 crore people attended the recent 10-day Brahmotsavam celebrations at the holy hill. Tourism department officials are busy with plans to further boost temple tourism around Tirupati.

Andhra bhoomi full of gems

Andhra Pradesh is turning out to be the diamond mine of the country. The Geological Survey of India identified 110 kimberlite pipes (diamond-bearing formations) in the State, the highest in the country.

These kimberlite pipes were found in the most backward places such as Anantapur, Mahbubnagar, Kurnool, Kadapa, Chittoor and Nalgonda districts. Kimberlites are the most important sources of diamonds and are usually found on the earth's crust as vertical structures.

Mines minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy said that the latest findings were very encouraging. "Studies in 1997 discovered only seven such places in the State," she said. Ms Reddy added that the government was getting several proposals from foreign companies for exploration.

The Centre is giving maximum priority to gold and diamond exploration as the country is importing jewellery worth Rs 1.25 lakh crores at present.

It has directed the State to complete the first and second stages of exploration in three years and then start mining the diamonds.

BHP Billiton, Phelps Dodge, Rio Tinto, DeBeers and several other companies have already taken prospective licences for the 50,000 sq. km of formations.

"Some companies have already completed high-resolution magnetic surveys using helicopters," said Mr V.D. Rajagopal, managing director of AP Mineral Development Corporation. "Now they are into field level reconnaissance study. Two companies have even started second stage operations."

The GSI survey had identified Timma Samudram, Bommaganapalli, Pillalapalli in Anantapur district, Maddur-Narayanpet

Chiranjeevi's younger daughter elopes and marrires

To her parent's horror Chiranjeevi's younger daughter Sreeja, walked out of home on Wednesday and married her college mate G. Sirish Bharadwaj at Arya Samaj mandir in Bowenpally. While the wedding went off as planned with a dozen of the couple's friends, reporters and TV crews in attendance, neither the bride nor the grooms family were in attendance.

Sirish, the eldest son of G. Venkata Ramana Murthy, an advocate who lives in Begumpet, was introduced to Sreeja by common friends in their college Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology and their friendship soon blossomed into love. The groom's mother is a distant relative of Khairtabad MLA P. Janardhan Reddy.

While Sreeja's parents were kept in the dark about her wedding plans, they were fully aware of her feelings for Sirish. And it is said that they tried their best to convince her to break things off with him, but she remained adamant. Sirish alleges that Chiranjeevi's family members had hired a private detective to keep tabs on him and his family. Apparently Sreeja's relatives too called him up and warned him against seeing her on earlier occasions. Finally, on Tuesday night, she rang her soon-to-be-husband up and told him that she will leave home on Wednesday and marry him. While her nuptials did shock many, others weren't so shocked as some had received invites for the do as one of the guests was seen with a card.

Her parents' presence at the sudden wedding ceremony might not have been possible but the bride hoped she wouldn't be denied of their blessings later on. "I am hopeful that my father and mother will bless us," she said. But in the same breath added, "We need protection for ourselves and my in-laws."

The groom too repeated, "We don't have any intentions of hurting anyone and have lots of respect for our elders. And I don't know how my family members will react after they get to know that I am married." The newly weds are hoping that the police will treat them as common people and won't succumb to pressure from any quarters.

IIM graduate sets up interactive school

Jamshedpur: When her classmates were preparing to face placement interviews at the IIM, Ahmedabad, 24-year-old Gardi Agarwal De was busy planning something different.

Ms De, who passed out of IIM in April, straight away headed back to her home town to execute the plan of setting up a preparatory school, to create a non-intimidating environment for children where they will not have to mug up texts.

"I have plans to set up a chain of schools, which will not be the usual class room oriented ones but inculcate more interactive, growth-oriented learning," Ms De said.

"The basic idea is to create an environment for children that will not only dispel fear of going to school but also set up solid foundation to grow," she said. "We will involve parents of the children in different activities," she added. Parents' attendance for two hours every week, will be mandatory to make the whole experience interactive as well as to inculcate confidence among their wards, she said.

Ms De will make teachers partners with half of the earnings divided among them.

Child sex tourism rises in TN, Orissa

As India tries to get more visitors to its shores, experts are warning that child sex tourism is raising its head in a dangerous way, not just in tourist havens but also in religious hubs in TamilNadu and Orissa.

Carmen Madrinan, an international expert in the field, who was here for a UN conference on human trafficking, said the child sex industry in India had spread from its traditional hubs in Goa and Kerala.

"It is also gaining momentum in religious places in TamilNadu and Orissa," Madrinan, executive director of the NGO End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, and the Trafficking of Children (ECPAT), said.

"India is among the most rapidly growing economies in the world and the introduction of economy airlines, the development of untapped destinations, improved infrastructure and new modes of tourism - such as eco and experiential tourism - have brought tourists even closer to unexposed communities.

"With this increased proximity, criminal activities against children and other vulnerable groups are likely to grow," said Madrinan.

"Asian countries including Thailand, India and the Philippines have long been prime destinations for child sex tourists," said Jeff Avina, director of operations at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna.

"India's economy is booming and it is high time the government here enforced laws more stringently before the situation becomes difficult to manage."

Taxis to replace autos in Hyderabad

Taxis will replace age-old autorickshaws in a phased manner in four years. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Thursday gave the nod to transport department's proposal to replace over 1 lakh autorickshaws in the next four years.

The government has decided to assist the autorickshaw owners by providing bank loans up to Rs 4 lakh each to purchase new cars to run as taxis at 3 per cent interest rate per annum.

The transport department cited pollution and modernization of the city roads as the main reasons for phasing out of three-wheeleres.

The officials hoped that there would be good response from the drivers since the introduction of new autorickshaws was banned five years ago.

The government is keen on speedy implementation of the taxi scheme since New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata have been encouraging cabs for the last few years. The proposal was mooted five years ago.

Bomb Blast in Ajmer shrine, 2 die

Two pilgrims were killed and at least 14 others, including a child, were injured in a terrorist attack when a low intensity crude bomb went off at the renowned Sufi shrine of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer on Thursday evening. Thousands had gathered at the spot to break the day-long Ramzan fast when the blast went off just after 6.15 pm.

Two persons died on the spot, one of them being 45-year-old Mohammed Sohaib, a pilgrim from Mumbai. Fourteen others were injured in the blast near the Aasthan-e-Noor, opposite Begum Ki Dhalan, when people had gathered for iftar, Ajmer divisional commissioner Deepak Upreti said.

The crude bomb, planted near a tree at Aasthan-e-Noor, went off a minute after the fasting period ended at 6.16 pm, he said.

One Syed Saleem, 42, of Tolichowki in Hyderabad, is suspected to have died in the blast, according to city police, who are in touch with their Ajmer counterparts.

Rajasthan home secretary V.S. Singh said that of the 14 people taken to hospital, one had been discharged after first aid and the condition of 11 were normal. Two of the injured were in critical condition.

Entry into the dargah was restricted immediately after the blast, and people were being screened. The shops in the vicinity of the shrine had been ordered shut.

Lakhs of devotees from all religions and faiths visit the shrine. This is the first blast to have taken place there. "It is a sad day in our history... I am weeping," said F.S. Hassan Chishti, a khadim (shrine keeper). Senior Rajasthan government officials have rushed to the blast site, and a team of forensic experts have also begun investigations.

The police sources said a number of terrorist outfits, including the Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toyyaba, were against Sufi Islam and were being regarded as prime suspects.

Amitabh bachchan celebrates his 65th birthday

Amitabh Bachchan is a phenomenol actor of hindi films. He acted in so many entertaining films. He is still entertaining his fans at the age of 65. (Born 11 october 1942)

Doctor couple kills son for brainy blood

A doctor couple has been arrested here for causing the bizarre death of their son by attempting to transfuse into him the blood of his more intelligent brother on the advise of a godman, police said.

In the process, the younger and intelligent Piyush died while Abhishek is battling for life in a hospital.

All this happened because the mother wanted Abhishek to clear the medical entrance test and study to become a doctor.

The Rohtak police on Wednesday arrested the couple - Dr Ashok Malik and his wife Dr Promila. Both of them hold MBBS degrees.

"The couple has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They wanted their elder son to become a doctor and the mother cut arteries of her sons (to transfuse blood between the siblings)," district police chief Hanif Qureshi said.

Investigating officers said that Dr Malik told them that his wife recently had a dream in which their "guruji" told her that if she transfused Piyush's blood to Abhishek, he would clear the medical entrance test.

The couple brought instruments to their home and attempted the transfusion by making an incision near the neck of both boys. While doing so, the younger one died of excessive bleeding.

Seeing the whole thing going horribly wrong, the mother slit her wrists. She is now being treated at a hospital here.The couple initially tried to mislead the police by saying that unidentified masked men had attacked them and killed Piyush.

The police are also investigating whether the mother was under the spell of a tantrik. The police has seized the instruments used in carrying out the illegal operation on their sons.

Lord Rama finally breaks his silence

The Lord Rama surveyed the Ram Sethu and said "Hanuman, how diligently and strenuously you and your boys had built this bridge several centuries back. It is remarkable that it has withstood the ravages of the climactic and geographical changes over centuries. It is indeed an amazing feat especially considering the fact that a bridge at Hyderabad built by Gammon using latest technology collapsed the other day even before they could stick the posters on its pillars." Hanuman with all humility spoke "Jai Sri Ram, it is all because of your grace. We just scribbled your name on the bricks and threw them in the sea and they held. No steel from TISCO or cement from Ambuja or ACC was ever used. But Lord, why rake up the old issue now."

Ram spoke, "Well, Hanuman some people down there want to demolish the bridge and construct a canal. The contract involves a lot of money. They will make money on demolition and make more money on construction."

Hanuman humbly bowed down and said "Why not we go down and present our case?" Ram said "Times have changed since we were down there eons ago. History they say is only what is written in paper that can be carbon dated and counter-signed by a notary public from a western country of that time. Poetry is not good history anymore. They will ask us to submit age proof. We neither have a birth certificate nor school TC certificate. Since we travelled mainly on foot and some times I travelled on your shoulders and also in carts, we don't have a driving license either. As far as the address proof is concerned the fact that I was born at Ayodhya is itself under litigation for over half a century. If I go in a traditional attire with bow and arrow, the ordinary folks may recognise me but Arjun Singh may take me to be some tribal and, at the most, offer a seat at IIT under the reserved category. Also, a God cannot walk in dressed in a three-piece suit and announce his arrival. It would make even the devotees suspicious. So it is a dilemma, to say the least."

Hanuman said "I can vouch for you by saying that I was present personally when Neela built the bridge." "My dear, Anjanaputra, it will not work. First of all neither of you are qualified engineers with a degree certificate from a recognized university. Then they will ask you to produce the layout plan, the project details, the project budget and the completion certificate. Nothing is accepted without documentary evidence. Even a cough is not a cough unless a doctor certifies it. A pensioner may have to produce a life-certificate to prove that he is alive. It is that complicated."

"Lord, I can't understand these historians. Hasn't Valmikiji given an accurate description of the planetary positions when you, Lakshmanbhai, Bharathbhai and Shatrughnabhai were born? Every major event of your life has been described with reference to astronomical positions. What about the geography of India ? We never saw the desert in Rajasthan as the Saraswati and Drishadwati were in full flow. Yamuna was flowing west and Sutlej to the east. Can't these chaps work with softwares and satellite pictures and verify them? Over the years you have given darshan once in a while to saints like Surdas, Tulsidas, Thyagaraja, Sant Tukaram and others. But they still disbelieve your existence and say Ramayana is a myth"

Said the Lord, "What Surdas and others saw has been dismissed as hallucinations and those astronomical and geological data, are apparently later day insertions in Valmikiji's fiction by some mischievous Brahmins who somehow became smart enough to calculate the positions by sheer imagination.

Hanuman said, The only option, I see, is to re-enact Ramayana on earth and set the government records straight once for all." Lord smiled "It isn't that easy today, Hanuman. Ravan is apprehensive that he may look like a saint in front of Karunanidhi. I also spoke to his Mama Mareecha, who appeared as a golden deer to tempt Sita Maiyya but he said that he won't take a chance of stepping on earth as long as Salman Khan is around."

(The writer is working with Infotech Enterprises. )

Sonam Kapoor is no stranger to Hyderabad

Shooting for Saawariya has proved to be a comfortable and fun experience for debutant Sonam Kapoor as the director was her old boss, hero a childhood friend and the two super stars in the film turned out to be charming and supportive towards her.

Talking about her amazing experience on sets Sonam says, "The training that I got while assisting Sanjay Sir in Black behind the camera, helped me pick up the nuances of acting and the small technical details proved to be very useful when I was performing before the camera. Moreover my boss remained the same, so there was no major shift in work ethics or style that I was used to." Confessing that Bhansali is like a parent Sonam praises Rani Mukherji and Salman Khan too. "Rani was very supportive and she is my favourite actress besides Sridevi.

Salman is also a charming and sensitive man and it was wonderful to be in the same movie with them," she gushes. While Sonam shares a great rapport with Ranbir Kapoor, her co-actor in the film, she says that she did not hang out with star kids during her childhood. "I studied at Arya Vidya Mandir, a school with strict middle-class values. My mother encouraged me to lead a normal life and therefore I hardly hung out with star kids."

Sonam appears to get on well with most people, but fellow newcomer Deepika Padukone is said to bring out her competitive side. Is it true? Sonam rubbishes this rumoured rivalry. "I do not know her, so where is the question of being rivals? I think she is very beautiful and I liked her as a model," she says.

Deepika, she might not know well, but Hyderabad is familiar territory. Sonam who was in town to promote her film says she is no stranger to the city and has lost count of the number of times she has been here on previous occasions. "Right from my childhood I have been visiting the city. My father, Anil Kapoor has shot here for many of his films and had even done a Telugu movie. I have lots of close friends in town and keep on visiting the city," she says adding, "I really love shopping for Indian clothes and accessories especially in the Old City. The chudi bazaar is one of my favourite places. Also the zari work available here is fabulous. My mother shops for antique furniture in the city and I love them as well."

Google india extends search option to cellphones

If 1990s had been the era of search engines, 2000s is the era of refined searches. And Google, which has been a synonym for search engines, on Tuesday introduced Google SMS for mobile users in India. This beta offering brings the power of Google Search to the users' fingertips, making information available on the move, without the need of a computer or an Internet-enabled phone.

"A search for sushi in Hyderabad with the keywords - sushi Hyderabad - on the Internet browser will bring up 75,000 results. On the other hand, Google SMS will just give you the name of restaurants and their locations where sushi is served in Hyderabad. The results are refined and brings up the precise product a customer is looking for," said Mr Vinay Goel, head of products, Google India.

With Google SMS mobile messaging service, users can get business listings, movie show times and more simply by sending a text message to the shortcode 54664 [5GOOG] from their mobile phones. This service is currently available on the Airtel, Aircel, BPL, BSNL and Reliance networks, and has relevant local data for mobile users in Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Carriers' premium text messaging rates apply.

"Searching through Google SMS is simple. For example, a user seeking information on pizzerias in Andheri West can text message, and a list of pizza restaurants in that area will be delivered to his or her phone within seconds. Google SMS allows for searches by common locality names, and ranks results by proximity to the specified location. The service also saves time by saving a user's location, so they don't have to type their location every time they search," Mr Goel said.

Google has been giving immense importance to mobile space and especially after information trickled out about engineers working on Google phone; expectations in the tech world have been fuelled.

"India's mobile space is huge and Google had always looked at India as one of their high priority markets. Over 25 billion SMSes are sent in India every year and we would leverage on this," Mr Goel added.

The users would be charged between 80 paise and Rs 3 per SMS depending on the operator, he said, declining to give details of the revenue sharing arrangement between Google and telecom companies.

"After receiving the feedback from the four cities, we will launch the service across the country," Mr Goel said.a

AP government okeyed for 100-storey tower in hyderabad

The government has finally awarded the prestigious 100-storey trade tower at Manchirevula to Reliance Energy Limited.

The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation on Saturday issued a Letter of Approval (LoI) to REL of Anil Ambani for the project. It also asked the company to start work immediately.

Though REL had emerged the highest bidder for the project in July itself, the APIIC kept the project in abeyance on the directions of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.

"We awarded the project to Reliance by formally issuing the LoA," said APIIC managing director B.P. Acharya.

"The company has been asked to make the payments as per the schedule mentioned in the bid documents and start the work." Sources said the Chief Minister decided to clear the project after approval from the Congress high command.

Hyderabad is the 3rd largest spender on luxury goods

Affluence chic is what the city has fallen in love with as Hyderabadis have discovered the joys of shopping for and possessing luxury goods and toys. After Mumbai and Delhi, Hyderabad has emerged as the cash rich metro, which lives life on the bling side. Proof of this phenomena is the Panasonic 103 inches plasma screen which is all set to hit the market by the end of this month. It costs, hold your breath, Rs 33 lakhs. The TV which couch potatoes would love to possess comes with an exuberant price tag, but the very fact that it is exclusively being launched at TMC means there is a market.

The store's chairman says he has already been getting enquires for it. In the meanwhile sales for the normal LCDs and plasma screens continue to do extremely well. "On an average we sell around 200 to 250 plasma screens and LCDS in a month. LCDs are no longer luxury goods as you can buy a 26 inches model for Rs 29,990. Surprisingly a lot of the upper middle class are buying them," says Amarnath. Budgetless customers are splurging on Samsung's 52 inch LCD which costs nearly Rs 3 lakhs at the store. Around 15 such models are sold per month.

During traffic jams you will see roads cluttered with Mercedes Benzes and BMWs. At parties Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Chanel, and Dior shades and bags can be spotted on almost every Page 3 fixture in attendance who is busy bragging about her next foreign holiday and recent shopping spree.

While some may find blatant displays of wealth vulgar, the majority, which especially includes the luxury brands in the country, isn't complaining. Yashwant Jhabakh, MD, CEO of Adishwar Motors, the dealers for Mercedes Benz says, "Hyderabad has the third largest market share for Mercs after Delhi and Mumbai. Here we are doing 20 per cent more business than expected. In a year 160 cars are sold and the C and E class models are the most popular. A C class costs Rs 30 lakhs. Lots of people from real estate and software techies are buying," he says.

Satya Sai Baba's Vishwarupa Darshanam

Sai Baba’s moon miracle fails

Puttaparthi (Anantapur): Hysteric crowds and overhanging clouds persuaded Sri Satya Sai Baba to postpone his promised Vishwarupa darshanam on Thursday evening.

There was chaos at the Puttaparthi airport after Sai Baba devotees thronged the premises to witness the Vishwarupa darshanam of their master. They returned disappointed.

Sai Baba had earlier given darshan to his devotees at Sai Kulwant hall in Puttaparthi. After the bhajan, he told his assistant Anil Kumar that he would give Vishwarupa darshanam at around 7 pm on the northeastern direction of the airport.

As soon as Mr Anil Kumar announced this, devotees ran towards the airport chanting his name.

Television channels also telecast the news and people in Puttaparthi locked up their houses and ran towards the airport. Thousands also rushed to the area from surrounding villages.

All the devotees crowding the area focused their attention on the northeastern direction in the sky.

In a fit of devotion, some of them surrounded the car of Sai Baba and he could not come out. Devotees did not relent even after members of Satya Sai Trust urged them to sit down. Instead, they ran after the car.

A small stage was set up before the car for Viswarupa Darshanam but Sai Baba could not reach the stage as devotees prostrated before him. He was forced to remain in the car for about an hour.

A short while later, the office-bearers of the Satya Sai Trust announced that the Viswarupa Darsanam was postponed because of the non-cooperation of devotees and the cloudy weather. Sai Baba then returned to his Ashram.

Sai Baba devotees in other countries also called up their friends and relatives in Puttaparthi to find out about the incident.

Because of the rush, traffic on the road from Puttaparthy to the airport was thrown out of gear. At one stage, doors of the airport had to be closed. Police finally cleared the traffic to enable Sai Baba to return to his Ashram.

Most devotees expressed disappointment at not being able to see the Viswarupa Darsanam.

Aussies wave back, Team India ignored cricket fans

Hyderabad, 4 oct 2007: Cops played spoilsport by preventing cricket fans from having a glimpse of the Indian and Australian teams which arrived in the city for Friday's match.

Both teams reached Begumpet airport at about 2.30 pm in a special flight from Kochi.

To the utter disappointment and dismay of fans waiting since morning, police shepherded the players and drove them through an emergency exit to their hotel as soon as they stepped out of the flight.

The cops did not even allow the teams to reach arrival stand and drove them away in two buses.

Adding to the disappointment was the disdainful attitude of the Indian cricketers, who did not even care to look at the cheering crowd.

Though fans were loudly cheering former captains Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, captain M.S. Dhoni, vice-captain Yuvraj Singh and the new star Robin Uthappa, the cricketers just ignored them. Sachin Tendulkar also opted to be aloof.

It was the Aussies who proved more graceful. Bret Lee, Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke waved and smiled at the fans.

The same scenario prevailed at the hotel at Banjara Hills. Indian cricketers ignored the media while Aussies posed for lensmen and clicked pictures of the fans.

Not more than a hundred fans were waiting at the airport, but police adopted an overbearing and overcautious attitude.

Amrita rao makes Tollywood debut in Athithi

An excited Amrita Rao is keeping her fingers crossed for the release of her first Telugu film Atithi where she plays a college girl living life on her terms. The actress says when director Surender Reddy approached her for the film, she couldn't say no as she was getting the opportunity to be in a film where the heroine's role was as significant as the hero's part. This is not common, according to her, in the otherwise male dominated Telugu film industry. Another reason for saying yes could be that it was her leading man Mahesh Babu's sister Manjula who introduced the actress to people from the industry. But Amrita claims, "I saw Mahesh's films even before I ventured into Tollywood and I was impressed with his acting skills."

For someone who doesn't understand Telugu, it must have been a tough job to impress her co-star and director? "Though I could not understand Telugu and was a little apprehensive about this, my co-actors and director made sure that I understood every sentence I uttered before the camera. I used to sit down with the assistant directors and get my pronunciation right," she says.

Actresses who are a flop in Bollywood usually land up in the South Indian film industry and often get very popular here. What were Amrita's reasons for doing regional cinema when she still has offers from Bollywood in her kitty? "It's destiny because this film was offered to me when all my other projects had been postponed. I am getting many offers from Tollywood now and I'll be happy to work for another project," she says. Amrita was in town for nearly two months while shooting for Atithi and says she has taken a liking to the city and enjoys eating curd rice with a spicy tadka.

Does this mean she loves working here and has no complaints? "The only difference between Bollywood and Telugu films is that here, I had early morning calls for shooting everyday. By the end of the day I used to be really tired."

The actress doesn't find much difference between SRK who is the king of Bollywood and Mahesh Babu, as Mahesh too finishes his shot in a single take, just like SRK.

It's a good thing she likes the city as she is back shooting for Shyam Benegal's next movie.

Hyderabad to get first Aero tech college

Hyderabad will get India's first dedicated college for Aero industry following the signing of an MoU between the city-based Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology and Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, New York.

The MoU is for a four year bachelor of science degree programme in electronics engineering technology (avionics), airline and airport management.

"This is the first of its kind course in the technical education system of India which has the approval of the AICTE for collaboration with a foreign institution," said Dr John Fitzpatrick, president of Vaughn College.

He said aerospace technology was being integrated into traditional electronics in recent years. The ideal student for avionics training should possess highly analytical problem solving abilities and have an interest in electronics.

"Indian students will also have the option to complete their degree at Vaughn's main campus in New York after partly completing the course in India," said K.T. Mahi, secretary, Sreenidhi Institute.

New rules for Foreign nationals seeking a driving licence

Hyderabad: Foreign nationals seeking a driving licence in the State will now have to present documents to prove their nationality.

The Centre has asked transport departments in various States to include an additional application form of citizenship declaration to issue driving licences.

This is being done in the context of many terrorists using driving licences to get other documents and to open bank accounts.

The twin blasts terror suspect, Rizwan Ghazi of Bangladesh, had got a driving licence from the city though he was staying illegally in the country.

Accordingly, the State Transport Authority has about necessary changes in the rules. Earlier, a foreign national, be it a Bangladeshi, a Pakistani or a Nigerian, was able to get an Indian driving licence on the basis of a driving licence issued by his native country.

But now foreign nationals would have to produce their visas and legal authority document issued by the Special Branch (SB) of the police to get a licence. All foreign nationals in the State have to register themselves with the SB. Foreign students will also have to produce their admission letters, while those foreigners who are employed here would have to submit their employment letters.

"It has been observed that terror elements are using driving licences to get even ration cards," said joint transport commissioner C.L.N. Gandhi. "The new system will prevent this."

Even Indian citizens will have to prove their nationality with documents such as PAN card, voter's identity card, MRO certificate or educational certificates.

Chirutha Review

Jeevi rating: 3/5
Analysis: The first half of the film is alright. The second half slows down a bit. The plus points of the film are Ram Charan Teja, songs and fights. On the flip side a better heroine and a better second half would have done wonders to the film. This film proves that Ram Charan Teja possess all qualities to become the next mega star. Chiranjeevi’s pulling capacity and Puri Jagan winning box office streak makes this film a hot proposition. We have to wait and see for the box office verdict.

Story: Chirutha Charan (Ram Charan Teja) has a bad childhood as his father was murdered in front of his eyes. And he had to own somebody else’s mistake and go to jail to save his mother. When he returns back, he realizes that his mother is dead. Then he is employed as a tour guide in Bangkok. Sanjana (Neha Sharma) - the daughter of a rich man - is on vacation to Bangkok along with her friends. The rest of the story is how they fall in love and how Charan takes revenge on the people who are responsible for the murder of his father.

Artists Performance: Ram Charan Teja is simply superb. His debut is undoubtedly one of the best debuts in Telugu film industry. He looks so soft outside. But in the film, he appeared like a man who is cutout for the masses with a slight beard and manly demeanor. He is as good as Chiranjeevi is dances department. There is amazing fluidity and rhythm in his body. He is extremely good in doing fights. His casual action is also good. One would have suspected a little about his dialogue delivery before watching the film. And he is really good at delivering dialogues. There is a bit of bass in his voice which can be used for uttering powerful dialogues. And most importantly there is a bit of innocence and cuteness in his face which would make it an ideal choice for love stories as well. He has got everything right in his first film and with proper career planning only sky is the limit. To sum up in one line, Ram Charan Teja has all the qualities to become the future mega star!

Others: Neha Sharma did the role of a haughty girl. Since her character is an irritating one, it causes a bit of inconvenience to the viewers. The voice of dubbing artist was also rendered at high pitch which is not good. Asish Vidyardhi did a limited, but vital role in the film. Prakash Raj did the role of over-protective rich dad of the heroine. Ali’s comedy as eunuch and his slang is humorous if you ignore the vulgarity aspect in it. MS Narayana is alright.

Story - screenplay - direction: The story of the film is prepared in such a way that it exploits and exhibits various histrionic aspects from the debut hero. That is the reason why the film starts with a sentiment scene, followed by action episode and then continued with romantic escapades. Hence, the story of the film became a hotchpotch one. Puri Jagan’s mark is there is certain scenes of the film, but his typical characterization is missing. He succeeded in showing Ram Charan’s entry in an exciting style. The editing cuts and stylish taking in hero’s introduction scene are excellent. Puri Jagan succeeded in presenting the hero very well. But in the process, he did not do justice to the story and screenplay. The second half should have been better.