News

The Hindu : y>

Now you can watch movies screened at the Cannes Film Festival on UTV from May 13 to 24. The films will be telecast everyday at 2 p.m.

The film “Secret & Lies” will be telecast on May 15, “Rendezvous” on May 16 and “Money” on May 17, where a counterfeit 500-franc note is passed from person to person and shop to shop, until it falls into the hands of an innocent fellow who doesn’t know what it is. Now he has to face devastating consequences on his life which might turn him to crime and murder.

“Taxi Blues” will be telecast on May 18 and “Ploy” on May 19, “400 Blows” on May 20, “A Special Day” on May 21, “Three Colours Red” on May 22, “Taste of Cherry” on May 23 and “Identification of a woman” on May 24.

<FONT …More

The Hindu : y>Has South Africa stolen the thunder from India, playing host to its passion and pride — the IPL?NIKHIL VARMA bats it out

photo: afpin the arena The gladiators of the new millennium

The Indian Premier League was a master stroke launched by the BCCI last year and succeeded in drawing huge crowds to stadiums, as the country witnessed a curious marriage of its two greatest passions — entertainment and cricket. With a plethoraof cricketing stars from across the planet, Bollywood stars turned team owners and a galaxy of cheerleaders and celebrity guests thronged the venues.

The matches were edge-of-the-seat, and the crowds loved the entertainment and cricket combination, generating massive TRPs for television channels. Cricket analysts and writers were quick to call it a ‘revolution’ that would change the way cricket was played. Many believed that the IPL was just the thing that cricket needed to spread its wings across the world.Making the move

Season two of the IPL has had its share of controversies, starting with a major tussle between IPL organisers and the Union Government on the issue of providing security cover.The tournament was forced to shift base to South Africa, and cricket enthusiasts had to watch the televised version.

Has shifting the tournament to South Africa reduced viewer interest in India? Has it impacted the sale of merchandise, so important for the profitability of the franchises? “The move to South Africa was a difficult one, but I do not feel that it has impacted viewer interest in the tournament as such. People are enjoying the matches on TV thoroughly,” says B.K. Ravi, secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Ravi feels, “As far as the KSCA is concerned, we have not lost much in monetary terms because of IPL moving from India.”

Ravi feels that the IPL is going through a transitional phase. “You cannot compare last year’s and this…More

The Hindu :

Did you know keratoconjunctivitis, a new type of conjunctivitis, can cause blindness if left untreated? Read on to know the answer

PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKARSUNGLASSES HELP They prevent harsh light from irritating your sore eyes further

Redness in the eye, itching, a gritty feeling. All this, combined with continuous watering of the eye, or worse, a continuous discharge that glues the eyelids together overnight. Conjunctivitis, the inflammation of the conjunctiva (the transparent outermost layer of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids) or Madras Eye as we call it, has tormented most of us at some point of time.

But you can’t dismiss it as just ‘Madras Eye’ any longer and merely treat it with over-the-counter eye drops, repeated washing and dark glasses. Keratoconjunctivitis, a type of conjunctivitis caused by protozoan parasites, can cause blindness in some patients, if left untreated.Rare, blinding conjunctivitis

“We see sporadic cases of keratoconjunctivitis now, about one in a month,” says cornea and refractive surgery consultant Dr. Anand Parthasarathy of Vasan Eye Care Hospital, which was the first hospital in Chennai to report this rare form of conjunctivitis in September last.

How do you recognise this protozoan keratoconjunctivitis? “If the conjunctivitis does not seem to heal even after five to seven days of the usual treatment, you need to investigate for keratoconjunctivitis,” says Dr. S. Prashanth, consultant eye surgeon. “Photophobia or sensitivity and aversion to light will be more in the case of keratoconjunctivitis,” adds Dr. Prashanth. In normal conjunctivitis, unless the cornea (the central black portion of the eye) is infected, there will be no photophobia. Loose bowel movement may be noted in keratoconjunctivitis. “Often, people are given broad spectrum antibiotics for keratoconjunctivitis. In mild forms or early days, this may work. But in some cases, it does not and requires a different spectrum of anti-protozoa drugs,” says Dr. Parthasarathy.

“Immuno-compromised individuals (people affected by HIV virus,…More

The Hindu : y>

In the flesh Tune into Radio Indigo and you could catch the Boss in concert

Radio Indigo, the international radio station, has joined hands with Hard Rock Café to send two lucky Bangaloreans to London to attend the legendary Hyde Park Rock Concert through an ongoing contest.

The concert, scheduled from June 27 to 29, will see artists like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Dave Matthews Band, Gaslight Anthem, Neil Young, Ben Harper and Relentless 7 and more perform.

The winners will get an all-expense paid trip which includes five-star hotel accommodation, limousine service, airfare, food and money to shop in London.

To win the contest one has to tune into Radio Indigo between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. everyday. Radio Indigo’s Rohit Barker will quiz listeners on music, during which nine people will be selected. The nine contestants will be invited to Hard Rock Café on May 26 for an on-ground lucky draw.

One can also get automatically eligible for the contest by spending Rs. 1,000 in Hard Rock Café. Hard Rock Café will again choose nine contestants for the finale on May 26, where a total of 18 contestants and two wild card contestants will be invited for a lucky draw. From this lot two will be picked to fly to London for the concert.

<FONT …More

The Hindu :

While girls from Karnataka ruled the roost in the Sixties, the same cannot be said today. There are, however, some promising talents

Glory days We need players like the Britto sisters and Shirley Fitzgerald to make it to the top

There was once a bunch of spirited girls who were passionate about hockey. In an era when hockey was a revered sport, they were the crowd pullers. They were part of the Karnataka women’s hockey team of the 1960’s and dominated the game for eight consecutive years.

During the 60’s, Karnataka produced ace women hockey players like Elvera and Rita Britto, Marie Narayan, Nirmala Mandana and Shirley Fitzgerald.

Women’s hockey in Bangalore was initiated by an enthusiastic Anglo Indian group during the 1950’s, spearheaded by the physical instructors like Majorie Suares of the Bishop Cotton Girl’s High School and Barbara Webster of the Sacred Heart Girl’s High School.

The duo was considered as the founders of women’s hockey in the State and in the mid fifties, the game spread across Bishop Cottons, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Xavier’s, Baldwin’s Girl’s, Clarence and Frank Anthony Public Schools.Fab four

In 1960, the State team won the National Championship and claimed the Lady Ratan Tata Trophy. They held on to the title for eight years in a row.

The team then included four sisters, famously known as the Britto sisters – Priscilla, Elvera, Rita and Mae. In 1961, five players from Karnataka were selected to play for India in a series of matches against Sri Lanka.

India won comfortably and a large chunk of its 59 goals were scored by the Karnataka women.High praise

And in 1964, seven State players – Nirmala Mandana, Shirley Fitzgerald, Elvera and Rita Britto, Marie Narayan and Durdana Nair – were part of the Indian team that played against Japan. India won and the Karnataka players were praised by Indian hockey’s greatest legend – Dhyan Chand.

“What…More