Sania-Bhupathi in Australian Open mixed doubles final

Melbourne: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi overcame a sluggish start to sail into the Australian Open mixed doubles finals for second consecutive year as they beat Czechs Iveta Benesova and Lukas Dlouhy in straight sets here today.

The Indians, who were runner-up at the Melbourne Park last year, trailed 1-3 in the opening set before storming back to seal the issue in 54 minutes.

In the summit clash, they will take on the unseeded French-Israeli combine of Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram, who stunned seventh-seeded Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Tommy Robredo 7-6 (9/7) 6-4.

It was hardly the kind of start Sania and Bhupathi, who have dropped just one set en route to the semis, would have wanted as Benesova and Dlouhy broke them in the opening game to race to a 1-3 lead.

However, the Indians got their act together soon after and broke back twice to take the first set in 32 minutes.

Sania and Bhupathi continued their dominance in the second set and broke their rivals thrice.

Such was their hold over the proceedings that the Indians did not face a single break point in the second set, which they wrapped up in a mere 22 minutes.

The win makes it a double delight for Bhupathi, who along with Bahamas’ Mark Knowles, has also made the men’s doubles finals to be played tomorrow.

Bhupathi has six mixed doubles Grand Slam titles under his belt with different partners.

His last mixed doubles Grand Slam was incidentally the Australian Open in 2006 when he had partnered Swiss Martina Hingis. Sania, however, would be aiming for her maiden Slam title.

 

If Obama was Indian

Barack Obama’s inauguration as President of the US marks one of the most remarkable political developments of the modern world. In some ways, it is the realization of an ideal that was described by Abraham Lincoln, the president whose oratory most inspires Obama: “…a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”. Time and again in his inaugural address, Obama harked back to his country’s history and ideals in framing a vision of response to the challenges not only the US, but the whole world, faces.

At India’s independence, Jawaharlal Nehru described the ideals of his new nation, and its grave challenges. India has come a long way, but still remains distant from the goals of bringing “freedom and opportunity to the common man” in “a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation”.

What if Obama had given his inaugural address as an Indian? What might he have said?

Like Nehru, Obama might note India’s glorious past, but also that some of the clinging past has held India back. Nehru said, “All of us, to whatever religion we may belong, are equally the children of India, with equal rights, privileges and obligations. We cannot encourage communalism or narrow-mindedness, for no nation can be great whose people are narrow in thought or in action.” Obama would be just the person to remind us how far we have fallen short of this ideal in practice.

If an Indian Obama were giving an inaugural address, he would certainly also refer to Nehru’s call to service. “It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and its people and to the still larger cause of humanity.” But he would note how far we are from that pledge of dedication, so that civic engagement has not fully taken root in India, politics is too often about power and private gain, and is subject to “petty grievances and false promises…recriminations and worn- out dogmas”. An Indian Obama might inspire India’s youth to involve themselves in changing this situation, to believing that not only can they compete with the world’s best in private endeavour, but also be citizens of the world, serving the “larger cause of humanity”.

An Indian Obama, unlike his American counterpart, might not need to remind his audience that the market can spin out of control—that particular fear seems to be ingrained in the Indian psyche. Instead, he might remind us even more forcefully that the market’s “power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched”, for that is a lesson that India still has to absorb more fully. He might observe that India’s attempts to do more than just keep a watchful eye on the market have reduced prosperity, and ultimately failed to bring equality of opportunity, or lay a complete foundation for growth.

An Indian Obama could make the case for “the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together”, but he would also have to point out that to do this, India’s government needs to shift from running factories and hotels and shops that can be managed more efficiently by the private sector, as long as a level playing field is created. An Indian Obama would note that Indians have gone to all corners of the earth, and thrived through risk-taking and hard work, built and fought for their adopted countries, but always sent back wealth and knowledge to their “much-loved motherland”.

Most of all, an Indian Obama would emphasize the need for transforming “our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age”. He would point out forcefully how limited the reach of India’s educational system is, how those limits hold back so many, and how “those…who manage” as well as those who receive “the public’s dollars will be held to account”.

An Indian Obama would appeal to the people and governments of the nations that border India, seeking “a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect”. He would offer ways to share and spread India’s fledgling prosperity with those neighbours: clean and adequate water, food for the hungry and education for the young of all those countries.

An Indian Obama would remind the nation’s citizens of the values of hard work and honesty, tolerance and fair play, and the price of citizenship: duties that are not grudgingly accepted but seized gladly, reminding us that “there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task”.

Nehru told the people of India: “There is no resting for any one of us till we redeem our pledge in full, till we make all the people of India what destiny intended them to be.” An Indian Obama would remind its people of this pledge.

 

Amitabh Bachchans’ ‘Unforgettable Tour’ ready to wow India

After wowing north American and European audiences, the Bachchan family will go on stage in India with their ‘Unforgettable’ tour.

Confirms Amitabh Bachchan, “We’re working on it. The details are yet to be worked out. Wizcraft is handling the project.”

The show’s first lap will cover the four metros Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata, followed by other large cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, sources said.

Sabbas Joseph, director Wizcraft, said: “We’re in the process of working out the nitty-gritty of the Indian shows. One thing is for sure. We won’t restrict the Unforgettable concerts to the four metros. They’ll go to the smaller towns, depending on the feasibility, security bandobast etc. But after the response we saw to the Bachchans abroad we wouldn’t like to keep our own country-men deprived of the experience.”

Every effort is being made to ensure the concerts go to as many cities in India as possible.

“But in a phased manner,” warns Sabbas. “We would have a few Indian concerts at a time to avoid excessive pressure on the time of the Bachchans and the star-performers.”

The good news is that the concerts will feature exactly the same star lineup in India as abroad, meaning the Big B, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Preity Zinta-Riteish Deshmukh.

Reasons Sabbas, “Why should it be any other way? We at Wizcraft don’t believe in two levels of quality, national and international. More details on the national Unforgettables will emerge. At the moment we’re putting together the fourth season of the dance reality-show ‘Nach Baliye’.”

Sabbas Joseph promises big changes and big plans. “Naturally with so many ‘Nach Baliye’ spinoffs on television we’ve to make sure that the fourth season is bigger, more lavish and eye-catching and with a far more enticing lineup of dancing couples than before. The contestants are unusually-paired and the judges Karisma Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Farah Khan have been chosen not only for their glamour quotient but also for their compatibility.

“We wanted to make the fourth season of ‘Nach Baliye’ different. I think viewers are tired of seeing the same contestants and judges in different permutations on all the dance-based reality shows.”

 

Obama may seek stimulus plan exceeding $850 billion

Barack Obama may ask Congress next year to approve a stimulus plan of around $850 billion, an amount that has grown as the US economy sinks deeper into recession, an adviser to the president-elect said. Obama’s transition team believes the amount, about 6% of the US’ $14 trillion economy, is needed to reverse rising unemployment, said the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The sum would exceed initial estimates by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, as well as surpassing what some economists and the International Monetary Fund say is required.

The latest proposal is circulating in Congress as Obama’s advisers work with lawmakers to craft a package aimed at improving roads, bridges and other parts of the US’ crumbling infrastructure. The plan probably will also include state aid for unemployment and health-care programs and incentives such as tax credits to promote renewable energy production, lawmakers have said.

The president-elect wants to create as many as 2.5 million jobs over the next two years. As unemployment has increased, estimates of what is needed to pull the nation out of the slump have continued to grow, with some economists calling for a $1 trillion spending program. They include Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard University professor who was an adviser to Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winner who served in President Bill Clinton’s White House. UBS AG economists calculate a global stimulus of 1.5 % of gross domestic product has so far been lined up for next year. The IMF has called for packages of at least 2% of GDP to stem the economic crisis that’s sweeping the globe.

European Union leaders are drawing up stimulus packages that together will be worth around 1.5% of the 27-nation economy, or around 200 billion euros ($289 billion). China plans a 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) stimulus.

 

Mumbai chill catches sports, India calls off Pakistan cricket tour

The chill in their ties deepened Thursday with India calling off the Indian cricket team’s tour to Pakistan – the first major step signalling New Delhi’s growing impatience with Islamabad’s inaction against terror outfits suspected of masterminding the Mumbai carnage.

According to government sources, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs M.S. Gill spoke to the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar to convey the government decision.

The Indian team was scheduled to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 beginning next month.

It’s a clear message to Pakistan that normal ties, that include sporting links, will not be possible unless Pakistan stops denying the existence of terror outfits in that country and takes action against them, reliable sources told IANS.

The cancellation of the cricket tour – a big draw between the two cricket-crazy countries – is also the first step impinging people-to-people ties which has remained a bulwark of India-Pakistan relations despite diplomatic ups and downs.

However, the government has not officially linked the cancellation of the tour to the Mumbai terror attacks.

Instead, the BCCI officials cited security conditions in Pakistan as a reason for calling off the tour.

‘The government informed us it will not be possible to go in the prevailing circumstances,’ BCCI spokesman Rajeev Shukla told reporters here while announcing that the tour is off.

‘It is for the government to make an assessment of the security situation,’ he said.

The security of the cricket team was a real concern in view of the spate of terrorist incidents in Pakistan much before the 26/11 three-day terror siege of Mumbai.

However, chances brightened when Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi assured his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee Nov 26 that Pakistan will do all it can to ensure the security of the Indian cricket team.

In fact, minutes before terrorists struck in Mumbai Nov 26 night, Mukherjee had indicated that India may send the cricket team after a security review.

The Mumbai attacks, however, changed the tone and tenor of India-Pakistan relations.

With Pakistan resorting to denial and diversionary tactics, as New Delhi sees it, and refusing to hand over 40 fugitives wanted in India for various terrorist attacks and crimes, India decided to suspend the composite dialogue process.

Trade talks between the two countries were called off early this month and a decision was taken to put the dialogue process on hold till Pakistan takes ‘visible and verifiable’ action against terror outfits.

Sources said that the cancellation of the cricket tour was a pointed message to Pakistan that normalisation of ties between the two countries will not be possible unless Pakistan addresses India’s concerns over cross-border terror.

The Mumbai attacks left killed more than 170 people, including 26 foreigners, and nearly 300 injured.

 

Aamir, Shahrukh Ready To fight in public

We don’t really know whether it is a publicity gimmick or real because a big fight has broke out between Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan on the eve of Ghajini release. But one thing is for sure they are not best of friends.

Shahrukh is basking in the success of his latest release Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. He lavished praises on Aamir, saying that he is a senior actor and a great friend. He added that everybody including him learns from him.

However, he exposed his true colour when the topic shifted to the unique promotion of Ghajini. He said that it is a great strategy to use the biggest brand in the country Shahrukh Khan. He added that Aamir rocks but claimed that he has a problem as he can’t use a bigger brand, he being the biggest.

In the meantime, Aamir is busy promoting for Ghajini. He even walked the ramp for Van Heusen’s Ghajini Collection. He recently said that Shahrukh is scared of acting with him. This time around, he said that he was not surprised by Shahrukh’s comments because he has been talking about himself for the last 20 years.

Well, the fight between the two big Khans is getting nastier.

 

Microsoft online leader holds music search patent

When Microsoft hired Qi Lu to run its online business last week, the company trumpted the fact that Lu holds 20 patents.

Patents are far from rare at Microsoft–many developers and researchers hold them–but the online business has typically been led by people with a business or marketing background. That hasn’t been working out too well, so they’re putting a geek in charge.

Qi Lu

(Credit: Yahoo)

 

The Seattle Post Intelligencer‘s Microsoft reporter, Joe Tartakoff, did a little digging on Tuesday to uncover exactly what kinds of patents Lu holds. Most interesting to me, one of them relates to music.

Specifically, it describes a PC application that could take a snippet of a song or audio file, break it down into component parts, analyze them, and then recommend similar songs.

It sounds superficially similar to what Shazam does, but the method is very different and more complicated. From what I can tell, Shazam simply takes a sound sample and matches it against a database with millions of audio files. Getting a fast result requires some fast data crunching, but there’s not much deep analysis going on there.

Lu’s patent (shared with two other engineers) proposed breaking the song all the way down to very small components like measures and individual notes, analyzing those components to find patterns–for example, a repeated sequence of notes might be the refrain or chorus–and then analyzing the relationships among those parts.

For instance, a pop song is typically constructed of several repeated verses and choruses, with a bridge somewhere in the middle. This is how the application would be able to identify and recommend songs that are similar to the song being played.

Instead of Shazam, the end result might have been more like Apple’s recently introduced Genius feature, which builds playlists of songs based on the song you’re currently playing.

I suspect that Apple’s relying on data from all its iTunes users (Genius asks to collect data about your playing habits) and song meta data–for example, it often recommends songs by the same artist, or other artists in the same genre, or other songs released in the same era. That’s much easier–both to program and for your CPU–than trying to analyze audio data for patterns.

Lu received this patent in 2000, which means that he was probably working on it several years before that. Check it out.

 

Telugu actor Bhargavi dead, stabbed to death by lover

25-year-old Telugu actress Bhargavi was found dead at her Hyderabad residence on Tuesday evening. Her latest film to hit the silver screen Ashta Chemma was a hit.

 

Police found two bodies at her residence. They have alleged that she was stabbed by a close associate Praveen Kumar who committed suicide immediately after killing her.

 

According to the suicide note Praveen and Bhargavi were not being allowed by the actress’ mother to meet each other.

 

The suicide note purportedly written by Kumar stated that disturbances in personal life drove them to suicide. But the police believe he first stabbed her to death and then committed suicide by consuming cyanide.

 

Among the objects found in the room were a blood-stained dagger, traces of cyanide powder packed in paper and the suicide note.

 

An upcoming actress, Bhargavi lived at Banjara Hills in a rented apartment. Her mother had reportedly accompanied her when she did the preliminaries for the accommodation. But it was Kumar who was a frequent visitor.

 

The actress returned from a trip to Gorantla, her native village in Guntur district on Monday. She was to attend shooting of a new film on Tuesday morning.

 

With almost 10 films in hand, Bhargavi had a promising career ahead of her. She had 10 Telugu films on hand and the movie Holidays is almost 50 per cent complete. Bhargavi was also a well known TV anchor.

 

 

 

 

Katrina is the hottest babe on Google

Looks like Katrina Kaif has finally won the ‘Race’! As per a new Google report, Indians couldn’t have enough of the leggy beauty on big screen so they spent most of the 2008 searching for this Bollywood siren on the Web.

Recently declared as Asia’s sexiest woman, Katrina Kaif has yet again pipped former beauty queen and Bollywood heart-throb Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the most searched for person on the Web, according to Google’s India Zeitgeist list for 2008.

Interestingly, Katrina has also outdone her boyfriend and godfather Salman Khan when it comes to being googled on the Net! As for Salman, he may not have been able to set his account straight with Shah Rukh Khan in real life but on the world wide web he has elbowed King Khan, and remains the most searched for actor in India. Shahid Kapoor makes his debut on the list while Genelia D’Souza of Jaane Tu Jaane Na has been declared as one the fastest rising searched for terms on the Net besides Beijing Olympics and IPL!

Bollywood remains one of the most popular Internet search terms ahead of Tamil Cinema when it comes to netizens’ interest on movies. As with most of the awards ceremonies, one name that is conspicously missing is none other than Aamir Khan’s. After all, Aamir was never in the rat race, more so if it was run on people’s keyboards!

 

DownLoad Shashirekhaa Parinayam Songs

 

DownLoad Shashirakha Parinayam Telugu Movie songs for free. First Time Lover Boy Tarun and Sexy Girl Geniliya pair in Direction of Krishna Vamshi.In this Movie Geneliya is So Sexy and Cute.Its Lovely Romantic and Family Entertainment Movie. Its audio is released  now at available on the Internet.

DownLoad Audio Songs Shashireka Parinayam