Priyanka Chopra at National Tourism Awards 2011

India Australia World cup 2011

Kim Kardashian is proud featuring in Cosmopolitan cover

Kim Kardashian, the gorgeous reality show and Hollywood actress was proud on featuring on Armenian Cosmopolitan cover!. This is the first time Kim Kardashian was featured in Cosmopolitan cover of Armenian edition.

Holi celebration of bollywood celebrities

Take a look at the celebs who look all charged up for Holi celebration!
Yana Gupta celebrates Holi at an event organised by Uninor for NGO kids at Xaviers Institute in Mahim in Mumbai.(Pic: Viral Bhayani)

Yana seen just before the Holi celebration at an event in Mumbai recently.(Pic: Viral Bhayani)

Actor Rani Mukherji holds a plate with colour powder ahead of Holi festival and her birthday, during a press meet in Mumbai on March 17, 2011. (PTI)

Shweta Tiwari performs during the `Holi` celebrations of Sony TV family at Malad in Mumbai. (Pic: Viral Bhayani)

Yana Gupta celebrates Holi during an event in Mumbai. (Pic: Viral Bhayani)

Rakhi Sawant celebrates Holi on the sets of TV show `Comedy Circus`.

Rakhi celebrates Holi with Kapil on the sets of TV show `Comedy Circus`.

From left, Dolly Bindra, Mika and Raja Chaudhry celebrate Holi during an event.(Pic: Viral Bhayani)

Holi celebration on the sets of `Comedy Circus`. (Pic: Viral Bhayani)

Rakhi Sawant celebrates Holi on the sets of TV show `Comedy Circus`.

Holi celebration on the sets of `Comedy Circus`. (Pic: Viral Bhayani)

Mr. and Mrs. Carrot

Why Sachin is God of Cricket

Remember when you failed an examination. How many people recall that, your class, friends, relatives? You failed to make it to the IITs or IIMs. Who remembers? How many times have you had the feeling of being the best in your class, school , university, state….., you failed to get a visa stamped this quarter…, you missed a promotion this year…, how did it feel when you dad told you in your early twenties that you are good for nothing…..and now your boss tell you the same...

You keep introspecting and go into a shell when people most of whom don't matter a dime in your life criticize you, back bite you, make fun of you. You are left sad and shattered and you cry when your own kin scoffs at you. You say I am feeling low today. It takes a lot from us to come out of these everyday situations and move on. A lot ? Really?

Now here's a man standing on the third man boundary in the last over of a world cup match. The bowler just has to bowl sensibly to win this game. What the man at the boundary sees is 4 rank bad bowls bowled without any sense of focus, planning or regret. India loses, yet again in those circumstances when he has done just about everything right.

He does not cry, doesn't show any emotion. Just keeps his head down and leaves the field. He has seen these failures for 22 years now. And not just his class, relatives, friends but the whole world has seen these failures. We are too immature to even imagine what goes on in that mind and heart of his. That's why I would never want to be Sachin.

True, he has single handedly lifted to moods of this entire nation umpteen number of times. He has been an inspiration to rise above our mediocrity. Nobody who has ever lifted the willow even comes close to this man's genius. His dedication and metal strength is unparallel. This is specially for those people who would have made fun of him again last night when India lost. They are people who are mediocre in their own lives. Who just scoff at others to create cheap fun. Who have lived in a small hole throughout their lives and thought they have seen the oceans.

Think about the man himself. He is 37 years of age. He has been playing almost nonstop for 22 years. The way he was running and diving around the field last night would have put 22 year olds to shame. The way he played the best opening quickies in the world was breathtaking. He just keeps getting better which is by the way humanly impossible. It's not for nothing that people call him GOD.

But still I don't want to be in those shoes. We struggle in keeping our monotonous lives straight, lives which affect a limited number of people. Imagine what would be the magnitude of the inner struggle for him, pain both mental and physical, tears that have frozen with time, knees and ankles and every other joint in the body that is either bandaged or needs to be attended to every night, eyes that don't sleep before a big game, bats that have scored 99 international tons and still see expectations from a billion people.

And he just converts those expectations into reality. We watch in awe, feel privileged.

Well I think it's time that his team realizes that enough is enough. They have an obligation, not towards their country alone but towards him. They need to win this one for him. Stay assured that he himself will still deliver and leave no stone unturned to make sure India wins this cup.

This is not just a game, and he is not just a sportsman. It's much more than this. Words fail here.....

--- HARSHA BHOGLE

Columbian beauty Sofia Vergara photo gallery

Columbian actress Sofia Vergara has one of the most attractive figures in Hollywood and she work hard for it. The `Modern Family` actress has revealed that she was once teased for her stick-thin figure and her brothers even nick-named her `toothpick` when she was growing up in Colombia. But she quickly lost her nickname when she became a teenager.

No Entry for Shilpa Shetty to World Kannada Meet

The sex siren was scrapped from celebrity invitee list after writers criticised her for exposing her navel while starring in two Kannada films

Following close on the heels of the recent displeasure expressed by writers over Infosys chief N R Narayana Murthy inaugurating the Viswa Kannada Sammelana (World Kannada Meet), another noted personality faces their ire for a very different reason. Writers preferred Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as special invitee and perfect representative of Kannada pride outside the state, as opposed to Shilpa Shetty, because they think that the latter is known for her skimpy dressing sense.

The list

Shilpa has acted in Kannada films including Preethsod Thappa and Auto Shankar. But, the writers were not happy with her because of her steamy scenes and she exposing her navel while draped in a sari. They added that while she was a celebrity outside the state, she could not be seen as the pride of the state.

Deepika Padukone was also short listed along with Aishwarya and Shilpa as these glam dolls of Hindi filmdom are from the Tulu speaking part of Karnataka. But, since she was currently out of India and since the orthodox writers did not favour Shilpa, former Miss World Aishwarya rai was a clear winner.

Organisers speak

However, organisers sought to decline that skimpy dress sense was the criteria saying that Aishwarya rai was always the proffered choice. A source from the organising committee requesting anonymity said "We prefer Shilpa to other Bollywood stars since she has acted in Kannada movies and connects well with the Kannada audience. But some writers are not comfortable with the idea and plans have been changed just to avoid controversy."

"Shipla Shetty was in the list, but we could not include everyone because of the space and time limit. Also, security was another major concern and we decided that Aishwarya would be the only invitee among all the film stars," said Prabhakara Kore, working president of the meet. "I hope she will speak Kannada when she greets the audience," Kore added.

Ash no different

Tara, Kannada film actress and a member of the BJP, was irked. She said, "It is ridiculous to reject anyone for their onscreen dressing. We have to be mature enough to see an actor beyond their onscreen roles. If we say Shilpa was seen in revealing clothes, then Aishwarya is no exception as she has been seen in steamy scenes as well."

"Shilpa or Deepika are a better choice since both have acted in Kannada movies unlike Aishwarya, who has none to her credit," she said. She also added that while people have heard Shilpa and Deepika speaking Kannada, no one she knew could vouch for Aishwarya.

I M Vittalmurthy, special officer of the meet, said, "Not that we have ignored other achievers by inviting Aishwarya alone. We have selected her as a representative of all of them."

Source: mid day

Anushka Shetty from Khaleja movie stills