Small frames big issues

During the recently held Mumbai International Film Festival of India, the focus was on documentaries, writes Ervell E. Menezes
THE documentary film is a great way to bring to light some amazing happenings. It digs deep to unravel little-known facts that do not find their way into newspapers or TV for a variety of reasons. Whether it is a tough woman fighting the plight of her ilk in Uttar Pradesh or the student who went to Bhopal to see the gas disaster and stayed on to work wonders a filmmaker who shows us that Anand in Gujarat is not only known for the milk miracle but is also the commercial hub of surrogacy in the world.
Emre Koca’s Seppi & Hias is the story of two young friends, a German and a Turk, who share a passion about soccer 

Adieu Whitney
The death of one of the most celebrated singers of the modern era has left fans devastated, writes M. Khosla 
THE 1980s was the most momentous for pop songstresses. First came Material Girl Madonna whose physical attraction had fans panting. Then, Janet Jackson took Control followed by Paula Abdul, who Knocked Out music lovers with her footstomping numbers. And then, almost unobtrusively, entered Whitney Houston the young black girl, who was to change the course of music forever in the years to follow. Whitney’s death on February 11, has left fans devastated and silenced the voice of one of the most defining singers of the modern era, who sold more than 170 million albums, bagged six Grammys, 30 Billboard and 22 American Music awards.

Taking the cue for success
Ranveer, at the age of six, became the youngest ever pool player in India to participate in the National Pool Championship held at Ludhiana, reports
Ruma Kat
HOW much can you expect from the tiny hands of a four-and-a-half foot tall boy to hold, control, and play with a cue stick longer than his height? But probably, Ranveer Duggal, at the age of six, adapted himself to tame the much longer cue stick perfectly on the snooker table where he had to lie all over to play every shot. At the age of six, Ranveer became the youngest ever pool player in India to participate in the National Pool Championship held at Sutlej Club, Ludhiana, last year. With this, he also got an opportunity to play with world champion Pankaj Advani. 

Litmus test for Indian Hockey
The Olympic qualifiers, to be held at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi, from February 18 to 26, when the men and women teams strive to qualify for the 2012 Games will be keenly watched, reports M.S. Unnikrishnan
IT will be a trial by fire for Indian hockey in London Olympics. Indian hockey hit the nadir when the men’s team, eight-time Olympic champions, failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games for the first time in the 80-year history of the game. Since then, hockey has been beset with factionalism and one-upmanship, with Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), claiming to be the sole custodians of the game.