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	Feb 28, 2000

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Ask Ruby
Ruby Bhatia might just find a new calling. On a recent visit to Ahmedabad where she emceed a Kumar Sanu Nite, the once high-profile veejay, now anchor of Star Plus' Kinetic Mega Show, doled out quotes to local dailies on God, faith and her Ruby

personal struggles. Sample: How did she handle the trauma of the split with her husband? "I did not go on a pilgrimage but I said that extra prayer to God and he saved me." And then, "God has broken my ego several times. And thanks, it has made me wiser. " Keep the faith.

The Making of the Mahatmas
Dreams rarely come true twice over. But it's happening for Naseeruddin Shah who's playing Mahatma Gandhi in Kamal Haasan's Hey Ram. It's a prized role. Says Annu Kapoor, the Mahatma in Ketan Mehta's film Sardar: "I might be critical of certain policies of Gandhi but I adore him as a person. I truly enjoyed the role." Rajit Kapoor (Gandhi in Shyam Benegal's The Making of the Mahatma) found it "challenging but it gave me a sense of responsibility". And when Shah was cast in Feroze Khan's play Mahatma vs Gandhi, he gushed: "The part of Gandhi has fascinated me and eluded me for years." Now, of course, he's twice blessed.

Me & My Girls
She was the surprise of the evening. Pandit Ravi Shankar's daugher Nora Dean (he calls her Geetali) made her first public appearance with her dad last week when France's highest civilian honour was conferred on him in Delhi. His daughter by a former American girlfriend, Nora met her dad after a long separation a couple of years ago, and stepsister Anoushka just last year. "I love India," cooed the 20-year-old jazz pro who lives in the US. "I'll come back now for longer stretches of time." Daddy would like that.

Check it out
It's perhaps the closest he'll get to playing Garry Kasparov in a while. Last week, Calcutta's Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua matched wits against the World No. 1 in an online chess tournament hosted by Kasparov and featuring 15 GMs worldwide. The champ is usually very choosy about tournaments, but "it was his own website and he's trying to popularise online chess, that's why he participated", explains Barua, who eventually lost. He got to play. That's good enough.

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