tansali paparazzi

Rabindranath Tagore

Mystic, painter and Nobel laureate for literature, Rabindranath Tagore was a prolific writer (3,000 poems, 2,000 songs, 8 novels, 40 volumes of essays and short stories,Replica handbags 50 plays), who drew inspiration both from his native Bengal and from English literary tradition. wedding dress His major theme was humanity's search for God and truth. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his collection of well-known poems Gitanjali (Song Offerings). wedding dress Born in Calcutta on May 7, 1861, Rabindranath was the youngest of fourteen children.buy wow gold His father, Debendranath Tagore, was a Sanskrit scholar and a leading member of the Brahmo Samaj. Rabindranath's early education was imparted at home. In school, while others use tobuy wow gold learn their lessons, he would slip into more exciting world of dreams. Inspired by his older nephew, he wrote his first poem when he was hardly seven. At the age of seventeen, his first book of poems was published. From 1878 to 1880 Tagore studied law in England, and in 1890, having returned to India,Jordan shoes he took charge of his father's estates, where he saw firsthand the suffering and backwardness of India's rural poor and grew to love the serenity of the Indian countryside. Devoting himself to the agricultural development of the land and the health and education of the people, he founded, in 1901, Santiniketan ("Abode of Peace"), which became an international university with a wide-ranging curriculum. He was knighted in 1915, an honor he renounced four years later as a protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British in India. Tagore was keenly aware of India's socio-political condition under British rule. He supported the Swadeshi movement and had been deeply influenced by the religious renaissance of 19th century India. Coming out strongly against orthodox rituals he wrote, "Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads! jordan shoes Whom dost than worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut? Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee!" (Verse 11, Gitanjali) Tragically, between 1902 and 1907, Tagore lost his wife, son and daughter. But out of his pain emerged some of his most tender work, including Gitanjali, published in 1910. Tagore remained a true patriot, supporting the national movement and writing the lyrics of the "Jana Gana Mana", which is India's national anthem. jordan shoes Between 1916 and 1941, Tagore published 21 collections of songs and poems and held lecture tours across Europe, the Americas, China, Japan, Malaya and Indonesia. In 1924, he inaugurated the Viswa Bharati University at Santiniketan, an All India Centre for culture. Tagore died in Calcutta on 7th August 1941.

Mahatma Gandhi

Married by arrangement at 13, Gandhi went to London to study law when he was 18. He was admitted to the bar in 1891 and for a while practiced law in Bombay. From 1893 seo services to 1914 he worked for an Indian firm in South Africa. During these years Gandhi's humiliating experiences of overt racial discrimination propelled him into agitation on behalf of the Indian community of South Africa. He assumed leadership of protest campaigns and gradually developed his techniques and tenets of nonviolent resistance known as Satyagraha (literally, "steadfastness in truth"). wow account Returning to India in January 1915, Gandhi soon became involved in labor organizing. seo company The Jallianwala Bagh massacre of Amritsar (1919), in which troops fired on and killed hundreds of nationalist demonstrators, turned him to direct political protest. Within a year he was the dominant figure in the Indian National Congress, which he launched on a policyLouis Vuitton handbags of noncooperation with the British in 1920-22. Although total noncooperation was abandoned, Gandhi continued civil disobedience, organizing protest marches against unpopular British measures, such as the salt tax (1930), and boycotts of British goods. Gandhi was repeatedly imprisoned by the British and resorted to hunger strikes wow account as part of his civil disobedience. His final imprisonment came in 1942-44, after he had demanded total withdrawal of the British (the "Quit India" movement) during World War II. wedding dresses Gandhi also fought to improve the status of the lowest classes of society, the ‘Untouchables’, whom he called harijans ("children of God"). He believed in manual labor and simple living; he spun thread and wove cloth for his own garments and insisted that his followers do so, too. He disagreed with those who wanted India to industrialize. wedding dresses Gandhi was also tireless in trying to forge closer bonds between the Hindu majority and the numerous minorities of India, particularly the Muslims. His greatest failure, cheap wow gold in fact, was his inability to dissuade Indian Muslims, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, from creating a separate state, Pakistan. When India gained independence in 1947, after negotiations in which he was a principal participant, Gandhi opposed the partition of the subcontinent with such intensity that he launched a mass movement against it. Ironically, he was assassinated in Delhi on January 30, 1948, cheap wow gold by a Hindu fanatic who mistakenly thought Gandhi's anti-partition sentiment were both pro-Muslim and pro-Pakistan.

When Fortune Spots You

I started winning competitions. We still had very little money -- my father had to borrow $5,000 to pay for a trip to the International Young Pianists Competition in Ettlingen, Germany, world of warcraft gold in 1994, when I was 12. I realized later how much pressure he was under as I watched footage of the contest. Tears streamed down his face when it was announced that I'd won -- earning enough money to pay back our loan. It was soon clear I couldn't stay in China forever. To become a world-class musician, I had to play on the world's big stages. So in 1997, my father and I moved again, world of warcraft gold this time to Philadelphia, so I could attend The Curtis Institute of Music. Finally our money worries were easing. The school paid for an apartment and even lent me a Steinway（斯坦威钢琴）. At night, I would sneak into the living room just to touch the keys.world of warcraft gold Now that I was in America, I wanted to become famous, but my new teachers reminded me that I had a lot to learn. I spent two years practicing, and by 1999 world of warcraft gold I had worked hard enough for fortune to take over. The Chicago Symphony orchestra heard me play and liked me, but orchestra schedules were set far in advance. I thought I might join them in a few years.world of warcraft gold The next morning, nike shoes I got a call. The great pianist Andre Watts, who was to play the "Gala Benefit Evening" at Chicago's Ravinia Festival, had become ill. I was asked to substitute（代替）. That performance was, for me, the moment. After violinist Isaac Stern introduced me, I played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. My father's mouth hung open throughout the entire song.nike shoes Afterward, people celebrated -- maybe they were a bit drunk -- and asked me to play Bach's Goldberg Variations. nike shoes So I played until 3:30 a.m. I felt something happening. Sure enough, gigs started pouring in（大量涌入）. Lincoln Center. Carnegie Hall. Still, my father kept telling me, "You'd better practice!" But living in America with me was beginning to relax him. In Beijing I'd been fat -- he made sure I ate -- and he'd been skinny. Now I was getting thin. He wasn't. wow power leveling I wanted to do something special for him for all he had done for me. So when I made my Carnegie Hall solo recital（独奏） debut in 2003 at age 21, I included Chinese music. I wanted to revive our family's Shenyang tradition of playing together. My father and I had often practiced a piece called "Horses," a fun version for piano and erhu. That night in Carnegie Hall, after I played Chopin and Liszt, I brought Dad out on the stage, and we played our duet（二重奏）. People went crazy -- they loved it. My father couldn't sleep for days. He was too happy to sleep.wow power leveling There have been lots of concerts in Carnegie Hall, but for me playing there was especially sweet when I remember the cold days in Beijing. Together, my father and I worked to reach the lucky place where fortune spots you, and lets you shine.

Teen Entrepreneurs

Like a lot of college freshmen,wow gold Sean Belnick has a job. He works for a company that brings in more than $20 million dollars a year. wow gold But Belnick is not just another employee; he is also the company’s owner. “We started off with a couple of orders a day and it just mushroomed迅速成长 from there,” Belnick says. Belnick’s company sells office chairs online, and maintains a huge warehouse仓库，货栈 of inventory存货，详细目录. But it all started in his bedroom, when he was 15 years old. rip dvd “I always had an entrepreneurial企业家的，创业者的 spirit,” says Belnick. In fact, more teens than ever are tapping into their entrepreneurial spirit. According to a new Junior Achievement survey of more than 1,400 teenagers, 71 percent said they would like to be self-employed one day.convert video What’s more, experts say, kids have a huge advantage as entrepreneurs because they know the web, and understand the workings of network sites such as Facebook and Myspace. blu ray ripper “[Teenagers] intuitively直观地，直觉地 understand the power and potential of using web-based services for distribution, for marketing, for outreach延伸，拓广 -- for connections,” says Andrea Hershatter, Emory University. “They are incredible networkers who have a very large number of human resources in terms of依据，按照 their peers at their disposal.” blu ray ripper “That’s the whole thing with the Internet really,” says Belnick. “Anyone can put a web site up, and it looks professional. But there’s nothing saying that there’s a 20-year-old kid behind it. wedding gownsWhich is the biggest thing about the Internet … you can create your own credibility.” Experts say parents should encourage entrepreneurship in their kids, whether it’s mowing lawns or running an online business. They may not make millions, but they will learn a lot about managing a business and what it takes to turn a profit.Wedding gowns “I think they learn, they grow, they mature,” says Hershatter. “If they are not enriched financially, then at least they [will be] enriched in terms of life experiences that will serve them forever,” says Hershatter.

A Famous Story of Mark Twain

Mark Twain was a famous American writer. wow power levelingHe wrote many stories and many of them were funny stories. These stories are still read by many people all over the world. Besides writing, he also liked hunting and fishing very much, so one year he went to Maine（缅因州） for a holiday and spent three very pleasant weeks in the woods（树林，森林） there. wow gold When he had to go back home, he drove to the station with his baggage. There he asked a porter（搬运工，服务员） to put it into the train. Then he got into the smoking car and sat down in one of the comfortable seats there. The car was empty when he got in, but a few minutes later, another man got in and sat down on the seat opposite his. wow gold Mark Twain looked at the man and thought that this man looked quite unpleasant. However, wow power levelingit would be impolite to say nothing in that situation, so he said good morning to the man, and they began to talk. First they talked about the weather and then they talked about Maine. The stranger said, world of warcraft gold "We have some beautiful woods in Maine. It would be a pity to come to Maine without spending some time there. I suppose you have been in our woods, haven't you?"nike shoes "Yes, I have," answered Mark Twain. "I've just spent three weeks there and I had a very good time, too. And let me tell you something. Although fishing isn't allowed in Maine at this season, I've got two hundred pounds of beautiful fish with my baggage（行李） in this train.nike shoes I like to eat fish, so I packed it in ice to take it home with me. May I ask who you are, sir?" world of warcraft gold The stranger looked at Mark Twain for several seconds and then answered, "I'm a police officer. My job is to catch people who hunt and fish during the wrong seasons. And who are you?" world of warcraft gold Mark Twain was surprised and frightened when he heard this. He thought quickly and then answered, "Well, I'll tell you, sir. I'm the man who tells the biggest lies in America."

A Famous Story of Mark Twain

Mark Twain was a famous American writer. wow power levelingHe wrote many stories and many of them were funny stories. These stories are still read by many people all over the world. Besides writing, he also liked hunting and fishing very much, so one year he went to Maine（缅因州） for a holiday and spent three very pleasant weeks in the woods（树林，森林） there. wow gold When he had to go back home, he drove to the station with his baggage. There he asked a porter（搬运工，服务员） to put it into the train. Then he got into the smoking car and sat down in one of the comfortable seats there. The car was empty when he got in, but a few minutes later, another man got in and sat down on the seat opposite his. wow gold Mark Twain looked at the man and thought that this man looked quite unpleasant. However, wow power levelingit would be impolite to say nothing in that situation, so he said good morning to the man, and they began to talk. First they talked about the weather and then they talked about Maine. The stranger said, world of warcraft gold "We have some beautiful woods in Maine. It would be a pity to come to Maine without spending some time there. I suppose you have been in our woods, haven't you?"nike shoes "Yes, I have," answered Mark Twain. "I've just spent three weeks there and I had a very good time, too. And let me tell you something. Although fishing isn't allowed in Maine at this season, I've got two hundred pounds of beautiful fish with my baggage（行李） in this train.nike shoes I like to eat fish, so I packed it in ice to take it home with me. May I ask who you are, sir?" world of warcraft gold The stranger looked at Mark Twain for several seconds and then answered, "I'm a police officer. My job is to catch people who hunt and fish during the wrong seasons. And who are you?" world of warcraft gold Mark Twain was surprised and frightened when he heard this. He thought quickly and then answered, "Well, I'll tell you, sir. I'm the man who tells the biggest lies in America."

i hope it's better to be alone than living with broken heart.becoz love love is like flame of a candle, that can be extinguished in the quickness of one breath, what can you says about this.

By Samuel Olatunji
Sunday, March 14, 2010

As ShowBizNow exclusively reported that contestants threatened to pull out of GUS celebrity edition because Genevieve emerged the host, three of the original contestants billed for the show eventually pulled out.

Star actor, Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic and ex-beauty queen, Omowunmi pulled out. A source said one of the contestants pulled out on medical grounds as her doctor did not certify her fit for participation.

“The doctor was not privy to the activities they would be doing as the contestants were not told. If they had asked for medical report before the contract was signed we would have known what to do. She pulled out because her doctor did not certify her fit”. However, people on the side of NBL, Bate and Cosse, the company in charge of the event insist that some of the contestants started raising questions immediately they got wind of the fact that Genevieve would be the host of the reality TV show.

Ramsey was said to have pulled out of the show as he got wind of the fact that Genny was hosting it due to the fact that he and Genny do not enjoy the best of relationship. Ramsey who was once very close to Genny fell apart with her when he called the actress and told her that colleagues in the industry said she is too proud. He consequently advised her to stop giving diva-attitude to fellow actresses as it won’t help her career. We learnt that one thing led to another, the two argued, exchanged hot words on phone and consequently fell apart. However, a source insisted there is more to the feud. The source said it was a romantic affair gone sour that actually caused the fight and that the exchange of words on phone was as a result of a feud they both had before Ramsey placed a call to her using the industry complaint against her as excuse.

From that time on Ramsey and Genevieve have not been on talking terms, and Ramsey is not hiding it. When we spoke to Genny on how she felt that some of her peers pulled out of the reality show, she said, she was not disappointed but surprised. “I am not disappointed but surprised that they did what they did” she said. When pressed further to elaborate she said she won’t speak more on the matter.

But Ope Banwo, the CEO of the company that manages Genevieve said Rita and the rest that pulled out should be sued for breach of contract if they pulled out because Genevieve was chosen as host. If it is true they signed a contract to appear at a show, I don’t think it will be right for them to pull out simply because they don’t like the hostess. And I think that’s part of the problem we seem to have in this country where artistes don’t seem to respect contracts. If you are a professional and you signed a contract then you honor it .

It doesn’t matter who they bring. It will be different if when you negotiated the contract you reserved the right to have a say on who the hostess is going to be. That did not happen because I know that was not in the contract, I have some starson the show. I think this is wrong except of course there are other reasons why she withdrew. If the third party did not breach their side of the contract which to the best of my knowledge didn’t happen , then it would have been wrong for any professional not just Rita now, to pull-out because from what we are hearing they do not like the person that was chosen as hostess for them. But of course we do not know the full story, so I cannot speak for her or the other side. If she pulled out because of the hostess, then it will be wrong .

It is unprofessional and I think it’s the problem in the industry where people sign contracts and they just feel they can walk away from it because they don’t like something. Once you have signed you are stuck. That’s the way it works in the US and that is what they do in any other country. They will be sued for that, you don’t sign a contract and walk away because you don’t like something. You should think of all of that before you sign and once you have signed you are bound, even if you don’t like some of the issues that came up after. We are not babies here , we are professionals and when you sign a contract you need to honor your contract. I think somebody should start holding stars accountable for their contracts.

That is why the industry is not developing, that is why foreigners are afraid of signing Nigerian artistes-on because they don’t know what they are going to get. So I am very passionate about this, a contract is a contract. But when we sign contracts we should honour them and those who do not should be made to face the law. What I’m saying here is that if a professional signs a contract and without the consent of the other party, he walks away from it, an example should be made of him and this is what I’m advising the organizers to do. When you make an example of one, they will learn to honour contracts. There is too much of it in Nollywood and I think they should be sued by the organizers. I will like to be quoted on that. I think they should be sued by the organizers because it costs them money and they have to do a last minute run around to get them replaced. They didn’t get the kind of people they thought they would get.

When we explained that some pulled out on medical grounds, Ope dismissed the talk as cheap. “Well you can read between the lines yourself, at least my artistes that were there all went through the medical test and I was even there when they evaluated two of my artistes. It was nothing invasive. They just checked their blood pressure to ensure they were fit to go into that kind of event. So you cannot pull out when they have not told you you’re not medically fit. After all they said they were going to get them insurance and do you know an insurance company that will insure people without testing them?

The contract says they will be given a comprehensive insurance policy for the duration of the event, so if the insurance company now says they want to do testing to be able to insure them I think as a professional you should not have a problem with that, and nobody else had that problem except those people. It will be different if after they tested them and they said they were not fit. Then, that is a ground under which they can pull out; but that is not what happened here, they were never tested from what I know”, he said.

Mildred Okwo, Rita Dominic’s Manager also had some comments on the issue:
Sam, I don’t understand the need for people to grandstand when there is absolutely no reason to. Our country has become a place where people cheaply market themselves on the pages of a newspaper as opposed to gathering facts and advancing proper solutions for real problems based on those facts.

Rita Dominic did pull out of Celebrity GUS but not before we explained the reasons to those with whom she had a contract . We took out time to explain to the head of the brand and the COO of Bate Cosse why she had to pull out. She pulled out for unavoidable reasons. To the best of my knowledge, they accepted my explanation and aside from those two gentlemen, every other person is speculating for their own ulterior motives and we will not dignify them with a response. It is unprofessional for any person to make sweeping statements when they are not privy to both sides of the story.

A close source to the Chief Operating Officer of Bate Cosse, the agency that handled the reality show, told us that one of the contestants pulled out of the show on medical grounds, but denied that Ramsey, Rita or Omowunmi pulled out because of Genevieve. “We spoke to over 20 celebrities, and some said yes, some said no. Some people who indicated interest earlier later pulled out because of the scope of the programme. That can’t be said to mean pulling out” the source disclosed.

One way or the other, GUS Celebrity edition is generating so much interest that the viewers cannot wait to start watching by end of March or early next month.

By Jayne Usen

March 13, 2010 08:07PM

By Ifeyinwa Okpara
Sunday, March 14, 2010

•St. Obi •Photo: Sun News Publishing

Obinna Nwafor, a.k.a St. Obi is not a strange name in Nollywood. For some time now, the top actor has been absent on the screen and in movies.
Tall, masculine, soft-spoken and handsome, Obi was the delight of many movie lovers and even now that he seems to be working behind the scenes, the questions on the lips of his fans are : Where is Obi?

What has become of him?
Born in Mbaitoli, Imo State, the ace actor who is a 1991 graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Jos did not go into acting immediately after graduation. Instead, his handsome face, mien and great physique quickly made him the darling of modeling agencies. He did modeling for a few years before he went back to the profession he spent four years studying at the university - acting.

For those who want to know what has become of the prince of Nollywood , Obi now runs his own production company and he is almost set to hit the market with his long awaited movie titled True Color.
In this exclusive interview with Sunday Sun, the amiable actor and filmmaker bares his mind on his production company, his soon to be released movie and other things you want to know about St. Obi. Enjoy it !

Why are you no longer acting?
When you are in a lucrative business and you realize that you are getting the crumbs, anybody that is serious-minded will think of getting the meat rather than settling for the bone. In the film making business, I realized that the major challenge is distribution and I asked myself, if I remain an actor, would it get me to the Promised Land? I have always said that we have the capacity to enjoy what Bollywood and Hollywood are enjoying. But unfortunately our marketing is at best exploitative and poor. So I’m trying to set up something that will change the Nollywood landscape and it is all about distribution for now. But having said that, I’m always an actor and will remain an actor. As a matter of fact, I have a movie that will come out very soon and it’s called True color. So my fans have something to look out for.

Can you expatiate?
Yes. It is a global distribution framework. Today, Nollywood is a global brand so why should we be scratching the ground? It’s just unthinkable. If you go three quarters of Africa, our movies are popular. If you go to Europe, the Caribbean Island, United States, and Asia, our movies are very popular especially among Africans in the Diaspora. So, why can’t we harness our markets properly? That is what some of us are trying to do.

You once said if you get a good script you would act. Does it mean you have not gotten any yet?
Well, the way it is, my energy at the moment is focused on bridging the yawning gap in the business. Acting will always be there , but I have always said I don’t want the goodies of the business to come during my child’s lifetime because Nollywood has the capacity. This is not 1950 or 1970…. this is 2010. The world is now a global village. You can sleep here and wake up tomorrow in the United States and have a lunch in the UK. That is how small the world has become. So why can’t we maximize the potentials of the global framework that we are part of. This is essentially what one is doing at the moment . That for me is above any other thing but like I said I’m an actor first and foremost but it is important that we get the marketing right so that the actor will benefit from his efforts the way actors from Hollywood and Bollywood benefit. In fact we are second in volume but we are not even fiftieth in remuneration. So, that’s what people like me are trying to change.

How do you want to go about it?
Well, going about it like I said will entail setting-up a global distribution framework. I don’t want to spill all the beans, but we are seeking some investors. You see, it’s not a child’s play. Filming business is not a thing you use one penny to make a million. It’s big business. So many people come to me saying “I want to come into filming business”, and I have always told such people that they are not serious, because any film you start with begging will not take you anywhere. You understand? So, it is a serious business and that’s why in America and Europe, you have to invest a lot of money.

That’s why they make a lot of money, and I am sure you heard about the movie Avatar. Avatar cost over $1billion and that is the kind of vision people should have.
A lot of people in Nollywood think that when they make movies, and they make a profit of about N500, 000, they should rush to make another movie and recycle that one and by the time they act like ten movies and they make N500,000 from each, they would have made N5 million or N10 million. That’s crappy… it’s a bunch of bones. You can make one Nollywood film and make N1 billion, but when you say it, it looks as if you are telling a story. The fact is that when you do the calculations well, it is something you can make like that, you don’t need too much. With 3.5 million people buying your film for instance, you cross over the N1 billion target and we are a country of 150 million people.

So, that means you are out to fight piracy?
Trust me (laughs). That is where our strength lies, I do not want to spill the beans, but when we come on board the pirates will know that we have arrived. Why piracy is still thriving today is that the right people have not come on board; when the right people come on board, the right laws will come out. Most of the people in the Senate and House of Representatives don’t have anything to do with piracy. So if you lobby the National Assembly right, they will make the right laws to combat it.

And I tell you, they want Nigeria to grow, they want this industry to grow because we are one of the highest employers of labour in the country. We create jobs for both skilled and the unskilled people. So, members of the National Assembly want this industry to thrive and they will make the laws and the laws are not gonna be let out of the bag now. When they come, pirates will know it.

We are not trying to take food away from them but all we are asking is they should do things legitimately so that they can benefit and we all can benefit. We are not trying to run them aground, what we are saying is that they should move away from piracy and become legitimate marketers . Legitimate distributors. We want them to make money so that they will survive, and we also want to make money so that we too can survive. There is so much for all of us to benefit from , you don’t need to pirate anybody’s work.

Who are these right people to come on board?
Yeah, if you put like N300 million in an investment, I’m sure you would want to protect that investment. It is because people want to spend N1 million to make N1billion that’s why the industry is not really moving forward but as I said, when you have big money, when you have the Dangotes, the Adenuga’s, all the big names and the power houses.

When people with the right financial muscles come into the business, pirates will have no hiding place because the man wants to protect his investment. For Dangote that is producing cement, I’m sure you know that new laws have been made to protect cement distribution.It’s because a lot of money is involved so when people like that come into the movie industry, the better for us. The truth of the matter is that the film industry is the future. Entertainment all over the world is recession-proof.

Despite the global economic meltdown, Avatar grossed over $1 billion. It wasn’t like three years ago, it is now that America is experiencing financial crunch. When people are suffering and going through a hard time that is when they need a form of escape and that’s what films provide . They make you forget your sorrow for those two to three hours depending on how long the movie is. So, that is what the system is all about, and that is why it is big business, and why some of us are trying to get into film distribution and maximize its potentials .

What does that mean for your Hollywood dreams?
The bottom line as I said earlier is, this is 2010. If Avatar could make $1 billion plus, why can’t I make N1 million naira plus. It’s as simple as that… let me make N1 million plus then I can at least aim at N1 billion. It is so funny; you don’t need one billion people to make N3.5million. So, in Nigeria alone, you can get that money. In a country where you have one fifty million people. Let’s even say you have ten million people, you can even select three million , because any good Nigerian film is watched by a minimum of twenty, thirty people if not 50 million. So, why can’t we get 3 million people to buy?

What’s happening to your modeling career?
Well, I’m not into it totally. Once in a while, if brands wants me to endorse their products then fine and good, but it is not your everyday kind of stuff.

There’s a controversy about your marital status . Some say that you’re not married. Is it true?
The reality is that I really don’t talk about my family and this is because I feel a lot of journalists make us look small. They make us look like we are dummies as if we don’t have nothing in our heads despite the fact that fans want to read about what we do, our love life and all that.

A lot of times journalists talk us into what’s happening to our love lives, our families but I would prefer a journalist asking me about what’s happening to Yar’Adua. Why is he not in town? What do I think about the Nigeria Project and so on. When you write these kind of things, the people you are trying to address will understand that we’ve got something to offer other than who we are hanging out with and that kind of stuff. Deliberately, I do not answer questions about my family.

•St. Obi •Photo: Sun News Publishing

Can you describe the Jos you used to know?
Ah, the Jos I used to know is a true home of peace and tourism. I grew up in a very middle class neighborhood. It was as if I was living in Europe. They used to call it European quarters back in those days. Jos was so beautiful and it is still beautiful. What is going on right now in Jos is most unfortunate. I think it goes beyond what some of us are seeing on the surface and there should be room for tolerance on all sides… Christians, Moslems and the indigenes of the land. There must be tolerance, people must understand we are all one. For instance, I watched this movie 2012. It depicts the vanity of life… the vainness of this is my portion, my land and I own this and that . I just tell people this is small mindedness.

When that avatar came, nobody knew where White House was with all the security and might they have. The ground just opened and swallowed everybody and people were just disappearing. At the end of the day, the ground just shifted and India went to where America was and the two continents were interchanged. That’s the reality of life, as much as we think that Nigeria is one now, the reality is you and I don’t have any home. The only home is Heaven. This is just the reality and every other thing is vanity. Nobody knows what will happen the next minute. In another fifty years you and I will not be sitting here… so is this our home? No! Once we are gone, we are gone and this will happen one day.

We should stop being shallow- minded and realize there were people some years before us and today men have built houses on those people’s graves, built roads on top of them. We don’t know when death will come knocking some day. So we should realize that this journey is not really worth the fight and wars

In your opinion what led to the Jos crisis?
I cannot say what precipitated this particular conflict but from the Grapevine, we heard it is religious intolerance but whatever the reasons are, I feel that we are human beings and we are bound to get angry but our anger should not get to the point that we take-up guns, knives, spears and arrows to hurt our fellow human beings. I don’t think any other human being is worth taking another human being’s life. Tolerance is the word whatever it is. Talk to somebody about it or report to the police. We mustn’t take laws into our hands. It has been reoccurring all the time. I have been in Jos for a very long time, right from my primary school days but not one day did I experience fighting, so what’s gone wrong?

What is your definition of success?
Success is a relative term. I think essentially it is attaining a goal you are passionate about.

So would you say you are successful?
By the special grace of God, Yes! Because God has been very wonderful, so I’m not going to say I’m not since I’m living my fantasy. My goal as a child was to be an actor, to be famous and I have attained all that stuff. So to be successful is not so much about money but attaining the goals one is passionate about whether it is eating eba or drinking kunu or working for the masses, whatever it is, success is a relative term.

What would you like to correct if given the chance to turn back the hand of time?
Ha! That is a tough of one now. My father never saw me get into the university and that is one of my biggest regrets and of course he didn’t see me become what I am today. That is a major regret for me.

Have you ever failed?
There is no human being that has not. Yeah, of course I have , like every other human being. Life doesn’t go so straight. It’s full of ups and downs.

Would you mind sharing some?
There are too many and I don’t know where to start. Like what I just said about my dad not seeing me before he died, I see that as a failure. There are too many others, I am just like every other human being. Life is not so rosy.

Can you share what it was like growing with nine siblings?
Well, just like every other home, when you grow up among women, you tend to know all the tricks that women know because you see your sisters do all the tricks. So, somehow I know all the tricks. I used to be good at the games women play but I’m very grateful for what my dad was able to do, if not I would have ended up growing up as a sisi . At some point as I was growing up, I realized I had to draw the line, to be the man of the house. I love my sisters but I’m the man.

Aside being strict, what else do you miss about your dad?
Everything. You know the love of a father, you can’t imagine. As you grow older, you understand that the time your dad used to flog you, he was flogging you out of passionate love for you. Like when my dad said I shouldn’t go to America, I was so angry and was saying “why will this man do this to me” but today, I am so grateful to my dad because if I had gone to America, probably, I wouldn’t have been where I am today because at that time, my head was in the sky. Probably, I would have gotten lost somewhere but the guy stood his grounds and I went through the mills and today I’m better for it.

Tell us about your relationship with your mum and your advice for youths ?
I’m close to my mum too ,but naturally being an only male child, the mother will always be over- protective, pampering and all that but my dad had to be the man. And I hope I’m educating a child out there who is reading this stuff. You might be an undergraduate but when your parents say don’t do this, we the kids feel they don’t want us to do our stuff and that they have had their own time. No! They just want you to grow and get the best. This is the mistake a lot of youths make and I did the same.

When I was growing, I used to think that passing my exams was doing my dad a favour and if I failed , he will be the one to be ashamed. But at the end of the day I realized I was passing for myself . If you fail , you will be the one to suffer. When your dad says read your books so that you can make a two-one or a first class, you would think the guy is talking crap. But if you are through and you come out with a two-two or third class; you would be the one to carry your bag from office to office begging for employment and those that made first class are smiling and getting the better jobs.

So I want to tell youths that if they want to “do guy”, there is too much time to do that but first get serious and do the right things now. Get serious with your studies. Your foundation is very necessary for the good time. When you see an elderly man pushing a cart on the street and sweating and then you look at another elderly man driving and enjoying his life, you will understand that when the other man had time to prepare he didn’t. So, don’t hate your parents when they shout at you to study hard. It is all for your good.

Source: www.sunnewsonline.com