Father Antony Prince Panengadan was appointed the bishop of the Adilabad Diocese and consecrated at the Bishop House on Thursday.
The appointment was announced by Pope Francis on August 6 at the Vatican and simultaneously by the Major Archbishop George Cardinal Alencherry at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas, at the Bishop’s House, Adilabad.
Bishop Joseph Kunnath presented the newly appointed Bishop with the sash, Pectoral Cross and the ring.
Bishop Panengadan was born on May, 13, 1976, at St. Antony’s Parish, Arimpoor in the Archeparchy of Trichur-Kerala. Having done his initial seminary formation in the CMI Congregation, he joined the mission eparchy of Adilabad. He had his philosophical and theological formation at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore and Ruhalaya Seminary, Ujjain.
He was ordained as a priest on April, 25, 2007, having served at the Adilabad Cathedral Church as assistant parish priest and at Saligaon Parish as its priest. He holds a doctorate in Biblical Theology from the Urbanian University, Rome.
At the time of his appointment, he was serving the eparchy as its Proto-Syncellus and the Cathedral Vicar. Adilabad is one of the 13 Telugu Catholic dioceses and belongs to the Syro Malabar Church. The diocese is active in the areas of education, social, medical, services like hospitals, dispensaries, Balavikasa and tribal hostels.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Deccan Chronicle – August 07th, 2015
Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza pose with their trophies after winning their Women’s Doubles Final match / Reuters
Sania had come close to winning a women’s doubles Major in 2011 when she reached the French Open final with Elena Vesnina but ended up runners-up.
India’s tennis queen Sania Mirza today created history by becoming the first female player from the country to win a women’s doubles Grand Slam trophy as she clinched the Wimbledon title with Swiss partner Martina Hingis.
More than a decade after turning Pro, 28-year-old Sania laid hands on her first women’s doubles Major title when she and Hingis battled past second seed Russian team of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 5-7 7-6(4) 7-5 in a thrilling final.
In an interesting coincidence it was at these very historic courts that Sania had won women’s doubles junior Wimbledon championship with Russian partner Alisa Kleybanova in 2003.
Sania had come close to winning a women’s doubles Major in 2011 when she reached the French Open final with Elena Vesnina but ended up runners-up.
Already having a long list of firsts, Sania had become India’s first woman player to win a Grand Slam when she won the Australian Open with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in 2009.
She later added French Open (2012 with Bhupathi) and US Open (2014 with Bruno Soares) to her mixed doubles collection.
It was a remarkable turn around for the top seeds as they were trailing 2-5 in the deciding set but made a stunning comeback to reel off five straight games to clinch the issue.
Vesnina was all fired up and her smashing volleys at the net put Sania and Hingis in a lot of trouble. The Russian was left distraught as she played out of her skin.
It was third time in recent times that Sania and Hingis played the two Russians in finals — Indian Wells and Miami — and asserted their supremacy again.
Sania was broken in the very first game of the match when Vesnina hit a volley winner from the net but the top seeds immediately broke Vesnina to avoid falling behind. It was a remarkable lob from Hingis that gave them two break chances and they converted the second.
Sania and Hingis put tremendous pressure on the their rivals but the two Russians responded well and it was 5-5.
Hingis was broken in the 11th game at love after a terrific rally of powerful ground strokes from left-handed Makarova. Vesnina pounced on one return from the Swiss and hammered the volley winner close to the body of Sania.
Makarova served for the set and it was Vesnina’s smart play at the net that sealed them the opening set.
It was the first set that Sania and Hingis had dropped in this tournament.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport / by PTI / London – July 12th, 2015
Well-known environmentalist and former bureaucrat, R Rajamani, passed away in Hyderabad on Thursday, after a brief illness. He was 78.
Best remembered for his uprightness, passion and humility, the 1959 batch IAS officer from Andhra Pradesh cadre, served as the collector of both Adilabad and Medak during his tenure. He also held the principal secretary post in the finance and forest departments of erstwhile AP.
Apart from his home ground, the distinguished officer worked in various departments at the Centre during the term of three Prime Ministers – Morarji Desai, Charan Singh and Indira Gandhi. He then went on to serve in the cabinet secretariat under Rajiv Gandhi. Rajamani eventually retired from office as secretary, forest and environment, Government of India.
As an expert on environmental issues, his association with the field, however, did not end there. Post the completion of his tenure, Rajamani took on the role of an advisor to the United Nations Environment Programme and also played a critical part in protecting the city’s environment and rich heritage.
In fact, post a PIL filed before the Supreme Court pertaining to ‘destruction’ of the Hussainsagar, the SC appointed a three-member committee (was called the Rajamani Committee), with him at the helm of affairs, which eventually went on to save the iconic water body from falling prey to widespread encroachment.
“There was a high court order of 2000 that had laid down certain restrictions on construction activity around the lake. However, that was flouted by certain parties. When this three-member committee submitted its first report in 2005, the SC directed the authorities to honour the HC order,” shared environmental engineer, Sagar Dhara, who was part of this body along with R C Reddy and Rajamani. “While his level of involvement with his work was unimaginable, what struck me most about him was how humane he was. Also, despite being a former bureaucrat, he never shied away from raising his voice each time he thought that the government was doing something wrong. He was a great friend and mentor,” Dhara said.
For ‘green’ campaigner M Mandal too, Rajamani’s death has meant losing an advisor who environmental activists from the city flocked to, each time there was a crisis. “Until a few years ago, he also chaired the Heritage Conservation Committee and went all out to preserve Hyderabad’s ancient structures. He will be missed,” Mandal said.
Members of Forum for a Better Hyderabad (FBH) also expressed their condolences through a release issued on Thursday. “His knowledge, experience and wisdom concerning issues of nature and environmental protection and preservation had been of immense value during his association with FBH during the last one and half decades,” the release stated. The funeral will be held in the city on Friday.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / June 26th, 2015
An Indian scholar and eminent writer in Sanskrit and Telugu literature Pullela Sriramachandrudu passed away here on Wednesday evening. He was 87 years of age. Born in Amalapuram on October 24, 1927, he started his academic journey as an ardent student of ‘Vyakarana Sastra’ and went on to acquire three masters degrees in Sanskrit, Hindi and English from Banaras Hindu University.
Among his best-known accomplishments are translation of the Valmiki Ramayana with a word-to-word meaning and commentary in Telugu that runs into over 10,000 pages. Credited with writing several books in the two languages, he received the Padma Shri, among other honours. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his condolences and recalled his achievements.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – June 25th, 2015
Charles Correa envisioned the Hussainsagar lakefront for the common man.– File Photo
But for Charles Correa’s ideas, Hyderabad would not have been what it is today. Charles never forgot to joke that he had arrived too late in Hyderabad.
The city’s youth are in architect Charles Correa’s eternal debt. For, the seeds of his vision gave Hyderabad its favourite haunt in the modern day – The Necklace Road. It was in 1970s that Mr. Correa’s ideas for developing Hussainsagar lakefront were solicited by the State. The then newly-formed Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA), however, differed with the architect’s ideas.
V.K. Bawa, who headed the HUDA after it was formed, recollects that he and Mr. Correa differed on architectural matters but interactions with the latter and his peers of the time including B.V. Doshi and Laurie Baker helped him cultivate an understanding of architecture. Reminiscing about his interactions with Mr. Correa during his years in service, Dr. Bawa calls the latter “flamboyant”.
“Charles never forgot to joke that he had arrived too late in Hyderabad, when reminded by people that he should have seen the city during the Nizam era,” he said. Mr. Correa was born in Secunderabad in 1930, but his formative years were spent in Mumbai.
His professional association with Hyderabad began in 1963 when he designed a battery plant for Union Carbide. In 1965 came the ECIL Complex, a successful experiment for its time as it was said to have been designed to conserve energy, when energy conservation or the concept of ‘green buildings’ was decades away. More than two decades later, he designed the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute for Development Banking in Gachibowli.
Noted architect G. Srinivas Murthy terms this futuristic vision of Mr. Correa endearing to both students and professionals.
“We were awed as students given his stature in the profession. He was the first architect to think of architecture in the larger context. It was not just the building. Its utilisation, environs, policy and people were all part of his plans,” Mr. Murthy, who attended Mr. Correa’s funeral on Thursday, said.
In late 1990s, Mr. Correa was again approached by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh to develop Hussainsagar’s lakefront. The government had several projects planned. He envisioned a lakefront for the common man. Though his ideas were not built up on, Mr. Murthy said the idea of space for public, with venues like People’s Plaza and Jal Vihar incorporate, were seeds of the famed architect’s vision.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Rohit P.S / Hyderabad – June 19th, 2015
The Hyderabad-born architect had strong links with Bengaluru too.
“One has to open up to the skies… only then will your buildings look up to light and ventilation in a scientific way,” renowned architect Charles Correa, who passed away at 84 in Mumbai yesterday, had said during one of his visits to Bengaluru.
He had many ideas on art and architecture and their role in shaping the building environment and urban landscape at large, particularly public spaces of Bengaluru. He passionately combined old-world charm and new age design philosophies that spoke of his strength to retain green values. His book, “A Place in the Shade” strongly exhort habitats to “respond to the overriding parameters of climate, culture and financial resources”.
He was known for his forthright comments on changing Mumabai’s landscape and bringing in local sensibilities into its architectural make-up. The Hyderabad-born architect had strong links with Bengaluru too.
Some of Correa’s buildings well-known in Bengaluru are the Jawaharlal Nehru Science Centre, off Jakkur, his own house that he built for his daughter at Koramangala where Fab India presently operates from, and the renowned LIC Tower or the Vishweshwaraya Centre where his exposed concrete work comes into reference even after 40 years of its historic handling for architects today.
He had strong views on the laying of Metro on M.G. Road. “The track on M.G. Road should have gone underground; or at least the elevated part should have been in steel instead of the ugly concrete expressions with gigantic pillars running all along,” Mr. Correa had said in an interview with The Hindu.
He, however, wanted the metro running elevated especially on the Vidhana Soudha Road. “Although I haven’t studied the buildings and the flow pattern near the Vidhana Soudha, it could have proved a heavenly addition to be above-ground. I can visualise the rail running 20-feet above the ground in steel, this gossamer being a typical contemporary narrative adding to the drama amidst the traditional looking State Assembly and the Karnataka High Court,” he had said.
Architects mourn death
Well-known architect Nagaraj Vastarey says about Correa: “There would never be a masterly figure as him in architecture anymore. Correa, apart from Balakrishna Doshi, was a point of reference to most of us growing up as architects.” Mr. Vastarey explained that in those days studying architecture was different as there wasn’t much of theory, but practical buildings from Correa meant lessons to all of us for references.”
Says architect Sandeep J. of Architecture Paradigm, “Correa rode the architectural world like a colossus, leaving behind a trail of master-pieces that are hard to match. The very aura around the man indicated that you were in the presence of a master architect, making you think twice before you decided to start a conversation.”
We have many architects who create wonderful forms and also those who create great spaces. “Charles Correa stands tall in Indian architecture as a creator of both form and space, as could be seen in Bharath Bhavan, Bhopal,” says Architect Sathya Prakash Varanashi. “His sense of scale, colour and visual aesthetics compliment the overall design, which together resulted in projects like Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur, adding a new dimension to the history of modern architecture in India.”
Mr. Varanashi explained that Correa did not experiment with innovative structures or international styles, which possibly helped him to perfect his ideas across varied building locations and types. Alternately, he explored each project without getting stuck to the earlier projects, to the extent where one building appears totally different from the other. The Bengaluru projects Vishweshwaraya Tower opposite Vidhana Soudha and Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Studies may not even appear as designed by same architect. Correa had a mind that never got stuck, letting him explore designs like very few world architects could.
Those who have frequented the earlier Fab India showroom in Koramangala, Bengaluru have walked into the house which Correa designed for his stay in Bengaluru! “The fact that a house gets the new avatar as a shop, without losing its spirits, shows the flexibility with which the house has been conceived,” said Mr. Varanashi.
The early buildings of Correa, including the famous Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalay at Sabarmati Ashram, synthesized his international exposure with the local contexts, charted a new road map for architecture in India. His fluency in dealing with residential houses – from LIC Colony in Bengaluru to Kanchanganga Apartments in Mumbai – shows a variety very few architects have been able to even think of.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – June 17th, 2015
Unveiling what is being billed as the ‘game-changing’ industrial policy, Telangana became the first state in the country to bestow on investors the right to get clearance of their projects within a set time frame.
The new industrial policy unveiled by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at a gala event here on Friday makes the state liable for penal action if it fails to respond to investment proposals within the time frame.
Under Telangana Industrial Project Approval and Self-Certification System (TS-iPASS), all the mega projects (over Rs 200 crore) will get clearance in 15 days, while the other projects will be approved in a month. The chief minister, addressing a gathering of nearly 2,000 industry representatives, including several CEOs and company heads, promised corruption-free and hassle-free business environment.
“If you apply online to set up your industry, we will give all approvals and make allotments within 15 days. The chasing cell will see to it that the clearances are given within the set time frame. If the deadline is missed, then the officer concerned would be asked to pay a fine of Rs.1,500 for each day’s delay,” KCR said at the mega event held at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) in Madhapur.
The chief minister’s announcements got a big thumbs up from industry captains. Describing the policy as “fantastic”, Pawan K Ruia, chairman of Ruia Group, said “such a policy is unprecedented. We have only seen deadlines fixed for investors to start their projects. We had never seen a deadline fixed for the other side. The penalty clause alone makes the policy game-changer.”
Apart from TS-iPASS, the policy framework announced on the occasion includes T- IDEA (Telangana Industrial Development and Entrepreneur Advancement) to help micro, small, and medium enterprises, and T-PRIDE (Telangana Program for Rapid Incubation of Dalit Entrepreneurs).
Chandrasekhar Rao also launched the TSICC (Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation) website where industrialists can apply online for single window clearance. The industrial policy framework, which was approved by the Telangana assembly in November 2014, also promises minimum inspections and maximum facilitation.
The government has identified 14 core areas for a focused approach for industrial development. The sectors include life sciences, pharmaceuticals, information technology, aerospace, automobiles, textiles, minerals and transportation and logistics.
The policy prescribes norms for giving permissions to mega (with investments of Rs. 200 crore and above), large (Rs 10 crore-Rs 200 crore) and small and medium sized projects and each industrial park will provide a ‘plug and play’ environment. In addition, the government was also planning to develop industrial townships near such parks for easier commute to work.
Stating that the government was pulling out all stops to make it easy for investors to come to Telangana, Chandrasekhar Rao said anyone seeking to invest in the state would be attended to at every stage by a special team of protocol officers.
“On receiving your application, we will invite you to Telangana. A protocol officer will escort you straight from the Shamshabad Airport to my chambers. You will meet me and the industry secretary for a small discussion. You will be invited again within 12-15 days and the protocol officer will receive you. I will hand you over a cover containing all allotments and clearances,” Chandrasekhar Rao said.
The chief minister also unveiled the Telangana solar power policy which promises single window clearances to solar power projects.
Chief secretary Rajiv Sharma, who made opening remarks, said with a land bank of about 1.40 lakh acres in the state, the government will provide a hassle-free environment for the investors allowing them to focus on their core activities.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / June 13th, 2015
Freedom fighter and CPI leader K Rami Reddy passed away in his native Nalgonda district of Telangana today.
He was 96.
He died due to old-age related ailments, CPI sources said here.
He is survived by wife, three sons and three daughters, they said.
Reddy had participated in the freedom movement and also the Telangana Armed Struggle and was incarcerated for three years at a jail in Jalna in 1949. He is a recipient of Freedom Fighter’s Tamrapatra (certificate).
Reddy was subsequently active in CPI and held several party positions in Nalgonda district.
CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy, several party leaders and Indian Journalist Union leader Amar Devulapalli condoled the death of Reddy in separate press statements.
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home / Hyderabad – May 05th, 2015
Ordinarily dressed – in white shirt and black trousers – Rameswar Rao Jupally looks nothing like a business tycoon as he walks into the room for, perhaps, the first interview of his life. The only giveaway is the opulent hall where the chairman of My Home Group, counted among the few home-bred industrialists of Telangana, meets his guests.
“I have never done this before,” the homoeopathy doctor-turned-real estate biggie confesses, as he slips into tales about his modest upbringing and maiden trip to Hyderabad – from his remote village in Mahbubnagar – way back in 1974.
To think that the same boy from Kudikilla now rules two major businesses in the state, realty and cement (supplied to 11 states), and is set to launch a whopping $8 billion-worth ‘Smart City’ project spread over a sprawling 3,000 acres in Shamshabad, is definitely overwhelming.
“It’s my dream project. I have already accumulated 2,000 acres and am now in the process of acquiring another 1,000 acres. The project is in the planning stage and work on the first phase will commence in 2016. It will be completed in 10 years,” Rao reveals about the venture that’s expected to be “self-sufficient”, complete with top notch IT firms, high-end residential units, plush shopping complexes
and a dedicated ‘green belt’. Not to forget top-league corporate hospitals and educational institutions that’ll also be part of this ‘city’.
But before Rao gives a ‘smart’ makeover to Shamshabad – where he hopes to launch an electrical train line too – the spiritually-inclined industrialist is working on giving Hyderabad its largest commercial tower, with a total built up space of 3.2 million square feet (sft). Total cost: Rs 640 crore (roughly).
“Right now, the ICICI building in the Financial District (2.5 million sft) is the biggest. The one I am constructing on a single patch of 28.5 acres in Raidurgam will be bigger than that. The other patch of 3.5 acres (approx) will house 1,600 premium apartments, a 10-screen multiplex and mall. I hope to deliver it by the end of 2017,” Rao says.
He goes on to reminisce his days in 1979, when he made his first investment – of Rs 50,000 – to buy a two-acre plot in Dilsukhnagar. The deal, brokered with money borrowed from a maternal uncle, not only earned Rao a profit of Rs 2 lakh in two weeks, but also ensured that he bid his homoeopathy practice adieu, sooner than later, and plunge into the property business.
Three-and-half decades and an unwavering association with Chinna Jeeyar Swami, which the two struck up in 1992, later, the My Home founder is now a leader in the realty sector and also has three plants producing 8.5 million tonnes of cement every year. His brand, Maha Cement, posts an annual turnover of Rs 3,000 crore. In addition, he sells 30 MW of the total 70 MW of power produced by his captive power plants.
“The power crisis facing Telangana will be resolved by 2016-17. That’s when the city’s real estate business will bounce back,” an optimistic Rao, who prides himself in being futuristic and far-sighted, says. While he admits that the new TRS government did face administrative hiccups in its initial months, he is confident of ‘Team KCR’ living up to peoples’ expectations in the days to come. “The well-drafted industrial policy is an example of that. The government is working very actively on attracting investors to Hyderabad,” he adds.
But while Rao enjoys talking business, what gives him utmost comfort is his daily two-hour puja regime, frequent trips to Swamiji’s ashram in Shamshabad and the social activities that he undertakes under the Jeeyar Educational Trust banner.
It is this that Rao says, has saved him from falling prey to the ill-effects of big bucks and stupendous success!
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / by Sudipta Sengupta, TNN / March 05th, 2015
Former Hyderabad Mayor and former MLA, N.Laxminarayan Mudiraj (86) died here while undergoing treatment at a corporate hospital on Wednesday morning. He was the City Mayor for the year 1969-1970 and later was elected as MLA from Maharajgunj constituency in the year 1972.
Mr.Laxminarayana was recuperating from a recent bypass surgery and was rushed to hospital after his health deteriorated yesterday evening, according to family members. As Mayor, during the 1969-70 Telangana Movement, he defied police prohibitory orders and laid foundation stone of the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial at Gun Park for which he was arrested and sent to prison.
The GHMC Commissioner and Special Officer, Somesh Kumar, visited his residence at Chudi Bazar and consoled the bereaved family members.
The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President, N.Uttam Kumar Reddy and Working President, Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu expressed their condolences on the demise of former Mayor who laid the foundation for the Martyrs’ Memorial which stands as a landmark of the city. In another press release, the TPCC requested the Chief Minister, K.Chandrasekhara Rao to name the circle in front of Gun Park as Laxminarayan Mudiraj Circle.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by T. Lalith Singh / Hyderabad – March 04th, 2015
