Category Archives: Nri’s / PIO’s

From US to Warangal to serve people

Born into a middle class family in Warangal, Vikranth completed his Masters in Computer Science at Texas A&M University, USA, and worked at APPLE Inc, ERCOT and At&t in the US.

Warangal Urban:

Vikranth Babu Samidla

With an intention to serve his motherland, he left a lucrative job in the US and returned to his hometown, Warangal. He has been actively involved in serving people through several voluntary organisations, while also working with a Hyderabad-based company. Now, he is contesting the election as an independent candidate from Warangal West Assembly constituency.

Meet Vikranth Babu Samidla, who is presently working as the IT head consultant with Apollo Sugar Clinics, Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad.

Born into a middle class family in Warangal, Vikranth completed his Masters in Computer Science at Texas A&M University, USA, and worked at APPLE Inc, ERCOT and At&t in the US. He also was a student leader of Indian student association, US, and worked with organisations like Young Pioneers of India, Helping Hands India and Youth for Swachh Warangal.

“During our public service programmes, some people asked me to join politics as it is a very good platform to reach out to much more people in need. Following their request, I decided to contest elections from Warangal West constituency. I am not bothered about the outcome of the election. Win or lose, I would like to serve the society,” Vikranth told Telangana Today.

A tech savvy, Vikranth is mainly depending on social media for his poll campaign and is hopeful that his thoughts would reach people effectively as majority of the people in the constituency are well educated. This apart, he hired an autorickshaw for campaigning in the streets.

“I would not like to spend more than Rs 10 lakh on the campaign,” he said, adding that he was against influencing voters by spending money.

“I don’t like to criticise any person or party to get votes. My campaign is based on promising voters how I would change the city and usher in development,” he added.

Vikranth, who got ‘slate’ as his election symbol, is stressing on the need to increase voting percentage in urban areas for the betterment of the society. He said that he would give high priority to health, education, and infrastructure development besides setting up skill development centres for students to get employment for them in multinational companies. He hoped that people would vote for him, if they really wanted a change both in the society and conventional politics where caste, creed, money and liquor are dominating. He also wished that more youth should enter the politics and serve the society.

source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home> Telangana> Warangal Urban / by P. Laxma Reddy / Novmeber 28th, 2018

Two worlds, one voice

Manisha Eerabathini glides across the beautiful location in her new music video in which she sings the cover of Sada Nannu from Mahanati.

Hyderabad :

Manisha Eerabathini glides across the beautiful location in her new music video in which she sings the cover of Sada Nannu from Mahanati. Released on Sunday, the video has already garnered over two lakh views. It also features Manisha matching the beat with her Bharatanatyam moves. Yes, the US-born young woman is adept at Carnatic and Bharatanatyam as well. Here’s what we find about her ever-juggling life.

Born and raised in California, singer Manisha Erabathini found home when she followed her calling and moved to India four years ago. However, the shift only enhanced her opportunities and led to her traveling back and forth but this time for work. Popular for not just her Telugu chartbusters, but also her mashups online, Manisha is growing in leaps and bounds and is putting that to use for the Telugu music-lovers here and abroad. Though she now calls Hyderabad home, she travels across the country often for the demand she has garnered as a performer.

For someone who grew up in the States to change their lifestyle, career and home suddenly is jarring. Manisha says that was exactly how she felt. “I actually felt a bit of an identity crisis when I moved here. Now I am familiar and accustomed to the Indian lifestyle and culture but I also grew up amidst the western culture. Both these worlds are two ends of the spectrum and despite both of them being a part of me I wasn’t able to put them together and see myself as a whole. As time passed I got comfortable with both these sides of me and learnt to be open to and accept the differences of these cultures that inhabit me,” she explains.

Manisha’s popularity shot up with the 2017 hit, Arere Yekkada from the film Nenu Local which topped the charts in the Telugu states. Although she was exposed to the playback arena since her stint in the reality show Paadutha Teeyaga, it was only after years of hard work that she found a footing. Once she made a name, offers to perform for a live audience grew. “Whether it is here in Hyderabad or in a small-town in Andhra or in the USA, the Telugu audience find a certain appeal towards live music concerts,” she says. The kind of songs that the audience may expect from me might differ in India and the US. For instance, the people in the US attend these concerts as a weekend soiree and want to unwind and relax. So they prefer soothing music, not necessarily melodies but the usual favourites. Audience here on the other hand are there to have a good time. They prefer peppy numbers, the hits; and sing and dance along with you. The energies are different in both the countries but the love for music is the same,” adds the young singer.

Manisha observes that most people who have settled in the States try their best to hold on to their roots and do everything they can to stay connected to home. “As I was growing up, learning Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music or speaking Telugu were all a part of the household. It wasn’t uncommon with the other Indian families that we were friends with. This is their way of making sure their culture isn’t lost despite being miles away from home,” she says.

Preferences of the audiences doesn’t only differ in genre she admits. “Western music is predominantly independent while here it relies heavily on cinema. When I perform for the audience abroad I keep in mind that there is a mix of youngsters, children and first generation NRIs. So I ensure that I drop some English pop or mashups into the set as well so that the younger ones aren’t bored to have been dragged down to watch a Telugu music concert,” she quips.

Event organisers flock to book her dates to perform abroad, particularly the Telugu associations who bring the community together. Having traveled to the US thrice in just one month for singing gigs, Manisha makes an interesting observation. “NRIs here want to hang on to the culture and what reminds them of home which is why these concerts and even festivals are celebrated in grandeur. There are millions of Telugu people in the USA and to keep them entertained with anything that is close to home has opened up opportunities for many artists and there is certainly more where that came from,” she says signing off.

— Srividya Palaparthi / srividya.palaparthi@newindianexpress.com / @PSrividya53

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Srividya Palaparthi / Expres News Service / November 27th, 2018

Indian student’s algorithm helps in leading driver directly to empty parking spot

Sai Nikhil Reddy Mettupally at The University of Alabama in Huntsville has also won second prize at the 2018 Science and Technology Open House competition

An Indian student in the U.S. has created a space-detecting algorithm that can help tackle the problem of finding a parking spot by using big data analytics and save a person’s time and money.

Sai Nikhil Reddy Mettupally, a student at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, has also won second prize at the 2018 Science and Technology Open House competition for his creation.

According to a university presser, Mr. Sai’s creation relies on big data analytics and deep-learning techniques to lead drivers directly to an empty parking spot.

Big data analytics is a complex process of examining large and varied data sets to uncover information including hidden patterns, unknown correlations, market trends and customer preferences.

Mr. Sai conceived the idea shortly after the university transitioned to zone parking last fall.

“Finding a parking spot as soon as a person enters the parking lot is essential.”

What he needed was to find a way to identify empty spaces and then direct the driver to the location. But unlike other parking apps in the market, he wanted to develop one that didn’t rely on the purchase, installation, and maintenance of expensive in-ground sensors.

To help put his plan in action, Mr. Sai turned to Vineetha Menon, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science.

As the director of UAH’s Big Data Analytics Lab, Mr. Menon also had access to the high-performance computing power that Mr. Sai needed to create and train his machine-learning model, which relies on a robust parking-lot data set provided by the Federal University of Parana in Brazil.

Mr. Sai, who graduated in electronics and communications engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, hopes to develop a parking-support mobile app—dubbed InstaPark—that can display the real-time grid layout of empty and occupied parking spots using the phone’s GPS.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Technology / by PTI / Houston – October 31st, 2018

From California to Hyderabad in 62 days

This couple’s road trip across 19 countries proves that age is just a number.

Dr Rajesh Kadakia and Dr Darshana Kadakia

63-year-old Dr Rajesh Kadakia and his 60-year-old wife Dr Darshana Kadakia are poised to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for being the first couple to travel across the world in a modified Toyota SUV.

After having travelled 3,400 km, through 19 countries, in 62 days, they have finally arrived in Hyderabad on June 13 in their Land Cruiser.

“This has been an epic journey. People have travelled from Bangalore to London, and from London to Mumbai. But there is no record of anyone having travelled from California to India,” Dr Rajesh says.

The physician from California who has roots in Secunderabad calls his journey a “home run”. “For me to leave my home in the US and come to my mother’s home in Secunderabad is like hitting a home run,” he says.

An avid traveller from a young age, Dr Rajesh was deeply influenced by his uncle Kiran Modi, a regular participant in the Himalayan car rally. “Initially, I was his navigator until I managed to get involved with the Himalayan car rally myself,” he says. The couple left the comfort of their home in California to take on this “epic” adventure two months ago. Their unconventional travels took them to Russia, China, and Tibet, before bringing them to India. “We had to get visas, permits, and a host of other documentation, as well as prepare the vehicle to handle the journey,” they say.

Yet, the regulatory requirements of the countries that they passed through imposed a significant burden on them. “Crossing every border checkpoint was a challenge. In Russia, every single item in our car was taken out and thrown on the road. We underwent the same grilling at the entry and exit points of Mongolia,” Dr Rajesh says.

They chose not to publicise their trip due to security reasons. “Because of the geopolitical areas that we were passing through as American citizens, we avoided publicity,” he adds.

One of the biggest challenges they faced was travelling through high-altitude areas. “We had significant difficulty crossing high-altitude regions. We crossed the Mt Everest base camp, Kailash, Mansarovar, and Tung La Pass in Tibet. We had to travel through difficult conditions created by snow, mud, and dirt. The risk of engine failure and freezing to death were very real,” he says.

Being vegetarians didn’t make matters easier for them. But they still managed, somehow. “We had a tough time getting vegetarian food in Mongolia and China. Our pressure cooker and electric heater weren’t working in the high altitude — food just wasn’t getting cooked, so we had to survive on raw foods alone.”

Thankfully, being doctors, they were able to understand and treat their own altitude sickness. They remained in touch with their son throughout. “I have a government GPS system and cameras. We were communicating with our son in the US. He always had an idea of where we were, based on government satellites, which worked well even when we were without an internet connection,” he says.

Be it despite or because of the hardships that they had to face, the road trip seems to have made a lasting impact on the couple. “As far as we know, this is the first car to have left California and arrived in India with the flags of both countries on its bonnet,” Dr Rajesh says.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Viral and Trending / by Swati Sharma / June 14th, 2018

Prime posting for journalist from Hyderabad

Joins Columbia Journalism School

Columbia Journalism School announced on Monday that Raju Narisetti, a leading digital media executive and editor, will join the faculty as Professor of Professional Practice and also serve as the new director of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism.

Mr. Narisetti is from Hyderabad and did his B.A. (Economics) from Osmania University and an MBA from IRMA in India. He also holds an M.A. from Indiana University, lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Kim Barrington Narisetti, and daughters Leila and Zola.

“I am delighted to join the journalism faculty and also lead the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship program at Columbia University,” he said in a release. He recently served as chief executive of Gizmodo Media Group and earlier, was News Corp’s senior vice president of strategy. He also spent 14 years at The Wall Street Journal, starting as a summer intern in 1991 and becoming an Editor too.

He also served as the managing editor for digital and new products at The Washington Post, has been Founder-Editor of Mint. He began his business journalism career at The Economic Times in New Delhi, and his U.S. journalism career at The Dayton Daily News.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – June 06th, 2018

Indian American wins Spelling Bee contest

Karthik Nemmani (14), from McKinney, Texas, holds the Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship Trophy with Scripps President and Chief Executive Officer Adam Symson after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Thursday. | Photo Credit: AP

Nemmani also continued a longtime trend by becoming the 14th champion or co-champion of South Asian descent the bee has had in 11 consecutive years.

Indian-American Karthik Nemmani, was declared champion of the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee, winning on the word “koinonia” and surviving what was arguably the most intense competition in the contest’s 93-year history.

In doing so, the 14-year-old on Thursday night emerged the top speller from a record-shattering 515 contestants at the national bee, compared with 291 last year, after organizers expanded eligibility with a new wild-card programme, reports The Washington Post.

Along the way, he had to outlast a field of 16 finalists who vanquished words such as “Praxitelean”, “ispaghul” and “telyn” in a breathtaking show of spelling skill broadcast live on ESPN.

But Nemmani, who was competing at his first national bee, displayed the poise of a veteran, seeming to sail through his words: “condottiere” (knight or roving soldier available for hire), “miarolitic” (of igneous rock), “cendre” (a moderate blue), “ankyloglossia” (limited normal movement of the tongue), “grognard,” “passus,” “shamir” (tiny worm capable of splitting the hardest stone) and “jaguey” (an East Indian tree).

When it was down to two contestants, him and 12-year-old Naysa Modi, Nemmani remained calm as Modi misspelled “Bewusstseinslage”.

He then knocked out “haecceitas” (the status of being an individual) before receiving the word that would clinch his win: “koinonia”, meaning the Christian fellowship or body of believers.

“I’m just really happy,” he said moments after his victory.

“This has just been a dream come true.”

Nemmani also continued a longtime trend by becoming the 14th champion or co-champion of South Asian descent the bee has had in 11 consecutive years, The Washington Post reported.

The 16 spellers took the stage at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Centre in Maryland to battle it out for the title of champion.

In the first round, nearly half of the finalists misspelled their words, including several crowd favourites such as Tara Singh, a 13-year-old from Kentucky who was competing at her fifth and final national bee.

The 16 finalists ranged in age from 11 to 14 and include nine girls and seven boys.

The winner of the bee receives $40,000 and a trophy from the Scripps Bee, a $2,500 cash prize (and a complete reference library) from Merriam-Webster, trips to New York and Hollywood as part of a media tour, and a pizza party for their school.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> International / by IANS / Washington – June 01st, 2018

HYSEA office-bearers elected

Software testing services firm ZenQ founder and CEO Murali Bollu and president-APAC of ValueMomentum Software Services Ravi S. Rao have been elected president and secretary respectively of Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA).

Other members of the new executive committee, for 2018-2020, elected at the 26th annual general body of HYSEA on Friday were Infopeers Solutions CEO Bharani K.Aroll (vice-president); Global Delivery Head BSG and centre head of Tech Mahindra Vijay Rangineni (treasurer); VP international finance of C3I Support Services Padmaja Chowdary (joint secretary). The new president has over three decades of experience in the IT industry, including 13 years in the US, and has been active in the association since 2007, a release from HYSEA said.

Mr. Bollu said the new Committee would like to increase efforts to assist IT SMEs accelerate growth. This would be accomplished through workshops/ events on new business opportunities in emerging technologies and new geographies by exploring funding options to meet their capex and opex needs and by promoting innovations in sales and marketing of their services and products.

HYSEA would like to expand competency development programmes for employees of member companies in leadership and technical skills and plans to start a ‘Biz Series’ to improve business and operational competencies. A new infrastructure forum to address the strategic needs of the industry focused on transportation, green energy and water management would be created, Mr. Bollu added.

A new managing committee, comprising Bipin Chandra Pendyala, SVP of Moschip Semiconductor; Kiran Babu Cherukuri, founder and CEO of Tech Era IT Consulting; Manisha Saboo, AVP and centre head Pocharam Campus of Infosys; Sai Giridhar Chintamaneni, president and CEO of Promantra Synergy Solutions and Gogineni Srinivasa Rao, managing director of FutureTech Information Systems, was unanimously elected. Five more members would be co-opted to the Managing Committee by the Executive Committee, the release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – May 03rd, 2018

The Hyderabad connection to U.S. water polo team

Naresh C. Rao, U.S.-based sports medicine expert (centre), and his parents with his book Step Up Your Game .V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM

Naresh is a sports medicine doctor whose clients included Olympic and professional athletes
Not many might be aware of a Hyderabadi connection to the U.S. water polo women’s team winning gold medal at the Olympics. Well, Naresh C. Rao, born to Govind Rao and Jyothi Rao from the city, was the head physician of the U.S. team in the 2016 Rio edition.

For someone based in New York and having been a water polo player, Dr. Naresh qualified for the job by the virtue of being a sports medicine doctor, whose clients included Olympic and professional athletes over the years.

“It was a huge honour. I always longed to be at the Olympics as a player. But I am glad that at least I made it as a support staff member of a gold-medal winning team. It was a complete team effort which I cherish forever,” said Dr. Naresh, whose father was a renowned paediatrician in the city’s Niloufer Hospital and was also involved in many philanthropic activities, especially on the medical front here, before moving to the U.S.

“The U.S. players’ eyes turned red and there were rashes when they were training in the green water in the pool in Rio. I immediately took up the issue with the IOC and the Rio Olympics Organising Committee. And the response was amazing. They drained out the pool completely and ensured fresh and clean water. I made it clear that it was not a case affecting just the U.S. squad, but all those taking part in water polo,” he reminded.

“The biggest challenge for me in Rio was to ensure that the players did not take any medicine, even for normal cough and cold, which would have merited a ban for drug abuse under different guidelines. So my job meant a lot of lecturing and motivational classes too,” said the sports science expert willing to give back to his home State – Telangana.

Dr. Naresh interacted with the students of Telangana State Sports School at Hakimpet on Sunday morning and stressed on how one could be a champion through natural performance-enhancing techniques without resorting to drug abuse.

“My book Step Up Your Game deals with this subject in detail and it has been acknowledged by many for emphasising the ‘entourage’ approach to training. It helps athletes get ready for the starting line,” he said. “The book has all the practical tools for all levels, from a beginner to the Olympian,” he added.

What next? Dr. Naresh has been asked to be with the U.S. teams for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well. “I am honoured with the offer, but will take a call soon in this regard,” he signed off.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – December 25th, 2017

First Mahatma Gandhi digital store opened

Ela Gandhi and Jayesh Ranjan inaugurating the store. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Information Technology secretary Jayesh Ranjan on Tuesday inaugurated the country’s first Mahatma Gandhi Mobile Digital Museum Store at Bapu Ghat in the city.

A joint venture of the Visual Quest India and Aditya Birla Group’s corporate social responsibility initiative Eternal Gandhi, the digital store is aimed at spreading Gandhi’s ideology and teachings. Souvenirs inspired by the ‘Father of the Nation’, crafted to reflect various facets of his life reflecting values of peace, truth and non-violence, would be put on sale. The income generated through the sale would be used for the mobile digital museum.

Gandhi’s granddaughter and former member of South African Parliament, Ela Gandhi, was present on the occasion. She recalled how Gandhi always believed that education was not all about learning, but a way of living. “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” she said, quoting her famous grandfather while addressing youths at the function.

Representatives of Aditya Birla Group and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts were also present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – December 20th, 2017

Messiah of Gulf victims

He has helped in repatriation of 300 migrant workers languishing there

He is seen by many as messiah of Gulf victims as he has supported them through thick and thin in the last five years, spending his hard-earned money. His tireless efforts and coordination with State and Central Governments brought home about 50 bodies of migrant workers, and 300 migrant workers have been successfully repatriated home.

Born into an agriculture family at model village Manoharabad of Jakranpally mandal, Patkuri Basanth Reddy went to Bahrain as a construction worker after completion of SSC and had lived there for several years. During his stay, he had witnessed labourers being cheated by Gulf agents.

Moved by the plight of Gulf workers, he came back to Hyderabad and established Gulf Telangana Welfare and Cultural Association. Recognising his efforts for the cause of Gulf victims, the Telangana Government honoured him with the best social worker award, which he received from Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao at Golkonda Fort on August 15.

That apart, he has several awards to his credit for his social work. He had Dr. B. R Ambedkar Vishista Seva Puraskar conferred on him in 2016, Prof. Jayashankar National Award in 2015. He has been selected for Mahatma Jyothiba Phule Award, and he will receive it from Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in New Delhi on December 10.

According to Basanth Reddy, there are over 6 lakh migrant workers from Telangana in the Gulf. An estimated two lakh workers are from erstwhile undivided district alone. Many workers who went there in search of work on fake or kalivili (in local parlance) visas created by Gulf agents are languishing in jails in Gulf countries.

He says thousands of poor workers who went there, by taking money from moneylenders at a high rate of interest, are living in distress on streets. As they are uncared for by their employers, some are committing suicide and some are dying.

“I believe in social work. When a Gulf worker in distress is restored to his family, I feel immense pleasure. Therefore, along with some like-minded people, I have floated the social service organisation to render service to poor migrant worker families,” said the 42-year-old Basanth Reddy.

In the current month, with the help of the External Affairs Ministry and Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao, he ensured safe landing in New Delhi of 30 migrant workers who were stranded in Iraq . He personally goes to the airport to receive bodies from the Gulf and travels in the ambulance along with the bodies to their villages. “I have so far spent ₹ crore for my social service but never expect anything from society. I believe service to man is to service to God,” he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by P. Ram MOhan / Nizamabad – December 02nd, 2017