Category Archives: World Opinion

Guinness recognition awaits Hyderabadi for fastest nose-typing

Mohammed Kursheed Hussain nose-typing in Hyderabad on Monday.- Photo: By Arrangement
Mohammed Kursheed Hussain nose-typing in Hyderabad on Monday.- Photo: By Arrangement

How fast do you think you can type?’ Before most would have gone half-way with the sentence, 24-year-old Mohammed Kursheed Hussain of Hyderabad would have finished typing, with his nose.

Mr. Hussain attempted to break a Guinness world record for fastest nose-typing here on Monday. In 43.85 seconds, he typed the 103-character long ‘Guinness world records have challenged me to type this sentence using my nose in the fastest time’. He had to best 46.30 seconds, the standing record that was set in December 2014. An official word from Guinness is awaited to confirm his Monday’s feat.

Incidentally, Mr. Hussain had set a nose-typing Guinness record in February last year when he typed the challenge sentence in 47.44 seconds.

“I was told by Guinness in January this year that the record I had set was broken. Since then I trained to break the record,” said Mr. Hussain, who is a masters student at a university in Indiana, US.

Hussain’s tryst with typing began when he turned seven. It was however not until he turned 18, did he realise the uniqueness of his skill.

“I thought nothing of my typing ability until I had gone to college. That is when my friends made me realise that I had skill that others did not have. But I never thought that I would be a Guinness record holder,” he said. In 2012, Hussain hand typed the English alphabet with spaces in record 3.43 seconds, debuting in the annals of the Guinness World Records.

“I had to beat 3.52 seconds. It seemed impossible then,” he said. That record stands unbroken for three years now. Ask how he types with his nose when keys are blurred at nose’s width away from the keyboard,

Mr. Hussain offers a plausible explanation. “I think I just have a big nose,” he chuckles.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Rohit P.S./ Hyderabad – August 18th, 2015

Of Britishers who worked for India

“This is not a book about the British colonialism, but a narrative of those who lived here and worked for India. It is about their contribution to our country”

This was how an academic and CEO of the GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, V. Raghunathan and an IT professional, who gave up her job yielding to her passion of writing, Veena Prasad, described ‘Beyond the Call of Duty’, a 224-page book published by HarperCollins Publishers India that was released here on Friday.

It speaks of a dozen people who came to India, lived here and did their bit to a nation that was colonised.

Director-Research at the LV Prasad Eye Research Institute, D. Balasubramanian spoke about the characters in the book – W.H. Sleeman who chased thugs in his spare time, fighting the ‘Thugee system’ and Ronald Ross who hunted the Anopheles mosquito and demystified malaria. The book chronicles the work of others, including Mount Stuart Elphinstone, the educationist Governor of Bombay who is considered the founding father of modern Indian education, Arthur Thomas Cotton the man who ‘dammed’ India, William Jones’s tribute to Indology and who laid the foundation of the Asiatic Society and the occasional botanist Dr. Archibald Campbell on ‘Bringing tea to Darjeeling’.

There were chapters on the multi-faceted genius James Prinsep and his ‘Extending Indian History’, R.M. Stephenson and John Chapman – the men who shrunk India by getting it on track, Alexander Cunningham and brothers who proved the point with a family enterprise of excellence and the Indian Briton Mark Tully, a journalist par excellence. The authors took questions as to what had made them choose the subjects they did. Among the more interesting, the curious among the audience was Amani Gudipati, a student of Class VII of Oakridge International School. She walked up to Ms. Veena Prasad and thanked her profusely for the education of the evening.

When asked, little Amani said, “We were taught in school that the Britishers ruled India. Now I have become more open-minded and learning a different facet, being told about Britishers who lived here and actually worked for the progress of the country!”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Suresh Krishnamoorthy / Hyderabad – August 23rd, 2015

TS Bags Rs 500 cr Investment from Swiss Major As Industrialists Lap Up Spiel

Hyderabad :

The state has bagged a big ticket pharma investment worth Rs 500 crores as Switzerland-based Ferring Pharmaceuticals will begin operations here. Ferring is engaged in formulations.

Earlier, the state gave permissions to around 39 companies in two weeks as part of the new industrial policy, TS-iPASS.

“The representatives of Ferring Pharmaceuticals visited the 12-acre land parcel allotted to them in Genome Valley before giving their nod. It will take two months for Ferring to get the other permissions,” sources said.

Another pharma major too is in touch with the Industries Department. “We will reveal the name of the second pharma company only after an agreement is signed. Otherwise, some other state may resort to poaching,” officials confided.

“Several industrialists in textiles, solar, life sciences, plastics and pharma are making serious enquiries. We will reveal the names of the firms only after confirmation,” sources added.

The mobile manufacturer Micromax has started its construction activity in the city. Officials of Industries Department are in touch with other mobile companies as well.

Sources said that another mobile company is also likely to invest in Hyderabad. The Industries Department is now in the process of inviting industrialists who made serious queries. “The industrialists enquired with those who got permissions in two weeks and are serious in investing in the state. All this happened due to word-of-mouth publicity,” sources said.

The State government recently announced a single window industrial policy, which works in a transparent manner without giving scope for corruption or red-tapism. The government has already allocated 10 per cent water in major projects for industries and a land bank of 1.5 lakh acres has been created for industrial needs.

Policy Pull

TS industrial policy spread by word-of-mouth

State is getting serious queries about investments

Switzerland’s Ferring Pharmaceuticals confirmed investment of Rs 500 crore

Textile, pharma, plastics, solar, mobile, life sciences companies looking to TS for investment

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by V.V. Balakrihsna / August 18th, 2015

Despite Sunday’s loss, Saina still on top

SainaTELAN17aug2015

Saina Nehwal may have lost the world championship final to Carolina Marin on Sunday, but the champion shuttler from the city scaled the summit in world rankings in women’s singles.

The latest rankings will be officially released on Monday and ironically Marin, the reigning World No.1, loses that privilege despite being crowned world champion for the second time. “It was a great match and the Spanish girl played better. Yes it would have been great if Saina had won the gold,” Saina’s father Harvir Singh remarked immediately after the final.

“But, I am glad she has shown the others what the Indians can achieve in women’s badminton,” he said. “The best part is that Saina’s medal haul is complete now having won the silver, again the first ever by an Indian in a world championship,” the proud father pointed out.

Making a critical analysis of where she went wrong in the final on Sunday, Dr. Harvir felt she was good on either flanks but need to shore up her game when she plays standing in the centre for she seems to be struggling to get the space for those quick returns.

Dr. Harvir Singh said that Saina is a vastly improved player after moving to Vimal Kumar in Bengaluru. “She had to go there for better prospects as she needed isolated and focussed training. “It’s like changing the school for your kids and Saina went to Vimal with the consent of Gopi bhayya,” he said. “Yes Saina will continue to train in Bengaluru as this is the crucial year of Olympics preparations.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – August 17th, 2015

Turner’s Choultry: A colonial rest house

Visakhapatnam :

Built in the year 1893, the Turner’s Choultry is a stone masonary building 90 feet long and 60 feet wide. It was originally a Chattram or a Traveller’s House built to provide temporary shelter to traders, pilgrims and other travellers visiting the city.

The building is an ashlar fine structure that was built at a cost of Rs 43,000, of which Rs 10,000 was paid by the Maharajah of Vizianagaram, Anand Gajapathi Raju, an equal sum was provided by the Gode family and the remaining was raised from the public.

The site on which the Choultry stands was originally the Enugu Thota (Elephant Lines) of the 104 Regiment and even today the stones to which the elephants were tied can be seen. Close to the Choultry is a huge water tank, next to the Police Barracks, where the elephants bathed.

Built in the name of former district collector, Henry Gribble Turner, the Choultry remained the property of the Visakhapatnam municipality till 1975, after which it passed into the hands of the endowments department.

The building boasts of 24 rooms and a living space, distributed over three courtyards. According to history buff BS Mahesh, the plan of the building is that of a traditional south Indian house with rooms and verandas all around a central courtyard.

“The beauty of the building lies in the simplicity of its plan and the manner in which space is used. The facade is of course beautiful with an arched doorway leading into the central courtyard and the stone pillars give it that imposing look,” said Mahesh. He further added that the tiles used for the roof were pot tiles, which were later replaced by Mangalore tiles.

Civil engineer Narayana Murthy said the structure was built on a raised plinth of more than four feet, which added to the majestic look. “The main structure is over 90 feet in length and 50 feet in breadth and is perfectly rectangular in shape. This apart there are bathrooms that extend the area of the structure. The dressed stone used to build the walls are all cut to the same shape and size and the mortar used to bind the stones is exactly the same in each and every bind. The construction is extremely precise and requires expert stone masonry skills. The thick stone walls built on the raised platform provide balance and strength to the building,” Murthy said.

Even today, the Turner’s Choultry is abuzz with activity and usually hosts weddings, functions, book shows, exhibitions and religious festivals. The endowments department charges a nominal rent of Rs 300 for a small scale wedding at the venue.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / August 06th, 2015

Techwave Consulting to open second centre in Hyderabad

US headquartered Techwave Consulting Inc. is opening its second office in Hyderabad, a key component of the firm’s global expansion plans that also involves a multi-fold increase in the headcount in the city.

“We have 300 people at our existing global delivery centre in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Around 500 are to be added at the new facility [in Madhapur],” CEO Damodar Rao Gummadapu told The Hindu over phone on Thursday.

Global system integrator Techwave Consulting, specialising in ERP, Business Analytics, including Big Data, Cloud and mobility space, is acquiring a Hyderabad-based IT firm that has operations in Europe. The acquisition, expected to be closed by August-end, would bring on board 170 staffers from that firm. “Our goal is to increase the employee base in Hyderabad to 1,000 and globally 1,500 in December 2016,” he said, adding that the company is also looking at two more acquisitions. While one of the firms is in the US, the other is in Bengaluru. With the process in a nascent stage, he did not wish to elaborate on any details.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – July 31st, 2015

Scaling new heights

Jaahnavi Sriperamubuduru is aiming to be the youngest mountaineer of the world to climb the Seven Summits from India.– PHOTO: By Arrangement
Jaahnavi Sriperamubuduru is aiming to be the youngest mountaineer of the world to climb the Seven Summits from India.– PHOTO: By Arrangement

13-year-old Jaahnavi is all set to conquer Seven Summits despite no sponsorship from government or corporate world

It’s a classic case of indefatigable spirit taking precedence over indifference by way of sponsorship. Thirteen-year-old Jaahnavi Sriperamubuduru has decided to embark on what she feels the toughest of all the journeys to fulfil her dream of scaling the Seven Summits despite no support from either the corporate world or the Telangana State government.

This city girl hailing from Alwal, who created a world record by climbing Stok Kangri peak in Leh, Ladakh (6,125m) and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa (5,895m) last year, is aiming to be the youngest mountaineer of the world to climb the Seven Summits from India and TS.

“I am ready for the challenge. This is not the time to crib about lack of sponsorship. My focus is already on how to scale the summit,” says the confident youngster. She has already managed to raise personal loans and contributions from a couple of individuals to meet the total cost of Rs. 8 lakh. Her school – Pallavi Progressive High School (Alwal) – too has come forward to take care of a major chunk of the cost.

Jaahnavi is planning to complete three summits of her ‘Mission7 Summit’ by the end of this year to become the youngest ever from India to achieve this feat.

After successfully climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Everest earlier, she will be attempting Mt. Elbrus in Russia (July), Aconcagua in South America (August), Mt. McKinley in North America (September), Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia (October) and then special training to master skiing in Switzerland before the last summit in Antarctica Mt. Vinson Massif (November).

“We will be going to Russia to climb Mt. Elbrus (5,642m) and will be attempting the traverse route from south to north side,” points the articulate mountaineer, also youngest girl from India to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro last year. “I wish to fulfil my dream by 2016. My stint with the professional mountaineering training at Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, has been of a big help,” she says.

Unlike climbers who after reaching a peak follow the same route back to the base camp, she likes to take the ‘Traverse Route’, means trekking along the ridge of the mountain. It takes, if weather is good, a minimum of eight days to return to the base camp,” she reveals.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V.Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – July 22nd, 2015

RPF Jawan in Guinness Record for Maximum Full Contact Kicks

Hyderabad :

A Railway Protection Force jawan with the South Central Railway here has created a Guinness world record by performing 56,148 ‘full contact kicks’ in one hour in Taekwondo Jidokwan, a martial art.

“A Madhusudhan Rao, presently working at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad, has created a Guinness world record in Taekwondo Jidokwan (a Korean martial art), held in Ranga Reddy district in Telangana in November 2014 in the presence of evaluator from the Guinness book of world records,” SCR stated in a release.

Rao broke the previous record of 36,140 kicks per hour, it said. He received the medal and certificates recently from the Guinness Book of World Record authorities.

“Madhusudhan Rao had to his credit the Guinness world record by participating in the largest half an hour Taekwondo Jidokwan display consisting of 585 persons, which was held in

Ranga Reddy district, Telangana,” the release added. A resident of Hyderabad, Rao is a recipient of Railway Week Award-2015 for his meritorious service and also a black belt in Karate.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by PTI / July 13th, 2015

Sania seals historic Wimbledon crown with Hingis

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza pose with their trophies after winning their Women's Doubles Final match / Reuters
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

Hyderabad buoyant on software exports

SoftwareTELAN10jul2015

Despite the bifurcation of the state, the software exports from the city are likely to touch Rs 64,000 crore during the current financial year 2014-15.

Hyderabad is the second largest software exporting city in the country after Bengaluru, and is forecast to grow by 13 per cent over last year.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the announcement of the 23rd edition of the annual summit and awards of the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA) here on Friday, Telangana IT, Electronics and Communications Secretary Harpreet Singh said that during 2013-14, the software exports from Hyderabad stood at Rs 57,000 crore.

“This year, we will be touching Rs 63,000 crore-Rs 64,000 crore in total IT exports, if 13 per cent growth rates happens,” he added. It is estimated that about 3.2 lakh people are working in the IT sector. “We expect another 20,000 employees to be added, taking the figure to 3.4 lakh during this fiscal,” the official said.

The HYSEA is holding its annual summit on March 11 and March 12 here. Elaborating on the initiatives taken by the Telangana government to promote the sector, Singh said, “We are setting up T-Hub, the country’s biggest technology incubation centre, which will facilitate start-ups to grow. This start-up system will see good number of IT companies originating from Hyderabad,” the official said.

Promoting skill

“We are trying to promote skill development to enhance the employability of students who are graduating from the engineering colleges here. We are looking at making graduates industry-ready,” he said adding “we are working with Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) to produce a curriculum in sync with the industry.”

Referring to the proposed Information Technology and Investment Region (ITIR) project in Hyderabad, Singh said, “ITIR is in the planning stage. We are planning to have better infrastructure than Cyberabad. We are in the process of getting a consultant.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Business / DHNS – Hyderabad / February 13th, 2015