Category Archives: World Opinion

Black and Gold Rolls Royce, This Fashion event’s showstopper!

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion

This is the first time the Rolls Royce team is personally coming down to hand over the keys at this intimate gathering.

Hyderabad :

Sudha Reddy wears many hats. The director of Megha Group of Industries and on the board as director of TruJet airlines, identified ‘Áction Against Hunger’ (a 38-year-old Paris-based organisation that leads the global fight against hunger) and ‘Breast Cancer Research Foundation as recipients, she is also known for her charity work.

Sudha is now all set to put together a unique fashion show in Hyderabad this Saturday, November 24 at Hitex which will feature international fashion designers from Los Angeles, Dubai and Europe to showcase their collections. She chats with us and gives us insight into her perspective of the fashion world that she is so acquainted with. Sudha is roping in three international designers including Italian designer Giambattista Valli for the event and host of top models to showcase it. The day also happens to be Sudha’s 40th birthday and she is hosting a sit-down formal dinner for 300 select guests. Indian celebrity chef Ritu Dalmia will oversee the dinner. Sudha is going to wear Harry Winston jewellery.

Juggling so many balls and excelling in all the fields you step in? It isn’t easy balancing so many roles of a businesswomen, a mother and a fashion icon. What is your secret?
Well, it’s not easy. For one thing, you do not possess a natural gift for a certain job, because specific natural gifts don’t exist in my opinion. You are not a born CEO or a chef or chess grandmaster. You cultivate your interests through an enormous amount of hard work over many years and that dedication and wholehearted passion is what keeps me going.

How has the response been for the fashion event so far?
Fashion is something which connects the entire world. The showcasing of different couture and culture makes every fashion show unique and interesting and the response is also so over whelming wherever these shows are held. I believe fashion has the ability to create change in the world through it’s strong appeal that crosses boundaries and brings people together.

Fashion with humanitarian work?
Yes, it’s my passion for both of them which makes it easy for me. My personality, keen attention to detail and dedication to my chosen causes, helps me connect with like-minded people who are willing to use their position, power and talent to make a difference. The biggest influence on me are women of high character, like, Princess Diana. With a generous and empathetic heart for philanthropy, I have been able to successfully carve a strong niche in being a voice for the underprivileged through my charitable contributions over the years, and I hope to continue doing the same.

A specially-commissioned Black and Gold Rolls Royce will appear in the show, how have you managed to bring in such a unique twist to a fashion event?
My loving and generous husband, Krishna Reddy, has gifted me one of the worlds most luxurious cars. The bespoke design team from Goodwood took our brief and has done a fabulous job translating it to reality. Couture and luxury automobiles are all under the large gamut of luxury and the art of appreciation. I think they blend very well together so it was honestly easy to get the Rolls Royce and fashion designers teams to share my vision for this event and come on board. This Rolls Royce Ghost is a limited edition- iconic, custom- crafted, masterpiece, by the Bespoke Team of Rolls – Royce Motor Cars.

This is the first time the Rolls Royce team is personally coming down to hand over the keys at this intimate gathering.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Srividya Palaparthy / Express News Service / November 19th, 2018

City carrom star pockets U.S. Open Grand Slam trophy

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
R.D. Dinesh Babu and his mother Bharani with the trophy at his residence in the city on Saturday.

Defeats 14-times U.S. champion R. Saravanan Babu in the final

Forty-three-year-old R.D. Dinesh Babu could not have presented a better gift to his ageing mother, Bharani, than the U.S. Open Grand Slam Carrom Championship trophy.

Dinesh, who won the 2016 edition held in the U.S., was not in the best frame of mind as his mother has been unwell.

But the Hyderabadi gave his best. He said his first phone call on winning the U.S. Open title to his mother was like an energy booster. And, understandably, her joy knew no bounds!

He defeated 14-times U.S. champion R. Saravanan Babu (25-10, 25-10) in the final.

“After the disappointment of losing in the semifinal from a winning position against Radhakrishnan in last year’s edition, I am glad I could pull it off this time around,” says Dinesh in a chat with The Hindu on his return.

“It was not easy to win the final as the opponent had the support of the local crowd and it was like India playing in Sharjah. I had to stay calm and focussed to get the better of him. He played much better than what the scoreline suggests,” says Dinesh.

“I never give up. Self-discipline and self-belief coupled with hard work are my strong points,” says the senior accountant in AG’s Office.

“And I owe a lot to my coach Madanraj sir and to all the fellow players and other officials,” he adds.

Dinesh, who lost to the then world champion Yogesh Pardesi in the 2008 Senior Nationals, is now offered to play in the North American Premier League that features six or eight teams with one foreign player permitted to play for them.

World championship
“My ultimate goal is to win the world championship next year. I know it will not be easy, but I will put in efforts needed to realise this goal,” signs off Dinesh, who dedicates this win to his family.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – November 10th, 2018

IIIT-Hyderbad team develops software to detect fake news

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Ramachandran and his team aim to monetise the software in the future and equip media houses with the software so that fake news can be easily identified.

Hyderabad :

So, how do we combat fake news? In what seems to be a novel solution, the IIIT-Hyderabad has developed an artificial intelligence-based laboratory that is equipped to identify fake news by a single tap of the keyboard. Called the Fake-O-Metre, the software can determine whether the headline of an article,its link or content is fake within seconds.

“It uses a range of options to tell you how much of the content is fake,” says Vijayasaradhi, an MS student involved in development of the software. “You can enter multiple headlines at the same time and derive results at one go.” During a demo presentation, the software analysed a bunch of headlines and gave varying range of colour-coded answers.

For instance, for the headline “The State is going to polls on December 7” it will give a green bar with a value below 30 per cent. “If it’s below 30 per cent, it means that the content is true. Similarly, if the value is above 60 per cent and the bar is red then it means that it is a fake content.” But how does the AI work? Vijayasaradhi added: “We collected around 10,000 potential fake news statements and fed it to the machine. This is like teaching by example. Now the AI will try to find a pattern from the 10,000 and try to determine whether the input that is being fed is fake or not.”

J Ramachandran, CEO of Gramener technologies and the industry expert for the AI lab at IIIT, said: “We are aiming to make this technology available in regional languages. For that we have introduced similar Fake-O-Metre in Spanish and Chinese on an experimental basis. “One of the most important requirement in doing a vernacular-specific fake news buster is that you need data. Since it is artificial intelligence, data has to be fed to churn out results. The software has to learn from the fed data as to what constitutes, or what words usually frame fake news in regional languages.”

For collecting this data Ramachandran is looking towards Facebook, Twitter and other social media. “Hate speech is prevalent on Twitter. So one can find specific hate speech by using that hashtag, which can later be culled to form data,” added Vijayasaradhi. Ramachandran and his team aim to monetise the software in the future and equip media houses with the software so that fake news can be easily identified.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Aihik Sur / Express News Service / November 13th, 2018

Aurobindo Pharma to acquire R&D assets of Australian firm

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Aurobindo Pharma on Monday said it is acquiring a product under development and related research and development (R&D) assets from Advent Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd of Australia.

The $12.5 million acquisition will lead to enhancement of R&D capabilities in complex speciality generics, the company said in a regulatory filing.

The acquisition, providing an opportunity to acquire assets that would be used for speciality generics business, is to be undertaken through AuroScience Pty Ltd, Melbourne, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc.

Advent Pharmaceuticals is into the business of R&D in complex speciality generics. According to the Australian firm’s website, the company was founded in 2001 with the aim of developing generic inhalation products for global markets.

With regard to turnover of the target entity, Aurobindo Pharma said certain R&D assets were being acquired and “no revenues [were] generated during the 12 months ended September since it is engaged in R&D activity.” No sales were expected in the first 12 months of the acquisition, the filing said.

The transaction is expected to be completed by January 2019.

Besides the acquisition, Aurobindo Pharma also announced results for the quarter ended September, a period that saw it clocking a consolidated net profit of ₹.611.44 crore. This was a decline of 21.70% compared to the ₹780.97 crore registered during the year earlier period.

Total income of the company increased by 7.45% to ₹4,777.66 crore (₹4,446.16 crore). Total expenditure was ₹3,964.20 crore (₹3,468.36 crore). The Board of Directors also approved an interim dividend of 125% or ₹1.25 per equity share (of ₹ 1 each), the company said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 13th, 2018

Two worlds, one voice

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / PIO's, World Opinion

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

Education, Nri's / PIO's, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

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

A flourishing trade centre revisited

About Telangana, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

A bird’s eye view of Peddabonkur village of Karimnagar district.


Coins, terracotta beads, pearls, semi-precious stones unearthed at Peddabonkur village of Karimnagar

The Hussain Miyan Vagu, a tributary of Godavari, flows beside the largely agriculture village of Peddabonkur in Karimnagar district. But 20 centuries ago, it was a flourishing trade centre.

“The vagu (stream) might have been a source of water for the village that flourished in the 1st and 2nd century. The village had flourishing trade centre during Satavahana rule and later in Chalukya times,” says N.R. Visalatchy of the Department of Archaeology and Museums (DAM). The Satavahanas ruled between 1 BCE and 2 CE in a region that now stretches over Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra while the Eastern Chalukyas ruled between 7th and 12 century.

The DAM recently finished excavation of the Satavahana era site and a vast trove findings about 922 artefacts were discovered in one layer. The excavation throws a new light on the Satavahana era and the trade links of the village in the interiors of Karimnagar. The coin hoards unearthed include punch marked coins dating to pre-Satavahana era, variants of Satavahana coins, Eastern Chalukyan coins, Pallava coins and one Chola coin. “The coin collection makes me believe that the village was continuously inhabited for a long time and had trade relations with many places in the country,” says Ms. Visalatchy who led the excavation team. Besides agricultural produce and cattle trade; the village had a tradition of textile manufacture. Needles, knives and nails have been uncovered at the site.

It is not just the trade links that formed a key part of the findings at Peddabonkur. Among the artefacts are 500 terracotta beads. “We recovered 50 tiny pearls from the site. The pearls are very small and the technique for drilling a hole through them and stringing them would be worth researching,” said Ms. Visalatchy.

Among the other findings from the site are jade, jasper, shell bangles besides crystal and semi-precious stones. The findings also include amalkha gold foil work, the ribbed shape of amla, for ear rings.

From a historical perspective, this was one of the biggest finds during the archaeological season for the DAM. A report cataloguing the finds as well as the historical context has been sent to the Government of India.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Serish Nanisetti / Hyderabad – October 20th, 2018

Dutch firm opens facility in Jadcherla

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Dutch multinational firm Royal DSM has set up its second animal nutrition and health premix plant in India at Jadcherla, near Hyderabad.

With the facility, which was formally opened on Monday, the company aims to serve the growing Indian market in tune with the objective of providing solutions tailor-made for local needs. DSM Animal Nutrition and Health Business Unit Director (South Asia) Ravindra Vyawahare said the company has been in the region for over 20 years.

“We see strong potential for growth in the animal premix industry. The Jadcherla plant gives us far greater geographic reach and increases our production capacity to meet the growing industry demands,” he said in a release. The first plant of the company in India is in Maharashtra.

DSM, which is listed on Euronext Amsterdam, and its associated companies had annual net sales of about €10 billion and a headcount of about 23,000 people.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – October 15th, 2018

Washable sanitary pads in Hyderabad soon

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion

Days for Girls is a global movement breaking menstrual stigma while improving access to quality, reusable menstrual care products.

Happy Smiles Foundation and Days for Girls International say they are partnering to forge change around the issue of MHM. (Photo| EPS)

Hyderabad :

In celebration of the UN International Day of the Girl on October 11, Happy Smiles Foundations, in partnership with Days for Girls International (DfGI), is inaugurating a social enterprise in Hyderabad to provide affordable, environmentally-friendly menstrual health solutions for women and girls.

The group is launching the enterprise this month. DfG Founder and CEO, Celeste Mergens visited Hyderabad recently and met with various organizations and government officials to discuss menstrual health management (MHM) and the needs of Indian schoolgirls and women when managing their menses. Days for Girls supplies empower women to make a choice that supports the Swachh Bharat initiative.

Days for Girls is a global movement breaking menstrual stigma while improving access to quality, reusable menstrual care products. The US-based nonprofit organization has a 10 year history of delivering menstrual supplies and health education to women and girls around the world; to date, they have reached over 1 million women and girls in over 120 countries with Days for Girls Kits, which include comfortable washable sanitary pads that are eco-friendly, and designed to manage menses without stigma or shame.

In India, more than 40% of women report lack of access to sanitary pads, and many social and cultural taboos leave women and girls feeling uncomfortable discussing their menses or purchasing sanitary products.

One in five girls drops out of school after starting menstruation. India has recently seen a surge in efforts to address this issue from local NGOs, community leaders, and government officials, especially as menstrual health management has become recognized as an important barrier to gender equality, women’s health, and girls’ education. DfG uses a multi-tiered approach to menstrual health challenges that involves a global network of over 50,000 volunteer Chapters and Teams. DfG has more than 80 Social Enterprises globally, like the one launching in Hyderabad, with a mission to increase access to menstrual care and
education.

Happy Smiles Foundation and Days for Girls International say they are partnering to forge change around the issue of MHM and ‘act as a catalyst for local leaders to continue speaking out and creating solutions to this taboo subject.’ Celeste Mergens, Founder, Days for Girls International and team members Stephanie Stewart Schmid, Starry Laurie took part in the city event.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / October 10th, 2018

Secunderabad sailor wins Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award

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Secunderabad sailor wins Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.

The INSV Tarini team with (inset)Lieutenant Commander Aishwarya Boddapati during their 254-day voyage circumventing the globe | Express

Hyderabad :

Secunderabad-based Navy sailor Lt Commander Aishwarya Boddapati who, along with five other Navy women, became the first to circumnavigate the world on a shipping vessel, was surprised when she learnt that she had won the Tenzing Norgay Award for Adventure.

“I couldn’t believe it. This is the highest award for adventure in the country,” a jubilant Boddapati told Express on Tuesday. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports informed the Lieutenant and the five other Naval officers via email late on Monday night. She is set to receive the award from President Ram Nath Kovind on September 25 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

She said, “The expedition was a gruelling challenge for all of us. It was never done before by women and we were given extensive physical, psychological and emotional training for six months before embarking upon the mission.”

She considers the Pacific Ocean to be the most gruelling part of her journey that spanned 254 days. “Even though we chose to circumnavigate around the world during the summer season, the average temperature in the Pacific Region was -six degree Celsius,” Bodapatti said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New IndianExpress / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Aihik Sur, Express News Service / September 19th, 2018