Indur Bharathi general secretary Meka Ramaswami submitting a memorandum to Collector Yogitha Rana, in Nizamabad on Saturday.— Photo: K.V. RAMANA
Dasarathi Krishnamachary and Vattikota Alwar Swami, fighters of Telangana Liberation Movement, were kept in custody here
Meka Ramaswami, general secretary of Indur Bharathi, a literary and cultural organisation, appealed to District Collector Yogitha Rana to develop the cell in which the fighters of Telangana Liberation Movement – Dasarathi Krishnamachary and Vattikota Alwar Swami – were kept in custody during their incarceration at Quilla jail by the Nizam Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan.
In a memorandum submitted to the Collector here on Saturday, he urged the administration to install life-size portraits of the two stalwarts who laid down their lives for people. The cell should be spruced up and developed into a national monument, he said.
Mr. Ramaswami also requested Ms. Rana to use her good offices to set up a permanent library on municipal or government land to enable people to read the duo’s literature and also to conduct research on them.
He thanked the Collector for her positive response to the twin demands.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Nizamambad – April 17th, 2016
Writer, poet and multi-talented academic tutor at Sunderland University in the UK, Ragasudha Vinjamuri, has completed transcribing ancient palm-leaf folios in Telugu.
The palm-leaf folios have been in the British Library since 1942 and, after a three-year effort, Ragasudha completed the transcription providing a new insight into the life and work of the twelfth century theologian and philosopher Acharya Ramanuja.
The work, in the form of Satakam, will be released in the British parliament on May 10 on the occasion of the 999th birth anniversary of Ramanujacharya. British parliament member Bob Blackman will preside over the function.
Ragasudha is a writer, poet, journalist and founder of Sanskruthi Centre for Cultural Excellence. She has also popularised folk dances such as Koya and Lambadi to a wider audience in the UK.
Ragasudha came across the palm-leaf folios through the curator of South Indian languages at British Library, Nalini Persad, who asked the former to look through the folios.
Some folios were badly damaged and needed Ragasudha to extensively research and identify the missing content from those broken folios. She could ascertain the author of the work with the help of scholars in India. It took more than three years for completing the entire transcription. “I am glad to transcribe the palm-leaf folios that were in the possession of British Library, ascertained by scholars and historians to be about 300 years old,” she said. Vinjamuri now wants to bring into light some mythological characters that received little attention.
Ragasudha researched various texts and puranas and is now planning to bring out the story of characters like Lord Krishna’s daughter, Lord Shiva’s daughter and King Dasaratha’s daughter in dance form, titled ‘Unknown Daughters’.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / by Express News Service / April 11th, 2016
The fourth annual Telangana Night-2016 will be held by Telangana Development Forum of Canada in Toronto on May 7.
TJAC chairman M.Kodandaram will be the chief guest and Ontario Province minister Dipika Damerla of Telugu origin, the honorable guest. Artist Lohit will entertain the audience.
“In the preparatory meet held in Toronto, elderly members discussed the arrangements while the young drafted the dance and songs to be performed during the event,” a press release issued by TDF said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / April 12th, 2016
Short news service mobile application, Way2 has reached 500 million views per month in a short span of three months of its launch.
The achievement is a validation of the unique model and indicates the potential regional language-based news platform has in this country, Way2Online, a leading new media organisation, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Launched in December last year, Way2 offers news snippets in eight local languages, besides in English. It has seen a 300 percent growth in its daily active users in the last three months.
“News on the move is fast catching up with the young generation, who intend to stand connected with the latest happenings from around the world. Considering the lifestyle and time constraint among the users, we developed a format that is unique in nature and offers optimal information to its consumers,” said Raju Vanapala, founder and CEO of Way2.
“Available statistics indicate that every user on an average flips through 50 stories per day; and every day there are 18,000 new Application downloads,” he added.
According to available statistics, over 70 percent of the total traffic on the app comes from the local language consumers.
So far, the Way2 App has reached 6.5 million downloads while at least 650,000 visit the app every day.
Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi and Bangla are the eight regional languages which bring in visitors to the App.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderabad / IANS / April 12th, 2016
Short filmmaker Aparna Malladi returns with a coming of age story in her second film ‘Anushree Experiments’
Hyderabad-based short filmmaker Aparna Malladi had written a coming of age story, shot it here and did the post production in USA. Titled The Anushree Experiments, her second theatrical release has Ulrika a female protagonist. Aparna’s first film Mitsein, (German word for ‘To Be With’) also with a female protagonist and shot in San Fransciscoreleased in 2009.
In the movie, a Hyderabadi girl Anushree, a chemical engineering student, gets bad grades and fails in her subjects. As she doesn’t have any plan, her parents want her to get married. However she wants to sabotage their plans and actually manages to graduate.
With a message
While she tries ingenious ways to break her impending marriage alliance, her father puts her in house arrest. She reads My Experiments With Truth and begins a comical Gandhian fast too. The movie sends out the message that just because a girl doesn’t have any plan and she doesn’t do well in her studies, it is not right that she be given only the option of getting married. Sometimes people need some time to find out what they really are about.
Isn’t Aparna’s first film similar to The Anushree Experiments?
A still from ‘Anushree’
“Right. There it is about her journey of marriage. She cannot connect with her husband and goes on a self-discovery. That is a bit mature story. Here it is a coming of age woman. You are not a girl anymore but you haven’t become a woman yet, that is what I explored. I looked for girls here. I met Samantha, Swati as I needed a performer but finally my producer who is from Nagaland and is in London, asked me to meet a girl Ulrika Krishnamoorthy. I went all the way to London to find a girl from Somajiguda,” smiles the director. Aparna reveals the main antagonist of The Anushree Experiments is Ramakrishna who has earlier worked in the television show Ruturagalu and Bahubali movie. Anushree has a love interest and very good suitors but she is not able to relate with them. Is she confident that she will find audience?
“We got a limited release, only three theatres. I showed the film to women in colleges and told them to encourage the film as it finds their expression in the story. I just made a story and figured out a way to make it accessible to audience. It is difficult but otherwise I should find a Pawan Kalyan. Where is the place for smaller stories? Personal stories need to be told and we have to push for it. LA has a vibrant Indie space but that doesn’t kill the smaller films and there are theatres that show such independent films. I come from that culture.”
“It is about young women; if women come to see such films, men too will. Raghavendra Rao once asked me if I am into making feminist films. I am not We all have our own little stories. Actors like Savitri or Bhanumati enjoyed longevity in the industry because they could get mature roles; now girls have narrowly defined roles, they can be easily substituted. If writers are all men and portray women as seductresses, then there is little hope. But I do have hope. I need to keep my budget low, but I do find producers for my films but my condition is that my protagonist will be a woman.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Y Sunita Chowdhary / Hyderabad – April 05th, 2016
Reddy Ratnakar Reddy showing his collection of rocks and tools at his residence in Warangal onThursday.— Photo: M. Murali
Reddy Ratnakar Reddy, a teacher at a private college, has travelled extensively in Warangal and collected artefacts of historical value
For many of us, a piece of rock doesn’t mean anything. But for Reddy Ratnakar Reddy, a teacher at a private B.Ed college here, it’s a source of education and research.
The 40-year-old Ratnakar Reddy, who developed interest in studying history, travelled the entire district excavating the buried past. In the process, he collected innumerable items, mostly rocks, fossils and tools, believed to have been used by pre-historic men in the course of evolution.
Mr. Ratnakar Reddy found pre-historic places and animal and tree fossils at Buttaigudem in Eturunagaram mandal, cave paintings at Vargal near Medak district, coloured rock beads, menhirs, cist, kern circles at Konne village in Bachannapet mandal in Warangal and grinding stones and grooves at Ramachandrapur village in the same mandal. A huge rock avenue was spotted by him at Kodavatur village as well.
“The habit of digging into the past, literally, is inherited from my father, Buchi Reddy, who is a curious person. Since the announcement of separate Telangana in 2009, I took interest in digging out unknown facts about Telangana, particularly the Warangal district,” he told The Hindu .
He turned his house into a minim archaeology museum with the items he collected during his tours all over the district.
Among the most enchanting findings of Mr. Ratnakar Reddy are musical stones at Chunchunkota hillocks in Cheriyal mandal. “There is a long stone with 60 capsules which was perhaps used as a musical instrument. If you hit the stone, it emits a musical note. There are petroglyphs as well,” he explained.
How does he establish the veracity and authenticity of his findings? Mr. Ratnakar Reddy has been in touch with archaeology and history experts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and surfs internet to learn more about his findings.
“There is an amazing history attached to She Stones found at Wanaparthy village in Lingala Ghanpur mandal and so also the rock cut burials there,” he said.
He wishes to write a book about his findings thus securing a page for himself in the history of Warangal.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao / Jangaon(Warangal District) / April 01st, 2016
The copper and lead coins found during an excavation at Pazzur archaeological site in Nalgonda district on Wednesday. Photo: Singam Venkataramana / The Hindu
The coins belonged to Mahatalavara, feudal lords who ruled parts of Telangana under Satavahana
The archaeology officials excavating the early historic site located between Pazzur-Yarragaddagudem villages unearthed one copper and two lead coins probably belonging to Satavahana and post-Satavahana period.
“Mahatalavara, a feudatory family that ruled parts of Telangana under Satavahana and also during post-Satavahana period, had minted these coins, the archaeology officials said.
The archaeologists identified the coin belongs to Mahatavalaras since the two lead coins were having horse symbol on obverse side. They could not identify the symbol on other side of these coins. The copper coin was rusted and they could not identify anything on it.
Speaking to The Hindu , Assistant Director of Archaeology and Museums, P. Nagaraju said that they would send both the lead coins and copper coin for chemical treatment to further identify the symbols on them.
Conarium rod
They have also unearthed a crystal-made 0.06 cm long conarium rod, which the ancient women used for decoration of bindi on their forehead. And they have also found big size bangles made of shell.
Retired Chief Curator Yerramraju Bhanu Murthy said that they had also found similar coins at Dulikatta, Peddankuru, Kotilingala in Karimnagar district and Phangiri, Yeleshwaram in Nalgonda district.
Mr. Bhanu Murthy said that after finding these coins they came to a conclusion that Mahathalavaras also ruled Pazzur area apart from above places.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by T. Karnakar Reddy / Nalgonda – April 07th, 2016
A linguist and a classical vocalist, young Varun Chenichery faces challenges with élan
Being challenged is no drawback. Give them an opportunity and see them fly. Seventeen–year-old Varun Chenichery is slowly making waves. In 2015, he won special recognition at the annual Pt. Jasraj-Rotary Club of Hyderabad Scholarships for Music and Fine arts and had the opportunity to sing before Panditji himself.
Credit for his achievement must go to his parents Madhavi Adimulam and Mohan Chenichery and Hindustani vocalist and Harini Rao. Harini says that singing before Panditji is something all musicians aspire for. “Varun was calm and sang beautifully. It was all the more special for me because this was the same stage and award that I had received years ago and today I was seeing my student receive it. It was overwhelming! All credit goes to my guru Swati Phadke,” remembers Harini.
Pandari Nivasa Sakhya PandurangaVarun has no stage fright and once opened Harini Rao’s concert at a temple and surprised the audience. At his concerts, Varun always sings popular natyageet, Narayana rama ramana
Many studies have proved strong link between music and language learning and this is substantiated in Varun’s case. “Once I came to know about the link and his inclination towards music, I started music therapy and there was no looking back for Varun,” says Madhavi. She says that from the time Varun was diagnosed with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), they started working with him on his communication. “We started with Sign Language and then moved on to Pictures Exchange Communication and then to words/speech, she says.
On initiating him into music, Madhavi says that ever since he was a baby, he loved music. “While he was in kindergarten he would not sit in his class. If any other class, in the school, had a music class, he would insist on attending that music class,” the mother says. Varun’s interest in music arose even though not hailing from a musicians’ family,” says Madhavi.
Madhavi plays as much music as possible for Varun as music is calming for him for all his communication challenges. In music class, Harini makes him explore swaras. “Yes, he does have a lot to improve upon, but the key is to be happy while singing. I constantly appreciate his singing and keep giving him high-fives,” says Harini.
Learning music under Harini for the last three years, Varun is also attending a group class at Swati Phadke’s. Recalling,her association with Varun, Harini says that when she was asked if she could teach Varun, she was hesitant but took it up as a challenge. “It’s the best thing I have ever done as a teacher – to have gone ahead to teach Varun. He’s very intelligent and understands and grasps different taals quickly! His learning ability in patterns of notes is amazing! It is always fun teaching him,” she says.
Quizzed on his plans, his mother says he wants to become a ‘big’ singer. “Let him learn music as much as he wants,” Madhavi says. Proficient in 20 languages, young Varun loves to learn scripts, travel, cook and bake. A big fan of Nigella Lawson, he excitedly watches her cookery programmes on TLC. An amicable child, Varun never gets into conflict with his younger brother Pranav, but likes to be left alone.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Lakshmi Ramakrishna / Hyderabad – April 01st, 2016
Sunaina Singh, Vice-Chancellor, English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad has been unanimously elected as Vice President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi for a period of three years.
The ICCR Constitution provides for three Vice Presidents out of whom two are elected by the General Assembly. Prabhat Shukla, former Ambassador is the other dignitary who was elected as Vice President while Dr. Jai Shankar, Foreign Secretary to the Government of India is ex-officio third vice-president of the Council.
ICCR president Prof. Lokesh Chandra conducted the General assembly and the Governing Board meetings recently, a press release said.
Prof. Sunaina Singh’s election adds another feather to her career as an academic and as one of the few woman Vice Chancellors of a Central University in India today. She is the first and only Indian woman to have headed the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, a bi-national organization and has rich experience of academic administration at both the national as well as at the international levels.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is a body functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India and its mandate includes participation in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes relating to India’s External Cultural relations and to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 31st, 2016
Akash Agarwal, Prashant Surana Jain and Sandeep Singh,co-founders of Snapper Technologies. -Photo: by arrangement
Snapper will be launched in April on Android and iOS platforms
If purchased goods can be home-delivered so can the products worth a trial. Now, order any number of items ranging from jewellery to apparel to even electronic gadgets and wait to try it out at a comfortable location for free. That too, within 40 minutes of placing the order, promises the team behind the mobile app, Snapper which is to be launched in April first week on Android and iOS platforms.
The city-based co-founder of the startup, Snapper Technologies, Prashant Surana informed that the ‘Try It Now’ feature on their app will let the users get access to dozens of stores across the city.
“The customers can order items from multiple stores and they don’t have to necessarily buy it after trying them,” said Mr. Surana. “Nowadays, travelling in traffic consumes a lot of time. Instead of physically going to various shops, the users can make their homes in to trial rooms without paying a penny. We have our own logistics team to make sure the products quickly reach the users.”
Not just the shoppers, but the app is blessing in disguise for the vendors too, according to Mr. Surana.
“By tying up with the vendors, we have provided them with the revolutionary customer relationship management tool. They will become more organised and can track down their customers residing nearby and connect with them through push notifications and messages. They can know the purchase habits of the customers too. Since we are taking care of logistics, they do not have to spend on delivery boys,” said Mr. Surana. Through their one-of-its-kind digital payment options, ‘Kwik Pay’, the users also can recharge to shop more and receive discounts.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / Rahul Devalapalli / Hyderabad – March 29th, 2016
