Monthly Archives: December 2014

Nagoba Fest Declared State Festival

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Hyderabad :

Telangana government has declared a week long ‘Nagoba Jatara’ in Adilabad district as a state festival and sanctioned `10 lakh for the conduct of the Jatara this year.

Adilabad district officials proposed to organise the tribal festival at Kesalapur village in Indravelli mandal in Adilabad district from January 19 for seven days.

Orders to this effect were issued by the state government on Friday to organise the festival. The jatara is an important religious event wherein devotees of the Mesram clan of Rajgonds worship the serpent god Nagoba.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / December 13th, 2014

Indian Soldiers of World War I Remembered

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion
Diplomats of France, Germany, Britain and Turkey along with Telangana representative BV Papa Rao (centre) paying homage to Indian soldiers of World War I memorial monument in Hyderabad on Friday | a suresh kumar
Diplomats of France, Germany, Britain and Turkey along with Telangana representative BV Papa Rao (centre) paying homage to Indian soldiers of World War I memorial monument in Hyderabad on Friday | a suresh kumar

Hyderabad :

After 100 years of the first World War, Hyderabad hosted a rare moment where the diplomats from the belligerent countries of the historic war came together on a single platform to pay homage to the Indian soldiers who died fighting the war.

France and Britain together fought against Germany in World War-I. In fact they were rivals in the second World War as well.

The diplomats of the all three countries along with the Consul General of Turkey, shook hands with each other on the same stage and prayed for the world peace here on Friday.

This took place at the ‘World War-I monument’ at Chaderghat during the Commemoration Day of the Indian soldiers who died fighting the first World War. The historic monument which is located right next to the victory ground at Chaderghat was built in 1920 by the locals in the memory of Indian soldiers. Recalling the sacrifice of the soldiers, Andrew McAllister, the British deputy high commissioner in Hyderabad said, “We can’t forget the sacrifice they made in the war. This is a great opportunity for all of us to recall our past and build a bright future.” He also highlighted the role of Hyderabad in the World War. “Many soldiers from the Nizam’s Army fought in the war. In fact the Begumpet Airport played a key role as the air base for British empire during the war,” he added.

Achim Fabig, the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany described the meet as a symbol of peaceful world today. “Once our countries fought against each other, but now we all are here and we all want the world to be peaceful” he said. Talking about current diplomatic relations, he said, now all the countries are making efforts to build friendly relationships with each other and it is indeed a good sign.

This commemoration meet was organised by the INTACH, Hyderabad chapter in collaboration with the Alliance Francaise, Hyderabad. “This monument has a great history and it needs to be recognised. This the reason we organised the event,” said P Anuradha Reddy, convenor, ITACH Hyderabad. Eric Lavertu, Consul General of France and Merad Omerogul, Consul General of Turkey were also present at the event.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / December 13th, 2014

Nikhat Zareen is brand ambassador of Nizamabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Boxer Nikhat Zareen displays the gold medal which she won in the Golden Gloves international youth women boxing meet held in Serbia in July. Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
Boxer Nikhat Zareen displays the gold medal which she won in the Golden Gloves international youth women boxing meet held in Serbia in July. Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

To create awareness on road safety among people, international boxer Nikhat Zareen has been appointed brand ambassador by district Collector D. Ronald Ross, according to Deputy Transport Commissioner G.C. Rajatnam.

Henceforth, Ms. Zareena will take part in all programmes conducted by the transport authorities to impart education on road safety and measures to be taken to avoid accidents among students and general public.

Thus Nizamabad district became the lone district in the State to have had a brand ambassador on road safety.

As part of creating more awareness on the subject, some more celebrities are likely to be declared brand ambassadors, said Mr. Rajaratnam.

He also said all taxi cabs, maxi cabs, Toofan vehicles and autorickshaws must follow the RTA conditions and get permission from the said authority besides having driving licence and owner identity card in the vehicles. That apart, only those vehicles which secure permission will ply as taxis and must be parked at the taxi stand and if any private vehicle is parked at the earmarked place, penalty will be imposed on the owners, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Nizamabad – December 13th, 2014

ICRISAT research yields rich dividends

Science & Technology, World Opinion
ICRISAT Director General William D Darfelicitated by Former DG at 42nd Annual Celabrations at Patancheru in Medak. Photo: Mohd Arif / The Hindu
ICRISAT Director General William D Darfelicitated by Former DG at 42nd Annual Celabrations at Patancheru in Medak. Photo: Mohd Arif / The Hindu

The research taken up in the past four decades in the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) under Agriculture Research for Development (AR4D) in this mandal headquarters town has transformed thousands of lives in dry-lands in Asia and Africa.

“In a 2014 impact assessment study of ICRISAT’s highly successful breakthrough innovations – Jewels of ICRISAT- have yielded a return on investment of US$ 43 for every dollar invested with an internal rate of return of 41 percent. Average return on every dollar invested stood at US$ 70 if we include innovations spanning for four decades with an internal rate of 35 per cent return,” said William D. Dar, Director General, ICRISAT, while speaking to reporters here on Friday along with Deputy Director General C.L.L Gowda.

ICRISAT’s 42 anniversary celebrations concluded on Friday. The organisation also held a grand farewell function for Mr. Dar, who was retiring this month end and returning to Philippines . He has completed three five-years term as DG for ICIRSAT. Stating that they were able to improve the lives of lakhs of farmers from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Dar said that the investments into ICIRSAT by development partners have increased from US$22 million in 2000 to US$85 million in 2014. ICRISAT’s three top donors include Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, United Nations Agency for International Development (USAID) and CGIAR, a consortium of global agricultural research.

To a question, Mr. Dar said that they had already held discussions with Andhra Pradesh Government which has promised to implement ‘Bhuchetana’. “We have asked the government to prepare preliminary section strategy based on which we will prepare translation of strategy into action plan,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by R. Avadhani / Patancheru (Medak District) – December 13th, 2014

Arts College turns 95, not 75!

Education, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

Last week, the media was abuzz with reportage on the launch of ‘Platinum Jubilee’ celebrations of the Arts College of Osmania University. Deans, heads of departments, faculty and students and several former principals and alumni of the college participated in the event to mark the 75th year of the Arts College. But the fact is that Arts College completed 95 years of its existence on 28th August this year itself. This prestigious institution would be completing its centenary in 2019, just a year after the centenary of Osmania University.

The seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, had issued a firman for the establishment of Osmania University on 26th April 1917 for offering higher education through Urdu medium in the erstwhile Hyderabad State. The University became functional in 1918. Under the aegis of the University, the Arts College was inaugurated on 28th August 1919 and it was temporarily housed in eight rented buildings in Gunfoundry area in the city.

A faculty of 25 lecturers was recruited and 225 students were admitted in Intermediate first class in the first academic year of the college. Incidentally, Sir Ross Masood, grandson of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and founder of Aligarh Muslim University, was the first principal of Arts College. Degree and postgraduate courses were started in 1925 and PhD programme in several disciplines in 1938.

The government acquired a vast extent of land (about 2,000 acres) at Adikmet for development of the campus of Osmania University in 1928. Engineer Ali Nawaz Jung and Architect Zain Yar Jung were sent abroad to study and suggest a model plan for the campus. Monsieur Jasper, a Belgian architect, prepared the detailed plans for the campus buildings. The Nizam laid the foundation for the Arts College building on 5th July 1934. The imposing building, in Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, was built in a record time of 5 years. The Arts College building was inaugurated by the Nizam on 4th December 1939.

The majestic and elegant edifice in pink granite stone retains much of it charm even today, though it has seen vicissitudes of fortune over the last 75 years. The college, being 20 years older than the building, has been witness to many more changes. While departments in modern disciplines as well as classical and Indian languages were opened, the medium of instruction was changed from Urdu to English, soon after police action in erstwhile Nizam State in September 1948. The Arts College made its name all over the globe for its academic excellence by producing eminent alumni and employing renowned academicians.

In 1973, degree courses were discontinued in Arts College and it became an exclusively postgraduate college, offering PG and advanced diploma courses and research studies in various disciplines. Though it was the hotbed of Telangana movement during 1968-71 and several Mulki agitations earlier, Arts College scaled new heights in the 1970s and 1980s. The college made its mark in both arts and social sciences, including economics, history, geography, political science, public administration, psychology, sociology, English and other foreign languages, classical and Indian languages and communication & journalism, linguistics, Islamic Studies and philosophy.

Those who studied in the Arts College or served on its faculty brought laurels. The alumni include not only great academicians but also bureaucrats, political leaders and educational administrators. Many of the erstwhile faculty or alumni of the college went on to become vice-chancellors of eminent universities in the state as well as other prominent universities across the country. Some made their mark abroad. Apart from its alumni in many other disciplines, the Arts College also produced many eminent media persons who studied at its department of communication and journalism.

Yet, after the mushrooming of colleges offering professional courses such as Engineering, MBA, MCA, B.Ed etc, there has been a marked drop in the students seeking postgraduate courses in social sciences and arts subjects. The severe financial crunch due to inadequate funding of the university through block grants by the government has led to a situation where the Arts College is forced to discontinue some courses or to keep several posts of faculty vacant. This is having its own impact on the academic excellence of the college. In the last few years, Osmania University campus witnessed intense agitation by students for separate Telangana State. Now, Telangana is a reality and it is time to strive hard to win back fame and pristine glory for Arts College before it celebrates its centenary in 2019.

(The writer is an MLC and a journalist)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / by Syed Amin Jafri, TNN / December 08th, 2014

Hyderabadi chess player earns FIDE Trainer title

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Inaganti Amarnath (right), the FIDE arbiter from Hyderabad who officiated in the recent Chess Olympiad, seen with his favourite and former world champion Anatoly Karpov. - A file Photo.
Inaganti Amarnath (right), the FIDE arbiter from Hyderabad who officiated in the recent Chess Olympiad, seen with his favourite and former world champion Anatoly Karpov. – A file Photo.

He is out to challenge the best of the arbiters with his sheer passion and the keenness to keep increasing the vast base of chess knowledge. That is Inaganti Amarnath, who achieved a rare first for any chess player from both the Telugu-speaking States — Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — earning the FIDE Trainer title – a few weeks ago for you.

Inaganti Amarnath
Inaganti Amarnath

He and his brother Inaganti Ganesh set another record of sorts by being the first brother duo to officiate in the World Youth chess championship in South Africa. Amarnath, a physically challenged player, also provided a ‘silver’ lining by finishing second in the Commonwealth Championship (physically disabled category) in Glasgow (Scotland) three years ago in the 2011 World championship for disabled.

It fetched the 37-year-old a job in the South Central Railway. This time he became the only arbiter from Telangana to officiate in the Chess Olympiad (along with two other Indians – Anantharam and Gopa Kumar).

“It was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. A performance which also spurred me to do well in the Trainers’ Seminar in Norway where I earned the FIDE Trainer title,” says a delighted Amarnath, representing the All India Chess Federation (AICF). Though he managed to fund his own trip and is now hoping the Sports Authority of Telangana.

Amarnath has also been re-elected as the general secretary of the International Physically Disabled Chess Association during the Olympiad. “This provides me a rare platform to raise the issues faced by the physically challenged players and also find ways and means to resolve some of their pressing problems in pursuing their passion for chess,” he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – December 09th, 2014

Music Without Live Instruments

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

MusicTELANGANA11dec2014


Hyderabad :

Have you ever tried your hand at composition? What did you do with it? If it’s still lying in your store, it’s time to make it live like Nalinikanth Josyabhatla did in 2008 and reunited himself with music, his passion which he once had to part away with. In association with Hyderabad Western Music Foundation, he is on a quest to inform more and more people about it by conducting workshop, which was held during the weekend. “The participants included music lovers from the city from the age group of 10 to 55 who wanted learn how to produce music without having to hire the orchestra for it,” he informs.

During the two-hour workshop, the participants were taught about the concepts and elements involved in music production using computer softwares and were made to understand the music production process in general. “We can not say that the participants learnt the skills perfectly, but they did get encouragement and guidance,” he says. A live demo was held for the participants at the end of the workshop where the software used to give demo was harmony assistant, garritan personal orchestra (GPO) samples, cubase essential mixer and audacity editor. Apart from that, softwares like sibelius, finale, noteworthy, VSL can also be used, he informs.

Hyderabad Western Music Foundation and he are planning to come together again to conduct a series of workshops on compositions of Western classical music.

A mechanical engineer by education, producing music himself was not an easy task. “When I first started, I began by looking for softwares online. I first stumbled upon harmony assistant. After that though, I managed to find more softwares as I was not satisfied. I knew the sound can be made better so using various softwares to make the music sound real. I won’t say that the music sounds 100 per cent real, but I have managed to reach 70-80 per cent,” he admits.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Pratima Shantaveeresh / December 09th, 2014

Suryadevara’s tryst with English writing

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Writer Suryadevara in Hyderabad on Monday. Photo: G. Ramakrishna / The Hindu
Writer Suryadevara in Hyderabad on Monday. Photo: G. Ramakrishna / The Hindu


The popular Telugu author with 107 novels to his credit has already come out with two works in English and is working on releasing two more English novels next year

Penning most novels in Telugu is his acclaim, but not content, Suryadevara Ram Mohan Rao has already come out with two works in English. And he is working on releasing two more English novels next year.

The popular Telugu author with 107 novels to his credit in a writing career that span nearly three decades is also looking at possibilities of his maiden English novel ‘The Enemy of Mankind’ adopted for a movie by Hollywood.

“Some story promoters from Hollywood have liked the novel which is science fiction genre with genetics as backdrop and are on the job of promoting it for a movie. I am waiting for a response from them,” he says.

Mr. Rao’s second English novel ‘The Dictator of the Dark’ was released this month and it narrates the tale of a hero who gets framed while trying to expose frauds at the high level. “The plot is racy and spread out at global level,” he says.

The 56-year-old author was bitten by the writing bug in 1985 when he was working with the AP Dairy Development Corporation. His first novel ‘Model’ was serialised in a daily newspaper and deciding to take up writing full time, he quit the job in 1989.

“Since then, I have been into novels apart from assignments for movies in the form of story, screenplay and dialogues. I worked for more than 45 films,” Mr. Rao says.

He fondly remembers the good old days of Telugu fiction writing when he picked up the pen and avers, “Then it was a Yandamuri Veerendranath and Malladi Krishnamurthy wave and people were really hooked to reading. Sadly, passion for reading lost out to television serials”.

From stories that oozed romance to plots laced with suspense to narratives set with historic backdrops, he has done all. “I think the younger generation is slowly moving towards reading. Orders for reprint of my several novels I feel, is a testimony to that,” adds Mr. Suryadevara Ram Mohan Rao.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by T. Lalith Singh / Hyderabad – December 09th, 2014

OU Arts College Completes 75 Years

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All
The magnificent building of Osmania University College of Arts and Social Sciences in Hyderabad is gaily illuminated for the platinum jubilee. | EXPRESS PHOTO
The magnificent building of Osmania University College of Arts and Social Sciences in Hyderabad is gaily illuminated for the platinum jubilee. | EXPRESS PHOTO

Hyderabad :

Since 1969 the historic Arts College of Osmania University had become the face of the Telangana movement. In fact, the political atmosphere at the college still remains the same.

But, it is not the politics alone which has made it popular. The Arts College had also been an academic hub in the past. But did the academics remain the same in the college? The veterans of 1969 separatist movement have a surprising answer to this question.

Participating in the platinum jubilee celebrations of the college, some of the former students who took part in the 1969 Telangana statehood movement made an interesting comparison of the olden days of the college with the present. Prof K.Madhusudan Reddy, who studied in the college in 1950, says that it was one of the best colleges in the entire south India in those days. Back in 1969, the students who took part in the agitation also used to equally focus on the studies despite the intense political atmosphere on the campus.

Reddy, who had a closer view of the Telangana movement in 1969 and again in 2014, says that activism had never been the excuse to skip studies during the first movement. “But now the Arts College has more politics and less academics,” he observes. He still remembers how he and his friends managed their studies along with politics.

After spending almost three decades in the college, Reddy has a lot to say about his memories with it. But he chooses to speak only about the academics and the iconic college building. Talking at the very platinum jubilee celebrations, Reddy frankly tells the students and faculty of the college that politics has started dominating academics in the college.

Another former principal of the college, Prof KS Upadhyaya, has also expressed a similar opinion. “Arts College has produced many academicians, leaders and bureaucrats. But where do we stand in the studies now?” he asks. Saying that so far the college has been in the news for various reasons, he reminds the students and faculty that this is the time to bring it in news for academic achievements.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / December 05th, 2014

Telangana gets 1 made in India phase shifting transformer

Records, All, Science & Technology

Indigenously developed, manufactured and commissioned by BHEL

The first indigenously developed and manufactured Phase Shifting Transformer (PST), a device that helps improve transmission efficiency, has been commissioned in Telangana by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.

Announcing the successful commissioning of its PST at the Kothagudem Thermal Power Station Stage-VI, the Central Public Sector Enterprise on Wednesday said it is an outstanding smart grid solution in the true sense considering the “remarkable benefits” it would have for transmission networks. “This is a major development and has opened a new line of business,” the company said.

BHEL received the order for the 400 kV/220 kV, 315 MVA rating PST, which is to be utilised to control and improve power flow between both the networks in either direction, from the Telangana State Power Generation Corporation Ltd.

A Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) device, the PST, a release from the company said, is a combination of a shunt and a series transformer. With the commissioning, the existing overloaded 220 kV lines shall be relieved and power can be pushed through the 400 kV line, thus improving the transmission efficiency of both lines and also avoiding a grid collapse in case of system instability.

The PST has been manufactured at BHEL’s Bhopal plant, which is equipped to manufacture transformers up to 1,200 kV range. The plant also has its own ultra high voltage laboratory, one of its kind in the country, the release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – December 04th, 2014