Monthly Archives: February 2015

Lions Clubs to Reach Out to Rural People in Telangana

Hyderabad :

The state government wants Lions Club International Foundation and Lions Clubs in Telangana to play a bigger role in reaching out to the rural areas.

Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has suggested to them to help the tribal people in Adilabad district who suffer from malnutrition. “Lions Clubs can do service to these tribals which will be a great help to them,’’ Rao said adding that they (tribals) had superstition and did not take medicine and the Lions Club can motivate them to take medicines.

Rao was interacting with Lions Clubs International Foundation Chairperson Barry J Palmer who along with Lions Clubs past and present presidents of Secunderabad and Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana met him on Thursday and briefed him about their activities all over the country.

Palmer told Rao that the Lions Club would like to have a relationship with Telangana government and would like to take up projects in rural Telangana. Palmer enquired about the priority areas of the state government in the fields of education, sanitation and others. He said that Lions Club is the world’s best NGO.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / February 27th, 2015

Telangana culture gets its newest address at Telangana Festival

Hyderabad :

It was an evening dedicated to India’s 29th state — Telangana. Generously peppered with dhol beats, vibrant dance performances, soulful musical renditions, an expansive exhibition of handicrafts and a delectable spread, Wednesday’s ‘Telangana Festival’ organised by The Park, Hyderabad, in association with the department of culture and language, the department of tourism, The Times of India and Telangana stores, upheld every distinctive characteristic of the state, which many old-timers rue, had lost its individuality during the days of united Andhra Pradesh.

“The battle that we fought so far has been of a different kind. Now, we need to fight to reinstate our identity through culture and food,” said state minister of IT & Panchayat Raj, K T Rama Rao, after inaugurating the programme that saw a host of artistes from across the state come together to give the gathering a sneak-peak into the unique performing arts forms of Telangana. Also present at the event was former IAS officer B V Pappa Rao, now serving as advisor to the Telangana government.

While a group from Nizamabad narrated historical tales through Chindu Yakshnagam (a traditional dance form), another from Nalgonda gave the audience a taste of Dappu Dance, traditionally performed by the Harijan community and best known for its vivacious rhythm. Adding to the exuberance were troupes from Warangal and Khammam who performed Oggudollu (a folk dance form accompanied by dhol) and Kommu Koya (unique to the Koya tribe) respectively. There was also a Qawwali show that left the audience enthralled

Giving a rustic yet exquisite touch to the inaugural festival were art works on display that comprised zardosi handicrafts, lac bangles, Pochampally fabric, among others.

“To ensure that Telangana art and culture is understood and appreciated by one and all and this concept of cultural amalgamation is exhibited at the national and international level, the state government, in the days to come, will do more and ensure that the work started by these artistes gains larger visibility,” Rama Rao said, adding, “The IT department is already working on promoting various art forms – like Nirmal, Bidri, silver filigree, Ikaat – through online market places.”

Apart from arts and crafts, the festival, which will continue till March 1, also comprised a food festival that promoted various delicacies of the new state such as Ooru Kodi Seekulu, Kalchina Mamsam, Jonna Rottelu, Sarva Pindi, along with other dishes. Over the next few days, the food fair will travel across all 10 districts of Telangana to bring to the city the many flavours of the state.

“I am glad that the festival has incorporated the food component. It will help this generation know about the traditional food habits of the people of Telangana,” said state tourism minister Azmeera Chandulal.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / February 19th, 2015

Woodcut from close quarters

A mix of young and senior artists from Baroda and Hyderabad share their experiences at a one-of-its kind woodcut camp at DHI Art Space

OF WOOD AND COLOURS Professor Vijay Bagodi Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu
OF WOOD AND COLOURS Professor Vijay Bagodi Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu

As one walks pasts the flowy curtains, a woodcut zone awaits art lovers at DHI Art Space at Dharam Karan Road in Ameerpet. A group of young artists, Gayathri, Jagadeesh and Kiran are casually chatting away. In front of them are a bottle of linseed oil, wooden blocks and colours against a background that blares the number Apologise. One can spot Vijay Bagodi, professor of MS University, Baroda sitting with a wooden block and Hyderabad artists Srikanth Kuruva and Sajid Bin Amar sharing nuances of woodcut techniques. While T. Sudhakar Reddy, (retd) professor of AU University watches the proceedings, artist Rajeshwar Rao is busy poring over on an image on the block at his worktable. But the real sight is to see veteran artist Thota Vaikuntam turn a student to learn the basics of woodcut painting!

OF WOOD AND COLOURS Artist Thota Vaikuntham Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu
OF WOOD AND COLOURS Artist Thota Vaikuntham Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu

It is a one-of-its kind week-long woodcut camp at DHI Art Space with a mix of young and senior artists from Baroda and Hyderabad. It is a delectable hub of all things arty and wooden at the camp with the gallery exhibiting artists’ previous works. Besides interactions and observing each other’s style of working, the artists, who are staying on the first floor of the building, also participate in talks and sessions over cups of black coffee and chai. “The unlimited scope of woodcut is at the core of the camp,” informs Bhargavi. “The work is too intricate and the whole process is quite laborious. Most of them do not know about it and artists who know do not practice it. We wanted to bring woodcut and non-woodcut painters under one roof and create a platform for interaction. There are veterans, middle aged and younger artists who share and exchange their ideas and experiences.”

While in Hyderabad Vijay Bagodi was at JNTU, attending a lecture by Tushar Gandhi. The professor says by the end of the session, he knew the theme for his woodcut painting as he shows us a block with Mahatma Gandhi’s image. “Being a small city, Baroda is a great place for artists. One can just call Mani sir (K.G. Subramanyan) or Jairam Patel and they will meet you. The place is buzzing with art,” he smiles as he talks about Baroda.

OF WOOD AND COLOURS Artists Pratap Modi and Rajeshwar Rao Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu
OF WOOD AND COLOURS Artists Pratap Modi and Rajeshwar Rao Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu

There is a sense of palpable excitement as artist Rajeshwar Rao walks around with wooden blocks. “It is a new thing and I am learning how it works,” says Vaikuntam with a smile. “Wood is a totally different media and the colours are different. It is good for artists like me as it is a break from the usual and getting to know about textures. I have seen my friends and great masters at work. I have realised it is a very challenging process,” he adds.

OF WOOD AND COLOURS Artist Karuna Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu
OF WOOD AND COLOURS Artist Karuna Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu

As the artists are busy on their worktables, one cannot miss a two-and-half-year old girl running around. Artist Karuna has brought along her little daughter as she participates in the camp. “Wood cut painting is like doing meditation — one goes into a different world of wood and colours. I work on the natural wood and this is compressed wood,” she says while displaying a block. With a laugh she looks at her daughter and adds, “She piles up the dust and makes a rangoli of the chipped out parts.” The camp is also a different experience for artists like Prathap Modi who is used to working on large scale projects. “It is a challenge to work on small wooden blocks and also I like to work alone. This is a new experience as I am trying to mingle with other people,” he says.

Art lovers and budding artists can drop in before February 27 at the Art Space to discover the world of woodcut.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Neerja Murthy / Hyderabad – February 25th, 2015

‘Free to Dial’ service launched

Callers can now get local information by giving a missed call to the new service, “Free to Dial”, which was launched in the city on Thursday by Deputy Chief Minister Mohd. Mohammed Ali.

He said the service providers had promised to source accurate information on products and services to pass on to people seeking information. S. Sunil Kumar Singh and S.J. Basha, the promoters of the service, said that people need to dial 040–6644 4466 any time.

The call is disconnected immediately and the executives will call back with an enquiry and present the information needed. The service is available round-the-clock.

The service currently offers information in 60 categories and 3,000 sub-categories and it will be further expanded in the next few months. The service will be expanded to Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Bangalore in the next six months.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – February 27th, 2015

Awesome ‘Eightsome’ Do ALC Proud

NCC cadets of Andhra Loyola College, who participated in the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, shares a light moment before being felicitated by Krishna district collector Babu A on the college premises in Vijayawada on Tuesday | Express Photo
NCC cadets of Andhra Loyola College, who participated in the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, shares a light moment before being felicitated by Krishna district collector Babu A on the college premises in Vijayawada on Tuesday | Express Photo

Vijayawada :

Pride of achievement was writ large on their faces and their demeanour spoke of confidence. They were eight NCC cadets engaged in a banter while waiting outside the auditorium in Andhra Loyola College (ALC) on Tuesday to be felicitated by the district collector for representing the state in Republic Day parade.

ALC had achieved a rare distinction of being the first college to have eight NCC cadets selected to participate in Republic Day parade. Sharing their experiences and future plans with Express, the cadets expressed their joy and pride of being able to participate in Republic Day parade.

‘Awesome’, ‘Most cherished moment of life’ were their immediate response, when asked how they felt being part of such a momentous occasion. Many of those cadets want to join civil services and become IPS officers while some want to pursue their career in defence services.

Senior Under Officer D Venkata Krishna, pursuing BSC (MPC) second year, was the contingent commandant from the state. It was a proud moment when he got selected for the RD and had seven members of his own group also getting selected for the event.

Venkata Krishna, the only cadet from Andhra and Telangana to get selected for the All India Guard of Honour – 2015 at RD camp, said it was one of the best moments of his life. “I had been able to perform cultural programme in Teen Murti Bhavan in the presence of the Prime Minister,” he said. He along with another cadet R Divya Sai got selected for Youth Exchange Programme (YEP) for 2015. They will be visiting a foreign country, yet to be finalised, in March.

Cadet Captain R Divya Sai was part of the Prime Minister’s rally and bagged All India second best cadet award (silver medal). She also won the Governor’s gold medal for excellence in RD camp 2015 along with Chief Minister’s gold medal at state level. “It was one of the most cherished moments of my life ,” she said. Sergeant M Vikram, who too was part of the PM Rally, said he is proud of his achievement.

Cadets S Naga Balaji and Tijo Thomas said they were excited to march along the Rajpath on Republic Day.

Cadet Shaik Riyaz, who got 3rd place in static model presentation ‘Eurofighter’ explained how he workedhard to prepare for RD camp and the stages he had to cross to get qualified.

Corporal P Gayatri got selected for RD contingent and secured All India fourth place on Gold Star and she was the only girl who could complete the novice show jumping arena with two different horses.

Junior Under Officer Meer Akbar Basha was part of Swachh Bharat Ballet presented by the AP contingent in PM’s house.

“I am proud that I got an opportunity to show culture of both AP and Telangana through my cultural programme,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by S. Guru Srikanth / February 25th, 2015

Global Hospitals conducts total laparoscopic surgery

Surgeons at Global Hospitals conducted a total laparoscopy whipples surgery on a 45-year-old male patient who had pancreatitis and a tumour in pancreas.

The usual surgery to remove tumours from pancreas is to conduct whipples surgery, which involves surgical removal of some parts of pancreas, bile duct and portions of intestines.

After the removal of the tumours, the surgeons undertake reconstruction where all the organs are reconnected again. According to surgeons, this procedure is demanding for patients as well as the doctors.

“Under normal circumstances, whipples operation would have been performed. But this patient is a young male and a strenuous worker by occupation. Also, after considering the risk of respiratory and wound problems, we undertook a total laparoscopic whipples surgery. This procedure consists of small incisions and recovery is very quick,” said Vijaykumar C. Bada, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Global Hospitals.

According to doctors, the patient had severe abdominal pain and unexplained weight loss of more than 10 kg in three months.

“Upon evaluation, we detected that he had pancreatitis with dilated liver, pancreas and a tumour in the head of the pancreas. We decided to do laparoscopy and it took us around 10 hours to complete the surgery,” Dr. Vijaykumar said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – February 26th, 2015

3-day Millet Fest in City from February 27

Hyderabad :

The Directorate of Agriculture and Home Science College of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University (PJTSAU) is organising a Millet Fest-2015 from February 27 to March 1 at People’s Plaza here.

“To popularise the cultivation of millets, production of millet-based products and to popularise consumption of foods prepared with millets among public, the Millet Fest is being held,” commissioner and director of agriculture GD Priyadarsini told reporters here on Tuesday. Millets are not only easy to cultivate when compared to other crops but are also very nutritious. As people are becoming more health conscious, millet-based foods will be a perfect option for them. The fest would create awareness among visitors about various millet-based foods available now, she said.

This is the fourth edition of the Millet Fest. Various millet based foods like multigrain atta, ragi malt, jowar flour, jowar noodles, jowar pasta, ragi vermicelli, cookies, extruded snacks among others will be made available in about 50 stalls. All these products are designed by the scientists at incubation centre of PJTSAU and manufactured and marketed by entrepreneurs.

About 50 entrepreneurs dealing in millet- based food products from all over the state would participate in the fest. PJTSAU will conduct awareness sessions for farmers on millets cultivation and value added products during the fest.

A food court also will be set up at the fest dishing out delicious recipes made from millets like jowar rotis, ragi sankati, jowar upma, jowar noodles, among others. V Praveen Rao, special officer of PJTSAU, D Raji Reddy, director of research PJTSAU, Anurag Chaturvedi, Dean of Home Sciences College, were present at the press conference.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / February 25th, 2015

Eshwari Bai Biography to be Introduced in School Syllabus

Hyderabad :

A lesson on the life of Eshwari Bai, former politician, will be introduced in the school syllabus in Telangana, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said here on Tuesday.

Speaking at the award presenting ceremony of Eshwari Bai Memorial Award – 2015, Rao said the new syllabus will feature biographies of several other leaders of Telangana like G Venkataswamy as well.

The state government will also officially celebrate the birth and death anniversaries of Eshwari Bai, the CM promised. When Eshwari Bai Trust approached the chief minister for attending the award ceremony, he not only gave a nod immediately but also promised to make it a state government function.

Every year the government will coordinate with the trust to organise grand celebrations on both birth and death anniversaries of Eshwari Bai. The CM further said, Eshwari Bai was a great leader and she will remain an inspiration to the younger generation. “Her speeches have been widely quoted in the Telangana movement and are still relevant,” he added.

The Eshwari Bai Memorial Award – 2015 was given to retired bureaucrat and former secretary to Union government Dr PS Krishnan. Though he belongs to Kerala, Krishnan had worked in the united Andhra Pradesh for a long time and he is very familiar with the developments in Telugu States way back from the inception of Telangana movement.

Congress leader Geeta Reddy, daughter of Eshwari Bai, praised the state government for honouring Eshwari Bai by officially celebrating her death anniversary. Jana Reddy said, “This is a good move that the state government has recognised the great personalities of Telangana irrespective of the political differences. I hope this will be followed in future.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / February 25th, 2015

Progress Software turns incubator

Progress Software on Tuesday got into a new role of external incubator with the opening of a 23-seater, 1,600 sq ft facility on its Hyderabad campus. It is the first such facility in the corporate sector and will host four start-ups initially. Going forward it can take two more.

At the inauguration, the software firm announced RiskEdge and DoConf have signed contracts and become the first set of occupants of the Progress Pacific Incubator.

Briefing presspersons, Progress Software India managing director Ramesh Loganathan said the selected start-ups were expected to develop products on Progress products.

“If they are successful, we get licence revenue,” he explained, adding the incubator will not take equity stake in the start-ups. Such investments, he said, may be considered only after the proposed fund of Progress for start-ups is launched.

The pilot programme runs in six months cohorts, Mr.Loganathan said, adding apart from the infrastructure, Progress engineers will be available for the start-ups to provide domain expertise, mentoring and access to markets. The incubator programme, a release said, will be extended to universities and institutions in the next phase.

Progress EVP and CIO Dave Benson said depending on the success of the Hyderabad model the company may replicate it at its engineering locations, which includes Boston, North Carolina besides Sofia in Bulgaria, where it recently acquired a firm, Telerik AD.

“It is a great initiative,” declared Nasscom vice chairman BVR Mohan Reddy and described start-ups as crucial to the economy, particularly as job creators.

IIIT Hyderabad Director P.J. Narayanan said for the benefit of students setting up start-ups the Institute has introduced a deferred placement programme. Such students, in the event of the venture not clicking, remain eligible to participate in campus recruitment after three years.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by N. Ravi Kumar / Hyderabad – February 24th, 2015

Joy of reading shared

Book lovers sift through the collection at Our Sacred Space. Photo: G.Ramakrishna
Book lovers sift through the collection at Our Sacred Space. Photo: G.Ramakrishna

Book swap sessions have caught the fancy of many book lovers in Hyderabad

Coming across cherished, old books is rather common for most book lovers. But the fact is that most book lovers are faced with a mounting collection of books that just get pushed deeper and deeper into that book shelf. Of late, book lovers in the city are finding a new way to recycle and update their existing collections – through book swaps.

First organised as part of the Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF) last year, the book swap programme received lukewarm response. However, as the idea picked up HLF decided to conduct another book swap drive last Sunday at Lamakaan. Apart from this annual feature, Our Sacred Space too conducts weekly book exchange sessions.

How it began
Nivedita N., a poet and media professional, who spearheaded the weekly book exchange movement, says, “It really started off as a way to pass on books that I’ve read and enjoyed. I started it off as a book give away on my blog and had people from across the country sending me requests for books that I have and I would then send it to them. Nayantara Nandakumar of Our Sacred Space happened to see this and we then collaborated to do a weekly book exchange at the venue.”

It all began when Nivedita was sent a coveted collection of books by a lady she had met at Auroville. “Also my grandfather left behind a huge collection of books and these exchanges are a way for us to share our collection while ensuring that the treasured books go into the right hands,” explains Nivedita, an avid reader herself.

How they work
A book swap session typically requires participants to bring their collection of read books in a good condition to the exchange. They can deposit their box of books at the venue and take their pick from the variety brought in by others. “A book swap is a great idea. Not everyone can buy all the books that they want to read. This way a barter system works very well,” says Jatin Kuberkar, a writer and a regular at the book swap sessions.

Chances are a couple of hours spent at a book exchange might throw up some pleasant surprises as well. “I have come across some rare books that I’d been looking for, for quite some time. Like Joanne Harris’ Lollipop Shoes. I’d checked at quite a few book stores in the city and most only had her Chocolat. So coming across this at a book swap was a wonderful surprise,” says Preeti K., an IT professional.

Jatin agrees, saying, “I’d been looking in vain for Dadabhai Naoroji’s Poverty and Unbritish Rule in India for a long time as part of the research for my next book. Even online, I could only come across half a chapter. So imagine my delight when I found this book at a book swap session in the city. Similarly my mother had been looking for Anand Math, a Hindi book, but I stumbled upon it at the book exchange session.” Another advantage of book swap sessions is that they often introduce readers to new authors. “I’ve myself come across several books that I wouldn’t have otherwise stumbled upon. Book swaps can often throw up some rare gems and can enrich one’s reading repertoire,” explains Nivedita, adding, “People can bring in all kinds of books regardless of genres. We just don’t encourage them to bring outdated academic books.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Ranjani Rajendra / January 19th, 2015