The young genius Ballakur Vivek Kiran is involved in many projects.-PHOTO:Mohd Arif
The amazingly talented seventeen-year-old Ballakur Vivek Kiran is a student of Kendriya Vidayalaya located at Hyderabad Central University (HCU). The young genius is involved in many projects and he is in the team of Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IITH) students, who have developed Dexter Assistant useful for doctors. He has taken care of android application of Dexter.
While studying 9th standard in 2012 Vivek developed herbal dictionary on Visual Basic Dot Net (VB.NET). Sanjay Enishetty, founder of IM GEEK, and Vineel Nalla, chief executive officer of NBOS Technologies, are his mentors and they are incubating his project Colorspace under Wave Labs, an angle investor forum, by extending financial assistance and providing work space at their office in the city.
Colorspace is a business module developed by Vivek, through which customers would be offered two photo prints free of cost by Kodak, an internationally reputed photo film production company.
Vivek is also part of a team that has developed an internal communication application for Cyberabad police in 2014.
An Accidental Detection and Rescue System is being developed by Udit Gangwal of SISCO, Manish and Devanjan – students from RV College, Bengaluru, along with Vivek.
“This works with geo-fencing and reverse geo-coding. We are using Kookoo, third party software.
The electronic embedded gadget that would be fixed in the vehicle will respond and send alert message to the nearest hospital from the accident spot based on the Google Maps. While I and Udit are working on software part both Manish and Devanjan working on hardware part,” Mr. Vivek told The Hindu.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by R. Avadhani / Sangareddy – March 26th, 2015
Banks in Telangana have disbursed fresh crop loans worth Rs 16,997 crore clocking a growth rate of 62.29% after the government implemented the farm loan waiver scheme last year. In a meeting of State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) on Monday, agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy took stock of farm loan disbursement during October-December for 2014-15. SLBC officials appraised the minister on farm loan disbursements according to which banks have advanced or renewed fresh loans worth Rs 16,997 crore.
The review revealed that banks achieved 81% of the total agricultural target of Rs 27,233 crore by lending Rs 21,989 crore. While the number of branches in the state has reached 4,758, banks have collectively achieved total deposits of Rs 304,560 crore recording a growth rate of 8.71%. The annual credit plan target for the current financial year has been surpassed by banks with an achievement of 134% as on December 31, 2014.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / March 31st, 2015
Pharmacy chain MedPlus on Friday rolled out an e-commerce facility for customers in Hyderabad to order medicines online and collect the same from any of the 220 stores near them.
As an introductory offer, MedPlus is offering a discount of 15 per cent on medicines and 5-30 per cent on FMCG products purchased online. More than the discount, it is the accompanying convenience that will make a difference to users of the ‘Click, Pick & Save’ facility, MedPlus Health Services founder and CEO Madhukar Gangadi said at the formal launch of the facility.
With over 1,200 stores across the country, the company plans to extend the service to 50 cities in two years. Bengaluru and Chennai are the other cities where MedPlus has more than 200 stores, he said.
On why home delivery was not being offered to customers ordering medicines online, he said it was not permitted under law.
Explaining the benefits of the new facility, COO Surendra Mantena said the portal provides information about the medicine, the ‘dos and don’t’ and the alternatives, besides offering a host of other FMCG products. Customers ordering medicine need to furnish their prescription at the time of picking up the order, whereas home delivery of other products is available.
MedPlus is looking to have a network of 10,000 stores in three years, Dr.Gangadi said. It was in talks to raise $50-75 million of PE funds in six months, he added.
So far, the investment in the company has been $30 million and with the fresh funds, the company planned to build new facilities.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 28th, 2015
Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) has been declared winner of the Golden Peacock Innovative Product/Service Award-2015 for processing overburden as stowing and construction material.
Former Supreme Court judge Justice Arijit Pasayat was the chairman of the jury which decides winners of the Golden Peacock awards for various aspects of corporate excellence. The award will be presented at a function in Dubai on April 20.
A release from the company said of the large amount of overburden generated while extracting coal in opencast mining, the top soil of 30-40 cm having nutrients has been stock piled separately for re-use or spreading on the back-filled areas for sustaining natural vegetation/plantation.
It set up a plant to process the overburden at Bhupalpally in 2010.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 29th, 2015
Circle Inspector M. Sridhar Reddy receiving the silver medal and certificate from Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh at the 58th All-India Police Duty Meet held recently.– Photo: By Arrangement
The Telangana police, which debuted at the 58th All-India Police Duty Meet (AIPDM) held in Punjab this year, put up an impressive display of their skills and competitive spirit. About seven police officers of the State police won medals in different categories.
M. Sridhar Reddy, Circle Inspector of Nalgonda’s Kodad Town won the silver medal in the ‘Scientific Aids to Investigation in Forensic Science’ category, and J. Srinivas Reddy a police constable working at the District Crime Records Bureau won the silver medal in Computer Automation Competition.
While Cyberabad Sub Inspector D. Asish Reddy won bronze in Scientific Aids to Investigation section, Abhinav Chaturvedi won the bronze medal in Investigative Photography.
Lapping up bronze medal in Handling Lifting and Packing of Evidence was Kranthi Kumar, an SI from Warangal district.
DCRB Head Constable S.V. Ramana won bronze in Observation Skills Competition and Suma of Cyberabad police won the bronze medal in the Portrait Parley Test.
Police personnel from 29 States, 14 Union Territories and Central Police Organisation teams (CBI, IB, CISF, BSF, CRPF, SSB, ITBP and others) participated at AIPDM this year.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – March 30th, 2015
Sri Rama Pattabhishekam was performed on a grand note at Midhila stadium here on Sunday.
The tastefully decorated Mithila stadium echoed to the chanting of hymns as the vast multitude of devotees was engrossed in ‘Ramanama Smaranam’ all through the proceedings.
Special rituals were performed to the divine couple marking the grand coronation ceremony of Lord Rama according to the ‘Pancharatragama Sastra’.
At 10.30 am, the idols of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita were brought in a procession from the main temple to Midhila stadium where the coronation was held. As the processional idols, placed in a decorated palanquin, were carried to the venue in a procession, the devotees stood up and welcomed them with folded hands.
The idols of Lord Rama and his consort Sita, seated facing each other in the midst of the crowds, were adorned with the resplendent jewellery.Governor ESL Narasimhan and his wife Vimala offered silk clothes to the divine couple at the kalyana mandapam.
The temple priests presented padukalu to Lord Rama before pattabhishekam. Later, they adorned the Lord with Pachala Pathakam, Mutyala Haram, sword and crown for the coronation. Goddess Sita was adorned with Chintaku Pathakam and Lakshmana Swamy was adorned with Rama Mada.
The devotees who were desperate to get a glimpse of the ‘Pachala Pathakam’ and ‘Chintaku Pathakam’, were once again found on their feet and hung out of the enclosures.
Later, the temple priests performed Abhishekam to the Lord and the Goddess with holy water brought from various rivers, seas and lakes.Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, district collector K Ilambarithi, district judge I Ramesh, joint collector D Divya, Aswaraopet MLA Tati Venkateswarlu and temple EO K Jyothi and others witnessed the fete.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / March 30th, 2015
In a major boost for aspiring women entrepreneurs, the Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of Andhra Pradesh (ALEAP) has been awarded ‘Responsible Indian BMO’ by MSME cluster foundation for its achievement in promoting responsible business practices in India’s first women industrial estate near Gajularamaram, Hyderabad.
The award was given by Madhava Lal, secretary to Union government, ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), on March 17 in New Delhi.
ALEAP, which trains aspiring entrepreneurs, also received gold rating accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET) Quality Council of India (QCI).
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / March 27th, 2015
Students from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad, emerged winners along with two other teams from Amrita College of Engineering, Bangalore and IIT Mumbai in the recently concluded Microsoft’s national college hacking contest ‘Build the Shield’, a statement said.
The Microsoft contest provided students a competitive hands-on experience on information security and risk management coupled with real-life scenarios, wherein the team defends attacks from servers of competitors to emerge as the winner. Close to 290 teams and over 1,000 students participated in the online qualifiers stage in January 2015.
Nearly 50 teams were shortlisted for the national finale at Hyderabad who battled for the top three positions. The winners received pre-placement interview offers from Microsoft along with Xbox One and Lumia phones.
“The contest was quite competitive and a great learning experience for all of us,” said Agam Agarwal from IIT Hyderabad.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 26th, 2015
Two film personalities who contributed to the Telangana state struggle have been chosen for Ugadi puraskarams for this year. The Ugadi awards are given annually to personalities from different fields.
The awards announced for the first time by the Telangana government after it came into being also seek to honour film personalities.
Producer-director N Shankar and writer-actor M Bhoopal Reddy have been honoured with the awards for furthering the cause of the Telangana movement on the celluloid.
Shankar produced and directed ‘Jai Bolo Telangana’ for which chief minster K Chandrasekhara Rao penned lyrics. The film was about how the division of the state could make people happy and also help them live together. The movie was a big hit at the box-office in 2011.
“The whole purpose of the film was to explain clearly the reasons why a separate Telangana state was necessary,” Shankar told TOI. He also expressed his happiness at being chosen for the award.
Actor M Bhoopal Reddy who has also been selected for the Ugadi puraskarams played the lead role as Gond tribal leader Komaram Bheem in ‘Komaram Bheem’ which was made in 1990. Allani Sridhar got the state government’s Nandi award for the best debut film director award for ‘Komaram Bheem’.
The film also got the Nandi best film award for national integration. “Bhoopal Reddy perfectly suited for the role. It was important for us to make a film on Komaram Bheem,” Allani Sridhar said. Komaram Bheem who died in 1940 had mobilized the tribals and fought against the Nizam to liberate the tribals in Telangana and end their exploitation.
The film, for which Gautam Ghosh was the music director, however, got a theatrical release in the year 2010. Bhoopal Reddy who played Komaram bheem is also a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi award.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / March 19th, 2015
( L to R) Mahalingam, Venkataraman and Sridhar Subhasri of Sri Rama Navami Cultural Festival Photo: K. Ramesh Babu
As the 54th Sri Rama Navami Cultural Festival begins tomorrow, G. Venkatraman, J. Mahalingam and Sridhar Subasri talk about spreading the message of Indian epics and connecting to the younger generation
Every year during the Sri Rama Navami festival celebrations, Hyderabadis, especially Tamilians, gather at Keyes High School to refresh their ties to their roots. As Bharathi Ravikumar makes the announcements in Tamil on stage, the auditorium with a mix of young and old audience reverberates with applause. With a wide panorama of events including discourses, lectures, music programmes, literary and cultural events… the Sri Rama Navami Cultural Festival group helps the gathering to get to know about Indian culture and epics.
This year marks the 54th annual celebrations of the Festival. which takes off tomorrow with a devotional music concert by Bombay Saradha.
The annual cultural festival that was begun by Subasri in the ’60s has since evolved into a unique one. At the first floor of Nagarjuna Fertiliser Office, G. Venkatraman (president), J. Mahalingam (vice-president) and Sridhar Subasri (secretary) recall their journey over the years. “I had moved from Bombay to Hyderabad and was still settling in the new place, when I met Subasri and our association began,” says Venkatraman with a smile. Mahalingam, who came from Chennai and was used to attending such programmes agreed to be one of the office-bearers. While Sridhar, son of Subasri, now continues the legacy, the trio claim it is the fleet of volunteers whose selfless work is the basis for the festival’s success.
Subhasri
“There is a volunteer named Kuppuswamy, who is 80 plus and his enthusiasm in setting the chairs has to be seen to believed,” says Sridhar. Recollecting his growing up years, Sridhar says, “I would be running errands on my cycle and our open house would be buzzing with activities.”
With a crowd of 1000 people, the festival is special, thanks to the illustrious speakers and singers. “We make sure we do not repeat our artistes,” says Venkatraman. Giving an example, Mahalingam, executive director of Nagarjuna Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited says, “Our focus is to present our shows in a unique way. Trichur Brothers presented fusion music, so did Sowmya from Chennai.
This year, Gayathri Girish is presenting an audio visual on Shiva temples.”
Adds Sridhar, “Some of the guests are also professionals like Dushyanth Sridhar, an IT professional, who spoke on Ramayana last year. Dr. Venkatesh is a doctor by profession and is one of the speakers this year.
This is an attempt to connect to the internet crowd and help them look at our epics in a different way.”
The festival’s golden jubilee celebrations were a momentous occasion when the events were held for 50 days! “Fifty years is an important milestone for every institution and we wanted to celebrate the occasion in a grand and fitting manner,” says Sridhar. Another special feature are the sessions on Ramayana. “It is the same story but it is told with new approaches and different formats. Our aim is to build values in children and spread the message,” says Mahalingam.
Venkatraman speaks of the challenges. “We are our own competitors and our real challenge is to maintain the status and see that we do not fall in the quality of artistes.” Sridhar says bringing in more youngsters to the venue is also one of the challenges. “Building a new team and roping in the younger generation is on our agenda,” he points out.
The 54th Sri Rama Navami Cultural Festival is scheduled from March 21 to April 4 at Keyes High School from 6.30 p.m. onwards
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / by Neeraja Murthy / March 19th, 2015
