Fine pearls, pearls made of shell, shell-beads, and tortoise-shaped beads found
The Satavahana dynasty rulers had very good regular trade and cultural exchange programmes with all the countries in the world as was evident with the recovery of 40 fine pearls with holes and other material including metals during the excavations conducted by the State Archaeology and Museums at Peddabonkur village of Peddapalli district.
The department had launched the excavation works in a scientific manner in a sprawling 67 acres of land in the village since February 18 to unravel the history of Satavahana dynasty.
During the excavations for the first time the authorities had found the fine pearls, pearls made of shell, shell-beads, tortoise-shaped beads, gold-plated pearls, mud pearls, crystals, bangles, pottery, measurement pottery, dice made of bones, horn of deer, metal products etc.
Director of Archeology and Museums N.R. Visalakshi, who inspected the excavations on Wednesday, told newsmen that the recovery of pearls and other materials indicate that the Satavahana rulers were prosperous 2,000 years ago. The recovery of pearls and other materials show that they had trade and cultural relations with other parts of the world.
She said that they had unearthed pottery dump-yard and huge collection of pottery during the excavations. The coins and metals recovered from the spot would be sent for metallurgical survey to conduct non-invasive survey to analyse when it was first fired and the textures etc. without causing damage to the metals, she added. All these recoveries were collected after conducting excavations for 30 cm to 60 cm depth.
During the earlier excavations in the village in 1968 and 1973-74, the department had unearthed brick constructions, brick wells and the coins used by the Satavahanas, Mauryas and Romans.
She said that they were taking up the excavations in a scientific manner to preserve the ancient history and legacy of the Satavahana dynasty. She added that they would further continue excavations in coordination with district administration.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Peddubonkur (Peddapalli)- March 29th, 2018
Dr. Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education interacting with students at the Smart India Hackathon at CVR College of Engineering on Friday
CVR College, CMRCET are nodal centres in State for the two-day national event
Hundreds of students are putting their creative skills to test to find solutions to the pressing problems of government departments at the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 that took off at CVR College of Engineering, Ibrahimpatnam and CMR College of Engineering and Technology (CMRCET), the two nodal centres in Telangana.
The two-day national event being held in 28 colleges across the country is a unique initiative to identify new and disruptive digital technology innovations for solving challenges faced by our country. It was inaugurated through video conference by Union HRD Minister, Prakash Javadekar.
The hackathon went live at 8.25 a.m. and coding began at 8.30 a.m. on Friday and will end at 6 p.m. on Saturday. As per rules, three students from each team have to be present at the table at any point of time till the coding ends.
The students were allowed to move from the table only for breakfast, lunch, dinner and recreational activities while tea and snacks were served on the table.
“We are happy to be among the 28 colleges in the country to be hosting the finale,” said Ch. Gopal Reddy, secretary and correspondent, CMRCET, where 42 teams of six students each are competing to write the best code to the most pressing problem. The chief guest at the venue was Rama Devi Lanka, Officer on Special Duty, ITE & C, Telangana Government.
J. Satyanarayan, Chairman of UIDAI, who was the chief guest at CVR College, told students that “innovation is based on two things — doing things differently and doing different things”.
Discussing how digital identity (Aadhaar) has changed the country’s ecosystem, he appealed to the students to create new products and protocols that will address the country’s needs.
The Hackathon witnessed participation from 27 Central Ministries, Departments and 17 State Governments who sent more than 900 problem statements. After scrutiny, 408 problems were finally selected.
Of the 17,400-plus teams, 1,296 entries consisting of 8,000 students were selected for the grand finale. There are prizes to be won for different categories at each centre. The HRD Ministry is also engaging with DST to support with Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) as startups for selective teams.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 30th, 2018
Ajay Popat, president of Ion Exchange (India) Ltd, addressing the media in the city on Thursday.
Ion Exchange sets up waste-to-energy project with ₹7 crore
Water and environment management solutions provider Ion Exchange (India) Ltd commissioned a waste-to-energy project in Hyderabad that integrates technology to combine solid organic waste and waste water to generate power, purified water and fertilizer.
The company intends to use the facility, established at Akshaya Patra’s community kitchen on the city outskirts, as a demonstration project for prospective customers.
Stating that it was the country’s first such waste-to-energy system, Ion Exchange (India) president Ajay Popat said it was based on the ANDICOS (anaerobic digestion by combining waste stream) design. While projects based on ANDICOS had been deployed for the industrial consumers, it was being used for the first time for community segment, he told presspersons here on Thursday.
Organic fertilizer
The project, established by the company at Akshaya Patra, has a capacity to treat around 1,000 kg of organic kitchen waste and 2-6 cubic metre of sewage sludge on a daily basis. It will generate about 20KW/H of electrical power along with 1.35 tonnes of organic fertilizer per day.
Noting that the company had set up the plant with ₹7 crore, Mr. Popat said the company would be showcasing the facility to prospective customers in the government. Among the agencies that were either working or evaluating the prospects of engaging with Ion Exchange include the municipal corporation of Mumbai, Delhi Jal Board as well as the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) on behalf of the Telangana government.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 30th, 2018
General Bussy enjoyed an unassailable position in the Nizam’s court
If Pondicherry was a colonial trading pocket for the French, Hyderabad by the middle of the 18th century became their nerve centre of great political activity much before the British could establish their power in this part of the country.
The French were the first European power in Hyderabad state to have huge territorial gains when they were granted the Circars (present coastal Andhra) for their military support to the Nizam, thus becoming the forerunner for the Subsidiary Alliance the British replicated decades later.
The architect of this French policy of Indirect Rule in Hyderabad was the indomitable General Bussy, the French commander, who at the express orders of Dupleix, the Governor of Pondicherry, arrived in Hyderabad in February, 1751 at the head of a strong French contingent. It was Bussy who declared Salabath Jung as the new Nizam, after the murder of Muzafar Jung. Bussy enjoyed an unassailable position in the Nizam’s court at Hyderabad.
War of succession
After the death of Nizam-ul-Mulk the first Asaf Jah, in May 1748, there was political turmoil in Hyderabad due to war of succession among his immediate descendants.
The Nizam had six sons and an equal number of daughters. Ghazi ud din, the first son was a representative of his father at the Imperial Mughal court in Delhi and was not inclined to be his father’s successor. The second son, Nasir Jung therefore proclaimed himself as the Nizam of Hyderabad. But an ambitious, Muzafar Jung, grandson of the dead Nizam, (son of his favorite daughter, Khairunnisa begum) claimed the throne for himself.
The French governor at Pondicherry, General Dupleix, saw an opportunity to fish in troubled waters at Hyderabad.
There was also a war of succession brewing at Arcot, where Chanda Sahib laid claims to the Nawabi as successor to his father-in-law, Anwar ud din, against the claims of Mohammad Ali, Anwar ud din’s son. Dupleix decided to side Chanda Sahib at Arcot and Muzafar at Hyderabad.
He asked Muzafar Jung to come to Arcot to first settle the dispute there, promising to make him the Nizam at Hyderabad later.
Muzafar and French armies under Dupleix defeated Anwar ud din in a battle at Ambur and Chanda Saheb was declared as Nawab of Arcot.
The British at Madras who wanted to arrest the growing French power, advised Nasir Jung, the Nizam to come to south to check Muzafar- Dupleix nexus. Nasir Jung accordingly went with his forces but when engaged in a fight, was killed in one of the minor skirmishes near Arcot on 25 December, 1750. Muzafar Jung immediately was declared the Nizam of Hyderabad by Dupleix.
Victorious Muzafar was taken in great pomp by Dupleix to Pondicherry where a grand Durbar for the new Nizam was held. Muzafar was toasted, feasted and entertained by the French General.
In return, Muzafar was so pleased that he made Dupleix as a jagirdar of Villianallur with a personal grant of 80 villages. He also conferred the title, “Subedar”, and the French governor was happy to be addressed as Dupleix Sahib. After a month of festivities, and French hospitality, Muzafar set out to Hyderabad accompanied by a strong French contingent sent for protection by Dupleix headed by his close confident and an able commander, General Bussy.
However, on way back to Hyderabad, Muzafar Jung, 38 days after becoming the Nizam, was treacherously murdered in a spine chilling melodrama. As the contingent came close to Cuddapah and entered Lakkireddypalle pass, Muzafar was assassinated on February 3, 1751, by the Nawab of Kurnool, who earlier supported him but was disillusioned when the new Nizam, he thought, was not keen to keep the promises made.
An astute diplomat that he was, Bussy continued his journey with his French armies to Hyderabad and made Salabath Jung, an younger brother of Nasir Jung as the new Nizam. The death of Muzafar and the march of French armies to Hyderabad through the territories carrying fire and thunder under Bussy, made him such an object of terror that even now in the Telugu States the mothers try to silence their crying babies with the arrival of “Booochi”, a corrupted version for Bussy!
Marquis de Bussy worked under Dupleix at Pondicherry for a long time. He married Marie, a step daughter of Dupleix. His arrival in Hyderabad marks a new era of French connections with Hyderabad and the northern Circars.
Bussy wanted to make use of the opportunity to the best of the French advantage as the new Nizam, Salabath Jung was at his mercy. He decided to stay back with his army to give protection to the Nizam. His army consisted of 900 European and 4000 of sepoys and was a strong instrument of war fare.
In order to meet the expenses for the maintenance of army, estimated at ₹21 lakhs a year, Bussy got the entire coastal Andhra, from Guntur to Srikakulam, which yielded an annual income of ₹31 lakhs. Masulipatam and Yanam were granted as personal jagirs to Bussy.
Charminar as home
When Bussy arrived in Hyderabad, as there was no immediate accommodation worthy of his position and importance, he decided to put up in the very Charminar, the majestic, sturdy and the “tallest structure in the entire city”, then. Huge curtains were tied on all sided making Charminar as his home.
Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah who built Charminar in 1591 must not have ever dreamt that it would one day serve as home to a French General, Bussy. When the beautiful Charmahal on the banks of Musi got readied, Bussy shifted there and Salabath Jung built Khilwath Mahal (part of Chowmahal palace complex) for his own stay. Charmahal, where Bussy finally shifted to, was a multi floored beautiful palace with cloth of gold used as door curtains, (Charmahal stood on the grounds where now the High court buildings are located.)
When the Seven Years War ( 1756- 73) broke out in Europe, the French and English armies in India also started to fight. Robert Clive buoyed by his stunning victory at Plassey in 1757, sent Col. Forde who with his armies occupied Northern Circars, held by the French.
Count de Lally, the French General who arrived from France to fight the English, on reaching Pondicherry, recalled Bussy from Hyderabad to make a combined attack on the British at Madras. However, in the battle at Wandiwash, the French armies were defeated and both Lally and Bussy were taken prisoners. They were let off later and Pondicherry was returned to the French.
The French influence in Hyderabad steeply declined on the departure of Bussy. His name is immortalised in the Hyderabad dominions for his participation in the famous Bobbili battle that took place in January, 1757.
Bussy supported Vijayarama Raju of Vizianagaram in vanquishing Bobbili. There is a street in Yanam today named after Bussy. He became the French governor at Pondicherry two years before he died in 1785. Thus, while Bussy’s rise in Hyderabad heralded the high watermark of French power in India, his withdrawal from here marked the collapse of its political power.
After the departure of Bussy from Hyderabad, the British with the tacit agreement with Shah Alam, the Mughal emperor, deposed Salabath in September and made his younger brother, Nizam Ali Khan as the new Nizam in 1762. Salabath Jung was imprisoned by the new Nizam in the fort at Bidar, and was killed a year later.
By recognizing Nizam Ali as Asaf Jah II, the Mughal emperor has derecognized the three predecessors, Nasir Jung, Muzafar Jung and Salabath Jung who all had violent deaths as the rulers, though between them they had a rule of 14 long years from the death of Nizam ul Mulk in 1748 up to the accession of Nizam Ali II in 1762. If those three Nizams were also counted, there were ten Nizams who ruled Hyderabad ; and the last Nizam, Osman Ali Khan must have been the X th Nizam and not the VII, as he is generally considered.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by K S Seshan / March 24th, 2018
Yarn dyed in natural colours drying at a weaver’s home
As part of a programme called Disha, UNDP, Creative Bee and IDF will help women weavers step up the quality of handlooms and form a cooperative movement.
Government-mooted schemes meant for the betterment of weavers and craftspeople have benefited some pockets of the State, but there are many other regions where weavers struggle to make ends meet, relying on daily wages to get by. Some of these villages in far-flung areas see women making barely ₹500 to ₹1000 per month, after spending 15 to 20 days weaving a sari. “It’s heartbreaking; the women hold on to their craft because they don’t know anything else, but they haven’t been able to leverage their skill to better their livelihood,” says Bina Rao of Creative Bee.
Rao has been travelling extensively in the interiors of Telangana and has just wrapped up a training programme for 140 women in a village near Pochampally. The training is a part of a year-long programme called Disha. Training modules will be held in villages across Yadadri, Nalgonda, Warangal and Siddipet districts, with the support of IKEA Foundation, IDF (research body India Development Foundation) and government of Telangana.
The prime objective is to promote entrepreneurship by equipping women weavers and craftsmen to understand changing market needs and learn the ropes of direct marketing. At the end of the programme, Disha will function as a women’s cooperative body. Disha is a pan-India initiative by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) in collaboration with several government and local bodies to conduct training in textiles, agriculture, handicrafts, education, women empowerment, and more.
In Telangana, UNDP is working with Creative Bee and the focus is on textiles. Creative Bee is harnessing its two-decade experience in the textile sector to help 2000 women weavers learn direct marketing and step up their production quality.
“Weavers will be trained to use internationally approved and environmentally safe VAT, reactive and acid dyes for cotton and silk; these dyes are safe on their skin as well, unlike the dyes they now use. We found many villages using naphthol dyes that are carcinogenic and environmentally harmful,” says Rao.
Challenges ahead
To get things underway, despite the partners on board, Rao says there were challenges. They didn’t have funds for yarn, fabric, dyes, stipend and food requirement for the training days. “Weavers won’t turn up for training unless their daily wage loss is compensated,” she points out. She knocked the doors of corporates seeking CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds. Some of them were willing, but only after the current financial year. Since the training had to begin, she used yarn and fabric from Creative Bee Foundation and dyes were sponsored by Gujarat-based Colourtex.
Rao points out that while many pockets specialise in ikat weaving, after the division of Telugu states into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, we don’t have a plain fabric weaving stronghold like Mangalagiri. She mooted the idea to weaver pockets in Siddipet and Sirsila and plans are on to step up plain fabric weaving.
Thinking big
Creative Bee is also reaching out to pan-India retail stores such as FabIndia and Westside, exhibitions and e-commerce portals for better reach of the products developed by the women. In addition, 40 women will be trained to form a manager cadre and handle marketing and administrative responsibilities. In principle, Rao notes that the state government has agreed to have a building that will work as an aggregation centre. “But we are also looking at a contingency plan in case it doesn’t take off. For this, we are hoping corporates will chip in,” she says.
Efforts are also on to enable each of these women reap the benefits of the sale of their products through proceeds that will be deposited in their bank accounts.
As a first step, women weavers will directly interact with buyers and showcase their handloom products in Hyderabad on March 30 and 31; 11am to 5pm, at Saptaparni, Road no.8, Banjara Hills.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Fashion> Handloom / by Sangeetha Devi Dundoo / March 27th, 2018
Global University Systems (GUS), an international network of higher-education institutions, has established a presence in India with an office in the city.
GUS Education (India) LLP would work to boost technological developments, digital initiatives and enterprise capabilities for the education sector. The new entity would support GUS’ global operations as well as work with national level universities and colleges in the country.
Besides creating local jobs, the company proposes to make global use of the skilled workforce available in India, a GUS release on Industries and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao inaugurating the Hyderabad office on Monday said.
The Minister said Hyderabad was attracting great deal of talent from across the country and world. Home already to facilities of several leading technology firms, including Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon, the city offers good growth potential, he said, hoping GUS to scale up operations soon.
Describing GUS Education (India) LLP as the “fastest growing part of our business,” GUS founder and CEO Aaron Etingen said the headcount of the new office was 100 and there are plan to grow further in the coming years.GUS Education (India) LLP managing director Shashi Jaligama said a wide range of career opportunities would be offered for technology professionals in Hyderabad.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 26th, 2018
B. Sai Deepak is gunning for six more world records this year.
Sai Deepak giving his all to qualify for 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Being a son of an auto-rickshaw driver was never an impediment for 22-year-old B. Sai Deepak, who was the youngest to set two Guinness World Records in taekwondo recently, to give his all to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Deepak’s desire to make it big in the world of sports began when he watched ace shooter Abhinav Bhindra stand on the podium with the gold medal in 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“Since then, I have always been chasing the dream of representing India in Olympics,” the engineering graduate, who is now pursuing MBA, told The Hindu.
Deepak set his first Guinness record in full contact with alternate elbows (142 in 60 seconds) in November 2017 and then another full contact with knee strikes (though he did 205 in three minutes, it was ratified at 175 itself) in December last.
A trainee under renowned taekwondo expert M. Jayanth Reddy from the city, who himself has set many world records, this fitness freak is now gunning for six more world records this year starting in March trying to beat Pakistan’s Irfan Mehmood’s single elbow strikes record of 128 in 60 seconds.
A silver medallist in the nationals, Deepak’s biggest achievement was a gold in the Indo-Nepal International Taekwondo Meet last May.
Ironically, this gifted taekwondo expert couldn’t make it to the U.S. Open Championship for want of financial assistance.
What is the route to Olympics? “It’s a demanding task. You have to win at least two medals in two Grade-II events featuring more than 60 countries and it’s never easy. But thanks to Jayanth Reddy sir, we are training with that specific goal of getting the qualifying mark,” says Deepak, a resident of Krishna Nagar.
“I am determined to achieve another first by making it to the Olympics by working hard despite all odds,” he signs off.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Telangana / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – March 24th, 2018
Thirmandas Narayana Gowd, a 77-year-old retired scientist and former head of Rock Mechanics and Mineral Physics division of National Geophysical Research Institute, has been conferred with the ‘Best Citizens of India Award-2017’ by the International Publishing House.
Hailing from Kollapur region of erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, Mr. Gowd completed his masters and Ph.D. in geophysics at Osmania University.
He was recognised for his lifelong research on the stress and orientation of the rock fractures/geological faults as the reason behind the earthquakes in the ‘shield area’ comprising Indian states south of Himalayas, a press communiqué said. He theoretically analysed the role of pore fluid pressure in Koyna earthquake.
He had also received German academic exchange service (DAAD) fellowship for laboratory investigations on his chosen subject.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu /Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 24th, 2018
Hyderabad golfer Sri Myneni achieved the unique feat of sinking two ‘hole-in-ones’ in a single round at the Boulder Hills Golf Course here on Tuesday.
Myneni, a member of the Boulder Hills Golf Club, achieved this in the third and eighth holes of the Par-72 championship layout in Hyderabad during a casual round of golf with friends.
“I’m still in a bit of shock about it. It is an unbelievable feeling. I have never had a hole-in-one before in my life. Hopefully, this will be the start of many more in the future!” said a visibly excited Myneni in a chat with The Hindu.
The 50-year-old, who is the CEO and co-founder of Knoah Solutions, said, “After the first hole-in one, I just moved on. I was delighted when it happened again in the eight hole and I could not believe it. When we checked with the statistics, we realised that it doesn’t happen often. The implausible odds are 67 million to one! It did not sink into me for a while,” says Myneni, who is a big fan of Tiger Woods.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – March 22nd, 2018
Los Angeles-based XPRIZE, which designs incentive competitions to solve humanity’s big challenges, is running the water abundance prize with the support of the Tata Group and Australian Aid.
Indian startup Uravu that has developed a technology to create water from the air is among the five finalists in a global competition. The two-year competition is to create a device that extracts a minimum of 2,000 liters of water per day from the air using 100% renewable energy.
The Hyderabad-based company will compete with four other companies in the final round of the Water Abundance XPRIZE, worth $ 1.75 million. The five finalists were selected from 98 teams in the previous round, from 25 countries, and will share a $250,000 milestone prize purse. The winners will receive $ 1.5 million, to be announced in August 2018.
Los Angeles-based XPRIZE, which designs incentive competitions to solve humanity’s big challenges, is running the water abundance prize with the support of the Tata Group and Australian Aid.
Uravu is run by a multidisciplinary team of five, with engineering, sciences, architecture and design backgrounds. The young team says it “believes in working on hard problems which are technologically achievable and also culturally and socially salient.” “Solving challenges around water not only requires amazing technology but also empathy and systems thinking,” a release from XPRIZE said on the team’s vision.
Led by Swapnil Shrivastav, Amit, Bharath, Sandeep and Venkatesh are other members of the group. “….the team is developing a completely off-grid water from air device, spinning together the magic of material sciences and solar thermal energy,” the release said. A scalable device of this nature could revolutionise access to fresh water.
The finalists will begin round 2 testing in July 2018 at a location to be determined. During this phase, teams must fully demonstrate that their device can extract a minimum of 2,000 liters of water per day from the atmosphere using 100 percent renewable energy, at a cost of no more than two cents per liter, XPRIZE said. “At the end of this testing phase, the team whose solution enables the greatest ability to create decentralized access to water – giving people the power to access fresh water whenever and wherever they need it” will win the prize.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> International / by Varghese K. George / Washington – March 22nd, 2018
