Daily Archives: April 29, 2018

A riddle set in stone, waiting to be cracked

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Telugu-Sanskrit words engraved on undated stone edifice may offer insight into the region’s rich cultural heritage

A stone inscription, believed to date back to 13th Century A.D., standing majestically on the premises of Venugopala Swamy temple in Rajeshwarapuram of Nelakondapalli mandal, is waiting to be explored to offer an insight into the region’s glorious cultural heritage.

The ten-foot high undated stone inscription located adjacent to the Dwajasthambam on the precincts of the temple has stayed intact withstanding the vagaries of nature, but remained unexplored till date.

The inscription has several lines etched in Telugu-Kannada script akin to the pattern prevalent during the Kakatiya period. An impressive image of Lord Garuda adored with Shankam and Chakram is engraved on the top portion of the stone inscription.

Located about 30 km from Khammam on the Nelakondapalli-Kusumanchi main road, Rajeshwarapuram has a hoary past as is evident from a fort situated in the middle of the village albeit in a dilapidated condition and an old well that served as a prime source of irrigation during the bygone era.

The Telugu-Sanskrit words engraved indicate that it is related to donation of land to “Veeragopala devara” temple probably during the Kakatiya period, says historian Katta Srinivas, who recently conducted an independent study in Rajeshwarapuram on the historical significance of the village.

Sun, moon images

The stone edifice contains the images of sun and moon engraved on the top portion of it reinforcing the fact that it is an inscription. He stresses the need for establishing the exact date and other historical facts by enlisting the services of experts in epigraphy.

Rajeshwarapuram is endowed with historic structures, including a fort and an ancient irrigation structure besides Shaivite and Vaishnavite temples existing side by side, he notes, insisting on the intervention of the Archaeology Department to unravel the rich history of the village and conserve the historical edifices for posterity.

“Our village is part of Nelakondapalli mandal, the abode of ancient Buddhist Mahastupa and also the birthplace of legendary saint composer Bhakta Ramadasu,” says Veeranageswara Rao, a native of Rajeshwarapuram. The ancient Siva temples dating back to the Kakatiya period in Kusumanchi mandal are located just over 10 km from the village and the culturally rich region has potential to secure a prominent place on the tourism map of Telangana, he says with a sense of pride.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by P. Sridhar / Khammam – April 23rd, 2018

Telangana IRS officer is Civils topper

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He is presently posted as Assistant Commissioner in city

Durishetty Anudeep, a native of Chittapur village near Metpally town in Jagtial district of Telangana, has emerged topper in the Civil Services examination this year. The results were declared on Friday.

Anudeep is presently in the Indian Revenue Services (IRS) and is posted as Assistant Commissioner, Central, GST, in Hyderabad. This is his fourth attempt at Civils. He worked with Google in Hyderabad before he got into IRS and he is still a bachelor.

An engineer from BITS Pilani in Rajashtan in 2011, he had his schooling from Suryodaya High School in Metpally. Anudeep’s father is an Assistant Engineer with the TS Transco, while his mother is a home-maker.

The topper’s optional subject was anthropology though he is an engineer. Speaking to The Hindu, Anudeep said he was not expecting the first rank. “It is a tough exam and so many deserving candidates with brilliant minds attempt. So you can never expect a top rank,” he said with all humility. Anudeep prepared without assistance of any coaching institution. Meanwhile, R.C. Reddy IAS Study Circle said that he appeared for mock interview at their centre.

A sports buff, Anudeep has obsession for Roger Federer and Lionel Messi. In one of his Facebook posts, he praised Messi, saying the game of football is not really beautiful, it’s brutal but Messi has an artistic, symphonic beauty to his play that makes the brutal look beautiful.

Expressing his love for sports, he posted, “So I asked myself what do I value more – sports, movies, books or music? Movies are good, books are great and music is soothing. But my life wouldn’t be half as joyful or interesting if it were not for the time I spend watching and playing sports.”

Several Telugu students bagged good ranks in the examination. Sai Praneeth, son of former Additional DG of Maharashtra, V. Lakshminarayana, bagged the 196th rank. Other successful Telugu candidates are Sheelam Sai (43), Narapureddy Maurya (100), G. Madhuri (144), Yedavalli Akshay Kumar (624), Vivek Jhonson (195) and Bhargav Shekar (816).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by R. Ravikanth Reddy / Hyderabad – April 27th, 2018

Former assembly speaker Patlola Ramachandra Reddy dies

Leaders
Patlola Ramachandra Reddy.

Ramachandra Reddy was the Assembly Speaker of unified Andhra Pradesh between 1989 and 1993.

Patlola Ramachandra Reddy, former assembly speaker and industries minister from 1989 to 1993 in the unified Andhra Pradesh and five-time MLA from Sangareddy passed away on Saturday night. He was 89 years.

His mortal remains will be kept at his residence in Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar, Hyderabad for the people to pay respects. The last rites will be performed at Mahaprasthanam, Jubilee Hills, Wisper Valley, Hyderabad this evening.

Ramachandra Reddy was native of Marepally in Kondapur mandal.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has expressed his deep condolences over the demise of Ramachandra Reddy and recalled his long association with him. He said that Ramachandra Reddy was known all over the country as the first generation of political leaders who have worked for strengthening the Panchayat Raj institutions. He conveyed his condolences to the members of the bereaved family.

The Chief Minister has instructed Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi to organise the official funeral for Ramachandra Reddy’s mortal remains.

Ramachandra Reddy is survived by wife, two sons and a daughter.

Born on December 3, 1929, in a middle class agriculture family at Marepally village in Kondapur mandal of Sangareddy district, he had his primary education at Sangareddy and secondary education at Medak. He has completed his BA followed by LLB at Osmania University.

He started his practice at Hyderabad in 1956 and later shifted to Sangareddy. He carried on lucrative practice along with involvement in politics.

He was inspired by Swami Ramananda Tirtha and others of the Congress party in erstwhile Hyderabad State. He was student leader and participated in the struggle against the Nizam’s autocratic rule and was imprisoned. He was elected as the president of Patancheru Panchayat Samithi in 1957 which was selected on experimental basis for the introduction of panchayat raj system under Balawnat Rai Mehta report.

He was elected to Andhra Pradesh Assembly in 1962, 1971, 1983, 1985 and 1989. He was also chairman of Industrial Development Corporation. In 1989, he was elected as the Speaker when Dr Marri Channa Reddy was the Chief Minister. Later, he joined the cabinet of N. Janardhan Reddy as Industries Minister.

Since 1999 he has disassociated from the Congress party and unsuccessfully contested against Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) candidate A Narendra in 2004. From then on he has confined only to home due to old age.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by R. Avadhani / Sangareddy – April 29th, 2018