Category Archives: Amazing Feats

The rich legacy of Nizams

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion

Mir Osman Ali Khan receives Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Begumpet airport. Responding to Shastri’s appeal, the Nizam donated 5000 kg of gold to the National Defence Fund
Mir Osman Ali Khan receives Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Begumpet airport. Responding to Shastri’s appeal, the Nizam donated 5000 kg of gold to the National Defence Fund

OF POWER AND POISON
British Residents in Hyderabad spoke of the mutual antipathy that apparently existed between the Nizam’s eldest wife Dulhan Pasha and her sons Prince Azam Jah and Prince Moazzam Jah.

The mother of the two Sahebzadas was keen to marry them to her nieces, described by the Resident, Lt. Col. T.H. Keyes, as “two half-starved little Hyderabadi girls”. She had even been involved in a public slanging match with the Nizam on the issue of her sons’ marriage, and was supposed by British officials to be not fond of her sons.

To illustrate the discord between the mother and sons, Keyes recalled what Prince Moazzam Jah used to reveal to his guests. The younger Sahebzada claimed that his mother wanted to become the regent on the Nizam’s death. “When someone takes the cue and asks how she could be regent when his brother and he are of age, he replies: ‘We won’t be here. Mother is always experimenting with poisons, and there are no cats left in King Kothi’.”

…The rumours of poisoning in 1932 also led to revival of allegations that Sir Salar Jung I had been poisoned by the Nizam’s zenana as he had been insisting on Mahbub Ali Pasha being sent to Europe for education.

TONNES OF GOLD FOR WAR EFFORT
Mir Osman Ali Khan, Nizam VII, may have delayed his decision on merging Hyderabad State with the Indian Union after Britain left the country in August 1947, but he created a record when he responded to the call of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1965. The PM visited Hyderabad and requested the Nizam to contribute generously to the National Defence Fund, set up in the wake of the Indo-Chinese skirmish. Without a second thought, Mir Osman Ali announced that he would contribute five tonnes of gold to augment the war fund. In monetary terms, the Nizam’s contribution was about Rs 75 lakh, or about three-fourth of the annual Privy Purse he received from the Centre. In terms of today’s gold price in the international market, this donation translates to a whopping Rs 1,500 crore.

The Nizam’s donation of 5,000 kg of gold to the National Defence Fund in 1965 was the biggest ever contribution by any individual or organisation in India and remains unsurpassed till today.

However, known for his wit and frugality, Mir Osman Ali Khan did not hesitate to seek the return of the empty iron boxes once the gold coins and bars were offloaded in Delhi. “I am donating the gold and not the iron boxes. Do not forget to return them,” the Nizam told the officials even as his son-in-law and confidant Ali Pasha carried trays of gold coins from the Nazri Bagh Palace. The empty boxes were duly returned.


ALBERT ABID AND THE SILK SOCKS
Hyderabad’s history is full of fables about foreigners who gave Hyderabad a new meaning and purpose. Albert Abid Evans, a Jew from Armenia, gave Hyderabadis their first department store and a new name to an otherwise abandoned locality.

Abid’s, one of the busiest business centres of Hyderabad, owes its name to Albert Abid, who set up a shop that served the needs of Hyderabadis from needle to grains and stationery to clothes.

…As a valet of the Nizam, Abid looked after Mir Mahbub Ali Khan’s wardrobe, the biggest of its kind in the world. It is rumoured that Nizam VI did not like to repeat his silk socks and the enterprising Abid would put the used socks back in the packet they came in and recycle them while his trusting master kept paying for new socks! If rumours are to be believed Abid also helped himself to the rings from his ruler’s fingers when his ruler was in a stupor and promptly thanked the Nizam very profusely the next morning for gifting him the jewellery.


AN UNHAPPY PRINCESS
Niloufer Khanum Sultana, who was called the world’s most beautiful woman, was pained by the fact that she was unable to produce an heir and felt that she had failed in her duty as a princess. It was especially upsetting for her that her cousin Princess Durru Shehvar had given birth to two lovely boys, Prince Mukarram Jah and Prince Muffakham Jah.

On a particular occasion, when Princess Niloufer was in England in response to her mother’s distress call about her financial and social health, Prince Moazzam Jah decided to let everyone know that it was not he who was responsible for their childless marriage. He brought a lady of doubtful repute into his home, and was apparently able to demonstrate his virility. Princess Niloufer returned from England to learn of this treachery and never shared a room with her husband again.

Her husband’s betrayal was not the only fact that pained her. She also returned to find that her personal maid, of whom she was very fond, had died in childbirth. This moved her to open a hospital for children and women. The Niloufer Hospital is still a sought-after medical institution today.

This gesture of the childless princess earned her a place in the hearts of Hyderabadis.

BORN TO RULE
Prince Mukarram Jah had the best of education — Doon, Harrow, Cambridge and LSE. He also trained at the Sandhurst Military Academy in England. …During a visit to Hyderabad, his first wife Princess Esra said he was a bright young man when she married him but was overwhelmed by the fast-paced political developments at home.

In 1969, the Indira Gandhi government decided to discontinue the annual purse to descendants of former rulers of princely states, who numbered around 600. The land bank vanished with the Land Ceiling Act. Mukarram found himself at a complete loss when he lost his privy purse and was compelled to sell off his assets. He would dispose invaluable jewellery to meet his immediate needs without verifying the value of the gems he offered for sale. Not surprisingly, he was taken for a ride by everyone, while the list of those dependent on him kept expanding. This list had grown to include the legion of relatives (14,792), servants (14,000), grandfather’s concubines (42) and children (hundreds of them).

Despairing of the circumstances he found himself in after the demise of his grandfather, this last true blue Nizam protested, “I was taught to be a soldier, not an administrator.”

Given the title of the eighth Nizam and brought up as an imperial prince of the Ottoman Empire, he was not wrong when he once confessed, “I was born to rule. That was the only thing I was prepared for.” Some believe it was the burden of having to deal with so many trusts and their beneficiaries that caused Mukarram Jah to leave for Australia.


3,000 WIVES?

In June 1936, the India Office received a letter from one Irene Cowen from Sheffield, asking how many wives the Nizam had and how many children. “A Hyderabadi had given a lecture on the Nizam’s government and in that had mentioned that the Nizam had over 3,000 wives, but he did not know the exact number, and had described him as having ‘a good many children’,” she wrote. …The Foreign Office sent Miss Cowen this reply: “The statement made by your lecturer is, on (the) face of it, incredible. Nor is any record of the kind suggested maintained in this office.”

The Nizam, however, did have over 100 women in his zenana and was even accused of kidnapping some. As for his progeny, it is claimed that Osman Ali Pasha sired over 147 children. A more modest estimate puts this figure at 28 daughters and 44 sons. However, like most stories about the Nizam, this claim is often exaggerated.

According to his daughter Basheerunissa Begum, it was impossible even for the family to keep track of everyone in the palace as each wife of the Nizam and her children had separate living quarters within the palace and had numbered badges to help the palace guards keep track of their security and identity.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Offbeat / DC Correspondent / June 01st, 2014

Service and society

Amazing Feats, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

IN HONOUR Shobha Gosa receives the Sadguru Gnananda Fellowship.
IN HONOUR Shobha Gosa receives the Sadguru Gnananda Fellowship.


Honour for social entrepreneurs for their contribution to society

Why would Management professionals abandon promising careers or a wheel chair-bound individual serve the disabled through setting up their own NGOs? If heart did not rule head, social entrepreneurs would seldom be born. Fortunately, three such champions of change were identified by the Manava Seva Dharma Samvardhani (MSDS) and awarded the Sadguru Gnanananda Fellowship Program in the city last week.

Having met with a road accident Dilip Patro a software professional suddenly found himself wheel chair bound. This could hardly curtail his passion for reaching out to help others and in 2007 he set up The Ability People (TAP) an NGO that educates and supports rehabilitation of spinal cord injured persons (SCIP) at Vizag.

IN HONOUR Dilip Patro receives the Sadguru Gnananda Fellowship
IN HONOUR Dilip Patro receives the Sadguru Gnananda Fellowship

Appointed as a representative under the National Trust, TAP provides mobility aids and appliances for various disabilities besides working with the police for road safety and promoting Right to Emergency Care in the critical ‘golden hour’ (the first one hour of an accident). The TAP website provides an All India Helpline and a toll free number within the state for easy access to citizens.

With a similar motive to serve the masses, Shobha Gosa, Founder, Young People for Life India based at Hyderabad was chosen for empowering youth from disadvantaged backgrounds with communication skills and behavioural management.

Her years as a Business Coach inspired her to focus on education and training of teenage girls gifting them leadership skills, cross cultural engagement, human rights etc.

The third awardee, Akshai Abraham an MBA from Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal founded Project KHEL in 2012 at Lucknow merging his interest in social work and sports in order to positively impact the lives of underprivileged children. KHEL being the acronym for Kids Holistic Education & Life skills his NGO playfully develops confidence, leadership, team work, trust and addresses important issues of health and sanitation through games. “Across the world sport is being applied to address development issues such as creating health awareness, promoting peace and gender equity,” said Abraham.

MSDS, is a registered Public Charitable Trust that initiates social consciousness amongst people.

The Fellowship constitutes monthly monetary support for a period of one year, extendable on impact.

Their learning Centres for Social Initiative & Management are located at Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Coimbatore.

It’s the helping hand that truly serves the world and the world comes to those that serve selflessly!

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Padmini B. Patell / Hyderabad – September 15th, 2014

Now, ‘rice bucket challenge’ goes viral

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features

Manju Latha handing over a bucket of rice to a beneficiary in Hyderabad. Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Manju Latha handing over a bucket of rice to a beneficiary in Hyderabad. Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu

Hyderabad-based Manju Latha Kalanidhi devises local version of ‘rice bucket challenge’ on Facebook to assist donors who want to help poor

Here is India’s answer to the ALS ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’.

An Indian woman has come up with the ‘rice bucket challenge’ on Facebook to show a way to potential donors who want to help the poor. The message has now gone viral on social media.

The ice-bucket challenge is designed to raise awareness about ALS, a progressive neuro-degenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Facebook users can nominate friends to take up the challenge of pouring a bucketful of ice water on the head, film it, and upload the same on the web or donate money to the ALS Association within 24 hours.

How it started
The ‘rice bucket challenge’ was the innovative idea of Hyderabad-based Manju Latha Kalanidhi who posted the challenge, seeking friends to cook or buy one bucketful of rice and feed the poor in the locality. One can also donate medicines worth Rs. 100 to the nearest government hospital.

“It’s local, desi and a practical solution to issues in the vicinity. Instead of wasting water on ice bucket challenge, save water and feed the hungry,” Manju Latha wrote on her Facebook page.

Her post has got over 150 responses within 24 hours, and people have started making voluntary donations in their respective localities.

Facebook user Devunifrom Vijeye took the challenge and helped a poor daily labourer, Sathibabu, with a bucketful of rice. Sattibabu earns his livelihood by selling idli and dosa on a bicycle.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Appaji Reddem / Vijayawada – August 24th, 2014

Telangana: KCR launches land distribution scheme for Dalits on I-Day

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

Golconda Fort was the highlight of Independence Day celebrations in Telangana as it was a departure from the tradition I-Day event at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad (Photo: AP)
Golconda Fort was the highlight of Independence Day celebrations in Telangana as it was a departure from the tradition I-Day event at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad (Photo: AP)

Hyderabad:

Chief Minister of the newly formed state, K Chandrasekhar Rao, launched the distribution of three acres of land to Dalits after hoisting the National Flag at Golconda Fort in Hyderabad.

Under the ‘Dalitulaku Bhupampini’ (land distribution to Dalits) scheme, he gave away land titles to 48 women beneficiaries from all districts in Telangana.

The venue, the historic Golconda Fort, itself was the highlight of the Independence Day celebrations in Telangana as it was a departure from the tradition of organizing the I-Day event at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad.

After paying tributes to martyrs at a memorial at Parade Grounds, the Chief Minister drove to the Golconda Fort on the outskirts of the city.

With the majestic fort forming the backdrop, he unfurled the National Flag on a pole, over 60 feet tall, from a makeshift platform as the national anthem was played.

Before unfurling the National flag, Rao received salute from the men in uniform.

Due to lack of adequate space, the traditional parade and display of tableaux of different government departments was done away with.

Rao recalled the historic significance and cultural heritage associated with the Golconda Fort, originally built by the Kakatiya kings during 10th century and the seat of power of the Qutub Shahi kingdom subsequently.

The cultural heritage of Telangana was showcased with traditional art forms and performance of Perini Sivatandavam, Gussadi, Manda Hechulu, Naubat, and Mujra dance.

Rao highlighted the number of welfare and development programmes of his government like land distribution for Dalits, farm loan waiver, provision of Rs 482 crores input subsidy to farmers, special Telangana increment for state government employees who played a key role in the separate statehood agitation, enhancing the brand image of Hyderabad by strengthening police, making the city a ‘wifi’ city among others.

The programme was inaugurated in the districts by the ministers.

Sportspersons including shuttlers Saina Nehwal, P V Sindhu, P Kashyap, RMV Gurusaidutt, Jwala Gutta, chief national coach P Gopichand, shooter Gagan Narang, all Commonwealth Games medalists, were given away cash awards on the occasion.

As per a policy decision, he gave away Rs 50 lakh for gold medalists, Rs 25 lakh for silver medalists, Rs 15 lakh for bronze medalists and also badminton coaches Gopichand and SM Arif.

Telangana youth, M Purna and Anand Kumar, who created a record by climbing Mount Everest, were also given cash awards.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / PTI / August 15th, 2015

India’s first eyeball implant surgery at Hyderabad’s L.V. Prasad

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Picture for representational purpose
Picture for representational purpose

Hyderabad:

A one-year-old child, born with only one eye, was implanted with an artificial eyeball in the second eye socket. This procedure made L.V. Prasad Eye Hospital the first in the country to implant an “Inflatable Orbital Tissue Expander.”

The implant allows the proper growth of skull bones around the eyeball and keeps the face from becoming distorted. Most of the children born with only one eye have asymmetrical facial bone growth.

This child was lucky as the mother was insistent and despite resistance from the family opted for the implant. This technology has been developed recently and 13 children in the US have got this implant.

Dr Tarjani Dave, consultant at L.V. Prasad Eye Hospital, said, “It’s an inflated silicon implant, which is filled with saline and as the child grows, the saline needs to refilled from time to time. So far, the reports from the US have been positive.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC Correspondent / August 06th, 2014

It’s a ‘golden’ moment for us, say Kashyap’s parents

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

India's Kashyap Parupalli holds the National Flag as he celebrates beating Singapore's Derek Wong in the men's singles badminton for gold medal in 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday. Photo: AFP
India’s Kashyap Parupalli holds the National Flag as he celebrates beating Singapore’s Derek Wong in the men’s singles badminton for gold medal in 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Parupalli Kashyap achieved what his coach and mentor Pullela Gopichand could not do – win the men’s singles badminton gold in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Sunday. And, quite predictably, this fantastic achievement proved to be a “huge relief” for his parents, Parupalli Uday Shankar and Subadhra.

Immediately after this feat, Telangana State Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao sent him a congratulatory message. “We hope this Hyderabad-born player will win many more medals in future,” Mr. Rao said in the message.

Kashyap’s parents’ anxiety, especially in the decider of the men’s final when he warded off a spirited challenge from Derek Wong of Singapore, was understandable. “Yes, we were all waiting for this ‘golden’ moment. It is a huge relief that finally Kashyap is the gold medallist in a major event,” exclaimed a beaming Uday in a chat with The Hindu.

“We know how much pain and suffering he had to undergo because of the asthma problem. There was a phase when that threatened his career. But sheer grit, support from everyone and by God’s grace, Kashyap overcame all that and is now a champion player,” pointed out the proud father, who is scheduled to leave for Nigeria for a long assignment as the CEO of a company.

File photo of India's best men's singles badminton player Parupalli Kashyap sharing a few moments with his parents Uday Shankar and Subadhra after winning the Arjuna Award at his residence in Hyderabad. PHOTO: V. V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
File photo of India’s best men’s singles badminton player Parupalli Kashyap sharing a few moments with his parents Uday Shankar and Subadhra after winning the Arjuna Award at his residence in Hyderabad. PHOTO: V. V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

Interestingly, though the 27-year-old champion shuttler did try to speak to his mother after the marathon semi-final on Saturday evening, he could not because she was indisposed. “He was a bit disappointed but I just told him that you should win the gold,” reveals Uday Shankar. What has apparently delighted the proud parents is that now Kashyap is the proud owner of a gold in a major event of this magnitude beating his previous best performances of a bronze (men’s singles) and a silver (mixed team event)in the 2010 CWG and a quarter-final appearance in the 2012 London Olympics.

“Yes, we are all proud of his achievement,” his elated parents commented.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – August 04th, 2014

Telenagana map of coins

Amazing Feats, Records, All

Harish Reddy is a student of Vasundhara Degree College and he made a map which was displayed at the Secretariat. (Photo: DC)
Harish Reddy is a student of Vasundhara Degree College and he made a map which was displayed at the Secretariat. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad:

On Thursday, 19-year-old Harish Reddy, a student of Vasundhara Degree College, created a record by making a 20 feet x 20 feet Telangana map from coins. The map, comprising 21,031 coins, some of which are hundreds of years old, was on display at the Secretariat.

“I have been collecting these coins since 10-10-2010. It was after my grandmother told me fascinating stories about coins from her era that I got hooked on this hobby. It took me four to five hours to make this map,” says Harish, who had help from NGO Youth in Action, Vasundhara Group of Colleges and Vasavi Seva Telangana organisation.

“Andhra Pradesh was formed on 1-11-1956 and Telangana State on 2-6-2014. The difference between the two is of 21,031 days, which is also the number of coins I have used. For my contribution, I have been included in the India and Limca Book of Records,” he says.

“My family was a big support. Keeping in mind that I spent Rs 1 lakh to procure these coins for the map, they would give me a few thousand rupees every month and I would travel to different villages in and around Hyderabad to buy the required coins,” adds Harish.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / Anisha Dhiman / July 31st, 2014

Two city boys for Homeless World Cup!

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Sports, World Opinion

Simarpreet Singh and Tariq Ahmed from Hyderabad who have been selected to represent India in the World Cup football for Homeless to be played in Chile this October. PHOTO: V. V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
Simarpreet Singh and Tariq Ahmed from Hyderabad who have been selected to represent India in the World Cup football for Homeless to be played in Chile this October. PHOTO: V. V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

Soccer fever is reaching a climax in Brazil. But for two young footballers, Tariq and Simarpreet Singh from the city, it might just be the beginning of a journey to recognition. The two boys have been selected to represent India in the Homeless World Cup (for those who come from slums) in Chile in October.

“A World Cup is a World Cup. We are on cloud nine,” the delighted duo exclaimed. They are products of ‘Sports Coaching Foundation’ football camp where Hyderabad Sporting Club chief coach Mohd Saleh trains.

“This is a dream come true and we will try our best to make an impact in this event,” say the soccer duo. Nineteen-year-old Tariq is an engineering graduate from Hussaini Alam and Simarpreet is a commerce graduate from Zaranagar locality of Mehdipatnam. “This is nowhere near the real World Cup soccer but this is a sport that is played with great passion,” the duo says.

“These boys would not have made it to Chile but for the initiative of Kaarmic Education Services’ Dantu Kartik and Adithya Sanjay of Awakening Foundation who spotted talent and started grooming them. I am glad that Tariq and Simarpreet are from the SCF where they have been training under lights,” says a proud K. Sai Baba, general secretary of SCF.

SCF felicitated the duo.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – July 12th, 2014

Their poster girl for a better tomorrow

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

Anitha is the first Chenchu girl to clear Intermediate from her village now aims to become a teacher at Chench colony, Chandampet mandal in Nalgonda district. Photo: Singam Venkataramana / The Hindu
Anitha is the first Chenchu girl to clear Intermediate from her village now aims to become a teacher at Chench colony, Chandampet mandal in Nalgonda district. Photo: Singam Venkataramana / The Hindu

By clearing the Intermediate exam, Dasari Anitha has not only become the first girl from Chenchugudem to do so, but also an inspiration to other tribal girls

Dasari Anitha may be no Malala Yousufzai, but her achievement has left the whole Chenchu tribal habitation in Chenchugudem ecstatic. The 18-year-old has cleared her Intermediate examination, a feat no girl from the Chenchu tribal village has ever accomplished.

Anitha scored 671 marks out of a total of 1,000, something the villagers say would encourage girl education among Chenchu families.

Located in Timmapur Panchayat under the Chandampet mandal, the 42-house exclusive Chenchu habitation had never sent a girl to college until Anitha was admitted to the Tribal Welfare Residential Education Societies’ College in Damarcherla mandal two years ago (the Biology-Physics-Chemistry group).

The previous highest qualification was that of a girl who had studied up to the class 7, says Anjaiah, Anitha’s father. “But she was married off at a very tender age,” he said.

However, things have changed after Anitha went to college, he said. Twelve girls have since been admitted to the Mini Gurukulam in Chandampet to classes 5, 6 and 8.

Anitha told The Hindu that she aimed to become a teacher after completing her two-year Teacher Training Course (TTC).

Her mother Eedamma said the family was elated at her achievement and was looking forward to seeing Anitha become a teacher. She hoped Anitha’s achievement would inspire her three younger siblings.

The Chenchu couple cultivates various crops in their two-acre land, but that still leaves them little for two square meals a day for their six-member family.

The Chenchu habitation has appealed to the government to provide Anitha a TTC admission and guide her to become a teacher as her achievement could provide a boost to girl education not only in the nine tribal habitations of Chandampet mandal, but also in Chenchu families living in adjoining Nallamala forest.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by Staff Reporter / Chandampet (Nalgonda Dt.) – July 09th, 2014

Chess prodigy set to script success stories

Amazing Feats, Education, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Kushagra Mohan of Hyderabad who won the silver medal in the under-10 category of the Asian Youth chess championship in Tashkent. / by Arrangement / The Hindu
Kushagra Mohan of Hyderabad who won the silver medal in the under-10 category of the Asian Youth chess championship in Tashkent. / by Arrangement / The Hindu

Kushagra Mohan clinches silver medal in the Asian Youth Chess Championship in Tashkent.

Kushagra Mohan, a fifth standard student of Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, provided a silver lining when he clinched the silver medal in the just-concluded Asian Youth Chess Championship in Tashkent (Uzbekistan).

The city boy won the medal in the under-10 category representing India, which incidentally is his second after his bronze in the same event last year. Coached by Rama Raju, Kushagra, who is a Candidates Master now, is already dreaming big and his next big event is the World Youth Chess Championship in Durban (South Africa) this September.

“My confidence level is high after the Tashkent silver. I hope to keep improving,” he said. Ever since his bronze in the 2011 national under-seven championship in Pune, Kushagra has been making a slow and steady progress which was evident when he won the Asian Schools Championship silver the same year.

With father Rajesh Mohan, a businessman, and mother Meena encouraging him to the hilt, Kushagra, who idolises the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen, is in the mood to script a few more success stories in the world of chess.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – July 02nd, 2014