Information technology minister KT Rama Rao and Bharti Airtel (AP & TS) CEO Venkatesh Vijayraghavan at the announcement in Hyderabad on Friday on state’s first public Wi-Fi powered by Airtel | EXPRESS PHOTO
Hyderabad :
Have a valid mobile number and a Wi-Fi-enabled device? If yes, your commute in and around Hitec city has just become interesting, thanks to the free ‘Public Wi-Fi’ pilot initiative rolled out jointly by the Telangana government and telecom service provider Bharti Airtel.
Nearly 40,000 persons commuting between Cyber towers-Madhapur police station, Cyber Towers-Kothaguda junction and Cyber Towers-Raheja Mindspace circle are now entitled for free internet services of up to 750 mbps per day per user. As a part of its 3-month pilot, Airtel has set hotspots at 17 locations covering a total of 8 km around Hitec city for users to access free internet.
Typically, 750 mbps data usage will allow users with Wi-Fi-enabled devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, netbooks, phablets, to send nearly 200 mails without attachments and even watch a 2-2.5 hour movie i.e., if the service provider permits. ‘’This is just a beginning. We will come to a position where the entire city will be Wi-Fi enabled in about four months. Tendering process is going on. The entire 700 sq km of Hyderabad city will be covered under Wi-Fi soon,” said IT minister KT Rama Rao.
He added that enabling public access to superior Wi-Fi technology was a part of the government’s broader agenda to promote greater digital inclusion for citizens, therefore making Hyderabad, a ‘Global Smart City.’
According to Venkatesh Vijayraghavan, CEO, Bharti Airtel, AP and Telangana, optic fiber technology has been used to provide the service. ‘’Though the speed of internet will be 40 mbps, the same will depend on number of users at that point of time,” he said adding that the company was in the process of working out tariff.
For Airtel, this is the first such free Wi-Fi rollout across the country. After the pilot, Airtel will take a call on how to extend its services. When asked, if Airtel will consider expanding this service to other states, Vijayraghavan said the company was in silent period to discuss expansion plans.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by ENS Economic Bureau / October 11th, 2014
(1) International specialists on urban planning Alfonso Govela and Tim Campbell (right) at the XI Metropolis World Congress (2) Interceptor police stand guard near HITEX (3) Bomb squad personnel checking the surrounding area near the venue of XI Metropolis World Congress at HICC in Hyderabad on Monday | A SURESH KUMAR
Hyderabad :
The much-awaited XI Metropolis World Congress, organised by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in coordination with the Telangana state government, commenced here on Monday.
While the media was kept away from the event, GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar later briefed newsmen about the day’s proceedings at the event. He said that “Day Zero of the XI Metropolis World Congress saw 857 register for the conference, including 135 people from abroad . He added that the event with the theme ‘Cities for All’, had five technical sessions on Voices of the Children, Empowering Youth, Habitat in Urban India, Housing For All and Metropolis ‘Hackathon’.
Kumar said, “We had a session titled ‘Voices of Children’ where we sought the opinions of children from across the country, who articulately described the problems in their citites/towns, including the need for improvement of housing, public toilets, better sanitation and waste management in slum areas, among others.”
According to the GHMC commissioner, children from across the country, including Maharashtra, Orissa and Delhi were present. “To get an insight into children’s thinking is very rare in conferences like these.
The children also brought to our notice the presence of electrical poles which hang dangerously as also the dirty condition of most of the transformers,” he added.
The GHMC Commissioner listed out some of the suggestions made by the youth on why it was essential to involve them in policy-making and decision-making. He further said: “We discussed the importance of providing affordable housing to everyone. Everybody present unanimously agreed that the participation of the private sector is a must to improve the quality of housing, ” he added.
Meanwhile, the international specialists on urban planning who attended the Metropolis Hackathon, were highly impressed with the participation from the youth of the City in the conference. Speaking to the newsmen after the event, Alfonso Govela, architect and founder of Mex Smart Cities, Alain Renk, architect and city planner from France, Tim Campbell, an independent observer and a holder of Phd in urban studies from MIT, Philip Weist, entrepreneur and author, and Subromonium Sarma, senior director of Indian School of Business, gave an insight into what transpired during the Metropolis Hackathon.
“At the hackathon, we asked the youth of Hyderabad to come and give us ideas using technology on how to make it a better city. We had 360 team entries, from which 20 have been chosen,” informed Sarma.
Alfonso Govela, who hails from France, said: “ I’m very glad to see plenty of vibrant ideas from the youth of Hyderabad. Out of the 20 teams, five will be chosen as winners and they shall work together with the government of Telangana, Microsoft and Indian School of Business to implement their ideas. These ideas can be used not just in Hyderabad, but across the world,” he said.
Impressed by the enthusiastic participation of children and youth during the event Tim Campbell said, Hyderabad city held a bright future.
Media Blackout
The print and electronic media were denied access to the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), where the XI Metropolis World Congress was taking place. They were instead provided with a media centre in the administrative building with a promise that live footage will be shown on screen. However, much to the dismay of the journalists present, the footage was not shown the entire day and the mediamen were totally unaware of what actually transpired at the event. It all started when the Public Relations group for the event Perfect Relations was replaced by Information & Public Relations (I&PR) at the last moment – i.e., late on Sunday evening by the government for inexplicable reasons. The mediamen were subsequently informed that they could not enter the premises and must instead stay put in the media centre and await press briefing from the officials. RV Chandravadan, Commissioner, I &PR, explained that there were very ‘specific’ reasons for this decision.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / Express News Service / October 07th, 2014
Starbucks opens new outlet in Hyderabad on Tuesday.-PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL
The first flagship Starbucks store was thrown open in Hyderabad on Tuesday. A joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Global Beverages, the Starbucks store promises to provide ‘elevated coffeehouse’ experience to customers.
This is not all; the company very soon will add one more store in the city in the coming months.
According to Tata Starbucks officials, within two years of launch in India, the company has managed to start 58 Starbucks stores across the country.
The well decorated Starbucks store at Road no-92, Banjara Hills has a range of offerings including the signature Starbucks espresso based beverages and extensive food menu comprising Indian and International favourites.
“Starbucks stores have always been a third place, a place away from home and office for customers where they can enjoy high quality Arabica coffee in an unparalleled store environment. We are excited to bring Starbucks Hyderabad,” said CEO, Tata Starbucks Limited, Avani Davda during the launch.
The store is also offering Starbucks range of merchandise and free Wi-Fi to customers. Currently, Starbucks is present in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore and Chennai.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – September 30th, 2014
The representatives of Samsung Data Systems called on Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao here on Wednesday and explained him about the Central Clearing Housing Systems (CCHS).
A team of members led by Dongsun Choi, general manager and Young IL Kim, project director of Samsung Data Systems, India, called on the chief minister at the Secretariat. The team made a presentation to the chief minister on the Central Clearing Housing Systems (CCHS) with specific reference to Hyderabad.
The team members told Rao that in several cities of the world there is a provision for card-based CCHS system with payment method which helps their citizens to avail the best convenience in public transportation such as Oyster card in UK, Octopus card in Hong Kong, Suica card in Japan.
They said these cards can make payment to various authorities of metros, buses, taxis as well as in any retail shops. They also mentioned that CCHS is a gifted system for any metro city which would provide benefits to all.
Linking this, they said, smart cities could be better managed. The team further appraised about the intelligent manufacturing, intelligent logistics, intelligent office, intelligent home, intelligent surveillance and smart education as part of smart city system.
The chief minister told the Samsung team to come out with specific proposals for Hyderabad to make it a smart city and apply their experiences in a more meaningful way.
Rao also suggested to have a meeting with city police commissioner for further discussions. It was also agreed in principle to conduct a workshop shortly in this regard involving different stakeholders.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / September 25th, 2014
Seedsmen Association presented awards to personalities connected with the seed industry at its 19th general body meeting here on Thursday. Telangana agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy honoured them with the awards.
Following is the list of awards presented Life time achievement: K Ayyapu Reddy, founder, Nagarjuna Seeds For developing World Class infrastructure facilities for Indian seed industry: K Prasad, managing director, Prasad Seeds Pvt Ltd. Seed Entrepreneur: K Ramakoteswara Rao, managing director, Sri Sathya Agri Biotech Pvt Ltd Seed Scientist Category: Dr RS Mahala, research director, DuPont Pioneer. Late S Venkata Reddy Memorial Award for retired government officers: D Ashok Kumar, deputy director, agriculture Seed Grower: S Basawaraj Goud, cotton seed grower, Boothpur, Mahabubangar district.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / September 20th, 2014
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
ART FOR HOME The salt-glazed ceramic functional art piece on display – rain cloud plates. Photos: Special Arrangement
Aarti Vir takes a break from sculptures to put together an exhibition of functional ceramics
2014 would probably be remembered, apart from political reasons, as the year that Hyderabad faced prolonged summer. Artist Aarti Vir took a cue from the general longing for rain clouds when she was firing a lot for functional ceramics. She came up with ‘rain cloud plates’ that bear small rain clouds and a few droplets of water on an ash grey surface.
These rain cloud plates are among the functional ceramic art pieces now on display at the Minaaz Art Gallery. On display and sale are small and large tumblers, mugs, bowls, lidded dishes and vases that Aarti made over two firings in July and August.
Aarti is more an artist than a potter and her salt glazed sculptures have taken various forms and textures while giving shape to her thoughts, responding to the world around her over the years. Occasionally though, she has been firing utility ceramics at her kiln on orders. This is her first exhibition of functional art.
Day-to-day items take a new dimension in Aarti’s hands. There’s a subtle play of colours and patterns on each tumbler and mug. Blue-tinged bowls are aptly called ‘ocean bowls’ and the earthy, reddish brown plates ‘red earth plates’, with the colours resulting from the use of glaze.
Small table bowls with fine line etchings have been inspired by the lines on paddy fields. There are long stem vases and the curious amoeba-shaped pod vases. “I came across tree pods during my walks at one of the parks in the city,” says Aarti, talking about the inspiration for these vases.
Though Aarti’s mainstay is sculpture, she looks forward to doing more functional art. “Maybe I wouldn’t do it in such a straightforward way. I like to hand build each piece than mechanically throw it on the potter’s wheel and do 10 or 20 mugs,” she says.
Functional ceramics by Aarti Vir is on display at Minaaz Art Gallery, Road no.10 Jubilee Hills, till September 23. Prices begin at Rs. 450.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Events / by Sangeetha Devi Dundoo / Hyderabad – September 16th, 2014
With the newly-formed Telangana state trying to give an impetus to the events industry, a new industry body Telangana Chamber of Events Industry (TCEI) has been floated today to tap the potential.
TCEI, a non-profit private body, comprises six industry sub-sectors, namely, events, sound, light and video, facilitators, event caterers, event venue and entertainers.
TCEI was formally launched by Telangana IT and Panchayat Minister K T Rama Rao, according to a release from the organisers.
The release quoted Rama Rao as having welcomed the formation of the new professional body.
“This makes easy for government to interact with the industry. For any industry to grow, you need an industrial body. I am happy TCEI is formed. It is the first of its kind of a body in India. It is a wonderful initiative,” he said.
The state government is keen to see many global events happening in Hyderabad, he added.
The events industry in Telangana is estimated to be around Rs 300 crore, the release said, adding that the industry’s request for a single-window clearance for their events is being accepted.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / Press Trust of India / Hyderabad – August 27th, 2014
For many, shopping for clothes is an emotional experience. Usually people take someone along with them when they shop to solicit third party opinion because not everyone believes in what they see inside the trial room mirror. People want to look their best in front of other people. But it is quite a task to purchase the right outfits.
In the quest to become India’s fashion discovery platform, VioletStreet, based in Hyderabad, wants to aid shoppers with matching decisions.
How VioletStreet works
The site saves you from going through thousands of products and inventory to find the right match.
VioletStreet aggregates fashion products from all the online stores in one place. The core offering is finding relevant matching products for every product viewed and real-time shopping with friends which no other player in this space offers.
VioletStreet’s algorithm is all about mixing and matching fashion products and enabling users to express their fashion ideas using simple drag and drop process. When a user views a particular product, VioletStreet recommends which other products would pair best with it, which no other platform provides. It is the first platform in India to launch real-time shopping with friends which reduces the pain of sharing products via links/mails.
The inspiration came, “while observing the behavior of shoppers at a shopping mall in Hyderabad. People generally came along with friends or family, tried products, showed it to their friends, picked matching products and made the purchase. Why is online shopping such a lonely process? How close can we bring it to offline shopping?” says Nayan Kumar, Co-founder of VioletStreet.
He adds, “Online fashion sales have crossed $559 million in India last year. There are too many fashion e-commerce sites, but none engage the user socially. There is a huge need for relevant data and a collaborative shopping experience, especially in fashion.”
The team behind VioletStreet.com
Ankur Gupta is the CEO of VioletStreet and he also heads its technology. He is a graduate in Computer Science Engineering from NIT, Allahabad. Ankur has worked in Microsoft R & D for three years until he quit his job in 2013 to start his own venture.
Nayan Kumar heads UI/UX, Sales, and Digital Marketing. He is a graduate of Chemical Engineering and Economics from BITS-Pilani, Hyderabad. Before co-founding VioletStreet, he worked in the service industry.
Divya Sisodia is the fashion expert in the team. Graduated in Textile Design from NIFT Hyderabad, Divya handles all aspects related to fashion and creative content for VioletStreet.
Ankur and Nayan are Startup Leadership Programme (SLP) fellows and that is where they met first.
Creating 100 looks every day
Users can follow each other to chat and share products instantaneously.
Users can also interact with their Facebook network – friends who have already signed up for VioletStreet will be automatically added to the user’s chat list.
The startup claims that about 100 looks are created every day which is increasing at 100% month-on-month and the site receives more than 20,000 unique visitors every month. On average, the user spends 04:31 minutes on the site, according to external sources.
Their current business model is generating revenue through affiliate sales and advertising. They make money from the traffic that they send to e-commerce sites (Jabong, Myntra, StalkBuyLove, Koov, Pretty Secrets and the likes). VioletStreet didn’t disclose the size of their revenue but they plan to break even in one-and-half years. So far they have raised Rs.10 lakhs investment at TiE Smashup TechStocks.
VioletStreet wants to include men’s fashion and lifestyle products, and establish a pan India presence in the first two years before going global.
Limeroad , Voonik, Roposo. and fashupp.com are some of the players in the space in the domestic market. In the global market, Polyvore, Wanelo, Fancy, Lyst operate in a similar model.
source: http://www.yourstory.com / YourStory.com / Home / by Emmanuel Amberber / September 13th, 2014
Internet search giant Google Inc has reaffirmed its commitment to set up its first campus outside the US in Telangana, while TCS, the country’s largest software services exporter, will set up a 25,000-seat facility at Adibatla, KT Rama Rao, Minister for IT & Communication, said.
Google already employs 3,000 at its Hyderabad facility. Typically, a campus will be based on walk-to-work concept and will have several recreational facilities. Stating that California-based Google’s executives during their recent visit had reiterated interest in setting up a campus, Rao said, “There are some issues with the land allocation. We are sorting it out.” He added several other existing IT companies such as HSBC will expand their operations in the city.
The then State government in 2007 had allotted Google 20 acres at Kokapet but it ran into legal trouble. Similarly, online retail giant Amazon was given 10.57 acres at Nanakramguda in 2005 to build a 1.6 million square feet facility, touted as its biggest facility outside its headquarters in the US. The project is yet yo take off. Amazon currently employs 4,000 at its leased facility in Hyderabad. Interacting with media after signing pacts with three institutions to get his marquee initiative — Telangana Hub (T-Hub) — off the ground, Rao said the first phase will be ready in six months and house 700-800 start-ups and later 1,500 or more.
The three institutions namely IIIT-Hyderabad, Indian School of Business (ISB) and National Academy of Legal Studies and Research are jointly working with the government on the T-Hub, which promotes entrepreneurship and aims at building a startup ecosystem in the State. “The incubation centre will be a top class facility, not just for Telangana but also the world,” said Rao. The first phase will operate in six months from an 80,000 sft facility at IIIT-Hyderabad. Gradually, it will move into a standalone unit with 3 lakh sft in two years. “We have already started looking for a possible site,” he said
Rao will be meeting the Union IT Minister on September 15 to get a perspective on the Centre’s plans on ITIR. The IT department will soon issue a request for proposal from service providers for the proposed wi-fi connecitivty project. Meanwhile, two companies — one each from the UK and Japan — have shown interest in setting up units at the electronic manufacturing clusters.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by ENS Economic Bureau / September 10th, 2014
