Swamy, who has also worked as a professional public relations officer in the city says his paintings are thus not mere caricatures of reality.
Hyderabad :
While sunrises, sunsets, butterflies and waterfalls tend to inspire many poets and artists, VV Swamy says the modern electronic communication gadgets inspired him to dedicate a whole set of paintings to it. “I have depicted the essence of electronic communication gadgets in a series of paintings, capturing the technological transformation.
I am happy to mention that I have received a number of prestigious awards for my works over the years including honours from British High Commission, British Council Division and by the Andhra Association and Andhra Educational Society, New Delhi,” he says.
Living in Hyderabad for the last 50 years and son of Late V Venkateswarlu, an eminent artist and sculptor of AP, Swamy says he has painted over 2,500 art works in various media and material on different topics from horses in action to adorable Ganeshas and has held 23 one-man shows besides participating in a number of group shows all over the country. His paintings were also shown at USA, Hong kong, Japan etc. countries.
Swamy, who has also worked as a professional public relations officer in the city says his paintings are thus not mere caricatures of reality. “They are realistic representations of all that surrounds us – be it people, places or events. It is easy for the viewer to identify himself or herself with what one is viewing when one looks at Swamy’s works (both his paintings and writings).
There is something lyrical and passionate about them that appeals to our innate aesthetic sense.” A recipient of Ugadi Puraskar he uploads his photographs in flickr and other online media.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / March 13th, 2019
One of the Buddhist relics that might be exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
Phanigiri Buddhist relics may be part of the Met’s 150th anniversary exhibition
Buddhist artefacts and relics from Phanigiri in the Suryapet district are set to travel to New York next year for the 150th anniversary exhibition of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met).
“We are collaborating with the Telangana government to ensure that a small number of major pieces from the excavations at Phanigiri are a part of the exhibition at the Met to mark the museum’s 150th anniversary,” said John Guy, Curator at the Met, who was in the city recently to identify the objects and carry back a wish-list with him.
Some of the artefacts are dated from the 1st Century to 4th century AD.
The excavations at Phanigiri, which began in 1941 and continued till 1944 under the then director of Department of Archaeology Khwaja Mahmud Ahmed, during the Nizam’s reign, unearthed one of the important monastic sites of Buddhism.
Major pieces
The excavations yielded a Mahastupa, a congregation hall, viharas, chaityagruhas and panels with Jataka tales and inscriptions dated from the Satavahana and Ikshvaku dynasties.
Further excavations were carried out, including one in 2015, which unearthed a rare red earthenware pot with a silver container.
“The curator of the New York Met has given us a list of 13 objects, including six from Phanigiri, that they want to showcase for an exhibition on the Buddha. The Central government has to approve it, and if the objects are deemed safe for travel, we will lend them for the event,” said N. R. Visalatchy, Director, Department of Heritage, Telangana.
“The Phanigiri material will be at the very heart of the exhibition, and we feel honoured that Telangana is going to be part of it. This is due to the fact that there have been two major discoveries in recent times — one is Phanigiri and the other is Kandalahalli. We are also in talks with other institutions for contributions to the exhibition,” said Mr. Guy.
The Met exhibition comes five years after it hosted a sumptuous exhibition on the region titled ‘Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy’.
Sharing of artefacts
Interestingly, both the Telangana State Archaeological Museum near the Telangana Assembly, and the Heritage Museum, Gunfoundry, don’t have a single relic from Phanigiri on display.
“We will put them on display once the artefacts that are part of Andhra Pradesh’s share are moved out.
“The artefacts are to be shared in a 60:40 ratio of those acquired after 1956,” said an official at the museum.
According to historians and archaeologists, Phanigiri was part of an ancient pilgrimage and caravan route when Satavahanas, and later Ikshvakus, ruled the region.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Serish Nanisetti / Hyderabad – March 10th, 2019
AI525 from Hyderabad to Bhubaneshwar and back would be flown by an all-women crew on March 8 (Friday) operated by Captain Sapna Patel and First Officer Prajakta Chougule with cabin crew Manisha, S.L. Sunita, Prachi and Durge. This is one of the 40 domestic and short-haul flights to be operated by 12 all-women crew across the country to mark the International Women’s Day.
Women cockpit and cabin crew of Air India would operate both wide and narrow body aircraft to all corners of the world and across the nation as a mark of respect for women in India, a press release said.
For most of these flights, technical services would be provided by women aircraft engineers, technicians and flight dispatchers, while women duty managers, counter staff, helpers and doctors would work for most of these flights. “It’s a moment of pride and honour for Air Indians that our women employees are leaving their mark in the aviation sector on a global scale,” said Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani.
Air India would be deploying its B787 Dreamliners and B777s to be operated by women pilots and attended by women cabin crew in the sectors: Delhi- Sydney, Mumbai- London, Delhi-Rome, Delhi- London, Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai, Delhi-Paris, Mumbai-Newark, Mumbai-New York, Delhi-New York, Delhi-Washington, Delhi-Chicago and Delhi-San Francisco, the release added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 08th, 2019
The UCCN, created in 2004, was aimed at placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of developmental and cooperation plans at local and international levels respectively.
UNESCO official Junhi Han with Prinicipal Secretary Arvind Kumar in Hyderabad on Saturday | Express
Hyderabad :
Apart from the World Heritage Site tag for Golconda Fort and Qutub Shahi Tombs, the State government officials are now trying to get Hyderabad into UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Express learnt that the same was discussed when Junhi Han, the Chief of Culture Department and Programme Specialist at the UNESCO visited the State and met the MAUD Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar, Director of Heritage Telangana NR Visalatchy and others Friday.
An official present in the meeting said, “We felt that the outcome of the meeting was very positive. As of now Chennai is in the Network for its music, Jaipur for literature. We want Hyderabad to be in it on the basis of its heritage and other corresponding features.”
The UCCN, created in 2004, was aimed at placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of developmental and cooperation plans at local and international levels respectively. Needless to say, if Hyderabad figures in the list, which already comprises Chennai and Jaipur from India, it would bolster its creative industry. The Network covers seven creative fields — crafts and folk arts, media arts, film, design, gastronomy, literature and music.
Experts opined if Hyderabad were to be in the Network it could be on the filed of crafts and folk arts, which would include its age-old bidriware craftworks or kalamkari, which is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile. Apart from that discussions were also held on World Heritage Site tag, which figured in Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar’s tweet.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Aihik Sur / Express News Service / March 10th, 2019
Women Blue Colts team ready to roll at Karimnagar Commissionerate of Police on Friday
Karimnagar becomes the only district in TS to have all-women patrolling and QRT teams
District Judge Anupama Chakravarthy, Collector Sarfaraz Ahmad, Commissioner of Police V.B. Kamalasan Reddy and others flagged off all-women patrolling teams at Police Parade Grounds to mark International Women’s Day here on Friday.
With this, the Karimnagar Commissionerate of Police gained the distinction of being the only district in Telangana to have women personnel in all its teams – women commandos, patrolling teams, Blue Colts teams and women quick reaction team (QRT) on par with their male counterparts.
The women police personnel have been trained in driving cars and mini-buses to carry women QRT to a crime scene. About 43 women constables, who were trained in Israeli self-defence technology of Krav Maga for a month, have been deployed in QRT and mobile patrolling teams.
Women would patrol the streets of Karimnagar in two shifts, while women Blue Colts teams would tour the town and visit places where there is high incidence of crime.
On Friday, the women QRT was pressed into service and they conducted surprise inspection of the RTC bus complex.
Appreciating the women police personnel for their courage in joining the forces, Ms. Chakravarthy called upon all women to be strong both physically and mentally.
The Collector lauded the Karimnagar Commissionerate of Police for according top priority to women’s safety in the district.
Mr. Ahmad also appreciated the district police for making women police as commandos by imparting special training to them.
The Commissioner of Police said there should be a change in the attitude of the society towards women. Stating that they would excel in all fields if given an opportunity, Mr. Kamalasan Reddy said they identified talent in the women police force and imparted commando training to them to tackle any situation.
He said the women police force in the district would be discharging all duties on par with their male counterparts. The Commissioner said that the constitution of SHE Teams had reduced crimes against women in the district.
Assistant Collector Pravinya, ACP Usha Rani, and other women officers took part in International Women’s Day celebrations.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Karimnagar – March 08th, 2019
In 1996, Holy Mary Group established the first MCA college in South India at Jubilee Hills which was later moved to SR Nagar.
Hyderabad :
Holy Mary Group of Institutions Secretary Dr Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy speaks on her journey thus far in the field of education, the laurels won, and her message for youthIt takes a long hard road to make it to the top. Through ups and downs, Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy, the Secretary of Holy Mary Group of Institutions, shines bright. “Along with my husband Arimanda Vara Prasad Reddy, I had set up Nalanda Vidyalaya High School way back in 1985, after a lot of struggle,” she says. The school went on to achieve successive state ranks, Pratibha Awards and many other recognitions.
Her interest in teaching began from her schooling days. Her educational qualifications look impressive – PhD in management studies from JNTU Hyderabad, BA, MA from Osmania University, BEd from Andhra University, MEd from Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), MS (Psychology) from University of Madras, MS (Counselling and Psychotherapy) from Kuvempu University, MPhil (Psychology) from SVU, MBA from IIM Bangalore, certifications from Dale Carnegie.
Training – the list goes on. What was the reason behind her obtaining so many degrees? “I am passionate about teaching and learning. And I am a hands-on person who believes in mingling with students to know them better. In order to know what is being taught to MBA students, I enrolled for the course. Similarly, to interact with students and understand their feelings, I did Psychology courses,” she says matter-of-factly. She also adds, “I always update myself with new ideas and technology. The basic nature of mine is continuous learning and as a result I am updated. I try to introduce the same to my students.”
In 1996, Holy Mary Group established the first MCA college in South India at Jubilee Hills which was later moved to SR Nagar. They now offering MBA courses too. The group established engineering colleges in Hyderabad and Guntur in the year 2000. In 2011, Dr Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy took part in a ‘Women in Leadership’ in-house programme at IIM Bangalore. She was one among 26 aspirants across the country and the only one from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
“It was a wonderful experience interacting with industry leaders like ICICI MD Chanda Kochhar, politicians such as former Delhi CM Sheila Dixit, MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and others. The course focussed on the nitty-gritty of politics. As part of the coursework, we went to Singapore to study how their leaders function, how Parliament proceedings happen, etc. It was a hectic but rewarding experience, during which I had learned a lot,” she reminisces.
She is the only woman from India to take part in a UN conference on ‘Global Problems and Local Solutions’ organised by Geneva Institute for Leadership and Public Policy in 2013. And she represented India at the ‘WEConnect International Day’, a business-oriented meet held in Philadelphia, US in 2014.
“I joined Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE) as a member, and was elected unanimously as its Chairperson in 2014. I helped organise various empowerment sessions to women and contributed to their growth,” she adds.
How about the support given by her family? “My husband supported me a lot. In the late 90s, he left his Central government job at MIDHANI to assist me. He gave constructive criticism, which helped me grow. Without his feedback, I would not be here today,” she says humbly.
A Dale Carnegie certified Train the Trainer, Dr Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy takes sessions on soft skills such as goal setting, time management, positive attitude, among others. Over her decades-long career, she has helped thousands of students achieve their potential. As part of official engagements, she has toured many countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East, etc.
Within the country, she organised skill development and entrepreneurship programmes for women, distributed uniforms and notebooks to schoolchildren, held stress management workshops for Police personnel and many other sessionsAny words of wisdom for youth? “Keep a goal for each year and try to achieve it in the same year. If I face problems in this process I will try to sort things out but will never turn back. So I say only two things – be goal-oriented and try to be a continuous learner,” she says with a smile.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / March 08th, 2019
The startup is currently incubated at Hyderabad-based incubator T-Hub and it was previously part of the Zone Startups India accelerator.
Hyderabad :
Donatekart, the Hyderabad-based online charity platform, has raised Rs 2.55 crore in seed funding from a bunch of investors led by early-stage investment firm LetsVenture. The company, which moved from Mumbai to the city a few months ago and has set up shot at T-Hub said in a statement that it plans to use the proceeds to strengthen its technology functions, scale its team and launch new products. It also plans to expand to other geographies such as the US and UK and raise at least `100 crore in donations in the next three years, the statement added.
Incidentally, the firm was featured in EdEx 40 under 40 list last year at an event held in Hyderabad. Donatekart was founded in 2016 by National Institute of Technology-Nagpur graduates Anil Kumar Reddy and Sandeep Sharma. Donors can ‘buy’ products such as flood relief material on the platform which are then sent to social organisations for distribution. The platform gives donors updates about how the products they have purchased are being used.
“Most Indians are keen to do charity, but they are comfortable if they can do it in a hassle-free manner and can keep track of their donation,” said Anil Kumar Reddy, co-founder and chief executive officer of Donatekart. Since the platform was launched, Donatekart claims to have assisted more than 450 non-governmental organisations all over India in procuring products worth `5 crore from more than 35,000 donors.
The startup is currently incubated at Hyderabad-based incubator T-Hub and it was previously part of the Zone Startups India accelerator.
LetsVenture founder Shanti Mohan has now joined the board of Donatekart. Established in 2013, LetsVenture is an online platform that connects Indian startups with seed and angel investors.Owned and operated by Bengaluru-based IndiePitch Solutions, LetsVenture claims to have enabled more than 180 funding rounds with a total of about $70 million being raised so far.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / March 07th, 2019
Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, poet and folk singer Goreti Venkanna, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister S. Narsing Rao, filmmaker B. Narsing Rao and Press Academy Chairman Allam Narayana launching the book in Hyderabad on Saturday.
‘It’s not just a book, but a cultural repository’
A coffee table book on Bonalu festival was launched in the city on Saturday by Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao. The book edited by well-known filmmaker and artist B. Narsing Rao has colourful photographs, and it traces the history and evolution of the worship of goddesses in villages.
“Earlier, the worship of village goddesses was looked down upon. It has changed since the formation of Telangana. I don’t want to see this as a book, but as a cultural repository. We scanned through 10,000 photographs to shortlist the ones that you find in the book. It took us nearly three years to come up with this as we collected archaeological evidence about the origins and beliefs,” said Mr. Narsing Rao at the launch.
“Bonalu and other local festivals remained unappreciated earlier. For nearly six decades, the culture was suppressed by a section of people. But it was the ‘cultural torch’ that lit the fire of Telangana movement. Bonalu and Bathukamma were weapons during the agitation,” said Allam Narayana of Telangana Press Academy.
Speaking on the occasion, the Maharashtra Governor stressed on the plurality of the society. “In 1995, the Supreme Court said India is not a theocratic state. Culture and traditions are part of our lives. Books like this highlight the fact that the SC said. But we still need to do a lot to promote Telugu language and culture,” said Mr. Vidyasagar Rao. The 280-page book is priced at ₹3,000.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 03rd, 2019
Founder and director of wedding planning company Levitate Events, Anujna Ravikumar may come across as a regular 20-plusser who loves selfies, junk food and loud music.
Anujna Ravikumar
Hyderabad :
Founder and director of wedding planning company Levitate Events, Anujna Ravikumar may come across as a regular 20-plusser who loves selfies, junk food and loud music. This unassuming youngster founded a full-fledged wedding planning company way back in 2011. “What started as a small dream has now become a full-grown business. A small birthday party that I had taken up as a hobby project had soon become a full-time activity as I stated receiving more projects,” she says.
After facing a lot of challenges as an entrepreneur at a young age, Anujna believes that working hard towards reaching one’s goals is the only way one can fend off obstacles that might come across the way.
She says “Don’t be scared to chase your dreams. It sure seems scary to take the leap at first but if you keep at it and believe in yourself, anything is possible. All dreams can come true if you believe in them. Belief works wonders and propels us to take action towards our goals”.
Anujna and co are a ten-member team of experts in various fields like art design and decor, flower decor, photography, etc. They move forward with the aim of making every wedding extra special and constantly keep innovating themselves in order to satisfy their clients and make the biggest day of their clients’ lives a memorable one.
“So far, I have worked for nearly 15 events in Hyderabad which also includes the birthday party of the daughter of Vedala Hemachandra, a reputed playback singer and music director in the Telugu film industry,” she says as she wraps her work when she was in the city recently.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Alson Micheal / March 02nd, 2019
‘The institute has made a big difference to the area through its research and by introducing about 100 tecnologies’
“It is the only lab of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in north east at Jorhat in Assam that is involved in multifarious scientific activities. I feel proud to be heading an institute that is soon to celebrate its diamond jubilee,” said G. Narahari Sastry, the newly appointed director of North East Institute of Science and Technology (NEIST).
Dr. Sastry, 53, who was with CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) since 2002 heading the Centre for molecular modelling, has just taken over and was here for a conference when he told The Hindu about his new ‘institute of eminence’ and the direction he intends to take it forward.
North East is blessed with abundance of natural resources like varied flora and fauna, minerals, natural gas, petroleum, aromatic and medicinal plants and hence, NEIST is targeted to undertake research in those areas. “The institute has been dealing with chemicals, agro-technology, geotechnical and other studies spread on a sprawling campus of 400 acres. It already has an excellent record and has made a big difference to the area through its research and by introducing about 100 technologies,” he said.
Dr. Sastry said emphasis will be on fundamental and translational research of applying basic biology and clinical trials to address critical societal health needs through drug discovery, environment care and sustainable development.
With a PG degree in chemistry from Osmania University and Ph.D from University of Hyderabad, he moved to ‘bio-informatics’ during his teaching stint with Puducherry university. His research is on employing artificial intelligence and machine learning to integrate with bioinformatics in developing disease-specific web portals and delineating disease biology in the area of healthcare.
“Seventy per cent of my research work deals with biology combining computational mathematics and AI. The government’s directive now is while excellence is good, science should be relevant to the people and improve their quality of living,” says Dr. Sastry.
A Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar Award winner in chemical sciences in 2011, he has been a visiting professor for universities in Japan, Germany and United States.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. Geetanath / Hyderabad – March 04th, 2019
