HYSEA office-bearers elected

Business & Economy, Leaders, Nri's / PIO's, Records, All, Science & Technology

Software testing services firm ZenQ founder and CEO Murali Bollu and president-APAC of ValueMomentum Software Services Ravi S. Rao have been elected president and secretary respectively of Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA).

Other members of the new executive committee, for 2018-2020, elected at the 26th annual general body of HYSEA on Friday were Infopeers Solutions CEO Bharani K.Aroll (vice-president); Global Delivery Head BSG and centre head of Tech Mahindra Vijay Rangineni (treasurer); VP international finance of C3I Support Services Padmaja Chowdary (joint secretary). The new president has over three decades of experience in the IT industry, including 13 years in the US, and has been active in the association since 2007, a release from HYSEA said.

Mr. Bollu said the new Committee would like to increase efforts to assist IT SMEs accelerate growth. This would be accomplished through workshops/ events on new business opportunities in emerging technologies and new geographies by exploring funding options to meet their capex and opex needs and by promoting innovations in sales and marketing of their services and products.

HYSEA would like to expand competency development programmes for employees of member companies in leadership and technical skills and plans to start a ‘Biz Series’ to improve business and operational competencies. A new infrastructure forum to address the strategic needs of the industry focused on transportation, green energy and water management would be created, Mr. Bollu added.

A new managing committee, comprising Bipin Chandra Pendyala, SVP of Moschip Semiconductor; Kiran Babu Cherukuri, founder and CEO of Tech Era IT Consulting; Manisha Saboo, AVP and centre head Pocharam Campus of Infosys; Sai Giridhar Chintamaneni, president and CEO of Promantra Synergy Solutions and Gogineni Srinivasa Rao, managing director of FutureTech Information Systems, was unanimously elected. Five more members would be co-opted to the Managing Committee by the Executive Committee, the release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – May 03rd, 2018

Telangana bird-loving duo bring out a field guide

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Sports, Travel

Enthusiastic forest officer and researcher record rare species of Kagaznagar, which hosts 250 species

Apart from ardent birdwatchers, even those with a rudimentary knowledge of the winged wonders will swear that the fliers add a dash of colour to the surroundings to the place to live in.

Whether it’s a ‘detested’ common crow or endangered birds such as vultures, there is immense diversity among birds. contribute much in making the universe as attractive as it is.

In the wooded environs of Bejjur and Penchikalpet Forest Ranges, among others, in Kagaznagar Forest Division in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, there are a number of avian species thriving.

In a bid to capture and document this, the Telangana Forest Department has come out with a 62-page field guide titled Birds of Kagaznagar Forest Division, which lists about 250 species, a few belonging to the rare category. About 60% of the images in the guide have come from Bejjur Forest Range.

Bejjur’s fame

Few know that the incidental discovery of the now famous habitat of the critically endangered Indian vulture or the Long Billed vulture (Gyps indicus) in Bejjur also set the Forest Range Officer (FRO) M. Ram Mohan and later wildlife biologist and field researcher M. Ravikanth on a mission to catalogue the avian varieties seen in the forest.

“I started shooting pictures of local birds in 2013 after the vulture discovery not as a dedicated activity, but as part of my travels inside the 260 sq. km of the forest under my jurisdiction,” said Mr. Ram Mohanto The Hindu, tracing the developments in Bejjur since the work began.

His association with the knowledgeable members of the Birdwatchers Society of Andhra Pradesh had the FRO gaining deeper insight into the world of birds and this eventually resulted in a painstakingly assembled collection of photos of about 130 different kinds of birds.

This includes the painted sand grouse and tree creeper of which no sighting records are available for over a decade-and-a-half.

Trove of images

Mr. Ravikanth was appointed as a field researcher in 2015 and has since been actively involved in vulture conservation as well as photography of birds and cataloguing the different species.

His collection of pictures of avian diversity equals that of the FRO.

Create awareness

Kagaznagar Forest Divisional Officer A. Narasimha Reddy supported the publication of the book published within six months of his taking charge.

“I even used the services of professional photographers and others in collecting photos from other ranges in my Division too, which made this field guide possible to fulfill the aim of creating awareness among people and the forest staff,” he revealed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by S. Harpal Singh / Adilabad – April 29th, 2018

Guruji Ravinder Sharma passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel
An file picture of Guruji Ravinder Sharma. | Photo Credit: S_HARPALSINGH

Founder of Adilabad’s Kala Ashram was suffering from cancer

Ravinder Sharma, fondly called Guruji, the founder of Adilabad’s Kala Ashram died at his house early on Sunday at the age of 65 years. He leaves behind his wife, a son and daughter. Guruji was suffering from cancer since the last three years and died in his sleep. The cremation will take place on Monday morning.

A trained artist, Guruji had been awarded with Kala Ratna by the Andhra Pradesh State government in 2014. After bifurcation of the State, the Telangana government awarded him the Ugadi Puraskaram in 2015. Guruji was also conferred the D. Litt (Honoris Causa) by the SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana the same year. He had won many an other minor awards during his life time. The death was condoled by Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna, Boath MLA Rathod Bapu Rao and others from Adilabad and elsewhere. Ravinder Sharma leaves behind a vacuum for his friends and followers of whom there are hundreds.

Born in a migrant Punjabi family, Ravinder Sharma studied in a local school and showed inclination towards understanding art and also the life of the artisan communities. This quest took him to villages and localities in a radius of 20 km and during the 20 year long journeys, he explored and studied the intricacies of rural life and local technologies.

During the two decade long journey he also collected artefacts and other material from rural areas. His collection includes a lot of material used by tribal people as part of their culture. Guruji emerged a treasure-trove of knowledge about rural economy and technologies, local practices and folk arts. His original and simplistic style of narration of the same infused with interesting insights and anecdotes and stories was easy to comprehend and often had a lasting impact on people who came to Kala Ashram from far and wide to hear him.

The artist-philosopher had lectured at many important fora across the country including the IITs.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Adilabad – April 30th, 2018

A riddle set in stone, waiting to be cracked

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

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

Education, Leaders, Records, All

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