The success story continues

Sports
Sara Ravinder Reddy and P. Krishna Chaitanya won the men’s title at the Senior National Beach Volleyball Championship in Kozhikode on Saturday.— PHOTO: K. RAGESH
Sara Ravinder Reddy and P. Krishna Chaitanya won the men’s title at the Senior National Beach Volleyball Championship in Kozhikode on Saturday.— PHOTO: K. RAGESH

The remarkable success story of Hyderabadis in beach volleyball continues! While the city has only one lake, Hussainsagar, to boast about, over the years it has been the spikers from the city who have been dominating the senior beach volleyball nationals. And this time around, it was the combine effort of Sara Ravinder Reddy and P. Krishna Chaitanya who ensured the rich legacy continues, by winning the title in Kozhikode on Saturday.

For the duo, who started playing together since February last year when it clinched the silver in the last National Games, Ravinder and Chaitanya are quite elated with their latest feat. Now, the focus shifts to the Olympics qualification. With Chaitanya already taking part in the first-leg of the trials held in India and finishing third, he, along with Ravinder, will now go to Thailand for the next leg of qualification for the 2016 Rio Games.

“It has been a wonderful experience and a great feeling to be the national champions. The fact that we could beat the heat and the tough opposition to win the quarters, semis and the final – all scheduled on the final day – in one day is proof of our grit, determination and skill,” remarked 35-year-old Ravinder, a postal assistant in the Postal Department.

Interestingly, Chaitanya is still searching for a job and is optimistic of getting one in a public sector undertaking.

These spikers with the indefatigable spirit to take on the best despite adversity – training at the Musheerabad playground on a makeshift sand court daily. Then, before the Calicut nationals, Ravinder and Chaitanya trained at Film Nagar Club for a couple of days to fine-tune their skills. “We need sponsorship and more and more tournaments to make it more popular,” insist both the champion spikers. “Since we have quite a few Asian-level events, we hope some corporate groups will help us,” say the newly-crowned National champions.

23-year-old Chaitanya reminds that though the Volleyball Federation of India is doing its bit, the sport and the players need greater support to dream big.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V.Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – March 07th, 2016

Hyderabad-based plastic recycling start-up Banyan Nation bags $800K funding

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology

Hyderabad:

City-based waste management startup Banyan Nation announced that it has bagged $800,000 in its first fund raise from Jaideep Khanna, co-founder, president and managing partner of Artha Capital Management Inc and these funds will be used to scale up its business.

According to the company, Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), Shujog and global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts have assisted in raising funds and mentoring the startup.

Banyan Nation claims to be one of the first firms in India to use technology, both at the back-end and front-end, to ensure that plastic waste is not just recycled but also ‘upcycled’.

Banyan Nation founder and chief executive officer Mani Vajipey pointed out that the startup tries to address challenges of the unorganised plastic recycling sector by offering solutions for three stages of plastic recycling business — collection, recycling and selling recycled plastic to companies.

At the front-end, it has used technology to map the network of kabadiwalas, who supply plastic waste to the company and at the back-end, it deploys technology to ensure that the waste plastic is graded, which results in recycled plastic being of superior quality.

The startup has a plastic recycling plant on the outskirts of the city that has a capacity to recycle 300 tonnes of waste plastic per month. Currently, it is processing 100 tonnes of plastic waste per month.

“We are operating in an unorganised sector and it is a low margin and high volume business. We have over 20 small and medium sized local firms that procure recycled plastic from us. Now, we are targeting players from pharma, auto and FMCG sector,” Vajipey added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderabad / by Swati Rathor / TNN / March 03rd, 2016

Mahababunagar Boy Gets NASA Invite

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, World Opinion

Mahabugnagar :

A Class IX student from the district has received a rare honour of being invited to the renowned NASA in the US.

The 14-year-old Rishikesh, studying in Wanaparthy’s Chanakya Pvt High School, topped in a national level talent test conducted by an Indian Talent Organisation. This victory has earned him an invitation from NASA.

Rishikesh will get an opportunity to interact with scientists of the space agency. The boy expressed happiness and said that his selection has reinforced his desire to become a scientist in future. The student also added that he loves chemistry and is fond of carrying out chemical experiments. Rishikesh expressed gratitude to his parents and is expected to visit NASA in May.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / March 05th, 2016

Congress legislator Venkat Reddy passes away

Leaders
Ramreddy Venkat Reddy.
Ramreddy Venkat Reddy.

Former Congress Minister and five-time MLA Ramreddy Venkat Reddy (72) passed away after prolonged illness in a city hospital on Friday evening.

The end came at 3.20 pm at a corporate hospital. Venkat Reddy, who represented Palair Assembly constituency in Khammam district, had been ailing for the last few months. He had been admitted into the hospital for treatment as his condition deteriorated recently. He was serving as Public Accounts Committee chairman of the Telangana Assembly. The Congress leader born on May 22, 1944 leaves behind wife Sucharita and four daughters.

His mortal remains were shifted to his residence in MLAs Colony. The last rites would be performed at Pathilingala village of Kamepalli mandal on Saturday afternoon. His funeral will take place with police honours following the instructions of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, a release from CMO said.

A steady stream of visitors made a beeline to his residence to pay their last respects as soon as word spread about his demise. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and Congress Legislature Party leader K. Jana Reddy condoled the death.

He made his debut in the Assembly in 1996 byelection from Shujatnagar and repeated the feat in 1999 and 2009. Elected for the fifth time from Palair, Venkat Reddy was made chairman of Public Accounts Committee of Telangana Assembly. On four occasions, he had represented Shujatnagar constituency in Khammam district. After the constituency was demerged, he shifted to Palair and won with a comfortable majority in the 2014 elections.

A soft-spoken low-profile leader, Venkat Reddy served as Horticulture Minister in the Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy, K. Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy Governments. Venkat Reddy’s brother R.Damodar Reddy is a former Minister.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress party had lost a disciplined soldier. Telangana TDP president L. Ramana, working president A. Revanth Reddy and Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy condoled the Congress leader’s death.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 05th, 2016

Uphill on a Fashion High

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

AneeshaTELAN03mar2016

Hyderabad :

We step into her busy workshop, that is bright and yellow and sit down for a chat. She begins nervously, “I am living my dream.”

She shares that starting her own label was something she always wanted to do.

“I wanted to be in the fashion industry since I was a child. I was always drawn to colouring, painting, paper crafting and the likes. I loved that I could create something with my own hands. Much later, I decided that I should be in a place that could help me mould my creativity.”

After Vidyaranya High School and Villa Marie College, she joined St Francis College, Begumpet. But she soon realised, it was not meant for her. “I then joined the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and graduated with a Bachelors in Design. It was the most inspiring time of my life. Creativity was in the air,” she recalls. She went on to do a Masters in Fashion Trend Forecasting at Florence in Italy.

She returned to India, gained some experience working as a freelancer. After understanding local markets, and assisting in styling the likes of Regina Cassandra, Lavanya Tripathi and Yami Gautam, albeit for a magazine cover shoot, she started her own label –– Anisha Vuppala.

USP

Anisha specialises in fusion wear. “Because that is what I love the most,” she giggles, adding that fusion will be part of every creation of hers. Her idea of fashion is also simple. “It has to be minimalistic and functional. Nothing over the top. The clothes have to do the talking. A little bit of detailing here and there and that’s it,” she tells us. While that is her personal mantra, the label is also keen about what the clients want.

“Each person has their own style and the garment has to emphasise that. The person has to feel comfortable and needs to be happy in what she wears,” explains Anisha.

Besides the two collections, the label is also keen about custom-making clothes for clients. “Everyone wants to be different these days and they can now afford designer clothes,” she points and picks up a beige and red, tunic-cum-maxi from the collection, Down Memory Lane, that is on display. “This is for a someone who is versatile and can be worn as a maxi or a tunic. There is only one piece, because it is unique,” she elaborates.

Inspiration

From a cracked wall to a beautiful fabric, Anisha picks her inspiration from a number of things. Her favourite concepts, however, are hope and evolution.

“I am fascinated by evolution. Down Memory Lane is about going back in the past and reliving all those memories that you went through,” she says, adding, “While sometimes it is a surface that I want to recreate on a fabric, other times it is the fabric itself that creates a story in my head.”

Cuts and colours

The designer, who won a gold medal for academic excellence at NIFT, admits that she played safe with her collections so far. “Additional accessories make a garment more appealing. I experimented with the cuts in Down Memory Lane. And I stuck to the main idea of fusion. But in future, I will experiment with additional accessories,” she shares.

Down Memory Lane starts at Rs 8,000

About Down Memory Lane

This collection tells the story of of going back in time. We wanted talk about how memories are made not just with people. We make memories from the time and place too. This collection is all about vintage cuts and prints.

Fashion God

Alexander Mc Queen – He is my favourite, but none of my works are inspired from him. It is interesting to see the kind of work he does. He is no more, but what his design house does is incredible.

Dream

To showcase my collection at the Lakme Fashion Week.

Would like to style

Shriya and Shruti Haasan in Tollywood.

Must haves for a woman

With the summer setting in, a fun summer dress, a white shirt and torn jeans.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Rajitha S / March 01st, 2016

RGIA third best airport

Business & Economy, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has been declared as the third best airport in the world, in the 5-15 million passengers per annum category, by the Airports Council International.

It is for the seventh year in a row that the facility, operated and managed by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, is being featured among the world’s top three airports in the Council’s ASQ ranking.

The award will be presented at the ASQ awards ceremony in April as a part of the 2016 ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly in Gold Coast, Australia.

“It is a moment of great pride for us… we thank our passengers for keeping the faith in us”, GHIAL CEO S.G.K. Kishore said in a release.

The award also enhances the visibility of the city, furthering the ‘Brand Hyderabad’ initiative of Telangana government.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 02nd, 2016

Second Century Settlement Unearthed Near Nalgonda

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

Hyderabad :

Recent excavations conducted by the department of Archaeology and Museums (DAM) have revealed evidence of yet another ancient settlement in Nalgonda district.

The latest site is located in Pajjur village, about 12 km from Nalgonda and 80 km away from Phanigiri Buddhist site, where the department had unearthed extensive Buddhist relics dating back to the 2nd century AD and 4th century AD. A team of archaeologists, who started excavations at Pajjur on February 18, found several pottery shreds and terracotta figures. After digging up to three layers, they have found an underlying brick structure too apart from several coloured beads, shell bangles, toys and female terracotta figures.

“On one of the pottery piece, it was written ‘Buddhasa’ in Brahmi script. But it is too early to call it a Buddhist site. Our investigations reveal that the site should date back to the first and third century AD,” said an official.

Beads and terracotta figures collected by archaeologists from Pajjur village in Nalgonda district
Beads and terracotta figures collected by archaeologists from Pajjur village in Nalgonda district

In fact, the archaeologists had conducted a preliminary surface excavation at Pajjur in 2003 but with Phanigiri Buddhist site gaining prominence, this site was left unattended. The proposal to conduct further excavations was approved by Central Advisory Board Of Archaeology (CABA) recently after the department conducted a surface examination of the site and forwarded the proposal to Delhi.

Confirming the same, NR Visalatchy, director, DAM, said a ground survey was conducted recently to find surface evidence which had suggested an underlying settlement.

“It is a huge area of up to 40 acres. We had problems in convincing the local farmers about the extent of land needed for excavations. We have taken up work on around 3-4 acres. The surface has been disturbed a lot. Just for agricultural purpose alone, around four feet of earth has been removed. We have found a lot of pottery shreds there,” she said.

According to her, there is no evidence so far to suggest that it is a Buddhist site.

“We are exploring the possibilities. The construction needs to be studied scientifically. The structure looks like a wall more than a Stupa. Whether it is part of a Vihara complex will be revealed during further investigation. Unlike the bricks seen in Viharas, these bricks are extremely of light weight. All the analysis needs to be done,” she explained.

At Phanigiri, the hillock which draws its name from the shape that resembles a snake-hood, the department had excavated structural remains in four aspidal Chaityagrihas, eight votive stupas (both circular and square), a maha stupa, a stone-pillared congregation hall with 64 pillars, three viharas with thick brick walls, sculptured panels, Brahmi inscriptions belonging to Satavahana and Ikshvaku dynasties, coins of Mahatalavarasa, Satavahana, Ikshvaku kings and even Roman coins and Persian pottery were found.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telanagana / by Rahul V. Pisharody / February 29th, 2016

On a bigger court-Kunta Pani Rao

Sports
Kunta Pani Rao
Kunta Pani Rao

City badminton official Kunta Pani Rao will be a referee for the BWF Super Series

For Kunta Pani Rao, the affable badminton official for the last four decades, the recently-concluded Badminton Asia team championship in Hyderabad was one more assignment that enhanced his value and contribution for the successful conduct of the event as the Badminton World Federation (BWF) referee.

This 64-year-old soft-spoken person has now been nominated as one of the three BWF referees for the BWF Super Series in Delhi next month.

“Yes, it has been a long journey which began first as a Sports Authority of India coach. Those days, the salary was less, no pension and Provident Fund benefits and the threat of being transferred also was there. Just then I got the job in the State Bank of India which I took up to spend more time in badminton,” recalls Pani Rao.

Interestingly, when Pani Rao officiated for the first time ever in the Junior National, he saw Madhumita Bist (now India’s women’s coach) win the title in the early 1970s. “Things have changed – in some issues for the good. But, the job basically remains the same. To be a good and respected umpire or referee, you have to know the game better and not just thrive on the technicalities,” reminds the veteran official who owes his growth to former BAI secretary Ahmed Hussain and to the current BAI secretary (tournaments) K.Ch. Punnaiah Choudhary.

This Hyderabadi, who officiated in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, has turned an international umpire in 1994 and having crossed the superannuation age of 55, is now a qualified BWF referee which means he can do the job till he turns 65.

“Essentially, the referee is the overall in-charge of the tournament, responsible for the posting of umpires, finalising the schedule and resolving any on-court disputes,” reminds Pani Rao. “Every official is under scrutiny for the Badminton Asia Confederation makes a critical assessment of every technical official and allots the next assignment accordingly,” he points out.

Pani Rao welcomes the instant review system in place when a player opts for a video review of any point in dispute. “This vastly reduces the scope for errors by line judges. But again, it is available only on one court, instead it could be extended to other courts as well for better results,” he feels.

Pani Rao is a big fan of the Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone. “Prakash is a gentleman to the core. I was officiating in Vijayawada when Syed Modi shocked him in the Senior National final in 1981. I vividly remember Prakash, then All England champion, had come two days late for that event. He was not well in fact and found it difficult to adjust to the conditions there,” recalls Phani Rao.

What next? “Once I retire from the BWF role next year, I would love to take up coaching which I enjoy a lot. I was mostly the State coach in those days and played my bit in the evolution of many champions like Manoj Kumar, Gopichand and Chetan Anand,” he signs off.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by V.V.Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – December 24th, 2016

Prestigious honour for OU academic

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology

Dr. C. Manoharachary, senior scientist of National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), was recently awarded ‘Indian Phytopathological Society Recognition Award’ for the year 2015 in recognition of his services to the field of plant pathology.

The Indian Phytopathological Society conferred the prestigious honour on him in New Delhi recently, informed a press release from Dr. Pratibha Sharma, secretary of the society.

Dr. Manocharachary did his post doctoral work in Germany. An acknowledged academic in his own right, Prof. Manoharachary specialises in biodiversity, taxonomy, conservation and bioprospecting of fungi, plant pathogens, microbes, mycorrhizae, lichens, medicinal plants, besides others. He discovered 20 new genera, 120 new species and 500 new additions of fungi.

He guided 50 PhDs, published 540 research papers in reputed national and international journals, besides authoring 28 books.

Dr. Manoharachary served the Osmania University in various capacities for over 40 years.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – February 26th, 2016

Cyient Centre Comes Up near Warangal

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

Cyient has announced that it will establish a state-of-the-art technology development centre in Madikonda Special Economic Zone near Warangal.

CM KCR will lay its foundation stone on Friday. Cyient is a global provider of engineering, data analytics, operations solutions.

The development Centre will focus on advanced geographic information system, remote sensing and photogrammetry technologies, catering to a host of solutions for transportation, utilities and communication sectors. The centre will cover an area of 70,000 sq ft, said a release issued by company.

Cyient executive chairman BVR Mohan Reddy said the Warangal centre shows Cyient’s recognition of role of tier-2 cities in growth of the nation.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / February 19th, 2016