On the occasion of the 91st birth anniversary of Telangana’s iconic poet and writer, Dasarathi Krishnamacharya, the Telangana government on Wednesday presented the first Dasarathi memorial award to noted poet Dr. Tirumala Srinivasacharya.
Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao presented the award to Srinivasacharya, who incidentally was the teacher of KCR in his school days. He is well known for his work in modern Telugu literature, including his writing on Dasarathi and his poetry.
CM, who himself is an admirer of Dasarathi’s literary work from his college days, announced this award last year to honour his contribution to Telangana’s literature and his fight against Nizam rulers. On many occasions in the past, KCR recalled how Dasarathi’s literary work inspired him to fight for separate state of Telangana. Presenting the award on Wednesday, he said, “Dasarathi is the pride of Telangana. Words are not enough to describe his bravery and his contribution to literature.”
The state government officially celebrated the birth anniversary of Dasarathi and instituted a memorial award in his name. This award will be given to prominent literary personalities in the state every year for their contribution to Telangana’s literature. The winner of the award will be given a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh as well.
The department of culture, which organised the event, has invited C Narayana Reddy, noted writer and Jnanapith award winner as the special guest for the award ceremony
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / July 23rd, 2015
Nischal Narayanam (second from left) with his parents and brother at an event where he was felicitated on Wednesday.– Photo: Mohammed Yousuf
Nischal Narayanam, who is hailed as a mathematical genius, has cleared the CA exam recently and is said to be the youngest in the country to do so.
The kid who spotted the mistakes in a balance sheet of his dad’s company as a nine-year-old has become the youngest Chartered Account in the country at just 19.
Nischal Narayanam, who is hailed as a mathematical genius, has cleared the CA exam recently and is said to be the youngest in the country to have successfully cleared one of the toughest exams in the country. However, he will have to wait for two more years to sign on the balance sheets of the company as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) doesn’t enrol members less than 21 years.
“The journey wasn’t easy and a tough one. But I was determined to achieve it,” Nischal said. His mother, Padmavathy, who holds a Ph.D in Sanskrit from Osmania University, was the first to recognise his talent when he was just nine. “He was passionate about numbers and I was amazed at his skills.” The curious mother then checked the Internet to find mentors from across the world to guide his son on improving his mathematical skills.
“He has mentors from across the world and is trained in methodologies of several countries in Mathematics and Memory,” she said. Her son had exhibited enormous talent as a child and won several laurels from a very young age. His extraordinary memory and abilities enabled him to become the youngest ‘Double Guinness World Record holder’ in the category of memory, youngest World Memory Champion, one of the “7 brilliant brains of the world” as accredited by National Geographic Channel and youngest graduate in the history of Osmania University from where he completed his B.Com and M.Com.
Deloitte International audit firm, where Nischal did his articleship for CA, recognised his amazing abilities and invited him as a special invitee and speaker at their Global Conference in Shanghai, attended by delegates from 190 countries.
At Deloitte, Nischal is the youngest amongst their two lakh members, globally.
Nischal also found ‘Nischal’s Smart Learning Solutions Pvt. Ltd’ through which he designed and developed a Mathematics Laboratory that is adopted by hundreds of schools in the State. He plans to assist poor but talented students through the royalty he gains from this company.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by R. Ravikanth Reddy / Hyderabad – July 23rd, 2015
Jaahnavi Sriperamubuduru is aiming to be the youngest mountaineer of the world to climb the Seven Summits from India.– PHOTO: By Arrangement
13-year-old Jaahnavi is all set to conquer Seven Summits despite no sponsorship from government or corporate world
It’s a classic case of indefatigable spirit taking precedence over indifference by way of sponsorship. Thirteen-year-old Jaahnavi Sriperamubuduru has decided to embark on what she feels the toughest of all the journeys to fulfil her dream of scaling the Seven Summits despite no support from either the corporate world or the Telangana State government.
This city girl hailing from Alwal, who created a world record by climbing Stok Kangri peak in Leh, Ladakh (6,125m) and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa (5,895m) last year, is aiming to be the youngest mountaineer of the world to climb the Seven Summits from India and TS.
“I am ready for the challenge. This is not the time to crib about lack of sponsorship. My focus is already on how to scale the summit,” says the confident youngster. She has already managed to raise personal loans and contributions from a couple of individuals to meet the total cost of Rs. 8 lakh. Her school – Pallavi Progressive High School (Alwal) – too has come forward to take care of a major chunk of the cost.
Jaahnavi is planning to complete three summits of her ‘Mission7 Summit’ by the end of this year to become the youngest ever from India to achieve this feat.
After successfully climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Everest earlier, she will be attempting Mt. Elbrus in Russia (July), Aconcagua in South America (August), Mt. McKinley in North America (September), Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia (October) and then special training to master skiing in Switzerland before the last summit in Antarctica Mt. Vinson Massif (November).
“We will be going to Russia to climb Mt. Elbrus (5,642m) and will be attempting the traverse route from south to north side,” points the articulate mountaineer, also youngest girl from India to scale Mt. Kilimanjaro last year. “I wish to fulfil my dream by 2016. My stint with the professional mountaineering training at Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, has been of a big help,” she says.
Unlike climbers who after reaching a peak follow the same route back to the base camp, she likes to take the ‘Traverse Route’, means trekking along the ridge of the mountain. It takes, if weather is good, a minimum of eight days to return to the base camp,” she reveals.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V.Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – July 22nd, 2015
A Railway Protection Force jawan with the South Central Railway here has created a Guinness world record by performing 56,148 ‘full contact kicks’ in one hour in Taekwondo Jidokwan, a martial art.
“A Madhusudhan Rao, presently working at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad, has created a Guinness world record in Taekwondo Jidokwan (a Korean martial art), held in Ranga Reddy district in Telangana in November 2014 in the presence of evaluator from the Guinness book of world records,” SCR stated in a release.
Rao broke the previous record of 36,140 kicks per hour, it said. He received the medal and certificates recently from the Guinness Book of World Record authorities.
“Madhusudhan Rao had to his credit the Guinness world record by participating in the largest half an hour Taekwondo Jidokwan display consisting of 585 persons, which was held in
Ranga Reddy district, Telangana,” the release added. A resident of Hyderabad, Rao is a recipient of Railway Week Award-2015 for his meritorious service and also a black belt in Karate.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by PTI / July 13th, 2015
Citizens who own Jawa and Yezdi bikes taking out a rally marking the 13th International Jawa-Yezdi Day in Hyderabad on Sunday.– Photo: G. Ramakrishna
Many from Hyderabad celebrate 13th International Jawa-Yezdi Day bydisplaying their proud possessions at Deccan Club
Sunday was a celebration day for city’s bike aficionados. For, man and his ‘Forever Bike’ had a date.
The 13th International Jawa-Yezdi Day and the second such event organised in Hyderabad saw bikers across the city profess their love for machines, around 75 of which were proudly displayed at the Deccan Club.
The event organised by the Jawa and Yezdi Club of Hyderabad saw owners wax eloquence on their machines, while mechanics who to this day fix Yezdi and Jawa models introduced in the 1960s swore by them.
“These are bikes true to their tagline of ‘Forever Bike, Forever Value’. No matter how many times they are opened up and fixed, they last. They are highly durable machines,” said Mohammed Abdul Lateef, who has been fixing Jawa and Yezdi bikes at his workshop in Red Hills for more than three decades.
His Yezdi 350 Twin was a head-turner at the gathering. Yezdi Monarch and 1961 Jawa were other notable bikes at the event.
The club is planning to tap into the cult following the bikes have, to get more owners and even women to ride them. Amit Arni, one of the members, said that the club will try and convince owners to get their old machines running.
“Many people are known to own a Yezdi or Jawa. While for some it was passed down as heirloom, others still have their purchases. We would like to see more of these bikes on the road. We have been helping owners who seek to revive their bikes by supporting them to procure parts, sometimes even from other States,” he said.
Later on Sunday, over 60 riders took their bikes on a spin to Raj Bhavan and back to Deccan Club.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter /Hyderabad – July 13th, 2015
Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza pose with their trophies after winning their Women’s Doubles Final match / Reuters
Sania had come close to winning a women’s doubles Major in 2011 when she reached the French Open final with Elena Vesnina but ended up runners-up.
India’s tennis queen Sania Mirza today created history by becoming the first female player from the country to win a women’s doubles Grand Slam trophy as she clinched the Wimbledon title with Swiss partner Martina Hingis.
More than a decade after turning Pro, 28-year-old Sania laid hands on her first women’s doubles Major title when she and Hingis battled past second seed Russian team of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 5-7 7-6(4) 7-5 in a thrilling final.
In an interesting coincidence it was at these very historic courts that Sania had won women’s doubles junior Wimbledon championship with Russian partner Alisa Kleybanova in 2003.
Sania had come close to winning a women’s doubles Major in 2011 when she reached the French Open final with Elena Vesnina but ended up runners-up.
Already having a long list of firsts, Sania had become India’s first woman player to win a Grand Slam when she won the Australian Open with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in 2009.
She later added French Open (2012 with Bhupathi) and US Open (2014 with Bruno Soares) to her mixed doubles collection.
It was a remarkable turn around for the top seeds as they were trailing 2-5 in the deciding set but made a stunning comeback to reel off five straight games to clinch the issue.
Vesnina was all fired up and her smashing volleys at the net put Sania and Hingis in a lot of trouble. The Russian was left distraught as she played out of her skin.
It was third time in recent times that Sania and Hingis played the two Russians in finals — Indian Wells and Miami — and asserted their supremacy again.
Sania was broken in the very first game of the match when Vesnina hit a volley winner from the net but the top seeds immediately broke Vesnina to avoid falling behind. It was a remarkable lob from Hingis that gave them two break chances and they converted the second.
Sania and Hingis put tremendous pressure on the their rivals but the two Russians responded well and it was 5-5.
Hingis was broken in the 11th game at love after a terrific rally of powerful ground strokes from left-handed Makarova. Vesnina pounced on one return from the Swiss and hammered the volley winner close to the body of Sania.
Makarova served for the set and it was Vesnina’s smart play at the net that sealed them the opening set.
It was the first set that Sania and Hingis had dropped in this tournament.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport / by PTI / London – July 12th, 2015
To improve productivity and profitability of small farmers in the state, the state government and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) have joined hands to implement Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based knowledge sharing platforms and other agricultural innovation initiatives.
The collaboration was launched during the Digital Telangana Week.
As part of this, a Phablet was launched through which small farmers can have tips on the kind of agricultural inputs they require for their fields.
Based on specific soil health of the lands of a farmer, the scientists at the Icrisat and the government will send timely messages to the farmers through the phablet.
The phablet is a smart device bigger than a phone but smaller than a tablet.
Icrisat launched the Green Phablet which comes for around `18,600. Icrisat will maintain servers to safe keep the information.
A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between two state government departments — department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications and department of Agriculture and Cooperation — and Icrisat here on Tuesday.
The partnership will explore areas of collaboration in digital agriculture along with agriculture value chain and explore the possibilities of Icrisat playing an active role in the T-Hub, the incubator being launched by the state government.
The partnership will help launch innovative digital platforms that aim to revitalize information dissemination in rural areas, expert systems for providing real time advisories and better access to market information by smallholder farmers.
‘’Icrisat has been at the forefront of using the latest technology to benefit smallholder farmers of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The digital agriculture initiative will allow information to be precisely targeted to individual farmers. This will help farmers to access agricultural related information and keep themselves up-to-date with market related information, which gives them an opportunity to sell their produce at fair prices, thus putting them on the path to prosperity,’’ Dr David Bergvinson, Icrisat Director General said explaining the proposed activities under the digital agriculture initiative.
The MoU was signed by C Parthasarathi, agriculture secretary, Jayesh Ranjan, IT secretary and Icrisat Director General Dr David Bergvinson in the presence of agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy and IT minister K T Rama Rao.
Speaking on the occasion, Rama Rao said ‘’Access to timely information and knowledge can help millions of farmers in Telangana to improve their yields, incomes and resilience since they can now make informed choices about good farming practices.’’
Rama Rao, however, felt that there is a need to bring down the cost of Phablet to `10,000 to make it affordable for farmers.
Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy felt that it is very appropriate to launch the digital agriculture activities at a time when use of digital gadgets is on the rise in rural areas.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / July 08th, 2015
Despite the bifurcation of the state, the software exports from the city are likely to touch Rs 64,000 crore during the current financial year 2014-15.
Hyderabad is the second largest software exporting city in the country after Bengaluru, and is forecast to grow by 13 per cent over last year.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of the announcement of the 23rd edition of the annual summit and awards of the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA) here on Friday, Telangana IT, Electronics and Communications Secretary Harpreet Singh said that during 2013-14, the software exports from Hyderabad stood at Rs 57,000 crore.
“This year, we will be touching Rs 63,000 crore-Rs 64,000 crore in total IT exports, if 13 per cent growth rates happens,” he added. It is estimated that about 3.2 lakh people are working in the IT sector. “We expect another 20,000 employees to be added, taking the figure to 3.4 lakh during this fiscal,” the official said.
The HYSEA is holding its annual summit on March 11 and March 12 here. Elaborating on the initiatives taken by the Telangana government to promote the sector, Singh said, “We are setting up T-Hub, the country’s biggest technology incubation centre, which will facilitate start-ups to grow. This start-up system will see good number of IT companies originating from Hyderabad,” the official said.
Promoting skill
“We are trying to promote skill development to enhance the employability of students who are graduating from the engineering colleges here. We are looking at making graduates industry-ready,” he said adding “we are working with Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) to produce a curriculum in sync with the industry.”
Referring to the proposed Information Technology and Investment Region (ITIR) project in Hyderabad, Singh said, “ITIR is in the planning stage. We are planning to have better infrastructure than Cyberabad. We are in the process of getting a consultant.”
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Business / DHNS – Hyderabad / February 13th, 2015
Stack them, put them alongside or line them up in a row – Safeducate’s mobile school concept uses re-cycled freight containers to erect schools overnight in the rural belts of the country. Divya Jain, CEO of Safeducate (the education and learning arm of logistics firm Safexpress), says, “It’s like Lego blocks. You can add space or remove, depending on the need of the area.” Showing us pictures of the said containers, she tells us that a school could vary from a single classroom to six containers. To begin with, their first container school set up on their own piece of land, commissioned two weeks ago in Ambala, will have 189 logistics students, who are all over 18 years old.
In the box
“Learning logistics is difficult in a closed environment. But with these movable classrooms we can take the students as close to their working environment as possible,” says Jain, adding that this idea came to them two and a half years ago. “Since then, we’ve done extensive research on cooling methods, insulations and checked the containers for life, rusting, etc. They have been checked though seasons to see how they withstand the elements,” Jain adds about the background work that has gone into ensuring that these ISI certified containers are safe for their students. “This is just our first draft and we are looking at making them even more self-reliant with solar panels,” she says, pointing out that this will especially be handy when setting up in rural places that have minimal access to electricity. Other points that work in favour of these 40-foot containers is that they can be turned into classrooms, labs, libraries or even toilets or bedrooms and require an investment of as low as `8 lakhs.
While these container schools will initially be set up in around 20 places like Bihar, Agra, Hyderabad and Chennai (in two months, we’re told), Jain is confident that it is the answer to setting up schools in rural areas. Given that they are already converted into offices and hotels outside the country, it might not be long before we come up with many more uses for them. “We see these being used as schools for children and even as hospitals – especially on highways, where emergency services are poor,” Jain concludes.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express Features / July 09th, 2015
A view of JNAFAU cillege of fine arts at Masabtank which is celebrating 75 years . Photo: G. Ramakrishna
To mark the 75 years of JNAFAU, the department of painting is coming up with an all-women show of its former students titled ‘Viewpoint’
Hyderabad :
Come next week, the painting department of the Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University (JNAFAU) College of Fine Arts in Masab Tank will step into realms of history for celebrating womanhood with an art show by its former women students covering seven decades. The occasion is 75 years celebration of the college and the department headed by Priti Samyukta deemed to bring together all the works of women artists starting from 1942. The idea was conceived by Priti to let the young students understand and see the works of its alumni. But why only women artists? “This is a patriarchal society and women artists often go unnoticed. In fact, women artists have to put in extra effort to be noticed and recognised,” points out Priti and adds, “We are saluting all those women, those unsung heroes who strived hard to make a mark. And, the way the artists have evolved is tremendous with new mediums, thoughts and styles keeping up with the trends.”
Priti Samyukta, Head of the Department of painting at JNAFAU college of fine arts Photo: G. Ramakrishna
The show titled ‘Viewpoint’ and to be held at Nehru Art Gallery inside the college premises features artworks by women who are practising artists, women who shifted gears, students-turned-teachers, recent pass outs and artists, who killed their interest in art due to different reasons. Priti, a former student from the college says she hit upon the idea in January. “As an in-charge, I wanted to take the department to another level. This is an indirect way of teaching the students. We initially thought of holding the show in March to coincide with Women’s Day but the work was exhaustive and required more co-ordination. Since the College completed 75 years, the display found an ideal reason,” she smiles.
The work involved constant co-ordination with women artists spread out across the country and even abroad. While thanking artists who parted with their works, Priti mentions about all her colleagues in the department who played a major role. “I am excited as this is my baby but everyone is taking care of it,” laughs Priti.
The title was chosen to give a different perspective to the exhibition. “The title is secular and women’s views are not always heard or part of any conversation,” she says.
Overall, 43 artists are participating starting from Freny Behmanshaw from the ’42 batch. “Freny mam was also the first woman teacher of the college and is currently in Bengaluru.
A painting by artist Kavita Deuskar
Kavita Deuskar and Anjani Reddy are also student-turned-teachers and even headed the department, whose works will be showcased. Lydia Victor, who lives in the US sent her work through a print,” explains Priti.
A painting by Anjani Reddy of the 1971 branch
Pointing towards a canvas, Priti says, “This is Hoor Girglani, a ’75 batch student’s work done in egg tempera. Many artists do not work in this medium now.”
A painting by Hoor Girglani of the 1975 branch
The fascinating feature of the exhibition is that students featured are from every decade since ’42. Besides Priti’s work, the display includes works of old students like Kusum Viswanath, Laxmi Reddy and Padma Reddy and the young clan is represented by Priyanka Aeley, Afza Tamkanath, Vineela, and Annapurna. “We have tried to represent as many students as we can,” says Priti.
Kavita Deuskar, a former head of the department remembers her student days. “We were taught a lot of techniques by our teachers. Freni mam’s (Freny Behmanshaw) uniqueness was her beautiful drawings and she would work in water colours. The depth in leaves, petals and flowers had a different feel,” she states.
On a parting note, Priti, who is curating the show says, “I feel privileged and honoured to be able to bring across the works of such wonderful artists on a single platform. The show to begin by next week will continue at Nehru Art Gallery, JNAFU, for 20 days.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Neeraja Murthy / July 09th, 2015
