Nonagenarian doctor’s relentless service to patients

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel

At the age of 91, Daram Nagabooshanam, the senior most chest physician of Karimnagar district, hates Sundays and holidays and says, “I feel happy and healthy only if I work and go to my clinic to treat my patients”.

This elderly doctor still arrives sharp at 9 a.m. at his clinic by walking, from his house and treats patients coming from far flung places of Karimnagar, Adilabad, Nizamabad and Medak districts and also adjoining Chhattisgarh State.

He is still continuing his crusade against the Tuberculosis (TB) disease.

Dr. Nagabooshanam, who is popularly called as the TB doctor, is native of Jagtial and completed his medicine from Osmania Medical College in 1952. He also completed his TDD in 1960.

He practiced medicine in the government sector for 13 years till 1964 and later started private practice in Karimnagar town since then. When TB was considered as dreaded disease like cancer, this doctor instilled confidence in people with his proper diagnosis and appropriate prescription.

Varied interests

He was the first person in the district to conduct X ray screening facilities for treatment. Recently, he had won the State government’s “Vayo Shrestha Samman” award for Lifetime Achievement category. He is a multi-faceted genius and a man with varied interests. He has passion for collection of rare artefacts, drift wood, philately, numismatics, crystal stones and ancient historic tools and preserving them in his museum set up in memory of his wife Daram Susheela Memorial Museum in Karimnagar.

He also won accolades for launching campaign against corruption and usage of plastic bags.

This doctor also serves gruel during summer season every year to quench the thirst of people in the town. Dr Nagabooshanam feels proud to serve the needy patients even at this age.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by K. M. Dayashankar / Karimnagar – July 01st, 2015

National pledge author gets due credit at last

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

In a significant move, the Telangana government has finally credited Pydimarri Venkatasubba Rao, the authour of national pledge, for his work by giving his name in text books. The recognition comes 51 years after it was first published in textbooks.

Poets, writers, family members of Venkatasubba Rao hailed the government’s decision for acknowledging his work.

Born on June 10, 1916 at Anneparthy village near Nalgonda town, Rao had flair for writing since his childhood. One of his works appeared in ‘Golkonda Kavulu’ published by noted writer Suravaram Prathap Reddy in 1934, when Venkatasubba Rao was just 18 years-old.

Cultivating patriotism

Later, he joined Treasury Department and worked in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh until he retired in 1971. When he was working in Visakhapatnam in 1960s, India was at war with China in 1962.

With an aim to put the nation together and cultivate patriotism among the younger generation at the crucial juncture, the writer penned ‘National Pledge’ in Telugu which appeared for the first time in textbooks of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh in 1964, but the government did not give him credit for reasons unknown. Later, it was translated to English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and many other Indian languages and included in textbooks by many States.

Shockingly, he was not even informed about the inclusion of Pledge in school books. He came to know about inclusion after his retirement when his granddaughter read it aloud.

Speaking to The Hindu , member of Text Book review committee and noted poet from Nalgonda, Venu Sankoju said all the members of the committee had pressed for credit for Venkatasubba Rao and Telangana government accepted it.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by T.Karnakar Reddy / Nalgonda – June 30th, 2015

Mysterious end to Vithal Rao’s musical journey in Hyderabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Hyderabad :

A musical journey drew to a mysterious close on Friday, as news of legendary ghazal singer Vithal Rao’s demise broke out in the afternoon evoking shock and despair in the city. Rao, 86, not just wowed Hyderabadis for over seven decades – right from the time of the last Nizam – but also won accolades all over the world for his melodious renditions. The ghazal singer suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

But even as family members and well-wishers grieved the sudden death of the Ustad, what seemed to befuddle them more was other, predictably more pertinent, questions. How did ‘Guruji’ land up in Hyderabad after going missing from Shirdi, almost a month ago? Who brought him back? Where had he been all these days? Will we ever find answers to these questions? Perhaps not.

The ghazal exponent’s last journey, believed to have rather surprisingly ended at the city’s Gandhi Hospital on June 24, began exactly a month ago — on May 24 — when he had gone on a pilgrimage to Maharashtra with 14 members of his family. After brief stopovers at Buldhana and Tuljapur, the group reached Shirdi, the last destination on their itinerary. From there, ‘Guruji’ lost his way.

On May 29, moments after he and his daughter Sandhya Rao finished their prayers at the Sai Baba temple, Rao disappeared into thin air — almost literally — and remained untraceable till his last day.

While family members, disciples and even admirers moved heaven and earth thereafter — scanning railway stations, hotels and hospitals across cities in Maharashtra — trying to secure any possible clue that could lead them to the musical genius, they failed miserably. Even the efforts of the police, both from Shirdi and Hyderabad, yielded no result.

Cut to June 24, and a 108 ambulance found ‘Guruji’ lying unconscious outside Country Club in Begumpet. Incidentally, at the same time the family was searching for Rao in and around Charminar bus station, after a tip-off from a stranger.

“We got a call saying that my father was seen boarding a bus to Old City from Secunderabad station. So we all rushed there,” said Santosh Rao, the youngest son of the Nizam-era singer. That search too ended in disappointment and within the next 48 hours, the family received the bad news from the Crime Branch of Hyderabad Police.

“We were informed that the ambulance took my father to Gandhi Hospital. When doctors there asked him his name he replied: Vithal Rao. Those were his last words,” Santosh added. Not surprisingly then, the family is now trying to put the pieces together to recreate the story that finished so abruptly.

“We are still struggling to come to terms with what happened with our father. We have no clue how he got here, how he survived all through the last few weeks and who called the ambulance,” Santosh said, battling back his tears. He, along with a few other members of the family, identified the body on Friday.

Family apart, even the city police seem to be stumped by Vithal Rao’s bizarre death. They claim that they had reached out to almost every railway station in the country in their search for the acclaimed artist. “We had gone to Shirdi to assist the local team there. When we got a lead that Guruji might be in Hyderabad, we returned and continued our search from here. Sadly, it ended with his death,” said CCS inspector Shyam Babu. Vithal Rao’s funeral will be held in Old City on Saturday.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / by Sudipta Sengupta, TNN / June 27th, 2015

Stanford Trio Launch Code Camp to Empower Girls through ICT

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, World Opinion
Stanford University students Aashna Shroff, Akhila Moturu and John Kamalu at the launch of Girl Code Camp at Chirec International School in Madhapur on Saturday | RVK Rao
Stanford University students Aashna Shroff, Akhila Moturu and John Kamalu at the launch of Girl Code Camp at Chirec International School in Madhapur on Saturday | RVK Rao

Hyderabad :

An alumnus of city-based CHIREC International School, along with two of her undergraduate batch mates from Stanford University, has launched a concept named Girls Code Camp (GCC) which is aimed at creating a network of young women who are confident in their abilities to computer code and use technology to foster change. The Girls Code pilot boot camp at CHIREC is scheduled to be held from June 29 to July 4, 2015.

The trio – Aashna Shroff, Akhila Moturu and John Kamalu – is conducting GCC as a 6-day workshop in partnership with select schools in Hyderabad. Aashna Shroff is a sophomore at Stanford pursuing Computer Science and Economics; Akhila Moturu is a freshman majoring in Computer Science at Stanford University, seeking a minor in Education; and John Kamalu is a freshman interested in Computer Science and Linguistics at Stanford University.

Each workshop is being planned around an innovative theme that allows girls to align their interests with what they are learning. Workshops will be on Mobile App development, web development and hands-on tinkering for 8th to 10th grade girls.

Speaking at the launch of the pilot boot camp at CHIREC, on Saturday, BVR Mohan Reddy, founder and executive chairman, CYIENT and chairman, NASSCOM, told young girls to be fearless and compete with men in every field. He urged the students to make full use of technology around in creating social equity. “Technology today is all pervasive and accessible. It is constant though the velocity of change is increasing. Predictability of technology has come down and ICT is at the pinnacle of the change,” he said. Further, he opined that use of technology can bring about a social transformation in sectors like education, health, hygiene, and agriculture.

“The idea is to bridge the gender disparity in technological fields in India. With better exposure to computer science skills, girls can take charge of their lives and their communities,” said Aashna. According to her, there exists better awareness abroad for bridging gender disparity apart from combat mechanisms in the form of special scholarships for girls, and student groups.

Iffat Ibrahim, principal, explained about the efforts being taken by the school in empowering students. The GCC will be conducted at NASR girls school, Meridian International School, Sreenidhi International School, and Oakridge International School in the city.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / June 28th, 2015

Celkon opens phones manufacturing unit in Hyderabad

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Phones manufacturing unit opened at Medchal in Hyderabad on Friday. Photo: N. Ravi Kumar / The Hindu
Phones manufacturing unit opened at Medchal in Hyderabad on Friday. Photo: N. Ravi Kumar / The Hindu

Celkon’s unit is in Medchal and equipped with four assembly lines and has a capacity of two lakh units a month.

A number of mobile phone manufacturers are considering setting up units in Telangana, the State’s IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao said on Friday. Inaugurating a facility of smartphone maker Celkon, which has been outsourcing from China, the Minister declared: “This is just the beginning. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is keen on a having a mobile manufacturing hub in Telangana.

“Micromax has decided to set up a plant near Hyderabad on 50 acres,” the Minister said, adding he would be visiting South Korea and Japan soon to hardsell the State to electronic hardware manufacturers. Noting that both the Centre and the Telangana Government were on the same page with their ‘make locally’ approach, Mr. Rama Rao said that there were plans to develop hardware cluster in Maheswaram, Medchal and Ghatkesar, all near Hyderabad.

Celkon’s unit is in Medchal and equipped with four assembly lines and has a capacity of two lakh units a month. It is to be expanded to 12 lines and a total of five lakh units capacity per month. Reiterating the focus of the Government on facilitating industrial growth to create jobs for youths, Mr. Rama Rao said that mobile phone units can provide large number of low-end employment opportunities to those from ITIs and diploma holders.

Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao listening to the manufacturing process of Celkon phones at its unit in Medchal in Hyderabad on Friday after formally opening it. / Photo: N. Ravi Kumar / The Hindu
Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao listening to the manufacturing process of Celkon phones at its unit in Medchal in Hyderabad on Friday after formally opening it. / Photo: N. Ravi Kumar / The Hindu

The State, he added, was keen on creating an eco-system that eventually will help host an analog Fab manufacturing unit. Celkon Chairman and Managing Director Y. Guru expressed satisfaction at becoming the first mobile phone manufacturer in south India. “This comes at a time when India is poised to become the largest consumer base for mobile phones and we are set to bring in a new phase of growth at Celkon,” he said.

Executive Director Murali Retineni said that by next quarter the investment on the new facility will be around Rs.225 crore. Lion’s share of Celkon monthly sales of 6-7 lakh units will be made in India.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by N. Ravi Kumar / Hyderabad – June 26th, 2015

Star Hospitals Conducts Advanced Neurosurgery

Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

A two-day Neurology conference was inaugurated at STAR hospitals on Saturday. The conference aims to discuss advances in the field of Neurology, Neuroradiology and high end Endoscopic Neurosurgery.

Star HospitalsTELAN28jun2015

Many eminent neurologists and neurosurgeons from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are attending the conference.

A pre-conference workshop was held at Star Hospitals on Friday. Dr GVS Chowdhary, Dr Venkata Swamy (Neurologists), Dr Sukumar Sura, Dr Sai Sudarsan and Dr Bala Rajasekhar (Neurosurgeons) attended the workshop.

A neurosurgery workshop was conducted at Star Hospitals in which endoscopic surgery for disc disease was demonstrated live. A patient was operated upon under local anaesthesia. He walked on his own soon after the surgery and interacted with the delegates who attended the workshop.

This unique stitchless and painless surgery, can be done while the patient is awake. This surgery is done only at Star Institute of neurosciences. Various developments in neuroradiology were also discussed in the conference.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / June 28th, 2015

Man Singh savours memories of a victory

Sports
P.R. Man Singh says June 25, 1983, will always remain the most memorable day of his lifetime.– File Photo
P.R. Man Singh says June 25, 1983, will always remain the most memorable day of his lifetime.– File Photo

June 25, 1983 is still an unforgettable day in Indian cricket for on this day, 32 years ago, India won the World Cup cricket championship for the first time.

And, P.R. Man Singh, the articulate administrator, has every reason to look back with a sense of pride for he was the manager of the victorious team. What exactly did he do today? “Nothing special. In my prayers, I thanked God for making me part of what is now the cricketing history because of which people still remember me,” says 76-year-old Man Singh in an exclusive chat.

Not surprisingly, the seasoned administrator and former HCA Secretary did speak to some of the members of that World Cup winning team, including Sunil Valson, Syed Kirmani, but could not reach the then captain Kapil Dev. “I am glad that people still remember me for that epoch-making win. It will remain special. Like it is said that people always remember Tenzing Norgay as the first one to climb Mt. Everest and not all those who emulated him, likewise Kapil’s Devils are now part of cricketing folklore,” Man Singh remarked.

“It’s revival of old and fond memories, clearly loving every moment. No special celebrations, but this day will always remain as the most memorable of my lifetime. All those spectacular moments when we beat the Clive Lloyd-led mighty West Indians will be etched in memory,” he says, with a beaming face.

“I am glad that Dhoni and his team won the World Cup for the second time. It is by no means an ordinary achievement given the tremendous pressure of playing at home,” he explains. And, Man Singh takes pride in re-asserting that India won the World Cup without a coach and a single support-staff member.

“Those were the days when the manager donned multiple roles. I am glad that I lived up to the expectations despite the odd teething problems. I must give full credit to the players who responded in great style to the needs of the situation on the given day. It was a collective effort and the way the players rallied around captain Kapil was a treat to watch,” recalls the widely acknowledged cricket administrator with the backdrop of World Cup winning team pictures hanging on the wall in his office chambers in Secunderabad.

The seasoned administrator, who was manager of the Indian team when it won the World Cup, looks back on the historic win with a sense of pride

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – June 26th, 2015

Environment expert Rajamani passes away

Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders

Hyderabad :

Well-known environmentalist and former bureaucrat, R Rajamani, passed away in Hyderabad on Thursday, after a brief illness. He was 78.

Best remembered for his uprightness, passion and humility, the 1959 batch IAS officer from Andhra Pradesh cadre, served as the collector of both Adilabad and Medak during his tenure. He also held the principal secretary post in the finance and forest departments of erstwhile AP.

Apart from his home ground, the distinguished officer worked in various departments at the Centre during the term of three Prime Ministers – Morarji Desai, Charan Singh and Indira Gandhi. He then went on to serve in the cabinet secretariat under Rajiv Gandhi. Rajamani eventually retired from office as secretary, forest and environment, Government of India.

As an expert on environmental issues, his association with the field, however, did not end there. Post the completion of his tenure, Rajamani took on the role of an advisor to the United Nations Environment Programme and also played a critical part in protecting the city’s environment and rich heritage.

In fact, post a PIL filed before the Supreme Court pertaining to ‘destruction’ of the Hussainsagar, the SC appointed a three-member committee (was called the Rajamani Committee), with him at the helm of affairs, which eventually went on to save the iconic water body from falling prey to widespread encroachment.

“There was a high court order of 2000 that had laid down certain restrictions on construction activity around the lake. However, that was flouted by certain parties. When this three-member committee submitted its first report in 2005, the SC directed the authorities to honour the HC order,” shared environmental engineer, Sagar Dhara, who was part of this body along with R C Reddy and Rajamani. “While his level of involvement with his work was unimaginable, what struck me most about him was how humane he was. Also, despite being a former bureaucrat, he never shied away from raising his voice each time he thought that the government was doing something wrong. He was a great friend and mentor,” Dhara said.

For ‘green’ campaigner M Mandal too, Rajamani’s death has meant losing an advisor who environmental activists from the city flocked to, each time there was a crisis. “Until a few years ago, he also chaired the Heritage Conservation Committee and went all out to preserve Hyderabad’s ancient structures. He will be missed,” Mandal said.

Members of Forum for a Better Hyderabad (FBH) also expressed their condolences through a release issued on Thursday. “His knowledge, experience and wisdom concerning issues of nature and environmental protection and preservation had been of immense value during his association with FBH during the last one and half decades,” the release stated. The funeral will be held in the city on Friday.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / June 26th, 2015

Scholar Pullela Sriramachandrudu passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

An Indian scholar and eminent writer in Sanskrit and Telugu literature Pullela Sriramachandrudu passed away here on Wednesday evening. He was 87 years of age. Born in Amalapuram on October 24, 1927, he started his academic journey as an ardent student of ‘Vyakarana Sastra’ and went on to acquire three masters degrees in Sanskrit, Hindi and English from Banaras Hindu University.

Among his best-known accomplishments are translation of the Valmiki Ramayana with a word-to-word meaning and commentary in Telugu that runs into over 10,000 pages. Credited with writing several books in the two languages, he received the Padma Shri, among other honours. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his condolences and recalled his achievements.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – June 25th, 2015

Honour for RPO official

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Travel

Hyderabad :

A senior official at the Regional Passport Office, Hyderabad, will be honoured by Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj with the Best Granting Officer Award at Passport Diwas to be held in Delhi on June 25.

The MEA has recently announced the awards for 2014-15. “P Udaya Lakshmi, superintendent at RPO, Hyderabad, was chosen for the Best Granting Officer Award for her outstanding performance in processing 78,781 passport applications, granting 76,857 passports and 1,924 police clearance certificates (PCCs) in 2014-15.

The official, who worked at Vijayawada and Begumpet passport seva kendras (PSKs) in 2014, set a new record in the country,” regional passport officer Ashwini Sattaru said in a release.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / June 21st, 2015