Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Rare sculpture with 624 ‘naga’ carvings found in Guntur

They said the broken slab was found lying upside down on an ant hill mound, and that it was shifted and erected on the north-eastern corner of the Ramesvara temple sometime ago.

Rare sculpture with 624 ‘nagas’ carved on a single slab has been found at Velpuru in Krosur mandal of Guntur district (Photo |EPS
Rare sculpture with 624 ‘nagas’ carved on a single slab has been found at Velpuru in Krosur mandal of Guntur district (Photo |EPS

Guntur :

A rare sculpture with 624 ‘nagas’ carved on a single slab has been found at Velpuru in Krosur mandal of Guntur district. Based on the information provided by the locals, archaeologists rushed to the spot on Wednesday and examined it thoroughly. They said the broken slab was found lying upside down on an ant hill mound, and that it was shifted and erected on the north-eastern corner of the Ramesvara temple some time ago.

The granite slab, measuring 2’-0 x 6’-0 x 0’-4’’, has 24 rows on its front side, with 26 ‘nagas’ carved in each row. The archaeologists surmised that 576 similar carvings are present on the broken part of the slab that was yet to be located. They said that the sculpture had a lot of archaeological significance as it was found in Velpuru, where 35 inscriptions of Vishnukundin, Vengi Chalukya, Velanati Chola, Kakatiya, Reddy, Vijayanagara and Gajapati rulers were discovered.

They made an appeal to the local community to safeguard the rare sculpture and requested the Tourism department to operate ‘Naga tourist circuit’, connecting  Durga Nageswara temple, Pedakallepalli and Subbarayudu temples at Mopidevi of Krishna district with the sculpture found in Velupuru.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / October 31st, 2019

Billasurgam caves expected to get facelift

An arch formation at the entrance to the Billasurgam caves.
An arch formation at the entrance to the Billasurgam caves.

District tourism authorities draw up plans for its restoration, estimate cost of project at ₹5 crore

Located an hour’s drive from Kurnool is a small village called K.K. Kottala which houses the Billasurgam caves, where geologists have discovered cave art more than 5,000 years old.

Despite their stunning beauty, the Billasurgam caves in Betamcherla mandal of Kurnool district have remained an untapped tourist destination — something that the district tourism authorities are now planning to address in a bid to preserve history.

The caves were first discovered by famous British geologist Robert Bruce Foote in 1884. Foote was the same geologist who discovered paleolithic stone tools at Pallavaram in Chennai.

Prehistoric artefacts

During decades of archaeological excavations at the site since its discovery, numerous stone tools, animal remains, and fragments of pottery were found at the caves, proving the existence of prehistoric human activity at the caves.

However, the caves are now long overdue for a facelift. Surrounded by quarries and mines, the Billasurgam caves have been left mostly untouched ever since independence, with the exception of the odd visits of scholars and locals.

District tourism authorities are now planning to propose to the State Government to revive the caves and turn them into a tourist attraction. Officials have conducted initial surveys and are expected to produce a first-visit report to the government.

Speaking to The Hindu, District Tourism Officer, B. Venkateswarlu said that preserving the Billsurgam caves is high on their agenda. “We will also ask the archaeology department to look into the matter, and list the caves as a protected monument,” he said.

Lack of access

Currently, the authorities are planning to clean the caves and make it more accessible for visitors.

While it is a popular attraction among the local youth, the caves require development, cleaning and pathways for it to become a primary attraction in the district.

There are two roads leading to the caves – one from Betamcharla mandal headquarters and the other from Palkuru. Both the roads are kutcha roads which cannot accommodate auto-rickshaws and four-wheelers.

Mr. Venkateswarlu said that the development of the caves could cost at least ₹5 crore. “However, we need only ₹5 lakh right now to start the process of cleaning the caves. Moreover, this money, if sanctioned, could also be used to renovate the kutcha road,” he said.

Development plans

Talking about the development plans, the DTO said that roads need to be laid by the Panchayati Raj department, while avenue plantations must be taken up by the district water management agency. “Apart from that, the Revenue Department must also demarcate the land available, and raise fences,” Mr. Venkateswarlu said.

“As it is the constituency of Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, we also plan on sending the proposal to him directly. With a push from Mr. Reddy, the caves could become a major tourist attraction,” Mr. Venkateswarlu said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Tadi Vidura / Kurnool – October 25th, 2019

Adibhatla’s birth anniversary celebrations from today

The celebrations will be organised jointly by Narayanadas Sishya Prasishya Sangham and Annamayya Parivaramu, Hyderabad.

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Vijayawada :

The five-day birth anniversary celebrations of Harikatha Pitamaha Adibhatla Narayana Das, considered the creator of  modern school of Harikatha, a unique art of storytelling in Telugu, will be held at the Sri Seetharama Kalyana Mandapam in Sivalayam temple in Satyanarayanapuram at Vijayawada, beginning Sunday.

The celebrations will be organised jointly by Narayanadas Sishya Prasishya Sangham and Annamayya Parivaramu, Hyderabad. Adibhatla Narayana Das was born on August 31, 1864 in Ajjada, a tiny village in Vizianagaram district. Das is also a musician, dancer, poet and added a new dimension to Telugu and Sanskrit literature by his Harikathas, Prabhandas (semi-historical anecdotes of famous persons), translations and Avadhanams (improvisation of poems using specific themes, metres or words).

According to YV Krishnaiah, the coordinator of Narayanadas Jayanthi programme and founder of Hyderabad-based Annamayya Parivaramu, Adibhatla was a cultural hero, who brought name and fame to
Vizianagaram with cultural events, then cultural capital of the State.

His dancing and abhinaya (art of expression) were exquisite and even earned praise of ‘Nightingale of India’ Sarojini Naidu, who witnessed Adibhatla’s Harikatha in the All India Congress Mahasabha held in Kakinada in 1923.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / ome> Cities>Vijayawada / by Express News Service / August 25th, 2019

Memorial for Prakasam Pantulu long overdue

Tanguturi Gopalakrishna paying tributes at the statue of his grandfather Prakasam Pantulu on his birth anniversary, in Ongole on Friday. Ministers B. Srinivasa Reddy and A. Suresh are seen.
Tanguturi Gopalakrishna paying tributes at the statue of his grandfather Prakasam Pantulu on his birth anniversary, in Ongole on Friday. Ministers B. Srinivasa Reddy and A. Suresh are seen.

His island villa in Ongole, house in Vinodarayunipalem and Vijayotsavam Stupa paint a picture of neglect

Statesman Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu’s island villa in Ongole, his house in Vinodarayunipalem and the Salt Satyagraha site near Devarampadu are forgotten for most of the year except on the great man’s birth and death anniversaries.

Little has been done to convert these structures into memorials except for the occassional lip service twice a year on his birth and death anniversaries. His admirers feel that building the memorials would be a fitting tribute to the great freedom fighter and politician who earned the epithet of ‘Andhra Kesari’ for his opposition to British rule.

The ‘Vijayotsavam Stupa’ in Devarampadu village, built in 1935 to mark the launch of Prakasam Pantulu’s Salt Satyagraha and unveiled by Babu Rajendra Prasad, also cries for attention with the road leading to it in an urgent need of repair.

Several times in the past, VIPs had skipped visiting this site on important occasions like Independence Day, Republic Day and Prakasam Pantulu’s birth and death anniversaries. A library which has a good collection of books on the freedom struggle is also in a dilapidated condition, lament villagers.

“We have been pleading successive governments to develop the site into a tourist spot by building a park. But our efforts have not borne fruit so far,” they said.

Assurances

Taking note of the poorly maintained road in the midst of lush green fields, Energy Minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, who experienced a bumpy ride on Friday, said that the Government would lay a cement road to the historic site so that the youth could draw inspiration from the life of the great man, who had become the Prime Minister of Madras Presidency as well as the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh when it was formed in 1953.

The Education Department would soon construct a new building for the library at the site where Prakasam Pantulu had spent his last days in a mango orchard, Education Minister A. Suresh promised.

Vinodarayunipalem, where Prakasam Pantulu was born, too lacked a befitting memorial, as also the island villa in Ongole from where he had led the freedom struggle and ran his ‘Swarajya’ newspaper. Today, a private college occupies most of the space. Even now, a memorial could be built on the vacant land available on the premises, felt Andhra Kesari Prakasam Seva Samiti leader P. Venkateswarlu.

Prakasam Pantulu’s grandson T. Gopalakrishna said the YSRCP government could draw lessons from the way Prakasam Pantalu administered the State and grapple with bifurcation blues.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Ongole – August 24th, 2019

The Hindu lensmen bag prizes

This photograph has been selected second prize in the Press Club Hyderabad Photo contest this year. Women from a nearby village walk between huge pipes used in the construction activity at Mandadam in the core capital region near Vijayawada of AP, | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR
This photograph has been selected second prize in the Press Club Hyderabad Photo contest this year. Women from a nearby village walk between huge pipes used in the construction activity at Mandadam in the core capital region near Vijayawada of AP, | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR

The Hindu photographer at Vijayawada, Ch.V.S. Vijaya Bhaskara Rao, won second prize in the third edition of photo contest for photo journalists conducted by the Press Club of Hyderabad on the occasion of the club’s foundation day celebrations.

The first prize went to Sakshi Nalgonda photographer K.B. Prasad and the third to Bhaskar Reddy of V6 Velugu daily in Siddipet.

The first three prizes carry cash award of ₹ 15,000, ₹ 10,000 and ₹ 5,000 respectively.

The consolation prize winners were K.V.S. Giri (The Hindu – Hyderabad), A. Ramachandra Rao (Andhra Bhoomi – Vijayawada), V. Peddi Raju (The Hindu – Vijayawada), G. Ramu (Eenadu – Hyderabad), Gunti Vinod (Namasthe Telangana – Wanaparthy), J. Azeez (Sakshi – Machilipatnam), N. Rajesh Reddy (Sakshi – Hyderabad), K. Bajrang Prasad (Sakshi – Nalgonda), A. Yakaiah (Sakshi – Suryapet) and S. Ravinder (Eenadu – Suryapet).

All of them will get ₹ 2,000 each.

The prize distribution will be held at Press Club Hyderabad on June 9.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad June 01st, 2019

Kandukuri death centenary

Speaking on the occasion, Bapatla mandal deputy tahsildar G Sricharan heaped praises on the social reformer for his role in conducting widow remarriages and abolition of child marriages.

Guntur :

Rich tributes were paid to social reformer and renowned scholar Kandukuri Veeresalingam on his centenary death anniversary held under the aegis of ‘Forum for Better Bapatla’ at Bapatla in Guntur district on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Bapatla mandal deputy tahsildar G Sricharan heaped praises on the social reformer for his role in conducting widow remarriages and abolition of child marriages.

“With his rational and dynamic outlook, Veerasalingam vehemently fought for equal rights for women.

Apart from being a social reformer, he was a public leader and a great scholar with keen interest in poetry and drama.

Despite being born into an orthodox Brahmin family, he brought a period of renaissance in Andhra and introduced Telugu literature to the people,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / May 28th, 2019

Limca Book gives award to Culture Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati

The CCVA had published an international multilingual anthology of 948 poems by poets from 67 countries.

CCVA CEO E Sivanagi Reddy (Photo| Facebook/ Cultural Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati)
CCVA CEO E Sivanagi Reddy (Photo| Facebook/ Cultural Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati)

Vijayawada  :

The Culture Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati (CCVA) has received an award by the Limca Book of Records for publishing an international multilingual anthology of 948 poems by poets from 67 countries.

The CCVA had organised an international multilingual poets’ meet, ‘Amaravati Poetic Prism 2017’, in the month of November in which 120 poets from different parts of India, and also abroad had taken part. K Dhanunjay Reddy, Managing Director of AP Tourism Development Corporation, presented the certificate to the culture centre.

He said, “I am very happy to be associated with the Limca Book of Records’ Certificate Receiving ceremony of CCVA. I assure that the APTDC will continue its participation in such activities.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Vijayawada / by Express News Service / May 03rd, 2019

‘In my head, I’m still this girl from Vizag’

Aspiring writerSobhita Dhulipala’s goal is to become a writer Dinesh Parab
Aspiring writerSobhita Dhulipala’s goal is to become a writer Dinesh Parab

Sobhita Dhulipala on playing Tara, being a nerdy kid and negotiating her way through Bollywood

A few weeks ago, Sobhita Dhulipala’s mother surprised the actor with an incredulous request. “Last week my mom was telling me to take the GMAT,” laughs the actor. “I told her I’m not knitting in Bombay, [acting] is a career.” In the short time since her debut in the Indian film industry, Dhulipala has starred in an Anurag Kashyap film (Raman Raghav 2.0 ) and twice acted alongside Saif Ali Khan ( Kaalakaandi andChef ). Most recently, she had top billing in the Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s web series Made in Heaven ( MIH ). She also starred in the Telugu spy thrillerGoodachari .

Then and now

Dhulipala and I are talking about her life before and after MIH . Instead of basking in its subsequent radiance, the actor is yet to allow the success sink in. “What if a satellite went off and there was no electricity, would I still be relevant?” she asks me. The concern is rational for an ex-uncool kid who was pelted with paper balls in college. Arriving in Mumbai at 16, Dhulipala studied in H.R. College of Commerce And Economics and by her own admission was constantly trying to fit in. “I never watched TV as a kid. I was very nerdy, not chatty or friendly, I was always spending time by myself. In retrospect, I wonder why I was almost non-existent.”

But Dhulipala more than exists; she has the ability to command a room. Sitting straight in a chair, dressed in a casual asymmetrical skirt and sleeveless top with sneakers, the actor measures her words carefully. She’s deliberately articulate to ensure that the right meaning is conveyed. Though Dhulipala is infinitely more confident than earlier, she says there’s still a long way to go. “When I look back, I didn’t know anything. I’ve been so naive and it’s kind of stupid… textbook- wala intelligence,” she muses. “I’ve not been clever but I think that has given me strength.” Then as if it’s a Eureka moment, she exclaims: “Sensitivity gives me strength.” What keeps her going is the ability to constantly learn and be able to thrive in the different facets of her personality. One day she’s embodying Dolly Parton’s Southern belle attitude with big curls and a swing in a stride. Then the next, she’s moved onto Missy Elliot’s commanding swagger. “I can’t just have this one life, I want more,” she laughs heartily. “That’s the same thing that extends to me wanting to be an actor.”

Making it work

This mix of complexity and contradictory personality don’t always bode well particularly in an industry where self-preservation is the priority. Dhulipala’s greatest frustration in the last couple of years has been to balance being an a storyteller and an efficient networker. “It’s exhausting when you have to be both,” she says adding a smile. “But I have managed. I have a career.” Then there’s been the shoot for MIH , which was, in the actor’s words not smooth but definitely character building. “We were all new to each other and frictions formed,” she recollects. “In my head, I’m still this girl from Vizag [Visakhapatnam]. MIH was my school, it was like bootcamp for the brain.”

In some ways, Dhulipala is similar to Tara, her character in MIH . Both have risen from their station to feed their relentless ambition. “But I am not as unapologetic as she is. I am softer. With [Tara] there’s this sense of a hustle. I’m not like that,” says Dhulipala. The actor was thrilled to be part of a show that explored serious subjects: from homosexuality and molestation to sexism. Next on the cards is the Netflix show Bard of Blood , Jeethu Joseph’s Hindi thrillerBody , and Geetu Mohandas’ Moothon . Dhulipala’s ultimate goal is to become a writer, which she understands is difficult to sustain as a career. “Acting is as much of a gamble which seems to be paying off,” she chuckles.

Made in Heaven is currently streaming on Amazon Prime

‘Made in Heaven’ was my school, it was like bootcamp for the brain.

Sobhita Dhulipala

Next on the cards is the Netflix show ‘Bard of Blood’, Jeethu Joseph’s Hindi thriller ‘Body’, and ‘Moothon’ by Geetu Mohandas.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Deborah Cornelious / March 30th, 2019

‘Anasuya Devi used music as a tool to spread social equality’

Several people condole the death of veteran singer

Born and brought up in Kakinada, Vinjamuri Anasuya Devi used music as a tool to spread the message of social equality in the days when the society considered women coming out of their homes as a taboo. The literary and cultural environment around her made Anasuya Devi learnt classical music along with her elder sister Seetha in the childhood and later the sisters lent their voices to many light music compositions of their maternal uncle the renowned poet Devulapalli Krishnasastry. With Krishnasastry developed a penchant for Brahmo Samaj and penned songs for the organisation that worked for social renaissance, they sang those songs in many public meetings.

From there, Anasuya Devi left for the then Madras from where she went to Houston in the US and stayed with her daughter Ratna Papa till her last breath there on Sunday morning. “Anasuya Devi was a courageous woman, who broke all the shackles and moved freely on a par with men in those days. Her independent nature made her special among the family and her voice added beauty to many lyrics of Krishnasastry,” recalled Tallavajhula Patanjali Sastry, a close relative of the family and writer and environmentalist from Rajamahendravaram.

Vinjamuri Anasuya Devi. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Vinjamuri Anasuya Devi. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Anasuya Devi’s father Venkata Lakshmi Narasimha Rao was a theatre artiste and he had influenced the family members including women to learn languages and read literature. “Anasuya Devi brought out her autobiography ‘Asamana Anasuya’ three years ago, in which she gave a detailed description of her journey from Kakinada to Houston,” said Mr. Patanjali Sastry.

“Seetha and Anasuya popularised folk music in the combined Andhra State. They were the first singers to give concerts with folk songs,” recollected V.A.K. Ranga Rao, renowned historian of music, who shared an association of 65 years with the Vinjamuri family. “The tune of popular song ‘Manasuna mallela.. .’ from the classic ‘Malleeswari’ was based on ‘Chandana charchita..’ a song rendered by Anasuya in 1937.

Similarly, the one ‘Eruvaka sagaro.. .’ from ‘Rojulu Marayi’ was based on ‘Chukkala Cheerakattukoni’ a private song rendered by Seetha and Anasuya in 1932. I have those gramophone records with me,” he said, while paying homages to the singer.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by K N Murali Sankar / Kakinada – March 25th, 2019

Andhra Pradesh SP scales a peak in Papua New Guinea

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SP inches close to ‘Seven Summits Challenge’

Radhika G.R., Superintendent of Police from the State was on cloud nine, literally, for inching a step closer to her goal of completing the ‘mountaineering challenge’– conquering the seven summits of the world.

Video released

In a short video recorded, Ms. Radhika who works with the State’s Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations (OCTOPUS), could be seen elated, having the 4, 884-metre tall Carstensz Pyramid or Puncak Jaya, the highest summit in Oceania, under her feet. The video was released by State police on Thursday.

Thanks A.P. police

Carrying the Indian national flag and OCTOPUS flag, Ms. Radhika proudly says, “Today, I have reached the top of Carstensz Pyramid, the highest peak of Oceania in Puncak Jaya island. We reached the summit at 10 a.m. Indonesian time with the help of two guides and mountain professionals team. I thank the AP police and the AP government.”

In December last, the 43-year-old Ms. Radhika summited the Antarctica’s highest peak of Mount Vinson. Earlier in 2017, she scaled the 5, 642-metre high Mount Elbrus, the tallest in Russia and Europe and became the first Indian woman to do so.

She made headlines in 2016 for being the first Indian policewoman to conquer the world’s highest peak Mt. Everest when she worked as an additional SP in the State.

As part of her goal to complete the ‘Seven Summits Challenge’, a dream for any professional mountaineer she also scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mt. Kosciusko in Australia and others and has inched close to fulfilling the goal on Thursday. She began her career as a government lecturer and later got selected as Deputy SP.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / March 22nd, 2019