Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Tuned to the word

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Shabana Azmi, Mohammad Ali Baig Santoor maestro Rahul Sharma and Tabla artist Mukund Raj during the ‘Kaifiyaath’ (A Hindi Translation of Revered poet and Lyricist late Kaifi Azmi’s Writings). Photo: Nagara Gopal

‘Kaifiyaath’ proved that an evening of poetry and music can rid you of a heavy heart

Losing your soul and heart to Kaifi Azmi’s nazms is easy, it’s getting out that’s hard. Kaifi Azmi had created a space for himself, as the voice of reality.

The intensity of emotion in his words is resolute, complete with a rich descriptive contrast between the better and the worse. An evening revisiting Kaifi Azmi is an evening well-spent. The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation organised an evening of poetry reading that was interspersed with music. Held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Kaifi Azmi’s poetry was read by Shabana Azmi and Mohammed Ali Baig and harmony was maintained by Rahul Sharma on the santoor.

The audience sat in furrowed silence, when Shabana before commencing with her recital said that Kaifi Azmi was a man of many words and liked a receptive listener.

She coaxed the audience to get out of its gambhir (serious) expression and partake in the event with occasional ‘wah-wahs’ and applause. “Zindagi naam hai kuch lamhon ka…aur unme hi wahi ek lamha jismein do bolti gol se aankhen chai ki pyali se e jab uthe, to dil me dube; dub ke dil me kahe, aaj tum kuchh na kaho, bas yunhi bethe raho…” in this andaz (style), Shabana captured the subtle nuance of mohabbat (love), set to the mellow and melancholy tunes of the santoor.

There is something unflinching about Rahul Sharma’s mastery over the santoor — where you can simply lose yourself in the rippling melody that somehow reminds you of peaceful Himalayan lakes.

The evening was interspersed with funny and insightful anecdotes narrated by Shabana that kept the mood light.

“Mere bhai Baba ka kehna hai ki jo nazm hai, aaj tum kuch na kaho, aaj main kuch na khoon… this could never fall through for us because we loved to talk!” she laughs, followed by a lovely rendition by Rahul Sharma accompanied by Mohammed Ali Baig reciteing Kaifi’s famous “Jab Bhi Choom Leta Hun, Un Haseen Aankhon Ko, Sau Charaagh Andhere Mein Jagmagaane Lage Hain…”, the mood for romance could only multiply.

Kaifi Azmi, the poet extraordinaire cannot be celebrated any other way, if not in poetry and music.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Life & Style>METROPLUS / by Vishnupriya Bhandaram / April 14th, 2012

Cheer girls add glitz to bull competition

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports

Cheer girls lightened the state-level competitions for Ongole bullocks pulling heavy boulders, here on Tuesday.

The competition is being organised by the JC brothers at a ground near the newly-built municipal office.

As many as 63 pairs of Ongole bulls, known as one of the world’s best bovine species, took part in the competition from all over the state.

Tadipatri legislator J.C. Diwakar Reddy and his brother and former municipal chairman J.C. Prabhakar Reddy made elaborate arrangements for the competition which started on Monday.

On the first day, the competition was conducted in the agriculture and junior sections. A large number of people, mostly farmers, were present.

The highlight of the competition was the presence of cheer girls, who pepped up the spectators with their flashy dances between the breaks.

Referring to the cheer girls’ dances at the IPL 20-20 cricket matches, Mr Prabhakar Reddy said that it was not new to them.

“We had arranged cheer girls around 10 years ago when we conducted a cricket tournament,” Mr Reddy said. He said that it was not obscene and was meant to cheer the spectators.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Regions/ Anantapur / by DC Correspondent / Taipatri (Anantapur) / April 11th, 2012

Hyatt Hotels Corporation launchess Park Hyatt Hyderabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Uncategorized

Hyatt Hotels Corporation recently announced the opening of Park Hyatt Hyderabad. The hotel with 185 guestrooms and 24 suites offers business travellers and local guests 42 serviced luxury apartments named The Residence, with five-star facilities.  The hotel is fifteen minutes drive from the Hi-Tech City and the business district, and 45 minutes from the international airport. “We are proud to expand the Park Hyatt brand presence in India with Park Hyatt Hyderabad joining Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa, which will be followed by the opening of Park Hyatt Chennai in the second quarter of 2012. These openings are reflective of the thoughtful growth of the brand in destinations that build customer preference, and they also add to the growing portfolio of Hyatt hotels in India,” said Peter Fulton, Managing Director, Hyatt International – South West Asia.

The Residence at Park Hyatt Hyderabad offer furnished apartments with fully-equipped kitchens,  furniture and complimentary wireless internet, informed a release. The residences are built in configurations of one, two and three bedrooms measuring from 927 square feet to 2,317 square feet. Each guestroom at the hotel is equipped with oversized work desks, easy-to-use in-room technology and electrical outlets and light fixtures, with luxurious bathrooms. These spa-style bathrooms feature oversized, free-standing bathtubs and Miller Harris amenities, informed a release. All restaurants at Park Hyatt Hyderabad are designed with interactive show kitchens. Tre-Forni, the hotel’s signature restaurant, offers Italian cuisine and its wine list features varieties from the Central and Northern Italian wine regions. The formal Dining Room serves Hyderabadi and European dishes. While The Living Room and Oriental Bar and Kitchen are the other dining opitions at the property.

Facilities at the hotel include The Spa offering beauty and wellness therapies including a Swedish sauna, steam room, beauty salon, and a fitness centre with a temperature-controlled swimming pool and gym and cardio equipment. Meetings facilities at the property include The Manor for conferences and events. The hotel has a pillar-less ballroom that can be divided into three different spaces, a pre-function area, and seven meeting rooms, each equipped with the latest technology, high-speed internet access and audiovisual systems.

“Park Hyatt hotels are premium luxury hotels designed to cater to the discerning individual seeking the privacy, personalised service and luxurious elegance of a contemporary hotel,” said Sven Hoffmeyer, General Manager, Park Hyatt Hyderabad. “This new hotel will maintain the brand’s emphasis on art and culinary excellence with locally inspired artwork in the public areas and a signature restaurant headed by experienced chefs. I am delighted that the majority of our associates have been recruited from other Hyatt hotels in India, as well as from around the world, which will ensure that our guests receive an authentic and true Park Hyatt experience during their stay in Hyderabad,” he added.

Designed by architecture firm John Portman & Associates, the eight-story Park Hyatt Hyderabad has guestrooms and suites on the first six floors while the serviced apartments are on the two uppermost floors. The interior designed by the international design team Hirsch Bedner Associates, features Indian motifs inspired by henna patterns, with silk and vibrant colours adding a sari-inspired element to the decor.

source: http://www.TravelBizMonitor.com / Home / by TBM Staff, Mumbai / Friday, March 30th, 2012

13 Telugu poets honoured at Ugadi fete

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Thirteen Telugu poets from Krishna district were honoured on the occasion of Ugadi festival by district Collector S.A.M. Rizwi here on Friday. The 13 poets enthralled the audience with their poetry and scholarship in a ‘kavi sammellan’ conducted to celebrate the festival. Poet-scholars G.Vishnu Prasad, G.V.V.B. Sarma, Koka Vimala Kumari, Mudigonda Sitaravamma, Tata Ramesh, M Kripabhai, Muddigoda Sastry, Bhavishya, Vakkala Lanka Ramakrishna, S.Narasimha Raju, Eemani Seshayya participated in the sammellan that was moderated by noted poet Raavi Ranga Rao. District cooperative officer and poet T.H. Nagaraja Rao also had the privilege of participating in the sammellan. The Ugadi celebrations began with vedic chanting by Mantrala Kanaiah and noted astrologer Muttnuri Durga Nageswara Sastry did the ‘panchanga sravanam’. He predicted that there would be good rains this year.

The ‘kavi sammellan’ was followed by cultural programmes that portrayed the richness of Telugu culture.

Audience at the Sri Venkateswara Vignana Mandiram were treated to a scrumptious feast of various genres of Telugu Literature at the `Sahiti Vasanthotsavam,’ held here to usher in the Telugu new year, `Nandananama Ugadi.’ Be it the crisp one-liners, or spontaneous lyrics or delightful verse, the literary artistes, Jonnavithula Ramalingeswara Rao, Ramana, B. Ravi Kumar, K. Papayya Sastri and Srinivascharya delighted the audience.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Guntur, March 24th, 2012

 

Hyderabad Times Most Desirable People 2011

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

You decide! Cast your vote now and help the sexiest celebs in town make it to the top 20 of Hyderabad Times Most Desirable People 2011

Successful, stylish and super sexy – an army of drool-worthy celebs have managed to win the hearts of Hyderabadis with their good looks and smoking hot attitudes. And if you think a celebrity, who is born in Hyderabad, lives in the city or acts in Telugu movies, has got what it takes to be the most desirable star around, then it’s time for you to vote for them. Finally, here’s your poll where you, the reader, will have a say. Presenting the ‘Hyderabad Times Most Desirable People, 2011’ – your chance to decide who are the sexiest celebrities in town.

The polls have pitted some of the hottest people against each other to battle it out and win your hearts with their sheer desirability. From superstar Mahesh Babu and spunky Rana Daggubati, to the sexy Samantha and the sporty Saina, the celebs who have had us smitten, now need your help. Vote for your favorite lust-worthy figures and get them to the top 20 of Hyderabad Times Most Desirable People 2011 list. Remember, all your votes make a difference, so make each one count!

To vote log on to itimes.com/polls

Voting closes on April 15.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Regional> Entertainment> Region> Telugu / TNN, March 19th, 2012

Vizag-Dubai flight is set

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Uncategorized

Air Travellers Association-India (ATA) president, Mr D. Varada Reddy, said that the first international fight (AI-952) between Visakhapatnam and Dubai will also be helpful to passengers who want to fly to Chicago or its neighbouring states including Canada.

Air Travellers Association-India (ATA) president, Mr D. Varada Reddy, said that the first international fight (AI-952) between Visakhapatnam and Dubai will also be helpful to passengers who want to fly to Chicago or its neighbouring states including Canada.

As the AI-952 flight is connected to Air India’s Chicago flight (AI-127) at Hyderabad, it can also help other passengers apart from those who fly to Dubai and onwards to Africa, Europe, etc, Mr Varada Reddy said.

In an official release here on Monday, Mr Varada Reddy said the connecting flight would save time, efforts and even cost to passengers, particularly women with children, and senior citizens.

He suggested that passengers book tickets through travel agents, tour operators or at the Air India office or even online as soon as possible by the scheduled departure time at 1.40 pm on March 25.

The return flight from Dubai, AI-951, will land in Vizag airport on March 25 at 8.05 am, he added.

Meanwhile, as a prelude to the take off of the first international Dubai bound flight on March 25 and in an attempt to put Vizag on the global map, the Visakhapatnam Air Travellers Association (VATA) has come up with a T shirt design contest.

VATA wants the participation of local talented youth to design a T shirt with international standards.

“A person returning from Goa wears an ‘I Love Goa T shirt’ available there. Same is the case with Canada, Australia and other global destinations. We also want such a kind of flavour and a mark for Vizag. The city should have its own T shirt with the theme, ‘I Love Vizag,” VATA president Ch. Ramakotaiah told this newspaper.

He added that greenery and the dolphin showcase the true flavour and spirit of the city and the T shirt should depict both.

VATA has called for entries from enthusiastic youth to reach it before March 14. The winning design will be featured on the T-shirt used as promotion of Vizag at the airport and a few other places in the city on March 25.

“We are hopeful that in a short period, the Vizag-Singapore flight will also take off from the city,” said Mr Ramakotaiah.

VATA is also organising Ugadi celebrations on March 23.

Minister Ganta Srinivas Rao will release the T-shirt on March 23 during the Ugadi celebrations and a surprising prize will be given to the winner on the day.

Interested candidates to design the T-shirt can contact vata1995@gmail.com or call phone number 9849977666.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle. com / Home> Channels> Cities> Regions> Visakhapatnam / by DC Correspondent / Visakhapathnam, March 13th, 2012

 

Gulzar awarded Honorary Doctorate in Urdu Literature

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All, Uncategorized

Veteran poet, lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar was awarded with an Honorary Doctorate in Urdu Literature by the Maulana Azaad National Urdu University (MANUU) on Saturday, March 3 in Hyderabad.

Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development presented the citation to Gulzar at the fourth convocation of the university.

The university also conferred honorary doctorates Justice AH Ahmadi, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of India; Sukhdev Thorat, Chairman, Indian Council for Social Science and Research, and Mohammad Shamim Jairajpuri – former Vice-Chancellor of the university.

source: http://www.Bollywoodlife.com / Bollywood / March 06th, 2012

Hyderabad students bag awards at international art expo

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Hyderabad:

Six students of Sanskriti, a rural art centre near here, bagged several awards at the 13th International Child and Youth Art Exhibition which recently concluded in Poland. Ten-year-old A Keerthana bagged the special award while G M Anusha, A Rishitej, J Praveen Kumar, S Sekhar and G Vinod Kumar bagged medallions and diplomas.
Another group of eight children including M Munika Reddy, A Sai Kiran, A Shreetej, R Kavya, A Harender, A Vamsikiran, R Kalpana and B Jyoshna also won prizes for their paintings and linocuts.
More than 10,000 children from 49 countries took part in the event.
From India alone, 491 children participated while eight of them won awards.
Sanskriti was established in 1992 at Hyderguda by Young Envoys International.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / South> Hyderabad / IBN Hyderabad / The New Indian Express , The Express News Service/ March 05th, 2012

Golden Jubilee celebrations of Fatima Cathedral on March 12

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

The Warangal Diocese is planning a grand celebration to mark the golden jubilee year of the historic Kazipet-based Fatima Cathedral, which gave the Fatima Nagar in Kazipet its name.

The Warangal Diocese is planning a grand celebration to mark the golden jubilee year of the historic Kazipet-based Fatima Cathedral, which gave the Fatima Nagar in Kazipet its name.

The Warangal Diocese has jurisdiction over Khammam, Warangal, Nalgonda and Karimnagar districts.

The administrator of Warangal Diocese and the present archbishop of Hyderabad Diocese reverend Mr Tumma Bala has a long history of association with the Fatima Cathedral as he had a long tenure as bishop of Warangal Diocese from 1987-2011.

The grand and imposing structure of Fatima Cathedral houses the statue of ‘Our Lady of Fatima’, which was reported to have been brought from Portugal. According to the Cathedral records, the foundation stone for the Fatima Cathedral was laid on November 13, 1956 by the then Bishop of Wara-ngal Diocese reverend Alp-honsus Beretta and consecrated on March 13, 1962.

“The Fatima Cathedral has to its credit varied functions including inculcating moral values and spiritual uplift of the people,” said archbishop of Hyderabad Diocese reverend Mr Tumma Bala, who was in the city on Saturday to oversee the arrangements for the golden jubilee feat scheduled on March 12 and 13.

The revered Tumma Bala underscored the need to spread education, which he termed as the panacea of all evils and listed various welfare measures being taken up by Warangal diocese in spheres like education, health and social services.

According to father D. Raja, in charge of Warangal Diocese, they are presently running 98 schools, two degree colleges, four junior colleges, one engineering college, two B.Ed, one D.Ed, three hospitals, six dispensaries including various other trusts and NGOs in four districts under their jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, the organisers of the golden jubilee feat led by father Jaya Rao Polimera said they expect a turnout of more than 40,000 people during the two-day event including many dignitaries from around the state.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Regions> Karimnagar / by DC Correspondent / Warangal / March 04th,2012

 

A story that has not been told

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized

A powerful and poignant book on what it means to be a dalit in pre and post-Independence India.

My Father Baliah by Y.B. Satyanarayana. / Special arrangement

A tall man, walking away from his village with a heavy heart, his wife’s body tied to his back, and almost dragging a little boy, his son, in a chilly evening drizzle, towards a distant stream….It was a small village that he was walking helplessly away from; his three-year old son weeping aloud as he, half naked, followed his father in the gloomy evening. The village was Vangapalli, in the Karimnagar district of Telengana, the native village of the man. The man with the dead body on his back came from the Harijanwada, the untouchable dwellings in the village. He walked fast so that he could reach the banks of the stream before dark. He was powered by the thought that he had to dig a grave to bury his wife and that he had to do it all by himself.

Thus begins Y.B Satyanarayana’s absorbing “family biography” My Father Baliah. The book, rooted in the Telengana dalit madiga experience, may be written in English. Yet, the world that is presented to us is far removed from the urban, upper-class English-speaking world. In style as well as in substance. For not only does Satyanarayana dwell powerfully and poignantly on what it means to be a dalit in pre and post-independence India, he does so by altogether eschewing a narrative of individual success. By choosing to embed individual stories in three generations of family history, Satyanarayana deftly and gracefully gives credit where it is due, resisting the temptation of turning this into a narrative about any one individual or the self. His own journey has been a long and difficult one and yet this is not the story he focuses on.

Spotlight on family

At the emotional heart of this narrative, is that simple and yet increasingly rare sentiment of gratitude. It is interesting too that while Ambedkar is mentioned, the author chooses to highlight the familial sphere as central to his growth and formation. The spotlight is not on the broader dalit political movement but on the struggles and sacrifices of the narrator’s family – his father Ramaswamy alias Baliah, his mother Narasamma, his brothers Balraj and Abbasayalu and his sister Bachamma (who, despite having had to drop out of school herself, monitors the education of her brothers). It is the history of a people told by other means, told charmingly and with great honesty and reads like a tribute to them.

As Satyanarayana presents it, the struggles of his family – the Yelukatis – are not entirely joyless. The family is one of many dalit beneficiaries of the British railway system. The railways represent a relatively caste-free space, a space which holds out the possibility of growth. In the railway colony, caste is markedly less-pronounced even though it does not entirely disappear. For one thing, the employees live side by side – the sudras beside the untouchables – something that would be unthinkable in the village. The colony also has schools for the children of the employees.

As with many other dalit autobiographies, the raw material is compelling, the depth of experience is unbeatable. The narrative makes visible what would otherwise remain unnoticed, unremarked upon. The work undertaken by railway gangmen and pointers, mostly untouchables, is one example. Every now and then, Satyanarayana gives us a quick glimpse into their world. Once when a train hits a cow, it is a madiga pointsman who skins the dead animal. The meat is then distributed amongst all the untouchables.

Caste follows the Yelukati family wherever they go, though its intensity varies somewhat. It follows Satyanarayana through school, through college and later through his career. He fights back with grace. While Baliah accepts caste-based practices as sociological fact, he is aware that the most important thing in the world is the preservation of self-respect. This despite the fact that he has never read Ambedkar. Baliah’s dogged belief in the value of education and the lengths to which he is willing to go so his sons are able to get a post-graduate degree is simply yet movingly narrated.

In a growing line of dalit narratives, My Father Baliah is significant also because of its specificity – its documentation of caste and the dalit Madiga experience in the Telengana region.

My Father Baliah; Y.B. Satyanarayana, HarperCollins, Rs. 299.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Arts> Books / by K. SriLata / March 03rd, 2012