Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Pedana Kalamkari art form gets GI tag

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence
A Kalamkari artist immersed in designing a piece of cloth. / File Photo / The Hindu
A Kalamkari artist immersed in designing a piece of cloth. / File Photo / The Hindu

 Now, the production of Machilipatnam Kalamkari will be geographically limited to Pedana town and its neighbouring villages

Kalamkari, renowned for natural dye art or designs on fabrics, has been registered in the Geographical Indications Registry (GIR) of the Government of India under the Geographical Identification of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

Members of Vegetable Dye Hand Block Kalamkari Printers’ Welfare Association, Pedana received the registration certificate from the GIR, Chennai. In the GI Registration, this art form has, however, been recognised as ‘Machilipatnam Kalamkari’. Pedana is 15 k.m. from Machilipatnam.

“The registration will enable us to initiate legal action against those who copy the art or design in any form. It also restricts the production of fabrics with Kalamkari art in the areas falling out of the registered geographical area,” said the Welfare Association executive member Bandaru Anand Prasad.

According to GIR’s authorised user no – AU/396/GI/19/12, production of Machilipatnam Kalamkari is geographically only limited to Pedana town and its neighbouring villages of Machilipatnam, Polavaram and Kappaladoddi in Guduru mandal of Krishna district.

The ingredients used in the preparation of colours, stages of applying the dye and designs on fabrics were also submitted to the GIR authorities for the conservation of the art as well as easy identification of violators anywhere. Nevertheless, the geographical identification was limited for a few areas of production – such as textiles and textile goods, bed and table covers, clothing, carpets, rugs, linoleum and other materials for covering existing floors and embroidery.

“Since the new status deals with promising the registered standards of the Kalamkari, even local artisans and production houses have no exemption from the guidelines, framed for conservation of the art, if they fail to maintain the respective standard,” added Mr. Anand Prasad.

“Now we have every right to seek legal action against the violators – who copy the art form on the registered products,” he added. On the other hand, the scientists of National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad were engaged in producing new colours meant for Machilipatnam Kalamkari and a special training programme on applying new colours was also completed this week.

As a witness of the existence of the art form, a wall hanger dating back to 15th Century AD, is still being displayed in Victoria Museum, London.

The article has been edited to correct an editing error.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by T Appala Naidu / Pedana (Krishna District) – August 18th, 2013

Social media, western culture replacing traditional arts

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Folk artistes performing a feat at the mass 'Satyagraham' organised by integrationists in Vijayawada./ Photo: Ch.Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu
Folk artistes performing a feat at the mass ‘Satyagraham’ organised by integrationists in Vijayawada./ Photo: Ch.Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu

 Public used to get enlightened through ‘burra kathas’, street plays and puppet shows earlier

The traditional arts, which were liked by all in the families once, are getting replaced by social media, internet and flash mobs. The tradition has changed from one generation to the other and children are going through textbooks to know about our culture now.

The village and community heads used to organise ‘burra kathas’, street plays, puppet shows (Tholubommalata) and ‘janapada nrutyams’ (folk dances) to enlighten the people against superstitions, social evils, gender discrimination, literacy, health hazards and ill effects of alcohol consumption, but, the ancient art forms appear to be getting shadowed by western culture.

Now flash mobs (a group of people gathers suddenly in a public place, perform a show for a few minutes and dissolves into the crowd) replaced ‘burra kathas’ and ‘puppet shows’ and students are seen dancing on the roads for one or other reason.

A small group of youth confused the passers-by suddenly dancing for a song on M.G. Road, which disappeared into the public within a few minutes on Independence Day here.

The public later realised that the youth tried to highlight the ‘Samaikyandhra’ demand by performing a feat called ‘flash mob’. For the first time, flash mob, a western show was presented in Vijayawada, said the onlookers.

“We used to enjoy ‘burraka kathas’, mythological plays and ‘puppet shows’ and during festivals and celebrations in towns and villages. Now, the culture has vanished and the younger generation is ignorant about it, which is very sad”, said a teacher P. Durga Prasad.

“There is nothing wrong in inviting western culture, but we should not forget our own traditions. We have to protect our culture too. Many youngsters are attracted to western food habits, garments and the lifestyles,” opined a student V. Siddhartha.

“Puppet shows have completely vanished. The ‘burra katha’ and folk artistes migrated to urban areas in search of livelihood, while some artistes are moving around Government offices for pensions. Government should take some more measures to protect the arts, which are big assets for our great culture”, said a mythological artiste Narasimham.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Rajulapudi Srinivas / Vijayawada – August 18th, 2013

Waheeda goes down memory lane

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Actor Waheeda Rehman posing for a photograph with teachers at St. Joseph’s School in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday./ Photo: K.R. Deepak / The Hindu
Actor Waheeda Rehman posing for a photograph with teachers at St. Joseph’s School in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday./ Photo: K.R. Deepak / The Hindu

Dressed in a chiffon saree and sporting a string of pearls around her neck, noted Hindi actress Waheeda Rehman was a picture of timeless beauty as she walked the corridors of Hawa Mahal in the city on Tuesday. She went down on a nostalgia trip during a private visit to the city. Waheeda had spent a few years of her childhood in the city in the 1940s when her father was posted here and was back after a long gap.

She had studied at St. Joseph’s Convent and later visited her alma mater and went around the corridors remembering her school days.

Waheeda posed for photographs with a few teachers and staff of the school and spoke to them in fluent Telugu. She was accompanied by talk show host and comedian Vinay Pathak who was full of praise for the beautiful Hawa Mahal on the Beach Road. Mayank Kumari Deo, who belongs to the royal family of Jeypore (Odisha), was excited to host the actress at the heritage building that was a favourite summer holiday home of the family.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Staff Reporter / Visakhapatnam – August 28th, 2013

Buttoned sarees, quirky dhotis

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Known for his innovative ethnic wear and colour palette, Hyderabad-based Anand Kabra has made it to the top league in the Indian fashion industry. Everyone, from Vidya Balan to Deepika Padukone and Madhuri Dixit has been favouring his styles of late.

Art of imperfection

The designer unveiled his new collection in Chennai store Collage. This collection is a medley of his previous lines Wabi Sabi, Taramati and Kumari. “We are still getting queries about these lines, so they have not lost their relevance. We have picked elements from each and revived them in a contemporary manner,” Kabra offers, adding that he enjoys “androgyny or borrowing the principles of menswear from the sherwani or angrakha and fusing them into Indian womenswear.” Keeping in mind the festive season,  Kabra has used earthy colours “like mustards, kumkum, soft dusty pink and jewel tones like emerald green and ink blue, apart from his usual black and white.”

So expect buttoned and pre-pleated saris, streamlined kurtas and classic anarkalis, floor length angrakhas, lehenga, saris and embellished jackets, palazzos and quirky dhotis.

He is also bringing his latest Fall/ Winter’13/14 line, Wabi Sabi 2, where he presents perfection in imperfection. “It questions the rules of prettiness,” he explains, giving us an example. “We have taken a photographic print of the rose, with the focus on the stalk and used it in one of our creations. It’s beautiful. It is an entire collection of contrasts. Swarovski is used with mulmul. 3D zardozi is a new technique seen in this collection, apart from colour blocking, and transparency.” Anand Kabra collection is priced from ` 25,000 onwards.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Madhuwanti Saha – Hyderabad / August 13th, 2013

Turn the page, royally

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
Kingdom of words: Chowmahalla Palace Library, Hyderabad. - Nagara Gopal
Kingdom of words: Chowmahalla Palace Library, Hyderabad. – Nagara Gopal

There is something about the quiescence and period ambience of the Chowmahalla Palace Library that is instantly charming. There are about 10,000 books and manuscripts in this admirable collection housed in old-world wooden cupboards and surrounded by carefully refurbished vintage furniture. The newly opened library is in Mahtab Mahal, one of the four palaces in the Chowmahalla complex at Khilwat in the Charminar area of Hyderabad.

Built over 200 years ago, the magnificent Chowmahalla was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and the venue where the Nizams entertained royal visitors and official guests. An amalgam of architectural styles and influences, the palace complex was carefully restored and opened to the public about eight years ago. The heritage building is now also available for private and corporate events.

Falaknuma library
Falaknuma library

The library is the latest attraction, rich with timeworn tomes sourced from the Asaf Jahi palaces in the city, including the Chiraan Palace, Nazri Bagh and, of course, Chowmahalla itself.

The Nizams loved literature and some of them were poets in their own right, including the first two Nizams, Mir Qamaruddin Khan and Mir Nizam Ali Khan, and the last two, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan and Mir Osman Ali Khan.

The books are in Urdu, Arabic, Persian and English. Some of them are nearly three centuries old. Besides works of history, geography, art and culture, poetry, Islamic law, medicine and philosophy, the repository has biographies, encyclopaedias and dictionaries.

An exquisite collection of rare Quran editions in calligraphy includes several that were received as birthday gifts by the seventh Nizam.

Of the nearly 300 Qurans in this library, 28 are being painstakingly restored for display in a special section.

There are priceless editions of the Quran in handmade paper, the text handwritten and embellished with gold, gems and pearls. Pointing to the richly-hued pages of one book, a member of the restoration team explains that the gold, red, blue and white colours come respectively from powders of gold, cinnebar, lapis lazuli and pearl.

Many of the English books are first editions from the UK. The bilingual dictionaries in the collection include English-Urdu, Persian-English and Persian-Urdu.

Vintage volumes such as Princes and Chiefs of India, View of Hindoostan, a set of Chambers Encyclopaedias, Glimpses of India, and Delhi Durbar are on view. A lot of hard work has gone into creating this library as many of the books were in a state of neglect, attacked by termites and wood-louse. The restorers did battle with missing pages and jackets, damaged pages and faded lettering. Mahtab Mahal itself needed some sprucing-up.

“The whole process took over six months… We have ensured attention to detail in the restoration and conservation of the books, and the setting up of the library,” says G. Kishan Rao, Director, Chowmahalla Palace. “This was all made possible by Princess Esra’s [Birgin] strong commitment and invaluable encouragement. We also used expert advice from academicians and professionals.”

The books were cleaned in a fumigation chamber and sent for binding — all the restoration work was done in-house.

The cataloguing was another time-consuming effort. “The books have been catalogued according to the US Library of Congress, which is a unique world resource,” says Rao.

Besides tourists and curious onlookers, the library with its rich and valuable trove is soon expected to attract bibliophiles, students and research scholars.

You may borrow a book to read on the premises, seated on the antique (renovated) furniture.

A Rs 100 fee is charged for use of the library, inclusive of the palace entry charge. Virtual visitors can go to  www.chowmahalla.com .

source:  http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Weekend Life / by Aruna Chandarajan

Special tour to Srisailam kicks off

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
Picture for representational purposes only.
Picture for representational purposes only.

Hyderabad:

A Road-cum-River package tour from Hyderabad to Srisailam, through Nagarjunasagar dam and back to the city, has been introduced by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department Corporation (APTDC) every Monday and Thursday.

There are two special packages — the first one, is scheduled to depart Hyderabad around 8 am. After a three-hour drive to Nagarjunasagar and a short excursion at the dam, the cruise to Srisailam leaves at around 11 am.

The cruise is expected to arrive at Srisailam around 6 pm, covering the Nagarjunakonda museum, if time permits. After checking in for the night, covering Srisailam dam and Sakshi Ganapathi temple en route, the travelers will get a darshan at Srisailam at 8 pm. The next day the group will move to Mallela Thirtham and Farahabad wild life sanctuary towards Hyderabad and finally return to the city at around 8 pm.

The second package includes departure from the city at 8 am (Monday or Thursday) by road,  arrival at Srisailam after covering Mallela Thirtham and Farahabad wildlife sanctuary at 2 pm. The batch will get a darshan at 8 pm at Srisailam.

The next morning the group will begin journey to Srisailam dam via Sakshi Ganapathi temple, then leave to Nagarjuna Sagar by cruise at 5 pm, covering Nagarjunakonda then leave for Hyderabad passing through Ettipotala waterfalls and dam.

According to the APTDC authorities, the tour tariff for adults is Rs 3,150/Child Rs 2,520 with Non A/C accommodation, transportation and food.

17 sriramsagar gates lifted

Nizamabad: 17 crest gates of Sriramsagar dam were lifted on  Tuesday and  flood waters released into the Godavari. According to  project officials,  heavy rains in catchment areas of Nizamabad, Adilabad districts and neighbouring Nanded district of Maharashtra resulted in huge inflows into river Godavari in the last few days.

Around 75,000 cusecs of inflows reached the project on Tuesday.  Initially,  the officials opened 5 gates and later increased it up to 17 gates and released the water into the river. Meanwhile, 6,000 cusec of water into Kakatiya canal,  500 cusecs into Saraswathi canal and  2,000 cusecs for flood flow canal is being released as outflow. Sriramsagar dam reached full reservoir level of 1,091 ft  touching  its gross storage of 90.31 tmc ft water on Tuesday.

source:http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / by DC / August 14th, 2013

The name has always been Hyderabad

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

 

Urdu scholars and academicians have once again come out to claim that the idea of Bhagyanagar as the earlier name for the city is mere folklore which is not backed by substance.

Scholars at the four-day international seminar on “400 years of Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah” which was organised at the department of Urdu at University of Hyderabad, said that no available manuscripts, epigraphs, literature or even coins of that era suggest that the name of the city was Bhagyanagar. One among them even feared that with Telangana being formed, there might be a demand to rename the city as Bhagyanagar.

Noted city-based historian and managing trustee of Deccan Heritage Trust, Mohammed Safiullah, rubbishing the concept of Bhagyanagar, said that some historians with vested interests were behind the imaginary stories of Bhagyanagar and said that no concrete proofs suggest that the city was called Bhagyanagar. “Bhagmati could have been a Rajasthani courtesan like Taramati and Premamati. But, even the first available coins of Hyderabad dating to 1603 have the legend as Dar-ul-Sultanate Hyderabad.”

According to him, the title Hyder, meaning lion, has never been given to any woman across the world. “Qutb Shahis were ardent Shias. The city was named after the corner stone of Shia fate, Hazrath Ali, who was also called as Hyder-e-Karrar,” he said. He further said that Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah was a great poet who mentioned many women in his collection of poetry and it was unfair to pick just one of them as his lover.

Echoing similar views, Prof Ahmed Shareef, retired professor of architecture, JNAFAU, said that Bhagyanagar could have been the jagir of Bhageerathi Bai, the Vijayanagara princess, who married Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, but there were no proofs available. “It was in the late Nizam era that the concept of Bhagyanagar came up and that was because of the rising atrocities against Hindus by the Nizam. One should put down all such gossip and look forward to a livable environment for all,” he added.

According to him, it is more important to preserve the historical texts, manuscripts, epigraphs, architecture, literature and culture of Qutb Shahi rulers for a better understanding of our past.

Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth king of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, who ruled the region for 32 years, was the founder of Hyderabad Deccan in 1591-92. He was also considered to be the first Urdu poet and lived between 1565 and 1612. Contemporary to Ibrahim Adil Shah the 2nd and Mughal emperor Akbar, his period is regarded as the golden age for the Deccani culture. “The Deccani culture and heritage has been so neglected that only a very small portion of it is studied and researched upon. There are many major contributions of the Qutb Shahis, but only poetry is given importance in Urdu departments. We call for further research, critical review and examination of art, culture, architecture, jewelry, music, etc,” said Habib Nisar, associate professor and coordinator of the seminar, department of Urdu, UoH.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express /Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / August 24th, 2013

GHMC to deck city with mural art

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Depending upon the themes proposed and rates quoted, empanelment of artists/firms will be made for taking up the works. | EPS
Depending upon the themes proposed and rates quoted, empanelment of artists/firms will be made for taking up the works. | EPS

As a part of beautification of city, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will soon take up mural art works in mosaic, cement and mixed media on wall surfaces at public places and on the pillars and ramps of flyovers in the city.

In this connection, the corporation has invited tenders from artists and art firms.

The GHMC will open technical bids on August 14. A  committee constituted by the GHMC commissioner will evaluate and select the technical bids basing on the experience of the artists or firms. The proposed themes will be evaluated by a committee and the financial bids of eligible bidders will be opened later and finalised.

Depending upon the themes proposed and rates quoted, empanelment of artists/firms will be made for taking up the works.

GHMC officials told Express that interested artists can examine the sites and obtain all information necessary for executing the works.

As the art work is to be taken up outdoors, standard colours and paints of branded companies must be used so that the works last long, they added.

After completion of the work, it will be verified by the work scrutiny committee or by a competent authority. Payment will be released only after the committee certifies that the work has been executed as per specifications.

The committee can also notify the bidder of any defects, which must be corrected. If the defect is not rectified, penalty will be imposed and same would be deducted from the bills, they said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities>Hyderabad / by S Bachan Jeet Singh / ENS – Hyderabad / August 12th, 2013

Cycle to office in Cyberabad!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology
The corporate cycling competition will be held on August 15 at the Gachibowli stadium and is being organised by The Atlanta Foundation (TAF), a not-for-profit organisation.
The corporate cycling competition will be held on August 15 at the Gachibowli stadium and is being organised by The Atlanta Foundation (TAF), a not-for-profit organisation.

By the end of this year, health conscious Hyderabadis will have one more reason to smile. A 30-km long cycle track, being laid in Cyberabad by the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (APIIC) and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), will be completed by this year-end.

APIIC managing director Jayesh Ranjan, speaking at the launch of the fifth Freedom Ride-2013, a corporate cycling competition here Friday, said 10 cycle stations will be built and employees working in the area can pick up a cycle from one of them to commute to their place of work for a fixed amount every month.

The corporate cycling competition will be held on August 15 at the Gachibowli stadium and is being organised by The Atlanta Foundation (TAF), a not-for-profit organisation.

Jayesh Ranjan said the event, supported by the APIIC, is intended to encourage cycling among people. The organisers announced that participants have to cycle 66 km to celebrate India’s 66th Independence Day.

Deenanath Harapanahalli, founder of TAF, said a part of the money collected through registration fee for the competition will be used to provide education to underprivileged students through educational programs conducted at four government schools adopted by TAF.

Donations generated through the competition will be collected by TAF’s charity partner ‘United Way of Hyderabad’ which will be used to fund activities in rainbow schools.

Close to 5,300 people have already registered for the competition. Those interested can register till August 13 by paying `1250. The freedom ride will be flagged off at 7 a.m. on August 15.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / August 10th, 2013

Month-long Sravana festivities get under way

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Devotees throng in large numbers to have glimpse of presiding diety goddess Kanaka Durga atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Friday. / Photo: Ch.Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu
Devotees throng in large numbers to have glimpse of presiding diety goddess Kanaka Durga atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Friday. / Photo: Ch.Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu

Devotees thronged temples, more particularly Kanakadurga temple atop Indrakeeladri, on the first Friday of the auspicious ‘Sravana masam’ in Vijayawada on Friday. The Kanakadurga temple was spruced up for ‘pavitrotsavam’ performed during the auspicious month. Devotees began coming to the temple from the wee hours after taking a holy dip in the River Krishna. They attended the poojas performed to mark the beginning of the Sravana maasam festivities.

The ghat road was a river of humanity. At a point of time, the temple authorities stopped Antaralaya darshan in view of heavy rush. Additional queue lines were formed from reception counter for VIPs and Rs. 100 ticket holders. It is estimated that about 80,000 devotees visited the temple by evening. The temple authorities, however, decided to perform Vara Lakshmi pooja next Friday. The presiding deity will be decked up as Vara Lakshmi on that day. The temple authorities have cancelled the ‘Khadgamala’ a special pooja slotted for next Friday in view of the Vara Lakshmi festival. A ‘kalasa ooregimpu’ (procession with kalasams) would be organised on that day. The women would have to bring their kalasam and join the procession at Durga Ghat on Thursday. After showing the kalasam to presiding deity, the kalasam could be used for pooja on Friday, said Sthanacharya Sivaprasada Sarma. The temple, for the last two years, is organising Varalakshmi pooja atop Indrakeeladri. About 100 women took part in the pooja during last two years. The authorities are expecting that nearly 200 women will take part in the Varalakshmi pooja on next Friday. The temple gave away blouse pieces and bangles as ‘prasadam’ to the devotees who performed the pooja. The three-day pavitrotsavam will begin with Udaka Santhi on August 19 evening. The rituals will begin with ‘snapanabhiskeham’ on August 20. Sarvaprayaschita havanam would be organised, and the pavitrosavam would conclude with poornahuti and distribution of pavitras on August 22.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / Vijayawada – August 10th, 2013