Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

All Hail the May Queen

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

MayQueenHF14jun2013

While the May Queen pageant of Secunderabad Club is well known, only a select few are aware of the one at the Rajendra Singhji Institute (RSI) at Yapral.

The May Queen pageant is one of the most popular events in this defense officers’ institute’s social calendar and the RSI was adequately decked up for it in the last week of May.

While the 10 contestants made the job tough for the judges, the gathering was in for an entertaining evening with dance performances by Bollywood actor Hrishita Bhatt and her troupe and a superb laser show.

Other than the now-traditional Indian and Western-wear rounds, the contestants showed off their talents that ranged from singing, dancing and painting to playing the drums blindfolded.

Twenty-year-old Prabhati Gogte was crowned the May Queen. She also walked away with the Miss Talented and Miss Photogenic awards while Ria Singh, 21, and Shelly Katoch, 22, were adjudged the First and Second runner’s up respectively.

This was the first pageant for Prabhati who has just graduated from Badruka College of Commerce. She had to commute for an hour every day for practice at RSI from May 15. “I stay at Kacheguda, my dad would drop me, wait for the event to get over and then take me home,” says Prabhati, who wanted to take part in the pageant after seeing the Secunderabad Club May Queen Ball pictures in the newspaper.

“I had never taken part or even attended May Queen pageants, so I was a bit apprehensive. But not about the catwalk, perhaps this was because of my Kathak training.” Prabhati also made a neat packet from the evening. She took home Rs 10,000 for the Miss Talented title, Rs 10,000 for Miss Photogenic and Rs 20,000 for the May Queen title besides gift hampers worth Rs 9,000.

For first runners up Ria, the evening was “jinxed”. “I participated last year and was first runners up; it was the same this year,” says the professional model.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Fashion/Beauty / by Anisha Dhiman – DC / June 04th, 2013

Aces all set to change Hyderabad’s music scene

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

While most of the bands in Hyderabad swear by heavy metal, Aces plans to bring about a shift. “We recently uploaded our video on YouTube, and are trying to break into a genre, which has never been experimented in India,” says David Sawang, who goes by the name Farcry. Though the band members met three years ago, they officially teamed up in October 2012. “The band was initially founded by Abdus Samad (Venom), Syed Adeel (Eddy), Arbaz Khan (Aquin) and Munib (Emkay). David and I came on board later,” says Farhan Shaheed, who goes by the name SFX Inferno and is a beatboxer and rapper.

Their composition, Her Songa and Snakes and Ladders always managed to pull in the crowds. “We do not like being boxed. Eddy is an R&B singer while we have underground rappers in Venom and Emkay and a new-school rapper in Aquin. I have been a metal-head in the past and there are a confluence of genres,” says David. College shows are where you can get  immediate reaction to compositions, feels Aces, as their  recent composition Goodbye Heartache, was a huge hit. “Initially we would sing covers but now we make it a point to sing our original compositions, which are also uploaded onto YouTube, Facebook and ReverbNation. We perform at various clubs and lounges across the city and there has been a growing crowd of repeat audience,” beams David.

Munib, Arbaz, Farhan and Adeel study at Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology, Abdus at Deccan College of Engineering and David is a first-year student of St Mary’s College, Yusufguda. The members take out time to jam at coffee shops and lounges in between preparations for the semester-examinations, says Farhan. In the pipeline are concerts in other southern cities.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Education> Edex / by Payal Ganguly — payal@newindianexpress.com / Hyderabad, June 03rd, 2013

Ancient coins found in Andhra town temple

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Uncategorized

Eluru :

Ancient coins have been discovered from underneath the Dwajasthambam of Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy temple at Palacole town in West Godavari district. Temple authorities, who were restoring the Dwajasthambam that fell down last year, were astonished to find a large cache of gold, silver and copper coins inside the foundation. They had dug up the foundation of Dwajasthambam to install a new one.

The temple authorities have informed officials of the state archaeology department. The period of the coins and their historical and archaeological value is yet to be ascertained. They also found a Kurma Yantra from the site.

Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy temple is one of the Pancharama kshetras in Andhra Pradesh. Great religious and historical significance is attached to the temple.

Thousands of devotees from all over the state visit the temple and offer prayers to the presiding deity.

Religious legends trace the history of the temple to the period of Ramayana.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / June 03rd, 2013

Affecting social change

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Shuchi Singhal
Shuchi Singhal

On the Oscar morning in February, an office in Madhapur burst into celebration as they saw their hardwork bear fruition through the award for best visual effects given out to Life of Pi. Rhythm & Hues (R&H), a Los Angeles based animation company had its folks here in Hyderabad and Mumbai work on the film, naturally leading to a very proud team moment when the Oscar was announced.

However, another office, not far away from R&H, also celebrated the win. The Hyderabad branch of Aide-et-Action (AEA), an international non governmental organisation were also proud for among the winning team was their volunteer Shuchi Singhal. The lead animator at the Hyderabad office of R&H, this 28 year old became the practical example of their goal to see women empowerment at its optimum.

Being a part of a profession that has largely been a male domain, Shuchi became interested in animation while pursuing her bachelors in Fine Arts at Delhi. Hailing from Jaipur, Rajasthan, she began bursting a growing passion for communicating through motions which led her to pursue a part time course in animation at the Maya Academy Of Advanced Cinimatics. Later, an internship at the R&H studio in Delhi turned into her becoming the team lead for the post production work on the Life of Pi.

Here in Hyderabad for the past five years, Shuchi soon became attached to the AEA. In her four years with them, she has contributed to their women empowerment projects through her voluntary work.

Giving a choice to female animators, she says, “Anyone can learn the technology behind animation. In today’s technological world, women can learn animation from home and earn through free lance work. But, how you observe things and imagine them is important. If a woman wants to achieve a goal in life, there are means to it.” Keeping in line with her voluntary work, she plans to conduct training session in animation at the organisation. But the bottomline she feels is that “skill and passion are more important than money”.

Started in 1981 in France and India, AEA is spread over 28 countries and has been trying to affect change through education.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Ahammed Juniah / Express News Service – Hyderabad  / June 04th, 2013

11-year-old paints picture of success

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Visakhapatnam : 

The first solo exhibition is a matter of pride and considered a big achievement for any artist. It is even more special when that artist is just 11 years old, as is the case with Vizianagaram girl Kottakki Divija.

The Class VI student of DAV Public School in Hyderabad held her first solo painting exhibition, organized by Lions Club, at her hometown of Salur in Vizianagaram.

Divija, who was the centre of attention when she was felicitated at the end of the two-day exhibition on Sunday, has got 50 awards from different organisations at the national, state, district and city level competions.

She has also been the recipient of six gold medals from the All India Child Art competition and exhibitions, as well as one from the Viswa Kala Darshini Youth Welfare Society, Rajamundry, in 2012. Divija has also been the recipient of the Nipuna Kids Excellence Award, Ugadi Puraskaram and the Bala Ratna.

Divija, the younger daughter of Kasturi Kumari and K Satyananda Patnaik, is an expert in painting with colours without first sketching with pencil. “I want to establish myself in the field of art and painting when I grow up. Artists such as Amrita Sher Gil and M F Hussain are my inspiration besides of course my mom who has encouraged me,” said the 11-year-old, who is not only a rank-holder in her class but also has keen interest in classical music and dance. “She loves singing and dancing and is quite talented in these arts as well. However, when she was very young we noticed her creativity in painting and decided to encourage her into pursuing art,” said Satyananda.

In the exhibition at Salur, 105 poster colour paintings and 126 greetings cards were on display, besides Divija’s various award-winning works. The young artist’s self-portrait has been a crowd-puller.

Her paintings, most of which had been done in the last two months, showcase various subjects from nature, her surroundings, rural life city and landscape. Some also showcase universal themes, including friendship, world peace and harmony, and biodiversity.

“She has used different techniques such as etching, folding, paper glitters, spreading technique, dry pastels, collage work, poster colours,” said B Sasibhushana Rao, Divija’s mentor and art teacher. “She is a talented child and could paint from her imagination even when she was six-seven years old,” said Rao.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / by Sulogna Mehta, TNN / June 03rd, 2013

Kids, get ready for a fun-filled week

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Sports

Hyderabad :

After a successful season of fun and learning last year, The Times of India is back with its Hyderabad for Kids campaign, this time with a fresh round of activities for thebaccha party.

The one-week long drive is all set to kick off on June 3 with an adventure-packed kayaking session on the Hussainsagar at Tank Bund. Perfect for kids aged between 8 and 15 years, the activity will be conducted by founder president of the Yacht Club of Hyderabad, Suheim Shaikh.

Later in the day, young drama enthusiasts from across the twin cities will be given an opportunity to showcase and hone their on-stage talent in a theatre workshop conducted by famous theatre personality Mohammed Ali Baig (June 3-June 5). Baig will also hold an ad film making workshop on June 7 and 8, exclusively for kids between 10 and 15 years of age.

Those looking to shake a leg while on their summer break also have reasons to cheer. This year’s campaign brings to you a power-packed four-day session with fitness guru Dinaz (June 3-June 6). Apart from twisting and turning to peppy numbers, the workshop will also be peppered with doses of aerobics for the health conscious.

Considering the roaring success of last year’s badminton session with Pullela Gopichand, which not just gave 100 children a chance to be trained by the ace coach but also enroll in his future camps, the campaign has ensured that the ‘game is on’ this year too. The difference is that this year the coach will be joined by his protege P V Sindhu who recently bagged the Grand Prix gold title in Malaysia. The duo will conduct a workshop on June 7 at the Gopichand Academy for talented and aspiring badminton champs.

The campaign also has something for kids who cannot stop talking in class. Allowing them to put their gift of the gab to good use and perhaps become the next big radio jockey, TOI will organize a trip to the Radio Mirchi station on June 4. The ‘outing’ will give kids an opportunity to interact and pick up a few tips from the city’s top radio jockeys (RJ).

Adding a dash of glamour to the campaign will be actor Rana Daggubati who will conduct a three-day acting workshop from June 7 to June 9 for kids aged between 12 and 16 years. Also on the calendar is a ‘magical’ session (well, literally) with Murali Krishna on June 8.

Children who have been in awe of the men in khaki will get a chance to step into the ‘dream’ role for a day as part of the ‘Be a police officer’ event scheduled for June 6 and 7. Hyderabad police commissioner Anurag Sharma and his team will take the kids along with them to show what it really takes to keep the city safe and secure.

Last year’s visit to TOI’s press at Nacharam turned out to be a great experience not only for the 50 excited kids, but also their parents who accompanied them. The press visit makes a comeback this year on June 7 for a fresh batch of children who want to understand what goes on behind the scenes in bringing out a newspaper.

So kids, gear up for an action-packed week of fun, learning and memories to last you a lifetime.

Week of fun and learning

June 3: Kayaking on Hussainsagar

June 3-June 5: Theatre workshop by Mohammed Ali Baig

June 3-June 6: Dance and fitness session with Dinaz

June 4: Trip to Radio Mirchi station

June 6-June 7: ‘Be A Police Officer’ with police commissioner Anurag Sharma and team

June 7: Badminton workshop by Pullela Gopichand and P V Sindhu

June 7: Visit to TOI’s press at Nacharam

June 7-June 9: Acting workshop by Rana Daggubati

June 7-June 8: Ad film making workshop with Mohammed Ali Baig

June 8: Magic session with Murali Krishna

For registration and other details, read The Times of India

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / June 03rd, 2013

Sporting Times: A worthy trip down memory lane

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports

Willing to read an old print eulogising Dhyan Chand’s exploits during the 1936 Berlin  Olympics or gloss over what was written after the Maharaja of Vizianagaram sent back Lala Amarnath from England , then grab a book that chronicles India’s  sporting history with interesting fables.

In an attempt to catch country’s sporting history in the past 175 years, the ‘Times of India’ has published a coffee table book ‘Sporting Times’, which captures sports reports that dates back to even 1840.

The reports from the newspapers’ rich archive has been compiled by sports historian Boria Majumdar and the reader will for sure enjoy a “journey” through the good, bad and the ugly of Indian sports.

“Essentially, we didn’t want it to be a book on cricket. There is a lot of cricket but there are reports on India’s Asian Games gold medal in kabaddi , from Wilson Jones to Geet Sethi, C K Nayudu to M S Dhoni, Dhyan Chand, Col Balbir Singh to Ajit Pal Singh, every era has been captured through the pages of the newspaper,” Majumdar said about the book.

For the connoisseurs of cricket, this book certainly is a collector’s item with rare photographs and anecdotes.

The doyen of cricket writing in India through the 60’s and 70’s, K N Prabhu’s match reports on India’s twin series victories in the West Indies and England in 1971, Sunil Gavaskar’s magnificent debut series, a report on young Haryana all-rounder Kapil Dev being selected to represent India, you find it all within one cover.

Then there are reports and rare pictures about crowd violence that marred the India versus West Indies Test at the Eden Gardens on a New Year’s Day in 1967 and the tragic death of six spectators during the 1969 Test match between India and Australia at the same venue.

There are reports about Milkha Singh (1960) and P T Usha (1984) missing out on much-deserved Olympic bronze medals by whisker. The heartbreak that Vijay Amritraj faced after losing to Czech Jan Kodes in the Wimbledon quarterfinal after being two sets up.

The reports of India’s famous twin triumph in cricket in 1983 and 1985, the football team’s exploits in the 1962 Asian Games at Jakarta. A significant number of events reported by the PTI during the phase have also been used.

The book will be launched by Sachin Tendulkar and Abhinav Bindra in Mumbai tomorrow.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / Press Trust of India / New Delhi – May 27th, 2013

Four 15th century idols found in Guntur district

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Guntur :

Four idols dating back to 15th century were found in the agricultural fields on the way to the historic Kondaveedu fort near Phirangipuram in Guntur district.

The idols of Lord Sri Rama, Sri Lakshmana, Sri Sita Devi and Lord Sri Lakshminarayana Swamy were found during tilling of his barren land by a farmer, Maddiboina Sambaiah, on Friday.

The farmer alerted Kondaveedu Fort Development Society convener Kalli Siva Reddy, who after inspecting the idols, spoke to archaeology experts in Hyderabad and confirmed that the idols were nearly 600 years old.

He said archeological experts would soon visit the site to ascertain the exact age of the idols.

While the left hand of Sri Lakshman’s idol was found broken, the idol of Lord Lakshminarayana’s right hand was found missing  .

Contrary to the popular tradition, the idol of Sri Lakshminarayana Swamy is not accompanied by his consort Sri Lakshmi Devi. The idols were found just at a depth of 5 ft in the fields and were mostly intact.

“The idols may belong to the regime of Reddy king – Kumaragiri Reddy — an ardent devotee of Sri Lakshminarayana Swamy,” said Siva Reddy.

He said all the four idols looked fresh despite having remained buried in the fields for centuries chiefly due to the impressive sculptural beauty of those days.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad> Guntur District / TNN / May 25th, 2013

Udumala Bala new Bishop of Warangal Diocese

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

 

Udumala Bala
Udumala Bala

Warangal:

The Episcopal Ordination of the Bishop elect of Warangal Diocese, Monsignor Udumala Bala, has been scheduled to be held on May 23 at St. Fatima Cathedral at Kazipet.

The 59-year-old Udumala Bala, who belongs to Gudur village of Station Ghanpur mandal in the district, was ordained as priest in 1979. He would be the third Bishop of the Diocese, which came into existence in 1952, after the Bishops Alphonsus Beretta and Thumma Bala.

The position was vacant for about two year after the Bishop Thumma Bala was elevated to the position of Archbishop of Hyderabad under whose jurisdiction comes the districts Khammam, Nalgonda, Adilabad,Kadapa, Kurnool, Karimnagar and Warangal.

source: http://www.hansindia.com / The Hans India / Home / May 22nd, 2013

Health is wealth–Nellore association takes the right initiative

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technology
A picture of Nellore association members after completing a sport activity
A picture of Nellore association members after completing a sport activity

To promote the awareness about being healthy among the members, the computer dealers association of Nellore, has attempted a different method of uniting the members every morning and conduct activities.

Speaking to The DQ Week, Deepak Naidu, vice president of the association said, “This is a part of the CDAN Health Activity and is a first-of-its-kind activity in 2013. According to this activity every morning all our members meet at a stadium here in Nellore. For the first half an hour, we make our members walk or jog or run for 3 kms followed by one hour play of badminton or volley ball.” He also said that now it is difficult to make people appreciate the attributes of team work through long screen presentations within the four walls of a training room. “The real personalities, attitude and behaviour become much more conspicuous when people interact in a causal setting. To make it  compulsory, all meetings of our associations are planned to be conducted only in the stadium. We also advise members stay away from mobile phones during the meetings”  he further added.

“Too often our health takes a backseat between our families, careers and daily obligations. To live a viable life, to love and take care of our families, and manage our daily responsibilities, our health must occupy a center stage in our list of priorities. So, this year, 2013, we have given health a top priority and started this activity. ” He also said that to build friendly relationship among members the association wanted to start cricket, a sport with health benefits including building endurance and stamina, balance, improved hand-eye co-ordination and team skills.

source: http://www.dqweek.com / The DQ Week / Home> South / by Swaminathan B. / May 20th, 2013