Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Devout in Hyderabad to pray for peace

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

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 Picture for representational purpose only. / Deccan Chronicle

Hyderabad:

Hyderabad’s Christian community is all set to conduct special prayers during the last week of the Lent season for peace in the city.

As part of Easter Mass celebrations, churches across the city have planned to conduct special services to pray for an end to the turbulence that has rocked the city after the February 21 blasts at Dilsukhnagar, in which 17 persons were killed.

“Though Easter is round the corner, the mood is still sombre. We have been holding special prayers for peace in the city for the last one week and will continue that till Easter,” said Sharon Merandez, a 32-year-old resident of Secunderabad adding, “The happenings in the city have saddened us and we only hope Easter will end all this.”

While the festival spirit is unlikely to be dampened, some members of the community say that it might lead to low-key celebrations this time around.

However, despite this, Christian families are gearing up largely for a family affair. “Our huge joint family is expected to get together on Sunday for prayers followed by a lunch,” said Sandra Davis adding, “From turkey to chicken to other special dishes, we cook it all at home as part of the Easter tradition. This year it is going to be much the same.”

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs  / DC / by Coreena Suares / March 23rd, 2013

Divine calling!

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

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Artist Ramesh Gorjala, who hails from a family of Kalamkari artisans, is currently showcasing his collection of paintings based on mythological figures. Titled Aadi Anaadi, Ramesh has used his signature style of creating a main protagonist with smaller images built into them to create narrative sequences.

“I was greatly inspired by the temple atmosphere and the sculptures I would see as a young boy. Although there are many artists who paint mythological figures, I try to do it differently by incorporating innumerable figures within the outline of a Hanuman or Krishna, thus narrating different stories,” says the artist who uses acrylics on canvas.

As for painting in the Kalamkari style, he says that he started when he was in class seven. “My uncle and guru, Balaji Theertham, who is a National Award winner in Kalamkari, taught me the traditional techniques.

Later, my Bachelors of Fine Art course was an eye opener, where I learned more about art and its various forms and techniques,” he adds. As for the colour palette, he’s stuck to traditional rich colours such as red, green and gold.

When & Where: Till March 25, Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda; March 26-April 10, India Fine Art Gallery, Tardeo

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Lifestyle> Report / by Sanaya Chavda, Place:Mumbai, Agency:DNA / Thursday, March 21st, 2013

Mahesh Babu To Endorse Electric Car

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Leaders

maheshbabuHF23mar2013Mahesh is not only the prince of Tollywood but he is also the prince of brand endorsements. It is heard that he has nearly a dozen products under his kitty for which he is the brand ambassador. And now it is heard that Mahesh might likely endorse another interesting product which has just hit the market.

This is an electric car which has been indigenously manufactured by Mahindra group. According to sources, talks are on with Mahesh and if all goes well then might endorse this in south India. The car is called ‘e20’ and it runs totally on battery charge. The stat says it can run for 100 kilometers after 5 hours of full charging.

It is heard that the Mahindra group is planning to market this electric car among the masses in a big way. As it is, the public is unable to bear the burden of petrol. This is the right time for an economy car which is pollution free. And who better than Mahesh to propagate it…

source: http://www.greatandhra.com / Home> Movies> Movie News / March 18th, 2013

Karimnagar’s Lions Clubs achieve a milestone

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Uncategorized

The ten Lions Clubs in Karimnagar have achieved a distinction in the country by collecting a record number of 207 pairs of eyeballs during this lionistic year from July 2012 to till date.

Similarly, the Lions Club of Karimnagar Manair had set another milestone by collecting 100 eyeballs in Karimnagar town during the year.

Disclosing this to newsmen here on Monday, Lions Clubs international region chairperson B Madhusudhan Reddy said that the Lions Club of Karimnagar have also collected four unclaimed bodies and donated the same to the Chalmeda Ananda Rao Institute of Medical Sciences (CAIMS) in Karimnagar. He said that they would continue their mission of educating the people to donate their eyes after death to provide eye-sight to the visionless people.

source:  http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Karimnagar, March 12th, 2013

Hyderabad’s faithful rejoice new Pope’s election

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

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Hyderabad:

Roman Catholics in the city have hailed the election of the new Pope, Francis I, from Argentina, the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years. Special prayers will be held for the man who will lead over 1.2 billion Roman Catholics in the modern world.

Archbishop of Hyderabad Rev. Thumma Bala said, “I am very pleased to express my joy on the election of the new pontiff, Pope Francis I. I extend our cordial congratulations and felicitation to the most holy man.”

Jayasudha, the MLA from Secunderabad, said, “I am glad that this time something different has taken place. After so many years they have elected a Pope from outside Europe. We can only hope for the best and pray for the Pope to continue God’s work and bring about peace in the world, which is most important.”

Father Valentine D’Mello of Holy Trinity Church, Begumpet, said there would be special celebrations and a mass dedicated to Pope Francis.

“We will have special ringing of the bells and we will have our celebrations in the mass. We will be praying for him and there will be a thanksgiving chant after the mass. One of these days, we will be dedicating the whole celebration to the Pope,” he said.

Kevin Michael, a parishioner of John the Baptist Church said, “We are happy since we received the news this morning that we have got a new Pope who is simple, polite and a religious person. We pray for him so that he can lead the church of over 1.5 billion Catholics all over the world, and that he can lead the church forward in the modern world.”

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / by Coreena Suares / March 15th, 2013

500 acres for AP’s ‘Brindavan Gardens’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment

The Guntur district administration has decided to allocate 500 acres of land for the mega tourism project proposed by the AP Tourism Development Corporation  proposed a Rs 650-crore Mega Tourism project at Nagulavaram in Macherla mandal on the lines of the Brindavan Gardens of Mysore.

The APTDC sought 640 acres but the district administration has decided to allot 500 acres. Collector S Suresh Kumar sent the land allocation papers to APTDC on Tuesday.

The APTDC expects that the proposed project, in addition to the existing Nagarjunakonda, Nagarjunasagar Dam and Buddhavanam,  will boost tourism in the region.

The APTDC proposes to develop the Ettipotala Waterfalls, lay a ropeway at Ettipotala between two hills, build a five-star hotel, resorts, motels, develop water falls, water fountains, etc as part of the Mega Tourism Project, TGV Krishna Reddy, MLC, told Express.

The number of foreign tourists visiting the district has been growing in the last few years. About 6,400 tourists visited the district in 2008, 8,250 in 2009, more than  12,000 in 2010, 13,450 in 2011 and 15,540 in 2012. The number of domestic tourists was 9.9 lakh in 2008, 15.23 lakh in 2009, 17.6 lakh in 2010, 19.33 lakh in 2011 and 20.45 lakh in 2012, according to tourism officials.

source: http://www. newindianexpress.com / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Ch. Rama Gopala Sastry / ENS – Nagarjunasagar (Guntur) / March 14th, 2013

Flurys to serve tea, pastries beyond Bengal

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Kolkata :

Flurys, the city’s iconic tea room that has been serving exotic cakes, creamy pastries and rich puddings for nearly 90 years, is now ready to spread the platter across the country. After launching its first restaurant outside Bengal at a mall in Hyderabad earlier this month, the Apeejay group company is now ready to put up its unmistakable pink signboard in other major cities.

The response to the store at Hyderabad’s GVK One Mall has been overwhelming, both from expatriates from Kolkata as well as local residents, a Flurys official told TOI.

“Since a culture of baking and pastry consumption exists in the city, we had expected to do well but the way in which Hyderabadis have taken to the brand as their own is a pleasant surprise. Those who hail from Kolkata and now reside in Hyderabad have become sentimental about Flurys coming to town. It just goes to show the enormous opportunity for the brand across the country,” the official said.

In the next two years, the Apeejay group is eyeing at least 20 stores outside Bengal, 13 of them outside the state. Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are next on the list, followed by Pune, Jaipur and Goa. “Initially, we will expand in cities with ‘The Park’ hotels  because these locations will offer logistics support in terms of bakery. Later, the brand can expand to nearby towns and cities,” he explained. In Bengal, Durgapur and Howrah are among the chosen cities.

While 70% of the products will be the same as the ones available in the flagship store on Park Street – including rum ball, baba cake , chicken patty and horse shoe – they will be subtly tweaked to suit local palate. In addition, more contemporary pastries will be added to the menu.

“City centric menu optimization will happen. Since Hyderabad has a large IT and ITeS population, there is huge potential for quick sandwiches and rolls. We will introduce them in the days ahead,” the official said, adding that home and office delivery services are also in the pipeline. “Now that Flurys is in a business expansion mode, we will do whatever it takes to grow.” A franchisee model may also be adopted to supplement the company-owned, company-operated outlets, he added. Flurys has identified three formats for growth outside Kolkata – flagship stores (1,500-2,000 sq ft), quick service restaurant (250-500 sq ft) and kiosks (150-200 sq ft). Incubics Consultants has designed the stores that will have a uniform look and feel across the country.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Kolkata / by Subhro Niyogi, TNN / March 13th 2013

Chenchus open the door to development

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

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Tribal people perform a traditional dance to express their joy after receiving new clothes at Garapentachenupalem near Pullacheruvu in Prakasam district. /  Photo: Kommuri Srinivas / The Hindu

IRCS offers them an opportunity to rear hybrid Ongole cattle

The Chenchus once used to rush to climb a tree on seeing strangers in their locality.

But now, they are socialising with people from the other areas as well, thanks to sustained efforts of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) and the Integrated Tribal Development Agency to empower them. “It has taken us a lot of time to gain their confidence,” explains IRCS district secretary Ch. Chalamaiah while talking to The Hindu.

The septuagenarian ophthalmologist distributed dhoties and saris to the community people in the remote Garapentachennupalem tribal hamlet as a confidence-building measure before introducing them to the Indian Red Cross Society’s latest livelihood support programme — to rear hybrid Ongole cattle — to improve their income.

The girijans jumped in joy and performed a traditional dance before a joint team of the IRCS and ITDA personnel.

“’We will henceforth wear dhoties for social occasions,” said an elder of the community Mandala Nagamma while accepting the gift with gratitude.

Traditionally, they had been guides to kings in moving through the dense forests down the ages. They acted as guides for the British too during which time that got used to wearing half pants, ITDA Special Officer K.V. Ramakrishna Prasad added.

With the Centre recognising the rights of forest dwellers, they had taken to cultivation of rain-fed crops such as redgram and millets, Mr. Ramakrishna Prasad said.

“We have already tasted the fruits of development and want to increase our levels of income to lead a better life,” added another tribal woman Bumani Ankamma.

Dr. Chalamaiah explained to them that by rearing the Ongole breed of cattle, the most sought-after breed the world over, they could easily earn up to Rs. 1 lakh a year.

They immediately grabbed the opportunity and agreed to the proposal. “Initially, we are going to distribute 100 milch cattle to the tribal people in association with the Go Samrakshana Sangham,” Dr. Chalamaiah added.

Dr. Chalamaiah medically examined every member of the over 50 families living there and gave them medicines to improve their general health. He also advised them on general hygiene for women.

Change in attitude

“I can see a change in their attitude. They have an urge to come up in life,” he said, with a sense of satisfaction.

The inhabitants of the remote area, the northern most tip of Prakasam district, were open to the piece of advice given by Dr. Chalamaiah to educate their children for a better future for themselves. He also asked them to shun consumption of liquor and spend the amount thus saved on buying nutritious food.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / Pullelacheruvu (Prakasam Dist) / August 06th, 2012

Dr Sripada Pinakapani dies at age 100

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology

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Sripada Pinakapani.

Kurnool:

Dr Sreepada Pinakapani, noted Carnatic classical exponent, guru to well-known musicians, and professor of medicine, died at a hospital in Kurnool on Monday evening. He had been ailing for some time.

Dr Pinakapani, 100, is survived by three sons and three daughters. A medical doctor, Dr Pinakapani was also an administrator and professor in medicine, and a Carnatic musician of note.

Dr Pinakapani performed at major festivals and concerts, and also wrote several books on Carnatic music. His Gaanakalasarvasvamu ran into multiple volumes and contains minute details of the krithis.
Dr Pinkapani was born at Priya Agraharam in Srikakulam district on August 3, 1913. His mother Jogamma and father Kameswara Rao, a Carnatic musician, encouraged their son to learn classical music. He spent three months in the school run by violin maestro Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu.

He did his MBBS from the Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, and graduated in April 1938. He completed his MD in general medicine in December 1945, from the same college. He also honed his skills in music simultaneously and attended concerts of leading musicians of the time.

He taught medicine at the Madras Medical College and at his alma mater, Andhra Medical College. He shifted to the Kurnool Medical College in 1957, from where he retired as professor.
Dr Pinakapani received many awards and honours for his services to Carnatic music. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1984 by then President Giani Zail Singh. He was awarded the Gana Vidya Vardhi by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams on August 3, 2012, on the occasion of his 99th birthday.

He also received the title of Sangeetha Kalanidhi. He was honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1977. Andhra University honoured him with the title of Kala Prapoorna in 1978.
Following news of his death, Ram Prasad, principal of the Kurnool Medical College, local political leaders and many others paid floral tributes to the doctor-musician at his residence in Kurnool. He has a stage named after him.

Anantapur Tyagaraya Gana Sabha paid homage to the vocalist for his service to society. Sabha secretary K. Gnaneswara Rao recalled that Dr Pinakapani presided over concerts by musical giants such as Ustad Bismillah Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar, in Anantapur. The concert stage at the Sabha is named after Dr Pinakapani after he performed there in 1975.

He trained Dr Nukala Satyanarayana, IAS officer Jayanthi Natarajan, Oleti Venkatesam, Srirangam Gopalaratnam, Nedunuri, Vasudhara Devi and the Malladi brothers, all of whom have made a mark in the world of Carnatic music.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / March 12th, 2013

Promoting heroism

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

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 Director Gopichand on the sets

Director Gopichand’s movies are rooted in an image of a larger than life hero

It’s been a fortnight since director Gopichand got married, and after a brief holiday he’s back on the sets to resume the shoot of Balupu. The shy and soft spoken director hails from Ongole and has directed Don Seenu and Bodyguard.Gopichand left his studies while he was in college and pursued a career in movies. He remembers spending long hours discussing films with his friends. “I would narrate the story, analyse the pros and cons and unconsciously the interest turned into a passion. Now watching my scripts unfold on screen gives me a real kick, says the director who had worked with Sreenu Vytla, EVV Satyanarayana and Murugadoss. He admits to having traces of their influence on him.

Any particular reason for the fascination with Ravi Teja? He says he Don Seenu likes Ravi Teja for his comic timing and unmistakeable energy. He adds, “I always write stories that have characters brimming with energy. The second film with Ravi Teja is not a coincidence, I always weave stories with him in mind and they tend to suit every star. These days all actors are choosing roles that have energy.Balupu has plenty of fun, it is about the arrogance in the character. The story is fresh, it has an emotional point and a love angle as well.”

Though his favourite directors are EVV and Vytla, the director says he attempts to create a brand of his own. He always aims to show the hero in a sublime position. He says, “For me the hero is ultimate. If he has a ‘star image’ it works very well, because there will be a sense of believability and span. Nenu ye script chesina hero ni ala oohinchikune chestaWhen I was young I enjoyed watching the hero knock down dozens of baddies, say mesmerising dialogues, dance etc. He would look the ultimate. Even now it is the same, heroism always remains the same in movies, it’s just the stories and the backdrop that change.”

Balupu with Ravi Teja, Sruthi Hassan and Anjali is scheduled to release this summer.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Features> Cinema Plus / by Y Sunita Chowdhary / March 09th, 2013