Monthly Archives: November 2012

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi visits Andhra villages to study socio-economic transformation

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Hyderabad:

Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Saturday arrived in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district to study the socio-economic transformation of people in villages brought about by various government welfare schemes.

The Nobel laureate arrived in Kothulagutta village around 9.30 a.m. in a helicopter from Bangalore. She was accompanied by Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar.

Amid tight security, three helicopters carrying the leaders and their aides landed in the village.

Suu Kyi saw a power point presentation on the rural development in the state and the impact of the welfare schemes being implemented by the central and state governments.

She later travelled by road to Govindapuram village and interacted with the people working under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGREGS).

The Myanmar opposition leader will also visit Papasanipalli village and interact with women to gain first hand knowledge of how the self-help group movement has changed their lives.

After visiting the house of a member of a self-help group, she will fly back to Bangalore.

IANS

source: http://www.firstpost.com / Home> World / November 17th, 2012

Chiranjeevi regales children at IGMC fete

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

VIJAYAWADA, 14/11/2012: Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent) K Chirangeevi waving the crowd at the children’s day function organised Rajagopal foundation in Vijayawada on Wednesday. /  Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar. / The Hindu

He asks parents to spend more time with their wards

Parents and teachers need to connect to children to understand them in order to drive home lessons or small scientific principles, said Union Minister of State for Tourism K. Chiranjeevi during a Children’s Day celebration organised by Rajagopal Foundation at Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium on Wednesday.

The programme commenced at 9.00 a.m. After formally launching the celebrations by releasing some pigeons and colourful balloons, Mr. Chiranjeevi recounted his experience of learning from his own teachers as a seventh standard student and explained the concept of pollination, fertilisation and germination.

Advising parents to spend more time with their children to understand their needs and read their minds, Mr. Chiranjeevi gave many personal examples. In the entire jam-packed galleries of the IGMC Stadium, children showcased their talent by presenting various cultural performances and took part in various literary and cultural competitions. Not many could get a glimpse of the former megastar, but his voice blaring over the public address system regaled them.

A few prize winners had the chance to meet him and take photographs.

Mr. Chiranjeevi profusely thanked Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal for giving him a chance to interact with children and said that this was his first such occasion.

The competitions included song, group dance, fancy dress, essay writing, elocution, quiz and drawing contests. The Union Minister was felicitated with garlands and gifts by the Secondary Education Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy and Vijayawada MLAs Malladi Vishnu and V. Srinivas. Earlier, the Union Minister came in a procession from the Gannavaram Airport that exposed differences between various groups in the Congress party in the Krishna District.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / November 15th, 2012

It’s a grind, every day of her life

Sports

Hyderabad:

But for a few minute changes, the daily schedule of  Saina Nehwal has hardly changed over the last decade. If anything, there is only a change in the mode of her travel. While she used to commute on her father’s scooter, she now arrives at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in a new BMW X6.

For six days in a week, Saina’s schedule remains the same. She wakes up at 6 am and after having a glass of milk she spends one hour in yoga nidra. During this period she assesses her previous day’s practice and motivates herself for the session ahead.

She arrives at the academy at about 7.30 am and after the scheduled meeting with other trainees she starts on-court practice. The first session usually comprises stroke-hitting and the various aspects of the game prescribed by coach Gopichand.

The session ends at 11 am and after a small fruitbreak, her training starts again at 11.30 am. In this session, she usually practises with her sparring partners. Coach and former All-England champion Gopichand is one of them along with India’s top singles player Parupalli Kashyap and other male international shuttlers. They even play matches and on most occasions, Gopi, who is 39 now, gives a tough time to Saina.

After lunch and a nap, the third session begins at 4.00 or 4.30 pm as per the schedule fixed by coach and physio Kiran. The lunch includes rice, chicken (she was a vegetarian earlier), vegetable curries and lowcarb-high-protein diet. The evening session in a week comprises 2-4 sessions of strength training, 3-5 sessions of endurance and about six sessions of agility, moderate running etc.

She does weight training but guards herself against acquiring an unfeminine figure. She does speed runs for about half an-hour and relaxes herself at the swimming pool.

She is back home around 7.30 pm. Though her coach has advised her against any physical exercise she sometimes hits the treadmill. She finishes her dinner by 8.30 pm which mostly includes boiled chicken and vegetables. She turns on the TV and goes to sleep watching some movie.

Saina hardly attends any functions or parties. Once in a while and mostly when she is abroad, she goes for a movie and after winning every tournament she indulges in an ice cream.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Sports> More Sports / by M. Ratnakar, TNN / November 11th, 2012

Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Receives Carbon Accreditation

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad, has received Airport Carbon Accreditation at Level 2 –‘Reduction’ for its efforts in managing and reducing carbon emissions.

The Airport Carbon Accreditation certification was presented to RGIA on 8 November during the 8th ACI Asia-Pacific Small Airports Seminar organized by ACI Asia-Pacific and hosted by GMR Hyderabad International Airports Ltd (GHIAL).

Mr. Vikram Jaisinghani, CEO of GHIAL, operator of RGIA, said, “This accreditation is a significant milestone in the advancement of airport’s overall sustainability strategy as it involved calculating the carbon footprint of RGIA, using internationally recognised methodology and independent verification. RGIA has compiled an independently verified carbon footprint and succeeded in reducing their overall emissions and carbon footprint over the past number of years.”

On the same occasion, Mr. P.S. Nair, CEO-Corporate, Airport Sector of GMR Airports Limited was also presented with the Airport Carbon Accreditation certificate for Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, another GMR-led airport in India, which was accredited at Level 2 – ‘Reduction’ in July this year.

Regional Director of ACI Asia-Pacific, Mrs. Patti Chau said, “It was this month last year that Airport Carbon Accreditation was introduced in Asia Pacific and I am indeed very pleased to see that 6 airports in the region have been accredited and 3 are even accredited at Level 2 – ‘Reduction’, including RGIA.”

Airport Carbon Accreditation is the institutionally endorsed program that independently assesses and recognises airports’ efforts to manage and reduce their CO2 emissions.

Participating airports can be certified at 4 progressive levels of accreditation as follows: ‘Mapping’, ‘Reduction’, ‘Optimisation’, and ‘Neutrality’.

First launched by ACI Europe in 2009, the programme received support from ICAO and was extended to the Asia Pacific region in November 2011.

Airport Carbon Accreditation is administered by WSP Environment & Energy, an international consultancy appointed to enforce the accreditation criteria for airports. The administration of the programme is overseen by an independent Advisory Board.

Airports must have carbon footprints independently verified in accordance with ISO14064 (Greenhouse Gas Accounting). Evidence of this must be provided to the administrator together with all claims regarding carbon management processes which must also be independently verified.

source: http://www.asiatraveltips.com / Home / Monday, November 12th, 2012

Prehistoric site found near Srikakulam

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

Archaeologist K. Venkateswara Rao who found the prehistoric rock shelter on the top of the Saidala Hill near Srikakulam.

Several rock shelters found on Sailada hill-top and Chittivalsa are significant, says archaeologists

Did the prehistoric man straddle the hillocks near Srikakulam town in Andhra Pradesh much like the Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, UNESCO’s World Heritage Site ?

The rocky landscape near Srikakulam may not boast of the richness and the depth of the rock paintings of Bhimbetka that fetched it international recognition but several prehistoric rock shelters found on Sailada hill-top and Chittivalsa area in the recent past are equally significant, contend archaeologists here.

They are excited by the finding of a set of four 3.8 metre high rocks leaning inwards and forming a polygonal chamber on Saidala hill-top as it comes close on the heels of discovery of a cluster of druidical rocks at Chittivalsa and of dolmen and menhirs resembling those in Europe and Africa. Both these findings that indicate existence of a reasonably big habitation of prehistoric people in the area, were by free-lance archaeologist, K. Venkateswara Rao.

The recently found round-shaped dolmen like formation with a stone roof, stands on a circular rock bed of 13 metre radius on the top of the Saidala hill. Like others, this rock shelter too has post holes around it in two rows meant for installing wooden posts that served as props to supported a canopy. “The place appears to have been used for performing some rituals and ceremonies by the prehistoric people”, Mr. Rao said.

There are many caves, caverns and shelters of different shapes in the hillocks in the region but not as huge as this one that too with a rock bed inside.

Even now the place continues to be known as “Pandiri Rallu” a shelter made of rocks. The rock shelter has enough place to accommodate 10 to 15 people inside. A petroglyph of serpent was found on the western side of the shelter, a common feature on prehistoric dolmens in Europe.

Another name given by the locals to this unique rock formation is “Bunti Vanda”, virtually a den of bears. Burrows formed by flow of rain water from the top of the hill to the foot, have turned them into safe sanctuary for the bears. “Even now villagers dread to tread the bushy path to the top of the hill scared of the bears and feel the sacred place is visited by Gods and Goddesses. This in a way is blessing in disguise as the rock formation remains protected with no major damage”, Mr. Rao says.

Further evidence of the man living on the hills was the finding of a 6 x 4 ft depression in the rock perhaps used as a water storage pit. Mr. Rao says the prehistoric rock shelters on sacred hills of Sailada and Sangamaya and the nearby Pandavulametta at Chittivalsa and the later period’s historic fort of early Kalingas could be projected as unique site with continuous history for UNESCO”s recognition.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by K. Venkateshwarlu / Hyderabad, November 12th, 2012

10 lakh sanctioned for Ashoor Khana restoration

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

Hyderabad:

Funds for restoration and renovation of the Badeshahi Ashoor Khana have been going back and forth between the Department of Archeology and Museums (DAM) and the government with precious little work being done. It was in early September that Dam was sanctioned Rs 21 lakh for restoring the Shiite place of worship to former glory but only Rs 6 lakh was used and the rest returned. With the month of Muharram round the corner, the Dam has now been sanctioned another Rs 10 lakh for restoration work of the structure.

It was during the Conference of Parties in September that the state government had sanctioned Rs 21 lakh for sprucing up the place in view of visits by delegates. Describing the sanctioning of funds as a result of ‘urgency’, Dam officials said that they had acted on orders from the government and hadn’t called tenders due to unavailability of time and awarded contacts only on nomination basis. “Around Rs 1.29 crore was sanctioned for Paigah Tombs, Saidanima’s Tomb and the State Museum a chunk of which has been returned. We were asked to submit bills and return the remainder of the sanctioned amount,” said a Dam official requesting anonymity. With Muharram scheduled to be observed from November 16, around Rs 10 lakh has been sanctioned for renovation of the Ashoor Khana Khurd, popularly known as the mini-Ashoor khana, where the alam (standard) will be kept. The wooden roof is being restored with teak wood beams. A team of four carpenters and four masons has already started work.

“The roof is being restored to what it was when the Ashoor Khana was built more than 400 years ago. Work will be completed before Muharram,” said GV Rama Krishna Rao, director, Dam.However, Ashoor khana officials were quick to point out that Icomos team member Chehryar Adil had expressed displeasure at the decaying place of worship and questioned why the structure wasn’t renovated. They said that around 2 lakh devotees cutting across faiths and sects visit the Ashoor Khana in the first ten 10 days of Muharram.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / November 09th, 2012

ICCA elects new india committee leadership

Business & Economy

ASIA

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has announced the appointment of newly elected leaders of the association’s India Committee.

The new India Committee will be chaired by Jaideep Khanna, GM Sales Marketing & Distribution, Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC).

Also appointed to the committee were Kalpana Oberoi, GM of Kuoni Destination Management India as Secretary and Girish Kwatra, Head, Meetings & More India as Treasurer.

The newly elected leaders will work closely with the rest of ICCA’s members in India to enhance the effectiveness of India’s bidding process with regard to international events and associations.

The India Committee said it was determined to increase India’s share of the international association meetings market by stimulating every Indian ICCA member to make effective use of the ICCA Association Database, marketing resources, research tools and face-to-face client business opportunities.

Jaideep Khanna said he was confident that “with ICCA, we will deliver instant access to a range of research, sales and marketing opportunities to our Indian members. We will create a synergised approach and a platform for knowledge sharing and networking opportunities. This will open better communication channels to enhance value and generate competitive advantage”.

HICC had already gained tremendously from its active involvement with ICCA, he said, “especially after we hosted the ICCA Congress in our city in 2010”.

Recent converted leads generated from research done on ICCA database,  he said, included the IEEE Multi-Conference on Systems & Control – MSC 2013 and the 9th Asia Pacific Symposium on Cochlear Implants and Related Sciences – APSCI 2013.

Kalpana Oberoi noted Kuoni has been appointed for the World Agricultural Forum 2013 to be held in Hyderabad in November 2013, “a lead picked up from the ICCA Database”.

source: http://www.c-mw.net / Home / November 09th, 2012

The sound of music

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

Commodore TMJ Champion is single-handedly responsible for restoring pipe organs in the country

Enthroned on a wooden bench in St Johns, Secunderabad, tapping pedals and tabbing on keys, Ex-Naval Commodore TMJ Champion does his rendition of Toccata and Fugue by JS Bach on an 104 year-old pipe organ. The instrument is completely mechanical with no external speakers or electronics, he explains. The hundreds of pipes that form its anatomy produce when air is released, like whistles. Behind its piano like facade of the instrument lies its body. He turns a key into a small wooden door and directs me to climb narrow wooden steps that lead inside the instrument. While one can walk inside the St John’s Organ, there are organs that are as big as three stories, he explains. I wait in the isle surrounded by sets of countless pipes that varying in size from tiny flutes to considerable tree trunks. He plays the instrument so I know exactly which pipe the air is released from.

It’s not very common for one to be passionate about such an instrument. He reminisces how in his hometown of Nagapattinam, the church congregation would have to wait for British musicians to come and play it each Sunday. No one knew how to play it, is what my father told me, he says. Not only did he learn to play it, he became an expert at its mechanics. With no one knowing anything on the subject in India, he wasn’t left with much of a choice. “When the British left India, there was not a single organisation in India that had any expertise in building or restoring organs,” he says. If you get on the Internet you’ll find sites of organ builders in Europe, the US and Australia, but there’s not a single one in India.

Self taught through experience, books and visits to organ makers in the UK, Commodore Champion over the years has helped breathe air into lifeless organs across the country. The first organ he repaired was in Wesley Church, Mumbai. Since then he’s been acting as a consultant and facilitator for restoring organs in India. The organ in St Johns Secunderabad, that was unused for two decades was restored by him in 2003 at the cost of `1.5 lakh.

Not only is lack of expertise a problem, but restoration is an expensive affair. The quotation for restoration work can span from a few lakhs to even over a crore. Some work on the bellows and woodwork is done by Tapan Das from Kolkata under Champion’s guidance, who is the only such remaining craftsman in India. But repairing and re-tuning old pipes can only be done by experts from the UK and many parts are just not available here.

Of the five pipe organs in and around Hyderabad only one is in working condition (St Johns). The city is cold about western classical music compared to Chennai and Bangalore, where music lovers have made efforts to raise money for repair works, he says. But, historically the Nizam VIII of Hyderabad is known to have been passionate about western music. He brought down Tamil musicians from Chennai for his symphony orchestra and cavalry bands, the land denoted to these musicians is the area of Bandlines in the City.

While reviving western music in the City might take many more years, Commodore Champion continues to play the pipe organ each Sunday making sure its sound is alive.

source: http://www/.postnoon.com / Home> Arts & Entertainment> Music / by Elizabeth Soumya / November 09th, 2012

Patel Engineering charts Rs 75-crore realty plan for Hyderabad

Business & Economy

Will develop two township projects in Hyderabad

Patel Engineering Limited, a Mumbai-based construction company specialising in hydro-power generation and irrigation, will be investing Rs 75 crore to develop two township projects in Hyderabad.

The publicly-listed company, through its wholly-owned real estate development subsidiary Patel Realty India Limited (PRIL), is planning to develop a 400-unit residential apartments project christened Smondo (Smart Condominiums) on a four-acre land with an investment of Rs 15 crore (excluding land cost), and a 1,000-apartment, yet-to-be-named project on 10-acre land at an outlay of Rs 60 crore (excluding land cost) in Hyderabad.

“Targeting the young working population in Hyderabad, especially IT professional, we are planning to start construction work on the first project in January 2013 and complete it in two years from then. Work on the second project will commence in June next year and will be ready for occupation in three to four years,” PRIL managing director, Pravin Malkani, told Business Standard.

Stating that the Hyderabad property market is buoyant and there exists a great demand for quality housing despite the political uncertainty (Telangana), he said there was a clear gap in the market in terms of available formats of houses in relation to purchasing capacity and need for space.

“Buyers in Hyderabad are becoming aesthetically aware and more cosmopolitan and this attribute plays a crucial role in their selection of homes (2 BHK, 2.5 BHK and 3 BHK formats) for purchase,” Malkani said.

Patel Engineering, which reported revenues of Rs 2,549.64 crore in FY 12, currently has a total land bank of over 1,250 acre across India, including 400 acre of urban land in and around Hyderabad.

The company also has under its development portfolio three more integrated townships projects in Bangalore, Noida and Mauritius, together entailing an investment of around Rs 400 crore.

According to Malkani, while the 120-acre Neotown Bangalore project comprising 2,000 apartments is under construction, which will be ready for delivery in six to eight years, the 35-acre Noida project (3,000 units) and the 65-acre Mauritius project are expected to be completed in the next four to six years.

Patel Engineering Limited’s scrip is currently trading at Rs 77.60 on the BSE, down 0.83%, over the previous close of Rs 78.25 a share.

source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> Companies & Industry / by K. Rajani Kanth, Hyderabad / November 09th, 2012

Sania flags off fitness walk in Hyderabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports

STAR PRESENCE:Tennis star Sania Mirza, participating in the fitness walk in Hyderabad on Sunday.- PHOTO:NAGARA GOPAL

STAR PRESENCE:  Tennis star Sania Mirza, participating in the fitness walk in Hyderabad on Sunday. /  PHOTO:NAGARA GOPAL / The Hindu

Sania Mirza was in her element on Sunday before she formally flagged off the ‘Walk for Fitness’ as part of NDTV-Nirmal ‘Marks for Sports’ nationwide campaign.

The two-time Grand Slam winner did skipping exercises for a while and then joined the group of organisers in performing the ‘Gangnam’ dance to the delight of those who assembled at the KBR Park in the city.

“It is a great feeling to see Hyderabad take great interest in fitness. It is clearly departing from the days of laid-back approach and for the good,” Sania remarked.

“Fitness and some bit of walking does help everyone and especially when one enters the wrong side of the 50s. It is imperative to be choosy about the food you take daily,” the tennis player commented. “I support this campaign for the simple reason that I believe it helps India emerge a very healthy country,” she said.

“I always believed that sports and fitness should be an integral part of the school curriculum for this helps to be a very healthy nation,” Sania said about her campaign.

Later, Saina presented gift vouchers of Rs. 5,000 each to the 10 lucky participants and Rs. 1 lakh gift voucher to bumper winner Vignanandam.

Referring to her tennis career, Sania feels it is a great honour to partner World No. 1 Bob Bryan in the mixed doubles and hopes to script a new chapter in her career.

“The city has a rich history of producing great sportspersons with the likes of Jaisimha, Azharuddin, V.V.S. Laxman, Gopi to name a few. And, the best part is that Saina and I are still very hungry for success.We hope to inspire the young talent,” she pointed out.

“It also hurts to notice that not many are around who can break into the top 300 or even 200 tennis ranks. I am starting the tennis academy to ensure that young talent is groomed,” she signed off.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad, November 05th, 2012