Monthly Archives: November 2012

At 69, he still ‘shuttles’ between home and stadium

Leaders, Records, All, Sports

Hyderabad:

At 69, Syed Mohammed Arif still nourishes the dream of producing a world badminton champion from India. In fact, he came closer last year when his ward Jwala Gutta collected bronze in women’s doubles at the world meet.

Undying passion for the game, tireless unselfish work, unmatchable commitment which helps him defy the age and the abundance of talent prompted the government to honour this age-old worse with the prestigious Padma Shri award four days from his 69th birthday (Jan 29).

Smiling effervescently as usual at his ancestral home located in the bylanes of old city, Arif said that he is excited to be honoured by the government. Awards are not new to him. He was honoured with the Dronacharya in 2000 and had also received a meritorious certificate award from the Badminton World Federation. But the former chief coach of Indian badminton, who played a great role in shaping up the careers of Pullela Gopichand and Jwala Gutta, is still yearning for more.

“I was very excited but not surprised. I know my name has been recommended a couple of months back. I am a firm believer of God almighty and have immense faith in the belief that when the time comes nothing can stop us from being honoured or rewarded,” Arif said, adding that this award motivates him to do more for the sport.

“I want to do more for the game of badminton. I want to produce a world badminton champion. Hopefully, I would realise that dream soon,” he added.

Arif, had, in fact retired from active coaching in 2004. But the great coach was forced out of retirement in 2006. Jwala Gutta and Chetan Anand requested Arif to come out of retirement and Jwala’s father Gutta Kranti managed to convince Arif through the then chairman of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh MS Raj Thakur.

“The SAAP chairman and my children (Jwala and others) requested me. How can I refuse them. Moreover, I realised that there are so many trainees who are in need of a coach. But I have enjoyed every moment after coming back. In fact it’s helping me to stay away from the doctor,” he said.

If there is one coach who is working for free it is Arif. The selfless man travels about 15 kilometres in the busy lanes of the city to train about 100-odd youngsters every day. Surprisingly, he doesn’t receive a single pie from any of them or from the government.

Chief coach of the Indian team, Pullela Gopichand said that Arif is the most deserving candidate for the award. “For the contribution he made to the sport of badminton and the way he put Andhra Pradesh on the national sports map he is the most deserving person to be honoured. We are all very happy for him,” Gopi said.

Jwala thinks Arif should have received this honour about ten years back. “I am very very happy for him. I think he should have got this award a decade back. He is largely responsible for shaping up my career and more importantly my personality. I think he’s the only coach who is working without receiving a single paisa or favour from anyone. Even now I fear him a lot,” Jwala said.

Arif in turn said that Jwala needs to be pushed hard and there is no one better than him to do that. “I think Jwala is a sort of player who needs to be pushed hard. Having trained her since her childhood there’s no better person than me to do that,” he said adding that Indian shuttlers have a good chance of winning medals at the Olympics.

“I think with a favourable draw our shuttlers have a good chance of winning medals in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Saina is playing well and our mixed doubles and women’s doubles teams are beating all the top teams. I am confident they will definitely win medals this time,” Arif said.

Crediting Gopichand for providing more international exposure to Indian shuttlers, Arif said he is expecting more from the present lot. “Never in the history of Indian sports, our shuttlers got so much of international exposure. But I am expecting more success from them. I know it would take some time from this batch to excel at international level,” he said.

The former NIS coach dedicated his award to his 90-year-old mother, wife and all his disciples who brought laurels to the state and the country.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / by M Ratnakar, TNN / January 26th, 2012

WFA Global invests in Hyderabad-based personal financial services start-up

Business & Economy

Hyderabad:

ArthaYantra, a Hyderabad-based integrated personal financial services start-up, on Tuesday said it has raised seed capital from US-based investment firm WFA Global Investments. However it did not disclose either the quantum of funds raised or the stake picked up by the US firm.

The company, which has been founded by a group of ISB Hyderabad alumni, uses its its unique proprietary framework, trademarked as Personal Financial Lifecycle Management  (PFLM), and employs patented processes that help individuals achieve their financial goals.

The company plans to further develop its proprietary technology and also expand its team that currently stands at over two dozen people. The company also plans to expand operations across six major cities of Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.

According to the company, it was focused on launching its new solutions and was currently engaged in increasing its financial research capabilities by building systems and processes based on existing patents that it holds and is now piloting its innovative personal finance solution in beta with select group of customers. ArthaYantra’s clientele includes individuals from India, US, Europe and Middle East.

Commenting on the development, Artha Yantra founder and CEO Nitin B Vyakaranam said that the current round of investment was a testament to the global appeal that its solutions carry. “In India, we plan to take personal financial services to a greater cross-section of the population by coming out with unique and thought provoking services. We believe that a vast majority of India’s middle income population does not have access to formal personal financial services, and our solutions would fill this gap.”

New York-based  WFA Global Investments managing director Dr Ravi Bhagavatula said: “With the backbone of patented and scalable personal finance solutions along with its disruptive business model, ArthaYantra has the potential to achieve global scale. The Indian market has a promising ‘middle of pyramid’ opportunity and ArthaYantra could prove to be a game changer in the personal finance industry.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Business> India Business/ by Swati Bharadwaj Chand / November 06th, 2012

Top players set for badminton clash

Sports

TOP badminton players in the region are set to clash in the UAE Exchange Bahrain International Challenge Badminton Tournament which gets underway today at 6pm at Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) in Segaiya.

The tournament is conducted by BKS in association with Bahrain Badminton and Squash Federation (BB&SF).

The highlight of the first day is the presence of former All England Champion and presently Indian national coach Pullela Gopichand who will be inaugurating the event.

Gopichand is a renowned world class coach and is the person behind the resurgence of India as a badminton force. Saina Nehwal, the London Olympics bronze medal winner, and P Kashyap are two of his best known students.

The Bahrain International Challenge is an event sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) with the prize money of $15,000 at stake.

This event carries world ranking points and has attracted top ranked players from all over the world.

Competition will be held in five categories – men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Upset

Niluka Karunaratne, who is ranked 36 in the world, is the top seed in the event. The 27-year-old Sri Lankan was the captain of his national team at the London Olympics earlier this year and he upset the world No 8 Kanichi Tago in the singles event.

The next best ranked players in the fray are Suppanyu Avihingsanon of Thailand with a world ranking of 64 and seeded second here, and Sai Praneeth of India with a world ranking of 65 and seeded third.

Avihingsanon recently took part in the Japan Super Series while Praneeth is a bronze medal winner in the doubles at the Youth Commonweatlh Games in 2008 and won silver in the Junior Indonesian Challenge 2009.

HS Prannoy, ranked fourth, and Chetan Anand are two other well-known faces from India in the fray.

Prannoy reached the third round of the Vietnam Open earlier this year while Anand is a four-time Indian national champion.

In the women’s section, Neslihan Yigit and Ozge Bayrak, both of Turkey, are the two top ranked players with world rankings of 45 and 66 respectively. They are seeded first and second respectivley.

Anne Hald Jensen of Denmark is another notable entrant with a world ranking of 87 and is seeded third.

Bahraini players, meanwhile, will be participating in all five categories.

The most prolific among the local players are the doubles pair of Al Sayed Jafar Ebrahim Jafar, who is the national team captain, and Heri Setiawan. They are second seeded this year and were last year’s semi-finalists.

There are two more members from the Jafar family participating in this year’s tournament – his brother Ebrahim Jafar Al Sayed Hamed, who is pairing with another Bahrain player Saied Taki, and his brother’s son Adnan Ebrahim, who will play in the qualification matches.

Entry is free on all days.

UAE Exchange are the title sponsors of the event and other major sponsors are Zain Bahrain, Bahrain Air, Berger Paints, Mark 7, Maison Interiors, Al Mahroos, Albi WLL and Chevron.

source: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com / Home> Sports News / Tuesday, November 06th, 2012

Food business attracts Old Hyderabad youth

Business & Economy

Hyderabad:

The food bug has bitten Old City’s youth. With Hyderabadi food gaining prominence, several youngsters are opting for careers in hotel management, particularly in food production (cooking) sector. And catering to this demand are the several hotel management institutes that have cropped up across the city in the past few years.

The Centre’s Institute of  Hotel Management (IHM) has been conducting four short term courses lasting between six and eight weeks, branded “Hunar Se Rozgar Tak (from skill to employment). According to the institute’s management more than 30 per cent of its participants are from the Old City. The demand is the highest for food production where more than two thirds are from this part of the city. Interestingly, one third of the candidates are women.

Most students who attend short term courses in the several institutes in the city have completed only matriculation. Some have not finished schooling as well. Explaining the penchant for culinary arts among Hyderabadis, noted educationist Zafar Javeed said that it is the availability of opportunities in the hospitality sector that is drawing many youngsters today. “Hyderabadi food, the Biryani and in recent past the Haleem, have gained immense popularity in and around the city which in turn has resulted to the mushrooming of several restaurants. The demand for cooks has thus increased. Being good at skill based tasks, youngsters from the minority community are making use of these opportunities,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / November 05th, 2012

Now she is Dr. Saina Nehwal

Education, Leaders, Sports
Aligarh:

India’s six London Olympics medallists were on Saturday, conferred Honorary Doctorate Degree by Mangalayatan University at its Annual Convocation Ceremony.
Badminton ace Saina Nahwal, boxer Mary Kom, shooters Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar, wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Jogeswar Dutt were honoured with Honoris Causa degrees by Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav at the university’s fourth Annual Convocations.
An elated Saina said that it “was a matter of great pride” for her to be honoured with the doctorate degree.
“My parents had wished that I could take up the medical profession but destiny had planned another career for me. But today I am proud that I was being conferred the doctorate,” she said.
Yadav called upon the sportspersons to play a proactive role in the task of nation building by entering “public life”.
“Sportspersons create their own charisma and this factor can help them in achieving success in different walks of public life including electoral politics,” he said.
He said that his party was “ready” to provide a platform to all sportspersons like Saina for “entering the public domain”.
Recalling his early years as a budding wrestler, Yadav said that he understood the importance of “sportsman spirit” and convinced him of the importance of the sporting activities in the field of character and personality building.
Among those who were also awarded Honoris Causa degrees were Dr Rajendra Pachori, Director General, Energy and Resources’ Institute and V K Saraswat, Scientific Advisor in the Ministry of Defence, Salma Ansari, Chairperson, Al-Noor Social and Charitable Society in the field of social work and Dr (Mrs) Tessy Thomas, Senior Defence Scientist.
source: http://www.daily.bhaskar.com / Home> Sports> Other Sports > News / by PTI / November 04th, 2012

Visakhapatnam: The city of destiny

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

We talk to a few popular denizens of the Port City to find out why Visakhapatnam is called ‘the City of Destiny’

Vizag’s tryst with destiny precedes the formation of India by over 100 years, going back to 1844!  Sir Arthur Cotton, the legendary British general and engineer spent two years in Waltair, recovering from a ‘jungle fever’ that haunted him throughout his stay in the tropics. Even in his illness, he developed the Groynes in the sea, which helped break the waves and control erosion. He also redesigned and rebuilt St John’s Church and drew plans for a port in the city.

It was the iconic former Vice Chancellor of Andhra University, Dr CR Reddy who is credited with coining the phrase ‘City of Destiny’ in the 1930s. He was instrumental in relocating the Andhra University, which was located in Bejawada to the port city which was then a little known fisherman’s village — Waltair. Old towns like Ananthapur, Bejawada, Guntur, Machilipatnam, and Rajamundry, had greater credentials at that time since they were much more accomplished educational, cultural and business centers.

“Dr CR Reddy took the bold decision because he believed this was the city of the future. However, his vision of the city was very different from the burgeoning industrial hub and megapolis that it is on course to become. He envisaged that this fisherman’s village would become the intellectual capital of the state,” says A Prasanna Kumar, director, Centre for Policy Studies. But then destiny as they say, has its own plans and the Port city today is ranked among the fastest growing cities in the world.

Later on, it was Dr Abid Hussain, the legendary district collector and former ambassador to the USA who popularised the phrase, for he rightly believed that it was only a matter of time before Vizag realised its destiny of becoming one of the greatest cities in India, says A Prasanna Kumar, who has been living here for the last 58 years.

“I moved to Vizag in 1954 from Machilipatnam. The city was then called ‘India in a Microcosm’. It is perhaps, the only city in the country which has had no history of communal clashes or caste conflicts. There is no narrowness of thinking. It allows outsiders to come and merge seamlessly with the human chain. The city is blessed with tremendous natural splendor and resources,” he adds.

Legendary chief Justice, late PV Rajamannar’s description of Vizag captures the essence of the city. “Nestled between the sea on one side and a mountain on the other, the city is unlike any other. The sea stands for dynamism, change and adventure and the mountain stands for permanence, tradition and values. A dialectical process is taking place in this beautiful city, shaping its destiny over the years.”

Ever since, in various amounts, little bits of recognition have come in to the city through various forms — be it education, music, acting, art and sculpture. Some of these popular faces from Vizag who’ve made it big, share their thoughts about this City of Destiny has in store for the world.

Allu Arjun regards Vizag as his lucky charm. “All my films that were shot in Vizag (Arya, Bunny, Desamuduru, Julayi, Parugu, etc.) were superhits. Vizag is my lucky mascot. I shot for Arya at Kailasagri, the hilltop park with panoramic sea view. The whole unit enjoyed shooting in the serene atmosphere with greenery, fresh breeze and beautiful hills all around. We also shot the film in the adjacent picturesque valleys, which boast of beautiful flora, laterite hillocks and a pleasing landscape. Parugu, Bunny, Desamuduru and Julayi were also shot on the long and vast stretches of the seashore ( beach road) in Vizag. This is a popular spot for filmmakers as one can see the sprawling beaches, splendid monuments, ancient shrines, all along the road,” shares Allu Arjun.

Renowned acting teacher Satyanand, who set up his acting school in Vizag as suggested by Megastar Chiranjeevi, found his calling in this port city. “I used to work as a character artiste and assistant director in Hyderabad. But I found my true calling only after moving to this beautiful city,” he says.

“The tranquil atmosphere in Vizag gives you the right fillip to excel in your career. I enjoy a great freedom in my profession if I’m in this city and my institute is the first acting school in Vizag. Think it has something to do with the air in the city,” says Satyanand. Tollywood superstars like Pawan Kalyan, Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, Ravi Teja, etc have all learnt their first lessons in acting at his acting school.

Music director and entrepreneur Ramana Gogula says it’s the diversity that sets the city apart. “For me, the city is about the ocean and it has sown all the seeds of my creativity and it has taught me to dare to be different. There is so much diversity in the city that it allows people to be themselves. I remember many afternoons when I was down and out I would go and sit on the beach for a couple of hours and life would be okay again,” he says.

Venkat Bothsa, an artist from the city says, “There’s not a very big art scene in Vizag. But even if you drive for ten minutes in any direction, you come across such scenic beauty, that it gives you a beautiful background for your work.’ He further speaks about the scope of art. “There’s a lot of scope. The government has also allotted the Nandagiri Kala Gramam, which is a 5-acre land which has residential studios for various artists to work in.”

Pop singer Smitha of Hairabba Hai fame, who recently opened a spa in the city talks about the scope of fashion and beauty in the city. She says, “People of Vizag have developed a taste for fashion. The last time when I came down, I saw that especially women are into affordable fashion and it immediately struck my mind that I have to give them something from my end and I opened up my spa here.”

(With inputs from Afrin Humayon, Leena Shri & AS Sashidhar)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Life & Style> Travel / by Karthik Pasupulate, TNN / November 02nd, 2012

ISB to host digital summit

Business & Economy, Education, Science & Technology
Hyderabad, NOV. 1:

The Indian School of Business (ISB) is hosting a digital summit at its Hyderabad campus from November 9-12.

The summit Advertising strategies for online retailers is being organised by the Srini Raju Centre for IT and the Networked Economy at the ISB in association with Jigserv, a digital marketing company founded by an ISB alumnus.

The conference will bring together academics, business leaders, marketers and digital media industry practitioners to discuss the new paradigms in digital marketing, and how it will impact businesses.

Some of the prominent speakers include: Ajit Balakrishnan, Founder and CEO, Rediff.com, Arun Sundarajan, of Stern School of Business, New York University, Hari Krishnan, Country Manager, LinkedIn India, Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Google India; Vikramaditya Sharma, Director, Nielsen Online, India and Virginia Sharma, Vice-President Marketing, IBM India / South Asia.

The summit will discuss and debate current trends in digital media, recent innovations, new biz models and effective ways of leveraging the medium for both large and mid-sized companies, across various verticals, a press release said.

somasekhar.m@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> Industry & Economy> Marketing / by The Hindu’s Bureau / November 01st, 2012

 

Finally, Icomos team lands in Hyderabad

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

Hyderabad:

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) finally arrive in the city on Wednesday and will carry out its inspection of Charminar, Golconda Fort and Quli Qutub Shahi Tombs starting today. The city has been pushing for World Heritage tag for these structures for many years now and has pinned its hopes on the visiting team for it to come through.

GV Ramakrishna Rao, director, department of archeology and museums, said the team will start its survey with a visit to the Quli Qutub Shah Tombs on Wednesday morning followed by the Golconda Fort in the evening where they will also attend the sound and light show. On November 2, the team will inspect Charminar followed by a separate visit to Chowmohalla Palace on November 3.

While officials of the Archaeological Survey of India and the department of archeology and museums remained tight-lipped about the Icomos visit, they were optimistic that all three monuments would make the prestigious World Heritage Monument tag. An archeology department official said, “Work has been moving at a fast pace so that the inspection goes well. All three monuments are being spruced up. We are confident of getting the heritage tag.” Clearly, officials believe that their months and years of indifference to the city’s crumbling heritage will not show with quick sprucing up efforts.

While the Bhagyalakshmi Temple and the Chilla in Charminar will continue to remain untouched,  ASI officials said that the overhead water tanks used by the temple have been permanently removed after consulting temple officials. They however added that temple officials are yet to heed to their repeated requests of removing saffron flags and buntings put up during Dasara. Heritage activists noted that the authorities had failed to utilise the window of opportunity provided to them after the Icomos visit was delayed.

It was earlier reported in these columns that the series of inspections were scheduled to take place from September 25 onwards, but was delayed due to passport issues of one of the expert committee members. “Charminar continues to have lichen on its walls and the Qutub Shah tombs are surrounded by encroachments. The GHMC had hastily taken up demolition of these encroachments near the tomb complex but made little progress. We were informed that smaller encroachments will be removed for just one day,” said an activist.

Meanwhile, a group of noted heritage activists said that the government has kept them isolated from the Icomos developments.

They said that despite making several requests with the government for a meeting with experts, they have received no reply. An activist requesting anonymity said, “They are afraid that we will speak about the Naya Qila issue where the government is clearly at fault. We want to appraise our concerns with the Icomos team but the government has completely shut us out.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / November 01st, 2012

Hyderabad to host 1st Edition of IMTCA 2012 on Nov 2 &3

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Taking Indian Healthcare to the next highest level on the global radar, Hyderabad is all set to host the 1st edition of the Indian Medical Tourism Conference scheduled to be held on November 2 and 3, 2012 at HICC.

The two day event is being organized by i-Transition Worldwide (I) Pvt. Limited and ONE HealthCare Worldwide, USA with the  supported by FAPCCI (Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry).

The conference is expected to receive International participation from eight countries including US, UK, France, Turkey, Thailand, Philippines, Dubai and Fiji. Local dignitaries from the government and NGOs, director of Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences and several other eminent doctors, medical professionals and entrepreneurs are expected to take part in the mega event.

High level delegation from Ministry of Healthcare and Tourism department and other important attendees from IT and insurance companies are also expected. International speakers like Josef Woodman, Dr David G Vequist IV, Dr Michael Guiry, Prof. Brent McCallum, etc. have been called to conduct the sessions. The two day conference will largely cover sessions on topics that would cater to ‘Global Healthcare’ and focus on ‘Positioning Hyderabad as medical tourism hub in India’.

Eminent medical professionals from across the world and prominent speakers who would give presentations and hold interactive sessions include Armando F Palanco, president of Trans-national Advisors, Prof. Brent McCallum, Asst. Professor, Zayed University, Dr David G Vequist IV, founder & director, Centre for Medical Tourism Research, Dr Michael Guiry, senior fellow at the Centre for Medical Tourism Research, Dr Guru N Reddy, founder & chairman of Continental Hospitals, Dr Marcia C Inhorn Jr. Professor at Yale University, Dr K S Nayak, chief nephrologist and director of Department of Renal Sciences, Dialysis Centres and Renal Transplant Programme, Josef Woodman, director at Patient Beyond Borders and M V Rajeshwara Rao, general secretary of FAPCCI.

Sharing her views, Varsha Lafargue, founder and chairperson, IMTCA and i-Transition Worldwide said, “India has a wide scope to develop medical tourism, with this conference we would like to provide a common platform to all the Healthcare – Tourism industry professionals to exchange and know the best practices from across the world and position Indian healthcare to raise it’s standard to command a larger revenue share of this multi -billion dollar industry. It will also be a good opportunity for the local entrepreneurs to showcase their strengths to the global market, explore new opportunities to increase market share through an organized medical tourism system like IMTCA.”

Medical Tourism has been the driving force for exponential growth in many countries. This conference is an initiative dedicated to drive economic growth in India through medical tourism and to map India as one of the “best value provider” medical tourism destination of the world.

source: http://www.pharmabiz.com / Home> Events / Thursday, November 01st, 2012