Monthly Archives: March 2014

Hyderabad, The City Of Wings As Well

Uncategorized

“See the skies from the air on Fridays at 2 pm for `10.” Amused? This was on a famous poster of the Deccan Airways of the circa 1950’s Hyderabad. Walk into the ‘History of Civil Aviation in India’ stall at the India Aviation 2014 at Begumpet airport and you will possibly stumble upon such fascinating records, be it aviation stamps or airline schedules, of a glorious past of aviation in Hyderabad and the country.

Deccan Airways, as the company owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad was called in 1945, had chartered flights to as far as Quetta and Rangoon, and were also the first one’s to start the Haj chartered fleet from the country in 1948.

“Hyderabad had a regular air-strip even back in 1932 at Habshiguda. PM Reddy and Babar Mirza of Aero Club of Hyderabad used to regularly fly from here. In 1934, it became Hyderabad State Aero Club and started operating from Begumpet airport, which is presently one of the oldest airports in the country,” says P Anuradha Reddy, who is the author of ‘Aviation of Hyderabad State’.

According to her, PM Reddy and Babar Mirza, both of Hyderabad, were among the firsts in the country to complete their flying training in England and obtain licenses.

Hyderabad was also the first princely state to have a coordinated transport system in place. Speaking about the fleet of flights procured by the Nizam, she says that at the start of World War-II, Royal Airforce of the UK took over the Hyderabad State Aero Club to convert it into the first Elementary Flying Training School.

“After the World War-II, Dakota DC-3 aircrafts used by the US Air Force were lying out of use at Assam. It was considered no good and were being given away for throw away prices. Hyderabad state bought 21 of them and flew them down here, worked on them and later the same aircrafts became the backbone of civil aviation in India,” she informs.

The Hyderabad state had five airfields with concrete runways in Aurangabad, Warangal, Bidar, Hakimpet and Begumpet. Photographs of Hyderabad’s first licensed pilots Capt PMM Reddy and Capt PN Reddy, first trained woman pilot Aban Peston Chenoy who passed away two years ago, and some of the earliest forms of trainer and chartered aircrafts are featured in the gallery.

Surprisingly, the Nizam of Hyderabad took his first flight only in 1951 in the capacity of Rajpramukh. Quoting Captain PM Reddy, who was also Anuradha Reddy’s father-in-law, she says that the Nizam was never really interested in flying and had his own worries.

“So finally, he took a test flight around Hyderabad city. He was as excited as a child to see his own King Koti palace. And he asked if others also can see his palace from the air. Getting an answer in the affirmative, he imposed a flying restriction on top of his palace,” she says.

So how did the Deccan Airways become the backbone of civil aviation? Unlike the other flight companies, the Deccan Airways enjoyed a much wider coverage, operating from Madras-Hyderabad-Nagpur-Bhopal-Gwalior-Delhi and Bangalore. Hyderabad also had the Night Air Mail Service, something akin to the present day Speed-Post.

“Passengers and mails were carried from Chennai, Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi and Hyderabad and interchanged at Nagpur, which was a major hub. Even newspapers were airlifted to their destinations. In fact, the Indian Express was the first news publication to be delivered via air, it was taken from Chennai to Delhi on the same day through Deccan Airways,” she adds. The world’s first aerial post also took place in Allahabad in February 1911. A humber sommer biplane that flew to Naini five miles away in 13 minutes carrying 6500 letters and cards was the first aerial post.

To pay true and fitting tribute to the city’s aviation history, she suggests a civil aviation museum. “There is so much to offer about Hyderabad’s aviation history. The oldest terminal at Begumpet airport, which isn’t in use, could be turned into a museum to protect the legacy,” she opines.

Titbits of aviation’s history

The Nizam’s Government owned 71 per cent of Deccan Airways and the remaining was held by Tata Sons and others. Launched with three aircrafts, it went on to have a fleet of 13 Dakotas by the early 1950s. It merged with Indian Airlines in 1953

When the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan took a test flight in 1951, he was initially excited to see his King Koti Palace from the air. However, paranoia set in soon after and he imposed a no-fly zone over his residence

Deccan Airways had chartered flights to as far as Quetta and Rangoon. It was also the first to start the Haj chartered fleet from Indian in 1948

Hyderabad based Deccan Airways was of the one of the premier airlines of the country, operating on Madras-Hyderabad-Nagpur- Bhopal-Gwalior-Delhi, Hyderabad-Bombay and Hyderabad-Bangalore sectors. Though founded in September 1945, the first flight took off on May 25 the following year

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Rahul V. Pisharody / Hyderabad – March 15th, 2014

The world in an album

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

DJHamzaMPos24mar2014

DJ Hamza, who has travelled and lived in three different continents shares his experience in the form an his first full length album Gitano .

If you had to sum up over three decades of your life, more than half of which you spent travelling and residing in foreign countries, how would you? Some would probably write a novel, some short stories of selected experiences from here and there and for others a photo book would seem apt. But, 32-year-old DJ Hamza who grew up in Delhi (though his family is from Hyderabad and Mumbai) has travelled and lived around in South Asia, Europe and North America, summed up his story in a ten-song album called Gitano. Gitano means Gypsy in Spanish, which is what Hamza considers himself, having lived in Paris, Boston, New York among many other places.

The ten track album is more than just progressions, scratches and mixes unlike other DJ’s albums. Gitano in all true sense is an offering of new sounds and fabulous fusion. For a DJ to be incorporating elements from Latin, Celtic, Flamenco with house music as a base is something new. For him, electronic sounds are just one aspect of dance music. “Organic sounds are in fact as important as they bring out the primal instinct in us that makes us connect with our core,” he reckons. “The two always have to be in balance in order to reach out to all our sensory points in our bodies. You can always have a completely synthetic sounding track but then there is no soul in it and something having a completely organic track does not give you that punch and thump to drive you to dance.”

It took eight months for Hamza to work on the album. A challenge for sure, he first got the ten ideas in place, then started building on them, later finishing them before finally mixing and mastering the tracks. Gitano is more than just an amalgamation of sounds. In it’s own way, it also describes each place that Hamza has been to. “The title track Gitano has flamenco influences with an underlying African melody as well, which I came across in Barcelona. I have been to Senegal and Mauritania and fell in love with the local music there. It was also interesting to see that the poorest continent in the world had the happiest music, which is something to think about,” says the DJ. From guitars sounds that represent New Orleans to Latin influenced New York house sounds the album has it all.

Hamza goes to the local place in any country where traditional music thrives and he looks at it from two angles — it has to be an essential part of the history of that particular place or it must be so advanced that it automatically fits into the future. Interestingly Hamza was studying to be an investment banker but came out as a music producer. He credits three people who taught him to work at the studio, on stage and as an artist — Danish pianist Niels lan Doky, Jasbir Jassi and Taz from Stereo Nation. His experience of working with many folk helped him.

He and Jassi shared their studio with a gangster rapper back in New York, who had been shot nine times (reminds us of 50 cent) and who even stole their TV. “We then sent one of our friends from the Gurudwara who had a long white beard to get the TV back from him and he had never seen a Sikh person before so he called the police thinking our friend was a Pakistani Ninja,” he says. Hamza plans on taking his music pan India, along with collaborating with local artistes thereby sparking off a new Indian house music scene in the already existing musical revolution.

Catch DJ Hamza live on March 29 at Loft 38

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Entertainment> Lounge / by Prashanth Vidyasagar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / March 23rd, 2014 (print mar 24th, 2014)

Biogas plants gaining acceptance in Krishna district

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology
Works at a swift pace at the 200-cubic metre biogas plant being built by NREDCAP at a dairy farm in Lakshmipuram in Veerulapadu mandal of Krishna district./ Photo: V. Raju / The Hindu
Works at a swift pace at the 200-cubic metre biogas plant being built by NREDCAP at a dairy farm in Lakshmipuram in Veerulapadu mandal of Krishna district./ Photo: V. Raju / The Hindu

An increasing number of innovative farmers in Krishna district are embracing biogas to cater to their energy needs.

Generation of biogas from animal dung has been in practice for long, but the new concept is to generate electricity from the gas, an effective way to end the woes of inflated power bills.

The Union Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, through the New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP), is promoting bio-gas plants in a big way by offering a 40 per cent subsidy on the unit cost. A unit holder, who is usually a farmer or a dairy owner, gets back the invested money within two years of the commencement of operations at the plant.

The Corporation is building one such 200-cubic metre- plant at Lakshmipuram village under Veerulapadu mandal of Krishna district for Healthy Farm Products Ltd., a newly-developed dairy farm project gearing up to launch operations very soon.

“The Rs. 20 lakh-biogas plant can generate 300 units power per day. The Corporation has extended a 40 per cent subsidy (Rs. 8 lakh) while the remaining cost of the project is borne by the dairy owners. With the 20 kw. of power generated, the dairy can save nearly Rs. 3,000 per day, which translates roughly into Rs. 90,000 per month,” says NREDP District Manager Srinivasa Rao.

Pointing to the digester, he says water and cow dung is mixed in 1:1 ratio and pumped into the plant and biogas results from anaerobic fermentation of organic materials. He goes on to explain about the preparation of the input material, the fermentation and methanogenesis, followed by conversion of the biogas to renewable electricity and useful heat with cogeneration/combined heat and power.

“This energy release allows biogas to be used in a gas engine to convert the energy in the gas into electricity and heat,” explain Chennupati Vazeer and V. Madhav, owners of the dairy farm. The plant at Lakshmipuram is likely to commence operation by this month-end another one is fully operational at Veeranki Lockulu, informs Mr. Srinivasa Rao. The Corporation is upbeat about the increasing size of patronage for this innovative mode of fuel. “We are working on five more similar plants at different places in the district. We want apartment-dwellers also to opt for small-size digesters as an answer for their electricity needs and other energy sources,” says Mr. Srinivasa Rao.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by P. Sujatha / Vijayawada – March 12th, 2014

Sahitya Puraskar for Nalimela Bhaskar

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Noted poet Nalimela Bhaskar, who can write and speak in 14 Indian languages, has been selected for the Kendra Sahitya Puraskar (National Literary Award) for translating the Malayalam novel ‘Smaraka Silagal’ into Telugu as ‘Smaraka Silalu’ in 2010. It is the story of souls narrating their woes to each other at a burial ground.

The award, to be presented to Bhaskar soon, carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs 50,000. Bhaskar (58), who hails from a tiny village called Narayanpur in Karimnagar district, told Express here on Tuesday that he got interested in literature when he was studying in IX class and he used to read books in the local Srirama library. He was working as a lecturer in a dregree college, from which job he was forced to seek voluntary retirement due to ill health in 2011.

He said he would like to dedicate his award to the state and people of Telangana. He added that the award should inspire young poets and writers in the state.

Bhaskar is the second person in the state to have won the award in the translation category. In the past, former prime minister PV Narsimha Rao received the award for translating the Telugu novel ‘Veyyi Padugalu’ written by Vishwanatha Satyanarayana into Hindi as ‘Sahasraphan’. Earlier, he had also received the Telugu Academy Award  in the literature category.  Bhasker, who has got Ph.Ds in Malayalm, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada, has 17 literary works like novels, poetries and songs and ‘Telangana Padakosham’ (dictionary) to his credit.

He had translated the award-winning book ‘Smaraka Silalu’ on behalf of the ‘Kendra Sahitya Academy’, he said. His house resembles a small library, with all the shelves filled with books.

distinctions

■ Second person from the state after former PM late PV Narasimha Rao to win the award

■ Bhaskar won the award for translating Malayalam novel ‘Smaraka Silalu’ into Telugu with the same name

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Karimnagar / March 12th, 2014

NATS vows to nurture Telugu children in US into world leaders

Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion
North America Telugu Society president Gangadhar Desu talking to The Hindu in Vijayawada on Tuesday. / Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu
North America Telugu Society president Gangadhar Desu talking to The Hindu in Vijayawada on Tuesday. / Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu

We are bringing out a series of books in English on Telugu people, culture, says its president

There is no dearth of role models for them. Telugu children living in North America have success stories like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Global coordinator of Lead India 2020 Hari Krishna Eppanapally, elected representatives like Upendra J.Chivukula, deputy speaker of New Jersey Assembly and Katragadda Aruna Miller, member of the Maryland House of Delegates, to look up to.

And lucky for them there is the North America Telugu Society (NATS) to nurture them into ‘world leaders’. The society has taken up career assistance programmes for Telugu youth.

NATS is now inviting not only successful Telugus, but successful Indians, to deliver talks. The society is also bringing out a series of books in English on Telugu people, their culture and history to take the initiative forward.

The person behind the initiative is none other than the Vijayawada-born Gangadhar Desu, the CEO of Neighbour Care chain of pharmacy stores who has been elected president of NATS for the next two years. Mr. Gangadhar did his schooling in SKPPV Hindu High School, One Town, and intermediate in K.B.N.College. He did his B.Pharma in Manipal College of Pharmacy and M.Pharma in Long Island, New York. “Satya Nadella is a couple of years senior to me,” he said recalling life on the campus.

Starting his career as a pharmacist Mr. Gangadhar, with a licence to work in any of the North Eastern States of the United States became the head of the Mergers and Acquisitions of Eckerds pharmacy in a short time. He then quit and started his own chain of pharmacy stores.

Diverse cultures

“The Telugu children here are exposed to diverse cultures, but it will be difficult for them to be world leaders unless they learn about their own roots,” Mr. Gangadhar said. The society took over 400 teachers from Andhra Pradesh to the United States to train children in various performance arts last year.

Mr. Gangadhar has high hopes for the Indian children of North America. “Five per cent of the Fortune 500 companies are run by Indians today. This will increase to 10 per cent by 2020. Indians were doing extremely well in politics too.

The Hindu Indians are being wooed by both the Republicans and the Democrats. Tulasi Gabbard of Samoan origin made news when she took oath on the Bhagvad Gita. Tulasi, who grew up in a multi-cultural, multi-religious household is a practising Hindu and yet another role model for the children, Mr. Gangadhar said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – March 13th, 2014

Small victories over cancer

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

With two new simple technologies, testing for cancer within minutes could soon become a reality

 A team of researchers from the  Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT,  has taken a significant step towards developing a method that can help detect cancer within minutes through a simple urine test. Far away in Hyderabad, a startup company has arrived at another uncomplicated and quick technique for diagnosis. It has developed a kit to detect breast cancer through a simple blood test. The finding is crucial, considering that breast cancer is the most common cancer in Indian women, killing one out of every two cancer patients.

The two researches, coming within a span of less than a month, are being watched closely by oncologists in India where cancer has become one of the ten topmost causes of death. The World Cancer Report 2014, published by World Health Organisation’s cancer agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, indicates that globally the number of cancer cases will increase by a startling 70 per cent over the next 20 years. Developing countries will be the most hit. Already about 70 per cent of the world’s cancer deaths take place in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

Which is why early detection, which can be made possible by the two tests, is critical.

The technology developed by MIT professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Sangeeta Bhatia is like the pregnancy paper test. Through a urine sample test, it can reveal within minutes whether a person has cancer or not. Graduate student Andrew D Warren, the lead author of a paper on the technique published in scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and co-authored by Bhatia, explains how the test works. “The test uses the intravenously injected nanoparticles called ‘synthetic biomarkers’. These nanoparticles are designed to passively hone onto sites of the disease and interact with proteases (the enzyme needed to digest protein). When disease-associated proteases cut pieces off the nanoparticles, the cut pieces (called ‘reporters’) are small enough to filter into the urine, where we can easily detect them with our low-cost paper test.” Higher concentrations of ‘reporters’ in the urine indicates the presence of the disease.

Conventional diagnostic tools for cancer such as colonoscopy or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are costly and require highly trained physicians and expensive equipment. The paper test is, in comparison, low cost and doesn’t require expensive equipment or training to use. The researchers who have run the paper test on mice with human-like tumours have found it to be quite accurate. “The test is 90 per cent sensitive (the likelihood that the results will be abnormal in people with the disease) and 80 per cent specific (the likelihood that results will be normal in people without the disease),” says Warren.

The research around the paper strip test, which started in the beginning of 2012, is in the early stage yet and uses mice. “There are still many difficult clinical studies necessary before our test could be used in people,” says Warren. So at this point, while it is impossible to guess the final cost of the test on humans, the researchers are determined to design it so that it is as inexpensive as possible.

As of now, the test focuses on the detection of colorectal cancer. But with slight changes in the synthetic biomarkers, it will be suitable for detecting several other kinds of cancers, the researcher adds.

The blood test for breast cancer, which claimed 70,218 lives in India in 2012, is, meanwhile, expected to be available commercially in five years from now. Developed by Hyderabad-based startup, Fournira Optime Diagnostics, the blood test would be about ten times cheaper than the currently available tests such as mammography, MRI and ultrasound. And its results would be available within an hour.

Early, accurate and affordable diagnoses are the three key factors that this test hopes to cover. A routine breast check, during which a woman might detect a suspicious lump, is what often leads to the first visit to the doctor. But it is often at a later stage that that evident symptom of breast cancer develops. The blood test makes an earlier diagnosis possible. The technology detects the cancerous biomarkers, if they are present in the blood, by lighting them up.

MAGIC BULLETS
Several laboratories in different parts of the world are also engaged in developing molecules that target the cancer cells specifically and in certain cases, serve as an alternative to chemotherapy. The doctors call them ‘magic bullets’. “The ‘magic bullet’ is nothing but target therapy,” says Ullas Batra, consultant, medical oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre. “In 20 to 30 per cent of the cancers, a single gene gets mutated. If we are able to identify and target that gene, then it is very effective.”

So while chemotherapy is like a bomb, which destroys everything around it, the ‘magic bullet’ is like a missile that hits a specific target, he explains. “Every year, two or three molecules are coming up for cancer that we call ‘magic bullets’. Many of these are for lymphoma, lung and liver cancer.”

The ‘magic bullet’ is usually used in Stage IV of the cancer and can be used in place of chemotherapy or in addition to chemotherapy. “In 20 to 25 per cent of lung cancer cases, especially in women and non-smokers, the ‘magic bullet’ is used upfront,” says Batra. Oncologists say it is found to be doubly effective than chemotherapy. It can control the disease with very good quality of life, doctors say.  “If chemotherapy gives the person another eight months to live, the ‘magic bullet’ keeps him going for another two to two-and-a-half years,” says Batra. it requires no hospitalisation and unlike chemotherapy, causes no hair loss or loss of appetite. “It is simply an oral tablet to be taken every day,” says Batra. A month’s dose can cost between Rs 1,800 to Rs 5,000.

CANCER VACCINES
The World Cancer Report points out that the population in developing countries, which have high prevalence of cancers such as those of the cervix, hardly believes in regular screening, such as going in for the pap smear test, for commonly found cancers. And, there is little focus on cancer vaccines — the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine.

“Gardasil and Cervarix, the vaccines for cervical cancer , have been around for at least four years,” says Jai Gopal Sharma, head of the preventive oncology department at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre. With time, these are gradually becoming popular. In India, while no data has been published to assess the effectiveness of the vaccines, clinical trials have shown a decrease in the development of HPV associated with some diseases after the vaccine, he adds.

The overall consensus is that while nine to 26 is the ideal and most effective age, “the vaccine can be given to a woman of any age before she attains menopause,” says Sharma. Vineet Talwar, senior consultant, oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, adds that HPV strains 16 and 18 have been found to be the most prevalent strains that cause the cancer. “When a person is infected with HPV, it takes about 18 to 20 years to develop cervical cancer. And then too, all people do not develop cancer,” adds Talwar.

QUICK FACTS

  • Vaccine: Cervarix from GlaxoSmithKline and Gardasil from Merck & Co
  • Meant for: Cervical cancer
  • Cost: Cervarix, Rs 2,000 per dosage and Gardasil, Rs 2,800 per dosage
  • Dosage: Three doses within six months
  • Age group: 9 to 26 years or till the woman is not sexually active
  • Availability: Easily available in every hospital
Note: Gardasil protects against four HPV types or strains (6, 11, 16, and 18) and Cervarix targets HPV types 16 and 18. Gardasil is more recommended.
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source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Beyond Business> Features / by Veenu Sandhu / March 14th, 2014

Drought-fruit Seema Chinta tastes sweet success

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Visakhapatnam :

A native of Central America and Northern South America, which was till recently looked down upon as a poor drought substitute of mango and cashew, Madras Thorn has suddenly been catapulted to the top of the popularity charts in fruit markets of Andhra Pradesh.

Commonly known as Sweet Tamarind, the fruit has grown so popular over the past few summers that it now fetches anywhere from Rs 150 to Rs 300 per kg, depending on the packaging, in cities like Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Vijayawada. K J Madhavi, an ardent fan of this pulpy fruit, said, “Most of the stuff we buy is at supermarkets where a kg goes for Rs 500 as it is claimed to be of export quality.”

Madras Thorn was first introduced by the Portuguese in India, albeit accidentally. The sweet tasting pod pulp of the fruit, which is rich in anti-oxidants, was stacked by sailors on long voyages and later became popular in India as drought food during summers. The tree thrives in most parts of peninsular India, except the wetter regions, and in Andhra is popularly referred to as Seema Chinta.

The fruit’s rising popularity has taken many by surprise. “This tree was found in most gardens and backyards even in big towns, and in villages was found scattered on fields with many farmers using the fruit pulp as part of the diet for their cattle. However, in the drought prone agriculturally poorer parts this fruit acted as a major food substitute. Just like Mahua in some areas of Central India, Madras Thorn was considered highly useful as the pulp was used to make dye, qualified as a food substitute and even the tender green leaves were used to prepare a kind of rasam,” said horticulturist R N S Sarma.

Old-timers from Visakhapatnam too pointed out rather cheekily that it was hard to believe that a fruit they used to consume as a substitute for mango during the summers, had now become so pricey.

Many vendors believe that the demand is on the rise for various reasons. K Narasimhulu, who sells the fruit near the RTC complex at Visakhapatnam, said, “It has become a major competitor during the mango season primarily due to rising mango prices as well as fears of indiscriminate use of pesticide in mangoes, something that is not a concern with the Madras Thorn.”

Narasimhulu further pointed out that unlike small town and rural customers, the buyers in big cities no longer discriminate between popular fruit and drought food. “A large number of people are now looking at the medicinal value of the food they consume and the health benefits they gain.”

“The bark of the tree can also be used to make a soup to treat stomach ailments and infections, apart from fever,” said G Bullayya, a naturalist and native herbal medicine specialist residing in Addatigala of East Godavari. He, however, lamented the fact that Seema Chinta was yet another example of how the government had failed to realize the potential of an extremely useful tree. “The fruit that was once sold at Rs 5 a kg (in the early 80s) now sells for more than Rs 200 even in places like Rajahmundry. It is tragic that the government has failed to identify and tap the potential of our forest yield to the maximum extent possible,” he said.

Sources in the state horticulture department admitted that so far no concrete efforts had been made to make the extremely useful tree an essential part of mainstream horticulture. They did, however, admit that a tree that could prosper even in desert-like conditions could have a major role to play in improving the economy of arid regions.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / by Venkatesh Bayya, TNN / March 14th, 2014

Abdul Hai takes a trip down memory lane

Nri's / Pio's, Sports

 

PIONEERING FEAT: Mohammed Abdul Hai entered the record books in 1973-74 as the first century-make in Deodhar Trophy. / The Hindu Photo Archives
PIONEERING FEAT: Mohammed Abdul Hai entered the record books in 1973-74 as the first century-make in Deodhar Trophy. / The Hindu Photo Archives

Mohammed Abdul Hai became the country’s first century-maker in the earliest avatar of abridged cricket, introduced through the Deodhar Trophy in 1973-74.

“The first doctor to play for India was my dream, but that was not to be,” the general physician settled in Michigan sighed wistfully, when reminiscing with The Hindu.

“There was a fairly large turnout at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium for the 1974-75 quarterfinal in Chennai,” continued Hai. For taking on North Zone was a star-studded South, led by S. Venkatraghavan.

Legends lined up were M.A.K. Pataudi, G.R. Viswanath, Abid Ali, Jayantilal Kenia and E.A.S. Prasanna, all of them Test players, three of whom were Hai’s Hyderabad Ranji teammates.

A consistent scorer in the event’s opening edition a year before and having played for Brondesbury CC alongside Mike Gatting in the Middlesex league, Hai felt equipped for the 60-overs-a-side challenge. With one opener gone for no score, the stylish southpaw walked in and began scoring at a brisk pace.

“Raj Singh Dungarpur’s eyes widened with amazement at what was then an astonishing rate — four runs an over — as also on South ‘amassing’ 248 for nine,” Hai recalled, his endeavour ending at 101, castled by Madan Lal.

Hai also played in Prof. D.B. Deodhar’s benefit match in Pune, the patriarch’s hometown.

He was offered an opportunity to play in/for Pakistan by Asif Iqbal, a senior at Hyderabad’s Nizam College.

The college’s alumni includes two India captains — Ghulam Ahmed and Mohd. Azharuddin — Test players M.L. Jaisimha, Abbas Ali Baig and Jayantilal Kenia besides Habeeb Ahmed, who led the Indian Starlets to the aforementioned nation.

“A decade after the Deodhar Trophy began, India clinched the Prudential World Cup in 1983, thus making the nation a cricket super power,” noted Prof. A. Prasanna Kumar, a Fulbright Fellow, sports columnist and author.

“If the sport’s reign was divided into eras, the 1970s belonged to Sunil Gavaskar, the ’80s to Kapil Dev, the ’90s to Sachin Tendulkar and thereon to M.S. Dhoni. Much credit is due to the limited-over version named after the Grand Old Man,” added Prasanna Kumar, who was a commentator during Visakhapatnam’s first One-Day International between New Zealand and India in 1988.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports / by A. Joseph / Visakhapatnam – March 22nd, 2014

Suven Life grants Taro Pharma rights to market Malathion Lotion in US, Canada, Mexico

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

Suven Life Sciences Ltd, a biopharmaceutical and contract research and manufacturing company, today announced that it has granted an exclusive licence and right to distribute and market its Malathion Lotion USP 0.5% to Taro Pharmaceuticals, North America.

The Hyderabad-based company said it has a US Patent and Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for it in US, Canada and Mexico.

Taro Pharmaceuticals North America, is a subsidiary of Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Malathion lotion is indicated for patients infected with Pediculus humanus capitis (head lice and their ova) of the scalp hair. In consideration for the exclusive licence and right to distribute and market the lotion Taro will pay Suven a royalty and the arrangement is effective until April 2028 unless otherwise terminated, a company release said without revealing financial details in a press release.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Companies / The Hindu Bureau / Hyderabad – March 04th, 2014

IICT, German Varsity Sign Pact on Cancer Research

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion
IICT natural products division head S. Chandrasekhar, CNRS research director Rene Gree, IICT director M Lakshmi Kantam, GVK Biosciences Discovery general manager KV Sharasrikar and professor Goverdhan Mehta of University of Hyderabad at a symposium in Hyderabad on Monday | A RADHAKRISHNA
IICT natural products division head S. Chandrasekhar, CNRS research director Rene Gree, IICT director M Lakshmi Kantam, GVK Biosciences Discovery general manager KV Sharasrikar and professor Goverdhan Mehta of University of Hyderabad at a symposium in Hyderabad on Monday | A RADHAKRISHNA

CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) and Dortmund University, Germany, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for taking up research work for cancer screening.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, head of the natural products chemistry division of the IICT, S Chandrasekhar said that the objective of the collaboration is to find drugs for cancer therapy which develop resistance. ‘’If we develop a new chemical for cancer therapy we will share with Dortmund University and if they come across new drug they would share with us,’’ he said.

He said that all the tests will be done at Max Planck Institutes, Germany.

IICT is working on Alzheimer’s disease and was trying to find a better and more effective chemical than Galantamine. Chandrasekhar said.

Galantamine belongs to the family of  cholinesterase inhibitors and is used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, he said.

Chandrasekar said that the IICT and Mayo Clinic, USA, had developed four new chemicals through neem plant for treating renal cancer. “We have found that the new chemical can kill renal cancer cells 100 percent,” he informed.

He said that as part of 70th year celebrations, CSIR-IICT is organising a four-day international symposium on ‘Nature inspired initiatives in chemical trends.’ The symposium was inaugurated on Monday by University of Hyderabad professor Goverdhan Mehta. About 600 delegates from various countries including US, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, China and South Korea are participating in the conference.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / March 04th, 2014