Monthly Archives: April 2014

Liver transplant is normal, say donors

LiverTransplantHF30apr2014

Doctor says with transplantation, chances of patients’ survival increases by 80 per cent. All the organ recipients said that they were glad today because they took the decision to go for a liver transplantation.

Is liver donation as simple as blood donation? Liver donors say that they had no problem in helping those close to them and want others to follow them.

Engineering student Mani Keerthi had a severe attack of jaundice and her liver stopped functioning. Eighty per cent of patients who have acute liver failure like Ms. Keerthi die. Liver transplantation was the only chance of her surviving. Her mother came forward to donate a part of her liver. The operation was done in Global Hospitals at Hyderabad. Three years have passed and Ms. Keerthi and her mother are leading normal lives and the youngster is pursuing her education again. The mother of another engineering student V. Sarat Chandra donated her liver to her son. Both of them are leading normal lives.

The donor for ex-serviceman M. Venkateswara Rao was not his mother, but his son. “I was reluctant to go for liver transplantation because I was afraid of my son’s health. But my son gave me courage after searching on Internet. He pacified me saying that liver donation like blood donation,” Mr. Rao added.

All the organ recipients said that they were glad today because they took the decision to go for a liver transplantation. The organ recipients and the donors, most of whom were relatives, from Vijayawada area were brought together by the Global Hospitals Group for an interaction with the media to promote awareness on Liver Transplantation as the World Liver Week Programme on Thursday.

Global Hospitals chairman and managing director K. Ravindranath said that the group with units in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai had done 600 liver transplantations, but the unit in Hyderabad had done 50 per cent of the procedures and many of the patients were from Vijayawada. He said the group was doing the highly complex liver transplantations with a 90 per cent success rate in adults and 95 per cent success rate in children. Liver transplantation section head Thomas Cherian said 300 transplants were an important milestone as it highlighted the huge experience of the centre. He said there was a 70 to 80 per cent chance of death once the liver stops functioning. But with transplantation the chances of the patient’s survival shoot up to 80 per cent. He said there were several myths about liver transplantation and this interaction was arranged to clear them.

Senior Hepatologist Dharmesh Kapoor said that the hospital was providing a 10-year follow-up care for liver transplantation patients.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Vijayawada / by  G. Venkataramana Rao / Vijayawada – April 24th, 2014

On a reflective note

Raja Reddy says Kuchipudi has a tradition to it and one needs be disciplined to follow it. / Photo: Nagara Gopal. / The Hindu
Raja Reddy says Kuchipudi has a tradition to it and one needs be disciplined to follow it. / Photo: Nagara Gopal. / The Hindu

Dancer Raja Reddy on dance, his two daughters and why he is not a guru for item numbers

Ace dancer Raja Reddy is high on nostalgia. At his daughter Yamini Reddy’s house in Jubilee Hills, the dancer remembers the time when he watched Vyjayanthimala sing Man dole mera tan dole in Nagin and fell in love with her dance. “I was mesmerised by Vyjayanthimala’s dance and watched the movie for 17 days. I was mad about dance,” he remembers. Now, he sees the same passion in his daughter Bhavna. “When people saw her dance, they said she is born only to dance. But Bhavna’s passion is western music and when she told us she wanted to study abroad, we were sceptical. Bhavna told me, ‘If you could travel from a village to Delhi to make your dreams come true, why can’t I go to US.’ I had to let her go to realise her dreams. I am sure, after she comes back she will also dance,” he says.

Kuchipudi dancer Raja Reddy and his daughter Yaminin Reddy / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
Kuchipudi dancer Raja Reddy and his daughter Yaminin Reddy / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

The father is also proud of his other daughter Yamini Reddy’s achievements with her dance school Natya Tarangini.

He is in Hyderabad for the dance workshop being organised by her. “After her workshop news went online, people in Delhi are asking me when I will hold such a workshop there,” he says. On a reflective note, he says, “Traditional gurus never let their daughters dance. They always encouraged their sons. We have to be progressive and let our daughters do what they want to do. Be it sports, art, music or dance… we should give them our support,” he says.

As a guru he looks for dedication among youngsters. “Some parents tell me, ‘My daughter wants to join films. Can you teach her some items?’ I am not a guru for item numbers,” he says with a laugh.

During his Hyderabad trips, a few rangapravesams he attended left him disappointed. “I noticed many other elements being included during a dance show. In the middle of the performance, the guru’ssanmanam is organised. Then, he gives a speech followed by chief guest’s speech. Kuchipudi has a tradition to it and one needs to have discipline,” he notes.

As he watches his grandson Arjun in a playful mode, he smiles, “When I wished for a grand-daughter, my daughter Yamini told me, ‘You have two wives and two daughters. You should be happy with a grandson.”

Two-day workshop

Yamini Reddy’s idea for a dance workshop emerged when a parent asked her what couture her daughter should wear while dancing. “Another parent had a doubt as to what food her daughter should eat when she is practicing dance. I knew the benefits of yoga from my personal experience and felt students should know about yoga too,” she states.

She decided to address these issues and organise a workshop with experts. “I realised people don’t discuss these topics and there was a need to address them,” she says. The dance workshop organised by her dance school Natya Tarangini at Hotel Golkonda had different sessions on two days. The first day saw a session on costume and make up by fashion designer Ganesh Nallari and eating right and a talk by Dr. Harita Shyam, chief clinical nutritionist at Apollo Hospitals on nutrition and psychological benefits of dancing.

The second day on Thursday saw sessions on yoga and music. Her father and eminent dance guru Raja Reddy shared his experiences with the 150 participants.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Neeraja Murthy / Hyderabad – April 24th, 2014

Railway exhibition a big draw

A visitor records the exhibits on his mobile at the exhibition organised as part of the Railway Week celebrations, in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. /  Photo: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM / The Hindu
A visitor records the exhibits on his mobile at the exhibition organised as part of the Railway Week celebrations, in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. / Photo: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM / The Hindu

It was a trip down memory lane for some of the visitors as they went through old photographs and stamps on locomotives, rail bridges, and our national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Sastry, and Jawaharlal Nehru travelling in trains.

The exhibition was organised by the Waltair Division of East Coast Railway as part of the 59 Railway Week celebrations here on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There were stamps issued on Howrah, Chennai, Mumbai CST, and Old Delhi stations with the imposing vintage buildings, the BNR locomotive, built by the North British Locomotive Company, introduced by BNR in 1913. It was continued till 1921 for heavy shunting and coal traffic.

Later in the evening, cultural programmes were organised by the Personnel Branch of Waltair Division as part of the celebrations.

In his inaugural address, Divisional Railway Manager Anil Kumar listed the achievements of the Division during the financial year 2013-2014.

The Division achieved an originating loading of 52.56 MT, thereby becoming one of the few divisions in the country which had an originating loading in excess of 50 MT. On the passenger front, the originating traffic increased to 33.80 million, which was 3 per cent more than the previous year, and passenger earnings increased to Rs.366.51 crore, which was 17 per cent higher than the previous year. The Division has earned the highest ever total earning of Rs.6,265.58 crore.

Mr. Anil Kumar spoke on the development works initiated at Visakhapatnam railway station like commissioning of escalators on platforms 2 and 3 and 4 and 5, and works on improvement of Gnanapuram-side to ease traffic congestion.

Additional DRM M.L. Meena, ECoRWWO president Anju Anil Kumar, and Divisional Personnel Officer B. Mondal were among those who attended.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities>Visakhapatnam / Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – April 16th, 2014

Engineering grad shows the way

K Nikita who won the Leo of the Year award at a function in Visakhapatnam on Thursday
K Nikita who won the Leo of the Year award at a function in Visakhapatnam on Thursday

Being a civil engineering student doesn’t stop her to reach out to the deprived lot and serve society in the best possible manner.

It is this selfless attitude that made K. Nikita, III year student of Dr. L. Bullayya College, stand out from the crowd and win an international award ‘Leo of the Year 2012-2013’. As part of Leo Club Visakhapatnam Greater, a community-based youth wing of Lions Clubs International, Nikita got selected for her consistent effort serving diverse communities. Nikhita is the first person to win the award from the State and second in the country, says her father K.L.V. Krishna Rao.

Apart from being a brilliant student and an NCC cadet, Nikita has designed several projects that heighten the happiness quotient of the needy. “The club, involving 20 youngsters, provides me a platform to meet different people and understand their requirements. Visiting places such as Central Jail, Juvenile Home for Girls, old age homes and slum areas made me think beyond classrooms,” she says.

Community projects

Nikita feels creating tailor-made community projects provide an avenue to foster leadership qualities. She says, “service is contagious. It gives me immense pleasure when people benefit out of our programmes and spread the smile. The recent week-long workshop at the Central Jail saw inmates participating in a series of sports and quiz contests. I feel these people have been brushed aside by society due to varied reasons. And it is our responsibility to bring change in their lives.”

Drawing inspiration from her parents and team-mates, Nikita is confident about living her dream by utilising her time efficiently. Shuffling between studies and community work, according to her, is an art that one nurtures over a period of time. “Everything is time bound in life. It is important to plan your day. With so much to do in life, the art of living lies in enjoying what you do. And in the process, you will end up finding time for anything you want to do,” she adds.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – January 31st, 2014

Free workshop on film making

If you think that the success of a movie depends on its casting, music and foot-tapping item numbers, you are mistaken.

The movie ‘Minugurulu’ has no such regular templates to draw the audience to the theatre hall. However, the well-made film will hardly leave its viewers disappointed as its theme is entirely different from the run-of-the-mill melodrama.

Released in 2014, the film, directed and produced by Ayodhya Kumar Krishnam Setty, grabbed special jury prize in the International Children’s Film Festival of India apart from being nominated for Best Indian Film at the 9 India International Children’s Film Festival.

To facilitate the aspiring directors understand the concept of directing message- oriented films, Vizag Film Society has taken the initiative of screening the film on April 25 which will be followed by a free workshop on filmmaking.

The director of the film is coming to Vizag to engage the wannabe filmmakers and take them through the workshop that focuses on the making of ‘Minugurulu’. “To celebrate the theme-based film’s success, we have organised this workshop. The session facilitates an interactive forum with director Ayodhya Kumar where one gets familiar with the nuances of making low-budget films,” honorary secretary of VFS Narava Prakasa Rao said.

Certificates will be given away to those who participate in the free workshop. Free screening of Minugurulu will begin at Visakhapatnam Public Library from 10 a.m. Those who want to register can contact 9052954800 or 9032477463.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Staff Reporter / Visakhapatnam – April 22nd, 2014

Remembering a titan of Hyderabad’s heritage

He played cricket and football for St Stephen’s Delhi with distinction. He did his masters in English as well as Arabic and he topped Punjab University in Persian. And if you are to name a saviour of the cave art of Ajanta and Ellora it is him: Ghulam Yazdani, a Padma Bhushan awardee as well as a recipient of OBE (Order of British Empire). 

Remembering a titan of Hyderabad’s heritage
Remembering a titan of Hyderabad’s heritage

As the Archaeology Department of Andhra Pradesh marks its 100 years the coming Friday, it is time to remember the man who created the department out of nothing.
If Hyderabad has a vestige of its heritage left, it is thanks to him. Deputed to Hyderabad as a Superintendent in 1914, he brought with him his expertise, energy and accountability. Not for him the claptrap of archaeology department doing the job of cataloguing and executing conservation work, Yazdani was a hands on man who got a road laid between Hyderabad and Bidar to protect the Bahamani heritage of Bidar and also between Toli Masjid and Golconda.
A man of sharp wit, he dismisses the decorative motifs of Toli Masjid as: “The impression made by such buildings overloaded with decorations is like the impression left by the ostentatious and lavish display of personal adornment, generally favoured by lowly persons suddenly become rich.”
For the restoration of the Ellora cave art, he tried to get Luigi Cavenaghi, the man linked to restoration of Leonardo’s Last Supper, to work on the paintings. Unfortunately, he could get only Lorenzo Cecconi, who applied shellac on the paintings, ruining them further. Ghulam Yazdani published a series of photographs and reproductions of the cave art with his explanations.
And by the way, Ghulam Yazdani’s salary was ` 560 per month. And just recently, the Archeology Department found it fit to name its museum after YS Rajasekhara Reddy!

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> People / by Serish Nanisetti, TNN / April 21st, 2014

Daughter fulfils father’s last wish

 

P.M. Rao, whose body was donated to Osmania Medical College. / The Hindu
P.M. Rao, whose body was donated to Osmania Medical College. / The Hindu

Donates his body to the anatomy department of OMC. The family of late Madhava Rao was pleasantly surprised by the feedback from students of the medical college.

A father’s last wish, of being useful even after death, was fulfilled by his daughter. K. Sandhya Gupta, who donated his body to the anatomy department of Osmania Medical College.

A retired employee of Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), Parepalli Madhava Rao, who passed away recently, had planned ahead. “He was very clear that his eyes and body should be donated to a medical institution. He used to say that there is no point in burning the body after so many years of feeding it. That’s why we went all out to fulfil his wish,” his daughter, Ms. Gupta, recalls.

The family of late Madhava Rao was pleasantly surprised by the feedback from students of the medical college. “For the past six to eight months, the anatomy department students were working and reworking on the same cadaver. The practicals of researchers and students were held up as there was no cadaver. They welcomed us with open arms and appreciated our efforts,” she says.

Interest in research was huge for Rao, who has translated Russian books into English in subjects that include botany, zoology, agriculture, fuels and mining for Indian publishing houses. “By the age of 80, he had already translated 80 technical books and hundreds of scientific articles from Russian to English,” she adds.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – April 15th, 2014

Dr. Reddy’s Announces the Launch of Eszopiclone Tablets C-IV

Hyderabad , India (BUSINESS WIRE)

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (NYSE: RDY) announced today that it has launched Eszopiclone Tablets (C-IV) 1 mg, 2 mg and 3 mg, a therapeutic equivalent generic version of LUNESTA® (eszopiclone) tablets C-IV in the US market on April 15, 2014, following the approval by the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA).

The LUNESTA® (eszopiclone) tablets C-IV brand and generic combined had U.S. sales of approximately $887 Million MAT for the most recent twelve months ending in January 2014 according to IMS Health*.

Dr. Reddy’s Eszopiclone Tablets (C-IV) 1 mg is available in bottle counts of 30. Eszopiclone Tablets (C-IV) 2 mg and 3 mg are available in bottle counts of 100.

source: http://www.news.investors.com / Investors.com / Home> News> by Business Wire / April 16th, 2014

Facelift for Abdul Wahab tomb

Grandiose plans:The 400-year-old tomb in Kurnool is set to be developed as a tourist spot.-Photo U.Subramanyam / The Hindu
Grandiose plans:The 400-year-old tomb in Kurnool is set to be developed as a tourist spot.-Photo U.Subramanyam / The Hindu

Abdul Wahab tomb, popularly known as Gol Gummaz, located near Osmania College here will soon get a facelift under the Special Tourism package. Financial assistance was given under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Central Tourism package.

The Union Tourism Ministry sanctioned an amount of Rs 4.30 crore for development of Gol Gummaz, Kondareddy Fort, Vijayavanam as landscape and Rupala Sangameswara temple.

Special focus was laid on the 400-year-old tomb for development as tourist spot along with three other places, which will form a tourism circuit. Gol Gummaz has a special place in the history of Kurnool city. The tomb of Abdul Wahab, the military commander of Bijapur army and first Muslim ruler of Kurnool was believed to have been constructed in 1618 after the death of Wahab. After successful invasion of the Kurnool fort, Bijapur Sultan Adil Shah declared Wahab as its chieftain. His successors ruled the fort until another dynasty headed Davud Khan was installed as rulers of Kurnool fort.

The monument with a large dome was constructed in typical Bijapur style of architecture. The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) notified the structure as monument and took all measures to protect its ambience. However, with the latest decision of developing it as a tourist centre, every care was being taken to preserve the originality of the monument, said Krishna Chaitanya of ASI.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by  D. Sreenivasulu / Kurnool – March 19th, 2014

Gopal Darwaza stands as a witness to history

The historical gate way to Tungabhadra river Gopal Darwaza in Kurnool. / PHOTO: U.SUBRAMANYAM / The Hindu
The historical gate way to Tungabhadra river Gopal Darwaza in Kurnool. / PHOTO: U.SUBRAMANYAM / The Hindu

Gopal Darwaza, popularly known as ‘Gopal Diddi’, a dilapidated structure on the bank of Tungabhadra river speaks volumes about history and a gory past.

The entrance (northern gate) was part of the Kurnool fort which was built by vassals of Vijayanagara Kings in the 15th and 16th century. Araveeti dynasty ruled Kurnool fort on account of its close relations with the Vijyanagara kings.

However, two controversial accounts exist about the majestic entrance overlooking the river. According to one version, the last king of Kurnool Araveeti Gopala Raju, grandson of Araveeti Ramarayalu (son-in-law of Krishnadevaraya) used the entrance to reach to the river every day for a dip and worship in the Nagareswara and Anjaneya Swamy temples. Hence it was named Gopal Darwaza.

Another account is that Gopal Raja fled from the entrance when the army of Bijapur commander Abdul Wahab laid a siege to the fort. Palle Kesava Rao, a noted historian and writer, depicted in his book that Gopal Raja fought a fierce battle and died a heroic death in front of the temple of his beloved God Nagareswara. However, the next rulers wove the fleeing story to avoid backlash from public.

After the battle there was no trace of Gopal Raja and no account exists whether he had taken shelter anywhere. The valiant king who defended the fort even after the fall of Vijayanagara Kingdom could not have surrendered so meekly to invaders, says historian K. Maddaiah.

In fact, Gopal Raja repelled the attack of Abdul Wahab successfully in 1618 taking the help of his cousins from Owk, Penugonda and Ghani. After the fall of Vijayanagara kingdom in Tallikota battle in 1565, the Kurnool fort was offered to Bijapur as part of arrangement. But the Kurnool kings refused to surrender and revolted, which took another 50 years to get subdued.

In 1624, the Bijapur army renewed its attack on Kurnool fort and waited for a long time at Gondiparla, on the other side of the bank, and carried out the surprise attack during night. Gopal Raja, who was confident of repulsing the attack, could not secure support from his cousins this time.

Kondareddy Burj and Gopal Darwaza are the remnants of the sprawling Kurnool fort, built of red sandstone. A part of the long moat (trench) of the fort was levelled during British time and a street was constructed, which is named as Minchin Bazar, after a British official.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Kurnool – April 22nd, 2014