Monthly Archives: May 2014

Shobha Nagi Reddy India’s 1st posthumous MLA

Leaders, Records, All
Shobha Nagi Reddy. (Photo: DC/File)
Shobha Nagi Reddy. (Photo: DC/File)

Hyderabad:

Deceased YSR Congress spokesperson, B. Shobha Nagi Reddy, became the first posthumously elected member to a Legislative Assembly in the country.

Ms Reddy won with a huge majority of more than 47,000 votes in an electorate of about 2 lakhs where there are more women voters than men.

Her majority this time is about 10,000 votes more than that she secured when she successfully contested the last time in the by-elections. A re-poll in the segment will now be held in the next few months to elect the next MLA. But, it is unclear as to who would contest on behalf of YSRC.
Riding on the sympathy wave, Ms Reddy’s husband and former MP, Bhuma Nagi Reddy, won from Nandyal, while her brother too tasted victory in Kurnool.

Ms Reddy had died in a road accident in April while coming back to the city, but the EC allowed her to remain in fray.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Politics / by DC Correspondent / May 17th, 2014

The Ground Beneath her Feet

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All

SUMMARY

Shantala Shivalingappa,a Kuchipudi dancer from Paris,on her art and winning a Bessie,the Oscars of dance.
____________________________________________________________________________________
In New York City,news of a promising performer spreads quickly. When Shantala Shivalingappa arrived there to dance at a festival in October 2012,more than 2,000 people were waiting in the hall. Among them were students,families and newspaper critics,who had heard of her past concerts in the city. The largely American audience was unaware of Kuchipudi,a classical dance form from Andhra Pradesh,or the story Shivalingappa was about to tell,a legend titled Shiva-Ganga.
Shivalingappa, 37, danced solo, alternating between Shiva, with his feet rooted to the ground and matted hair open to the wind,and Ganga, swaying towards earth with light, easy strides. “All I could think of was that an Indian dance form had managed to strike a chord with so many people in the hall,” says Shivalingappa. The dancer from Paris who is relatively unknown in India had taken another step in her effort to “take the dance form to the Western audience”.
That performance garnered Shivalingappa more than a host of new fans. A year later,in October 2013,  Shiva-Ganga won an award for Outstanding Performance at the New York Dance and Performance Awards,popularly called the Bessies,and known as the international dance world’s version of the Oscars. It was a first for Indian classical dance or for any South Asian dance form. In India the event went unnoticed. “It was an exciting experience because there are many dances nominated for the Bessies,from street dance to ballet to Western contemporary. The award for an Indian classical dance showed that art has no boundaries,” says Shivalingappa.
Shivalingappa says her story begins even before she was born. Her parents met in Paris as students and have lived there since 1967-68. Shivalingappa’s mother,Savitry Nair,was a Bharatanatyam dancer,and her father worked with Unesco. “I have no other city to compare the Paris of my childhood to,so I could be biased. Paris has a strong cultural tradition,with people visiting museums and musical evenings from a young age,” she says.

Their home was a meeting point for dancers,artists and performers. Among those who would drop by for a meal or an impromptu home concert was the German pioneer of dance-theatre,Pina Bausch,Maurice Bejart,a Swiss-French neo-ballet choreographer,vocalists Bhimsen Joshi and M Balamuralikrishna,and mandolin maestro U Shrinivas. “In 1985,Mandolin Shrinivas was to perform at a festival of India in Paris. Unlike the other artistes,he was very young,only 15. I was a child so I quite liked to listen to him play. It opened my heart to Carnatic music,” she says.

Shivalingappa began training in Bharatanatyam and began taking singing lessons from her mother when she was five years old. Unsurprisingly,these were just a part of life,like going to school. “Dance and music weren’t more special than anything else I was doing,” she says. Until one day,when her mother took Shivalingappa to the academy of her guru Vempati Chinna Sathyam in Chennai,to “learn a few kuchipudi steps for a project she was doing in London”. “The master’s son demonstrated the shiva tandava for me,and it was like nothing else I had known. I wanted nothing,other than to learn this dance form and share it with others. I thought,‘Everybody should know about Kuchipudi in the West. 

She turned to Sathyam to learn Kuchipudi,staying in Chennai for six months at a time. “There were endless hours of classes,steps,jatis and choreographies. My master’s style of Kuchipudi was a combination of strong and powerful footwork and graceful,full-of-curves upper body moves. The impact was not only intellectual; I felt it all through my body,” she says.

Shivalingappa didn’t need to be told that the secret to mastering a classical dance is “time,time and time”. “I had come from Bharatanatyam,so my posture was angular and geometrical,which was a good thing. Kuchipudi,however,is as much about crisp lines as fluidity and sway and this was very difficult for me,” she says. The coexistence of contrasts in Kuchipudi is also what attracted Shivalingappa — the balance between geometric precision and graceful curves. “I gave it all the time I could,learning at the academy from 9 am to 1 pm,then again from 5 pm to 7 pm,and putting in extra hours before,after and in between classes,” she says. She was 16 and dance occupied her every waking moment. ; “When I wasn’’t practising,I was observing the master and his senior disciples. I wasn’’t interested in anything else,” she says.

Since her teens,Shivalingappa had been performing for some of the biggest names in the international dance and theatre circuit. Peter Brook cast her as Miranda in in his adaptation of The Tempest (1990) and Ophelia in Hamlet (2000). Bausch featured her in a series of shows,such as O Dido (1999),Nefes (2003),Bamboo Blues (2007) and Solo (2007); and Bejart directed her dance solo,1789…et nous,for the bi-centenary celebrations of the French Revolution in 1989. Crowds and critics alike,woke up to the dusky Indian dancer with lyrical movements. Alastair Macaulay,chief dance critic of The New York Times,was among those impressed by Shivalingappa’s “witty charm”. “In many ways,my Western collaborations have nourished my Kuchipudi. My sense of how to use space,approach body language,isolate and refine every element in a dance and control the speed of various sequences,all these can be traced back to the Western artistes I worked with,” says Shivalingappa.

In time, Shivalingappa used her Western shows and her growing popularity with audiences to stage pure Kuchipudi shows in Paris,Venice,Madrid,Barcelona,New York,Seattle and San Francisco,among others. “The concerts would always be held in big theatres,rather than at Indian festivals and be of very high quality. That put Kuchipudi in a high arena,and I banked on the fact that if people liked what I was doing,they would give me a chance and open more doors,” she says.

Among her popular pieces are Gamaka (2007) inspired by Indian classical music and describing “the oscillation or vibration of sound between two musical notes”,Swayambhu (2010) in which “the dancer becomes an artisan-alchemist,who seeks the right combination of material to give rise to pure expression”,and Akasha (2013),from the Sanskrit word for sky or space.
Currently in Sydney,she is busy rehearsing with Australian choreographer Shaun Parker for a piece that will open at the Sydney Opera House on January 9. She is also looking forward to showcasing her solo work at the Park’s New Festival 2014 in the four metros,Bangalore and Hyderabad in August and September. “Though I was born in India,and have performed twice at Kalakshetra (a training and performance centre started by Rukmini Devi Arundale in Chennai),this will be the first major tour of my solo shows,” she says over the phone.
Shivalingappa often cites the example of Pt Ravi Shankar who took Indian music to foreign audiences and created a worldwide impact. She herself represents a small group of artistes who live abroad and have mastered an Indian art — thus expanding its definition. “Living away from India actually sharpens our senses to Indian elements and arts. For me,both the East and the West coexist in a performance,” she says.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> News-Archive> Web / by  Dipanita Nath / January 05th, 2014

Wife, mother, home-maker, businesswoman

Business & Economy, Inspiration /Positive News and Features
Sunitha Rao (below) sells a collection of custom designed sarees and dress materials to her friends and and extended customer base sitting right at home. She represents a growing a number of home makers who have found financial viability and independence through their enterprising business | Neeraj Murali
Sunitha Rao (below) sells a collection of custom designed sarees and dress materials to her friends and and extended customer base sitting right at home. She represents a growing a number of home makers who have found financial viability and independence through their enterprising business | Neeraj Murali

Hyderabad :

Sunitha Y invested in an apparel business after quitting her job as a soft skill trainer. It seemed like the better option considering that she had to take care of her children and also have a source of income. Now, though it’s only been five months, it sure is fetching her quite the reward.

“I have a flair for good clothes and eye for good fabric. I used to be the one who selected clothes for my friends and others around. So I decided to try this out,” she says of her business plunge.

Apart from looking at it as a source of income, she also felt that she needed a meaningful avocation. She has a circle of friends and the word is fast spreading. Her clientele mostly includes middle and upper-middle class people who buy sarees and dress materials that she sources from a few weavers in bulk.

Housewives like Sunitha Y, who have chosen alternative ways to source income have been exploring such business ideas. Eventually, the venture doesn’t get limited to just financial independence, but becomes a way to grow in many aspects — in confidence, in creativity and in personality.

Another housewife began a similar kind of business, six years ago. But the clothes she stocks were different. “I source from the local markets here and I have dress materials, sarees, kurtis and leggings. People who buy from me are generally college students, house wives and working women,” she informs. She clearly has a taste for good clothes as most of her clients come back for more of her unique picks. Her customer list is more that 200.

When the options for shopping are aplenty – from designer wear to handlooms, one might wonder what pushes these clients to come back to the friendly housewife.

These homegrown entrepreneurs says its the option of paying on an instalment basis.

“For someone, a silk saree worth `15,000 may seem like a lot. But I give them the option to pay the amount over eight months. That way, the customer is satisfied and not stretched thin,” says Sunitha Rao, another such entrepreneur who has varied collection of sarees and dress materials that are sourced from Banaras and Calcutta. A relatively old hand in the business, she started the venture in 2002 and still has customers from then.

“They like the way I play with colours. My knowledge of what colour looks good in what material helps customers choose well,” she shares. She also customises designs to the likes of people. “That is my USP,” she adds.

Having designed for film actors in the movies Happy Days and Godavari, her creations are liked by as many as 300 or more people whom she recalls are her regular customers. “There were some financial differences and hence I stopped designing or sourcing for films,” she says of her brief movie sojourn.

Given the rather domestic setting of their businesses, for all these women, word-of-mouth has been the reason for expansion.

Some did take the initiative to also go to schools and offices to build their customer base, while for others, their husband’s circle worked just as well. Like for Sunitha Rao. She also uses the power of the internet these days.

“I send pictures of new stock and designs to customers, mostly in the USA, through Facebook and WhatsApp. They ask for customisations and then the merchandise is shipped off,” she says. Payments are also done online to simplify matters.

As for Sunitha Y, she is still in the process of developing her circle. Selling on an instalment basis is something she thinks could be a lucrative option in the long run.

At the end, these enterprises are a win-win for both the entrepreneurs and customers. Relatively cheaper, economic payment modules and customisation options make these housewives the matriarch of the house in more ways than one, and their business module looks like it has a long way to go.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Rajitha  S / May 16th, 2014

Hussainsagar water to be on sale

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology
File picture of Hussainsagar lake. (Photo: DC/File)
File picture of Hussainsagar lake. (Photo: DC/File)

Hyderabad:

The Buddha Purnima project wing aims to earn Rs 60 lakh per month from the sale of treated water from Hussainsagar, which is the only revenue generating project under the Hussainsagar Lake and Catchment Improvement Programme (HCIP).

The three filling stations, at Khairatabad flyover, NTR Garden service gate and Sanjeevaiah Park second gate together will have the capacity to fill 1,000 tankers (of 10 kilo liters) per day. Out of the 50 MLD of treated water, 35 MLD will be used to maintain the lake balance, seven will be used by HMDA and the rest will be sold.

The three filling stations will be connected with a six-km pipeline procured from Kolkata. The HMDA chief engineer for the reuse project explained, “Per day, 50 MLD of sewerage water is being treated at various sewerage treatment plants (STPs), out of which 35 MLD is needed to maintain the lake balance (for evaporation and percolation); of the remaining 15 MLD, 7.10 MLD is required for gardening and landscaping of HMDA amusement establishments surrounding Hussainsagar. The remaining 8 MLD will be stored at the filling stations for sale.”

The treated water contains dissolved oxygen less than 3 milligrams per liter (mg/l), residual chlorine from 0.1 to 0.2 mg/l and other elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, coliform and suspended solids. It can be used for irrigation, construction, landscaping, gardening and washing purposes.

Till now, the South Central Railway, Secunderabad, has come forward to purchase 1.10 MLD for washing bogies (0.6 MLD at Nampally station and 0.5 MLD at Kachiguda); few private construction companies and concrete ready mix plants have also showed interest.

“The exact price per tanker will be finalised after the completion of the filling stations. The HMDA has estimated close to Rs 2 lakh revenue per day (Rs 60 lakh per month). Each station will have four filling points and the maximum flow at each point will be 69 cubic meter per hour,” added the official.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs/ by DC Correspondent / May 08th, 2014

BPC ranker, daughter of mill worker

Education, Records, All
N. Divya (Photo: DC)
N. Divya (Photo: DC)

Karimnagar:

Daughter of a labourer, 18-year-old N. Divya, has secured first rank in the state in Intermediate II Year.

Divya, a student of Alphores Junior College of the city, scored 989 out of 1,000 in her Intermediate BiPC. Her father, Sattaiah, works in a Kollapur-based textile unit, while her mother, Laxmi, prepares bamboo fencings. Speaking to this newspaper, Divya said that she wanted to become a doctor and help the weaker sections.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by DC Correspondent / May 05th, 2014

Denty’s Dental Care raises $4.5 million from Helion Venture Partners

Business & Economy, Science & Technology
Today’s Healthcare, based in Vijayawada, runs 10 clinics in five cities in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, which have fully digitized logging of patient data and electronic medical records./ Photo: Ramesh Pathania/ Mint
Today’s Healthcare, based in Vijayawada, runs 10 clinics in five cities in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, which have fully digitized logging of patient data and electronic medical records./ Photo: Ramesh Pathania/ Mint

The money will be used to set up more clinics

Bangalore:

Dental care company Today’s Healthcare India Pvt. Ltd , which has multiple clinics under the name Denty’s Dental Care , said on Monday that it raised Rs.27 crore ($4.5 million) from Helion Venture Partners .

The money will be used to set up more clinics.
Today’s Healthcare , based in Vijayawada, runs 10 clinics in five cities in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, which have fully digitized logging of patient data and electronic medical records.
“We are impressed by the founders’ focus on clinical excellence combined with repeatable and scalable operational processes. Customers across five different cities enthusiastically recommend the clinics to their friends and families, giving us confidence in the team’s ability to create a high-quality dental practice nationwide,” said  Sanjeev Aggarwal , senior managing director, Helion Venture Partners.
The first clinic was launched in Vijayawada by two doctors, Sekhar Chennupati  and Rajesh Nandipati , in 2009. The clinics offer comprehensive dental services ranging from basic to advanced treatments across all specialities in dentistry.
“The funding from Helion will fuel the replication of our proven, scalable model across the country, enabling us to reach out to a larger population. There is an acute need for standardized delivery of dental care and the existing infrastructure is only touching the periphery of this opportunity,” Chennupati, co-founder and managing director, Denty’s Dental Care, said in a statement.
The funds will be used to build 150 clinics over the next five years, the company said.
The Indian dental care services market was worth $740 million (aroundRs.4,450 crore) in 2010 and is expected to reach $1.3 billion by 2015, growing at an annual rate of 12%, according to Frost and Sullivan , a business consulting firm.
Dental care chains that have come up in the last five years, mainly in bigger cities, include Dentistree ,  Stardental Centre Pvt. Ltd   under the name  Clove Dental ,  Total Dental Care Pvt. Ltd  under the name  MyDentist  ,  Apollo Hospitals group’s  Apollo White Dental ,  Axiss Dental  and  Swiss Smile Dental Clinic .
India had 180,000 dentists in 2012, serving the population through 125,000 clinics across the country, according to a Healthcare and Dental Industry in India report.
The general dentist concentration is one for every 30,000 persons; urban concentration indicates one dentist for every 10,000 and rural areas one dentist for every 250,000.
source: http://www.livemint.com / Live Mint & Wall Street Journal / Home> Companies / by Aparna Ghosh / Monday – May 05th, 2-014

Hyderabad to host software engineering conference

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Eight-day conference from May 31 to June 7 would see around 2,000 individuals, including 600 international and 800 Indian delegates attending it.

SoftwareHF16may2014

Hyderabad, which will host the 36th edition of International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE), 2014, will act as the meeting point of researchers, professionals, students and faculty from the departments of software engineering from India and across the globe.

This is the first time India is hosting the conference.

The eight-day conference from May 31 to June 7 would see participation of around 2,000 individuals, including 600 international and 800 Indian delegates.

Some of the speakers for the event include James D Herbsleb, professor, Institute for Software Research in Carnegie Mellon University and Charles Lee Isbell, Jr Senior Associate Dean, College of Computing and Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology .

Around 100 PhD students will share their research findings and experiences.

For the first time in the 36-year history of ICSE, live video streaming of the keynotes will be made available for those who won’t be able to attend the conference.

“Through this conference, we aim to bring together eminent scholars to provide an opportunity for the young minds to learn and grow,” said Ramesh Loganathan, president of  IT and  ITeS Association of Andhra Pradesh (ITsAP).

The key highlights include presentation of technical research papers, software engineering education and training, new faculty and researcher symposium, student research competition and future of software engineering among others.

“The industry forum will enable young professionals to understand the global standards and get a peek into some of the best works in software industry research in the world,” said Professor Vasudev Varma of IIIT-Hyderabad.

The next edition of the conference will be held in Italy from May 16-24, 2015. The previous edition happened in San Francisco, USA.

For hosting the event, Hyderabad outstripped other contenders– New Delhi, Pune and Bangalore– in terms of well-placed IT ecosystem and an easy drive to international airport, said organisers of the event.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Current Affairs> News> National / by N Madhav / Hyderabad – May 05th, 2014

Shantha’s Pentavalent Pediatric Vaccine prequalified by World Health Organization

Science & Technology, World Opinion

Shantha’s Pentavalent Pediatric Vaccine prequalified by World Health Organization

– Shan5(TM) is the first vaccine jointly developed by the Indian company

and its parent company Sanofi Pasteur –

– WHO’s decision allows for the purchase of Shan5(TM) by United Nations agencies –

LYON, France, May 5, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today that its pediatric pentavalent vaccine Shan5(TM), developed and manufactured by its affiliate Shantha Biotechnics in Hyderabad, India, has received prequalification status from the World Health Organization (WHO). This status is based on a review of a comprehensive set of data related to the process and the product characteristics, as well as on a positive recommendation of WHO’s auditors following a site inspection of Shantha’s manufacturing facilities. It qualifies Shan5(TM) vaccine for purchase by United Nations agencies, mainly UNICEF. Shan5(TM) prequalification will give more children around the world access to the latest high-quality, fully-liquid, 5-in-1 vaccine and help secure the supply of pentavalent combination vaccines in over 50 emerging and low-income countries.

“Shan5(TM) is the first product that puts together the best of Shantha and Sanofi Pasteur’s assets and talents,” said Olivier Charmeil, Sanofi Pasteur President and CEO. “Today, a significant number of babies born every year do not have access to modern vaccination programs. By delivering large supplies of high-quality and affordable vaccines to emerging and low-income countries, Shantha will be contributing to filling this gap for the benefits of babies and their parents.”

Shan5(TM) is produced at Shantha’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Hyderabad, India, and received Marketing Authorization in India in March 2014.

“The development of Shan5(TM) benefitted from Sanofi Pasteur’s more than 50 years of experience with whole-cell pertussis and combination vaccines – ensuring robust processes and guaranteeing international quality standards” said Harish Iyer, Shantha CEO. Shantha’s manufacturing platform in India will serve Indian needs and provide Sanofi Pasteur access to additional vaccine markets globally.”

About Shantha

Shantha, which was acquired by Sanofi Pasteur Holding in 2009, is a biotechnology pioneer from the emerging countries, founded by Dr. K I Varaprasad Reddy in 1993 in Hyderabad, India. Shantha is a fully integrated biotechnology company involved in R&D, manufacturing and marketing.

Shantha’s mission is to develop, produce and market human health care products which are affordable and meet the highest International standards. Shantha’s products complement Sanofi Pasteur’s portfolio. Besides Shan5(TM), three of its vaccines are WHO-prequalified: Shanchol(TM) cholera vaccine, Shanvac-B(R) hepatitis B vaccine and ShanTT(TM) tetanus vaccine. Sanofi Pasteur and Shantha are also developing a new vaccine against rotavirus and a pediatric combination vaccine based on Shan5(TM),that will incorporate Sanofi Pasteur’s Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) in order to secure polio eradication.

About Shan5

Shan5 is a fully-liquid five-in-one, convenient, safe and high-quality vaccine that provides effective protection for children from 6 weeks of age against five diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib and hepatitis B. Shan5 vaccine has been developed and is produced by Shantha in Hyderabad, India.

About Sanofi

Sanofi, an integrated global healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients’ needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, consumer healthcare, emerging markets, animal health and the new Genzyme. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY).

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, provides more than 1 billion doses of vaccine each year, making it possible to immunize more than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine industry, Sanofi Pasteur offers a broad range of vaccines protecting against 20 infectious diseases. The company’s heritage, to create vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company invests more than EUR 1 million in research and development. For more information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com or www.sanofipasteur.us

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to future financial results, events, operations, services, product development and potential, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “plans” and similar expressions. Although Sanofi’s management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Sanofi, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, future clinical data and analysis, including post marketing, decisions by regulatory authorities, such as the FDA or the EMA, regarding whether and when to approve any drug, device or biological application that may be filed for any such product candidates as well as their decisions regarding labelling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of such product candidates, the absence of guarantee that the product candidates if approved will be commercially successful, the future approval and commercial success of therapeutic alternatives, the Group’s ability to benefit from external growth opportunities, trends in exchange rates and prevailing interest rates, the impact of cost containment policies and subsequent changes thereto, the average number of shares outstanding as well as those discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and the AMF made by Sanofi, including those listed under “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Sanofi’s annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2013. Other than as required by applicable law, Sanofi does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements.

Contacts:

Global Media Relations Investor Relations

Alain Bernal Sébastien Martel

T. +33 (0)4 37 37 50 38 T. +33 (0)1 53 77 45 45

alain.bernal@sanofipasteur.com ir@sanofi.com

www.sanofipasteur.com

India Media Relations

Aparna Thomas

T. +91-22-28-27-81-69

aparna.thomas@sanofi.com

www.sanofi.com

Link to PDF of Press Release http://hugin.info/152918/R/1782423/610086.pdf

HUG#1782423

source: http://www.onlinewsj.com / The Wall Street Journal / Home> India Edition / Press Release / May 05th, 2014

Back at Play school

Education, Sports
VVS Laxman with his wife Sailaja and children at the launch of 1st Innings | a suresh kumar
VVS Laxman with his wife Sailaja and children at the launch of 1st Innings | a suresh kumar

Apart from quality education, the surroundings and ambience that a child learns in, plays a huge part in their schooling experience. Keeping that in mind, 1st Innings playschool was launched in the city on Friday by Sailaja Laxman and her husband VVS Laxman, the cricketer. As chairperson and founder of the organisation respectively, the duo inaugurated the premises that is located at Road No.2  Banjara Hills which are in fact, the brain child of Sailaja.

“What you give your children is the most significant part of your life. Good values and education are instrumental to a child’s life and an educated person is able to learn and adapt better,” explained Sailaja about the driving motto behind her idea, before thanking her ‘very very special husband’, much to his amusement.

Admitting that it was challenging to be a cricketer’s wife, given the amount of travelling involved, she said she used the opportunity to visit some of the finest schools in the world. “Thanks to my husband’s profession, I had the  opportunity to visit some of the best schools in the world and I know what international quality of education is like. I wish to bring that similar model of world class infrastructure and teaching to Hyderabad through 1st Innings,” she emphasised.

Quoting Rabindranath Tagore’s famous line ‘Don’t limit a child to your own learning, as he was born in another time’, she said she developed her passion for education while bringing up her own two kids. “When my children were ready for school, I  wanted to provide the best possible education for them and did a lot of research on the best schools available. I then decided to put in my strong passion towards education to use by starting this project,” she explained.

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman played the double role of a husband and a father and had his hands full with his two children by his side. Humble as ever, Laxman was his usual warm self and was delighted to be part of this project. “This venture is very important to me. A lot of people had asked what I would like to do when I retire and I said that apart from helping with cricket in Hyderabad, I would also like to open a school. So I’m happy to be a part of this project and I am convinced it will be a success,” he said.

Off field

Currently playing the role of a mentor to the Hyderabad Sunrisers (SRH) in the Indian Premier League, Laxman was happy with the team’s UAE outing, despite losing three out of five games. “I thought we played some good cricket and the pitches were really good. Even though we lost three games, two of them were really close and on another day, we could’ve won them. Hoping for a good show back in India now,” he said.

SRH’s lethal spin-twins Amit Mishra and Karn Sharma were instrumental in their good showing last season, but have failed to deliver the same impact this time around as they were taken to the cleaners by the opposition. Laxman is hoping that their form improves in India. “Obviously it hasn’t gone perfectly for them and we are hoping that the pitches in Hyderabad will suit them and they regain their potency which was so crucial for us last season,” he said.

SRH captain has been under the scanner for some of his decision-making, which made fans wonder if Darren Sammy was better qualified for the job. Laxman though, was quick to dismiss such views and backed Dhawan to the hilt. “No, I think Dhawan is doing a good job. There’s no concern there,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express Features – Hyderabad / May 03rd, 2014

Picture-perfect history

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technology
Paulus Raveendra Eduri shows how the photographs are digitised.
Paulus Raveendra Eduri shows how the photographs are digitised.

Hyderabad: 

Bruno Jehle arrived in India in 1983, “when India was still taking shape”. Soon after his arrival in Mumbai, the tall Swiss hopped on a train and embarked on a very long, 30-hour trip to what was then, the grand city of Madras.

“I remember the slums around Adyar. People looked at me and immediately assumed that I had lots of money and that I could help them out of their many problems. But I didn’t have a penny and yes, life in the slums was tough, demanding and challenging.”

But Jehle soon started helping out in a business selling eggs, dealt with thugs and made life-long friends. It is that very link with “that true India” that left an indelible mark, which was clearly evident during his meeting with the DC, where he explained what the Switzerland-based BJ Institute is doing in the bylanes of West Marredpally.

The Nizam’s photos

One of the founders of the institute, Jehle, a lithographer by trade, has over the past seven years, managed to train a small team of Hyderabadi photo specialists to restore and digitise some of the first photos taken of the city and beyond.

These photographs, dating back at least a 100 years, were taken by the Hyderabad Department of Archeology — a rag-tag bunch of photographers commissioned by the erstwhile Nizam’s government to shoot and document historical structures, artifacts and excavations across the dominion and the neighbouring regions. What the photographers did then, was the first ever photo survey of the region, taking over 60,000 photographs of structures ranging from the 1,000-pillar temple at Hanamkonda to the Ajanta Elora caves of Maharashtra.

The  photographs were stored as negatives, inside crates that piled from floor to roof. When the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed in 1956, the photos moved into the hands of the newly-designated Department of Archae-ology of Museums and the officials then moved the precious photos into a room, where they rested for 99 years, subject to heat, dust and the elements.

That’s until Jehle’s and his Indian partner Paulus Rave-endra Eduri pitched to the government that they had the means and motivation to restore and preserve the photographs, with a 300-year warranty.

Paint and polish

So in the October of 2012 began the task of sorting and cataloguing the thousands of photo negatives. An entire ‘clean room’ was built from the ground up, equipment was brought in, personnel were hired, documents were signed and a small, tight team, along with representatives from the government, went to work.

“We had to guard the room against natural light, clean it up and then take photos of the negatives. But then we knew what the challenges were and this was not the job where we could’ve cut corners,” said Eduri.

The final product is stunning. Printed on the choicest of paper, the collection of restored photographs offer a never-seen-before insight of the monuments and people from an era that’s mandatory study for several experts. The photographs show clothing, modes of transport, trade, layouts of towns and much more.

“This is what I want people to see. Our small team in Hyderabad has managed to bring out the life and times of a forgotten people,” adds Jehle.

And in that little house in West Marredpally is also where the Indo-Swiss collaboration has come full circle. In 1948, just after India’s Indepen-dence, the nation’s leading lights had sent out a sort of SOS to the Swiss government, asking for help in infrastructure development. Jehle and Eduri’s work then is the coming together of a 65-year-old idea, an initiative… that is finally taking form in Hyderabad.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC /  by Govind Vijaykumar / December 15th, 2014