Monthly Archives: July 2014

Book plumbs new facets of Andhra Pradesh’s history

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

Hyderabad :

The objective of writing history of Andhra Pradesh, covering coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana, without seeking government help is “to keep it scientific, secular and free from any bias,” said veteran historian V Ramakrishna on Friday.

He was speaking at a function organized to release the fifth volume of the comprehensive history of Andhra Pradesh. The volume was released by governor E L S Narasimhan who said that the Andhra Pradesh History Congress, which was formed in 1976 and whose members have compiled the voluminous data, should take some help to facilitate its work. “Do not oblige anybody, but do take help because it is a gigantic task and the need of the hour,” he said.

Ramakrishna, who is popularly known as VRK, said that it was in 1998 that the APHC decided to compile and publish the comprehensive History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh in eight volumes which, with time, have been expanded into nine volumes.

The need for the series was felt because no connected, authenticated, chronologically arranged narrative from an inter-disciplinary perspective, incorporating the latest data, is available today. “Writing micro history is difficult. The content of each chapter is verified at various levels for its authenticity. I want to pay tribute to the contributing historians because they have written, not for money, but their dedication towards the cause of history,” he informed the audience.

The members of the editorial board of the history series include K S Kameswara Rao, A Satyanarayan and G Venkata Ramayya while the general editor is V Ramakrishna. The fifth volume has been edited by R Soma Reddy.

According to speakers at the function, the present volume is on Late Medieval Andhra Pradesh covering the period between 1324 and 1724, a period that witnessed the rise of larger regional state powers such as the kingdom of Vijayanagara and the Bahmanis.

Consequent upon the constant flux of people of different languages, faiths, cultures and professions and the establishment of foreign settlements, a liberal spirit of tolerance developed, which was furthered by the prevalence of Sufi and Bhakti cults. One of the most significant features of the times was the evolution of composite Dakhni Deccani culture, along with the rise of the Deccani Urdu language.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / July 19th, 2014

Scaling new heights

Sports
Sriperambuduru Jaahnavi, an accomplished trekker and mountaineer, who will participate in the Stok Kangri, high altitude expedition in Ladakh from August 2. / Photo: A. Manikanta Kumar / The Hindu
Sriperambuduru Jaahnavi, an accomplished trekker and mountaineer, who will participate in the Stok Kangri, high altitude expedition in Ladakh from August 2. / Photo: A. Manikanta Kumar / The Hindu

Sriperambuduru Jaahnavi of Srikakulam district will set her foot on Stok Kangri, located at a height of 20,080 ft (6,125 m), in her first practice climbing on August 2

She had her first brush with adventure at the age of 10 months! You read it right. She was only a toddler when she accompanied her parents on her first trek to Ananthagiri forest in 2002.

By the time she turned 10, she completed two high-altitude treks, five national treks, and 25 local treks.

She has now set her sight on scaling all the major summits in the world. She is preparing for her High Altitude Expeditions in Leh, Ladakh, for advanced training in mountaineering skills. She will go to Stok Kangri, located at a height of 20,080 ft (6,125 m), in her first practice climbing on August 2 this year.

GutsyGirlANDHRA24jul2014Meet Sriperambuduru Jaahnavi of Srikakulam district, who is an inspiration for young girl mountain-climbers in the State. Her father Krishna Rao is also her coach from her childhood in mountaineering and martial arts.

Dr. Krishna Rao, a qualified mountaineer, a high-altitude rescuer, and wilderness first responder trainer, has charted her career from childhood.

Jaahnavi, now 12 years and 8 months old, is studying in Class IX at St. Michael’s in Hyderabad.

At the age of 9 in 2010, she successfully completed the Roop Kund trek (16,000 ft). In the following year, she participated in the National Himalayan Trek, organised by the Youth Hostels’ Association of India, with special permission, and successfully completed the first batch of the trek scaling 10,000 ft. She was the youngest girl to climb the Venkatagiri Durgam, considered to be the highest in Andhra Pradesh, in 2013.

“I plan to scale all the seven highest summits in the world sometime next year,” says Jaahnavi, who draws inspiration from Bachendri Pal and Malli Mastan Babu (of Nellore). Her ultimate aim is to scale the Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world.

“The trekking at Roop Kund was challenging. It was a test of my endurance, energy levels, and decision-making power,” she said while recalling the expedition.

“There is always an element of risk in adventure. But, the thrill and winning over nature gives immense satisfaction,” said Dr. Krishna Rao, who had trained many in adventure sports and martial arts in Toronto, Canada.

Visakhapatnam Sports Journalists’ Association secretary N. Nageswara Rao and Adventure Cultural and Tourism of India Director T. Chandrasekhar are coordinating the training of the girl in the coastal areas.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by B. Madhu Gopal / Visakhapatnam – July 15th, 2014

Women power to the forefront

Leaders

Women leaders are going to play a pivotal role in development of the new state of Andhra Pradesh if the outcome of the recently held municipal, mandal parishad and zilla parishad elections is any indication.

Women leaders have won a large number of president posts in mandal parishads and chairperson and deputy chairperson seats in zilla parishads, ringing in a ray of hope for women empowerment in the region.

Since the mandal and zilla parishad heads play a key role in planning at the micro and district level, the women leaders are all set to call the shots in the administration of Andhra Pradesh now.

Although, they got the chance due to rotation of reservation system, their pres ence at the top in the first term after the bifurcation of the state is really significant, experts said.

The women rule in civic bodies is expected to bring striking difference in the administration and help reduce corrupt practices, analysts feel. “Chandrababu Naidu is lucky to have many women in key positions in the civic and local bodies. He may not receive any complaints of irregularities or misuse of power against women mayors, municipal chairpersons and ZP chiefs,” said a senior citizen M Venkateswara Rao of Rajahmundry . He said women are relatively less corrupt than their male counter par ts.Visakhapatnam, Krishna and Guntur districts are being viewed as financial hubs of the new state and interestingly, all the three ZP chief posts have gone into women’s kitty here.

While Lalam Bhavani has been crowned with ZP chairperson post in Visakhapatnam, Gadde Anuradha has occupied the ZP chief post of Krishna district. Anuradha’s husband, Rammohan is presently the legislator from Vijayawada city .

More significantly, a minority woman, Shaik Janimun is heading the crucial ZP chair in politically volatile Guntur district.

Unlike in the past, the women, who are now heading civic and local bodies, are well-educated and expected to handle things better than the ministers in their respective districts, political observers argue. While Anuradha is a post-graduate in sciences and has experience of heading a firm, Janimun and Bhavani are both graduates. Similarly, Sobha Swathi and Chowdary Dhanalakshmi, who heads ZPs of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam respectively, are highly qualified. A large number of women have also bagged urban posts and have been crowned with the mayoral chair in important towns of Rajahmundry, Eluru, Chittoor, and Anantapur. Pantham Rajani Sesha Sai heads Rajahmundry city civic body which is going to host the crucial Godavari pushkaram fair next year.

A political novice, Shaik Noorjahan is keen on providing corruption-free administration in Eluru town as its mayor. The town is expected to witness massive growth in the coming years, thanks to the talk of a capital city coming up near Vijayawada.

“I was hesitant when the post was offered to me as I did not know politics much, expect for serving the poor among my relatives and neighbours. However, my husband and relatives prevailed upon me that becoming mayor is nothing but expanding my services is more deserving,” said Shaik Noorjahan.

Heading the civic body in a faction-ridden Anantapur district is no mean job. But, Madamanchi Swaroopa has the courage to lead the civic body . She served as corporator in the previous body and become TDP women wing’s chief with sheer hard work.

Recognising her organizational skills, Chandrababu Naidu named her as the mayoral candidate. “I am the first woman mayor of the city . I will set my focus on resolving drinking water crisis,” said Swaroopa. Both the mayor and ZP chief posts have been bagged by women in Chandrababu Naidu’s home district of Chittoor. While Kathari Anuradha heads the Chittoor city civic body as its mayor, Geervani leads the district as the ZP chief. About 30 other municipal towns in AP too are headed by women chairpersons.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / by M N Samdani, TNN / July 15th, 2014

Yanadis sensitised on crab fattening technology

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology
A Yanadi tribal woman displays a mangroove crab during a demonstration on crab fattening technology organised by the Central Institute of Brakishwater Aquaculture at Sorlagondi in Krishna district. - Photo: T. APPALA NAIDU
A Yanadi tribal woman displays a mangroove crab during a demonstration on crab fattening technology organised by the Central Institute of Brakishwater Aquaculture at Sorlagondi in Krishna district. – Photo: T. APPALA NAIDU

Under the ST sub-plan, the CIBA takes up a pilot project to provide technology support to tribal families in Sorlagondi

A team of scientists of the Central Institute of Brakishwater Aquaculture (CIBA), Chennai, on Saturday introduced the ‘crab fattening technology’ through floating cages to the Yanadi tribal families to help the latter grow Mangrove Crab (Sylla serrata) in Sorlagondi Reserve Forest area in Krishna District.

As a part of the ST Sub-Plan, the CIBA has taken up a pilot project to provide the technology support to the selected ten Yanadi tribal families in Sorlagondi village. The project will be expand it to the other eligible beneficiaries in the State, later. As a part of the programme, scientists– K. Ambasankar, J. Syam Dayal, C.P. Balasubramanyam and M. Kailasan–demonstrated the use of cages to Yanadi tribal families who are engaged in hunting of the crab in the estuary. The scientists also provided them 1,000 seed of Asian Seabass that would be cultivated in the ponds in the tribal area.

“Crab fattening technology helps the hunters raise young and soft crabs until they grow to a certain hardness at which it would fetch remunerative price in the market. However, barely two to three weeks are required for a soft crab to become hard one,” Mr. Bala Subrahmanyam told The Hindu.

According to experts, crab is being sold at Rs. 1,200 a kg in the India’s biggest crab market Chindradripet in Chennai. From Chennai, it is being exported to South East Asian countries. “The CIBA aims at promising better livelihood option to tribal families by moulding them into entrepreneurs,” said the scientists.

New technology

Yanadi tribal families of Sorlagondi Reserve Forest hunt mangrove crab in estuary, backwaters and brackish water, largely in mangrove forests. They completely rely on local market in Nagayalanka. The CIBA scientists also began a detailed study on the catch of the crab in a bid to estimate its population roughly before introducing next stages of technology in crab fattening.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by T. Appala Naidu / Sorlagondi (Krishna) – July 21st, 2014

Ireland students conduct classes for students in city

Education, World Opinion
A few members of the University College of Dublin Volunteers Overseas team, which was in Vijayawada to conduct classes for students of Care and Share Charitable Trust./ Photo: V. Raju / The Hindu
A few members of the University College of Dublin Volunteers Overseas team, which was in Vijayawada to conduct classes for students of Care and Share Charitable Trust./ Photo: V. Raju / The Hindu

Teams of volunteers from the UCDVO have been coming to Vijayawada for the last three years and conducting classes for students at the two schools of Care and Share Charitable Trust in Buddavaram and Veerapanenigudem

When over 20 students from The University College of Dublin Volunteers Overseas (UCDVO), Ireland, participated in a rally against child trafficking in the city a few days back, they caught the attention of many people.

Sporting T-shirts and holding placards, they raised slogans against child trafficking as part of the rally. This is not the first time. Teams of volunteers from the UCDVO have been coming to Vijayawada for the last three years and conducting academic classes, sports, computer training etc for students at the two schools of Care and Share Charitable Trust in Buddavaram and Veerapanenigudem.

This year, the team was lead by Grainne Sheill, a physiotherapist. Students from different courses, including law, medicine, marketing, physiotherapy etc had come to conduct classes for students of Care and Share Trust schools for a month. The trust provides them food and accommodation.

The school at Veerapanenigudem provides food and accommodation for HIV positive children aged between 3 and 18 years. Apart from regular academics, UCDVO volunteers teach them about various aspects, conduct sports and other programmes, says Swathi of Care and Share Charitable Trust.

“It is a basically done as part of the community service. Participating in these programmes makes you become more responsible towards the society,” says Grainne Sheill. All the costs are borne by volunteers and they work extra hours at different places in Ireland to manage funds for travelling to Vijayawada, she explains.

There are a few sponsors in Ireland who contribute regularly to the trust. Every year, they refer about the trust and its activities at different platforms and UCDVO students come here as part of their academic programme and extend their help to students, explains J.L.V. Prasad, Senior Assistant Director of the Trust.

A medicine student, Racheal Healy, who is coming here for the second time, says she was impressed with children’s performance in academics and extra-curricular activities. “This apart, people in South India are very relaxed and these trips help us in learning more about different cultures,” says Ms. Healy.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by S. Sandeep Kumar / Vijayawada – July 14th, 2014

‘89 historic, heritage places identified in Kadapa district’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
INTACH honorary advisor and former MLA P. Subba Reddy releasing a book 'Gandikota Charitra' written by Tavva Obul Reddy. Photo: By Arrangement
INTACH honorary advisor and former MLA P. Subba Reddy releasing a book ‘Gandikota Charitra’ written by Tavva Obul Reddy. Photo: By Arrangement

INTACH convenor S. Elias Reddy says proposals are forwarded to INTACH central office in New Delhi for development of 43 heritage places in Kadapa district

Eighty nine places of historic, spiritual, religious and heritage importance were identified in Kadapa district and proposals were forwarded to INTACH central office in New Delhi for development of 43 such places, district INTACH convenor S. Elias Reddy said.

Addressing the INTACH meeting in the Sivalayam near Gandi waterworks here, Mr. Elias Reddy said INTACH would strive to preserve the culture and heritage in Kadapa district. Former MLC and INTACH honorary advisor P. Subba Reddy released a book ‘Gandikota Charitra’ written by Tavva Obul Reddy. He called for propagation of INTACH activities in the district.

Inscriptions dating back to 2,000 years surfaced in Vallur mandal, Vallur MPDO M. Suresh said and called for development of Pushpagiri Math and Indranatheswara temple. INTACH members Gangaiah and Ramachandra Reddy wanted forming of INTACH student clubs.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by M. V. Subrahmanyam / Kadapa – July 14th, 2014

Daiva chases Asian Games dream

Education, Sports

 

Daiva Krupa / The Hindu
Daiva Krupa / The Hindu
After making a mark in local tournaments, Davia made it to the senior A.P. team and took part in two senior nationals

Four down…two to go. This 21-year-old kabaddi player from the State is chasing the 2014 Asian Games dream.

She has attended four Indian camps and left with two more before the Indian team for the Korean sojourn is announced.

Meet Daiva Krupa, an up and coming raider from Kakinada, who impressed the bigwigs of Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) in the two camps held at Gandhinagar and one each at Bhopal and Bangalore.

“AKFI has selected 36 players as probables and after six selection camps the final 12-member team will be picked for the prestigious Asiad,” Daiva says.

From East Godavari

This East Godavari girl, basically a kho kho player, was introduced to the game by SAAP coach Sai Prasad and after learning the basics she left for Vizag to join the SAI hostel to train under internationally-reputed coach E. Prasada Rao.

After making a mark in the local tournaments, the stocky-looking Davia made it to the senior Andhra Pradesh team and took part in two senior Nationals, and in one woman’s Nationals. “I also visited Dhaka (Bangladesh) to play an invitational tournament”.

Davia, as a raider has the capacity to change the entire tempo of the game with in minutes with her controlled aggression.

“She likes to go in search of points and never hesitates meet the opponents head on. She also has the ability to wriggle herself out of the clasp of they rival defence astutely,” says former India and senior SAI coach Padmaja Bala.

Stiff competition

Krishna University women kabaddi coach Koteswara Rao says Daiva faced competition from Haryana and Maharashtra raiders. “The team needs six raiders and she stands a chance to get in to the team”.

Davia, who played an important role, in the Krishna University winning the bronze medal in the South Zone inter-university women kabaddi torment last year was felicitated by the varsity Vice Chancellor V. Venkaiah along with others with a cash award of Rs. 4,000 each. She also helped KRU team to finish fourth in the all India inter-university fixtures.

Davia is currently pursuing her final year degree at SRR & CVR Government College.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by J. R. Sridharan / Vijayawada – June 21st, 2014

Cage fish farming at sea catching up in coastal AP

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology

Visakhapatnam :

At a time when fish stocks are declining globally due to various factors like climatic change and pollution, cage farming of fish on sea, an aquaculture technique, has thrown up an encouraging alternative that yields 10 times the fish catch as compared to fish reared in ponds or wild harvest in the sea.

This technique has also been taken up to great success in Vizag and other coastal districts of AP on an experimental basis by scientists of the Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).

In Krishna district (Nagailanka) and Narsapuram (West Godavari), cage farming has been taken up in collaboration with fishermen, while in Vizag the cages in the sea along RK Beach are controlled by the CMFRI. There are six cages in Krishna, 10 in West Godavari and eight in Vizag district of AP. Plans are afoot to double the number of cages in Vizag soon given the good prospects, said CMFRI scientists.

Though open sea cage culture technology is a relatively recent activity in India, it is prevalent in other Asian countries. While lobster, Asian seabass, mullets, Cobia and Pearl Spot have been successfully harvested by CMFRI in various coastal waters in India, at present the Vizag centre of CMFRI is maintaining brood stocks of Orange Spotted Grouper, Indian Pompano, Snappers and Golden Trevally in cages that have all shown good growth and maturation, said scientists.

Under this procedure, fish rearing is done in an enclosed area in a natural aquatic environment where the water continuously flows and debris doesn’t accumulate, which is why there is no pollution or ammonia deposition as in the case of stagnant and low density water ponds. The young ones of fish and other aquatic species are kept, fed and grown to marketable size in these cages, which are of six metre diameter and made of high density polyethylene.

“Cage farming is in an infancy stage now, but the prospects for commercial exploitation are so good that we are planning to double the number of cages soon as well as expand to other neighbouring areas. At the end of the culture period, which ranges from six to eight months, three to five tonnes of fish are produced just from one cage,” said Subhadeep Ghosh, senior scientist and scientist-in-charge at CMFRI.

The biggest advantage of cage farming, according to Prof K Sujatha, chairperson, board of studies, department of marine living resources at AU, is that despite being a fish culture technique there is no need to change the waters as sea water continuously flows through the cages, there is some natural food easily available for the fish to feed on and there’s no need to put up any time or space-consuming infrastructure except the cages.

However, she pointed out that not all areas are suitable for cage farming. “There needs to be optimum depth of at least 10 metres from the shore, the sea should be more or less calm without high waves and currents where the cages are located. The salinity, pH, ammonia, nitrate should be all within permissible limits,” she explained.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / July 17th, 2014

Durgabai Deshmukh remembered

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leaders

A freedom fighter, a social worker, an advocate, a feminist, a leader and above all Durgabai Deshmukh was a visionary who gave a new identity to women by empowering them in all aspects, Professor and Chairperson of Dr B R Ambedkar College of Law, Andhra University V. Rajyalakshmi has said.

Addressing a group of Gandhians and senior citizens at Ba-Bapu Seva Sangham as part of the 105 birth anniversary celebrations of Durgabai Deshmukh here on Tuesday, Prof. Rajyalakshmi said: “Education, employment and health are the three sectors that Durgabai Deshmukh focused on. Her immense positive energy and approach towards life made her stand out and make use of wisdom into constructive course of action.”

Head of the Department of Telugu, Mrs. A.V.N. College A. Sita Ratnam said that Durgabai Deshmukh was instrumental in introducing the concepts like ladies hostel, mahila sabha, rehabilitation centre for the visually challenged, family court and vocational training courses. “Her consistent endeavour to improve the standard of living of the weaker sections, especially women continues to inspire the present generation,” she added.

In the end, president of Praja Spandana president C.S. Rao and secretary of the sangham Ch.V.S. Bhaskaram along with others felicitated athletic champion Muthyam Lakshmi, popularly known as walking queen, for her achievements in number of national and international competitions.

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

Record number of star tortoise bred

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Star tortoise
Star tortoise

Srikakulam:

 A record number of star tortoises have been produced in captive breeding at Srikurmam temple nesting site in a span of two weeks. In total 55 star tortoises hatchlings were produced in one enclosure which is a world record. Earlier. In 1990 a total of 50 hatchlings were produced at the Gladis zoo park in the US, said Green mercy and NGO representative and temple officials.

Devotees believe that Lord Maha Vishnu is in the form of a start tortoise in his second avatar as Kurmanadhudu which is attracting peoples’ attention symbolically. The news of the record hatching has attracted the attention of the devotees who are queuing up at the conservation site.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC Correspondent / July 20th, 2014