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Vizag gets marine commandos’ base , INS Karna to be set up at Bhimili
Visakhapatnam:
In yet another feather in the cap of the Port City, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday commissioned INSA Karna, the only base of the marine commandos in the country. Until now, Vizag had a marine commando unit as do naval establishments across the country. Now, with the establishment of the base, all marine commandos will have to come to INS Karna for training.
The marine commando unit in Vizag got upgraded to a base after the Centre recently sanctioned 25 officers, 320 sailors and 12 civilians, thus enabling the unit to be converted into a base. With a foresight to conduct special missions in maritime domain, the Indian Navy founded the Indian Marine special Force (IMSF) which was rechristened as the Marine Commando Force (MCF), popularly known as Marcos.
Marine commandos carry out conventional maritime operations, hostages rescue, piracy mission, counter terrorism and disaster management operations. The members of this force are capable of undertaking missions in support of conventional operations and also provide the answer to expanding asymmetric threats now. The main role of the unit is to conduct maritime military operations that originate from sea or coastline.
While commissioning INS Karna, Lanba said Marcos have established themselves as special operations force of international repute in a short span and have won well-deserved gallantry awards for their acts of courage and valour.
INS Karna is located on the premises of INS Kalinga near Bhimili. “The commissioning of INS Karna has added a new base to the special forces of the Indian Navy as they are deployed to safeguard our nation’s vast maritime interests,” said Admiral Lanba.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / July 13th, 2016
Woman biker’s solo effort to cover 1,700 km
Biking for me is a symbol of empowerment and liberty, says Vaishali More
With the wind slicing through her hair, riding across the three states of AP, Telangana, and Maharashtra and a passion to conquer the roads, 48-year-old Vaishali More is all set to embark on her first solo motorcycle ride from Visakhapatnam to Shirdi on Wednesday morning.
Purpose
Terming it as a “dream ride where the journey is the destination”, the woman biker from the Port City spoke to The Hindu about the purpose behind the ride and what biking means to her ahead of her journey.
“Biking for me is a symbol of empowerment and liberty and this journey marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I have always wanted to ride solo and this will be the first experience for me,” said the passionate biker, who started her biking adventures when she was in college.
Her ride is being supported by city based organisation Rohit Memorial Trust. Vaishali will cover the distance of around 1,700 km in five days, making pit stops at Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Solapur and Pune before ending her journey in Shirdi.
Armed with safety gears, a helmet clasped over her hair, sporting a riding jacket that will guard her back, shoulder and elbow and skid proof boots, she will make her first stop at Vijayawada on Wednesday night.
During her journey, she will be meeting organisations such as Rotary Clubs and biking groups to share her experiences and discuss various social issues concerning women.
Prelude
“This journey is a prelude to the cross country solo bike ride that I am planning next year in association with Rohit Memorial Trust as part of a project on women empowerment under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The aim is to cover eight to 10 smart cities and reach out to women to spread awareness on a series of issues like domestic violence and menstrual hygiene,” said Vaishali.
In Hyderabad, the biker will be meeting members of Wanderers, a biking community and woman biker Sana Iqbal.
At Pune, three women bikers from the local chapter of the Bikerni group will accompany her till Shirdi in their quest to overturn widely held stereotypes such as riding being a gendered hobby.
“Biking for me is meditative. My bike is like an extension of my personality. I know every pulse of it,” says Vaishali while describing her association with her 220 CC Bajaj Avenger Cruise bike that she fondly calls as ‘Ellie’ – a short form of the French word Esprit Libre meaning free spirit.
She will make pit stops at Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Solapur and Pune before ending her journey in Shirdi.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Nivedita Ganguly / Visakhapatnam – July 13th, 2016
With an elegant touch: Yashoda Thakore
It was a pleasing recital by Yashoda Thakore who performed Kuchipudi after a long time.
Yashoda Thakore, who of late has been into the research and practice of Vilasini Natyam, has come back to perform Kuchipudi at Saptaparni’s amphitheatre recently. The repertoire she prepared for this event had some interesting numbers like Thyagaraja kirtana Maa Janaki Chetabattaga and giving a taste of one or two slokas from Nritta Ratnavali, of 12th century Jayapasena on which she worked for a book. She opened the recital dancing to the first sloka of ‘Nritta Ratnavali’ which was more a salutation to Siva. Dancing to a sloka is by itself is an art and the abhinaya she presented was apt in elevating the impact of sloka’s gist. In this she was also accompanied by three of her disciples to give a finishing touch.
Yashoda then chose to present a monumental piece of Thyagaraja and the only one he wrote keeping Sita in the forefront –Maa Janaki Chettabattaga, in Kambhoji. The kirtana’s significance is that Tyagaraja elevating Sita even beyond the image of Rama, saying that it was because he married Sita, he could achieve what all he achieved in his life including annihilation of Ravana. But for Sita, Rama would not have achieved this glory. The very pallavi says Maa Janaki Chettabattaga Maharajuvaitivi. In fact every charanam has such in-depth meaning that is a challenge for any dancer to interpret it aptly. Yashoda carefully etched the bhava in apt mudras and movements. The jatis she presented right after completing the pallavi line spoke of her command on nrutta. There were other places where she presented footwork without repeating herselfwhat she presented already. There were flute interludes too, more because the composition was tuned by a flautist.
The third number was Swara Pallavi in Arabhi. It is self explanatory for the pallavi was made up of swaras in that raga that repeat. It was more a footwork. Some jatis were long mirroring Yasoda’s time sense in presenting them for apt tala. The composition started with swaram as pallavi that was repeated all along in that raga. There was long jati too following pallavi.
A kirtana that figured later was Nadamurali Gana Vilola of Oothukadu Venkata Kavi tuned in Mohana in Tisragati. Here again as pallavi suggests it was Krishna’s flute play. There was a sloka taken out of Krishna Leela Tarangini.
The essence of the theme was to say that the entire nature was reacting to Krishna’s Murali Nadam. This was followed by the display of footwork on a plate and percussion jatis.
The final number was a Javali – Era Rara Marubariki Talagalera in Khamas an erotic number of Samanya Nayika who finally takes the name of Lord Venkateswara as her lover.
There was long Jati here too in the end before she closed her show. This was of Dharmapuri Subbarayasastry composition. Her students Alekhya Prabha, Asawari Bhagawat, Darshini, Sirichandana and Madhura took part with her guru in a couple of numbers.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / Gudipoodi Srihari / Hyderabad – July 07th, 2016
AP to organise largescale training programme for rearing ducks
Hyderabad :
Realising the commercial value of duck farming and its impact on improving the socio-economic condition and economic empowerment of the rural poor, the state government has decided to promote it on a large scale and train duck farmers scientifically to improve egg and meat production in the state.
Since duck farming in Andhra Pradesh is in a primitive stage, which is mainly in the hands of nomadic, illiterate and Scheduled Tribe communities, the government has decided to train duck farmers in scientific rearing and healthcare system.
Ducks occupy an important position next to chicken farming in the state. They form about 10 per cent of the total poultry population and contribute about 6-7 per cent of the total number of eggs produced in the state.
However, though AP is one of the leading states in the production of duck eggs and meat in the country, there is very little demand in the domestic market and most of them are exported to West Bengal and other states where there is demand for duck eggs and meat. As the rearing practices being followed by AP duck farmers are unscientific and traditional, the production is not reaching the desired level. Hence the decision to provide scientific training to them, a top official of the animal husbandry department.
“They will be given proper training so that they could improve the production of duck eggs and meat. We will train them in best practices available in the country. We are even planning to invite leading duck farmers of the country to share their experiences with our farmers,” the official added. Duck rearing is prevalent among weaker sections of rural population which provides them supplementary and steady income on daily basis besides providing them nutrition duck eggs for family consumption and generates rural employment.
Therefore, the government is trying to involve many people belonging to these sections in duck farming by offering them incentives, the official said. “Duck farming can also be a stable employment source. Young unemployed educated people can enter into this business,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / July 09th, 2016