Turner’s Choultry: A colonial rest house

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

Visakhapatnam :

Built in the year 1893, the Turner’s Choultry is a stone masonary building 90 feet long and 60 feet wide. It was originally a Chattram or a Traveller’s House built to provide temporary shelter to traders, pilgrims and other travellers visiting the city.

The building is an ashlar fine structure that was built at a cost of Rs 43,000, of which Rs 10,000 was paid by the Maharajah of Vizianagaram, Anand Gajapathi Raju, an equal sum was provided by the Gode family and the remaining was raised from the public.

The site on which the Choultry stands was originally the Enugu Thota (Elephant Lines) of the 104 Regiment and even today the stones to which the elephants were tied can be seen. Close to the Choultry is a huge water tank, next to the Police Barracks, where the elephants bathed.

Built in the name of former district collector, Henry Gribble Turner, the Choultry remained the property of the Visakhapatnam municipality till 1975, after which it passed into the hands of the endowments department.

The building boasts of 24 rooms and a living space, distributed over three courtyards. According to history buff BS Mahesh, the plan of the building is that of a traditional south Indian house with rooms and verandas all around a central courtyard.

“The beauty of the building lies in the simplicity of its plan and the manner in which space is used. The facade is of course beautiful with an arched doorway leading into the central courtyard and the stone pillars give it that imposing look,” said Mahesh. He further added that the tiles used for the roof were pot tiles, which were later replaced by Mangalore tiles.

Civil engineer Narayana Murthy said the structure was built on a raised plinth of more than four feet, which added to the majestic look. “The main structure is over 90 feet in length and 50 feet in breadth and is perfectly rectangular in shape. This apart there are bathrooms that extend the area of the structure. The dressed stone used to build the walls are all cut to the same shape and size and the mortar used to bind the stones is exactly the same in each and every bind. The construction is extremely precise and requires expert stone masonry skills. The thick stone walls built on the raised platform provide balance and strength to the building,” Murthy said.

Even today, the Turner’s Choultry is abuzz with activity and usually hosts weddings, functions, book shows, exhibitions and religious festivals. The endowments department charges a nominal rent of Rs 300 for a small scale wedding at the venue.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / August 06th, 2015

Raja Durbar held to continue legacy

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All
Pontiff Sri Vidyamanohar Teertha of Vyasaraja Math conducts Raja Durbar in Anantapur. (Photo: DC)
Pontiff Sri Vidyamanohar Teertha of Vyasaraja Math conducts Raja Durbar in Anantapur. (Photo: DC)

Anantapur:

A 494-years of spiritual legacy of a saint ruler saved not just the life of Vijayanagar emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya but also a dynasty. The saint was none other than Guru Vyasaraja Swamy, who was mentor for five generations of Vijayanagar kings.

Guru Vyasaraja Swamy had saved Sri Krishnadevarya on 30-01-1521 from Kuhu Dosha (adverse impact on king’s personnel horoscope). The adverse impact of it would have resulted in a snake biting the emperor at his throne.

But, Vyasaraja Swamy burnt the snake with his extreme power as he sat on the simhasan during a particular kuhudosa period. The Vyasaraja math of Sosale celebrates Raja Durbar every day since 1521 to commemorate the incident. Anantapur Vyasaraja Math was venue for grand celebration of incarnation of Saint Vyasaraja Swamy of his 494th year on Sunday.

Emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya offered his throne to the saint, who ruled for 36 minutes in which he passed orders for construction of many tanks and 732 temples of Lord Hanuman in the country.

JNTUA principal K. Prahlada Rao said the durbar has been conducted every day for 494 years by pontiffs of Sri Vyasaraja math, whose period was golden age in south India. Pontiff Sri Vidyamanohar Teertha of Vyasaraja Math conducted Raja Durbar at Anantapur after occupying the Simhasan on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, Swamiji hoped good rains in Rayalaseema region.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Deccan Chronicle / August 04th, 2015

Research on organic farming pays dividends

Agriculture, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
Representational image
Representational image

Nellore: 

In view of increasing demand for organic food everywhere, Nellore based Rice Research Station has been carrying out extensive research on organic farming at their model farm using popular rice varieties produced by the organisation.
Same variety of rice is being raised separately in the plots earmarked for organic and inorganic methods of farming since 2006. The efforts of the scientists have started paying off during the last few years.
“The yields in the organic method of farming are on par with the same crop raised by us-ing fertilisers and pesticides in our farm. The management practices are being shared with the farmers and many of them are showing interest to switch over to organic farming,” claimed Ms U. Vineeta, scientist.
According to Ms Vineeta, half an acre plot in the RRS is exclusively meant for organic farming using different kinds of manures such as poultry, press-mud compost, vermicompost, farmyard manure, neem cake, castor cake and karanja cake apart from bio-fertilisers.
The research team said that they noticed using karanja cake and castor cake resulted in high yields. The tests are carried out during early kharif (April to May 15) and rabi (October to November) seasons.
“The output was much high in the crops raised during kharif season because of faster rate of decomposition of manure applied to the crop in view of summer,” Ms Vineeta explained.
She attributed the reservations among cultivators against organic farming to scarcity of organic manure, high transportation cost besides labour problems. She observed that farmers would certainly opt for organic farming if the government offers special support price and marketing facility to enable them to transport their produce to organic food counters in the cities where consumers are after organic food.
Meanwhile, the RRS is also coming out with disease free short, medium and long duration high yielding varieties of rice containing superior nutritional value. Principal scientist (rice) Y. Suryanarayana said that they have been offering mini kits of NLR 4001 and NLR 4002 rice varieties after successfully tested them in research farm.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by Pathri Rajasekhar / Deccan Chronicle / August 04th, 2015

Alumni Vow to Bring Back Glory of School

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

Srikakulam : 

It was time to recall the good old days and catch up with friends for alumni of the 159-year-old NTR High School here Sunday. In a bid to save the institution from fading into history and revive its past glory, the alumni of the school had a meeting on the Friendship Day.

The alumni felt that their alma mater became a victim of corporate education with imposing buildings and land grabbers eyeing the valuable property. The old students decided to join hands to revive their school’s past glory by providing corporate-type education.

District collector Lakshmi Narasimham was the chief guest of the meet. He lauded the resolution taken by the old students, who had already become senior citizens. The collector promised to extend all help from his side and provide all facilities from the government side. He appreciated the alumni for coming forward to develop the school.

The NTR High School was established on Dec 7, 1856. Some of its students became IAS and IPS officers and some others became noted personalities in India. Poet and Kathanilayam founder Kalipatnam Ramarao, actor Raavi Kondala Rao, KV Somayajulu, sports person Khasim Khan and Chilukuri Narayana Rao were some of its students.

Reminiscing, the 90-year-old Govinda Rao, an alumnus, said the school had a hoary past. He vowed to fight back if the school was diverted or demolished. Another alumnus Govind Srinivasa Raman expressed anguish that the present rulers had brought the school to the current status. Retired drawing teacher Ramalingeswara Rao recalled that he had studied and worked in the school. Along with him there were 67 teachers who worked and studied in the school. He regretted that the school strength has come down to 200 now.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / August 03rd,  2015

Andhra Pradesh man appointed BITS Pilani Vice-Chancellor

Education, Leaders, Science & Technology
V. Sambasiva Rao
V. Sambasiva Rao
Guntur:
Prof. V. Sambasiva Rao, native of Tullur in the new capital region in Guntur district, has been appointed as the acting vice-chancellor of BITS Pilani. Prof. Sambasiva Rao, an alumunus of BITS Pilani, took the charge on Friday.
Born in Tullur, Mr Sambasiva Rao completed his primary education at Tullur. He completed intermediate and degree from Andhra Christian College at Guntur. Later, he joined BITS Pilani and completed M. Sc (Chemistry) and joined there as a faculty.
Prof Sambasiva Rao said that he has been associated with BITS Pilani for over four decades in various capacities such as dean of Practice School, deputy director, off campus programmes and director, BITS  Pilani, Hyderabad campus. Besides obtaining a Ph. D from BITS Pilani, he obtained a certificate on Educational Economics and Research from  University of Bielfeld, Germany.
Prof. Sambasiva Rao recalled that as a Director, he established BITS-Pilani, Hyderabad campus in a sprawling 200 acres of land making it fully residential that accommodates 3,200 students and 160 faculty members.
He expressed happiness over the inclusion of his birth place in the new capital region of AP and expressed hope that Tullur will emerge as a world class capital.
The residents of Tullur who don’t know much about Prof. Sambasiva Rao due to the migration of his family years ago, are now inquiring about him and expressing happiness over his taking charge as the VC of the prestigious institution.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs /  Deccan Chronicle / August 02nd, 2015

Over 120 start-ups take roots in A.P.

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

IT Minister to inaugurate incubation tower in Tirupati on Aug. 5

Close to a year after the launch of AP Innovation and Start Up policy, Andhra Pradesh is taking steady and firm steps towards becoming the breeding State for start up companies in the IT and IT enabled services and allied sectors.

With the two incubator towers in Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in place with reputed pilot incubators in charge, the third incubator tower in Tirupati will be inaugurated by IT Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy on August 5.

In Visakhapatnam incubator tower at Rishikonda built by APIIC started functioning in December, 2014 under the guidance of Kochi based pilot incubator Mob Mee Start Up village which pioneered the start-up concept.

In the last six months, 115 start-up companies have come up working on mobile applications and innovative product development ideas.

The mandate of the empanelled incubators is to promote the culture of innovation among the start-up units while the State is looking at creating world class eco-system and lay strong foundation to make a mark in IT product development, department sources said.

Recently Intel and C-Dac organised training programmes for the start-ups in Visakhapatnam working on ideas and products related to their domain expertise.

The government has also been extending some financial assistance to the pilot incubator on behalf of each start-up unit for organising training programmes and promoting the products and ideas once they reach a certain stage of development to attract venture capitalist and angel investors.

Of 50,000 sft space in the Vizag incubator tower, Mob Mee has taken up 15,000 sft while Govind Capital, Singapore based pilot incubator recently acquired 2,500 sft and has now six start-ups working in the facility. The Vizag facility is named as Technology, Research and Innovation Park.

The IT Department will have another five floor tower to be named Millennium Tower with three lakh sft space that will come up in a four-acre land adjacent to the Rishikonda incubation tower. The first two floors will be for start-up units and the rest of three floors will be allotted for companies.

In Kakinada where the incubation tower was inaugurated on June 30, the Bhubaneswar based private pilot incubator KIIT-TBI, already brought in 25 start-up companies.

A start-up unit comprising fresh and final year engineering graduates will take on an average of one-and-a-half year to two years to work on their product and idea before it attracts the attention of venture capitalists and angel investors, sources said.

IT Minister to inaugurate incubation tower in Tirupati on Aug. 5

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – August 01st, 2015

Masula scientists develop salinity-resistant paddy seed

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology
Scientists of Agricultural Research Station display MCM-103, a new paddy seed variety at Machilipatnam in Krishna District. Photo: T. Appala Naidu / The Hindu
Scientists of Agricultural Research Station display MCM-103, a new paddy seed variety at Machilipatnam in Krishna District. Photo: T. Appala Naidu / The Hindu

The seed varieties developed by Principal Scientist T. Anuradha and Scientist K. Nagendra Rao are MCM 103, a Kharif variety and Rabi variety MCM110, which are sanity resistant.

Plant breeding scientists of Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University’s Research Station at Machilipatnam have developed two new paddy seed varieties, exclusively meant for saline soil and the 10-year research has yielded expected results.

The seed varieties developed by Principal Scientist T. Anuradha and Scientist K. Nagendra Rao are MCM 103, a Kharif variety and Rabi variety MCM110. The duration of crop period of the varieties is 140 and 120 days respectively.

“The Directorate of Rice Research (DRR), Hyderabad, has tagged the MCM 103 as the best paddy seed variety among the 40 entries from across the country in 2013. The DRR has also tested the variety in the six states, where it gave expected results including yield and quality grain”, T. Anuradha told The Hindu.

“The MCM-103 seed variety gives nearly six tonnes of yield while the MCM-110 gives up to 5.5 tonnes per hectare”, she added. The scientists have claimed that the yield of the two varieties would arguably be much higher in the normal soil. Another Scientist K. Nagendra Rao added that the MCM 103 is being tested in the saline fields in the coastal Andhra districts from the ongoing Kharif season and the other variety would also be tested from the next Rabi season in the State.

The District Agricultural Advisory & Transfer of Technology Centre in the respective districts in the State had selected the fields to test the seed varieties from the Kharif-2015. “The medium duration paddy varieties will primarily encourage the farmers to turn the saline soil fields into cultivable fields. The varieties will also ensure better yield”, opined Ms. Anuradha.

Farmers indebted to scientists:

The farmers having saline soil are indebted to the scientists, said Ms. Anuradha and Mr. Nagendra Rao, who had developed two paddy seed varieties – MCM 100 and 101- in 2011. It has been proposed for seeking approval of the Andhra Pradesh State’s Seed Varietal Release Committee for final release of the two varieties into the market.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by T. Appala Naidu /Machilipatnam – July 31st, 2015

Chalasani Prasad passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders
Chalasani Prasad was scheduled to attend Virasam’s 45th anniversary meeting on Saturday evening.
Chalasani Prasad was scheduled to attend Virasam’s 45th anniversary meeting on Saturday evening.

One of the founders of Viplava Rachayitala Sangham (Virasam), a revolutionary writers’ association, Chalasani Prasad, passed away at his residence at HB Colony in Seetammadhara here on Saturday.

He suffered a heart attack and passed away before an ambulance reached his home.

He was 83 and is survived by two daughters.

Prasad’s wife passed away a few years ago.

Incidentally, Saturday was the 45th anniversary of Virasam, and he was to preside over a meeting scheduled to be held in the evening.

Born at Bhatlapenumarru in Krishna district, Chalasani Prasad was influenced by his paternal uncle, a Communist who was killed during an agitation, and lived all through his life as an unwavering Marxist.

He was detained during Emergency and arrested several times later due to his Marxist thought and pronouncements, and because Virasam was considered as a front organisation of the CPI (Maoist).

Prasad retired as a lecturer of politics at Mrs. A.V.N. College here. He had endeared himself to the students not only because he was an excellent teacher but also as one interested in improving their personality. He was very close to Sri Sri, Raavi Sastry, Ranganayakamma, and several others.

A voracious reader, Chalasani Prasad’s house is packed with thousands of books, many of them rare titles. This is considered as one of the biggest private collection.

He could discuss in depth many issues and would appreciate a good piece of writing, whatever might be the stature of the writer and, at the same time, not spare even a well established author if he or she made a mistake or wrote something that was against society’s interests.

He may have been a Leftist, but read what was written by others too. He would not miss a literary meeting on Viswanadha Satyanarayana, because he appreciated his writings. A few days ago, he presided over a literary meeting on Viswanadha Satyanarayana’s works.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – July 26th, 2015

Ex-child worker already an MD, to become DM

Education, Inspiration /Positive News and Features

Vijayawada :

A former child worker from Kurnool city is set to join the oncology department of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad. K Sivaprasad, hailing from a backward community, topped the list of candidates shortlisted for admission in doctor of medicine (DM) at NIMS even though a host of candidates with MD qualification vied for only three seats in oncology this year.

What makes Sivaprasad’s achievement special is the fact that he once used to slog at a jute factory after dropping out of school. As there were four mouths to feed, his father Eswarappa had no option but to ask the std VII student to work at the unit along with him for a daily wage of Rs 30. Sivaprasad’s mother Visalamma vended milk to support the family.

The boy’s life took a different turn in 1997-98 when he was spotted by M V Sivakumar Reddy, deputy inspector of factories, during a raid against child labour. The inspector rescued him from the workplace. However, Eswarappa expressed his helplessness to allow Sivaprasad to study further.

Sivakumar Reddy not only offered to pay the fee and purchase schoolbooks but also ensured that the boy was admitted in a nearby zilla parishad high school. Sivaprasad obtained decent marks in the class X public examinations and opted for BPC in intermediate.

Subsequently Sivakumar Reddy extended financial help so that he could attend coaching for EAMCET in a corporate college. Sivaprasad scored 2000-odd rank in the exam, completed his MBBS and later joined a reputed college’s post-graduation course.

The unassuming doctor is not that surprised to have got the chance to become an oncologist.”After all I worked hard and it paid me back at the end of the day,” he told TOI. Visalamma was obviously ecstatic.”I am the most satisfied person today. Everything that has happened is due to God’s grace. I hope he will serve the poor,” she said, patting Sivaprasad on the back.

Eswarappa pointed out that while there are many people with a lot of money, only a few try to help the needy.”My son now has a rare opportunity which so many others crave for. This shows that poverty is not a hindrance to reach heights,” he averred.

Sivakumar Reddy was elated to hear the news.”I never thought of Sivaprasad creating history. I just did my duty and he lived up to everyone’s expectations,” Reddy said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Vijayawada / TNN / July 23rd, 2015

Annavaram Sells 12.5 Lakh Laddus in 9 days, Sets New Record

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Rajahmundry :

Probably for the first time in its history, Sri Satyanarayana Swamy Temple at Annavaram has set a record of sorts through sale of over 12.5 lakh laddus within nine days from July 14 to 22.

Thanks to the ongoing Godavari Maha Pushkarams, the temple is receiving an unprecedented rush of devotees for the past 10 days.

Through the sale of laddu packets, which cost Rs 10 each, the Annavaram Temple raked in Rs 1.25 crore.

On Wednesday itself, about 90,000 devotees had darshan of Lord Sri Satyanarayana Swamy at Annavaram. Like the ‘Tirumala laddu’ of Lord Venkateswara, the prasadam of Sri Satyanarayana Swamy is also popular among devotees.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / July 24th, 2014