APTDC’s ‘Hunar Se Rozgar Tak’ to benefit 1,500 unemployed youth

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

It is aimed at increasing skilled manpower in hospitality sector

Unemployed youth seeking a job in the hospitality sector can look forward to bright days ahead.

The Vijayawada division of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) will soon induct 1500-odd unemployed youngsters in the 18-28 age group for training followed by their placement under the unique ‘Hunar Se Rozgar Tak’ (HSRT) (From Skill to Employment) scheme, a special initiative launched by the Ministry of Tourism.

It’s a Central Government-funded training programme imparted to the beneficiaries for a short span of six to eight weeks and no fee is charged for it. The initiative is part of the

Ministry of Tourism’s scheme namely Capacity Building for Service Providers (CBSP) and has been introduced mainly to increase skilled manpower in hospitality sector. A five-member team of the Tourism Corporation’s divisional managers from five southern states, including J. Raghupathi Rao, the Corporation’s Vijayawada Division Manager, is undergoing a three-day training sessions at the Bangalore Institute of Hotel Management’s Executive Development Centre.

“We will seek local NGOs’ help to identify 1500-odd eligible youth for training programme which will commence in the next 20 days,” J. Raghupathi Rao, APTDC’s Vijayawada Divisional Manager, told The Hindu on Monday.

The scheme, launched in 2009-10 in some of the northern States, is being implemented through expert institutions like the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Institutes of Hotel Management, Food Craft Institutes and India Tourism Development Corporation.

The State governments have been given the liberty to implement the programme through institutes selected by them.

Success

Considering its success and acceptability, it has been decided to expand it in terms of number of beneficiaries as well as the courses being offered. Earlier, the programme offered training courses only in food and beverage service and food production.

Three more courses of housekeeping, bakery and a composite multi-skilled course in Food Production and F&B service were introduced at a later stage.

“The programme will be implemented in all the tourism divisions of Andhra Pradesh from January,” said Mr. Raghupathi Rao.

Referring to the developments of APTDC properties in and around Vijayawada city, Mr. Rao said plans are afoot to give the picturesque Bhavani Island a facelift.

“More adventure sports, both water and ground sports, such as zorbing and electronic games, would soon be introduced to attract tourists,” said Mr. Rao.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by P. Sujatha Varma / December 18th, 2012

Dr Ghazal Srinivas’s ‘Telugu Ghazalu’ book launched

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Hyderabad:

“Dr Ghazal Srinivas is a Legendary singer. He made  his mark in the fied of  Ghazal Culture and  the Hisory of Telugu Iiterature.  Coming Generations wil remember his contribution for Telugu Ghazals and his hard work and commitment will be an inspiration for all budding Singers” said by Padmasree Dr Y Lakshmi Prasad during “Teugu Ghazal book  launching function held in Palakol.

RenownedTelugu Ghazal singer   Dr Ghazal Srinivas written the Book “Telugu Ghazalu” which narrates the Journey of Ghazal from Persin language to Telugu  and also contribution of Dr Dasarathi and Dr Cinarey. The book talks about the role of the  singers ,poets and audince to make ghazal concerts successful.

Dr Ghazal Srinivas dedicated his book to renowned Poet, Critic Late Dr Samala Sadasiva (Adilabad) who is expert in Persian, Arabic, Urdu,Marathi, Hindi and Telugu Languages.

“Telugu Ghazal” book was launched by smt Ratnavali, Kesiraju Narasimha Rao, Parents of Dr Ghazal Srinvas and  first copy was presented to Dr Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad.  Ghazal poets  Dr Rentaa, Dr Tatavarthy  and Dr Rasaraju were also present.

Audience paid tribute  to Late Samala Sadasiva and Vemparala Subrahmanyam (Ghazal  poet) those who passed away recently.

Book was published by Ghazal Charitable Trust. Earlier Sri Rayaprolu Bhavan welcomed the gathering and Mr Addala Vasu proposed Vote of Thanks.

source: http://www.greaterandhra.com / Home> Articles> Special Articles / December 16th, 2012

Hyderabad boy clinches Asian schools chess title

Records, All, Science & Technology

Raja Rithvik Playing in Asian Schools Chess Championship-2012 at New Delhi

A student of Class IV in the Orchids International School, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Rithvik scored six points in six rounds in the championship organised by the Asian Chess Federation

R. Raja Rithvik, a Hyderabad boy, has clinched the gold medal in the under-9 Rapid event of the Asian Schools Chess Championship-2012 held at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

Rithvik, who has international rating of 1536, scored over A. Nodirbek of Uzbekistan, rated 1932, in the final round, a press release from the AP State Chess Association informed on Saturday.

A student of Class IV in the Orchids International School, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Rithvik scored six points in six rounds in the championship organised by the Asian Chess Federation.

He competed with more than 50 players from 10 countries including India, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, UAE, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan. He will also participate in the classical chess format of Asian Chess tournament to be held at New Delhi from December 13 to 20. Recently, Raja Rithvik also bagged the silver medal in the Commonwealth Chess Championship at Chennai.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Sport / by Staff  Reporter / Hyderabad, December 16th, 2012

Pre-marital medical test a hit among Hyderabad couples

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

When 27-year-old Sumit Kanwar of Madhapur was told by his bride-to-be Deepa to go for a sperm cell analysis and HIV tests before marriage, he was embarrassed and clueless until he was told where to go for the tests.

To take advantage of the marriage season, a number of hospitals and diagnostic centres in the twin cities are offering pre-marital medical tests which might still sound awkward to conservative would-be couples in Hyderabad.

And with more than 100 divorce cases filed every month, a bulk on health issues such as impotency, it has been good news for some hospitals and diagnostic centres, lawyers and hospital officials said.

These pre-marital health screening packages consists of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, Hepatitis B , diabetes , thyroid and infertility  tests for women and sperm count tests for men. “From the time we started these tests we had been getting more woman customers than men,” said S I Ali, general physician and owner, Biosytech Healthcare. “I had started this initiative because I strongly felt that these tests should be made mandatory before marriage. Instead of facing problems after marriage, it is better to completely be aware of each other’s health condition. Nowadays impotency has become a common problem,” he added.

These tests cost anywhere from Rs 400 to Rs 1000 for each individual depending on the standard of the hospital.

Encouraged by the response, Ali is promoting these tests online and also running campaigns so as to increase awareness about these tests. These packages are also being named creatively so as to attract the customers and hospitals say they get at least 40 inquiries a month on an average.

Medinova  hospitals named their pre-marital screening package as “Shubh Aarambh”, which costs Rs 899 for an individual. “We have started this package so that couples can lead a healthy married life,” said Ashok Kumar, general manager, Medinova Diagnostic centre.

“People have become open-minded nowadays and do not mind going for such tests before marriage. These tests will go a long way in helping not just the couple but also in keeping their future generations healthy.”

Depending upon the customers’ request, the labs also are also open to including add-on tests. “The basic pre-marriage screening test costs around Rs 700 but there are a few customers who would want more tests to be extra sure. For them we are flexible with our package and offer add-ons like complete semen analysis or complete urine examination and others,” Praveen Kumar, manager of scope labs said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / December 18th, 2012

Luxury brands bet big on Hyderabad

Business & Economy

Luxury brands are training their guns on the Hyderabad market, which according to trade circles is set to grow exponentially in the next two to three years. The market now is small, but significant in the value chain.

With the number of HNIs in Hyderabad on the rise, the demand for highend products is on the rise.

For instance, Hyderabad-based Inline 4 Motors, Tata Motors’ Jaguar Land Rover dealer in Andhra Pradesh, is hopeful of good sales by the end of this financial year. It is previewing the all new Range Rover Vogue MY13 for its elite cliental at the ongoing three-day Indian Luxury Expo, the largest of its kind in Asia, which is hosting 40 luxury brands.

Sharath Reddy, a senior official of Inline said: “In the first year of operations, we have sold about 170 Range Rovers.” Of the 350 cars sold in Andhra Pradesh since its inception in 2010, 310 were purchased from Hyderabad while the rest were bought by customers from Visakhapatnam, Karimnagar, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry.

“On the very first day, we have had five bookings for the new Range Rover,” Reddy said adding that JLR expects big bookings.

“Hyderabad is on every luxury brand player’s radar and there is lot of opportunity here. Definitely, it is a growing market,” said Girish Bajaj, consultant, Indialuxuryexpo.com.

“There are a lot of high net-worth individuals in Hyderabad,” said Bajaj. According to a study, the number of HNIs in India grew 35 per cent between 2008 and 2012 to about 1.7 lakh and the number is expected to go up to 4.5 lakh by 2015. Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Chandigarh and Chennai are on the cards for many luxury brands now.

It is said Hyderabad has the highest number of (40) Rolls Royce cars in India. The luxury car market in India is around 25,000 across brands. The market for super-luxury cars priced between Rs 1-2 crore stood at around 250-300 units in 2011. About 100 units super-sports cars like Lamborghini, Maserati, Ferrari and Porsches were sold besides over 150 units of super-luxury saloons like Rolls Royce and Bentley last year.

On the other hand, Bentley and Lamborghini will launch their models for the Hyderabad market on Tuesday.

“There are a lot of Bentleys and BMWs on Hyderabad roads. That itself is an example of the local luxury goods market snowballing into a huge thing here,” said Shilpa Reddy, fashion designer and fitness expert.

Burberry has already opened shop in Hyderabad. “We are expecting two other luxury brands – Louis Vuitton and Gucci – to debut Hyderabad,” she said.

Giving a fillip to the luxury goods market in the city will be Gitanjali group’s luxury mall to be launched between April and June next year. The mall is expected to be on the lines of Delhi’s Emporio mall. “The mall will house about 80 luxury brands across from jewellery, accessories, apparel and others,” said Sharat Belavadi, assistant vice-president, mall operations, Coronet.

Euromonitor’s report on luxury goods market said that the value of luxury goods sold in India for 2011 stood at $2.18 billion. It said that India will overtake China as the world’s fastest-growing market for luxury goods due to increase in the number of HNIs. It is expected to grow at CAGR of 20 per cent to reach $7 billion in value by 2017 while China will grow by 15 per cent over the same time, the report said.

krishnamohan@mydigitalfc.com

source: http://www.mydigitalfc.com / Home> My Brands / by B. Krishna Mohan / December 17th, 2012

Bags to the ethnic future

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Aditi manufactures bags that are functional, comfortable and most importantly, trendy and fashionable.

She is fascinated by anything handmade and is constantly exploring ways to blend crafts with modern lifestyle choices and tastes. She loves to work with Indian textiles and craft techniques to create beautiful handcrafted products that have a perfect amalgamation of traditional and modern outlook. Meet Aditi Prakash the creator of Pure Ghee Designs, a brand of handmade bags.

Made from the softest cotton, synthetic fabrics and even lungi material, Aditi manufactures bags that are functional, comfortable and most importantly, trendy and fashionable. Now based in New Delhi, this Hyderabad-born designer describes her brand as chic, bold, unexpected, fearless and sophisticated.

Pure Ghee began with the concept of approaching handbags as if they are clothing. Experimentation with shapes form an integral part to the designing of the bags. This juxtaposition is something that is constantly challenged in the brand as a whole. As a designer, Aditi finds inspiration in nature, history and technology.

Aditi’s bags celebrate the diversity of Indian design, whether it’s with ajrak fabric or kitschy sarongs. “After having worked in the crafts sector for over seven years as a consultant, I felt the need to get involved in a more comprehensive way. I started Pure Ghee Designs to have a greater stake in the product cycle from concept to end user stage,” says Aditi adding, “I always use craft as a starting point in my designs but I combine it with new materials wherever required to make the product more functional and in tune with contemporary requirements.”

Aditi went on to study Industrial Design from NID (National School of Design). “At NID, I learnt the whole process of how a product is conceived and how it reaches the market. After I passed out I worked with traditional craft communities across the country. I realised that whatever I did, I had to add a handmade element to it,” she says adding, “I developed an indepth knowledge of the field while working under Jaya Jaitley as a designer for Dastkari Haat Samiti.”

The exquisite, hand-painted designs of Aditi are a meticulous fusion of art and fashion. Beautifully constructed and saturated with rich colours, these detailed works of “functional art” are a fresh alternative in a sea of today’s mass produced bags.

Every bag from this brand is in vibrant and cheery colours. Be it the gamcha from the Bihar, unusual patchwork from Jharkhand, lungis from Hyderabad and Kochi, block printed ajrak from Bhuj or the shamiana material, all find a place at Aditi’s workshop.

“I seek to work with craftspeople as collaborators. I discuss the concept with them and then we brainstorm together to explore the idea further. I like the final product to be rooted in their traditional vocabulary and reflect the strengths of their art form. The experience is immensely satisfying when we collaborate as equals in the creation of the product,” says Aditi.

For Aditi, who is passionate about travelling to new places, inspiration stems from observing people’s lives in different cultures. “My inspiration always begins with the fabric itself. I collect various kinds of fabrics and develop new variations all the time,” says Aditi.

Pure Ghee Designs was named after a craftsperson who brought me a gift of homemade ghee from his village. For him, it was the best gift possible as it was pure, homemade, and precious.

Her latest collection—Allika or weave in Telugu is a celebration of handwoven, naturally dyed cotton from Andhra Pradesh.

“It is crucial to study the cultural context and the historical background of a craft form before using it in a design exercise,” says Aditi.The prices of her bags ranges between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,500.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Swati Sharma / December 02nd, 2012

The unlikely soap maker of Secunderabad

Business & Economy

Sheba Pallavi at work.

Enthusiastic and riding a powerful Bullet, she always wanted to explore the less-trodden paths of life. Not content with her day job as a hospitality trainer, 27-year-old Sheba Pallavi wanted a hobby to enrich her life. She tried different hobbies, but found her true calling in soap-making. Her first attempt was a disaster, but she was not the one to give up. One day her efforts resulted in a soap that received fabulous response from friends. Ultimately, she had found a hobby that suited her passion.

The moment you step into Sheba’s home in Secunderabad, the heavenly fragrance of herbs and ingredients draws you to check in what is it that’s cooking. You will see Sheba, measuring and stirring the ingredients, molding them and giving them a shape.

Sheba explains that the magic in soap is created by ingredients other than alkalies and fatty acids. The actual process of mixing takes only a couple of hours, but a lot of time and effort goes into research, sourcing the right ingredients, processing them etc.

“In Western countries where homemade soaps are common, most ingredients are available in the super markets. In India I have to scour the city to find the ingredients,” laments Sheba.

Creating a soap for its therapeutic uses and emollient properties is Sheba’s specialty. Chitra, a Bangalore-based corporate consultant is reaping the benefits of Sheba’s therapeutic soaps. On Chitra’s request for a soap that addresses the problems of dry, ageing skin and wrinkles, Sheba tailor-made a soap. “ The soap does not have any strong fragrance. But it has had such an effect on my skin, everyone keeps asking me what have I done for my skin!” exclaims Chitra, who is amazed by Sheba’s passion and dedication.

Sheba uses traditional hand stirred cold process for making soaps. It is very labour intensive and can take hours of stirring at a time. Once the soap is ready, it is left to ‘mature’ for an average of three weeks.

Shruthi, a clinical psychologist from Chennai, says that Sheba started this only a few months ago. Initially her soaps were plain, but Sheba got creative with the ingredients and now produces soaps of various styles, shapes and fragrance. Shruthi used the acne soap, and found it useful in reducing the acne.

Prices starting at `90 a piece, handmade soaps are costlier than machine-made soaps. Sheba says that commercial soaps are profit driven and use detergents and harmful substitutes like artificial dyes or synthetic fragrances, that rob the skin of its natural moisture, irritate skin and aggravate skin conditions. Mass producers extract the skin moisturising glycerine from the soap and make other cosmetics that are sold at higher prices. Handmade soaps are made with high quality food grade oils and skin-safe ingredients. The naturally produced glycerine remains intact, making them kinder to the skin.

Sheba has experimented with more than 30 varieties, with ingredients ranging from edibles like fruits, honey, coffee etc. to herbs to alcoholic beverages, all having unique medicinal properties of their own. She posts pictures of her soaps in various websites. (Itshandmade, Craftsvilla, Mirraw.com, and a Facebook page called Sekken House) through which she gets enquiries. She gets a good amount of word-of-mouth publicity too.

She earns a few thousands per month, and has started maintaining a profit-and-loss account. “It would be lovely to take this up as a full time business… I do see this growing in the future. I encourage others also to take up soap making as a profession,” says Pallavi, admitting that it is profitable.

Sheba has also dabbled with fiction writing and finally moved on to academics. When asked how does she juggle between all this, she quips: “Managing home, church, work and the soap hobby is tricky. But if one knows one’s priorities, it balances things out.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Shree / December 16th, 2012

App developers go the extra mile to beat deadline

Science & Technology

Application developers trying their best to beat the 24-hour deadline before which they have to develop an app and impress the judges at the AppFest -2012. / Photo: Mohammed Yousuf / The Hindu

Some have already given up, some still hopeful

Hanging in the middle of the spacious hall, huge digital clocks tick away for a count down of 24 hours. Fully loaded coffee machines are ready to serve through the night and in an adjoining room, few cots have been placed to provide power naps for the developers.

And to beat the deadline of 24 hours to come up with ideal mobile applications for a clutch of companies, close to 400 young app developers started to slug it out non-stop on Friday morning at the ‘AppFest 2012’ organised by Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

The nail-biting phase to beat the deadline and present an impressive and workable app has begun. The strain in their eyes is already visible. Some have already given-up and are just happy to be a part of the process. Others, the more experienced and gritty ones, are still holding on to the hope of finishing the challenge and creating the perfect app in time.

The developers will work all through Friday night and by 10 a.m. on Saturday have to submit their apps to the judges. The AppFest 2012 is featuring two competitions- Hackathon and Challengathon- for developers. In Hackathon, developers come together to form a team and contest by designing an app of their choice to win a prize. In Challengathon, a team of developers will develop apps for private companies and if they succeed, they will get an opportunity to work for the companies in future. “We are participating in both the challenges. So, we just have 12 hours to develop each app. This is tough and challenging, but we are excited,” says Vikash, fourth year engineering student from Institute of Technical Education and Research, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. Along with five others, the engineering students are attempting to make an app for J.K. Ansell Group, the manufacturer of Kamasutra condoms. The developers have been asked to design apps for any one of the companies that include Ashok Leyland, Makaan.com, J.K. Ansell, Marico, Geetanjali, Allen Solly and HDFC Standard.

“We have decided to work on an app for Ashok Leyland. We are hoping that the app will turn out to be just fine,” said T. Satish Kumar, Co-founder and Chief Architect for CloudPact, a start-up company. The apps designed by the developers will be judged by experts and winners will be declared on Saturday.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by M Sai Gopal / December 15th, 2012

Pushpak flagged off at Shamshabad Airport

Business & Economy

The APSRTC’s ‘Pushpak – Airport liner’ bus services to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) which were flagged off on Friday. /  Photo: G. Ramakrishna / The Hindu

The much-awaited ‘Pushpak – Airport liner’ bus services to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) were flagged off at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport by Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy on Friday.

The APSRTC has introduced the buses from four different areas of the city. The buses will ply from Secunderabad via L.B. Nagar, from Secunderabad via Secretariat, from S.R.Nagar via Care Hospital and from Kukatpally via Gachibowli.

The corporation has started the new services after the Aero Express buses were withdrawn by the operator.

A total of 25 low-floor air-conditioned buses will make about 220 trips a day. The fares to the airport are between Rs.100 and Rs.200 depending on the distance.

Speaking on the occasion, Mrs. Reddy said that the services would fulfil the needs of the airport-bound passengers and also the general public. She congratulated the APSRTC authorities for introducing the bus service.

APSRTC Managing Director A.K.Khan asked the officials to ensure that punctuality is maintained by the bus drivers. He said more buses would be shortly introduced from other areas to the airport.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter / December 15th, 2012

A scientist par excellence

Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology

Prof. Tummala Ramamohana Rao.

Rao R. Tummala led a team that invented the first plasma display

He left his village nearly five decades ago to study and then work in the U.S. Today, Rammohana Rao Tummala is highly respected as a scientist and inventor. He holds 71 U.S. patents and credit for inventions. He has invented and manufactured the first ever plasma display for the IBM.

Six months in a year he travels extensively as adviser to several academic, research bodies and consultant to many Fortune 500 electronic companies in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. In spite of his hectic life, Prof. Rao R. Tummala always makes time to visit his native village, Nandamuru, on the Vijayawada-Gudivada Road.

He came to make a presentation at the Nano Conference at Bangalore and came to spend some time with his cousins in his village. Born in Nandamuru, he did his entire schooling in the village. He is the son of the soil in the true sense because his father was a farmer. Prof. Rao did his science degree in Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada and his engineering degree in Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. In 1965, he left India to do his MS in Metallurgical Engineering in Canada. After that, there was no turning back for Prof. Rao. After working for several years with the IBM, he became an IBM Fellow in 1983 and held the honour till 1993.

Claim to fame

“My claim to fame is heading the team that invented the first plasma display and manufacturing it. It was small (he used his hands to indicate that it was about five inches long and wide), but IBM made 300 million dollars with it,” he said. After being the IBM fellow, Prof. Rao moved over to academics and is today a professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, more popularly known as Georgia Tech at Atlanta. Prof. Rao has published over 320 technical papers and has authored several books, including the first modern reference book for Microsystems.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / December 14th, 2012