Prehistoric site found near Srikakulam

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

Archaeologist K. Venkateswara Rao who found the prehistoric rock shelter on the top of the Saidala Hill near Srikakulam.

Several rock shelters found on Sailada hill-top and Chittivalsa are significant, says archaeologists

Did the prehistoric man straddle the hillocks near Srikakulam town in Andhra Pradesh much like the Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, UNESCO’s World Heritage Site ?

The rocky landscape near Srikakulam may not boast of the richness and the depth of the rock paintings of Bhimbetka that fetched it international recognition but several prehistoric rock shelters found on Sailada hill-top and Chittivalsa area in the recent past are equally significant, contend archaeologists here.

They are excited by the finding of a set of four 3.8 metre high rocks leaning inwards and forming a polygonal chamber on Saidala hill-top as it comes close on the heels of discovery of a cluster of druidical rocks at Chittivalsa and of dolmen and menhirs resembling those in Europe and Africa. Both these findings that indicate existence of a reasonably big habitation of prehistoric people in the area, were by free-lance archaeologist, K. Venkateswara Rao.

The recently found round-shaped dolmen like formation with a stone roof, stands on a circular rock bed of 13 metre radius on the top of the Saidala hill. Like others, this rock shelter too has post holes around it in two rows meant for installing wooden posts that served as props to supported a canopy. “The place appears to have been used for performing some rituals and ceremonies by the prehistoric people”, Mr. Rao said.

There are many caves, caverns and shelters of different shapes in the hillocks in the region but not as huge as this one that too with a rock bed inside.

Even now the place continues to be known as “Pandiri Rallu” a shelter made of rocks. The rock shelter has enough place to accommodate 10 to 15 people inside. A petroglyph of serpent was found on the western side of the shelter, a common feature on prehistoric dolmens in Europe.

Another name given by the locals to this unique rock formation is “Bunti Vanda”, virtually a den of bears. Burrows formed by flow of rain water from the top of the hill to the foot, have turned them into safe sanctuary for the bears. “Even now villagers dread to tread the bushy path to the top of the hill scared of the bears and feel the sacred place is visited by Gods and Goddesses. This in a way is blessing in disguise as the rock formation remains protected with no major damage”, Mr. Rao says.

Further evidence of the man living on the hills was the finding of a 6 x 4 ft depression in the rock perhaps used as a water storage pit. Mr. Rao says the prehistoric rock shelters on sacred hills of Sailada and Sangamaya and the nearby Pandavulametta at Chittivalsa and the later period’s historic fort of early Kalingas could be projected as unique site with continuous history for UNESCO”s recognition.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by K. Venkateshwarlu / Hyderabad, November 12th, 2012

10 lakh sanctioned for Ashoor Khana restoration

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

Hyderabad:

Funds for restoration and renovation of the Badeshahi Ashoor Khana have been going back and forth between the Department of Archeology and Museums (DAM) and the government with precious little work being done. It was in early September that Dam was sanctioned Rs 21 lakh for restoring the Shiite place of worship to former glory but only Rs 6 lakh was used and the rest returned. With the month of Muharram round the corner, the Dam has now been sanctioned another Rs 10 lakh for restoration work of the structure.

It was during the Conference of Parties in September that the state government had sanctioned Rs 21 lakh for sprucing up the place in view of visits by delegates. Describing the sanctioning of funds as a result of ‘urgency’, Dam officials said that they had acted on orders from the government and hadn’t called tenders due to unavailability of time and awarded contacts only on nomination basis. “Around Rs 1.29 crore was sanctioned for Paigah Tombs, Saidanima’s Tomb and the State Museum a chunk of which has been returned. We were asked to submit bills and return the remainder of the sanctioned amount,” said a Dam official requesting anonymity. With Muharram scheduled to be observed from November 16, around Rs 10 lakh has been sanctioned for renovation of the Ashoor Khana Khurd, popularly known as the mini-Ashoor khana, where the alam (standard) will be kept. The wooden roof is being restored with teak wood beams. A team of four carpenters and four masons has already started work.

“The roof is being restored to what it was when the Ashoor Khana was built more than 400 years ago. Work will be completed before Muharram,” said GV Rama Krishna Rao, director, Dam.However, Ashoor khana officials were quick to point out that Icomos team member Chehryar Adil had expressed displeasure at the decaying place of worship and questioned why the structure wasn’t renovated. They said that around 2 lakh devotees cutting across faiths and sects visit the Ashoor Khana in the first ten 10 days of Muharram.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / November 09th, 2012

ICCA elects new india committee leadership

Business & Economy

ASIA

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has announced the appointment of newly elected leaders of the association’s India Committee.

The new India Committee will be chaired by Jaideep Khanna, GM Sales Marketing & Distribution, Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC).

Also appointed to the committee were Kalpana Oberoi, GM of Kuoni Destination Management India as Secretary and Girish Kwatra, Head, Meetings & More India as Treasurer.

The newly elected leaders will work closely with the rest of ICCA’s members in India to enhance the effectiveness of India’s bidding process with regard to international events and associations.

The India Committee said it was determined to increase India’s share of the international association meetings market by stimulating every Indian ICCA member to make effective use of the ICCA Association Database, marketing resources, research tools and face-to-face client business opportunities.

Jaideep Khanna said he was confident that “with ICCA, we will deliver instant access to a range of research, sales and marketing opportunities to our Indian members. We will create a synergised approach and a platform for knowledge sharing and networking opportunities. This will open better communication channels to enhance value and generate competitive advantage”.

HICC had already gained tremendously from its active involvement with ICCA, he said, “especially after we hosted the ICCA Congress in our city in 2010”.

Recent converted leads generated from research done on ICCA database,  he said, included the IEEE Multi-Conference on Systems & Control – MSC 2013 and the 9th Asia Pacific Symposium on Cochlear Implants and Related Sciences – APSCI 2013.

Kalpana Oberoi noted Kuoni has been appointed for the World Agricultural Forum 2013 to be held in Hyderabad in November 2013, “a lead picked up from the ICCA Database”.

source: http://www.c-mw.net / Home / November 09th, 2012

The sound of music

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

Commodore TMJ Champion is single-handedly responsible for restoring pipe organs in the country

Enthroned on a wooden bench in St Johns, Secunderabad, tapping pedals and tabbing on keys, Ex-Naval Commodore TMJ Champion does his rendition of Toccata and Fugue by JS Bach on an 104 year-old pipe organ. The instrument is completely mechanical with no external speakers or electronics, he explains. The hundreds of pipes that form its anatomy produce when air is released, like whistles. Behind its piano like facade of the instrument lies its body. He turns a key into a small wooden door and directs me to climb narrow wooden steps that lead inside the instrument. While one can walk inside the St John’s Organ, there are organs that are as big as three stories, he explains. I wait in the isle surrounded by sets of countless pipes that varying in size from tiny flutes to considerable tree trunks. He plays the instrument so I know exactly which pipe the air is released from.

It’s not very common for one to be passionate about such an instrument. He reminisces how in his hometown of Nagapattinam, the church congregation would have to wait for British musicians to come and play it each Sunday. No one knew how to play it, is what my father told me, he says. Not only did he learn to play it, he became an expert at its mechanics. With no one knowing anything on the subject in India, he wasn’t left with much of a choice. “When the British left India, there was not a single organisation in India that had any expertise in building or restoring organs,” he says. If you get on the Internet you’ll find sites of organ builders in Europe, the US and Australia, but there’s not a single one in India.

Self taught through experience, books and visits to organ makers in the UK, Commodore Champion over the years has helped breathe air into lifeless organs across the country. The first organ he repaired was in Wesley Church, Mumbai. Since then he’s been acting as a consultant and facilitator for restoring organs in India. The organ in St Johns Secunderabad, that was unused for two decades was restored by him in 2003 at the cost of `1.5 lakh.

Not only is lack of expertise a problem, but restoration is an expensive affair. The quotation for restoration work can span from a few lakhs to even over a crore. Some work on the bellows and woodwork is done by Tapan Das from Kolkata under Champion’s guidance, who is the only such remaining craftsman in India. But repairing and re-tuning old pipes can only be done by experts from the UK and many parts are just not available here.

Of the five pipe organs in and around Hyderabad only one is in working condition (St Johns). The city is cold about western classical music compared to Chennai and Bangalore, where music lovers have made efforts to raise money for repair works, he says. But, historically the Nizam VIII of Hyderabad is known to have been passionate about western music. He brought down Tamil musicians from Chennai for his symphony orchestra and cavalry bands, the land denoted to these musicians is the area of Bandlines in the City.

While reviving western music in the City might take many more years, Commodore Champion continues to play the pipe organ each Sunday making sure its sound is alive.

source: http://www/.postnoon.com / Home> Arts & Entertainment> Music / by Elizabeth Soumya / November 09th, 2012

Patel Engineering charts Rs 75-crore realty plan for Hyderabad

Business & Economy

Will develop two township projects in Hyderabad

Patel Engineering Limited, a Mumbai-based construction company specialising in hydro-power generation and irrigation, will be investing Rs 75 crore to develop two township projects in Hyderabad.

The publicly-listed company, through its wholly-owned real estate development subsidiary Patel Realty India Limited (PRIL), is planning to develop a 400-unit residential apartments project christened Smondo (Smart Condominiums) on a four-acre land with an investment of Rs 15 crore (excluding land cost), and a 1,000-apartment, yet-to-be-named project on 10-acre land at an outlay of Rs 60 crore (excluding land cost) in Hyderabad.

“Targeting the young working population in Hyderabad, especially IT professional, we are planning to start construction work on the first project in January 2013 and complete it in two years from then. Work on the second project will commence in June next year and will be ready for occupation in three to four years,” PRIL managing director, Pravin Malkani, told Business Standard.

Stating that the Hyderabad property market is buoyant and there exists a great demand for quality housing despite the political uncertainty (Telangana), he said there was a clear gap in the market in terms of available formats of houses in relation to purchasing capacity and need for space.

“Buyers in Hyderabad are becoming aesthetically aware and more cosmopolitan and this attribute plays a crucial role in their selection of homes (2 BHK, 2.5 BHK and 3 BHK formats) for purchase,” Malkani said.

Patel Engineering, which reported revenues of Rs 2,549.64 crore in FY 12, currently has a total land bank of over 1,250 acre across India, including 400 acre of urban land in and around Hyderabad.

The company also has under its development portfolio three more integrated townships projects in Bangalore, Noida and Mauritius, together entailing an investment of around Rs 400 crore.

According to Malkani, while the 120-acre Neotown Bangalore project comprising 2,000 apartments is under construction, which will be ready for delivery in six to eight years, the 35-acre Noida project (3,000 units) and the 65-acre Mauritius project are expected to be completed in the next four to six years.

Patel Engineering Limited’s scrip is currently trading at Rs 77.60 on the BSE, down 0.83%, over the previous close of Rs 78.25 a share.

source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> Companies & Industry / by K. Rajani Kanth, Hyderabad / November 09th, 2012

Sania flags off fitness walk in Hyderabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports

STAR PRESENCE:Tennis star Sania Mirza, participating in the fitness walk in Hyderabad on Sunday.- PHOTO:NAGARA GOPAL

STAR PRESENCE:  Tennis star Sania Mirza, participating in the fitness walk in Hyderabad on Sunday. /  PHOTO:NAGARA GOPAL / The Hindu

Sania Mirza was in her element on Sunday before she formally flagged off the ‘Walk for Fitness’ as part of NDTV-Nirmal ‘Marks for Sports’ nationwide campaign.

The two-time Grand Slam winner did skipping exercises for a while and then joined the group of organisers in performing the ‘Gangnam’ dance to the delight of those who assembled at the KBR Park in the city.

“It is a great feeling to see Hyderabad take great interest in fitness. It is clearly departing from the days of laid-back approach and for the good,” Sania remarked.

“Fitness and some bit of walking does help everyone and especially when one enters the wrong side of the 50s. It is imperative to be choosy about the food you take daily,” the tennis player commented. “I support this campaign for the simple reason that I believe it helps India emerge a very healthy country,” she said.

“I always believed that sports and fitness should be an integral part of the school curriculum for this helps to be a very healthy nation,” Sania said about her campaign.

Later, Saina presented gift vouchers of Rs. 5,000 each to the 10 lucky participants and Rs. 1 lakh gift voucher to bumper winner Vignanandam.

Referring to her tennis career, Sania feels it is a great honour to partner World No. 1 Bob Bryan in the mixed doubles and hopes to script a new chapter in her career.

“The city has a rich history of producing great sportspersons with the likes of Jaisimha, Azharuddin, V.V.S. Laxman, Gopi to name a few. And, the best part is that Saina and I are still very hungry for success.We hope to inspire the young talent,” she pointed out.

“It also hurts to notice that not many are around who can break into the top 300 or even 200 tennis ranks. I am starting the tennis academy to ensure that young talent is groomed,” she signed off.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad, November 05th, 2012

At 69, he still ‘shuttles’ between home and stadium

Leaders, Records, All, Sports

Hyderabad:

At 69, Syed Mohammed Arif still nourishes the dream of producing a world badminton champion from India. In fact, he came closer last year when his ward Jwala Gutta collected bronze in women’s doubles at the world meet.

Undying passion for the game, tireless unselfish work, unmatchable commitment which helps him defy the age and the abundance of talent prompted the government to honour this age-old worse with the prestigious Padma Shri award four days from his 69th birthday (Jan 29).

Smiling effervescently as usual at his ancestral home located in the bylanes of old city, Arif said that he is excited to be honoured by the government. Awards are not new to him. He was honoured with the Dronacharya in 2000 and had also received a meritorious certificate award from the Badminton World Federation. But the former chief coach of Indian badminton, who played a great role in shaping up the careers of Pullela Gopichand and Jwala Gutta, is still yearning for more.

“I was very excited but not surprised. I know my name has been recommended a couple of months back. I am a firm believer of God almighty and have immense faith in the belief that when the time comes nothing can stop us from being honoured or rewarded,” Arif said, adding that this award motivates him to do more for the sport.

“I want to do more for the game of badminton. I want to produce a world badminton champion. Hopefully, I would realise that dream soon,” he added.

Arif, had, in fact retired from active coaching in 2004. But the great coach was forced out of retirement in 2006. Jwala Gutta and Chetan Anand requested Arif to come out of retirement and Jwala’s father Gutta Kranti managed to convince Arif through the then chairman of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh MS Raj Thakur.

“The SAAP chairman and my children (Jwala and others) requested me. How can I refuse them. Moreover, I realised that there are so many trainees who are in need of a coach. But I have enjoyed every moment after coming back. In fact it’s helping me to stay away from the doctor,” he said.

If there is one coach who is working for free it is Arif. The selfless man travels about 15 kilometres in the busy lanes of the city to train about 100-odd youngsters every day. Surprisingly, he doesn’t receive a single pie from any of them or from the government.

Chief coach of the Indian team, Pullela Gopichand said that Arif is the most deserving candidate for the award. “For the contribution he made to the sport of badminton and the way he put Andhra Pradesh on the national sports map he is the most deserving person to be honoured. We are all very happy for him,” Gopi said.

Jwala thinks Arif should have received this honour about ten years back. “I am very very happy for him. I think he should have got this award a decade back. He is largely responsible for shaping up my career and more importantly my personality. I think he’s the only coach who is working without receiving a single paisa or favour from anyone. Even now I fear him a lot,” Jwala said.

Arif in turn said that Jwala needs to be pushed hard and there is no one better than him to do that. “I think Jwala is a sort of player who needs to be pushed hard. Having trained her since her childhood there’s no better person than me to do that,” he said adding that Indian shuttlers have a good chance of winning medals at the Olympics.

“I think with a favourable draw our shuttlers have a good chance of winning medals in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Saina is playing well and our mixed doubles and women’s doubles teams are beating all the top teams. I am confident they will definitely win medals this time,” Arif said.

Crediting Gopichand for providing more international exposure to Indian shuttlers, Arif said he is expecting more from the present lot. “Never in the history of Indian sports, our shuttlers got so much of international exposure. But I am expecting more success from them. I know it would take some time from this batch to excel at international level,” he said.

The former NIS coach dedicated his award to his 90-year-old mother, wife and all his disciples who brought laurels to the state and the country.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / by M Ratnakar, TNN / January 26th, 2012

WFA Global invests in Hyderabad-based personal financial services start-up

Business & Economy

Hyderabad:

ArthaYantra, a Hyderabad-based integrated personal financial services start-up, on Tuesday said it has raised seed capital from US-based investment firm WFA Global Investments. However it did not disclose either the quantum of funds raised or the stake picked up by the US firm.

The company, which has been founded by a group of ISB Hyderabad alumni, uses its its unique proprietary framework, trademarked as Personal Financial Lifecycle Management  (PFLM), and employs patented processes that help individuals achieve their financial goals.

The company plans to further develop its proprietary technology and also expand its team that currently stands at over two dozen people. The company also plans to expand operations across six major cities of Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.

According to the company, it was focused on launching its new solutions and was currently engaged in increasing its financial research capabilities by building systems and processes based on existing patents that it holds and is now piloting its innovative personal finance solution in beta with select group of customers. ArthaYantra’s clientele includes individuals from India, US, Europe and Middle East.

Commenting on the development, Artha Yantra founder and CEO Nitin B Vyakaranam said that the current round of investment was a testament to the global appeal that its solutions carry. “In India, we plan to take personal financial services to a greater cross-section of the population by coming out with unique and thought provoking services. We believe that a vast majority of India’s middle income population does not have access to formal personal financial services, and our solutions would fill this gap.”

New York-based  WFA Global Investments managing director Dr Ravi Bhagavatula said: “With the backbone of patented and scalable personal finance solutions along with its disruptive business model, ArthaYantra has the potential to achieve global scale. The Indian market has a promising ‘middle of pyramid’ opportunity and ArthaYantra could prove to be a game changer in the personal finance industry.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Business> India Business/ by Swati Bharadwaj Chand / November 06th, 2012

Top players set for badminton clash

Sports

TOP badminton players in the region are set to clash in the UAE Exchange Bahrain International Challenge Badminton Tournament which gets underway today at 6pm at Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) in Segaiya.

The tournament is conducted by BKS in association with Bahrain Badminton and Squash Federation (BB&SF).

The highlight of the first day is the presence of former All England Champion and presently Indian national coach Pullela Gopichand who will be inaugurating the event.

Gopichand is a renowned world class coach and is the person behind the resurgence of India as a badminton force. Saina Nehwal, the London Olympics bronze medal winner, and P Kashyap are two of his best known students.

The Bahrain International Challenge is an event sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) with the prize money of $15,000 at stake.

This event carries world ranking points and has attracted top ranked players from all over the world.

Competition will be held in five categories – men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Upset

Niluka Karunaratne, who is ranked 36 in the world, is the top seed in the event. The 27-year-old Sri Lankan was the captain of his national team at the London Olympics earlier this year and he upset the world No 8 Kanichi Tago in the singles event.

The next best ranked players in the fray are Suppanyu Avihingsanon of Thailand with a world ranking of 64 and seeded second here, and Sai Praneeth of India with a world ranking of 65 and seeded third.

Avihingsanon recently took part in the Japan Super Series while Praneeth is a bronze medal winner in the doubles at the Youth Commonweatlh Games in 2008 and won silver in the Junior Indonesian Challenge 2009.

HS Prannoy, ranked fourth, and Chetan Anand are two other well-known faces from India in the fray.

Prannoy reached the third round of the Vietnam Open earlier this year while Anand is a four-time Indian national champion.

In the women’s section, Neslihan Yigit and Ozge Bayrak, both of Turkey, are the two top ranked players with world rankings of 45 and 66 respectively. They are seeded first and second respectivley.

Anne Hald Jensen of Denmark is another notable entrant with a world ranking of 87 and is seeded third.

Bahraini players, meanwhile, will be participating in all five categories.

The most prolific among the local players are the doubles pair of Al Sayed Jafar Ebrahim Jafar, who is the national team captain, and Heri Setiawan. They are second seeded this year and were last year’s semi-finalists.

There are two more members from the Jafar family participating in this year’s tournament – his brother Ebrahim Jafar Al Sayed Hamed, who is pairing with another Bahrain player Saied Taki, and his brother’s son Adnan Ebrahim, who will play in the qualification matches.

Entry is free on all days.

UAE Exchange are the title sponsors of the event and other major sponsors are Zain Bahrain, Bahrain Air, Berger Paints, Mark 7, Maison Interiors, Al Mahroos, Albi WLL and Chevron.

source: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com / Home> Sports News / Tuesday, November 06th, 2012

Food business attracts Old Hyderabad youth

Business & Economy

Hyderabad:

The food bug has bitten Old City’s youth. With Hyderabadi food gaining prominence, several youngsters are opting for careers in hotel management, particularly in food production (cooking) sector. And catering to this demand are the several hotel management institutes that have cropped up across the city in the past few years.

The Centre’s Institute of  Hotel Management (IHM) has been conducting four short term courses lasting between six and eight weeks, branded “Hunar Se Rozgar Tak (from skill to employment). According to the institute’s management more than 30 per cent of its participants are from the Old City. The demand is the highest for food production where more than two thirds are from this part of the city. Interestingly, one third of the candidates are women.

Most students who attend short term courses in the several institutes in the city have completed only matriculation. Some have not finished schooling as well. Explaining the penchant for culinary arts among Hyderabadis, noted educationist Zafar Javeed said that it is the availability of opportunities in the hospitality sector that is drawing many youngsters today. “Hyderabadi food, the Biryani and in recent past the Haleem, have gained immense popularity in and around the city which in turn has resulted to the mushrooming of several restaurants. The demand for cooks has thus increased. Being good at skill based tasks, youngsters from the minority community are making use of these opportunities,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / November 05th, 2012