Sania will focus on doubles now

Sports

What started as a quest to ensure an Olympic berth seems to have turned into a career shift for India’s Sania Mirza. The tennis player was, on Wednesday, quoted as saying that surgeries and persistent injuries had eventually taken their toll and that she would be prioritizing doubles from this year on.

“Tennis and the surgeries take a lot out of you,” she told reporters in Karachi. “I realised at the start of the year that it was impossible for me to pursue a singles and doubles career. Ever since I’ve given up on my singles career, my performance in doubles has improved.

“I even reached a career-best seventh in the world and that’s why I’ve decided to concentrate solely on doubles tennis.”

The 25-year-old, who won the most recent of her 13 WTA doubles titles in Pattaya in February this year, is currently ranked eighth in doubles. Meanwhile, she has slipped to 181 in the singles. Sania has to retain her position in the top-10 in doubles if she is to make the cut for London. According to the Olympic qualification rules, the players ranked in the top-10 at the cutoff date of June 11 will get a direct entry into the doubles draw and will have the right to choose their partner.

Her best shot

Even so, her best shot at winning an Olympic medal will come in the mixed doubles. Since it’s a spot sign event, Sania will have to retain her place in the top-10 and enter the women’s doubles to be eligible.

“The ITF will select doubles teams for direct acceptance from mixed doubles entries comprising players accepted in the singles and/or men’s/women’s doubles events,” the rulebook states.

While the Olympics are a short-term goal at the moment, injuries and a rise in doubles fortunes seem to have decided Sania’s future path for her.

source: http://www.HindustanTimes.com / Home> Sports> Tennis / by HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times / Mumbai, April 26th, 2012

‘Mangala Vadya Sammelanam’ at Lal Bahadur Stadium on May 6

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Come May, citizens of Hyderabad will be treated with a gala event ‘Mangala Vadya Sammelanam’ at Lal Bahadur Stadium here.

About 3,500 artists from across the country and also from countries like Singapore, Sri Lanka and Canada will perform various ‘keerthanas’ and compositions and enthral the audience on May 6. The event is being organised by Silicon Andhra in association with the Department of Culture. The artistes will perform with instruments like ‘shehnai’, ‘Nadaswaram’, saxophone and traditional drums.

‘Nadaswaram’ accompanied by ‘Mangala Vadyalu’ holds a special place in the Indian tradition and no marriage or function is complete without the performance of these artists, but of late they are losing their patronage and artistes are left high and dry,” founder-chairman, Silicon Andhra, Anand Kuchibhotla said at a press conference here on Thursday.

Unlike classical music, the patronage for ‘mangala vadyam’ is dwindling and there is a need to revive these arts. The two-day event is being organised to give a fillip to these artistes and will address various issues faced by them, he said. The event will be inaugurated by Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan along with his Tamil Nadu counterpart K. Rosaiah on May 5.

Procession

The first day will be set apart exclusively for artistes and they will participate in team wise performances and discussions. Commemorating the 604 birth anniversary of Annamacharya on May 6, artistes will takeout a procession from Tirumala Tirupati Devastanams Temple at Himayatnagar to L.B. Stadium at 6 a.m. and in the evening there will be a live performance by all artistes together at Lal Bahadur Stadium, Mr. Anand Kuchibhotla explained.

A 34,000 sq. ft. stage will be built to accommodate the artistes and anyone can attend the performance, he said.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad, April 27th, 2012

Hyderabad duo attempts to scale Europe’s highest peak

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Sports

FULL OF PASSION: Ali Razvi and Ranjan Sood undergo preparatory training in Hyderabad on Sunday. Photo: Nagara Gopal

Ali Razvi (40), well-known for his climbing prowess in Hyderabad, and Ranjan Sood’s (55) preparation routine is taxing

The sun continues to beat hard on their backs, even as the two try to steady their sweaty hands on the ropes and rappel down the 30-feet drop of a cliff at Ammuguda. The mountaineers know well that Hyderabad’s hot sun will not be a worry when they attempt to scale Europe’s highest peak, Mount Elbrus, at approximately 5,642 metres above sea level this June.

The mountaineers are more concerned about being in perfect physical condition before attempting the gruelling climb to Mt. Elbrus, a feat being attempted for the first time by adventurers in Hyderabad.

Ali Razvi (40), well-known for his climbing prowess in Hyderabad, and Ranjan Sood’s (55) preparation routine is taxing.

It involves a minimum of 10 kilometres of brisk walk, a 200-step steep climb at Ammuguda and fine tuning their climbing skills on the natural rock formations at various rock sites in Hyderabad. “It is not just physical fitness. We have to be mentally fit too. We are trying our best to get ready for the climb,” says Mr. Razvi, who on previous occasions has scaled the Himalayan mountain Kala Patthar twice (5,500 metres) and has led a group of mountaineers to the Everest Base Camp.

Mt. Elbrus, considered to be the highest point in Europe, is geographically the dividing line between Europe and Asia. The inactive volcano is part of the seven summits, a well-known mountaineering objective in which mountaineers dream of scaling the highest peaks in the seven continents of the world.

“It’s a challenging climb because we have to trek from 8,200 feet to 18,510 feet in thick snow. The route that we have decided on is not easy. It has lots of snow, high winds and difficulties associated with high elevation. There have been several failed attempts in the past but we are not thinking about it,” says Mr. Razvi.

CIRCUITOUS ROUTE

The route chosen for the 15-day expedition is circuitous. “We start on May 31 and fly to Moscow from Delhi and then reach an airport called Mineralnye Vody in Russia. This is 250 kilometres away from Mt. Elbrus. Here, we will join an international team of climbers and attempt the climb,” they explain.

TECHNICAL CLIMB

The mountaineers are busy fine-tuning their gears such as harness, carabiner, ropes, crampons, snow boots, ice axe etc. for the technical climb.

In addition, both are also working on the mental aspect of the climb. “We need will power for the attempt. The climb will test our endurance and, hopefully, we will be able to scale Mt. Elbrus by the middle of June,” says Ranjan Sood.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News / by M. Sai Gopal / Hyderabad, April 22nd, 2012

CA sets up Asia innovation centre in Hyderabad

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

US software and solutions company CA Technologies has set up its Asia innovation unit at its development centre here in partnership with the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H).

The centre is the company’s third innovation centre in the world after the US and Israel. It will work in areas like cloud technology, big data technology, mobile security and management.

“This will become Asian innovation centre where we come together with IIIT to create an environment to add to the technologies that support what is happening in the industry today,” Chief Executive Officer William McCracken told reporters.

IIIT-H Director Rajeev Sangal said: “We are looking forward to working with CA Technologies to help develop strategic software solutions that can address the most pressing business needs of their customers and the enterprise industry.”

Terming India as big business opportunity for the company, McCracken said the CA increased its investment in India by over 25 percent for last several years. “We will continue to do that because it is already starting to show returns. In the past year as a revenue India has grown well beyond what we have known as a corporation.”

The CA has already invested $60 million in creating the infrastructure for its operations in India. McCracken also said CA was looking for acquisition of technology companies in India.

source: http://www.TwoCircles.net / by IANS / April 24th, 2012

It’s just like home, say City Bengalis

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

Bengalis are not new to Hyderabad; the City of Pearls is home to the community members from the time of the Nizams.

Many have served them in high capacities such as geologists, accountants, professors in Nizam College and also many in the CID wing of the Nizam’s police force.

There are about four lakh Bengalis in Twin Cities. For most youngsters, who have not even visited Bengal, Hyderabad is their home. The old-timers from the community say “We’ve been here for at least six decades and have our business and family here. We celebrate our festivals and traditions here with a Hyderabadi flavour” said, Biswajeet Roy, a resident of Ameerpet.

Areas like Sainikpuri, Secunderabad, Ammerpert, Begumpet, Himayat Nagar, Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills have substantial chunks of Bengal population. Most of them are either into clothing business, making gold jewellery or teaching. Several are prominent scientists, industrialists and bankers.

In Hyderabad, the community is very active in social and cultural events. Every year, Durga puja is conducted in nearly 10 to 12 localities on large scale. The Hyderabad Bengali Samiti, Cyberabad Bengali Association, Bengali Cultural Association, Hyderabad Bengali Welfare Association, Krishti Goshti, Hyderabad Kalibadi and Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha are some of the associations in the City where Bengalis meet and celebrate their festivals. Uttarayan is the biggest social club of the community and organises Kali Puja and Diwali celebrations. Entertainment programmes are organised to attract both Bengalis and non-Bengalis.

“Language is not at all a barrier for us. My kids are more fluent in Telugu and Deccani Hindi than me. We are now citizens of Hyderabad and actively take part in social and political life here. The people of Hyderabad are very hospitable. We love to be called as Hyderabadi Bengali”, said Bimal Roy, member of Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha. He came to Hyderabad 45 years ago and settled here.

The community in the City has been in the forefront of national and local causes. The fund that is generated from Durga Puja or any of their cultural events is used for philanthropic activities.

The community has contributed to the Kargil relief fund and for disaster relief funds during natural calamities. The members from the various associations also visit the government hospitals and distribute fruits and blankets.

source: http://www.postnoon.com / Home> Business / by Anubha Kumari Singh / April 24th, 2012

Park Hyatt restaurants opened

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

HIGH PROFILE: Pinky Reddy, daughter of T. Subbarami Reddy, MP and Park Hyatt chairman, welcoming the Ambassador of France, Francois Richier, and Chinese envoy to India, Zhang Yan, at the inauguration of the restaurants at Park Hyatt, Hyderabad, on Monday. Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

The restaurants at Park Hyatt Hyderabad, a five star deluxe hotel, were opened on Monday.

Well-known filmmaker Dasari Narayana Rao was the chief guest, while Ambassador of France, Francois Richier, and Chinese envoy to India, Zhang Yan, were the guests of honour at the inaugural event of the hotel, which was opened recently. Congress MP and chairman of Park Hyatt, Hyderabad, T. Subbarami Reddy, showed the two envoys and other guests, who mostly included film personalities, around.

Investment to the tune of Rs.800 crore went into the eight-storey building which has 209 rooms, 24 suites, 42 fully serviced luxury apartments with five star facilities on the two uppermost floors.

A unique feature of all restaurants at the hotel is the interactive show kitchens. Italian restaurant Tra Forni prepares dishes from regions of Northern Italy, besides pastas.

Its extensive wine list features different wines from the central and northern wine regions of Italy.

The Dining Room offers Hyderabadi dishes and classic European favourites, while The Living Room offers freshly prepared macaroons and other French pastries, among others.

The Oriental Bar and Kitchen offers menus from Asian countries.

T.V. Sandeep Reddy, a director of Gayatri Heritage Hotels, promoters of the hotel, said that they were also planning to set up another project at Visakhapatnam.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad, April 24th, 2012

Kakinada old port back in action after revival of rice exports

Business & Economy
Kakinada, APRIL 20:

The Kakinada anchorage (old) port, languishing for the past three to four years, received a shot in the arm during 2011-12 financial year, with the Union Government deciding to lift the curbs on non-basmati rice exports.

The lifting of ban on rice exports could not have come at a better time.

From September 2011, till the end of the financial year, nearly two million tonnes of rice was exported through the old port.

The workers, steel barge owners and the trade dependent on the old port heaved a huge sigh of relief.

OTHER COMMODITIES

According to the Port Officer, Mr B. Adinarayana, apart from 19,82,628 tonnes of rice, 1.42 lakh tonnes of sugar was also exported from the port during the year.

Besides, 9,36,389 tonnes of maize was exported and 40,000 tonnes of cement.

On the whole, the old port handled 31.48 lakh tonnes of cargo during the year valued at more than Rs 5,800 crore.

“It is quite a creditable achievement and it was badly needed at that juncture, as the port was suffering for want of cargo,” he said.

REVENUE

In all, 195 vessels sailed from the port during the year and the port earned a revenue of Rs. 24.16 crore during the year.

Expressing happiness over the revival in the fortunes of the port, the Chairman of the Cocanada Chamber of Commerce, Mr D. Surya Rao, said that nevertheless, certain infrastructural problems plagued the port during the year.

The roads leading to the port should be improved and all steps should be taken to remove bottlenecks.

INFRASTRUCTURAL PROBLEMS

Trade sources also said the State Government as well as the Union Government should take long-term measures with regard to the anchorage port and the fortunes of the port should not depend on a single commodity such as rice.

In view of the large number of workers dependent on the port, the Government should take the long-term view, it is felt.

Mr Adinarayana said steps would be taken soon to improve the infrastructure at the port.

vzchs@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com /  Industry & Economy> Logistics / by CH. R.S. Sarma / Kakinada, April 20th, 2012

NuZen launches OrthoZen herbal syrup

Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology
Chennai, APRIL 19:

NuZen Herbals Pvt Ltd, part of the Hyderabad-headquartered B.R. Naidu Group, has launched OrthoZen herbal syrup, developed in house, for arthritic patients.

The syrup “is purely herbal and is highly beneficial in conditions of low back pain, osteoarthritis knee joint pains and other inflammatory joint pains, without any side affects”, says Mr B. Ravindra Nath, Managing Director of the company.

The Rs 500-crore B.R. group, which has business interests in travel and forex, real estate, media (it owns the Telugu news channel TV 5), forayed into the herbal products business in 2010 with the launch of Nuzen Gold Herbal hair oil. “Encouraged by its success, we launched shampoos and hair colouring products in quick succession. And, OrthoZen marks our foray into the healthcare segment,” Mr Nath said.

According to him, the company managed establish a network with over 2,000 distributors pan India, in the last two years. While its hair-care products have national presence, and also being exported to West Asian countries and Malaysia, OrthoZen is currently made available in three states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, now. The plan is to take this product to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata in the next two-three months, before it goes pan India.

The company has 200 acres of land in and around Hyderabad where it cultivates medicinal plants for its captive consumption, and a manufacturing facility in Hyderabad. It also intends to expand its product portfolio by adding herbal cosmetic products. Research is on and “we are in the process of acquiring land to grow specific herbs for the purpose,” Mr Nath said.

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Companies / Hindu Bureau / April 19th, 2012

Intach heritage awards: 6 monuments bag honours

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Six monuments in the city — Rashtrapati Nilayam (Bolarum), Dargah Moosa Quadri (Purana Pul), Saif Gulshan (Asifnagar), Ashurkhana Hussaini Alam, Chiran Mosque (Jubilee Hills) and Osman Sagar (Gandipet) — have bagged the Intach Heritage Award 2012.

A citation was awarded to the Tomb of Salar Jungs, Daira Mir Momin. The Intach Award Screen Committee received 150 entries, out of which, 24 were recommended for inspection by a jury. Guidelines had been prepared in consultation with experts in fields of architecture, archaeology, urban history and conservation.

The primary objective of the heritage awards is to highlight the importance of protecting and conserving the city’s natural and built heritage, said Sajjad Shahid, convenor, Award Screen Committee. “It is aimed at creating awareness in favour of conservation and adaptive re-use of the city’s heritage,’’ Mr Shahid

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Hyderabad / DC , April 19th, 2012

Raising a toast to mana heritage

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Chowmohalla Palace.    Photo: Satish. H.

Hyderabad gears up to celebrate Heritage Week after winning the ‘Best Heritage City’ title

Hyderabad was crowned as the Best Heritage City of the country a couple of months back. And the celebrations are underway hallu–hallu. After wining the prestigious title from Union Tourism Ministry and receiving the award from the President of the country, the celebrations took some time in order to make it a remarkable one.

In keeping with its image, the city of Charminar, tombs, pearls and biryani, is coming up with both tangible and intangible ways to celebrate . “A whole lot of events are lined up. From culture to food to sight seeing, this city offers tourists everything. Tourists don’t come to the city only for sight seeing, the city is to be experienced in all ways. And what better way to celebrate the Heritage Week than with cultural programmes in the lap of heritage,” says G. Kishan Rao, director, Chowmahalla Palace.

The Chowmahalla Palace will host a whole lot of cultural shows and events. The event kickstarted on Wednesday with a jugalbandi with music maestro Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna and Pt.Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Over the week, connoisseurs of music will be treated to scintillating sessions of music, poetry, qawwali, mushaira and traditional dances. “The cultural shows are lined up to highlight the rich cultural heritage of the city. The shows are a mix of music and dance and theatre . The attempt is also to make people aware of what we have as a city. On the final day, there is a Kathak performance by Pandit Birju Maharaj,” confirms Kishan Rao.

This is not all, G. Kishan Rao says there are different programmes and cultural shows which are being hosted at Qutub Shahi Tombs and Taramati Baradari as well.

To mark the World Heritage Week, INTACH gave awards to several heritage buildings and structures in and around the city. Describing their search and attempt as a deepone, Anuradha Reddy of INTACH said, “Lots of heritage structures have been destroyed and neglected but there is still much more that can be preserved, if we make an attempt. This time we looked at various aspects of heritage. The search made us look at heritage that is part of people’s lifestyle and habit. The search showed up areas where heritage is intact. Secunderabad’s rich heritage and buildings talk of the influence of various communities in their architecture and material. One building highlighted modern architecture in traditional use and that discovery is a very interesting one.”

If this is one part of the celebration, there is more for everyone at the ‘entry-free-for-all’ event at Shilparamam. To highlight the intangible aspect of heritage and culture in the city, food is being highlighted through cooking competitions and food stalls being set up. Venkateshwarlu, administrative officer at Shilparamam says, “The event begins with a festival of Mughlai dishes and goes on to show the different cooking styles of various regions as well. The event also has a cooking competition for men and a biryani festival. Besides food stalls, there will be cultural shows as well.”

So let’s rediscover and raise a toast to our city.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Life & Style> Metroplus / by Prabalika M. Borah / April 18th, 2012