She made children smile

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features
Dr. Shantha Sinha./ Photo: V.V.Krishnan / The Hindu
Dr. Shantha Sinha./ Photo: V.V.Krishnan / The Hindu

Thousands of children and their parents in villages across Andhra Pradesh have so much to thank Dr. Shantha Sinha for. She fought against child labour by getting children into schools and ensuring they got an education. A winner of many awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay award in 2003, Dr. Shantha Sinha credits her volunteers for their magnanimity.

About a decade ago, Parigi and other mandals in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh were known for child labour. Girl children, in particular, went to cotton farms. Toiling hard from daybreak to midnight for a paltry sum and a glass of buttermilk, the young girls were forced to leave schools and work in harsh conditions. Some succumbed to pesticides as they were enrolled in these “farm badi” (farm environments simulated as schools with intervals, school bells and award) using superstitions to convince hapless parents.

Enter the Bridge schools, high impact awareness campaign run by Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation — popularly known as MV Foundation — and the sheer determination of one woman Dr. Shantha Sinha.

Soon schools were abuzz with students and it was back to school and a happy childhood for the voiceless children out here in the remote region. Talking to the poor parents on the one hand and mobilising multi media support on the other, it was a tedious yet successful effort by Dr. Sinha and her volunteers camping in the villages.

Today, thanks to her, 800 villages in Ranga Reddy district have successfully achieved 99 per cent enrolment and retention of children till Std. X. Organisations such as CRY, Tatas, HIVOS and European Commission have come forward to render support to the cause.

A source of inspiration for many, Dr. Sinha, who is currently chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), was awarded the Padmashri in 1998 and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 2003 in recognition of her efforts.

She is also the founder of MV Foundation (which is named in memory of her grandfather Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiah).

“My experience in MV Foundation helped me largely in my role as chairperson of NCPCR. The overall objective of the Commission is to ensure that all laws, policies, programmes and administrative mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. MV Foundation had been the beginning of my endeavour to fight against child labour and NCPCR gave me a wider perspective which was more challenging. A whole gamut of issues opened up and I got the larger picture,” opined Dr. Sinha.

Bonded labour

As director of Shramik Vidya Peeth where she was involved with bonded labour, Dr. Sinha realised that 40 per cent of the bonded labourers were children. At Shramik Vidya Peeth the focus was on adult labour and during that time, there was no agency that was working exclusively for the welfare of children.

Dr. Shantha Sinha’s family trust, founded after her grandfather, was involved in giving scholarships to students. Dr. Sinha took up the issue of child labour under the family trust. And thus, began the journey of MV Foundation.

“Dr. Sinha is a role model for many of us. She is responsible for effectively motivating 80,000 volunteers. She gives space to all and a platform to everyone to voice their opinion,” says Arvind Kumar, Documentation and Research Co-ordinator, MV Foundation.

“My family was very supportive and hence could take up the challenge of rescuing children. Since a majority of children were Dalits, initially a lot of resistance came from the upper castes. The children and their families were threatened; our volunteers too faced threats. Slowly and steadily we overcame the pressure and in due course we began to focus on girl children. We also realised that children from all communities were deprived and our strategy was concentrated towards changing the mindset of the people. We tried to explain to people how education is important for a child’s mental and physical growth. This focus helped a lot. It all started from Ranga Reddy district and today around 6,000 villages across Andhra Pradesh are a part of the initiative, having gained momentum in diverse geographical, political and cultural terrains,” said Dr. Sinha.

Today the staff at MV Foundation has gained expertise and is actively involved not only in Andhra Pradesh but across the country. Having dealt with complexities in Andhra Pradesh, the staff is able to efficiently overcome challenges across Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Rajasthan and other States as well, says Dr. Sinha.

“I have worked with MV Foundation for 18 years now. I admire Dr. Sinha’s non-hierarchical approach. It is commendable the way she respects everyone and allows everyone to voice their opinion,” says R. Venkat Reddy, National Convenor, MV Foundation.

A teacher herself

Dr. Shantha Sinha also served as a faculty member of the department of Political Science at the University of Hyderabad.

“Being in the university was an advantage, and helped in development and institutionalising. On the other hand my theories in the university came from the practical experience I gained working for MV Foundation,” confides Dr. Sinha.

Every successful effort begins with the first step and a focussed leader.

Dr. Shantha Sinha’s dedication to her work and the drive to help her team realise the big vision for change is what every volunteer vouches for. “As a person Dr. Sinha is very fair and gives everyone equal status. I have been associated with MV Foundation for 12 years and I have learnt a lot from her. I am in awe of her dedication towards her mission,” says Dhananjay, Training Co-ordinator, MV Foundation.

“When you enjoy doing something it becomes a passion and you don’t treat it like a job that needs to be dealt with. I have always enjoyed doing what I do; be it at NCPCR today or what I did at MV Foundation sometime back…or my role as a professor in the university; I am very passionate about my work. I have always tried to get totally involved with my work and the people I work with. My idols have been my volunteers. It is amazing to see their level of involvement and dedication, their capacity to be generous and magnanimous,” says a humble Dr. Sinha.

A visit to any of the villages in Ranga Reddy today will find beaming children going for higher education with gratitude to the lady from the city who made their freedom a reality.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Sunday Magazine / by Ajuli DasGupta / March 12th, 2011

IIT-Hyderabad tops in research among new institutes

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

The Indian Institute of Technology here has taken the lead among the eight new IITs in quality of research.

Equipped with strong research facilities, IIT-H has been rated nine on the h-index along with IIT Ropar, while the other six IITs in Patna, Indore, Mandi, Jodhpur, Gandhinagar and Bhubaneshwar were rated in the band of two and five. This was revealed in a recent journal citation assessment commissioned by the new IITs.

IIThftwo05nov2013

The h-index, named after Argentine-American physicist Jorge E. Hirsch, measures the impact of a scientific research publication of an institution or an individual researcher based on the number of citations per publication.

The assessment revealed that research from IIT-H had been cited 535 times compared to 362 for IIT Ropar. The figures for most other new IITs are in just two digits.

IIThf05nov2013

Expressing happiness over the development, IIT Hyderabad Director U.B Desai credited the faculty for the honour.

Next target

The effort now will be to improve the h-index to 40 and then to 50 from the existing nine, he said, while admitting that it would take a while for the fledgling institute to reach the position.

Prof. Desai said the institute was currently working on 75 projects. The institute, with 150 full-time faculty members, also has the most number of students (1,355) pursuing various courses.

Among these, around 300 are Ph.D students, indicating the institute’s strong focus on research.

New campus

Prof. Desai said the institute, currently functioning from Yeddumailaram near the ordnance factory at Medak, will move to its permanent campus at Kandi near Sangareddy in the next academic year. Student hostels will be constructed by March next and the main academic building by May.

“I have set up committees to ensure the campus development programme is on track,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by R. Ravikanth Reddy / Hyderabad – October 28th, 2013

Riding home a point

Amazing Feats, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports

It takes a strong mind and heart to train oneself to be a sportsman. And in a country where cricket is a religion, it isn’t  an uncommon instance where other sportsmen bemoan the government’s lack of support. And if it’s tough enough when one is able-bodied, what of the many talented differently-abled people? That is the issue that city-based Aditya Mehta is trying to drive home.

Perturbed by the state of sports facilities provided for the differently-abled and the way people react towards them, Aditya Mehta is planning a unique initiative: to cycle the 3800 kilometers-odd distance between Kashmir and Kanyakumari. A commendable feat, the 31 year-old makes this even more of an achievement being an above knee amputee himself. Strike one for Mehta.

The Hyderabadi who lost his leg in an accident, got frustrated of sitting at home and took up the sport after coming across a hoarding of Hyderabad Bicycle Club. A business man by profession, he turned the sport into a passion for himself in a span of 19 months, even registering his name in the Limca Book of Records for being fastest above-knee amputee to comlete 100 kilometers on a cycle. “I bought a cycle after seeing the hoarding and started practising. Initially, I fell down many a time, but slowly I picked up and achieved a lot from then on,” said Aditya about the initial stages of his cycling journey.

Not one to be slowed down or to entertain sympathy, he points out that the empathy shown by people for amputees might deter their confidence levels and make them lose faith in trying to lead a normal life. “Often, people use the word ‘bechara’ for amputees, even parents sympathetically wonder what amputees can do in life. But I feel that they have the potential to lead a normal life,” he states strongly.

Having seen for himself what differently-abled people can do for themselves, he has made it his pet project to encourage fellow amputees to go out there and achieve. However, he does admit that help from the government could take them a long way.

“If we see other nations like China or smaller countries like Malaysia, sports facilities for them are really good. However, in our nation, there are no sports academies for amputees. I want to motivate amputees to take up sports and drive the point that they can lead a normal life,” states two-time silver medalist. For Aditya, this ride isn’t just a statement to the government but also to other differently-abled people. Having picked up his medals for India at the Hero Para-Cycling Championship held in Delhi on March-2013, he hopes his initiative will prompt the government to take notice of his requests to provide a special academy and other facilities for amputees.

Besides just cycling the distance, Aditya also hopes to raise funds for his foundation. Along with four close associates, the Hyderabadi is in fact registering the Aditya Mehta Foundation today, to which people can donate money for every kilometer he covers. The foundation will utilize the generated funds in providing sports equipment and prosthesis for other amputees interested in sports. “Differently-abled people from different states who are selected in various competitions, call and ask me to help them find a sponsor. This is how I intend to help,” he shares.

The 36-day bicycle ride titled Airtel Endurance Ride by Aditya Mehta is powered by Bharathi Cement and will begin on November 7 at Srinagar. Aditya will cycle to Kanyakumari and reach on December 13 after a four-day break in between. With a schedule of covering 100-120 kilometers a day, Aditya will also be accompanied by a doctor throughout the journey. “As it is a very long ride, my palms might swell and I might get saddle sore, but I am prepared for it,” says the determined cyclist.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by K. Shiva Shanker – Hyderabad / October 28th, 2013

Bangalee Samity’s Durga Puja in city a big draw

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Sri Durga puja being performed during the Dasara celebrations organised by the Hyderabad Bangalee Samity at Pingle Venkatarami Reddy Hall at Domalguda in Hyderabadon Saturday. | A RADHAKRISHNA
Sri Durga puja being performed during the Dasara celebrations organised by the Hyderabad Bangalee Samity at Pingle Venkatarami Reddy Hall at Domalguda in Hyderabadon Saturday. | A RADHAKRISHNA

Bengalis in the city bonded with each other during the Durga puja celebrations, which began on Shashti and will end on Dasami on Monday, organised by the Hyderabad Bangalee Samity.

Bengalis, not only from the city, but also from other states and countries joined the festivities at Pingle Venkat Ram Reddy Function Hall at Lower Tank Bund in Domalguda here.

Anubrata Basu, who lives at Gurgaon, came here to celebrate the festival with his family. “Here, the festival is more personal, and there is a sense of belonging as members of the samity take the onus of organising the celebrations right from collecting funds till arranging cultural programmes. Moreover, bonding between people is more here whereas in Kolkata celebrations take place on a large scale but without much bonding.

Saptarsi Dev, who has been residing here for many years, visited the place along with a friend, also a Bengali, from the UK.

People turned out in huge numbers to catch a glimpse of the Durga idol. In the afternoon, Sandhi puja was attended by people from various communities, said Biswajit Mukherjee, executive member, Hyderabad Bangalee Samity.

According to Mukherjee, there are around 70,000 Bengali families in the city. People got a taste of the Bengali cuisine as various food stalls sold delicacies like Rashogulla, Sondesh and Katiroll. On Saturday, the programmes included Sankho Dwhani, Uloo Dhwani, painting and drawing competitions, followed by other programmes in the evening.

On Dasami, the Goddess and Her family will be given a farewell. Sindoor Utsav will be held on the same day.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / October 13th, 2013

Cancer meet held at Yashoda Hospital

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Science & Technology

Yashoda Hospital, Malakpet conducted ‘Fight Against Women’s Cancers’, a cancer awareness programme under “Fight On,” a cancer conquerors’ empowerment initiative by Yashoda Group of Hospitals, to commemorate the World Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The initiative is a part of Yashoda Group’s commitment to help cancer conquerors beyond providing superior medical treatment.

The initiative was inaugurated by chief guest, Jayasudha, MLA, Secunderabad constituency and eminent film personality, on Friday amidst a special gathering of cancer conquerors, cancer specialists and other important delegates.

Breast cancer is the most common of all cancers and is the leading cause of deaths among women across the world.

The programme will provide a platform for all women cancer conquerors including breast cancer conquerors to promote healing, stimulate inner resources, enhance quality of life and compliment medical care.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / October 26th, 2013

It’s ‘London calling’ for ACA academy boys

Education, Sports, World Opinion
Andhra Cricket Association director and former India wicketkeeper M.S.K. Prasad./ File photo / The Hindu
Andhra Cricket Association director and former India wicketkeeper M.S.K. Prasad./ File photo / The Hindu

Talented players, both in cricket and in studies, to be benefited

Andhra Cricket Association director and former India wicketkeeper M.S.K.Prasad’s words would be music to the ears of parents of the 100-odd players harnessing their skills at three residential academies at Vizianagram, Mangalagiri and Kadapa.

“Talented players, both in cricket and in studies, will be helped to pursue their higher education in the University of East London.

Their education will be sponsored by ACA and Telugu Association of London (TAL), and this will help them get part time jobs under ‘earn-while-learn’ system,” said Mr. Prasad, who visited London recently to market the newly-spruced up multi-crore cricket infrastructure.

THREE ACADEMIES

ACA has set up three academies in Andhra region with state-of-the-art playing fields including provision for indoor stadiums by spending crores of rupees. “We need to generate income to maintain these structures.

This sojourn was meant to bring in teams from aboard to make use of these facilities”.

Mr. Prasad interacted with one Akram Malik, a representative of the university and also with the members of TAL during his week-long stay. “This is a golden opportunity for the players as they can get the best of education from this prestigious institution”.

Mr. Prasad’s endeavour to market the stadiums met with a fair amount of success as the county heads of Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex and Surrey showed interest in making use of the stadiums during their off season.

“English county teams prefer to use facilities at Sri Lanka and Dubai during their off and pre-seasons. Now they can make use our facilities which are world-class”.

Prasad also interacted with European wing of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Junior Global Academy at Dubai.

“Former Pakistan all-rounder Mudassar Nazar, who heads the Dubai academy, was impressed with our vision and soon we will chalk out a schedule,” he added.

VISUAL PRESENTATION

The former India wicketkeeper made an audio visual presentation and distributed a colourful booklet featuring the facilities and other information such as places of tourist interest, hotels and cuisine.

He said England witnessed torrential rain during cricket’s off-season and the practice schedule often went haywire owing to poor playing conditions.

“The academy will be vacant as our boys will be busy touring and playing for Andhra and India. They can use the services of our coaches, physiotherapists, and trainers as well. We are keen to bring them to coastal Andhra for a reasonable fee. The second and third rung players who wish to make to the main county team can make use of these facilities”.

He also held discussions on exchange tours to give a chance for academy players to play in English conditions against county players.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by J.R. Sridharan / Vijayawada – October 03rd, 2013

AP signs MOU with Holland for research

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

AP Society for Knowledge Networks and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research will jointly promote research at academic institutions in Andhra Pradesh and the Netherlands.

An MoU was signed on Wednesday between IT minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah and a Netherlands team at the Secretariat.

The AP Society for Knowledge Networks will work with four hub institutes in AP–IIT Hyderabad, NIT Warangal, BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus and IIIT Hyderabad. Each of these four institutes will in turn be responsible for guiding and fostering research in other engineering colleges in the state.

Each of these hub institutes will be guiding 100 engineering colleges with their research leadership. The funding for the projects will be provided 50 percent each by the AP Society for Knowledge Networks and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research. The AP Society will fund to the tune of about Rs 10 crore initially.

Each project will have six stakeholders–three in the state and three in the Netherlands. The three stakeholders are: The academic institute concerned, along with its faculty and research students; a potential corporate player who is interested in partnering with the research effort either through funding or through intellectual participation; and the AP Society for Knowledge Networks in case of AP and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.

The deadline for submission of proposals in short format is December 1.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / October 24th, 2013

Sikorsky plans to build H-92 copter cabins locally

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

JV with Tata Advanced Systems makes 50th S-92 helicopter cabin with 100% local components

US helicopter-maker Sikorsky Aircraft is planning to outsource more work to the Hyderabad manufacturing facility, which was set up in a joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in 2010 to build  S-92 helicopter cabins.

Shane Eddy, senior vice president – Operations at Sikorsky, on Thursday said the company would build H-92 helicopter cabins in this facility once the orders for supply of these helicopters by the Canadian government were cleared. H-92s are civilian certified aircraft built for military operations.

Besides, the company is looking for orders from other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for supply of components being made by Tara Aerospace Systems Limited, the second joint venture set up here between Sikorsky and the Tatas, according to him.

These plans coincides with the complete indigenisation of S-92 helicopter cabins currently being built at this facility by TASL, which holds a 74 per cent stake in the two joint ventures while Sikorsky owns the rest.

Marking this achievement, TASL chairman S Ramadorai today personally handed over the 50th S-92 helicopter cabin and the first to be built with 100 per cent local components by the JV, to the Sikorsky official.

Eddy said the company was having enough demand for the S-92 helicopters that would require at least two years to clear the backlog.  The plant, which currently operates with two shifts a day, would start three shifts during this year. The company can expand the overall content of the aircraft from this facility, he said while admitting it was deriving significant savings on costs from the Indian manufacturing facility.

TASL now produces four S-92 cabins a month from three earlier to meet the demand as Sikorsky makes about 40 S-92 helicopters a year in its US facility. In June 2009, Sikorsky and TASL had entered into an agreement for production of S-92 helicopter cabins in India and in November 2009, the two had entered into a JV for production of more than 5,000 detailed aerospace components, which go into cabin making. The JVs with 74:26 had set up two manufacturing  facilities — one for cabin making and the other for aerospace components.

On bagging government order
On delay in the bidding process for buying helicopters for civilian purpose by the Centre, Sikorsky’s regional executive retired Air Vice Marshal Arvind Walia said they were looking forward to opening of the commercial bids soon. “Sikorsky is more than willing to provide a solution. Moreover, we are building cabins also here,” he said when asked about the company’s prospects in winning the order following the recent controversy over Italian helicopter-maker Augusta, which too is the contender for this order.

Walia, responding to a question, said the company had no problem in bringing more technology and manufacturing to India even though they were allowed to have only 26 per cent equity in the Indian joint venture. However, he said it would like to raise its equity even up to 76 per cent in future if the government  allowed.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Companies> News / by BS Reporter / Hyderabad – October 24th, 2013

Hyderabad socialite walk to support an NGO at ‘Hyderabad Walks’ event

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

The second annual event of an NGO dedicated to providing aid to critically ill children, witnessed a huge gathering at a suburban hotel, on Wednesday evening.

Titled ‘Hyderabad Walks’, the event saw 40 people from different walks of life — businessmen, socialites, educationists, doctors and housewives — walk the ramp to raise funds for the organisation. The evening began with a travel quiz, followed by a fashion show.

The first sequence had a masquerade theme with opera music playing in the background and the second sequence had participants walking the ramp individually. The highlight of the show was actress Charmme who walked as the show stopper wearing an elegant lehenga and looking splendid. After the show, guests were seen bonding with each other over dinner and drinks.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / September 26th, 2013

Hyderabad bids a tearful adieu to Lance Naik Feroze Khan

Records, All, Uncategorized

Hyderabad:

Scores of people and political leaders paid homage to Indian Army soldier Lance Naik Feroze Khan, who was killed in Pak firing.

Lance Naik Feroze Khan succumbed to serious injuries after Pakistani mortar firing near the Line of Control at Balakote in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

Naik Feroze Khan belonged to the Madras Regiment where he served for about 12 years.

The final rites of the deceased soldier were performed with military honours in the old city here on Thursday.

Andhra Pradesh BJP president G Kishan Reddy, YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Mayor Majid Hussain and other leaders paid tributes to the soldier’s departed soul.

Lance Naik’s family members including his little children were in grief and many people wept after seeing them.

Scores of local residents turned up to pay homage to Khan.

Meanwhile, an official release said here that full military honours were accorded to the soldier, before his mortal remains were laid to rest at a graveyard near his house located in the old city of Hyderabad.

Major General Cyrus Pithawala, AC, VSM, General Officer Commanding, Andhra Sub Area led the wreath laying ceremony at the graveyard where an army gun salute was accorded to Lance Naik Feroze Khan.

Wreaths were also placed on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh Governor, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, the Chief of Army Staff and the General Officer Commanding Southern Command and General Officer Commanding Andhra, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala area, the release said.

A two-minute silence was also observed as a mark of respect to the departed soldier.

Rear Admiral K Srinivas of the Indian Navy and other senior army, air force, police and civil officers were present, while a large number of people paid their last respects to the brave soldier.

PTI
source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / ZNews / Home> State News> Andhra Pradesh / Thursday – October 17th, 2013