Two girls break into IIT’s top-10 club

Education, Records, All

For the first time in history, two girls have ranked in the top 10 in the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Aditi Laddha from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh ranked sixth, while Leena Madhuri from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh placed eighth. Both small-town girls want to study computer science.

Pallerla Sai Sandeep Reddy of Andhra Pradesh has topped the IIT JEE 2013 exam, scoring 332 marks out of 360.

While the first two ranks are from the IIT-Madras zone, the next two ranks are from the IIT-Delhi zone. Kartikeya Gupta of Delhi placed fourth becoming the North India topper. “I would choose computer science at IIT-Delhi. Besides reading, I love to play the tabla,” he said.

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The gender swing however continues to be still weighed heavily in favour of boys, with only around 11% of girls being called for counselling, almost similar to that of last year.

The total number of girls in the top 100 this year is four, up by one from last year.

“This is a positive trend. We have two girls in the top 10 this year,” HC Gupta, organising chairman, JEE (Advanced) 2013, said.

“I would like to study computer science at either IIT-Bombay or IIT-Delhi,” Laddha told HT.

Madhuri said she was very happy to see girls performing well.

“I used to study for 12-14 hours,” Madhuri, who scored 97.9% in her boards, said.

Talking to HT, Reddy, who wants to become a robotics engineer, said he was happy to note that two girls have secured a place in the top 10.

While 21,110 candidates qualified  in the exam, 14,336 have actually been  called in for counselling. The filling of courses is scheduled from June 24-30.  The first round of seat allotment is expected to be announced on July 4.

Nearly 1,15,000 candidates appeared for the JEE (Advanced) exam for 16 IITs and the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, on June 2.

This year, selection was a two-stage process – IIT (Main) and IIT (Advanced). Aspirants have to be in the top 20 percentile of their boards to finally get admission in an IIT.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> News / by HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times / New Delhi – June  22nd, 2013

City girl grabs silver at Asian chess championship

Records, All, Sports
P. Supreetha./ Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu
P. Supreetha./ Photo: Special Arrangement / The Hindu

Much to the delight of the Vijaywada chess fraternity, 11-year-old Potluri Supreetha won the silver medal at the Asian Youth Under-13 Rapid Chess championship on Thursday night.

It was a moment to cherish for the city’s chess fraternity as young Potluri Supreetha won her second Asian title at Mashhad (Iran) on Thursday night. She pocketed a silver medal in Asian Youth under-13 rapid chess championship by hauling 5.5 points.

Supreetha (Elo rating 1646) drew her last game with her fellow-Vijayawada player World under-10 champion Nuttaki Priyanka to achieve the podium finish. The only game she lost was against the ultimate champion from China – Yang Yijing.

Earlier, the 11-year-old student of Viswa Bharathi English Medium School won her maiden Asian title when she clinched the gold medal in the Asian School Games in 2012. “Her next destination will be Dubai where she will represent India in the World under-13 championship in December,” said her coach V. R. Bobba.

A trainee of Mustabada Sports and Educational Society, Supreetha is labelled as a player who takes no risks. “She is a consistent player and plays solid chess. As she grows she will learn the intricacies of the game better,” felt Global Chess Academy chief coach Khasim.

Chess is not in the family background of Supreetha and her father takes care of agriculture in Nuzvid. What started off as a hobby went on to become an obsession for the young girl. Her mother gave up her job to concentrate on Supreetha’s fledgling career.

She spends around five hours honing her skills everyday. “Her middle and endgames are encouraging. She needs to master the technique of finishing the game within the allotted time,” felt her coach.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by J.R. Sridharan / June 22nd, 2013

Noted writer Aluri dead

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Noted writer and translator Aluri Bhujanga Rao, 83, passed away at his A T Agraharam residence in Guntur on Thursday. He was one of the prominent Telugu writers and translators of Hindi books and novels into Telugu.

He also translated Telugu books into Hindi. He was the editor of the magazine ‘Prabhath’ that was run by outlawed PWG for many decades and was a strong sympathiser of the Marxist party.

He has made invaluable contribution to the Marxist literature and translated many noted Hindi books into Telugu and vice versa.

He translated the works of legendary Hindi writers Premchand and Rahul Sankrityayan and others.

Bhujanga Rao had penned 30 Telugu novels during his long career. Noted among them is  ‘Simhavalokanam’, comprising biographies of many freedom-fighters including Bhagat Singh.

Virasam leaders Varavara Rao, Chalasani Prasad, Arasam district president Penugonda Lakshmi Narayana, noted writer K Siva Reddy and others paid tributes to the departed soul here Thursday and expressed deep condolences to Bhujanga Rao’s family members.

Bhujanga Rao is survived by wife, son and three daughters.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service – Guntur / June 21st, 2013

‘CII promoting entrepreneurs among SC/STs’

Business & Economy

 

Prospective entrepreneurs at the CII session in Vijayawada on Wednesday./ Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar
Prospective entrepreneurs at the CII session in Vijayawada on Wednesday./ Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

 Though it is a voluntary commitment, the member companies are proactive and enthusiastic about it, says Vijayawada zone vice-chairman V.V.M. Krishna

The CII is promoting non-discrimination against Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe employees, applicants or vendors.

CII member companies were proactive and enthusiastic in following the CII code, said CII Vijayawada zone vice-chairman V.V.M.Krishna.

Speaking at a session on ‘Doing Business: Opportunities and challenges’ in an industrial motivation campaign to promote entrepreneurship among SCs and STs organised jointly by the CII, the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and industry (DICCI), the APIIC, and Andhra Pradesh government here, Mr. Krishna said that the CII had developed a code of conduct on affirmative action being followed by member companies. The code related to non-discrimination, assistance and transparency with respect to employees, applicants or vendors from the SC and ST communities. Though it was a voluntary commitment, the member companies were proactive and enthusiastic about it.

“Various companies have evolved different programmes and there was a lot of enthusiasm about greater engagement with society and the underprivileged. The support to CII for this from the industry has been spontaneous,” Mr Krishna said. CII members from Andhra Pradesh have shown a lot of interest in contributing to the scholarships for SC and ST candidates through Foundation for Academic Excellence and Access (FAEA). As many as 40 companies signed the Code of Conduct and 2,630 students were being extended educational support, Mr Krishna said.

DICCI president Ravi Kumar Narra and Efftronics System MD D.Rama Krishna spoke.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / June 20th, 2013

Duo making a difference by donating blood

Inspiration /Positive News and Features

Visakhapatnam : 

KRB Prakash is the director of the shipping firm KRM Sons, while Dr A V Siva Prasad is a gastroenterologist – two professions that are poles apart. However, the two have something in common – the practice of donating blood.

Prakash has donated blood 65 times in the last 30 years, while Dr Prasad has donated blood 52 times since the early ’80s. The two have also turn their families and friends into regular blood donors.

Prakash told TOI during the World Blood Donor Day celebrations organised by A S Raja Voluntary Blood Bank here on Friday that he had started donating blood in 1982 at KGH Blood Bank, which was the only blood bank at that time.

He said that he had become a regular voluntary donor as there was a need to help people in distress. He was also one of the members of his club who helped create a directory of blood donors so that it could allow people to easily locate voluntary donors.

Since then not only has he donated blood but has also encouraged employees at his firm and family members to do this noble deed. “My son K Rohit has already donated blood 15 times,” he said proudly.

Ask Dr Prasad why he donated blood 52 times and he says, “The question should be why have you not donated blood? People should walk in voluntarily and donate blood because everyday some person or the other will need it.”

There is a high requirement for blood, Dr Prasad said, adding that his wife Dr Sugandhi, who looks after the A S Raja Blood Bank, and doctor son Sailesh also donate blood regularly. “Most of my family members donate blood regularly,” he said.

Dr Prasad said that while he was studying in Chandigarh in the early 1980s, the blood donation campaigns had influenced him.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / June 15th, 2013

Descendents protect Tikkana memory

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

Nellore: 

Although it was nine centuries since the great poet, Tikkana Somayaji, the one among three poets (Trinity of poets) who translated Mahabharata from Sanskrit to Telugu, his descendents have been protecting the only memory of his invaluable service.

The 18th descendant of his family, Paturu Harihara Sarma, takes pride in showing a sheath made of sandal wood, that was used to keep the ancient writing implement (Ghantamu or iron stylus) by Tikkana while writing Mahabharata on palm leaves.

The sheath with the pictures of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Saraswati carved on either sides, perfectly reflects the artistic skills of artisans in 12 century AD.
“This precious piece has been with our family for generations. My grandfather gave to my father and I was given this responsibility after taking an oath that I would protect it throughout my life,” says Harihara Sarma holding it carefully.

He said that he declined to part with the sheath when AP archaeology wing officials have approached him to take possession of the sheath in 2006 after this newspaper published an article on the subject.

Another testimony of Tikkana era was a mandap located on the banks of Pennar River in Nellore. The poet is believed to have penned down the great epic, sitting in the mandap, which is still there standing as classic example for the negligence of authorities.

A park near the mandap which was named after Tikkana and Siddheswara Swamy temple in his native village Paturu, 10 km from Nellore, where the poet worshiped Lord Siva, are also in bad shape.
The retired head of Telugu department of VR College, Nellore and a scholar who did extensive research on Tikkanna, Mopuru Venugopalaiah says the literary giant has constructed Lord Hariharanadha temple close to the existing Sri Ranganadha Swamy temple at Nellore.

As a result of sheer negligence, the traces of the temple are completely washed out, Venugopalaiah said.

“Though born as a Shaivaite Brahmin, Tikkana Somayaji during the rule of Kakatiya Empire, his works has a clear message that there is no difference between Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.  His first epic Nirvachanottara Ramayanamanu speaks about Sita’s banishment to forest and the birth of twins Lava and Kusa. Tikkanna translated 15 chapters of Mahabharatam, using more colloquial Telugu unlike Nannaya and Errana,” Venugopalaiah said.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / December 27th, 2012

Nellore to house Ocean institute

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

OceanInstituteHF27jun2013

Hyderabad:

Due to lack of space for expansion in Chennai, the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has decided to set up a larger campus at Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. Dr M.A. Atmanand, director, NIOT, said the institute had been on the lookout for a large piece of land for expansion near Chennai, but the institute has now decided to set its new campus outside Tamil Nadu.

“We are trying to get 250 acres in Nellore and our negotiation with the AP government is on,” he said. The district administration has identified 211.75 acres of land at Vakadu and Kota mandals of Nellore for NIOT.  NIOT deposited Rs 8.5 crore towards the cost of land which includes some private land as well.

source:  http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / June 15th, 2013

NanoCoat to raise Rs 20 cr to fund capacity expansion

Business & Economy

Nano Coat  Chemtech, a Hyderabad-based start-up engaged in the research and development (R&D) and commercialisation of nano-materials that are directed towards innovative applications in healhcare, infrastructure and energy sectors, is looking at raising close to Rs 20 crore to fuel its capacity expansion plans.

We are planning to raise the funds through a private equity placement. We should be closing the deal in the next financial year, Baskaran A, managing director of NanoCoat, told Business Standard.

The nine-month-old company, which had raised its first round of funding from Arun Reddy, an angel investor based out of New York, currently manufactures 10,000 litre of nano-material concentrate per day from a leased facility in Hyderabad.

The company intends to utilise the proposed funds to scale up this capacity to 30,000 litre per day, besides setting up dilution-cum-bottling plants in Gujarat and Uttarakhand in a phased manner.

We have been invited by the Gujarat government to set up our facility at their nanotechnology park and we are actively considering it. Both the Gujarat and Uttarakhand plants should be up and running sometime during the next financial year, Baskaran said.

NanoCoat has already developed three products for domestic and industrial use, which it is planning to file for patents globally. These include N-Arokya focused on the hygiene segment, N-Vitra, a dust-repellent and water-repellent coating product, and N-Surya targeting photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers and end-users.

Currently being tested by a few identified customers, NanoCoat is planning to commercially launch these three products across India, Asia-Pacific, West Asia and Africa in August this year. The company has so far invested around Rs 3.2 crore in operational expenses, and R&D of these products.

Stating that the company was specifically focusing on green technology, Baskaran said the market (application of nanotechnology in chemical areas) was currently pegged at $10 billion globally.

We see a huge potential for such products and we expect each of these three products to bring in Rs 8 crore during the eight-month commercial period, both through institutional sales and distribution channel approach, he added.

The company has in its pipeline three more products, which are currently in lab-testing stage. The products, targeted at purification of completely-polluted public water bodies like Hussain Sagar Lake, and enhancement of solar PV cells production etc, are expected to be commercially rolled out in the next two quarters, he said.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Companies> News / by K Rajani Kanth / Chennai-Hyderabad / June 16th, 2013

Vandemataram foundation: Moulding citizens of tomorrow

Uncategorized

VandemataramHF27jun2013

The Vandemataram foundation has been on a drive to fight poverty, illiteracy and discrimination through their social outreach initiatives in hundreds of schools in Warangal and Mahbubnagar.

“Vandemataram is not an NGO, it’s a movement, a revolution,” says T Ravinder, introducing the foundation which is slowly but steadily transforming public education in villages and mandals across AP.

The foundation commenced operations in 2005, on the eve of the centenary celebrations of the national song, Vande Mataram.

Inspired by the teachings and philosophies of Vivekananda and APJ Abdul Kalam, the twelve-man team and 11,000 ground-level volunteers, have been working towa­rds igniting young minds so they can lay the foundation for a better tomorrow.

“If we are able to successfully mould a classroom in a school today, we can mould the shape of the world,” believes journalist-tu­rned-activist Ravinder, who’s the founder-trustee of the community development organisation.

Keeping true to their motto, the foundation has been on a drive to fight poverty, illiteracy and discrimination through their unique social outreach initiatives in hundreds of schools in Warangal and Mahbubnagar. The results are already showing — drop rates have fallen sharply, teacher absenteeism has slump­ed and student performance has improved drastically, in more than 120 schools in 10 mandals.

Recognising the problem of high-dropout rates among girls after high school, the foundation has adopted 600 girl children from these mandals, bearing all costs (including their bus pass, admission, tuition fees, study material) for their higher education. In return, these girls have an undertaking to return to their villages in the evening and conduct mentoring classes.

Another successful initiative of the organisation is their ‘Little Leaders’ programme aimed to help orphans and children of single-parents who constitute a majority of the student body in government schools. In the absence of established libraries, these kids serve as mobile libraries by carrying to school story books, moral studies tomes or any good literature provided by the foundation and make them available to the rest of their class. In the evening, they pack them up and bring them back. In turn, these children are rewarded by having a nominal amount of money added to their account for their future education. “Every person we help will help two in return. It will be a chain reaction so that everyone is affected,” the members say.

Despite a monthly expenditure of `4-5 lakh, the foundation says that they will not accept a rupee of government funding. The organisation was so far being funded by socially conscious businessmen from the City who shared its vision. “About 50-60 of us came together and wanted to help. So we started setting aside `1-2 lakh every year and giving it to support the foundation,” says Madhav Reddy, now the State secretary for Vandemataram. Recently, they have companies coming forward to sponsor programmes.

But they’re still only getting warmed up. Ahead they have clear development plan and specified goals. “We want to make Dr Kalam’s 2020 vision come true. Our aim is to create at least 1,00,000 responsible citizens in the country who will work towards change. And we intend to touch 1,000 government schools across the State. If we can achieve that, we can achieve full social justice,” explains Ravinder.

source: http://www.postnoon.com / Post Noon / Home> City / by Padmini Copparaju / June 14th, 2013

SJM to have 3 new galleries

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
HYDERABAD,: 27-11-2012 Governor E.S.L Narasimhan giving away award to A.Nagendar Reddy,Director,Salarjung Museum, on Indian Red Cross Society annual general meeting day in Hyderabad on Tuesday. / PHOTO: G_Krishnaswamy / The Hindu
HYDERABAD,: 27-11-2012 Governor E.S.L Narasimhan giving away award to A.Nagendar Reddy,Director,Salarjung Museum, on Indian Red Cross Society annual general meeting day in Hyderabad on Tuesday. / PHOTO: G_Krishnaswamy / The Hindu

More than 60 years after it was opened, Salarjung Museum (SJM) is still in the process of opening more and more galleries. There is never a dull moment with this world famous museum. In the next few months it is going to add three more galleries. The birth anniversary of its founder, Mir Yousuf Ali Khan Bahadur better known as Salarjung III is the occasion for taking stock of things, chalking out plans and setting the road map for future.

Museum Director A. Nagender Reddy explains the new plans on the anvil to  J.S. IFTHEKHAR

Any new galleries planned?

Yes, three new galleries are in the pipeline. A gallery containing walking sticks of Salarjung will be opened within a fortnight. As many as 180 walking sticks, some studded with jades, will be on display for the first time. Though Salarjung himself did not use the sticks, he took pains to acquire them from different parts of the world. The gallery is almost ready on the ground floor.

Which is the other gallery you have proposed?

A coins gallery is planned and it is expected to be ready in next two months. It will have more than 1,500 coins right from the Satavahana period to the Nizam’s era. The Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai, has agreed to put up two kiosks in the gallery. One will enlighten visitors with the history of money while in the other kiosk with a video will explain the method of detecting fake notes.

And the third gallery?

We have totally refurbished the children’s section at a cost of Rs. 30 lakh. The new gallery on the first floor has 3,500 sq ft area to display everything connected with children in a much better way. This gallery, which will be opened in next four months, will also have computer games to keep the visiting children engaged.

Any other thing?

The Islamic Art Gallery on the second floor in the Eastern Block is in the final stages of construction. A sum of Rs. 3 crore has been spent so far and another Rs. 1.5 crore is required to deck up the interiors. Everything connected with Islam from carpets to the holy Quran will be displayed here. The Islamic Art gallery will be inaugurated during this financial year.

What about plans to provide a virtual tour of the museum?

We plan to tie up with Google to give this enchanting experience to visitors. Shortly the SJM will go in for solar power to meet 40 to 50 p.c. of its energy needs. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs has provided a budget of Rs. 3.5 crore. The New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation will execute the project.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / June 15th, 2013