Category Archives: World Opinion

Petite, an ambient game on a woman’s birth-to-death journey

Records, All, Science & Technology, Sports, World Opinion

The game, developed by Hyderabad’s Seven Summit, has been selected for Microsoft Imagine Cup’s national finals

Imagine a game that’s ambient and speaks to the player’s heart and soul rather than just their thumbs?  Asar Dhandala , a second-year student from Backstage Pass Schooling in Hyderabad, along with his team, has developed Petite , an abstract, philosophical game that revolves around the life of a woman starting from her birth till she departs this life, while focusing on several key incidents that happen along the way.

“Depending on the situation she is in, the player can let out her emotions and control them to stop the spherules which revolve around her. After every level, the story unfolds and gets the player emotionally attached to the game,” says Asar.

Developed by Hyderabad-based gaming studio  Seven Summits , for which Asar is the co-founder, Petite has won a games honourable mention under User Experience Challenge, a non-technology challenge category in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup  2014.

Besides, the game has made it to the national finals of the cup, which is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on April 28-29. If Seven Summits manages to win the event, it would represent India at the international level of the competition to be held in Seattle this June.

“When we did our research, we came to know that 86 per cent of people who watch movies play video games, but only 23 per cent of people who are avid readers play games. So, we thought why not make a game which is patterned after books, thereby unlocking a totally new target audience. Thus, we came up with Petite. And, we have chosen the art style abstract for Petite to serve the purpose,” he adds.

The Seven Summits team has also developed Just Born, a game that seeks to address the issue of female infanticide in India, which received an honourable mention under Project Blueprint Challenge, also a non-technology challenge category in the Imagine Cup.

“We have designed Just Born as an obstacle course through the various organs of an infant girl. It engages users through interactive mini-games in each organ, highlighting the plight and suffering of the girl child in rural India. As the game progresses, the user must win the challenges in very organ (level) only to find that the girl child is eventually drowned by her parents,” says 20-year-old Asar.

Considered as the ‘Oscars of Technology’, the Microsoft Imagine Cup has an outreach of over 60,000 students from across India this year. Around 24 teams were selected for participation at the India national finals, says a Microsoft India spokesperson.

“India has traditionally been a frontrunner at the competition. It has created opportunities for students to learn how to launch their business and bring their ideas to the market.”

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Technology> News> Others / by K Rajani Kanth / Hyderabad – April 14th, 2014

The French connection

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion
J. Prithvi Reddy, recipient of the Belmondo Medal;General Secretary of Foundation Alliance Franciase, Paris, Jean-Claude Jacq and Jean-Manuel Duhaut./ Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
J. Prithvi Reddy, recipient of the Belmondo Medal;General Secretary of Foundation Alliance Franciase, Paris, Jean-Claude Jacq and Jean-Manuel Duhaut./ Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

Director of Alliance Francaise Hyderabad is happy that the Belmondo Medal has been awarded to a Hyderabadi

Jean-Manuel Duhaut is a happy man. His stay in Hyderabad as the Director of Alliance Française, Hyderabad, which was supposed to end by August this year has been extended. “There are many coincidences in my life about coming and working in India. In 1983 I was to come and teach French in India as a visiting lecturer; then I was first assigned to Hyderabad. Just the day earlier I watched Gandhi film with my students. At that time I knew India but had no idea of a city called Hyderabad.

I looked up the map and could trace my future place of dwelling. Just when I was getting excited about my stint in Hyderabad, I was told that the place which I was supposed to take had got filled in. However my India plans as a lecturer would still be on. I was sent to Delhi,” recollects Jean.

The French language and cultural institute recently wrapped up a function where city-based J. Prithvi Reddy was awarded the prestigious French Belmondo medal that is awarded to people who have made a significant contribution to Alliance Française. This medal was designed by famous sculptor Paul Belmondo, father of the illustrious French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo. “Jean Paul Belmondo is to France what Amitbah Bachchan is to India,” explains Jean.

Prithvi Reddy was awarded the medal for his invaluable contribution and long association with Alliance Française. He helped the centre sustain when it was in a very bad crisis some years ago,” elaborates Jean.

Talking more about his association with teaching, Jean says “I chose teaching over the mandatory military service and that is how I applied for civil services abroad where we teach French at erstwhile French colonies. Many people still mistake us to be a foreign institution, but we are not. We are actually the largest controlled NGO that is only involved in teaching French and establishing a cultural dialogue between the two countries.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Prabalika M. Borah / Hyderabad – April 10th, 2014

RCOG World Congress Attracts 3,500 Doctors

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

“Reducing maternal mortality is not only the duty of doctors but is also a social responsibility. Education of women will reduce the mortality rate as we have seen in Kerala and Punjab,” former president and eminent scientist APJ Abdul Kalam has said.

Speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) World Congress-2014 held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) at Madhapur here on Friday,  he said, “Today, 4.5 million children in the world are lacking nutritious food. We need to provide the newborn with vitamins to make  our future generations healthy and strong.”

Over 3,500 doctors from 62 countries attended.

Paul Fogerty, senior vice-president and chair of RCOG, released online International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG) and people can have their doubts clarified by by sending their queries to RCOG2014.com.

David Richmond, president,  in his inaugural address described Hyderabad as a beautiful city. The event will be held once in three years.  Suchitra Pandit, president of the Federation of Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Societies of India, also spoke.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / March 29th, 2014

QuisLex Adds Capacity to Hyderabad Delivery Center

Business & Economy, World Opinion

New York, NY :

QuisLex, Inc., a  Chambers and Partners Band 1 Legal Process Outsourcing provider , today announced the expansion of its execution center in Hyderabad, India. This additional capacity will augment existing space in meeting increased client demand for both litigation and corporate services. QuisLex has delivery centers in India and the U.S.

“Client demand continues to drive our growth, and this expansion is a result of the continued interest in our services from both long-term clients and new global corporations and law firms who are now utilizing our corporate and litigation services,” said Sirisha Gummaregula, COO of QuisLex. QuisLex’s clients include Global 500 corporations in the technology, finance, insurance, and manufacturing sectors, among others, as well as Am Law 100 and Magic Circle law firms.

“This new facility will be fully compliant with our regularly audited ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certified controls. It will also have the same security measures and advanced technological infrastructure as our existing facilities, including multi-tiered physical and electronic security controls such as biometric access,” said Michel Sahyoun, CTO of QuisLex.

All of QuisLex’s execution centers in India are highly secure, state-of-the-art Class A facilities located in the prestigious HITEC City area of Hyderabad. “The new facility expands our ability to provide high-quality, secure, cost-effective, process-driven solutions and reinforces our commitment to our clients,” added Gummaregula.

About QuisLex:
QuisLex is the preeminent Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) firm, specializing in executing complex document review, contract management, and compliance projects. The company creates new value and opportunities for legal counsel through the innovative alignment of the best of human capital, process discipline, and technology, making it the partner of choice for Fortune 500, Am Law 100, and Magic Circle firms on bet-the-company matters.

For more information, please visit http://www.quislex.com

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/04/prweb11749079.htm

source: http://www.digitaljournal.com / Digital Journal / Home> Press Releae / New York, NY (PREBP) / PRWEB.com / April 09th, 2014

Hyderabad’s link to Penn Masala

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion
(From left to right) Chetan Khanna, Ashwin Muthiah, Varshil Patel, Akiff Premjee, Brendan McManus, Rohan Murthy, Dilip Rajan, Prashant Ramesh, Hari Ravi, Aneesh Kanakamedala (sitting below), Praveen Rajaguru, and Pranay Sharma.
(From left to right) Chetan Khanna, Ashwin Muthiah, Varshil Patel, Akiff Premjee, Brendan McManus, Rohan Murthy, Dilip Rajan, Prashant Ramesh, Hari Ravi, Aneesh Kanakamedala (sitting below), Praveen Rajaguru, and Pranay Sharma.

Hyderabad: 

Browsing on Facebook, you might have spotted a video, the thumbnail of which shows six boys dressed in vintage 60s style. That is the latest genius from Penn Masala, a five minute video that summarises the evolution of Bollywood music which has already got over a quarter of a million views.

The world’s first Hindi a cappella group comprising students of University of Pennsylvania also finds its roots in Hyderabad, through its member Anil Chitrapu. Penn Masala is an evolving group with the current members being Akiff Premjee, Varshil Patel, Anil Chitrapu, Dilip Rajan, Ashwin Muthiah, Prashant Ramesh, Chetan Khanna, Aneesh Kanakamedala, Brendan McManus, Pranay Sharma, Hari Ravi, Praveen Rajaguru and Kashish Hora.

The video, The evolution of Bollywood, has taken the social networking sites by storm, with even top singers and music directors from India praising the group. “We had been brainstorming this idea for a while, ever since we saw another cappella group (Pentatonix) do a history of Western Music video. We started discussing and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could show how Bollywood music evolved over time?’” says Akiff Premjee.

While the group’s success might be news to Indians, it has already tasted success in the US with its meeting with the US President Barack Obama.

Varshil says, “That experience was unlike any other. We were fortunate to be asked to perform at the White House for President Barack Obama’s Diwali celebration and the signing of an important Asian-American initiative… It’s actually funny, because later that year we went on to give a similar performance for UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon and he asked us ‘Was this as exciting as performing for Mr Obama?’”

Penn Masala had also toured India in 2013 and even had a show in Hyderabad. Talking about the experience of performing in Hyderabad, Akiff says, “Hyderabad was absolutely incredible when we visited last winter. The audience was phenomenal and we could tell how hospitable every one was when we met fans after the show. If only we could have spent a day or two longer!”

Anil Chitrapu, the music director and only Hyderabadi of the group, says, “Much of my family is in Hyderabad, and I try to visit as often as I can to see them. Whenever I’m in the area, I make sure to get myself a fix of Hyderabadi biryani from Paradise Hotel and chai from around Charminar,” he says.

Anil has learnt Indian Classical (Carnatic) music and studied under Sri D. Seshachary of the Hyderabad Brothers. “This style of music has helped me immensely with my vocal tone and ability to sing in Hindi and other South Asian languages. Also, I really like Vijay Prakash in his Telugu songs! He has an extremely versatile voice.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Offbeat / DC / by Sanchita Dash / April 03rd, 2014

Going places with greeting cards

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Education, World Opinion
Techies for tomorrow: Keep it Simple Silly (KISS) team members Jharna H.Makhija and Chaitra Salimeeti. — PHOTO: V. RAJU / The Hindu
Techies for tomorrow: Keep it Simple Silly (KISS) team members Jharna H.Makhija and Chaitra Salimeeti. — PHOTO: V. RAJU / The Hindu

Undergraduate girls turn entrepreneurs, export cards to UK and USA. They have just shipped an order by post to California. Jharna H. Makhija and Chaitra Salimeeti doing their third year in Computer Science Engineering in Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College (VRSEC).

They have still a year to complete their engineering. But that has not stopped them from making a success of a business that most people consider unviable or impossible. Making and selling greeting cards abroad in the age of whatsapp and email is a small achievement for the young entrepreneurs.

Making customised greeting cards is their USP. They have just shipped an order by post to California. Jharna H. Makhija and Chaitra Salimeeti doing their third year in Computer Science Engineering in Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College (VRSEC) have successful bagged and executed nearly 200 orders in less than a year.

Starting with regular greeting cards they diversified to a variety of customised cards including the ‘explosion’ box greeting cards, invitations for a wide range of occasions and more recently flyers and tickets for commercial programmes. The brand name they have given for all these products is the highly catchy phrase, Keep It Simple Silly (KISS).

Customised fare

The big attraction in the customised cards, which often have photographs of both the senders and receivers, is that they are permanent. “Whatsapp messages, emails are temporary, but our cards remain forever. They are mementoes which can be collected to remember all the important occasions,” said Ms. Makhija.

The book “How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company” inspired the girls to start the business. The college E-Cell gave them a little nudge by permitting them to have a stall on the campus for a couple of days.

With their creativity and computer knowledge they design the customised cards, which often have many pages, using graphic design software like CorelDRAW, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

The cost of the cards ranges from Rs. 15 for a regular card to Rs. 600 for an explosion box greeting card (explode into several pages of photos and text when the lid is removed).

It is not that the two-girl team had no competition.

A few months after they began the business in July 2013, a few boys from another engineering college started a similar enterprise. But having a head-start gave KISS an advantage, Ms. Salimeeti said. The real advantage is the wonderfully maintained Facebook page that attracted customers from as far as UK and USA.

Wedding season is hectic time for KISS. In the beginning the parents resisted, but extended logistic support when the orders began flowing in.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by G. Venkataramana Rao / Vijayawada – April 17th, 2014

VSP employee for All-England tourney

Science & Technology, Sports, World Opinion
B.V.S.K. Lingeswara Rao / The Hindu
B.V.S.K. Lingeswara Rao / The Hindu

An employee of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant B.V.S.K. Lingeswara Rao is participating in another international badminton tournament.

He will be representing India in the 98 All-England Seniors Badminton Championship to be held at Hatfield from April 11 to 13.

Commissioner of GVMC and president of the Visakhapatnam District Badminton Association M.V. Satyanarayana, secretary of the district association and vice-president of the AP Badminton Association R. Srinivas, and other office-bearers congratulated Lingeswara Rao on his selection and wished him success in the tournament.

Lingeswara Rao will play the plus-45 years men’s singles and doubles events. He will partner with A.V. Raju of Hyderabad in the doubles event. Players from nearly 25 countries are participating in different age groups, plus-35 years to 70 years.

Foreman in VSP, Lingeswara Rao secured a bronze medal in the men’s singles and doubles category in the sixth BWF senior World championship-2013 held in Ankara (Turkey) recently.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – April 03rd, 2014

French ‘Burrakatha’ exponent feted

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All, World Opinion
Daniel Negers
Daniel Negers

French National Institute of Oriental Languages, Civilisations assistant professor and an international authority on the folk art form of ‘Burrakatha’ Daniel Negers was felicitated for his contribution to Telugu by the Telugu Association of Netherlands (TANE) at its Ugadi celebrations.

The Telugus living in Netherlands met in the city of Eindhoven on Ugadi and felicitated Prof. Negers for his contribution to Telugu, according to a press release here by TANE team.

It was following his recommendation that Telugu was made one of the 90-odd languages taught at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO), a national institute of France.

Prof. Negers speaks Telugu fluently and flawlessly like a person from Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

He lived in Peddapuram of East Godavari district for several years to study Burrakatha under various gurus.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – April 13th, 2014

Hyderabad-born elected co-chair of Iowa Republican party

Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion

Hyderabad -born Indian-American businessman Gopal T.K. Krishna has been elected as co-chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa state, which has traditionally held the first caucus in presidential elections.

Krishna, a successful businessman with a background in electrical engineering, replaces Danny Carroll, who has been elected as chairman, according to an announcement by the party’s state central committee in Des Moines, Iowa.

“I have been, and am a Republican for all Republicans. The first three letters of my name are G-O-P. I ran because I don’t want to wait until the primary elections to promote unity,” he said after his election.

“I want to continue to increase our party’s voter registration advantage and participation in the forthcoming elections.

“I look forward to working with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus to advance the Growth and Opportunity Project, work to reach out to minorities and bring new people into our Republican Party,” he said.

“As long as I am Co-Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, outreach to all minority communities will be a priority,” Krishna said.

Krishna, who immigrated to the US in 1969, has a long history of working for Republican causes and campaigns.

Krishna has been elected seven times to the Republican State Central Committee, including serving as Chair of the Budget and Organization Committees, the announcement noted.

Krishna is a graduate of the Methodist Boys’ Multipurpose Higher Secondary School in Hyderabad. He received his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad.

After immigrating to the US, he received three masters degrees-Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Kansas in Lawrence, Master of Business Administration degree from Drake University in Des Moines, and Master of Science degree in Sanitary Engineering from Iowa State University in Ames city.

He is the founder and president of  Krishna Engineering  Consultants, Inc.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-IANS> Diaspora / IANS / Washington – April 01st, 2014

British Airways’ dream launch

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion
South Asia Regional Commercial Manager of British Airways Christopher Fordyce greets Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and wife Jaya Bachachan during the launch of the British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner service to Hyderabad on Monday. PHOTO: K_RAMESH BABU
South Asia Regional Commercial Manager of British Airways Christopher Fordyce greets Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and wife Jaya Bachachan during the launch of the British Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner service to Hyderabad on Monday. PHOTO: K_RAMESH BABU

Boeing Dreamliner 787 to connect city with London. The Dreamliner landed at the Hyderabad International Airport from London early on Monday.

Coinciding with ‘Ugadi’, the British Airways launched the luxurious Boeing Dreamliner 787 connecting Hyderabad and London on Monday.

The Dreamliner landed at the Hyderabad International Airport from London early on Monday and the brand new aircraft was adorned with a plaque commemorating and honouring the Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachan.

“The collaboration signifies commitment, rich legacy and our success in the Indian market” said Christopher Fordyce, Regional Commercial Manager, British Airways, South Asia at a press conference here.

Enhanced comfort

Mr. Christopher said it was British Airways’ first Dreamliner to India, and customers travelling to and from Hyderabad will now get an opportunity to enjoy the all new luxurious and ultra-modern aircraft that promises enhanced comfort and reduced jet lag. He said more Indian film content is being added in all the British Airways aircrafts to India realising the huge market potential.

Mr. Christopher said India has emerged as the second largest market for the carrier after North America and has increased 40 per cent seats since last year. It has been operating in India for the last 85 years and as of now 48 flights are being operated per week connecting Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai to London. He said British Airways has no plans to enter into alliance with any Indian airlines as of now.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – April 01st, 2014