Category Archives: World Opinion

Park Hyatt Hyderabad named best luxury hotel

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

Park Hyatt Hyderabad has been named the Best New Luxury Hotel in the Country at the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2013.

The very best performances of top hoteliers from across the world were recognised and celebrated at the 2013 World Luxury Hotel Awards at a ceremony in Thailand hosted at the Indigo Pearl Resort Phuket earlier this month. The event had participation from top luxury hotels, casinos, lodges and resorts.

“We are honoured to receive this award as it is an inspiration to the nominees to raise their levels of service excellence in order to feel comfortable in competing on an international level and to set a benchmark for themselves,” Sven Hoffmeyer, General Manager at Park Hyatt Hyderabad, said in a statement.

The World Luxury Hotel Awards is about congratulating hotels that have taken the extra step with regards to their facilities and service excellence differentiating themselves from ‘good hotels’ to ‘exceptional hotels’.

The awards were presented to almost 144 hotels around the world. Winners and finalists were selected from votes cast by guests, travel industry delegates, tour operators or independent travel consultants.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> News> National / by The Hindu Bureau / Hyderabad – November 12th, 2013

JWT Hyderabad gets new head

Business & Economy, Uncategorized, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

After a long and successful career, Santha John Managing Director of JWT Mindset, Hyderabad will be passing the leadership position to Ram Gedela.

From January 1, she will be assuming an advisory role as Chairman Emeritus, said Colvyn Harris, CEO South Asia of JWT.

In a statement he said, “In recognition of her contribution in bringing JWT Mindset to the forefront and making it a leading advertising agency in the South of India, Santha will continue her association with JWT in an advisory role.”

An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Santha John established Mindset Advertising Private Ltd along with Ram Gedela in 1998. It grew into one of the most awarded agencies with a roster of blue-chip clients, across Hyderabad’s key sectors. In 2011, JWT acquired a majority stake in Mindset Advertising and the agency was rechristened as JWT Mindset.

JWT Mindset consists of a team of 47 people and offers a full-service range of creative services, strategic planning and execution in digital, print and television. Its major clients include Airtel (AP& Kerala), ADP, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Coromandel International Ltd, Dr. Reddy’s Labs, Food Fats & Fertilizers Ltd, Gati Ltd, HIL Ltd, HSBC, Oakridge Group, PHI Seeds, Videocon and LOT Mobiles amongst others.

source: htttp://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Business / The Hindu Bureau  somasekhar.m@thehindu.co.in / Hyderabad – November 13th, 2013

Hyderabad to get sunburned

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

SunburnHF19nov2013

Music lovers in the city won’t have to travel all the way to Goa to let their hairs down. Asia’s largest three-day electronic music festival, Sunburn, will be held in Hyderabad in February. The brand Sunburn is crafted by the most successful pair of hands in Indian media industry. Shailendra Singh better known as SS, was in city recently and discussed with City Express the motifs and vision behind creating Sunburn, besides also confirming that Hyderabad will be hosting its first Sunburn Fest by February 2014.

“Sunburn is very keen to bring it’s festival or Arena experience to Hyderabad. After Goa, Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore, we are eyeing Hyderabad to be the next destination. We have huge requests and massive fan connect between the fans and Sunburn.”

“Not everyone can make it to our flagship Goa Festival,” says the man behind the Sunburn brand, Shailendra Singh. “So last year, we decided to bring the Planet Sunburn experience to them. Who doesn’t deserve the chance to leave their world behind and come be who they want to be? With both Mumbai an Bengaluru partying, it’s sure to be the biggest EDM celebration in India.”

Sunburn Mumbai and Bengaluru Festivals will bring all the elements of a full-fledged festival. Lounges, chill-out zones, libraries, movie projections, graffiti walls, art installations, flea markets, and climbing walls are just some of the activities to keep Sunburners busy throughout the two-day festival.

“Sunburn Arena gigs — like SHM , Hardwell, Tiesto — focus purely on that one artist.” says Singh.  “The stage, sound and lights are super advanced to make them look amazing. For Sunburn Festivals, we devote a lot of energy to the festival vibe. Sunburners can come all day long, meet old friends and make new ones, and have a true escape.”

“Of course we have the best lineup possible on the planet right now — Paul Van Dyke is a complete legend, Fedde Le Grand is a defining figure in house music, and who doesn’t know about the rapid rise of Tomorrowland Resident DJ’s – Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike? Showtek, Orjan Nilsen and Josh Wink are huge names. And if Sunburners haven’t yet heard about Orjan Nilsen, Worlfpack and Adam Beyer, then they are in for a mindblowing surprise. Sunburn Mumbai Bengaluru line-up is freaking unbelievable.”

Sunburn has expanded itself to set a new bar for ‘arena’ format gigs with renowned international DJs, the most recent being Swedish House Mafia’s One Last Tour and Avicii’s debut in India marking the rise of a unique concepts such as Sunburn Arena.

Sunburn has brought together renowned Indian and International Djs to entertain crowds of lakhs all around the year, with a variety of experiences to choose from, and caters to a wide Indian and international audience, highlighting India as a Dance Festival destination to the world.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Swati Sharma – Hyderabad / November 12th, 2013

Mumbaikar climbs rare bandwagon

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

Hyderabad’s Salar Jung Museum plans to evaluate & tabulate its antique clock collection.

Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad and (top) the British musical clock, one of the rare clocks housed there
Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad and (top) the British musical clock, one of the rare clocks housed there

The Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, will begin work on evaluating and tabulating its clock collection, considered by clock enthusiasts as among the finest in India. Speaking to dnaover the phone from Hyderabad, Dr Nagender Reddy, director, Salar Jung museum said that this would be the biggest such exercise since the clocks were taken over from various private collectors in the 1960s.

“We want to do it in a scientific way, to add value to what is already a glorious collection of more than 400 of the rarest clocks in the country. It is a tedious and delicate process which includes the showcases that hold these clocks, evaluating the individual parts. All of this has to be done in such a way that no damage, whatsoever, comes to the clocks,” said Reddy. The process would be done along with the Lucknow-based National Research Laboratory for Conservation (NRLC), which is the apex body in the country for the conservation of cultural heritage.

The plan to evaluate the clock collection has already begun creating excitement among watch-lovers with Dr Reddy admitting that several people had contacted the museum to be part of the process. However, he said that it calls for a lot of formalities at various levels of the government as outsiders are not allowed to be part of these processes.

dna has learnt that among the people who have shown willingness to be part of the process is a senior railway officer from Mumbai. Saurabh Mitra, an Indian railway accounts service officer with Western Railway. Mitra, a watch enthusiast and collector, however, refused to comment.

About Salar Jung Museum
The museum was established in 1951. A major portion of the collection was acquired by Salar Jung III. In 1958, it was taken over by the Indian government. It is now run by an autonomous board chaired by the governor of Andhra Pradesh.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Mumbai> Report / by Binoo Nair / Place: Mumbai, Agency: DNA / Friday – November 08th, 2013

India’s first aerospace park ready for take-off

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Investments worth Rs 1,500 cr committed for special eco zone

Hyderabad :

The country’s first aerospace SEZ is all set to take wings in Adhibatla on the outskirts of Hyderabad. About 20 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and a few big players have committed an investment to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore.

Located about 15 km from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, the facility will see action beginning on November 4.

At least half a dozen companies will begin work on the day, when the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Kiran Kumar Reddy, is expected to kickstart activity at a foundation laying function.

The Aerospace & Precision Engineering SEZ venture can provide direct employment of 10,000 and indirectly to another 18,000 in the next three years, as these manufacturing units, turn fully operational. The projected annual turnover is Rs 2,500 crore and exports to the tune of Rs 400 crore.

Among the SMEs that have taken land are Motion Dynamics, Gagan Aerospace, Aeroc Space Tech, Hemmair, Apollo Aerospace, DSR Tech, Lokesh Machine Tools, Gowra, Ratna Tools, Castall Tech, Compu Power, Rolon Seal, Revathy Industries etc., said M.M. Sreeram, Executive Director of Samuha Engineering Industries.

Samuha is a consortium of Aerospace Industries, which will anchor the development of the Aerospace Park. MTAR, SEC Industries, Ananth Technologies, Zetatek, Scarlet and SKM Technologies are the main promoters.

At present, the Tatas have made major investments in a couple of ventures in the area, including in the SEZ. In the joint venture with Sikorsky, it is manufacturing helicopter cabins. “The existence of a large number of SMEs with diverse expertise in Hyderabad has drawn the Tatas in a big way. Similarly, several other multinationals are showing keen interest,” Sreeram said.

The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) has allocated 193 acres at Adhibatla. Of this, 100 acres will be for the SEZ for which the Corporation is a co-developer. The 93 acres in the domestic tariff area (DTA) has been allotted to Samuha as a lead developer and to allot land to other member units, explained Jayesh Ranjan, Managing Director of the Corporation.

The Aerospace SEZ will be developed in an integrated manner. Industries will share expertise and strengths in a symbiotic manner to meet big demands, especially that will emerge from the Defence offset policy and other strategic sectors, he told Business Line.

Thousands of crores of business is expected to flow to Indian industry as the offset makes it mandatory for winners of big Defence contracts to source at least 30 per cent of the value from domestic industry/institutes.

As part of its effort, Samuha will provide a common test facility, training centre and common marketing, HR, and procurement facilities, exhibition and guest facilities, labs said Sreeram. The equity of the shareholder units will be proportion to the land holding, he added.

Sreeram said Samuha is planning to replicate two more SEZs in the State and wanted a special task force to look into the potential of exploiting to opportunities emerging in the strategic sectors for SMEs.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Industry> Logisitcs / by M. Somasekhar  somasekhar.m@thehindu.co.in / Hyderabad – November 01st, 2013

Jaw-dropping Hyderabad

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Hyderabad-PictureHF10nov2013

By Bader al Kiyumi –

Travelling is very worrisome to me. Before I set out for any trip I do maximum research and make plans well in advance. I make notes, search Google for every place of my destination, including restaurants, hotels, which have discounts, parks and other centres of attraction.
It is only once in a while it happens that I take an unprepared trip. It was one trip like this when I took off to Hyderabad, India last summer.

Hyderabad-Picture02HF10nov2013

Hyderabad is the capital of the southern Indian state of Andrah Pradesh and the fifth largest city in India which boasts of ancient civilization and culture.

The city has an ancient past and a unique culture; it is known for its natural beauty, mosques and minarets, bazaars and bridges, hills, lakes and monuments. What more can you expect from Hyderabad which is perched on the top of plateau 1,776 feet, above sea level, and spreads over an area of 100 square miles?

Hyderabad, a city nearly 400 years old, was founded on the Moosi River five miles east of Golconda, in 1591-92 by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah.
Ever since, multitude of influences has shaped the character of the city. Hyderabad is truly a city of enchantment as many building have more than 50 floors, ancient style of houses and mosques, beautiful gardens with multi-colour flowers and streets have architectural value of their own. The regime of Hyderabad is known to be home to some of the wealthiest royals of the past. The elegant buildings, temples and monuments speak volumes about the regimes which once reigned there.
There are several places to see in Hyderabad one of them is Charminar. Built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the Charimar is beautiful even post 418 odd years. The four minarets with its delicate small arches (typical Mughal style architecture), looks very picturesque, and no wonder is the most identifiable structure of Hyderabad.
One unique aspect of the Charminar (out of the many), which caught my attention, was the lotus design on the ceiling. One can view it better, when one is on the first storey.
A visit to Hyderabad can never be complete, without having visited the Salar Jung Museum. Situated next to the Moosi River, Salar Jung is one of the largest museums in the country.

Hyderabad-Picture03HF10nov2013

The city is land of unity of diversity, the religions, languages, lifestyles, cultures, habits and geography different but still they live together. I came from Hyderabad with this image of men in black suits, cigarettes dangling from the corner of their mouth.

When I opened my room window, I saw women and children playing cricket between houses and on corridors.
On the streets, there are big crowds on bicycles, and people walking without a pin drop of space.
Although, there is a speed limit clamped on cars, people are seen driving at their own whims and will. Overtaking without proper signals and driving on incorrect tracks are common.
On the pedestrian paths, vendors were seen selling grilled fish, kabab and mushkak. Fish biriyani is one of the famous foods in Hyderabad. Early morning, I like to go to stand on a queue to buy a cup of fresh milk, which was tasty. Because I was foreigner most of the people there give respect to me and give me a chance to buy first.
For many of my friends, Hyderabad is synonym for biriyani, pearls, nizams, palaces and forts. Not necessarily in the order mentioned of course! If you are thinking you will require an extended period of time to savour all things Hyderabad, well I can personally assure you that we were able to appreciate quite a bit of the city even on our 3 day visit.
I was not expecting the landscapes that I saw, that drop the jaw. There were exotic flowers on the streets and other feasts for the eyes. Scenic beauty and deep blue lakes will linger on in my memory.
The pearl city has a beautiful coastline. It is distinguished by a refreshing sea breeze and it is frequented by people during early morning hours or evening. It is considered ideal for sunbathing and all forms of beach entertainment.

source: http://www.main.omanobserver.om / Oman Daily Observer / by Bader al Kiyani / Wednesday – October 31st, 2013

Isro does a ‘clean’ test run of Mars mission

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Mumbai :

“10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0. All systems are a go, real time systems activated and on board computers are in flight mode,” an official announced in anticipation at Isro’s Sriharikota centre on Thursday. An air of nervousness pervaded the team as it prepared to “launch” Indian space research’s most ambitious project – the Mars mission.

There was just one difference. Thursday was just a dress rehearsal. India’s first mission to the Red Planet designated the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mom) is scheduled for launch at 2.38pm on November 5.

On Thursday the mission executives were glued to their monitors in all earnestness in Sriharikota’s hi-tech control room. The atmosphere  was a mix of apprehension and excitement.

Thursday’s dry run simulated the entire command sequence of the countdown. It demonstrated the mission readiness, according an Isro spokesperson.

Speaking to TOI, he said that except for fuel filling all the activities 8-10 hours prior to the lift-off of the Polar Satellite  Launch Vehicle-XL were simulated without a hitch. The ‘rehearsal’s’ most important aspect was the retraction of the mobile service tower and bringing it back – carried out flawlessly.

“During the 8.5-hour rehearsal which began at 6.08am various checks were carried out including the range and all was a go, including the weather,” the spokesperson said. The vehicle’s systems were powered and its health is normal.

“On Friday, the launch authorization board will meet to take the final call to initiate the final 56.5-half countdown that will start at 6am on Sunday,” the official said.

To involve the public, a countdown clock has been included on the Mom’s Facebook page.

Principal investigator of Nasa’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (Maven) mission Bruce Jakosky has been quoted in Universe Today, a web journal, saying, “Nasa’s Maven and India’s Mom will work together to help solve the mysteries of Mars’ atmosphere.”

Maven is slated for launch on November 18 and both MOM and Maven are expected to arrive at the Red Planet at the same time in September 2014.

Scientists and engineers of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory  have sent good wishes to Isro for Mom’s successful launch on November 5.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Science> Red Planet / by Srinivas Laxman / TNN / November 01st, 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