Category Archives: Education

Institute of Traditional Sculpture, Ancient Architecture at Tirupati

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

TirupatiANDHRA05oct2014

Tirupati :

Turning a piece of stone into a beautiful sculpture – an idol or a statute — shows the unique skill and imagination of a sculptor. Sculpture is a traditional art form practiced since ancient times. Thousands of years ago, Indian seers had inscribed  sculptural and temple architectural science. Even after hundreds of years of existence, the sculptures and architecture in the ancient temples are intact and exhibit the dedication and artistry of the sculptors of those days.

Coming to the present day, even though some universities are offering courses insculpture and architecture, it is considered as a modern art form only. In India, only two institutions are offering courses in traditional sculpture and architecture to students and the TTD-run Sri Venkateswara Institute of Traditional Sculpture and Architecture  (SVITSA) at Tirumala is one of them. TTD’s uniqueness is that it is providing the education and training to the students free of cost apart from providing free lodging and boarding  to them during the four-year course.

Another significant factor is that after successful completion of the training, the students can stand on their own legs as the TTD deposits `1 lakh in the name of the student in a bank when he gets admitted into the institution.  The student is given back this amount along with the accrued interest after completion of the course. The TTD also provides job opportunities to the students on piece-rate system to the stone sculptors in its workshop for sculpting the idols of Gods and Goddesses.

According to officials of the TTD-run institute, the TTD started the Sri Venkateswara Silpakala Sikshana Kendram (SVSSK) in 1960 to preserve the ancient art of sculpture and temple architecture for future generations.

Unexpectedly, the response from students was tremendous and they made some changes in the syllabus and introduced a diploma course and developed the institute as SVITSA in 1985 and got recognition from the government of Andhra Pradesh.

About the institute:

SVITSA offers two level courses. One is the Certificate Course for eighth class- passed students and other is the Diploma Course for tenth class-passed students. The Certificate Course is offered in Kalamkari designing. This course is of two years. These students will not be getting the `1 lakh deposit.

Seven different Diploma Courses are offered in subjects such as Temple Architecture, Stone Sculpture, Sudai Sculpture, Metal Sculpture, Wood Sculpture, Traditional Painting and Traditional Kalamkari Art.

In each course, 10 students are trained. The training is given in carving of idols of God and Goddesses.

SVITSA is affiliated to the State Board of Technical Education and Training, Andhra Pradesh.

The institution is a co-educational one and the entire course of study is free of cost.

For non-local students, free lodging and boarding is being provided by the TTD. Separate hostels are being maintained for boys and girls by the institution.

Employment chances:

The TTD is maintaining a production centre for making stone idols. At this centre, the students of stone-sculpting get work on piece-rate system after successful completion of their course.

Also, the students can get employment in the Endowments Department and Archealogical Department

Demand for idols:

The TTD distributes five-foot idols of Lord Venkateswara Swamy and Goddess Padmavati Ammavaru free of cost to Lord Venkateswara temples.

For temples other than Lord Venkateswara, the idols are provided at 25 per cent of the MRP.

TTD also enjoys an international audience. It exports idols of Gods and Godesses to more than 20 countries. Hindus who reside in US, Malaysia, Singapore, Nigeria, Mauritius and other countries order these idols each year.

Every year, on an average, the TTD gets orders for carving 400 to 450 idols.

Construction of idols:

The selection of stones is the most significant part. Only Green Granite, Black

Granite and White Granite stones can be sculptured into an idol.

Green Granite stone is used for making  idols of Goddesses.

For Gods, Black Granite (Krishna Sila) and White Granite are used.

There are three types of stones namely Male stone, Female stone and Neuter stone. The first two stones are suitable  for making idols. The third one is used as pedestal.

The stone whether to be carved or not be decided by the ringing bell sound (‘Omkara Nadam’) it makes when it is chiseled.

The idols which are carved in red stone are not meant for worship, but only as  a show-piece.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by T Sudhakar / October 05th, 2014

City to get intellectual hub

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Science & Technology

Visakhapatnam :

Now, an ‘intellectual hub’ is being set up in the city. Headed by a neuro-psychiatrist, the hub named Virtue Centre will enable intellectuals and interested people to participate in discussions, brainstorming sessions, and idea-generating forums.

It will also nurture creativity, study social issues, give reports and encourage social entrepreneurship.

The hub also aims at facilitating growth of individuals, industries and institutions through innovation, idea generation, executive training, project consultancy, partnerships and inter-disciplinary linkages and cross cultural exchanges. Discussions will be held once a week with focus on education, innovation and implementation of ides.

Dr C Radhakanth, director of the hub, said it will be located at Zilla Parishad junction.

“As of now we will collaborate with the psychology department of Andhra University for education, IT professionals for innovations, and consultants from management institutes and IIMs for implementation.”

“Having worked with intellectually deficient and intellectually proficient, those with issues like mental retardation, Alzheimer’s, dyslexia, and autism, along with those who have no health problems but are ‘situationally distressed’, I feel it’s time to start contributing ideas for positive living, problem solving, intellectual development and creativity,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / October 02nd, 2014

Students showcase ‘inspiring’ projects

Education, Science & Technology
Children being explained a project 'Pascal Law - Routine Use' during the State-level science exhibition iin Visakhapatnam. PHOTO: A. MANIKANTA KUMAR
Children being explained a project ‘Pascal Law – Routine Use’ during the State-level science exhibition iin Visakhapatnam. PHOTO: A. MANIKANTA KUMAR

Three -day State-level science expo concludes. Keeping the water scarcity in view, A. Sai Manideep has created waste water purification system which helps reuse waste water for domestic needs. He said, “If we can apply this mechanism, the water scarcity problem can be largely addressed.”

A few simple measures like installing a smoke sensor and automatic emergency doors and exits can save many lives during bus accidents. This was clearly explained by Raja Rajeswari, a Class X student of Zilla Parishad High School (Svam), Aarutegalapadu in Krishna district, who was part of the three-day State-level INSPIRE Science Exhibition II that concluded at SFS High School here on Monday.

If exhibiting their projects was exciting enough for most of the students, for those who came from various rural areas, participation itself turned out to be a unique experience. “We got to know the effective applications of solar energy, wind energy, and water recycling system at the venue and it helped us to learn and unlearn several concepts,” said Praveen Sai, a Class VIII student of ZPHS, Korukonda mandal in East Godavari district.

Water scarcity

Keeping the water scarcity in view, A. Sai Manideep has created waste water purification system which helps reuse waste water for domestic needs. He said, “If we can apply this mechanism, the water scarcity problem can be largely addressed.”

What is more appealing is the fact that the students appear to be well-versed with various science concepts and evince keen interest in experimenting with the same. “For instance, catalytic converter is used to reduce the emission from the engine used in cars. The same device can also be applied to control air pollution,” explained K.R.S. Naidu, a Class X student.

It was a different experience for B. Venkata Sai, who came from Pogiri village in Srikakulam. He said, “I feel happy that I am able to connect with people through my project — national highway solar power project and convey the message effectively.”

Out of 456 models from six districts, 23 projects will be selected for the national-level exhibition which will be held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from October 7, according to Deputy District Education Officer, Visakhapatnam (Urban), and nodal officer of INSPIRE Award Scheme C.V. Renuka.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – September 23rd, 2014

A trip down the memory lane: St. Aloysius High School

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leaders, Records, All
A view of the chapel on the St. Aloysius High School premises, the oldest English medium school in Visakhapatnam. / Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
A view of the chapel on the St. Aloysius High School premises, the oldest English medium school in Visakhapatnam. / Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

Six classmates of the 1961 batch of St. Aloysius High School met after five decades at their alma mater. Reminiscing the old days, Narayanswami, who played cricket for Andhra, said it was in this courtyard that he picked up the rudiments of the game.

A group of six classmates met after five decades to relive their naughty days at St. Aloysius High School, here on Saturday.

Though, into their late 60s and early 70s none appeared to have lost his youthful vigour. Hopping from one classroom to another, going around the expansive courtyard, and calling their buddies by their nicknames, the six went on a nostalgia drive.

A group of seven friends who studied in St. Aloysius High School meeting after five decades on the school premises to relive the old days in Visakhapatnam on Saturday /. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
A group of seven friends who studied in St. Aloysius High School meeting after five decades on the school premises to relive the old days in Visakhapatnam on Saturday /. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

The old students of the 1961 batch who met were P.R. Narayanswami, former Director of Physical Education in Andhra University, M.A. Raihan, former Commander in the Indian Navy, V.N. Natarajan, Chief Manager of Indian Overseas Bank, Fr. George Kottam, Arun Panse, former Hindustan Shipyard employee, and Md. Ali Khan, a retired officer from the Visakhapatnam Port Trust.

Accompanying them was Rohinton Kapadia, who was a couple of years junior to them in school.

Incidentally, Fr. Kottam was not only an old student but also principal of the school during early 1980s.

Reminiscing the old days, Narayanswami, who played cricket for Andhra, said it was in this courtyard that he picked up the rudiments of the game.

“We are always ahead of the rest in athletics and games. We had the best boxing team in the district. In fact, ours was the only school that had a proper boxing ring. Even the ENC, then INS Circars, would borrow our ring for their tournament,” said Raihan.

We also had a strong NCC contingent and 80 per cent of our students were from the Anglo Indian and Muslim communities. But we never experienced any sort of discrimination based on religion, caste, or creed, said Arun Panse.

On how strict was the school, they came out in chorus, “Fr Eliemeynet, a French national, who was our principal, and our teachers were strict, but they gave us the rope to be mischievous too.”

According to Fr. Kottam, the schooling then was about holistic learning.

For Md. Alikhan, the association with the school has been for three generations. His son also studied in the school and now his grandchildren are studying there

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Sumit Bhattacharjee / Visakhapatnam – September 21st, 2014

Andhra Univ to Present NSS Awards Today

Education, Records, All

Visakhapatnam :

The Andhra University is going to host a state-level NSS awards function at BR Ambedkar Assembly Hall here Wednesday from 10.30 am. Human resource development minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao would be the chief guest at the occasion.

Revealing the details to the newsmen here Tuesday, AU vice-chancellor GSN Raju said that NSS cadets from across the state would take part in the awards function.

As many as 16 awards would be given away during the function, of which the AU NSS cadets won four awards. EPS Bhagya Lakshmi and Ch Adinarayana achieved awards in the category of Programme Officers, while Rahul Pal and Md Goush Khan won the best volunteers awards.

NSS regional head R Gokul Krishnan and state coordinator P Ramachandra Rao would be present, he added.

This apart, a blood donation camp will be organised jointly by the Indian Red Cross Society and AUCE at YVS Murthy Auditorium at 9.30 am on Sept 24 during which the NSS cadets and AU officials would donate their blood on the occasion.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / September 24th, 2014

Nellore’s bright minds wins National Memory Championship

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
The Bright Bunch: Rajendra S. Jain’s students, from left, Chavi, Kusum, Jay and Moksh strike a pose with the trophies they won at National Memory Championship. (Photo: DC)
The Bright Bunch: Rajendra S. Jain’s students, from left, Chavi, Kusum, Jay and Moksh strike a pose with the trophies they won at National Memory Championship. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad:

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could recall a lot more than you can at present? It is possible! Your memory skills can be made better through focused training. And Rajendra S. Jain of Nellore, specialises in this field and has several of his students winning memory competitions too.

Most recently, his students, Chavi, Jay, Kusum and Moksh, all from Nellore bagged medals in National Memory Championship held in Mumbai.

Rajendra, himself, won a silver medal at the event and broke a national record in the adults’ category and finished all-India number three. While Chavi won a gold medal, Jay and Kusum were awarded silver and bronze medals in the kids’ category and Moksh secured a bronze medal in the junior category.

All of them are Class VIII students, of different schools in Nellore, and they have special permission from their schools for pursuing their academics using Rajendra’s training methods, memory systems, speed reading and mind maps.

Rajendra says that this system of teaching is prevalent in the UK. He now wants to prepare a curriculum of Memory Systems for Indian students as well. “The government should introduce memory as a subject in schools since it improves both imagination and academic skills,” says Rajendra, a science graduate who left his business of jewellery in 2009 to pursue memory techniques. His first accomplishment was a fifth place in the National Memory Championship held in Hyderabad in 2010.

“My next aim is to groom these kids to be the future grandmasters in mind sports,” says Rajendra, who was awarded the Grandmaster of India Award in 2013, becoming the second Indian to bag this honour after John Louis.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / DeccanChronicle / Home> LifeStyle> Offbeat / DC / Pathri Rajasekhar / September 16th, 2014

Vizag Boy Excels at Global Meet

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Visakhapatnam :

City-based student Syed Tazib Rehman has proved his mettle at the Global Cancer Conference and Medicare Summit 2014. He is one of the 12 students across the world whose online presentations were selected for special appreciation. Rehman is a student of Sri Chaitanya Junior College Visakhapatnam. All the selected students except Rehman were graduates and post-graduates.

The 12 students would repeat their presentation before the President of India and other officials on September 15 at HICC, Hyderabad. Earlier, Rehman  bagged the ‘Bala Ratna’ award for ‘Creative Scientific Innovation’ in  2013.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / September 15th, 2014

Vijayawada students enthral audience with ‘yogasanas’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Sports
Students of V.M. Ranga Municipal School performing yoga feats at IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada on Sunday.Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar
Students of V.M. Ranga Municipal School performing yoga feats at IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada on Sunday.Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

Impressed by mind-boggling feats of students, Police Commissioner A. B. Venkateswara Rao decides to adopt V. M. Ranga Municipal School at Krishna Lanka

The students of V. M. Ranga Municipal School at Krishna Lanka will always remember this bunch of students, who are ardent practitioners of yoga.

It is their dedication to the traditional art that helped win the heart of Commissioner of Police A. B. Venkateswara Rao, who impressed by their mind-boggling feats, decided to adopt their school.

The school will soon will have a yoga hall and amenities such as computers, toilets and other infrastructure for the benefit of hundreds of students. “That is the power yoga,” proudly said Krishna District Yoga Association president V.V. Rama Rao.

Flexing their supple bodies like rubber, these girls drew the attention of the viewers at the IGMC Stadium during the Krishna District yogasana competition on Sunday by showcasing several asanas(postures) and patterns, using breathing to the optimum level.

“These girls have been practising for the past two years and are regular participants in the district and State competitions. They regularly exhibit their talent at various public functions like Independence Day, Republic Day and Chief Minister’s visits, promoting the concept of healthy life,” said coach Suryakumari.

Will power

Highlighting the importance of yoga in the stress-filled modern world, Mr. Rama Rao said yoga not only improved the will power and mental faculties but also made the body strong. “Yoga is essential for students are their future is filed with deadlines and targets. The modern corporate sector is so demanding you (youngsters) need to spend more number of hours in front of the computer. Yoga helps you acquire how to tackle stress by improving immunity.”

He said yoga improves flexibility, adds strength to limbs and helps achieve better concentration. “To play a game a cricket we you need to spend thousands of rupees but to master yoga you need just a mat,” said Mr. Rama Rao amidst thundering applause.

Many speakers while highlighting the positives of yoga said that diseases like hyper- tension, blood pressure and diabetes can be prevented by regularly practising the ancient art.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by J. R. Sridharan / Vijayawada – September 15th, 2014

Tarun Kumar is Dell India quiz winner

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
Matta Tarun Kumar. / The Hindu
Matta Tarun Kumar. / The Hindu

Matta Tarun Kumar of Yuva Bharati Public School, Vijayawada, and his uncle G. Lakshman emerged winners at the city-level “Dell Champs – 2014 School Programme, conducted by Dell India.

The duo will now represent Vijayawada in the national finals to be held in September this year. The programme is an interactive technology-based quiz contest that provides a unique platform to parents to be partners in their children’s success.

Dell India, the end-to-end technology solutions provider, has embarked on a 20-city student outreach programme woven around the theme, ‘Education, Empowerment and Entertainment’. The quiz programme was conducted at 20 city schools, and 2,398 students and 361 parents participated.

The programme highlights the benefits of exposing young minds to the role that technology can play in providing a competitive edge.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by P. Sujatha Varma / Vijayawada – August 27th, 2014

ALC students shine at workshop

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education
Students giving final touches to the clay model at a workshop in Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada. Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar. / The Hindu
Students giving final touches to the clay model at a workshop in Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada. Photo. Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar. / The Hindu

Students of Animation, Visual Effects and 3D Animation departments proved their talent in the Clay Model Workshop organised on Andhra Loyola College (ALC) campus on Thursday.

Many models including robots, buildings, animals and great personalities were made in the two-day workshop.  ALC vice-principal Fr. Rex Angelo, who visited the models, appealed to the youngsters to made use of the workshop to nurture their talent. Such programmes will provide a platform to showcase the talent of the young minds, said Mr. Angelo. Dassu Guru, sculptor in Guntur Medical College, who inaugurated the workshop, said that many opportunities are there for meritorious and talented students in the market. The clay model workshop will help students to hone their artistic skills. Animation Department faculty D. Praveen said nearly 90 students prepared different clay models. Faculty Ezra Sastry and Nagarani coordinated the programme.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities>Vijayawada / Staff Reporter / Vijayawada – August 16th, 2014