At 13, S Jaahnavi is unlike any other teenager. Trained in ninjutsu (martial arts), trekking, parasailing, rafting, jummaring, rock climbing, sports climbing etc., it’s not an exaggeration when she says she does not know what fear is. Just when one feels she is the rough and tough youngster, she surprises you again by revealing that she is trained as a classical dancer too.
Jaahnavi has completed two high altitude treks–11,400 ft Roopkund ranges in 2010 and 12,000 ft Dhauladhar ranges in 2012. She is has been certified by the government of India as the youngest trekker to have scaled high altitude ranges at -5 degree Celsius.
This adventure freak is also the recipient of the Adventure Club of Andhra Pradesh’s (ACAP) Kids Adventure Award – 2013. She has also won the CM’s gold medal for sports climbing and National Himalayan Trek Completion certificate.
Jaahnavi’s father Dr Krishna Rao, a trained mountaineer and a first responder and mental health doctor, says, “I have been into adventure sports for the last 40 years and ensured that she did not miss out on it right from when she was only 10 months old.
Academics by itself is not sufficient. For all round growth and development, adventure is essential.”
Jaahnavi, on the other hand, says, “I will even jump from a building if asked to because I do not know what is fear. I just want to remain numero uno in everything I do.” The daredevil plans to scale the Mount Everest next year. “I am the youngest trekker to be provisionally selected to climb the Everest,” adds Jaahnavi, who has completed 15 most difficult treks across AP.
While being an adventure lover, Jaahnavi wants to become a doctor like her father.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / November 14th, 2013
Twelve-year-old Saathvik Reddy, representing the US in the World Futsal Championship to be held at Madrid in December, hails from the city
Twelve-year-old Saathvik Reddy hails from the twin cities but is now representing the United States donning the super famous No. 10 jersey. But, it is for the World Futsal Championship to be held in Madrid (Spain) this December.
Futsal is just like soccer but played on a smaller (mostly hard court field) and comprises five players with one of them being a goalkeeper and with unlimited substitutions. It is quite a remarkable achievement for the boy whose parents are settled in the US.
Saathvik represents the ‘Legends’ which incidentally is the same team which the youngster had played for in the US National Championship and had finished runners-up. “We are all honoured to represent the US on the world stage as this is once in a lifetime opportunity presented by the Soccer World Cup Federation. It is a dream has come true for the San Jose Legends under-12 team this year,” exclaimed Saathvik in a communication from the US.
“It is a great opportunity for youngsters like me to compete against the best and get a perspective as to where we stand in the presence of renowned coaches,” says Saathvik, all excited to showcase his skills in front of the best coaches from other countries. “This is a great moment of joy and pride for all of us. We are already into encouraging Saathvik to raise his own funds for this trip which would cost $4,000 for each player,” say the proud parents. “We are very happy as it is not easy for a youngster from India to reach this stage,” says Sisupal Reddy, Saathvik’s grandfather, a maintenance engineer at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – September 19th, 2013
R Kiran Kumar and Jaffar Sadiq Baig are the first from AP to have been part of the Siachen Glacier Trek organised by the Army Adventure Wing. The duo speaks to Hyderabad Times about their experiences
After a long month of being surrounded by stark white landscape covered with snow, R Kiran Kumar (32) and Jaffar Sadiq Baig (31), members of Adventure Club of Andhra Pradesh, are back in the city. The two members were the first from Andhra Pradesh to go on the Siachen Glacier Trek, an annual, one-month programme by the Army Adventure Wing.
Explaining more about the programme, where the duo scaled a dizzying height of 15,300 feet, chief inspector of Adventure Club of Andhra Pradesh, Kiran says, “The Indian Mountaineering Foundation, New Delhi, is the one that releases vacancies for such expeditions. So when I heard about this, I just applied. I’ve already done a basic and advanced mountaineering course from IMF, which is the national apex body for mountaineering. There were 45 people chosen for this intensive trek — of which, only 10 were civilians. Jaffar and I were the only Hyderabadis.”
Jaffar Sadiq Baig, a 31-year-old mountaineering enthusiast, even quit his job for this opportunity! “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I did not want to let it go. The Siachen glacier is out of bounds for everyone. And I didn’t think I should give it up. My family was very supportive of this,” says Jaffar, who couldn’t believe his luck when he got the call. “I never thought I’d be selected for this, since there are so many applicants. My first feeling was that of anxiety — to see the glacier. When we reached Leh on September 25, I could finally believe that I was there,” explains Jaffar.
The first two weeks after reaching Leh were spent on acclimatisation, explain the mountaineers. “Since the oxygen levels drop by 30-40%, it is very important that we get used to the climate. We have a health check up every single day. The acclimatisation process is done in three stages — the first stage is done at a height of 9000 – 12000 ft; the second and third at a height of 12,000 – 15,000 ft and 15,000 – 18,000 ft respectively.”
While the first stage is for six days, the second and third stages are for four days each. “The first two days, we’re not allowed to do any strenuous activity such as running, or skipping. The remaining days, we walk for 3 kms and 5 kms each. While in the first stage, the walk is with no load, in the second and third stage, we need to carry a load that weighs around 12- 15 kgs!” says Jaffar, adding that during these programmes, they’re trained in techniques such as rock craft, ice craft and snow craft.
Once the acclimatisation programmes are done and the health check-ups come back positive, they’re then taken from the Siachen Base camp, which is at a height of 12,500 ft, to Kumar Post (15,300 ft) which is the summit point for their trek. “Two of our members had to be sent back because their health condition didn’t allow them to climb any further. The base camp and the Kumar Post are 60 kms apart and are covered in four days. During the treks, we encountered numerous crevices, some which were as wide as 140 feet!” explains Jaffar.
“When we reached Kumar Post, my first reaction was a simple, speechless wow — there was nothing but mountain all around! On the right, we could see the Himalayas that belonged to China, and on the left, those that belonged to Pakistan. It’s like these are walls separating the countries,” recollects Kiran Kumar.
But the trek isn’t a cake-walk. When the sun it out, it is so blinding that one has to wear goggles at all times! “Plus, the only shoes that we can wear — koflach shoes —weigh four kgs each leg! Add to that the cramp-on shoes (that need to be worn when one crosses a glacier on hard ice) which weigh one kg each, walking becomes so difficult! For starters, your ankles start hurting a lot. But these are the only shoes that protect you from frostbites,” Jaffar adds.
But what left the two of them spellbound was the Army personnel stationed at the glacier. “Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, is a no-man’s land. The fact that Indian Army is standing guard is a matter of great pride for us! The temperature here dips to minus 60 degrees in December — when we left, the temperature was minus 30 degrees. But despite all these hardships, the Army remains on post. It’s amazing!” says Kiran.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> People> Andhra Pradesh / by Apuurva Sridharan / TNN / November 02nd, 2013
It takes a strong mind and heart to train oneself to be a sportsman. And in a country where cricket is a religion, it isn’t an uncommon instance where other sportsmen bemoan the government’s lack of support. And if it’s tough enough when one is able-bodied, what of the many talented differently-abled people? That is the issue that city-based Aditya Mehta is trying to drive home.
Perturbed by the state of sports facilities provided for the differently-abled and the way people react towards them, Aditya Mehta is planning a unique initiative: to cycle the 3800 kilometers-odd distance between Kashmir and Kanyakumari. A commendable feat, the 31 year-old makes this even more of an achievement being an above knee amputee himself. Strike one for Mehta.
The Hyderabadi who lost his leg in an accident, got frustrated of sitting at home and took up the sport after coming across a hoarding of Hyderabad Bicycle Club. A business man by profession, he turned the sport into a passion for himself in a span of 19 months, even registering his name in the Limca Book of Records for being fastest above-knee amputee to comlete 100 kilometers on a cycle. “I bought a cycle after seeing the hoarding and started practising. Initially, I fell down many a time, but slowly I picked up and achieved a lot from then on,” said Aditya about the initial stages of his cycling journey.
Not one to be slowed down or to entertain sympathy, he points out that the empathy shown by people for amputees might deter their confidence levels and make them lose faith in trying to lead a normal life. “Often, people use the word ‘bechara’ for amputees, even parents sympathetically wonder what amputees can do in life. But I feel that they have the potential to lead a normal life,” he states strongly.
Having seen for himself what differently-abled people can do for themselves, he has made it his pet project to encourage fellow amputees to go out there and achieve. However, he does admit that help from the government could take them a long way.
“If we see other nations like China or smaller countries like Malaysia, sports facilities for them are really good. However, in our nation, there are no sports academies for amputees. I want to motivate amputees to take up sports and drive the point that they can lead a normal life,” states two-time silver medalist. For Aditya, this ride isn’t just a statement to the government but also to other differently-abled people. Having picked up his medals for India at the Hero Para-Cycling Championship held in Delhi on March-2013, he hopes his initiative will prompt the government to take notice of his requests to provide a special academy and other facilities for amputees.
Besides just cycling the distance, Aditya also hopes to raise funds for his foundation. Along with four close associates, the Hyderabadi is in fact registering the Aditya Mehta Foundation today, to which people can donate money for every kilometer he covers. The foundation will utilize the generated funds in providing sports equipment and prosthesis for other amputees interested in sports. “Differently-abled people from different states who are selected in various competitions, call and ask me to help them find a sponsor. This is how I intend to help,” he shares.
The 36-day bicycle ride titled Airtel Endurance Ride by Aditya Mehta is powered by Bharathi Cement and will begin on November 7 at Srinagar. Aditya will cycle to Kanyakumari and reach on December 13 after a four-day break in between. With a schedule of covering 100-120 kilometers a day, Aditya will also be accompanied by a doctor throughout the journey. “As it is a very long ride, my palms might swell and I might get saddle sore, but I am prepared for it,” says the determined cyclist.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by K. Shiva Shanker – Hyderabad / October 28th, 2013
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
North American Telugu Association will conduct a cricket tournament for U13 boys in New Jersey, the organization announced. Matches begin tomorrow, September 22nd, at Pitches 1 and 3 at the Mercer County Park, in West Windsor, NJ.
Six matches will be held beginning 9AM, 12:30PM and 4PM on the two grounds. The final will be held on September 29th.
The organization, which primarily focuses on celebrating Telugu culture and traditions, has allocated significant resources on building awareness for cricket. NATA’s North East chapter recently conducted a tennis ball tournament in Parlin, NJ in association with NJPCL and a similar tournament was conducted in New York in association with TLCA. In May, NATA West conducted its third annual cricket tournament in Anaheim, CA.
The NATA North East Juniors Cricket Cup marks the first initiative aimed at U13 cricketers playing with a regulation cricket ball. The tournament is being conducted in association with CricMax.
CLNJ youth at practice ahead of the NATA tournament.
Dr. Pailla Malla Reddy, CEO of Bactolac and Atlantic Essential Products is the tournament’s grand sponsor. Gold sponsors include Raghava Reddy Ghosla, Santhosh Reddy Paturi, Siva Meka and Anna Reddy.
The tournament features six U13 teams in two groups. Two teams – CLNJ Junior Cubs and CLNJ Junior Colts – represent the CLNJ Youth program. The two year old program has grown in size with many of the boys coming from DreamCricket Academy.
The Colts will be coached by Coach Earl Daley and the Cubs by Coach Damion Morgan. In addition, a handful of boys from the CLNJ Youth program will participate as part of the other teams. In addition to the two CLNJ U13 teams, the tournament will see the participation of four other teams – Indoor Cricket Sons of Liberty, Bridgewater Tigers, CricMax Tigers and SSU Challengers.
NATA announced that Alvin Kallicharran, the legendary West Indies batsman will be the Chief Guest in addition to the Grand Sponsor, Dr. Pailla Malla Reddy (CEO of Bactolac and Advisory Council Member of NATA) and Dr. Sanjeeva Reddy (President of NATA).
The tournament was catalyzed by Nagesh Mukkamalla with the help of Srikanth Lakkasagaram. The NATA East Coast Junior Cricket committee comprising Srikanth Reddy Penumada (Chair), Nagesh Mukkamalla (Co-chair), Sarath Reddy Mandapati, Ashok Attada, Sridhar Thikkavarapu, Anna Reddy, Sarath Veta and Rajeshwar Reddy (BOD) is helping with the organization. TV Asia will cover the tournament. Further details can be obtained by emailing nata.cricket@gmail.com.
A brain stroke, partial paralysis, a battle with cancer and a bypass surgery later, the retd. Additional SP still does a 10-kilometre run every single day
Nothing deters him! Not a brain stroke, a cancerous growth, stones in his stomach or even five blocks in his heart.
Overcoming all these hurdles, 63-year-old retired Additional SP Hari Har Singh, is training hard to complete yet another 10-kilometre run during the upcoming Hyderabad Marathon in the relays category next Sunday.
In fact, finishing a 10K run is no big deal for this Sardar.
“I do it daily since I underwent a series of surgeries. This is my way of motivating and telling youngsters that one should not neglect a playground. If they do, then they might as well get ready to be hospitalised,” he says.
His daily routine could easily put the young to shame.
“At 3 a.m., I start from my home in Hanuman Tekdi and head to Tank Bund. I run along the Tank Bund stretch for 80 to 90 minutes and later do Pranayama for 90 minutes. I keep a tab on my diet and make sure that I eat small portions for at least five to six times a day,” he reveals.
The ordeal for Mr. Singh, began in 2000 when he suffered a brain stroke and suffered partial paralysis. In the next five years, the retired police officer underwent surgery that involved removal of 80 per cent of cancerous part of the stomach, a heart bypass surgery to clear five blocks and again a stomach surgery to remove stones.
By the end of so many life-altering surgeries, the will to survive and fight usually wanes away.
“I never even thought of giving up. I started jogging for good health in 2005. Since then, I am a regular in the Hyderabad 10K run and hopefully I would participate in the relay marathon too. I want young people to be active, fit and always healthy,” he adds.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by M. Sai Gopal / Hyderabad – August 21st, 2013
Participants at the fourth Hyderabad Triathlon conducted by the Great Hyderabad Adventure Club at Gachibowli Stadium on Sunday./ The Hindu
Athletes from all walks of life, including members of the Andhra Pradesh Police, participate in the event
Over 600 athletes from Hyderabad and other parts of the country participated in the fourth Hyderabad Triathlon organised by the Great Hyderabad Adventure Club (GHAC) at Gachibowli Stadium on Sunday.
Four categories
The event, conducted in four categories (Novice, Sprint, Olympic and Half-iron), attracted athletes from all walks of life, including competitors from the A.P. Police, notably Additional DG, Sports, Rajiv Trivedi, who completed Olympic Triathlons, consisting of 1.5 km swim, 40 km cycling and a run of 10 km.
The toughest event (Half-iron), which included swimming (1.9 km), cycling (90 km) and running (21.1 km) attracted 40 athletes.
National athletes
The national athletes who participated in the Half-iron event included Madhurjya Borah, Richard McDowell and Sunil Menon.
A special Para Triathlon Olympic Relay event for physically challenged athletes was held, in which Aditya Mehta, an above-knee amputee, cycled; Kiran Kanojia, a below-knee amputee, ran and Srinivasa Naidu, an above-knee amputee, swam in sequence to complete the Olympic Level Team Triathlon.
GHAC founder director Diyanat Ali said the Hyderabad Triathlon had acquired a national footprint.
“It is India’s biggest open Triathlon event, and we had more than 150 participants from across the country, a good indication of the event’s popularity,” he said.
Event director Deepam Moraparia said the Triathlon had no winners as it was meant only to test the endurance of the participants.
“There were 100 spot registrations which reflected the growing awareness about health and fitness among the public.
“The next Hyderabad Triathlon will have full iron-level and preferably in an open lake for swimming,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – October 21st, 2013
Retired soccer professional star David Beckham is planning to bend time and simultaneously sign copies of a photo ebook for ticketed fans in London , New York, Sao Paulo and Hyderabad through Facebook.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, book signings are a traditional way for authors to engage their readers and Beckham plans to extend the custom to his Facebook fans when he launches a new photo book next week.
The manner in which Beckham’s personalised signatures will be generated is still a little fuzzy, the report said.
The star said that it all comes down to reinventing the traditional format of the book signing through the use of groundbreaking technology.
He added that in partnership with Facebook, he wants to do a truly global signing to coincide with the launch of his new book, adding that if someone is in London, New York, Sao Paulo or Hyderabad, they can enter to win a ticket to take part in these events and receive a personalized digital signature from him via ground-breaking technology.
Facebook’s entertainment partnership manager, Glenn Miller, is offering every fan who registers or attends the Beckham book signing in person on October 30, London time, a digital autograph from Beckham and participation in a live Q and A session, the report added.
E-book signatures are not new as signing services like Authorgraph already offer digital autographs of commercial titles such as El James’ Fifty Shades of Grey, the report further said.
Years ago, the Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood took matters into her own hands and conceived The LongPen, which permits the remote signing of ‘wet-ink’ signatures, according to the report.
source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-ANI> Sports / by ANI / Sydney – October 22nd, 2013
Sania Mirza continued her impressive run as she captured her fourth title of the season and 18th overall with Cara Black of Zimbabwe, recording a come-from-behind win over Liezel Huber and Hao Ching Chan to lift the Pan Pacific Open trophy, here today.
The unseeded slayers of the top seeds in the semifinals, pipped the American-Taipei combination 4-6 6-0 11-9 in one hour and 25 minutes.
After losing the opening set, Sania and Cara made a stunning recovery as they bageled their opponents with three breaks to push the match to super tiebreaker, where the Indian-Zimbabwean combo rallied again to edge past the rivals 11-9 win.
Ecstatic after the win, Sania tweeted, “#champions #yesss #wedidit #comeonnnnnn”.
Sania has been struggling to find consistent partners this season and today’s title was her fourth with third different partner.
She won Brisbane and Dubai events with American Bethanie Mattek Sands and the New Haven title came with Chinese Jie Zheng.
source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Sport> Report / Agency: PTI / Saturday – September 28th, 2013
