Category Archives: Amazing Feats

Kidambi Srikanth wins French Open Super Series

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Dominant: K. Srikanth, who is on a winning spree, exults after taking the French Open with ease on Sunday.
Dominant: K. Srikanth, who is on a winning spree, exults after taking the French Open with ease on Sunday.

Having already completed a hat-trick of Super Series titles, Srikanth won his fourth title of the season.

India’s Kidambi Srikanth’s dream season continued as he brushed aside the challenge of Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in straight games to win the French Open Super Series men’s singles title, in Paris on Sunday.

Having already completed a hat-trick of Super Series titles, Srikanth won his fourth title of the season.

Srikanth, seeded eight in the tournament, took just 34 minutes to get the better of his Japanese opponent 21-14 21-13 in the summit clash.

The win ensured Srikanth, who played his fifth Super Series final this season, bag his second consecutive title in two weeks after winning the Denmark Open in Odense last week.

Srikanth, thus, became only fourth men’s singles player to win four or more Super Series titles in a calendar year.

Going by Srikanth’s current form, it was expected to be a one-sided summit clash and it turned out to be one, except for the first few points of the opening game which was a neck-and-neck fight between the two shuttlers.

It was Nishimoto, who started brightly to race to a 9-5 lead before Srikanth fought back to draw level at 9-9.

From there on it was no looking back as the Indian used his court coverage and superior technique to take a 14-10 lead.

Nishimoto did manage to take some points to reduce the margin to 15-14 before Srikanth used his experience at the highest level to pocket six straight points and win the first game.

Srikanth continued his good form in the second game and won five straight points to take a commanding 10-2 lead.

Nishimoto tried his best to force a comeback and managed to reduce the margin to 13-8 but the Indian showed his class and superiority in crunch situations to keep his lead intact and win the game 21-13 and claim his second consecutive title in as many weeks.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / PTI / Paris – October 29th, 2017

UK surgeons save little hearts

Amazing Feats, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Science & Technology, World Opinion

In safe hands: Doctors from Healing Little Hearts, UK with a baby on whom they performed heart surgery at Andhra Hospital in Vijayawada on Friday. | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR
In safe hands: Doctors from Healing Little Hearts, UK with a baby on whom they performed heart surgery at Andhra Hospital in Vijayawada on Friday. | Photo Credit: CH_VIJAYA BHASKAR

Camp held at Heart & Brain Institute, Andhra Hospitals

Heart & Brain Institute, Andhra Hospitals, organised a paediatric cardiology and cardiac surgical camp in association with Healing Little Hearts, UK, from October 23 to 27. A team of doctors from reputed hospitals in UK performed 15 heart surgeries free.

The team included paediatric interventional cardiologist, p aediatric cardiac surgeons, paediatric cardiac intensivists, paediatric cardiac anaesthetist, perfusionist, paediatric intensive care nurses and the team led by Dr. Vikram Kudumula, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist from UK.

The team performed heart surgeries which included atrial septal defect with complications, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus with complications, total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, Fallot’s tetralogy, etc.

Andhra Hospitals Managing Director Dr. P. V. Ramana Murthy said they had been doing children heart surgeries regularly for the past two years. Healing little hearts, UK, team had come nine times so far, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> City> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / Vijayawada – October 28th, 2017

Breakthrough in mass scale seed production of Indian pompano

Agriculture, Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

It is a first of its kind in the world, says CMFRI scientist

Redefining mariculture: Seed of Indian pompano at the CMFRI nursery in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: arranged
Redefining mariculture: Seed of Indian pompano at the CMFRI nursery in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: arranged

The regional centre of ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute here has made a major breakthrough by undertaking mass scale seed production of Indian pompano for the first time in the world.

Indian pompano (trachinotus mookalee) is a marine fish belonging to the family Carangidae. It is low in landing from the wild. It contains Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. It is sold in the domestic market at ₹200 to ₹300 per kg.

The species is distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region and present in 15 countries of the Asian continent. In India, it is reported from both the west and east coasts.

It has sporadic occurrences in bays and lagoons, and the adult fish prefers shallow coastal waters with rocky areas.

Senior scientist in charge of the regional centre Subhadeep Ghosh told The Hindu that the fish was considered to be a good candidate species for aquaculture due to its fast growth rate, easy adaptability to culture conditions, quick acceptance of artificial feed, pleasant appearance, good meat quality, and high consumer preference. In addition, it can be successfully cultured in tanks, ponds and cages.

Broodstock collection

In a bid to diversify Indian mariculture, breeding and seed production of the species was initiated at the regional centre with broodstock collection in 2011.

Initial success in seed production on a small scale was achieved in early 2014. However, seed could not be produced consistently due to loss of broodstock maintained in the cage by the effect of the catastrophic Hudhud cyclone that hit the Visakhapatnam coast that year.

Broodstock collection was initiated again in 2015 and the fishes were stocked in the land-based Re-circulating Aquaculture System (RAS) for development and maturation.

“With manipulation of water quality and feeding protocols, fishes were induced to spawn in the RAS and mass scale seed production was achieved in early 2017,” Dr. Ghosh said.

Metamorphosis from larvae to fry started on the 17th day post-hatch and was completed by the 22nd day. After 30 days of rearing, the survival rate was around 17.2% and the fry reached an average size of 2.9 cm in length and 1.27 gm in weight. A few thousand fry were transferred to the Veraval Regional Centre of CMFRI in Gujarat and are being nursery-reared for stocking in cages.

Another few thousand fry were transferred to Nagayalanka in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh and are being nursed prior to release in the pond. The remaining fry, again a few thousands, are being nursery-reared at the Visakhapatnam Regional Centre of CMFRI.

He said the seed would be stocked in open sea floating cages for grow-out very soon.

This was the first case of successful mass scale seed production of Indian pompano under confinement anywhere in the world.

The success raised hopes for culture of the fish using hatchery produced seed in India and will present enormous scope for aquaculture business opportunity in the near future for Indian fish farmers through species diversification.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Santosh Patnaik / Visakhapatnam – July 04th, 2017

Wheelchair basketball players aim high

Amazing Feats, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Sports, World Opinion
Mind over matter Wheelchair basketball players at the ‘2017 Women’s Development’ camp in Thailand.
Mind over matter Wheelchair basketball players at the ‘2017 Women’s Development’ camp in Thailand.

They set sights on gold medals at international events

Binding to a wheelchair does not dampen their spirits to aim high. They feel even sky is not the limit for them. It is the inspiring tale of two women from Andhra Pradesh — 30-year-old B. Hima Kalyani and 29-year-old Pandranki Satyavathi — afflicted with polio at the age of five.

After attending the ‘2017 Women’s Development’ camp organised by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) – Asia Oceania Zone in Thailand, they not only attained great skills in wheelchair basketball but also wanted to train women suffering from a similar impairment.

Their association with the basketball made them realise that the sport would help instil great self-confidence and zest for life in such women.

Presently employed with Thomson Reuters’, Bengaluru, as a content analyst in finance and risk wing, Nidadavolu-based Hima Kalyani says she was unaware of the game until she attended a wheelchair basketball camp in Hyderabad last June.

“When we came to know about the camp through Global-AID, an NGO working for development of persons with disabilities, we wanted to give it a shot. The camp introduced us to a new world, making us realise that life is more beautiful than what we assumed it to be,” narrates Ms. Satyavathi, who is working in the Global AID, Gajapathinagaram mandal, Vizianagaram district, as teacher and hostel warden.

Five months later, the duo participated in the third National Wheelchair Basketball Championship, Chennai.

“The maiden event, organised jointly by the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India (WBFI) and the International Committee of the Red Cross, made me win a bronze medal,” states Ms. Hima Kalyani.

‘Not an easy task’

Ms. Satyavathi was able to reach up to the semi-final round in the tournament and she along with Hima Kalyani and a few other players got selected for further intensive coaching organised by the IWBF in Thailand.

“We forgot our physical impediment for a while and competed with international players with ease.

“Playing basketball on wheels is not an easy task but the vigorous coaching exposed us to different techniques of the sport, manoeuvring special wheelchairs,” they say.

The players’ next target is to grab gold medals in international events.

“In addition to this, we also want to train wheelchair-bound women in the sport,” the players say.

According to founder-president of Global AID Sai Padma, the NGO plans to provide specialised coaching to the physically challenged persons in wheelchair basketball through the Andhra Pradesh Wheelchair Basketball Association.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – May 03rd, 2017

ISRO launches 104 satellites in one go, creates history

Amazing Feats, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
RECORD HAUL: The PSLV-C37 blasting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota with 104 satellites on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: PTI
RECORD HAUL: The PSLV-C37 blasting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota with 104 satellites on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: PTI

These include the country’s earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series.

India, a one-rocket fledgling in space transportation compared to its European and U.S. counterparts, created launch history on Wednesday by placing a record 104 spacecraft in their desired orbits.

The feat was performed on the old reliable launch vehicle, the PSLV, numbered C-37, which took off from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 9.28 a.m.

Precise launch

C-37 was a largely commercial flight as all but three passenger satellites, small nanosats, belonged to six other countries. The 29-minute launch went off precisely as planned; it took just 11 minutes from the release of the primary Cartosat-2 series spacecraft to the last launch of a client satellite, ISRO said after the mega-payload launch.

The PSLV, in the category of launch vehicles that can lift relatively light loads to space, now marks 38 successful missions in a row out of a total of 39 flights.

This time, it took to space a total of 1,378 kg, of which the primary satellite was 714 kg.

The latest Cartosat is the fifth in the series of six Cartosat-2 spacecraft, starting from Cartosat 2 in 2007 and followed by what were earlier marked A, B, C, D and E. The last one is due.

“After a flight of 16 minutes and 48 seconds, the satellites achieved a polar Sun synchronous orbit of 506 km inclined at an angle of 97.46 degrees to the equator — very close to the intended orbit. In the next 12 minutes, all 104 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV fourth stage in a predetermined sequence, beginning with the Cartosat-2 series, INS-1 and INS-2,” an official communique said.

ISRO’s workhorse lives up to its billing

The PSLV, which created launch history on Wednesday by placing a record 104 spacecraft in their desired orbits, has totally launched 46 Indian spacecraft, most of them Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites.

As many as 180 small satellites of foreign customers contracted by ISRO’s commercial company Antrix Corporation have also reached space on this vehicle.

This time, it took to space a total of 1,378 kg, of which the primary satellite was 714 kg.

The latest Cartosat is the fifth in the series of six Cartosat-2 spacecraft, starting from Cartosat 2 in 2007 and followed by what were earlier marked A, B, C, D and E. The last one is due.

“After a flight of 16 minutes and 48 seconds, the satellites achieved a polar Sun synchronous orbit of 506 km inclined at an angle of 97.46 degrees to the equator — very close to the intended orbit. In the next 12 minutes, all 104 satellites successfully separated from the PSLV fourth stage in a predetermined sequence, beginning with the Cartosat-2 series, INS-1 and INS-2,” an official communique said.

The PSLV, 39 flights old since 1993, also launched the Indian Moon mission Chandrayaan-1 in 2008; and is set to launch a private lunar mission for Bengaluru start-up Team Indus in late December this year.

“It is confirmed that all 104 satellites have been successfully deployed in the orbit,” PTI quoted PSLV Project Director B. Jayakumar at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) as saying.

“After separation, the two solar arrays of Cartosat-2 series satellite were deployed automatically and ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bengaluru took over the control of the satellite,” the space agency said.

In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Special Correpondent / Bengaluru – February 15th, 2017

In Bapu’s footsteps

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
G. Nirmala Tejasri explaining her drawings exhibited at Bapu museum, in Vijayawada on Thursday. | Photo Credit: V_RAJU.
G. Nirmala Tejasri explaining her drawings exhibited at Bapu museum, in Vijayawada on Thursday. | Photo Credit: V_RAJU.

Satthiraju Lakshmi Narayana, popular as Bapu, introduced a style of painting of simple bright colours. His unique style consisted of economy of strokes, freehand drawing and a lack of background clutter.

It was this uniqueness of his art that fascinated Goddeti Nirmala Tejasri, an engineering graduate nurturing art as a passion, and she began to replicate the maestro’s illustrations using only black pen.

Replicas of Bapu bommalu dotted the auditorium on the premises of Bapu Musum on Bandar Road as part of ‘Bapu Chitra Kala Pradarsana’ on Thursday.

“Bapu focussed on Hindu mythological characters. I have done the same but without using any colour,” she explains pointing to the 300-odd illustrations exhibited in a neat row in the auditorium. “I share my birthday with Bapu, and that perhaps is the pull factor,” she says letting out a smile.

The illustrations include Radha enamoured by Krishna while he is playing the flute, Yashoda trying to put a playful Krishna to sleep, and of course myriad moods and postures of achcha Teluginti ammayi. The big eyes, a sharp nose, curvaceous waist and sensual body structure are all intact in the portrayals.

Father being an artist, Ms. Tejasri says she has inherited his talent. Besides participating in various art contests, she has achieved a unique feat and won recognition from the Limca Book of Records. When she was in 10th class, she took to calligraphy and wrote the entire Quran on a 999-ft-long single sheet of paper in a span of two months. In intermediate first year, she repeated the feat and wrote the entire Bhagawad Gita on an 899-ft single sheet and the next year, she wrote Bible on a 999-ft-long sheet of paper. “It was my small attempt to bring down religious barriers,” she explains.

Besides Limca Record Book, her feat has been acknowledged by several other record-registering organisations like India Book of Records, World Amazing Records, Telugu Book of Records and Global World Record. “Of the 16 such existing organisations, 12 have recognised my feat and I plan to apply for remaining four,” she says.

Tejasri has her next plan in place already. “I intend to visit Araku valley, spend time with the tribal people there and capture their lifestyle in my paintings,” she says.

Tejasri is not a trained artist and it is her innate talent that reflects in her works. She wants to crack civils and serve the society. “But art will always remain an important part of my life,” she declares.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada – December 15th, 2016

The multilingual scholar who made Tirupati proud

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leaders, Records, All
Multilingual scholar Kozhiyalam Satagopacharya
Multilingual scholar Kozhiyalam Satagopacharya

He was a scholar honoured by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) by being carried on a caparisoned elephant around the famous Sri Govindaraja temple here.

Kozhiyalam Satagopacharya received the rare honour way back in 1961-62. Followed by scholars chanting hymns and to the traditional drum beats of percussionists, the procession led by the then Executive Officer C. Anna Rao also dropped him at his residence. His achievement?

He rendered the Ramayana discourse for a full year at the jam-packed Anjaneya shrine located in front of the temple.

While his centenary was observed by his disciples at Mylapore (Chennai) on Saturday, his home town Tirupati too went nostalgic.

It is a rare coincidence that the 100th year of this scholar, who shares the lineage of ‘Abhinava Ramanuja’ Kozhiyalam Swamy, runs concurrent with the millennial celebrations of Sri Ramanuja.

Born in July 1916 in Therani on the banks of River Kusasthali on the Tamil Nadu border, the Sanskrit scholar taught for more than 25 years in the TTD’s Sri Venkateswara Oriental College. The multilingual scholar used to give a Tamil lecture on ‘Tiruppavai’, participate in Sanskrit debate and immediately switch over to chaste Telugu for a discourse on the ‘Ramayana’. Tamil and Telugu commentaries on ‘Sri Venkateswara Ashtothara Sathanamavali’, Vedanta Desika’s ‘Dayasatakam’ and a Sanskrit commentary‘Vidhitraya Paritranam’ on Sri Venkatadhvari were some of his notable contributions.

He mastered spoken English too within a few months. Satagopacharya made news those days by preparing and rendering the welcome address for the then President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan at the Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha. The President was all praise for his erudition, his disciples recall even today. Describing him ‘an authority on Nyaya, Mimamsa and Vedanta’, the then Lok Sabha Speaker Madabhushi Anantasayanam Ayyangar used to refer scholarly material to him.

His abject poverty never had any impact on him. “He never let money or the absence of it cast a shadow on us,” recalls his son K. Srinivasan, Secretary of the Navajeevan charitable group that runs an eye hospital, home for the visually challenged and an old age home, feeding 1000 people a day.

Though he got an appointment as a reader in the Vidyapeetha, he breathed his last before joining duty.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by A.D. Rangarajan / Tirupati – July 25th, 2016

Woman biker’s solo effort to cover 1,700 km

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports
Woman biker Vaishali More, who will embark on a solo ride covering three states of AP, Telangana and Maharashtra for a social cause, in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.— Photo: K.R. Deepak
Woman biker Vaishali More, who will embark on a solo ride covering three states of AP, Telangana and Maharashtra for a social cause, in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.— Photo: K.R. Deepak

Biking for me is a symbol of empowerment and liberty, says Vaishali More

With the wind slicing through her hair, riding across the three states of AP, Telangana, and Maharashtra and a passion to conquer the roads, 48-year-old Vaishali More is all set to embark on her first solo motorcycle ride from Visakhapatnam to Shirdi on Wednesday morning.

Purpose

Terming it as a “dream ride where the journey is the destination”, the woman biker from the Port City spoke to The Hindu about the purpose behind the ride and what biking means to her ahead of her journey.

“Biking for me is a symbol of empowerment and liberty and this journey marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I have always wanted to ride solo and this will be the first experience for me,” said the passionate biker, who started her biking adventures when she was in college.

Her ride is being supported by city based organisation Rohit Memorial Trust. Vaishali will cover the distance of around 1,700 km in five days, making pit stops at Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Solapur and Pune before ending her journey in Shirdi.

Armed with safety gears, a helmet clasped over her hair, sporting a riding jacket that will guard her back, shoulder and elbow and skid proof boots, she will make her first stop at Vijayawada on Wednesday night.

During her journey, she will be meeting organisations such as Rotary Clubs and biking groups to share her experiences and discuss various social issues concerning women.

Prelude

“This journey is a prelude to the cross country solo bike ride that I am planning next year in association with Rohit Memorial Trust as part of a project on women empowerment under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The aim is to cover eight to 10 smart cities and reach out to women to spread awareness on a series of issues like domestic violence and menstrual hygiene,” said Vaishali.

In Hyderabad, the biker will be meeting members of Wanderers, a biking community and woman biker Sana Iqbal.

At Pune, three women bikers from the local chapter of the Bikerni group will accompany her till Shirdi in their quest to overturn widely held stereotypes such as riding being a gendered hobby.

“Biking for me is meditative. My bike is like an extension of my personality. I know every pulse of it,” says Vaishali while describing her association with her 220 CC Bajaj Avenger Cruise bike that she fondly calls as ‘Ellie’ – a short form of the French word Esprit Libre meaning free spirit.

She will make pit stops at Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Solapur and Pune before ending her journey in Shirdi.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Nivedita Ganguly / Visakhapatnam – July 13th, 2016

Alluri Jayanthi celebrated as state fest for the first time

Amazing Feats, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Visakhapatnam:

The 119th birth anniversary of Alluri Sitarama Raju, the martyred nationalist and freedom fighter who had waged a guerrilla war against the British in Visakha Agency, was celebrated in a grand manner here on Monday. A number of district administration officials and state ministers as well as Union civil aviation minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju took part in the celebrations across the district. The main celebrations were held at Pandrangi village near Visakhapatnam, where the freedom fighter was born.

During a public meet in Pandrangi, the Union minister observed that Sitarama Raju had fought the British till his last breath. Later, local school children performed a ballet portraying the life and struggle of the freedom fighter. The state ministers and district officials also visited the house where Sitarama Raju was born.

Meanwhile, state information and public relations minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy along with Vizag MP K Hari Babu, zilla parishad chairperson Lalam Bhavani and all the district officials paid tributes to the great revolutionary and observed that it was one of the most glorious struggles for India’s freedom.

However, members of the Alluri Walkers Association led by M Suresh Babu and Ommi Appa Rao accused the state government of denying livelihood to tribal people and other weaker sections of society and said it was not appropriate for them to celebrate the birth anniversary of a freedom fighter, who had laid down his life fighting for the rights of the weaker sections of society.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / July 05th, 2015