Monthly Archives: March 2014

Aerobatics show keeps spectators spellbound

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

It was a role play that Hyderabad is unlikely to forget soon. With the sky as the stage and Mark Jefferies’ mean machines as actors, the aerobatic show on Day 1 of the India Aviation-2014, which opened to business delegates on Wednesday, was a runaway hit. So was the special appearance made by the glamorous Airbus A380 from the Emirates’ fleet. Together, the two ensured that the five-day event took off to a magnificent start.

Though the tension among the spectators on ground was palpable all through the 15-minute display, during which the two pilots swirled and somersaulted their aircraft in mid-air, the crowd broke into a thunderous applause soon after the curtains came down on the matinee. The reactions were much the same during the repeat telecast later in the day. “It was breathtaking,” said one of the spectators, echoing the common sentiment among the gathering which stared awe-struck at the sky, which the two pilots turned into their playground. The Jefferies’ pilots are scheduled to display this act twice a day till the end of the event.

As for the gorgeous double-decker A380 – standing over 24 metres high with a wing span of nearly 80 metres – it had onlookers at hello. Right from the time the huge ‘bird’ made its royal landing at the Begumpet airport, every participant was overheard discussing the red and white beauty. More so after taking a tour of its interiors that reeked of opulence, comfort and class. Even the sprawling economy class of the 517-seater, that has 14 extra-luxurious first class suites, appeared to be in a league way ahead of its competitors. “We are glad that the A380 has been authorized for flying in India. It is great news both for airline operators and travellers in the country,” said an Airbus spokesperson, while leading a group of delegates through the aircraft, which also has two lavish shower spas for its ‘high-flying’ clients.

“Our customers in India are eager to try the A380 services and we have worked closely with the Indian authorities to make this possible. We will be reviewing our existing operations and look forward to serving Indian travellers with our flagship aircraft in the near future,” said Majid Al Mualla, divisional senior vice president, commercial operations – centre, Emirates.

Meanwhile, the mood among business delegates, who converged at the venue on Wednesday, seemed to be upbeat with many hoping to strike a few deals by the end of the event. “The aviation industry has been down in the dumps over the past two-three years. Now, things are starting to look up again. The Boeing-SpiceJet deal is an example of that. So we are optimistic,” said a participant at the exhibition hall, which like the last time had a corner dedicated to the history of aviation.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / March 13th, 2014

Indian scientist gets Order of Merit from German government

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

Eminent Indian scientist Prof Seyed E Hasnain has bagged the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Germany. He served as the founder-director of Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) and vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad.

The award has conferred on Prof Hasnain in recognition of his contribution to Indo-German relations. The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was instituted in 1951 by Federal President Theodor Heuss. It is the only honour that is awarded in all fields of endeavour and is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation.

German Ambassador to India, H E Michael Steiner, conferred the prestigious ‘Bundesverdienstkreuz’ on Prof. Seyed Hasnain at the German Embassy in India, says a statement from the University of Hyderabad on Thursday. Prof. Hasnain is a renowned microbiologist especially acclaimed for his path-breaking research on tuberculosis. He paved the way for the office of the German Research Foundation in India, which is one of the key forums for scientific cooperation between Germany and India. During his stay at the Robert Koch-Institute in Berlin and the University of Wurzburg, he produced remarkable research results in microbiology.

Prof. Hasnain has almost all major Indian Science Awards to his credit: GD Birla Award, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, FICCI Award, J.C. Bose National Fellow Award, Ranbaxy Research Award, Goyal Award, Bhasin Award and several others. He is the first Indian elected member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and one of the youngest to be elected Fellow of TWAS, Trieste, Italy. Internationally, Prof. Hasnain is a recipient of the prestigious Humboldt Research Prize, awarded by the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation, Germany; as well as the very exclusive Robert Koch Fellowship, of the Robert Koch Institute, Berlin.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / by Syed Akbar, TNN / March 13th, 2014

Turkish delights

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion
A cold mezze platter./ Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu
A cold mezze platter./ Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu

The Turkish food festival at Park Hyatt offers a lot more than the staple doner kebab

The connection between Hyderabad and Turkey goes back a few centuries; Alauddin Khilji of the Khilji dynasty which ruled the state in the 14th century was of Turkic origin, Sultan Quli Qutb Shah who founded the Qutb Shahi dynasty too was of the same ethnicity, Princess Durre Shehvar, wife of Azam Jah, the eldest son of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad is the daughter of the last Caliph of Turkey and more recently, Princess Esra, wife of Prince Mukarram Jah too hails from the country.

Surprisingly, while Hyderabad still retains much of the Mughlai and Iranian influence when it comes to culinary matters, Turkish food still remains quite different in flavour, ingredients and in technique. Moreover, while Mediterranean food is quite popular in the city, the fare is restricted to Lebanese, Greek and Italian, with the latter being present in almost every restaurant. So we head, all excited, to the Turkish food festival at The Dining Room in Park Hyatt with Turkish chef Turgut Tonbol from the Grand Hyatt in Istanbul. We sit down with the chef, who hails from Bolu, a province which he informs us is a region known for its contribution to Turkish culinary heritage.

“Turkish food mainly consists of the cold mezze and grilled or boiled meat,” he informs us, “but we also have a lot of broad beans, chickpeas and lots of soups in the diet.” Hyderabadis are no strangers to the cold mezze platter which has become a staple in many multi-cuisine and continental restaurants but the platter offered by Chef Tonbol has more than the usual Hummus and Tzatziki. The most interesting of these is the vine leaves, stuffed with rice, nuts and spices doused in olive oil. The platter also contains a simple preparation with broad beans and a mild chilli sauce. The freshly baked pita bread goes well with all or any of these accompaniments.

The cold mezze includes mainly vegetarian dishes. “In Turkey, we don’t have meat for mezze. It is only vegetables,” points out Chef Tonbol who says that the festival includes at least one dish from all the different culinary traditions in Turkey.

Chef Turgut Tonbol./ Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu
Chef Turgut Tonbol./ Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu

Ask Chef Tonbol what his favourite dish of the afternoon is and he doesn’t think too much before naming the Shrimp Guvec, a mild stew spiced with chilli and herbs. He also suggests the Chicken Sheesh, a grilled meat dish very similar to our own kebabs, except it is marinated with a special Turkish red chilli, a milder version of the Indian chilli. “It is more similar to Kashmiri chilli which is bright in colour but less spicy in taste,” he informs adding jokingly that to eat Indian food, you “must be a strong man” to be able to take the level of spice. “The Yayla soup, a yoghurt based soup with mint, rice and egg is also a uniquely Turkish dish and a must try.”

Desserts include the favourite Baklava, a Turkish rice pudding and Turkish pumpkin, a simple but fresh and tasty dessert of sweetened pumpkin and cream cheese. But whatever you may pick for the main course, Chef Tonbol advises that you don’t leave without savouring the Turkish coffee accompanied by Turkish delights. The strong black coffee is a must after a meal, “for the gossip sessions”.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Zeenab Aneez / Hyderabad – March 13th, 2014

Amplifon India launches advanced hearing care clinic at Vijayawada in AP

Science & Technology

Hearing care solution provider ‘Amplifon India’ has launched state-of-the-art hearing care clinic at Vijayawada city in Andhra Pradesh.

Spread over an area of approximately 650 square feet the newly launched clinic at Vijayawada is equipped with advanced diagnostics infrastructure which constitutes a furnished setup for all types of audiology tests, sound proof hearing test, patient counselling, hearing aid trial and fitting services. Along with this it also offers sufficient space and all the departments are monitored by CCTV cameras round the clock.  Apart from this the clinic also offers pure tone audiometry test, impedance audiometry, special tests, Oto acoustic emission test, hearing aid trial, speech therapy and free hearing screening.

The testing lab is laden with the latest equipment capable of performing multiple tests for speech and hearing. The testing lab also accommodates a bed for testing ‘Audiometry Brain-stem Responses’ in infants and instruments for middle ear analyzing for all age groups.

Established in the year 2010, Amplifon India is renowned for its international quality standards in hearing care solutions. In addition to this new facility in Vijayawada, Amplifon clinics are spread in 26 cities across India.

So far Amplifon has established 94 clinics in different states including Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi.

At present Amplifon has set up 3 centres one each in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and now in Vijayawada.

Hearing loss is the third leading chronic disability following arthritis and hypertension. 9 out of every 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who can hear. About 1 in 800 babies is born deaf, often because of genetic factors.  According to WHO 50 per cent of the factors that lead to hearing loss can be prevented.

Approximately one-third of the people over 65 years of age are affected by disabling hearing loss in India. With this new launch Amplifon India is all set to bridge the gap of healthcare in the hearing loss segment.

source: http://www.pharmabiz.com / PharmaBiz.com / Home> News> Hospitals & Clinics  / by Pharmabiz Bureau , Hyderabad / Friday – March 14th, 2014

Will to fight poverty: Hyderabad girl makes it to ‘Forbes 30 under 30 list’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion

ShvethaHF25mar2014

Hyderabad:

Twenty-six-year-old Svetha Janumpalli didn’t go to “Stanford or any of the big schools”. Neither was she born with a silver spoon. Her father from Jadcherla, a small town in Mahbubnagar district, went to the US on a scholarship while her mother, who’s from Gadwal, studied only till Class VI.

“My father moved to the US in the ’70s, but the department he was studying in closed down; so he set up a repair business to earn a living. My mother used to work for an insurance company, and when my father’s profits were negative, my mother supported the family. We are three sisters and I was pretty young at that time. But we used to joke that we would get new jeans only during holidays,” says Svetha, who was born in the US.

Mentioned in the annual lists of ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ social entrepreneurs, PartyCorps, Changemakers and the Clinton Global Initiative (2012), here is Svetha, years later, heading an organisation that the international press states is the “the world’s favourite anti-poverty device”.

And that device, where one “can save a child for the cost of a pair of shoe” is called New Incentives. Founded by Svetha at 23, it is a non-profit organisation dedicated to Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) — poor women are given money to visit HIV clinics or children are given money to go to schools.
As an experiment, Svetha moved to Nigeria two weeks back to prove that this model can work in a country that needs it the most. More than three million people living in Nigeria are affected with AIDS and one out of three mothers transmits this virus to their child. “So I am here for a year. And if the model works successfully, it will be easier to replicate it in other countries, including India.”
Svetha had set up the organisation in San Francisco after graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2008. Till date, her organisation has been able to help around 400 mothers and their families and she hopes to take the number to 1000. “There are   free clinics in Nigeria, but when the time spent by a woman at a clinic results in her losing money, why would she come to the clinic? And that’s where the CCT model helps.”
Svetha travelled to India with her mother frequently till 2009, and it was during one of these visits that she came across drastic poverty levels. “The idea to start New Incentives came after the realisation that there are many in India who have resources and if divided well, they can be used to help the poor.” She had tested the pilot projects in a few villages in Andhra Pradesh.
Svetha is not sure where she will be heading to after Nigeria. “My fiancé is from Nepal and he might want to stay there after marriage. I love India and San Francisco, so I am not sure where I’ll be staying next”.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / by Anusha Dhiman / March 22nd, 2014

Vizag women boxers make a mark

Sports
The team of boxers - Sarjubala, M. Venkatesh, Monica Saun, N. Swapnapriya and A. Punyavathi of Waltair Division of East Coast Railway -- who won medals at the recent All India Railway Annual Boxing Championship held in Agra, posing for a photograph in Visakhapatnam /. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
The team of boxers – Sarjubala, M. Venkatesh, Monica Saun, N. Swapnapriya and A. Punyavathi of Waltair Division of East Coast Railway — who won medals at the recent All India Railway Annual Boxing Championship held in Agra, posing for a photograph in Visakhapatnam /. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

Bag medals at All India Railway Boxing Championship

Boxing, hitherto regarded as a macho sport, is gaining popularity among women in Visakhapatnam. There are quite a few boxers in the city who have proved their mettle at national and international competitions and bagged gold, silver, and bronze medals and brought laurels to the city.

Four women boxers of Waltair Division, two from the city and one each from Uttarakhand and Manipur, have bagged medals at the 68th Men and 7th Women All India Railway Boxing Championship-2014 that concluded on March 8 at Agra.

The girls exuded confidence as they recalled how the sport helped them in securing a job and in their career.

Monica Saum of Uttarakhand draws inspiration from her father, an Army boxer.

Though her brother is doing MBBS, she took up boxing just to prove that girls are second to none in any field.

“Women need to be encouraged to take up this sport,” she says and advises girls to come out of their shells. Apart from being a means of self-defence, medals will give them an advantage over others in securing jobs.

She already has five gold medals – four at the junior-level and one at the senior-level – besides a silver medal at the Asian Championship in Mongolia.

N. Swapna Priya of Vizag, who won a gold medal at Agra, developed a passion for the sport after watching it at the Afro Asia Games. She got a job in the Railways in 2007 under the sports quota and there was no looking back for her ever since. Punyavathi of Vizag won a silver medal in the Agra championships.

Sarjubala of Manipur, who won a bronze at Agra, had bagged two gold medals in the Chennai Nationals and two gold and two silver medals at the junior-level in the past.

Ch. Adinarayana and Sundu Rao bagged silver medals, while M. Venkatesh bagged a bronze at Agra. Sundu Rao plans to open a boxing club at the Railway Stadium to train aspirants from the city.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by B. Madhu Gopal / Visakhapatnam – March 14th, 2014

Twin City Theatre & Cultural Fest to be Held for Six Days from March 26

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Come March 26, artistes and art enthusiasts in the city can immerse themselves in different forms of art for five days as a group of working professionals and artistes are organising a five-day-long ‘Twin City Theatre and Cultural Festival’ from March 26 to 31.

Jugalbandi of poets and musicians, theatre and dance performances, display of paintings, photographs etc. will be organised at six venues at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad and in Secunderabad.

A Flee Market will be organised every day between 5 pm and 6 pm when artists can display their work and sell it too. Close to 40 people, including the organisers, are coordinating the festival. On the final day, a documentary, ‘Kandhamal Unresolved’, will be screened at the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU).

The schedule and other details are posted on twincityfestival.blogspot.in.

“There are not many platforms in Hyderabad where artists from different genres can come together and perform. Our attempt is to provide such a platform,” said Sneha Mukherjee (24), an employee and writer who along with Pranab Mukherjee and Krishna Shukla ideated the festival.

One of the initiators of the festival, Krishna Shukla (28), who quit his job to focus on theatre art, said that art festivals in Hyderabad are confined to a few localities and people from other parts of the city have to travel till Banjara Hills or Hitec City to watch a play. “Through this festival we want to take art forms to connoisseurs’ doorstep in various localities of the city so that people can  enjoy art in their vicinity and new performing spaces develop,” he said.

The organisers have roped in artists through word of mouth and did not charge them to display or perform. Nor will there be entry fee for people. While most of the artists are from the city, a troupe from Kolkata will also participate. “We are not charged any amount by people who are providing us space like Lamakaan or Sacred Space. Moreover, they helped us in finding artists to participate in the festival,” said Krishna.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / March 15th, 2014

Dutch building to be made into tourist attraction

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, World Opinion
Dutch building, one of the heritage structure in Srikakulam is going to be made tourist attraction. / Photo: BASHEER / The Hindu
Dutch building, one of the heritage structure in Srikakulam is going to be made tourist attraction. / Photo: BASHEER / The Hindu

The elegant building was constructed about 300 years ago on the banks of the Nagavali

A Dutch building near Srikakulam Collectorate is being converted into a tourist attraction, thanks to the initiative of heritage lovers who had asked the district administration to allocate funds for its renovation. Around Rs.20 lakh will be spent for the protection of the monument. Srikakulam Collector Saurabh Gaur directed officials a few days ago to protect the monument and take suggestions from archaeological experts while renovating the structure.

The elegant building was constructed about 300 years ago on the banks of the Nagavali. Though a major portion of the building collapsed, the remaining structure reminds the viewers about the European’s dominance in semi-urban areas too in those days.

According to historians, the Dutch had a brief stay in India like the French and Portuguese. They established trading stations in several parts of Andhra Pradesh, apart from Malabar on the East Coast. Some remains of Dutch settlements can be found in Bhimili also. Though the exact history of the Dutch building of Srikakulam is not available, officials believe that the Dutch businessmen could have constructed the structure for trading and collection of taxes since many of them used to travel to Odisha via Srikakulam town.

Walls intact

The existing structure could have been used as a guesthouse too as many Dutch officials used to come to Srikakulam from Kalingapatnam port, which is some 20 km away from here. Though the roof of the structure has collapsed long ago, the walls and other structures remain intact till now.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage has formulated proposals for restoration of the building. Convener of INTACH Dusi Dharmana Rao said that the restoration work should be taken without destroying the original beauty of the Dutch building. Interestingly, the existing Collector’s camp office was also constructed by Dutch rulers. However, a major portion was renovated while protecting a few structures.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Srikakulam – March 24th, 2014

Faces out to make a difference

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education
Students of GITAM University performing a street play in Visakhapatnam./ Photo: K.R. Deepak / The Hindu
Students of GITAM University performing a street play in Visakhapatnam./ Photo: K.R. Deepak / The Hindu

Drama group of GITAM students is creating awareness on issues plaguing society

On a hot sultry morning at the Beach Road, an unusual sight greeted the visitors. A team of youngsters dressed in black outfits were playing drums and clapping hands to narrate a story. It was an issue which affected everyone – the plaguing issue of corruption. Minutes after they began their performance, the large gathering of audience around them was engrossed in their stories. This was precisely what students of GITAM University had envisaged two years ago when they formed their drama group ‘Faces’. They wanted to create awareness among the public on burning social and political issues by staging street plays on college campuses and public places.

With this motive, a 25-member team was created after a series of auditions of students from all branches on the campus. Two years hence, the young energetic team of ‘Faces’ has staged more than 15 street plays on issues ranging from rising incidences of rape cases, corruption cases like the 2G scam, child trafficking and women empowerment to name a few. The team also took part in IIT-Kharagpur’s cultural fest last year. “We read newspapers and watch news shows every day to keep a tab of current issues and highlight it through the plays,” says Syed Shahed Mahmood, a student of third year Mechanical Engineering branch of the university. It takes about two to three weeks time for Shahed and his team-member Raj E. Gandhi to write the dialogues.

The team is now busy planning their next topic of street play which will be on ‘vote-bank politics’ and the provision of ‘NOTA’ (None Of The Above) option for voters. The street play will be performed in early April when the election heat is at its peak. “Very few people know about NOTA option. If you don’t have choice of good leaders, giving power to a wrong person is not the solution. We want to highlight this in our street play so that people can use NOTA effectively,” he adds.

Representation

The team has a balanced representation of students hailing from different parts of the country.

“These are issues that affect everyone notwithstanding which part of India you come from,” says Madhushree Gupta, a student of third year, Civil Engineering Department. Stage fear is something that most of the students had to deal with. But the senior students of ‘Faces’ came out with a smart solution to address it.

“Each of us was told to stay frozen for a few minutes in an awkward position at the busiest centre of our college campus. This was done to help the students adapt to public gaze and help them be comfortable with being the centre of attention in public,” says Shahed. Every year, auditions are held in the university during which fresh batch of students are selected to be a part of ‘Faces’.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities /by Nivedita Ganguly / Visakhapatnam – March 15th, 2014

How to go Natural this Holi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Science & Technology

HoliHF25mar2014

Who can turn away an opportunity to frolic with colours and make a day out of it? However, it’s becoming more and more important to also be eco-conscious, not just for the environment’s sake, but also for your own. This Holi, break the chain and play with organic colours instead.

Sure, they won’t be as bright or attractive, but they will save you some major headache when it comes to washing them off and also in protecting your skin.

Why choose organic over chemical colours?

Well, the answer is obvious; all things natural are any day safer and better than chemically treated things. Chemical based colours can not only damage your skin, eyes and hair but can also be carcinogenic and cause serious health disorders. When colours containing harmful chemicals such as lead oxide, oxidized metals, industrial dyes and other toxic chemicals get into the water table, they also cause water and soil pollution, risking the lives of myriad life forms through the food chain, including our own.

The alternatives

Natural colours are very easy to source. While the market has been catering to an increasing demand for herbal colour, it’s fairly easy to make your own colours at home as well.

For instance, soaking beetroot in water overnight turns the liquid red. You can also mix sandalwood paste to get a vibrant red or even try rose powder. For yellow colour, you can mix turmeric with besan powder or even use dried marigold to create a shade of yellow.

For green, powdered henna leaves are best. You can also add some mint leaves for a cooling effect.

Brown isn’t a very popular colour, but if you’re looking for a slightly gothic tinge, try coffee powder. For coffee lovers, the aroma will make up for half the fun.

Many flowers dried and powdered can also be used, from hibiscus (red) to indigo and jacaranda (blue) and teshu/Flame of the Forest (orange).

If you don’t have the patience or the time to prepare your own, the city also has a few options.

Hyderabad Goes Green in association with Aurora Business School is selling five colours (blue, pink, orange, green and yellow) in packs of 100 gms each for `200. Besides selling at their store in Banjara Hills and Gachibowli, you can pick up the colours from Almond House (Himayath Nagar), Our Sacred Space (Secunderabad), Emerald Sweet House (Lower Tank bund) and N Convention Centre (Hi-tech city). Contact 74167 90905 / 90103 89994 / 98858 66918 for more details.

Daram is selling a box of five colours as well in packs of 50 gms each from the Rang Dular range at their outlet in Begumpet. Contact 040 2776 5503.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express Features – Hyderabad / March 15th, 2014