At the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Sangeet Natyotsav / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Sangeet Natyotsav saw was a pleasing fare.
South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SZCC) of Nagpur, Akhila Bharatha Kuchipudi Natya Kala Mandali and G.V.R.Government College of Music and Dance, Vijayawada jointly organised Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Sangeet Natyotsav for three days at G.L.G. Kala Vedika with P.Ushakumari,vice chairman of Vijayawada Urban Development Authority as the chief guest. Natyacharya K.V.Satyanarayana, member of the SZCC was also present as a special guest. During the three-day festival, three of the Bismillah Khan Memorial Award recipients gave their performances along with other music and dance artistes. On the first day, Manda Anantakrishna, a talented and reputed flute artiste of Tirupati gave a pleasing concert playing Thyagaraja’s Entamuddo complementing it with fine raga delineation and kalpana swaras. Sambho Siva SambhoP.Nageswara Rao, P.S.Phalgun and M. Haribabu assisted the flutist well on violin, mridangam and ghatam.
Next, Pasumarti Mrityunjaya Sarma of Hyderabad presented Sri Ganapathini (Sowrashtra) of Dikshitar. The final programme was a graceful Odissi dance by noted dancer Madhulita Mahapatro of Bengaluru. Pasyati Disi Disi
The second day’s programme started with a thrilling Laya Vinyasam by Peravali Jayabhasker of Hyderabad and his party. Rahul Another awardee, Rahul Acharya presented Sivatandavam.
At the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Sangeet Natyotsav / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
The valedictory function was followed by Kuchipudi dance items, the highlight was Pravesa Daruvu`Bhamane Satya Bhamane by Vempati Srimoyi, daughter-in-law and a senior disciple of late maestro Dr.Vempati Chinna Satyam. She donned the role of Satyabhamashowing great skill of abhinaya, precise foot work enhibiting the mercurial moods of Satyabhama convincingly. SivastutiGajavadana,Narayaneeyam, and Brindavana Nilaye and Manduka Sabdam were neatly presented by Srimoyi’s disciples Amarnath Ghosh, Sivakumar and SubbarajuPasyati Disi Disi. .
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review> Music / by P. Surya Rao / Hyderabad – April 10th, 2014
Vijayawada Division of South Central Railway (SCR) won 19 out of the 58 shields which will be presented by SCR General Manager P.K. Srivastava to officers and staff of various departments for their performance in the year 2013, during the Railway Week celebrations on April 15 at Secunderabad.
The shields won by Vijayawada Division include the General Manager’s Efficiency shield for overall performance. It will be received by Divisional Railway Manager Pradeep Kumar.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / Vijayawada – April 11th, 2014
QuisLex, Inc., a Chambers and Partners Band 1 Legal Process Outsourcing provider , today announced the expansion of its execution center in Hyderabad, India. This additional capacity will augment existing space in meeting increased client demand for both litigation and corporate services. QuisLex has delivery centers in India and the U.S.
“Client demand continues to drive our growth, and this expansion is a result of the continued interest in our services from both long-term clients and new global corporations and law firms who are now utilizing our corporate and litigation services,” said Sirisha Gummaregula, COO of QuisLex. QuisLex’s clients include Global 500 corporations in the technology, finance, insurance, and manufacturing sectors, among others, as well as Am Law 100 and Magic Circle law firms.
“This new facility will be fully compliant with our regularly audited ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certified controls. It will also have the same security measures and advanced technological infrastructure as our existing facilities, including multi-tiered physical and electronic security controls such as biometric access,” said Michel Sahyoun, CTO of QuisLex.
All of QuisLex’s execution centers in India are highly secure, state-of-the-art Class A facilities located in the prestigious HITEC City area of Hyderabad. “The new facility expands our ability to provide high-quality, secure, cost-effective, process-driven solutions and reinforces our commitment to our clients,” added Gummaregula.
About QuisLex:
QuisLex is the preeminent Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) firm, specializing in executing complex document review, contract management, and compliance projects. The company creates new value and opportunities for legal counsel through the innovative alignment of the best of human capital, process discipline, and technology, making it the partner of choice for Fortune 500, Am Law 100, and Magic Circle firms on bet-the-company matters.
Folk artist engaged by Election Commission to take up the SVEEP campaign giving a performance in Vijayawada on Wednesday./ Photo: Ch.Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu
Their ancestors enthralled the famed kings and subjects of Vijayanagar Empire
“It is said that ‘history repeats itself’, and we are doing what our ancestors had done during the reign of the legendary king Krishnadevaraya.” These were the words from M. Sekhar Babu, a folk artiste, who is engaged by the district administration to spread the message of voting rights, as part of the SVEEP campaign (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation).
But all is not well for the artistes who have been entertaining the people since centuries. Giving performances has been their only source of income and they feel that the demand is dwindling with every passing year.
“We were once in heavy demand, as we were called to perform at marriages and birthday functions. But now we are confined mostly to the rural areas only. But the State government departments – be it the election commission or APSACS or NACO — still hire us and that is our staple diet,” said Mr. Sekhar.
Sekhar Babu who heads a three-member team along with his son M. Prasanth Kumar is one among the four teams engaged by the administration to tour the district and spread the message through street plays, Burrakatha and Yakshagana.
According to Sekhar Babu, they are the descendants of the folk artistes who once enthralled the famed kings and subjects of Vijayanagar Empire in the 16th century.
Settled in Gudivada
“About 1,000 families moved out after the empire fell to the Deccan Sultanates in the 17 century. We first moved to the Telangana region and then about 100 years ago about 40 families moved to Eluru in West Godavari. And now about 10 families have settled down in and around Gudivada in Krishna district,” he said.
Though time has flown by, these families, who have been safe guarding the art of mesmerising the crowd with their witty plays and songs, have not changed much.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Sumit Bhattacharjee / Vijayawada – April 10th, 2014
(From left to right) Chetan Khanna, Ashwin Muthiah, Varshil Patel, Akiff Premjee, Brendan McManus, Rohan Murthy, Dilip Rajan, Prashant Ramesh, Hari Ravi, Aneesh Kanakamedala (sitting below), Praveen Rajaguru, and Pranay Sharma.
Hyderabad:
Browsing on Facebook, you might have spotted a video, the thumbnail of which shows six boys dressed in vintage 60s style. That is the latest genius from Penn Masala, a five minute video that summarises the evolution of Bollywood music which has already got over a quarter of a million views.
The world’s first Hindi a cappella group comprising students of University of Pennsylvania also finds its roots in Hyderabad, through its member Anil Chitrapu. Penn Masala is an evolving group with the current members being Akiff Premjee, Varshil Patel, Anil Chitrapu, Dilip Rajan, Ashwin Muthiah, Prashant Ramesh, Chetan Khanna, Aneesh Kanakamedala, Brendan McManus, Pranay Sharma, Hari Ravi, Praveen Rajaguru and Kashish Hora.
The video, The evolution of Bollywood, has taken the social networking sites by storm, with even top singers and music directors from India praising the group. “We had been brainstorming this idea for a while, ever since we saw another cappella group (Pentatonix) do a history of Western Music video. We started discussing and thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could show how Bollywood music evolved over time?’” says Akiff Premjee.
While the group’s success might be news to Indians, it has already tasted success in the US with its meeting with the US President Barack Obama.
Varshil says, “That experience was unlike any other. We were fortunate to be asked to perform at the White House for President Barack Obama’s Diwali celebration and the signing of an important Asian-American initiative… It’s actually funny, because later that year we went on to give a similar performance for UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon and he asked us ‘Was this as exciting as performing for Mr Obama?’”
Penn Masala had also toured India in 2013 and even had a show in Hyderabad. Talking about the experience of performing in Hyderabad, Akiff says, “Hyderabad was absolutely incredible when we visited last winter. The audience was phenomenal and we could tell how hospitable every one was when we met fans after the show. If only we could have spent a day or two longer!”
Anil Chitrapu, the music director and only Hyderabadi of the group, says, “Much of my family is in Hyderabad, and I try to visit as often as I can to see them. Whenever I’m in the area, I make sure to get myself a fix of Hyderabadi biryani from Paradise Hotel and chai from around Charminar,” he says.
Anil has learnt Indian Classical (Carnatic) music and studied under Sri D. Seshachary of the Hyderabad Brothers. “This style of music has helped me immensely with my vocal tone and ability to sing in Hindi and other South Asian languages. Also, I really like Vijay Prakash in his Telugu songs! He has an extremely versatile voice.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Offbeat / DC / by Sanchita Dash / April 03rd, 2014
Narender Revalli, who worked as sports reporter in The New Indian Express, passed away on Wednesday morning after a brief illness. He was 49. He is survived by wife Usha Ramani, three brothers and two sisters.
Starting his career in a Karimnagar tabloid, he worked in several newspapers including TNIE. He also participated in several sports debates and was a sports analyst for television programmes.
Eminent journalists paid floral tributes to him at his residence.
The Electronic Media Sports Journalists Association and the APSJA and Press Club of Hyderabad would jointly hold a condolence meeting on Saturday at 3.30 pm on the Press Club premises at Somajiguda.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / April 03rd, 2014
Techies for tomorrow: Keep it Simple Silly (KISS) team members Jharna H.Makhija and Chaitra Salimeeti. — PHOTO: V. RAJU / The Hindu
Undergraduate girls turn entrepreneurs, export cards to UK and USA. They have just shipped an order by post to California. Jharna H. Makhija and Chaitra Salimeeti doing their third year in Computer Science Engineering in Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College (VRSEC).
They have still a year to complete their engineering. But that has not stopped them from making a success of a business that most people consider unviable or impossible. Making and selling greeting cards abroad in the age of whatsapp and email is a small achievement for the young entrepreneurs.
Making customised greeting cards is their USP. They have just shipped an order by post to California. Jharna H. Makhija and Chaitra Salimeeti doing their third year in Computer Science Engineering in Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College (VRSEC) have successful bagged and executed nearly 200 orders in less than a year.
Starting with regular greeting cards they diversified to a variety of customised cards including the ‘explosion’ box greeting cards, invitations for a wide range of occasions and more recently flyers and tickets for commercial programmes. The brand name they have given for all these products is the highly catchy phrase, Keep It Simple Silly (KISS).
Customised fare
The big attraction in the customised cards, which often have photographs of both the senders and receivers, is that they are permanent. “Whatsapp messages, emails are temporary, but our cards remain forever. They are mementoes which can be collected to remember all the important occasions,” said Ms. Makhija.
The book “How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company” inspired the girls to start the business. The college E-Cell gave them a little nudge by permitting them to have a stall on the campus for a couple of days.
With their creativity and computer knowledge they design the customised cards, which often have many pages, using graphic design software like CorelDRAW, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
The cost of the cards ranges from Rs. 15 for a regular card to Rs. 600 for an explosion box greeting card (explode into several pages of photos and text when the lid is removed).
It is not that the two-girl team had no competition.
A few months after they began the business in July 2013, a few boys from another engineering college started a similar enterprise. But having a head-start gave KISS an advantage, Ms. Salimeeti said. The real advantage is the wonderfully maintained Facebook page that attracted customers from as far as UK and USA.
Wedding season is hectic time for KISS. In the beginning the parents resisted, but extended logistic support when the orders began flowing in.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by G. Venkataramana Rao / Vijayawada – April 17th, 2014
Hand spun or power loom, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo finds that the freedom fabric is enjoying its space in the sun this summer.
Summer normally spells good business for khadi sellers and this summer is turning out to be even better. The stores that dot Lakdi-ka-pul and Khairatabad have stocked both handloom and powerloom khadi yardage, along with linen and cotton to meet the demand from political campaigners. The stores placed orders for fresh stock two to three months ago to ensure they have enough supply.
There’s khadi to meet every budget. The hand-spun and hand-woven variety from Ponduru comes at a premium. “Very few families weave khadi in Ponduru and most weavers are in the 60-plus age group. It takes them at least two months to weave a ‘taan’ (roll),” explains Dasari Chandra Shekhar of Khadi Bhandar, Khairatabad.
Dealers emphasise the need to stock cheaper alternatives like powerloom khadi from Erode, Tirupur, Salem and Mumbai. “Not everyone is particular about using hand-spun, hand-woven khadi especially when they need at least 15 to 20 sets of garments. We’ve seen corporators and others buy powerloom fabrics while the established politicians go for premium handloom khadi. They choose between muslin, coarse or fine khadi,” adds Shekhar.
Khadi from Ponduru finds more takers, says Vinay of Andhra Khadi Bhandar, Lakdi-ka-pul. “The handloom varieties come from Srikakulam and Ponduru, priced between Rs. 200 and 2,000 per metre, depending on the yarn used. As an alternative, there’s the lesser-known hand-woven khadi from West Bengal priced at Rs. 500 to 800 per metre,” he says.
White is the preferred colour cutting across party lines. The difference in colour is marked by the shawl/stole worn on the shirt. A bulk of the sales remains skewed towards men as most women in politics remain comfortable in cottons and silks.
A few stores also have in-house tailors who can stitch shirts and trousers within a week. Ready-to-wear garments are available for those unwilling to wait. Besides shirts, trousers and fabrics, the stores also have special hand-made or non-detergent soaps to wash these garments with. They assert the importance of using home-made starch over the retail variety for the longevity of the fabric.
In the mean time, linen has emerged as an alternative to khadi, offering a wider range of fabrics, priced between Rs. 500 and 4000 a metre. “Linen is lustrous and is equally comfortable for summer. We’ve had quite a few political clients asking for linen,” says Chandra Shekhar.
Aravind Joshua works extensively with khadi weavers and uses the fabric for his creations. / Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu
De-constructing an image
Designer Aravind Joshua who works extensively with khadi weavers and uses the fabric for his creations, feels clothing is a key to understand leaders and the image they project in public space.
“On close analysis, one would find what leaders wear is not by accident. Behind the crisp khadis and handlooms that Indira Gandhi wore, there were image consultants, stylists and designers. When Sonia Gandhi entered politics, she carefully imitated both the body language of Indira and her wardrobe. From Mahatma Gandhi to Narendra Modi, our leaders know that even when they are not talking, their clothing is. It’s a visual communication,” he says.
Aravind’s suggestions to five politicians who could do with a change of style
Most women ministers: It’s surprising how even women in influential positions can get carried away. D.K. Aruna and Geeta Reddy can take a cue from Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Kumari Selja or Sushma Swaraj.
Kalvakuntla Kavitha: Kavitha, to stay in tune with the cultural wing of her party which she represents, is never seen wearing handloom or khadi woven in this region. She could have more Pochampally ikats and Narayanpet saris in her wardrobe.
Jaganmohan Reddy: Jagan’s corporate look continues while meeting people. Instead of wearing high-end brands while speaking about the plight of the weavers or farmers, he can opt for a well-constructed kora or a striped khadi shirt and pant. Since he is targeting youth, it is not necessary for him to sport a dhoti like his father.
Nara Lokesh: Like his father, Lokesh is projecting himself as a thinker so we see him in formal shirts and pants. But if he is going to be active in politics, he can try matkha khadi silk (available in shades of yellow to gold, befitting his party flag) shirt, crisply ironed with white coated khadi pants.
D. Sridhar Babu: He sports a waist coat over white kurta and pants. To connect strongly with his constituency, Karimnagar, he can try Metpally khadi tie and dyed waist coat with white double thread khadi.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Sangeetha Devi Dundoo / Hyderabad – April 04th, 2014
An employee of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant B.V.S.K. Lingeswara Rao is participating in another international badminton tournament.
He will be representing India in the 98 All-England Seniors Badminton Championship to be held at Hatfield from April 11 to 13.
Commissioner of GVMC and president of the Visakhapatnam District Badminton Association M.V. Satyanarayana, secretary of the district association and vice-president of the AP Badminton Association R. Srinivas, and other office-bearers congratulated Lingeswara Rao on his selection and wished him success in the tournament.
Lingeswara Rao will play the plus-45 years men’s singles and doubles events. He will partner with A.V. Raju of Hyderabad in the doubles event. Players from nearly 25 countries are participating in different age groups, plus-35 years to 70 years.
Foreman in VSP, Lingeswara Rao secured a bronze medal in the men’s singles and doubles category in the sixth BWF senior World championship-2013 held in Ankara (Turkey) recently.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – April 03rd, 2014
Call for national status to Gowthami Regional Library
Sri Gowthami Regional Library (SGRL) has the oldest and rarest collection of books between the 1805 and 1898. It also boasts unpublished manuscripts.
The government took over the library in 1979 and renamed it as Sri Gowthami Regional Library.
The name Sri Gowthami Regional Library, popularly known s ‘Gowthami’, adjoins the Palm leaf manuscripts since its inception. At present, the library has more than 400 manuscripts of ‘Colonel McKenzie’ describing East and West Godavari Districts. These manuscripts are in three volumes. ‘Tamara Sasanalu’, meaning copper plates (from the 13th and 14th centuries), are also available in the library. An interesting facet of the library is its possession of the first Britannica Encyclopedia of the year 1771.
As of now, the library has more than 1,500 rare books published before 1900 and around 8,115 books published prior to 1923 and 5,000 published up to 1950. In all, more than 15,000 rare books find place in the collections. Magazines and periodicals like Bharathi, Chintamani, Vivekavardhini, Andhri and Krishna Patrika are oldest periodicals that are housed in the library.
Though Union Minister for Human Resources Development M.M. Pallam Raju hails from the district, the library is yet to get national status. “We got national status for the Telugu language after making tireless efforts. For getting the same status for this library also, we have to struggle in residual state of Andhra Pradesh,” says Sannidhanam Narasimha Sarma, who worked as librarian.
V.S. Suryanarayana Murthy, the current gazetted librarian, modernised the only big government library in coastal region in keeping with the advancement in Information Technology. It has now around 16 computers with scanner and Printers.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by B.V.S. Bhaskar / Rajkahmundry – April 04th, 2014
