The two-day annual general meeting of ex-Saikorians, organised at Sainik School, Korukonda, in Vizianagaram concluded on Sunday.
Ex-Saikorians from Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Hyderabad chapters attended the 23rd annual general body meeting. Principal in charge and Headmaster Lt. Col. Praveen Kumar welcomed the members and told them about the achievements, development works and ongoing projects at the school during the last one year.
The senior-most former student, K. Krishna Kumar and Lt Gen K.R. Rao (Retd.) addressed the senior cadets and association members. School Registrar Sqn. Ldr. M. Subba Rao and staff members were present. The AGM is conducted to plan various welfare measures, financial issues for the uplift of the poor, needy and the orphans. Saikor Association established a few schools with the basic objective of giving back something to society, especially to poor and needy people.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – August 31st, 2015
Sneha Deepti with her first book ‘Mandaravalli, A Veiled Vigilante’ in Visakhapatnam.— PHOTO: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
Sneha Deepti’s world revolves around books. Her room is stacked with a collection of various genres including fiction, mythology, and romance.
Her love for reading inspired her to write a novel ‘Mandaravalli, A Veiled Vigilante’ recently. “The novel is based on fantasy fiction that also has streaks of history.
The story portrays how family values still play a predominant role in the modern world and the importance of upholding dharma against all odds,” says the 18-year-old, a first-year degree student of St. Joseph’s College for Women.
Inspired by her mother V. Sudha Sreenivas, a writer, and father V.V.S. Sreenivas, Chief Vigilance Officer of Dredging Corporation of India Limited, Sneha Deepti says that she aspired to write a book ever since she was a child. “I am also interested in journalism and that’s the reason why I opted for English literature, psychology, journalism and mass communication as my main subjects,” says the young writer.
Although ‘Mandaravalli’ is the writer’s first book, she had tried her hand at poetry writing. “Three years ago, I was able to come up with my collection of poems ‘A Palette of My Poems’. Interestingly, it was released by author Ruskin Bond in Mussoorie,” she explains.
Inspiration
Apart from The Bronte Sisters, Sneha Deepti is fond of Rabindranath Tagore’s literary works. “I draw inspiration from their writing style as well. ‘Mandaravalli’ unfolds chapters of a bold woman who follows the path of dharma and contributes to society, braving all odds. Most importantly, the novel conveys that love can be more spiritual than physical,” says Sneha Deepti, who is equally fond of painting and dancing.
Wins award
Striking a balance between studies and writing, the young writer says that it took only six months to complete her first book. A recipient of Special Achievement
Award for her thought-provoking literary works from Carnatic maestro Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, Sneha Deepti says that she intends to spread Indian culture and family bonding through her future works.
The young writer is also fond of painting and dancing
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – August 28th, 2015
K Rosaiah presenting the award to Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani
Eminent Telugu novelist Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani, popular among the ladies and younger generation with her fiction novels based on love stories and drama, was awarded the Sri Malathi Chandur Award for 2015, at Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Kala Mandapam, Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University.
Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani, who is renowned for bringing family and women centric issues into the drawing rooms of homes, has written up to eighty bestselling novels, many of which have been converted into movies, too.
Expressing happiness on receiving the award, she urged women to write. “Write in any language, but do write your stories. Modern women have many issues and the current generation should write about them. Also, do not forget your mother tongue, Telugu,” said Sulochana Rani.
“All my characters come from family. I have read a lot of western literature – Somerset Maugham, Oscar Wild, Pearl S Buck and the likes. But I wrote our stories,” she added. Yaddanapudi influenced women and made many of them not just readers, but also writers.
Speaking on the value of family-centric stories, Sulochana Rani said, “People call our stories ‘Kitchen Stories’ – but I ask where would one go if there was no kitchen? Health and happiness of the family comes from the kitchen. Publishers like Emesco and other magazines have been supporting us.
Thanks to that, women started buying these books and writing their stories. The result is that family stories came out.” The writer expressed her affection to Malathi Chandur, the famous Telugu writer, who has written over twenty-five novels and the Central Sahitya Academy award winning novel, ‘Hrudyanetri’.
Her loss, she said, was extremely saddening. “We read her books and gained knowledge of society withoutrealising we were learning.” Eminent journalist Telakapalli Ravi called both Malathi Chandur and Yaddanapudi similar in their focus on women oriented characters. “Both their novels mirrored the middle class women’s desires and aspirations. They helped them gain confidence and self respect,” he said.
Deputy Speaker of Andhra Pradesh, Mandali Budha Prasad, related his memories of Malathi Chandur and said that she is like an elder sister to all Telugu women as she taught them to question through her column and address their problems.
The nostalgia filled evening was attended by dignitaries like Governor of Tamil Nadu, K Rosaiah, Volga, Mrunalini, Sri Ramana, Ghantasala Savitri, Raavi Kondalarao and the who’s who of the Telugu literature world, especially women writers – many her contemporaries.
source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home / August 25th, 2015
Though nobody knows the exact date of the temple’s construction, tribals believe that it came into existence naturally. (Representative photo)
We’ve all heard about tree houses, but what about tree-temples? Well, such a rare heritage tree-temple does exist in our very own Visakhapatnam district in the tribal village of Kasipatnam near Tyda, enroute Araku Valley.
Encapsulated within the centuries old roots of a banyan tree, an even more ancient Shiva temple stands erect, its ageing bricks and tales of locals bearing testimony to it dating back to at least 300-400 years.
Located nearly 110 km from the city amid serene and verdant hills and near a little river, the Kasipatnam Ramalingeshwara Temple draws around 15-20 people daily from nearby villages. According to locals, on festive occasions such as Nagulachavithi, Karthikamasam and Mahasivaratri, hundreds turn up to offer prayers to the siva lingam. Strangely, the thick roots of an ancient banyan tree have locked within it the little temple that has a conical-shaped dome and structure made of small bricks.
The nearly 85-year-old Doddi Ramulamma, who has been looking after the temple since childhood, said, “My family has been serving the temple since it was discovered. My forefathers served the temple and this tradition was passed on from generation to generation. To fulfill the basic requirements of the temple and my family, I sell printed entry tickets (priced Rs 10 per visitor) provided by villagers. My husband, two sons and one daughter are all dead but I have two grandchildren. During Shivaratri and Nagaulachavithi, lots of people from various places come to visit the temple.”
People living here believe that prayers of devotees who visit the temple never go in vain. A popular instance being that of Pitala Govindraju from Gajuwaka. The childless man offered prayers to the temple and soon was blessed with two children. As an act of gratitude, he added new structures to the temple, such as steps and tiles on the interior walls of the sanctum sanctorum.
Though nobody knows the exact date of the temple’s construction, tribals believe that it came into existence naturally. However, some of the little educated among them say it was built more than 400 years ago going by the bricks used in construction and the aged banyan tree, which grew around the temple, pointed out another local Doddi Dharma.
Prior to cyclone Hudhud, the tree was huge and even more sprawling but due to the impact of the cyclone, most of its branches were broken. Though the structure of the ancient temple was resilient enough to withstand the ravages of time and that of the cyclone, it deserves conservation as an archaeological and natural heritage site.
However, the state department of archaeology is clueless about this temple. AP State Department of Archaeology and Museums assistant director K Chitti Babu said, “Such a rare tree-temple deserves protection but we haven’t seen it yet. We will visit the temple at Kasipatnam and try to ascertain its age from statues, deities and inscriptions.”
Meanwhile, Intach (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) member and environment activist Sohan Hatangadi, who had earlier visited the tree-temple, suggested the involvement of APTDC (AP Tourism Development Corporation) and state archaeology department along with locals for preservation of the temple and tree.
“It’s a unique example of a combined natural and manmade heritage site, which is easily 300-400 years old or even more. APTDC should put up signages at the site, while Intach can document the temple. Since it’s a religious place, locals should also be involved in the form of a cooperative to take care of the temple and generate revenue for the family looking after the temple. Also, some cleaning, light fencing around the tree-temple, garbage disposal and parking provisions away from the temple should be made. The side road through the village leading to the temple should also be repaired. One should ensure that the centuries-old heritage site doesn’t turn into a picnic spot for revelers in the name of tourism. Rather, the archaeological and natural heritage site needs to be preserved the best way possible,” suggested Hatangadi.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / August 16th, 2015
Having been forced to shell out higher fares on buses, especially during weekends and holidays between Hyderabad and Vizag, a group of youngsters decided to launch an online portal – CoYatri – to facilitate inter-city carpooling.
While the company is currently based out of Hyderabad due to the geographical advantage that it offers, CoYatri is soon planning to open an office in Vizag due to the increasing demand from the city. While the founder of the company Pradeep Reddy Enugala hails from Hyderabad, its other co-founders, lead technology Krishna Vedula and lead business development Bhaskar Saragadam, hail from Visakhapatnam.
“People frequently face the problem of bus fares skyrocketing especially during weekends. A ticket, which usually goes between Rs 600-800, shoots up to Rs 1400 during weekends. And if there is a three-day holiday it even goes up to Rs 1700-2000 per ticket,” said founder of CoYatri, Pradeep Reddy Enugala.
“I realised that people are having to shell out more for buses and at the same time are not getting trains because of the huge demand. On the other hand, there are a large number of people who have cars, but are not using them because of high costs. So, if we can properly organise a community, then a car owner, by opting for inter-city carpooling, can easily accommodate two to three people or more and not only make up his travel expenses but also make a profit by travelling in his car,” he added.
So far, CoYatri has more than 5,000 registered users and has been able to offer around 600 plus rides and around 1800 people have been able to travel using the portal. “It is roughly around Rs 9 lakh worth of seats that we have been able to garner during the last 10 months,” Enugala added. Having launched the company in October end last year, Enugala said the target is to reach a position of over one million customers in the next 12 months.
Explaining the revenue model, CoYatri co-founder and lead business development Bhaskar Saragadam said, “As of now we are not charging any fee to users as we want the carpooling culture to gain traction in India. We will charge a percentage of the ride fare once the inter-city carpooling culture becomes popular.”
As of now, a majority of the inter-city rides registered on the website are from AP and Telangana with the more popular routes being from Hyderabad to Vizag, Bengaluru, Chennai, Vijayawada and even Rajahmundry, Anantapur and Kadapa.
Explaining the security safeguards, co-founder and lead technology Krishna Vedula said, “We don’t provide any security per se, but we will make sure that the person who is travelling is genuine and an identified person. We collect original photograph along with their email ID, mobile number and government approved ID card. We activate their profile by verifying the company email and mobile and also check the car numbers by crosschecking with the AP government. If a customer is not comfortable travelling at the last moment, they can still pull out of the ride.”
CoYatri has already received a seed funding of Rs 60 lakh from Sudheer Gaddam, who is president of US IT company Neumeric Technologies Corporation, and is now looking for investments to the tune of USD 1 million in order to promote the portal aggressively in the coming days.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City/ by Manish / August 20th, 2015
Booklovers at Ramamohan Library in Vijayawada on Wednesday. (Photo: DC)
Vijayawada:
The century-old Rammohan Dharma Pusthaka Bhandagaram, better known as Rammohan Library located near Bandar Locks on MG Road is going through a new phase of upgradation for the youth of Vijayawada.
The library, a two-storied building, built in 1911 is a monument that reflects history of the city and literary works of various authors of the 18th and 19th centuries. However, till recently, the library was left unattended for decades due to lack of financial support. The library at present has over 10,000 books relating to independence, history, science, politics and others written in Telugu, English and Sanksrit languages besides a few Hindi classics.
Ayyanki Venkataramanaiah, who is known as the Architect of Library Movement in India, helped establishing the library along with Suri Venkata Narasimha Sastry. The duo were the first secretary and president of the trust that runs the library. Speaking to DC, library incharge and trust member Mr Ch. Koteswara Rao, said that already a set of books relating to engineering subjects were acquired through donations. “Once a good collection is made we would start a separate section for books relating to education where youngsters can come and utilise them,” he said.
“We repaired the building to an extent and refurbished the books that are about to turn into powder. Hopefully, we would get the building protected with fencing soon,” Mr Rao added.
“We also plan to start skill development classes for interested students and already a couple of senior citizens agreed to serve as mentors,” Mr Rao said.
The treasure house is of historical importance for being visited by Mahatma Gandhi, former President V.V. Giri and many freedom fighters. The first floor of the building has an auditorium, where the legendary actress Savithri has performed her first-ever stage play decades ago. Earlier, it was a centre for literary, social and cultural activity in the district but now just around 50 people visit it each day and go through newspapers.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Deccan Chronicle / August 06th, 2015
The ancient building built by Jeypore Kings of Odisha. (Photo: DC)
Visakhapatnam:
One cannot take their eyes away from a masonry building while driving past RK Beach towards fishing harbour, namely ‘Hawa Mahal’, which stands out from the flock of the high-rise apartments. Constructed between 1917 and 1923 on a hillock on the Beach Road, the ‘Hawa Mahal’ in Visakhapatnam was initially intended to be the summer residence of Jeypore Kings of Odisha.
As one-third of Visakhapatnam district fell into Jeypore province under Madras Presidency in 1920s, the Jeypore kings also doubled it as a transit house to catch a train from Visakhapatnam to Madras (now Chennai). The two-storied rectangular structure is still in great shape and hosting several art exhibitions and yoga classes.
Consisting of a series of rooms with open inner verandahs and colonnaded front verandahs in both the floors, the bungalow was stocked with every possible amenity needed and enhanced with bathtubs, Italian marbles, teakwood furniture and wooden railings, many of which were brought from Birmingham, UK. Mayank Kumari Deo of the royal family of Jeypore said, “This was one of the buildings to have the power supply in the 1950s itself through underground cables.”
“After the formation of Andhra Pradesh, a nurses’ training school and first women’s college in Visakhapatnam were run from this premises during the 60s and 70s. Because of the copious amounts of wind flow, the bungalow was named as ‘Hawa Mahal,” she added
Eminent personalities such as the first President of Independent India Dr. Babu Rajendra Prasad, former President Sarvepalli Radha-krishnan and Nobel laureate Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore stayed in this bungalow.
Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru stayed at Hawa Mahal when he visited Vizag to inaugurate ‘Jalausha’, the first ship manufactured by the Hindustan Shipyard. The historic heritage building spans over 3.5 acres, including the open space. In 2013, Bollywood veteran Waheeda Rehman visited the building and cherished her old memories associated with the city when her father worked as a judge here pre-Independence.
Mayank Kumari Deo said, “The renovation works are going on a continuous basis and we are very much committed to keeing the heritage significance of the building alive.” “We are providing the building at free cost to the budding artist to conduct exhibitions.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Deccan Chronicle / August 06th, 2015
Built in the year 1893, the Turner’s Choultry is a stone masonary building 90 feet long and 60 feet wide. It was originally a Chattram or a Traveller’s House built to provide temporary shelter to traders, pilgrims and other travellers visiting the city.
The building is an ashlar fine structure that was built at a cost of Rs 43,000, of which Rs 10,000 was paid by the Maharajah of Vizianagaram, Anand Gajapathi Raju, an equal sum was provided by the Gode family and the remaining was raised from the public.
The site on which the Choultry stands was originally the Enugu Thota (Elephant Lines) of the 104 Regiment and even today the stones to which the elephants were tied can be seen. Close to the Choultry is a huge water tank, next to the Police Barracks, where the elephants bathed.
Built in the name of former district collector, Henry Gribble Turner, the Choultry remained the property of the Visakhapatnam municipality till 1975, after which it passed into the hands of the endowments department.
The building boasts of 24 rooms and a living space, distributed over three courtyards. According to history buff BS Mahesh, the plan of the building is that of a traditional south Indian house with rooms and verandas all around a central courtyard.
“The beauty of the building lies in the simplicity of its plan and the manner in which space is used. The facade is of course beautiful with an arched doorway leading into the central courtyard and the stone pillars give it that imposing look,” said Mahesh. He further added that the tiles used for the roof were pot tiles, which were later replaced by Mangalore tiles.
Civil engineer Narayana Murthy said the structure was built on a raised plinth of more than four feet, which added to the majestic look. “The main structure is over 90 feet in length and 50 feet in breadth and is perfectly rectangular in shape. This apart there are bathrooms that extend the area of the structure. The dressed stone used to build the walls are all cut to the same shape and size and the mortar used to bind the stones is exactly the same in each and every bind. The construction is extremely precise and requires expert stone masonry skills. The thick stone walls built on the raised platform provide balance and strength to the building,” Murthy said.
Even today, the Turner’s Choultry is abuzz with activity and usually hosts weddings, functions, book shows, exhibitions and religious festivals. The endowments department charges a nominal rent of Rs 300 for a small scale wedding at the venue.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / August 06th, 2015
Pontiff Sri Vidyamanohar Teertha of Vyasaraja Math conducts Raja Durbar in Anantapur. (Photo: DC)
Anantapur:
A 494-years of spiritual legacy of a saint ruler saved not just the life of Vijayanagar emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya but also a dynasty. The saint was none other than Guru Vyasaraja Swamy, who was mentor for five generations of Vijayanagar kings.
Guru Vyasaraja Swamy had saved Sri Krishnadevarya on 30-01-1521 from Kuhu Dosha (adverse impact on king’s personnel horoscope). The adverse impact of it would have resulted in a snake biting the emperor at his throne.
But, Vyasaraja Swamy burnt the snake with his extreme power as he sat on the simhasan during a particular kuhudosa period. The Vyasaraja math of Sosale celebrates Raja Durbar every day since 1521 to commemorate the incident. Anantapur Vyasaraja Math was venue for grand celebration of incarnation of Saint Vyasaraja Swamy of his 494th year on Sunday.
Emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya offered his throne to the saint, who ruled for 36 minutes in which he passed orders for construction of many tanks and 732 temples of Lord Hanuman in the country.
JNTUA principal K. Prahlada Rao said the durbar has been conducted every day for 494 years by pontiffs of Sri Vyasaraja math, whose period was golden age in south India. Pontiff Sri Vidyamanohar Teertha of Vyasaraja Math conducted Raja Durbar at Anantapur after occupying the Simhasan on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, Swamiji hoped good rains in Rayalaseema region.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Deccan Chronicle / August 04th, 2015
It was time to recall the good old days and catch up with friends for alumni of the 159-year-old NTR High School here Sunday. In a bid to save the institution from fading into history and revive its past glory, the alumni of the school had a meeting on the Friendship Day.
The alumni felt that their alma mater became a victim of corporate education with imposing buildings and land grabbers eyeing the valuable property. The old students decided to join hands to revive their school’s past glory by providing corporate-type education.
District collector Lakshmi Narasimham was the chief guest of the meet. He lauded the resolution taken by the old students, who had already become senior citizens. The collector promised to extend all help from his side and provide all facilities from the government side. He appreciated the alumni for coming forward to develop the school.
The NTR High School was established on Dec 7, 1856. Some of its students became IAS and IPS officers and some others became noted personalities in India. Poet and Kathanilayam founder Kalipatnam Ramarao, actor Raavi Kondala Rao, KV Somayajulu, sports person Khasim Khan and Chilukuri Narayana Rao were some of its students.
Reminiscing, the 90-year-old Govinda Rao, an alumnus, said the school had a hoary past. He vowed to fight back if the school was diverted or demolished. Another alumnus Govind Srinivasa Raman expressed anguish that the present rulers had brought the school to the current status. Retired drawing teacher Ramalingeswara Rao recalled that he had studied and worked in the school. Along with him there were 67 teachers who worked and studied in the school. He regretted that the school strength has come down to 200 now.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / August 03rd, 2015
