Chandrasekhar Reddy inspecting desilting work at Muthukuru Road in Nellore. — DC
Nellore:
Moved by the plight of farmers whose standing crops are withering away due to heavy silt, including garbage, deposited at the mouth of Krishnapatnam canal, software professional Pothireddy Chandrasekhar Reddy hired earth-moving machines with his own money to take up the desilting operation. His move has ensured the free flow of water in the area.
As many as 12,000 acres of agricultural land located in TP Gudur and Muthukuru mandals are dependent on the canal for irrigation.
The canal is a branch canal to the Surveypalli channel and it starts from Ramalingapuram centre in Nellore.
The water flow had almost dried up on the stretch from its starting point to Narayana General Hospital in Muthukuru road due to plastic materials and garbage dumped in it by people living along the canal.
Though the irrigation department had prepared estimations for desilting works, the proposal was stalled for want of sanction from the government.
Mr Reddy volunteered to carry out the work after farmers of his village apprised him of the situation when he visited them a couple of days back.
Mr Reddy is a native of Pidathapoluru village in Muthukuru mandal of SPSR Nellore district, and resides in Hyderabad. He worked for over 10 years in the United States as a software engineer and was the CEO of a company called Navayuga Infotech.
“Telugu Desam senior leader Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy gave a green signal to my proposal when I brought the issue to his notice. Being a native of this area, I feel it is my responsibility,” Mr Reddy said when contacted.
A farmer, Venku Reddy of Pidatapoluru, said the desilting exercise will cost more than `5 lakh.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / by Pathri Rajasekhar / November 28th, 2014
A celebration of poets of Kopparapu lineage is being held by Kopparapu Kavula Kalapeetham in association with Sahiti Samakhya here at Venkateswara Vignana Mandiram on Saturday evening. The programme is being organised to mark the 130th birth anniversary of Kopparapu poets.
The programme is being billed as a tribute to the contribution of the poets — Kopparapu Venkataramana (1887-1942) and Kopparapu Venkata Subbaraya (1885-1932) — to Telugu verse poetry. Born at Kopparam village in Narasaraopet mandal, the poets were said to have pioneered one of the most difficult forms of verse poetry- reciting verses extempore (‘asukavitwam’).
The poets were believed to have recited more than 500 poems extempore, only some of them have found their way in printed form, while most others have been lost.
Maa Sharma, founder president of Kala Peetham, and S.V.S. Lakshminarayana, secretary of Sahiti Samakhya, said that the celebrations were being held to rekindle interest in Telugu verse poetry.
Siddeswara Bharathi Swamy will inaugurate the celebrations. Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, former editor Potturi Venkateswara Rao and Collector Kantilal Dande are the guests. Kopparapu Venkata Subbaraya Sharma, a scion of Kopparapu dynasty, is a special guest of honour.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News>Cities> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / Guntur – November 29th, 2014
Subrahmanya Sastti festial was celebrated in many temples including at Srigari Sarada Mutt on the banks of river Godavari on Friday. Photo: S. Rambabu / The Hindu
Hundreds of devotees thronged Lord Subrahmanyeswara Swamy temples in East Godavari district on Friday on the occasion of Subramanyeswara Swamy Sashti.
Subrahmanyeswara Swamy temple, located in the temple complex of Golingeswara Swami, was packed with devotees from early hours of Friday as thousands of people from different parts of the district and adjourning West Godavari lined up on this auspicious day. ‘Abhishekams’ with milk started at around 3.30 a.m. and continued till 4.00 p.m.
Special pujas for the god and goddess Valli and Devasena were performed.
At Rajahmundry Sringeri Sarada Peetham, chief priest Tatacharyulu, Vedic pandits Prasad Sarma, Mahesh Sarma and others conducted different ‘abhishekams’ to Lord Subrahmanya Swami, Nagendra and Dattatreya Swami idols. Mr. Tatacharyulu conducted Ganapathi, Rudra, Shanmukha Homams early in the morning and devotees in large number attended all the ‘abhishekams’ from all over the district.
Special pujas and ‘abhishekams’ were conducted at Subrahmanyeswara Swami temple at Korukonda Road temple in Rajahmundry, Special arrangements were made by the temple committee for the convenience of devotees. Kalyanam was performed on Friday night on the temple premises. Uma Markandeya Swami Temple on the banks of the Godavari and Uma-Ramalingeswara Swami temple in Jampeta were crowded with devotees from early hours to till midnight.
Devotees throng temples
On the occasion of Margasira Suddha Sashti that is celebrated as ‘Subrahmanya Sashti’ in all Hindu households and temples’, Sri Maruti Deeksha Seva Peetham Trust organised ‘Sri Valli Devasena Sametha Sri Subrahmanya Swamy kalyanotsavam’ at Sri Panchamukha Anjaneya Swamy Temple on the N.C.S. Road on Friday.
Devotees thronged the temple from early hours and participated in the temple rituals that began with ‘Ganapathi homam’ at 5 a.m. followed by ‘panchamrutabhishekam’ and ‘poornaahuti.’ Amid chanting of Vedic hymns and beating of drums, priests performed the celestial wedding of Sri Valli, Devasena and Sri Subrahmanya Swamy.
The deities were tastefully decorated with flowers. Later, the trust members, P.V. Subba Rao, P. Kamaraju, G.N. Gupta and others conducted ‘anna samaradhana’ on the temple premises.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Rajahmundry:Vizianagaram / November 28th, 2014
Ankuram director C.Umameshara Rao / Photo: By Arrangement / The Hindu
The first ever desi ‘made-in-Vijayawada’ teleserial will roll out from the stable of the city-based Futureall Media House, which is again the first full-fledged media house in the new Andhra Pradesh State.
“We plan to launch the pilot episode of the serial Mouna Poratam, based on the novel of the same name written by Telugu writer Yeddanapudi Sulochana Rani, in the next 10 days. The idea is to equip the current generation youth with the core values that are needed to build a healthy society. It is sad to see youngsters confining themselves to the peripheral factors. For instance, a majority of them think that social commitment means contributing a sum of money, shirking the real responsibility of becoming active part of the problem-solution team. Someone has to take up this responsibility of making them realise about their skewed priorities,” says C. Umamaheswara Rao, the director of the serial.
Mr. Rao, who is also the media advisor to Futureall Media, has in the past given us compelling films likeAnkuram, which won the national award. The media house currently is working on serials, sitcoms, game shows and reality shows and has plans to finally make a foray into Telugu cinema. Lamenting absence of good cinema, Mr. Rao says “we do not have experimental theatre in Andhra Pradesh. Theatre and performing arts must develop parallelly for survival of good cinema. We do not have philosophical output. To reverse the prevailing trend, there is a need for cultural revolution and we are at work to usher in that,” says the director who is an activist at heart.
Mr. Rao also speaks about working on a reality show to promote folk and fusion arts. “In Afro-American nations, they are doing wonders with fusion arts. Sanity and money along with hard work and commitment can make things work,” he says emphatically.
Mr. Rao has churned out a number of tele-serials for Telugu audience in the State with compelling message of social justice in the past.
The Futureall Homes in real estate sector has branched out into entertainment segment and floated the media house.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by P. Sujatha Varma / Vijayawada – November 24th, 2014
This time, stage artiste, writer, and Telugu actor Gollapudi Maruti Rao has been selected for the Loknayak Foundation Award 2015 for his contribution to the Telugu cinema and literature.
Announcing this at a press conference here on Monday, coinciding with his birthday celebrations, Loknayak Foundation Trust president Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad said that Mr. Maruti Rao would be receiving the 11th award of the trust. “Telugu people have been making significant contributions in the fields of art and literature. Unfortunately, a very few have been honoured with ‘Jnanpith award’. Loknayak Foundation Award aims at plugging this gap,” Prof. Lakshmi Prasad said.
He lamented that except a few scholars and writers like Viswanatha Satyanarayana, C. Narayana Reddy, and Ravuri Bharadwaja, most are not getting due recognition in the literary world. The annual event would be celebrated to honour achievers across the globe, he said.
The trust that launched in 2005 honoured several scholars and writers, including well-known writer Kalipatnam Ramarao (popularly known as Kaara Mastaru), human rights activist and Telugu writer P. Lalita Kumari (known as Olga) and eminent Telugu Sanskrit scholar Venkata Subbanna Satavadhani.
As part of the annual literary achievement award function, a cash award of Rs.1.25 lakh and a citation would be presented to Mr. Maruti Rao on January 18, 2015 at Kalabharathi auditorium, marking the death anniversaries of former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N.T. Rama Rao and poet Harivash Rai Bachchan, father of actor Amitabh Bachchan.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News>Visakhapatnam / by Staff Reporter / Visakhapatnam – November 25th, 2014
Artists working on their idea of the City of Visakhapatnam emerging from the devastation caused by Cyclone Hudhud at a two-day Art Camp in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
It was a classroom kind of atmosphere with everyone working and sharing tips, chatting away and looking at one another’s works in a critical appraisal as 60 upcoming and established artists grappled with their emotions in trying to portray their experiences of the very severe cyclonic storm Hudhud that tore through the city a month ago.
The wounds are too fresh to be forget or heal. The artists were trying hard to express vividly with acrylic on canvas on Sunday, the first day of the two-day art camp jointly organised by the AP Tourism Development Corporation and the Andhra University Department of Fine Arts on the Beach Road.
An artist working on his idea of the City of Visakhapatnam emerging from the devastation caused by Cyclone Hudhud at a two-day Art Camp in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
The art camp conducted as part of Rejuvenating Vizag carnival being organised by the APTDC to celebrate the resilience of people of the city in bouncing back in quick time had many students of the Department of Fine Arts and also some self-taught and trained professionals, professor in AU Department of Fine Arts Ravi Shankar Patnaik said. This is a good platform for artists to come together, share and learn, he said, appreciating the effort of Special Chief Secretary (Tourism) Chandana Khan for having APTDC conduct the camp.
“It has been a long time since we had such a camp to work together,” city-based artist Abraham said, pointing out that it was a good learning experience looking at others work.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is scheduled to inaugurate the exhibition of paintings done in the two-day Art Camp on the Beach Road. The exhibition of paintings on the same location would continue on Tuesday.
Noting the absence of a proper art gallery in the city, Special Chief Secretary (Tourism) Chandana Khan has asked the APTDC to build an art gallery on the Ramakrishna Beach where any artist would be able to display his or her works.
Further, the proposed art gallery would be the venue for permanent display of the paintings produced by city artists at the two-day Art Camp, sources said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – November 17th, 2014
Timeless are the crafts from different states of our country and so is Andhra Pradesh’s Kalamkari work. Decades ago it was practised by many villages in the state but now it is restricted to only a few.
The art, therefore, is surviving because of those few artisans who practised the age-old craft technique. Paying tribute to all those artisans Bina Rao, trustee of Creative Bee Foundation in collaboration with Delhi Crafts Council has curated special collection of Kalamkari, at the ‘Tree of Life’ exhibition.
Intricate works in colourful shades on muslin silk pieces put on display are the original which were produced in the late 18th and 19th century, in Srikakahasti, Andhra Pradesh. Each piece is based on the concept of ‘Tree of Life’ which has been used in science, religion, philosophy and mythology. A common motif in various world theologies, mythologies and philosophies, it alludes to the interconnection of all life on our planet and serves as a metaphor for common descent in the evolutionary sense.
In her note Rao has said, “The name Kalamkari comes from the word kalam which means pen, as the instrument used to paint on the fabric. Though it resembles a pen, it is made of bamboo or tree bark on which an ink pad comprising a piece of cloth or cotton wool is tied. The ‘ink pad’ is dipped in colour and free hand illustrations are made on the hand-woven soft muslin cloth which is pre treated with cow milk.”
Interestingly, cow’s milk has certain natural chemicals which can bleach the cloth and prevent the colours from spreading and blotting.
Giving an insight into this age-old art practice, the note reads, “ Through the 18th and 19th centuries India exported textiles – Palampore and chintz as they were known then. The industrial revolution in the mid-19th century permanently altered the nature of this trade, particularly between India and Europe.
The hand-printed kalam-kari textiles were replaced by block and machine-printed ones produced in Europe. Within the next few decades, hand skills were completely lost from the villages in and around Machlipatnam and the entire region. The only exception was in Srikakahasti, where the artisans had fortunately retained the same hand skills and knowledge of natural dyeing, till today.”
The exhibition is on view till November 23, Art Gallery, Kamladevi Complex, India International Centre, Lodhi Estate from 11 am to 7 pm.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> MetroLife / by Archana Mishra, New Delhi / DHNS – November 18th, 2014
Schoolchildren from various municipal schools in celebration mode at Urban Residential Hostel, Arilova in Visakhapatnam. — photo: C.V.Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
Students of municipal schools win several prizes in VUDA contest
More than a dozen pairs of feet follow the rhythm of ‘dhimsa’ tunes, elbowing one another and swaying in different variations. It was time to rejoice and commemorate for the students from various municipal schools as they secured several prizes in the recent Children’s Day competition organised by VUDA under various heads — western dance, folk dance, and drawing.
This year, 50 students from four schools – Urban Residential Hostel (Arilova), Andhra University High School, GVMC Primary School (Peda Jalaripeta) and Zilla Parishad High School (Thotagaruvu) teamed up to present their creativity at the annual event.
While for most of them it was first time to perform on the stage, a few of them explored the platform for the second time. “Last year, we could not win in folk dance contest. This year, we were determined to give it our best shot,” says Tulasi, a Class VIII student of AU High School as her team grabbed the first prize in folk dance category.
More than securing prizes, what appears to be the encouraging fact is the cultural exchange that the students look forward to. “The challenging part is that our dancing skills should be on par with the ones from corporate schools. We were able to learn a lot from them while they made us feel comfortable during the contest,” says Chinna Lakshmi, a Class VII student.
Those who belong to the neighbouring villages of Araku Valley had an added advantage. “We were able to choreograph ourselves effortlessly as we have grown up watching ‘dhimsa’ dance all through our childhood. This helped us gain an edge over others,” says Uday Kiran, a team member.
Advantage of camps
Sharing their happy moments, founder member of Andhra University Evergreen Engineers Trinadha Rao Sabbi, who facilitated summer camps for these teams, says: “Our mission to equip these children with creative skills proves to be fruitful. After a couple of summer camps, they are independent enough to train others. Moreover, seeing their expertise, a couple of organisers invited them to participate in their programmes.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – November 21st, 2014
Ninety per cent of the population of the village Indupalli in Krishna district has a single profession — cooking.
About 100 years ago, Chowdary Babu, a famous barrister in Machilipatnam and Vijayawada, lived in Indupalli.
His family used to travel a lot, making it difficult to have home-cooked food all the time.
Chowdary’s wife thus selected Vaddanapu Koteswara Rao, a boy who was a domestic help in the house, and instructed him in the art of cooking.
When Koteswara Rao grew up, he was appointed as a peon in the local school. His art of cooking got publicity when he helped a teacher in his daughter’s wedding.
From then, all the teachers demanded his services.
Indupalli and the surrounding villages of Nandamuru, Manikonda and Chikinala soon got a taste of his dishes and in no time he was the most sought after cook in the area.
Over the years, celebrities and politicians like Rajiv Gandhi, Buta Singh, Jalagam Vengala Rao, Anjaiah, etc. heard about his prowess.
Koteswara Rao later became the personal cook for NTR and Sobhan Babu on outdoor shootings and toured almost the entire country with them. Koteswara Rao passed on his culinary skills to 110 masons from all castes and religions in the village during his lifetime.
The second generation of cooks from the village trained another 20 each.
Over the years, some of the Indupalli cooks have settled in Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Bellary, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi.
They are the chief chefs of conclaves like TANA (Telugu Association of North America) meetings, Telugu Desam’s Mahanadu, the Congress and the Communist parties’ plenary meetings
They prepare food for guests numbering anywhere from 1,000 to 1 lakh and guarantee satisfaction of all.
M. Bhaskara Rao, a disciple of Koteswara Rao said, “We started working with him for half a rupee. We were just teenagers then. He taught us how to select ingredients, how to balance the salt and mirchi powder. With the art he has bestowed upon us, we are now leading a decent life.”
After the first generation of Koteswara Rao’s disciples spread over the region, Indupalli changed a lot.
There are no huts in the village. Everyone has bought two-three acres of land and earns an average of Rs 5,00,000 a year.
Some of the cooks even have children settled in the US, Canada and Australia.
The fourth generation of cooks from the village has even taught in multi-cuisine restaurants abroad. Arepalli Vasantha Rao is one of them. He was in Libya for one year.
“We have Indians everywhere. To satisfy their taste buds, the companies employing us. I worked on a contract in a production house and taught them,” he said.
Wielding the ladle with flair are the cooks from Indupalli.
There is a saying that once we taste the food made by Indupalli cooks, we can easily identify it the second time. The cook may be different, but the taste is the same.
What could be the special ingredients they possess to work the magic? Bhaskara Rao says, “The devotion and dedication towards work is the special ingredient in our pockets. We are satisfied with what we get, and have no greed to take another order and being busy on the same day. We are all booked for events nearly six months before the day. On December 7, it is the marriage of the son of minister Pattipati Pulla Rao. His aides booked someone from the village for it. Recently, a man close to Mr Alapati Rajendra Prasad contacted us for booking on the same day, December 7, for the marriage of the MLA’s d-ughter. We had to regret we couldn’t accommodate him. We turned down the order from minister Kamineni Srinivas for his daughter’s marriage on December 17. We couldn’t agree as we had already accepted another order.”
The integrity and goodness possibly is the special ingredient of cooks from Indupalli.
The 500 cooks and helpers of Indupalli are busy on almost all the auspicious dates on the calendar.
Another cook said that due to increasing demand for the Indupalli cooks, some persons are impersonating them.
He added, “We caught a guy in Hyderabad last month. He pleaded guilty and begged for forgiveness. We beat him up and warned him not to damage the reputation of cooks from our village because no one else knows our distinctive style of cooking.”
Due to the increased demand and travel expenses, Indupalli cooks prefer to live in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi, with a considerable population of Telugu-speaking people.
To ensure they share and spend some quality time together, the villagers devised a tradition of reunion.
Fourteen years ago, the cooks in the village founded a trust and constructed a Saibaba temple whose anniversary falls on January 29.
All villagers settled outside are expected to visit their village on that day. The first year, 4,000 members, including family members, gathered in Indupalli.
This year, about 20,000 people visited the village. In 2015, a similar number of people are expected.
Mr Vasantha Rao said, “Villagers living anywhere in the country come home for that single event. We arrange VIP level meals and round the clock cultural programmes through the day and night. All houses in the village will be full of relatives and family members.”
Mr Bhaskara Rao, a board member of the temple said, “We have scheduled the event to January 18 this year, as the January 28 and January 29 are full of auspicious muhurtams after a long time. We don’t want to deprive them of their earnings. For January 18, we are making preparations for 20,000 members at a cost of `14 lakh. All the cooks in the village prepare dishes on the day and we serve them at four locations in the village for the convenience of the people.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / Naresh Nandam / November 22nd, 2014
Have you ever tracked the status of letter written to your loved ones? Have you heard that the Global Positioning System (GPS) in your android phones will give your speed-post status? Then you have to appreciate India Posts, which has introduced the new technology to track the postal mail status.
A unique bar code is printed on the reverse of the door of the letter box to capture the details. It helps to know the location of the letter box, date and time of clearance, number of letters and also the details of the person who has delivered the letter. The public can also go to the website www.appost.in/nanyatha and type the location of the letter box in the text box.
India Posts has launched the new system ‘Nanyatha’ at the Gandhinagar post office in the city Friday. Speaking on the occasion, chief postmaster general, Hyderabad, B V Sudhakar, said, “The people can know the status of their post cards or other items posted. We have introduced this real time website service which can be used to know the status of the postal mails.”
In Vijayawada, the GPS technology is used in 173 of the total 183 boxes to get updates on speed post, till the dispatch of the parcels or items.
“We are trying to cover the entire state with this service grid by the month of Feb, 2015. The grid has been started between Hyderabad and Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Adilabad, and soon it will cover Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to form a ‘mini southern grid’,” Sudhakar explained.
He further said that the turnover of India Posts has increased to `29,280 crore in 2013-14 from `28,425 crore in 2012-13 and the department will take measures to reduce the revenue gap of `265 crore by 2015.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / November 22nd, 2014
