The alumni of the 130-year-old Bangarupalem Zamindar Government High School, have been conducting the painting competition for the schoolchildren for over two decades
At a time when fine arts are receiving a raw deal in schools and colleges, a group of friends in Chittoor, the alumni of the 130-year-old Bangarupalem Zamindar Government High School, have been conducting the painting competition year after year for the schoolchildren for more than two decades.
The 1982 Class X batch of the BZ High School embarked on the mission to promote competitive spirit among the students of various schools in the district headquarters town, when they came out with their first series of competitions in painting, essay writing, elocution and sports in 1992. Since then, it continues to be an unbroken chain of success with overwhelming response from students and parents, many of whom happen to be the alumni of the BZHS.
K. Karthikeyan and C.V. Nityananda, friends from their kindergarten days in Chittoor, are in the forefront of holding the contests. Both being sportsmen and lovers of painting say they hope to continue the tradition and make it an everlasting institution in the service of fine arts. They are elated to say that they cherish strong support from their batch mates in this regard.
On Sunday, nearly one thousand students from all over Chittoor and surrounding areas thronged the BZHS to take part in the painting competition. “We have split the categories into juniors from 6 to 9, and seniors from 8 to 10 classes. Separate prizes are created for girls and boys. In all, we will be giving nearly 100 prizes for those contesting here. Parents are coming in large numbers to support us every year. We are coming out with contemporary themes like child labour and environment protection for the young minds,” the duo said. The organisers distribute drawing sheets and pens to all the contestants, and crayons and other painting stuff to the poor. The Kannemara Library, which holds a unique collection of books for all, sponsors the contests.
“Subjects of drawing and painting are much neglected ones in the schools now. But, these aspects go a long way in moulding the children into meaningful citizens in future. We also plan to introduce more areas of fine arts and sports in our competitions for the students soon,” they said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by K. Umashanker / Chittoor – October 13th, 2014
The district administration has made elaborate arrangements to meet the festive rush for the annual ‘Sirimanotsavam’ of Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru to be held at the Three Lanterns Junction in Vizianagaram town Tuesday. Following the directions of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, ministers K Atchannaidu and K Mrunalini are supervising the arrangements to ensure that devotees do not face any inconvenience during the festivities.
More than two lakh devotees are expected to participate in ‘Sirimanotsavam’ this year as many could not have darshan of Pydithalli Ammavaru last year, which was organised amidst tense atmosphere following the attack on the properties of former minister Botcha Satyanarayana.
Even as the entire town wore a festive look since Sunday night, devotees are arriving at the town from various parts of north Coastal Andhra districts and also from Koraput and Rayagada of Odisha state to offer prayers to the Goddess.
The procession of ‘Sirimanu’ will begin at 3 pm Tuesday and conclude by 5 pm. Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru Temple priest Thallapudi Bhaskara Rao will ride the ‘Sirimanu’ during the procession wherein the devotees will present their offerings to the “Goddess”.
Over 1,500 police personnel, including seven deputy superintendents of police, 37 circle inspectors and 70 sub-inspectors, have been deployed from neighbouring districts at all vulnerable points in the town, to avert untoward incidents. A police control room has also been set up opposite the temple at the Three Lanterns Junction. Traffic restrictions have been imposed along the roads leading to the main road between the Three Lanterns Junction and the Fort Tuesday, to ensure smooth conduct of the procession.
Iron barricades have been erected on either side of the road between the Three Lanterns Junction and the Fort. The officials also have erected pandals along the queue lines to ensure that devotees are not put to inconvenience under the heat or unexpected showers. The civic administration has set up drinking water kiosks, toilets and temporary lavatories at vantage points in the town. Additional sanitation workers from the neighbouring municipalities, including Visakhapatnam city, have been roped in.
The Endowments Department has arranged separate enclosures for devotees on both sides of the temple for having darshan of the presiding deity. A separate enclosure has also been set up for free darshan. Nearly 50,000 laddoos are being readied for sale through the prasadam counters apart from distribution of free prasadam for devotees.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / Express News Service / October 07th, 2014
Monuments in the submergence area of Pulichintala project have become a haven for them. The prime accused — D. Ramakrishna along with his associates — D. Venkateswar Naik, B. Somla Naik, Narasimha Naik and K. Ramesh Naik started scouting for the trove from a tribal fort and reached the ancient Lord Shiva temple at Kethavaram village.
Ancient temples located at villages that come under the submergence area of Pulichintala project in Guntur district have become a haven for treasure hunters.
Treasure hunters are thronging these temples with latest gadgets to locate “hidden” treasures. Police are on tenterhooks with the hunters making their presence felt in the district. Police intensified patrolling to keep a tab on them. In order to confirm whether any troves are present in villages at Kethavaram, Kolluru and Gollapeta that are set to submerge once Pulichintala project is completed, the district police roped in senior officials from the Archaeological and Museums department for a detailed inspection of the spot.
The police also wrote a letter to the Endowments Department seeking its intervention and allay fears of people. A few days ago, the Piduguralla police nabbed five persons for allegedly attempting to find out a treasure trove using a long-range detector brought from Bulgaria.
The prime accused — D. Ramakrishna along with his associates — D. Venkateswar Naik, B. Somla Naik, Narasimha Naik and K. Ramesh Naik started scouting for the trove from a tribal fort and reached the ancient Lord Shiva temple at Kethavaram village of Bellampally mandal in Guntur. Based on signals received from the detector, the gang members searched for the trove which they anticipated contains gold and silver coins.
Acting on a tip-off, the police rushed to the spot and nabbed the gang members. “It has become a nuisance for us for the last few months. To verify the gang’s claim, we took the help of officials from Archaeological and Museums department and confirmed that there are no traces of treasure troves,” explained Piduguralla Town Circle Inspector Y. Sridhar Reddy.
The hunt for treasure troves began when the main idols in these old temples were shifted to other places after administration declared Kethavaram, Kolluru, Gollapet and other areas as submergence villages, he said. When contacted, Archaeological and Museums Department Assistant Director K. Chittibabu, who visited the spot, confirmed that no traces of treasure troves were found.
“We advised the police to seek the assistance of Mines and Geology Department to know more about the detector used by the gang” he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by M. Srinivas / Vijayawada – October 08th, 2014
A lot can happen over a period of 12 years – the gap between two consecutive Pushkarams of the Godavari. K. Harish, who was orphaned at an age of six during the Godavari Pushkaralu-2003, is now a musician with specialization in Hindustani vocal. In all likelihood, he will perform during the Pushkaram, scheduled for next year.
Harish, who is 18-year-old now, is one among the 20 Hindustani vocalists who performed in the National Cultural Festival conducted by the Union Ministry for Human Resources Development at Guwahati recently and the lone representative from Andhra Pradesh.
The Government Railway Police spotted six-year-old Harish abandoned in a train coach during the last Pushkarams and handed him over to Parivartana Home for the Street and Destitute Children at Bhaskar Nagar in the city. Pandranki Radhakrishna, a music teacher from Chakradharpur in Jharkhand, who settled in the city spotted Harish in the Home seven years ago and found that the boy was interested in music. Since then, music classes have become a part of the daily life for the boy, who is now pursuing Bachelors degree in music from Mumbai-based Akhila Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalayam.
“I don’t know anything about music before meeting my guru Radhakrishna. Beginning with vocal, he taught me Tabla and Harmonium as well,” says Harish, who spends seven hours on music practice everyday. After finishing electrical trade course from ITI, he is now looking for an apprenticeship in one of the local industries. “My plan is to pursue post-graduation in Hindustani music and to start a career as music lecturer,” he asserts in a confident tone. Harish is now getting monthly scholarship from the Mahavidyalaya.
“We made several efforts to find the address of his parents and send the boy back to them. He was able to give us the names of his parents and relatives, but he was not sure about the place where they reside. We took the help of the Bhimavaram police to trace his parents, but we could not make it,” says Vakkalanka Ramakrishna, secretary of Parivartana, the home that is providing food, shelter and education to 68 orphan boys.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by K.Murali Sankar / Kakinada – October 09th, 2014
Kadapa writer and Central Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar recipient Vempalli Gangadhar had the privilege of interacting with President Pranab Mukherjee for about an hour in Rashtrapati Bhavan at New Delhi about his literary pursuit on Monday.
Dr. Gangadhar, who has been a guest in Rashtrapati Bhavan from September 8 onwards, on being invited by the First Citizen of the country for a fortnight-long “in-residence programme”, said he explained to the President about the books written by him in Telugu portraying the social problems prevalent in drought-prone Rayalaseema region.
The young writer presented his books – Molakala Punnami, Devarasila and Greeshma Bhoomi (compilations of short stories), Pune Prayanam (on tribal women pushed into flesh trade) , Hiranya Rajyam (consequences of factionalism in Rayalaseema), Nela Digina Vaana (novel) and Tholi Telugu Sasanam (First Telugu Inscription) – to Mr. Pranab Mukherjee. The President congratulated Dr. Gangadhar for his literary efforts to portray the conditions in Rayalaseema.
Another writer Yishey Doma Bhutia of Sikkim also presented her books to the President. Two painters Rahool Saksena and Pratap Sudhir Morey were also among the invitees for the “in-residence programme”.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by M.V. Subrahmanyam / Kadapa – September 23rd, 2014
The Andhra Pradesh Government signed a historic MoU with Google here at CEOs’ conclave on Monday to develop Telugu internet and launch a series of initiatives to transform the State into digital AP in a record time.
Complimenting Google for its association, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said digitalisation and internet literacy should be achieved in tune with the speed with which Google functions.
Google India Vice-President and Managing Director Rajan Anandan and Principal Secretary, IT Sanjay Jaju signed the agreement in the presence of Mr. Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister China Rajappa, Ministers Palle Raghunatha Reddy, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu and P. Sujatha.
“We want to become first State to embrace Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Digital India and set an example to other States to follow. I will personally monitor the progress,” Mr. Naidu said.
Google, a top web property specialising innovative search technologies, which was launched by Stanford PhD students Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998, will also connect all women self-help groups through the internet in three years.
The initiatives will include developing Telugu font, keyboards, content and increasing access to government websites and scaling the local language web to throw window of opportunities for entrepreneurship.
As per the MoU, Google will help government make their websites mobile-ready and accessible in Telugu, promote internet safety among children and government officials, improve and get more local language content online and promote digital literacy among women and help small and medium business to gain from the internet economy.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Vijayawada / Santosh Patnaik / Visakhapatnam – September 29th, 2014
Turning a piece of stone into a beautiful sculpture – an idol or a statute — shows the unique skill and imagination of a sculptor. Sculpture is a traditional art form practiced since ancient times. Thousands of years ago, Indian seers had inscribed sculptural and temple architectural science. Even after hundreds of years of existence, the sculptures and architecture in the ancient temples are intact and exhibit the dedication and artistry of the sculptors of those days.
Coming to the present day, even though some universities are offering courses insculpture and architecture, it is considered as a modern art form only. In India, only two institutions are offering courses in traditional sculpture and architecture to students and the TTD-run Sri Venkateswara Institute of Traditional Sculpture and Architecture (SVITSA) at Tirumala is one of them. TTD’s uniqueness is that it is providing the education and training to the students free of cost apart from providing free lodging and boarding to them during the four-year course.
Another significant factor is that after successful completion of the training, the students can stand on their own legs as the TTD deposits `1 lakh in the name of the student in a bank when he gets admitted into the institution. The student is given back this amount along with the accrued interest after completion of the course. The TTD also provides job opportunities to the students on piece-rate system to the stone sculptors in its workshop for sculpting the idols of Gods and Goddesses.
According to officials of the TTD-run institute, the TTD started the Sri Venkateswara Silpakala Sikshana Kendram (SVSSK) in 1960 to preserve the ancient art of sculpture and temple architecture for future generations.
Unexpectedly, the response from students was tremendous and they made some changes in the syllabus and introduced a diploma course and developed the institute as SVITSA in 1985 and got recognition from the government of Andhra Pradesh.
About the institute:
SVITSA offers two level courses. One is the Certificate Course for eighth class- passed students and other is the Diploma Course for tenth class-passed students. The Certificate Course is offered in Kalamkari designing. This course is of two years. These students will not be getting the `1 lakh deposit.
Seven different Diploma Courses are offered in subjects such as Temple Architecture, Stone Sculpture, Sudai Sculpture, Metal Sculpture, Wood Sculpture, Traditional Painting and Traditional Kalamkari Art.
In each course, 10 students are trained. The training is given in carving of idols of God and Goddesses.
SVITSA is affiliated to the State Board of Technical Education and Training, Andhra Pradesh.
The institution is a co-educational one and the entire course of study is free of cost.
For non-local students, free lodging and boarding is being provided by the TTD. Separate hostels are being maintained for boys and girls by the institution.
Employment chances:
The TTD is maintaining a production centre for making stone idols. At this centre, the students of stone-sculpting get work on piece-rate system after successful completion of their course.
Also, the students can get employment in the Endowments Department and Archealogical Department
Demand for idols:
The TTD distributes five-foot idols of Lord Venkateswara Swamy and Goddess Padmavati Ammavaru free of cost to Lord Venkateswara temples.
For temples other than Lord Venkateswara, the idols are provided at 25 per cent of the MRP.
TTD also enjoys an international audience. It exports idols of Gods and Godesses to more than 20 countries. Hindus who reside in US, Malaysia, Singapore, Nigeria, Mauritius and other countries order these idols each year.
Every year, on an average, the TTD gets orders for carving 400 to 450 idols.
Construction of idols:
The selection of stones is the most significant part. Only Green Granite, Black
Granite and White Granite stones can be sculptured into an idol.
Green Granite stone is used for making idols of Goddesses.
For Gods, Black Granite (Krishna Sila) and White Granite are used.
There are three types of stones namely Male stone, Female stone and Neuter stone. The first two stones are suitable for making idols. The third one is used as pedestal.
The stone whether to be carved or not be decided by the ringing bell sound (‘Omkara Nadam’) it makes when it is chiseled.
The idols which are carved in red stone are not meant for worship, but only as a show-piece.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by T Sudhakar / October 05th, 2014
As the sombre strains of the Bobbili veena fade into the sunset, Sumit Bhattacharjee takes a look at the indigenous instrument’s storied history and sad present.
Pedda Rayudu, the 15th descendant of the Rajah of Venkatgiri and the founder of the town and the kingdom of Bobbili, was a connoisseur of the arts. The royal instrument was the veena and it was the men of Bobbili who played the instrument in court. The veenas, then, were imported from Thanjavur. They were, in other words, Thanjavur veenas.
The Bobbili veena came much later, during the 19th century, and its birth is believed to hark back to a concert at the royal court, after which the king showered compliments on his highly regarded master craftsman Sarvasidhi Achanna, saying that he had the ability to create anything. This prompted a challenge from Ch. Musanana, a maker of veenas from the Vizianagaram kingdom. Would Achanna be able to craft a veena? Within two months, Achanna responded with an instrument that came to be known as the Bobbili veena.
The story now shifts to the present day, to the Sarvasidhi family in Gollapalli village, near Bobbili in Andhra Pradesh. Forty families, all from the Sarvasidhi clan, make a living by manufacturing the musical instrument. Sarvasidhi Achutanarayana, the great grandson of Achanna, says, “There is no formal training involved. The children get drawn towards it, as they grow up watching the elders carve and create the masterpieces. As in the guru-sishya tradition, each child is put under the tutelage of one senior member. The induction normally happens when they are five years old. They pick up the art by making small wooden toys, initially. There is no compulsion or restrictions. Even girls learn the art.” This is how it has been for seven generations.
Bobbili veenas are made from jackfruit wood, and a full-size veena stands out from the ones made at Thanjavur, Mysore, Kerala or Nuzvid because of the lion’s head carved at one end. The frets of Bobbili veenas are made of bell metal, while other veenas use brass. Earlier, the Bobbili veenas were known as “ekanda veena”, as they were made or carved out of one single piece of wood. But due to the paucity of good jackfruit wood, the veenas now have two joints. The other veenas have two or more joints.
Veena exponent Jayanthi Kumaresh says, “Bobbili veena is known for its quality of wood. Other veenas like the ones manufactured in Mysore are made of rose wood. I buy veenas from a maker in Bangalore who owns a jackfruit farm.”
Jackfruit wood
Achutanarayana agrees that wood is the most important ingredient. “The wood has to come from a jackfruit tree which is at least 20 years old. It should be seasoned and it should have the required kind of grain to suit the manufacturing.” For the Sarvasidhi family, procuring good jackfruit wood has become a problem and the government does not encourage jackfruit farming. “That’s the reason why we have stopped manufacturing the Ekanda veena.”
The Bobbili veena also stands out from other veenas because it is smaller in size. Jayanthi says, “The casing is much thinner compared to the others and the sound is shriller and more aristocratic. The treble is more in Bobbili veenas when compared to the others, where the bass is more. But now, many professionals tend to customise their instruments. They pick up the best from each variety and tailor-make veenas to suit their need.”
It was Chitti Babu Challapally and Dr. Emani Sankara Sastry from Andhra who gave the Bobbili veena international recognition. Jayanthi says, “The Andhra style of playing on Bobbili veena is considered attractive. The technique is different and the speed is more.”
Declining fortunes
Achutanarayana echoes the strain of concern found in older practitioners of other arts and crafts, who fear that their traditions might vanish. “The present generation is not very keen on taking up the craft. They are well educated and they intend to take up jobs in cities. Unless the government finds a way to make the trade lucrative, it will be difficult to hold them back,” says Achutanarayana.
The trade has never been lucrative. To keep the home fires burning and to save the art from sinking into oblivion, these veena makers started their own co-operative, the Sharada Veena Society, in 1959. But the orders were still dwindling, due to the declining patronage of the wealthy. Finally, with the intervention of the state government, a Craft Development Centre (CDC) was set up in 1994 at the Bobbili Fort, and it was later shifted to its present building at Gollapalli village.
Veena exponent and teacher Ramavarapu Vijaylakshmi feels that the demand is shrinking as the love and passion for classical music is dwindling. “Earlier, parents would send their children, especially the girls, to learn some form of music, be it instrumental or vocal. But today, they would like to see their children as dancers, cricketers and academic scholars. This confuses children, who are already bombarded with pop music and dance through the television.” The drop can be attributed to other reasons like academic pressure, says veena exponent Pappu Padmavathi. “Also, the veena is one of the most difficult instruments to learn. It takes at least 10 to 12 years to reach the first level of professional playing.”
At a time the craftsmen were finding it difficult, T.V.K. Sastry of Bharat Cultural Integration Committee came to their rescue. He placed orders for miniature veenas, which the Madras Telugu Academy started presenting as mementos during its cultural shows and festivals. “The tradition of gifting the instrument was initiated by the kings of Bobbili,” says Achutanarayana. “The veena was the royal gift to visitors from neighbouring states and the United Kingdom.”
Today, there are more orders for miniature veenas than for the full-size ones. The CDC manufactures 200 to 300 miniatures a month and earns to the tune of Rs. 1 lakh. The craftsmen make them in four sizes — 9 inches, 13 inches, 18 inches and 24 inches long — and the veenas are marketed by the AP Handicrafts Development Corporation (Lepakshi).
But this isn’t enough. To sustain this great tradition at Gollapalli, the Government needs to look into jackfruit plantations and add value to the CDC. More veena schools need to be started in order to increase patronage. But who, and how will you tell youngsters to take up the profession?
a full-size veena stands out because of the lion’s head carved at one end.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Sunday Magazine / by Sumit Bhattacharjee / April 29th, 2012
Sheik Mabu Saheb, a renowned Nuzvid veena maker of Krishna district, has received the Best Artisan Award-2013 from the Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited for his work – Veena with peacock design.
He bagged the award in the category of Veena Making in which artisans from Bobbili were also in the competition. Mr. Saheb had stolen the hearts of the jury members with his small size veena that produces vibrations and sound like any other professional-size veena. “The award is recognition to the art rather than an individual artiste. Despite having a great demand for veena from the world of Indian classical music, shortage of veena makers is still creating problems for the industry’s growth,” Mr. Saheb told The Hindu.
Handicrafts Department Assistant Director K.N. Murali Krishna said plans were afoot to use the services of Mr. Saheb in training youth in veena making and designing. In a guru-shishya parampara, Mr. Saheb learnt that art from his father Sheik Meera Saheb, one of the first generation veena makers alive. According to Mr. Mabu Saheb, there were only nine veena makers engaged in the profession, spreading the art.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by T. Appala Naidu / Nuzvid – July 10th, 2014
APSEB Colony looks like a family get-together. The colony association has a separate wing for women headed by C. Sujani. She says, “A lot of planning goes behind every initiative that we undertake as a team.
The programme is set. Women keep a tab of their to-do list.
Men get busy, collecting funds and listing out the number of guests to send an invite.
The community hall at the Eastern Park is beaming with a fresh look as people at Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board (APSEB) Colony bond over Navratri celebrations.
It looks more like a family get-together where every individual in the neighbourhood has a role to play. Residents enjoy taking ownership and contribute to the extent possible during special occasions. Women meet and decide on the delicacies offered to ‘Ammavaru’ to be installed and decked up in various avatars for all the 10 days at Sri Chelasani Narayana Rao Memorial Community Hall during the festival, commencing in a couple of days.
Though the 16-acre site of APSEB Colony charms one with its green canopy, well-built houses and better amenities, what makes the place more adorable is its people living here for decades. “Years before, the place was occupied by the employees of APSEB. Over a period of time, half of the colony residents have moved out to meet professional demands, paving the way for diverse communities. Despite a new breed of professionals seeping into the colony, what continued to stay is our unity,” says G.S.N. Murthy, chairman of APSEB Colony Welfare Association and a colony resident.
Planning
The colony association has a separate wing for women headed by C. Sujani. She says, “A lot of planning goes behind every initiative that we undertake as a team. Be it birthday celebrations, special occasions or kitty parties, we coordinate with one another before drawing a conclusion.”
Reminiscing about the olden days, K. Kanakadurga, a retired lecturer, who has been residing in the neighbourhood for the past 33 years, says, “A dull day at work would transform into a different world as soon I reach home as the scenic beauty of the locality has its own charm to lift my spirits.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – October 01st, 2014