A view of the chapel on the St. Aloysius High School premises, the oldest English medium school in Visakhapatnam. / Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
Six classmates of the 1961 batch of St. Aloysius High School met after five decades at their alma mater. Reminiscing the old days, Narayanswami, who played cricket for Andhra, said it was in this courtyard that he picked up the rudiments of the game.
A group of six classmates met after five decades to relive their naughty days at St. Aloysius High School, here on Saturday.
Though, into their late 60s and early 70s none appeared to have lost his youthful vigour. Hopping from one classroom to another, going around the expansive courtyard, and calling their buddies by their nicknames, the six went on a nostalgia drive.
A group of seven friends who studied in St. Aloysius High School meeting after five decades on the school premises to relive the old days in Visakhapatnam on Saturday /. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
The old students of the 1961 batch who met were P.R. Narayanswami, former Director of Physical Education in Andhra University, M.A. Raihan, former Commander in the Indian Navy, V.N. Natarajan, Chief Manager of Indian Overseas Bank, Fr. George Kottam, Arun Panse, former Hindustan Shipyard employee, and Md. Ali Khan, a retired officer from the Visakhapatnam Port Trust.
Accompanying them was Rohinton Kapadia, who was a couple of years junior to them in school.
Incidentally, Fr. Kottam was not only an old student but also principal of the school during early 1980s.
Reminiscing the old days, Narayanswami, who played cricket for Andhra, said it was in this courtyard that he picked up the rudiments of the game.
“We are always ahead of the rest in athletics and games. We had the best boxing team in the district. In fact, ours was the only school that had a proper boxing ring. Even the ENC, then INS Circars, would borrow our ring for their tournament,” said Raihan.
We also had a strong NCC contingent and 80 per cent of our students were from the Anglo Indian and Muslim communities. But we never experienced any sort of discrimination based on religion, caste, or creed, said Arun Panse.
On how strict was the school, they came out in chorus, “Fr Eliemeynet, a French national, who was our principal, and our teachers were strict, but they gave us the rope to be mischievous too.”
According to Fr. Kottam, the schooling then was about holistic learning.
For Md. Alikhan, the association with the school has been for three generations. His son also studied in the school and now his grandchildren are studying there
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Sumit Bhattacharjee / Visakhapatnam – September 21st, 2014
Andhra Pradesh High Court judge A.Ramalingeswara Rao has some words of praise for budding Kuchipudi dancer Jagathi during her solo performance in Ongole. Siddendra Art Academy founder President C. Devasena is also seen. photo: Kommuri Srinivas
Eight-year-old Jagathi hogged the limelight giving a scintillating Kuchipudi dance recital here.
The Lawyerpet Sai Baba temple set the stage for the budding Kuchipudi dancer to perform, starting with the song ”Mooshika vahana” during the celebrations of the Hyderabad-based Siddendra Art Academy’s 32nd anniversary celebrations here late on Sunday.
”This is the first solo performance of the girl in Andhra Pradesh, said Academy founder President Dr. C.Deva Sena, who is on a spree to spot talent in boys and girls and keep alive the glorious cultural tradition.
Forty-year-old Y.Sridhar floored dance lovers by performing ballet ”Ravanasurudu”.
Speaking on the occasion High court judge Mr Justice A. Ramalingeswara Rao said ”art has no geographical barrier” and lauded the academy’s intiatives to promote the traditional dance form both in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Sai Baba Monthly magazine Editor Poluri Srinivasa Rao and Brahmana Bhavan Founder President K.N.Giriprasad were among those present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by S. Murali / Ongole – September 22nd, 2014
In this Nov. 15, 2007, file photo, Mandolin Shrinivas performs along with Hariharan at The Hindu Friday Review November Fest at the Music Academy in Chennai. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao
Grief overtook Mandolin Shrinivas’s admirers, childhood friends and artistes in this cultural capital of West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh as news of his untimely death spread.
A pall of gloom descended on Palacol, the cultural capital of West Godavari district, with the demise of its child prodigy Uppalapu Shrinivas, a globally acclaimed Carnatic music exponent.
Shrinivas is its second son of the soil who did the tiny non-descript coastal town proud by securing Padmasri award in an early age after Allu Ramalingaiah, a noted film actor. He had the prefix `Uppalapu’ to his name replaced by `Mandolin’ for his blending the Western instrument with Carnatic music in a unique manner.
Grief overtook his admirers, childhood friends and artistes in the prosperous town. Although he was born in a marriage band music family in the town, he lost connections with his birthplace after he left for Chennai as a boy to explore the depths of music.
According to Vinnakota Venkateswara Rao, a local septuagenarian scribe, Srinvas gave his concert last in his hometown was during the Tyagaraya Aradhanotsavams a decade ago. Manapuram Satyanarayana, president of the Palacol Kalaparishad, a childhood friend of Srinivas, recounted his association with the exponent. “I too used to associated myself with marriage band music parties with him (Srinivas), playing electric mandolin. Srinivas used to display innovation by playing mandolin for film songs when we were in elementary school itself”, he recollected.
Mr. Sudarsanam, a blind who retired as a lecturer in a local government degree college, was said to have attended his first concert in Palacol and could not resist his temptation to take part in another one in Eluru. He did it with the help of an assistant in the mid 80s. “This was how he cast a spell over his audiences,” said a retired teacher Krishna Prasad. He would not have been known to the world as an acclaimed classical musician, but for Rudraraju Subbaraju from Poduru near Placol, who taught Srinivas’ father Satyanrayana mandolin playing. Identifying the latent talent in the child prodigy, Mr. Subbaraju was said to have taken Srinivas and his father to Madras to hone up his skills under the tutelage of great exponents.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by G. Nagaraja / Eluru – September 19th, 2014
Italian traveller Marco Polo’s accounts stand testimony to their weaving expertise which had floored the Europeans during the medieval period.
Weavers in Chirala in Prakasam district had carved a niche for themselves worldwide from time immemorial with their weaving skills.
Italian traveller Marco Polo’s accounts stand testimony to their weaving expertise which had floored the Europeans during the medieval period. Chirala, which gets its name from Chira (saree), had weavers who could produce a transparent saree which could be folded and kept in a match box.
However, in the wake of power looms gaining ground, weavers from, among other places, Kanigiri, Ethamukala, Vetapalem, Janarpeta in the district faced hardship due to lack of orders for their deft hands in the era of globalisation.
“The Rs. 70 crore Mega Handloom Cluster, which is all set to commence operations from the second week of October will be game changer,” explained Handlooms and Textiles Assistant Director M. Ramamurthy Naidu after holding awareness programmes for the weavers.
“Eight interventions are planned to strengthen the hands of 12,000 identified weavers to come out with innovative designs, reduce drudgery and help them find new markets within and outside the country through e-marketing,” he added while talking to The Hindu.
He said the interventions included a Rs. 7-crore yarn bank, modern compressed looms, motorised jacquards, emergency solar lamps, a modern design studio, work sheds for the identified weavers to improve productivity and income for them.
“Our aim is to empower the 12,000 weavers from the district to work wonders on the loom like their forefathers a tapestry of designs and textures”, he added.
K. Venkateswara Rao, a weaver from Epurupalem, said that the government should provide solar lamps of higher capacity to energise at least two tube lights and a fan instead of an emergency lamp which would not serve any purpose.
Weaver A. Veerabrahmam felt that the government should do away with the 20 per cent beneficiary contribution and double the subsidy component for new work sheds from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 50,000. Subsidised yarn and chemical dyes as also export sub-centres should be set up, added another weaver Katuri Narasimha Rao.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by S. Murali / Ongole – September 23rd, 2014
U. Shrinivas, who cast a spell on audiences with his Western instrument, the mandolin, died here on Friday. He was only 45 and is survived by his father, mother, two sisters and brother Rajesh, who is also a mandolin player.
Mandolin Shrinivas, as he came to be known, had been ailing for a while. He reportedly was being treated for liver failure at the Apollo Hospital. He had lately received a liver transplant and had recovered, but a lung infection proved fatal. In a statement, Apollo Hospital said “the transplant procedure was uneventful, and his liver function showed signs of recovering. After initial improvement of five days, he developed a secondary lung infection leading to shock and multi organ failure.” Shrinivas was a man of clean habits, and had been ignoring an infection for a long while, friends told The Hindu.
Born in Palakol in Andhra Pradesh in 1969, Shrinivas was the son of clarinet player Sathyanarayana. Young Shrinivas, however, was attracted by mandolin used by his father’s friend in recording studios. He quickly mastered it and his skills were further honed by Rudraraju Subbaraju, a student of late Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bhagavathar.
His first concert was held at Kudivada in 1980 and later mridhangam player organised a concert for him in Kumbakonam in 1981. As Chennai is the capital of Carnatic Music, his family settled here and he was promoted by Updendran and his uncle, late thavil maestro Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram, who accompanied him in thavil.
As a child prodigy, a permanent smile on his face and with joy apparent while playing his instrument, he created waves in the Carnatic music world.
He instantly caught the attention of late Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, who declared him the musician of the Tamil Nadu Government when he was just 11 yeas old. He was awarded Padmashree in 1998.
“After listening to him play in a temple, I recorded him for the Doordarshan. The audition test was attended by great musicians such as Emani Sankara Shastry. When we telecast the programme, we received a call from the then Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran, requesting a copy of the recording and his address,” said Sampath Kumar, who worked for both the All India Radio and Doordharsan.
Humility personified
Shrinivas, humility personified, always gratefully acknowledged the contribution made by others towards his career.
Mridangam maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, who accompanied Shrinivas since he was 10, said his greatest quality had always been to absorb the best from the stalwarts and infuse nuances into his magical instrument.
Even though western instruments such as violin, clarinet and saxophone were metamorphosed into a complete carnatic classical instrument by the handlers, Shrinivas secured an unparalleled status for the mandolin. He performed along with the English guitarist John McLaughlin and top Indian musicians Zakir Hussain, V. Selvaganesh, Shankar Mahadevan, Shivkumar Sharma, and Hariprasad Chaurasia.
In India, the instrument was mostly used in light music and Hindustani musicians, it was Shrinivas brought it to the mainstream Carnatic music world. I am still not able to understand how he was able to produce ghamakas in a Western instrument,” said Mr. Sampath kumar, who also produced a documentary on Shrinivas.
Recalling his association with MGR, Shrinivas once told The Hindu that since he did not have a telephone, the Chief Minister’s secretaries visited his house.“The Chief Minister’s secretaries visited my house and wanted to know whether I could perform at a function. Since I had a concert on the same day, they gave me another date and the occasion — a felicitation function for actor Kamal Hassan for his role in the film ‘ Ek duje ke liye’ . Mr. MGR and our present Chief Minister Jayalalithaa listened to the entire concert,” Shrinivas once reminisced.
At one concert, T.N. Seshagopalan, moved by his music, presented a gold ring to Shrinivas.
Shrinivas joins late N.C. Vasanthakokilam, Karukurichi Arunachalam and Needamangalam Shanmugavadivel, other Carnatic music greats who left the world when they were at the peak of their career.
Carnatic music world mourns its loss
The Carnatic music world is in a state of shock over the untimely death of Mandolin U. Shrinivas here on Friday.
He was reportedly being treated for liver failure at the Apollo Hospital here. He had lately received a liver transplant and had recovered, but a lung infection proved fatal.
The greatness of his place in this world is probably best explained by a small story that the late violinist Lalgudi G. Jayaraman’s family recounts.
It happened when Jayaraman, along with his son Krishnan and daughter Vijayalakshmi stepped into the elevator of a restaurant. While everyone wondered how he was able use a western instrument so successfully to render gamaka-laden Carnatic music, Shrinivas explained the modifications he made to achieve the result, says Ms. Vijayalakshmi.
“We happened to listen to the sweet strains of Shrinivas playing our guru’s [Jayaraman] Yamunakalyani tillana. With a smile our guru stood there listening to it, not minding that the elevator doors had closed and we were moving on to the next floor,” recounts Mr. Krishnan.
“Doing away with the eight-string model, I transformed the instrument into a four-stringed one early in my career. Later, I added a fifth string on the advice of my father,” Shrinivas used to say. His achievement is explained by music historian V. Sriram: “It is not often that someone gets to introduce a new instrument in Carnatic Music and yet be welcomed with open arms.”
For mridangam player Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, his death is a great personal loss. He provided accompaniment to Shrinivas in hundreds of concerts. “We were to play two concerts this December. Alas! it is a great loss,” he says.
Describing Shrinivas as a great scholar and inventor both in melody and rhythm, Mr. Sivaraman said that his name became synonymous with the instrument and made him an icon. He was humble and respectful.
Another senior musician who accompanied Shrinivas in a number of concerts is Ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram. Unable to overcome his grief he said, “Only his body is dead. His music will continue to live on.” Music director Ilayaraja, one of the great fans of Shrinivas, paid homage to him at home. Music composer A.R. Rahman (@arrahman) has tweeted his message: “Emotionally shaken to hear of Carnatic shining star Mandolin Shrinivasji’s demise… May God bless him with happiness in the next world.”
Noted playback singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam on his Facebook page, said Shrinivas had elevated Indian classical music to “universal level.” He recalled his first meeting with him at Gemini Studios in 1980 where he was doing the background score for Hum Paanch directed by Telugu director Bapu who passed away recently.
Playback singer Shankar Mahadevan who performed with Shrinivas for ‘Remember Shakti,’ is poignant in his message. “A very important part of my music is over…. praying for your soul U.Shrinivas, my friend my brother …in extreme sorrow.”
Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain tweeted: “Today mother India cries, today a part of Indian music died and we are orphaned, RIP my dear brother Mandolin Shrinivas.”
“I got to know today that Shrinivas is no more. I am very sad to hear that. When he was 14-year-old, I saw his performance on TV. He used to play Indian classical music brilliantly. It was quite tough to play classical music on mandolin… May his soul rest in peace,” noted playback singer Lata Mangeshkartweeted.
Sonu Nigam tweeted: “The great mandolin exponent U. Shrinivas is no more unfortunately. Was going through a liver transplant.”
(With additional inputs from PTI)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by B. Kolappan / Chennai – September 19th, 2014
Amateur naturalist and student of B.Sc Botany Pavani holds a Calico flower, a native flower of Brazil, that bloomed at the Biodiversity Park at the RCD Hospital compound in Visakhapatnam. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
Amateur naturalist and student of B.Sc Botany Pavani holds a Calico flower, a native flower of Brazil, that bloomed at the Biodiversity Park at the RCD Hospital compound in Visakhapatnam. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / September 15th, 2014
The Andhra Pradesh government will nominate renowned filmmaker-artist Bapu, who died recently, for the Padma Vibhushan, along with radiation oncologist Dr Nori Dattatreyudu and gastroenterologist Dr D. Nageshwar Reddy.
The names will be finalised at the Cabinet meeting on Monday. According to sources, the Cabinet is likely to recommend the name of N.T. Rama Rao for the Bharat Ratna. For the Padma Bhushan, the government is expected to nominate party MP and filmmaker Maganti Murali Mohan, apart from Carnatic vocalist Nedunoori Krishna Murthy and Chaganti Koteswar Rao, an expert on Sanatana Dharma.
The names of character artiste and BJP leader Kota Srinivasa Rao, cartoonist Sridhar, journalist I. Venkat Rao and social worker Satyavani are expected to be nominated for the Padma Shri.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC Correspondent / September 15th, 2014
The Bright Bunch: Rajendra S. Jain’s students, from left, Chavi, Kusum, Jay and Moksh strike a pose with the trophies they won at National Memory Championship. (Photo: DC)
Hyderabad:
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could recall a lot more than you can at present? It is possible! Your memory skills can be made better through focused training. And Rajendra S. Jain of Nellore, specialises in this field and has several of his students winning memory competitions too.
Most recently, his students, Chavi, Jay, Kusum and Moksh, all from Nellore bagged medals in National Memory Championship held in Mumbai.
Rajendra, himself, won a silver medal at the event and broke a national record in the adults’ category and finished all-India number three. While Chavi won a gold medal, Jay and Kusum were awarded silver and bronze medals in the kids’ category and Moksh secured a bronze medal in the junior category.
All of them are Class VIII students, of different schools in Nellore, and they have special permission from their schools for pursuing their academics using Rajendra’s training methods, memory systems, speed reading and mind maps.
Rajendra says that this system of teaching is prevalent in the UK. He now wants to prepare a curriculum of Memory Systems for Indian students as well. “The government should introduce memory as a subject in schools since it improves both imagination and academic skills,” says Rajendra, a science graduate who left his business of jewellery in 2009 to pursue memory techniques. His first accomplishment was a fifth place in the National Memory Championship held in Hyderabad in 2010.
“My next aim is to groom these kids to be the future grandmasters in mind sports,” says Rajendra, who was awarded the Grandmaster of India Award in 2013, becoming the second Indian to bag this honour after John Louis.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / DeccanChronicle / Home> LifeStyle> Offbeat / DC / Pathri Rajasekhar / September 16th, 2014
Senior journalist Behera Raja Rao (60), died at his residence in Simhachalam in the early hours of Sunday due to prolonged illness.
He is survived by wife and two sons. Raja Rao had been part of the Express Group throughout his journalistic career, spanning over 30 years. He joined the ‘Andhra Prabha’ newspaper as a contributor in late 1980s for news reporting from Simhachalam and Visakhapatnam.
He was later appointed as the correspondent for ‘The New Indian Express’ in 2003 at Vizianagaram where he worked for about seven years. Then, he was transferred to Visakhapatnam where he retired in 2012. He worked for evening daily ‘Leader’ until he was diagnosed with a lung disorder.
Known for his jovial nature and friendly attitude, Raja Rao enjoyed good relations with journalists from different generations and was fondly called as ‘old man’ or ‘uncle’. AP Working Journalists’ Federation of Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram chapters, Uttarandhra Journalists’ Front and Vizag Journalists’ Forum expressed their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / September 15th, 2014
Students of V.M. Ranga Municipal School performing yoga feats at IGMC Stadium in Vijayawada on Sunday.Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar
Impressed by mind-boggling feats of students, Police Commissioner A. B. Venkateswara Rao decides to adopt V. M. Ranga Municipal School at Krishna Lanka
The students of V. M. Ranga Municipal School at Krishna Lanka will always remember this bunch of students, who are ardent practitioners of yoga.
It is their dedication to the traditional art that helped win the heart of Commissioner of Police A. B. Venkateswara Rao, who impressed by their mind-boggling feats, decided to adopt their school.
The school will soon will have a yoga hall and amenities such as computers, toilets and other infrastructure for the benefit of hundreds of students. “That is the power yoga,” proudly said Krishna District Yoga Association president V.V. Rama Rao.
Flexing their supple bodies like rubber, these girls drew the attention of the viewers at the IGMC Stadium during the Krishna District yogasana competition on Sunday by showcasing several asanas(postures) and patterns, using breathing to the optimum level.
“These girls have been practising for the past two years and are regular participants in the district and State competitions. They regularly exhibit their talent at various public functions like Independence Day, Republic Day and Chief Minister’s visits, promoting the concept of healthy life,” said coach Suryakumari.
Will power
Highlighting the importance of yoga in the stress-filled modern world, Mr. Rama Rao said yoga not only improved the will power and mental faculties but also made the body strong. “Yoga is essential for students are their future is filed with deadlines and targets. The modern corporate sector is so demanding you (youngsters) need to spend more number of hours in front of the computer. Yoga helps you acquire how to tackle stress by improving immunity.”
He said yoga improves flexibility, adds strength to limbs and helps achieve better concentration. “To play a game a cricket we you need to spend thousands of rupees but to master yoga you need just a mat,” said Mr. Rama Rao amidst thundering applause.
Many speakers while highlighting the positives of yoga said that diseases like hyper- tension, blood pressure and diabetes can be prevented by regularly practising the ancient art.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by J. R. Sridharan / Vijayawada – September 15th, 2014
