Category Archives: Education

Jewel from jeweller’s family sparkles again

Education, Records, All
Immidi Prudhvitej
Immidi Prudhvitej

IIT-JEE topper of 2011, who left a cushy job to chase IAS dream, secures 24th rank in UPSC exams

This young man from the family of a small-time jewellery shop owner is special among Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) achievers this year despite not securing the rank that usually grabs headlines.

Unlike most other serious aspirants, he is a Telugu film buff, who left a cushy job abroad to fulfil his childhood passion of cracking the Civil Services examination. On the way to achieving his goal, he grabbed the country’s attention in 2011 by topping IIT-JEE.

Meet Immidi Prudhvitej, the 24th rank holder of Civil Services exams this year.

Notwithstanding his entry into IIT-Bombay, his passion for IAS remained undiluted. “My interest is not in IIT or a career abroad, but cracking the Civil Services,” Prudhvitej had told The Hindu in 2011 after his IIT-JEE success. “That’s the best way to serve society,” he had said.

Prudhvitej hails from the temple town of Dwaraka Tirumala in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and is sure to get IAS, even if it’s not in his native State.

After completing electrical engineering from IIT-Bombay, he received a lucrative offer from Samsung to work in South Korea. While working there, his Civil Services dream kept haunting him.

The two years that he stayed away from India and serious studies were just minor hurdles that he overcame with hard work and guidance of roommates, who were also IAS aspirants. “I came back to India with the sole purpose of taking a shot at Civils and achieved it in the first attempt,” he said.

All along, his father stood by him like a pillar of suppport. In fact, it was he who drilled into Prudhvitej’s mind about the role Civil Servants can play in improving the lives of people and encouraged him to achieve his long-cherished goal.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by R. Ravikanth Reddy / Hyderabad – April 30th, 2018

Andhra University student bags first prize at India’s first Print Biennale

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

Visakhapatnam :

G Satyanarayana, student of Andhra University fine arts department, bagged the first prize, consisting of a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, at the first-ever Print Biennale held in India, organised by National Academy of Art or Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi.

Andhra University
Andhra University

He received the award from Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma. A total of six students were selected for the event and each has bagged prizes under different categories, said varsity officials. The other prize winners include T Jagadeesh, Srinivas Pulagam, etc. The students met the varsity vice chancellor Prof G nageswara Rao, who congratulated them for bringing laurels to AU.

Artists from 17 countries such as the United States of America, United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Italy, Mexico, China, Israel, Sweden, Lithuania, Poland, Argentina, Greece, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Mauritius participated in the Biennale. A total number of 988 entries were received from across India, of which 127 had been chosen for the event. The number of foreign entries was 137, of which 50 artists were selected. A total of 73 artwork of international artists were put on display.

The exhibition opened on March 25 at Rabindra Bhavan Galleries. Printmaking is often called the most democratic medium because of its accessibility, outreach, and potential to connect artists throughout the world.

As an artform, Printmaking consists of the production of images, usually on paper but occasionally on fabric, plastic, or other support, by various techniques of multiplication, under the direct supervision of or by the hand of the artist. Such fine prints, as they are known collectively, are considered original works of art, even though they can exist in multiples. There are various techniques that can be used for printmaking, including relief, intaglio, planography, stencil, woodcuts, collagraphs and others.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam / TNN / April 24th, 2018

Academy to train MSMEs startups on IPR in city

Business & Economy, Education, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Innovators to get incubation support through licensing

In what could be a boost to startups, MSMEs and innovators, experts in intellectual property rights will set up Novel IPR Academy in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, marking the World IP Day.

With low awareness level on IP remaining an issue, the academy aims at spreading awareness as part of its education and a collaborative platform.

IP owners will be benefited by commercialising their inventions, says Novel Patent Services MD Atti Hima Bindu.
IP owners will be benefited by commercialising their inventions, says Novel Patent Services MD Atti Hima Bindu.

“We are happy to launch the academy as Visakhapatnam is transforming into a major knowledge hub in the country,” Novel Patent Services Managing Director Atti Hima Bindu told The Hindu.

Ms. Hima Bindu was honoured with ‘Exceptional Women of Excellence’ award by the Women Economic Forum at Hague, Netherlands in connection with International Women’s Day celebrations on March 8 this year.

IPR cells

She said the academy, as part of its education vertical, would benefit a wide range of diversified sectors such as students, career aspirants, startups, private and public sector enterprises.

“Educational institutes will be encouraged to open IPR cells to nurture intellectual capabilities of students and promote the creative thinking at all levels. The IP collaborative platform will offer a virtual unison of three verticals viz. research, industry and investments and also provide IP incubation support that will promote IP through licensing or commercialisation aspect and fuel IP-based startups,” she said. Further, the collaborative platform would help researchers understand the needs of industry and focus on industry-relevant studies.

Collaborative platform

“It will enable IP owners to gain benefit from inventions by either commercialising them or licensing inventions or by supporting them to establish their own firm based on the IP,” she said.

Founder and director of Novel Patent Services, a city-headquartered decade-old firm with clients in various countries, Pattabhi Muralikrishna said diligent and intelligent IP strategy was one of the key aspects for startups as well as for others in a highly competitive world.

“We have decided to inaugurate the academy on World IP Day as it is aimed at celebrating creativity and contributions made by creators and innovators to the development of knowledge societies all over the world,” he said and regretted that many, despite launching of products, were not aware of patenting and trade-marking.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Santosh Patnaik / Visakhapatnam – April 26th, 2018

MITS students win laurels

Education, Records, All

A team of ten B.Tech students of Madanapalle Institute of Technology and Science (MITS), Madanapalle, secured the fourth position from among 545 teams in the ISAFE Championship 2018 held at IIT New Delhi campus recently and received a cash prize of ₹8,000 each.

T. Mohammed Babji, Y. Samyuktha, C. Srinivasulu, D. Lavanya, B. Mounika, K. Pratap Reddy, V. Mohan Krishna, L. Soujanya, A. Rajasekhar Reddy and Y. Madhan, presented their research topic and posters on ‘Road safety’ at the event organised by the Indian Road Safety Campaign and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Tirupati – April 21st, 2018

Girl students design solar-powered vehicle

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Students of Bullayya College of Engineering for Women take a ride in the vehicle. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam
Students of Bullayya College of Engineering for Women take a ride in the vehicle. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam

‘It took 45 days to complete the project’

Unlike the normal four-wheeler, this vehicle does not have a clutch or a gear but operates through a switch to move forward and backward and comes with a brushless DC motor sans any noise.

A team of 17 final year students of Dr. Bullayya College of Engineering for Women designed the solar-powered BLDC-driven electric vehicle.

With 50% of the total cost being borne by students and the rest supported by the college management, the four-seater vehicle involved a total expenditure of ₹75,000. The maximum speed of the vehicle is 40 km per hour and can carry 300 kg weight.

“We wanted to bring out cost-effective energy-saving solution and set an example for other students,” says P. Rama Lakshmi, EEE student and meber of the team.

Run by both electric charging and solar power, the eco-friendly vehicle is designed with a power rating of 1500 watts and attached with four batteries of 12 volts each which can be recharged on the go.

“There is so much fun involved in bringing the automobile project into life which was earlier considered to be men’s domain,” says D. Gayatri, another student who was part of the project.

Team work

Giving credit to teamwork, Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of EEE G. Anand says it took 45 days for the all-girl team to complete the project under his guidance.

Secretary and correspondent of the college G. Madhukumar says such designs will make students to think innovatively and apply the knowledge learnt in classrooms.

“The eco-friendly four-wheeler can be used as a golf cart or in the railway station to help commute senior citizens and differently-abled or assist patients in hospitals,” he told The Hindu, indicating that the vehicle will be kept on the campus.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Rani Devalla / Visakhapatnam – April 21st, 2018

A shero shows the way with a vision!

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion
A file photo of the students of Dwarakamaye School participating in yoga competition in Vizianagaram. | Photo Credit: arrangement
A file photo of the students of Dwarakamaye School participating in yoga competition in Vizianagaram. | Photo Credit: arrangement

Mother of a visually and mentally-challenged boy is hope for the differently-abled

“I am blind, but trained,” is a famous dialogue from a recent Telugu movie, Raja The Great. Raviteja, the hero, played the role of a visually challenged, but a multi-talented person proving that the visually impaired are second to none. However, there are little heroes unfettered by their visual impairment and excelling in their chosen areas, and they can be found in a quiet institution here — studying in Dwarakamayee School for the Visually Impaired, founded by M. Asha Jyothi.

They are competing with students without any impairment and winning prizes and awards in areas such as quiz, essay- writing, dance, music, sports, yoga, fashion shows, etc., leaving everyone stunned, including VIPs, when they come to attend the school’s cultural programmes. S. Parameswara Rao stood first in ‘Paaduta Teeyaga’, a popular singing competition aired by a Telugu channel.

Now, he is globetrotting, including the U.K., to give musical performances with top singers. He had passed his 10th class from the school in 2017, and is pursuing Intermediate in Visakhapatnam.

Another student, P. Ganesh, who did his 10th class in 2017, won the first prize continuously in the State-level chess competitions organised for the differently-abled. He is now pursuing Intermediate privately under the supervision of the school.

Dwarakamaye’s students also got prizes in the fashion, fancy dress, and mime shows organised by the government’s Youth Services Department as part of the Yuva Mahotsav in December last year.

Such has been their overall performance that Dwarakamaye got the State’s Best Visually Impaired School for the year 2017.

Six visually challenged children had passed 10th class examination with a 9.2 grade in 2017, considered good for normal students too.

Turning point

Ms. Jyothi’s smile belies a double tragedy — her visually and mentally challenged son Hari Smaran. Parenting became a major challenge with little improvement in his health. She could not find a proper school for the visually and mentally challenged children in Vizianagaram. To exacerbate, the only school with little infrastructure was also shifted to Bhimili, near Visakhapatnam, souring her dream to ensure normalcy to her child.

But Ms. Jyothi turned her frustration into a challenge and established the school in year 2013 in Poolbaugh Road of Vizianagaram.

Help came in from her brother, K. Narayana, a hardware engineer in Bengaluru, and husband M. Ravi Kumar, a builder in Vizianagaram.

However, it was not a smooth journey. The family could generate ₹10 lakh initially for establishment of the school. It needs ₹1.6 lakh per month for its maintenance, including payment of salaries to 10 teachers and three other staff. In spite of many difficulties, she did not lose confidence. Her willpower and talent of the children caught the attention of many philanthropists to extend help to the institution. Though the donations were insufficient, they boosted Ms. Jyothi’s morale in making the institution the best one among the schools run for special kids in Andhra Pradesh, though she herself is a college dropout.

Aiming big

Currently, 50 special children are studying from classes 1 to 10 in the school. Around 10 well-trained teachers are taking special care for their overall development.

“My only aim is to create awareness among people that the visually challenged can also lead a happy life if they are given proper support at the right age. Parents should not feel disappointed about their deformity. They can also do wonders when trained and motivated,” she told The Hindu. Ms. Jyothis’s aim is to establish Intermediate and degree colleges exclusively for visually challenged.

She was bestowed with many awards for her relentless work for the last five years, including the Youth Icon award and Visista Seva Pratibha Puraskaram from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2017.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by K. Srinivasa Rao / Vizianagaram – April 13th, 2018

Anatomy and history of a 200-year-old Ivory skeleton

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
The ivory and rosewood skeletons on display at the AMC’s Anatomy Museum in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam
The ivory and rosewood skeletons on display at the AMC’s Anatomy Museum in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: C.V.Subrahmanyam

A rare masterpiece from Saraswati Mahal of Thanjavur, it’s now the prized possession of the Anatomy Museum of Andhra Medical College

A rare ivory skeleton, the bones of which have been carved to clockwork precision on the lines of the human skeleton, is the cherished treasure at the Anatomy Museum of Andhra Medical College (AMC) here.

The ivory skeleton, 5’6” in height and weighing 231 lbs (104.78 kg), reflects the ingenuity of the sculptor, who had carved it more than two centuries ago. It was procured from the famous Saraswati Mahal of Thanjavur, which was under the patronage of Rajah Serfoji (1798-1832). The skeleton is said to have been made between 1805 and 1810. Dr. R. Krishna Rau, a Professor in the Department of Anatomy between 1929 and 1946, who was instrumental in setting up the museum, had bought the ivory skeleton and a rosewood skeleton for a sum of ₹75. The 18th century skeleton has been drawing appreciation of not only experts in the medical field, but also the general public during exhibitions.

“The British are said to have paid ₹5 lakh to display it during an exhibition in London in 1970. The skeleton was taken in a specially made coffin and returned after about a week,” Dr. Ashalatha, Head of the Department of Anatomy, told The Hindu.

Mortem and taboo

“In those days, there were several taboos in handling human bodies and skeletons, and Dr. Krishna Rau was said to have stayed back in the department for a few days on the arrival of the skeletons. Even today, some anatomy professors do not tell their family members that they handle dead bodies,” says Dr. K. Lakshmi Kumari, an Associate Professor of Anatomy. “The ivory skeleton is a masterpiece and is said to be one among the few in the world. No wonder, it was taken by ship all the way to London for display at an exhibition there. The ivory and rosewood skeletons are displayed at exhibitions, organised on special occasions,” says Dr. P.V. Sudhakar, Principal of AMC.

The museum signifies the efforts and dedication of the illustrious teachers, professors and HODs, particularly of AMC during the early days.

Prof. F.J. Anderson, who as Principal of AMC, gave full freedom to Dr. Krishna Rau in securing the unique collections.

The department was named after Dr. Krishna Rau on January 24, 1984 honouring his efforts.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by B. Madhu Gopal / Visakhapatnam – April 06th, 2018

Farm Radio is the new go-to helpline for Vizag’s farmers

Agriculture, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Visakhapatnam :

A ‘Farm Radio’ that was launched to give insights and tips to farmers has met with enormous success in the district.
Developed by scientists of Anakapalle Regional Agriculture Station (ARAS), the Farm Radio app sees hundreds of farmers tuning into it everyday through their smartphones.

The success of the app has prompted ARAS to try to get All India Radio’s Vizag and Vijayawada stations broadcast Farm Radio in order to reach out to a larger audience.

ARAS officials said they have are extending support to farmers in the form of information through toll-free numbers as well as a special app. “Farm Radio offers tips on maintaining crops, weather forecast, market information and related tips as well as success stories of various farmers,” said an ARAS official.

“Farm Radio is nothing but an internet radio. Any farmer who has a smartphone and internet connectivity can easily access Farm Radio. The response from farmers is great and they are asking us for more information on methods to protect their crops,” senior scientist of crop production K Tejeswara Rao told TOI.

“This radio is different from other FM radios as this radio has no boundaries because it is connected to the internet. Farmers can listen to the radio round-the-clock and can also choose whatever topic they want to listen to. We are planning to add more topics and other aspects,” Rao said.

After witnessing the response, ARAS is now trying to sign an MoU with All India Radio, because they have more topics as they have already been transmitting ‘Palle Seemalu and Grama Darsini’ programmes. They have more than 160 topics and ARAS wishes to upload all these topics to provide the information to farmers through Farm Radio.

Rao said farmers are seeking information according to the season. Nowadays, they are asking about mango and cashew orchids, besides sugarcane plantation. Anyone can access the radio by logging into www.farmradio.in . This radio was developed by a group of scientists of ARAS – Pradeep Kumar, Dr Moshe, Dr Chittibabu, Dr Vijayabhinandana, Dr Dhanasri and others.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam News / by Siva G. / March 25th, 2018

Dravidian language family is 4,500 years old: study

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches back the furthest, resource: .

DravidianFamilyCF21mar2018

The Dravidian language family, consisting of 80 varieties spoken by nearly 220 million people across southern and central India, originated about 4,500 years ago, a study has found.

This estimate is based on new linguistic analyses by an international team, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany, and the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun.

The researchers used data collected first-hand from native speakers representing all previously reported Dravidian subgroups. The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, match with earlier linguistic and archaeological studies.

South Asia, reaching from Afghanistan in the west and Bangladesh in the east, is home to at least six hundred languages belonging to six large language families, including Dravidian, Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan.

The Dravidian language family, consisting of about 80 language varieties (both languages and dialects) is today spoken by about 220 million people, mostly in southern and central India, and surrounding countries.

The Dravidian language family’s four largest languages — Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu — have literary traditions spanning centuries, of which Tamil reaches back the furthest, researchers said.

Along with Sanskrit,  Tamil is one of the world’s classical languages, but unlike Sanskrit, there is continuity between its classical and modern forms documented in inscriptions, poems, and secular and religious texts and songs, they said.

“The study of the Dravidian languages is crucial for understanding prehistory in Eurasia, as they played a significant role in influencing other language groups,” said Annemarie Verkerk of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

Neither the geographical origin of the Dravidian language nor its exact dispersal through time is known with certainty.

The consensus of the research community is that the Dravidians are natives of the Indian subcontinent and were present prior to the arrival of the Indo-Aryans (Indo-European speakers) in India around 3,500 years ago.

Researchers said that it is likely that the Dravidian languages were much more widespread to the west in the past than they are today.

In order to examine questions about when and where the Dravidian languages developed, they made a detailed investigation of the historical relationships of 20 Dravidian varieties.

Study author Vishnupriya Kolipakam of the Wildlife Institute of India collected contemporary first-hand data from native speakers of a diverse sample of Dravidian languages, representing all the previously reported subgroups of Dravidian.

The researchers used advanced statistical methods to infer the age and sub-grouping of the Dravidian language family at about 4,000-4,500 years old.

This estimate, while in line with suggestions from previous linguistic studies, is a more robust result because it was found consistently in the majority of the different statistical models of evolution tested in this study.

This age also matches well with inferences from archaeology, which have previously placed the diversification of Dravidian into North, Central, and South branches at exactly this age, coinciding with the beginnings of cultural developments evident in the archaeological record.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by PTI / Berlin – March 21st, 2018

AU geology prof Jagannadha Rao bags ‘scientist of the year’ award

Education, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology

Visakhapatnam:

M Jagannadha Rao, senior professor of geology and director of Andhra University’s information management centre, has been bestowed with the ‘Scientist of the Year’ award by the National Environmental Science Academy (NESA). The award, for the year 2017, was given to Prof Rao during the NESA’s annual meet in Bhopal recently.

Prof Rao headed the Delta Studies Institute (a petroleum research institute established by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation in Andhra University) and made significant research related to coastal and deltaic environments of the east coast of India, which has a direct bearing on petroleum exploration. He also conducted refresher courses for ONGC officials on applied coal petrology in oil exploration, and on modern deltas.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Visakhapatnam News / TNN / March 16th, 2018