Monthly Archives: November 2013

The Turkish connection

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion
Indialogue Foundation director Osman Kayaoglu talks about the places to see in Turkey as he holds a traditional Turkish vase. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
Indialogue Foundation director Osman Kayaoglu talks about the places to see in Turkey as he holds a traditional Turkish vase. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

As the Turkish Consulate gets ready to set up office in Hyderabad, Neeraja Murthy finds a Turkey-Hyderabad connect

Enter the first floor of Learnium School on Road No. 44, Jubilee Hills and you’ll find a slice of Turkey in Hyderabad. On the walls is a Turkish Corner that displays photographs of ‘Turk folklor’, a Turkish bride, ‘Turk Lokumu’ among other things. Move around and there is a Indo-Turk Corner and photographs of famous Turkish palaces. As we soak in the pictures, we hear the booming voice of Sevim Kayaogolu calling out “Bir, iki, uch, dort… “(one, two, three four… in Turkish). She is teaching a Turkish dance to a group of young girls who are dancing to the beats of Yeni bir dunya, dressed in their traditional Turkish dresses.

Sevim (in the centre) joins a group of girls dancing to the tune of Turkish song ‘Yeni bir dunya’./ Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
Sevim (in the centre) joins a group of girls dancing to the tune of Turkish song ‘Yeni bir dunya’./ Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

“The students are presenting this Turkish dance for the Parents Day meeting,” informs Sevim. The school (will be called Iqbalia International School) run by a Trust (which also includes Turkish people) teaches Turkish language art, dance and culture to its students, in addition to its regular CBSE syllabus. Osman Kayaogolu, director of Indialogue Foundation’s second year in Hyderabad, calls the city ‘historical’. “Among the different cities in India, Hyderabad has a beautiful history,” he says and adds, “Turkey and Hyderabad share a lot in common in culture. We have given our daughters here in marriage – Princess Durru Shehvar who married Azam Jah, Princesses Esin and Esra have also come to Hyderabad after marriage.”

Osman talks about the ‘royal’ similarity between the two regions. “The Chowmahalla Palace looks like a replica of Dolmabahche palace, only the former is smaller. It is said that the Chowmahalla was built for Durru Shehvar so that she would feel at home in a place that reminds her of Turkey,” he smiles.

Indialogue Foundation, the Turkish cultural centre acts as a hub for the 15 Turkish families living in Hyderabad. “We get together here during religious ceremonies like Eid and we organise inter-faith seminars, talks, conferences and cultural programmes. We arrange business meetings between Turkish and Indian businessmen and also organise Turkish celebrations.”

Osman says the Turks enjoy their stay in the city. “The climate is nice and we enjoy eating biryani which is like our not-so-spicy Osmani pulao. We have made many friends here and people are affectionate too.”

What baffles Osman however is the way friendly Hyderabadis behave while driving on roads. “During busy traffic, they are not at all friendly and act differently,” he says with a smile. The Turkish women volunteers try to spread their art and culture in the city. Osman and his group of friends also play football every Sunday. “We don’t know about cricket, but now our children are picking up the game in Hyderabad.”

There is also good news for the Turkish families in the city with the Turkish Consulate coming up here. “The Turkish Consulate General Murat Omeroglu is in Hyderabad with his family and the work to establish the Consulate has begun. The process might take six months,” says Osman.

Osman says Turkish people in the city do miss their family and friends back home as well as Turkish food; but they have found a home away from home here.

“Hyderabad is our second home. Merhaba Hydarabad (Salaam Hyderabad),” he signs off.

Short film contest

Indialogue Foundation and Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad had organised a Indialogue Short Film Contest 2013on the theme ‘Peaceful Coexistence” which aimed to foster universally shared values among public .

The contest had two categories – YouTube award and Jury award. Emrah Alpaslan from Saritha Vidya Niketan with his short film titled Dedicated Life won the YouTube award with 2100+ views. Jhilam Chattaraj, from University of Hyderabad with her movie In Search of History was selected for the Jury award.

Both the awards carried a prize money of Rs. 35,000 each.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Neeraja Murthy / November 19th, 2013

A model village in the making

About Seemandhra / Andhra Pradesh, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Uncategorized
A toilet completed with Village Development Committee funds at Pendalwada in Jainad mandal of Adilabad district. / Photo: By Special Arrangement / The Hindu
A toilet completed with Village Development Committee funds at Pendalwada in Jainad mandal of Adilabad district. / Photo: By Special Arrangement / The Hindu

All the 700 houses in Pendalwada in Jainad mandal of Adilabad district will boast of an individual sanitary latrine soon

The Village Development Committee (VDC) at Pendalwada in Jainad mandal of Adilabad district will have turned the impossible into the possible as all the 700 houses in the habitation will boast of an individual sanitary latrine (ISL) in a few weeks’ time. By pumping in additional funds in the shape of one time grant to every household, it has made a serious and successful effort in getting rid of the menace of open defecation in the village located on the banks of river Penganga.

“All of us were frustrated with the problem which is the root cause of illnesses among other things. About six months back, a collective decision was taken in the village to put an end to open defecation by providing funds to everyone who was willing to go in for an ISL,” says VDC president Kethireddy Madhusudan Reddy, as he shed light on the endeavour.

After due deliberation, it was decided that all the families which were sanctioned an ISL by the government will be given Rs. 7,000, in two instalments of Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 3,000, each from the VDC funds. This will help them work faster on construction of the latrines.

“None of the ISLs sanctioned by the government could achieve proper progress as the beneficiaries did not have sufficient cash in hand to take up construction. With our help, all of them have started construction and some of them have even completed the construction,” Mr. Reddy pointed out.

The help from VDC also required the beneficiaries to contribute labour in construction work and manufacture cement rings used to fortify the walls of the septic tanks. “This saved us a lot of money and resulted in better quality in construction,” points out Annela Gouramma, a beneficiary.

The task of the villagers is further made easy as sand and stone used in construction are locally available. While sand is extracted from Penganga river, stones for basement of the structure is brought from Jainad.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by S. Harpal Singh / Pendalwada (Adilabad Dist) – November 20th, 2013

Aarogyasri a boon for Andhra Pradesh’s poor

Inspiration /Positive News and Features, Science & Technology

“Aarogyasri is God’s gift. I would not have survived but for the cashless treatment provided under it,” said 46-year-old Rupa Pujari, who has been undergoing dialysis under the scheme for the past two years.

She is one of the several thousands of beneficiaries who are getting free haemodialysis treatment under Aarogyasri across 19 dedicated centres in the State from Srikakulam to Warangal. The scheme to help poor patients with kidney failure completed four years of service on November 6.

After both her kidneys failed four years ago, Ms. Rupa had to shell out around Rs.10,000 every month for her treatment for about two years. After learning about the Aarogysri scheme, she began availing treatment and has been undergoing haemodialysis for the past two years. Echoing similar views, 71-year-old Rahmat Ali Khan said it would have been very difficult to meet the expenditure had it not been for the free treatment under Aarogyasri. “In the past, I had to sell something to pay for the treatment. But now we even get medicines, apart from haemodialysis. We are grateful to the government,” he added.

According to Prof. Pradeep Deshpande, emeritus professor of Nephrology, Gandhi Medical College, around 30,000 kidney failure patients have benefited from cashless treatment since the launch of the scheme. It was initiated after a number of poor patients began approaching the then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy for financial assistance for dialysis treatment. He said it was started in public-private partnership mode by installing 18 dialysis machines in Gandhi Hospital, 15 in Osmania Hospital here and some in Visakhapatnam.

He said that proposals were pending with the State government to increase the number of haemodialysis centres to 25 across the State, besides starting CAPD (Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis) and paediatric haemodialysis. He said that the Gandhi Hospital has been designated as the nodal centre.

Officials from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu had visited Gandhi Hospital and evinced interest in the scheme.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 11th, 2013

VBC Ferro hives off captive power plant

Business & Economy

VBC Ferro has reported a net loss of Rs 2.42 cr for the second quarter ended September 2013.

Hyderabad -based ferro alloys manufacturer, VBC Ferro Alloys Limited, has decided to hive off the 2×60-Mw coal-based power plant, which it is developing for captive requirements, to facilitate its speedy implementation. The board of directors, at its meeting held on November 9, accorded its in-principle consent for the same.

“Keeping in view the acute power shortage scenario in AP, the board felt it necessary to implement the captive power plant on a priority basis as the existing ferro alloy unit is unable to carry on its manufacturing operations due to high power tariff and non-availability of adequate power,” VBC Ferro said in a filing to the BSE on Monday. VBC Ferro reported a net loss of Rs 2.42 crore for the second quarter ended September 2013, as against a net loss of Rs 4 crore in the corresponding quarter previous year. Total income stood at Rs 50.25 lakh during the quarter, as compared with Rs 4.75 crore last year.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Companies> News / by BS Reporter / Hyderabad – November 11th, 2013

APSCST awards to 7 scientists

Records, All, Science & Technology

The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology has announced awards for scientists in seven categories on Thursday.

The categories are : Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Earth Sciences/ Geology, Mathematical Sciences and Veterinary Sciences.

The following are the awardees: Prof N Siva Kumar, University of Hyderabad, Dr. G. Sabitha, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Dr KVS Meena Kumari, Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Dr G Padmanabham, International Advanace Research Centre for Poder Metallurgy and New Materials, Prof S Vijayabhaskar Rao, S. V University, Tirupati, Prof G Ganesan, Adikavi Nannaya University, Rajahmundry and Dr A Gopal Reddy, College of Veterinary Sciences, Hyderabad.

The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology is an autonomous organisation under the aegis of Environment, Forests, Science and Technology department, government of Andhra Pradesh.

The awards will be presented to them at a special function during the Andhra Pradesh Science Congress on Friday 15 at the University of Hyderabad.

Prof. Krishna Lal, president of the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi will present the awards.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / November 15th, 2013

International Children’s Film Fest begins in Hyderabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Hyderabad:

Promising to be a rich ensemble of films from across the globe, the 18th International Children’s Film Festival of India (ICFFI) would get underway here.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy would inaugurate the week-long event in the presence of Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari, veteran lyricist Gulzar and Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor.

State Information and Cinematography Minister D K Aruna said the government had made elaborate arrangements for the jamboree.

About 200 films from 48 countries would be screened in 12 theatres across the city during the festival and an estimated 1,50,000 children are expected to turn up.

The minister said 3-D movies would be shown for the first time, along with 20 best films sourced from Cannes, Berlin and Toronto international festivals.

Czech films will be the ‘Country Focus’ in the festival, which would showcase a diligently curated package of children’s films from the Czech Republic, right from 1950s to some of their recent productions.

Debates and open forums would also be conducted on topics like film-making, animation, script-writing and child rights as part of the festival.

“The Children’s Film Society of India has selected ‘Gopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya’ for screening at the inaugural of the Children’s film festival of India,” said an official release.

The 78-minute animation film, directed by Shilpa Ranade, is the fabulous story of Gopi and Bagha, a pair of musicians gifted with magical powers by the King of Ghosts, which has been a stellar success, it said.

The film is the Hindi version of the iconic film-maker Satyajit Ray’s popular Bengali film ‘Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen’.

The special film will be the main attraction at the inaugural event at Lalit Kala Thoranam tomorrow, the release added.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / IBN Live / Home / by Press Trust of India / Hyderabad – November 14th, 2013

A space to discover innovation, entrepreneurship

Business & Economy, Science & Technology
At Devthon, people with ideas can interact with others who can provide feedback and tech support that can turn it into a reality.
At Devthon, people with ideas can interact with others who can provide feedback and tech support that can turn it into a reality.

At times when there is pressure to grab a job as soon as possible and perform well, how often do we find time and a place where ideas can be proposed without any hesitation and have a set of people give it constructive feedback without professional insecurities?

Devthon, started by three Hyderabadis in March this year, is one such initiative where people can propose their ideas, get feedback and take it till the stage of implementation. The ideas are not limited just to business ventures but may also include social issues like transportation, Right To Information and so on.

“Academics limits ideas to dialogue. We wanted to create a space where people will propose their ideas without hesitation, and to people who are interested in innovation, tinker with them and be inspired by others,” shares Venkatesh Goteti (40), co-founder of Devthon and also co-founder of Azri Solutions Pvt Ltd.

Fellow co-founder Harish Krishnan (34), a technology entrepreneur who roped in Venkatesh for the initiative, adds, “Devthon is an initiative where culture of innovation and excellence is focused upon and we welcome simple to complex ideas.”

Organisers of the initiative have conducted five editions of Devthon till date and the sixth is being scheduled for December 14.

In the earlier editions, many ideas popped up and some were implemented as well. “A man came up with the  idea of an open source job portal where different communities can post updates; most of the existing job portals are broken and do not work properly. We invited him to Devthon 0.2 held in Bengaluru where a couple of people gave him feedback. Then he came back again to the next edition where designers helped him create a logo and some developers added the code to his project titled Chaakri and some of us tested the code too. So this is how ideas are worked on at Devthon,” explains Prashanth Venkatasubban (25) who was the initial brainchild behind the initiative.

Some other ideas that were bounced around included developing a more ergonomic desk-chair and mapping bus transportation in Hyderabad.

Now, giving a free space for exploring ideas is a great, but in tech-ridden city like Hyderabad, how does Devthon stand out from other start ups? Venkatesh says, “In meet ups conducted by others, usually they last for two to four hours and participants plan other things after the meet up. While each Devthon edition lasts for 36 hours, people can choose to rest at the venue where it is conducted or go back to their places and come back. The point is to work on the idea for an extended period of time.”

Devthon, which is actually short for Developers and Marathon, reflects the motto in their name as well.

Apart from the discussion sessions, the organisers call in people who are experts in the field of innovation to give talk. “For one of the editions, an innovation consultant from United Kingdom, Andrew gave a talk about how to ideate. He explained how one could articulate, critically examine and solve their problems, which really helped the participants,” adds Venkatesh. The organisers charge `500 as participation fee which is used towards refreshments for the seminar.

Currently held at Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the founders hope to make Devthon a pan-India initiative. “Some of the people who participated in our earlier editions actually live abroad and have expressed their willingness to conduct the editions in the countries they stay. But we are still waiting to give it a proper structure. Any idea needs to be nurtured to strengthen it,” shares Venkatesh.

If you have a burning idea but don’t have the required skills or manpower to execute it, maybe Devthon can help you. You can find out more at www.devthon.org.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by K. Shiva Shanker – Hyderabad / November 27th, 2013

Hyderabad to get sunburned

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

sunburnHF27nov2013

Music lovers in the city won’t have to travel all the way to Goa to let their hairs down. Asia’s largest three-day electronic music festival, Sunburn, will be held in Hyderabad in February. The brand Sunburn is crafted by the most successful pair of hands in Indian media industry. Shailendra Singh better known as SS, was in city recently and discussed with City Express the motifs and vision behind creating Sunburn, besides also confirming that Hyderabad will be hosting its first Sunburn Fest by February 2014.

“Sunburn is very keen to bring it’s festival or Arena experience to Hyderabad. After Goa, Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore, we are eyeing Hyderabad to be the next destination. We have huge requests and massive fan connect between the fans and Sunburn.”

“Not everyone can make it to our flagship Goa Festival,” says the man behind the Sunburn brand, Shailendra Singh. “So last year, we decided to bring the Planet Sunburn experience to them. Who doesn’t deserve the chance to leave their world behind and come be who they want to be? With both Mumbai an Bengaluru partying, it’s sure to be the biggest EDM celebration in India.”

Sunburn Mumbai and Bengaluru Festivals will bring all the elements of a full-fledged festival. Lounges, chill-out zones, libraries, movie projections, graffiti walls, art installations, flea markets, and climbing walls are just some of the activities to keep Sunburners busy throughout the two-day festival.

“Sunburn Arena gigs — like SHM , Hardwell, Tiesto — focus purely on that one artist.” says Singh.  “The stage, sound and lights are super advanced to make them look amazing. For Sunburn Festivals, we devote a lot of energy to the festival vibe. Sunburners can come all day long, meet old friends and make new ones, and have a true escape.”

“Of course we have the best lineup possible on the planet right now — Paul Van Dyke is a complete legend, Fedde Le Grand is a defining figure in house music, and who doesn’t know about the rapid rise of Tomorrowland Resident DJ’s – Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike? Showtek, Orjan Nilsen and Josh Wink are huge names. And if Sunburners haven’t yet heard about Orjan Nilsen, Worlfpack and Adam Beyer, then they are in for a mindblowing surprise. Sunburn Mumbai Bengaluru line-up is freaking unbelievable.”

Sunburn has expanded itself to set a new bar for ‘arena’ format gigs with renowned international DJs, the most recent being Swedish House Mafia’s One Last Tour and Avicii’s debut in India marking the rise of a unique concepts such as Sunburn Arena.

Sunburn has brought together renowned Indian and International Djs to entertain crowds of lakhs all around the year, with a variety of experiences to choose from, and caters to a wide Indian and international audience, highlighting India as a Dance Festival destination to the world.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Swati Sharma – Hyderabad / November 12th, 2013

Park Hyatt Hyderabad named best luxury hotel

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

Park Hyatt Hyderabad has been named the Best New Luxury Hotel in the Country at the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2013.

The very best performances of top hoteliers from across the world were recognised and celebrated at the 2013 World Luxury Hotel Awards at a ceremony in Thailand hosted at the Indigo Pearl Resort Phuket earlier this month. The event had participation from top luxury hotels, casinos, lodges and resorts.

“We are honoured to receive this award as it is an inspiration to the nominees to raise their levels of service excellence in order to feel comfortable in competing on an international level and to set a benchmark for themselves,” Sven Hoffmeyer, General Manager at Park Hyatt Hyderabad, said in a statement.

The World Luxury Hotel Awards is about congratulating hotels that have taken the extra step with regards to their facilities and service excellence differentiating themselves from ‘good hotels’ to ‘exceptional hotels’.

The awards were presented to almost 144 hotels around the world. Winners and finalists were selected from votes cast by guests, travel industry delegates, tour operators or independent travel consultants.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> News> National / by The Hindu Bureau / Hyderabad – November 12th, 2013

JWT Hyderabad gets new head

Business & Economy, Uncategorized, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

After a long and successful career, Santha John Managing Director of JWT Mindset, Hyderabad will be passing the leadership position to Ram Gedela.

From January 1, she will be assuming an advisory role as Chairman Emeritus, said Colvyn Harris, CEO South Asia of JWT.

In a statement he said, “In recognition of her contribution in bringing JWT Mindset to the forefront and making it a leading advertising agency in the South of India, Santha will continue her association with JWT in an advisory role.”

An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Santha John established Mindset Advertising Private Ltd along with Ram Gedela in 1998. It grew into one of the most awarded agencies with a roster of blue-chip clients, across Hyderabad’s key sectors. In 2011, JWT acquired a majority stake in Mindset Advertising and the agency was rechristened as JWT Mindset.

JWT Mindset consists of a team of 47 people and offers a full-service range of creative services, strategic planning and execution in digital, print and television. Its major clients include Airtel (AP& Kerala), ADP, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Coromandel International Ltd, Dr. Reddy’s Labs, Food Fats & Fertilizers Ltd, Gati Ltd, HIL Ltd, HSBC, Oakridge Group, PHI Seeds, Videocon and LOT Mobiles amongst others.

source: htttp://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Business / The Hindu Bureau  somasekhar.m@thehindu.co.in / Hyderabad – November 13th, 2013