Monthly Archives: September 2018
Telugu Bible turns 200
It was translated in Vizag and West Bengal
On September 30, based on a resolution adopted by the United Nations, the world celebrates the International Translation Day (ITD). It is observed in honour of fifth century St. Jerome, a priest from northeastern Italy, who was the first to translate the Bible (New Testament) into Latin from Greek manuscripts. He also translated parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek.
The ITD has a unique connection with Visakhapatnam. The churches in the city will be celebrating this year the 200th year of the translation of Bible from original Greek to Telugu.
First attempt
The first attempt to translate the Bible (New Testament) was made by one Rev. Benjamin Schulz (1689-1760) some time in the mid-1760s, and the manuscripts were sent to Germany for printing, but it was not printed and the manuscripts were lost.
The second serious attempt was made simultaneously at Vizagapatam (as Visakhapatnam was then called) and Serampore, then unified Bengal, some time around 1805-1806.
Telugu Pandit’s role
In Serampore, the project of translation was led by Rev. William Carey of the Baptist Missionary Society. In Visakhapatnam, young Christian missionaries of London Missionary Society Rev. Augustus De Granges and Rev. George Cran took up the work of translating the Bible from original Greek to Telugu. The missionaries in Vizagapatnam were assisted by a local Telugu Pandit Anandarayar.
The untimely death of both Granges (1809) and Cran (1810), however, did not deter Anandarayar from pursuing the work of translation under the guidance of Rev. John Gordon and Rev. Edward Pritchett, said V. Edward Paul of INTACH.
“The first three gospels out of four translated in Vizagapatam were sent to Rev. Carey in Serampore and the translation work continued simultaneously at Serampore and Visakhapatnam. The full extent of translation was completed with the fourth gospel, letter and acts and sent to then Madras Presidency for expert opinion of Rev. Thompson and Mr. Campbell, a reputed Telugu scholar in the Presidency. It was certified and then printed in 1818, and that makes the translation 200 years old, as of today,” said Mr. Edward Paul. The Bible that was printed in 1818 in Madras Presidency is today considered the authentic Bible and has undergone several revisions.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Sumit Bhattacharjee / Visakhapatnam – September 28th, 2018
‘Register for GI to tap global market for Bandar Laddu’
Authorities offer support to manufacturers
Authorities of the Geographical Indications Registry on Tuesday offered necessary support to Bandar laddu manufacturers to register as Geographical Indication Tag Users. Bandar laddu was registered in the GIR under the food category in 2017, geographically confining its production to Machilipatnam town.
On Tuesday, GIR, Chennai, and Brundavanapura Bandar Laddu Manufacturers Welfare Association organised a workshop, creating awareness on the benefits of GI tag and creating a brand across the globe.
Former Additional Chief Secretary Gonela Rajendra Prasad opined that the GI tag would help to tap the national and international markets for Bandar laddu if the eligible manufacturers registered their units as ‘GI users’.
Historical evidence
Mr. Prasad was one of the key sources who strived for the GI tag for the Bandar laddu. Deputy Registrar of Geographical Indications Registry Chinnaraja G. Naidu explained the benefits and legal procedures in protecting Bandar laddu from getting copied by any other manufacturers outside Machilipatnam.
The GI tag is given based on the historical evidence that establishes the food variety’s association with Machilipatnam and technical procedure in preparation of the Bandar laddu.
Bandar Laddu GI authorised User and association president Gowra Venkateswara Rao shared his experiences of his journey in getting the laddu registered by the GIR. Machilipatnam-based Historian Mohammad Silar, G.J.D. Pavan, Patent, Trademark and GI Agent S. Ravi spoke.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Machilipatnam – September 26th, 2018
Skydive, paraglide and scuba-dive in Visakhapatnam for an adrenaline fix
Tourists visiting Visakhapatnam will soon get to admire the coastline from various angles. A series of tourism initiatives will offer different experiences to travellers and locals. Paragliding will start at the city’s iconic hilltop, Kailasagiri, giving adventure lovers a chance to glide over the cityscape and the Bay of Bengal.
On the occasion of World Tourism Day today, a demo will be held by the team at Livein Adventures. “We have three sets of tandem paragliders and six solo paragliders. The activity depends on the wind pattern. Participants will be in the air for about 15 minutes,” says Balaram Naidu of Livein Adventures. A tandem ride lets one enjoy the thrill of paragliding, without having to learn it. The trial runs by the team which were held earlier this week were a success. “The ideal wind speed is about seven to 13 kilometres per hour,” Balaram adds.
After last season’s find of two shipwrecks during scuba-diving explorations off the coast of Visakhapatnam, a team of three dive masters and one instructor is gearing up to search new areas under the ocean. The fresh explorations will be done along the coast of Yendada, Mangamaripeta, till the sea opposite Kailasagiri. The scuba-diving community across the globe has been excited about the recent discoveries. “On an average, we cater to 30 clients for scuba diving in a day during the season (October to February),” says Balaram. The bookings can be done online on Livein Adventures. A scuba-diving academy is underway at Chintapalli in Vizianagaram district and is expected to be operational by November.
Among other initiatives, a skydiving facility will come up by the Rushikonda coast. The initiative, that was recently announced by Himanshu Shukla, CEO-AP Tourism Authority, is a joint venture between Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) and Rajasthan-based Aero Sports Adventure Club. PTDC will support the adventure club by providing infrastructure. The thrill doesn’t end here. Re-launching of heli-tourism services by Visakhapatnam Metroplitan RegionDevelopment Authority is in the pipeline as well. The Ramakrishna Beach recently got a facelift with 100 coconut trees being planted on the three-kilometre sand stretch. Visakhapatnam district saw a footfall of over two crore tourists last year and the recent initiatives are expected to give a boost to its tourism sector.
Log onto: liveinadventures.com
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home>Life & Style> Travel / by Nivedita Ganguly / September 26th, 2018
Gandhi photo exhibition inaugurated at rly station
Life and ideals of Mahatma have influenced the entire world: Kodela
A photo exhibition of rare photographs of Mahatma Gandhi organised by the Regional Outreach Bureau on the premises of Railway Station here was inaugurated by Assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao on Monday.
The exhibition is being held to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2.
‘Role model’
Inaugurating the exhibition, Dr. Rao said that the life and ideals of Gandhi has influenced the entire world. Gandhi has used the tools of truth and non-violence as he led the freedom movement and has become a role model for leaders like former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela. “Gandhi has dreamt of a clean India and we have taken up renovation of burial grounds, construction of toilets as part of Swachh Bharat,” he said.
Divisional Railway Manager, Guntur, V.G. Bhooma said that the exhibition is being organised in the waiting hall and would be open for public from 10 a.m. Students would be encouraged to see the exhibition. Additional DG of ROB T.V.K. Reddy and exhibition officer Suresh Dharmapuri were present.
Three parts
The exhibition is divided in three parts comprising over 100 rare photographs which feature India’s freedom movement during 1857 to 1947. Some of the vintage photographs include, “The First War of Independence, 1857”, “The Champaran Satyagrah”, “The Non-cooperation Movement”, “The Dandi Yatra” and “The Quit India Movement” etc.
The rare photographs also include Alfred High school at Rajkot, breaking salt laws and frames of Yeravada Jail, Pune, where Gandhi was confined.
A picture frame of Gandhi and Kasturba after their return from South Africa. Nehru with Indira Gandhi and Kamala Nehru, injured protesters being carried away by public, British Soldiers preventing women protesters from carrying Indian Flag during the march, children along with protesters and Gandhi addressing women volunteers are among the other pictures.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Guntur – September 25th, 2018
Winners of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology 2018 announced
Dr Aditi Sen De is the only female winner this year
On the occasion of its foundation day, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has put out the list of recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for 2018.
Every year, several scientists below the age of 45 are selected from various institutions across the country and awarded for their outstanding scientific work in the last five years.
Here is the full list of winners this year in various categories
| Category | Winner | Affiliation |
| Biological Sciences | Dr Ganesh Nagaraju | IISc Bengaluru |
| Dr Thomas Pucadyil | IISER Pune | |
| Chemical Sciences | Dr Rahul Banerjee | IISER Kolkata |
| Dr Swadhin Kumar Mandal | IISER Kolkata | |
| Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences | Dr Madineni Venkat Ratnam | National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Tirupati |
| Dr Parthasarathi Chakraborty | CSIR-NIO, Goa | |
| Engineering Sciences | Dr Amit Agrawal | IIT Bombay |
| Dr Ashwin Anil Gumaste | IIT Bombay | |
| Mathematical Sciences | Dr Amit Kumar | IIT Delhi |
| Dr Nitin Saxena | IIT Kanpur | |
| Medical Sciences | Dr Ganesan Venkatasubramanian | NIMHANS, Bengaluru |
| Physical Sciences | Dr Aditi Sen De | Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad |
| Dr Ambarish Ghosh | IISc Bengaluru |
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech / by The Hindu Net Desk / September 26th, 2018
IIDT to become autonomous soon
State issues G.O. sanctioning ₹97.95 crore; it will be managed by governing council
International Institute of Digital Technologies (IIDT), Tirupati, which will soon have a campus in Visakhapatnam is being converted into an autonomous institute with a deemed university status.
As a first step in this direction, the State Government issued GO Ms. No. 89 on September 20 granting permission to IIDT as a Section 8 company with a three-tier governance structure sanctioning an amount of ₹97.95 crore towards capital and operational expenditure for the next two financial years.
It will be managed by governing council, executive council and an administrative unit de-linking it from AP Electronics and IT Investment Agency (APEITA), an autonomous society under the Department of IT, Electronics and Communications.
‘Campus in Vizag’
“We are in talks with globally reputed universities and centres of excellence for collaborations. IIDT, which has already admitted three batches of students in cyber security and business analytics, will soon have a campus in Visakhapatnam,” J.A. Chowdary, Special Chief Secretary and IT Adviser to Chief Minister, said.
“We are also in the process of introducing new courses in artificial intelligence and machine learning and blockchain and other technologies based on applied mathematics,” he told The Hindu.
Virtual university
The government had earlier declared that IIDT would be made India’s first virtual university to enable Andhra Pradesh to be in the forefront in the next generation digital economy and become the first place of choice for the students, industry and governments.
IIDT has plans to launch more courses in 2019 and achieve an overall intake of 250 students by next year spread across four programmes. It wants to increase the overall intake to 400 students by 2021. IIDT will spend ₹94.06 crore on capital expenditure and ₹3.89 crore on operational expenditure during 2019-20 and 2020-21.
“We are very happy that IIDT is moving in the right direction to emerge as an institute of global repute for offering industry-relevant courses in new age technologies,” AP Innovation Society CEO Winny Patro said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Santosh Patnaik / Visakhapatnam – September 24th, 2018