Category Archives: Records, All

Srikanth beats Sakai to win Indonesia Open Super Series Premier title

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

___________________________________________________________________
Highlights :

1. Srikanth looked in the zone as he easily downed world no 47 Sakai in straight games 21-11, 21-19

2. The Indonesian Open is Srikanth’s second Super Series Premier title after he won the 2014 China Open Super Series Premier

3. Srikanth had finished runner-up at Singapore Open after losing to compatriot B Sai Praneeth in the summit clash last month
____________________________________________________________________

Jakarta :

Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth clinched his third Super Series title, lifting the Indonesia Open men’s singles trophy with a straight-game victory over Japanese qualifier Kazumasa Sakai in the final on Sunday.

World No.22 Srikanth, who had reached the finals at Singapore Open in April, outclassed Sakai, ranked 47th, 21-11 21-19 in just 37 minutes to take home a cheque of $75,000.

“He was playing well, especially in the second game and I think for me coming back from 6-11 down and make it 13-13 was the turning point,” said Srikanth, who had clinched the 2014 China Super Series Premier and 2015 India Super Series.

“My coach will have a special place in my heart as after he came, I reached the finals at Singapore and to win this tournament, which is considered the biggest tournament. I want to thank all the fans who have been rooting for me all this week,” he added.

Srikanth played a patient game and didn’t allow his opponent to engage in any fast-paced rally. He dictated the pace with his precise angled returns and unleashed his smashes at perfect intervals to down his rival.

Playing in tricky conditions, Srikanth took time to gauge the conditions as his initial returns went wide and out.
But his rival also suffered because of similar unforced errors and the Indian led 6-4 early on. He consolidated his lead to reach 11-8 at the break.

After the interval, Srikanth continued to dominate the proceedings. His net dribbles were better than Sakai and with Sakai struggling with precision, the Indian zoomed to a 19-11 lead and sealed it with two lucky net chord points.

After the change of sides, Sakai was more aggressive in his approach and produced an improved net game to dominate the rallies.

Soon, the Japanese was leading 7-3 as he entered the break with an 11-6 lead with the help of a backhand return near the net

After the interval, Srikanth’s aggressive game gave him the desired results. He turned the tables and caught up with the Japanese at 13-13 with an on-rushing smash at the net.

The duo moved neck and neck after that till 19-19 before Srikanth produced two fantastic smashes to seal the deal.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports> Badminton / PTI / June 18th, 2017

MCEME graduates make cell-controlled lighting system

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology
Appreciating efforts: JNTU Hyderabad Vice Chancellor Venugopal Reddy interacting with students who designed the street lights control system and exhibited at Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering during convocation ceremony in Hyderabad on Thursday. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI

If it were left to young engineers of Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, Country’s street lights would be auto-operated. The 91st graduating batch of the college produced a GSM connected, cell phone-operated lighting system which can be turned on and off based on requirement.

The power-saving circuit built by Noushad M.E., Ashish Kaushik, Sumit Dhanda and Akhil A.R. cost ₹ 57,200. It could be used for both civilian and defence purposes, the innovators said. The model also allows operators to operate just one or two light bulbs in a whole series. “If the operator thinks that just a few light bulbs are enough for lighting any area, they could turn off the rest by texting the details into the circuit,” said Mr. Akhil A.R. The model displayed in MCEME contained a circuit connected to six bulbs.

“The model also detects faulty operations if there are any. If a light bulb goes off, it will alert the operator,” M.E. Noushad told The Hindu. Mr. Sumit Dhanda said the project will be useful in huge military campuses which use power. “If the model is adopted by city development corporations it could cut power costs by one third,” said Mr. Dhanda. The MCEME awarded its annual best project prize to the four officers at its Convocation Ceremony on Thursday.

The MCEME passing out batch had also come up with a simple solution – a microcontroller-based automatic ventilation system – for car interiors which get heated when parked in the open. The ventilator contains a small control unit and a solar-powered exhaust fan which runs on external battery.

The microcontroller which is programmed to check the status of temperature and humidity inside the car every two seconds, triggers the exhaust fan when needed, to clear out the heat,” said an officer Vipin Jaiswal and the team leader. Other members of the project were Mukesh Thakur, M. Hariharan and M.S. Shakhavat.

Military boost

The college displayed a solar rechargeable backpack for troopers among its exhibits. The backpack with solar panels can be used as a tracking devise when soldiers go for long treks in the field, graduates said. “In any dire circumstance if the user presses a button on the backpack it sends a Save Our Souls message to control base. It will help officers to track those who are in danger during combat situation,” said Pankaj Saini who was the syndicate leader of the team which came up with the model. The other members in the team were Harmeet Singh, Sachin Yadav and Sagar.

Speaking at the convocation, A. Venugopal Reddy, Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University asked the graduates to pay attention to new developments in cyber security and be abreast of technological innovations. “Your convocation is not like others’ passing out functions. You leave this institution to serve the motherland,” Mr. Reddy said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Nikhila Henry / Hyderabad – June 16th, 2017

Sai Praneeth: A badminton champion’s rise from Hyderabad to Thailand Open

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
B. Sai Praneeth scored a come-from-behind victory over Jonatan Christie in a close encounter. (FILE PHOTO) | Photo Credit: G.P. Sampath Kumar

Sai Praneeth B on Sunday won the Men’s Singles in the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament, becoming the second Indian to have ever won the coveted trophy. Coached at the Gopichand Badminton Academy under former-badminton-champion-turned-coach, Pullela Gopichand, Sai Praneeth beat Indonasia’s Jonatan Christie 17-21, 21-18, 21-19 to win the title.
________________________________________

PMO India ✔ @PMOIndia

Congratulations to B Sai Praneeth for wining the Thailand Open badminton tournament. India is elated on the accomplishment: PM @narendramodi
6:24 PM – 4 Jun 2017

1,959 1,959 Retweets 9,730 9,730 like

Twitter Ads info and privacy
______________________________________

Currently ranked 24th in the world, the Hyderabad-born 24-year-old is no stranger to records. He kick-started his career by winning the U-10 title. By the time he was 21, he had the U-13, U-16, U-19 titles, a bronze in the world juniors, and a senior national title under his belt.

After a lull, the right-handed shuttler began his senior international career in style this year when he defeated India’s Srikanth Kidambi to win the Singapore Open on April 16, 2017.

It was a historic moment for India as the duo were the first Indian pair to enter the finals of a ranking event in badminton. Srikanth, incidentally, trains at the same academy as Sai Praneeth and had won the Thailand Open in 2013.

Sai Praneeth’s all-time-high ranking of 22 fell two points early this month when he suffered consecutive losses at the India Open and the Malaysia Open. Sunday’s victory could help him level that loss.

____________________________________________________________________
Himanta Biswa Sarma ✔ @himantabiswa
I called & congratulated @saiprneeth92 on bagging Gold at #ThailandGPG. Announced Re 3 lakh prize money. Rise of Indian badminton continues!
7:34 PM – 4 Jun 2017
141 141 Retweets 667 667 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy
____________________________________________________________________

He is looking forward to leaving his mark in the upcoming Indonesian Open and Australian Open in the coming months before his maiden World Championship appearance in August.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by Navmi Krishna / Chennai – June 05th, 2017

Indian dancer performs 7 times at British Parliament

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / PIO's, Records, All, World Opinion
Promoting Indian art: Ragasudha Vinjamuri performing during International Women’s Day at the House of Commons.

London-based Hyderabadi, Ragasudha Vinjamuri has created a new record of presenting Indian classical dance at the Houses of British Parliament seven times.

Ms. Vinjamuri, academic tutor at University of Sunderland, has been performing and promoting classical and folk dances of India, besides her professional engagement with the university education. She moved to Britain 12 years ago.

A known name in the art and culture scene in the U.K., Ms. Vinjamuri presented classical dance on various subjects including Music Therapy, Ayurveda, Ahimsa and women empowerment. Her work is applauded by people from various walks of life, from community leaders to parliamentarians.

Recipient of several accolades, she was recently short listed for the prestigious Asian Women Achievers awards under Art and Culture category. She was trained by her Guru, Uma Rama Rao in Hyderabad, according to a press release.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – May 26th, 2017

Ancient Gond wells yield water all year

Amazing Feats, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All
Perennially full: The kantam well of Kanchanpalli in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district. S. Harpal Singh

In arid Asifabad, a ‘kui’ dug over a century ago still fills the needs of the tribals of Kanchanpalli

The water shortage in what was undivided Adilabad district is of comparatively recent origin, if one looks at the evidence of a few surviving open wells, which are over a century old. It makes it clear that the residents of the area, mainly people of tribal origin, like the Raj Gonds, who live between the Penganga and the Godavari, had a close connect with natural resources.

These wells, known locally as ‘kui,’ yield water through the year, even in high altitude areas. One example is the well called kantam (perennially full), in Kanchanpalli village, in the Lingapur mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district. It serves the needs of 80 families and over 100 heads of cattle. “It never dries up,” says Athram Bheem Rao, the 62-year-old inheritor of the Gond Raja title.

The sides of the rectangular kui are lined with teak logs, and at the top, thinner logs provide a secure place for the person drawing water to stand. A boom at the side, rather like those one would see at a railway crossing, lowers a pot or bucket attached to a rope into the well.

The water drawn is poured into a hollowed-out log, which pipes it into another hollow log. This collection method ensures that any silt that comes up settles at the bottom. After taking the water, the locals leave the lower log full for animals to drink.

The Gond people say that the water level in this well increases whenever there is rainfall in the catchment areas of the Kadem, a stream about 15 kilometres away. This indicates that an underground stream connects the two; the Gonds call this subterranean stream the Satganga.

Only a handful of such kuis still remain functional. One other can be found on the road between Chinna Dhoba and Seetagondi village, Sirpur mandal.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by S Harpal Singh / Adilabad – May 08th, 2017

Adilabad remembers Samala Sadasiva

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

Sahitya Akademi award winner, Sadasiva’s 89th birth anniversary is celebrated on May 11.

Samala Sadasiva.

Adilabad:

Erstwhile Adilabad district, the heartland of Adivasis, has not only produced tribal legend Kumram Bheem, but eminent literary personalities. Kendra Sahitya Akademi award winner Samala Sadasiva, poet Vanamamalai Varadacharyulu of yesteryears, and poet and lyricist Guda Anjaiah are a few to name. Sadasiva’s 89th birth anniversary is celebrated on May 11.

A native of Tenugupalle in Dahegoan mandal of present Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, Sadasiva was a teacher by profession. He was born on May 11 in 1928. He passed away on August 7 in 2012. He had ventured into literature field in 1950 when he was barely 20. Also, he had excelled in music and translation. His work titled ‘Swara Layalu’, on Hindustani music, fetched him Sahitya Akademi award for the year 2011.

Dr Udari Narayana, a senior writer of Adilabad, told ‘Telangana Today’ that Sadasiva was a confluence of both literature and music. The octogenarian had rendered matchless services to the two fields for a period of over 60 years. He had introduced nuances of Marathi, Urdu and Persia for Telugu readers by recreating several classical texts of these languages.

“Sadasiva had meticulously studied both ancient and modern Telugu literature. He had produced extraordinary works in this language. He was an eminent critic, linguist and translator. His book Yaadi, on literature and literary personalities of Telangana, is a reference to writers and poets belonging to this region. He had inspired many to venture into the field of literature,” Narayana remarked.

Importantly, the multi-faceted writer had played a vital role in the inclusion of a lesson on Kumram Bheem in school textbooks in 1972. He was awarded honorary doctorates by Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad and Kakatiya University, Warangal, for his unparallel contributions to Telugu language and literature. He was awarded Prathibha Rajiv Purashkaram by State government in 2005.

Some of creative works of this versatile teacher are Prabhatam (1949), Sambasiva Satakam (1950), Nireekshanam (1952), Viswamitram and Sakhinama, all of which are now collected in an anthology entitled Sadasiva Kavyasudha (2002), novels: Apashriti (1952), historiography — Urdu Sahitya Charitra (1963) and Parsi Kavula Prasakti (1975), biography — Mirza Ghalib (1969), translations: Amjad Rubayeelu (1963), Moulana Rumee Masnavi (1967), Kesava Sut (1970), Hindustani music: Malaya Marutalu (2001), Sangeeta Sikharalu (2006), and memoirs (Yaadi, 2005).

source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home> Telangana> Adilabad / by Padala Santosh / May 10th, 2017

A tribute to Hyderabad braves

Amazing Feats, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, World Opinion
Lastng legacyTeen Murti memorial in New Delhi, The Second Lancers WW-I memorial in the cityVV Krishnan, KVS GiriV_V_Krishnan

A relook at the legacy of the Teen Murti Memorial in Delhi which has a Hyderabad connect

The Teen Murti Memorial in New Delhi is set to be renamed again. What was Imperial Cavalry Brigade Memorial and became Teen Murti Memorial after Independence, is to be renamed Teen Murti Haifa Chowk timed with the first ever visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Israel. The tinkering with the name of a war memorial will not change the glorious memory and the gallantry of Indian soldiers.

Hyderabad House is a well known landmark in New Delhi and is a venue for the reception of foreign dignitaries. The Teen Murti memorial’s link to Hyderabad is less well known. But as the roundabout with three lancers wearing pugrees and khaki shorts grabs the nation’s attention due to yet another renaming row, it is time to remember the legacy of the memorial and its Hyderabad connect.

Just outside the Jamali Kunta darwaza of Golconda in Hyderabad is the area known as Second Lancers. Dotted with low squat houses painted white — some with extensions and some in the same state they were constructed — it has a few houses that still bear the names of the original allotees. While most of the men with Jamadar, Dafadar honorofics are no longer alive, the houses currently occupied by their children and grandchildren still carry their nameplates. These were some of the soldiers who saw action in France and later in Egypt and what was Palestine. The lancers from Hyderabad were the first to sail and were part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade along with lancers drawn from Jodhpur and Mysore princely states. The Teen Murti celebrates the bravery of soldiers from these three princely states.

To call them brave would be an understatement. The great war’s first mechanised weapon was the machine gun that shot out hundreds of bullets in an arc. The lancers from Hyderabad and the other princely states armed with just lances and light weapons were no match for the rat-rat-rat of the machine gun that mowed down anything that moved. But these men stood up, fought and won. One of the most impressive victory was at Haifa on September 23, 1918 and for this the residents of the city still celebrate Haifa Day organised by Indian embassy.

It was not easy to rouse Hyderabad soldiers to fight someone else’s war after crossing the sea. Before the war, the Nizam Osman Ali Khan had to issue a firman informing his soldiers that it is okay for them to fight against fellow Muslims of the Ottoman empire. The port city of Haifa was the key entrepot for the Allied war machine. Years later, the British withdrew from the city leaving the Jews and Arabs to fight it out. The Jews, using a three-pronged attack, captured the city on April 24 in 1948 as the Arabs left their ancient homeland.

Interestingly, while the Teen Murti memorial is in the news, the actual war memorial built for the soldiers who fought for the British in the first World War remains neglected and unseen amidst bushes and brambles in the cantonment area near Second Lancers area in Hyderabad.

Memorable designs

Teen Murti House in New Delhi was designed by Edwin Lutyens, while the Teen Murti Memorial was designed by Leonard Jennings. The one accessible war memorial in Hyderabad, the EME War Memorial in Secunderabad,was designed by Eric Marrett.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metroplus / by Serish Nanisetti / May 08th, 2017

Haimendorf’s hilltop haven in Adilabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion


Pirengan Patar, a plateau in Telangana, keeps alive the memory of a legendary ethnographer.

Every now and then, Atram Bheem Rao, inheritor of the Gond Raja of Kanchanpalli title, remembers Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf and his contributions to improving the lives of the Raj Gond and other Adivasi tribes of the Adilabad region. When he does, he visits a 250-metre high hill near his village, atop which is a small platform made of stones, to pay his respects to the memory of the legendary Austrian ethnographer.

Prof. Haimendorf started his work in India in what is now Nagaland. During World War II, as a citizen of the Third Reich, he was detained by the British in India. He was confined to what was then Hyderabad state, but was later allowed to live among the tribal peoples of present-day Telangana and do fieldwork.

A deep connection

In 1942, Prof. Haimendorf and his wife Betty Barnado, also a noted ethnographer, first came to Kanchanpalli, in Sirpur mandal, seeking help from Mr. Rao’s grandfather — who was also named Bheem Rao — for their work. The local people could not pronounce the Austrian’s name, Mr. Rao says, so they called him ‘Pirengan,’ which is derived from the Hindustani firangi, foreigner.

At the end of the war, the Nizam’s government appointed Prof. Haimendorf Advisor for Tribes and Backward Classes. During his tenure, he set up educational and other schemes for tribal peoples and taught at Osmania University.

The professor and his wife did path-breaking work in the Northeast, and in Nepal, where he was the first foreigner to document indigenous cultures. He also taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Through all this, over forty years, the couple often came back to the Adilabad area to do more research.

“The Haimendorfs avoided this place during summer, but used to come here frequently during winters all through the late 1970s until their death,” Mr. Rao says. “They had an elevated platform made, for them to relax in the winter sun and take in nature’s spread from the hilltop.” From this vantage point, one can see the Godavari flowing in the distance, and the villages in the valley below.

The plateau is known locally as Pirengan Patar, in their honour. Mr. Rao told The Hindu that the platform would have been destroyed had the government gone ahead with its plan to build a wireless repeater station on it in the 1990s. But the fear of Naxalites damaging it had led to a change of plan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by S. Harpal Sigh / Kanchanpalli – May 05th, 2017

Venkaiah, Bandaru give away HMTV Business Excellence Awards

Business & Economy, Records, All
Honouring the achievers: Union Ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu and Bandaru Dattatreya presenting Lifetime Achievement Award to G. Ramachandra Naidu, Chairman of Amara Raja Batteries, in the city on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

NTPC Ramagundam, KIMS Hospital get awards

Recognising the contribution of several business leaders and entrepreneurs, who made their mark in various sectors from the two Telugu States, the Hyderabad Media House Ltd. running HMTV news channel presented Business Excellence Awards- 2017 here on Saturday.

The awards instituted for the first time this year which would become an annual feature hereafter were given away by Union Ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu and Bandaru Dattatreya.

The event saw two distinguished businessmen – J. Rameshwar Rao, prominent builder and infrastructure developer and G. Ramachandra Naidu of Amararaja Group – being honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award.

A seven-member jury comprising Ramesh Loganathan, professor-IIIT, and representatives from CII, FTAPCCI, HYSEA, CREDAI and IT companies went through hundreds of nominations and chose the best nominees in 14 sectors. They also presented special jury awards.

Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said recognising the achievements of businessmen and industrialists and felicitating them was a noble deed as it would serve as an inspiration to several others. The industrialists and businessmen were wealth creators, but in our country they were often viewed with suspicion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended a red carpet welcome to investors who run their business with good values. The government had no business to be in business but focus on providing basic amenities and infrastructure to people and the Vajpayee government had laid that foundation, he said.

The Indian economy was the only one that was growing at a healthy rate, thanks to the dynamism of Prime Minister Modi. Though some people criticised demonetisation, it brought money back into banks with an accountability.

Labour Minister Dattatreya said the government wanted to create a conducive atmosphere for growth of industry and labour for employment generation and poverty alleviation.

NTPC Ramagundam, KIMS hospital, got awards in separate categories. Vaman Rao, Chairman of Kapil Group that set up HMTV, and government officials were present.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – May 06th, 2017

Clearing the rural hurdle to reach the top

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All
Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Ranjeev Acharya, TSREI Secretary Seshe Kumari with the state toppers of Intermediate hailing from residential schools

TSRJC students figure in the top 10

They come from financially and socially poor backgrounds, but their faith in the government residential school system paid rich dividends. And it was no mean achievement figuring in the top 10 ranks in the Intermediate examinations this year, studying in a remote village far away from the hustle and bustle of town life.

Five students from the Telangana State Residential Junior College, Sarvail in Yadadri district, figured in the top 10 in the Intermediate examinations this year, an achievement that went unnoticed in the publicity blitzkrieg of private colleges. However, the government recognised their performance and felicitated them with laptops worth ₹ 45,000 each.

The laptops were presented by Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari at the Secretariat and he said it showcased the power of government institutions and the potential they have in throwing up State rankers. The awardees included Ch. Saicharan, State 2nd ranker in MPC; D. Ahmed Waseem, who got 9th rank, P. Vasantha Reddy and J. Bharathu Kumar, who secured 10th rank and D. Nipun Rai, who was at 4th place in the BiPC stream.

The students met the Prinicpal Secretary, Higher Education, Ranjeev Acharya, who said it was a commendable achievement and lauded the efforts of the teachers who made it possible.

The TSREI Secretary, Seshu Kumari, explained the effort that went into identifying good teachers and providing them with the right atmosphere to excel. “We want to take TSRJC, Sarvail, on par with the erstwhile APRJC, Nagarjunsagar, which was the first option of all State SSC toppers.

The achievers were elated that they were getting recognised on a par with private college students, who generally hog the limelight during the results period. “Commitment from teachers and their focussed guidance coupled with our hardwork is the reason for the success,” they said in unison.

TSRJC Sarvail Principal Surender Reddy said that all these students also secured good marks and ranks in the JEE Main. They would surely clear the JEE Advanced to get into the top IITs, he added. Mr. Reddy said that 14 students from the TSRJC Sarvail, 7 from TSRJC, Hasanparthy and one each from TSRJC L.B. Nagar and Nagaram qualified for the JEE Advanced.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by P. Ravikanth Reddy / Hyderabad – May 04th, 2017