The Buddhavanaman is first of its kind in the country with thematic segments depicting the major events in the life of Buddha.
The Buddhavanaman is first of its kind in the country with thematic segments depicting the major events in the life of Buddha and stories of his previous births. (Representational image)
Hyderabad:
Sriparvatarama or Buddhavanam, the prestigious Buddhist heritage theme park, is getting ready at Nagarjunasagar. The Buddhavanaman is first of its kind in the country with thematic segments depicting the major events in the life of Buddha and stories of his previous births. An Amaravati-style replica of Mahastupa with sculptural embellishments will be the main attraction at the park. “Nearly 75 per cent of the project is completed. It’s one of its kind in the country and has replicas of all Buddhist stupas. The state government has sanctioned `25 crore for the project,” said Mr Mallepally Laxmaiah, special officer, Buddhavanam Project.
The Telangana Tourism Develo-pment Corporation is developing Buddhavanam with financial assistance from the Centre for domestic and foreign tourists, especially tourists and pilgrims from Southeast Asian countries. The corporation acquired 274 acres on the left bank of the Krishna for the project. It has been divided into eight segments with an imposing entrance plaza.
The eight segments are 1. Buddha Charitavanam 2. Bodhisattva (Jataka Park) 3 Dhyanavanam (meditation park), 4. Stupa park 5. Acharya Nagarjuna International Centre for Higher Buddhist learning 6. Krishna valley 7 Buddhism in Telugu States especially important stupas, sculptures, statues of philosophers and others in Telangana 8. Mahastupa which symbolically represent the Astangamarga propounded by Buddha, a replica of Amravati stupa.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / February 14th, 2017
The American Medical Association Political Action Committee (AMPAC), a bipartisan political action committee based in Washington D.C., has elected Hyderabad-born Vidya Kora, a general internist from Michigan, as its chair at its recent meeting.
Dr. Kora had studied at the Gandhi Medical College here. He currently serves as Indiana’s delegate to the American Medical Association.
Dr. Kora has been active in organised medicine for many years and he is the past president of the Indiana State Medical Association.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / by V. Geetanath / Hyderabad – February 13th, 2017
No Smoke: The first ebus received by the Telangana RTC in Hyderabad on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal
The next time you feel a juggernaut whiz past with nary a ‘whish’, you will feel a tingle of excitement running down your spine. That will be the sleek and silent, low-slung beauty, an ebus made by BYD Auto Industry of China.
On Wednesday, Goldstone Infratech, which is said to be the Indian distributor for the Chinese ebus-maker, offered the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) one of these, the BYD K series, a battery-operated bus with 324 KW of power.
When contacted, Executive Director for TSRTC’s Greater Hyderabad Zone A. Purushotham said they planned to run this environmental-friendly, pollution-free bus on the Jubilee Bus Station-Shamshabad airport route as a pilot project for a few days to check its efficacy.
The service is to be launched within a day or two, most likely by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
The 12-metre-long bus is a 31-seater and is low-slung with a ground clearance of 360 mm. It can run for slightly more than 180 km on a single charge over a seven-hour duration and has a charging time ranging between two and a half to three hours for the next shift. It can accelerate from 0 to 50 KMPH in about 20 seconds, powered silently by electric motors in the wheel hubs and can achieve top speed of over 96 km an hour. Enquiries about the details like power and the like with engineers revealed that the 324 KW of output was almost equivalent to the 295 horsepower that the luxury buses like the Volvo produce. “From what I have seen, it is almost like our Garuda (Volvo) buses,” said a senior engineer.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Suresh Krishnamoorthy / Hyderabad – February 10th, 2017
Archaeologists examine a dolmen at Dameravai in Tadwai mandal of Jaishankar Bhupalapally district.
Hyderabad:
Chamber tombs recently unearthed in the forest hillocks of Jaishankar-Bhupalapally and Bhadradri-Kothagudem district along the Godavari from Tadwai to Bhadrachalam, throw new light on burial practices.
“Chamber tombs are secondary burial chambers. After death, when the flesh is gone, the skeleton and its remains are buried in chamber tombs. They date back to 1000 BC and 2nd century AD,” said Mr S.S. Rangacharyulu, archaeology consultant and former deputy director of the archaeology and museums department. Mr Rangacharyulu studied some of the chamber tombs in detail, backed by department director N.R. Visalatchy.
After rock art, megalithic burials are the most important monuments in Telangana state and are found in hundreds of villages. Chamber tombs are built on hillocks and also referred to as cromlechs and dolmens.
They are constructed with dressed slabs and look like a chamber with four or more orthostats — slabs on three sides with an opening on one side and a huge rectangular capstone. Capstones are quite heavy, some of them are 4 metres by 4 metres and 40 to 50-cm thick. The entrance to most dolmens is at the centre.
“It seems that most were family burials. There is a facility for re-use. There are one ore more stone sarcophagi inside the structure. Since these are built with stones, mostly above the ground level on hillocks, they are known as chamber tombs,” Mr Rangacharyulu said.
Among chamber tombs, one in Galaba (Galaba-gutta) and Kachanapalle (Peddhaparupugutta) in this district are rare and were not studied.
“We found graffiti marks, cruciforms and anthropomorphic figures. There are more than 300 chamber tombs on this hillock. The site is important since cruciforms depicting male and female breasts, anthropomorphic figures are lying in front of the chamber tombs. These figures, which are lying in front of the chamber tombs, indicate that originally they were in a standing position,” he said.
“Inside some chambers, stone sarcophagi are located with graffiti marks such as arrow and trident marks like ‘ma’ in Brahmi script of 2nd century BC. In one chamber tomb, six sarcophagi were found which indicates that it was a family burial,” he said.
In Kachanapalle, hundreds of chamber tombs are scattered 8 km from the village on the hillocks locally known as Peddhaparupugutta and Nandigutta. Almost all the burials consist of stone sarcophagi and were provided with lids.
“The erection of huge chamber tombs with dressed stones and carvings of sculptures representing the human form indicate that the megalithic community were culturally advanced and they had sophisticated metal implements and knowledge of geometry to cut huge stones to the required sizes,” said Mr Rangacharyulu. In Aihole and Mottur in north Karnataka, cruciforms were also found, but they were small and crude.
Not linked to Christianity
Archaeologist D.H. Gordon in his book “Prehistoric background of Indian Culture” says scholar J. Mulheran had found crosses (cruciforms) close to the stone burial cysts at Katapur and Mallur villages in Warangal. He ascribed these crosses to Christianity and said that they are not later than 7th Century AD, as pre- or non-Christian crosses were symbols unknown in India.
There was also the view that the megalithic builders were from the Mediterranean region and Western Europe and the custom of erecting cruciforms or anthropomorphic figures might have come with them before the 1st and 2nd century BC. As no other artefacts was reported from these burials, historians say it is very difficult to prove this theory.
Erection of cruciforms and anthropomorphic figures carved with and without breasts, differentiating male and female figures, clearly indicates the original intention of the carver to depict human representation. Historians assert these chamber tombs have nothing to do with the Christianity.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by C R Gowri Shanker / January 29th, 2017
Safeguarding heritage value: The tomb of the first British resident to be buried in the cemetery behind Residency Building, lies neglected. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
One of the major challenges will be to bring the ground to its original level, as more than one feet of debris has accumulated over the years, says an architect
On October 22, 1807, Francis Sydenham, the then British resident, was buried in the cemetery yards away from the Residency Building on Koti Women’s College premises. Years later, two more residents and another 39 Britishers living in Hyderabad were laid to rest at the same place, adding to the city’s history.
Largely forgotten, the cemetery is a case of neglect leading to some of the tombstones having been damaged over the years. For instance, the grave of Sydenham is built on a pavilion, which now has damaged columns. Similar is the fate of other graves, including that of the second British resident George Busby. The head of his grave’s tombstone lay broken there, while some others have collapsed.
However, there is a good news for the cemetery, as it will be restored along with the Residency Building, which is currently under restoration. N.R. Visalatchy, Director of State Department of Archaeology and Museums, said work there will also be taken up in the coming days. “There is a lot of damage there, and as of now, the cleaning has been completed,” she told The Hindu.
Work at the cemetery will jointly be taken up by the State Department of Archaeology and Museums, Osmania University, the World Monument Fund (WMF), Deccan Heritage Foundation and the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia, said Ms. Visalatchy. “We realised that the cemetery is also part of the Residency Building’s history, which will soon go into the second phase of restoration,” she added.
One of the officials working at the site said the graves are built of granite stones, which can be found in other cemeteries of Britishers who were buried in different cities in India. Among the graves is also that of Arthur Austin Roberts, the third and last British resident who lived in Hyderabad back then. He was buried on May 10, 1968, just two months after he came to Hyderabad, according to the inscription on his tombstone.
One of the major challenges in restoring the cemetery will be to first bring the ground to its original level, as more than one feet of debris has accumulated over the years, said an architect who is working on the restoration of the Residency Building.
He added that the overgrown vegetation has also impacted the structural stability of the place, which had a garden when it was first built.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Yunus L. Lasania / Hyderabad – January 04th, 2017
A lathi and a crowd is something that goes hand in hand in a police officer’s life. However, for S Manohar Rao, who goes by the name ‘Stick Manohar’, a crowd of 1,500 schoolchildren and a magic wand in hand was the last step before making it into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The 55-year-old is an Assistant Commisioner of Police (ACP) attached to the Central Crime Station, Detective Department, of Hyderabad Police. Friday was a day where he successfully attempted a “Largest Magic Lesson” when he taught four different magic lessons to a crowd of 1500 schoolchildren in 85 minutes at Majestic Garden Function Hall here to create Guinness world record.
During his performance, Rao efficiently communicated his skills to the children whose eyes were glued to his hand movements. He showed them, first, how to flip a band on their fingers on one hand to make it automatically fall on exactly the same fingers on the other hand. The second trick taught them how to fold a paper with a tricoloured paper hidden inside it quickly and turn it into Indian flag of the exact size of the paper.
Next in the row, was a common trick performed with four ropes of equal size in which, with the skill of the hand, you can make trick the audience into believing that you have been changing the size of the ropes constantly.
The last one was a magic performed balancing playing cards. He performed the feat in front of Squadron leader Jayasimha, BNS Kumar, V Janardhanam, counselling psychologist and others.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / December 17th, 2016
Hanumantha Rao | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Veteran journalist and author V. Hanumanta Rao, 91, passed away at his residence in Nagarjunanagar, Ameerpet, here on Tuesday.
Popularly known as DNF, for running a news agency, Data News Features (DNF), Hanumanta Rao was associated with the field of journalism for over 65 years. He worked for several media organisations, including Krishna Patrika, Eenadu, The Economic Times, Visalandhra, Prajasakti and others. He managed the agency for over three decades.
The Telangana Union of Working Journalists (TUWJ) and journalist bodies expressed grief and extended condolences to the bereaved family members.
Telanagana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, TDP general secretary N. Lokesh, CPI State secretary Chada Venkat Reddy, Unity Centre of Communist Revolutionaries of India (Marxist-Leninist) State secretary Vinod, and others condoled Hanumanta Rao.
On behalf of Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao, Chief Public Relations Officer V. Jwala Narasimha Rao visited the residence of the departed journalist and placed a wreath on the body.
Hanumanta Rao also trained scores of journalists and he was one of the most respected figures in the journalistic and political circles. His year books, published by DNF, were also very popular.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / December 14th, 2016
Sindhu registered a hard-fought 21-11, 17-21, 21-11 victory
This is Sindhu’s first title post Olympics held in August this year
Sindhu reached her maiden Super Series final at the Denmark Open last year
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Fuzhou:
Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu clinched her maiden Super Series Premier title after edging out Sun Yu of China in the final of the $700,000 China Open badminton tournament on Sunday.
Sindhu, who became the toast of the country after becoming the first Indian women to win a silver at Rio Games, continued her rampaging run as she lifted the prestigious title after beating Sun 21-11, 17-21, 21-11 in the summit clash that lasted an hour and nine minutes.
World No. 11 Sindhu had come into the match with a 2-3 head-to-head record but then statistics counted little when she took the court at the Haixia Olympic Sports Center.
Sindhu dished out a dominating game as she zoomed to a healthy 11-5 lead early on. The Indian looked sharp and athletic as she engaged in a fast-paced game to bamboozle her opponent.
Eventually it was a cross court return which earned Sindhu a massive 12 game points at 20-8. A couple of smashes on Sindhu’s forehand and backhand and a drop going to the net helped Sun save three points. But Sindhu sealed the opening encounter after dominating a parallel game and finishing it with a return that hit Sun’s face.
In the second game, Sindhu had a slender 6-3 lead which she extended to 11-7 and 14-10. But Sun soon broke the rhythm by mixing her strokes and coming up with steep and powerful body smashes to catch up with the Indian at 14-14.
A sharp smash and a superb return on Sindhu’s backhand helped Sun grab a 18-16 lead which became 19-16 after the Indian lost a video referral. At 20-16, Sun hit the nets but she roared back into contest when Sindhu’s stretched low return at the forecourt could not cross the net.
Back to her winning side of the court, Sindhu once again started with new exuberance as the duo locked themselves in a battle of supremacy. As a result service changed hands too quickly as they moved together till 6-6.
But Sindhu moved ahead with a couple of powerpacked returns which Sun failed to negotiate. The Chinese also faltered with a lift and also hit wide as Sindhu reached 10-6. A few errors helped Sun make it 8-10 before Sindhu entered the interval with a 11-8 advantage.
Sindhu continued to extend her lead even as Sun tried to vary the pace of the rallies but her errors continued to pile up as the Indian was soon 19-11 up. Sindhu then grabbed the match point when Sun let go of the shuttle as it kissed the back line and then the Indian pushed the shuttle at the back, leaving the Chinese stranded before letting out a joyous scream.
Saina Nehwal had clinched the China Open in 2014 before finishing runners-up last year.
Sindhu had reached her maiden Super Series final at the Denmark Open last year but the title eluded her then as she lost in straight games to 2012 Olympic champion China’s Li Xuerei.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Sports> Badminton / PTI / November 20th, 2016
It was yet another feather in the cap for city-based Sports Coaching Foundation when Peace and Sports committee of Monaco city named the non-profit organisation, being run in coordination with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, one of the top three sports organisation to be eligible for the 2016 top NGO award.
SCF general secretary and former Ranji trophy cricketer K. Sai Baba, who established the centre 25 years ago, was also the recipient of the prestigious Rashtriya Khel Prothasan award by the President of India last year.
Earlier recognition
This apart, the organisation was named the ‘Best NGO’ by the Rockfeller Foundation and the Jindal Foundation recently.
“It is a huge honour for me and the entire team of SCF, which has been working tirelessly to promote sports, especially among under-privileged children,” Mr. Sai Baba said.
“We are thankful to all the government departments and the entire sports fraternity for helping us in propagating our concept of ‘Build India Through Sports’ aimed at luring more youth into sports.”
The SCF official would be visiting Monte Carlo for the awards function to be held on November 24.
It is a huge honour for me and the entire team of SCF, which has been working tirelessly to promote sports, especially among under-privileged children.
K. Sai Baba,SCF general secretary
SCF named one of top three sports organisation to be eligible for the 2016 top NGO award
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – November 21st, 2016
S. Appoorwa and her partner Kajol Kumari earned the first gold medals for India.
S. Appoorwa
Hyderabad:
Hyderabad player S. Appoorwa and her partner Kajol Kumari earned the first gold medals for India in the women’s doubles event of 7th World Carrom Championship being held at Birmingham in England.
The duo defeated their Indian counterparts Parimala Devi and Tuba Shehar in straight games 25-14, 25-16. Later, Appoorwa spearheaded the Indian women’s side to the team championship. The team comprising Appoorwa, Kajol Kumari, Parimala Devi and Tuba Sehar blanked Sri Lanka 3-0 in the final. Appoorwa also secured a notable sixth place, the highest for any women player, in the eight-round Swiss League that is open to all the participants.
However, the men’s team slipped in the final to lose 1-2 to Sri Lanka. India took the top two places in the men’s doubles though. Sandeep and Riyaz beat fellow countrymen Shankara and Prashant More in a closely fought final 13-25, 23-13, 25-12.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> In Other News / Deccan Chronicle / November 11th, 2016
