Category Archives: Records, All

Mission Shakti: Dedication of Hyderabad scientists helped pull off remarkable feat

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The A-SAT interceptor missile hit its target at an altitude of 300 km in a span of 3 minutes.


G Satheesh Reddy, DRDO chief |Express

Hyderabad :

‘Mission Shakti’, as it is rightly being hailed, is a remarkable achievement for the country, and a matter of pride for Hyderabad, as the project was conceived in the city.

Speaking to TNIE, chairman, DRDO and secretary to the Department of Defence R&D G Satheesh Reddy said scientists of Research Centre Imarat (RCI), along with those from Defence Research Development Labs (DRDL) and Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL) — three premier DRDO labs in city — had been working on the project for the last two years. “But in the last six months, our scientists have worked day and night to achieve this on a mission mode,” the distinguished scientist added.

The A-SAT interceptor missile hit its target at an altitude of 300 km in a span of 3 minutes. “With an extremely high degree of accuracy, it can hit targets in the low earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of up to 1,000 km,” Reddy pointed out.

On the obstacles faced, Reddy said, “It was a technological challenge because, primarily, the relative velocity between the missile and target satellite was 10 km per second. It is a hit-to-kill weapon and we have worked very hard to achieve an accuracy of centimetres.” Though the accuracy in centimetres is yet to be calculated, he said it could be around five-to-six cm.

The interceptor missile was a three-stage missile with two solid rocket boosters. Tracking data from range sensors, according to DRDO has confirmed that the mission met all its objectives.“There are no warheads. Accuracy has to be very high. You need to develop a lot of mechanism like ‘divert thrusters’ which gives the manoeuvrability to the vehicle.

The algorithms have to be very precise and accurate for various environments. You need to hit with high accuracy. The BMD(ballistic missile defence) programme technology has been used,” said Reddy.


While India now has joined the elite club of USA, Russia and China, what is next for DRDO? “We have mastered the technology which can give an accuracy of centimetres. We have to plan (future course of action) and work it out,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Rahul V. Pisharody / by Express News Service / March 28th, 2019

TS seeks German support in setting up seed park

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

Telangana emerging as seed bowl of the country with about 400 seed companies based in the State

The Telangana government has requested the officials of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to extend technological support in establishing the seed park at Banda Mylaram in 150 acres.

The request was made to a delegation of the German Federal Ministry including officials of the Indo-German (seed) Cooperation Project visiting the State. Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy, Principal Secretary C. Parthasarathi, Commissioner Rahul Bojja, Director of Marketing G. Lakshmi Bai, and Director of Telangana State Seed and Organic Certification Authority K. Keshavulu had a meeting with the visiting delegation.

A bilateral agreement was also signed by Telangana and German Federal Ministry for the development of seed sector in the State. Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Niranjan Reddy said Telangana was emerging as the seed bowl of the country with about 400 seed companies based in the State and doing a business to the tune of ₹ 5,000 crore with the help of 1.5 lakh skilled labour in seed production.

Giving a powerpoint presentation to the visiting delegation, Mr. Parthasarathi said high quality hybrid seed of paddy, jowar and maize was being produced in the State and even the seed produced in other States was being processed and stored here due to the most conducive conditions. The Indo-German seed project was also extended for three more years recently, he noted.

Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture Michael Stubgen said there was huge scope for food processing sector too in Telangana and they were ready to cooperate in that area too. He invited the Agriculture Minister to visit Germany for studying the agriculture sector there.

Director of TSSOCA Mr. Keshavulu asked the German delegates to attend the International Seed Testing Association congress being organised here in June-July this year. President of National Seed Association of India M. Prabhakar Rao and others participated.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities > Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 26th, 2019

Mountain climber Malavath Poorna scales Cartensz Pyramid in Indonesia

Education, Nature, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Malavath Poorna, the youngest girl to summit Mount Everest when she was just 13 years old, has added another feather in her cap.


Malavath Poorna. (Photo | Twitter@indianeagle)

Hyderabad :

Malavath Poorna, the youngest girl to summit Mount Everest when she was just 13 years old, has added another feather in her cap.  Now at 18, she has scaled another major peak the Cartensz Pyramid which stands at a height of  4884m in Indonesia.

As part of her 7-Summits Challenge, which is about scaling the seven tallest mountains, one in each continent, Poorna has scaled five peaks with her latest addition. Now, Poorna is just two peaks away from achieving her goal.

But scaling Cartensz Pyramid had a different set of challenges when compared to Himalayan and other ice-capped peaks. This peak is located in dense jungles of Indonesia and getting to the base camp is a big challenge. After reaching the base camp, a lot of rock-climbing skills are needed to get to the summit.

In order to train for this climb, the teenager trained at Rock Climbing School, Bhongir, (RCSB), under the guidance of chief instructor Parmesh Kumar Singh.  She trained specifically in the techniques that would be required in not only climbing, but also descending from this peak in Indonesia. After her intense training and preparation for the climb, Poorna left Hyderabad for Indonesia on March 17. 

“It was very windy but I had maintained my composure throughout. I reached the summit in the early hours of March 22. It was a very satisfying climb. My entire team and I had a safe summit and have now descended back to the base camp. We will reach Hyderabad on March 27,” she said over phone. 

Poorna is currently pursuing her under graduation in the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) for Women, in Tadwai, Kamareddy.  RS Praveen Kumar, secretary, TSWREIS, lauding Poorna’s feat said, “We always believed that she has the spark within and no mountain is too high for her. I hope she continues to be successful in her future expeditions,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / March 26th, 2019

IIT-Hyderabad students win Smart India Hackathon-2019

Business & Economy, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

For developing an app on delivering updates on construction progress

A team from Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, has won the Smart India Hackathon-2019 for coming up with a solution to a problem on steel construction.

The team christened SNAAPP comprising six M.Tech students – Siddharth Gupta, Prabhat Kumar Rai, Nisha Akole, Ajay Hase, Prasad Gaikwad and Aman Agarwal – did non-stop coding for 36 hours and delivered the mobile application as part of their proposed solution.

Their problem statement was to develop a mobile application that can manage the hierarchical system of updating construction site progress and generate reports directly via the app to managers and higher authorities.

Speaking on the victory, Abhinav Kumar, the mentor of SNAAPP and assistant professor at Department of Electrical Engineering, said, “SNAAPP delivered an innovative solution to the problem of updates on construction site progress”.

The application is developed for Android mobile phones for now.

Siddharth Gupta, team leader of SNAAPP, said, “Each one of us worked hard for the successful completion of the idea and to deliver the prototype within the time limit. We are planning to work with the Ministry of Human Resource Development for further extension of the project and produce it as a commercial product for construction industries.”

As the application sends updates directly from the authorities who are working on the field, this would reduce the time gap in information-sharing between site engineers and managers.

It would also help in optimising the cost incurred compared to the expected cost.

The application can assign tasks to site engineers and get feedback/alerts from them.

It would help in maintaining the project time-line as it would show details on the project delay.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 22nd, 2019

2,500 paintings and counting

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Swamy, who has also worked as a professional public relations officer in the city says his paintings are thus not mere caricatures of reality.

Hyderabad :

While sunrises, sunsets, butterflies and waterfalls tend to inspire many poets and artists, VV Swamy says the modern electronic communication gadgets inspired him to dedicate a whole set of paintings to it. “I have depicted the essence of electronic communication gadgets in a series of paintings, capturing the technological transformation.

I am happy to mention that I have received a number of prestigious awards for my works over the years including honours from British High Commission, British Council Division and by the Andhra Association and Andhra Educational Society, New Delhi,” he says.

Living in Hyderabad for the last 50 years and son of Late V Venkateswarlu, an eminent artist and sculptor of AP, Swamy says he has painted over 2,500 art works in various media and material on different topics from horses in action to adorable Ganeshas and has held 23 one-man shows besides participating in a number of group shows all over the country. His paintings were also shown at USA, Hong kong, Japan etc. countries.

Swamy, who has also worked as a professional public relations officer in the city says his paintings are thus not mere caricatures of reality. “They are realistic representations of all that surrounds us – be it people, places or events. It is easy for the viewer to identify himself or herself with what one is viewing when one looks at Swamy’s works (both his paintings and writings).

There is something lyrical and passionate about them that appeals to our innate aesthetic sense.” A recipient of Ugadi Puraskar he uploads his photographs in flickr and other online  media.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / March 13th, 2019

Telangana artefacts to travel to NY museum

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

One of the Buddhist relics that might be exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

Phanigiri Buddhist relics may be part of the Met’s 150th anniversary exhibition

Buddhist artefacts and relics from Phanigiri in the Suryapet district are set to travel to New York next year for the 150th anniversary exhibition of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met).

“We are collaborating with the Telangana government to ensure that a small number of major pieces from the excavations at Phanigiri are a part of the exhibition at the Met to mark the museum’s 150th anniversary,” said John Guy, Curator at the Met, who was in the city recently to identify the objects and carry back a wish-list with him.

Some of the artefacts are dated from the 1st Century to 4th century AD.

The excavations at Phanigiri, which began in 1941 and continued till 1944 under the then director of Department of Archaeology Khwaja Mahmud Ahmed, during the Nizam’s reign, unearthed one of the important monastic sites of Buddhism.

Major pieces

The excavations yielded a Mahastupa, a congregation hall, viharas, chaityagruhas and panels with Jataka tales and inscriptions dated from the Satavahana and Ikshvaku dynasties.

Further excavations were carried out, including one in 2015, which unearthed a rare red earthenware pot with a silver container.

“The curator of the New York Met has given us a list of 13 objects, including six from Phanigiri, that they want to showcase for an exhibition on the Buddha. The Central government has to approve it, and if the objects are deemed safe for travel, we will lend them for the event,” said N. R. Visalatchy, Director, Department of Heritage, Telangana.

“The Phanigiri material will be at the very heart of the exhibition, and we feel honoured that Telangana is going to be part of it. This is due to the fact that there have been two major discoveries in recent times — one is Phanigiri and the other is Kandalahalli. We are also in talks with other institutions for contributions to the exhibition,” said Mr. Guy.

The Met exhibition comes five years after it hosted a sumptuous exhibition on the region titled ‘Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy’.

Sharing of artefacts

Interestingly, both the Telangana State Archaeological Museum near the Telangana Assembly, and the Heritage Museum, Gunfoundry, don’t have a single relic from Phanigiri on display.

“We will put them on display once the artefacts that are part of Andhra Pradesh’s share are moved out.

“The artefacts are to be shared in a 60:40 ratio of those acquired after 1956,” said an official at the museum.

According to historians and archaeologists, Phanigiri was part of an ancient pilgrimage and caravan route when Satavahanas, and later Ikshvakus, ruled the region.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Serish Nanisetti / Hyderabad – March 10th, 2019

All-women crew in Air India flights today

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

To mark International Women’s Day

AI525 from Hyderabad to Bhubaneshwar and back would be flown by an all-women crew on March 8 (Friday) operated by Captain Sapna Patel and First Officer Prajakta Chougule with cabin crew Manisha, S.L. Sunita, Prachi and Durge. This is one of the 40 domestic and short-haul flights to be operated by 12 all-women crew across the country to mark the International Women’s Day.

Women cockpit and cabin crew of Air India would operate both wide and narrow body aircraft to all corners of the world and across the nation as a mark of respect for women in India, a press release said.

For most of these flights, technical services would be provided by women aircraft engineers, technicians and flight dispatchers, while women duty managers, counter staff, helpers and doctors would work for most of these flights. “It’s a moment of pride and honour for Air Indians that our women employees are leaving their mark in the aviation sector on a global scale,” said Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani.

Air India would be deploying its B787 Dreamliners and B777s to be operated by women pilots and attended by women cabin crew in the sectors: Delhi- Sydney, Mumbai- London, Delhi-Rome, Delhi- London, Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai, Delhi-Paris, Mumbai-Newark, Mumbai-New York, Delhi-New York, Delhi-Washington, Delhi-Chicago and Delhi-San Francisco, the release added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 08th, 2019

City of Nizams to feature in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network?

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

The UCCN, created in 2004, was aimed at placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of developmental and cooperation plans at local and international levels respectively.


UNESCO official Junhi Han with Prinicipal Secretary Arvind Kumar in Hyderabad on Saturday | Express

Hyderabad :

Apart from the World Heritage Site tag for Golconda Fort and Qutub Shahi Tombs, the State government officials are now trying to get Hyderabad into UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Express learnt that the same was discussed when Junhi Han, the Chief of Culture Department and Programme Specialist at the UNESCO visited the State and met the MAUD Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar, Director of Heritage Telangana NR Visalatchy and others Friday. 

An official present in the meeting said, “We felt that the outcome of the meeting was very positive. As of now Chennai is in the Network for its music, Jaipur for literature. We want Hyderabad to be in it on the basis of its heritage and other corresponding features.” 

The UCCN, created in 2004, was aimed at placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of developmental and cooperation plans at local and international levels respectively. Needless to say, if Hyderabad figures in the list, which already comprises Chennai and Jaipur from India, it would bolster its creative industry. The Network covers seven creative fields — crafts and folk arts, media arts, film, design, gastronomy, literature and music.

Experts opined if Hyderabad were to be in the Network it could be on the filed of crafts and folk arts, which would include its age-old bidriware craftworks or kalamkari, which is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile. Apart from that discussions were also held on World Heritage Site tag, which figured in Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar’s tweet.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Aihik Sur / Express News Service / March 10th, 2019

When courage is your middle name

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

Women Blue Colts team ready to roll at Karimnagar Commissionerate of Police on Friday

Karimnagar becomes the only district in TS to have all-women patrolling and QRT teams

District Judge Anupama Chakravarthy, Collector Sarfaraz Ahmad, Commissioner of Police V.B. Kamalasan Reddy and others flagged off all-women patrolling teams at Police Parade Grounds to mark International Women’s Day here on Friday.

With this, the Karimnagar Commissionerate of Police gained the distinction of being the only district in Telangana to have women personnel in all its teams – women commandos, patrolling teams, Blue Colts teams and women quick reaction team (QRT) on par with their male counterparts.

The women police personnel have been trained in driving cars and mini-buses to carry women QRT to a crime scene. About 43 women constables, who were trained in Israeli self-defence technology of Krav Maga for a month, have been deployed in QRT and mobile patrolling teams.

Women would patrol the streets of Karimnagar in two shifts, while women Blue Colts teams would tour the town and visit places where there is high incidence of crime.

On Friday, the women QRT was pressed into service and they conducted surprise inspection of the RTC bus complex.

Appreciating the women police personnel for their courage in joining the forces, Ms. Chakravarthy called upon all women to be strong both physically and mentally.

The Collector lauded the Karimnagar Commissionerate of Police for according top priority to women’s safety in the district.

Mr. Ahmad also appreciated the district police for making women police as commandos by imparting special training to them.

The Commissioner of Police said there should be a change in the attitude of the society towards women. Stating that they would excel in all fields if given an opportunity, Mr. Kamalasan Reddy said they identified talent in the women police force and imparted commando training to them to tackle any situation.

He said the women police force in the district would be discharging all duties on par with their male counterparts. The Commissioner said that the constitution of SHE Teams had reduced crimes against women in the district.

Assistant Collector Pravinya, ACP Usha Rani, and other women officers took part in International Women’s Day celebrations.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Karimnagar – March 08th, 2019

Decades of dedication

Education, Leaders, Records, All

In 1996, Holy Mary Group established the first MCA college in South India at Jubilee Hills which was later moved to SR Nagar.

Hyderabad :

Holy Mary Group of Institutions Secretary Dr Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy speaks on her journey thus far in the field of education, the laurels won, and her message for youthIt takes a long hard road to make it to the top. Through ups and downs, Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy, the Secretary of Holy Mary Group of Institutions, shines bright. “Along with my husband Arimanda Vara Prasad Reddy, I had set up Nalanda Vidyalaya High School way back in 1985, after a lot of struggle,” she says. The school went on to achieve successive state ranks, Pratibha Awards and many other recognitions.

Her interest in teaching began from her schooling days. Her educational qualifications look impressive – PhD in management studies from JNTU Hyderabad, BA, MA from Osmania University, BEd from Andhra University, MEd from Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), MS (Psychology) from University of Madras, MS (Counselling and Psychotherapy) from Kuvempu University, MPhil (Psychology) from SVU, MBA from IIM Bangalore, certifications from Dale Carnegie.

Training – the list goes on. 
What was the reason behind her obtaining so many degrees? “I am passionate about teaching and learning. And I am a hands-on person who believes in mingling with students to know them better. In order to know what is being taught to MBA students, I enrolled for the course. Similarly, to interact with students and understand their feelings, I did Psychology courses,” she says matter-of-factly. She also adds, “I always update myself  with new ideas and technology.  The basic nature of mine is continuous learning and as a result I am updated.  I try to introduce the same to my students.”

In 1996, Holy Mary Group established the first MCA college in South India at Jubilee Hills which was later moved to SR Nagar. They now offering MBA courses too. The group established engineering colleges in Hyderabad and Guntur in the year 2000. In 2011, Dr Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy took part in a ‘Women in Leadership’ in-house programme at IIM Bangalore. She was one among 26 aspirants across the country and the only one from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

“It was a wonderful experience interacting with industry leaders like ICICI MD Chanda Kochhar, politicians such as former Delhi CM Sheila Dixit, MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and others. The course focussed on the nitty-gritty of politics. As part of the coursework, we went to Singapore to study how their leaders function, how Parliament proceedings happen, etc. It was a hectic but rewarding experience, during which I had learned a lot,” she reminisces. 

She is the only woman from India to take part in a UN conference on ‘Global Problems and Local Solutions’ organised by Geneva Institute for Leadership and Public Policy in 2013. And she represented India at the ‘WEConnect International Day’, a business-oriented meet held in Philadelphia, US in 2014.


“I joined Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE) as a member, and was elected unanimously as its Chairperson in 2014. I helped organise various empowerment sessions to women and contributed to their growth,” she adds.

How about the support given by her family? “My husband supported me a lot. In the late 90s, he left his Central government job at MIDHANI to assist me. He gave constructive criticism, which helped me grow. Without his feedback, I would not be here today,” she says humbly.

A Dale Carnegie certified Train the Trainer, Dr Arimanda Vijaya Sarada Reddy takes sessions on soft skills such as goal setting, time management, positive attitude, among others. Over her decades-long career, she has  helped thousands of students achieve their potential. As part of official engagements, she has toured many countries in Asia, Europe, Middle East, etc.

Within the country, she organised skill development and entrepreneurship programmes for women, distributed uniforms and notebooks to schoolchildren, held stress management workshops for Police personnel and many other sessionsAny words of wisdom for youth? “Keep a goal for each year and try to achieve it in the same year. If I face problems in this process I will try to sort things out but will never turn back. So I say only two things – be goal-oriented and try to be a continuous learner,” she says with a smile.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / March 08th, 2019