Category Archives: Records, All

Madhusudanachari to be 1st Speaker of Telangana Assembly

Leaders, Records, All

Hyderabad :

TRS legislator from Bhoopalapalli,S Madhusudanachari, will be named speaker of the Telangana Assembly on Tuesday as all parties, including the Congress, TDP, YSRCP and Left parties unanimously supported his candidature on Monday.

Pro-tem speaker K Jana Reddy will announce Madhusudanachari’s election in the Assembly after two MIM members – Akbaruddin Owaisi (Chandrayanagutta) and Mumtaz Ahmad Khan (Yakutpura), both of whom were not present in the House on Monday – take oath on Tuesday.

Even as the ruling TRS is looking to nominate its Medak legislator Padma Devender Reddy to the deputy speaker’s post, TDP floor leader Erraballi Dayakar Rao told TOI that the opposition parties were demanding the post for one of their members. Sources said the deputy speaker issue will be decided at an all-party meeting convened by chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday.

A student of Kakatiya University, 58-year-old Madhusudanachari is a post-graduate in English literature. He joined active politics in 1982 and was TDP MLA from Bhoopalapalli between 1994 and 1999. He is one of the founder members of the TRS when it was launched in 2001. Contesting on the TRS ticket, he lost to Gandra Venkataramana Reddy of the Congress in 2009. However, he trounced Reddy in the just concluded Assembly polls.

“It is a great honour to be the presiding officer of the first Assembly of Telangana. I will discharge my duties with a sense of balance,” Madhusudanachari told TOI. When he filed his nomination at Assembly secretary Raja Sadaram’s chamber, Madhusudanachari was accompanied by the CM and the leaders of the opposition parties including J Geeta Reddy (Congress), Dayakar Rao (TDP), P Venkateswaraulu (YSRCP), Sunnam Rajaih (CPM), and Devarkonda Ravindra (CPI).

Earlier in the day, governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oath to Jana Reddy as pro-tem speaker at Raj Bhavan at 9.30 am. The first day session of the Assembly was convened at 11 am when 117 of the total 119 members took oath. While most of them took the oath in Telugu in the name of God, some like Geetha Reddy (Congress), Padmvathi Uttam Kumar Reddy (Congress), Rekha Naik (TRS), and Shakeel Ahmed (TRS) preferred to take it in English. All MIM members stuck to Urdu, while Raja Singh (BJP) was the only member to take the oath in Hindi.

The House was adjourned at 1 pm following which the CM convened a meeting with the floor leaders of the opposition parties to arrive at a consensus over Madhusudanachari’s candidature as speaker. Tuesday has been earmarked for the election of the speaker and deputy speaker while the governor is scheduled to address the joint session of the Assembly and Council on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the House will take up the debate on the motion on vote of thanks to the governor when the opposition members are expected to take the government to task over the farm loan waiver scheme.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / June 10th, 2014

Momentous event

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

A special cover on late Qadir Ali Baig and a brilliant monologue by Rashmi Seth marked the 10th anniversary of the Foundation

It was indeed an honour for theatre fraternity when a special postal cover was released on June 3, at Salarjung Museum, in memory of Qader Ali Baig on the occasion of his 30th death anniversary.

launch of postal cover
launch of postal cover

The occasion of the launch of the Special Cover was also to mark ten years of the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation.

Director of Postal Services, Radhika Chakravarthy said, “India Post honours famous personalities whose contribution is exemplary and it is a befitting tribute to late Mirza Qadir Ali Baig sahab.”

Acknowledging the unique honour, Mohammad Ali Baig said, “This tribute would provide further inspiration and motivation to us as well as rest of the country’s theatre fraternity.”

Special occasionA scene from the play 'Dhoop Ka Tukda'
Special occasionA scene from the play ‘Dhoop Ka Tukda’

Play by Rashmi Seth

The event was followed by a moving performance by veteran actress Rashmi Seth in the play Dhoop ka Tukda , which had the packed audience follow her in total silence. Seth acted in late Qadir Ali Baig’s several socially-meaningful plays in the 1970s and 80s like Aadhey Adhurey , Burf ki Minaar and has also featured in Mohammad Ali Baig’s epic spectacles Resham ki Dor , Taramati , Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada and Savaan-e-Hayat . Her performance was an apt tribute to the doyen.

Dhoop ka Tukda , written by Nirmal Verma, is about a woman, separated from her husband, dwelling on her pathos, memories, the trials and tribulations in her life and her search for hope. Rashmi Seth excelled in the 40-minute monologue, maintaining the walk and body language of an aged, arthritis-afflicted woman who has gone through a lot in life, her tremulous voice modulation bringing out her misery evocatively. Subhash Gupta as the silent man in the park spoke with his expressions, though immersed all the time reading a newspaper. The play was produced by Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation and directed by Rashmi Seth.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / June 06th, 2014

Telangana Teen Youngest Girl to Conquer Mount Everest

Amazing Feats, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports

New Delhi :

A 13-year-old girl from Telangana scaled Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, to become the youngest girl in the world to achieve the feat. She was accompanied by a 17-year-old boy from the same state.

The duo during their departure left from Andhra Pradesh, but returned to the new state of Telangana.

Malavath Poorna, daughter of agricultural labourers from Telangana’s Nizamabad district, is a Class X student in a government-run social welfare school.

“Each step was dangerous… climbing steep rocks, braving cold waves blowing at the speed of 40 km per hour at minus 40 degree temperature, it was tough, but I did not want to be called a coward,” Poorna said. “ It was a great experience. When I reached the top of the mountain, I cried and placed the Indian flag. I prayed and thanked all,” she said.

Sharing her experience, she said when she reached the height of 7,300 metres, she had to return to the base camp at 5,400 meters as the climatic conditions did not permit them to go further. She started on her mission again and was first to reach the top on May 25 at 6 am. “I saw the mighty mountains and morning sunlight all around,” a smiling Poorna said. During her climb, the sight of six dead bodies scared her.

“It was then that I remembered the ten commandments of my school, my parents and my trainers. I got my strength back and the courage to complete my mission,” she said.

When asked about her next mission, she said it was to be an IPS officer. On this mission, along with Poorna, was S Anand Kumar, a Class IX student, the son of a cycle mechanic from the Khammam district. Anand’s mother works as a labourer.

“It was a difficult task and the school had chosen us for the mission as we were selected from a group of a 150 students,” he said. He said that they had been trekking and was being trained for last seven months for the mission. They had been taken to various places like Ladakh and other Himalayan ranges before setting for Mount Everest.

“During the expedition, we were trekking from morning to evening and acclimatization was really difficult. I am really proud as I have climbed the Mount Everest,” he said. The teenagers’ inspiration is IPS officer R S Praveen Kumar, who as secretary of the AP Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society, was the force behind making this happen.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by Sumit Kumar Singh / June 06th, 2014

Model Map of New State of Telangana Released

About Telangana, Records, All
TJAC chairman M Kodandaram, social worker Bhum Rao, senior journalist K Ramachandra Murthy, Centre for Dalit Studies president M Laxmaiah and TNGOs president Deviprasad releasing a model map of Telangana state at a function organised by Telangana Vidyavantula Vedika in Hyderabad on Tuesday. | A RADHAKRISHNA
TJAC chairman M Kodandaram, social worker Bhum Rao, senior journalist K Ramachandra Murthy, Centre for Dalit Studies president M Laxmaiah and TNGOs president Deviprasad releasing a model map of Telangana state at a function organised by Telangana Vidyavantula Vedika in Hyderabad on Tuesday. | A RADHAKRISHNA

Hyderabad : 

Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika released the model of Telangana state map and how it will look on the India map, at the Press Club, Somajiguda, here on Tuesday. The official map will take some time to be released. T

he model map was released by TJAC chairman M Kodandaram, TNGO president Deviprasad Rao, TJAC leader Mallepalle Lakshmaiah and senior journalist Ramachandra Murthy. Speaking on the occasion, Kodandaram said the Telangana map is released to identify the new state in India map and to indicate its geographical boundaries with neighbouring states. He said Telangana state lies at the centre of India and will act as a transit zone for states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in respect of trade and commerce.

Telangana, by its geographical location, has all the possibilities to emerge as a textile hub, he said and emphasised the need for improving road infrastructure for enabling better transportation links with other states. “Road infrastructure in Warangal, Karimnagar and Adilabad need to be improved,” he said. Kodandaram said along with Pranahitha project, bridges should be constructed over Godavari river for connecting Telangana with Maharastra and Chhattisgarh in a better manner. “The area between Ramagundam and Kagaznagar should be developed as an industrial belt. The map is also important for creation of new districts and delimitation of constituencies.”

TNGO president Deviprasad said finally the long cherished dream of Telangana people got realised. “Now, the task it rebuilding it and proving wrong the criticism that small states are not viable. When we say development, we don’t mean creating some infrastructure and buildings. Development means improving the living standards of everyone.”

Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika president Mallepalle Lakshmaiah, who published the map said though official version of the map will take time, they wanted to bring out a model of the political map and show the people how our new state looks on the map of India. Senior journalist Ramachandra Murthy and BJP leader Surabhi Bhooma Rao spoke.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com /  The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / June 04th, 2014

Government portals up and running

About Telangana, Business & Economy, Records, All

The two new States have their respective flagship websites and those for govt. utilities, albeit with limited capabilities

The government web portals of newly-formed Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are up and running, albeit with diminished capabilities and features for visitors. The homepage of the much-visited portalwww.aponline.gov.in now has two links that takes users to the respective portals of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The website for Telangana’s government orders (http://goir.telangana.gov.in) is active and has begun uploading the first few government orders that were released by General Administration Department (GAD) immediately after Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao took office.

The homepage of the eseva portal (www.esevaonline.com) now has two separate links with maps of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, the homepage of the APCPDCL website (www.apcentralpower.com) provides a link to Southern Power Distribution Company of TG (www.tgsouthernpower.com).

The website for Telangana on APOnline (http://aponline.gov.in/tgportal/index.aspx) retains the same features that existed in the earlier website, including sections like citizen login, RTI Act, Government Orders, etc. However, these features are yet to be activated and upgraded with fresh information.

In addition to APonline, an entirely new website of Telangana (www.telangana.gov.in) has also been launched, although with limited capabilities. Several sections in this portal including government departments and services are yet to be fully completed, upgraded and activated. Some of the sections in the website like ‘key contacts’ takes the user to the already existing links on APOnline that has old information.

It is yet unclear whether the new portal www.telangana.gov.in and the Telangana portal on APOnline will function simultaneously because a lot of services, sections and links in both these websites are same.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by M. Sai Gopal / Hyderabad – June 02nd, 2014

President’s Rule Revoked in New State

About Telangana, Records, All

Hyderabad : 

President’s rule was revoked in Telangana, but it will continue till June 7 in Andhra Pradesh State.

The President’s proclamation to this effect, issued on Sunday, was republished by the Telangana government. Telangana Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma issued orders to this effect.

President’s rule was imposed in the combined Andhra Pradesh state on April 28. As the elected government took charge on Monday, the President’s rule was revoked in the 10 districts of Telangana.

The elected government will assume office on June 8 for the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Till then, the President’s rule will continue there. AN Roy and Salauddin Ahmed, advisers to Governor ESL Narasimhan, will continue for 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh till June 7.

source:  http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / June 03rd, 2014

Telangana: A brush with history

About Telangana, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
it’s a celebration: Festivals such as Bonalu and Bathukamma are a big part of the Telangana identity. Puli Vesham, Dappu Nrityam and Veera Natyam are appreciated for their “aesthetic significance”
it’s a celebration: Festivals such as Bonalu and Bathukamma are a big part of the Telangana identity. Puli Vesham, Dappu Nrityam and Veera Natyam are appreciated for their “aesthetic significance”

The logo of Telangana by Laxman Aelay has become a “must like” for the artists from the region. And this is perhaps the dawn of the new identity for Telangana. Now, with the formation of the new state, it is only natural that a lot of effort will be put into restoring and re-asserting  lost identities.

The Telangana Logo Designed by Laxman Aelay
The Telangana Logo Designed by Laxman Aelay

 

A NEW START

Senior artist Fawad Tamkanat and a group of artists are raring to revamp the museums and public spaces. “There are a lot of paintings of Abdur Rahman Chughtai, which are now worth so much, as the artist has become coveted by global auction houses, and we don’t even display these paintings properly,” he says, citing  an example. These artists also hope to bring in more art into the public sphere starting from government offices.

A work by senior ‘Telangana’ artist Vaikuntam, who rose to prominence as early as the 1980s
A work by senior ‘Telangana’ artist Vaikuntam, who rose to prominence as early as the 1980s

 

A work of Abdur Rahman Chughtai
A work of Abdur Rahman Chughtai

And their need will find backing even in the government as K. Kavitha, the founder of Telangana Jagruthi, an initiative  to uphold the culture of the region, vows to fight for the cause of culture. “After all, the whole movement has been about the reassertion of the cultural identity of the people of this region. I hope the government will realise this, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure that the culture of Telangana is not only restored, but also researched,” she asserts.

FOLK, A WAY OF LIFE

Theatre or performance art has always been a part of Telangana life. But the staging was what was peculiar to the culture. An academic, Linga Srinivas, now pursuing his PhD in folk arts in Telugu University explains, “Every caste had a sub-caste that would be involved in these shows. The performances, included song and dance and are often performed for a community or the village after the day’s work is done. And some were reserved for special occassions”

THE CRADLE The Kakatiya Dynasty and its activities between the 11th and 14th century formed the roots to the Telangana art, culture and architecture. Pandu Ranga Rao of Kakatiya Heritage Trust explains, a “bible for art and culture” came from a head of the elephant army, Janasenapathi, whose book Nrtta Rathnavali, which has been now translated into English. “Even Bathukamma, Sammakka festivals find root here,” he says, adding “People like Janasenapathi also rebelled against the Kakatiyas. The martyrs thus became god-like to the tribes.” While Ramappa temple murals speak volumes, a dance form that came down from the warriors — called Perini Sivatandavam — is still being carried forth by Narataja Ramakrishna and his disciples.
THE CRADLE
The Kakatiya Dynasty and its activities between the 11th and 14th century formed the roots to the Telangana art, culture and architecture. Pandu Ranga Rao of Kakatiya Heritage Trust explains, a “bible for art and culture” came from a head of the elephant army, Janasenapathi, whose book Nrtta Rathnavali, which has been now translated into English. “Even Bathukamma, Sammakka festivals find root here,” he says, adding “People like Janasenapathi also rebelled against the Kakatiyas. The martyrs thus became god-like to the tribes.”
While Ramappa temple murals speak volumes, a dance form that came down from the warriors — called Perini Sivatandavam — is still being carried forth by Narataja Ramakrishna and his disciples.

National Award-winning filmmaker and a noted Telangana cultural figure, B. Narsing Rao explains, how theatre also changed over time to involve the movement. “As a child, I watched people from the shepherd community stage witty theatre. It involved characters bringing up issues, discussing them, while an artiste resolved them. The forms were called Gollu Sudhi, Oggu Kathalu and Gotralu.”

In 1970s, Gollu Sudhi and Oggu Katha mingled and new forms emerged. The ‘Dhoom Dham’ shows were about the struggle and exploitation. “It was around that time that Gaddar came into the picture and a large number of people joined in the movement. People adopted the old sensibilities of theatre and art, but only the content changed,” he says.

Now, it’s all about the future for Rao, “otherwise the struggle won’t make sense”. “A new crop of artists need to be trained for films as well,” he says.

IMMERSIVE ART AND A RICH INFUSION

Telangana has Urdu and Arabic calligraphy
Telangana has Urdu and Arabic calligraphy

Curator and artist Avani Rao  goes on to elucidate how the art was born out of everyday life. “If you notice, most of the big artists that we are proud of today are from Telangana. Art is a huge part of their daily life. The  attitude towards art is very immersive.”

“The content was very simplistic. Women are such a big part of the ‘Telangana’ society, they carry forth the responsibilities and even make decisions. So we see a lot of artists painting women,” she adds.

Meanwhile, talking about the Qutub Shahi and Nizami influences, an octogenarian who has taught three decades at JNTU, Professor Shareef starts, “The city was set up by Quli Qutub Shahi, a great lover and patron of not only art, but also music.” The region has been fortunate to have patrons of art. In fact, even Aurangzeb was an artist who weaved topis and also  made copies of the Quran in calligraphy. He also nurtured the spirit of learning as he invited Persian artists to train the artists here. The region, therefore, has a lot of good miniatures. “The Dakhani miniatures are rich figuratives and sometimes even incorporate literature (poetry). But they can’t be called illustrations, they are inspired by the words,” explains Fawad.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestlye> Offbeat / by Samyuktha K / June 02nd, 2014

T-party today: India’s 29th state Telangana is born

About Telangana, Records, All

Hyderabad : 

Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, who revived the Telangana movement, will be the first chief minister of the state. (TOI photo by Ramoorthy P)
Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, who revived the Telangana movement, will be the first chief minister of the state. (TOI photo by Ramoorthy P)

Today is a new dawn in the history of the Indian Union. For the first time — outside the Hindi- and Bengali-speaking areas — two states speaking the same language have been created. Both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the two successor states to Andhra Pradesh, that come into existence on Monday, swear by Telugu.

This knocks down the basis on which the internal map of the Indian Union was redrawn in the first decade after Independence. With the linguistic basis of states — language being assumed as the indicator of a homogeneous culture — being challenged, there is scope for another exercise to redraw the internal map of India. Whether this will happen or not is a moot point but the question is why did this “Telugu state” break down. And what are the lessons for the future?

(People celebrating the birth of Telangana as India's 29th state near the Charminar in Hyderabad)
(People celebrating the birth of Telangana as India’s 29th state near the Charminar in Hyderabad)

Although there was a demand for a composite Telugu state from before Independence, the Nehru-led government created Andhra Pradesh due to Congress’s political interests. History has thus come full circle. In Andhra state (which was carved out of the Telugu speaking areas of then Madras state in 1953), the Congress was facing a tough electoral contest from the Communists.

So it was decided to merge Andhra with the Telugu speaking areas of the dominion of the deposed Nizam of Hyderabad. This would create a larger entity where the communists could be defeated.

The exercise created a monopoly In the 1977 post-Emergency elections, the Congress was soundly thrashed nationally but won 41 of the 42 seats in AP! The following year, Indira Gandhi romped home to the Lok Sabha from Medak.

The second unstated reason was that the Nehru government, chastened by the experience of the integration of Kashmir, did not want to leave the territories of the Nizam as they were. Therefore, while the Telugu-speaking areas went to Andhra Pradesh, the Marathi and Kannada speaking areas went to Bombay and Mysore provinces.

But the Congress chief ministers did little to promote rural empowerment or land reforms. The only chief minister who tried — Narasimha Rao — faced opposition from vested interests and was axed. Growing rural angst led to Maoism striking deep roots.

The Congress was replaced in 1983 by the Telugu Desam Party, whose founder NT Rama Rao gave a clarion call to “Telugu pride” His son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu became the first chief minister anywhere in India to latch on to economic reforms. Soon capital Hyderabad became swanky with Microsoft and others setting shop. But the countryside was neglected and farmers’ suicides increased. In Telangana region, which had been bearing the burden of the Nizam’s feudal rule earlier, the situation was worse.

(A view of the illuminated gate of the public garden near the assembly on the eve of the Telangana Formation Day celebrations in Hyderabad)
(A view of the illuminated gate of the public garden near the assembly on the eve of the Telangana Formation Day celebrations in Hyderabad)

Soon a separate state movement caught on: the people of Telangana believed that they would be better off as a separate state. Naidu lost power and was replaced by Congressman YS Rajasekhara Reddy in 2004 who started a regime of “free-ships” (free power, fee reimbursements to students, free houses, free medical treatment et al).

These moves taxed the exchequer but translated into heavy electoral gains for Congress, enabling it to form a government in New Delhi in 2009. After the sudden death of YSR, the Congress was in a tizzy even as the separate state movement gathered steam.

Then on the eve of the 2014, to beat the nationwide anti-incumbency and cash in on perceived political gain, Congress bosses passed a bill to divide the state. Unfortunately for the Congress, the move failed to reap it political dividends and it was soundly rejected in both regions.

As K Chandrasekhar Rao of Telangana Rashtra Samiti and N Chandrababu Naidu of the TDP take the reins of office today, they would do well to remember that instead of indulging in gimmckry, the best way to ensure they have a bright future is to provide it to the people of their states — both in rural and urban areas.

The first paragraph of the story has been revised to account for the fact that apart from more than one Hindi-speaking state, India has also two Bengali-speaking states — West Bengal and Tripura.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News India /  by Kingshuk Nag / June 02nd, 2014 /

New state of Telangana is born in southern India

About Telangana, Records, All

India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh has formally split in two, with its northern area carved out to create a new state called Telangana.

The move followed prolonged protests by residents of Telangana, who felt the region had long been neglected.

Telangana, which officially came into existence at midnight local time, becomes the country’s 29th state.

With a population of 35 million, it comprises 10 former districts of Andhra Pradesh and the city of Hyderabad.

K Chandrasekhar Rao, of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi party (TRS), which for 14 years spearheaded the movement for separation and will form the new state’s first government, has been sworn in as the chief minister for Telangana.

Hyderabad, which forms the joint capital of the two states for the next 10 years, was covered with pink balloons, banners and flags to mark Telangana’s statehood, says BBC Hindi’s Zubair Ahmed. Pink is the colour of the TRS.

“The sacrifice of our people and the youth who led the movement has culminated in the formation of a new state. It is a historic day for us,” Krishank, a local student leader, said.

He said providing jobs to thousands of young people should be a top priority of the new government.

But there are also opponents of the division. One, A Ravi, said he was unhappy that his “beloved state had been torn apart”.

“It’s a sad day because we speak the same language and have no distinct identity. Politicians played a dirty role in dividing the state into two,” Mr Ravi, an info-tech professional, told BBC Hindi.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana share the same language of Telugu.

Correspondents say the large state of Andhra Pradesh was deeply divided economically, with people in the less-developed Telangana region feeling largely neglected.

India’s upper house approved a bill to carve out the new state in February, despite opposition from lawmakers in the Congress Party, which governed Andhra Pradesh.

The then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state, Kiran Kumar Reddy, resigned after parliament approved the bill.

Opponents are unhappy that Hyderabad, which is home to many major information technology and pharmaceutical companies, would become a shared state capital.

After 10 years, Andhra Pradesh is expected to develop a new capital.

source: http://www.bbc.  com / BBC News / Home> News India / June 02nd, 2014