Category Archives: Inspiration / Positive News and Features

Life-changing innovations

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Science & Technology

A quick look and one can easily dismiss them off as regular youngsters until they start showcasing their inventions. If giving life to an idea can be a challenge, then a bunch of ‘social innovators’ from the city have gone a step ahead and created products specifically aimed at helping society.

At the TedxYouth@Hyderabad event held on Sunday, enthusiastic students between 10 and 20 years celebrated spirit of entrepreneurship and design.

Nikhil Malladi and Shahebaz Khan of Glendale School showcasing their invention, Arm of God, at TedxYouth@Hyderabad event held on Sunday.
Nikhil Malladi and Shahebaz Khan of Glendale School showcasing their invention, Arm of God, at TedxYouth@Hyderabad event held on Sunday.

All of 15 years, Shahebaz Khan and M. Nikhil, were inspired by the superhero character, ‘Ironman’ and two months later, they have a promising product that can help the physically-challenged.

Named ‘Arm of God’, the prototype model is made of aluminium and is shaped like an arm. The model, aided by a piston, works on the pressure created by vacuum helping the to and fro movement of the device.

“We created it for a science exhibition and the total cost of building it is not more than Rs 2,000,” said Nikhil, a class X student of Glendale School. “We want to further improve the model by attaching a motor or using light weight carbon fibre material instead of aluminium.”

“It can be used by those whose hands are paralysed or those who are handicapped,” said Shahebaz Khan. “It can also reduce the risk and hard labour of the construction site workers. We want our product to be useful to people.” The youngsters are searching for investors and plan to build even other body parts in a similar way.

An IIIT-H student and software professional explaining his innovation, 3D YA3C.–Photos: Nagara Gopal
An IIIT-H student and software professional explaining his innovation, 3D YA3C.–Photos: Nagara Gopal

A postgraduate from IIIT, Hyderabad, S.P. Mohanty, wants his tech innovation to revolutionise the education field in the country. Developed in August this year, ‘Yet Another 3D Controller’ has been presented at various international fests. With just a phone, Wi-Fi connection and a laptop, different 3D images and models can be explained effectively in classrooms.

A simple demonstration of a 3D image of heart being tilted and turned just by the movement of an iPhone was enough for the participants to watch in surprise.

“It is all about simplifying teaching through interactive media,” said Mr. Mohanty, “There is no cost involved in buying or using this product. Subjects like geometry, biology and structural engineering can be taught better with 3D images. By December, I plan to develop various images and upload it to a website. This will be an open source model and anyone can use it.”

How to tackle the mosquito menace in a cost effective and environment friendly way?

G. Navya, a class X student of Oakridge School and co-organiser of the event, demonstrated the ‘Solar-powered multipurpose mosquito swatter’ to the crowd.

According to her, the product is not only more durable but also more economical.

One of the models on display is Arm of God, the model made of aluminium and shaped like an arm, that can help physically-challenged persons

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Staff Reporter / November 16th, 2015

Babejhari merits its place in history

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Atram Rajubai of Babejhari vaguely remembers Kumram Bheem as a fiery youngster back in the 1940s.– Photo: S. Harpal Singh
Atram Rajubai of Babejhari vaguely remembers Kumram Bheem as a fiery youngster back in the 1940s.– Photo: S. Harpal Singh

The village of Jodeghat may have rightly become synonymous with the struggle for rights on forest land waged by legendary Gond rebel Kumra Bheemu, now famously known as Kumram Bheem, in the late 1930s and in 1940s as he attained martyrdom there. There, however, is another lesser known village of Babejhari located on the same Kerameri highlands in Adilabad district which needs to get its due recognition as it was the centre of Bheem’s activities for almost the entire period of the struggle against the Nizam’s forest and land policy.

The Babejhari and Jodeghat incidents find a mention in the research paper of social anthropologist Urmila Pingle titled ‘C. von. Furer-Haimendorf: Half a century of his imprint on Tribal Welfare in Andhra Pradesh’. Though brief, this is by far the most authentic of the accounts pertaining to Kumram Bheem and his times as Ms. Pingle had been an associate of professor Haimendorf and evidently got to know of the events through him.

According to the researcher, the rebellion of Kumram Bheem was a result of the forest conservancy move of the Nizam’s government which included eviction of human habitations from forests. Kumram Bheem’s was a small rebellion called Babejhari, named after the village in which it occurred, she notes.

Bheem evidently chose to settle at Babejhari for its seclusion after all his lands in his native village in Asifabad went under illegal occupation of non-tribals. It was at this village that he raised the issue of jal, jangal and jameen and untiringly campaigned for the rights to forest lands in the neighbouring villages in 1939 and 1940.

His new home, nevertheless, was not to be that as he and others who had arrived at Babejhari were forcibly evicted and their huts were razed. At this juncture, Bheem and his dedicated band of Adivasis migrated to Jodeghat where they cleared some forest land for cultivation.

The forest guards turned out to be a difficult lot as they demanded huge bribes from the tribals for tilling forest clearings. Without bribes, they refused to honour even a written permission issued by no less than the Nizam himself to the Adivasis to cultivate 57 acres in Jodeghat.

As the Gond leader refused to evacuate the habitation under pressure from the forest officials, he had to face the consequences. In an unequal battle on September 1, 1940 he and 15 others lost their lives.

Following the Nizam government’s forest conservancy move, Kumram Bheem settled at Babejhari and it was here that he raised the issue of jal, jangal and jameen

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by S.Harpal Singh / October 27th, 2015

Adilabad police officer is first Indian woman to scale Kun

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, Travel

Adilabad Additional Superintendent of Police G.R. Radhika at a tent on her way to the summit of the Kun mountain in Jammu and Kashmir. - Photo: By Arrangement
Adilabad Additional Superintendent of Police G.R. Radhika at a tent on her way to the summit of the Kun mountain in Jammu and Kashmir. – Photo: By Arrangement

Adilabad Additional Superintendent of Police G.R. Radhika performed the feat on September 7 after a gruelling climb for over 10 days.

As any mountaineer would do, G.R. Radhika, the frail-looking police officer in Adilabad District of Telangana also swears by Sir Edmund Hillary’s belief, “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” And her concurrence with the legendary mountaineer does matter as she has become the first Indian woman to conquer the 7,077-metre Kun mountain, the twin of Nun, located in the inhospitable Zanskar range of Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir.

Adilabad Additional Superintendent of Police performed the feat on September 7 after a gruelling climb for over 10 days. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation subsequently declared her to be holding the record for an Indian woman.

“I am a bit of a risk taker,” reveals Ms.Radhika about her personality which evidently craves for challenges that go beyond the ordinary ones faced by women. “I was brought up more like a boy than a girl,” says the younger one of the two children of a teacher couple as she tries to reason out her craving for adventure.

She likes to accept challenges which is why she quit her earlier job as an English language lecturer and took up policing. Despite her inclination, there was nothing to write home about in her 8 years as a cop until the opportunity to climb the rugged mountain came her way.

It was in 2012 that this mother of two children belonging to Anantapur District in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, her birth place and Kadapa, where she grew up, got to know about mountaineering as a sport. One of her friends suggested she get trained in mountain climbing after she successfully completed the difficult pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar in the Himalayas, Radhika recalls.

This set in motion her as yet short yet illustrious association with the sport. She finished her basic and advanced mountaineering courses which was, among other things, a confidence-building exercise.

“As part of the course I climbed the 5,980 mtr high Golep Kangri peak, also in the harsh Zanskar range in 2013,” Radhika states. “The following year, I scaled the 6,443 mtr high mount Menthosa in Himachal Pradesh which was all technical climbing,” she adds.

The policewoman enrolled herself for the Kun expedition with a recognised mountaineering outfit and set off towards it in the latter half of August. The team consisted of 7 muntaineers, some of them much experienced.

“Five of them dropped out on our way to the peak,” Radhika remembers trying to drive home the point about the difficulty quotient which even had her lose 4 kg of her weight. “Kun is considered more difficult because of its numerous crevasses and the ‘walls’ which meant a vertical climb of even 300 mtr at some place with a load of 6 kg,” she shrugs off a shudder as recent memories came flooding back.

Having seen her team mates back out did not diminish the gutsy woman’s enthusiasm in any way though she swears that it was only will power that kept her driving towards the peak. “The peak was visible but seemed ever so far thanks to he fatigue,” she recalls of her final effort.

“It took a few seconds for the feeling of victory to register,” she observes of the moment when she made it to the top. “I felt happy when it was confirmed that I was the first Indian woman to achieve the feat,” she adds, a wide grin breaking on her face.

Radhika is seriously contemplating making an attempt at scaling Mount Everest. “I have not decided as yet but I am definitely inclined to do so,” she asserts.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by S. Harpal Singh / Adilabad – October 04th, 2015

She cabs arrive in Telangana for women safety

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Travel

Hyderabad :

In another step to make travelling safe for women, the Telangana transport department on Tuesday launched She Cabs, a taxi service provided by women for women. Male customers will be ferried only if at least a woman passenger accompanies them.

Transport minister P Mahender Reddy launched 10 She Cabs taxis. The transport department helped the women get finance and buy the vehicles, Maruti Swift Dzire cars, at subsidised rate. Till now, 18 applicants were approved for She Cabs.

“The She Cab tax service has been launched keeping in view the safety of women commuters. The driver will be a female. Male passengers can ride provided at least one female accompanies them. Only male passenger will not be allowed,” transport commissioner Sandeep Sultania said.

The cars were fitted with security features like panic button, GPS and connected to police control room through GPS.

“Women development and child welfare department has provided 35% subsidy for the 10 vehicles under She Cab scheme and also released 10% margin money (Rs 82,500) per candidate,” the officials said.

The government would not fix tariff and it would be left to the She Cab operators to decide for themselves. Though the transport department initially planned to run the She Cabs, especially for woman employees working in the IT corridor and the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), the response from the applicants to operate the woman-only taxi service on these sectors was poor.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / September 09th, 2015

J. Manjula Appointed as DRDO’s First Woman Director General

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) today said it has got its first woman Director General with the appointment of J Manjula as Director General, Electronics & Communication Systems cluster.

She has assumed charge from distinguished scientist and Director General Dr K D Nayak, who was holding Additional charge as Director General Electronic & Communication Systems, DRDO said in a release.

Manjula has the honour of being the first woman Director General of DRDO cluster. She has been leading Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE), an establishment of DRDO, as a Director since July 2014, it said.

Manjula is an alumna of Osmania University and a practising electronics and communications engineer.

DRDO said she has served in Defence Electronics Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, for more than 26 years in the area of Integrated Electronic Warfare.

She has designed and realised fast signal acquisition receivers, high power RF systems, responsive jammers, controller software etc for various systems inducted in Army, Navy, Air Force and Paramilitary, it added.

Manjula is a recipient of DRDO award for ‘Performance Excellence’ and ‘Scientist of the Year 2011’.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Magazine / Bengaluru – September 09th, 2015

Going professional

Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features

HYDERABAD,TELANGANA,23/08/2015: Cobber Shanker (Right corner), with his family, and a photo of him, both in his house at L. B. Nagar in Hyderabad on Sunday. --Photo:Special Arrangements
HYDERABAD,TELANGANA,23/08/2015: Cobber Shanker (Right corner), with his family, and a photo of him, both in his house at L. B. Nagar in Hyderabad on Sunday. –Photo:Special Arrangements

Cobbler P. Shanker and his son are planning to market their skills through Facebook and are hoping that their business will take off soon.

Discarding old shoes after they are worn out is one thing, but having to discard those that are slightly damaged is another, especially if they are branded or expensive. And chances are that even showrooms where they are bought from may not be able to fix them.

That’s where P. Vijay and his father P. Shanker come in. Calling themselves professional cobblers, Mr. Shanker claims that he can repair any damaged shoe, especially branded ones.

“I used to mend shoes for Bata. I would repair at least five to 15 pairs a day. They would tell customers that their damaged shoes were sent to the ‘company’ for repair. I was that ‘company’,” laughs the 70-year-old cobbler.

Vijay is now set to change how people look at those who mend shoes, claiming that he and his father can repair almost any shoe.

“A lot of times, people just discard branded shoes, even if they can be repaired. Showrooms may not do it. We even get the material on our own and deliver finished goods to the customers,” he says.

As a test, this reporter gave Vijay a pair of two-year-old Red Tape shoes, with completely worn out soles and inner leather. In fact, before giving it to him, the showroom where the shoes were bought from and a few other stores refused to fix the pair, stating that the soles were not replaceable.

However, Mr. Shanker proved them wrong, bringing back the pair to life, by making a new pair of soles and fitting them perfectly.

“I had to cut out new soles from a sheet of rubber. We ourselves purchase material required for our work. That was how we worked for a few Bata stores, earning Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000 a month,” recalls Mr. Shanker.

However, a few years ago, he stopped taking orders and branched out on his own.

After working for an Army battalion in Mehdiptnam garrison for some months, he shifted operations to his own house in L.B. Nagar. Vijay now plans to market his father’s skills to get more business by starting a Facebook page.

“I will leave my MNC job once this takes off,” he quips. He can be contacted on 97009 90160 and 84639 76778.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Yunus Y. Lasania / Hyderabad – September 06th, 2015

Mallapur villagers make things happen

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

Mallapur villagers repairing the road leading to their village in Indervelli mandal on Tuesday. (right) Utnoor ITDA Project Officer R.V. Karnan helping the villagers in repairing the road.-Photos: S. Harpal Singh
Mallapur villagers repairing the road leading to their village in Indervelli mandal on Tuesday. (right) Utnoor ITDA Project Officer R.V. Karnan helping the villagers in repairing the road.-Photos: S. Harpal Singh

80 tribals join hands to repair the connecting road in just a couple of hours

Instead of waiting for things to happen, the Adivasi villagers of Mallapur in Indervelli mandal got down to making things happen. They made the difficult looking task of repairing road look so easy as 80 of them got down to obliterating dangerous potholes on the connecting road in just a couple of hours.

About 80 tribal individuals, one each from a family, joined the effort to repair the road. The decision to repair the road, on their own, was taken by the village development committee.

The Project Officer, Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor, R.V. Karnan who has adopted Tejapur gram panchayat of which Mallapur is a constituent village, was all praise for the effort. He even contributed his mite by digging gravel and spreading it on the road during his visit to the village as part of Grama Jyothi programme on Tuesday.

Visiting agricultural fields in Mallapur, the Project Officer assured the tribal farmers of purchasing the indigenous variety of maize and minor millets which they have cultivated during the season. “This was part of the action plan devised to make Mallapur a seed bank for indigenous variety crops,” he said.

The ITDA has already purchased about 200 kg of millet seeds from the village. “These have been distributed among Adivasi farmers in Wankidi mandal under the Centrally sponsored Vanabandhu Kalyan Yojana,” Mr. Karnan pointed out.

“We will pay you more than the market price,” the Project Officer said while inquiring about the market rate of regular hybrid variety of millets and other food grains. He said payments will be made through the special committee on agriculture formed in the village under the Grama Jyothi programme.

Earlier, Mr. Karnan exhorted the villagers to go in for planting more number of custard apple trees under the Telanganaku Haritha Haram programme. He said the fruits fetched good price in the open market to bring in healthy income for the farmers.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by S. Harpal Singh / Mallapur (Adilabad Dist) – August 19th, 2015

Here come the heroes

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

The winners of the Big Real Hero awards
The winners of the Big Real Hero awards

Hyderabad’s ‘real heroes’ were honoured by 92.7 Big FM

It is not easy to initiate a change. But, the best way to bring a change is by paving a new path. While most of us complain at the way society turns a blind eye to the problems and situations, there are a few who do not complain, instead take things in their hands and set an example. To felicitate their efforts and set them as role models to society, 92.7 Big FM invited these heroes as part of their ‘Big Real Hero Awards’ campaign.

As we celebrate the 69th year of independence the change makers of our society become the real heroes to fight for various forms of independence in our independent society. These heroes are silent and are making a difference without talking about it.

As part of their campaign, Big FM in their breakfast show asked people to share the names of heroes they have seen working for society. After an overwhelming response some of them were even featured in their breakfast show ‘Salaam Telangana’ hosted by RJ Shekar and Swapna.

In an event on Friday, the channel felicitated the six heroes namely—Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sharif, Rajeshwra Rao, Bhagya Lakshmi, Yadigiri and M. Vijay Ram Kumar. The awardees come from different walks of life and serve society in different ways and means. They, in their own right have been working for a change. Bal Gangadhar, a retired railways employee has used his pension to fill more than 1100 potholes in the city. He took the initiative when he witnessed several incidents caused by the bad state of roads. In Bal Gangadhar’s absence his brother Bhimesh Shankar was present. He established shramadaan.org

Sharif is the founder of Friends2support.org. F2S is a group founded by five friends to help people meet the emergency blood requirement for free. F2S claims to be India’s largest blood donor database. The organisation has won several national and international awards. Rajeshwar Rao is the founder of Satya Harishchandra foundation. They cremate unclaimed and unidentified dead bodies. Bhagya Lakshmi from ‘Manchi Pustakam’ is a small initiative taken to publish, encourage and promote Telugu books. Yadigiri is a chef and he donates food from his restaurant—Ulavacharu to orphans everyday and M. Vijay Ram Kumar of Emerald sweets has been working for a green society. The awards were given away by Somesh Kumar, Commissioner GHMC and actor Manchu Lakshmi.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Prabalika M. Borah / Hyderabad – August 14th, 2015

A village’s tryst with Armed Forces

Inspiration / Positive News and Features

Bondugula, a small village in Rajapet mandal in Nalgonda district has the distinction of sending 25 persons to Indian Army and Central Armed Police Forces.-Photo: Singam Venkataramana
Bondugula, a small village in Rajapet mandal in Nalgonda district has the distinction of sending 25 persons to Indian Army and Central Armed Police Forces.-Photo: Singam Venkataramana

Bondugula, a nondescript village in Rajapet mandal in Nalgonda district, has sent 25 persons to Indian Army and Central Armed Police Forces in the past 40 years.

Apart from that, at least 10 other persons from the village including an ASP rank officer are working with Telangana State Police.

Stating that youth from the village take pride in serving the nation, Kalluri Pochaiah, whose son Venkatesh was working with Border Security Force in the capacity of Lance Naik, said that at least a dozen youth from their village aspire for either Army, Central Armed Police Forces or State Police even today. After the recent State Government notification for recruitment of over 8,000 police personnel , he said a dozen eligible youth joined a coaching centre . The small village with a population of 3,000 was largely depended on agriculture for living, but Gaddameedi Mallesh set a new course for the village by joining Indian Army about 40 years ago. Though some of them had retired, at least 20 people from this village are currently working with the Army and Central Armed Police Forces. One youth Vijay Kumar joined the Indian Air Force recently thus becoming the first person to join the Air Force from Bondugula.

Two sons of B. Butchiramulu are also working with Central Armed Police Forces while Dr. M. Chandrasekhar is working as Assistant Superintendent of Police with Telangana State Police in Hyderabad. Chepuri Mallaiah, whose son Bikshpathi joined Army about 18 years ago, said the youth from the village have developed passion towards the uniform services. “My friend Mukka Rajmallaiah’s daughter also cleared Civil Services Mains, but failed in the interview, Mr. Mallaiah said. Otherwise, he said that they would have had a woman IPS officer from their village. “The woman, whose name Mr. Mallaiah could not recollect, later joined in a government job.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by T. Karnakar Reddy / Nalgonda – August 16th, 2015

City Scientist Gets CRSI Award

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

Dr B Mahipal Reddy, chief scientist at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad has been honoured with the Bronze Medal of Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) for his outstanding contribution in the field of chemical sciences. Sharing his happiness with Express, Reddy said, “The award is special as it is given exclusively for chemical research. I am very happy to get this award and to join the eminent list of people, who have already received it.”

Reddy has been selected for this prestigious honour for his more than two decades of research efforts in basic and applied science which resulted in development of new catalysts for air pollution control, bio-mass conversion to value-added products and conversion of greenhouse gases into useful chemicals etc.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / August 12th, 2015