The Telangana Road Transport Corporation bagged three awards at the fourth edition of the Ashok Leyland and Abhibus India Bus Awards in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The corporation received top awards for Leadership Award in Bus Transport – Strengthening of TSRTC, Excellence in Environmental Initiative – Usage of Alternate Fuels and runner-up for Top Bus Driver award.
Malaysia government’s Tourism Director-General Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyba presented the awards. Chief Traffic Manager B. Ravinder and other officials received the awards on behalf of the RTC.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – July 07th, 2018
Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao (not in picture) is of the opinion that the extra-mile efforts of the work agencies and engineers made the project’s progress possible.
They find new ideas to overcome challenges faced by them
The execution of Kaleshwaram irrigation project has become a platform to showcase out of the box management skills for work agencies, department engineers and even the Minister concerned to keep the momentum of work and meet deadlines.
Those involved in the execution of the project have been finding new ideas to overcome the challenges faced from time to time in acquisition of land, ensuring availability of required workforce and getting the material moved to work sites.
“Unlike in other projects the engineers working for Kaleshwaram project have gone beyond their mandate and convinced people to give up their lands identified for the project needs, after the revenue department failed to make headway. We visited villages, met elders and convinced them about the larger benefits the project is going to derive,” a senior engineer supervising the project work said seeking anonymity.
As all the work agencies engaged in the project have mobilised 90% of the workforce from other States such as Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal for “strategic” reasons, holding them back from returning to their native places during major festivals has been a major headache. Holi festival and local bodies’ elections in West Bengal during the recent summer season were testing times, the engineer said.
“We offered double wages to stop the workers going home for Holi and succeeded in holding back at least half of them to keep the momentum of work for meeting June-July deadlines,” explained Director of Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd B. Srinivas Reddy during a visit to the project works recently. Adding to Mr. Srinivas Reddy’s views, Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao said some engineers were deputed to West Bengal to bring back workers from areas where the local polls held in phases were either over or postponed.
Airlifted
Stating that some parts of pumps for Package 6 and 8 were airlifted from Austria to meet the deadlines, Mr. Harish Rao narrated how they faced difficulties in moving some other equipment brought to Mumbai port from Finland. “It reached Mumbai in 20 days but it took 30 days to bring it to the work site (Medigadda) as construction of a flyover in Mumbai obstructed its movement. Its journey through an alternative route took a week’s extra time even with the cooperation of Maharashtra government,” he explained.
Dealing with five countries, a few neighbouring States and several departments at the Centre for getting clearances has been no mean task, he said and it was the extra mile efforts of both work agencies and engineers that have made project’s progress, as it stands now, possible.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by B. Chandrashekhar / Hyderabad – July 03rd, 2018
Paintings are believed to be from the Chalcolithic (copper age)
Hyderabad :
In a rare find, rock art with sexual scenes were discovered on a hill at Timmareddypalli in Kondapaka village of Siddipet district. The paintings of people dancing and animals are believed to be from the Chalcolithic (copper age). This is the third place in Telangana where lovemaking scenes from an early age were found, after Mattamralla Tanda and Yadaram.
“The rock art site has been discovered east of Timmareddypalli on a hill called Edaragutta. It is located 200 feet above ground where a cave is located nearby the hill. We found around 30 Reddish paintings on the rock canvas. Some of the painting are monkeys, genitals of wild buffalo, an old couple getting ready for hunting, sun, demanding people, a serpent with fangs and a fox. The lovemaking scenes of a couple were also among the paintings,” Historian Sriramoju Haragopal of Telangana Jagruti told TOI.
He added, “According to historian VV Krishna Shastry, the paintings depicting genitals belong to Chalcolithic age. The rare sexual scene paintings were earlier found in two more locations in Telangana. The rock paintings appear to be skilled. There are pictures with men holding the spare.”
In a separate finding, historians found cave Kondapapa too in which several pottery and beads of Satavahana era were found. Vemuganti Murali Krishna, another historian who was part of the team said, “A hillock is located near Kondapaka. It is called Mallanna Gutta. There are traces of prehistoric man living here. A Siva temple is located nearby. We found Sathavahana era potteries and beads in the nearby fields.”
Historians said the sites are located in between agriculture fields and asked the government to protect the sites by acquiring the land.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Hyderabad News / by U. Sudhakar Reddy / TNN / July 02nd, 2018
EPAM Systems,a US-based digital platform engineering and software development services company has opened a development centre here.
The Hyderabad centre houses about 900 employees. Its Pune office has about 100 employees.
The Hyderabad facility, which has a capacity to house 1,600 employees, has a Design Studio, an Innovation Garage and a digital engineering centre. “We are planning to increase the headcount by 20 per cent this year,” Arkadiy Dobkin, Chief Executive Officer and President,EPAM, said.
Telangana Information Technology KT Rama Rao formally inaugurated the facility in the IT hub of Madhapur.
EPAM’s India operations began in 2015 as it acquired Alliance Global Services, a software product development services and test automation solutions firm.
source:http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home / by The Hindu Bureau / Hyderabad – June 29th, 2018
Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao have expressed their heartfelt condolences on the demise of renowned Mimicry artist and Padmasri awardee Nerella Venu Madhav on Tuesday.
Condolences also poured in from various sections of people who expressed their sense of shock over the death of Venu Madhav (85).
Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao described Venu Madhav as a person who brought name and fame to the mimicry art as well as universal recognition to it. He became famous as a grand old man of mimicry and strove hard to include mimicry art in the educational syllabus.
In his death, the artiste world has lost a great personality, Mr. Rao said and conveyed his condolences to the members of the bereaved family.
Venu Madhav was born on December 28 in 1932 in Mattewada of Warangal and he served as an MLC from 1972 to 1978. He has been ailing for sometime. Recipient of several accolades for his mimicry shows performed nationally and internationally, Venu Madhav was honoured during the recent State Formation Day by the State Government.
Chief Minister issued instructions to the Chief Secretary that funeral of the renowned artist be conducted with State honours, according to a release.
Governor Narasimhan in his message expressed shock at the sudden demise of Venu Madhav and said he was a multi-faceted personality with unsurpassed talent.
Housing and Endowments Minister Indrakaran Reddy in his message said Venu Madhav’s death would create a void in the field of mimicry.
YSR Congress President Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy said Venu Madhav brought international recognition to Telugu people through his inimitable mimicry and he has innumerable fans in both the Telugu States.
He mimicked in several Indian languages and also mimicked popular Hollywood actors and won the hearts of people with his humour and mimicry.
Telangana BC Commission senior member Vakulabharanam Krishna Mohanrao said demise of great mimicry artist Venu Madhav was a great loss and Telangana State was proud of him.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – June 20th, 2018
Archeologists have found a hand axe and hammer stone from a place just outside Hyderabad that they believe is from the stone age—the paleolithic era.Stone age hammer discovered on the outskirts of Hyderabad at Athvelly in Medal district | Express photo
Hyderabad :
What do we know about Hyderabad’s or Telangana’s ancient history, beyond stories of Qutb Shahis, Nizams, Kakatiyas or Satavahanas? Maybe reports of megalithic burials from iron age being discovered in the State.
But now, archeologists have found a hand axe and hammer stone from a place just outside Hyderabad that they believe is from the stone age—the paleolithic era. The tools, that were found at Athvelly which lies about 35 km away from the city in Medchal district, indicate that there’s much left to be explored about Telangana’s history.
The tools were found by E Sai Krishna of Hyderabad, a Ph.D scholar in Archaeology from Deccan College in Pune and an Assistant Archaeologist with Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) in the Amravati circle. Krishna showed his findings to Dr K Padayya, Emeritus Professor at Deccan College, a Padma Shri awardee and expert in Paleolithic and Neolithic cultures of the Deccan.
When contacted by Express, Dr Padayya said: “Findings of Krishna are actually stray discoveries as they do not belong to a regular site. However, it is an important beginning because these findings hint at fact that the area is rich in paleolithic archaeology. Speaking to Express, Krishna said, “I am interested to find out more about the prehistory of Hyderabad and surrounding districts.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. Nilesh, Express News Service / June 15th, 2018
This couple’s road trip across 19 countries proves that age is just a number.Dr Rajesh Kadakia and Dr Darshana Kadakia
63-year-old Dr Rajesh Kadakia and his 60-year-old wife Dr Darshana Kadakia are poised to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for being the first couple to travel across the world in a modified Toyota SUV.
After having travelled 3,400 km, through 19 countries, in 62 days, they have finally arrived in Hyderabad on June 13 in their Land Cruiser.
“This has been an epic journey. People have travelled from Bangalore to London, and from London to Mumbai. But there is no record of anyone having travelled from California to India,” Dr Rajesh says.
The physician from California who has roots in Secunderabad calls his journey a “home run”. “For me to leave my home in the US and come to my mother’s home in Secunderabad is like hitting a home run,” he says.
An avid traveller from a young age, Dr Rajesh was deeply influenced by his uncle Kiran Modi, a regular participant in the Himalayan car rally. “Initially, I was his navigator until I managed to get involved with the Himalayan car rally myself,” he says. The couple left the comfort of their home in California to take on this “epic” adventure two months ago. Their unconventional travels took them to Russia, China, and Tibet, before bringing them to India. “We had to get visas, permits, and a host of other documentation, as well as prepare the vehicle to handle the journey,” they say.
Yet, the regulatory requirements of the countries that they passed through imposed a significant burden on them. “Crossing every border checkpoint was a challenge. In Russia, every single item in our car was taken out and thrown on the road. We underwent the same grilling at the entry and exit points of Mongolia,” Dr Rajesh says.
They chose not to publicise their trip due to security reasons. “Because of the geopolitical areas that we were passing through as American citizens, we avoided publicity,” he adds.
One of the biggest challenges they faced was travelling through high-altitude areas. “We had significant difficulty crossing high-altitude regions. We crossed the Mt Everest base camp, Kailash, Mansarovar, and Tung La Pass in Tibet. We had to travel through difficult conditions created by snow, mud, and dirt. The risk of engine failure and freezing to death were very real,” he says.
Being vegetarians didn’t make matters easier for them. But they still managed, somehow. “We had a tough time getting vegetarian food in Mongolia and China. Our pressure cooker and electric heater weren’t working in the high altitude — food just wasn’t getting cooked, so we had to survive on raw foods alone.”
Thankfully, being doctors, they were able to understand and treat their own altitude sickness. They remained in touch with their son throughout. “I have a government GPS system and cameras. We were communicating with our son in the US. He always had an idea of where we were, based on government satellites, which worked well even when we were without an internet connection,” he says.
Be it despite or because of the hardships that they had to face, the road trip seems to have made a lasting impact on the couple. “As far as we know, this is the first car to have left California and arrived in India with the flags of both countries on its bonnet,” Dr Rajesh says.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Viral and Trending / by Swati Sharma / June 14th, 2018
N.V.S. Ramaraju with V. Praneeth. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Telangana’s Vuppala Prraneeth is now World No. 1 in chess in the under-11 category, his coach N.V.S. Ramaraju, who is also credited with training chess Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika, has revealed.
For someone known to be ‘very good’ in opening and middle-games, Prraneeth came under Mr. Ramaraju’s wing three years ago. “There is no doubt that he is a potential champion from the State in the days to come,” the proud coach, who runs Race Chess Academy in the city, tells The Hindu.
Prraneeth, whose parents hail from Nalgonda, has a creditable ELO2281 and was felicitated by the Sports Authority of Telangana State chairman A. Venkateshwar Reddy last week.
Mr. Reddy assured complete support to the chess wizard in his pursuit of excellence at higher levels and hoped he would become a Grandmaster soon, given his consistency in tough events.
For the record, Prraneeth bagged bronze in the 201 South Asian championship and set a record of sorts scoring ELO22 points in the 14th Parshwanath International championship in Delhi. “There is obviously a lot of scope for improvement and the best part is that he is very young, sincere and puts in hours of hard work,” points out Mr. Ramaraju.
This Class 7 student of David Memorial High School is now dreaming of bigger things, including World championship titles in his age group as he embarks on what he feels will be a demanding journey.
“I am aware that I have to widen my opening game repertoire and also improve upon my end-game. But with Ramaraju sir taking care of every aspect of my game, I am confident of achieving bigger things,” says Prraneeth.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – June 11th, 2018
Akshita Srinivasan, a student of University of Hyderabad (UoH), has been selected for the prestigious Ph. D programme at Harvard and is one of the 15 students who have been accepted from around the world.
Akshita, who did her Integrated Master’s in Health Psychology at the UoH. will be working in the area of Developmental Psychology with Dr. Elizabeth Spelke.
Her lab in general focuses on uniquely human cognitive capacities like our understanding of objects, actions, people, places, number, and geometry. It gets at this using behavioural research with infants and children.
The work that Akshita will be doing during her Ph. D is related to children’s understanding of number.
Children who sell fruits and vegetables in Indian markets are so good and quick at arithmetic, but the same children do not do well when tested in school-based arithmetic.
Akshita’s research tries to examine this discrepancy and aims at creating interventions that can be used to help improve mathematics education, a press release said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – June 06th, 2018
Columbia Journalism School announced on Monday that Raju Narisetti, a leading digital media executive and editor, will join the faculty as Professor of Professional Practice and also serve as the new director of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism.
Mr. Narisetti is from Hyderabad and did his B.A. (Economics) from Osmania University and an MBA from IRMA in India. He also holds an M.A. from Indiana University, lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Kim Barrington Narisetti, and daughters Leila and Zola.
“I am delighted to join the journalism faculty and also lead the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship program at Columbia University,” he said in a release. He recently served as chief executive of Gizmodo Media Group and earlier, was News Corp’s senior vice president of strategy. He also spent 14 years at The Wall Street Journal, starting as a summer intern in 1991 and becoming an Editor too.
He also served as the managing editor for digital and new products at The Washington Post, has been Founder-Editor of Mint. He began his business journalism career at The Economic Times in New Delhi, and his U.S. journalism career at The Dayton Daily News.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – June 06th, 2018
