HyDeRaBaDi bLoGs

Hyderabad Outer Region Authority Will Help Develop the City Better

2015-02-03T00:20:00.000-08:00

Hyderabad has been systematically destroyed in the last 30 years. It is no longer the royal capital of the Nizams. It is now a massive slum with high-rise buildings in between. Water supply is scare, drainage woefully inadequate, power erratic, traffic impossible and law and order poor. It is time to take a hard look at Hyderabad’s future.

Hyderabad city is a critical engine of growth for Telangana. It can be the place of choice for many businesses and people from all over the country and abroad, if it is handled with sense, grace and efficiency. Managing a great city does not come easy nor does it come cheap. It requires foresight, long-term planning, permanent institutions and massive infusion of funds. It is imperative that there is firm political commitment at the highest level, administrative responsibility at senior level and public accountability for initiating progress and managing change. All public funds invested in Hyderabad should also have reasonable economic spillover-benefits to the rest of Telangana.

The governance structures of Hyderabad are complicated. At the core is the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) covering 626 sq.km. with an elected governing body. In 2008, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) was created covering 7,073 sq.km. with over 7 million population. HMDA invests in infrastructure and is run entirely by IAS officers. HMDA is 5 times the size of the National Capital Territory of Delhi!
Telangana has to execute the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) project proposed by the Government of India. ITIR involves the development of self-contained integrated knowledge clusters for IT and electronic hardware manufacturing in and around Hyderabad. ITIR aims at attracting investments of Rs 2,19,000 crore!

Under ITIR, special economic zones, industrial parks, free trade zones, warehousing zones and export-oriented units would come up in three corridors. It would occupy 202 sq km (50,000 acres). Post-ITIR, IT exports are expected to grow five times, from Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 2,35,000 crore annually and electronic hardware manufacturing is expected to grow from Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 80,000 crore annually. Direct employment of 9 lakhs and indirect employment of 50 lakhs is anticipated. The built-up space in the city will expand from the current 40 million sq ft to 130 million sq ft!! All this will cost an enormous amount of which Government of India is to grant Rs 3,275 crore. Chicken feed for such a large project!

How is this to be done and which body will do it? The Outer Ring Road (ORR) is a 162-km, 8-lane expressway encircling the city. The ORR is being built by HMDA at a cost of Rs 6,696 crore. It is funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). ORR gives easy connectivity between NH 9, NH 7, NH 163 and state highways leading to Vikarabad, Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar, Karimnagar and Mancherial. The ORR is fenced and 33 radial roads connect it with the Inner Ring Road and the upcoming Regional Ring Road. The TSRTC is planning 22 bus terminals-cum-depots along the Outer Ring Road. Hyderabad Metro may be extended to link it across the city.

The ORR objectives are to: (1) decongest metropolitan area, (2) provide linkage to radial arterial roads, (3) develop satellite townships, (4) provide access for the proposed MRTS and TSRTC Bus system, (5) improve access to the Shamshabad International Airport and (6) help connect Telangana district headquarters to the Capital.

There is, therefore, a clear, logical and obvious need to integrate ORR and ITIR. This will allow for a radical and innovative plan to realize the potential of Hyderabad without damaging the core city. A 20-km strip along ORR should be placed under the Hyderabad Outer Region Authority (HORA). HORA will cover 3,240 sq km (8 lakh acres) - half the size of the present HMDA. It will replace HMDA and the other redundant Authorities. What is left of HMDA (towards the core city) should be folded back into GHMC.

HORA will take care of Hyderabad’s future expansion. The decongestion of the city should be directed outwards to HORA. The incoming population and businesses must be held at HORA. Here services should be of international standard - water, power, traffic, drainage and law and order. There should be green zones at various parts including water bodies already available there. Other parts should be zoned for use of sports, entertainment, commercial, residential and agricultural (vegetables, dairy, horticulture etc). No industry though!

HORA could also accommodate the Telangana Secretariat and other Government offices, thus making a start at decongesting Hyderabad and building a brand new Capital Area. It could be the new posh area!

The first step would be to notify HORA and develop a master plan. A tax on land owners (mainly now speculators) would help fund this major initiative. At even Rs 2 lakhs per acre (or Rs 41 per square yard), this will amount to Rs 16,000 crore. This will help fund public investment of the estimated cost of Rs 10,000 crores or more.

The governance and management of HORA should be broad-based involving Government of India, JICA, World Bank, German Government and others. The project should be managed by a team of professionally-qualified personnel on long-term basis. This is the greatest opportunity to save Hyderabad and also ensure its orderly growth. It is an opportunity that will not come again - and if mishandled, will ruin the city completely. Telangana cannot afford to fail in this matter.

New state of Telangana is born in southern India

2014-06-03T04:57:00.002-07:00

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 Monday 2 June 2014, becomes the country's 29th state.

With a population of 3.5 crore, it comprises 10 former districts of Andhra Pradesh and the city of Hyderabad.

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, Pink is the colour of the TRS.

"The sacrifice of the youth who led the movement has culminated in the formation of a new state. It is a historic day for Telanaga people."

Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao will be the first Chief Minister of Telangana with 9 man team in first cabinet.

From the skies to the sidewalks, all are draped in a pretty shade of pink. Cheers of jubilation drift through the air, thick with pride for realizing a long cherished dream. There is a sense of satisfaction too as the days of struggle are, at last, over and finally there is hope of a more fulfilling tomorrow.

To make June 2 a day to remember, for eternity, for those like Rao, workers of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) have arranged for massive fireworks, exclusively ordered and shipped from Mumbai. The grand 'light and sound' show will be played out for an hour at 120 junctions across the twin cities all through the day. Programmes, showcasing the rich culture of the new state, will also be organized on 100 different stages in the city, even as partymen distribute sweets to passersby at various important junctions across Hyderabad.

Pawan Kalyan's - Jana Sena Party

2014-03-14T03:37:00.000-07:00

Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan is set to float a new party as "Jana Sena" ("People's Army") and make an official announcement about his political entry, party symbol, flag and other details in a press meet to be held at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) in Madhapur today evening.

Pawan Kalyan will be addressing a select gathering of fans numbering about 6,000. The actor is also expected to release a book that he has written on politics.

Pawan Kalyan's team has made special arrangements to telecast the press meet live in 28 centres across Andhra Pradesh and one center in Bangalore. Giant screens are being set up for live telecast in major places.

The party launch event will be live streamed online on a few websites. Idlebrain will be covering the event live HERE. Tv9 Telugu will also be live streaming the event HERE. One can also watch Pawan's speech HERE on Youtube.

Initial reports suggest that Jana Sena will contest only in 10-20 per cent of the 294 Assembly and 42 Lok Sabha seats. With a huge fan following in the youth, the 43-year-old actor can play spoil sport with main political parties in both the regions by attracting a good chunk of votes.

The ‘Power Star', who shares No. 1 slot in the Telugu film industry with Mahesh Babu, is riding on the crest of a wave of popularity with two back to back blockbuster hits of Gabbarsingh and Attaarintiki Daaredi.

Pawan Kalyan, a recluse person, headed the youth wing of Praja Rajyam founded by his actor brother Chiranjeevi five years ago. After a hectic tour across the State that witnessed flamboyant speeches, the actor suddenly disappeared from public life following the merger of the party with the Congress.

Reports suggested that he fell out with his brother after the merger. He wanted his brother to keep the party alive despite the setback at the polls.

INFORMATION ABOUT Jana Sena Party Emblem and Flag. The Party Emblem is a combination forces that define our nation's life and struggle

The white background: The white background on which it stands signifies the peace and stability of several thousands of years of Indian civilization and culture. The color Red: The Emblem itself is in the colour red, which signifies revolution. A deep and true change from within, yet the story of that change is told on the stable background of our ancient nation. The six-pointed Star: The star in the Emblem is a six pointed star that signifies the 6 ideals of our party. The six ideals are mixed with our blood as we are sons and daughters of those ideals handed down to us from several generations. The white in the star signifies self-luminosity which shines on its own because ideals are lights unto our path."

"The dot in the center: The dot in the center represents the soul of every being. The soul is our true reality, our ultimate truth. The soul at the center is also at the heart of everything we do as individuals and as a nation. The black lining: The black lining on the emblem symbolizes the balance between revolutionary zeal and its opposing forces to avoid one-sidedness and discordance. It represents the harmony of the opposites."

Telangana bill passed in Lok Sabha

2014-02-18T03:22:00.001-08:00

Congress, BJP come together in favour of new state.

TRS begins celebrations in Hyderabad

The Lok Sabha today passed the Telangana bill by voice vote amid attempts by several MPs to disrupt the proceedings. Chaos was the order of the day as MPs suspended for earlier fierce protests over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh attempted to enter the House while the bill was being discussed.

TRS supporters have begun celebrations in some parts of Hyderabad and other parts of Telanga regions.

CM Kiran Kumar Reddy and some congress leaders might resign any moment.

Hyderabad born Satya Nadella named as Microsoft CEO

2014-02-06T02:02:00.001-08:00

On February 4, 2014, Satya Nadella was announced as the new CEO of Microsoft. He is the third chief executive in the company's history and to honour the previous two CEOs, Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates. Immediately after announcement, Nadella said that his priority would be leading Microsoft in Mobile and Cloud domains.

Satya Nadella is 46 and been married for 22 years and have 3 kids. And been with Microsoft for 22 years.

Nadella was born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, in a Telugu family to an IAS officer, B. N. Yugandhar, hailing from Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, India. who was a member of the Planning Commission during 2004–2009 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Satya attended the Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet before attaining a bachelor of engineering in electronics and communication degree from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal.

After moving to the US, Nadella earned an MS in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Nadella worked with Sun Microsystems, as a member of its technology staff, prior to joining Microsoft in 1992.

Nadella worked as the senior vice president of research and development (often called "R&D") for the Online Services Division and vice president of the Microsoft Business Division. Later, he was made the president of Microsoft’s $19 billion Server and Tools Business and led a transformation of the company's business and technology culture from client services to cloud infrastructure and services. He has been credited for helping bring Microsoft's database, Windows Server and developer tools to its Azure cloud. The revenue from Cloud Services grew to $20.3 billion in June 2013 from $16.6 billion when he took over in 2011. Nadella's 2013 base salary is nearly $700,000, for a total compensation, with stock bonuses, of $7.6 million. Satya Nadella played a major role in Microsoft's transition to cloud computing.

Previous positions held by Nadella include:

President of the Server & Tools (February 9, 2011 – February 2014)
Senior Vice President of Research and Development for the Online Services Division (March 2007 – February 2011)
Vice President of the Microsoft Business Division
Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Business Solutions and Search & Advertising Platform Group
Executive Vice President of Microsoft's Cloud and Enterprise group

Satya Nadella email to employees on first day as CEO - Click here

South Indian Actors Childhood Photos

2013-05-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Igniting speech by JD. Lakshminarayana at IMPACT2013

2013-05-08T23:54:00.001-07:00

Now buying medicine is lot more cheaper

2012-10-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

Medicines are prescribed by our Doctors are by their Brand name and not by their Generic name, eventually what we pay is a lot more than it's generic value.

The Generic name is the official medical name for the active ingredient of the medicine.

Follow these simple steps to save your hard earned money:

Log onto http://www.medguideindia.com/
click on Drugs
click on Brand
Type the Brand name which you are using or Doctor prescribed (e.g. Metocard XL - 50mg)
Click on Generics - It will display the ingredients of the tablet
Click on Matched Brands with above constituents
Get surprised to see that same drug is available at very low cost and that too by other reputed manufacturer (e.g. )

Graphical Representation:

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Rare old pictures of Tirumala Tirupati

2012-06-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

Alipiri Gopuram

Bommala Gopuram (now dusmantled)

Image of Krishna Devaraya with queens (in Pratima Matapam)

Lord Krishna in Yamunat Turai

Mahadwara Gopuram

A natural rock formation in the form of an arch (known has Sila Torana)

Padma Nidhi at main entrance

Pratima Matapam (view from inside)

Sankha Nidhi at main entrance

Sannidhi street

Sri Anjaneya Swamy

View of the hill from Tirupati

The Vimana

Nagarjuna and Amala Wedding Video

2012-05-15T01:53:00.000-07:00

First Marriage with Lakshmi Daggubati: 18/02/1984, Vijaya Sesh kalyana Mandapam, Chennai
First Son: Naga Chaitanya (born on 23/11/1986 at Swapna Nursing Home, Hyderabad)
Second Marriage with Amala: 11/06/1992, Adayar, Chennai
First Son: Akhil (born on 08/04/1994 at San Jose, USA)

Molee's Sensational Art Work

2012-04-25T02:41:00.001-07:00

Art work by Anirudh Sainath Aka Molee who is self taught artist!

Lord Rama riding hanuman, ready to face his adversary Ravana!

Brahma - is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimūrti, the others being Viṣņu and Śiva. According to the Brahmā Purāņa, he is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the Rāmāyaņa and the Mahābhārata, he is often referred to as the progenitor or great grandsire of all human beings.

Hanuman is a disciple of Lord Rama in the war against the demon king Ravan!

Hari-Hara - Shiva(hara) and Vishnu(hari) in unity

Rama: Lord Vishnu's 7th AVATAR

Humbled ocean!
This is the incident where lord ram demands the sea to give way to lanka!

Krishna 8th avatar of lord vishnu!

Krishna's departure from earth..
The Mahabharata also narrates the story of a hunter who kills Krishna. The hunter Jara, mistook Krishna's partly visible left foot for that of a deer, and shot an arrow wounding and killing him mortally. Krishna's soul then ascended to heaven, while his mortal body was cremated by Arjuna. After Krishna's death it is known that the Kali yugam has started.

Murugan-The God Of WarMurugan aka Kartikeya,is the second son of shiva(god of destruction)

Narasimha Krishna
One fine day krishna turns transform into narasimha to kill a demon.. coincidentally he saved a swan from becoming its meal.
This is from krishna's life and not from the original narasimha who tore hirinyakashipu apart.

Parashurama the 6th avatar of lord vishnu was and will always be the greatest warrior in Indian culture. He was a great martial arts master and the co-founder of the martial art named Kalaripayattu. He was known for the genocide of the Kshatriya clan.
he killed many Kshatriya warriors for revenge of his father's murder and his mother's humiliation. He indiscriminately killed all men from the Kshatriya community, his anger was finally subdued by Lord Rama.

Krishna as Parthasarathy!
His face was completly scarred by bhishma's arrows in the mahabharata war. Trivia: did u know that indians invented gunpowder and firearms as opposed to people's belief that chinese invented it?

Rudra is another name for Lord Shiva

Sage Agastya
Is the founder of the martial art, kalaripayattu and the language tamil.
Agastya is a Chiranjivee, which means he ages very slowly, so slow that he's capable of living for a million years, so he's supposed to be living even today.

Shiva

Yama - God of Death
Yama was the son of the Sun-God,(Vivasvan).
He was a very revered deity in ancient india as opposed to how people tend to treat him now.
Yama was the first mortal being in this world along with his sister Yami. He is the indian counterpart of Adam.
Being the first mortal,Yama embraced death fearlessly and so he became the ruler of the after-life.
Yama is frightening in appearance as he is the personification of death/time and so he is also known as Kala. Though time/death may look frightening, it is our friend as time is a remover of sorrow. One must not be afraid of death and embrace it when it comes as it is something inevitable ,but I have to agree... it is indeed easy to say but very hard to do.

Vayu-the god of wind

Hanuman lifting the Rishabha mountain with his tail
and yeah he's a giant here.. he has this ability to shape shift.
He has 8 superpowers(Ashta Siddhi) actually which he controls by will.

Ahima: reducing one's body even to the size of an atom

Mahima: expanding one's body to an infinitely large size

Garima: becoming infinitely heavy

Laghima: becoming almost weightless

Prapti: having unrestricted access to all places

Prakamya: realizing whatever one desires

Istva: possessing absolute lordship;

Vastva: the power to subjugate all.

Lord Rama using his supermove the Gandharva asthra and ancient nuclear bomb.

Hyderabad eye in 2013

2012-04-11T04:38:00.002-07:00

Modelled on the London Eye, Hyderabad is all set to have its own observation wheel!

In what will arguably be the most exciting addition to Hyderabad’s skyscape in 2013, the city is all set to have its own mechanized giant wheel on the lines of the iconic London Eye! What’s more. The observation wheel that will be strategically located on the Necklace Road, offering a bird’s-eye view of the Hussain Sagar Lake, will also have a dining facility!

Principal Secretary (Tourism) Chandana Khan, says, “The project was one of the several MoUs that were signed in the recent summit. The company that built the Delhi Eye will set it up in Hyderabad too. We have identified three prospective sites on Necklace Road. I asked the company to build bigger cabins for the Hyderabad Eye because we plan to include a dining facility. The cabins will move at a slow pace so that people can enjoy the view and food. This will be up in the next one-and-a half years.” Dinner with a view.

The Ferris wheel that will tower over hundred feet above the ground level promises a panoramic view of the city’s landscape. While there is an embargo rule that no permanent structure can be erected on Necklace Road, Chandana clarifies that this is not a permanent structure — it’s a ‘nuts and bolts’ structure that will be erected on the spot.”
And that’s not the only piece of good news for Hyderabadis. Apart from being able to dine mid-air, you can now enjoy a yummy meal right in the middle of the Hussainsagar lake. AP Tourism has tied up with a prominent city-based restaurant chain to launch a floating restaurant aboard a boat that will cruise along the Hussain Sagar Lake. “The restaurateurs are planning to import a boat, most probably from Singapore. The floating restaurant will cruise along the lake and not just be anchored in a spot. This plan too should be up and running within one-and- half year, and will be open for both lunch and dinner,”

New passport seva kendras

2011-11-23T22:32:00.000-08:00

Hyderabad: The passport authorities promise to make the life of citizens seeking new passports and renewals easier from November 25. They have also promised to do away with the menace of middle men and make the services accessible and less cumbersome with the help of online slot booking facility.

Addressing the media after inaugurating the new passport centre at Begumpet on Tuesday, the Regional Passport Officer K Srikar Reddy said once the citizens file applications online, they would be given time to be present at the passport centre and it would take just 40 to 45 minutes to complete the procedure. They would then be getting passport in the shortest possible time, he said.

Hyderabad Regional Passport Officer (RPO) K Srikar Reddy said that the three passport centres would be established at Gowra Trinity Complex at Begumpet, Anand Silicon Chip centre at Towlichowki and Aditya trade centre Ameerpet in the city. Another three centres would be set up at Pragatinagar in Nizamabad, MG Road in Vijayawada and Annmayya Marg in Tirupathi.

The new system is being launched as a joint venture with Tata Consultancy Services. The officials also assured that this new system would do away with the menace of touts fleecing the passport seekers. The entire system is being computerised and would bring down 80 per cent of manual work involved in passport process to zero,” said Mr Srikar Reddy.

Even police verification which results in undue delay in issuing passport would also be done online. The practice until now is to send and receive the details through post.

With an existing system, the passport issuance process under the Tatkal scheme takes at least 7-14 days and in general scheme 35-45 days. But with the proposed system, the time period for passport issuance under Tatkal and normal scheme would come down to 1-3 days and 7-30 days respectively, said the RPO.

With integration of slot booking system, there is no need to queue up at the passport office from early dawn nor would the passport offices be crowded, Reddy added.

Online registration: http://www.ap.nic.in/passport/

Million March - A sad moment in Hyderabad

2011-03-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

I pray that all this drama in Hyderabad ends soon.

March 11, 2011: Telangana agitators pulled down statues of some of the greatest Telugu personalities during the ‘Million March’ on Thursday at Tank Bund and threw them into the Hussainsagar as security forces stood by watching.

The former chief minister, N.T. Rama Rao, had erected 33 statues of the famous personalities of Andhra Pradesh in 1986 and the poetic descriptions were written by the noted poet C. Narayana Reddy.

It all started with the demolition of Brahmanaidu’s statue, which they pulled down with barricade rods and pipes.

Statues of Vijayanagar king Srikrishnadevaraya, the Adhikavi Nannaiah and Errapragada, who translated the great epic of Mahabharat into Telugu, saint and composer Annamacharya who penned keertanas for Lord Venkateswara, composer and poet Kshetrayya, and architect of Kuchipudi dance, Mahakavi Gurram Joshua and Siddendra Yogi were pulled down and thrown into the Hussainsagar.

The agitators did not even leave the statues of Brahmanaidu, the ruler of Palnadu, Salivahana, the first emperor of Andhra, Gurujada Appa Rao, writer and reformist who had written Kanya Sulkham, Sir Arthur Cotton, the man behind the Godavari barrage, Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Choudhary, famous reformist and rationalist and Ballari Raghava, the noted stage artiste.

When the statue of Siddendra Yogi was toppled, the city joint commissioner of Police, Mr Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, was standing by along with at least 100 Rapid Action Force personnel.

But instead of taking any action, the police simply moved away.

I wish media gives more importance to news that can do more good to mankind and the state as a whole instead of splitting the states. Looking at the news daily makes me sad as I do not see anybody comming forward in India to do good for people around them.

All the political parties are stinking with all dirty ideas. It is time for a big change all over the state. No political party has genuine interest in doing any good to people. They are just using the innocent students. The students are unnecessarily wasting their precious lives.

Hyderbad getting hooked to luxury cars

2010-12-09T04:43:00.000-08:00

Over 900 luxury cars, with a price tag between Rs 20 lakh and Rs two crore, were registered in the state in the past 11 months. Not surprisingly, Hyderabad logged the maximum registrations with over 500 luxury cars, while Karimnagar zoomed away with the numero uno position by registering a Rs 2.01 crore worth Porsche 911 Turbo.

For the record, this year 110 Mercs, 82 BMWs, 94 Audis, four Porsches, 19 Land Rovers, four Land Cruisers and 14 Volkswagens were registered in Greater Hyderabad. Till November, 87,574 four-wheelers were registered at Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across the state and over 50 per cent (44,000) were registered in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts alone.

Among the 87,574 cars, 900 vehicles are in the luxury vehicle category, cost upwards of Rs 20 lakhs. Even in this category, more than half (513) were registered in the state capital.

About 800 customers squandered a mind-boggling Rs 280.59 crore this year on purchasing these metal beauties. And, they coughed up life tax to the tune of Rs 39.28 crore to the Regional Transport Authority (RTA).

Mercedes Benz seems to be the most pouplar brand with car enthusiasts as about 170 vehicles were lapped up this year followed by Audi (125) and BMW (120).

Also, 25 people bought Land Rovers, whose price ranges between Rs 34 lakh and Rs 1.13 crore. Toyota Kirloskar’s Land Cruiser, ranging between Rs 45-87 lakh, found favour with seven buyers in the state. Six persons took home Jaguars, which come in the price band of Rs 49-86 lakh, while 20 people drove home Volkswagens’ different cars in the price range of Rs 20-52 lakhs.

Over 50 per cent of these luxury cars were registered in Hyderabad (377) and Ranga Reddy (136) districts, followed by coastal Andhra districts like Visakhapatnam (33), Krishna (23), Guntur (14) and East Godavari (12).

Barring Hyderabad and RR district, other Telangana districts along with Rayalaseema and North Coastal Andhra districts are at the bottom of the luxury list. Districts where luxury seems to be less affordable are Adilabad and Kadapa (2 each), Mahbubnagar, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Nizamabad and Chittoor (3 each), Anantapur, Khammam and Warangal with five luxury car registrations each. So going by the luxury car sales figures, it seems all is well for the rich in AP.

Animation: Hyderabad in 2012

2010-10-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

Good graphic animation by IACG students

Shekhar Kammula talent hunt

2010-09-13T00:41:00.000-07:00

The Director, who works with fresh faces, is on the lookout for new talent.

"Life is Beautiful Star Search"

A role in a Shekhar Kammula movie is considered to be a sure-shot ticket to stardom in Telugu cinema.

His Happydays which released three years ago made the debutant actors stars overnight. Leader, which was another blockbuster, followed soon and the director is now hunting for new faces for his latest project Life is beautiful. To that effect, Shekhar has advertised on hoardings, tied up with radio stations and is touring colleges in search of the “faces” for his next movie, something he also did for Happydays.

Rubbishing claims that these are just publicity stunts, he says that it’s an honest search for the six lead pairs for the movie.

“My next movie needs young fresh faces. They needn’t be one of those six-pack boys and size zero girls who are usually wanted in films. Any outgoing, energetic youngster can log on to our website www.amigoscreations.com and send their pictures to me. If I feel they suit the characters of my film, they will be in. I am not looking at this as a forum to create buzz for the movie,” the director claims.

With Shekhar Kammula being a brand by himself, why doesn’t he work with established stars? “The script demands fresh faces with no other image. If I cast the same team of Happydays, it would be called its sequel. And the actors now have a certain image that doesn’t suit the characters. In Leader, I worked with seasoned actors like Suhasini, Kota Srinivasa Rao etc. They give us so many variations for a shot and we can choose what we want from it. At the same time, it is tough to get the freshers to be camera-friendly and train them. Everything has its pros and cons,” he clarifies.

The ace director is not bothered about being branded as a director who makes cinema for urban youngsters. He says the acceptance of urban cinema is increasing since there are multiplexes coming up everywhere.

“It is not a conscious effort to make cinema for a certain audience. I just write the script and make movies. For me, cinema is not a business equation; it is my passion and a medium to tell a story. When I made Anand, my audience were about 15 lakh people and then Happydays was watched by about one crore people. This means there is an increasing acceptance of urban cinema. Urban stories are not conscious decisions at all,” he says.

His films don’t have murderous villains or clichéd comedy tracks. They have no gravity defying fights or vulgar romance. Will we ever get to see a typical masala film from Shekhar? “I don’t do movies which patronize heroes where the audience see the hero more than the character. But I will certainly do action movies in the future with an established star,” he assures.

“Success doesn’t get to my head since I know that audiences’ tastes keep changing. So far my movies haven’t failed. There is pressure on me but since I make cinema for passion and not for business, I don’t let it affect me,” the director concludes.

Affordable smart phones

2010-09-13T00:25:00.000-07:00

It's certainly a great convenience to be able to check your mail on the move and check some quick websites on the web. But if you had been worried that such smart phones are a way too high to fit your budget, here are some entry-level phones that will let you do some of the fantastic things, yet won't pinch your purse.

Though there is no official definition for a smart phone and each manufacturer adds up his product's capability to its definition, there are a few generally recognised criteria for a phone to be "smart". It is one that is capable of getting access to your e-mail; that can display web pages without too much distortion and that can connect to the Internet via GPRS. And for our definition of an "entry-level phone", we will look at phones that cost not more than Rs5,000 and yet offer all the above-said conveniences.

Nokia 2700, a slim design GSM mobile phone with two megapixel camera, allows easy Internet browsing with its GPRS connectivity. This handset, which can be also used as a data modem, has Opera mini browser is installed for satisfactory net surfing experience. All this for a price of Rs3,690.

A slight variant of the 2700 variety, the Nokia 2730, is a 3G-based mobile phone with neat style and slim looks that is available for Rs4,090. It holds all the basic features like texting and mailing and while its 3G supporting hardware makes data transfer pretty faster, the phone's GPRS and EDGE technology speeds up internet browsing.

Another true smart phone from Nokia is the 7210 Blue mobile. Apart from a two megapixel camera and MP4 player, it comes with a built-in WAP 2.0 and HTML web browser to assist the net savvy people. Again this phone too falls well within the entry-level range of Rs4,090.

If you are Samsung fan, don't fret.

The Samsung S3310, a light weight phone that lacks a smart look yet offers good features such as 240x320 TFT screen display, a MP3 and WAV compatibility, etc. A user can stay connected globally through its browser connectivity of WAP 2.0 xHTML, Net front and this handset is Bluetooth enabled at USB 2.0. And its selling price? Rs3,950.

However, if you are willing to stretch your budget by just about another Rs 500, you can take home the Samsung Corby TXT B3210 for Rs4,950. A youthful looking phone, Corby has a lot of communication options and lets you access Facebook, MySpace and Twitter through a simple Pop-up SNS (Social Networking Service) feature. Community sites such as YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket are also integrated directly into its user interface.

From the Sony Ericsson stable, the W 205 is another smart phone in the range of Rs3,690. This Sony model has a high resolution 3.2 mega pixel camera, music player, FM radio, messaging services and blue tooth connectivity. Its quad band technology allows users to it even while travelling across the world.

With a range of entry-level phones available at affordable prices, go ahead and flaunt your smart phone of your choice among your friends.

Hyderabad Weekend Getaways

2010-08-05T00:53:00.000-07:00

Wet and wild getaways

Wondering how to spend your weekend this monsoon? Read on, before you pack your bags

Cuddling up in a blanket on the window sill with a mug of hot chocolate and enjoying your favourite romance novel is not the only way to spend your weekends during the monsoons. Get out there and take a quick trip, away from city limits, to enjoy the monsoons like they are supposed to be: amidst lush greenery and teasing, chilly winds.

Hot picks

An hour’s drive from the city, Osman Sagar Dam makes for the best half-day drive when you need a short break. Known for its beautiful sunset, it makes for an ideal location for people who enjoy stargazing. The well laid-out gardens and the lake resort make for enjoyable picnic spots.

When you drive down to Ananthgiri Hills (near Vikarabad, 70 km), the lush green hilltops make a pretty picture. Take your camping equipment along if you want to enjoy the greenery and the fresh mountain air.

The serene Manjeera Lake (at Sanga Reddy, 98km) is a hotspot for bird-lovers making for a peaceful hangout. You can also take a dip into the cool waters if you are a braveheart. Make sure to catch the sunset here, it’s breathtaking.

A perfect Sunday

Got a Sunday and you have nothing else to do except wondering about the 11 am meeting on Monday? We give you better options. For those of you who are fond of the forests, the Pocharam Wild Life Sanctuary, situated 104 km away from the city, is a fun place to check out. For those interested in fishing, sink your hooks into the Pocharam Lake and chill out in a serene surrounding.

The historic church with its famous stained glass interiors at Medak is definitely worth a visit. What’s wonderful is that if you start at 6 am, you can enjoy the trip and be back in town by 3 pm - in time for lunch and even an evening party.

And for those who love jamming on that gas pedal and hitting top speeds, the four-lane, 130 km highway from Hyderabad to Kamareddy is just what you need. Kuntala, AP’s highest waterfall, is covered with dense forest and beautiful birds chirping. Water gushes from a height of 200 feet into multiple streams here and this is also a fun place for rock-climbers and trekkers.

For a short trip, Bidar could be mesmerising. The Fort looks romantic on a monsoon afternoon and is certainly worth a visit.

So, what are you waiting for? Go pack your overnight bags and hit the road to your favourite monsoon getaway!

Maruti launched new Alto K10

2010-08-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

August 4: The leading small car manufacturer in the country, Maruti Udyog Limited, unveiled its new Alto K10, an upgraded variant of existing Alto.

The new Alto has two variants ‘Alto K10 Lxi’ and ‘Alto K10 Vxi’. New Alto K10 boast of a refined and fuel efficient 67bhp, 998cc, three cylinder engine that will give impressive mileage of 22-23 kmpl, claims company and goes form 0-100 kmph in 13.3 seconds.

The Alto K10 sports a 5 Speed Manual Transmission with Cable Gear Shift. The earlier version had a Lever Shift Mechanism. The car also has front power windows and a key reminder, if case you forget your keys in the car. The Alto has finally got a Central Locking System in place. Besides, a collapsible steering column and front fog lights are some additional features that the car will come with.

The 13-inch tubeless tyres also form a part of the features list of the car. The car has a turning radius of 4.6 metres. The ground clearance of the car too is 160 mm. The rear exteriors of the Alto K10 have been given a fresh look, with a newly designed back door and a set of new rear combination lights. The car will also have standard features such as air-conditioning and power steering. The Alto K10 is BS-IV, E-10 and ELV compliant.

The new Alto K10 will be available in six colours – sunlight Copper, Fire Brick Red, Ecru Beige, Midnight Black, Superior White and Silky Silver.

The Alto K10 LXi will be priced at Rs. 3.19 lakhs and the VXi trim will cost Rs 3.32 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).

If sources are to be believed, the company is likely to slash price of existing Alto.

After new Alto, the company has also announced to launch CNG variants of five other models on August 13. However, the CNG model will cost more. It will be costlier by Rs 40-50 thousand than petrol model.

What is new in new Alto K10:

K-series 1000cc engine
Font Power Windows
Equipped with Fog light
Speed meter along with RPM meter
Attractive tale light
Same colour bumper
Side new mirror
Broad bonnet
The new Alto is 125 mm longer than existing

The New Micromax Q55 Bling

2010-06-08T00:49:00.000-07:00

Charm your girl friend with the new Micromax Bling (Price: Rs.5,500)

The new Micromax Q55 bling is a Dual SIM mobile with Full QWERTY keypad as one its remarkable feature. It also offers 2.0 MP camera, Expandable Memory, Opera Mini, Multi-Messenger, Stereo FM Radio, Facebook, Bluetooth and Music Player.

Specifications:

Type	262K Color QVGA
Resolution	320*240 Pixels
Screen size	2.4 inches
Band	Dual GSM-Dual-Band (900/1800 MHz)
FM radio	Yes
Messaging	SMS,MMS
Bluetooth	Yes
GPRS	Yes
Games	Yes
Camera	Yes, 2.0 Mega Pixel
Expandable memory	Micro SD (up to 8GB)
Music	Multi Format Music Player (MP3 / AMR / MIDI / WAV), Background Music Playback, Flight Mode, Powered by Yamaha
Battery	Li-ion (850mAh)
Dimensions	707016.3cm
Weight	75g

Official Website: http://www.micromaxinfo.com/products

Upcomming cars in 2010

2010-01-29T00:38:00.000-08:00

Below are the list of cars launching in India this year (2010), prices mentioned below are not accurate.

Click on the image to get bigger image.

Chevrolet Beat

Chevrolet Spark

Fiat Bravo

Hyundai i30

Maruti Suzuki Cervo

Mini Cooper

Renault Sandero

Toyota Yaris

Tata Prima

Mitsubishi Colt

Nissan Micra

Nissan Pixo

Nissan Ultra Low Car

Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Scirocco

Volkswagen Phaeton

Why Telangana region people are fighting for separate state

2010-01-11T01:52:00.000-08:00

1. There are 10 districts in Telangana, 9 in Andhra and 4 in Rayalaseema. Out of these 7 districts in Telangana, 3 in Andhra and 1 in Rayalaseema are considered severely backward districts which means 70% of districts in Telangana are backward while in Andhra it is 35% and in Rayalaseema it is 25%. Apart from these there are some areas in all parts of the state which are also backward.

2. 45% of the state income comes from Telangana region. When it comes to utilization of funds, the share of Telangana is only 28%.

3. Normally canals are dug to supply water to the crops from rivers for cultivation. The amount of land cultivated through canals in just Guntur district is more than the land cultivated with canals in entire Telangana region.

4. Nagarjuna sagar dam is built in Nalgonda district which is in Telangana but majority of the water from the dam is used for Krishna and Guntur district. The original dam was supposed to be build much ahead of its present location but the location was changed so that it falls in the Telangana region. Due to the construction of the dam several hectares of Lime stone mines vanished as part of the dam back waters. Everyone know that lime stone is used for producing cement. Even the natural resources were not allowed to remain.

5. Fluorinated water problem is only in Nalgonda district which has not been resolved since decades.

6. Two major rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra enter the state of AP in the district of Mahaboobnagar(the biggest district in Telangana) but the district always remains the worst draught hit areas along with Anantapur because there is no project and process with which the water can be utilized. The plans for utilization has been pending for decades.

7. RDS (Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme) is build in Mahaboobnagar to provide water to 85000 hectares of land in the district. The leaders of Rayalaseems blasted the gates of RDS and water is supplied to KC (Kurnool-Cudapah) canal while only remaining water, if any, is supplied to the lands in Mahaboobnagar.

8. 3 TMC of water from Gandipet is sufficient to supply drinking water to our city. Every year 1700 TMC of water is wasted and is flown into Bay of Bengal from river Godavari. Starting from Nizambad to Bay of Bengal there is no project allowed to build on Godavari. If it is built leaders in Godavari districts fear that the fertile lands in the area may fall short of water. If the Godavari water is utilized properly, there will be no scarcity for food grains in our state.

9. In Telangana regions, only few areas cultivate one crop a year and very rarely two crops a year while most of the land doesn’t even cultivate single crop. In both the Godavari districts, Krishna and Guntur district, two crops a year is common and there are times where even 3 crops a year are cultivated. The only reason is WATER.

10. Government issue G.O.’s for implicating its decisions. G.O number 610 is the longest non implicated G.O in the history of AP. The G.O was issued in 1986 by late NTR who was then the CM of AP, which is not yet implicated. The G.O speaks about the share of Telangana employees in Government jobs in Telangana region.

11. 33% of the population in Mahaboobnagar district have left the district for livelihood to different parts of the state due to draught and majority of them are working as daily labour. No other district has so many people who fled the home place due to lack of livelihood and working as daily labour.

12. There are 25 plus government degree colleges in Krishna, Kadapa and Guntur district while there is not even a single government degree college in Ranga Reddy district.

13. Dairy development corporation of AP purchases milk from farmers across the state for distribution. For the same milk, in Andhra, the government pay Rs. 24 to the farmers and in Telangana they pay Rs. 22 per litre. Partiality is shown even in milk.

14. In between 2005-2008 government sold lands worth Rs. 20000 crores in and around Hyderabad which was utilized to build projects in Rayalaseema and Andhra.

15. Not even a single project was completed in Telangana in the last 5 years while several projects were completed in Andhra and Rayalaseema.

Nobody wants a split in the state but when the people of one region are constantly humiliated and denied of what they should be getting, such demands keep coming. Let us show maturity in understanding social problems keeping aside the sentiments.

Note: This article may have little discrepancies from the real facts unintentionally. Corrections are always welcome. This article tried to be neutral as an issue always has two stories.

Do we really need a separate Telangana State?

2010-01-11T01:35:00.000-08:00

Leaving aside the politics and the strategies of the politicians let us take a look at the real facts about Telangana issue and its status.

Formation of Andhra Pradesh

* In 1947 Nizam of Hyderabad State (Telangana) did not want to merge with India
* In 1948 Hyderabad State was forced to become part of India
* In 1953 Andhra State was formed based on Telugu speaking area (Sacrifice of Potti Sriramulu who fasted until death)

Jawaharlal Nehru appointed States Reorganization Commission(SRC) to divide (reorganize) Indian states based on people speaking the same language. And there was a proposal to merge Hyderabad State and Andhra State. But the SRC was against this as they thought that Hyderabad State was underdeveloped and it better be a separate state for its own good.

* In 1956 Hyderabad State (Telangana) was merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh

But the Government ignored SRC and there was an agreement called “Gentleman’s agreement” which assured sufficient development for Telangana.

After 13 years starts a movement to separate Andhra Pradesh again

* In 1969 Jai Telangana Movement started People in Telangana region were not happy with the 1956 agreement as the Government did not implement what was promised. Students in Osmania University started this movement and this caused violence and deaths of hundreds of people in Telangana region. The sacrifices of these people were wasted as the cruel politics of Congress lured many separatists to their party and the movement was all dampened.

Today

After 1969 there was not many complains from the people of the region but when even a new party wants to come to power they bring up the topic of Seperate Telangana State to win elections starting
In 1990’s BJP promised a separate state if they come to power but could not as TDP was opposing it
In 2004 Congress promised a separate state if they come to power and merged with parties in Telangana regions to win elections.
Now KCR has succeeded in doing so with his fasting .

Some Controversial Facts:

Pro Telangana:

People from Telangana region pay more taxes (More Alcohol consumption) than Andhra but the claim is that these are being used for the development of Andhra regions. It if were a separate state it can use all the money from the region for its own development.

No Telangana:

Isn’t it a fact that every part of the state needs resources for its own development. As most parts of Andhra have good lands they generate more money and this can be shared if not equally. There are no big movements after 1969 unless the political parties bring it up

Aside from the Facts there are the questions that need to answered ap map leaders

Yes, Telangana was not being developed in 1969. Does that fact still apply after 40 years in 2009?
Isn’t Hyderabad the 5th largest city in the country and is in Telangana region?
Where will the Telangana get money for its development (Still from Alcohol Taxes) or Will it be only from Hyderabad?
Do the people in Telangana regions really feel the pain or Is it just a political game to come to power?
Is it just the small parties in Telangana region that want recognition by getting a new state?
Was the decision made by the government in 1956 based on Telugu speaking people instead of development a right one?
Is it just that people who want identity bring this up so that they could get one?
Does Telugu Thalli needs to split into half?
Why is this issue so low during NTR’s period?
Does Telangana have Identity crises? Don’t even talk about it. Its about the development of the region.

I wish the politicians or the political parties take right decisions based on the real fact that could develop the Telangana region and give an advantage to the people living there instead of playing games to get power. Be it a separate Telangana State or a unified Andhra Pradesh.

Note: This article may have little discrepancies from the real facts unintentionally. Corrections are always welcome. This article tried to be neutral as an issue always has two stories.

What do you think? Do you know more about this issue? Do you think some of the facts are missing? Please write your opinion in comments section below.

Swine Flu Health Advisory

2009-08-06T04:40:00.000-07:00

With the first swine flu death being recorded in INDIA yesterday, it will be all important to keep a ready recknor at hand. More so we need to be aware of the correct symptoms and the right place for treatment. So in case we have someone who is seen to have symptoms we could guide them to the right hospital.

The attached presentation would give you additional details about the swine flu, its symptoms and the actions that need to be initiated.

As a Unified Force we can stop the spread of this EPIDEMIC and cure the affected ones with timely and correct treatment.

Please forward this article to as many known people as possible so as to make them aware and be part of the Unified Force.

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GOVERNMENT AUTHORIZED HOSPITALS FOR TREATMENT OF SWINE FLU
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