Fetching water an uphill task for them

Fetching water an uphill task for them

• B.V.S. BHASKAR

Tribal women have to trek 2 km under hot sun to fetch one or two pots of water from Godavari

No respite:Women trek from their village Koeterikommu in Vara Ramachandrapuram mandal of East Godavari district to get potable water from river Godavari. —PHOTO: S. RAMBABU

Tribal women were seen trekking 2 km up and down daily from their hamlets in this interior forest area under the hot sun to fetch one or two pots of water from river Godavari.

The Rural Water Schemes (RWS), which were dug borewells about two decades ago, became defunct and the AP Eastern Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APEPDCL) and RWS blame each other for the failure of the schemes. Before the bifurcation, Y. Ramavaram, Addateegala, Devipatnam, Maredumilli, Gangavaram, Rajavommangi and Rampachodavaram mandals were there in Rampachodavaram sub-division, and post bifurcation of the State V.R. Puram, Koonavaram, Chinturu and Nellipaka mandals were added and most of the villages are going to be submerged under Polavaram project.

Out of 183 village Panchayats, 3.46 lakh tribal people are living in 977 habitations, mostly the primitive tribal groups Konda Reddy, Koya, Valmiki, Konda Kummari and Konda Kapu.

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) is taking care of all the panchayats under which RWS and Tribal Welfare Departments are running 417 protected drinking water schemes.

Both the departments claim they have dug 6,343 hand pumps in all the habitations. “For every pump it takes at least 250 to 400 feet in the Agency (forest) area. Only problem is that there is no power connection to villages for two to three decades in the past,” recalled Venugopala Rao, former engineer. Sathya Sai Baba water schemes, which were boon to many of the villages in Maredumilli and Y. Ramavaram mandals, were becoming defunct after they were handed over to respective village panchayats and local RWS authorities for maintenance.

The trio who kept the university’s head high

The trio who kept the university’s head high:

• B.V.S. BHASKAR

A decade ago, there were no buildings, no hostel facilities, with limited teaching and non-teaching staff. The combined Andhra Pradesh government hurriedly established Adikavi Nannaya University on April 22, 2006 here.

• Many students from East and West Godavari districts and equal number from north Andhra districts joined the university in the first year as there was only one option left for them, that is Andhra University in Visakhapatnam.
  Two students from Vizianagaram and one from Polavaram in West Godavari became classmates in the university, and roommates as paying guest outside. Their family background i.e., poverty, backwardness in their districts, social stigma strengthened their bond.
  Borgam Satish, G.S. Chinnam Naidu and Allu Seetham Naidu, who encountered many teething troubles in the university in its first year, came to university campus on Thursday and shared their experiences.
  “We are first shocked to see the structures that have come up here, which was our dream. We never thought one day our university will also will have such buildings.”
  This was the reaction of Mr. Seetham Naidu, who came to Visakhapatnam from Mumbai as a Hindustan Petroleum Company Limited employee. His father, Krishnam Naidu, is a daily wage labourer and mother Polamma supports the family.
  “After completion of our M.Sc., when we went for an interview, they used to ask us where this university is, and whether it was recognised by the government or not?” said Mr. Seetham Naidu.
  The trio said the former Registrar and senior Professor from Andhra University A. Nageswara Rao laid the foundation for their careers in Nannaya University, and later Prof. Jagan Mohan Reddy advised them to go for research.
  “I topped in M.Sc., Chemistry in this university and wrote GATE exam and cleared CSIR JRF and NET in chemical sciences in Chennai. Then Prof. Reddy advised me to join in IIT Chennai to take up research. After three-and-half years, I discontinued research due to personal problems,” said Mr. Chinnam Naidu, whose parents are struggling to survive as NREGS labour near Vizianagaram.
  Mr. Satish, who came from a Tribal community, stood first in his entire academic career before joining Nannaya University. He got distinction along with two other friends and wrote all the competitive exams.
  “The entire first batch of university came with many hopes to the university and we struggled for each and every thing during our two years’ study. Most of our batchmates have settled in some or other position which they deserve,” said Mr. Satish, who is lecturer in Addattegala Junior College. After his demise of his father at an early age, he took the burden of his big family and did part-time jobs and settled his family.

Psychiatrist gets 24th degree

Psychiatrist gets 24th degree

• SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
• 
  Psychiatrist Karri Rama Reddy on Saturday got his 24th bachelor’s degree and added another feather in his cap.

  This is in Corporate and Securities Law and he did four L.L.M.s .

  “This is my fifth degree in law course. I completed 24 and want to continue till I am physically fit and able to read and write,” the psychiatrist told media persons on Saturday..

  Addressing media persons, G.S. Krishna Memorial Law College director Srinivas said Dr. Reddy had mastered the subjects despite huge rush of patients in his hospital.

  He said this showed the determination of Dr. Rama Reddy Former Bharath Vikasa Parishat president P.V.S. Krishna Rao, social worker Phani Nageswara Rao and others were present.

On edge, rushing to cast their vote

On edge, rushing to cast their vote

• B.V.S. BHASKAR

These people feel they won’t be shunted out of India if they exercise their franchise

Sobahan Ali and Diwan Jubbar Ali have taken a short break during their one-month training programme which they are imparting to tribal youths in the thick forests of Maredumilli in the Rampachodavaram Agency area in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh from April 1. The duo was seen at the Rajamahendravaram railway station on Saturday to board the Guwahati Express to exercise their franchise in the second phase of polling in Assam scheduled for April 11.

The two, along with their head, Prabhat Saikia, have been training in making cane and bamboo articles at the Maredumilli Youth Training Centre for the last eight days, attended by 50 men and women. “We came here on the invitation of programme coordinator of an NGO and told her that we have to take break to exercise our voting right. If we are not going to exercise our franchise, we will lose our voting rights and then will be sent across the border, which is only about 3 km from our village,” said Mr. Jubbar Ali.

The two are from Sarthebari Tehsil of Barpeta district in Assam, which is about 3 km from the Bangladesh border.

“The BJP’s election slogan to push Bangladeshis living on Indian soil out has become a taboo for those living on the border villages of Sarthebari, Kayachuchi, Barakapala and Bayaskuchi,” said Mr. Jubbar Ali. The livelihood of people living in Sarthebari Tehsil, according to Mr. Sobahan Ali, is making historic Assamese bell metal artistic designs, bamboo and cane articles and exporting them to the international market.

“Most of the Assam youths are fed up with the Tarun Gogoi government. At the same time we are so cautious about Narendra Modi’s promises and implementation of the same in the last two years in other States,” said Mr. Jubbar.

They say money and muscle power in the Assam election is comparatively less than any other State, but border issues and insecurity feeling are more. About their return, the duo said that: “Though it is not our pre-condition, the organisers allowed us to take a break for five days. We will be back on April 14.”

Assam craftsmen honing skills of tribal people

• B.V.S. BHASKAR
• 
  

• A six-member team reaches Maredumilli to take part in one-month programme

  

  Grooming:All Assam Artisans Association general secretary Prabath Saikia training tribal women at Maredumilli on Tuesday.—Photo: B.V.S. Bhaskar
  A half-a-dozen master craftsmen, after travelling about 2,500 kms from Mariani junction near Dibrughar of Assam to Maredumilli forest in East Godavari district, imparting training to semi-skilled Adivasis.

  Prabhath Saikia, general secretary of All Assam Artisans Association and head of the six-member group, came to Maredumilli to participate in one-month long training programme at the Youth Training Centre here organised by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) and the AP Skill Development Centre in association with an NGO.

  Assam and Rampachodavaram Agency having many similarities as the making of bamboo and cane items is the main livelihood in both the areas.

  But tribal people who are living in Maredumilli, Y. Ramavaram, Addateegala and Rajavommangi are not coming out of the good old practices in making different kinds of handicrafts.

  According to Baburao and Eswararao of Kotha Colony of Maredumilli, the young generation wants to know the new artistic models which will be sold in national and international exhibitions and also the new techniques. They said that they had requested ITDA Project Officer K.V.N. Chakradharababu to bring some expert trainers and impart training and accordingly he brought master craftsmen from Assam.

  Mr. Prabhath Saikia participated in hundreds of exhibitions at national-level along with his artisans group, Abhinobh Sanskritic Gusthi, involving Chankikya Dutta, Priyanka Barali, Amitabh Barua (Brahmaputra Boyz) and individually in more than 10 international bamboo and cane international exhibitions .

  Speaking to The Hindu , he said that the tribal people in Maredumilli were only making traditional swings, bamboo cots, diwan sets and other decorative sets. When he spoke with them with the help of a translator Sk. Basha, they told him that the other items have no market, which is not true.

  “If we make the item very attractive, people will love to see it and purchase them, even if they are costly. But, bamboo and cane articles are like this…they can be bought from Rs.50 to Rs.50,000,” Mr. Saikia said.

  He added that his team was training them in making women jewellery with bamboo and can, mobile covers, hangers, see grass baskets, egg stands, different varieties of chandeliers, pendants, fixers, walls and so on within 20 days to one month.

  Uttam Roy, expert in cane and, Jabbar Ali and Azahar Ali, experts in both bamboo and cane, have said that the tools which the locals were using have to be changed and added the support from the ITDA and the APSSDC is good compared to Assam.

‘Lava-Kusa’ bemoan fall in values

‘Lava-Kusa’ bemoan fall in values

• B.V.S. BHASKAR
• 

  Lava-Kusa actors Nagaraju and Subrahmanyam.— PHOTO: S. RAMBABU
  : “Actors in Telugu movies in good old days had ethics and values and were known for discipline and punctuality, but nowadays artistes with such qualities are almost nonexistent, ” said two important characters in C. Pullaiah’s legendary movie ‘Lava-Kusa.’

  Anaparthi Nagaraju played the role of ‘Lava,’ elder son of Lord Rama and Viyyuri Subrahmanyam of ‘Kusa,’ the younger one. They were felicitated by the C.P. Brown Mandir team here when they came to attend a programme on Sunday.

  Mr. Nagaraju and Mr. Subrahmanyam said it took five long years to produce “Lava-Kusa” and the legendary artistes N.T. Rama Rao and Anajali Devi, who played the lead characters, were committed to the core. The duo said their friendship is still continuing. The production of the movie started in 1958 and it hit the screens in 1963.

  The duo recalled that during the shooting of the film, when Rama had to hug his sons, Pullaiah got two small tables for them and asked NTR to hug them. “This shows how much the director respected the lead character and also the state of technology,” Mr. Nagaraju said.

  Mr. Subrahmanyam and Mr. Nagaraju said technology has improved tremendously, but producers and directors are not selecting the right people, adding that hero worship has gone out of proportion.