Call for holistic development of children - The Hindu

Call for holistic development of children - The Hindu

B. V. S. BHASKAR

Students of Sri Gowthami School exhibit skill in ‘Visual Programming’

Students of Sri Gowthami School demonstrated their creative and technical skills in ‘Visual Programming' on Saturday in the school function hall. The participants engaged in activities like storytelling, drawing and games.

Addressing a seminar on ‘Future of Computing’, organised on the sidelines, Pullela Nageswara Rao, Additional Director General, National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics (NACEN), Hyderabad, said students should be inquisitive and develop scientific temper. Mr. Nageswara Rao advised parents to groom their children by exploring their talent.

Delivering keynote address, A. Rajagopal, Lead Principal-Education Training and Assessment, Infosys Limited, Bangalore, said deeper vision and wider understanding were key to the learning process and added that students must not confine themselves to playing games on computers, but they must also create them. He underscored the need for holistic development of students.

V. Nanda Kishore, founder of LCYkids, USA, through a power-point-presentation emphasised the need for proper parental guidance to children. He said parents must ensure proper use of technological advancements by children

Correspondent of Sri Gowthami Educational Institutions Ravi Kumar Sunkara said that 450-odd students formed into 150 teams and exhibited projects using visual programming approach.

Chairman of Sri Gowthami institutions S. Surya Prakasa Rao, Correspondent S. Ravi Kumar, Director S. Mallikarjun Rao, campus heads and others attended the event.

“Respond to prisoner’s welfare” - The Hindu

“Respond to prisoner’s welfare” - The Hindu

Prisons DIG, Coastal Region, A. Narasimha has appealed that society has to respond for the welfare of the prisoners who are not able to get all the facilities and provisions through the government.

He was speaking after inaugurating a new water-cooler at the Rajahmundry Central Prison on Friday donated by Balakavi Educational Seva Trust-BEST and Rankireddy Subbaraju Foundation (RST Foundation).

Welfare activity

The DIG thanked BEST and RSR Foundation for taking up welfare activity in the prison and asked philanthropists to come forward in developing society.

Tasty mangoes roll out from Central Jail - The Hindu

Tasty mangoes roll out from Central Jail - The Hindu

Tasty mangoes roll out from Central Jail

B.V.S. BHASKAR

 

Grown with organic compost and no chemicals, mangoes from the prison are known for sweet pulp and preservative qualities

In full bloom:Inmates of the Rajahmundry Central Prison at work in the mango orchard.- PHOTO: S. RAMBABU

Here is good news for mango lovers. The Central Prison here is delivering tasty and healthy mangoes to the open market. One would be surprised to know how a prison would supply mangoes. \People in and around Rajahmundry eagerly waiting for the king of fruits that are grown by prisoners every year is a fact. Grown in the sprawling orchards on the jail premises using only organic compost, the mangoes are quite a customers’ delight.

The 40-acre orchard in this semi-open jail has 750 trees that provide tasty mangoes which can be preserved for longer periods. Imam Pasand, Suvarna Rekha, Peda Rasalu, China Rasalu, Mallikalu, Collector and Banginapalli, to name a few, are the varieties that are grown inside the Central Prison.

Some of them are known for their sweet pulp, while others, though sour in taste, are ideal for pickles. Incidentally, pickles prepared using these mangoes have good export value, thanks to their preservative qualities. Deputy Inspector-General (Prisons), Coastal Region, A. Narasimha and Rajahmundry Central Prison Superintendent K. Newton inaugurated the sale of mangoes at the prison on Monday. Speaking to the media, Mr. Narasimha said the Central Prison had generated Rs. 3.34 lakh from the sale of mangoes last year, and that the income was expected to cross Rs. 5 lakh this year. “The revenue generated from selling the mangoes is utilised for the welfare of prisoners across the State,” he added.

An old institution craves for attention - The Hindu

An old institution craves for attention - The Hindu

An old institution craves for attention

BVS BHASKAR

Call for national status to Gowthami Regional Library

Copper plated inscriptions in Devanagari script in Sri Gowthami Regional Library, Rajahmundry. —Photo: S. Rambabu

Sri Gowthami Regional Library (SGRL) has the oldest and rarest collection of books between the 1805 and 1898. It also boasts unpublished manuscripts.

The government took over the library in 1979 and renamed it as Sri Gowthami Regional Library.

The name Sri Gowthami Regional Library, popularly known s ‘Gowthami’, adjoins the Palm leaf manuscripts since its inception. At present, the library has more than 400 manuscripts of ‘Colonel McKenzie’ describing East and West Godavari Districts. These manuscripts are in three volumes. ‘Tamara Sasanalu’, meaning copper plates (from the 13th and 14th centuries), are also available in the library. An interesting facet of the library is its possession of the first Britannica Encyclopedia of the year 1771.

As of now, the library has more than 1,500 rare books published before 1900 and around 8,115 books published prior to 1923 and 5,000 published up to 1950. In all, more than 15,000 rare books find place in the collections. Magazines and periodicals like Bharathi, Chintamani, Vivekavardhini, Andhri and Krishna Patrika are oldest periodicals that are housed in the library.

Though Union Minister for Human Resources Development M.M. Pallam Raju hails from the district, the library is yet to get national status. “We got national status for the Telugu language after making tireless efforts. For getting the same status for this library also, we have to struggle in residual state of Andhra Pradesh,” says Sannidhanam Narasimha Sarma, who worked as librarian.

V.S. Suryanarayana Murthy, the current gazetted librarian, modernised the only big government library in coastal region in keeping with the advancement in Information Technology.

It has now around 16 computers with scanner and Printers.

Now, techies join the political bandwagon - The Hindu

Now, techies join the political bandwagon - The Hindu

Now, techies join the political bandwagon

B.V.S. BHASKAR

Barla Vijay

As if adding credence to fervent pleas made by several speakers and scholars on the imperativeness of educated people entering politics, five young techies - one with a post-graduate degree in engineering and the other four with bachelors’ degree - are contesting the Rajahmundry civic polls as official candidates and independents.

These political greenhorns successfully completed their campaign duty on Friday and are preparing for the all-important polling day on March 30.

Barla Vijay, who is a M. Tech from Andhra University, took the plunge as an independent from 1{+s}{+t}Division of the city. A keen activist known for his fight on social issues, Vijay came into the limelight while he was focussing on the Havelock Bridge issue. “I got offers from both the TDP and the YSRC. But, I want to contest as an independent. I know it will difficult to get funds on par with the ruling party corporators. Yet, I wish to contest as independent,” the techie said.

Paidimalla Mercy Priya is another young student of technology, contesting from 30{+t}{+h}Division on TDP ticket. She is a B. Tech student.

Minister and TDP senior leader Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary said that there were three engineering graduates, two management graduates and another five post-graduates contesting on the party ticket.

“The present day trend shows that educated youngsters are willing to take up social responsibility by joining politics,” he added.

Majji Mounica Sudharani, who is contesting on TDP ticket from 6{+t}{+h}Division, is an engineer, and her party colleague M. Durga Srinivas, is a double graduate with B. Tech and MBA in finance degrees. He is in fray from 41{+s}{+t}Division.

Chintakunta Rajaneesh Reddyhas thrown in his hat in the ring as a TDP candidate from 20

Noble deed by Norwegian tourist - The Hindu

Noble deed by Norwegian tourist

b.V.S. BHASKAR 

Helge Edgar

Helge Edgar is a veteran tourist with 59 years of travelling experience and has covered almost 70 per cent of the globe. “Travelling is a broadening of mind, so travel more and broaden your minds,” is his slogan. He spends Christmas to May at his home in Norway and the rest of the year in some country in the world, mostly in India, which he likes quite a lot.

The 77-year old retired school teacher came to India three years ago and reached Velugubanda village on the outskirts of Rajahmundry to see Krishi Public School for underprivileged children.

Edgar, who has been suffering from prostate cancer for almost four years, had an interaction with Jayaraj and Shanti, principal and director of the school respectively, on helping out the children at Krishi Public school. He came to know about Chinni (10), daughter of V. Satyanaryana and Varalakshmi, agriculture labourers. Chinni joined only a few days ago as she is suffering from an umbilical hernia which occurs when part of the bowel or fatty tissue pokes through an area near the belly button (navel, umbilicus), pushing through a weak spot in the surrounding abdominal wall. The girl was taken to Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad first and then she was referred to Chennai for major surgery to remove the part hanging outside the stomach. The cost of the surgery was estimated at Rs.20 lakh. Without giving a second thought, Helge Edgar asked his Norwegian bank to send a cheque to Global Hospital, Chennai, for Rs.20 lakh for surgery.

Chinni came back to Velugubanda village all smiles only two days ago and the entire village felicitated Helge Edgar who had contributed his hard earned money for an underprivileged girl who is living thousands of miles from his home.

“Only in India I found gratitude. Only here it is possible to see things like happiness in others, an inclusive attitude and a happy joint family system. It makes this country great,” says Edgar.

Only in India I found gratitude. Only here it is possible to see happiness in others, an inclusive attitude and happiness in joint family system. They make this country great

Town Hall in a shambles - The Hindu

Town Hall in a shambles

B.V.S. BHASKAR

Kandukuri’s Town Hall, the first town hall in the State with an open auditorium, constructed by social reformer Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu in 1891, is an instance of the utter neglect of historical monuments in Rajahmundry.

The Town Hall now reminds one of those spooky buildings shown in horror movies. The structure that sits in the heart of the town, dedicated by the great social reformer for public purpose, is not serving the purpose at all. Pantulu had stated that of the two big rooms in the Town Hall, one should be allotted exclusively for playing billiards and another room would house a library. He had also said that the Trust Board had to maintain a flower garden and all the expenditure should be met from the rents coming from the six shops constructed in front of the Town Hall. Now, there are two table tennis boards where top national and international player Anchanta Kamal, his father and top player once practised.

The billiards room is now in shambles. In total, 35 to 40 youngsters come regularly to play on the two billiards boards, which are in poor condition. There is no coach to train these youngsters. Only one clerk is there who collects Rs. 40 a day from each player. With no one to oversee the functioning of the facility, some of the players even use ordinary bamboo sticks to shoot the ball. The library has hundreds of rare books.

There are no patrons and we fail every time in getting funds from the people’s representatives to develop the Town Hall.

Y.S. Naraismha Rao,Hitakarini Samajam secretary