Decked up for Vaikunta Ekadasi Celebrations

 Bhadrachalam, the temple town is gearing up for having its "Vaikuntha Ekadasi Celebrations" right from 13-12 2023 to 23-12-2023. During this holy season, the Lord appears in a different incarnation,  each day. Along with it, there are number of cultural and musical activities to be done. 

Artists are invited from far and wide along with the local talent. Everyday is slated with multiple programs. Dasavatarams can be seen as follows

13-12-23       Matsya Avataram

14-12-23       Kurma Avataram

15-12-23       Varaha Avataram

16-12-23      Narasimha Avataram

17-12-23      Vamana Avataram

18-12-23      Parashu Rama Avataram

19-12-23      Sri Rama Avataram

20-12-23      Balarama Avataram

21-12-23     Krishna Avataram

on 22nd of this month, Teppa Utsavam (Boat cruise) celebration will be taken place in the holy waters of Godavari River. 

On 23rd, Uttara dwara darshanam ( The Lord gives darsan from the North gate) celebration can be held in a pompous way.

In view of these celebrations, "Nitya kalyanamlu" will be resumed from 24-12-23 

Note: Tickets for Uttara dwara darsanam can be had from Temple main ticket counter and CRO Office and Bridge CRO also from Sub-Collector's office  from 13-12-23

Bhadradri Girls : Striking for a glorious future

 This year seems to be a vibrant and exciting one for the people of temple town with having two jubilant daughters of the soil have been beamed in the cricket so far. They are in their path of fulfilling their dreams and in turn their efforts would enrich the women's cricket in our country as well. Creating a niche for them and striving for achieving is something exceptional in any pursuit, and in cricket which needs lots of practice hours and grit apart from unending hope for success.

Gongadi Trisha already made waves by her presence and with having selected for three T20 series against England A began last Wednesday. Now, one Y. Trisha Poojitha , a different youngster beamed in the news as she has been picked up in the auctions by Gujarat Giants for the upcoming season, in women's premier league. The striking common thing is not only Trisha in their name, both they have hailed from the temple town, Bhadrachalam.

Gongadi Trisha's father Rami Reddy, back then, established a full fledged gym in the town and started instructing the enthusiasts apart from being himself as a health coach in the nearby ITCBPL. Later, he shifted to Hyderabad along with his family. And Trisha Poojitha's mother was an English teacher worked at Sri Nannapaneni Mohan ZP High school and she transferred from here on a promotion. Telangana Today English Daily carried out special articles on both of them, of course on different days, presented here for our readers.

--- Murthy

#women's#cricket#selections

Demise of a renowned poetess

Chakravarthula Lakshmi narsamma (84), a renowned poetess belonged to the temple town of Bhadrachalam  passed away today. She is known for her poetic prowess and got laurels from most acclaimed literary giants. She excelled both in metrical and free verse forms of poetry writing. She taught Telugu some decades and inspired many students in terms of Telugu literature. After retirement, she settled down here at Bhadrachalam and keep attending literary meetings whenever she has been invited. Lakshmi narsamma has a unique place in the matter of devotional and spiritual poetry.

She penned her first poem in memory of Gandhi ji's demise at the age of seven. In 1964, she wrote a collection of poems titled Bhadragiri wherein the greatness of temple town portrayed in a lucid way. Legendary poet Dasarathi prefaced the book. In 1981, she brought out one more devotional master piece titled Ramadasu. For which, she was bestowed with a title "Abhinava Molla". It has been given by well known poet Karuna sri.

She authored almost 22 books. State government honored her with a title of VisishTa mahila puraskaram. She received innumerable honors from many organizations. Definitely, she is the most acclaimed poetess from the district of Bhadradri kothagudem. Her death came as a shock to all the poetry admirers. However, a shining star vanished physically but her spirit left a great legacy in terms of Telugu literature.

--- Murthy

Home Guards are crucial

 Services provided by the Home guards, who are a part of the police department and perform continuous   duties are invaluable. In the time of heavy floods, VVIPs visits, elections, the role of Home guards are very crucial in addition to their normal duties. Wearing khaki uniform and serving the people is a great gift. Those who perform their duties with responsibility in the department always get special recognition,   said by Dr. G. Vineet IPS, SP of Bhadradri Kothagudem. He participated in the program of Raising day Celebrations of Home guards today, event taken place at IMA function hall, Kothagudem.

Home guards who showed outstanding performance have been received prizes on the occasion and around 300 Home guards working in the district were attended. T.Sai manohar (Addl SP of operations) , Vijay babu (Addl SP), Parithosh pankaj (Bhadrachalam ASP), Ramana murthy (Illendu DSP), Venkatesh (Palvancha DSP), Rehman (Kothagudem DSP), Raghavendra Rao (Manuguru DSP), Krishnaiah (Cyber crimes DSP), Nagaraju (SB inspector) and others participated in the program. 

#homeguards#raisingday#event

Celebrations at Chinna Arunachalam

" Krittika Mahadeepam " ritual celebrated in a grand way at the temple of Narsapuram, yesterday, which is also renowned as Chinna Arunachalam. The event was performed exactly when it had been celebrated at Arunagiri of Tamil nadu. Gradually, this Dwadasa Jyotirlinga Kshetram is getting highlighted with a huge footfall of devotees. Reaching the temple is much easier as it is located in the way of Parnasala and almost 16 km away from the temple town Bhadrachalam.

42 feet Mahadeepam has been lit up on the rock pillar and one lakh Diyas were illuminated on the occasion of Kartika pournami. Arunagiri Pradakshina was also performed in line of Arunagiri tradition. In addition to it, Satyanarayana Vrata Pujawill be performed on the 3rd December with a large population of devotees. And Annaabhisekham for Sasralingam and Dwadasa Jyotirlingams will also be performed on the 4th December and on the 11th December laksha Bilwarchana can be taken place.  

#chinnaarunachalam#Mahadeepam#Kartika pournami

Celestial Wedding

 Celestial wedding of Bhadrachala Sri Seetaramachandra Swamy has also been performing in various other places for the convenience of devotees residing in far off places. In order to that, this time west Godavari district of Andhra pradesh is having the opportunity to have the celebrations at the places like Chagallu, Bheemavaram, Devarapalli, Tanuku, Unkaramilli (Nidadavolu), Penakara metta (Kovvuru) and Guravai gudem (Jangareddy gudem). Already Chagallu and Guravai gudem Kalyanam programs accomplished and on 18th of this month at Bheemavaram, 19th at Tanuku, 21st at Penakametta, Kovvuru, 23rd at Devarapalli, 24th at Hanuman junction, 25th at Unakaramilli,Nidadavolu have to be performed. Devotees are asked to note the schedule. 

#kalyanam#sriseetharamachadraswamy#bhadrachalam#devotees

Eminent Bilingual Writer Upadrasta Anuradha

 Dr. Sridhara Murthy said that the entire house is now empty. Anuradha passed away last Sunday, but her memories haunt everyone. She was born on 31.10.1943 in Bhima varam at her grandfather's house. After getting married she has a son and no one knew the reasons, came away from her husband. From her maternal home she started her higher education with passing B.A. and M. A. (English literature) Passed in the first rank of University. B. Ed. also done.  later on worked as a teacher in a girls high school and soon after became a college lecturer. She delved herself as a great lecturer in teaching English. Apart from Telugu and English she learned Hindi, Bengali and Sanskrit as well. 

Since 1976, she has penned creative works in Telugu, Oriya and English languages. She also wrote works under the pen name of Amrita. Sometimes one of her translations is written under her name and one under Amrita's name, especially in Vipula monthly. She translated stories from Oriya, Hindi, Sindhi, Dogri, Kashmiri, Marathi, Indo English and American English into Telugu. K. B. Lakshmi, who worked in Eenadu, was surprised by her unrelenting efforts in terms of her translation. 

No one expected that a writer from Barampuram (Berhampur) would rise to such heights. She has written many articles in Telugu magazines like Vipula, Andhra Jyoti, Andhra Prabha, Bharati, Navabharti and in Odiya magazines like Sucharita, Jhankar, Satabhisha, Amritayana, Dagara, Baisi Pavucho, Adhuna and many of her Odiya articles placed in Daink Asha, Anupama Bharat . Many of English stories have appeared in popular magazines like Indian Literature, Heritage, Saptagiri.

She also translated many renowned Telugu writings into Odiya like Nagna muni's Magnum opus Koyya gurram (long poem) apart from Siva Reddy and Vijay Chandra's poetry. Last Sunday, she left the world. 

                                                    ------------------------

  

(Poet Vijay Chandra  reminisced the sad demise of Eminent bilingual writer and translator Upadrasta Anuradha based at Berhampur by reproducing his thoughts on the occasion of her 5th death anniversary)

#eminenttranslator#author#bilingual

First of its kind in Telugu literature

We are born with caste and religion. We don't have a choice but they should be as much as they should be in human life. If we always remember the truth that there was once a system without any religion or caste for humans on this earth, we will understand to what extent we should care about religion and caste in life. This is a side. Also, there was a system where people got together and prospered even though there were many religions. That too should always be remembered. This is another side.

At present, there is no time to teach and explain these historical truths to children in schools. Narrowness prevails on all sides. He does not try to understand his own religion in a proper sense, beyond the word of God. Why do you try to understand other religions?

But writers who constantly think to develop humanitarian perspective and increase harmony in the society continue to make that effort through their works. It was in such an attempt that the novel "Vendi Megham" (Silver Cloud) came out from Salim's pen. As the caste system increased, the laborers in some occupations were looked down by the society. Because of this sort of ill-treatment, some people converted to other religions for self-respect.

Salim's Vendi Megham is a novel depicting the lives of the Dudekulas who converted to Islam. I did not know that the Dudekula community people are ironically called Laddhas and Adha Muslims. The novel Vendi Megham depicts the anguish of some people who studied in Dudekula community to call themselves Noor Bashis, and the novel unfolds all the agonies they are going through.

Being themselves Hindu for generations, of course, for self-respect and self-esteem, they accepted Islam, and with the same reason they cannot completely give up some Hindu traditions and live their lives in a wonderful combination of both. When I was a child, Saibulu used to sit in front of the door of the house and sing Tatwas while they were engaging in their work with cotton for mattresses. Why they were singing Tatwas though they were belonging to other fold, I was pondering and clueless then.

Later it came to be known that the Dudekulas were once Hindus. After reading this novel, I came to know that they are Noor Bhashis. I also understand that how they are struggling for their existence and dignity and which made me more clear after reading this novel. Learned about their way of life too.

Salim's Vendi Megham is the first novel in Telugu literature that comprehensively portrays the ways of life of Muslims and the social life of Dudekula community who struggle with poverty. There is a great need for reading such novels and writing more such novels in today's conditions of increasing hatred all over.

--- Rushinarada Subrahmanya Venkateswaran (Original Review in Telugu)

( Ex Branch Manager in The Supreme Court of India)

--- English Translation rendered by Murthy Kvvs

For Copies : Vendi Megham (Silver Cloud) : A Telugu Novel by : Salim, (Available at Sri Vijayalakshmi Publications, Eluru Road, Vijayawada-2 :

Also available at Navodaya Book House, Kachiguda, Hyderabad) Price Rs. 200/-

#vendimegham#novel#review

Kolkata's Pandal Extravaganza Unraveled

 Standing in a queue for four hours to see a pandal (pavilion) in the metropolis of Kolkata is a great experience for many. Getting lost in a rush is normal.

Durga Puja is not just a puja. It is an integral part of Bengali culture. UNESCO has also confirmed the same. Creative talent, artistic values, piety, business, corporate world, employment of common people, a small respite from the pressure cooker life for the laboring masses stuck in extreme labor exploitation, globalization.....all these things have come together and become an integral part of the social, cultural and economic way of life. . People wait for 362 days for these three days. Durga Puja is intertwined with family ties. Another festival in another state is similarly affected. Such is the frenzy of worship and rituals.

If we take it as a normal puja then we are mistaken.. According to a survey by the British Council, this Durga Puja has provided an income of 32 thousand crore rupees to the government of West Bengal in 2019. Rs. 860 crores from pandals alone, 280 crores from idols and 205 crores from lighting to the Bengal government. These are the figures for 2019. We can easily understand that these figures will increase further in 2023. There is a huge market for artists with creative talent and sculptors. The income to be earned can be earned by hard work for one or two months during these three or four days of worship. A few thousand workers will be employed. This is why these workers wait for years. In some famous pandals of Kolkata city, the work will start from about three to four months before the festival. 

 Not only workers, It is a big festival for business community and corporates. This is a great opportunity for huge profits. The world of salons and beauty parlors that have come into light recently has an opportunity to do tremendous business. A few years ago there was no entry of big corporates in Pooja. In course of time, the process of making pujas more beautiful and attractive started. But funds are needed for this. This funding is not possible through subscriptions. 

No matter how much people contribute, it is difficult to raise hundreds of crores of rupees in a short period of time. Thus, the entry of corporates began in such an economic and historical context. Even with increased globalization these corporates need a market. This Durga Puja, which has become fashionable, fulfills that need. So Pandals are built at huge cost in Kolkata metropolis. There will be lighting. Eventually, the government also started funding each pandal committee under some name which means that it can be understood how much it affects during the election season.

And talking about the police force, Durga Puja is a good homework for the police force. The police force shows extraordinary talent to control the huge crowd and prevent any illegal trouble. These three to four days are very successful and very efficient in the extreme rush with the skillful police of West Bengal state.

For these three to four days, the heavy traffic can be controlled very successfully and very efficiently by the Bengal Police machinery without any mishap and without any disastrous consequences. For this, even senior officers come out of the office and AC rooms and work day and night on the roads of Kolkata. Thus, the Bengal Police apparatus gets exceptional experience in controlling the traffic and establishing discipline.

We see in some works written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The zamindars of that time used to perform Durga Puja in the respective villages. It became necessary for the zamindars to provide a small safety valve to the peasants who were subjected to extreme labor exploitation in the historical circumstances of the time. So piety, exploitation of labor and beliefs of the people all together controlled the feudal social conditions of that time. Now Bhakti is not the only one in worship. Humans have sentiments. There is a mix of people. There are pleasures. There are cultural events. The people of Bengal have a heart and a mind. There is politics. Artists are employed.

 The working class who make idols, play bajas (drums), build pandals and provide lighting have a lot of work. This is a big manufacturing industry. The corporate sector gets a platform to reach out to the masses by giving big advertisements. The combination of feudal culture and bourgeois culture for the purposes of globalization, for huge profits, for the sale of cosmetics, goods and services that are not needed by the people, has a way to reach the masses in online and offline platforms on a massive scale. There is a platform called Great Indian Festival and Big Billion Deal where thousands of items can be sold. This Durga Puja has become an integral part of the people of Bengal. Left-wing people and parties also set up bookstores next to pandals and launch books. This Durga Puja has also become a platform for selling books and bringing left-wing literature to the masses. 

 This pooja, which has changed so much, cannot be taken as an ordinary pooja.

But the people of Bengal, who are so madly immersed in worship, do not care about worship and religion. They keep them there. They do not bring worship and religion into politics and divide people into different categories with barriers and disturb people. If anyone provokes them like that, it will not work successfully. That is why in the last few years religious conflicts have been seen in other North Indian states, even if people have been disturbed because they are taking away cows, we do not see such incidents in Bengal. If it happens somewhere, the government will control it completely within two or three days. 

The criminals will be caught. So if we think through Durga Puja that these people are immersed in such great devotion, it will also be a wrong opinion. They enjoy worship. Use that platform. They perform their cultural programs.  And it is forgotten later. They will wait for another year. Moreover, they don't like to be religious fanatics. Majority of Bengalis do not have wrong ideas to attack people of other religions and conspire against people of minority religions. Religions are taken as a belief. They worship. Religions are not allowed to come into real life and social life. 

The communal conflicts that are seen in North India for months are rarely seen here.. If there is a flare-up here and there, the government can control it in two or three days. Bhakti, however extreme, did not draw a dividing line between men. The Muslims of Murshida Bad district are also participating in Durga Puja artistic works. The consciousness of fighting with the British for several decades is in the nerves of the people here. The vibrancy provided by the extremist movement is in the people. The nature of resistance is not lost in the people here. 

If an auto driver leaves carelessly without paying a rupee of balance, he will be abandoned in the southern states, but not here. Where rupee is not important. Theirs is not the blood that tolerates injustice. They will give him another rupee if he says fairly that he cannot give the change. If you show arrogance, harshness in your behavior and words, they will kill you with an argument. The foundations of society reformed by great writers and philosophers have not yet been eroded here. There are still people who take to the streets with banners and protest when there is injustice. 

In the past, left wing sentiments have influenced the people here for three decades. Earlier extraordinary writers like Rabindranath Tagore and Saratchandra worked to change the society by imparting broad sentiments in the people. Those feelings are still there in the people. Although the narrow sense of 'whatever it is, why should I care' thrown by the recent globalization is bothering the youth, corruption has entered politics, but there is no generation that constantly reviews it. From time to time, the respective parties tried to divide the people in the name of religion with religion and hatred politics, but they could not succeed.

--- M. Kesava Rao ( An Academician, Author and senior journalist based at Titagarh, Kolkata, WB)

(English translation rendered by Murthy Kvvs)

#kolkata#pandals#extravaganza

Maoist Militia Arrested

 Around 15.00 hours in the afternoon, RPC members (militants) belonged to the banned Maoist party were arrested during the vehicle checking conducted by Charla police and special party personnel. All it happened in the forest area of Venkatacheruvu village of Charla mandal. Details of arrested members as follows.

1. Madivi Ganga (25) S/O Muda  R/O China utlapalli, Usur Thana, Bijapur district, Chattisgarh state

2. Madivi Anda (35) S/O Late Bakka, R/O Rampur village, Usur Thana, Bijapur district, Chattisgarh state

3. Kovvasi Mangu (30) S/O Joga R/O Bheemaram vilage, Usur Thana, Bijapur district, Chattisgarh state

The above are militia members in Pujari Kanker RPC and are working for the banned Maoist party for some time. They have been operating as per the instructions received from the Maoist party. Besides, these are gathering people from the villages to the meetings organized by the party by threatening. The trio are providing essential commodities that the Maoist party needed.

These were arrested when they came here to circulate the leaflets in the outskirts of Charla to boycott the elections in Telangana state. Also to spread the info that there will be a meeting related this soon. Chattisgarh top Maoist leaders Commander Hidma, Pamed area members along with Telangana state CPI Maoist leaders Damodar, Azad, Madhu, Aruna, Lachanna, Mangatu, Arjun and others were there behind the leaflet circulation.

ASP of Bhadrachalam Paritosh Pankaj IPS, disclosed that 60 pamphlets seized from them and he also warned that whoever assist the banned Maoist party would be arrested. B. Rajagopal (CI of Charla), TVR Suri (S.I.), R.Narsi Reddy and other staff participated in the program.

#maoists#militia#arrested

Print Campaign Materials Only After Obtaining Permission

 print campaign materials only after obtaining permission

MCMC Nodal Officer Srinivasa Rao said in the meeting held at IDOC on Tuesday

A meeting was held with the managers of the printing press regarding the permissions to be taken for printing leaflets, posters etc. On this occasion, he said as per the rules of the Election Association

He said permission must be obtained for every print.

The Election Commission of India regulations say that before printing every campaign material like leaflets and posters used for election campaign, prior approval should be obtained under Section 127 of the Representation of the People Act. He said that declaration of two persons should be given for publication. Name of printing company, cell number on the printed copy. The number of copies printed and the name of the publisher should be given. It has been clarified that action will be taken as per the rules of the Election Commission if campaign copies are printed without permission. 

He said that there should be no mention of controversial statements, religion or caste in the publications printed for propaganda. He said that everyone should follow the instructions of the Election Commission. Said to provide 4 copies before using for campaign. They have to use it in the campaign only after getting permission. It is said that the bills for the claim in the printing should not be given on plain paper, but should be given only on company bill, if it exceeds 20 thousand then payments should be made from the bank account specially opened for the election. Those who do not comply with the rules will be fined 2,000 rupees and will be sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and two. Afterwards, Election Expenditure Control Officer and District Cooperation Officer Venkateswarlu explained the rules to be followed by the printers.

Managers of printers and others participated in this meeting.

#media#certification#campaign#instructions

A Timeless Nostalgia of Music Maestros : Endaro Mahanubhavulu (English) By Tanikella Bharani

  Tanikella Bharani is known for his multi-dimensional genius. He is a theater artist, playwright, film actor, director, poet, singer and many other talents blessed with. He came out this time with a book chronicling the lives of 50 music maestros. Mostly they hailed from Telugus and of course some exponents like Bhimsen Joshi and Swathi Tirunal from other states. All they were either vocalists or instrumentalists enriched the space of both Carnatic and Hindustani traditional music. These were written for a magazine named HASAM in a series and collected into a book in 2005 as "Endaro Mahanubhavulu" in Telugu. It has been received greatly by the readers and has six prints as of 2013. 

Given its success in the vernacular version, Anivikshiki Publishers Pvt. Ltd brought it out into the English language to spread the fragrance of this book among a wider range of readers. It deserves such effort a thousand times. Because the book portrayed the creative mettle and immense contribution of musicians of yore and they are not alive to speak about them. Here writer Bharani has taken up the responsibility of elaborating the lives of such music maestros. Their practice, rendition styles, awards and rewards attained, anecdotes related to their lives and more interesting things were written in this book.

One must read it to know our heritage in music and how tough they get trained and dedicatedly disseminate their art before dignitaries and lovers of music. Tumarada Sangameswara Sastry (1874-1932) the great Veena player, how enthralled Rabindranath Tagore with his mesmerizing unique rendition makes us awestruck. He was invited to Santhiniketan to teach for some time. Sastry plays in concerts only after he rehearsed a keertana a thousand times at home. Can we imagine such precision and perfection at present? This is only one example I cited here and you can read the marvels of many musicians in the book.

Tanikella Bharani's style of writing is captivating and in bringing emotions from the lives of musicians, he showed his prowess as an all-rounder and nobody can imitate such quality from him. Translator Satya Bhavana did a stupendous job. The English version is in no way inferior compared to the original Telugu and I have an opportunity to go through both of them happily. Perhaps all the deceased souls of the music could have chosen the writer to speak on behalf of them, that's what I felt once I completed with the book.

----- Murthy KVVS

(Pages : 259 + 11,   Price : Rs. 250/-  For copies :  All leading book shops & Amazon)

Contraband seized

 

At the behest of ASP of Bhadrachalam, Parithosh Pankaj, the police personnel conducted a check and arrested three smugglers and seized the Ganja at the RTA check post of Kunavaram road, on Wednesday.  PVN Rao, SI and the staff seized it while the smugglers were transporting the substance in two cars. Kandipalli Mahesh and Andasu Harish of Warangal were caught with 40 kgs of Ganja in a Baleno car and another contraband of 38 kgs seized from a Tata Indigo car wherein one Sanjeev kumar Bhatra was spotted. They have bought the substance at Seeleru, nearby Odisha-Andhra border. And three other smugglers have escaped by jumping from the car. They were Pangi Babu, Kura Purna and Suneel and the trio belonged to Seeleru. 

They were transporting it to Hyderabad ,Old city to sell to a woman Nandakka. A case was also registered against the car owners. The seizure worth to be Rs. 19.5 lakh. Two mobile phones were confiscated from the smugglers. CI of Bhadrachalam Naga Raju registered the case and accused were sent to remand.

#Contraband#seizure

They Made a Mark by helping the distressed family

  Everybody says these days have become a dearth of kindness towards the real needy people. We see how commercial elements crept into our society, yet, there were people with generosity to help others within their all capabilities. Am going to disclose one particular happening which showcased how a group in a small village made a big difference with many others in terms of charity. Cherla is a mandal headquarters in the division of Bhadrachalam and where a Gurkha has been living for decades. He came from a distant Nepal country to earn a living. The Gukha's name was Rajender Bahadur and he was living with his family.

Out of some unknown distress, he committed suicide and the family became helpless all of a sudden. One of the village men, Cheemakurthi Bhadram has taken the initiative to collect possible donations from fellow philanthropists and in the line of it many people responded with a broad heart. There were journalists, businessmen, peasants and many other professionals who came forward to help the poor family. Every day kept pouring donations which were featured in the group of whatsapp. Many have contributed something in their capacity. It was the beauty of Cherla, it's not the first instance of people coming forward to help others.

Senior Journalist Javvadi Murali Krishna has donated Rs.10000/- in cash, 25kg rice and other commodities worth two thousand rupees to his family and the Javvadi family always stands forefront of this sort of charity. Neeli Praksh, Gaddam Mani Kumar, Thotamalla Ramana Murthy, Sivaraju Kishor, Erramilli Kiran, Mehaboob Pathan, Guba Suresh, Lanka Venkat participated in the event. As the news came today, Rs. 73000/- altogether was donated to the distressed family with the help of Mandal people belonging to different walks of life. This is a true example of heralding the legacy of Cherla. Let it be continued forever. 

Gandhiji Continues to Inspire Forever

Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, was a great man who introduced the theory of non-violence to the world, said collector Dr. Ala Priyanka. Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations were held today at the collectorate of Bhadradri Kothagudem. Paid tributes to the portrait of the father of the nation and by having placed flowers. On this occasion, she said that whatever Gandhiji said, he practiced in his own life. He believed in the doctrine of non-violence and got support from the entire world, thus he proved the essence of non-violence by which he attained freedom to the country.

Mahatma Gandhi uttered the importance of the villages and country won't progress without the development of villages. He worked tirelessly to eradicate untouchability. Now central and state governments have been striving on the mission of Swach Bharat it was a dream of such a great soul once. He traveled the entire country after he returned from abroad to understand the pulse of the nation. Unhygienic condition in our villages was keenly observed and he enlightened the public about the importance of cleanliness, all the employees of the collectorate should work with the inspiration of principles of Gandhiji, she elaborated on the occasion.  

Additional collector P. Rambabu, PD DRDA Madhusudan Raju, District revenue officer Ravindranath, AO Ganya, district-level officers and the staff of the collectorate have participated in the program.

#Gandhiji#floraltributes

Last rites

 Head Constable Sridevi's last rites completed with official decorations at Kothagudem. Police officials, staff and local people who attended the last rites of Head Constable Sridevi who died accidentally in the line of duty. The funeral procession started from her home and the last rites were carried out by the District Armed Forces, Police who also earlier conducted a parade at the Hindu Cemetery of Old Depot Road via Super Bazaar and fired three times in the air.

#lastrites#headconstable

Jeeva : A Multi- faceted person

 Gummala Venkateswara Rao is a dynamic and multi faceted persona and he is also known as Jeeva. That's his pseudonym he used when he writes his articles. Jeeva is a writer, theater artist, social activist and philanthropist and many to name. He has been donning many hats in his own way. Jeeva born at Kunavaram on 6 June, 1964. He started his journey as an actor with the play of Moddabbaayi in the year of 1979. It was a mono action brought him laurels. Later on, he never stopped with innumerable plays enacted in various characters. Dr.ABCD, Ichata pellillu cheyabadunu, Vintha doctor, Sambhulingam, Prajarajyam, and others are some of them.

Jeeva bagged best actor award in district level competitions in 1989 at Kothagudem. And selected as a best writer when he worked in Adult education project for which he received certificate from district collector. Presented with merit certificates when he worked as a team captain  in Akshara deepam program. Jeeva established  Gummala Seetharamayya  Memorial society in memory of his father and done many programs to help the needy people.

A Tele film Premikula Chattam  produced and directed by him brought him good name. As a president of Bhadradri Kalabharathi, he organized  several hallmark programs like felicitating film legends Nutan prasad and K.Viswanath etc. He has a special place as a poet by writing songs, poems, essays and other articles. His writings have been printed in many prominent magazines. Published several books like Jeeva kalam and Pallavi etc., Received felicitations, awards and titles from many organizations based in both Telugu states.

Jeeva provided dresses, books, slates, rice and other commodities to the needy people under the banner of Gummala Seetaramayya memorial at various people. Conducted a unique feat of classical dancing by the school children for the songs of Annamacharya. It lasted for 13 hours continuously in 2006. With the view of high lighting indegenous folk arts, he conducted Kolatam competitions with the artists from both Telugu states. And it has been done in the main gate of Lord Rama's temple. Let's wish him more laurels in the future by serving the society in all of his capacities.

--- Murthy

#jeeva#multifaceted#artist

The Grande Matriarch of Malabar : A Novel by Sajita Nair

 I recently read a book called "The Grande Matriarch of Malabar". This is a novel written by the author Sajita Nair on the Tharavad system which was once prevalent in the state of Kerala. We know very well that matriarchy once flourished in that region. And let's see what this writer from the state of Kerala has written.

This Tharvad culture prevailed among the Nair caste, who were of a feudal community .  Tharavad consists  joint family with a big house, gardens around it, an estate of many acres...the family is headed by a woman. All that house and assets are in her name. They may then be passed on to her daughter or daughter of daughter. Even the husband not needed to give his surname. He does not have any authority over the property. 

I read this novel to know how the relationships are in tharavad type of families . The author Sajita Nair also came from the same category, so I became interested. The total pages around 238 pages. The way of writing is interesting. This is the story of Tharavad of Kalydath family. The head of that Tharavad family was Dakshayani Amma. A Big traditional house, acres of lands and other assets were there. The whole story mostly takes place before the 70s and then slowly comes to the present.

  Rohini is the grand daughter of Dakshayani Amma. She came from America  to sell her ancestral house in Tharvad and encash the property. Most of her family members are already dead. No matter how many times she tries to sell, the buyers back down. People around say that the house has been haunted with the spirit of Dakshayani Amma, which does not allow outsiders to buy the house.

But Rohini does not believe them. Yet she has some experiences when she slept there. Prema , another old woman around, narrates about Amma's life. As part of that explanation, the whole story unfolds. How she lived in those days, how she supported the family with the help of her brother, how she took care of the children, the difficulties of marrying a deaf and dumb daughter, how her son Achutan sacrificed his life all these unfolded in a beautiful way.

The book is available with Amazon.

--- Murthy kvvs

#Review#Novel#Kerala#backdrop 

Amazing Facts

  Is Ravana worshipped in Sri Lanka ?

There are no temples for Ravana even in Sri Lanka where he was believed to be hailed from. But there is only one place where Ravana appears in Sri Lanka is outside of the border walls of a Shiva temple in Trincomalee where seems to be guarding the temple's Sanctum Sanctorum.

What is the difference between the Sea and Ocean ?

Seas are smaller than oceans and usually located where the land and ocean meet. Seas are partially enclosed by land. Seas are on the margins of the ocean and enclosed by land partially. 

Can a Cockroach live without its head for a week ?

Yes they can. They breathe through little holes in each of their body segments and they are not dependent on the head or mouth to breathe. Cockroaches can stand , react to touch and move around even without its head.

#amazing#facts

Surprise Inspection

  ITDA Project Officer Pratik Jain said that various measures are being taken to strengthen the education system from the foundation to the students ,studying in ashram schools of tribal welfare department and the concerned teachers should pay special attention to recognize letters in a way that they can understand.

         On Friday, he made a surprise inspection of the GPS School at Rajupeta Colony in Bhadrachalam. After examining the abilities of the students and expressing his satisfaction, he asked each child to write math, quadratic processes, English, Telugu and reading on the board, and he congratulated the teachers as the children were active in every subject and from now on, every child should understand all the subjects thoroughly and achieve good proficiency in the coming classes, he said. To do this, he personally handed over 500 rupees to the concerned HM to paint the green board well.

         DD Tribal Welfare Officer Manemma, Rajupeta LFL HM Basia and others participated in this program.

#surprise#inspection

Kaliveru hillocks and Remnants of Pre-historic Dolmens

 Kaliveru is a small village near Charla. On the hillocks of that village, there are multiple dolmens to be seen. I along with a friend called Naren of Charla village visited them some five years back and got a few pics. All they are seemed like pre-historic dolmens. Some were ruined and some were in well -condition. It's beyond my imagination how all these pre-historic remnants have fared by the passing of time. As ourselves history buffs, unraveling possible details in this tiny article.

First of all, what's a Dolmen..? well, dolmen means a  big stone in the form of a table which is erected on the four edges. Human beings in the primitive stage built them. Some dolmens are rectangular shaped and some in round shape. Historians said that they had perhaps been built in Neolithic period (4000 to 3000 BC) and much investigation is yet to be done about their real purpose. Dolmens not only exist in our country, they are seen in Britain, France, Ireland, Russia and many other countries as well.

Let's come to the dolmens of Kaliveru, they are now seen as distorted but rectangular table-like massive rocks are evident. Am saying about the condition of almost five years back. Our people hardly care about historical artefacts which led to distortion of several facts. The baffling question is how those people of some thousands of years back lifted these kinds of super heavy granite blocks onto the hillocks. And these might have been used as graves for the deceased ones. 

Senior citizens of the village disclosed that in their childhood they had played over there and had seen some small clay pots under the rectangular rocks. They could have been served as tombs in those remote times, they opined. In many countries, dolmens are well preserved for researchers and other interesting visitors. Korea is called the capital of dolmens as it has more than 40,000 dolmens. These early or Neolithic age monuments should be preserved as national treasures for future generations.

--- Murthy

#Dolmens#pre-historic#sites

Project Officer conveyed festival greetings

 ITDA project officer Pratik Jain IAS, expressed his wishes everyone on the occasion of Vinayaka chavithi festival. It is to be celebrated without any caste, religion and discrimination. He also wishes specially the employees serving the tribals and tribal students in the agency area. According to Hindu tradition, the festival is celebrated with devotion and specific rituals. All the nine days of festival time be filled with various decorations and grandeur. 

He conveyed greetings to all the teachers, parents of students, officials working in the ITDA office and staff in a statement on Sunday.

#Projectofficer#Greetings

 

TET Examination

 District Collector Dr. Priyanka Ala said that all arrangements should be made to conduct the TET examination without any possibility of mal practices. A meeting was held with the Chief Superintendents, Departmental Officers and Route Officers in the meeting hall of the IDOC office on Tuesday regarding the conduct of the TET examination to be held on the 15th of this month. Speaking on the occasion, the Collector said that 37 centers have been set up in the district to conduct the TET examination. He said that a seating plan should be prepared for conducting the examination.

 She said that on 15th of this month, the first paper will be conducted from 9.30 am to 12 pm and the second paper from 2.30 pm to 5 pm. She said that 37 centers have been set up for the first paper exam conducted in the morning and 29 centers for the second paper exam conducted in the evening. At Kothagudem, Palvancha, Manuguru, 8,717 candidates are appearing for the exam and altogether  37 examination centers set up in district. 

She said that section 144 will be imposed at every examination center to prevent any untoward incident. The RTC officials have been directed to arrange additional buses for the candidates to reach the examination centers on time. Electricity authorities have been advised to ensure uninterrupted power supply without power interruption. 380 Invigilators, 148 Hall Superintendents, 37 Departmental Officers, 37 Chief Superintendents, She said that 9 route officers and 9 flying squad officers have been appointed.

She said that CC TVs should be set up. Mission Bhagiratha  officials are advised to supply safe fresh water , besides setting up an emergency medical center at every examination centre, adequate medicines should be kept ready. She said that sanitation programs should be organized in the examination centers and kept clean. Nearby Xerox centers should be closed. And cell phones and other electronic devices will not be allowed in the examination centers and they will be allowed to enter the examination centers after close inspection. District Collector Dr. Priyanka Ala clarified that if candidates have any suggestions or doubts regarding the TET examination, they should call the help desk of the district education office or the control room number Sai Krishna 9396654181 and clear the doubts.

DRO Rabindranath, DEO Venkateswarachari, Assistant Commissioner of Examination ,S Madhava Rao, Chief Superintendents, Departmental Officers, Route Officers, Flying Squad Officers and others participated in this meeting.

#TET#exam#Meeting

A Check handed over to the family of deceased policeman

District SP Dr. VineethG IPS handed over a check of Rs 60,000/- to the family members of Head Constable T. Ramachandra Reddy who died due to ill health while performing duties in District AR Division of Bhadradri Kothagudem yesterday at the office of District SP. The SP said that the police officers and personnel should always be vigilant about their health and follow precautions. He said that the district police department will always stand by the families of the deceased policemen. The officials involved have been informed to take steps to ensure that all kinds of rewards are received on behalf of the government as soon as possible.

AO of District Police Office Jayaraju, District Police Officers Association President Srinivasa Rao, Vice President Aesobu, Srinivas and members Sudhakar, Office Junior Assistant Madhu and others participated in this program.

#check#police#family#members

Using mobile phone while riding is a fatal attitude

 Using moblile phone while riding a bike has become a common phenomena these days. It seems to be a contagious attitude prevailing among the public, especially youth. Maybe fun on their part but the rider could dash anyone while on his talking spree. How can they enjoy talking in such a pose, clueless. Certainly it would be fatal to not only the rider but public out there. Many deaths or serious injurious have been taking place because of these reckless bike riders.

Even in busy centers, these sort of mobile users don't think about the safety of others or even not bothered to have a little bit of etiquette. Onlookers or passers by get intimidated seeing their audacity to not heed traffic rules to become fatal for the fellow beings. Distraction, that's what happen while one speaks on the phone while riding. Can't they feel it ? they have every right about their lives but who gave them right to claim lives of others or collide others due to their irresponsible riding ? 

Our temple town is also not exceptional in the regard. The busiest Ambedkar center too witness this kind of  mobile users at times. A real scariest lot on the road. Unfortunately most of the youth think that it's a trending fashion and keep imitating others mindlessly. A good attitude to be nurtured and thrived at any cost. But every citizen should condemn this kind of fatal and dangerous habits. Using mobile while riding is a punishable offence according to Motor vehicles Act (section 218(3)177MVA) and penalty for the same Rs. 5000- and this was earlier Rs.1000/- increased five times in 2020.

--- Murthy

Cherukuri Sekhar Babu couple Made a donation

 Cherukuri Sekhar Babu and his wife Madhavi of Palvancha donated a sum of Rs. 1,00,116- to Sri Seeta Ramachandra Swamy Devasthanam for the purpose of "Annadaanam". Celestial marriage of Venugopala swamy and Rukmini, Satyabhama would be performed tomorrow (11.9.23) in the premises of Chitra kuta mandapam on the occasion of concluding Bhagavatha Saptaham.

Jayanta Mahapatra : A Stalwart in Indian English Poetry

  Jayanta Mahapatra (94) passed away on 27th of last month. Then I was asked to write some sentences, because I remained silent due to my own reasons. Many have written. But I will write now what I think of him. In Indian literature, especially in relation to poetry, there is a trio to say. They are AK Ramanujan, R. Parthasarathi and Jayanta Mahapatra who died recently. Jayanta's name has been familiar to readers of English literature since about two generations ago. Even abroad..!

It was Jayanta who blazed a new path with themes related to his daily life, not the path paved by English poetry written by people like Nissim Ejikel and Arun Kolatkar from Bombay in those days. Jayanta's English poetry was written based on his own Oriya life. He wrote not only poetry but also stories and essays. Out of total 27 books, twenty books were written  in English and seven books in Oriya language.

Indian English magazines started publishing his works only after foreign magazines recognized and published them. Magazines like The New Yorker, New England, Chicago Review, Georgia Review, and The New Republic initially encouraged his English poetry. His writings were well published in Bi Monthly like Indian Literature published by Kendra Sahitya Akademi and in other desi magazines.

He was the first to be awarded the Central Sahitya Academy Fellowship in English Literature. There is a long list of awards and honorary doctorates. Although he was a physics teacher by nature, his English poetry made him special. He started writing poetry very late i.e. from the age of 40. Chandrabhaga, a literary magazine published by him from Cuttack, is a notable milestone in the field of Indian English literary service.

Satchidananda Mohanty, a fan (retired English professor) writing about Jayantha Mahapatra said that his childhood was painfully torn between two worlds, and he used to tell his friends about it in his last stages. Jayantha Mahapatra's grandfather converted to Christianity and used to follow those practices at home, but as all his relatives were orthodox conservatives, he was far away from Hinduism.

The poem "Grandfather" was actually written for their grandfather. It got a good reputation. The gist of it is that he was converted to save himself from a terrible drought in 1866. In those days, food was given only to those who had converted to Christianity in camps to help them from famine. Jayanta described it pathetically in that poem.

He lived for 94 years and seems to have predicted his death in advance. When a publisher told him that I would publish your collection of poems, Birds of Water, in December 2023, he joked that  would I be alive till then. That came true unfortunately. The Orissa state government conducted the last rites with state honors.

--- Murthy 

Peace Committee Meeting

With the instructions given by  Bhadradri Kothagudem district SP Vineeth IPS, ASP of Bhadrachalam Pankaj Paritosh IPS conducted a peace committee meeting at his office with the members of various religious outfits like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Gosamrakshana Samiti and Bhadrachalam Muslim Jamaat Committee members in view of upcoming Ganesh Celebrations. 

 suggestions were taken into consideration to ensure peaceful conduct of upcoming Ganesh celebrations and precautionary measures were discussed so that no one faces any trouble. ASP advised to celebrate Ganesh celebrations peacefully with devotion and discussed the precautions to be taken in upcoming Ganesh celebrations. Bhadrachalam CI Nagaraju Reddy, Traffic SI Srinivas, Town SIs Madhu Prasad, PVN Rao, Vijayalakshmi, Bajrang Dal Ajay Kumar, Vishwa Hindu Parishad Siddhartha Mekala, Gorakshana Samiti Manikantha and Bhadrachalam Muslim Jamaat committee members Halim Khan, Munaf, Shafi, Abdullah and others participated in this meeting.

#Peace #Meeting #Ganesh #Celebrations

Enrich Your Vocabulary

 Thought Leader

This buzzword is generally used to describe someone who is considered an expert in their chosen field and has innovative ideas.

Using in a sentence: He is a thought leader in the marketing space and always has great insights

Reinvent the wheel

A classic buzzword which means to create something new when there's already a good solution. In brief, wasting time creating something though there's already some workable solution.

Using in a sentence: Stop trying to reinvent the wheel and just follow what others already did.

Mamidi Harika : A Silambam Sensation

 Silambam (Karra Saamu) champion from our temple town..? Surprised a lot when I first saw the video of her practicing in our nearby grounds, perhaps. Well, the video was sent by my friend Srinivas garu in the last month. And a few paper statements were also seen in which she was receiving compliments from the local dignitaries. In fact, it's really a rare phenomenon being a girl performer of Silambam. She is none other than Mamidi Harika, a resident of Rajupeta Colony, Bhadrachalam.

Harika completed her degree and now keep pursuing library computer science at Vijayawada. And she is practicing Silambam unlike many other girls in our society. Because Silambam is a traditional martial art, generally considered to be a male domain. However, a most welcoming change in all respects. And she achieved more feathers in her crown like Gold medal in the state level silambam tournaments held at Vijayawada and Bronze medal in the National tournaments. In brief to say,  three times international gold medalist and her coach is K. Satya Srikanth.

Harika won Gold medal in the recent South Asian silambam tournaments held at Bangalore in the last week of August. Eight countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Sudan and Ghana participated including our country. She has been steadily going on to higher echelons with her grit and good practice. Silambam practice makes one bodily fit and healthy. Not only that a self - defense method with minimal weapon. Harika remains a shining example for all the present day youth, especially girls.

Let's know a little bit of facts about Silambam. Silambam is nothing but Karra saamu in Telugu. It was an indigenous martial art, started in our country some thousands of years back, roughly around 4th century BC. According to historians, this martial art had been referred in Sangam literature. Agastya was considered to be the originator of it. Stick or Staff generally procured from the Bamboo, Teak or Indian chestnut wood.

They also used silambam to attack animals apart from the purpose of self defense. It improves flexibility, awareness, strength and muscular cardio vascular stamina in the body. Let many other aspirants come forward to learn this traditional martial art form, a glorious legacy, with the impact and influence of Mamidi Harika.  

--- Murthy

#Silambam#Bamboostaff#Practice #Selfdefence#Martial art #traditional #legacy

New Mahindra Tractor Donated

 A devotee Sri Bansari Das Roshan Lal of Hyderabad donated a brand new Mahindra Tractor to the Lord Rama, yesterday. It was donated to use in the service of Devasthanam works. The tractor worth Rs.7,75,000/- and which has been handed over to Mrs. L. Rama Devi (E.O.of Devasthanam). One more update is that Nitya Kalyanam rituals will be resumed again from Sep 1 of this year and it has been stopped temporarily because of Pavitrotsavamulu. 

 

#Mahindra#Tractor#Donation

Immersion of Ramakoti Books

Pavitra utsavaalu (Holy celebrations) have been going on in the  renowned temple of  Bhadrachala Sri Seeta Ramachandra Swamy. Monday, Pavitra aarohanam rituals were done in a great way and they turned eye feasting all over. Harathi has been given after performing special pujas.

Ramakoti Books submitted by the devotees were immersed in the holy waters of Godavari river. They have all been brought to the river with a rally chanting Lord Rama's name, all along the streets. After ablutions being performed with pasupu and kumkuma all the Ramakoti Books immersed into the waters of River Godavari. Apart from it, Mrs. L. Ramadevi has taken charge as E.O. today.    

#Immersion#Ramakoti #books

A Commendable Initiative For the Public

 A team of philanthropists named "Mee kosam Memunnaamu" , belonged to the place of Cherla  set an example for the cause of Service by providing food to the needy people every Sunday. Today's program is in line of 93rd week. The people who come to the weekly fair and others are seen queued up to utilize this service and which has been going on without any hassle with the support of like minded good samaritans. Each week is sponsored by a donor , on the occasion of some special celebration, be it a wedding anniversary or a birthday bash or something else. This week is donated by Munagala Krishna and Kavitha Rani of Nagarjuna sagar , on the occasion of their wedding anniversary.

This weekly food donation program gained momentum in course of time. And it brought a special recognition for the place with its non stop activity as there has been no dearth for helping hands to support with every possible effort. Chairman of the organization Lion Neeli Prakash said that we should all share something with fellow beings from what we have, on the auspicious occasions of our lives. And it's an obvious example for the same.

Vice-Sarpanch  Siripuram Shiva, Javvadi Sathish, Doddi Thatha Rao, Suri babu, Ramana Rao, Dodda Prabhudas, Marla Prasad, Karnati Madhu,  Neeli Simhachalam, Tandavarayudu, Gommugudem Chary, Sollangi Nageswar Rao,Komari Srinivasa Rao, Paritala Rama mastar, Bhadram, Potluru Nehru, Marla Raja and others participated in the event.

--- Murthy

#Philanthropist#Food#Donation#weekly