Incredible Indian

SACHIN TENDULKAR

kocherlas — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:28:17 +0000

Dr.Abdul Kalam in Hyderabad

kocherlas — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:37:17 +0000

HOW TO BUILD INDIA : DR ABDUL KALAM

Hello Friends
I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.
Do you have 10 minutes?
Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

{READ MORE…………….}

FALAKNUMA PALACE HISTORY

kocherlas — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:28:28 +0000

FALAKNUMA PALACE HISTORY
Falaknuma Palace is situated on a hill 650 meters in height, in the southern part of Old City of Hyderabad, India. It was built by the Paigah, Nawab Vikar-ul-Umra. It was purchased by the then Nizam VI during 1897 for use as a royal guest house, and its hospitality became unmatched during the heyday. The palace provides a good view of Hyderabad.

The palace is spread out in a scorpion shape with two pincers spread out as wings on the north. The middle part occupies the main building. The Harem quarters and the kitchen stretch towards the south.
The palace was designed by an Italian architect in western style, and took 9 years for construction, and is completely built with Italian Marble. The foundation stone was laid on 3rd March, 1884.
Falaknuma houses a collection of rare treasures collected by the Nizam including paintings, furniture, statues. The Jade collection of the Palace is unique in the world.
The palace boasts of lavishly decorated interiors made of the Italian marble, and follows a western architectural style. And the Marble Hall of the Palace is one of the highlights.It took almost nine years to complete. This famous palace houses a large collection of rare treasures, paintings, statues, furniture, manuscripts and books collected by the Nizam. The jade collection displayed here is considered to be unique in the world. Some old models of artillery are also exhibited in the front.
The staircase of the Falaknuma Palace, has the portraits of all the guests who stayed there, with stature no less than the Governor-General of India, is supported by carved balustrades and marble figures. The palace also has a library containing most valuable collection of books and manuscripts.
The Palace also has the distinction of having a 100-seat dining table.
The Palace is now converted into a heritage hotel by the Taj Hotels group.__

Andhra Pradesh holds biggest tribal fair in Asia

kocherlas — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:01:49 +0000

Andhra Pradesh holds biggest tribal fair in Asia

POPULARLY KNOWN as the ‘Southern Kumbhamela’, the ‘Sammakka – Saralamma Jatara’, a hill festival of Andhra Pradesh, got underway on February 20, 2008. This is the biggest tribal fair witnessed in Asia. The government has declared it a ‘state festival’. The Jatara got underway at Medaram, Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh. A four-day festival, it is held every two years. This year, the government anticipated that approximately 80,00,000 people would attend the Jatara and made arrangements accordingly, to host them.

Apart from the people of Andhra Pradesh, people from Maharashtra, Orissa, Chattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh attended the festival in a big way. This festival gets underway with the deity Saralamma from the nearly hillock being brought to the venue on the evening of the first day. Tribal priests, after elaborate rituals, placed the Goddess on the main pedestal or ‘Gaddelu’. The other deity, viz, Sammakka, was installed on the evening of the second day in a similar manner.

The presiding deities were on the ‘Gaddelu’ on the third day and undertook Vanapravesam (enter the forest) to return to their abode on the last day. The district authorities strove for three months to make foolproof arrangements. The venue of this massive festival is a small Grampanchayat (village panchayat) with a population of 800. But during the festival, it was transformed into a city, with thousands of shops lining its streets and crores of rupees of business transacted. The shops mainly sold jaggery, which was submitted as ‘mokku’ to the Goddesses by the devotees. The government of Andhra Pradesh had released rupees 36 crores for the festival. For the first time, the government plied buses from all districts of the state to the venue of the Jatara. Many VIP’s and VVIP’s visited the Jatara to seek the blessings of the Goddesses.

INDIAN AWARDS

kocherlas — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:45:26 +0000

NDTV presents Indian of the Year awards VIDEO ZONE: AWARD VIDEOS Award list

NDTV Indian of the year: The Indian Soldier

Global Indian: RK Pachauri

Sports: Vishwanathan Anand

Special award: Bhaichung Bhutia and the hockey team in Chak de

India Business: Mukesh Ambani

Special award: KP Singh

Unsung Heroes: Indian soldier

Cinema: Rajnikanth

Special award: Shah Rukh Khan

Music: AR Rehman

Leader: Manmohan Singh

Special award for inspirational leadership went to APJ Abdul Kalam.

NDTV presented awards to Indian heroes in a glittering function held at Taj Palace, New Delhi. The function was attended by dignitaries, celebrities and other prominent personalities. Here’s a roundup of the winners in various categories. The top prize, the NDTV Indian of the Year award went to the Indian soldiers. (Read More)

Are Indians getting Richer !

kocherlas — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:42:25 +0000

Friday

Are Indians getting Richer

Only 214 million people, or 20.8 per cent of India’s population are poor, says a new survey.
The survey carried out by Max New York Life and the NCAER, based on income data, has found that India has less poverty than estimated by the government’s National Sample Survey. (Read More)

Incredible India – 01

kocherlas — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:56:46 +0000

HYDERABAD – Tourist Places

Hyderabad, the fifth largest metropolis of India, is the state capital of Andhra Pradesh. The city is nearly 400 years old and is noted for its rich history and culture with monuments, mosques, temples, and a rich and varied heritage in arts, crafts and dance.
Attached to the city is its twin, Secunderbad. The Husain Sagar, an artificial lake constructed during the time of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali in 1562 A.D, separates the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderbad. Covering an area of 260 km², Hyderabad has a poppulation of approximately 4 million. Urdu, Telegu and Hindi are the local languages of the indigenous population. Hyderabad has been the meeting place of many different cultures and traditions and is known to be the city where the distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North India and South India meet. Hyderabad also has a very good transport system. It is well connected to the outer world through its airways and railways. The public transport in Hyderabad comprises of local trains, 3-seater and 7-seater auto-rickshaws, buses and also private taxis for sightseeing. Hyderabad is one of the most developed cities in the country and is the emerging IT and biotech hub of India. It is known as the city of pearls and lakes. The pearl market is situated near Charminar. Ornaments made with Rice Pearls can be bought from Char Kaman or General Bazaar Market. It is famous for its traditional markets such as Laad Bazaar, Sultan Bazaar and so on. It is also a source of attraction for tourists from all parts of the world. Hyderabad is famous for its Char Minar, Falaknuma Palace, Salar Jung Museum, Makkah Masjid, Chilkur Balaji Temple, Husain Sagar, Sanghi Temple, Snow World and Ramoji Film CityArea : 260 sq. kms
Main Languages : Telugu, Urdu, English and Hindi
Population : 5.2 million
Location : Hyderabad city mainly comprises the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The city is located in the west central part of Andhra Pradesh and is surrounded by Ranga Reddy district. The city is situated at a distance of 562 kms from Bangalore, 140 kms from Warangal and 276 kms from Vijaywada.
Climate : Hyderabad has hot steppe type climate. Summers (April- June) are hot and dry. The maximum temperature reaches around 41ºC. Winters (November-February) in Hyderabad are pleasant and less chilly than north Indian regions. Winter days are warm and sunny, while nights are relatively colder. Night temperature during winters rarely drops below 10ºC. South-west monsoon comes to the city in June and remains till September.
Best Time to Visit : The best time to visit the city is from October to March. Hyderabad The City of Nizams:
Hyderabad, the fifth largest metropolis of India, is the capital of the South India state, Andhra Pradesh. The city is perched on the top of the Deccan Plateau, 1776 ft., above sea level, spreading over an area of 260 sq. kms. Consisting of the twin towns of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, the city is popular worldwide as the former seat of the Nizams of Hyderabad. The city was founded in 1590 by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, the fourth of the Qutab Shahi kings, on the banks of Musi river. Hyderabad has been the meeting point of various cultures and traditions, which can be seen in its cosmopolitan population. The city is 400 years old now, but it still preserves its rich history, culture and a rich and varied heritage in arts, crafts and dance. In Hyderabad, architectural marvels like magnificent forts, majestic palaces, ancient mosques and temples, present an interesting blend of the Hindu and Islamic styles of architecture. Hyderabad is the also called the ‘Pearl City’ because of its major dealing in pearls and precious stones.