Durajpalli Peddagattu Jatara

Peddagattu Jatara also called as Gollagattu Jatara iis a is the festival done in the name of Lord Lingamanthulu Swamy and Goddess Choudamma every 2 years n Durajpalli, Chivemla Mandal, Suryapet District, Telangana, India.

It is celebrated prior to Maha Shivaratri in Magma masam the second biggest congregation of people after Medaram jatara in Jayashankar Bhupalpally. Atleast 25 lakh people are expected to take part in this event.

The presiding deities, Sri Lingamanthula Swamy, believed an in carnation of Lord Shiva, and his sister – Choudamma, are offered various pujas during the five-day fete.

Though primarily the Yadava community takes part in huge numbers, people from all castes and religions from across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Odisha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu come to the place located just 5-km. from Suryapet.

According to history, this religious congregation has been celebrated since 16th century. Even it is still been celebrated with the government funds.

In the morning, the religious Deverapetta will be brought to temple premises in a procession from Kesaram village following the traditions.

The religious box ‘Deverapette’ which has the idols of Lord Lingamanthula Swamy- goddess Chowdamma and many other idols, holds the key to the celebration of Durajpalli Jatara. The religious box has an interesting story behind it.

Speaking to The Hindu , Menthaboina Chowadaiah Yadav, elder of the local Yadav community, said that a family in Cheekataipalem village of Thorrur mandal in Warangal district traditionally sends this box to Lingamanthula Swamy and Chowdamma temple, Durajpalli 10 days ahead of the commencement of the bi-annual Peddagattu jatara. This tradition is being followed for centuries, he adds.

Days ahead of the Peddagattu jathara, a ritual called ‘Disti Puja’ is performed at the temple. Then the ‘Deverapette’ will be shifted from Chowadiah Yadav’s home in Kesaram village. In the wee hours of the first day of jathara on Monday, the Deverapette would be brought to the temple in a procession. The Deverapette contains the idols of Pothuraju, Ganga, Yelamanchamma, Akumanchamma, Pothu Lingalu and many other gods, who are worshipped in rural parts of the Telangana. Interestingly, the family of Thanda Pullaiah, who are considered as priests in Yadav community, from Cheekatipalem village located 75 km apart from Durajpalli holds this box.

Since the families Menthaboina-Munna, both belong to Yadava community, and Golla Ganna Reddy, whose families were believed to have spotted the deities on Durajpalli hillock, centuries ago, get the opportunity to keep the box at their house in rotation.

These families which have Menthaboina as surname got the opportunity to keep ‘Deverapette’ at their house this year.

The box was kept at Chowdaiah Yadav’s home, who is the head of this community. On conclusion of five-day celebration of the fete, the ‘Deverapette’ will be kept at Menthaboina family’s home for 18 days, then it will be presented to other Lingamanthula Swamy temples in Nalgonda and Warangal districts.

Sources

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/all-set-for-fiveday-gollagattu-jatara/article6870580.ece

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peddagattu_jathara

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/divine-box-holds-key-to-peddagattu-jatara/article6873161.ece

http://nalgonda.info/te/peddagutta-fair-from-today-suryapet-nalgonda/peddagattu-jathara-in-nalgonda1/

Read More

Telangana State Skill Mission (TSSM)

Telangana government formulates policy to provide more jobs for youth

Government of Telangana proposes to launch Telangana State Skill Mission program to skill 5 lakh unemployed youth and the students coming out of the educational institutions before 2019 an Apex Body Telangana State Skill Council (TSSC) under the Chairmanship of the Hon'ble Chief Minister to give policy direction to the Mission; and TELANGANA STATE SKILL MISSION (TSSM) to implement the program under the direction of Apex Body will shortly be in place.

TSSM shall be registered as a society under the Societies Act and shall be reporting directly to the Chairman of the TSSC. 

Read More

T-Hub

Gateway for innovation
T-Hub located in Gachibowli, Rangareddy District, Telangana, India is designed for technology related start-ups, and its mission is to catalyse the creation of one of the tightest and most vibrant entrepreneur communities in the world in order to encourage and fuel more start-up success stories in India.

T Hub is an incubator, but also a unique public-private partnership between the government of Telangana, IIIT-Hyderabad, ISB and NALSAR, and other private sector players. 

The first phase of T-Hub was formally launched by E. S. L. Narasimhan, Governor of Telangana and Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, and Telangana IT & Panchayat Raj Minister K. T. Rama Rao on 5th November 2015. 

Hyderabad’s startup revolution and Telangana govt’s daring experiment

No Indian government has attempted anything like T-Hub before, and Minister KTR’s gamble could be paying off.

The recently announced second phase of expansion bears testimony to its success. The facility, which will spread over 350,000 square feet,will receive an investment of Rs 180 crore and is likely to be open to entrepreneurs by mid-2018.

The facility will have about 1,000 startups along with other players of the ecosystem.

The Secretary also added that Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has evinced interest to share the cost of the project and the IT Minister had a meeting with Kant in this regard.

T-Hub embodies India’s startup ecosystem
Union Minister of Information Technology, Law & Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday appreciated the Telangana Government’s initiatives in developing the T-Hub and expressed confidence that such initiatives would make the City of Pearls, one of the top start-up cities of the world.

T-Hub clearly embodies what we believe — India’s start-up ecosystem. What the T-Hub has done for India is impressive and we hope to replicate it in other States,” the Union Minister said.

Odisha to set up startup park on the lines of T-Hub

KT Rama Rao said T-Hub was providing the best outputs alongside innovative ideas. “Impressed by this programme, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has given assurance to work with TS on some projects. Our startups are enjoying international exposure. Big companies like Cisco, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and others have tied up with startups at T-Hub and are funding innovations there,” he said.

Hyderabad’s T-Hub targets becoming one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems

Today,T-hub has India’s largest startup ecosystem under a single roof, with over 70,000 square feet of space. The infrastructure and the design are both futuristic and cutting edge. As you walk into this startup haven, you cannot help but feel the vibrancy and energy that the startups bring in. 

The startups within T-hub are divided into seven sectors and specialisations ­– Fintech, Healthcare, Agritech, Smart Cities, Transportation and Logistics, Sustainability and Social Tech capturing Big Data, IOT, Analytics, Sensors, Cloud and Mobility.

T-Hub is not just an incubator which support startups through their journey, it is a startup which is creating a startup ecosystem in Hyderabad to make the city the startup capital of India.

The concept of T-Hub is this: where startups get access to infrastructure, networking opportunities, workshops and assistance from the senior management team of T-Hub, in return for a small monthly fee. 

T-hub is also in the process of creating a technology-driven ‘Sandbox’, which is going to be the first-of-its-kind in the country.Startups will get access to supercomputers through this, which are otherwise available only at giant corporates.

T-Hub and CL Educate entered into an MoU to make innovation accessible to millions of youngsters who are working or studying in schools and colleges. Awareness, research, a technology-platform, a curriculum, access to mentors and funds are some of the benefits that will reach aspiring young entrepreneurship aspirants through this collaborative partnership.

T-hub is talk of the world, says KT Rama Rao

T-Hub has launched a new program T-Bridge at Silicon Valley in USA , that will connect Indian startups with global market opportunities, and help bring global startups to India.

Some of the startups housed in T-hub echoed management’ sentiment that T-hub is much more than just a physical space.

T-Hub is at the intersection of government, corporates, venture capitalists, research sector and startups.

“By 2014, our IIIT incubator had managed to create a startup culture in Hyderabad. In fact, many success stories like RedBus and Bookpad attributed to Bengaluru actually have roots in this city. But no one was bringing things together to take it to the next level. That’s what T-Hub does,” says Kollipara.

T-Hub is run by professionals with zero government intervention, and has to become financially sustainable on its own. No handholding by the government. If it fails, it fails. If the startups in the incubator cannot scale up, they will be weeded out.

Today, T-Hub supports 200 startups in the co-working space and guide 5 incubatees in which they have a stake.

A monument and a dream-team
The Catalyst building is a monument in itself. A five-storey creative ensemble by W Design Studio in Hyderabad, it is a high-energy, colourful and vibrant working space which is extremely agile and unorthodox. “It is a mix between the corporate world and college campus. The building had to be creative and inspirational, and suitable for low budgets and long-working hours put in by entrepreneurs,” says Gokul Krishna of W Design.

Firing up startups, the Hyderabadi way
“If you look at incubators in general, they are designed to fail because you are targeting a customer base which has a probability of 10% success. 90% of the startups across the world fail. Incubators don’t have the magic wand to make that any better. So we are not here to change that, but to tell the 90% to learn from their mistakes and come back and build a successful company,” Jay Krishnan explains.

Instead of trying to replicate Silicon Valley, T-Hub has chosen 6 key sectors from which they would incubate startups, and all of them were chosen based on the strengths of Hyderabad as a city. Health technology, agricultural technology, financial technology, transport and logistics, sustainability and social sector are their key areas.

For the startups incubated at the Hub, the partnership has catalyzed their growth immensely.

Mukesh Chandra, founder and CMO of fin-tech company Paymatrix which is incubated at T-Hub, recalls how the partnership threw doors open for them in the market. “We had a good idea and the technology, but not all banks and payment gateways were willing to work with us. There were some lingering doubts. But once we came on board T-Hub, they were confident,” says Chandra.

Paymatrix is a service which allows users to pay housing rent using their credit card and also helps them with rental documentation. In the near future, Paymatrix will also allow peer-to-peer lending as well. So if you are out of cash, you could borrow money from small lenders registered as non-banking financial companies for your rent through this service.

“The networking opportunities which T-Hub provided us helped us a lot. The senior management monitors us very closely, helps us leverage the brand of T-Hub. We have been able to crack better deals,” says Anusha Kurupathi Parambil, founder and CEO of Paymatrix.

Converting euphoria to substance
Yet, they still have a long way to go, says Jay Krishnan. “One of the problems with Indian startups is that they are not solving problems of India. Ecommerce was a big success in the US because it really was needed at that point. We have copy-pasted these ideas in India. T Hub faces the same problems too,” he says.

“Indian startups are more about euphoria and less about substance, and they just chase capital rather than being the next frontier in technology,” Jay Krishnan says. He adds that Indian startups also have a sense of entitlement: “They think they should get funding just because they have an idea.”

Sources

http://www.t-hub.co/
http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/inside-t-hub-hyderabads-startup-revolution-and-telangana-govts-daring-experiment-50886
https://yourstory.com/2016/11/hyderabad-t-hub-incubator/
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/‘T-Hub-embodies-India’s-startup-ecosystem’/article16438054.ece

Read More

Mission Bhagiratha

Telangana Water Grid (Drinking Water Project) named as Mission Bhagiratha is to provide 100 liters of clean drinking water per person in rural households and 150 liters per person in urban households. This project aims to provide water to about 25000 rural habitations and 67 urban habitations.

Costing an estimated Rs.35,000 crore, the project envisages laying 1.26 lakh km of pipeline network that will reach 25,000 rural and 67 urban households across Telangana.

But that is contingent upon Godavari and Krishna rivers supplying water to the project. As part of the project, while Godavari river will supply 34 tmcft, Krishna river will feed 21.5 tmcft to the water grid.

Telangana government’s ambitious initiative to provide piped water supply to every household Mission Bhagiratha  is Telangana Chief Minster K. Chandrashekar Rao’s dream project.

A drinking water project of this scale has never been attempted before in this country and Rao has vowed not to seek votes in the next election if the project isn’t completed by 2019.

Telangana’s plans to get internet to 36 mn people

Along with the Mission Bhagiratha water pipelines, Internet cables are also laid to provide Internet to each and every household.

Swach Bharath official hails Mission Bhagiratha as best in the world

Drinking Water Supply and Swach Bharath Mission Secretary Parameswaran Iyer, who met him at Pragathi Bhavan here on Thursday. Parameswaran Iyer has expressed happiness that Mission Bhagiratha Drinking Water Scheme is one of its kind in the country, which was going to supply drinking water to the households and it will become a role model in the Country. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after inaugurating Mission Bhagiratha in Gajwel, had told them that this program is one of the best in the country.

Maharashtra to replicate Mission Bhagiratha

The project, which was initially called the Telangana Drinking Water Supply Project, was renamed by chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, a deeply religious man, after Bhagiratha, a mythical king who is credited with bringing River Ganga from the heavens to the earth, in December 2015.

The chief minister’s interest in the water grid project is not without some history. In 1996-97, when Rao was still a legislator of the Telugu Desam Party or TDP (he floated Telangana Rashtra Samiti in 2001), he implemented a similar project, albeit on a smaller scale. 

At a cost of Rs.60 crore, the Siddipet drinking water project supplied water to households in 180 villages, a part of Rao’s Siddipet constituency. It involved collecting water from Lower Manair Dam and supplying to households. The project is still operational.

The new Telangana Water Grid will depend on water resources from Srisailam, Sriram Sagar Project, Komuram Bheem Project, Paleru Reservoir, Jurala Dam and Nizam Sagar Project, the major hydro projects in the state.

The state-level grid will have 26 internal grids. The main trunk pipelines, running a length of about 5,000km, will supply water to secondary pipelines, stretching over 50,000km. The secondary pipelines will carry water to tanks in habitations from where a village-level pipeline network extending 75,000km will supply water to households in the state.

The state government is engaging Mumbai-based firm Genesys International Corp. Ltd to map the water grid project using geographical information systems and LIDAR technology. LIDAR is a surveying technology, on the lines of a radar, to build high-resolution maps using laser beams. Genesys had earlier deployed its technology to map parts of Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, and Lavasa City near Pune.

Water is life! International community has declared clean drinking water as a human right long back. Yet, lack of drinking water is a common sight in our state and country.

Even though two perennial rivers flow across the state, the tragedy is, most of Telangana state does not have access to clean drinking water.

To change this situation, the Telangana government, under the able leadership of CM Sri K Chandrashekar Rao, has designed the Telangana Water Grid - a mammoth project intended to provide a sustainable and permanent solution to the drinking water woes.

The Telangana Water Grid would depend on water resources available in Krishna & Godavari - two perennial rivers flowing through the state. A total of 34 TMC of water from Godavari river and 21.5 TMC from Krishna river would be utilized for the water grid. Plans are ready to use water from Srisailam, Sriram Sagar Project, Komuram Bheem Project, Paleru Reservoir, Jurala Dam, Nizam Sagar Project. This scientifically designed project intends to use the natural gradient wherever possible and pump water where necessary and supply water through pipelines.

The state-level grid will comprise of a total of 26 internal grids. The main trunk pipelines of this project would run about 5000 km, and the secondary pipelines running a length of about 50000 km would be used to fill service tanks in habitations. From here the village-level pipeline network of about 75,000 km would be used to provide clean drinking water to households.”

Sources

http://www.telangana.gov.in/news/2014/12/15/water-grid

http://www.siasat.com/news/swach-bharath-official-hails-mission-bhagiratha-best-world-1113423/

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/Mission-Bhagiratha-reaches-600-habitations/article16442682.ece

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/narendra-modi-telangana-visit-mission-bhageeratha-2959158/

Read More

Mission Kakatiya

Telangana shows the way in restoring village tanks.

The Mission Kakatiya programme is all set to go national. Niti Aayog, the central body that replaced the Planning Commission, is expected to push for the adoption of the Telangana government's programme of rejuvenating small and medium irrigation and village tanks in other states.

A silent transformation is taking place across rural Telangana as the country’s newest state has emerged as a role model in rejuvenating minor irrigation tank system, a lifeline for small and marginal farmers.

“Mission Kakatiya”, a flagship programme of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government to restore centuries-old village tanks through people’s participation, has earned appreciation from the Union Water Resources Ministry for setting an example in reviving the defunct chain of tanks.


Mission Kakatiya with tagline Mana Ooru Mana Cheruvu is a program of restoring all the tanks and lakes in Telangana State, India. The project aims at restoring over 46,500 tanks across the state at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore over five years to create a storage capacity of 255 TMC of water.

The name 'Mission Kakatiya' is given in the remembrance and tribute to the Kakatiya rulers who developed large number of the irrigation tanks.

The Program was inaugurated on 12 March 2015 by chief minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao.

Defunct for decades, several tanks are now brimming with water, bringing smiles on the faces of farmers as the project is expected to boost agricultural production by at least 30 per cent, increase groundwater recharge and drinking water availability and improve the soil quality.

A visit to a few tanks under restoration in Adilabad, a backward and tribal-dominated district bordering Maharashtra, revealed a discernible change and a new sense of optimism among farmers with tanks in their villages brimming with water, enough to irrigate their crops. “Farmers growing paddy and turmeric here are now assured of water availability for the entire crop season of 120 days,” said Shivaiah, sarpanch of Parimandal village.

“People are actively taking part in the programme as they see benefit in the area of irrigation, improved groundwater recharge and drinking water facility. Besides, the silt, removed from the tanks, has high nutrient value and its usage will help farmers save on fertilisers and pesticides,” Sridhar Rao Deshpande, Officer on Special Duty to the Irrigation Ministry, told The Tribune.

Under the first phase, completed in April, over 8,000 tanks have been restored at a cost of Rs 1,600 crore. Another 9,000 tanks were taken up under the second phase during the current financial year.

The project involves desilting the tanks, repairing the bunds, clearing catchment area and feeder channels of encroachments, repairing damaged sluices and surplus structures and laying canals up to the fields. Many of these tanks were built during the Kakatiya dynasty, over 800 years ago. A chain of interconnected rain-fed tanks, whose flow depended on gravity, were developed and canals were built from these lakes to supply water to the fields. However, they have become defunct over time.

The experts say that over the years, yields have come down drastically in the upland Telangana because of decreasing reliance on tank irrigation and rampant exploitation of groundwater resources. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has released Rs 1,000 crore for the programme and has shown its willingness to provide another Rs 1,000 crore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a specific mention of the project during his recent visit to the state. “We have also approached NITI Aayog for Rs 5,000 crore assistance,” the irrigation official said. “In the combined state of Andhra Pradesh, the successive governments had completely neglected minor irrigation sector in Telangana. We are now correcting the situation through people’s involvement. This mission will go down in the history as the biggest project of its kind ever undertaken in the country,” state Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao said.

Initially, people were sceptical in view of their past experience but after seeing the results, their aspirations have gone up and there is enthusiasm all around,” Adilabad district Collector M Jagan Mohan said.

Even the groundwater table has shown a marginal rise with the spruced up tanks and lakes receiving considerably good inflows.

"It is just a humble start and there is still a long way to go. While the agriculture scenario is certainly a cause of concern with south-west monsoon offering a mixed bag of a dry spell and patches of good rains, it is a motivating message from Mission Kakatiya," said minor irrigation chief engineer Bhupathiraju Nagendra Rao.
Tanks have been the life line of Telangana owing to the state's geographical positioning. The people of the state are highly dependent on the tanks which are spread across all the 10 districts. The topography and rainfall pattern in Telangana have made tank irrigation an ideal type of irrigation by storing and regulating water flow for agricultural use.

Construction of tanks in Telangana has been an age old activity since pre Satavahana era. During the Kakatiya era, the construction of tanks was carried out with utmost technical expertise. Tanks such as Ramappa, Pakhala, Laknavaram, Ghanapuram, Bayyaram which were built by Kakatiyas resemble seas and they greatly helped agriculture and overall development and prosperity of the Kakatiya kingdom.

This vision and legacy of Kakatiyas were carried forward by Qutubshahis and Asafjahis who ruled this region for centuries. Hundreds of big and small tanks were built in Telangana region during their rule. Government desires to uphold the vision of Kakatiyas which envisages revival and restoration of Minor Irrigation Sources in Telangana State.

Tank irrigation has huge bearing on generation of rural employment, poverty reduction and agricultural growth. The sheer size of command area under tank irrigation makes it a large center of agricultural production and provides a critical opportunity for commercial agriculture through market linkages.

Sources
http://missionkakatiya.cgg.gov.in/homemission
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/telangana-shows-the-way-in-restoring-village-tanks/291625.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Mission-Kakatiya-a-blessing-for-farmers/articleshow/54455315.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/National-push-for-Mission-Kakatiya/articleshow/51771607.cms

Read More

Ibrahimpur Model Village

Ibrahimpur village located in Siddipet Mandal and District transformed into a model village for sustainable development. It all started with a genuine endeavour by the villagers to transform their village as a model village.

From becoming outside defecation-free to implementing clean and green initiatives and continuing with their collective spirit, the villagers have now attained such a high point where not only Telangana, but entire India is taking inspiration from Ibrahimpur today.

This village is adopted by Telangana Irrigation Minister Tanneru Harish Rao,

Read More

Ankapur Model Village

Ankapur is a village in Armor Mandal, Nizamabad district of the Indian state of Telangana. This village is considered as one of the Model Villages in the country. It is recognized as a Model Village by the ICAR, ICRISAT and the International Rice Research Institute.

A small, self-sufficient and agriculturally rich village, Ankapur is a model for all villages in Telangana.

Read More

Gangadevipalli Model Village

At first glance, Gangadevipalli seems like just another small village. But, looks can be deceptive. This village in Warangal, Telangana, apparently inspired Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (Model Village scheme).

To develop a Model Village local officials have been asked to motivate the villagers to undertake development on several points 

• Daily physical exercise
• Liquor prohibition
• Generation of self employment
• Usage of toilets
• Personality development
• Social and financial development
• Environment awareness
• Social security
• CC roads
• Electricity
• Drinking water
• Education by ensuring every child attends school
• Health centers
• Internet 

As part of the plan, three villages Gangadevipalli in Telangana, Punsari in Gujarat and Hiware Bazar in Maharashtra were declared model villages. Gangadevipalli was selected for its practice of organising villagers into committees for the betterment of the village.

Punsari is the most developed village with clean roads, proper drainage system, Wi-Fi connectivity, CCTV cameras, public address system and zero school dropout.

The Hiware Bazar village, on the other hand, is known for its irrigation network and water conservation model. The model of free labour, ban on liquor, grazing and felling of trees and adoption of family planning methods in the village

Gangadevipalli, boasts of community-owned cable TV network, well laid roads, regular power and water supply and a advanced water filtration plant.

Gangadevipalli, with a population of 1,352, is not new to such recognition. 

The village has over two dozen committees, which manage areas like health and hygiene, the provision of drinking water, cable television and literacy.

The village has enforced an alcohol ban for 25 years, has 100 per cent literacy and has a toilet in every house.

Another remarkable achievement for the village is that its married population under the age of 35 does not have more than two children.

100 per cent Life Insurance cover for every family, immunisation, zero child mortality, 100 per cent repayment of agricultural loans, compulsory membership to self-help groups for women, and mandatory participation of every household in the process of development through committees.

The village now boasts 100 per cent survival of new-born babies, their inoculation and immunization, as well as regular vaccination of children below five. The supply of nutritious food to children and pregnant and lactating women, along with regular health check-ups, is also among the unique achievements of the village.

The gender ratio of women and men is almost the same. Each woman is also a member of a self-help group, making a significant contribution to the family income.

In 1993, as Gangadevipalli was getting noticed, Bala Vikasa, an NGO, walked in with a proposal. The village had severe water scarcity and the NGO offered to build two water tanks. The only condition was that the villagers would have to bear 15 per cent of the cost, which was Rs52,500. Sarpanch Koosam Rajamouli, then a youth leader, called a meeting and placed the proposal before the people. But, they were suspicious. When the government was not helping, why should a private organistaion do so? Rajamouli, however, did not give up. “Be it the water tanks, toilets in every home or the bare necessities, we believed in unity,” he says. “It was not easy to bring everyone together, but we did not give up. When they saw the results of working together and recognised the need for development, the critics, too, started joining us.”

Once the tanks were built and people started getting tap water in their houses, the doubting Thomases wanted to join. Rajamouli said yes, but added a condition. The original price for a water connection was Rs1,000 but, as a fine, they would have to pay Rs1,500 and the next lot would have to pay Rs2,000.

Says Singareddy Shoury Reddy, executive director of Bala Vikasa: “We stressed the need for asset-based community development. We motivated everyone to contribute in the development works and this became the root of the achievements of this village.”

Rajamouli soon formed 25 committees for water, health, street lights, etc. The members change every two years and new members are elected by a voice vote. Each committee has ten members, and each member looks after the requirements of ten families.

“The committees have given a sense of responsibility to the villagers,” says Rajamouli. “Every committee has women on the team except for the street lighting committee, which involves late nights and pole-climbing. We did not want to do it for any award. We did it because we wanted to be a model village.”

The residents’ innovative rural governance completely changed the lifestyle of the villagers in the past two decades. From setting up toilets in their homes to equipping the whole village with water supply, the village stands as an inspiration in implementing such development works.

They did not wait for the government to fund the development works in the village. Taking help from social service organisations like Bala Vikasa, they slowly started working towards the development of the village.

“Be it the water plant, toilets in every home or the bare necessities of life, we believed in unity,” said Mr Kusam Rajamouli, president of the village development committee. “It was not easy at first to bring everyone together. People were divided along caste, religious and political lines, but we did not give up. Once they realised the results of working together and after recognising the need for development, gradually those who did not believe in us too started joining us .”

Social service organisation Bala Vikasa has been working closely with the village and played a major role in motivating the people to build their own life. Executive director of Bala Vikasa, Singareddy Shoury Reddy said, “We stressed on the need for asset based community development to develop the village. We motivated everyone to contribute in the development works and this became the root for the achievements of this village.”

The village became famous when, for two terms between 1995 to 2006, it was run by an all-woman panchayat. Even the men say there was a certain calmness when the women were at the helm. 

In 1995, impressed by the civic sense of its people, the government upgraded it to a special panchayat. 

It was also adjudged India's best panchayat in 2007 by the Union government.

At the launch of the Grama Jyothy programme, the Chief Minister said, “Gangadevipalli is an example of what the unity of the people can achieve”. Declaring his support for the village, Rao announced a Rs100 million (Dh5.6 million) grant for various development programmes in the village including a 100 KV power plant and a residential school.

For the few families who don’t own a home in the village, the Chief Minister announced a two-bedroom house. He also set a goal for the village: Gangadvipalli aims to become a mosquito-free area.

Gangadevipalli village development is the result of the management of the village through successful functioning of various developmental committees such as: Safe Drinking Water Committee; Toilets Construction Committee; Clean And Green Committee; Alcohol Prohibition Committee; Loans Recovery Committee; Plastic Prohibition Committee; Education Committee; Internal Audit Committee; Andhra Pradesh Academy Of Rural Development (APARD) Training Centre; Women Problems Resolving Committee; Farmers Committee; Youth Committee; Widows Committee; Pensioners Committee; Differently Abled Persons Welfare Committee; Mothers Committee; Civil Supplies Committee; Craft Persons Coordination Committee; Ganga Dish Committee; Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP); Women Development Committee; Chaitanya Training Committee; Gramykya Sangam; and Coordination Committee.

The village has achieved so much that the State government has included a lesson on Gangadevipalli village in Social Studies in 6th standard. The village has bagged several national awards, attracted representatives from various states within India and from other countries. Gangadevipalli village is now setting new benchmarks in community development and inspiring people from all walks of life. The visionary, committed, selfless and effective leadership has transformed a normal backward village into a model village in terms of cent per cent development and self-reliance. 

Sources

http://www.theweek.in/theweek/more/Gangadevipalli-Warangal-Telangana-Supermodel-village.html

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/150801/nation-current-affairs/article/india’s-model-village-telangana

http://wikimapia.org/13591044/Gangadevipalli

http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/india/a-model-village-finally-finds-its-place-in-the-sun-1.1570246
http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/News-Analysis/2017-01-04/How-a-committed-leadership-transformed-a-village/271910

Read More

Devarakonda Fort

Devarakonda Fort is located in Devarakonda town in Nalgonda District of Telangana State, India.

Devarakonda which is as Mandal Headquarters, is a tiny village situated in Nalgonda district. The Devarakonda village is home to one of the most astonishing forts found in Telangana. The village attracts many tourists from over the world. There was a time when the fort stood high in place flaunting the glory of the village, but now due to negligence, the fort is in ruins.

Read More

Rachakonda Fort

Rachakonda Fort is a 14th-century fort located in Rachakonda, Narayanapoor Mandal, Nalgonda District, Telangana State, India.
Rachakonda Fort was the capital to the Rachakonda region was first ruled by Kakatiyas and then it was taken by Padma Nayaka dynasty, from them it is concurred Muslim Bahmani Sultanate in1433 AD. Qutub Shahi and Nizams also ruled this kingdom.

The architecture Rachakonda Fort is of medieval Hindu fort architecture. It is a structure made of large stones which are of irregular size and indefinite shape. The fort is constructed without using any Mortar. At the entrance, there are gates that are made of stone pillars and horizontal beams. The exterior walls of the building are built with stones and the interiors are layered with mud. The structure of Rachakonda Fort was strategically developed as a defensive bastion with strong fortifications. It was one of the most prominent structures during the pre-firearms era.

Read More

Telangana Step Wells

A grand stepwell at Kichanapally, Sangareddy

Imagine being in an arid, parched part of the youngest State of India. You badly want water, but all  you see is miles of nothingness. And suddenly you find several flights of stairs leading to water.

No, its not a mirage! These are ‘step wells’ - wonderful structures that are now virtually forgotten.

Stepwells in Telangana are found at old forts, temple complexes and on agricultural lands. They have also been political power centres.

Read More

Makar Sankranti Festival

Sankranti means transmigration of the Sun from one Rashi (constellation of the zodiac in Indian astronomy) to the next. Hence, there are 12 Sankrantis in a year.

Why is it called Makar Sankranti?
On Makar Sankranti, the sun enters the sun-sign of Capricorn or Makara (the Indian rashi). Therefore the 'Makar' in the name. Thus, the name of the festival literally means the movement of the sun into Capricorn.

Though extremely popular as Makar Sankranti, the festival is predominantly a harvest festival and is celebrated throughout India, from north to south and east to west. While Makar Sankranti is most popular in West India, down south, the festival is known as Pongal and in the north, it is celebrated as Lohri. Uttarayan, Maghi, Khichdi are some other names of the same festival.

Makar Sankranti Festival is observed every year in the month of January falls on 14th or 15th .

Most Hindu festivals follow the position of the moon and are based on the lunar calendar. Thus, the dates of festivals change every year. But Makar Sankranti is a festival which falls on the same day every year as it follows the solar calendar. 

However, once every eighty years, due to revolution, the day is postponed by one day. Makar Sankranti is celebrated on the 14th of January every year (sometimes on the 15th) for now. 

From 2050, it is predicted that the festival will fall on the 15th January (and occasionally on the 16th).

Tilgul
Makar Sankranti is the festival of til-gul where sesame and jaggery laddoos or chikkis are distributed among all. They are generally accompanied by the saying, "Til-gul ghya ani gud gud bola", which translates to 'eat these sesame seeds and jaggery and speak sweet words'. The festival is one of bonding where every member of society is asked to bury the hatchet with enemies and foes and live in peace. Also, it is a superstition that during the festival, the Sun God forgets his anger on his son Shani and visits him. Thus, by distributing sweets, everyone is asked to spread joy around. Also, since the festival falls in winter, eating of sesame and jaggery is considered beneficial to health as they are warm foods. Thus, it is specifically this sweet that's distributed as it signifies bonding and good health.

In the early hours of sankranti festival “Haridas” the servant of lord Vishnu is seen by singing songs he visits every house and offer blessings.

Kite Flying

On this occasion every city and town seen with the flying-kites and sky seems to be color full, the craziest part is they enjoy by cutting neighbor’s kites, funny right?

There is a very interesting reason behind the kite-flying. Kite-flying in olden days was generally done in the early hours of the morning, when the sun's rays were bright but not too harsh. Also, during kite-flying, the human body was exposed to the sun for long hours. The early morning sun is considered beneficial for the skin and body. Since winter is also the time of a lot of infections and sickness, by basking in the sun, Hindus believed that the bad bacteria on their bodies would be cleared to a certain extent. Creating a fun way of sun basking where no one would even realise they were reaping benefits was through kite flying. Cool, right?

Pilgrimages

It is a 4 days long festival by claiming its own significance's of each day and the days are classified as:

Day 1 – BHOGI
Day 2 – MAKAR SANKRANTI
Day 3 – KANUMA
Day 4 – MUKKANUMA

Day 1 – BHOGI
The preceding day of sankranti is bhogi , on this day people discard the old things as it is a transition into new period . At the dawn, people lit a fire with the solid fuels and wooden furniture that is no longer in use, the sign of this act is sacrifices all the old habits, beliefs and attachments in the presence of god of fire.
In Hindus family the children usually less than 3 years old are showered with Indian fruit “Regi Pandlu “ in Telugu in order to protect the children from evil eye .
Landlords offer gifts to the workers in the form of clothes; money food and sweets are distributed to every one to spread sweet of happiness.

Day 2 – MAKAR SANKRANTI
During this day everyone wakes in the early morning and starts with their holy bath and wear new cloths and perform traditional offerings to ancestors and pray god.the women decorates the house as well as ground (entrance of house) by drawing beautiful patterns (muggu) on the ground “rangoli” in telugu and it is decorated with flowers and a hand pressed piles of cow dung called “gobbemma”.
On this day everyone in the family are reunion to share their happiness with all the members in family especially siblings.

Day 3 – KANUMA
The day after makar sankranti is kanuma this day is specially associated with farmers on this day every farmer pray and showcase their cattle with honour .The women in the family feeds the cattle to share love and affection towards animals .in general this is a Thank giving day to cattle.

Day 4 - MUKKANUMA
Finally , the last day of sankranti is mukkanuma and farmers offer prayers to soil, rain and fire for helping them to harvest and some even offer gifts to goddess ( probably this will be animals).

The celebration of this day is mostly seen in coastal Andhra where all the members of family reunion to have have some fun filled activities, these activities mostly include cock fighting (kodi pandalu ) , bullock/Ox racing , kite flying .

Resources

http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/7-interesting-facts-you-did-not-know-about-makar-sankranti-229405.html

http://www.makarsankranti2017.com/2016/10/makar-sankranti-festival-information.html

http://www.india.com/buzz/makar-sankranti-2016-importance-significance-story-of-why-makar-sankranti-is-celebrated-860609/

Read More

Bheemalpen Festival

Festival season for Adivasis has begun with ‘Bheemalpen’ festival which is popular as Bheemanna pujalu and they take ‘Devul’ (wooden deities) for bathing at sacred place ‘Demmala rajul’ near Dhammannapet in Utnoor mandal.

Adivasis celebrate Bheemalpen festival in the month of ‘Margashira’ every year. Adivasis are busy in celebrating their traditional festivals these days in the district.

Adivasis of Asifabad take their Devul to ‘Khariyar’ and Kerameri to ‘Patteda’, Tiryani to Danthanpalli ganga, Narnoor to Gundala ganga, Indravelli to ‘Pulikakchar’ and Adivasis of Neredigonda bathe their wooden deities in the Kuntala waterfalls. Most of the Adivasi jataras will follow their festivals in the Adilabad district.

Adivasis do their cooking with the new crops or beans like ‘chikkudu’, ‘Anapa’, pulses like redgram, rice only after performing special puja called Satti to the Bheemalpen.

Adivasis festivals continue with Jangubai to be held from January 11- February8 in the dense forests near Parandholi in Keremeri mandal on the borders of Maharashtra.

Mesram Mothirao of Gangapur village in Utnoor mandal who led a group of Adivasis to the Demmalrajul, said they have started their journey by walk and they returned to their village three days later after performing pujas to Bheemalpen. Bheemalpen festival is the first one in their festival season and they perform puja with devotion’, he said.

The wooden deities called ‘Devul’ (gods) are bathed (Gangasnan) and taken to their village and to be installed in the sacred place as usual. The Kolam and Gond Adivasis will perform special puja to the Bhemalpen in this season.

These rituals reflect the Adivasis’ sacred bond with the nature and crops they cultivate and sacredness attached to the food grains they consume.

Gondi Dharma Pracharak Sedmaki Seetharam said ‘Bheemaldev festival has much importance in the festival calendar of the Adivasis and they cannot avoid the Bheemalpen festival’.

He said Adivasis will be busy in their festivals Jangubai and Jallidevara (Persapen) which are important for the Adivasis and the popular Adivasi jataras will follow their festivals.

The popular Adivasis jataras are
Jagadamba jatara in Lingapur in Sirpur( U),
Kamdev in Narnoor
Keslapur in Indravelli
Budumdev in Shyampur in Utnoor
Mahadev in Sirpur (U)
Balaji in Kerameri
Bhadi jatara in Bela mandals


Source
http://srinivasjournalism.blogspot.com/2016/01/adivasis-welcome-season-of-festivals.html

Read More

Dokra or Dhokra Metal Craft

Dokra Metal craft is quite popular in the tribal regions of Telangana. Dhokra or Dokra also known as bell metal craft is a tribal metal craft widely seen in Jainoor Mandal, Adilabad District of Telangana.

Dhokra is an ancient bell metal craft practiced by the Ojha metal-smiths of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Telangana – the style and workmanship of the artisan community being different in different states.

In Telangana, the Ojha artisans are also known as Wojaris or Ojjis who create brass metal art objects using the tedious but perfect lost wax technique while casting the metal.

The Dokra artifacts are made in brass and are unique in that the pieces do not have any joints. The method is by combining metallurgical skills with wax techniques employing the lost wax technique, a unique form where mould is used only once and broken, making this art the only one-of-its-kind in the world. 

The 100 Ojha families, a sub tribe of the Raj Gond Adivasis found in Keslaguda, Ushegaon and Jamgaon of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district and Tamsi mandal of Adilabad district, manufacture brass metal items using the lost wax technique since centuries. The artisans traditionally manufacture only items like lamps and bells of different sizes used by the Raj Gonds and Kolam tribe in agriculture and religious activity. 

A minor resurgence of Adivasi culture witnessed in the old undivided Adilabad district has provided scope for the traditional Ojha artisans to indulge in creativity. Due to the phenomenon ensuring good sales during the Dandari-Ghusadi festival gone by and also holding out the promise of the trend to continue in the religious season ahead, the Dhokra brass metal artisans are making artifacts which they had discontinued to produce since about three decades.

The artisans make bronze and brass objects using the casting technique called dhokra,where a clay model is the core,over which,wax threads are wrapped around to form a layer.This is again covered with yet another layer of clay which has an opening. Molten bronze or brass is poured into this opening, which melts the wax completely, replacing it with brass or bronze. The cast object needs the outer mould to be broken each time.

In Adilabad district, places like Ushegaon and Chittalbori are the main contributors of this art. What catches your eye in this beautiful craft is that each piece is different from the other.

The craft produces objects like figurines, tribal gods, etc.

This work has good demand both in the domestic and international market due to its aesthetic look and primitive simplicity. The work consists of folk motifs, peacocks, elephants, horses, measuring bowl, lamp caskets and other simple art forms and traditional designs.

There are many families in Adilabad district dedicated to this ancestral craft, which is a labor-intensive work.

Very often, the artisans take up only order based work with an advance. The purchase of raw materials would require an initial expenditure beyond their means, more so if the end products do not sell. Dhokra is a very labour intensive as making of a simple piece could consume 4-5 days while more complicated designs could take upto 2-3 weeks. The designs are usually traditional, though they are known to make contemporary designs on demand. The characteristic pieces include slender and elongated metal figurines, folk motifs, elephants, peacocks, horses and household articles like measuring bowls and lamps The unique feature of a dhokra artefact is that the pieces do not have any joints. The entire object is handcrafted with the final product that has a distinct texture depending on the wax strips used in its design.

Things have recently started looking up for the Ojhas of Adilabad as they have tapped into their local markets comprising of the Gond tribal homes and their seasonal jatras or fairs. The idols of local deities – Jangubai, Bheemalpen and Persapen are most popular as are other items used in worship. The study of their return to local markets is unique in the lives of all artisan communities.

Typically dhokra objects cost between Rs.300 -500.

Contact:
Bhujang Rao Ojha: +91 94-92-428293 [Keslaguda, Kerameri mandal]
Indrajeet Ojha: +91 9652950224 [Belsari Rampur village in Tamsi mandal]


Sources
http://www.telanganatourism.gov.in/partials/about/arts-crafts/dokra-metal-crafts.html
https://floatstheboat.wordpress.com/2016/05/18/adilabad-dhokra/

Read More

Khamdev Temple & Jathara

Kamdev or Khamdev temple is located in Narnoor village and mandal, Adilabad District, Telangana State, India.

This temple is dedicated to Khamdev and the tribal Jathara which starts in January every year attracts the Thodasam tribe from all villages across the district.

The Thodasam clan honours Lord Khamdev as their personal God. The clan has a custom where one of the paternal sisters must consume a lot of handmade sesame oil over the course of three years at the yearly festival.

Adivasis believe that this ritual helps fulfil their dreams and brings about positive changes in their lives, which is why it is performed once every three years. They believe that carrying forward the tradition will provide good produce to farmers and will bring happiness and harmony to the community. According to them, the tradition began way back in 1961. Since then, as many as 20 paternal sisters of the clan have fulfilled the tradition successfully.

The five-day-long annual festival is held on the day of the full moon day in the month of Pushya, a sacred month of the Hindu calendar year. Jatara begins with tribals making their offerings to the deity. Pilgrims, both girijans and non-tribals, from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh besides Maharashtra make a beeline to the event which paves way for get together of relatives once a year.

As part of customs, members of the community keep away from consuming liquor and visit temples to offer prayers without wearing any footwear.

Adivasis from Gond, Kolam, Thoti, and Pardhan communities, as well as those from neighbouring States such as Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, visit the district to offer prayers. Those who are unable to attend the celebrations in person celebrate in their own villages with their community. They indulge in affectionate chats with dear ones and share food. 

Dec 24, 2017 : Khamdev jatara of the Thodasam clan of Raj Gond Adivasis will now be a five-day affair instead of the customary 15 days.

http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Khammam-Tab/2017-01-14/Kamdev-temple-Jatara-begins-/273607
By: Madavi Manik Rao

http://daily.bhaskar.com/news/JM-9-shocking-facts-of-kamdev-no-one-knows-4448128-PHO.html?seq=10

Read More