THE ROYALTY OF NIZAM IN DANGER

Nizams, the royalties- the permanent residents of the city Hyderabad has gifted the city with the most precious gifts that has lasted for years. The Nizams were fond of two things the most. Jewels i.e. ‘Pearls’ and ‘Architecture’. Most of Hyderabad still comes under the Nizam constituency giving the city its immensely beautiful architecture. Many of the colleges, hospitals, bank buildings in the old city area of Hyderabad are all the Nizam’s (rehaish) resting places or their begums (wife) cottages converted for further use by the Hyderabadis.

Its not just Charminar, Golconda Fort or the Chowmalla and Falaknuma Palaces that the Nizams have given Hyderabad as their priceless gifts to remember them by. In fact there are numerous heritage buildings in the twin cities which cannot be counted on fingers. There are almost 140 buildings listed as heritage buildings in Hyderabad each having their own beautiful histories and stories behind those strong walls. As of now, 151 buildings and 30 heritage precincts have been declared as heritage buildings by the HMDA.  The number of heritage buildings rose to 166. These heritage buildings stand out uniquely in their architectural style which anybody can recognize in the first look itself.

Now the city faces its most mournful and bitter time in an attempt to save its unique history.  Charminar, which stands as a recognition and mark of the city, is endangered with illegal constructions around it which is intruding its history. HUDA, the Hyderabad Urban Development Authorities have made an initiative to rupture the illegal construction and prevent the city's legacy from being destroyed.

The Golconda Fort, standing 400 ft above the ground level is in the most deteriorating condition. Most of its walls are broken down, the carvings fallen off and walls filled with engraves spoiling its beauty as a historical monument.

Everybody has a fantasy in their eye for the treasures of the royal family to imagine their royal living. To recapture the history alive and to experience the royalties as if they are living around us, the Salarjung museum had done the best job in guarding the treasures of the family. But this was also an attempt in vain as many royal treasures has been reported missing and stolen from the safe and replaced with artificial remakes.

Many building are torn down to make new constructions.  Every nook and corner of the historic twin city holds a heritage building that has been ignored and left unprotected. Most of these places are getting damaged because of the low maintenance or complete negligence by the authorities. The royal stone and wood used for the constructions are not decaying slowing because of the atmospheric gases exposed to the walls of the great buildings and are thus worsening the heritage structures.

The direct descendants of the royal family, the Prince and the Princess who are now the citizens of England and have made an attempt to restore the legacy of their forefathers by appointing historians and architects to rebuild the history and safeguard their family name. The historical structures, paintings, photographs, royal treasures are being refurbished to get its glory back to shine.

Where nature and authorities are damaging the heritage of the city many youngsters too spoil the historical buildings. Writings on the walls, urinating, spitting are furthermore destroying these legends. If care isn’t taken, they might just go down in history like they never even existed.

Maria

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The Fever Returns: IPL

The Night That Went On

This week saw a lot of happenings in the city. While 10D’s retro night saw party goers dancing to old classical music and spending their Friday night, another club had Hip Hop Ryde as their theme for the night. With IPL fever that has taken over the city the page 3 PYT’s chose different spots to party and watch the match with their friends and family. Owing to the new Hyderabad team the 'Sun Risers' playing their debut match against 'Pune Warriors India' the party spirit in the public was a whole lot higher than the usual. ]This saw a lot of people heading towards their favourite clubs to cheer for the team. The party goers of the city were seen having a gala time while watching the match and dancing to the tunes of the DJ.

“I chose to go to Chiran fort to watch the match and had an amazing time with friends while watching it. Later when SRH won we went to BnC to celebrate the victory and party.” said Pavan Shikhar, a digital analyst. Mitika Vazir an Interior Designer said, “At 10D I enjoyed the classical music as it was pretty groovy and the crowd was fun and decent. It was a best place to spend a good Friday night, the match victory being the icing on the cake.” “All I wanted to do was to have fun, dance and party for which my friends and I decided to go to Kismet. I spent a really good time there.” quoted Simran Kotak, a Cartoonist. Ravi Khanna a store manager mentioned, “The IPL season has always been a time when most of my friends take a break from their busy schedule and meet to watch the match together. It was a great night with them and it

was delightful that we won.”

The page 3 party goers need a reason to party and the IPL is perhaps the best reason. This is the

time when most of the page 3 PYT’s are seen heading to clubs to cheer for their teams along

with having a good time partying.

Prerna Vazir

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Kashmir - Heaven On earth (Travel and tourism)

Kashmir is famous for its beauty and natural scenery throughout the world. Kashmir has been famous for its exquisiteness since time immemorial. The state has some of the best tourist spots in the entire country.

It high snow covered mountains , scenic spots , rivers , beautiful valleys with ice cold attractive water and springs , ever Greenfields, dense forests and beautiful health resorts, enhance its grandeur and are a source of great attraction to tourists .

Kashmir is also widely known for its agricultural products – saffron, fruits, and also minerals, precious stones handicrafts like woollen carpets, shawls ad finest kind of embroidery on clothes. In addition Kashmir has a rich cultural heritage as religious shrines for pilgrimage of both Hindu and Muslim religion.

About Kashmir Sheik Sadia a famous Persia poet o told” If there is heave o earth, it is here in Kashmir.

Best season for visiting Kashmir is May – July and again September – October. Winter tourism begins with the first snowfall generally by mid December and lasts till March during which skiing and other snow sports are possible at Gulmarg. During the summer one can enjoy the beauty of nature, tour fishing. During the winter mountain climbing other sports like skiing ice skating snow sloops are commonly enjoyed.

Kashmir, the” PARADISE ON EARTH” is picturesquely set in the lap of the snow

fully clad Himalaya. For indeed, after the trips to this unforgettable land you can never be quite the same again. 

-Muzyna

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Flaws in Urban Education System

Many years after independence we still deal with issues such as illiteracy. For the society it is not about the people who are not formally deemed as educated but the ones deemed as educated but truly are not. One of the problems faced by many professional courses is the amount of graduates pursuing jobs not related to their field. “It’s not the traitors you should be afraid of but your friends”. You know a traitor will harm you so you expect that from them but a friend can turn its back and stab you’. Critical thought deals not with what is already evident but the flipside of events.

We are constantly churning out batches and batches of uneducated literates. It is impossible to define the term education but literates, on the other hand is pretty simple. A literate is one legally qualifies to be able to read and write. Simply put one who can read this text is a literate. One who can interpret this text is educated. There is a huge distinction between the two. The distinction lies in productivity. There are also educated illiterates what we call colloquially ‘street smart’. When our education systems became anesthetic in nature we applauded it for being ‘Global’. Now when our economies fail who do we look at? When our governments fail who do we turn to? When our societies crumble who is it that we blame?

Is the light off? Is it cold? Do you want that? Are you hungry? When you studied in school how many times did teachers discouraged students from asking questions. The death of questioning is the death of knowledge. If students knew the answer to everything they would not be sitting in this class, so if I am a student it’s your duty to answer me. It is a basic right that is thrown to garbage in every institution. If you think that elite institutions are different they are not. For a fact every institution is the same. A question is greeted with the sub text ‘are you that dumb?’

We are in an education system where common sense is by-passed by age-old beliefs. When you bake a cake it’s important that you make sure every ingredient is weighed and added at the right time otherwise the cake while baking falls and a huge crack emerges. We always hear activists say “we need to educate the people” Unfortunately when they were meant to be educated nobody made sure that they were actually being educated. It’s not rocket science, a few reforms and this generation can become an educated informative society.

 Madeeha Naqeeb

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FASHION RELOADED

It’s the 21st Century but sometime we long for the good old fashion days of the 50's and 60's. From polka dots to skinny tights, from short Kurtis's to anarkali dresses vintage fashion makes its mark again moving from west to east. A large number or women and even men from the city or town are opting for retro style. It is bold and eye-catchy. The popular fashion styles from our past fashion industry has created fascination of the 50's in the hearts of 9o's or 21st century.

Reconnecting with the past is a way to make trade marks of our past where the young people of today have not experienced. While it may have been over a decade ago, 50's -60;s fashion styles continue to influence the way people dress.This fashion and styling throwbacks combine the retro with the revolutionary. The Fashion gurus are always talking about previous trends making a comeback.It’s not simply the wardrobe that matters, when getting in for a retro look. There are lots of other things which need to be taken care off. The make up, the hair style, the shoes, the accessories, the jewelry and then comes the “attitude”.

The retro back in the 50’s and 60’s had it all, from bell bottoms to skinny tights. Leggings and cropped jackets which are commonly worn by college students was a vogue then and has the same impact even now, when worn after ages. Retro clothing is nostalgic!!! 

Baggy short sweaters look shoddy and frumpy. Semi-transparent leggings gives a sexier look to the whole attire.Gals can go for fishnet stockings or the neon coloured ones, jeans which accentuate the knock knees, knee length print dresses, with wide belts to show off there thin waist.Team these with chunky bracelets.Sailor stripes, striped skirts, shorts, and dresses are the current trend with the retro look. The baby doll dresses, mini skirts and leggings are simply everyone’s pick. 

Vintage never fades away. dig into your mum's wardrobe and get those authentic vintage items out and you can be sure to get that attention in the crowd looking the best from the rest.

 
POST BY - SWETHA JAIN

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T-a-l-K A-b-o-u-T D-a-n-c-E S-t-y-l-e-S

KUCHIPUDI for the element of Earth

        ODISSI for the element of Water

              MOHINIATTAM for the element of Air

                    BHARATANATYAM for the element of Fire, and

                          KATHAKALI for the element of Sky

All of the above, together, share one common aspect; they are each one of the ‘The Five Major Indian Classical Dance Styles’ that represent one element each of nature.

KUCHIPUDI originates from the South Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. Most of the poses in Kuchipudi are brisk, flat-footed, dazzling and overall curved – having more rounded poses. The dance form reflects the longing of a disciple to become one with the ultimate and the omnipotent God. 

ODISSI originates from the East Indian State of Odisha. This dance is characterised by various Bhangas (Stance), which involves stamping of the foot and the striking of various postures as are seen in Indian sculptures.

MOHINIATTAM originates from the South Indian State of Kerala. It is considered a very graceful form of dance that is meant to be performed as solo recitals by women. The dance involves the swaying of hips and the gentle movements of erect posture from side to side – this is reminiscent of the swinging of the palm leaves and the gently flowing rivers which abound Kerala. The performer uses the eyes in a very coy, sensual manner to enchant the mind without enticing the senses. The word ‘Mohiniattam’ literally means ‘Dance of the enchantress’.

Expression, Music, Beat or Rhythm, and Dance

                   Bhavam, Ragam, Talam, and Natyam
                                  Bha, Ra, Ta, and Natyam

Put the words above together and you have BHARATANATYAM, originating from the South Indian State of Tamil Nadu. The movements of an authentic Bharatanatyam dancer resemble the movements of a dancing flame.

KATHAKALI originates from the South Indian State of Kerala. It is in dance-drama form that is noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements.
These five dance forms are the most popular and widely performed styles and are practiced by male and female dancers all over the world.

Kuchipudi

Odissi

Mohiniattam

Bharatanatyam

Kathakali

THE INTERVIEW

To listen-in from a performer’s point of view, I caught up with Ms. Amy Kumar, who has been practicing Kuchipudi for several years.

1. How did you begin dancing Kuchipudi? How old were you when you took your first dance class?

I've always been interested in dance, ever since I was a toddler. Bollywood dancing played a major part of my life while growing up. Watching Sridevi and Madhuri on TV always inspired me and I knew it made me happy. It all started when I was nine and I happened to notice girls dancing in the house adjacent to my Dad's office. So, mum and me walked in hoping it was Bharatanatyam (the most well known South Indian Classical Dance form) that was being taught, but it was Kuchipudi (the dance form I've been trained in) instead. It didn’t really matter which dance form it was because all I wanted to do was dance. So, that's how it all began. It's been almost 15 years now and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

2. Do you feel you began at an appropriate age for this particular dance? Why?

Out of experience I personally feel that training at a younger age is always advisable as the energy levels, grasping capabilities and enthusiasm is higher. But then again it's never too late to learn!

3. How do you feel when you stage a performance?

Dancing on stage in front of an audience is the best part of an artiste’s life. I am not one of those dancers who get totally involved in their performance and lose touch with reality. I know it’s important to involve oneself in the act but I believe in maintaining a connection with the audience. I select my dance pieces and music according to the audience I’m going to perform for, because I truly believe that it's very important to innovate and bring about slight changes in order to make progress in any field of life.

4. Do you plan to do something with your training and experience later in life or is it just a hobby?

I have completed my BA in classical dance and have been training students at my dance school - Prerana Pratibha. At present my work keeps me very busy so I’m not able to take time out to teach. But I definitely plan to continue my career in dance probably a MA and PhD as well. For now I've been shortlisted as a Doordarshan Artiste and that recording should happen sometime soon.

5. Can you talk a little about the jewellery and costume and their significance?

Kuchipudi being a very traditional form of dance has a stereotypic dance costume and jewellery to go with it. But nowadays people do try and innovate based on the audiences. The popular form of jewellery used is the ‘temple jewellery’ – The authentic form is very expensive, made of silver, but most people use the imitation jewellery which looks just as good as the original ones. The basic jewellery worn by the dancer is - a long chain, a short chain, earrings and mattal; HEAD SET- tikka, chandiran and surya (symbolic for sun and moon) worn on the head on either sides of the tikka; bangles, waist belt, bells (anklets).

The costume is stitched out of a sari. It has five components – a blouse and pyjama which has a fan in front, a component which covers the blouse to give an appearance of the pallu and a seat component which covers the waist and completes the look.

6. What has Kuchipudi taught you?

As does any form of art, dancing has taught me to be connected with oneself, patient, spiritual on some level and dedicated. Dancing brings me peace and makes me happy.

7. What is your favourite thing about this dance? What is the hardest and easiest thing about this dance?

My favourite part about this dance is when the dancer dances on the sides of a brass plate; this is unique about this dance form. Both the hardest and easiest parts about this dance form are that it is extremely graceful and gives priority to abhinaya (expressions).

8. What are your thoughts on classical forms of dancing? What are your thoughts concerning its popularity in India and world over?

I personally feel that Indian Classical dancing is one of the toughest forms of dance and I’m saying this after training a little in hip hop, belly dancing and contemporary dancing. Every part of your body moves and has to be in sync and rhythm when you do classical dance. It’s not just the moving of your legs and hands but it’s an emotional uplift for dancers because every dance piece has got a story to tell. It's nice that people recognise the importance of our culture and dance forms abroad, sad that it isn’t that appreciated in India though. We have a lot of National Dance festivals as well but it’s the youth of today who don’t find it "cool" enough to be pursued.

** Dance images from Google Images.

--Post by Angela Nayak

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Spare the rod, spare the child

Since childhood, I've always been compared to my cousin who used to score above 90% in exams. Every time results were declared, it would be the most embarrassing day for me as I would score only 60%. It would inevitably lead to comparisons by mom and she would start supervising my study hours.

Otherwise, I would receive a big blow with a scale or be embarrassed with her prickly words. I am a successful individual today, not because of all the scolding I received from my parents. In fact I would say that it was something bad that happened with me and it actually discouraged me and made me feel like I am doing a sin surviving on this earth,” says Soumya (name changed) from Reddy College, Narayanguda, Hyderabad.

Corporal punishment is an age-old technique used by parents to discipline children, especially in academics. It becomes a big issue when children scores less marks in exams and do not spend enough time with their books and they are literally made to feel as if they are good for nothing. ‘Eshaan Awasthi’, the lead character in the movie ‘Taare Zameen Par’, is sent to hostel when his parents realise that he is not doing well in his studies. His parents think it is the best thing for him, but for the child it was a curse.

In a similar incident, in real life, eight-year-old Siddhu who hails from rural Kakinada was mercilessly
burnt on the back by his father only because he was playing with his sister, and not studying. His sister Lavanya was also spotted with minor injuries. Corporal punishment is quite prevalent in schools and at home.
Apart from the lesser reported incidents, there is a high number of  incidents about a variety of  physical
abuses that include caning, slapping, making the student stand in the sun that go unreported. Most children fear and do not tell parents about how they were punished as it means being branded as undisciplined. Parents presume that the child, perhaps, deserves a punishment for not doing well in studies.

P Jyothi Raja, a child psychologist who runs Hyderabad Center for Learning Disabilities says, “Teachers
who punish students don’t realise the seriousness of the issue.  They think punishing them improves behaviour of the child. But for the child, it becomes an ego issue as the people around will start talking about it. If it repeats, they become anti-social elements and start harming people. Childhood is a very tender age so it has greater effect.”

“One day my child came back from school with a sullen expression. She did not talk to me for some time. When I enquired, she told me that her teacher slapped her. She refused to go to school from the next day. Then I promised her that I will speak to the teacher. I went to her school next day and spoke to her teacher and principal. Since then such incidents have not been repeated,” says P Sunita, a parent.

Rafia Nausheen from Mahita, an NGO that works with adolescent girls in the Old City, Hyderabad, in the field of  education, says, “Most of  the teachers are unaware of  rules and their implementation. Many teachers are just graduates and do not even hold a BEd degree. They are not fully trained to handle children. Pressure from management and home etc makes them emotionally frustrated and they resort to these steps.
They fail to bring positive discipline without using the cane. When we go to visit schools, we see most of the teachers have a cane. When we ask why they use it, they asked us how else they can control children without cane. Many students drop out of the school because of corporal punishment. Many feel that they are not properly treated by the teachers. The teachers use abusive or humiliating language with the kids and children think going to school would mean losing their self esteem. This creates a revengeful feeling in children. It affects children psychologically in a big way.”Counselling students and empathising with them works best to discipline,” say experts.

-Pratima Shantaveeresh

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