Monday, 9 February 2015

31 Things That Could Happen Only In India

1. This kindergarten school.

This kindergarten school.

2. These onion ninjas.

These onion ninjas.

3. This restaurant.

This restaurant.

4. This comment below a movie trailer on YouTube.

This comment below a movie trailer on YouTube.

5. This bumper sticker.

This bumper sticker.

6. This exclusive type of tea.

This exclusive type of tea.

7. This poster of a missing man with a “medum body, face round and half shart.”

This poster of a missing man with a "medum body, face round and half shart."

8. This prevention of theft.

This prevention of theft.

9. These visitors with superhuman strength.

These visitors with superhuman strength.

10. This musician who really, really, likes gold.

31 Things That Could Happen Only In India

11. This newspaper that outed Neil Armstrong.

This newspaper that outed Neil Armstrong.

12. This object for sale.

This object for sale.

13. This man’s swag office.

This man's swag office.

14. This railway toilet that no one should ever bathe in.

This railway toilet that no one should ever bathe in.

15. This government form.

This government form.

16. This news anchor who forgot she was on television.

31 Things That Could Happen Only In India

17. This honest advertisement seeking a bride.

This honest advertisement seeking a bride.

18. This fire extinguisher.

This fire extinguisher.

19. This creepy sign.

This creepy sign.

20. This missed connection on YouTube.

This missed connection on YouTube.

21. This perfect unison of a stool and a chair.

This perfect unison of a stool and a chair.

22. This inseparable politician and handbag.

 

23. This intriguing television show plot.

This intriguing television show plot.

24. This rather disturbing Harry Potter movie poster.

This rather disturbing Harry Potter movie poster.

25. This legit sexpert.

This legit sexpert.

26. This bleak advertisement for a job search website.

This bleak advertisement for a job search website.

27. This broad-minded hostel.

This broad-minded hostel.

28. THIS AMAZING BARGAIN!!!!!

THIS AMAZING BARGAIN!!!!!

29. This warning.

This warning.

30. This fabric softener advertisement.

This fabric softener advertisement.

31. This elegant dance move.
31 Things That Could Happen Only In India
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Here are the Top 20 business facts you should know about India:
  1. India continues to be the best place to start a business, says a global services location index by AT Kearney.
  2. India’s foreign exchange reserves stand at US$ 200 billion.
  3. India has displaced US as the second-most favoured destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the world after China according to an AT Kearney’s FDI Confidence Index
  4. Poised at a phenomenal growth of 500 per cent, the Indian insurance industry is expected to reach US$ 60 billion in the next four years.
  5. India adds about five million telephone subscribers every month. The total number of subscribers is expected to reach 250 million by the end of 2007.
  6. India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating 3.34 million kilometers. It comprises 66,590 km of National Highways, 1,28,000 km of State Highways, 4,70,000 km of Major District Roads and about 26,50,000 km of other District and Rural Roads.
  7. Indian ports handled cargo of around 570 million tonnes in 2005-06.
  8. In 2005-06, the passenger traffic rose by 25-30 per cent and is expected to grow by 25 per cent year-on-year over the next five years. While international and domestic air traffic grew by 35 per cent, cargo witnessed a 12 per cent growth.
  9. India is the Sixth largest crude consumer in the world.
  10. India is the Ninth largest crude importer in the world.
  11. India has the sixth largest refining capacity - 2.56 million barrels per day representing 2.99 per cent of world capacity.
  12. Estimated to be a US$ 350 billion industry, the Indian retail sector is growing at a growth rate of 47%..Wow !
  13. The travel and tourism sector in India is generated a total demand of US$ 55,544.5 million of economic activity in 2006, accounting for nearly 5.3 per cent of GDP and 5.4 per cent of total employment.
  14. International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) has ranked India as the seventh largest steel producer in the world with an overall production of about 40 million tonnes in 2006.
  15. India exports US$ 6 billion worth of garments.
  16. India is the largest consumer of gold jewellery in the world and accounts for about 20 per cent of world consumption.
  17. India is the largest diamond cutting and polishing centre in the world.
  18. India is the second largest producer of rice and wheat in the world; one of the largest producers of sugar, sugarcane, peanuts, jute, tea and an assortment of spices.
  19. The Indian pharmaceutical industry, consistently growing at 9.5 per cent in the last 5 years, could zip at 13.6 per cent between 2007 and 2010 and reach a market size of US$ 9.48 billion by 2010 from its present level of about US$ 6.2 billion.
  20. Healthcare delivery is one of the largest service-sector industries in India. The country will spend US$ 45.76 billion on healthcare in the next five years.
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Sunday, 8 February 2015

Heritage structures in Hyderabad, India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Heritage Conservation Committee under HUDA was formed by state government in 1981 to retain architectural, historical and social value of buildings.[1] Hyderabad Urban Development Authority has listed almost 160 buildings in Hyderabad in Telangana city as heritage structures. Almost 70% of heritage buildings are in private hands. Heritage structures include buildings, monuments, rock structures etc.[2]

By notifying such structures, Heritage Conservation Committee in collaboration with (INTACH) works to retain their architectural, historical and social importance and tries to convince the owners not to destroy the listed heritage structures lured by the commercial potential of their properties. The buildings are graded as Grade I, Grade II & Grade III.[3] However, experts feel due to lack of support from the state government it has become difficult to preserve the status of these buildings.[4] Various buildings such as Ravi Bar, Adil Alam Mansion, Central Building Division & Devdi Ranachand – Ahotichand have been demolished [5]but the names of these buildings are still being retained in the list [6]

List of Heritage buildings as per HUDA

Following are the list of the heritage buildings in Hyderabad. This list is constantly upgraded by HUDA. The buildings proposed by HUDA are to be approved by the state government.([7])

Asman Garh Palace, circa 1900

AP State Archaeology Museum

Telangana High Court

Chowmahalla Palace

Drawing Room of the Bella Vista Palace

  • 18. Baitul Ashraf, near Niloufar Hospital

  • 19. Baquer Bagh, Saidabad

  • 20. Bella Vista (Administrative Staff College of India)

  • 22. Bhagawandas Garden Pavilion, Karawan

Charkaman

James Street Poice Station

Hyderabad Public School

  • 53. Jama Masjid, Charminar

  • 54. Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Public Garden

  • 55. Jhamsingh Temple – Gate Portion

Jubilee Hall

Osmania Arts College

Osmania General Hospital

St. George's Church, Hyderabad

Taj Mahal Hotel, Abids

Heritage rock formations in Hyderabad

In addition to various buildings, INTACH has classified various rock formation under heritage category.[12][13] These are


View of Moula Ali Hill, circa 1902


Sentinel Rock, near Moula Ali

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Saturday, 7 February 2015


HYDERABAD: In a move that will almost double the salaries of Telangana employees, the state government announced implementation of the pay hike recommended by the pay revision commission (PRC) with a fitment of 43%.

Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said at a press conference on Thursday that the pay panel, headed by special chief secretary to the government K Pradeep Chandra, was the first PRC of Telangana.

"Ours is an employee-friendly government. We have recognised the employees' role in realisation of statehood. The notification of the implementation of pay hike will be issued on Friday which is regarded as goddess Lakshmi's day," said the chief minister.

The pay hike, which results in an additional burden of Rs 6,500 crore to the exchequer, will be implemented with retrospective effect from June 2, 2014 - the day Telangana was formed. The chief minister said that the arrears would be deposited in the employees' general provident fund (GPF) account which fetches 8.5% interest. The revised salaries will reach the employees beginning this March.

The announcement led to jubilation in the Secretariat and employees celebrated by bursting fire crackers. Over 3.5 lakh government staff will enjoy the benefit.

"We thank the chief minister for the PRC implementation. We know this would a burden on the exchequer. We assure that the employees will work hard to enhance revenue for the government," chairman of Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers' (TNGO) Association, S Devi Prasad Rao, said.

While the 10th PRC headed by PK Agarwal had recommended 29% fitment in its report submitted in July 2013, Telangana employees demanded 69% and a minimum monthly wage of Rs 15,000.

The government constituted the Pradeep Chandra committee to look into the demands of employees. After several rounds of consultations with representatives of various employee associations including TNGO and Telangana Gazetted Officers' Association (TGO), the committee recommended the pay hike formula.

The chief minister said that he hurried to announce the new pay since a notification was expected any moment for the state legislative council elections due in March. Once the notification is issued, the government could not have implemented the hike since the poll code will not allow it.

While there is no mention about the demand of the minimum wage of Rs 15,000, the CM said that the PRC would look into pending anomalies in the salary structure. "We hope that this issue would be addressed by the panel and employees will get their due," said chairman of commercial tax employees' joint action committee, T Vivek.

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.
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Monday, 2 February 2015



Makkah Masjid, Hyderabad

Mecca Masjid (Arabic: ‎and Urdu: مکہ مسجد‎, Telugu: మక్కా మసీదు), also Makkah Masjid, is one of the oldest mosques in Hyderabad, Telangana in India, And it is one of the largest masajids in India. Makkah Masjid is a listed heritage building in the old city of Hyderabad, close to the historic landmarks of Chowmahalla Palace, Laad Bazaar, and Charminar.
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, commissioned bricks to be made from the soil brought from Mecca, the holiest site of Islam, and used them in the construction of the central arch of the mosque, thus giving the mosque its name. It formed the centerpiece around which the city was planned by Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah.[2]
History and construction
Makkah Masjid was built during the reign of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the 5th Qutb Shahi Sultan of Golconda (now Hyderabad). The three arched facades have been carved from a single piece of granite, which took five years to quarry. More than 8,000 workers were employed to build the mosque. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah personally laid the foundation stone. The construction was later completed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb after conquering Hyderabad.
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, the French explorer, in his travelogue observed;
"It is about 50 years since they began to build a splendid pagoda in the town which will be the grandest in all India when it is completed. The size of the stone is the subject of special accomplishment, and that of a niche, which is its place for prayer, is an entire rock of such enormous size that they spent five years in quarrying it, and 500 to 600 men were employed continually on its work. It required still more time to roll it up on to conveyance by which they brought it to the pagoda; and they took 1400 oxen to draw it."[3]

Mecca Masjid frontage

Makkah Masjid minaret

Graves in the Makkah Masjid
Architecture and design
The main hall of the mosque is 75 feet high, 220 feet wide and 180 feet long, enough to accommodate 10,000 worshipers at a time. Fifteen arches support the roof of the main hall, five on each of the three sides. A wall rises on the fourth side to provide Mihrab.
At the peak of the minarets flanking the mosque is an arched gallery, and above that a smallish dome and a spire. Inscriptions from the Qur'an adorn many of the arches and doors. The main structure of the mosque is sandwiched between two massive octagonal columns made out of a single piece of granite. The cornices running around the entire mosque structure and the floral motifs and friezes over the arches remind the tourist of the great attention paid to detail in Qutub Shahi architecture. They have a close resemblance to the arches at Charminar and Golkonda Fort.
On the four sides of the roof on the main mosque, the ramparts are made of granite planks in the shape of inverted conches perched on pedestals. From the cornice of the mosque, its minarets are not as high as the minarets on the mazaar (Nizams tombs) haven from their cornice. The octagonal columns have arched balconies on level with the roof of the mosque with an awning for a canopy, above which the column continues upwards till it is crowned by a dome and spire.

Mecca Masjid street view from Charminar
Tombs
The entrance courtyard it is best of the mosque, a rectangular, arched and canopied building houses the marble graves of Asaf Jahi rulers. This structure came up during the rule of the Asaf Jah rulers. It contains the tombs of the Nizams and their family.
At both ends of this resting place for the Asaf Jahs and very much a part of it, are two rectangular blocks with four minarets each. These minarets have elegant and circular balconies with low ornamental walls and arches. Above them is an octagonal inverted platter from which the rest of the minaret soars till it is arrested by a dome and a spire.
Maintenance issue
The Makkah Masjid is a listed heritage building, however, lack of maintenance and growing pollution has withered and cracked the structure. It received a chemical wash in 1995. To prevent further damage, the Andhra Pradesh government made Charminar a traffic-free zone in August 2001.
Legends
On the edge of the pond are two stone and slab benches, whoever sits on them, according to legend, returns to sit on them again.
A room in the courtyard is believed to house a hair of the Islamic prophet Muhammed.

 
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