The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Positive initiative

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Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Positive initiative

Community children affected and infected with HIV or AIDS had a rare opportunity to spend a fun-filled day in a star hotel recently. The children were beneficiaries of an educational project being implemented by a city-based NGO and their visit to the hotel formed part of an exciting five-day camp.

That the hotel management had extended an invitation to the children to be its guest for a day moved the Vijayawada Mayor Mallika Begum so much that she took an instant decision to follow suit. Wasting no time, she invited the kids on behalf of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, to the Rajiv Gandhi Park. The quick response was heart-warming and triggered a fond hope that more organisations will get involved in the delightful race for one-upmanship in the days to come.

Hope, at last

Things seem to have finally started moving with regard to the expansion of the Gannavaram airport, as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has called for soil testing reports. If all goes as per the latest plans, tenders for the first-phase expansion are likely to be invited and finalised within a month. With this, the hopes of local people for the airport’s development will come true sooner than later.

As regards the “abnormal delay” in the first phase expansion, an industrialist commented that it is good that the works are being started at least now. Better late than never.

Relief soon

Traffic jams near Durga ghat are a regular affair due to narrow road and encroachments. The most happiest lot in the city after the stampede atop Indrakeeladri appear to be the traffic police, as the district administration removed all encroachments instantaneously, and is all set to the widen the road. The tariff police seem to be relieved from daily headache of clearing the traffic jams.

The thoughts on the minds of the traffic police is that neither the district administration nor the politicians would have agreed to the removal of the encroachments had the stampede not taken place. They feel that a memorial should be constructed where six people lost their lives in the stampede.

No etiquette

In more than one way, the engrossing interactive session at the Siddhartha Arts College auditorium recently as part of the Rotary Group Study programme, was a peep into the modern history. Each one of visitor narrated the style of their life, culture and also the architectural marvels of their respective cities. For the history buffs it was like watching a Discovery Channel.

But alas, a good number of Rotarians felt differently. Some who were incorrigibly impatient were involving deeply in banter. Some were seen discussing their business deals unmindful of the sincere presentation by the visitors. “I already heard them at the Rajahmundry meeting,” said a Rotarian, who preferred talking over his mobile to listening to them. They failed to show even a little of the etiquette the situation demanded.

It proves a bane

Sankranti is festival of sharing wealth and happiness. An icon for this is a Haridasu, who comes with a Gangireddu or alone playing a tambura in one hand and a head load of offerings he receives from every household in the village.

Such is the adoration for Haridasu that those from that community still received good sum as annual gift from the villagers even today and it runs into several thousands of rupees. This money turned a bane for a Haridasu Rajasekhar in Lingampalli village in Amaravathi mandal of Guntur district. His own sister’s husband, who had an eye on this money during Sankranti, kidnapped nephew and strangulated him to death.

Crestfallen Rajasekhar, also an RMP, predicts a whole year of good tidings for villagers, but laments he could not guess the impending danger within his house.

(P. Sujatha Varma, G. Ravikiran, Subba Rao G.V.R., J.R. Shridharan in Vijayawada and Ramesh Susarla in Guntur)

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