Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Royal Bidri Art is in the White House


 Did you know that a tea table created by Bidri artisans was presented to the former President of the U.S. Bill Clinton during his India visit in 1991?
The legs of the table were handcrafted by artists in Bidar, while a glass top was fixed by a Hyderabad-based company. The tea table is still there in a museum in the White House


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Source: The Hindu
Url :http://www.hindu.com/yw/2010/11/23/stories/2010112350501200.htm

Art of the royalty

What is Bidri art? It is a handicraft by artisans who fix sheets or wires of gold, silver or mother of pearl into metal and wood. This is done just as labourers fix steel frames between rows of tiles on the floor. The skills are passed on from generation to generation in the families of artisans. It is not taught in any school or college. Artisans make furniture, utensils, boxes, flower pots, ash trays, cuff links, paper cutters, and other household and decorative items using such inlaid metal or wood. The Rangeen Mahal palace inside the Bidar fort has stones inlaid with mother of pearl. The Royal family of the Hyderabad Nizam had wooden tables inlaid with mother of pearl. The tomb of Behmani King Ahmed Shah Ali Wali is decorated with coloured tiles that are fixed in lime mortar walls using the Bidri inlay technique.
Artisans prepare moulds of zinc and copper and etch beautiful designs on the surface. Silver wires or plates are hemmed in to the designs and the item is immersed in a chemical solution. This gives the body a distinct black colour to the mould. The shining silver pattern stands out in the black background. The black colour does not fade at all. The Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad has Bidri artefacts that are over 500 years old.
Master craftsmen
King Allauddin Shah of the Behmani dynasty in the 14th Century promoted the Bidri art. He brought in master craftsmen from Iran and Kirman and trained local artisans in the historic city of Bidar. He also provided a market place for Bidri craft. Since then, Bidriware has become synonymous with Bidar.
Bidri art has gained the Geographical Indication tag to certify that this product cannot be made anywhere else except Bidar. This is because artisans use blackened mud from the caves inside the Bidar fort to prepare the base material. This mud has not been exposed to sunlight for centuries and has some special chemical qualities. Bidriware cannot be made without this mud.
Bidar has three national award winning Bidri artisans — Mohammad Rauf, Rashid Khadri and Mohammad Moijuddin. Shah Majeed Khadri is a merit award winner. They have formed Black Gold, a federation of Self Help Groups of Bidri artisans. They keep travelling around the country exhibiting and selling their ware.
Artisans prepare moulds of zinc and copper and etch beautiful designs on the surface. Silver wires or plates are hemmed in to the designs and the item is immersed in a chemical solution. This gives the body a distinct black colour to the mould. 

Source:The Hindu
URL:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-youngworld/article907054.ece

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Training centre for monks soon

Buddhist philanthropists are funding the Rs. 4-crore project in BIDAR
 Some Buddhist philanthropists from Malaysia and Singapore are funding the construction of a training centre for monks in Anadur village near Bidar.
The Sri K. Dhammananda memorial bhikkhu training centre will come up on 60 acres on the Bidar-Srirangapatna State highway at a cost of around Rs. 4 crore.
Besides donating money for the project, the Malaysian devotees have been overseeing its construction. A delegation of donors recently visited Anadur to review the progress. In the first phase, a primary school will be established, the structure for which has been completed. A hostel has also been built for the bhikkhus. A Buddha vihara, a mediation hall, and a graduate school will come up in the second phase. The centre will be different from other institutions of religious teaching as the students will be trained in religion along with the government-prescribed syllabus, said chief bhikkhu Dhammananda.
Boys and girls will be admitted at the age of six. They can study up to postgraduate-level before they become fulltime preachers, he informed.
The project was conceived by some Buddhists from Bidar. “We did not want to build just another temple of worship. We wanted to create something that would add to the intellectual enhancement of Buddha's followers,” said Vithal Das Pyage of the Buddhist Society of India
Source:The Hindu

Friday, November 19, 2010

Doorarshan (DD) TV serial to showcase grandeur of Bidar fort

The grandeur of the famous Bijapur and Bidar forts in Karnataka will form a part of the Doordarshan’s primetime serial on Indian forts starting from Sunday. The 26-episode serial will capture the splendour Red Fort, Daultabad fort and Golkunda fort.

  Director of the serial G S Chani told Deccan Herald that the first episode of the serial is dedicated to the Daultabad fort, one of the oldest in the country, and famous among medieaval Delhi rulers as the gateway of South India. The episodes on Bijapur and Bidar will be shown after the episode on Golkonda.

“The forts of Golkonda, Bidar, Bijapur and Daultabad are spell-binding. They constantly remind us of the resplendent legacy we have inherited. One cannot escape the mystique and charisma of the personalities who built such  magnificent monuments. In Bidar, the shadow of Mahmud Gawan looms large; in Bijapur you can feel the presence of Ibrahim Adil Shah II, fondly remembered by citizens of Bijapur as Ali Wali,” says the director.

The serial is a documentary which narrates the story of these forts. Narrator of the serial Dr Puspesh Pant says that in addition to depicting the history of forts, the serial also explains the architecture styles adopted in these forts. 

Doordarshan Director General Aruna Sharma said, “The idea behind the serial is to generate public interest in these monuments so that their help could be sought in preserving them from utter neglect.”

Institutions like INTACH and the Archeological Survey of India took special interest in the production of this serial.                                              
Source: Deccan Herald
URL:  http://www.deccanherald.com/content/114028/dd-serial-showcase-grandeur-bijapur.html
   

Friday, November 12, 2010

GMR resists K'taka govt pressure to take over ops at Bidar Airport

GMR INFRA Announced a second quarter profit of Rs 71 crore and net sales of Rs 1,222 crore. 
The company has resisted pressure from the Karnataka government to take over operations 
at the Bidar airport, reports CNBC-TV18’s Sunanda Jayaseelan.
CNBC-TV18 had reported in August that the Karnataka government had given GMR the option
of either giving an NOC to Bidar airport or taking over the operation of that airport which is 
learnt to be about 80 kilometers from the airport and that’s where the problem lies.
This could, however, go against the MoU which GMR has for Hyderabad. According to 
government rules, no new airport can come up within 150 kilometers of an existing one 
owned by a private operator. CNBC-TV18 learns from sources that the company 
has expressed its reservations to the Karnataka government over giving an NOC to the 
Bidar Airport. Sources stressed on the commercial unviability of that airport.
Sources also said that the company could face a similar situation in Noida where the c
entral government for a while now has been pushing GMR to give its NOC to operate an 
airport out of Noida. CNBC-TV18 learns that if that happens then it could go against the 
MoU they have for the Delhi Airport.
This, reliable sources said, has picked up momentum in the past couple of months. 
Sources add that the same reasons again is going against GMR’s Delhi MoU. Also the
fact that there is little commercial viability of an airport in Noida as it exists is going against 
decision to really give that go ahead for that airport.
Sources indicate that once the civil aviation policy is finally out, if rules under that are 
tweaked allowing for operationalising both airports, then the company could be left with little 
choice.
When contacted, officials at GMR declined to comment.

Source:.moneycontrol
URL:http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/cnbc-tv18-comments/gmr-resists-ktaka-govt-pressure-to-take-over-ops-at-bidar_498182.html

ಬೀದರ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಸೂಪರ್ ಸ್ಪೆಷಾಲಿಟಿ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ: ನಾಗಮಾರಪಲ್ಲಿ

ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲ ಸಹಕಾರ ಸೂಪರ್ ಸ್ಪೆಷಾಲಿಟಿ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ ಬೀದರ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ತಲೆ ಎತ್ತಲಿದೆ. ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಸಹಕಾರ ಕೇಂದ್ರ (ಡಿಸಿಸಿ) ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ಮೂಲಕ ಈ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಲಾಗುವುದು ಎಂದು ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ, ಹಿರಿಯ ಸಹಕಾರಿ ಧುರೀಣ ಗುರುಪಾದಪ್ಪ ನಾಗಮಾರಪಳ್ಳಿ ತಿಳಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

ಡಿಸಿಸಿ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾಗಿ 25 ವರ್ಷವಾದ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಯೋಜಿಸಿದ್ದ ರಜತ ಮಹೋತ್ಸವ ಸಮಾರಂಭ ಹಾಗೂ ಸಾವಯವ ಕೃಷಿ ತರಬೇತಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಉದ್ಘಾಟನೆ ಸಮಾರಂಭದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಗಮಾರಪಳ್ಳಿ ಈ ಘೋಷಣೆ ಮಾಡಿದರು. ಹೈಟೆಕ್ ಸೌಲಭ್ಯಗಳುಳ್ಳ ಸೂಪರ್ ಸ್ಪೆಷಾಲಿಟಿ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ ಇದಾಗಲಿದೆ. ಸ್ವಸಹಾಯ ಸಂಘದ ರಚನೆ ಮೂಲಕ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕಿನಿಂದ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಮೌನ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯಂತೆ ಈ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಯನ್ನು ಸಹ ಮಾದರಿಯಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದರು.

ರೈತರ, ಬಡವರ ಹಾಗೂ ಹಿಂದುಳಿದವರ ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ಈ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಲು ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಬಡವರಿಗೂ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಹೈಟೆಕ್ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ಲಭ್ಯವಾಗಬೇಕು. ಕಿಡ್ನಿ, ಹೃದ್ರೋಗ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಮಾರಕ ಕಾಯಿಲೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಸೂಕ್ತ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ, ಶಸ್ತ್ರ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕಲ್ಪಿಸಲಾಗುವುದು. ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆಗಾಗಿ ಜನತೆ ಹೈದರಾಬಾದ್, ಸೋಲಾಪುರ ಇತರೆಡೆ ಅಲೆದಾಡುವುದನ್ನು ಈ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ ತಪ್ಪಿಸಲಿದೆ. ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ ಸ್ಥಾಪನೆ ಸಂಬಂಧ ಯೋಜನೆ ರೂಪಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದರು.

ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ, ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಮತ್ತು ಶೈಕ್ಷಣಿಕ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಧ್ಯೇಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್‌ನಿಂದ ಹತ್ತಾರು ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ಅನುಷ್ಠಾನಗೊಳಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಸಾವಯವ ಕೃಷಿ ತರಬೇತಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲೇ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲು ಇಂದು ಕಾರ್ಯಾರಂಭಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ರಜತ ಮಹೋತ್ಸವ ಸಮಾರಂಭ ನನ್ನ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿದೆ. ಜನರ ಹಿತದಿಂದ ಹೊಸ ಯೋಜನೆ ರೂಪಿಸಿ ಸಮಾಜದಲ್ಲಿ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಸದೃಢತೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಸ್ವಾವಲಂಬಿಯಿಂದ ಸಮೃದ್ಧತೆ ತರಲು ನಿರಂತರ ಶ್ರಮಿಸುವುದಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಿದರು.

Source: 
http://kannada.webdunia.com/newsworld/news/regional/1011/12/1101112053_1.htm

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

International film festival in Bidar

Film director Chindodi Bangaresh will inaugurate the international film festival at the Zilla Rang Mandir in Bidar on Tuesday.


The films Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (Korean), Children of Heaven (Iranian), Ghabricha Paves (Marathi) and Tied Hands (Israeli) will be screened on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Jumping over the Puddle Again (Czech), The Chorus (French), Yesterday (South African), and The President's Barber (Korean) will be shown.

Films that will be screened on Thursday are Vilapangalkappuram (Malayalam), Down By Law (English), Pick Pocket (Chinese), and The Return (Russian). The festival will conclude with screening of Vijayanagarada Veeraputra (Kannada), Modern Times (English), Postman in the Mountains (Chinese), Mr. Shreyobhilashi (Telugu) and The Road Home (Chinese) on Friday.

The shows will be held at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 4.30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets can be obtained at the Rang Mandir and the Karnataka Sahitya Sangha.

Source: The Hindu
URL:http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/09/stories/2010110956060300.htm