Manisharma Live – A Resounding success in NJ

EDISON, New Jersey - July 28th 2007: It was a truly spectacular sight at the Royal Albert’s Palace on the evening of 27th July. The occasion was the Maiden Live performance by the Top South Indian Music Director Mani Sharma and his incredibly talented troupe. The Hall was packed with a tremendously charged crowd of over 1500 people. Several people went back as the tickets were sold out in advance.

Manisharma started the proceedings with a beautifully melodious performance of one of his songs. It just set the mood for a music filled evening. But as he started picking the fast paced numbers from his repertoire, the excitement of the crowds knew no bounds. So much so that, for several foot tapping numbers even the more sober members among the audience just couldn’t contain them selves and started dancing at the back of the hall. It was truly mass hysteria.

And this only further prompted Manisharma to belt out one after the other of his adrenaline pumping hits and every time the cheering crowd would do an encore. People were so engrossed that NOT a single person left till the VERY end of the show. People really loved Mimicry by Harikishan. People lapped up the comedy by Shiva Reddy. They were in raptures when Shiva Reddy in his inimitable style imitated the crème de la crème among the Stars of Telugu Film Industry.

The audiences were very appreciative of the arrangements at the venue, the seating and the banquet style dinner. The sound system was excellent. Many members of the audience actually made it a point to meet the organizers after the show ended and congratulated them for holding the event with such high standards. Many said that this event in particular changed the perception people had about South Indian, especially Telugu Film/Music events organized in US till date. KAD Entertainment thanks Manisharma and his troupe consisting of singers Suneetha, Usha, Vijaya Laxmi, Vinodh Babu, Mallikarjun and his orchestra members of Mastanvalli Shaik, Sai Karthik Kothapalli, Sai Srinivas Ghantasala, Chiranjeevi Muthukuri, Vara Prasad Raghavendra, Ranjith Vasudevan, Sagar, mimicry artiste Harikishen, Fun Star Shiva Reddy and the troupe manager Ravishankar for making the event such an entertaining one.

Among the notable attendees were Dhulipala Narendra, Gone Prakash and Satish Vemana. The organizers KAD Entertainment & SSR wish to thank their sponsors Globe 7, American Info Serve, Synchron, Hyderabadi House, Cyber Resource Group, Dakshin, Axill, Saransh Technologies, and all the others who supported the event. KAD Entertainment also thanks SS, Laxmi and Nandu for being part of the event and make it a grand success.

Nandigram Vs Mudigonda: who is responsible?

The Communists are now demanding that Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy resign from his post owning moral responsibility for the police firing on people in Mudigonda village in Khammam district. Six people were killed in the police firing.

Are the Communists justified in their demand? If yes, then the same applies to the Communist government in West Bengal. The WB police resorted to firing on innocent people and left many agitators dead. The issue in both the cases was the same. Land. When the Communist chief minister of Bengal did not resign, why should the Congress chief minister of Andhra Pradesh submit his papers.

What is good for the geese is also good for the gander.

Behind The Scene: PJR complains against YSR!

Dissident Congress leader and Khairatabad legislator P Janardhan Reddy has finally got access to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi. PJR who waited in Delhi for Sonia's appointment had returned to Hyderabad without meeting her. But no sooner he landedin Hyderabad than he received a call from the party high command to rush back to Delhi.

PJR immediately boarded the next flight to Delhi with a list of complaints against Rajasekhar Reddy and his alleged authoritarian style of functioning.

Following assurance from Sonia Gandhi that everything would be taken care of, PJR decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being. He announced that as a disciplined Congress worker he would not take up any agitations.

A Day After Police Firing, Situation Tense In Khammam

The situation in Andhra Pradesh's Khammam district remained tense Sunday as activists of the left parties continued their protests, parading the bodies of six people who died in police firing a day earlier.

Wrapped in red flags of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the bodies of the six were kept outside the district collector's officer in Khammam town, about 15 km from Mudigonda, the scene of the police firing.

The protestors have been staging a sit-in with the bodies since Saturday evening. They are demanding that murder cases be booked against the policemen involved in the 'unprovoked' firing.

The six CPI-M activists were killed and eight others were injured when police opened fired at protestors at Mudigonda, about 200 km from here, during the Left parties' statewide agitation seeking land for the poor. Initial reports had put the death toll at eight.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) and CPI-M had given call for a shutdown in Andhra Pradesh Saturday against the use of force by police against their activists at different places Thursday when the firing took place.

On Sunday, the two parties called for shutdown in Khammam district. For the second consecutive day, life came to a standstill in Khammam, considered one of the strongholds of the Left parties.

Shops and business establishments remained closed while the state-owned road transport corporation suspended its bus services.

The two parties and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are staging protests across the state to condemn the police firing. CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechuri and other leaders of the party and TDP president and former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu have left for Khammam.

Talking to newsmen here before leaving for Khammam, Naidu demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. He alleged that policemen used AK-47 rifles and Self Loading Rifles (SLRs) to fire at protestors.

'Never before in the history of the state have such sophisticated weapons been used against political activists,' he said.

The Congress government has blamed the presence of two Maoist leaders in the protest at Mudigonda for the violence.

However, acting swiftly, the chief minister ordered a judicial probe in the police firing, transferred the district superintendent of police and suspended the additional superintendent of police.

For nearly three months, the communist parties have been holding 'bhooporatam' or land agitation in the state, demanding housing sites and land for poor.

Some Left activists encroached government and private lands at various places in the state, leading to clashes with the police.

Last week, they intensified the protests when top leaders of the parties launched an indefinite strike in Hyderabad. Late Friday, the police shifted the fasting leaders to a hospital.

The Congress government maintains that the protest by the Left parties is 'unnecessary' as it has taken up a massive programme for construction of houses and distribution of surplus land among poor.

'There is no need for any opposition party to agitate as we remain committed to providing a house to every houseless family and land to every landless,' said Rajasekhara Reddy.

However, Saturday's incidents have embarrassed the ruling party.

The central leadership of the party has reportedly sought a report from Reddy on the incident as the Left parties, who are supporting Congress-led UPA government at the centre, have threatened that the incident could have its repercussions.

The CPI-M and CPI had fought the 2004 elections in the state in alliance with Congress. However, the CPI-M later distanced itself on the ground that the Congress government was resorting to 'anti-people measures'. The Left parties, especially CPI-M, later moved closer to the TDP.

Left women hitting police below the belt

New tactics adopted by the fiery women activists of the Left parties have left the police reeling in painful surprise. They have been literally hitting police personnel "below the belt" during clashes that erupt when they take out rallies.

In several recent marches, which ended in stone-pelting and caning, women activists swung the iron-bottomed sticks they were carrying at the groins of police personnel. Policemen at the frontline during agitations are now using protective gear, like cricketers, to escape such attacks.

The women activists, who are being used as shields during marches and demonstrations, are also armed with chilli powder. "They throw it into the eyes of the police personnel and later attack them with pins and blades," said a senior police officer.

He added that the women also shower abuse at the police personnel during marches and demonstrations. "The worst is the use of sticks," he said.

This upsurge of "woman power" has even forced some police personnel to opt out of duty during demonstrations and marches.

It has been almost three months since the Left parties took up the Bhoo Poratam agitation and women have taken active part in it.

Many marches and demonstrations ended in street clashes where too women too took the lead in attacking the police using "innovative techniques".

Top police officers are worried about how to tackle this. "We are observing restraint despite women adopting such techniques," said ACP N.V. Surendra Babu. "Several policemen have suffered injuries in such incidents." He said the women are sometimes accompanied by their children and this prevents police personnel from taking effective action.

City buzz: 500 Hyderabad lakes to get life

Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy has finally turned attention on the need to restore the once picturesques lakes of Hyderabad. In all he has selected 500 lakes for development.

He has entrusted the conservation, protection, beautification and maintenance of these lakes in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area to Hyderabad Urban Development Authority.

He said conservation of these all important water bodies are very important and they are vulnerable to encroachment by vested interests and land grabbers. Hence the HUDA should immediately swing into action and protect all the identified lakes in the GHMC areas by constructing lake buds and fencing.

He told the HUDA officials to take this up as a crash programme. The Chief Minister wanted HUDA to involve the nearby residents and form Lake Protection Committee. Dr Reddy also asked the HUDA to recruit sufficient staff by outsourcing, particularly in the Enforcement Division. This Division which now has only a strength of 8 staff will be increased to 80.

He said every lake has to be protected including the major ones like Himayatsagar and Osmansagar. All these lakes are to be taken up for purification and beautification later. No unauthorised construction should be allowed to come anywhere on the FTL or catchment areas of these tanks including the major ones like Himayatsagar, Osmansagar, Miralam Tank etc.

The Chief Minister also asked HUDA to speed up the Hussainsagar Lake and Catchment Area Improvement Project within a strict time-frame. He was informed by the officials that Master Plan preparation and detailed design for shoreline improvement, contractors selection works are in full swing.

The complete work on this project is expected to be over in the next two years. The Chief Minister was informed that 87 urban lakes were identified for improvement and conservation under Green Hyderabad Environment Programme (GHEP) scheme with an outlay of Rs.106 crore of grant from Netherlands government.

These lakes were classified into Category I and II as highly polluted and moderately polluted. However the Netherlands Government has withdrawn financial support from March, 2004 due to Government of India policy.

Now conservation of works of 12 lakes are completed in these two categories. Steps are also being taken to clean the Noor Mohammed Kunta Lake on NH 7 under Shivarampally village. HUDA officials agreed to take up the conservation works of all the lakes in the GHMC area on war footing.

City buzz: 500 Hyderabad lakes to get life

Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy has finally turned attention on the need to restore the once picturesques lakes of Hyderabad. In all he has selected 500 lakes for development.

He has entrusted the conservation, protection, beautification and maintenance of these lakes in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area to Hyderabad Urban Development Authority.

He said conservation of these all important water bodies are very important and they are vulnerable to encroachment by vested interests and land grabbers. Hence the HUDA should immediately swing into action and protect all the identified lakes in the GHMC areas by constructing lake buds and fencing.

He told the HUDA officials to take this up as a crash programme. The Chief Minister wanted HUDA to involve the nearby residents and form Lake Protection Committee. Dr Reddy also asked the HUDA to recruit sufficient staff by outsourcing, particularly in the Enforcement Division. This Division which now has only a strength of 8 staff will be increased to 80.

He said every lake has to be protected including the major ones like Himayatsagar and Osmansagar. All these lakes are to be taken up for purification and beautification later. No unauthorised construction should be allowed to come anywhere on the FTL or catchment areas of these tanks including the major ones like Himayatsagar, Osmansagar, Miralam Tank etc.

The Chief Minister also asked HUDA to speed up the Hussainsagar Lake and Catchment Area Improvement Project within a strict time-frame. He was informed by the officials that Master Plan preparation and detailed design for shoreline improvement, contractors selection works are in full swing.

The complete work on this project is expected to be over in the next two years. The Chief Minister was informed that 87 urban lakes were identified for improvement and conservation under Green Hyderabad Environment Programme (GHEP) scheme with an outlay of Rs.106 crore of grant from Netherlands government.

These lakes were classified into Category I and II as highly polluted and moderately polluted. However the Netherlands Government has withdrawn financial support from March, 2004 due to Government of India policy.

Now conservation of works of 12 lakes are completed in these two categories. Steps are also being taken to clean the Noor Mohammed Kunta Lake on NH 7 under Shivarampally village. HUDA officials agreed to take up the conservation works of all the lakes in the GHMC area on war footing.

DGP : Extremists instigated agitators at Khammam

The Director General of Police Mr. M.A. Basith today told that extremist elements have infiltrated into the agitation at Mudigonda Mandal in Khammam and instigated the agitators that lead to the opening of the police firing on the day of Bandh call given by left parties.

Speaking to the Media persons at a press conference at state police headquarters the DGP further told that one extremist couple Bandi Ramesh and his wife Bandi Padma have played a key role in instigating the agitators at Mundigonda.

The police have to resort for using the force after the agitators belonging left parties turned violent and pelted stones on police and even burnt the jeep of the Additional Superintendent of Police Khammam the DG told.

He also informed that the Additional DG Lokendra Sharma has been appointed as the Inquiry officer into the Khammam police-firing incident.

Action would be taken against those police officers that are found to be responsible in failing to control the situation at Mudigonda. Initially it was found that the Additional SP Ramesh Babu failed to control the situation and for this he has been suspended the DG informed the Media persons.

Sonia Seeks Report On Andhra Police Firing

Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed concern over the violent turn taken by two Left parties' protests in Andhra Pradesh Saturday, with at least eight people being killed in police firing, and sought a report from Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Gandhi appealed to all to shun violence and bring about peace, a party spokesperson said after a two-hour meeting of the Congress Working Committee here.

The Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India-Marxist, which support the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from outside, have been agitating for the distribution of government land and housing sites among the poor in Andhra Pradesh.

A shutdown called by them in Khammam district saw violence as police resorted to caning and firing, allegedly after being stoned by Left activists.

Rajasekhara Reddy of the Congress soon ordered a judicial inquiry in the matter even as the two parties demanded strict action against the police officers responsible for the deaths.