Ultimately, your real calling in life would be to:
A) do something that you love to do, or
b) do something that you're good at.
If you get lucky, what you do would involve both of these. That isn't too difficult to accomplish, right?
So why the endless, great, and mysterious search for the true calling in life?
If you were told that, without a doubt, you would succeed, that you couldn't fail at your chosen career, then chances are you wouldn't have a problem deciding what to do. Most people have an answer when it's put that way.
So again, why are the vast majority of people searching for their calling in life?
The two main reasons for this are:
1) Fear: If you're like me, then you've always known what you really want to do with your life. But for some reason, you just can't really consider it. Possibly you took the wrong job right out of high school or college based on circumstances such as the loss of another job, the lure of big money, or the advice of someone else , etc. As your life progressed, you've come to accept things how they are, stuck, or even fearful to take the risks. You become overwhelmed with current circumstances that you can't fathom making a change that could cause you further difficulties. Or.....
2) Maybe you honestly don't know what you want to do. Now, this is the hardest one for me to understand but it happens.
Now, I know why you've come here and what you're looking for. Yes, you can have what you're looking for. However, I won't give you a magic formula like so many people try to sell to you. I've said it before and I'll say it again, career testing and self assessments alone are great self-discovery tools but they're not going to magically reveal hidden information about yourself. You already know who you are.
Moving On
I find it hard to believe that you wouldn't know at least what a few of your talents and abilities are. You've been living long enough to know what you can and can't do, what turns you on and makes you tick. If you don't know these things, then it's time to stop, sit down, and figure yourself out. Be totally honest with yourself and you'll come up with some honest answers.
It might help if you made a list
I know what you're thinking. Not another list!!! But it might prove to be just the tool you need.
Make a list of careers that attract you. If you are having trouble coming up with this list, you can find an alphabetical list of occupations, their definitions, and wage stats on my site.
Make a list of what you love to do and what you're good at. Don't foget to include hobbies, passions, and whatever you do in your spare time. Your hobbies and passions could be your ticket to uncovering your true calling.
Now make another list like the last one. Make this one, however, as if it was five years ago. Ten years ago. Include everything. You can make a profession out of many things. Then pick the top 5 that feel the best and go from there.
There you have it. Your calling.
The real reason that people miss out on their life goal is that they don't work to discover ways to make their livelihood doing what they like to do or what they're good at. They consider it impossible to accomplish.
So, what's your goal in life?
For many of the people who live lucrative and satisfying lives, the answer is simple. I'm sure you've heard this before:
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Us Education System Gets Something Right
Many criticize US education system for right reasons, but US education system gets something right. It is a kind of education system that everyone has a chance to get education. Some might argue that the average college tuition is too high; others might argue that minority groups such as African Americans do not get equal opportunities in education. They are all correct, but it is very possible for everyone to get at least a Bachelor degree in US education system. This becomes very apparent when US education system is compared to education systems in other countries.
US education system does not really have a mandatory selection process applied to young students (e.g., students in 9th grade or 10th grade); many young students in US get K-12 education at private schools in order to enter top universities, but private school education is not required to get a Bachelor degree. They can even get degrees from top universities even if they do not go to private schools. This is because no university requires you to be younger than a certain age in order to apply or to select a subject to study. It is totally up to you to decide when you want to enter a university. It is also totally up to you to decide what subject to study. All choices are more or less up to individuals. This is not exactly the case in countries like India. Students take an exam in 10th grade; the result of the exam is a part of the mandatory selection process, and this more or less determines their future career. For example, if a student does well on the exam, he/she can study science and engineering. If he does modestly, then he can study practical subjects such as accounting and business. If he does not do well, he can only study one of remaining subjects such as History. There is nothing wrong with studying History, but the point is that there is a very rigid selection process, and students have to go through that process at a very young age. There are alternative paths, but the whole education system is definitely not as flexible as US education system.
Student loans are easily available in US. I do not encourage anyone to get any loan, but student loans are easily available. In other words, not having any money does not prevent anyone from getting education in US. Furthermore, number of scholarships are available; scholarships essentially give out free money. It takes a certain effort to get a scholarship, but every student has a fair chance to get a scholarship or two. There are ways to get around the problem of lack of finance to get education in US. This is not exactly the case in many countries. For example, in Japan, the word "scholarship" does not mean free money; it is simply another loan. More specifically, student loans are generally not available; one needs to get a scholarship in order to borrow money. There is a tremendous difference between (real) "scholarship" in US and "scholarship" in Japan.
Finally, there is virtually no discrimination in US education system. I am quite certain that many people in US disagree with the statement, but being compared to the education system in India, US education system has virtually no discrimination. For example, IIT, India Institution of Technology is the top university in India. It is a fine university, but it only accepts students from certain classes (castes). Is there anything like this in US? Not exactly. Anyone can get a degree from Cal Tech, MIT, Stanford or Princeton as long as he/she is talented enough and studies hard.
The current administration is not making a great effort to improve US education system, and I do not disagree with critics of the current administration in this regard. However, by comparison, few education systems in the world can match the flexibility of US education system. US education system gets something right.
US education system does not really have a mandatory selection process applied to young students (e.g., students in 9th grade or 10th grade); many young students in US get K-12 education at private schools in order to enter top universities, but private school education is not required to get a Bachelor degree. They can even get degrees from top universities even if they do not go to private schools. This is because no university requires you to be younger than a certain age in order to apply or to select a subject to study. It is totally up to you to decide when you want to enter a university. It is also totally up to you to decide what subject to study. All choices are more or less up to individuals. This is not exactly the case in countries like India. Students take an exam in 10th grade; the result of the exam is a part of the mandatory selection process, and this more or less determines their future career. For example, if a student does well on the exam, he/she can study science and engineering. If he does modestly, then he can study practical subjects such as accounting and business. If he does not do well, he can only study one of remaining subjects such as History. There is nothing wrong with studying History, but the point is that there is a very rigid selection process, and students have to go through that process at a very young age. There are alternative paths, but the whole education system is definitely not as flexible as US education system.
Student loans are easily available in US. I do not encourage anyone to get any loan, but student loans are easily available. In other words, not having any money does not prevent anyone from getting education in US. Furthermore, number of scholarships are available; scholarships essentially give out free money. It takes a certain effort to get a scholarship, but every student has a fair chance to get a scholarship or two. There are ways to get around the problem of lack of finance to get education in US. This is not exactly the case in many countries. For example, in Japan, the word "scholarship" does not mean free money; it is simply another loan. More specifically, student loans are generally not available; one needs to get a scholarship in order to borrow money. There is a tremendous difference between (real) "scholarship" in US and "scholarship" in Japan.
Finally, there is virtually no discrimination in US education system. I am quite certain that many people in US disagree with the statement, but being compared to the education system in India, US education system has virtually no discrimination. For example, IIT, India Institution of Technology is the top university in India. It is a fine university, but it only accepts students from certain classes (castes). Is there anything like this in US? Not exactly. Anyone can get a degree from Cal Tech, MIT, Stanford or Princeton as long as he/she is talented enough and studies hard.
The current administration is not making a great effort to improve US education system, and I do not disagree with critics of the current administration in this regard. However, by comparison, few education systems in the world can match the flexibility of US education system. US education system gets something right.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Chiru – “Hero of the masses” to “Leader for the masses”
To me, there is only one hero in the Diaspora of Indian movies and that is Chiranjeevi. He is a true wholesome star with every possible character you can wish to see in a movie hero. He is the darling to millions of Telugu people and became a household name for more than 2 decades now. It is so heart wrenching to accept the fact that he is not going to act anymore and there is never going to be another anticipated release of his new movie. To his credit, he has quit from the film industry when he was at the pinnacle point and with highest degree of grace. His exit is as clean and perfect as his glorified career that spanned more than 25 years. To his admiration, he shifted his focus onto a much bigger, nobler, and further challenging stage – Politics.
When I first heard of his intention to join politics, my spontaneous reaction was that “there is no political void in the state now. There are already two big players in the field right now and so there is no room for third player”. I lingered onto this notion for quite sometime until I recently saw him speaking to the media persons. He is so genuine, so humble and yet very confident. He is crystal clear in his mind about what he wants to do. His intentions are good and he is committed to them. He is motivated by real issues faced by common man, he is inspired by basic emotions and his spirits are so high, just as usual. If there is a real charismatic figure in AP after the legendry NTR it is none other than Chiranjeevi.
I am sure no one might have felt that there was a room for second alternative to mighty Congress, until TDP evolved in 1983. Definitely no one even dreamt that NTR would win and reign over AP in 1983. So, “Voids are not realized until they are filled in”. Chiranjeevi’s movie entrance didn’t happen when there was a void of heroes. Tendulkar didn’t become a master batsman when everybody else got retired. So, “Voids are exposed, but never felt”. The raising tide always finds its way to percolate amongst the rocks. The shining star always makes its presence felt. New water always pushes the old water away. In normal terms - If you have the true will – YOU can make a difference.
Now, enough of the emotional talk, let’s discuss some realistic logistics. AP people have seen both TDP and Congress over the years. Both parties did good and bad to the state. People have mixed feelings on those two parties as there are both positive and negative aspects with them. However there are still burning issues like farmers committing suicides, poor quality of education among government schools and poor medical facilities in the government hospitals etc. It is an axiom that government schools and hospitals are for poor people and of poor quality. The fourth and most serious cancer of the society is “corruption”. Unfortunately all these 4 ailments still prevail predominantly in our system. All the above issues can be eradicated if Government works with true consciousness (chitta suddhi). There is no rocket science here!!
I think Chiranjeevi has three major factors working in his favor:
Chiranjeevi is targeting the above mentioned fundamental root causes in his agenda. This can be his first scoring point among the voters.
Secondly, his character comes into picture. People just adore him for his noble persona. They associate him as one of us (manavaadu) because of his humble and down to earth nature. He is a self made legend hailing from a typical AP middle class family. He is one of the most non controversial elite personalities in India. He is never egoistic, always down to earth and shows high respect for elders and compassion for fellowmen. He is a pure family man and 100% teluguite. So he has a strong case to be considered for a first time chance.
Third and very importantly – the factor of Youth and educated. It is not far from truth that even today elections in India are still decided by 100 rupee note and an arrack packet. After Chiranjeevi’s entry, a lot of youth started motivating themselves to register in the elections, started showing more enthusiasm in the politics. Also the IT people, NRIs etc are participating significantly in his march. This is very good and welcoming trend for the political process. This brings freshness and more practical ideas to the table. With India beaming with youth there cannot be a better moment for Chiranjeevi to kick off this movement.
“Change is in the air” – It is interesting coincidence that Barack Obama is accepting his Democratic nomination around the same time in US. His slogan is in the same lines of Chiranjeevi - “Change we can believe in”. His wife Michelle Obama delivered almost a similar speech in Denver last night talking about how she and Barack hail from poor families ,came to this level by hard work and want to dedicate their lives to the down trodden. Both she and Chiranjeevi made striking references to their deceased fathers.
Of course, we all know how dirty game politics can be. You need a lot of grit and vigor to stick to your principles. There will be more discouragers than supporters. It is going to be extremely interesting to see how Chiranjeevi plays his cards in his political adventure. Other sensitive issues like Telangana, Infrastructure and Law and Order can pose enough challenges for him. Will he get succumbed to the nuances of political tricks or will he stand out to be cut above all of them, which he did in Movie world.
When I first heard of his intention to join politics, my spontaneous reaction was that “there is no political void in the state now. There are already two big players in the field right now and so there is no room for third player”. I lingered onto this notion for quite sometime until I recently saw him speaking to the media persons. He is so genuine, so humble and yet very confident. He is crystal clear in his mind about what he wants to do. His intentions are good and he is committed to them. He is motivated by real issues faced by common man, he is inspired by basic emotions and his spirits are so high, just as usual. If there is a real charismatic figure in AP after the legendry NTR it is none other than Chiranjeevi.
I am sure no one might have felt that there was a room for second alternative to mighty Congress, until TDP evolved in 1983. Definitely no one even dreamt that NTR would win and reign over AP in 1983. So, “Voids are not realized until they are filled in”. Chiranjeevi’s movie entrance didn’t happen when there was a void of heroes. Tendulkar didn’t become a master batsman when everybody else got retired. So, “Voids are exposed, but never felt”. The raising tide always finds its way to percolate amongst the rocks. The shining star always makes its presence felt. New water always pushes the old water away. In normal terms - If you have the true will – YOU can make a difference.
Now, enough of the emotional talk, let’s discuss some realistic logistics. AP people have seen both TDP and Congress over the years. Both parties did good and bad to the state. People have mixed feelings on those two parties as there are both positive and negative aspects with them. However there are still burning issues like farmers committing suicides, poor quality of education among government schools and poor medical facilities in the government hospitals etc. It is an axiom that government schools and hospitals are for poor people and of poor quality. The fourth and most serious cancer of the society is “corruption”. Unfortunately all these 4 ailments still prevail predominantly in our system. All the above issues can be eradicated if Government works with true consciousness (chitta suddhi). There is no rocket science here!!
I think Chiranjeevi has three major factors working in his favor:
Chiranjeevi is targeting the above mentioned fundamental root causes in his agenda. This can be his first scoring point among the voters.
Secondly, his character comes into picture. People just adore him for his noble persona. They associate him as one of us (manavaadu) because of his humble and down to earth nature. He is a self made legend hailing from a typical AP middle class family. He is one of the most non controversial elite personalities in India. He is never egoistic, always down to earth and shows high respect for elders and compassion for fellowmen. He is a pure family man and 100% teluguite. So he has a strong case to be considered for a first time chance.
Third and very importantly – the factor of Youth and educated. It is not far from truth that even today elections in India are still decided by 100 rupee note and an arrack packet. After Chiranjeevi’s entry, a lot of youth started motivating themselves to register in the elections, started showing more enthusiasm in the politics. Also the IT people, NRIs etc are participating significantly in his march. This is very good and welcoming trend for the political process. This brings freshness and more practical ideas to the table. With India beaming with youth there cannot be a better moment for Chiranjeevi to kick off this movement.
“Change is in the air” – It is interesting coincidence that Barack Obama is accepting his Democratic nomination around the same time in US. His slogan is in the same lines of Chiranjeevi - “Change we can believe in”. His wife Michelle Obama delivered almost a similar speech in Denver last night talking about how she and Barack hail from poor families ,came to this level by hard work and want to dedicate their lives to the down trodden. Both she and Chiranjeevi made striking references to their deceased fathers.
Of course, we all know how dirty game politics can be. You need a lot of grit and vigor to stick to your principles. There will be more discouragers than supporters. It is going to be extremely interesting to see how Chiranjeevi plays his cards in his political adventure. Other sensitive issues like Telangana, Infrastructure and Law and Order can pose enough challenges for him. Will he get succumbed to the nuances of political tricks or will he stand out to be cut above all of them, which he did in Movie world.
Top 10 - Trade report - First half of year 2006
4 July, 2006
For all those Telugu film lovers who had a bad time last year watching dubbing films making it big in Telugu compared to straight films, the year 2006 offers a big respite. The first half of the year had been very fruitful with hands full of successes.
The good news is that the overseas market is booming and the Indian domestic market, mainly Karnataka, Orissa, Tamilnadu and Mumbai have brought in more revenue to the industry. Apart from the conventional business avenues, market is wide open in the form of internet rights, satellite and television rights for blockbusters are being snapped up at astronomical rates.
This year started on a happy note with 3 of the Sankranthi releases turning into blockbusters
Devadasu (11 January): Devadasu is the first direct Telugu film of year 2006. This film generated flop talk on day one and the collections went down in the following weeks. But after 5th week, this film rose like a phoenix and collections picked up slowly and steadily. In places like Ongole and Machipatnam where Devadasu was lifted due to bad collection was screened again due to public demand. In these centers too Devadasu went on to become a huge blockbuster. YVS Chowdary proved to be a true-spirited warrior by doing aggressive promotion for the film. YVS Chowdary’s taking, Chakri’s music, Ram’s debut and Ileana looks have become highlights of the film. This film threw YVS Chowdary into league of big stars. A few top heroes expressed their eagerness to act in the direction of YVS. Ileana became the overnight dream girl of Telugu audiences. Her remuneration skyrocketed into huge figure. Her demand is such in Telugu film industry today that heroes would not even looking into the script, if the producer comes up with confirmed dates of Ileana. Devadasu is just completed 175 days in 17 centers.
Style (12 January): Released on 12th of January, this film generated good talk and good collections. With Style, Lawrence proved that he is not a flash in pan as director. It is also a comeback film for Lawrence as hero. He tried as hero with ‘Speed Dancer’ around 8 years back but in vein. Fuelled by the success of Style, Lawrence has decided to cast himself as hero in his next directorial venture. Producer Lagadapati Sridhar scored success again with this meaningful film. This film is being dubbed and released in Tamil as ’Lakshya’ very soon. On trade aspect, Style fetched decent profits to the distributors and ran for 100 days in more than 30 centers.
Lakshmi (14 January): Mass director VV Vinayak directed the family hero Venkatesh for the first time. And the result is a blockbuster. This film generated instant hit talk from the word go and went on to collect over 20 crores. Venkatesh has got Sankranthi hit after a long gap in his career. With this hit, VV Vinayak’s remuneration went up beyond the reach of normal producers. At present, Vinayak is the highest paid director in Telugu film industry. Lakshmi ran for 100 days in 94 direct centers, which is the highest number in career of Venkatesh. With this inspiration, Venkatesh has decided not to miss upcoming Sankranthis. His next film is expected to hit the marquee for Sankranthi 2007. Lakshmi also made Nayana Tara the lucky mascot for Telugu film producers. All her three films in Telugu - Chandramukhi, Ghazani and Lakshmi - so far are super hits.
Ranam (10 February): Producer Pokuri Babu Rao changed his track from thought-provoking and social cause films to complete entertainer with Ranam film. This film does not offer any message and has lot of comedy. Gopichand who don’t want to burn out doing pucca mass films has chosen this film to as it gave him some scope for under-play. Choreographer Amma Rajasekhar made his debut as director with this film. Though started as an average film, Ranam went on to pick the momentum up and ran for 100 days in 24 direct centers.
Sri Ramadasu (30 March): The Telugu new year Ugadi got another good moment along with it in the form of Sri Ramadasu film. Made with the team of highly successful film Annamayya, Sri Ramadasu went on to become another huge hit in the career of Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna is undoubtedly the most versatile (at the same time successful) hero in Telugu film industry today. The way he has chosen films in the past five years only authenticate it. His films Santosham (love & family), Manmadhudu (romantic comedy), shivamani (love and mass), Nenunnanu (family), Mass (mass), Super (class & youth) and Sri Ramadasu (devotional) show the versatility of Nagarjuna. Getting successes while doing such radically different films need terrific judgment. Sri Ramadasu not only got appreciation from critics but also got blessings from the Thridandi chinaJiyar Swamiji, Ganapathi Sachidananda Swamy etc. Sri Ramadasu is all set to run for 100 days in 67 centers.
10th Class (7 April): Venkata Shyam Prasad who made award winning films like Swayam Varam and Chirunavvutho in the past did not get success off late. He established a new banner and produced ‘10th Class’ with all newcomers in the direction of debutant director Chandu. Made with a very limited budget, this film hit off well with college going crowds and became a hit. The distributors who bought this film at a throw-away prices made good money over it. The activists filed a petition in court objecting steamy scenes and objectionable episodes in the film. However, the high court gave a clean chit to the film. Fueled with this success, Shyam Prasad started another project and Chandu is directing another flick.
Pokiri (28 April): Mahesh Babu Pokiri is the biggest money spinner in Telugu film industry till date. Puri Jagan’s extraordinary characterization and Mahesh Babu’s tremendous histrionics generated the right chemistry for this film. Mahesh Babu is crowned as the latest superstar of Telugu cinema for converting this film into the biggest Telugu revenue grosser. Producers who gave a deaf ear Puri Jagan before Pokiri started making beelines outside his office after the release. Pokiri expanded the range of Telugu cinema in abroad. It collected a share of more than two crores in USA alone. In UK, this film amassed 12 lakhs share. In Australia and Singapore, Pokiri collected more than 10 lakhs share each. The Gulf collections are expected to be above 15 lakhs share.
Kithakithalu (5 May): EVV Satyanarayana did not have a resounding success after Chala Bagundi (2006). Kithakithalu film was made with a shoestring budget of over a crore with all comedians in Telugu film industry. The concept of creating humor out of relationship between skinny husband and obese wife worked out a big way for EVV. This film is poised to collect over 5 crores in long run by giving EVV more hope to come up with many more comedy flicks.
Godavari (19 May): Sekhar Kammula worked over one and half years to make this film with Godavari backdrop. Godavari film generated extraordinary reviews and good mouth talk. This film also shown Sumanth’s finest acting abilities. Godavari is doing well in all class centers. Godavari is the biggest revenue grosser among small films in USA. This film collected a gross of 1 crore in 3 weeks of release in USA. This film would have been a bigger hit if they made it in limited budget in less number of working days.
Vikramarkudu (23 June): SS Rajamouli never seem to be getting tired of delivering hit films. SS Rajamouli who got a bad name for spendthrift filmmaking made sure that the producer has got table profit with this film. As per our sources, producer ML Kumar Chowdary made a table profit around 2 crores before the release of film. This film collected a share of over 5 crores in the first week and is going steady in the second week. Ravi Teja proved himself again as a great mass entertainer.
USA scene: The market is USA is slightly different from that of market in AP. The following films made good money for the distributors -
1. Pokiri (Record breaking film)2. Sri Ramadasu (Good profits)3. Godavari (biggest revenue earner among small films)4. Happy (decent profits)5. Chukkallo Chandrudu (minimum guarantee)
For all those Telugu film lovers who had a bad time last year watching dubbing films making it big in Telugu compared to straight films, the year 2006 offers a big respite. The first half of the year had been very fruitful with hands full of successes.
The good news is that the overseas market is booming and the Indian domestic market, mainly Karnataka, Orissa, Tamilnadu and Mumbai have brought in more revenue to the industry. Apart from the conventional business avenues, market is wide open in the form of internet rights, satellite and television rights for blockbusters are being snapped up at astronomical rates.
This year started on a happy note with 3 of the Sankranthi releases turning into blockbusters
Devadasu (11 January): Devadasu is the first direct Telugu film of year 2006. This film generated flop talk on day one and the collections went down in the following weeks. But after 5th week, this film rose like a phoenix and collections picked up slowly and steadily. In places like Ongole and Machipatnam where Devadasu was lifted due to bad collection was screened again due to public demand. In these centers too Devadasu went on to become a huge blockbuster. YVS Chowdary proved to be a true-spirited warrior by doing aggressive promotion for the film. YVS Chowdary’s taking, Chakri’s music, Ram’s debut and Ileana looks have become highlights of the film. This film threw YVS Chowdary into league of big stars. A few top heroes expressed their eagerness to act in the direction of YVS. Ileana became the overnight dream girl of Telugu audiences. Her remuneration skyrocketed into huge figure. Her demand is such in Telugu film industry today that heroes would not even looking into the script, if the producer comes up with confirmed dates of Ileana. Devadasu is just completed 175 days in 17 centers.
Style (12 January): Released on 12th of January, this film generated good talk and good collections. With Style, Lawrence proved that he is not a flash in pan as director. It is also a comeback film for Lawrence as hero. He tried as hero with ‘Speed Dancer’ around 8 years back but in vein. Fuelled by the success of Style, Lawrence has decided to cast himself as hero in his next directorial venture. Producer Lagadapati Sridhar scored success again with this meaningful film. This film is being dubbed and released in Tamil as ’Lakshya’ very soon. On trade aspect, Style fetched decent profits to the distributors and ran for 100 days in more than 30 centers.
Lakshmi (14 January): Mass director VV Vinayak directed the family hero Venkatesh for the first time. And the result is a blockbuster. This film generated instant hit talk from the word go and went on to collect over 20 crores. Venkatesh has got Sankranthi hit after a long gap in his career. With this hit, VV Vinayak’s remuneration went up beyond the reach of normal producers. At present, Vinayak is the highest paid director in Telugu film industry. Lakshmi ran for 100 days in 94 direct centers, which is the highest number in career of Venkatesh. With this inspiration, Venkatesh has decided not to miss upcoming Sankranthis. His next film is expected to hit the marquee for Sankranthi 2007. Lakshmi also made Nayana Tara the lucky mascot for Telugu film producers. All her three films in Telugu - Chandramukhi, Ghazani and Lakshmi - so far are super hits.
Ranam (10 February): Producer Pokuri Babu Rao changed his track from thought-provoking and social cause films to complete entertainer with Ranam film. This film does not offer any message and has lot of comedy. Gopichand who don’t want to burn out doing pucca mass films has chosen this film to as it gave him some scope for under-play. Choreographer Amma Rajasekhar made his debut as director with this film. Though started as an average film, Ranam went on to pick the momentum up and ran for 100 days in 24 direct centers.
Sri Ramadasu (30 March): The Telugu new year Ugadi got another good moment along with it in the form of Sri Ramadasu film. Made with the team of highly successful film Annamayya, Sri Ramadasu went on to become another huge hit in the career of Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna is undoubtedly the most versatile (at the same time successful) hero in Telugu film industry today. The way he has chosen films in the past five years only authenticate it. His films Santosham (love & family), Manmadhudu (romantic comedy), shivamani (love and mass), Nenunnanu (family), Mass (mass), Super (class & youth) and Sri Ramadasu (devotional) show the versatility of Nagarjuna. Getting successes while doing such radically different films need terrific judgment. Sri Ramadasu not only got appreciation from critics but also got blessings from the Thridandi chinaJiyar Swamiji, Ganapathi Sachidananda Swamy etc. Sri Ramadasu is all set to run for 100 days in 67 centers.
10th Class (7 April): Venkata Shyam Prasad who made award winning films like Swayam Varam and Chirunavvutho in the past did not get success off late. He established a new banner and produced ‘10th Class’ with all newcomers in the direction of debutant director Chandu. Made with a very limited budget, this film hit off well with college going crowds and became a hit. The distributors who bought this film at a throw-away prices made good money over it. The activists filed a petition in court objecting steamy scenes and objectionable episodes in the film. However, the high court gave a clean chit to the film. Fueled with this success, Shyam Prasad started another project and Chandu is directing another flick.
Pokiri (28 April): Mahesh Babu Pokiri is the biggest money spinner in Telugu film industry till date. Puri Jagan’s extraordinary characterization and Mahesh Babu’s tremendous histrionics generated the right chemistry for this film. Mahesh Babu is crowned as the latest superstar of Telugu cinema for converting this film into the biggest Telugu revenue grosser. Producers who gave a deaf ear Puri Jagan before Pokiri started making beelines outside his office after the release. Pokiri expanded the range of Telugu cinema in abroad. It collected a share of more than two crores in USA alone. In UK, this film amassed 12 lakhs share. In Australia and Singapore, Pokiri collected more than 10 lakhs share each. The Gulf collections are expected to be above 15 lakhs share.
Kithakithalu (5 May): EVV Satyanarayana did not have a resounding success after Chala Bagundi (2006). Kithakithalu film was made with a shoestring budget of over a crore with all comedians in Telugu film industry. The concept of creating humor out of relationship between skinny husband and obese wife worked out a big way for EVV. This film is poised to collect over 5 crores in long run by giving EVV more hope to come up with many more comedy flicks.
Godavari (19 May): Sekhar Kammula worked over one and half years to make this film with Godavari backdrop. Godavari film generated extraordinary reviews and good mouth talk. This film also shown Sumanth’s finest acting abilities. Godavari is doing well in all class centers. Godavari is the biggest revenue grosser among small films in USA. This film collected a gross of 1 crore in 3 weeks of release in USA. This film would have been a bigger hit if they made it in limited budget in less number of working days.
Vikramarkudu (23 June): SS Rajamouli never seem to be getting tired of delivering hit films. SS Rajamouli who got a bad name for spendthrift filmmaking made sure that the producer has got table profit with this film. As per our sources, producer ML Kumar Chowdary made a table profit around 2 crores before the release of film. This film collected a share of over 5 crores in the first week and is going steady in the second week. Ravi Teja proved himself again as a great mass entertainer.
USA scene: The market is USA is slightly different from that of market in AP. The following films made good money for the distributors -
1. Pokiri (Record breaking film)2. Sri Ramadasu (Good profits)3. Godavari (biggest revenue earner among small films)4. Happy (decent profits)5. Chukkallo Chandrudu (minimum guarantee)
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra" redirects here. For other uses, see Andhra (disambiguation).
?ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్Andhra PradeshIndia
Hyderabad
Coordinates: 17°21′58″N 78°28′34″E / 17.366, 78.476
Time zone
IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
275,068 km² (106,204 sq mi)
Capital
Hyderabad
Largest city
Hyderabad
District(s)
23
Population• Density
76,210,007 (5th)• 277 /km² (717 /sq mi)
Language(s)
Telugu, Urdu (secondary)
Governor
Narayan Dutt Tiwari
Chief Minister
YS Rajasekhara Reddy
Established
November 1, 1956
Legislature (seats)
Bicameral (295+90)
ISO abbreviation
IN-AP
Website: http://www.aponline.gov.in/
Seal of Andhra Pradesh
Coordinates: 17°21′58″N 78°28′34″E / 17.366, 78.476
Andhra Pradesh (Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్) (Urdu: آندھرا پردیش) (pronunciation (help·info)) or AP, the "Rice Bowl of India", is a state in southern India. It lies between 12°41' and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40'E longitude, and is bordered by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the East, Tamil Nadu to the south and Karnataka to the west. Andhra Pradesh is the 4th largest state in India by area and population. It is the largest state in Southern India. Two major rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna run across the state. Historically this land was known as Andhraapatha, Andhra Desa, Andhraavani, Andhra mandalamu, Andhra vishaya etc.[1]
Andhra Pradesh State Symbols
State language
Telugu
State symbol
Poorna Kumbham
State song
Maa telugu thalliki by Sankarambadi Sundarachari
State animal
Blackbuck, (Krishna Jinka)
State bird
Indian Roller, (Paala Pitta)
State tree
Neem (Vepa)
State sport
Kabaddi, in Telugu Chedugudu
State dance
Kuchipudi, Andhra Natyam
State flower
Water lily
Contents[hide]
1 Geography
1.1 Divisions
1.2 Demographics
2 Economy
3 Government and politics
4 History
5 Culture
5.1 Cultural institutions
5.2 Cuisine
5.3 Dance
5.4 Festivals
5.5 Literature
5.6 Movies
5.7 Music
5.8 Religion
5.8.1 Pilgrimages in Andhra
5.9 Other Cultural Elements
6 Education
7 Newspapers
8 Tourism
9 Transport
10 See also
11 Notes
12 External links
//
[edit] Geography
Krishna jinka, the state animal
[edit] Divisions
Districts of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh can be divided into three regions, namely Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana.[2]
Andhra Pradesh has 23 districts: Adilabad, Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, East Godavari, Guntur, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Krishna, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Sri Potti Sreeramulu Nellore, Nizamabad, Prakasam, Rangareddy, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Warangal and West Godavari.
Hyderabad is the capital and, along with the adjoining twin city Secunderabad, is the largest city in the state. Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh's main seaport, is the second largest city of the state and is home to the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command. Vijayawada due to its location and proximity to major rail and road routes is a major trading center and the third largest city of the state. Other important cities and towns are: Anantapur, Bhimavaram, Eluru, Kurnool, Warangal, Guntur, Tirupati, Karimnagar, Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Nellore, Suryapet and Miryalguda.
[edit] Demographics
[show]Andhra Pradesh Population
Census
Pop.
%±
1961
35,983,000
—
1971
43,503,000
20.9%
1981
53,550,000
23.1%
1991
66,508,000
24.2%
2001
75,727,000
13.9%
Source:Census of India[3]
Telugu
Other languages
Total
Hindu
81%
8%1
89%
Muslim
1%
8%2
9%
Christian
0.5%
0.5%3
1%
Other religions
0.5%
0.5%
1%
Total
83%
17%
100%
Note 1: mainly HindiNote 2: mainly UrduNote 3: mainly Tamil
Telugu is the regional and official language of the state, spoken by 83.88% of the population. Telugu is the second most spoken language in India. The major linguistic minority groups in the state include the speakers of Urdu (8.63%) and Hindi (3.23%).[1] The people primarily belong to the great Dravidian Race with Black skin, thick lips, broad noses and tawny hair. The people are short statured agrarian people. The minority groups like the Muslims have Persian and Turkish ancestry. The members of certain Reddy and Naidu castes display strong indo Aryan racial features.
The minority language speakers who constitute less than 1% are the speakers of Tamil (0.97%), Kannada (0.94%), Marathi (0.84%), Oriya (0.42%), Gondi (0.21%) and Malayalam (0.1%). The speakers of minority languages who constitute less than 0.1% are the speakers of Gujarati (0.09%), Savara (0.09%), Koya (0.08%), Jatapu (0.04%), Punjabi (0.04%), Kolami (0.03%), Konda (0.03%), Gadaba (0.02%), Sindhi (0.02%), Gorkhali/Nepali (0.01%) and Khond/Kondh (0.01%).
The main ethnic group of Andhra Pradesh are the Telugu people.
[edit] Economy
Agriculture has been the chief source of income for the state's economy. Two important rivers of India, the Godavari and Krishna, flow through the state, providing irrigation. Rice, sugarcane, cotton, mirchi (chilli pepper), mango and tobacco are the local crops. Recently, crops used for vegetable oil production such as sunflower and peanuts have gained favour. There are many multi-state irrigation projects in development, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, the world's highest masonry dam. [4][5]
Cyber towers at Hyderabad, the state capital and largest city in the state
The state has also started to focus on the fields of information technology and biotechnology. In 2004–2005, Andhra Pradesh was at the fifth position in the list of top IT exporting states of India. The IT exports from the State were Rs.1,800 million in 2004. The IT sector is expanding at a rate of 52.3% every year. The IT exports reached Rs.19,000 million in 2006–2007 and ranked fourth in India. The service sector of the state already accounts for 43% of the GSDP and employs 20% of the work force.[5]
Andhra Pradesh is a mineral rich state, ranking second in India in terms of mineral wealth. The state has about one third of India's limestone reserves, estimated at about 30 billion tonnes.[5]
The state ranks first nationwide in hydro electricity generation with national market share of over 11%.
Andhra Pradesh's gross state domestic product for 2005 was estimated at $62 billion in current prices. This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Andhra Pradesh at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees. Accordingly, the state ranks fourth in terms of overall gross state domestic product[6] and fourth in per capita gross state domestic product among the major states of India.
Year
State GDP (Rs. MM)
1980
81,910
1985
152,660
1990
333,360
1995
798,540
2000
1,401,190
2007
2,294,610
[edit] Government and politics
Main articles: Politics of Andhra Pradesh, List of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, and Government of Andhra Pradesh
The Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly at the centre of Hyderabad City
Andhra Pradesh has a Legislative Assembly of 294 seats. The state has 60 members in the Parliament of India; 18 in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House and 42 in the Lok Sabha, the Lower House.[7][8]
Andhra Pradesh had a series of governments headed by Indian National Congress (INC) Party until 1982. Kasu Brahmananda Reddy held the record for the longest serving chief minister which was broken by N.T. Rama Rao in 1983. P.V. Narasimha Rao also served as the chief minister of the state, who later went on to become the Prime Minister of India in 1991. Among the notable chief ministers of the state are Tanguturi Prakasam, CM for only the Andhra state (the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, was Neelam Sanjiva Reddy) others include Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, Marri Chenna Reddy, Jalagam Vengal Rao, Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, N.T. Rama Rao, Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
High Court at Hyderabad, the main judicial body for the State
In 1983 the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won the State elections and N.T. Rama Rao (NTR) became the chief minister of the state for the first time introducing a formidable second political party to Andhra Pradesh's politics and thus breaking the single party monopoly on Andhra Pradesh's politics. After a few months, Nadendla Bhaskar Rao usurped power when NTR was away in the United States for medical treatment. After coming back, NTR successfully convinced the then State Governor to dissolve the Assembly and call for a fresh election. TDP won the elections with a large majority and NTR became Chief Minister of the State for the second time. His government policies included investment in education, rural development and in holding corrupt government officials.
In 1989 group elections ended the 7-year rule of NTR with INC party returning to power with Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy at the helm of affairs. He was replaced by N. Janardhan Reddy who was in turn replaced by Kotla Vijaya Bhasker Reddy.
In 1994, Andhra Pradesh gave a mandate to TDP again and saw NTR becoming the chief minister again. NTR died of a heart attack before the next elections.
In 1995, N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), became the chief minister. He won a second term in 1999 before he was defeated by the INC-led coalition in the May 2004 polls.
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy of INC, became Chief Minister of state after May 2004. Rajasekhara Reddy fought the 2004 Assembly elections in an alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which was formed by Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao whose aim is to form a separate state.
[edit] History
Main article: History of Andhra Pradesh
An Andhra Kingdom was mentioned in the Sanskrit epics such as Aitareya Brahmana and Mahabarata. Inscriptional evidence showed that there was a kingdom in coastal Andhra ruled by Kuberaka with Pratipalapura (Bhattiprolu) as his capital. This probably was the oldest known kingdom in Southern India. Around the same time Dhanyakatakam/Dharanikota (present day Amaravati) seemed to be a very important place, which was visited by Gautama Buddha. According to Taranatha: On the full moon of the month Chaitra in the year following his enlightenment, at the great stupa of Dhanyakataka, the Buddha emanated the mandala of "The Glorious Lunar Mansions" (Kalachakra).[9][10]
The Mauryans extended their rule over Andhra in 4th century BCE. With the fall of the Mauryan Empire Andhra Satavahanas became independent in 3rd century BCE. After the decline of the Satavahanas in 220 CE, Ikshvaku dynasty, Pallavas, Vishnukundinas, Ananda Gotrikas and Cholas ruled the Telugu land. Inscriptional evidence of Telugu language was found during the rule of Renati Cholas (Kadapa region) in 5th century CE.[citation needed] During this period Telugu emerged as a popular medium undermining the predominance of Prakrit and Sanskrit.[citation needed] Telugu was made the official language by the Vishnukundina kings[citation needed] who ruled from their capital Vinukonda. Eastern Chalukyas ruled for a long period after the decline of Vishnukundinas from their capital in Vengi. As early as 1st century CE, Chalukyas were mentioned as being vassals and chieftains under the Satavahanas and later under Ikshvakus. The Chalukya ruler Rajaraja Narendra ruled Rajahmundry around 1022 CE.
The battle of Palnadu resulted in the weakening of Eastern Chalukyan power and emergence of the Kakatiya dynasty in the 12th and the 13th centuries CE.
Kakateeya Sculpture at Warangal
The Kakatiyas were at first feudatories of the Rashtrakutas ruling over a small territory near Warangal. All the Telugu lands were united by the Kakatiyas. In 1323 CE, Delhi Sultan Ghiaz-ud-din Tughlaq sent a large army under Ulugh Khan to conquer the Telugu country and capture Warangal. King Prataparudra was taken prisoner. Musunuri Nayaks recaptured Warangal from the Delhi Sultanate in 1326 CE and ruled for fifty years. Inspired by their success, the Vijayanagar empire, one of the greatest empires in the history of Andhra Pradesh and India, was founded by Harihara and Bukka, who served as treasury officers of the Kakatiyas of Warangal.[11]. In 1347 CE, an independent Muslim state, the Bahmani kingdom, was established in south India by Alla-ud-din Hasan Gangu as a revolt against the Delhi Sultanate. The Qutb Shahi dynasty held sway over the Andhra country for about two hundred years from the early part of the 16th century to the end of the 17th century.
Chowmahalla palace
In Colonial India, Northern Circars became part of the British Madras Presidency. Eventually this region emerged as the Coastal Andhra region. Later the Nizam had ceded five territories to the British which eventually emerged as Rayalaseema region. The Nizams retained control of the interior provinces as the Princely state of Hyderabad, acknowledging British rule in return for local autonomy.
India became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947. The Muslim Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to retain his independence from India, but the people of the region launched the movement to join the Indian Union. His state of Hyderabad was forced to become part of the Republic of India in 1948, after Indian Military operation known as operation polo within 5 days with popular support from people as Hyderabad State.
In an effort to gain an independent state, and protect the interests of the Telugu people of Madras State, Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu fasted until death. Public outcry and civil unrest after his death forced the government to announce the formation of a new state for Telugu speaking people. Andhra attained statehood in October 1953 with Kurnool as its capital.
On 1st November 1956, Andhra State merged with the Telangana region of Hyderabad State to form the state of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad, the former capital of the Hyderabad State, was made the capital of the new state Andhra Pradesh.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Cultural institutions
Andhra Pradesh has many museums, including the Archaeological Museum at Amaravati near Guntur City that features relics of nearby ancient sites, the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and religious artifacts and the Visakha Museum in Visakhapatnam, which displays the history of the pre-Independence Madras Presidency in a rehabilitated Dutch bungalow[12]. Victoria Jubilee Museum in Vijayawada has a good collection of ancient sculptures, paintings, idols, weapons, cutlery and inscriptions[13].
[edit] Cuisine
Main article: Andhra cuisine
The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is reputedly the spiciest of all Indian cuisine. There are many variations to the Andhra cuisine depending on caste, geographical regions, traditions etc. Pickles and chutneys, called pachchadi in Telugu are particularly popular in Andhra Pradesh and many varieties of pickles and chutneys are unique to the State. Chutneys are made from practically every vegetable including tomatoes, brinjals (eggplant), and roselle (Gongura). The mango pickle Aavakaaya is probably the best known of the Andhra pickles.
Rice is the staple food and is used in a wide variety of ways. Typically, rice is either boiled and eaten with curry, or made into a batter for use in a crepe-like dish called attu (pesarattu) or dosas.
Meat, vegetables and greens are prepared with different spices (masala) into a variety of strongly flavoured dishes.
Hyderabadi cuisine is influenced by the Muslims who arrived in Telangana in the 14th century. Much of the cuisine revolves around meat. It is rich and aromatic, with a liberal use of exotic spices and ghee (clarified butter). Lamb, chicken and fish are the most widely used meats in the non-vegetarian dishes. The biryani is perhaps the most distinctive and popular of Hyderabadi dishes.
[edit] Dance
Main article: Telugu dance
Kuchipudi, the traditional dance of Andhra
Jayapa Senani (Jayapa Nayudu) is the first person who wrote about the dances prevalent in Andhra Pradesh [14]. Both Desi and Margi forms of dances have been included in his Sanskrit treatise 'Nritya Ratnavali'. It contains eight chapters. Folk dance forms like Perani, Prenkhana, Suddha Nartana, Carcari, Rasaka, Danda Rasaka, Shiva Priya, Kanduka Nartana, Bhandika Nrityam, Carana Nrityam, Chindu, Gondali and Kolatam are described. In the first chapter the author deals with discussion of the differences between Marga and Desi, Tandava and lasya, Natya and Nritta. In the 2nd and 3rd chapters he deals with Angi-kabhinaya, Caris, Sthanakas and Mandalas. In the 4th Chapter Karnas, angaharas and recakas are described. In following chapters he described the local dance forms i.e. desi nritya. In the last chapter he deals with art and practice of dance.
Classical dance in Andhra can be performed by both men and women; however women tend to learn it more often. Kuchipudi is the state's best-known classical dance forms of Andhra Pradesh. The various dance forms that existed through the states’ history are Chenchu Bhagotham, Kuchipudi, Bhamakalapam, Burrakatha, Veeranatyam, Butta bommalu, Dappu, Tappeta Gullu, Lambadi, Bonalu, Dhimsa, Kolattam and chindu .
[edit] Festivals
Sankranthi in January.
Maha Shivaratri in February/March.
Ugadi or the Telugu New Year in March/April.
Sri Rama Navami celebrated in March/April, 9 days after Ugadi.
Varalakshmi Vratham in August.
Vinayaka Chavithi in August.
Dasara in September/October.
Atla Tadde 3rd day in bright half of Aswiyuja month (falls in September/October in Gregorian calendar)
Deepavali in October/November.
Bonalu in Sravanam. (Celebrated in Telangana region).
Bathukamma celebrated during September/October in Telangana region.
[edit] Literature
Main article: Telugu literature
Nannayya, Tikkana, and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the great Sanskrit epic Mahabharatha into Telugu. Bammera Potana is another great poet who composed the great classic SriMad Andhra Maha Bhagavatamu, a Telugu translation of Sri Bhagavatham authored by Veda Vyasa in Sanskrit. Nannayya is called as 'Adikavi'. Nannaya was patronized by the king Rajarajanarendra who ruled from Rajamahendravaram (Rajahmundry). Vijayanagara emperor Krishna Deva Raya wrote Amuktamalyada. Philosophical poems by Yogi-Vemana are quite famous throughout the Telugu land. Telugu literature after Kandukuri Veeresalingam is termed as Modern literature. Veerasalingam is called as 'Gadya Tikkana'. Satyavathi Charitam was the first social novel in Telugu. Rajashekara Charitham was the most popular novel written by Veerasalingam. Other modern writers include Jnanpith Award winners Sri Viswanatha Satya Narayana and Dr. C. Narayana Reddy. Revolutionary poets like Sri Sri are also popular.
[edit] Movies
Main article: Telugu Cinema
Andhra Pradesh is the state with the most cinema halls in India, at around 3000[citation needed]. The state also produces about 200[citation needed] movies a year. It has around 40%, 330 cinema halls out of 930 DTS cinema halls in India [15] of all the Dolby digital theatres in India. Now it also houses an IMax theatre with a big 3D screen and also 3-5 multiplexes. It is also the largest movie industry in India, producing more movies than any other industry.
[edit] Music
Main article: Music of Andhra Pradesh
The state has a rich musical heritage. Many legends of the Carnatic music including Trinity of Carnatic music (Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri) were of Telugu descent. Other great composers include Annamacharya, Kshetrayya, and Bhadrachala Ramadasu. Folk songs are also popular in the rural areas of the state.
[edit] Religion
Andhra Pradesh is home to Hindu saints of all castes. An important backward-caste figure is, Sant Yogi Potuluri Veerabrahmam was a Shudra that had Brahmin, Harijan and Muslim disciples.[16] Fisherman Raghu was also a Sudra.[17] Sant Kakkayya was a chura (cobbler) Harijan saint.
Several important Hindu modern-day saint are from Andhra Pradesh. These include Nimbarka who founded Dvaitadvaita, Mother Meera who advocated Indian independence and Aurobindo Mission, Bala Sai Baba who advocates religious unity in worship, Satya Sai Baba who does the same, and Swami Sundara Chaitanyanandaji.
His Holiness Satya Sai Baba is from a Kshatriya family and was born on 23rd November 1926 in Puttaparthi. He is renowned worldwide as a master of love and peace. He is believed to be the avatar of Shirdi Sai Baba. Sathya Sai Organization has many branches worldwide. Its member are from all religions and seek to establish peace in the world.
His Holiness Swami Sundara Chaitanyanandaji was born on 25th December 1947 in Kattubadipalem village, sri potti sreeramulu Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh is also home for Christians and Muslims who form minor part of population in this state.
[edit] Pilgrimages in Andhra
Sacred Tirumala Temple
Tirupati or Tirumala is a very important pilgrimage for Hindus throughout India. It is the richest piligrimage city (of any religious faith) in the world. Its main temple is dedicated to the god Venkateswara. Satyanarayana swamy temple famous in Annavaram in East Godavari district. Simhachalam is another very popular pilgrmage of national importance. Simhachalam is said in mythology to be the abode of the savior-god Narasimha, who rescued Prahlada from abusive father Hiranyakasipu. Tirpuathi is located in Chittoor district.
Srisailam is another major temple in Andhra Pradesh, which is of national importance. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the locations of the various Jyothirlingams. The Skanda Purana has a chapter called "Srisaila Kandam" dedicated to it, which points to the ancient origin. This is confirmed also by the fact that Tamil saints of the past millennia have sung praises of this temple. It is said that Adi Sankara visited this temple and at that time he composed his "Sivananda Lahiri". Shiva's sacred bull Vrishabha is said to have performed penance at the Mahakali temple till Shiva and Parvati appeared before him as Mallikarjuna and Brahmaramba. The temple is one of the 12 hallowed jyotirlingas; Lord Rama himself installed the Sahasralinga, while the Pandavas lodged the Panchapandava lingas in the temple courtyard. Srisailam is located in Kurnool district.
Bhadrachalam is a renown place for the sri rama temple and the blissful godavari river. This is the place where the famous Bhakta Ramadasu (originally - Kancherla Gopanna) has written his devotional songs and dedicated to lord Rama. Bhadrachalam is located in Khammam district.
Basar - Saraswathi temple is another famous place for Saraswathi - goddess of education. Basara is located in Adilabad district.
Yaaganti Caves is another important piligrim center in Andhra Pradesh. Apart from that Mahanandi,Kurnool Dt is another piligrim center which is full of greenary.
[edit] Other Cultural Elements
Bapu's paintings, Nanduri Subbarao's Yenki Paatalu (Songs on/by a washerwoman called Yenki), mischievous Budugu (a character by Mullapudi), Annamayya's songs, Aavakaaya (a variant of mango pickle in which the kernel of mango is retained), Gongura (a chutney from Roselle plant), Atla Taddi (a seasonal festival predominantly for teenage girls), banks of river Godavari, Dudu basavanna (The ceremonial ox decorated for door-to-door exhibition during the harvest festival Sankranti) have long defined Telugu culture. The village of Durgi is known for originating stone craft, carvings of idols in soft stone that must be exhibited in the shade because they are prone to weathering.'Kalankari' is an ancient art form dating back to the Harappan civilization. Andhra is also famous for doll making. Dolls are made from wood, mud, dry grass, and light weight metal alloys.Tirupathi is famous for redwood carvings. Kondapalli is famous for mud toys with rich colors. Nirmal paintings are expressive and are usually painted over a black background. Story telling in Andhra is an art form by itself. 'Yaksha ganam', 'Burra katha' (usually done by three people, telling stories using three different musical instruments), 'Jangama kathalu', 'Hari kathalu', 'Chekka bajana', 'Urumula natyam' (usually done in festivals, where a group of people dance in circles for loud music), 'Ghata natyam' (performances done with earthen pots over one's head) are all folk dances unique to Andhrapradesh palumamba fetival in visaka famous.
[edit] Education
Indian school of business
Andhra Pradesh is served by more than 20 leading institutes of excellence in higher education. All major arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, business and veterinary science are offered, leading to first degrees as well as postgraduate awards. Advanced research is conducted in all major areas.
Andhra Pradesh has 1330 arts, science and commerce colleges, 238 engineering colleges and 53 medical colleges. The student to teacher ratio is 19:1 in the higher education. According to census taken in 2001, Andhra Pradesh has an overall literacy rate of 60.5%. While male literacy rate is at 70.3%, the female literacy rate however is only at 50.4%, a cause for concern.
The state has recently made strides in setting up several institutes of high quality. Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) and Indian School of Business (ISB) are gaining international attention for their standards. National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad (NIFT)[18]is well reputed among those interested in a career in fashion.
Major Universities/Institutes in Andhra Pradesh:
National Institute of Technology NIT, Warangal
IIIT, Hyderabad [International Institute of Information Technology]
Indian School of Business, Hyderabad
Birla Institute Of Technology [BITS], Hyd
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad
J.N.T.U. College of Engineering, Kakinada.
J.N.T.U. College of Engineering, Anathapur.
J.N.T.U. College of Engineering.Pulivendula,Kadapa.
School of Information Technology, JNTU, Hyderabad
University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
Osmania University, Hyderabad
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam
Sri Sagi RamaKrishnam Raju Engineering College, Bhimavaram
Kakatiya University, Warangal
Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati
Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University: Andhra Pradesh Open University, Hyderabad
Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur
Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University: Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, Hyderabad
Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Tirupathi (Veterinary science has been separated from N.G. Ranga Agri. University to form this separate university)
Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad
GITAM University,Visakhapatnam
Badruka College of Commerce, Hyderabad
Indian Institute of Planning and Management IIPM, Hyderabad
Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Tirupati
Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur
Sri Sathya Sai University, Puttaparthi
ICFAI University, Hyderabad
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
IIIT Idupulapaya,Kadapa
Yogi vemana university,Kadapa
RaJiv Institute of Medical Sciences(RIMS),Kadapa.
Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad
(See also List of institutions based in Hyderabad India)
[edit] Newspapers
Andhra Pradesh has several newspapers. Some of them are:
Telugu Newspapers - Eenadu, Andhra Jyothi, Prajasakti, Vaartha, Andhra Bhoomi, Visalandra, Hyderabad Mirror, Surya,Udayam, Sakshi and Andhra Prabha.
Urdu Newspapers - Siasat Daily, Munsif Daily, Rehnuma-e-Deccan, Itimad Urdu Daily, Awam and The Milap Daily.
English Newspapers - Deccan Chronicle, The Hindu, The Times of India, Indian Express, The Economic Times, The Business Line.
[edit] Tourism
Araku valley
Andhra Pradesh is the home of many religious pilgrim centres. Tirupati, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, is the richest and most visited religious center (of any faith) in the world. Srisailam, the abode of Sri Mallikarjuna, is one of twelve Jyothirlingalu in India, Amaravati's Siva temple is one of the Pancharamams, and Yadagirigutta, the abode of an avatara of Vishnu, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. The Ramappa temple and Thousand Pillars temple in Warangal are famous for some fine temple carvings. The state has numerous Buddhist centres at Amaravati, Nagarjuna Konda, Bhattiprolu, Ghantasala, Nelakondapalli, Dhulikatta, Bavikonda, Thotlakonda, Shalihundam, Pavuralakonda, Sankaram, Phanigiri and Kolanpaka.
Rishikonda beach
The golden beaches at Visakhapatnam, the one-million-year old limestone caves at Borra, picturesque Araku Valley, hill resorts of Horsley Hills, river Godavari racing through a narrow gorge at Papi Kondalu, waterfalls at Ettipotala, Kuntala and rich bio-diversity at Talakona, are some of the natural attractions of the state.
Borra caves
.Near the beach Kailasagiri hill is there, it is one of the beautiful sight which shows the entire beauty of visakhapatnam having other side sea.
The Borra Caves are located in the Anatagiri Hills of Eastern Ghats, near Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh State in India. They are at a height of about 800 to 1300 metres above Mean Sea Level and are famous for millions of years old stalactite and stalagmite formations. They were discovered by William King George, the British geologist in the year 1807.The caves get their name from a formation inside the caves that looks like the human brain, which in the local language, Telugu, is known as borra. Similarly Belum caves was formed due to erosion in limestone deposite in the area by Chitravati River, millions of years ago. This limestone caves was formed due to action of carbonic acid — or weakly acidic groundwater formed due to reaction between limestone and water.
Belum Caves
Belum Caves are the second largest cave in Indian sub-continent and the longest caves in plains of Indian Subcontinent. Belum Caves derives its name from "Bilum" Sanskrit word for caves. In Telugu language, it is called Belum Guhalu. Belum Caves has a length of 3229 meters, making it the second largest natural caves in Indian Subcontinent. Belum Caves have long passages, spacious chambers, fresh water galleries and siphons. The caves reach its deepest point (120 feet from entrance level) at the point known as Patalganaga.
Horsley Hills Horsley Hills, elevation 1,265 m, is a famous summer hill resort in Andhra Pradesh, about 160 km from Bangalore, India and 144 km from Tirupati. The town of Madanapalle lies nearby. Major tourist attractions include the Mallamma temple and the Rishi valley school. Horsely Hills is the departure point for the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary at a distance of 87 km. The narrow road to Horsely Hills is very scenic. It is surrounded throughout its entire length with dense growths of eucalyptus, jacaranda, allamanda, and gulmohar trees. This place is also believed to be haunted by some ghosts.
Charminar, Golconda Fort, Chandragiri Fort, Chowmahalla Palace and Falaknuma Palace are some of the monuments in the state.
[edit] Transport
Major road links of Andhra Pradesh
There are five airports in the state: Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi International), Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Tirupati. Government also have plans to start airports in six other cities including Sri Potti Sreeramulu Nellore, Warangal, Kadapa, Tadepalligudem, Ramagundam and Ongole.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the major public transport corporation owned by government of Andhra Pradesh connecting all the cities and villages. APSRTC also has the distinction of being in the Guinness book of World records for having the largest fleet of vehicles, and the longest area covered/commuted daily. Apart from these, thousands of private operators run buses connecting major cities and towns of the state. Private vehicles like cars, motorised scooters and bicycles occupy a major share of the local transport in the cities and adjoining villages.
Andhra Pradesh also has two of the important ports of India at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada and two minor ports, Machilipatnam and Krishnapatnam.
?ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్Andhra PradeshIndia
Hyderabad
Coordinates: 17°21′58″N 78°28′34″E / 17.366, 78.476
Time zone
IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
275,068 km² (106,204 sq mi)
Capital
Hyderabad
Largest city
Hyderabad
District(s)
23
Population• Density
76,210,007 (5th)• 277 /km² (717 /sq mi)
Language(s)
Telugu, Urdu (secondary)
Governor
Narayan Dutt Tiwari
Chief Minister
YS Rajasekhara Reddy
Established
November 1, 1956
Legislature (seats)
Bicameral (295+90)
ISO abbreviation
IN-AP
Website: http://www.aponline.gov.in/
Seal of Andhra Pradesh
Coordinates: 17°21′58″N 78°28′34″E / 17.366, 78.476
Andhra Pradesh (Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్) (Urdu: آندھرا پردیش) (pronunciation (help·info)) or AP, the "Rice Bowl of India", is a state in southern India. It lies between 12°41' and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40'E longitude, and is bordered by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the East, Tamil Nadu to the south and Karnataka to the west. Andhra Pradesh is the 4th largest state in India by area and population. It is the largest state in Southern India. Two major rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna run across the state. Historically this land was known as Andhraapatha, Andhra Desa, Andhraavani, Andhra mandalamu, Andhra vishaya etc.[1]
Andhra Pradesh State Symbols
State language
Telugu
State symbol
Poorna Kumbham
State song
Maa telugu thalliki by Sankarambadi Sundarachari
State animal
Blackbuck, (Krishna Jinka)
State bird
Indian Roller, (Paala Pitta)
State tree
Neem (Vepa)
State sport
Kabaddi, in Telugu Chedugudu
State dance
Kuchipudi, Andhra Natyam
State flower
Water lily
Contents[hide]
1 Geography
1.1 Divisions
1.2 Demographics
2 Economy
3 Government and politics
4 History
5 Culture
5.1 Cultural institutions
5.2 Cuisine
5.3 Dance
5.4 Festivals
5.5 Literature
5.6 Movies
5.7 Music
5.8 Religion
5.8.1 Pilgrimages in Andhra
5.9 Other Cultural Elements
6 Education
7 Newspapers
8 Tourism
9 Transport
10 See also
11 Notes
12 External links
//
[edit] Geography
Krishna jinka, the state animal
[edit] Divisions
Districts of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh can be divided into three regions, namely Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana.[2]
Andhra Pradesh has 23 districts: Adilabad, Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, East Godavari, Guntur, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Krishna, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Sri Potti Sreeramulu Nellore, Nizamabad, Prakasam, Rangareddy, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Warangal and West Godavari.
Hyderabad is the capital and, along with the adjoining twin city Secunderabad, is the largest city in the state. Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh's main seaport, is the second largest city of the state and is home to the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command. Vijayawada due to its location and proximity to major rail and road routes is a major trading center and the third largest city of the state. Other important cities and towns are: Anantapur, Bhimavaram, Eluru, Kurnool, Warangal, Guntur, Tirupati, Karimnagar, Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Nellore, Suryapet and Miryalguda.
[edit] Demographics
[show]Andhra Pradesh Population
Census
Pop.
%±
1961
35,983,000
—
1971
43,503,000
20.9%
1981
53,550,000
23.1%
1991
66,508,000
24.2%
2001
75,727,000
13.9%
Source:Census of India[3]
Telugu
Other languages
Total
Hindu
81%
8%1
89%
Muslim
1%
8%2
9%
Christian
0.5%
0.5%3
1%
Other religions
0.5%
0.5%
1%
Total
83%
17%
100%
Note 1: mainly HindiNote 2: mainly UrduNote 3: mainly Tamil
Telugu is the regional and official language of the state, spoken by 83.88% of the population. Telugu is the second most spoken language in India. The major linguistic minority groups in the state include the speakers of Urdu (8.63%) and Hindi (3.23%).[1] The people primarily belong to the great Dravidian Race with Black skin, thick lips, broad noses and tawny hair. The people are short statured agrarian people. The minority groups like the Muslims have Persian and Turkish ancestry. The members of certain Reddy and Naidu castes display strong indo Aryan racial features.
The minority language speakers who constitute less than 1% are the speakers of Tamil (0.97%), Kannada (0.94%), Marathi (0.84%), Oriya (0.42%), Gondi (0.21%) and Malayalam (0.1%). The speakers of minority languages who constitute less than 0.1% are the speakers of Gujarati (0.09%), Savara (0.09%), Koya (0.08%), Jatapu (0.04%), Punjabi (0.04%), Kolami (0.03%), Konda (0.03%), Gadaba (0.02%), Sindhi (0.02%), Gorkhali/Nepali (0.01%) and Khond/Kondh (0.01%).
The main ethnic group of Andhra Pradesh are the Telugu people.
[edit] Economy
Agriculture has been the chief source of income for the state's economy. Two important rivers of India, the Godavari and Krishna, flow through the state, providing irrigation. Rice, sugarcane, cotton, mirchi (chilli pepper), mango and tobacco are the local crops. Recently, crops used for vegetable oil production such as sunflower and peanuts have gained favour. There are many multi-state irrigation projects in development, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, the world's highest masonry dam. [4][5]
Cyber towers at Hyderabad, the state capital and largest city in the state
The state has also started to focus on the fields of information technology and biotechnology. In 2004–2005, Andhra Pradesh was at the fifth position in the list of top IT exporting states of India. The IT exports from the State were Rs.1,800 million in 2004. The IT sector is expanding at a rate of 52.3% every year. The IT exports reached Rs.19,000 million in 2006–2007 and ranked fourth in India. The service sector of the state already accounts for 43% of the GSDP and employs 20% of the work force.[5]
Andhra Pradesh is a mineral rich state, ranking second in India in terms of mineral wealth. The state has about one third of India's limestone reserves, estimated at about 30 billion tonnes.[5]
The state ranks first nationwide in hydro electricity generation with national market share of over 11%.
Andhra Pradesh's gross state domestic product for 2005 was estimated at $62 billion in current prices. This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Andhra Pradesh at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees. Accordingly, the state ranks fourth in terms of overall gross state domestic product[6] and fourth in per capita gross state domestic product among the major states of India.
Year
State GDP (Rs. MM)
1980
81,910
1985
152,660
1990
333,360
1995
798,540
2000
1,401,190
2007
2,294,610
[edit] Government and politics
Main articles: Politics of Andhra Pradesh, List of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, and Government of Andhra Pradesh
The Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly at the centre of Hyderabad City
Andhra Pradesh has a Legislative Assembly of 294 seats. The state has 60 members in the Parliament of India; 18 in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House and 42 in the Lok Sabha, the Lower House.[7][8]
Andhra Pradesh had a series of governments headed by Indian National Congress (INC) Party until 1982. Kasu Brahmananda Reddy held the record for the longest serving chief minister which was broken by N.T. Rama Rao in 1983. P.V. Narasimha Rao also served as the chief minister of the state, who later went on to become the Prime Minister of India in 1991. Among the notable chief ministers of the state are Tanguturi Prakasam, CM for only the Andhra state (the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, was Neelam Sanjiva Reddy) others include Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, Marri Chenna Reddy, Jalagam Vengal Rao, Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, N.T. Rama Rao, Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
High Court at Hyderabad, the main judicial body for the State
In 1983 the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won the State elections and N.T. Rama Rao (NTR) became the chief minister of the state for the first time introducing a formidable second political party to Andhra Pradesh's politics and thus breaking the single party monopoly on Andhra Pradesh's politics. After a few months, Nadendla Bhaskar Rao usurped power when NTR was away in the United States for medical treatment. After coming back, NTR successfully convinced the then State Governor to dissolve the Assembly and call for a fresh election. TDP won the elections with a large majority and NTR became Chief Minister of the State for the second time. His government policies included investment in education, rural development and in holding corrupt government officials.
In 1989 group elections ended the 7-year rule of NTR with INC party returning to power with Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy at the helm of affairs. He was replaced by N. Janardhan Reddy who was in turn replaced by Kotla Vijaya Bhasker Reddy.
In 1994, Andhra Pradesh gave a mandate to TDP again and saw NTR becoming the chief minister again. NTR died of a heart attack before the next elections.
In 1995, N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), became the chief minister. He won a second term in 1999 before he was defeated by the INC-led coalition in the May 2004 polls.
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy of INC, became Chief Minister of state after May 2004. Rajasekhara Reddy fought the 2004 Assembly elections in an alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which was formed by Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao whose aim is to form a separate state.
[edit] History
Main article: History of Andhra Pradesh
An Andhra Kingdom was mentioned in the Sanskrit epics such as Aitareya Brahmana and Mahabarata. Inscriptional evidence showed that there was a kingdom in coastal Andhra ruled by Kuberaka with Pratipalapura (Bhattiprolu) as his capital. This probably was the oldest known kingdom in Southern India. Around the same time Dhanyakatakam/Dharanikota (present day Amaravati) seemed to be a very important place, which was visited by Gautama Buddha. According to Taranatha: On the full moon of the month Chaitra in the year following his enlightenment, at the great stupa of Dhanyakataka, the Buddha emanated the mandala of "The Glorious Lunar Mansions" (Kalachakra).[9][10]
The Mauryans extended their rule over Andhra in 4th century BCE. With the fall of the Mauryan Empire Andhra Satavahanas became independent in 3rd century BCE. After the decline of the Satavahanas in 220 CE, Ikshvaku dynasty, Pallavas, Vishnukundinas, Ananda Gotrikas and Cholas ruled the Telugu land. Inscriptional evidence of Telugu language was found during the rule of Renati Cholas (Kadapa region) in 5th century CE.[citation needed] During this period Telugu emerged as a popular medium undermining the predominance of Prakrit and Sanskrit.[citation needed] Telugu was made the official language by the Vishnukundina kings[citation needed] who ruled from their capital Vinukonda. Eastern Chalukyas ruled for a long period after the decline of Vishnukundinas from their capital in Vengi. As early as 1st century CE, Chalukyas were mentioned as being vassals and chieftains under the Satavahanas and later under Ikshvakus. The Chalukya ruler Rajaraja Narendra ruled Rajahmundry around 1022 CE.
The battle of Palnadu resulted in the weakening of Eastern Chalukyan power and emergence of the Kakatiya dynasty in the 12th and the 13th centuries CE.
Kakateeya Sculpture at Warangal
The Kakatiyas were at first feudatories of the Rashtrakutas ruling over a small territory near Warangal. All the Telugu lands were united by the Kakatiyas. In 1323 CE, Delhi Sultan Ghiaz-ud-din Tughlaq sent a large army under Ulugh Khan to conquer the Telugu country and capture Warangal. King Prataparudra was taken prisoner. Musunuri Nayaks recaptured Warangal from the Delhi Sultanate in 1326 CE and ruled for fifty years. Inspired by their success, the Vijayanagar empire, one of the greatest empires in the history of Andhra Pradesh and India, was founded by Harihara and Bukka, who served as treasury officers of the Kakatiyas of Warangal.[11]. In 1347 CE, an independent Muslim state, the Bahmani kingdom, was established in south India by Alla-ud-din Hasan Gangu as a revolt against the Delhi Sultanate. The Qutb Shahi dynasty held sway over the Andhra country for about two hundred years from the early part of the 16th century to the end of the 17th century.
Chowmahalla palace
In Colonial India, Northern Circars became part of the British Madras Presidency. Eventually this region emerged as the Coastal Andhra region. Later the Nizam had ceded five territories to the British which eventually emerged as Rayalaseema region. The Nizams retained control of the interior provinces as the Princely state of Hyderabad, acknowledging British rule in return for local autonomy.
India became independent from the United Kingdom in 1947. The Muslim Nizam of Hyderabad wanted to retain his independence from India, but the people of the region launched the movement to join the Indian Union. His state of Hyderabad was forced to become part of the Republic of India in 1948, after Indian Military operation known as operation polo within 5 days with popular support from people as Hyderabad State.
In an effort to gain an independent state, and protect the interests of the Telugu people of Madras State, Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu fasted until death. Public outcry and civil unrest after his death forced the government to announce the formation of a new state for Telugu speaking people. Andhra attained statehood in October 1953 with Kurnool as its capital.
On 1st November 1956, Andhra State merged with the Telangana region of Hyderabad State to form the state of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad, the former capital of the Hyderabad State, was made the capital of the new state Andhra Pradesh.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Cultural institutions
Andhra Pradesh has many museums, including the Archaeological Museum at Amaravati near Guntur City that features relics of nearby ancient sites, the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and religious artifacts and the Visakha Museum in Visakhapatnam, which displays the history of the pre-Independence Madras Presidency in a rehabilitated Dutch bungalow[12]. Victoria Jubilee Museum in Vijayawada has a good collection of ancient sculptures, paintings, idols, weapons, cutlery and inscriptions[13].
[edit] Cuisine
Main article: Andhra cuisine
The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is reputedly the spiciest of all Indian cuisine. There are many variations to the Andhra cuisine depending on caste, geographical regions, traditions etc. Pickles and chutneys, called pachchadi in Telugu are particularly popular in Andhra Pradesh and many varieties of pickles and chutneys are unique to the State. Chutneys are made from practically every vegetable including tomatoes, brinjals (eggplant), and roselle (Gongura). The mango pickle Aavakaaya is probably the best known of the Andhra pickles.
Rice is the staple food and is used in a wide variety of ways. Typically, rice is either boiled and eaten with curry, or made into a batter for use in a crepe-like dish called attu (pesarattu) or dosas.
Meat, vegetables and greens are prepared with different spices (masala) into a variety of strongly flavoured dishes.
Hyderabadi cuisine is influenced by the Muslims who arrived in Telangana in the 14th century. Much of the cuisine revolves around meat. It is rich and aromatic, with a liberal use of exotic spices and ghee (clarified butter). Lamb, chicken and fish are the most widely used meats in the non-vegetarian dishes. The biryani is perhaps the most distinctive and popular of Hyderabadi dishes.
[edit] Dance
Main article: Telugu dance
Kuchipudi, the traditional dance of Andhra
Jayapa Senani (Jayapa Nayudu) is the first person who wrote about the dances prevalent in Andhra Pradesh [14]. Both Desi and Margi forms of dances have been included in his Sanskrit treatise 'Nritya Ratnavali'. It contains eight chapters. Folk dance forms like Perani, Prenkhana, Suddha Nartana, Carcari, Rasaka, Danda Rasaka, Shiva Priya, Kanduka Nartana, Bhandika Nrityam, Carana Nrityam, Chindu, Gondali and Kolatam are described. In the first chapter the author deals with discussion of the differences between Marga and Desi, Tandava and lasya, Natya and Nritta. In the 2nd and 3rd chapters he deals with Angi-kabhinaya, Caris, Sthanakas and Mandalas. In the 4th Chapter Karnas, angaharas and recakas are described. In following chapters he described the local dance forms i.e. desi nritya. In the last chapter he deals with art and practice of dance.
Classical dance in Andhra can be performed by both men and women; however women tend to learn it more often. Kuchipudi is the state's best-known classical dance forms of Andhra Pradesh. The various dance forms that existed through the states’ history are Chenchu Bhagotham, Kuchipudi, Bhamakalapam, Burrakatha, Veeranatyam, Butta bommalu, Dappu, Tappeta Gullu, Lambadi, Bonalu, Dhimsa, Kolattam and chindu .
[edit] Festivals
Sankranthi in January.
Maha Shivaratri in February/March.
Ugadi or the Telugu New Year in March/April.
Sri Rama Navami celebrated in March/April, 9 days after Ugadi.
Varalakshmi Vratham in August.
Vinayaka Chavithi in August.
Dasara in September/October.
Atla Tadde 3rd day in bright half of Aswiyuja month (falls in September/October in Gregorian calendar)
Deepavali in October/November.
Bonalu in Sravanam. (Celebrated in Telangana region).
Bathukamma celebrated during September/October in Telangana region.
[edit] Literature
Main article: Telugu literature
Nannayya, Tikkana, and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the great Sanskrit epic Mahabharatha into Telugu. Bammera Potana is another great poet who composed the great classic SriMad Andhra Maha Bhagavatamu, a Telugu translation of Sri Bhagavatham authored by Veda Vyasa in Sanskrit. Nannayya is called as 'Adikavi'. Nannaya was patronized by the king Rajarajanarendra who ruled from Rajamahendravaram (Rajahmundry). Vijayanagara emperor Krishna Deva Raya wrote Amuktamalyada. Philosophical poems by Yogi-Vemana are quite famous throughout the Telugu land. Telugu literature after Kandukuri Veeresalingam is termed as Modern literature. Veerasalingam is called as 'Gadya Tikkana'. Satyavathi Charitam was the first social novel in Telugu. Rajashekara Charitham was the most popular novel written by Veerasalingam. Other modern writers include Jnanpith Award winners Sri Viswanatha Satya Narayana and Dr. C. Narayana Reddy. Revolutionary poets like Sri Sri are also popular.
[edit] Movies
Main article: Telugu Cinema
Andhra Pradesh is the state with the most cinema halls in India, at around 3000[citation needed]. The state also produces about 200[citation needed] movies a year. It has around 40%, 330 cinema halls out of 930 DTS cinema halls in India [15] of all the Dolby digital theatres in India. Now it also houses an IMax theatre with a big 3D screen and also 3-5 multiplexes. It is also the largest movie industry in India, producing more movies than any other industry.
[edit] Music
Main article: Music of Andhra Pradesh
The state has a rich musical heritage. Many legends of the Carnatic music including Trinity of Carnatic music (Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri) were of Telugu descent. Other great composers include Annamacharya, Kshetrayya, and Bhadrachala Ramadasu. Folk songs are also popular in the rural areas of the state.
[edit] Religion
Andhra Pradesh is home to Hindu saints of all castes. An important backward-caste figure is, Sant Yogi Potuluri Veerabrahmam was a Shudra that had Brahmin, Harijan and Muslim disciples.[16] Fisherman Raghu was also a Sudra.[17] Sant Kakkayya was a chura (cobbler) Harijan saint.
Several important Hindu modern-day saint are from Andhra Pradesh. These include Nimbarka who founded Dvaitadvaita, Mother Meera who advocated Indian independence and Aurobindo Mission, Bala Sai Baba who advocates religious unity in worship, Satya Sai Baba who does the same, and Swami Sundara Chaitanyanandaji.
His Holiness Satya Sai Baba is from a Kshatriya family and was born on 23rd November 1926 in Puttaparthi. He is renowned worldwide as a master of love and peace. He is believed to be the avatar of Shirdi Sai Baba. Sathya Sai Organization has many branches worldwide. Its member are from all religions and seek to establish peace in the world.
His Holiness Swami Sundara Chaitanyanandaji was born on 25th December 1947 in Kattubadipalem village, sri potti sreeramulu Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh is also home for Christians and Muslims who form minor part of population in this state.
[edit] Pilgrimages in Andhra
Sacred Tirumala Temple
Tirupati or Tirumala is a very important pilgrimage for Hindus throughout India. It is the richest piligrimage city (of any religious faith) in the world. Its main temple is dedicated to the god Venkateswara. Satyanarayana swamy temple famous in Annavaram in East Godavari district. Simhachalam is another very popular pilgrmage of national importance. Simhachalam is said in mythology to be the abode of the savior-god Narasimha, who rescued Prahlada from abusive father Hiranyakasipu. Tirpuathi is located in Chittoor district.
Srisailam is another major temple in Andhra Pradesh, which is of national importance. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the locations of the various Jyothirlingams. The Skanda Purana has a chapter called "Srisaila Kandam" dedicated to it, which points to the ancient origin. This is confirmed also by the fact that Tamil saints of the past millennia have sung praises of this temple. It is said that Adi Sankara visited this temple and at that time he composed his "Sivananda Lahiri". Shiva's sacred bull Vrishabha is said to have performed penance at the Mahakali temple till Shiva and Parvati appeared before him as Mallikarjuna and Brahmaramba. The temple is one of the 12 hallowed jyotirlingas; Lord Rama himself installed the Sahasralinga, while the Pandavas lodged the Panchapandava lingas in the temple courtyard. Srisailam is located in Kurnool district.
Bhadrachalam is a renown place for the sri rama temple and the blissful godavari river. This is the place where the famous Bhakta Ramadasu (originally - Kancherla Gopanna) has written his devotional songs and dedicated to lord Rama. Bhadrachalam is located in Khammam district.
Basar - Saraswathi temple is another famous place for Saraswathi - goddess of education. Basara is located in Adilabad district.
Yaaganti Caves is another important piligrim center in Andhra Pradesh. Apart from that Mahanandi,Kurnool Dt is another piligrim center which is full of greenary.
[edit] Other Cultural Elements
Bapu's paintings, Nanduri Subbarao's Yenki Paatalu (Songs on/by a washerwoman called Yenki), mischievous Budugu (a character by Mullapudi), Annamayya's songs, Aavakaaya (a variant of mango pickle in which the kernel of mango is retained), Gongura (a chutney from Roselle plant), Atla Taddi (a seasonal festival predominantly for teenage girls), banks of river Godavari, Dudu basavanna (The ceremonial ox decorated for door-to-door exhibition during the harvest festival Sankranti) have long defined Telugu culture. The village of Durgi is known for originating stone craft, carvings of idols in soft stone that must be exhibited in the shade because they are prone to weathering.'Kalankari' is an ancient art form dating back to the Harappan civilization. Andhra is also famous for doll making. Dolls are made from wood, mud, dry grass, and light weight metal alloys.Tirupathi is famous for redwood carvings. Kondapalli is famous for mud toys with rich colors. Nirmal paintings are expressive and are usually painted over a black background. Story telling in Andhra is an art form by itself. 'Yaksha ganam', 'Burra katha' (usually done by three people, telling stories using three different musical instruments), 'Jangama kathalu', 'Hari kathalu', 'Chekka bajana', 'Urumula natyam' (usually done in festivals, where a group of people dance in circles for loud music), 'Ghata natyam' (performances done with earthen pots over one's head) are all folk dances unique to Andhrapradesh palumamba fetival in visaka famous.
[edit] Education
Indian school of business
Andhra Pradesh is served by more than 20 leading institutes of excellence in higher education. All major arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, business and veterinary science are offered, leading to first degrees as well as postgraduate awards. Advanced research is conducted in all major areas.
Andhra Pradesh has 1330 arts, science and commerce colleges, 238 engineering colleges and 53 medical colleges. The student to teacher ratio is 19:1 in the higher education. According to census taken in 2001, Andhra Pradesh has an overall literacy rate of 60.5%. While male literacy rate is at 70.3%, the female literacy rate however is only at 50.4%, a cause for concern.
The state has recently made strides in setting up several institutes of high quality. Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) and Indian School of Business (ISB) are gaining international attention for their standards. National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad (NIFT)[18]is well reputed among those interested in a career in fashion.
Major Universities/Institutes in Andhra Pradesh:
National Institute of Technology NIT, Warangal
IIIT, Hyderabad [International Institute of Information Technology]
Indian School of Business, Hyderabad
Birla Institute Of Technology [BITS], Hyd
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad
J.N.T.U. College of Engineering, Kakinada.
J.N.T.U. College of Engineering, Anathapur.
J.N.T.U. College of Engineering.Pulivendula,Kadapa.
School of Information Technology, JNTU, Hyderabad
University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
Osmania University, Hyderabad
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam
Sri Sagi RamaKrishnam Raju Engineering College, Bhimavaram
Kakatiya University, Warangal
Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati
Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University: Andhra Pradesh Open University, Hyderabad
Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur
Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University: Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, Hyderabad
Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Tirupathi (Veterinary science has been separated from N.G. Ranga Agri. University to form this separate university)
Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad
GITAM University,Visakhapatnam
Badruka College of Commerce, Hyderabad
Indian Institute of Planning and Management IIPM, Hyderabad
Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Tirupati
Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur
Sri Sathya Sai University, Puttaparthi
ICFAI University, Hyderabad
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
IIIT Idupulapaya,Kadapa
Yogi vemana university,Kadapa
RaJiv Institute of Medical Sciences(RIMS),Kadapa.
Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad
(See also List of institutions based in Hyderabad India)
[edit] Newspapers
Andhra Pradesh has several newspapers. Some of them are:
Telugu Newspapers - Eenadu, Andhra Jyothi, Prajasakti, Vaartha, Andhra Bhoomi, Visalandra, Hyderabad Mirror, Surya,Udayam, Sakshi and Andhra Prabha.
Urdu Newspapers - Siasat Daily, Munsif Daily, Rehnuma-e-Deccan, Itimad Urdu Daily, Awam and The Milap Daily.
English Newspapers - Deccan Chronicle, The Hindu, The Times of India, Indian Express, The Economic Times, The Business Line.
[edit] Tourism
Araku valley
Andhra Pradesh is the home of many religious pilgrim centres. Tirupati, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, is the richest and most visited religious center (of any faith) in the world. Srisailam, the abode of Sri Mallikarjuna, is one of twelve Jyothirlingalu in India, Amaravati's Siva temple is one of the Pancharamams, and Yadagirigutta, the abode of an avatara of Vishnu, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. The Ramappa temple and Thousand Pillars temple in Warangal are famous for some fine temple carvings. The state has numerous Buddhist centres at Amaravati, Nagarjuna Konda, Bhattiprolu, Ghantasala, Nelakondapalli, Dhulikatta, Bavikonda, Thotlakonda, Shalihundam, Pavuralakonda, Sankaram, Phanigiri and Kolanpaka.
Rishikonda beach
The golden beaches at Visakhapatnam, the one-million-year old limestone caves at Borra, picturesque Araku Valley, hill resorts of Horsley Hills, river Godavari racing through a narrow gorge at Papi Kondalu, waterfalls at Ettipotala, Kuntala and rich bio-diversity at Talakona, are some of the natural attractions of the state.
Borra caves
.Near the beach Kailasagiri hill is there, it is one of the beautiful sight which shows the entire beauty of visakhapatnam having other side sea.
The Borra Caves are located in the Anatagiri Hills of Eastern Ghats, near Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh State in India. They are at a height of about 800 to 1300 metres above Mean Sea Level and are famous for millions of years old stalactite and stalagmite formations. They were discovered by William King George, the British geologist in the year 1807.The caves get their name from a formation inside the caves that looks like the human brain, which in the local language, Telugu, is known as borra. Similarly Belum caves was formed due to erosion in limestone deposite in the area by Chitravati River, millions of years ago. This limestone caves was formed due to action of carbonic acid — or weakly acidic groundwater formed due to reaction between limestone and water.
Belum Caves
Belum Caves are the second largest cave in Indian sub-continent and the longest caves in plains of Indian Subcontinent. Belum Caves derives its name from "Bilum" Sanskrit word for caves. In Telugu language, it is called Belum Guhalu. Belum Caves has a length of 3229 meters, making it the second largest natural caves in Indian Subcontinent. Belum Caves have long passages, spacious chambers, fresh water galleries and siphons. The caves reach its deepest point (120 feet from entrance level) at the point known as Patalganaga.
Horsley Hills Horsley Hills, elevation 1,265 m, is a famous summer hill resort in Andhra Pradesh, about 160 km from Bangalore, India and 144 km from Tirupati. The town of Madanapalle lies nearby. Major tourist attractions include the Mallamma temple and the Rishi valley school. Horsely Hills is the departure point for the Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary at a distance of 87 km. The narrow road to Horsely Hills is very scenic. It is surrounded throughout its entire length with dense growths of eucalyptus, jacaranda, allamanda, and gulmohar trees. This place is also believed to be haunted by some ghosts.
Charminar, Golconda Fort, Chandragiri Fort, Chowmahalla Palace and Falaknuma Palace are some of the monuments in the state.
[edit] Transport
Major road links of Andhra Pradesh
There are five airports in the state: Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi International), Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Tirupati. Government also have plans to start airports in six other cities including Sri Potti Sreeramulu Nellore, Warangal, Kadapa, Tadepalligudem, Ramagundam and Ongole.
Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is the major public transport corporation owned by government of Andhra Pradesh connecting all the cities and villages. APSRTC also has the distinction of being in the Guinness book of World records for having the largest fleet of vehicles, and the longest area covered/commuted daily. Apart from these, thousands of private operators run buses connecting major cities and towns of the state. Private vehicles like cars, motorised scooters and bicycles occupy a major share of the local transport in the cities and adjoining villages.
Andhra Pradesh also has two of the important ports of India at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada and two minor ports, Machilipatnam and Krishnapatnam.
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