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The Hindu
12 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Tree man of Telangana, Daripalli Ramaiah's legacy erased before his death
Daripalli Ramaiah, also called Vanajeevi Ramaiah for his monumental efforts towards afforestation in Khammam district, and for his campaign for plantation drives, may have received the most uncharitable tribute before his death. That too from the very same government that had honoured his work with the 'Padma Shri' award eight years before. Hundreds of seedlings he had planted 25-30 years ago on the road margins of his village and beyond, which had grown into magnificent trees, got axed towards the end of 2024 for the widening of the national highway. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had approved the ongoing widening of the Khammam-Kuravi stretch and sanctioned ₹140 crore for the same. This is part of the 39 national highway projects sanctioned by the Central government at ₹5,658 crore. The 37 km section of National Highway 365A was to be expanded from single lane to double lane, as per the project specification. The road had a thick canopy of fully grown trees, planted and nurtured for decades by Mr. Ramaiah. 'The road was totally covered from end to end by the canopies of the trees on both sides. Officials from the National Highways visited our father and informed him that the road had to be widened if accidents were to be prevented. He could not say no to it, but felt miserable for days,' recalled Daripalli Kanakaiah, Mr. Ramaiah's son. Mr. Ramaiah, 87, requested the authorities to allow him to replant the road margins once the road work was finished, but did not live long enough to fulfil his wish. Kanakaiah remembered that his father would start at 6 a.m., carrying water cans on his bicycle, and water the saplings up to 11 a.m. Post lunch and a short nap, his work would begin again. Ramaiah even sold part of his land for this endeavour and grew trees in the rest of the land. During his lifetime, he planted and donated crores of saplings and seeds. Many of the planted varieties on the road were rain trees and pongamia, apart from native species such as tamarind, bael and other fruit bearing trees. A tamarind tree which is now gone, was right near the door step of Mr. Ramaiah at Reddypalli, in the shade of which the barefoot environmentalist rested often. Naresh Jilla, the biographer and close associate of Mr. Ramaiah, recalled that he had conducted a photo shoot for the book in January 2024, with the trees in the background. 'Later, I got busy with my work and the book, and could not visit the place till Mr. Ramaiah passed away in April. I was in for a shock to learn that all the trees had gone by then,' Mr. Jilla said, recalling that the trees, around a thousand, were planted between Reddypalli and Nayudupet villages, covering four km. 'The government, which had granted him Padma Shri for his lifelong effort, thought it fit to erase the same to facilitate a road. How much more dystopian could it get? In any other country, trees would have been saved for their heritage, but not here,' said Udaykrishna Peddireddi from Vata Foundation, who brought the incident to light.
The Hindu
20-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Bengaluru police personnel's silent cry for help answered by well-being programme
Ramaiah (name changed), a traffic constable in Bengaluru North division, was battling more than just a spinal cord injury. Unable to work, he sank into deep depression, stopped going home, and left his wife and two children emotionally adrift. Fearful of losing his job and burdened by health issues and family distress, he reached a breaking point - untill a counselling session with a well-being officer changed everything. The officer, Wazeera Begum, quickly identified the severity of Ramaiah's mental health struggles and facilitated access to the right treatment and support. Just as Ramaiah began to stabilise, tragedy struck again - his younger son suffered a rib fracture in an accident involving a buffalo. But he recovered again when his elder son emerged as one of the toppers in the class 10 exams. Now, after treatment and boosted family morale, Ramaiah is back at his job and also happy at home with his family. Ramaiah is just one of 43 police personnel identified by the mental health initiative of the Bengaluru city police as being at risk of taking extreme steps and saved in time. The programme, designed to support personnel facing emotional distress, has helped officers dealing with addiction, family crises, depression, and identity-related challenges. In another notable case, a City Armed Reserve (CAR) constable in the dog training squad struggled with severe alcoholism and delusional behavior, even lashing out at senior officers. Facing a Departmental Enquiry (DE) and possible dismissal, he entered the well-being programme. After assessment, he opted for aggressive de-addiction therapy and is now back at work with improved mental health. These interventions are part of a growing effort to address the hidden mental health crisis among police personnel. 'Many who came in for counselling had either attempted suicide or viewed the sessions as their last hope,' said Siri Gowri, DCP, Traffic- North division, who holds a doctorate in psychology and serves as the nodal officer for the programme. The initiative now has five well-being officers supporting over 20,000 personnel in Bengaluru. Launched last year under then-Commissioner B. Dayananda, the initiative has conducted over 50 sessions, with personnel joining voluntarily or on the advice of their superiors. The most common issues uncovered include addiction, extramarital affairs, family disputes, depression, and sexual identity challenges, especially among reserve force personnel and lower-ranking officers. To deliver holistic care, the programme works with Victoria Hospital and NIMHANS, offering expert diagnosis, medical treatment, counselling, and follow-up. However, uptake remains limited, especially among lower-rank staff, due to the persistent stigma around mental health, Ms. Gowri added. Though the programme is meant for all, senior officers are hesitant to take up due to many reasons, she added. The programme was initially funded through the Commissioner's Benevolent Fund, and later expanded through partnerships with a city-based psychiatric hospital and leading mental health institutions. A tragic case that galvanized the department involved a CAR constable who died by suicide in the Adugodi police quarters. He had accumulated heavy debt from online gambling, and his decomposed body was found days later. The investigation revealed he had been under extreme financial stress and was unable to repay loans. In response, the department has now introduced financial counselling to help personnel manage money and make informed investments. Dedicated Tele-MANAS line for police In a major step forward, Bengaluru city police is all set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) to establish a dedicated Tele-MANAS counselling line exclusively for police personnel. This will allow quicker access to mental health support, while well-being officers will also receive regular training and guidance from NIMHANS experts.
Pink Villa
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
When Rashmika Mandanna almost rejected her first-ever film offer and refused to give auditions
Rashmika Mandanna has slowly established herself as one of the most sought-after actresses at the moment. The diva who started her work in South cinema has bagged multiple offers in Bollywood as well and continues to remain at the top of her game as a pan-India star. However, do you know that Mandanna was almost about to refuse her first-ever film offer in fear of auditions? Don't miss this throwback. Rashmika Mandanna was almost about to refuse her first-ever film offer In an interview with Curly Tales, Rashmika recalled the time when she was offered her first-ever film. She revealed being in her college at that time, right after bagging the title for a young beauty pageant. It was at that time when a production house reached out to her after finding her photo in the newspaper. The starlet recalled being completely surprised since she was just beginning to get back to her normal college life. However, after the production house informed them that they wished to cast her for a film, Rashmika immediately declined it over the phone call itself. She said, 'I thought it was a prank call. I said I am not interested in acting and want to continue my studies. So, they tried reaching out to me, asking my teachers. They got to know I study at Ramaiah. They reached out to my teachers to call me for the meeting. My teachers said that there is a film offer for you, and you need to go.' Rashmika was extremely afraid of giving auditions and shooting before cameras Moving on in the interview, the starlet remembered her nervousness at the time of her audition since she was not very comfortable about performing before the camera, especially when someone else gives the cues from elsewhere. She added, 'I felt like I can't do auditions, man… Like, auditions are my low ... I can't even move in front of the camera strangely. Like, you put me in a scene or anything… I will do it... But an audition, staying in that room and saying your lines and someone else behind the camera is giving you cues... not my thing…'. Rashmika Mandanna's work front Fast forward to now, the actress is an established name in Indian cinema and has proved her mettle in some of the biggest projects ever, besides leading stars like Allu Arjun, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and more. Coming back to her work front, she was last seen in the film Kuberaa, which released on June 20. Moving ahead, she has projects like The Girlfriend and Thaama in the pipeline next.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu re-elected as TDP president for next two years
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will continue as the president of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for the next two years, following his unanimous re-election at the party's annual Mahanadu conclave. The announcement came on the second day of the three-day event, where senior party leader and TDP Election Committee Chairman Varla Ramaiah declared the result in front of thousands of party workers. 'Nara Chandrababu Naidu has been elected as the national president of TDP for the next two years,' Ramaiah said. A special election office had been set up to conduct the internal poll. According to Ramaiah, around 600 TDP leaders backed Naidu's nomination, resulting in his unopposed election. Ramaiah later administered the oath of office to Naidu, marking yet another term in his long leadership of the party. Naidu has been heading the TDP since 1995 and has now completed nearly three decades at the party's helm. Naidu's re-election comes shortly after he returned to power in Andhra Pradesh in a landslide victory.
The Hindu
04-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
‘Development' at the cost of Nicobar Islands
The famous tree crusader and tree lover Shri 'Vanajeevi' Ramaiah who passed away last month was a firm believer that trees are vital for our lives. This Padma Shri awardee planted over 1 crore saplings across Telangana, thus making us live in unison with nature. But the current dispute between the Telangana State government and the University of Hyderabad about the area of Kancha Gachibowli would have disappointed Ramaiah. While the University wants the land as a green forested area, as a reservoir for 700 varieties of plant species, 200 varieties of birds, and 10-20 different mammals to be preserved as nature's gift, the State government wants this area for technology parks and related purposes. The 'fight' has reached the Supreme Court, and we await its decision. Unfortunately, several other States across India face the same predicament, with land being used for hi-tech cities, pharmaceutical zones, highways, fast trains, and airports. While all these are needed for the public good, the question is: should these be at the cost of losing greenery, flowery plants, and tribal people who subsist on these? Will this not be a betrayal of what Vanajeevi Ramaiah stood for? We use the term 'betrayal' drawing from the perspective of Professor Pankaj Sekhsaria, who has over three decades of experience on the Nicobar Islands, examining environmental and wildlife conservation alongside the intricate connections between society, environment, science, and technology. He has curated a book called 'The Great Nicobar Betrayal', chronicling how the Central government has proposed to use the Nicobar Islands for several purposes: a trans-shipment facility at the Galathea Bay for access across the sea, building an international airport, and a power plant for electricity. In addition, a greenfield township is planned for increasing the population from the current 8,000 natives to about 3.5 lakh, by inviting people from mainland India to come and stay as citizens for these projects and to visit for holidays. The book has raised several important issues concerning the ecological splendour, with over 2,000 species of fauna and 811 species of flora in the islands, plus the future of the native people. All of these will be affected by the 'development' planned by the Central government. Furthermore, as the land is taken over for deforestation, the fate of the native Nicobarese tribe, particularly the vulnerable tribal group Shompen (see picture), which needs forests for livelihood, will be affected. Also, the giant leatherback turtles, found every season in the seacoast, will be in danger when the seacoast is taken over for development. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is yet to answer this query. But, in January 2023, a group of former civil servants had written to the President of India, pointing out how the Indian government is out to destroy the pristine habitat, which is home to various rare and endemic species. They further pointed out how the government will 'compensate' this loss by planting forests in Haryana, 2,600 km away from Nicobar! India has, among the 200 countries across the globe, signed the Convention for Biological Diversity, which will 'reduce to near zero the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance, including ecosystems of high ecological integrity'. And, as the ex-civil servants have requested, the President and the Government of India should immediately stop the commencement of destructive projects in Great Nicobar. For interested readers, the book 'The Great Nicobar Betrayal' is available from Amazon and The Hindu Bookstore:
