Srikanth Bolla’s story is not any sob story. Of course, there is enough pathos, but he has managed to turn around his life to the extent that his story is being made into a biopic. The boy who was not allowed to study science after Class X went on to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.When Srikanth was told that he could not study science after the 10th standard, he fought a long legal battle with the government and won it. He later went to MIT, and he excels in blind cricket, international chess, baseball, and swimming too. This is the story of Hyderabad-based visually challenged entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla.Born blind to poor parents, he was abandoned only to emerge victorious in life. He says he was not keen on his biopic but adds that director Tushar Hiranandani’s perseverance got him to give his nod. He has already met Rajkumar Rao, who will be playing him on the big screen.Srikanth says he is now confident Rajkumar Rao will be able to play the role effectively and adds that the film will focus on his early life and his journey of setting up Bollant Industries. They make Kraft paper from municipal waste paper and other paper-based disposable and packaging material. Today, the company is worth Rs 500 crore and provides employment to 3000 people directly and indirectly.Srikanth says his objective of setting up the industry was to help people like him who are often shooed away, saying they have low skills or no skills. He says at MIT; the course tore him apart only to build him again. The brutal regimen he went through at the institute gave him life lessons that he will cherish and remember, says Srikanth.

Biopic on Hyderabad’s Visually Challenged Businessman

The start-up ecosystem was robust, and with quite a few unicorns, 100 to be precise, emerging from the city, many of them wanted to go for IPO. While the whole idea of funding was based on that, the start-ups in Hyderabad are feeling the effects of a global scenario that is out of their hands.The Russia-Ukraine war and resulting geo-political-economic situations have led to uncertainty and disruptions. Central banks in India and the US have increased interest rates leading to a slowdown in start-up and public investments. To add to all this, COVID fears from China and recession fears have further worsened the situation for the home-bred start-ups.The local start-up entrepreneurs say financial discipline is the word to go ahead or to rise above the present gloom. Many feel that the start-ups have overspent without understanding the requirement and have hired more than they should. Today, many start-ups are laying off employees to pare their costs.Some say government policies and interests are also affecting businesses. While no vertical has been left out in this confusing time, ed tech companies have been the worst hit. Post pandemic and with schools reopening, the teachers seem to be happy going back to having one-to-one interactions.The start-up entrepreneurs are positive despite the signals. They say many created the problem by hyping up valuations, lack of profitability, etc. And the way ahead for mid-level, growing start-ups is to sustain themselves, turn profitable and then think of scalability.

Resilience is Key for Start-up Survival, Say Industry Experts

In a rather bizarre and shocking incident, one woman planned the gang rape of an aspiring UPSC candidate. The said woman doubted that her husband was having an affair with the aspirant and plotted to get the ‘other’ woman gang-raped.The husband happens to be an IAS aspirant, and she became friends at the institute. Their friendship developed over a period of time, and the woman studying for IAS moved into the house of the man and stayed with the couple between October 2021 and February 2022.Then, the wife started doubting their relationship, and there were constant altercations, following which the IAS aspirant moved out of the house. However, the wife was suspicious and got the woman gang-raped by five goons.According to the police handling the case, the IAS aspirant was called to the house by the wife. When the aspirant went to the house along with her parents, the wife told her parents to wait outside. Once the aspirant was inside the house, she was gagged and beaten. Four men then outraged her modesty, and one man raped her. So, the police say it was gang rape. The whole incident came to light when the IAS aspirant lodged a complaint after her parents rushed in and rescued her.Once the wife was arrested, she confessed to the plot, and five goons were later identified and nabbed. Currently, all of them are in judicial custody.

Wife Gets Husband’s Alleged Lover Gangraped

In an incident that has rattled those working in small firms, employees of Innohub Technologies in Hyderabad’s HITEC city were cheated and left in a lurch by their now former employers. The company had collected Rs 20 crore from the employees and shut shop without any notice. Meanwhile, the employees filed a cheating case against the management at the Madhapur Police Station.The employees collected Rs 2 lakh from each employee, offering them monthly emoluments for 2 months training period. A total of Rs 20 crore was collected from them, and the employees were given two months’ training and salaries. Then the company owners simply vanished.About two weeks back, the company’s website and emails were blocked by Innohub Technologies. When the shocked employees tried to meet the company owners, they were shocked to see that the board was removed. Realizing they were cheated, the employees then lodged a formal complaint.However, the employees allege that the police were not taking up their case, though a week has already passed. The helpless employees have staged protests outside the police station to take action.

Company Shuts After Cheating Employees To The Tune Of Rs 20 Cr

The year 2022 has been a growth-inspiring time for the start-up ecosystem in Hyderabad. Within a span of 7 days, the ecosystem has seen one start-up become a unicorn, five start-ups raising funds, and another selling the stake to a top food aggregator platform. Given this growth trajectory, experts are quick to point out that Hyderabad is set to witness more unicorns – start-ups valued at over $1billion -- in the coming years.There are about six to seven start-ups on the brink of becoming unicorns, shares Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary, IT and industries department. He adds that 2-3 firms have the capacity to turn unicorns this year itself.A few days back, Hyderabad joined the unicorn list, with Darwinbox getting valued above $1billion. On the same day, two companies – Stanplus and OurFood, announced their funding round. To add to all this, on Friday, Zomato announced that it would be buying a 19.48 percent stake in city-based ad-tech company Adonmo Inc for a total cash consideration of Rs 112 crore.While there was a talk of investments not coming to Hyderabad and large investors unwilling to invest here, the funds raised within a span of few days shattered those myths, says Jayesh Ranjan. Another start-up that is working in the space tech sector, Skyroot Aerospace, announced fundraising of $4.5 million in a bridge round to Series B funding led by Google’s founding board member Ram Shriram’s Sherpalo Ventures.Meanwhile, Smartron and Sustainkart also announced their funding. While Sustainkart, which is an e-marketplace for sustainable products, raised $5,00,000 in its pre-seed round led by India Accelerator. On the other hand, Smartron secured a $200 million capital commitment from Global Emerging Markets Group (GEM).However, the big break will come when one of the start-ups announces its IPO, says Ramesh Loganathan, professor Co-Innovation, IIIT-Hyderabad. That’s when 50-100 people will rush to set up business in Hyderabad, and there will be a flush of investors, he says.

More Unicorns Coming Up in Hyderabad

Of late, one can notice rumble strips on almost all main roads. The idea is to ‘improve’ the safety of commuters. However, in sharp contrast to the intention of GHMC, the citizens of Hyderabad unanimously feel rumble strips are a nuisance and a huge headache.Unlike speed-breakers, these strips are painful to navigate, and they feel they are a total waste of effort by GHMC. In an effort to put in place ‘traffic calming measures’ following requests from traffic police, the GHMC has laid over 1400 rumble strips within the limits of three police commissionerates. And the story does not end here. GHMC says they will lay more rumble strips in a phased manner if they are requested to do so.Rumble strips are a series of raised strips across a road. A vehicle goes without saying, rumbles over these strips alerting the vehicle drivers of potential danger. Many complain that the civic body’s laying of rumble strips on the city’s arterial roads is a flagrant violation of the norms specified by the Indian Road Congress (IRC).While some say signages need to be put up, others say that they should be put only on the sides of roads to warn motorists if they are leaving the lane. However, in Hyderabad city, rumble strips have become a headache for the drivers as many complain of the rattling of the spine and having no purpose.

Rumble Strips Are a Nuisance, Say Hyderabad Citizens

When you say heera... and leave it at that, then someone will surely complete it with the word panna. Panna is the emerald and a stone loved by jewelry collectors and connoisseurs in the city of pearls. Emeralds beautifully offset diamonds, and it’s a rather ethereal combination that always works.Well, as far as the history of Hyderabad goes, emeralds have been a favorite with the Nizams, who loved to mix and match their precious stones with a ‘panna’ or emerald. If one traces the history, many say emeralds came into reckoning during the time of Alexander the Great and came into the collection of the Nizams in the 1800s.The Nizams so loved emeralds that they had their personal jewelers pick pieces that had a sizeable emerald in them. One family that migrated to Hyderabad many years ago and has been personal jewelers to the Nizams happens to be Kishandas &amp; Co. Their business dates back 150 years.Though they always shied away from publicity and any kind of advertising, they have just recently launched their latest, uber chic collection for the new generation of jewelry lovers. And goes without saying, the pieces are a combination of emeralds and diamonds.“Hyderabad is considered to be the mecca of emeralds. That’s why we named our collection Emerald Gaze,” says Pratiksha Prashant, creative director of Kishandas &amp; Co. Today, they source their gems from Columbia, Zambia, and their rubies from Africa and Mozambique. Though an architect, Pratiksha took an interest in the family business and is a pro today.She says her family has adapted to changing times and is now present on social media and thoroughly understands the importance of going digital. She adds that they are prepping their next generation to be savvy, both in terms of jewels and their business, as the world has shrunk and customers have become more aware.

Emeralds Shine Bright in ‘Panna Mecca,’ Hyderabad

Once upon a time, office timings were set, and people would spend their time indulging in sports or hobbies. But today, the Gen Z has to race against time to meet deadlines that seem to be never ending. They have to study, work, and handle social life, and all this leaves them tired and unmotivated to spare time for anything else.Sedentary lifestyles, irregular food habits, lack of sleep, exercise, and sporting activity have made all Jacks and Jills dull people. To change this and to inculcate a healthy sporting ecosystem in the city, life’s a Pitch is organizing sporting events for the corporates.LLP is a recreational, cultural, and sports management company that has been organizing sports events such as cricket tourneys, cyclothons, and marathons, among others. Devideen Nilesh Kumar Yadav is the founder-director of life’s a Pitch, and he says that the pandemic has made people realize the importance of sports and keeping ourselves healthy.He says the objective of his firm is to encourage people to spend at least one hour a day for sporting activities or exercise. Being a baseball player himself, Yadav says corporates are into organizing marathons, running events, and cycling events these days to ensure their employees get time to relax through the sport. He says there are about 10,000 cyclists in the city, and he wants to increase the number on par with Delhi and Mumbai.LLP is planning to organize a Himalayan Cycling Expedition from Manali to Leh this August and a community cricket league.

Life’s a Pitch Helps Corporate Employees Unwind Through Sports

A Hyderabad-based start-up, Hindustan UAV Systems, has claimed that its rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) can fly in most hostile environments. Ramdas M Kumbala, 42, founder of Hindustan UAV Systems, says that his UAVs can fly over the Himalayas at the height of 18,000 feet above sea level for surveillance and combat needs.Incidentally, Hindustan UAV Systems has been working on developing UAVs since 2015, and Ramdas says three of his designs are apt for the Indian forces facing threats from enemies at the highest altitudes along the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LoAC).Kumbala recently displayed two of his prototypes at an event organized by the Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME) in Secunderabad. His prototypes look like miniature versions of a helicopter and, according to Ramdas, have multiple use cases depending on the applications.Ramdas shares, “My latest rotary-winged UAV can take off from any hostile terrain and fly carrying a payload of 60kg at over 18,000 feet regardless of the gusting winds and snow for 6 hours. The CXs-250 can be used for day or night operations. If the government funds, I can convert my design into a prototype ready for a flight test in 9 months.”His first product, CN-50, can fly for 2 hours straight, covering 50 km with a payload of 10 kg at 9000 ft. Barring the engine procured from Europe, the entire model was developed indigenously in India. They are in test readiness level 9, and lab tests on the rig are currently going on. Ramdas says it can carry a 4 km range missile on it.His second model on display, CX-80, uses a coaxial rotary wing (one rotor on top of another on a single axis and rotating them in opposite directions). This one can take a payload of 20 kg and fly for 4 hours at 16,400 feet above sea level. The drones can also operate at GPS-denied locations, working on inertial navigation systems. The drone also has a floatation system for 3 hours and a deck finder for landing. These apart, it has a camera with 15 km long vision.Titled ‘Encouraging Defence Start-ups Towards Development of Military-Industrial Complex (MIC) in Telangana State,’ the event was organized by MCEME in collaboration with the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI). The Indian Army will be collaborating with the Telangana state government to encourage more defense start-ups at the innovation ecosystem enabler, T-Hub. Well, the officers at the event reiterated that the iron curtains were drawn, and all it takes is an email or WhatsApp message to reach out to them.

Hindustan UAV Systems Makes High Altitude Combat UAVs

Well, it is the new norm, and it is right here at your doorstep. Techies or software professionals from the city can now book their office seats in advance. Likewise, booking a workstation in advance in case an employee decides to work from the office is now a reality that one cannot avoid.Now that the hybrid working model has taken over the IT sector, many companies are looking at different mechanisms to safely accommodate employees whenever they plan to attend the office. The most popular among these is the ‘book your seat’ concept. However, the companies, too, are in a dilemma as to how to go about the process. As of now, they have realized that it is impossible to fit all the employees in one go like in the past.For starters, they have to ensure that physical distancing is maintained and count how many employees are present in the office on a given day. So, they have adopted the ‘book your workstation’ concept. This not only makes the office space a safer zone but also helps provide enough space and makes the office employee-friendly.So, the companies have now come up with an internally developed software application that makes it easier for employees to book their seats in advance to ensure physical distancing. This will also help keep a count of the employees attending the office at any given point in time. In addition, the seat booking tool helps the employees and the company plan their schedule, says Krishna Yedula, secretary, Society for Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC).One can pre-book a seat for a day or for a few days with the tool. It is quite useful if the employees want their laptops upgraded or install software at the office.

Pre-booking Workstations in Offices Made Easy

Kukatpally has witnessed one of the single largest outright land deals to have been struck in the country in 2021. Hyderabad-based realtor Ashoka Builders India Pvt Ltd (<a href="https://asbl.in/">ASBL</a>) has picked up a 10-acre parcel of prime land in the area for a whopping 235 Crore. The land is owned by Godrej group flagship Godrej &amp; Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd.ASBL won the bidding war and plans to use the land for a mixed-use development, including a premium residential development and a Grade A commercial space. The project will be materialized by June 2025 and ASBL will pump in another 250 Crore. After completion, the project is expected to cost around 600 Crore Rupees.The deal reinforced the belief of the investors in Hyderabad and also marks a landmark development in the North-West of Hyderabad. The city remains a favorable market in terms of strong demand for both commercial and residential developments. The market demand is slowly inching towards those in the pre-Covid era.