Imagine watching a movie in Korean sitting right here. Now, that happens or has been happening for quite a few years, right, thanks to subtitles. But were there instances when you were busy following the subtitles, and you missed out on a crucial scene in the film? To solve this problem and make the watching more seamless, two Ph.D. scholars from the International Institute of Information Technology – IIIT-H’s Centre for Visual Information have come up with a deep tech Artificial Intelligence web app.The software is already patented by a start-up called NeuralSync AI, mentored by IIIT-H. It can morph authentic-looking speeches with a single video clip of a human or digital avatar. And this, the app can do within minutes in the language of your choice. For example, if it is integrated into Netflix, then you can have the luxury of watching the movie of your choice in the language of your choice.NeuralSync’s Way2Lip is a compact video editor with an AI algorithm that is trained to generate accurate lip movement based on the target’s speech. Apparently, the project is already a hit as per NeuralSync’s software developers Rudrabha Mukhopadhyay and Prajwal KR and CEO Pavan Reddy.They reveal that they have already been getting offers worth several thousands of dollars. Incidentally, the US-patented technology owned by IIIT-H was invented by Rudrabha, Prajwal, Prof C Jawahar, and Prof Vinay Namboodiri.As of now, the app takes 45 seconds to make one minute of video, and they say they are working on bringing down the time to 15-20 seconds. This also means that the operating costs will be cut down drastically. Just about all European and Asian languages can be dubbed using the app, though for now, Mandarin is a challenge to it.NeuralSync is pretty clear with regards to its future direction and says they are now keen on targeting e-learning entities to create e-learning videos and marketing video films. Then, they are also in talks with a few metaverse companies in China. However, their ultimate goal is films, for which they will create their product in a small Google Chrome extension. They have already made a pact with a Bollywood producer to execute a few scenes.

AI Based App Will Make Mismatched Lip Sync Extinct

Ask a kid what he or she wants to be, and one gets stock answers like a doctor or engineer. At the most, in today’s times, one would get to hear of a lawyer or a management expert. But not many kids would think of being an entrepreneur, at least in India, where entrepreneurship is considered to be ‘other’ people’s job. But Kanthi Dutt proved people wrong at the age of 13.Well, yes, you did read that right. At 13, when he was in standard VII, Kanthi started his own event management company, Spartans Media, which would organize events. He was bullied in school as he spoke of business and money and was disliked by his teachers. Then there was pressure from family and friends.But Kanthi says his parents were wonderful and let him choose his path. Today, 10 years later, Kanthi is a successful entrepreneur and happens to be the co-founder of SustainKart. Incidentally, Shilpa Reddy happens to be his partner in the venture.Kanthi believes in projects that are environment-friendly and positively impact climate change. He says children of today’s generation are rather lucky as India is ‘ready’ for entrepreneurship. There are angel investors, and India is getting investments through the venture capital market.The 23-yr-old says that kids of today have a choice of turning into entrepreneurs if they have a vision and the perseverance to go with the dream. His immediate future plans include launching a few D2C consumer brands in the next few months, though he says he will focus on SustainKart.His big goal is to start an institute where kids can focus on the ‘one’ subject they like and pursue it to the best of their abilities. He says his has been a journey of ups and downs, and he wraps up saying there were no regrets, only lessons.

Destined To Be An Entrepreneur

Hyderabad is surely on the clubbing map of India with some interesting clubs to party. With the COVID restrictions gone, the city is back on the party circuit with a bang. With lots of shows happening, the city’s club-hoppers are finding it difficult to keep pace.Next week, Bengaluru-based DJ/ producer Kunaal Gurbaxani aka Gurbax, will be performing at Prism Club in Gachibowli. The DJ, who is extremely popular in India and abroad, has been performing in the city since 2014. He has had massive independent releases like Boom Shankar, Aghori, and Aatank. On YouTube alone, Gurbax has gathered over 50 million+ plays and has topped iTunes electronic music charts. He has performed at VH1 Supersonic, NH7 Weekender, TimeOut72, YouTube FanFest, Red Bull Tour Bus, etc.Gurbax says Hyderabad can give LA a run for its money when it comes to the club scene and adds that he is happy to notice that the crowd has matured over the years. Having started out in school, Gurbax realized music was his true calling while in college.He has just launched his album Rebirth and collabed with the likes of Rashmeet Kaur, bass music heavyweight, NDA, Billboard-charting producer, and future-bass pioneer GANZ, Las Vegas-based rap duo Gold Lemonade and LA-based singer/ songwriter Devesh Dayal.He says the album has an uplifting mood and wants to create melody tracks in the future instead of sticking to beat-heavy ones.

Good Times Roll as City’s Party Scene Turns Up the Heat

Telangana's COVID positivity rate continues to hover around 0.5%. On Thursday, Telangana recorded 44 new cases of which 31 were in Hyderabad. The total count of cases recorded so far in the state stands at 7,92,191. The death toll stands at 4,111 on Thursday. It is interesting to note that there were no COVID-19 death was recorded for over two months now.&nbsp;The recovery rate currently stands at 99.44% while the fatality rate stands at 0.51 percent. The state has tested around 3.5 crore samples. Some of the states in the country are registering a spike in the COVID cases but there is no significant spike in Telangana.&nbsp;The health ministry estimates that the fourth wave will have no impact because of large-scale antibodies and a huge population getting vaccinated with double vaccination. Health Minister, T Harish Rao here on Friday has reiterated the demand that the Centre has to provide free Covid booster doses for all eligible individuals in Telangana. There is a huge pile of vaccines available with the government which may get expired.&nbsp; &nbsp;

No COVID Deaths In The State Over Two Months

The city has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, and the drug menace has become a priority issue for the city police. The Cyberabad police are in plans to launch Anti-Drug Abuse committees. While similar committees have been launched in schools and colleges in the Madhapur zone, they now intend to launch them in the IT corridor in the city.The initiatives aim to reach out to the corporate offices and spread awareness among IT professionals regarding the ill effects of drugs. The approach is ‘awareness and strict enforcement to make workplaces drug-free.’The police share that work stress, peer pressure, and weekend parties have been luring techies or those working in software firms into taking narcotic substances. They add that marijuana and hashish oil are in demand when it comes to techies in the city.Now, with offices calling back staff and the slow return of employees, the police hope to identify drug peddlers and consumers with the help of office management. The whole purpose is to make sure that people don’t turn to drugs either for pleasure or to overcome sadness.Keeping the brand image of Hyderabad as an IT Hub, the Cyberabad police and Society for Cyberabad Security and Council (SCSC) have come up with this initiative. Just to go into figures, Hi-Tec city is home to around 1000 companies, big, small and medium. There are approximately 6.5 lakh people working in them.The committee for Cyberabad will comprise IT firms, police, SCSC office bearers, techies, and NGOs. The committees will be organizing awareness programs at companies and will highlight the impact of drug usage on family, personality, health, professional lives, and community in general. During such sessions, the legal angles of being drug abusers or drug peddlers will also be briefed.The task of forming committees is going on, and the Cyberabad police hope they will be operating soon.

Cyberabad Police Plans of Action to Stop Drug Abuse Among Techies

Randonneuring, in simple terms, is long-distance cycling, wherein riders bicycle for 200 km or more. Though the concept has existed in the city for some time, the locals are now warming up to the challenging idea. The city witnesses a 200 km randonneuring event on Saturdays to see around 250 participants.When the idea was first introduced, the number of participants was barely a trickle. However, thanks to developing a robust cycling ecosystem and increasing awareness towards a healthy lifestyle, the numbers have consistently increased. The randonneuring events are being conducted by Hyderabad Rondenneurs, known for its long-distance events.The rides are referred to as Brevets de Randonneurs Mondiaux (BRMs) or just brevets. So, anyone who finishes 200 km is a rondenneur. In a single season, those doing 200 BRMs, 300 BRMs, 400 BRMs, and 600 BRMs are called Super Randonneurs. According to one of the Hyderabad Rondenneurs, there are some who finish 1000 BRMs in a seasonAll care is taken before the riders are flagged off. They are given detailed cue sheets though some use smartphones. Since they are long rides, the riders will need power banks to charge mobiles, lights, and reflecting vests for nighttime. Though many eat rice during rides, most of them carry caffeinated energy bars, gels, and some chikki.However, the trick is to use road bikes as they have a better aerodynamic design and are light in weight. One is told not to use electric bikes. Also, the riders need to be prepared to troubleshoot problems on the way, like fixing punctures or dealing with breakdowns during the course.It is also important for the riders to fend for each other during rides and be alert to their surroundings. One of the female riders shares an incident wherein some people riding on a bike tried to pull her hand during a ride. However, she says she ended up being safe thanks to her fellow riders and insists one must stay in a group when going that extra mile.

Randonneuring Catches on Big Time With Hyderabadis

The impact of the cancellation of G.O. 111 on the Greater‌ Hyderabad Real estate sector has been huge. This has a major impact on Western Hyderabad, which has a long history of urban reality. The sales of luxury homes in these areas have been steadily declining. Customers are reluctant to make purchases on projects costing more than Rs 6,000 per square foot.&nbsp;Thinking that prices will go down, instead of buying flats in high-priced apartments, they want to buy individual houses and villas in 84 villages for the same price. As a result, sales at the High Rise and Luxury projects in West Hyderabad are falling. The revenue from registrations also fell sharply.Home purchases and launches are high in West Hyderabad due to IT and IT-based companies. The area accounts for 60 percent of city realty. In areas like Kukatpally, Madhapur, Kondapur, Gachibowli, Rayadurg, Kokapet, Gopanpally, and Nallagandla, residential complexes of about 10 crore square feet are under the construction. These are estimated to be around 50,000 units.Land prices were higher in Kollur, Tellapur, Nallagandla, Gopanpally, Nanakramguda, Narsingi, Kokapeta, Financial District, and Puppalaguda as they are not under G.O. 111. Last year GHMC approved 83 high-rise buildings in these areas. Of these, 13 skyscrapers are more than 30 stories high. Sales, however, have been on a downward spiral with the cancelation of G.O. 111.In the past, most of the construction companies in the Kokapet, Narsingi, and Puppalaguda areas were selling heavily pre-launch. Buyers used to invest heavily due to low prices. The buyers are now going around construction companies to cancel their Pre-launch agreements and refund their already paid amounts.

G.O. 111 Effect: Luxury Home Sales Decline

With the heatwave gripping the city, people in the city are going for small holidays to the farmhouses on the outskirts. Some companies are also holding meetings with staff in farmhouses. These farmhouses are away from the city and devoid of pollution. The greenery around these farmhouses, being away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and the peaceful atmosphere are attracting the people. Depending on the farmhouse and its facilities, operators charge between Rs 6,000 and Rs 15,000 per day, or more.&nbsp;Most of the farmhouses that were under two years old were closed due to the corona. These are currently being re-opened as demand increases. They are prepared to attract customers. Some people go with their family and enjoy two or three days there. Birthday parties and small functions are also being celebrated. Organizers say they mostly come for weekend parties and family outings. Some farmhouses are unavailable unless booked a week in advance.&nbsp;There are more than 3,000 farmhouses in the suburbs of Moinabad, Shamirpet, Shamshabad, Ghatkesar, Ibrahimpatnam, Shankarpalli, Yadadri, Bhavnagiri, and Hayat Nagar. Some of the self-built ones are leased, while others are leased from the owners. People who have leased these farmhouses during corona Time were out of business. Now the demand has increased again as conditions changed. Farmhouses are being leased and business is being restarted.

Farmhouses On Outskirts In High Demand

A CCTV camera visual of a young man lying bleeding on a road in Hyderabad with his face beaten to a pulp with an iron rod has gone viral on social media. This is said to be an honor killing and the man, a Hindu may have been killed by relatives of his Muslim wife. The couple married only three months ago and the wife is seen fighting off his attackers in the video.B Nagaraju and Syed Ashrin Sulthana had just left home on Wednesday evening on their bike. Two men blocked their way and attacked them with an iron rod. In a few seconds, Nagaraju is dead with his face becoming a bloodies mass.&nbsp; A crowd gathered but watched as the attackers kept beating Nagaraju who died on the spot.Nagaraju and Sulthana had married in January, at Arya Samaj in the old city of Hyderabad. Parents of both sides did not agree to the marriage. But the couple decided to go ahead since they had known each other since Class 10. Sulthana had changed her name to Pallavi after the wedding which even enraged her family.
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<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sleuths of <a href="https://twitter.com/Saroornagarps?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Saroornagarps</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RachakondaCommissionerate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RachakondaCommissionerate</a> nabbed the 2-offenders within 24-hrs, who had brutally <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/murdered?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#murdered</a> the deceased Billipuram Nagaraju on 04-05-2022 with iron rod and knife at Panjala Anil kumar colony, saroornagar.<a href="https://twitter.com/TelanganaDGP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TelanganaDGP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TelanganaCOPs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TelanganaCOPs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hydcitypolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hydcitypolice</a> <a href="https://t.co/0uURg1aumO">pic.twitter.com/0uURg1aumO</a>— Rachakonda Police (@RachakondaCop) <a href="https://twitter.com/RachakondaCop/status/1522204986268012544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

On CCTV: Hindu Man Killed For Marrying Muslim

Real Estate in Hyderabad is slowly picking up and is trying to get back to the Pre-COVID levels. RBI's decision to hike the repo rate means home loans and other loans are going to get costlier. RBI has hiked the repo rate by 0.40% — the first such hike in nearly four years. The repo rate is the rate at which RBI lends to commercial banks, which means the move will make borrowing expensive for banks.An increase in repo rate implies that banks will also increase their lending rates making the EMIs costlier. Cheaper Home Loans have prompted home buyers to enthusiastically make purchases that are no longer going to be the case in the future. For Instance, SBI now offers home loans at around 6.85 percent. It will now go up to 7.25%.For a loan amount of Rs 30 lakh and tenure of 20 years, the monthly EMI now is about Rs 22,990 per month. The total interest payable for 20 years will be about Rs 25,17,510 and the total payments made over the loan term will be Rs 55,17,510.At the new interest rate of 7.25 percent, the EMI will rise to Rs 23,711 per month, an increase of Rs 721 over the old EMI of Rs 22,990. The total interest outgo will be about Rs 26,90,707, higher by Rs 1,73,197 over the old rate. The total payment to be made will be Rs 56,90,707. Real estate is skeptical about this hike damaging the prospects in near future.

Home Loan Interests Hike To Impact Real Estate!

Retail leasing in Hyderabad has crossed pre-pandemic levels as the demand doubled in 2021. In fact, Hyderabad recorded 72 percent quarter-on-quarter growth in retail leasing, with more than 2,40,000 sq ft of space leased in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021.In all, the city recorded more than 50 deals in Q4 2021, surpassing the quarterly average of 31 deals during 2019 (pre-pandemic). In the year 2021, Hyderabad saw a double jump in the gross leasing activity, where 1.4 million sq ft of land was leased out across 200 deals.According to a report by Cushman &amp; Wakefield, the city had witnessed quite a bit of traction in Q4 that accounted for 30 percent of the overall deals as compared to a quieter previous quarter. Of course, there is pent-up consumer demand, and then there was discretionary spending during the festive season, which raised the confidence of the retailers.Fashion and apparel saw the highest proportion of leasing in Q4 2021, with a 62 percent share compared to 36 percent in Q3. Leading malls had high footfalls, and store-level sales have also reached pre-pandemic levels. Multi-brand retail stores and affordable lifestyle brands such as Westside, Zudio, Max, Levi’s, and Mughda rented spaces in micro-markets such as AS Rao Nagar, Ameerpet, Punjagutta, Himayatnagar, Begumpet, and Somajiguda. There was a 25 percent increase when compared to the previous year.While top malls continue to attract retailers in segments such as luxury gifting, premium footwear, fashion, and apparel categories, main streets in areas such as Madhapur, Kukatpally, Banjara Hills, Kondapur, and Himayat Nagar are likely to see a slight increase in leasing in the coming future.