Godavari Kalakshetra name restored after four years
Following COVID-19, the Kakinada Municipal Council had passed a resolution to rename the cultural centre after YSRCP Kakinada city president Ragireddi Venkata Jayaram Kumar alias Frooti Kumar, who died of Covid-19 .
The ₹20 crore cultural centre was developed by the Kakinada Smart City Corporation under the Smart City Mission. The three-floor centre, includes a 1,200-seat theatre, art galleries, and venues for various cultural, academic and traditional performances.
Senior BJP leaders Y. Malakondiah and Duvvuri Subramanyam lauded the decision to restore the Godavari Kalakshetra, noting that the name shares an association with River Godavari.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
K. Arul Jothi takes charge as security chief for Southern Railway
K. Arul Jothi took charge as the Inspector-General/Principal Chief Security Commissioner, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Southern Railway, on Friday. A 1995-batch Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS) officer, Mr. Jothi served the force in various capacities across North Frontier Railway, Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, Eastern Railway, East Central Railway, and other zones. During his stint as Deputy Inspector General, Southern Railway in the 2019-20 COVID-19 period, he spearheaded the RPF teams in organising the safe movement of migrant workers to various parts of the country through 503 Shramik Special Trains. Mr. Jothi succeeds G.M. Eswara Rao, who retired from service, according to a press release.


Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
City entrepreneur feeds 75k poor annually through ‘Sai Ki Thali'
Patna: Feeding 6,000 poor every month and over 75,000 in a year is no ordinary feat. Ashok Sharma, an automobile accessories entrepreneur in the heart of Patna, has turned it into his life's mission. What began as a simple act of kindness has now evolved into a sustained, community-driven campaign to feed the forgotten and destitute. "When a food packet lands in the hands of the poor, they smile and that is everything to me," he said. Since Sept 2018, Sharma has been feeding the poor, the mentally ill and patients admitted to the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH). Behind this noble act lies a deeply moving story. "It was the night of Sept 2018. I had just returned home from my shop on Exhibition Road when there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find an old, frail man collapsed outside. He was weak and pointed to his mouth, silently asking for food," he said. Moved by his miserable condition, Sharma offered the man his dinner. "My wife Kiran and I helped him to a nearby open space. By morning, the man had vanished. But the image of his hunger-stricken face stayed with me. It changed something deep inside," he said. That night marked the beginning of their journey to feed the forgotten and destitute. Kiran would prepare and pack meals. Then, after wrapping up work, Sharma and his wife would step out on a two-wheeler in search of the city's most vulnerable – the mentally ill, homeless, elderly and weak. From Patna Junction to the airport and beyond, they looked for those who could not even ask for help. "Those who can speak can ask for food. But what about those who can't? They lie in silence, forgotten by society," Sharma said. For nearly one-and-a-half years, the couple carried out this self-funded mission till their health and household budget began to feel the strain. But kindness, like fire, spreads. "When I shared our mission of feeding the hungry on social media, friends and acquaintances began reaching out, offering to contribute. At that time I named our initiative 'Sai Ki Thali', inspired by Shirdi Sai Baba, a revered spiritual saint who lived in Shirdi," he said. With support pouring in, Sharma rented a small space in a friend Pankaj Agarwal's garage and hired cooks to set up a kitchen. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when fear and lockdowns gripped the city, 'Sai Ki Thali' continued serving two meals a day to the homeless, he said. Today, Sharma's mission has become a community movement. People now celebrate birthdays and anniversaries by sponsoring meals for the poor and for patients at PMCH.


Mint
15 hours ago
- Mint
Two pubs claim to be Londons oldest riverside pub. Which one is right?
LONDON (AP) — On a charming cobblestone street tucked away in London's East End, a pub proudly hangs out a sign that reads 'Oldest riverside pub in London.' Across the Thames River, a pub with a different name makes the same bold claim. The unofficial title of the oldest riverside pub in the city has long been disputed, with both the Mayflower and the Prospect of Whitby laying claim to the title. The two contenders can be found along a quiet stretch of the Thames, far from the city's crowded souvenir shops and tourist sites, serving up traditional British dishes — from steak and ale pie to sticky toffee pudding — with a side of history. The Mayflower is named after the Pilgrim Mayflower ship, which set sail from the site in 1620 to begin its journey to America. Though it only got its name in 1957, it is said to have some of the ship's original timbers incorporated into its structure. Today, pubgoers who can prove direct descent from one of the Mayflower passengers can sign its 'Descendants Book.' Every night, tourists step out of black cabs at the doors of the two pubs, trading the capital's modern skyscrapers for the storied streets of London's East End, lined with quaint terraced houses and red brick warehouses. In both pubs they enter spaces where old paintings hanging on dark paneled walls and other mementos of their histories seem to leave the contemporary world behind. 'There really is a feeling that you might have stepped back in time and could be drinking beer with sailors or pirates or anybody from any Dickens novels really," said Emily Godwin, a Londoner who has been to both. She spoke while sipping a pint of lager with friends at the Prospect on a recent summer evening. The Prospect boasts a pewter bar – the longest of its kind in Britain — where the infamous 'Hanging Judge Jeffreys' is said to have watched the many hangings that took place at the nearby 'Execution Dock.' Early on, the pub was known as the Devil's Tavern due to its association with thieves and smugglers. A hanging noose outside serves as a reminder of the pub's grisly history. It 'feels like such a pocket of history in London,' Godwin said. 'So much of London's East End feels very new and trendy, and the Prospect feels like it's barely changed.' British pubs have always been at the center of social life, with locals coming together over a pint, even in times of war and economic hardship. But the last five years have been challenging for the industry as pubs contended with the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs. This year an estimated 378 venues are set to shutter across England, Wales, and Scotland, according to the British Beer and Pub Association. 'When a pub closes, it puts people out of a job, deprives communities of their heart and soul and hurts the local economy,' said Emma McClarkin, head of the BBPA. Pubs across the country have been forced to find new ways to attract customers. History is a big draw for pubgoers, with a trip to a traditional British pub coming in high on tourists' London bucket lists, raising the stakes of the Prospect and the Mayflower's competition. The Prospect claims it was established in 1520, with its original flagstone surviving an arson attack in 1666 — the same year as the Great Fire of London. The pub was outside of the city limits at that time and was not affected by the conflagration that gutted the medieval city. Justin Billington, assistant manager at the Prospect, said some people date the pub to its full reconstruction in 1774 after the 1666 fire. But he doesn't see it that way, noting that it operated continuously. The day after the fire, the workers rolled out a barrel of beer that had survived the flames and locals showed up with their tankards, drinking vessels, and enjoyed a drink on the spot. There were several reconstructions in the pub's subsequent history, but none withstood the salt water and shifting foundations of the Thames, Billington explained. Not, that is, until 1774 when the retired captain of a merchant ship called 'The Prospect' rebuilt it using the ship. 'This rebuild held and continues to hold on for dear life," he said. If the pub was actually established in 1774, that would make the Mayflower — established in the 16th century — older. But there are no hard feelings between the pubs as Billington described their competition as a 'loving rivalry.' 'We compete against each other to be the oldest, and to serve the best food and drink,' he said. But the question remains: How can either pub definitively claim the title? Unlike the title of the 'Oldest pub in England,' held by the Porch House in southern England, which is said to date to the 10th century, there is no official certification for the oldest pub in London. Guinness World Records said it has not formally awarded the title because of the complexities created by numerous name changes, relocations and reconstructions. 'There are lots of very old pubs that might make a claim to being oldest, but it could be contested because it could be argued they weren't always in 'London,'' English historian and author Jacob Field said. 'Many pubs have changed name over time, making it hard to claim they are the oldest."