Kalleda
Encyclopedia
Kalleda is a small village in Warangal district
, Andhra Pradesh
, India
. It is approximately 40 km from Warangal, and neighboring villages include Parvathagiri, Annaram, Naguram, and Ravuru. The population is approximately 5,000, with 2,500 voting members . The official language of Kalleda is Telugu
. Kalleda is located at 17°43’22”N and 79°43’27” E, and is at an elevation of 750 feet. The climate is hot and dry with May being the hottest month. The monsoon season follows the summer months and brings most of the annual rainfall.
and a village officer. The Sarpanch is elected by the townspeople for a five year term and serves as the village mayor. The village is divided into ten sections, each headed by a ward member. These ward members also help to elect the Sarpanch. The village officer is appointed by the government.
village, with a small percentage of Muslims and Christians. In accordance with Hindu tradition, villagers celebrate the festivals of Ekadhashi, Vinayaka Chavithi, Raksha Bandhan, Dhasara, Diwali
, Ugadhi, Sankrathi, and Holi
.
The Hindu temple in Kalleda is called Kolanu Venkateshwara Swamy Devalyam and was built in the 12th century by the Kakatiya dynasty . Villagers often attend the temple on Saturdays to do Puja, an offering to the gods, and Bajana
, ceremonial songs. The historic stone temple was built many centuries ago and was rebuilt in 2009 .
and Carrom
. Outdoor games include cricket
, which is very popular throughout India, volleyball
, archery
, and football. The local college, Pai Junior College, is especially well known for its archery program. Vardhineni Praneetha, a student trained at the college, competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics .
, lentils, and vegetable curries. Curd
is also eaten at most meals. Chicken
and mutton are prepared on special occasions such as festivals. Much of the food is flavored with turmeric
, chili powder, cardamom
, curry leaves and coriander
.
The schools are noted for maintaining 50:50 female to male student ratios in an area where males tend to comprise the majority of students. Kalleda Rural School has several unique programs including a youth empowerment program and a student photoblog . Pai Junior College also developed a photoblog to showcase the culture of Kalleda . RDF schools are currently in the process of transitioning to English medium teaching from Telugu medium.
. While most farmers are men, women play an important role in rice transplanting. Monsoon season, the rainy season in the late summer and early fall months, is the primary season for planting crops.
Herders also play an important role in agriculture. It is their responsibility to lead the village water buffalo and goats to pasture each day.
Other typical jobs include tailors, toddy tappers, carpenters, drivers, shop keepers, basket weavers, and teachers.
Warangal district
Warangal District is located in the northern area in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The administrative seat is Warangal.Warangal District has an area of 12,846 km², and a population of 3,246,004 of which 19.20% was urban as of 2001...
, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is approximately 40 km from Warangal, and neighboring villages include Parvathagiri, Annaram, Naguram, and Ravuru. The population is approximately 5,000, with 2,500 voting members . The official language of Kalleda is Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
. Kalleda is located at 17°43’22”N and 79°43’27” E, and is at an elevation of 750 feet. The climate is hot and dry with May being the hottest month. The monsoon season follows the summer months and brings most of the annual rainfall.
Government
The village government consists of a SarpanchSarpanch
A sarpanch is a democratically elected head of a village level statutory institution of local self-government called the gram panchayat in India and Pakistan. He, together with other elected Panchas , constitute the Gram Panchayat. The Sarpanch is the focal point of contact between government...
and a village officer. The Sarpanch is elected by the townspeople for a five year term and serves as the village mayor. The village is divided into ten sections, each headed by a ward member. These ward members also help to elect the Sarpanch. The village officer is appointed by the government.
Religion
Kalleda is a majority HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
village, with a small percentage of Muslims and Christians. In accordance with Hindu tradition, villagers celebrate the festivals of Ekadhashi, Vinayaka Chavithi, Raksha Bandhan, Dhasara, Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
, Ugadhi, Sankrathi, and Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
.
The Hindu temple in Kalleda is called Kolanu Venkateshwara Swamy Devalyam and was built in the 12th century by the Kakatiya dynasty . Villagers often attend the temple on Saturdays to do Puja, an offering to the gods, and Bajana
Bajana
Bajana is a village in Tehsil Buxwaha in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The Pincode is 471311....
, ceremonial songs. The historic stone temple was built many centuries ago and was rebuilt in 2009 .
Sports and Games
The two most common indoor games played in Kalleda are ChessChess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
and Carrom
Carrom
Carrom is a family of tabletop games with gameplay that lies somewhere between billiards and table shuffleboard. Carrom is known by many names around the world, including carrum, couronne, carum, karam, karom, karum, fatta and finger billiards...
. Outdoor games include cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, which is very popular throughout India, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, and football. The local college, Pai Junior College, is especially well known for its archery program. Vardhineni Praneetha, a student trained at the college, competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics .
Cuisine
The staples of the diet are riceRice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, lentils, and vegetable curries. Curd
Curd
Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then draining off the liquid portion. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle into solid masses, or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only...
is also eaten at most meals. Chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
and mutton are prepared on special occasions such as festivals. Much of the food is flavored with turmeric
Turmeric
Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...
, chili powder, cardamom
Cardamom
Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...
, curry leaves and coriander
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
.
Family Life
It is common for multiple generations of families to live together in one house. Marriages are arranged by the individuals' families and generally take place when the woman is between 18 and 22 years old and the man is between 21 and 26 years old. Most women are housewives who clean the home, prepare meals, and take care of the children while the men earn a living for the family.Education
The RDF (Rural Development Foundation) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1996 that runs two schools in Kalleda: Kalleda Rural School and Vanitha Achutha Pai Junior College. RDF maintains the values of punctuality, honesty, and transparency . Kalleda Rural School consists of nursery school through 10th year students and the Junior College consists of 11th and 12th year students. Rammohan and Vandita Rao are the RDF members primarily responsible for managing the schools.The schools are noted for maintaining 50:50 female to male student ratios in an area where males tend to comprise the majority of students. Kalleda Rural School has several unique programs including a youth empowerment program and a student photoblog . Pai Junior College also developed a photoblog to showcase the culture of Kalleda . RDF schools are currently in the process of transitioning to English medium teaching from Telugu medium.
Business and Industry
The majority of citizens are farmers and the main crops are rice and cottonCotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
. While most farmers are men, women play an important role in rice transplanting. Monsoon season, the rainy season in the late summer and early fall months, is the primary season for planting crops.
Herders also play an important role in agriculture. It is their responsibility to lead the village water buffalo and goats to pasture each day.
Other typical jobs include tailors, toddy tappers, carpenters, drivers, shop keepers, basket weavers, and teachers.