PARVATHAPUR (MAHBOOBNAGAR DISTRICT), OCT 2: Parvathapur village, 126 kms from Hyderabad, today achieved the distinction of becoming the first "Solar powered digital culture and electronic commerce centre" in the country to be linked to the world through the Internet. The first customer to buy from the centre was none other than Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who ordered a compact disc created by villagers as part of the inaugural ceremony.

Parvathapur is one of the 50 villages to be converted into e-commerce centres by Greenstar India, a local company, in collaboration with the Mandala Grameena Bhagaswamya Samstha and Villages in Partnership (VIP), a voluntary organisation.

In a symbolic gesture, the village was put on the Internet at 10.02 am, (10 for the month of October and two for the date). Naidu e-mailed a congratulatory message assuring full cooperation to the promoters. The tiny village with a population of 2,000 wore a festive look for the occasion with women and children swaying to the drum beats and the rhythmic sound of cymbals, unmindful of the scorching heat.

Inaugurating the centre, District Collector G Anantha Ramu said that the going would be a lot easier for artists to gain exposure at places other than their native villages as their performances would be recorded on CD and marketed world wide.

Greenstar vice-president Charles F Gay said that the village has set a new trend. Greenstar would help the village in marching ahead, he added. Y Venkatadri Rao, Vice President of Capital Fortune said that the Chief Minister was keen on making every village a hi-tech one.

Earlier Prof P H N B Sharma paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. VIP Director Dr T Nagendra Swamy and Swamy Pranavananda Bharati Kumar were among the others who spoke on the occasion.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.