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Advent Thrill: The Next Big thing in town

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Dehradun, Vijay Pratap Singh is a young man who wears many hats. This young man gave up his multinational job for the love of adventure and returned to Dehradun to set up base in his hometown.

Just a year ago, 25 year old Vijay started his own adventure company called Advent Thrill, and today his team of six, take along anywhere between thirty to thirty-five groups of like-minded people, per annum for trekking, camping, expeditions to off-beat places such as Chopta, Auli, Kuraee-Pass Kedar Kanth, Jim Corbett and other scenic places in the hill-state.

Jack off all trades, Vijay and his company believe in all kind of thrills, from the mild to the wild and everything in between. “From trekking to rock climbing, cycling, mountaineering expeditions, you name it and we deliver,” but what so different about it, I ask! “we are a non-plastic adventure group, which means, zero-tolerance to using plastic in any form in all our activities.” 

Along with zero-tolerance for plastic waste or usage, Advent Thrill promotes home-stays in villages so that there is employment at grass-root level, financial gains to those who need it the most as well as an up-close personal interaction of the team mates with hill-folks who introduce the traveller to their cuisine and culture, a complete package some would say.

Smitten by the adventure bug, Vijay is an avid photographer as well, who has captured some breath-taking still on his shutterbugs as this seasoned mountaineer travels where few dare, making his creations the topic of many interesting conversations.

Advent Thrill is a conscious-adventure group which goes an extra mile to ensure that not only do people enjoy the thrill when it comes to adventure activities but also feel personally responsible in making sure that their activities in no way harms the fragile environ which they set out to enjoy.

CM Trivendra launches Red FM 93.5 Radio Channel

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Chief Minister  Rawat launched  Red FM 93.5 Radio Channel from the office of South Asia FM Limited at Kaulagarh Road. While congratulating and extending wishes to the Radio Channel Red FM 93.5 team, Chief Minister said that, “it is first Radio Station of Red FM 93.5 in Uttarakhand and Dehradun. Along with entertainment, Red FM 93.5 Radio Channel will play a vital role in bringing social awareness on various important issues and will make the people aware about the public welfare schemes and policies.”

With FM Radio Channel at local level, the delight, beauty, spiritual and cultural features of Uttarakhand will get more recognization. With the start of the radio channel, there will be new opportunities for talented youngsters of the state, who can give interesting presentations on the radio.

4 dead, 2 injured as incessant rainfall lashes Dehradun

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Rain, Thunder, Lightening, since late last evening brought the hill-state to a dripping halt.  Predictions of the Met department came true as incessant rainfall lashed the hill-state including the State Capital, Dehradun.

In the district, close to Seemadwar’s Shastri Nagar four members of a family including two minor children died when a retaining wall collapsed on their home in the early hours of today morning. Two others injured  in the incident were rushed for medical assistance to Doon Hospital where SSP, DM and senior officials visited them. There were also unconfirmed reports of two separate incidents in which two people were said to have been swept away in Rispana and Bindaal river which have been in-spate due to heavy rainfall in the upper reaches since late last night.

Numerous roadblocks, landslides plagued the roads connecting the district to its surrounding areas such as Dehradun-Mussoorie route was blocked at Kolukhet, Kincraig in Mussoorie, Yamntori-Mussoorie highway at Kadikhaal. There were long queues of vehicles lined up on either side as the administration worked on war-footing to clear up the roads within a short span of time.

 

 

There was also news of water logging in many areas of Dehradun, such as Dalanwala, Govindgarh Colony where homes were filled with close to six or seven feet of water. People were advised to move to higher grounds from these and other low lying areas.

Dehradun District Magistrate S.A. Murgeshan did announce ‘one day holiday’ for schools and anganbaadi’s at 7:00 a.m. in the morning, but by then it was already too late as most students had already reached their institutions safely.

According to the Met department there is  heavy to very heavy rainfall in store over the next 48 hours in Kumaon and Garhwal region. The district administration, State Disaster Response Force and State machinery is leaving no stone unturned to deal with any eventuality which may arise. All systems in place were on high alert, with senior officials at district levels manning all stations personally.

Education Minister holds meeting with SIT on issue of fake documents

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A joint meeting of the education department and the Special Investigative Team (SIT) formed to probe the forged educational documents of some teachers working in primary Education Department, held under the chairmanship of State School Education Minister Arvind Pandey at Secretariat.

The Education Minister reviewed the progress made by the SIT in the matter. On the complaint of Deputy Education Officer, Bahadarabad that two clerks namely Pawan Kumar and Manoj Chauhan are not cooperating in the probe, the minister ordered the transfer of those two clerks to far flung areas. He also ordered registration of FIRs against accused teachers in 20 cases recommended by the SIT and also ordered action against appointment officers in those cases.

The state government had ordered an investigation by SIT after it was found in an inquiry that some of the teachers appointed in primary schools as well as in Inter colleges in the past five years had fake educational documents.  In this regard, the service records of 7047 teachers appointed between 2012 till 2016 were provided to the SIT and 10485 documents have been received after verification. Apart from these complaints against 365 teachers received from various sources, 161 complaints have been disposed off.  The verification of documents of all those teachers who joined between 2012 till 2016 and provided by education department has been going on.

Incharge SIT Shweta Chaubey informed the Education Minister that after the verification of documents of 42 teachers, the SIT has recommended registration of FIR in 20 cases to the education department and investigation in 22 cases is going on. The Incharge SIT said that universities and colleges are demanding fee for verification of educational documents by the police. She said that for police verification there should not be any charge. The Education Minister assured to plead the case effectively and asked the education department to provide the money required for any such fee.

Secretary Education Dr. Bhupender Kaur Aulakh, Director General Captain Alok Shekhar Tewari, Director, Secondary Education R.K. Kunwar, Additional Director Education Ramkrishan Uniyal, Virender Rawat, officials of education department of SIT participated in the meeting.

‘Kodo ka Kodua’ a tribute to the hills of Jaunsaar

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From the charming Jaunsaar belt, young singers Abhinav Chauhan and Sunny Dayal have come out with a Jaunsaari  Youtube foot-tapping video, which, just two days old is already creating  a sensation amongst all age groups. ‘Kodo ka Kodua,’ has beautifully captured the beauty of the Jaunsaar-Bawar belt.

The soulful lyrics composed by Late Ratan Singh Jaunsari Ji and Music by Rajesh Gandarv and Rohit Modak has been Directed by Ansh Studio Haripur. Shot on location in one of Garhwal’s little known, yet most scenic regions of Chani-Churani and Chakrata towns, ‘Kodo ka Kodua,’ is sung by debut singer Abhinav Chauhan who tells us, “I have had no formal training as far as singing is concerned. I enjoy acting and theatre and I brought all my talent to the forefront to make this song and video a hit with people from our region.”

Adding, “the song has been sung and shot on-location to promote the beauty and the culture of the little known Jaunsaar belt, the song recording and videography took less than a week and is a small tribute from our side to the hills we belong to.

At a glance, the six-minute song is a soulful rendition of the flavours, art, culture, dance form, scenic beauty of an area that has managed to retain its rich culture and tradition with a touch of modernity, even today.

While the future of the debut singers depends on the success of Kodo ka Kodua, which has been positive thus far. The complimenting video is a visual treat as it brings alive the hidden natural beauty of a region tucked away in the Aglaar valley.

CM appeals people to support mission Rispana

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Chief Minister  Rawat visited Massi Fall, the originating point of river Rishaparna on Sunday. Chief Minister appealed the locals to support mission ‘Rispana to Rishiparna.’ He said that on July 22, more than 2.5 lakh plants of many species will be planted on the same day from the origin of Rispana to Mothrowala.

The trees to be planted will include fruit bearing trees, fodder trees and trees which help water conservation. Planting that will be done on July 22 will be with social organizations, institutions and public cooperation. More than 1.5 lakh plants will be planted on Kosi river. Chief Minister said that in the initial stage, the target of rejuvenating Rispana and Kosi river has been set. After that other rivers will also be rejuvenated. In order to keep the coming generations safe, special efforts have to be made in the direction of water conservation. For this, arrangements of rain water harvesting are being done in government institutions.

Chief Minister has appealed to the people that those who are not able to plant trees on the river Rispana on July 22, they must plant a tree in their houses or around them with the spirit of “Mera Vriksh Meri Yaad”. Plantation is necessary for water conservation. Those water sources that have dried up have to be revived. In order to provide Dehradun complete gravity based water supply, target to construct the Song dam has been kept for year 2020.

Efforts will be made to complete the solar water project by June 2019. On this occasion, District Magistrate Dehradun Mr. S.A.Murugesan, VC MDDA Ashish Srivastavaand local public representatives were present.

Savoy, Mussoorie hosts Miss Eva India, Uttarakhand 2018

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Mussoorie. Queen of Hills witnessed a star-studded evening at a gala event held at the Grand Ballroom of the Savoy Hotel, Mussoorie. Twelve young ladies from Delhi, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Haridwar walked down the ramp with stars in their eyes to win the coveted Miss Eva Uttarakhand, India 2018 crown.

The 2nd Edition of Eva India 2018, State Level audition was a day event, with twelve finalists making it to the final round from where three were chosen. The final  contestant will go onto to represent the State at the Grand India Miss Eva Contestant to be held in December this year. The first of it kind event at the hotel was an attempt to revive the golden era, when “Mussoorie was the Queen of Resorts and the hotel, the resort of Kings,” as many old-timers would put it.

The Grand Ballroom of the Savoy Hotel is not new to such beauty pageants. Up until the 1990’s Miss May, Miss June, Miss Summer Queen and when they ran out names, Jungle Queen were held under its crystal chandeliers adding grander with something of the old and something of the new,” said Prof Ganesh Saili, chief of jury.

In continuation of the legacy left behind from Savoy’s past, General Manager, Amit Kumar briefs us: “This is the first of its kind event after the hotel was renovated and opened with complete fanfare on June 1st , 2013 and we hope that we are able to carry on this tradition which gave Savoy a niche over other properties.”

The one amongst the lucky twelve who out-shone the others and walked away with the crown and sash was Doon girl Smeeksha who won prizes worth five lakhs and a contract with Eva, 1st runner up was Ameesha again from Dehradun while Mussoorie’s Shania Mary O’Connor was the 2nd runner up who signed off saying, “No dream is too small to be achieved.

Survey completed for Kichha-Khatima new railway line

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Dehradun, Survey work of new location for the construction of Kichha-Khatima new railway line has been completed. DPR for the 51.48 km railway line to be constructed at a cost of Rs 165.67 crores will be prepared by North Eastern Railway soon. In this regard, a meeting between the Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh and General Manager, North Eastern Railway, Rajiv Aggarwal.

It was also decided in the meeting that the North Eastern Railway will construct a RUB (Railway Under Bridge) at Lalkua-Kathgodam line and Kashipur town. Uttarakhand will also bear some part of the expenditure to be incurred on this. Apart from this, a RUB will be constructed at Khatima-Bunbasa railway line too.

It was also discussed in the meeting that the arriage of grains from FCI godowns in Rudrapur, Kashipur and Bajpur should be done through rail. Chief Secretary has requested the GM North Eastern Railway for starting Corbett Special Train between Ramnagar and Delhi and Dehradun-Kathgodam Intercity Train. GM assured that soon a techno-feasibility study will be done for this.

Dip in Chardham pilgrims as monsoon sets in

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Not until mid-September or October,” says Urmila Rawat, a teacher who lives in Dharampur, Dehradun who was thinking of heading into the hills for the cherished Chardham Yatra. “Don’t trust the hills, especially if there’s thunder, lightning and rain,” She tells me. It is something she had always heard.

Further afield, at Rishikesh, Biometric Officer Premanand, has finally got a break from a tough schedule. ‘ No sooner had the Yatra season begun, we hardly had time to breathe. It seemed as if everyone was heading to the hills. But no sooner did the first clouds appear signalling the onset of the monsoon, the number of pilgrims is down by some eighty percent.

This year Uttarakhand’s Chardham Yatra has shattered all previous records as far as the number of pilgrims registering themselves is concerned. Perhaps the rains evoke memories of the June 2013 Kedarnath tragedy. It seems to be on the minds of every visitor. A sudden dip in the numbers is a sad reminder of that public memory is not all that short.

When the signs of that disaster were visible all around, in good weather, people seemed to have forgotten the bad days. But the moment a few wisps of cloud herald rain, the exodus begins as visitor exit these sub-montane river valleys to head to the safety of home and hearth.

Needless to say, for over a month now, the State Machinery has been gearing up to face any eventuality, working on war footing.  With hourly weather updates from the Meteorological Department, emergency services on standby, numerous JCBs clearing landslides, landslips and roadblocks in a matter of few hours. In the Meantime, State Disaster Relief Force  teams have been stationed at thirty one places in the State, and leaves of field employees cancelled until mid-September. Seventy Four satellite telephones have been handed out by disaster management, if need arises. Yet, pilgrims remain skeptical, not wanting to risk a Yatra during the monsoon.

Dehradun gears up to celebrate HH The Dalai Lama’s 83rd birthday

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In 1959, His Holiness The Dalai Lama arrived in Mussoorie’s Birla House, Happy Valley. The first Tibetan settlement came up here and since then, in his wake followed some 11,000 Tibetans who have made Doon and its environ their home. As the ‘Man in Maroon‘  reaches the 83rd summer of his life tomorrow, his family in exile, be it monks, nuns, students, young and old will join in spirit to celebrate the life of their beloved Guru as he turns a year older.  

For over 70 years and more, the valley, Mussoorie and its umpteen Tibetan establishments have held a special place in the heart and mind of the XIV Dalai Lama, who visits the region more often than naught.

It will be for the first time ever, Dekyiling youth under the patronage of Doon Buddhist Committee will be organising a program in Dehradun where the Tibetan community will turn out in their fineries to partake in a two hour celebrations with cake cutting, yak dance, snow lion dance including a special prayer for world peace and harmony at the Pacific Mall, Dehradun from 3:45 p.m. onwards tomorrow. 

Talking to Newspost, Sherin Luding informs us, “Each year we celebrate His Holiness’s birthday in our homes and community and settlements. It is a very special day in our lives. This year what is  different is that for the very first time,  we shall be ringing in the birthday in public.’  What’s the special reason for making an exception this year? I ask. “His Holiness is  an apostle of peace and universal  brotherhood. We want to take  his message to all. What better time, than on his birthday.”

While the world prays for the long, healthy life of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, we are no different, for it was in our neck of the woods, that he set-up his first ‘home-away-from home’ after an epic fifteen-day long trek from Lhasa, Tibet to Birla House, Mussoorie, India.