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FTII’s Sarthak Bhasin bags Best Short Fiction Award

By
Tania Saili
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EKAANT, a film by Sarthak Bhasin, recent alumnus of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune, won the prestigious Best Short Fiction Award at the Tbilisi International Student Film Festival that was held from 30 May – 3 June, in Georgia.

Sarthak Bhasin, a 2011 batch Direction student directed the Course end diploma film which has been shot by Pretheepan Selvarathnam, edited by Sumit Kumar with sound by Arun Kumar R.

Not new to winning awards, Sarthak has managed to add yet another feather to his cap as FTII Director, Bhupendra Kainthola points out, “Sarthak’s academic achievements as a student of Post Graduate Diploma in Direction and Screenwriting has been something to write home about. Considering his enviable track record, the honours at Tbilisi is, in a sense, not surprising,” while congratulating Sarthak on his spectacular achievement.

The movie is set in an unspecified time and space, with the protagonist of EKAANT being the only living person in a devastated city. The protagonist goes about struggling, negotiating tough settings and more importantly trying to survive. Then, one fine day, out of nowhere, he happens to meet another person. Except that this person looks exactly like him.

Talking to Newspost about the Award Sarthak says, “its  great feeling to get recognised, any sort of encouragement or recognition is a great feeling, it wants to make you work harder and make better movies for people. The volume of work that the team had to do for this assignment was more than my previous works, so its gratifying to be recognized. “

At the moment, Sarthak who recently moved base to Mumbai and is grappling with a feature length script that he is writing along with finding his feet in the ‘city that never sleeps.’

Talking about his future goals, he says with complete aplomb, ‘I want to be in Bollywood, yet do my own thing,’ that is the dream this young man is living for now.

Sant Nirankari Mission Cleans up Mussoorie

By
Tania Saili
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Working on war-footing, dressed immaculately in khakhi and blue, close to 2500 sevadars, both men and women took to the narrow lanes of Mussoorie,  armed with brooms, ropes, gloves, face-masks and sacks cleaning each and every nook and corner of the Queen the Hills, on World Environment Day.

Speaking to Newspost, Mussoorie Zonal In-charge Shri Harbhanjan Singh said, “We have been planning this for months now. We wanted to make Mussoorie Plastic Free. For this the town was divided into 6 zones starting from Tehri bus-stand to Library Mussoorie.  Our sevadaars and  Sant Niranakari Charitable Foundation sevadal members have done a tremendous job in collecting plastic waste not only from the roads but deep gorges along the roads as well.”

If this was not all. The Nirankari group also seen distributing 1000 jute bags to senior citizens, shop-keepers, as well as tourists to spread awareness amongst all about the harmful affects of plastic. 

‘Say No To Plastic’ was the motto of the cleanliness drive which also held street plays at prominent landmarks in the town.  The gathering also took a community oath in the presence of esteemed Narendar mamaji and  Raj mamiji both Executive Members of the Sant Nirankari Mission saying ‘No to Plastic.’

Along with the cleanliness drive, the mission also planted trees along the Nirankari Bhawan in the Camels Back Road. The drive was simultaneously conducted by the Nirankari Mission in three prominent towns of the hill-state of Uttarakhand, namely Rishikesh, Mussoorie and Nainital in one single day.

Coaxing the mythical Brahma kamal

By
Tania Saili
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0

On World Environment Day, Uttarakhand Police shared with the hill-folks an endearing picture of its rare, legendary and mythological flower of Uttarakhand, the Brahma Kamal with magnificent long leaves from 12 to 15 inches long, and the flower deep green, wrinkled above and silvery below.

Sharing exclusive pictures of the flowers in bloom with Newspost, from the highest plant nursery located at Nandi Base Camp, inside the Kedarnath Police Station. The 6 mtr by 8 mtr enclosure has borne fruite and  an elated police team of the Kedarnath police station headed by Sub Inspector Bipin Chandra Pathak says: “Few weeks back Chief Secretary had especially visited us when he heard about the Brahm Vatika  and had promised to return when the flowers would bloom. Last year only 7 odd flowers bloomed. But this year we have some 30-40 flowers blooming, it’s a delight to see them and I hope CS sir as well as our H’onble Chief Minister and DGP sir will come to visit and see these flowers as well.”

The Brahmakamals or saussurea obvallata in Latin is also the most engendered species of flowers along the pilgrimage route as the flowers are plucked for offerings at the shrines.

The legendary Brahma Kamal finds mention in legend where Draupadi is supposed to have asked Bhim to get her some of the pollen from the plant, which is supposed to give eternal youth.

The Brahma Vatika, as the nursery is named came into existence in 2015, it has around 180-200 plants of the Brahma Kamal growing in a small enclosure. Three years of love and tender care has gone into coaxing these finicky plants, once on the very edge of extinction, to bloom again.

It has proved to be an instant hit with tourists, visitors and pilgrims pouring in from the far-flung corners of the world. It gives them all a chance to see this almost mythical plant from such close quarters. Dhruv Patel from Gujarat, in Kedarnath on a pilgrimage sums it up best: “These flowers are a feast for the eyes and a treat for the soul. All credit goes to these brave hearts for bringing these plants from 14000 feet, planting them and defying all odds to grow them here.”

Mascot of Afghan cricket team comes to Dehradun

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun; The International Cricket Match played in Raipur Sport College in the State Capital has in many ways been the ‘first of its kind’ creating euphoria amongst cricket fans not only from the valley but from all over, converging cheer their favourite team.

The Afghanistan-Bangladesh T-20 series played in Dehradun worked as a lodestone attracting not just ordinary fans but some special ones as well, like 50 year old ‘Baba e Cricket‘ from Afghanistan who leaving behind memories of his war-ravaged home has come to support and cheer his beloved team.

Armed with an easy smile and a long flowing white beard, Raza Khan is hard to miss.  An ardent fan of the Afghanistan Cricket Team he made his way to the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Raipur to witness history.

For the past decade or so Raza has been religiously travelling with the Afghan Cricket team, visiting countries and continents cheering on his cricket team.

Despite limited resources and enormous hardships, alike the Afghan cricket team Raza Khan too has caught the fancy of the media as he sways his country flag with such pride that it warms the cockles of the heart.

Like his counterparts from India, Sudhir Gautam Chaudhary who is the mascot for our national cricket team, and Pakistan’s Chaudhry Abdul Jalil popularly known as ‘Chacha Cricket.’ Afghanistan’s cricket die-hard fan and mascot Raza Khan or ‘Baba e Cricket‘ or ‘Cricket Baba,’ dresses in his handsome traditional dress and head gear, holding his country’s national flag high with pride, egging his cricket team to win.

450 disabled in Haridwar given life assisting equipment

By
newspost
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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thavar Chand Gehlot distributed life assisting equipment to 450 disabled in  Haridwar district as part of Rashtriya Vayoshree Yojna of Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment at a function held at Rishikul ground in Haridwar.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said, “Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi is clear in his thoughts that the government belongs to those people who are economically and socially weak. The constitution of India gives priority to disabled and economically poor.”   In the last four years, 50 times more camps were held which benefitted the deserving people. CM directed the district administration to make people aware about the welfare schemes run for disabled and other welfare schemes run by the central as well as the state governments so that maximum number of people could be benefitted.

The Chief Minister said that anybody can lodge complaint on toll free number 1905.

Union minister Mr. Thavar Chand Gehlot said, “in the last four years, equipment worth Rs.600 crore have been distributed amongst 11 lakh Divyangs of the country and 70,000 camps have been organized for them.”

He said that Rashtriya Vayoshree Yojna was started last year in which 260 districts of the country have been chosen. Under this scheme, a total of 43,000 old disabled  have been given equipment as per their requirement. More than 80 per cent of the disabled have been provided with motorized tri-cycles. T

The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment provides disabled with wheel chairs, tri-cycles, crutches, hearing aids, spectacles, laptop to students and smart phone. It has been decided to provide equipment worth Rs.7000 to each deserving person. The government is also providing grant for the treatment of children who are deaf and dumb.

48 hours weather alert sounded in Uttarakhand

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, three days after a thunder squall swept through the hill-state, weather Gods have once again decided to bring Uttarakhand to a dripping halt on the 5th and 6th of June, following which the State Meteorological Center has issued a fresh warning of thunderstorm and squall in Dehradun, Pauri, Nainital and Udhamsingh Nagar Districts.

According to the Indian Met Department: “There are chances of an impending hailstorm, squall on Tuesday and Wednesday which will effect Dehradun, Pauri, Nainital and Udhamsingh Nagar Districts with wind velocity of upto 70-80 kilometer per/hour.”

In the past few days, rising mercury saw hill areas such as Rudraprayag touch 33 degrees, Gopeshwar at 32 and Uttarakashi at 31 degrees, while Haridwar was at a  sweltering  37-38 degree. “Thunderstorms will be seen in the plains of five districts. Other places will receive light to moderate rainfall,” said Bikram Singh, Director, Met Centre.

Giving priority to the upcoming weather alert sounded by the Metrological Department on 5th and 6th of June, the State Administration is working on war footing to ensure that no untoward incident takes place, giving strict orders:

  • NO vehicles, except emergency such as 108 will ply on hilly-roads from 8:00 pm to morning 5:00 a.m.
  • There will be complete ban on tourists travelling in the interiors of Garhwal region in the face of inclement rain.
  • Officials of Disaster Management have been kept on high alert.
  • NH, PWD, ADB, BRO, WB have been given instructions to open road blocks, land slips if and when they occur.
  • All Revenue Officials and Village Development Officers not to leave their area and be on duty.
  • Officials and workers not to switch off mobiles.
  • Schools to ensure safety and security of its students.

As the saying goes, ‘Caution is better than cure,‘ and this seems to be the leitmotif of Uttarakhand Government who seems to have learnt its bitter lesson from the 2013 Kedarnath Disaster, and is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that all remains well.

DIT bags first prize at the “Solar energy vehicle competition”

By
Tania Saili
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0

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat met Devansh Gupta and Vartik Shrivastava of DIT University at his official residence. The Chief Minister congratulated these DIT students for receiving the first prize for making a car run on solar energy and electricity in the national “Solar energy vehicle competition” held at Gwalior recently.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister said, “there is immense potential to work in the field of solar energy and power energy. State government is promoting new entrepreneurs under it’s start up policy, and paying special attention to ‘Start up India’ and Stand Up India” to promote entrepreneurship at the grass root level.”

“Innovation in business was getting importance and new technical experiments and business ideas could bring a big difference in the lives of the people,” he added.

A 17 member team of DIT University led by Devansh Gupta participated in the Gwalior competition and went on to win six prizes under different categories.

The highlights of the “Zero Emission Hybrid Solar Electric Car” are:

  • The energy source of the vehicle will never deplete
  • It is free of noise and air pollution

 

 

Radio Collars to track Swamp deers within Rajaji

By
Ashish Dobhal/Tania Saili
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0

Following the success of radio collars on tracking swamp deers in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, in Assam, the same procedure is now being replicated within the Rajaji Tiger National Park on its swamp deer population.

These radio collars have been found successful in keeping a check on the population of many wild animals such as Deers and Elephants as well.

A few months ago, radio collars were mounted on Asiatic Elephants within Rajaji  Park that has aided in studying the habitat and progress of the pachyderms. Radio Collars are non-evasive and hence very safe and useful in tracking animals in the wild.

Range Officer Pradeep Uniyal said, “In 2005 the park just had 35 swamp deers but at present we have over 300.” A population on the rise which needs to be monitored closely.

The collars are being mounted on the swamp deers by a team of Scientists from the Wild Life Institute, Dehradun using Drive-Net method at the Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve.

The new technology is being considered as a right step toward conservation and preservation of the swamp deers, which are also a major tourist attraction in the park.

Wildlife Scientist Dr. Bivashpandav appraised the media saying, “These radio collars are the best technology that we have today to tract wildlife and are completely safe to be used on animals in the wild.”

The forgotten Kipling Road in Mussoorie

By
Tania Saili
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0

If you were to walk or drive near Bala Hisar, along what was the old bridle path to Rajpur, you find that the old stretch of Kipling Road, above Barlowganj looks like a war zone.  What was  essentially a lifeline, or an escape route to decongest traffic on the main roads in the summer months has been effectively cut off. In an ill-timed move, the only alternative escape route from Mussoorie is now a pile of mountain debris.

This stretch of road comes with glorious history. Long before Wynberg Allen School came into existence in 1888, above this stony crag was in 1840, home to Amir Dost Mohammed of Afghanistan, who after his surrender during the First Anglo-Afghan War was whisked away to the hills. For those twenty-four months, the seven-mile bridle path from Rajpur bristled with troops,up until the time, two years later, in 1842 when he was restored to the throne of Kabul.

Today, on the same spot stands Allen School’s Bahuguna Memorial Hall. It commemorates the memory of their alumni: two brothers, both valiant Army Officers, Harsh and Jai Bahuguna who perished on two separate ascents to Everest.

That this road had to be widened in undeniable, but it has been closed nigh close to three months. It would surely be in the fitness of things if all the clutter on the road was cleared at the earliest. Just a few rounds of a sturdy JCB is what it will take to restore this lifeline to Landour, Barlowganj and Jharipani once again and help ease off some of the infamous traffic jams for which Mussoorie has made onto  the headlines of all media houses.

Freak Storm: Boon and Bane to Uttarakhand

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

Last evening’s squall that lashed through the hill-state of Uttarakhand was seen both as a blessing as it helped in putting off raging forest fires plaguing the forests for the past 15 weeks, but then, the squall also brought in its wake a bane to hill-folks who especially lived in the interiors of Garhwal.

Tehri and Pauri districts witnessed incessant rainfall which within hours washed away three  animal shelters and turned lush-terrace farms into overflowing slush flowing into homes and shelter but fortunately there was no loss to life registered anywhere in the hill-state.

High wind, thunder, rain and hail swept through the hill-state bringing down temperatures, putting off the growing inferno which lapped up acres of green cover of Uttarakhand but also in its wake left behind landslides, road-blocks, overflowing canals and naals washing away animal shelters.

A few hours of heavy rainfall in the interiors of Garhwal region saw landslides and road-blocks riddling the hill-state bringing traffic on the roads to a stand-still for a few hours. Badri-kedar as well as Gangotri route along with Karnaprayag and Nainital highway, Chopta road were blocked due to minor landslips for a couple of hours. Uprooted trees and fallen electric poles plunged many areas in Dehradun District into darkness, abrupting traffic flow as well.

Director, State Met Department Vikram Singh  had already sounded an alert for yesterday’s freak storm and today talking to Newspost he updated saying, “As compared to yesterday, the weather today shall remain clear, though the possibility of a storm is there, but it wont be as strong as yesterday. We might have inclement weather from 5-6 June onwards.“

The storm was seen as a welcome break for the plains of Uttarakhand which had been simmering with temperatures close to 41 degrees and rising. The temperature in the State Capital Dehradun fell 5 degrees within a few hours of rain and high winds, which will be the trend over the next few days.

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