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Himalayan University partners with Social Development for Communities Foundation

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Dateline Dehradun: A MoU was formally signed between Swami Rama Himalayan University and Social Development for Communities Foundation (SDC) on ‘Citizen Centric Issues’ such as environment, health and urbanization with chief focus on research and academics and above all sustainable development.

Registrar SRHU, Dr Susheela Sharma, and founder SDC Anoop Nautiyal put ink to the MoU in the presence of VC Dr Vijay Dhasmana and Dr Rajendra Dobhal.

Elaborating upon the initiative Dr Dhasmana stated that, “Citizen centric philosophy in the context of sustainable development has always been an integral part of SRHU. Service to the citizens has always been our guiding light. We have over the years endeavored to associate with the champions for change and demonstrate excellence in delivering services that can have a positive impact on people’s lives. In doing so have hoped to boost the initiatives of the government and rebuild the trust of the general populace in public services. With the signing of this MoU we aim to better interact with the citizenry and augment six areas of collaboration.”

“We have plans to work on areas of sustainable development including climate change, waste management, circular economy, sustainable urbanization, rural development and citizen engagement,” averred Anoop Nautiyal. He further added, “We will work to promote scientific temper and undertake social audits on citizen-significant areas. The findings from such audits will be used to aid the policy formulation process in the state of Uttarakhand. We will work together to develop technology for building social solutions. Significantly we will be working on central schemes such as Swachh Survekshan, Smart Cities Mission, Namami Gange and the like. Further we will be exploring opportunities for joint bidding for consultancy assignments as members of a consortium.”

Himalayan Hospital bags ‘Ayushman Gold Certificate’

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Himalayan Hospital

Dateline Dehradun: Within a short span of three years, Himalayan Hospital Jolly Grant attains Numero uno position in the country for treatment under Ayushman Bharat Yojana.  And the mission continues.

‘Ayushman Bharat Yojana’, later renamed as the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna’ (PMJAY), is a national health insurance scheme that is very close to Prime Minister Modi’s heart. The scheme aims to help the economically weaker sections of society that seek healthcare facilities.

No sooner was the scheme rolled out on 23rd September 2018, Himalayan Hospital got into proactive action and within three years of the initiation of this ambitious health insurance scheme, attained the numero uno position in treatment of beneficiaries.

For meeting the target, qualitatively and quantitatively Himalayan Hospital earned the ‘First Ayushman Gold Certified Teaching Hospital’ title in the country. The accomplishment included not merely free treatment of patients from all over the country, but also setting new international health standards.

There are approximately 650 medical college hospitals in India, of these, Himalayan is the country’s first Teaching Hospital, which has bagged the ‘Ayushman Gold Certificate.’

It is not without reason that HH today has countless success stories to its credit. According to Dr Vijay Dhasmana, Member Presidential Body of Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, “This completely cashless scheme for the underprivileged provides coverage worth Rs 5 lakh to every family per year. Himalayan Hospital has endeavoured to provide topnotch healthcare services to the economically disadvantaged. We were able to attain the number one position, due to the single-minded devotion, hard work and diligence of each one of our employees, including our nurses, paramedics, doctors and the support staff. We knew it’s not going to be easy but worth it.”

A per available data until end of May, 2022, over one lakh patients have been treated under this scheme. Himalayan Hospital continues to stay focused on its mission of service to humanity.

And the guiding light continues to be, “Work hard in silence. Let success make the noise!”

Shardul Sharma to participate at The Red Bull Romaniacs

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Dr Tania Saili Bakshi
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Shardul Sharma on his KTM

Dateline Dehradun: Creating history! Born and raised in Dehradun Shardul Sharma has been chosen as the first Indian participant to compete in The Red Bull Romaniacs, recognized as the world’s toughest enduro rally!

Entitled “In Madness We Trust” the event will be flagged off on 26th July, 2022.  Riding for the number one spot, Shardul will be competing with participants from over sixty countries at the five day event to be held in, Sibiu, Romania.

Considered as one of the toughest tracks in the world, The Red Bull Romaniacs has it all: Rough terrain of hills, valleys, mountains and rocky grounds that make up the track with inclines of over 50 degrees off-roading, it not surprising that only 10% of the participants actually cross the finishing line.

Shardul has always been a motorsport athlete and is as passionate as they come!  All of twenty-eight, Shas as he is fondly called by his riders, was born with an inborn talent for the sport. To further hone his riding skills,  he packed his bags and moved to Bangalore; learnt Kannada to speak with his fellow riders and worked as a Lead instructor at CS Santosh’s Big Rock Park.

With a winning streak of over fifteen rallies to his credit such as Red Bull Ace of Dirt, Raid de Himalayas, Indian National Rallying Championship, Sjoba Rally to name a few. There is not stopping Shardul Sharma.

His driving buddy at the race with be his KTM 300 EXC TPI 2stroke, known for its razor sharp performance and equally unforgiving nature. Being the only Indian participate at the rally not only means breaking new ground, but also paving the way for two-wheeler racing.

He believes, “This sport is not for the faint hearted. It needs raw courage, stubbornness and courage.’ He adds, “when courage takes over fear, impossible becomes possible.”

Of Bedu/Anjeer jam, chutney and squash

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Dr Tania Saili Bakshi
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Bedu/Anjeer/Himalayan-Fig Products

Dateline Pithoragarh: Come July and the indigenous Bedu or Anjeer or Himalayan-fig trees are laden with fruit ready to be picked and processed. Found in hundreds of quintal in Pithoragarh district this organic fruit locally called Bedu is now being marketed in a brand new avatar: “Pahari Anjeer.”

The local administration under the vision of District Magistrate Dr Ashish Chauhan has given ‘Bedu’ an interesting twist. The fruit is now being used for commercial production of  jam, chutney and squash and plenty more bottled variants in the pipeline.

Prepared jointly by employees of Agriculture, Horticulture Department and Integrated Livelihood Cooperation Project,  labelled under ‘Pahari Anjeer’ these finished products are being marketed through HILANS in Uttarakhand.

Anjeer/Himalayan-Fig Products

So how did the present District Magistrate come up with the idea, Dr Ashish tells me, “A few weeks back I had  Bedu for the first time and I loved it. It dawned on me as to how we were loosing an opportunity of processing this indigenous fruit found here in abundance in Uttarakhand. Within a short span we had it processed into jam, chutney and squash. ‘Pahari Anjeer’ has managed to penetrate the market and is economically viable.”

The fruit has been found beneficial for diseases related to lungs and bladder, preventing skin diseases and infections. Rich in medicinal properties such as Vitamin C, protein, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron etc it is a power-packed fruit.

Dr Chauhan has an interesting line-up of products keeping mind that Pithoragarh alone produces close to seven to eight hundred quintals of fruit every season, giving the administration plenty of scope to experiment with.

For those who want to lay their hands on ‘Pahari Anjeer’ products can either visit HILANS outlets in Dehradun or will be able to place their order online within a week or so, we are assured.

Order online:

Hilans Himalayan Fig (Bedu / Pahadi Anjeer) Jam

 

Richa Badoni: Mountains on a canvas

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Dr Tania Saili Bakshi
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Richa Badoni with her art work

Dateline Dehradun: At times, it takes a soul smashing experience to make you bloom into whom you always were but had forgotten. Richa Badoni personifies that experience for me.

Richa remembers it vividly like yesterday, “It was a wet 15th of July, 2017 when my father died of a cardiac arrest. Days, weeks, months and years went by, and I found myself emotionally drained and incapable of expressing my loss.”

As the years went by, Richa found a void she couldn’t fill. She stopped doing something the young talented artist knew she was born with and good at. “I just couldn’t make myself sit and paint. Art is what my heart feels and for the past few years I was stuck in a loop of numbness and grief.”

In December 2021 Richa decided to go on a solo trek to Kuari pass to kickstart 2022 on a fresh note. But before setting out on her own, Richa sat with her paints and canvass and forced herself to paint something related to her maiden trek. Looking back, she says, “Maybe this decision was a blessing in disguise, maybe I just wanted to restore my faith in myself.”

Richa and the mountains

Since then the young artist has not looked back. A born artist, Richa paints sheerly for the love of it and has managed to polish her skills while taking part in art competitions.

Not able to get enough of the mountains, Richa funds her expeditions with her art work. Art and her passion to climb have turned into her stairway to healing and conquering mountains of grief and loss.

It’s been six months now and Richa finds that along with her mountaineering gear, it is her acrylic paints that have given her a new lease of life as she brings the mountains she conquers onto canvas again and again.

Saru Dabral: Talking with paper and pencil

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Dr Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Mumbai: Scrolling through FaceBook  I came across a beautiful sketch by an artist friend.

Saru Dabral’s varied artwork has always had that effect, irrespective of the medium she has chosen to express herself in, you find yourself asking for more of what she is upto. Living far off in Mumbai, Saru manages to bring alive the women-folk of her home state Uttarakhand in her art work, effortlessly. From acrylic, to charcoal and now to colour pencils, Saru has managed to hone her skills with each medium she chooses. A self-taught artist whose love for Uttarakhand shows through her work even when marriage took her to Mumbai, her heart is in the mountains.

With roots in Chamroli village in Tehri Garhwal, Saru Dabral was brought up in Delhi. Despite her brief stint with merchandising and fashion designing, it was her childhood passion for painting that finally won over. Two decades on, Saru has been painting professionally using oil paints, acrylic, water-colours, charcoal and steadtler watercolour pencils onto multimedia paper.

“It feels really good, fresh and light using pencils,” Saru tells me. “ I always like to try different mediums for art. And pencils are one my favourites. Pencils are our primary tool. And sometimes simple sketches speak volumes.” And they do, I can vouch for that!

Dedicating anywhere between four to five hours a day, the artist in Saru Dabral feels like she is a beginner. She adds, “I just want to capture the expression and emotions as well as I can. There is a glimpse of my roots in whatever I put to paper and I try to do justice to my subjects which are mostly women.”

Juggling home and hearth with her passion one wonders how Saru Dabral finds the time to do what she does with such finesse, she signs of saying, “If you are passionate about something; your passion helps you to manage everything.”

Renest Hotels mark their presence in Uttarakhand

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Dateline Haridwar: India’s fastest-growing boutique hotels & resorts chain, Renest Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of Renest Haridwar. With its latest launch, the group has further consolidated its position in the spiritual segment. The group’s third property in the spiritual tourism sector, others being in Shirdi and Tirupati and now Haridwar.

An experiential boutique hotel situated on the Rishikesh Highway, the destination is popular for its mythological significance and spirituality.

Spread over 60,000 square feet, situated at the Rishikesh Highway adjoining Sridhar Ashram, Motichur Range in Uttarakhand, India,  it is within comfortable driving distance to popular tourist attractions such as the Rajaji National Park, Chilla Tiger Reserve, Har ki Pauri and Bharat Mata Mandir.

Talking about the future vision for Renest Hotels & Resorts, Rahul Rai, Executive Director, UMIL Hotels  said, “The company’s vision is to operate 100 hotels in the next five years and we as boutique hotels & resorts chain plan to offer experiential stays to the guests with our miscellaneous, layered portfolio, wherein we will have something exceptional for contemporary, prudent travellers who seek adventure, serenity and a holistic experience.” 

Vishal Lonkar, General Manager, Brand Development at Renest Hotels and Resorts, said “We are pleased to announce the launch of Renest Haridwar as this will be one of the newest hotels situated at the Rishikesh Highway and our third venture into the spiritual segment. We hope with our diverse hotel portfolio, virtuous ambience and committed ground staff, we provide memorable and extravagant travel experiences to our patrons.”

A 74 keys hotel the rooms range from exquisite balcony rooms, grand suites to comfortable deluxe rooms. Each of the rooms is designed for a comfortable stay, with personalised services, offering warm stays with plush interiors designed sublimely with modern amenities including an all-day dining restaurant ‘Tribe’ which serves delectable multi-cuisine.

Do visit Renest on your next visit to Haridwar!

Yoga has helped relieve mental stress: Urvashi Rautela

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Urvashi Rautela

Dateline Mumbai:  Actress Urvashi Rautela,  considered as one of the fittest divas in Tinsel Town,  never fails to give us major fitness goals by sharing a glimpse of her fitness routines and workout videos on her social media. The fitness enthusiast actress, Urvashi, has been inspiring fans and fitness enthusiasts towards a healthier lifestyle, nailing one complex exercise after another. She truly believes that yoga is the way to live a healthy life. For all those who like to go the extra mile when it comes to fitness and undertake a complete body exercise that can be done in a short period of time, Yoga is the answer to it.

On this Yoga Day, actress Urvashi Rautela connects to her fans, saying, “Yoga is not just an exercise, but instead it includes different practices to promote mindfulness, spirituality, peacefulness, and good well-being.”

Adding further  the actress said, “The word ‘Yoga’ has been derived from two Sanskrit words, ‘Yuj’ and ‘Yujir’, meaning’ Together ‘or’ To Unite’. Yoga can have different meanings, like the unity of soul, mind, and body; the togetherness of thoughts and actions, and so on. Practicing yoga has myriad benefits, including relieving mental stress, enhancing physical and muscular strength, maintaining balance, improving stamina, etc.“

Stretches can be accommodated into everyday workout routines to reap the greatest gains, and Bollywood youngest superstar Urvashi Rautela was seen rooting for the same. She believes that yoga has truly helped her to relieve mental stress to an extent and helped her to be more focused on her thoughts.

On the work front, Urvashi was recently appointed as the first global brand ambassador for the Smile Train Foundation. Recently, she was seen performing in front of 50,000 people at the trailer launch of her pan-India film, ‘The Legend.’ The actress is making sure to keep her admirers proud and engaged with her daily life activities and global achievements.

Responsible Tourism need of the hour

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Responsible Tourism talk in session

Dateline: Uttarakhand has crawled it’s onto the world map for tourism. It is known not only for spiritual tourism (Chardham, Yoga festival) but also tourists making their way to hill-state to enjoy its cooler climes and scenic beauty.

Brainstorming on various aspects of ‘Responsible Tourism in Uttarakhand’ in its third edition of VoW Policy Dialogue organized at VoW Cafe in Dehradun, speakers from different spheres involved in a policy dialogue that emphasized on the need of the hour to inculcate responsible tourism. Issues such as carrying capacity, sustainable development education, culture, environment, waste management and migration were also discussed.

Dr. Sanjeev Chopra, Festival Director of the Valley of the Words said, “when we talk about tourism, we have to talk about our culture as well. Tourism is a great medium for the promotion of culture. Through this we can take our traditions, our food and our products to other communities.”  Citing the example of Bhutan and other countries, he advocated different models of responsible tourism.

Kiran Bhatt Todaria, Managing Director, Indo Ganga Holidays and a pioneer of adventure tourism spoke from experience about the development of the rafting activities in her hometown, Rishikesh. Kiran highlighted how, “our state may have benefited economically through tourism, but for this we have put our environment and our culture at stake. She spoke about,  “making all the operators of the region sensitive towards the environment and culture. To begin rafting activities in other rivers of the state as well.“

Dr. Jagdeep Khanna, Principal, Institute of Hotel Management, Dehradun said,  there is a need to bring more clarity in the home stay policy in the state. Along with the promotion of culture and food through tourism.” He stressed on the need to utilize the full potential of places like the Tehri Lake. He signed off saying, “ if we want to move towards responsible tourism, then we have to focus on carrying capacity, study and pre-planning.”

Hemant Kochar, Chair Uttarakhand Chapter – PHD Chamber of Commerce spoke about the 12 different models of tourism and the need for further research. He said, “we have to do research on what kind of tourists are coming to Uttarakhand, what they are giving us and what are they taking from here.” He talked about, “diversifying tourism and developing new tourist places. Providing training to the people associated with the business about sustainable tourism and SDG Goals.”

While conducting the program, Anoop Nautiyal of SDC Foundation gave information on different aspects of sustainable tourism in the report on Indian Himalayan Region released by NITI Aayog in the year 2018. Along with this, he referred to the Sustainable Tourism Criteria of the Union Ministry of Tourism, Eco Tourism Policy of October 2021 of the Ministry of Environment and Uttarakhand Tourism Draft Policy 2020. Through statistics, he gave information about, “the responsible model of tourism on the basis of the number of pilgrims who came to the Chardham Yatra as well as the Purnagiri fair, Kainchidham fair and Ganga Dussehra fair that were completed this month.”

HUDCO Regional Manager Sanjay Bhargava, Rashmi Chopra, Paramjit Singh Kakkar of Pramukh Sanstha, Vishal Kala of PHD Chamber of Commerce, Robin Nagar of Valley Culture, Vaid Shikha Prakash among others were present on the occasion.

Bulbuley: An Ode to Nature

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Dr Tania Saili Bakshi
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Team Bulbuley

Dateline Srinagar: Bulbuley the latest composition by Team Pandavaas on the occasion of  World Environment Day hits a chord with their fans.

What was supposed to be a sixty second jingle turned out to be a three-minute song dedicated to our dwindling environment. Produced by Indian Regional Association for Landscape Ecology, ENVIS India, Wildlife Institute of India,  Bulbuley (Bubbles) is Pandavaas Hindi composition after a long time.

While different tracks were launched on the occasion of World Environment Day, this latest sound track by the Pandavaas leaves you thinking.

Bulbuley produced by

With just three days from pre to post shoot schedule, the song was shot on location in Khirsu, Garhwal. The main protagonist, a young girl depicts how Nature is struggling to breathe and survive. Lyrics by song writer Sushant Bhatt makes one sit up and listen. The song motivates everyone to be responsible for their surroundings.

With an interesting motley of local artists the voice of Anjali Khare adds soul to the three minute ode to nature. Multi-talented Sushant Bhatt not only lends lyrics but also strums his electric guitar; Deepak Naithani plays the ukulele, Aniruddha Chandola on the acoustic guitar, Shivani Chandra on the Keys, Shresth Shah and Ishaan Dobhal beat the drum/dhol as Aman Dhanai is the bass guitarist with Rakesh Rawat as the percussionist. The direction and video concept of Kunal Dobhal to have all the artists in PPE kits in a serene surrounding gives as deeper message to the audience. Music production by Ishaan Dobhal and Salil Dobhal’s  Video Team that includes Navdeep Saini, Rishi Panwar, Udit Rawat, Ranjana Bartwal and Suman Bisht bring the lyrics alive on the screen.

Kunal Dobhal adds, “We just had three days to execute this concept. The lyrics, the vision of the team added value to the end product which has been highly appreciated.”

To listen in, click here:

https://youtu.be/VYsp910wyYU

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