‘Yakulaans’ capturing Uttarakhand’s haunting reality

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August 25, 2021

Dateline Rudraprayag: Migration. A fact that stares our home-state Uttarakhand in the face. A recent RTI reveals how within a decade over five lakh people have migrated out of Uttarakhand leaving 3,946 ghost villages dotting our hills.

Capturing this poignant issue in less than 30 minutes in their debut short non-feature-film category are the ‘Pandavaas Production’ from Srinagar, Garhwal.

‘Yakulaans,’ means ‘to be lonely,‘ and that is what this story is all about. It is the moving story of an elderly man who lives all by himself in one such ghost village. The man is bereft of any human company to share his joy or sorrow with, he speaks in monologues to his cattle and a few strays in the village.

Shot from a Point Of View (POV) camera angle, the team brings alive the haunted world of the protagonist residing in a ghost village bereft of human company.

The Pandaavas explain, “The moving lyrics of Jagdamba Chamoli ji and the soulful voice of Deepa Bugyali define the loneliness of our protagonist. The topic of ghost villages and migration have always been pertinent to our hills. Yakulaans is both liberal, progressive and dipped in nostalgia.”

As for Ishaan Dobhal the Music Director, “Sound recording in the ghost village was a challenge as the silence was haunting and disturbing. The theme song of the movie is an amalgamation of local Uttarakhand folk musicians along with classical western musicians. We have tried to capture all the emotions through music.”

The fact that Yakulaans was a crowd-funded project by two hundred and eighty people and Damodar Hari Foundation made the project more endearing for the Pandavaas team.

For Kunal Dobhal the Director of his debut non-feature film, was something he could empathise with. Armed with a master’s degree in theatre and performing arts, Kunal started the art of storytelling through acting in plays. Through Yakulaans, that has been shot on location in a ghost village in Chamoli district with local characters, Kunal’s creativity resounds the reality of ghost villages across Uttarakhand.

Pandavaas Creations Pvt. Ltd. an Uttarakhand based media production has been instrumental in working with the young artists on music videos and folk literature, video documentaries on social issues. Yakulaans is their first, yet not the last, Non-Feature Film and part 4 of their Time Machine series.

Yakulaans is slated to release @ 6:00 p.m. on social media handles coming 27th of August, 2021.

Classrooms for children: Border Road Organization

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Harish Thapliyal/Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi

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August 16, 2021

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Dateline Uttarkashi: For young and energetic Sandesh, Vikas, Lalita, Kavita and many amongst these seventy-five young children the month of August has been special, and no not only because of the 75th Independence Day

Thanks to the initiative taken by two young officers of the Border Road Organization 72 RCC, stationed in the Indo-China border in Uttarkashi the world of words have been introduced to young minds like them.

Rahul Yadav, Junior Engineer of BRO 72 RCC and Subedar Sandesh Pawar switch roles and teach close to seventy-five children of some five hundred labourers mostly from Jharkhand, Bihar and labourers from Naga, Hindoligarh and Jangla labour camps in the interiors of Garhwal.

Aged between four-year-olds to fourteen-year-olds the children have been living a nomadic life in BRO camps with their folks who work as labourers for the Border Road Organization in the bordering districts of India. The idea came into being when the officers noticed how the children stayed back in the camps without any supervision as their folks set out to work early morning and returned late in the evening. The safety of the children and keeping them engaged in a fruitful activity was of utmost priority for the officers who brainstormed ideas and decided that pen and paper would be the best way forward.

A few weeks into their open-air classes, the children come together at 8:00 a.m. sharp and follow a flexible time-table. From English, Hindi to basic Maths, the boys and girls are smitten by the written word. They look forward to their daily classes as much as their dedicated teachers.

Major Binu VS, Officer Commanding of BRO tells us how on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day colourful stationery was distributed amongst the children who are now hooked to the world of alphabets and numbers all thanks to the initiative of two young officers.

‘Minting’ money in Uttarakhand

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Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi

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August 16, 2021

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Dateline Udham Singh Nagar: Baburam Saini is a happy and content farmer from Narpat Nagar. His experiment with intercropping something as basic as Mentha/Mint has added more zeroes to his agricultural income.

Today, Baburam’s 5.5 acres of land is producing additional crop thanks to the technical assistance from the Centre for Aromatic Plant (CAP). Based in Selaqui, CAP is teaching farmers the nuances of intercropping and its multiple benefits. Baburam intercrops maize, mentha/mint and cucumber with his main crop being wheat which has assured better returns.

This one case study reflects the story of over five thousand farmers of Udham Singh Nagar who are being provided technical assistance by the Centre for Aromatic Plant/ CAP in 47 clusters.

The continuous efforts of CAP has ensured that the cultivation of Mint has now crossed borders from Khatima into Sitarganj, Rudrapur and Jaspur development blocks as well. Cultivators have taken to this new technique like ducks to water and are readily intercropping crops for lucrative returns.

A similar story in repeated in Haridwar district where Rao Farooq Khan has been intercropping mint with wheat since 2017. At present, 453 farmers in 14 clusters of Bhagwanpur, Narsan, Bahadarabad and Khanpur in Haridwar are reaping benefits from the technical cooperation of Centre for Aromatic Plant.

A perennial aromatic herb, Japanese peppermint (Mentha arvensis) grows to a height of 60-80 cm. A growing demand for Mentha oil and herbs in industries such as food, flavouring, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and confectionaries shows India dominating the international market with an annual turnover of Rs.6000 crores.

In Uttarakhand, the Terai region is best suitable for the cultivation of this Japanese mint which is being cultivated in 6,118 hectares of land in the four districts of Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, Nainital and Dehradun.

In collaboration with CAP, the State Government plans to develop thirteen Aroma Valleys over the next seven years. Plans are afloat to cover 7,000 hectares of land which will in turn benefit close to twenty eight thousand farmers in the hill-state.

Engineering Marvel: Silkyara Bend–Barkot Tunnel

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newspost

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August 12, 2021

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Dateline Uttarakshi: “Tunnelling is an art and complexity is its beauty,” a thought put into action in the construction of the Silkyara Bend-Barkot Tunnel Project with escape passage in Northern Himalayas.

Being constructed by NHIDCL at Dharasu ˗ Barkot ˗ Yamunotri Road (NH-94/134), in Uttarakhand, this engineering marvel is located on the Chardham route that connects Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Termed as on one of the most prestigious highway projects currently underway in the Himalaya, this bi-directional, two lane 4.531 km long tunnel has an excavated diameter of 14 m. The project is considered as most challenging given its terrain, topography, accessibility, climate, geology and hydrogeology.

Commenting on the development, Mr Raj Kumar, CMD, Rodic Consultants Pvt Ltd., Authority Engineer for the supervision of this project said, “Rodic Consultants takes pride in being part of this dream project located in the Himalayan region. This is truly a challenging task, given the geolocation of the site and the environmental norms of the location. Significant work has been done for the excavation, bridging and hauling process. Once completed, this tunnel will not only facilitate easy access to Uttarakhand’s pilgrimage sites but also enable the development of backward areas, connect new trade centres, and serve the resident population with better economic prospects.”

The tunnel after completion will reduce the road length from 35 km to just 4.537 km. Yamunotri being just about 50 km from this tunnel will make it an easy access for pilgrims who then plan to travel towards Badrinath and Kedarnath.

Barkot and Silkyara are the two ends of the tunnel, with the tunnel alignment covered with overburden/soil with a thick pine forest over it. Apart from being a tourist attraction, this megastructure promises to be an engineering marvel considering the challenges such as 90% of the tunnel is being excavated in phyllite, a very weak rock, using New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) that employs sophisticated monitoring to optimize various wall reinforcement techniques based on the type of rock encountered as tunnelling.

It is expected that this national asset will be completed and commissioned as early as next year i.e. 2022.

The road less taken: Uttarkashi’s Covid Warriors

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Harish Thapliyal/Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi

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August 10, 2021

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Shweta Rana and Sonam Rawat enroute to administer covid dose

Dateline Uttarakshi: Dedicated health workers like Shweta Rana and Sonam Rawat have proven to be true Covid warriors in every sense of the word. They, like many amongst them, risk their life to ensure that people in the interiors of Garhwal are vaccinated against the deadly virus which shows no mercy.

The fear of wild animals, incessant rainfall, landslides, submontane rivers and streams in spate, do not deter these determined women whose only mission is to vaccinate as many as they can. Armed with their kits and working on war-footing to reach remotest of villages, ensure that those enroute are vaccinated on time.

Walking 10-18 kilometers at a stretch to reach villages such as Osla, Gangadh, Dhathmeer and Pavadi with a population of 1500 people, the door-to-door scheme of the health department has ensured that some three hundred and fifty people have been vaccinated in the process till date.

For the likes of Shweta Rana an Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery (ANM) who trekked fourteen hours to get to Taluka village, twice, to administer Covid vaccine doses, this is all part of her job as a health worker.

With biscuit and water to sustain them enroute as they trudge to their final destination Osla village, situated at a height of 2,800 meters, is not an easy job. Braving adverse weather, natural disasters and wild animals they arrive in Osla at eight o’clock at night. The additional ice they carry in an ice box ensures that the precious cargo of vaccine doses remain at the desired 15 degrees. The set to work early morning, before making their way home.

But it is not the sheer distance they cover on foot but convincing hill-folks to get vaccinated on time that has proven to be an uphill task for this dedicated team. But they too leave no stone unturned to ensure that they vaccinate a few, if not all, and come back with more resilience and patience to convince the rest.

‘Neerakshan’ To save every drop of water

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Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi

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August 9, 2021

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Dateline Mussoorie: Campaigning to save a rare commodity like water especially in Mussoorie, a hill-station that struggles with water-shortage is not something new. But ‘Neerakshan’ is one such initiative which is not only light on your pocket but also a very easy doable option for every household to consider.

Leading from the front, HRIDA_greenliving a Mussoorie based NGO has undertaken water conservation campaign under the ‘NEERAKSHAN’ banner urging hotels, homes, schools, institutions and other big and small commercial outlets to install a small device called a ‘water saver aerator.’

This small eco-friendly device is priced at a nominal Rs.56+gst for bulk buying by hotels and just Rs.70/- for homes or restaurants with free trials. Isha Vaish, the woman behind this unique initiative says, “We are giving free trials at homes and hotels. So far a handful of hotels have purchased these aeartors and many homes have given it a shot. There are plenty more that are willing to come aboard.”

These water saving aerators save about 50-70% consumption in bathrooms and kitchen sinks. The item is being directly sourced from a Bengaluru based Ecopreneurship company called ‘Eco-365.’ Isha further adds, “The motive is simple: To make Mussoorie free from future crisis situation. Also, it will cut down on water-consumption i.e. this is small, single device can save about 20k litres annually.”

Ashish Goyal, a local hotelier who has used Water Saving Aerators at home and his hotel is very impressed, he says, “To our surprise these are very simple to use and save a lot of water. There was no after installation issues either. We finally decided to use these for our hotel rooms too. The thought of being a contributor to the save-water mission is most satisfying.” He signs off saying, “I would highly recommend this device and urge everyone to be a part of this mission.”

To book for free trial: 9557248440

Dharasu Power Station sets new record

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newspost

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August 6, 2021

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Dateline Uttarkashi: Monsoon rains racking havoc in the hill-state has made both national and international headlines, but here is something worth celebrating, thanks to the rains.

With the great Indian monsoon in full swing, the state’s Dharasu Power Station in Uttarkashi, a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station built on the mighty Bhagirathi and commissioned in 2008 is located in Chinyalisaur Development Block in Uttarkashi district.

An elated General Manager of UJVNL, Mohammad Gulfisha says, “The 304 MW Dharasu Power House located at Neri village created a new-record by producing 7.388 million units (average load 307.88MW) yesterday i.e. 4^th of August 2021.”

Breaking its past record of generating 7.273 million (average load 303.4MW) in the month of June in the year 2018, this year sets a new high.

“Uttarakhand Bhookamp Alert” Mobile App launched

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newspost

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August 4, 2021

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Dateline Dehradun: IIT Roorkee launched an Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) Mobile App called “Uttarakhand Bhookamp Alert”. The application is available in two versions, compatible with both Android and iOS platforms.

The project was sponsored by Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA), since the Uttarakhand region is the most seismically active and prone to earthquakes. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand launched this lifeguarding app. It is a path-breaking achievement for the institute as it is the country’s first application for notifying people about earthquake alerts.

The programme was initially launched as a pilot project only by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India for the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Given its success and the need of the region, the IITR’s EEW project proposal was further extended by Uttarakhand Government.

EEW is a real-time earthquake information system that can detect the onset of the earthquake and issue warnings before the significant tremors take hold of the state. The physical basis for an earthquake early warning system is the speed of the seismic waves, which propagate after the release of stress from faults movement. The strong ground shaking is caused by shear waves which travel at about half the speed of the primary waves and much slower than electromagnetic signals. The EEW system exploits this advantage.

IIT Roorkee Director, Prof. Ajit K Chaturvedi, said, “I take immense pride in sharing that IITR has designed an Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) mobile app, for timely dissemination of the information regarding an earthquake occurrence in the neighbourhood and the expected time of arrival and intensity at the location to prevent any loss of life. The project had been specifically launched in tie-up with the Uttarakhand Government as the region is prone to seismic activities.”

As part of the project, sensors had been installed in the high terrains of the Garhwal and Kumaun region of the state. Seismic data stream in at the central server established in EEW System laboratory, CoEDMM, IIT Roorkee. High-speed telecommunication is used for data streaming, while high-performance computers quickly compute scenario projections. The central server processes the retrieved data continuously on 24 × 7 basis. The server issues the warning to the public as soon as it detects that an earthquake of magnitude greater than grade five has occurred in those areas where sensors are installed. Warning time varies with the distance of a location from epicenter of the earthquake.

Prof. Kamal, Principal Investigator of the project mentioned that, “this is the only app in the world to record the location of the people who are unfortunately stuck somewhere during the earthquake and send this information to the Disaster Response Force.”

This app requires notification permission to be granted for receiving earthquake early warnings. This app also sends the current location in the SOS message, which requires location permission to be granted.In the case of an emergency, this location sharing helps the search and rescue team deliver service as soon as possible. The app receives warning through the internet.

The app can be downloaded either by scanning the QR code or from the play store

(link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=govind.iitr.eews) or from

app store (link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/uttarakhand-bhookamp-alert/id1570380724).

Ishaan Shaurya Chamoli: Never too young for charity

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Harish Thapliyal/Dr.Tania Saili Bakshi

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July 26, 2021

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Dateline Uttarkashi: “Learning and dreams must continue despite Covid-19 pandemic. While the world is building its immunity against the virus, the poor and needy must not suffer, they should continue to be educated,” says 16-year-old Ishaan Shaurya Chamoli with conviction.

When Covid came to Ishaan’s neck of the wood, he and his friends took to online classes like fish to water. But Ishaan was concerned about children not so fortunate. The lack of access to technology would disrupt the education of children residing in remote areas. Ishaan began his journey by utilising his funds to educate and support needy students.

He started his non-profit organisation “DIY (Do It Yourself) Model UN” in April 2020 towards the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, within a span of one and a half years, Ishaan has made a difference in the field of education, healthcare, and aid for the visually impaired.

With an outreach of over sixteen hundred young minds, the organization has created a global platform for discussions on pertinent issues. He raised funds to fund ten Primary and Middle School students at The Himalayan International School, Banglow Ki Kandi, Kempty, Uttarakhand. Ishaan’s efforts helped in supporting school fees and supplies including giving those in dire need a platform to showcase their talent.

Furthermore, the organisation raised funds for an all girls visually impaired cricket team, in partnership with the “Cricket Association of Blind – India”. Ishaan’s DIY Model UN has tied up with other like-minded institutions to distribute PPE kits, oxygen cylinders as well as ration kits to those who need it the most.

Not new to such innovative ideas, Ishaan conceptualised a smart shopping cart “Mr. Bot” for a hassle free shopping experience, which won him many applauds including the ‘Best Innovation’ at the Manak Inspire awards. Recently, the young lad was also selected as the ‘Youth delegate’ for the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations, Asia Conference 2021 from August 20-23.

‘Ruskin Bond Collection’ the new thing in town

By

Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi

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July 23, 2021

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Dateline Mumbai/Mussoorie: Good news for Ruskin Bond fans! You all can have something, other than a book, that would directly remind you of your favourite author. A line of merchandise tailor-made by his great-grandson Sidharth Bond called ‘Ruskin Bond Collection.’

Telling us more about his latest project from Mumbai, Sidharth says, “This project was always at the back of my mind. I wanted to work on this. I see it as my responsibility being Ruskin Bond’s great-grandchild to keep his legacy alive.” And how!

There is something for every age group. From bookmarks, to tapestry with your author’s favourtie quotes, card-holders and plenty more to chose from @ruskinbond.in.

Welcoming this twenty day initiative Ruskin adds, ‘Through 50s, 60s and 70s although I wrote prolifically, many of my readers may have missed the opportunity to directly connect with me. However, this is about to change with our new endeavour.’

Ruskin Bond Collection is an all-exclusive brand, uniquely created one-of-a-kind product that beautifully recreates the whimsical, delightful and affable world that the author leads his reader into.

‘Over the last three weeks, the response has been overwhelming, we began this journey in the hope of engraving stories and memorable characters built by the author in the form of treasured keepsakes,’ Sidharth tells us.

“Just like Ruskin Bond’s books, we too want to evoke the feeling of comfort, warmth and inspire people through this journey,’ adds Himani Sahu, co-founder.

Keeping in mind, Ruskin’s love for nature, every product at Ruskin Bond Collection is made locally with minimal wastage using natural, biodegradable material.

Ranging from stationery to lifestyle, accessories to clotheslines in the near future, Bond’s enormous body of work will find vivid, expressive and meaningful translation into affordable collectables that one can cherish for a lifetime.

For more do visit:

https://instagram.com/ruskinbondcollection?utm_medium=copy_link

Ruskinbond.in

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