Page 41

The road less taken: Uttarkashi’s Covid Warriors

By
Harish Thapliyal/Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
-
0
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.

Administering an covid dose

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

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
-
0

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

By
newspost
-
0

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. 4th 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

By
newspost
-
0

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

By
Harish Thapliyal/Dr.Tania Saili Bakshi
-
0

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
-
0
Ruskin Bond Collection

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.

Ruskin Bond Collection

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

Doon filmmakers go global with their web-series

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
-
0

Dateline Dehradun: A decade ago,  young visionary filmmakers from Dehradun showcased their performing arts on YouTube for the world to see, fast forward to today, and the team has just released their debut web-series ‘100KM Club’ on MX Player.

What began as a passion to create art has now turned young men from the Doon valley into full-fledged filmmakers with the best brands in the world to compete with. Liberal Arts Productions was brought together by Doonites who wanted to make their mark in the world of creative art both nationally and internationally but from the comforts of their ‘home’ i.e. Dehradun.

Sumit Maurya, a 23 year old Director of the 100KM Club says, “The synergy that our team has is the only thing that made this web series possible. The three days, three episode project was a big challenge for the entire team. But the team decided to go ‘ALL IN.’” But as Agrim Kohli, Head of Production, at Liberal Arts Productions points out, all this would not be possible without Tejasvi Raj a Doonite who worked in MX and approached the team.

Lakshya Khanduri, co-founder of Liberal Arts Productions and the Head of Post Production finds it, “an honour for us to have created our very first web-series for an OTT platform and that too based in Dehradun.The 100KM Club is definitely a great start for us and we’re going to move on from here stronger and better.”

‘100KM Club’ will be streaming on India’s first Everytainment App, MXPlayer. The team also went on to win the ‘Gold Film of the Year’ award for their debut participation at the renowned ‘50 Hour Filmmaking Challenge‘ of the ‘India Film Project S8.’

Liberal Arts Productions’ feat sets a benchmark for upcoming filmmakers from the valley and even other smaller cities. Their never-say-die attitude and motto to ‘step-up’ and ‘work-on’ resonates with every young achiever from the hill state.

The 3 Episodic Web Series, features Varun Sood, Zerxes Wadia and Anam Hashim in leading roles. 100Kms Club is the tale of three friends looking for an escape from their monotonous life and setting out on adventure over land, air and water: all within a 100 kilometer radius of Mumbai.

The Team:

  • Created by Ambarish Sengupta & Tejasvi Raj
  • Director – Sumit Maurya
  • Assistant Director – Tushar Nanda
  • Producer – Lakshya Khanduri
  • Line Producer – Agrim Kohli
  • DOP – Suraj Negi
  • 1st AC – Dhruv Bhatnagar
  • Gimbal Operator – Ankit Bhaskar
  • FPV Pilot – Akshay Bhardwaj
  • DIT – Dhruv Khanduri
  • Grip – Vivek Maheshwari
  • Production Sound Mixer – Shubham Gusain
  • Chief Editor – Lakshya Khanduri
  • Assistant Editor 1 – Sumit Maurya
  • Assistant Editor 2 – Rajat Negi
  • Assistant Editor 3 – Dhruv Khanduri
  • Graphics and Animation – Yagnesh Chhetri
  • DI & Colourist – Dhruv Khanduri
  • Sound Mixing & Mastering – Aniket Raturi & Saurav Rawat
  • Photography – Karan Kumar
  • Poster – Sumit Chamoli
  • Content – Shreyansh Rawat

Trailer:

https://bit.ly/100KMClub_Trailer

Heavy rains lead to three dead in Uttarkashi

By
Uttara Rana
-
0

Dateline Uttarkashi: Last night heavy rainfall lashed the interiors of Uttarkashi in which  three people lost their life and many are feared trapped under debris in Mandu, a small hamlet in the district.

While the district machinery is working on war footing, incessant rainfall through the night and following morning has affected relief and rescue. District Magistrate Mayur Dixit, who reached the site said, “Linking roads to the village have been swept away. We are looking for those feared trapped or missing. Ration is being distributed to those affected by the sudden deluge.”

The injured were rushed to the district hospital and the administration was working on clearing roadblocks, landslips to ease relief and rescue. Broken pipelines, electricity poles have been adding to the misery of those affected.

Not new to incessant rainfall, especially during monsoon, Uttarkashi has been witnessing frequent disasters caused by heavy rainfall or cloud bursts.

On the 3rd and 11th of May extensive damage was caused to property by incessant rainfall in hill-districts of Tehri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi and Chamoli. A dry winter followed by a brief, yet drier summer in April and May makes for perfect recipe for disaster that then leads to loss to life and property.

Every year, every monsoon, the government machinery and its policymakers are put to test by nature’s fury. Solutions and policies come into action to reduce or minimize the affects of such disasters to life and property, but that may not always be the case.

Celebrations galore as Dalai Lama turns 86 today

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
-
0

Dateline Dehradun: Today i.e. 6th of July on the occasion of the 86th birthday of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama millions of people from across the globe, came together to celebrate a man loved, admired and respected by all.

Fulfilling His Holiness Dalai Lama’s wishes on this 86th birthday to spread compassion amongst all living beings, the Tibetan community in Dehradun got together to celebrate in their own unique way keeping in mind the pandemic.

“Beyond religion, HH emphasises on oneness of humanity, secular ethics, and on building together a better world with more compassionate life,” says Sherin Luding from the Doon Buddhist Committee. Adding, ” He often reiterates, that mentally, emotionally and physically we are all same. Each one of us is embedded with the potential to create a happy life.”  A motto that they all live by.

The Doon Buddhist Community distributed ration kits to the needy along with stationery & board games to children who could not afford them. Cakes and juices were offered to those present and to locals in Rajpur, Dehradun. The community also donated porridge and milk to the Raahat Animal Shelter while handing over masks, hand sanitisers and sweets to the staff.

Elsewhere in the city in Raipur area, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women Association of Dekyiling and Dekyiling Settlement together distributed free lunch to over two hundred people. Members of Bharat Tibbat Samanvay Sangh, Tibet Support group were Guests of Honours at the program.

Talking to Newspost, Tsering Tobgay said, “We hope His Holiness lives a long and healthy life. We also pray that His Holiness returns to free Tibet and takes up the seat at Potala Palace, His Holiness’s original abode.“

Black-bellied Coral snake sighted in Mussoorie

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
-
0

Dateline Mussoorie: In the recent edition of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, a first of its kind, the rare species of the Black Bellied Coral Snake (Sinomicrurus nigriventer) was sighted in the Benog Wildlife Sanctuary, Mussoorie in early September, last year.

Two research scholars from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Vartika Choudhary and Sipu Kumar, on their way to Bhadraj temple, which falls within the Mussoorie Forest Division, first sighted this rarest of rare snake as it was crossing a hiking trail.

Considered as the smallest among its venomous cousins such as Cobra, King Cobra and Krait, this Coral Snake,  the Black bellied Coral snake grows to less than a meter in length  and is rarely found close to human habitation.

“This species of snake has been registered from two locations in the hill state: First one, unfortunately a dead one was found in Nainital at around 1100 mtrs by Jignasu Dolia and this live Coral Snake was sighted in September 2020 on the way to Bhadraj temple at 1900 mtrs,” Abhijit Das who works as a faculty at Wildlife Institute of India, tells us.

Biologists further believe that there are 107 species of Coral snakes found globally out of which seven species are found in India. These latest sightings have been reported between an elevation of around 800 mtrs to 1900 mtrs.

Abhijit Das, who has been keeping his eyes on frogs, snakes and lizards of Uttarakhand and beyond, shares his insight with Newspost, “Uttarakhand is home to 36 species of snakes of which this is its newest addition. Recently there are records of few rare species such as Indian Egg Eating Snake, Coral Kukri Snake and Mackinnon’s Wolf Snake being sighted in Uttarakhand as well.” He further adds, “Being highly venomous it also means that the Black Bellied Coral Snake is also “important in the world of medicine.”

1...404142...934Page 41 of 934

Editor's Choice

Popular Posts

©