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Urvashi’s latest look styled by Donatella Versace

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Mumbai: Bollywood’s young superstar Urvashi Rautela is no doubt a fashion icon for the young generation. The young talented actor never disappoints her fans. Over the years, the fashion diva has managed to weave a magical spell on her growing number of fans with her complete persona be it her outfit, make-up, styling or acting in her music videos, web-series, movies etc.

Urvashi Rautela latest look in the Egyptian song ‘Versace Baby’ with Arabic superstar Mohamed Ramadan has been styled by none other but the diva of fashion world, designer Donatella Versace. Actress Urvashi Rautela’s looks have been styled by the Beyonce team which cost a whopping fifteen crore. The project took just over a year to pre-plan Urvashi’s outfit and themed look for the video.  Every scene in the video has been tailor-made for the occasion with carefully chosen outfits. In the song, Urvashi portrays the Greek Goddess ‘Medusa’ one of the monsters from Greek mythology.

Sharing more about recreating her as Medusa in the video, Urvashi says, “the six minute project took more than one year to plan my outfit for the song. Every scene is packed with carefully chosen outfits.” Adding, “The Versace family as we are all well aware, is no stranger to tragedy and triumph, making the mythic Medusa a fitting choice.”

‘Versace Baby’ Urvashi’s debut international music video is trending at #number 1 all over the world, while going viral on social media handles. The song is said to be one of the highest budget songs for the year 2021. Released on Eid, Urvashi had earlier stated that,  “all proceeds and my earning from this video will be donated towards nation’s fight against Covid-19.”

Doonites: The Gift of Food during Covid19

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Dehradun: If you happen to be around Dharampur area in Dehradun and see two young men in their thirties driving around, distributing food packets to labourers, homeless and frontline workers, then you have come across Arvind Pundir and Amit Negi two friends who are feeding hungry mouths in times of Covid19.

Arvind Pundir is the owner of ‘Samose-Wala’s’ in Nehru Colony, a five-month-old café famous for serving 18 to 20 kinds of samosas that had to down shutters towards end of March. Covid’s second had struck. Making the most of his kitchen and staff, Arvind along with his friend Amit started out by delivering wholesome home-cooked meals to Covid positive patients living in isolation for a nominal charge of 120/- rupees. Today they deliver close to thirty such meals within a radius of five kilometers of Dharampur.

Out on delivery, the duo came across umpteen frontline workers like policemen, homeless, the poor and labourers working at various construction sites who couldn’t manage meals. They grabbed this opportunity and decided to feed close to hundred people a day either rajma chawal or chole chawal free of charge.

Not stopping there, Arvind and Amit have decided to make 25-30 bottles of interesting thirst quenchers for those out on duty as the mercury rises.

Arvind tells me, “ I have a well-equipped kitchen with two cooks and we deliver food from morning to evening. What we are looking for are genuine volunteers and people who can call us and point us in the right direction. All we need is information about the homeless, the helpless or the lesser fortunate ones whom we can feed.”

Next time if per chance you see someone who needs help, call Arvind on the number given below. Nothing is more distressing than one who sleeps on a hungry stomach.

For Volunteers/ Information:

Amit Negi: 6395412108

SOCH keeping Covid-19 at bay in Uttarakhand

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Tehri: Covid-19 has crawled its way into our hills of home. At present, there is not a single district in Uttarakhand that is not battling the pandemic wave that has left many infected in its sweep.

Taking notice of the gravity of the issue, the Centre came out with special SOPs to curtail the spread of the pandemic in rural and semi-urban towns giving weightage to village-level surveillance, tele-consultation with community health officers, training in rapid antigen testing, but in the meantime, young people are making all the difference.

Rising to the occasion, young volunteers from the community are coming together to do their bit to ensure that the pandemic doesn’t make its way beyond their village gate. SOCH is one such consortium of fifteen-twenty young men and women spread across five hill-districts of Tehri, Uttarkashi, Pauri, Chamoli and Pithoragarh who have taken charge to limit the spread of the disease.

Leading from the front, the team has been working relentlessly distributing masks and sanitizer kits, put together with their personal funds. The volunteers head out early morning to adjoining far flung villages to distribute kits as well as spread awareness amongst the hill-folks about Covid SOPs, dos and don’t’s.

Deep Negi, from the hospitality industry in Dubai was home visiting family when the second Covid-wave struck. Since then making the most of his extended holiday, Deep and his team of volunteers are working on war footing trying to streamline the distribution of masks and sanitizers in over two hundred households across five districts and counting.

This enthusiastic and dedicated team of SOCH has been going door-to door with the single mission of preventing the Covid pandemic from spreading in their villages,  they believe, ‘Prevention is better than cure! And it is no secret that there is negligible if not completely unequipped medical assistance in our villages to deal with the growing pandemic.

For those who wish to support SOCH in their endeavour, please contribute to the below given account:

Account Details:

Account Name – Social Organization for Connecting Happiness

Account No – 37064757554

Bank Name – State Bank of India

IFSC – SBIN0005475

MICR – 248002006

Dharampur Branch, Haridwar Road

Dehradun, Uttarakhand -248001, India

For more information, please follow up on – 7300758707 (m)

Urvashi Rautela to donate earnings from “Versace Baby” to Covid relief fund

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Mumbai: Uttarakhand’s beauty Urvashi Rautela recently made her international debut with the music video ‘Versace Baby’ with Egyptian actor-singer Mohamed Ramadan, released worldwide today i.e. on Eid.

Urvashi recently uploaded a clip of the five minute Egyptian song and where she stated,  “all proceeds and my earning from this video will be donated towards nation’s fight against Covid-19. My international music album  ‘Versace Baby’ out now with Arabic superstar Mohamed Ramadan. Celebrate your Eid with us.”  A noble thought by an artist who can make a difference in such testing times. The actor considers herself a national enthusiast and is willing to do anything in her power help the nation in its hour of need.  In the clip uploaded on her social media the fans get a glimpse of the talented actor sporting a red dress fanning herself with dollar bills while the camera trails Egyptian superstar 32-year old Mohamed Ramadan walking out from a room full of dollar bills scattered all-around.

‘Versace Baby’ also stars Somaya El Khashab, Arfa Abdel Rassoul, Heba Magdy, Sabry Fawaz, Sayed Ragab,Ryad El Kholy, Eman Elassi and others.

While ‘Versace Baby’ is Urvashi’s debut international project for a video song. Earlier, the actress was in the news for being the first Indian film actress as a show-stopper at Arab Fashion Week.

Urvashi Rautela was recently seen alongside singer Guru Randhawa in the song “Doob Gaye.” The actress entered the world of music videos in 2014 with songs such as  ‘Lovedose,’  ‘Teri Load Ve,’ ‘Woh Chaand Kaha Se Laogi’ and ‘Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si.’

Meanwhile, the actress will be seen in the upcoming movie “The Black Rose” and the Bollywood remake of Tamil super hit, ‘Thiruttu Payale 2’. She will be making her Tamil debut with the legendary Saravanan in their upcoming mega-budget sci-fi film. The young talent will be seen alongside Randeep Hooda in the web series “Inspector Avinash”

Urvashi Rautela’s dream date with her mother

By
newspost
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0

Dateline Mumbai: Mothers Day is always a special day, and this year is no exception. While due to the present pandemic lockdown, mothers across the world will be hunkered down at home with their kids— and that includes celebrities too. Actor Urvashi Rautela pre-planned and is making this special day count.

This mothers day Urvashi Rautela has planned a perfect date with her mom, Meera Rautela. The actress said, “I am gonna bake a cake! And have a movie night, complete with theatre treats. I already bought something special for my mom before the lockdown happened. People can also prepare homemade gifts!” Adding, “one can make a hand-made card, gift decorative plants. Deriving amazing benefits from decorative plants and their refreshing lush-green leaves will fill positivity and happiness in your mother’s life.” 

Signing off, Urvashi says, “We should all thank our mothers for taking such good care of us and making us feel special. Mothers are truly the heartbeat of every home.“

On the work front, The most exciting project for Urvashi Rautela is going to be her international music collaboration “Versace” with the Egyptian superstar Mohamed Ramadan. Urvashi Rautela will be sharing screen space with Randeep Hooda for the upcoming Jio studios’ web series “Inspector Avinash”. The actress will soon be making her Tamil debut in a big-budget multilingual sci-fi film. The most interesting part about this debut is that Urvashi Rautela will be playing the role of a microbiologist and an IITian. Apart from this Urvashi Rautela will be starring in “Black Rose” a bilingual thriller, and a Hindi remake of “Thirutu Payale 2”

Uttarakhand police tackles Covid despite 3,199 positive & 10 deaths

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Dehradun: The 2nd wave of Covid pandemic sets new records every day. Since March last year, three thousand one hundred and ninety nine policemen have tested Covid positive, according to the data received from Uttarakhand Police Headquarters. And ten policemen have lost their lives to the deadly virus.

But making the most of the grim situation, our frontline warriors i.e. health workers and our men in khakhi are both, leading from the front.

Uttarakhand police force is performing their duties in protecting the public not only on the roads but also in containment zones ensuring that health guidelines are followed to the hilt. Police personnel are also going a step beyond duty to deliver medicines, oxygen cylinders, donating plasma and helping citizens in their time of need.

In the first wave last year, from March 2020 to 23rd March 2021, a total of one thousand nine hundred and eighty one policemen were found to be Corona positive and eight police personnel died during this period.  A year later, in the second wave, from March 23rd 2021 to May 3rd 2021, one thousand two hundred and eighteen policemen have been infected, with two casualties.

To date, the number of police personnel that have been administered both vaccine doses are twenty three thousand, one hundred and thirty five. Despite that, one thousand and twenty nine policemen were infected by the virus, but recovered rapidly post treatment.

Between 24th March and 3rd of May 2021, Covid tests was carried out on thirteen thousand three hundred and ten police personnel out of which one thousand two hundred and eighteen were found to be positive.

Boosting the morale of the force, DGP Ashok Kumar said, “We all have to follow as well as keep Covid guidelines in place. We also have to be more humane when dealing with people. We have to put a stop on black-marketing, over-pricing of drugs, forgery of any kind. We have a larger role to play than last year.”

Mussoorie in the times of pandemic

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Mussoorie: There has been an alarming rise in those infected by Covid-19 in Mussoorie in the second wave. While just a month ago, on the 4th of April there were a hundred and sixty-eight Covid positive patients with six containment zones. Fast-forward to present day and the numbers have risen to seven hundred and eight seven with thirteen containment zones.

The Civil Hospital – is the only dedicated Covid hospital in the hill station – has nineteen oxygen beds and five ICU beds, two ambulances, with another ten beds with oxygen concentrators being set up in the coming days. Within ten days of being operational, nine patients have recovered and sent home.

Clamping a ten-day curfew with non-essential shops being shut after 12 noon, and essential shops at 7:00 p.m. has had a salutary effect. The number of those being tested positive has been going down. Of course, it is too early in the day to let your guard down as in the second wave the town has lost over a dozen residents.

The local administration, the community and youth continue to work on a war footing to tackle the grim situation. From a 24×7 Control room number to assist those in need of any assistance related to Covid-19: these include home-isolation, check-up, medicines, disinfection, sanitization drives, free distribution of oxy-meters and thermometers. Seven vaccination centers have been operational assisted by local schools and community groups, where nine thousand eight hundred and twenty four have been, vaccinated to date.

The Sub Divisional Magistrate of Mussoorie, Manish Singh IAS tells Newspost: ‘For effective monitoring, Mussoorie has been divided into four sectors, each headed by a sector magistrate. They look after Covid positive cases in their areas. A dedicated team of Asha workers, teachers, Aanganwadi workers – help and assist those in need by providing medicines; monitoring the health of those affected and report if they see a spike in cases in containment zones.”

Pehal, a community based initiative was started by a team of six like-minded people. They are working round the clock to deliver over hundred and twenty homemade-meals free of charge per-day to patients living in isolation. Apart from meals, the team along with the medical authorities has started an oxygen-bank where they are handing out oxygen cylinders to those with low oxygen levels, along with nine advanced oxy-meters.

These are trying times and once again what triumphs is the spirit of Mussoorie – it has come out a winner. Many nameless, faceless residents, mostly preferring anonymity, have stepped up to help crowd-funding, organizing ICU beds, plasma donors, oxygen concentrators, ambulances and medicines for those who need them in the hills of home.

Urvashi and Guru’s ‘Doob Gaye is a romantic treat

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Dehradun: Uttarakhand’s Urvashi Rautela’s song video ‘Doob Gaye’ with renowned Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa is a visual-treat for their combined fans as far as snippets shared on social media show.

Since 2014, Urvashi has been exploring the world of music videos making a niche for herself. With the likes of ‘Teri Load Ve’, ‘Woh Chaand Kaha Se Laogi’, and ‘Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si’ under her belt, ‘Doob Gaye‘ a special romantic music video has been shot in picturesque Goa.

A still from Doob Gaye shared on social media

The song has been penned by Jaani, music by B.Praak and choreographed by Remo D’souza. Excited about her latest venture, beautiful and talented Urvashi Rautela has been sharing stills and clips from the shoot. From wearing a pink salmon corset dress on one to another one in a black-flowing dress twinning with her co-star Guru Randhawa with the picturesque azure sea in the backdrop has everyone asking for more.

Urvashi recently uploaded an adorable video on Instagram showcasing her make-up skills on the singer Guru Randhawa. Being the gentleman that Guru is, he is seen happily obliging Urvashi in the short clip. Both the stars are seen goofing around and their fans can’t seem to get enough of their endearing act.

Talking to Newspost from Dubai, Guru Radhawa had this to say, “Doob Gaye is close to my heart. It was magical shooting in scenic Goa. It was a delight working for T-series under the guidance of Bhushan sir. The entire has put in a lot of hard work and we can only hope that our fans enjoy this romantic number as much as we enjoyed shooting for it.“

Soothing and romantic from the look of it, the video seems to be the perfect recipe of being a hit romantic number that will definitely resound with their fans.

Uttarakhad Chardham Yatra 2021 postponed due to pandemic

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Dehradun: Due to the pandemic, the 2021 world famous Chardham Yatra has been postponed. Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat stated that the shrines would open on the pre-decided auspicious dates by Rawals and Pujaris, minus pilgrims. Badrinath MLA Mahendra Bhatt tweeted the same early today morning. The portals of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are set to open in the second week of May.  The Sikh pilgrimage site of Hemkund had earlier postponed its opening in lieu of the pandemic.

Last year too, due to Covid-19 Chardham Yatra was stalled and subsequently opened on July 1, 2020. To make the most of Chardham pilgrimage this year, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat had stated, “Chardham of Uttarakhand is the center of our faith.”  The entire State machinery, post the Mahakumbh was working on war footing, to facilitate the pilgrimage with adequate arrangement for drinking water, sanitation, sign-age along with other basic facilities enroute.

Tirath Singh Rawat had laid stress on arranging water ATMs and  water tankers on travel routes. Posting of cardiologists in Kedarnath and Yamunotri along with oxygen cylinders, ICUs and ventilators. Installation of streetlights along the Hemkund route. Commercial vehicles on yatra route to ply with fitness-certificate, fixed rate list for vehicles and hotels along the pilgrimage route. The Chief Minister and his team of officials were leaving no stone-unturned to ensure that all falls into place before May.

Chardham Yatra is one of the major sources of income for a State that thrives on spiritual tourism. This time around with the Mahakumbh in April followed by the Chardham pilgrimage in May, the State was looking at a rapid increase in devotees making their way to ‘Devbhoomi,’ but all that had to be postponed due to the pandemic.

Chardham Opening dates:

Yamunotri : 14th May

Gangotri : 14th May

Kedarnath: 17th May

Badrinath : 18th May

Off-the-beaten-track temples:

Rudranath: 17th May

Madmaheshwar: 24th May

Hemkund Sahib: Postponed

Three hundred eighty eight and more crowdfund a Landour hospital

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Mussoorie: In a single step lie the beginnings of a thousand journeys. In this instance, it was a WhatsApp from the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Mussoorie. Milaap was doing a fundraiser for the Landour Community Hospital, Mussoorie. A couple of calls later, I managed to verify the contents of the fundraiser with its creator, Binu Thomas, a well-wisher and shared it with those whom I knew would help.

Pix courtesy: Mark Windsor

And lo and behold, a few hours later, help started trickling in. Anyone with a Landour connect came together to give back to the community, from its residents to an overwhelming response from the Woodstock alumni, here and overseas. The initiative has been funded by a spectrum of donors, ranging from those who had been to the hospital and also for those for whom it remains the first and last option.

The object was to get a ventilator, a first in the hill station, for a cost of eleven lakh fifty thousand rupees. This as well as other medical equipment needed in the difficult times of the present pandemic. As I write, the fundraiser has now crossed twenty-seven lakh donated by over three hundred people. All this has come together in a span of seventy-two hours after being shared within the community. “It is the sense of ‘Us.’ ‘Our’s, the community. We have been in Landour for the past six years and we already feel an indispensable part of the community here,” quips Binu Thomas who has been overwhelmed by the response to her fundraiser.

Dr. Ms. EJ Robinson started this hospital in 1931 along with Mr Allen Parker, the architect of the hospital building and also the then Principal of Woodstock School.

For the past eight decades the hospital has been an inseparable part of the community. It has served one and all. From ex-school students to elderly citizens, they have all been through LCH (Landour Community Hospital) at one point of time and left with an indelible effect enough for them to dip into their purses and make generous donations from two digits to even six.

The Landour Community Hospital came into being by the efforts of well-meaning missionaries eighty years ago. Today it provides services that would put to shame even the few posh hospitals. Many a timely interventions here has saved lives.

As luck would have it, few years ago, a philanthropist, had anonymously without plaques or drumbeats, quietly renovated the ageing hospital. And that is where you will find everyone on the hillside and abating villages heading to when someone is unwell.

Meanwhile, the Landour Community Hospital has perfected the art of doing so much with so little with a dedicated community standing strong behind it!

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