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No new year’s day to celebrate: Uttarakhand

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Mussoorie: 90% occupancy during the festive weekend in hotels across the hill station was reason enough for hoteliers and businessmen to look forward to the year-end on a festive note. But that too was cut short when the State Government sent out an SOP stating that there would be restrictions on Christmas and New Year parties in hotels, bars, and public places in view of the pandemic.

Opposed tooth and nail by hoteliers, businessmen and restaurant owners across the hill-state, politicians too joined the bandwagon. Talking on behalf of the hoteliers Congress leader Harish Rawat stated, “Hoteliers in the hill state look forward to certain occasions to welcome tourists during winters such as snowfall, Winterline, Carnivals, festive-seasons to sustain them through the harsh winter season. For starters, the pandemic has already broken the back of the industry. Add to these the kneejerk restrictions on Christmas and New Year. This will only do more harm than good.”

“If the government had to do something they should have come out with guidelines well in advance. When social gatherings, political gatherings, marriages are allowed then why have restrictions on New year’s and Christmas celebrations?” says Sandeep Sahni, President, Uttarakhand Hoteliers Association, adding, “The honorable Prime Minister had mentioned that we have to save both lives and livelihoods. In Uttarakhand, tourism is our livelihood and it will affect us all, adversely.”

Earlier in the day, ignoring all dissent, BJP Spokesperson Madan Kaushik made a statement clearing the stand of the government in the Assembly stating that ‘the restrictions would not affect tourism adversely, and would remain in place.’

With Mahakumbh slated from February next year, looms large on the horizon, perhaps its high time that the government comes up with clear-cut guidelines and SOPs for all tourism related activities. These last minutes ‘dos’ and ‘don’t’ will have far reaching repercussions that Uttarakhand can ill afford.

‘Peshawar’: Making waves online

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Dehradun: One would wonder what the gruesome terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan on 16th December 2014 had in common with Uttarakhand?

Well, a four episode web-series based on the dastardly act, which made international headlines, was released on 16th of December 2020 on Ullu Original App, shot exclusively in and around the state capital of Dehradun.

The entire web-series is based on events that unfolded when a gruesome terrorist attack took place on an Army Public School in Peshawar Pakistan. A large number of innocent students and school staff lost their life in the terrorist attack.

Recreating the series of events, the web-series was shot on location in Dehradun, Mussoorie and ground zero recreated at Sai Grace Academy, Raipur. Jehangir Irroni donned the Director’s hat for ‘Peshawar’.

Satish Sharma portraying the role of an ISI chief

A stellar cast with Rakshanda Khan, Aadarsh Balakrishna, Aashmit Patel, Rushad Rana, Amitriyan and child actor Sejal Gupta brought alive characters on the screen. Doon residents, Satish Sharma acts as the ISI chief and Anjali Nauriyal as the school principal while Abhinav Chauhan as Junaid, a schoolteacher in the series, belongs to Uttarakhand. The web-series Peshawar is also the digital debut for Sushmita Sen’s younger brother, Rajeev Sen who portrays the role of an Army Officer.

Praising Satish and Anjali for their role, Jehangir Irroni said, “Two experienced actors from Dehradun Satish Sharma, who played the role of an ISI Chief, and Anjali Nauriyal, who played the role of the Principal were bang on in their performances. Could not imagine anyone else performing these roles the way they did.”

About his experience, Director Jehangir Irroni states, “It was a wonderful experience working with the local young talent in Dehradun. They are full of energy and have good knowledge about Cinema.”

‘Oho’ Radio – Uttarakhand’s First Digital Radio Coming Soon

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Dehradun: Starting anything new demands a lot of preparations, dedication and sacrifice, qualities that RJ Kaavya (Kavindra Singh) popularly known as ‘Uttar ka Puttar’ is no stranger to.

Very soon under his direction, the hill state will have its first Digital Radio Station/ Internet radio or an app based Hindi Radio Station named ‘Oho’ Radio.

“The idea behind the initiative is to reach pan Uttarakhand and change the game of how entertainment and information reaches individuals.”  Adding further, founder & director of Oho Radio, RJ Kaavya says, “Frequency radio stations limit our exposure especially in a hill-state like Uttarakhand. But with the spur in digital connectivity in Uttarakhand, our reach via digital radio station is phenomenal. We made the most of mobile phone and internet facility available even in the remotest of villages and started digital radio.”

‘Oho’ focuses on bringing a revolution in infotainment and education through digital radio. It aims at covering a broad range of content ranging from education to jobs, farming, culture, tourism, health with the dual purpose of promoting the state’s folk music, folk dance, and other cultural aspects of Uttarakhand, with some regional content thrown in as well.

“Oho’s motive is to connect people with the right information at the right time so that they can avail possible job openings, be updated about government schemes no matter where they are, across the globe,” he adds.

Along with his baritone booming over the radio, Kaavya with a handful of Radio Jockeys, will bring with him years of experience of being an RJ. Having worked in different parts of the country, from Jaipur to Kanpur, Kolkatta to New Delhi, Kaavya finally made his ghar-wapsi two years ago with  “Ek Pahadi Esa Bhi”and soon became a household name. 

The countdown has already begun and Team ‘Oho’ Team will soon go ‘On-Air’ in January 2021.

Do stay tuned for further updates.

When Anupam Kher met Ruskin Bond

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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0
Caption: Rakesh Bond

Dateline Mussoorie: Two grandmasters of their trade met and exchanged notes in Landour, Mussoorie last evening. Actor Anupam Kher who is in town for a film shoot, had his ‘fan’ moment when he met up with legendary author Ruskin Bond at Ivy Cottage, the writer’s home in the hills.

‘Fan’ Moment

Anupam Kher took time off to go and see Bond and present the author with his latest book, ‘Your Best Day Today.’ In the short video clip one can see how an elated Anupam calls it ‘a pleasure and an absolute honour’ to having met Bond. “Such an honour to be with Ruskin Bond and present my book ‘Your Best Day Today’ to him and as you can see, it is certainly the best day for me,” quips Anupam Kher. Shared on social media, the clip went viral.

This is not the first time that the two met. Anupam Kher, in the past too, made it a point to meet the author whenever he finds himself in Mussoorie, be it work or be it for pleasure.

Ruskin Bond also presented his autobiography, ‘Lone Fox Dancing’ to the actor and thanked him for dropping by. “Anupam, its wonderful seeing you after two-three years and look forward to seeing you more often in the future,” said Ruskin Bond.

In a brief informal meeting that lasted for ten minutes the duo spoke about their mutual love and admiration for the hill-station that Anupam Kher called ‘heaven’ and Bond wished Anupam ‘all the very best’ for the coming year and hoped that the present pandemic would be a thing of the past, soon.

NAFED retail outlet launched in Mussoorie

By
newspost
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0

Dateline Mussoorie: A NAFED retail outlet, “NAFED Bazaar” was inaugurated today i.e. 12th December, 2020 in the campus of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie by Shri Bijender Singh (Ex-MLA), Chairman, NAFED and Guest of Honour, Dr. Sanjeev Chopra, Director, LBSNAA in the presence of Shri Sanjeev Kumar Chadha, IFoS, MD, NAFED.

The store aims to provide the best quality goods at the cheapest price to the consumer. NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd) being a cooperative body, procures the raw material directly from the farmers after paying them the best price for their produce. It then provides the finished product to the consumer, achieving its aim “Kisaan se… Kitchen tak”.

On the occasion, Dr. Sanjeev Chopra, Director, LBSNAA also launched milled spices range called NAFED Spices and NAFED Egg Powder that will be readily available at all the outlets  at affordable prices.

Established in 1958,National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd a.k.a. NAFED, a Multi-State Federal Cooperative Society was launched with the overall aim of providing a ready market for farmers and preventing their exploitation at the hands of private trade. The core competence of the cooperative remains to be the procurement of agricultural commodities directly from the farmers through cooperative network spread all across the country.

In recent years National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd has diversified into various businesses like creation of buffer stock of pulses and onion on the direction of Government of India. Processing and Supply of pulses to Army, Para Military Forces, various States of India etc., Organic Farming, Seed Production and Marketing, Production of BIO CNG through agri waste (Nascent stage). Supply of food and other aid to various countries, NAFED has reached to the remotest of places in all States and Union Territories of India through the vast network of Cooperative Federations and Societies of the Country.

Every life counts: Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Dehradun: “People from small villages or towns actually see big dreams!” was Jagesh Devi’s leitmotif. She like other women folk from the hills had dreams not for herself. She dreamt big for her children and their bright future.

These womenfolk from the hills of Uttarakhand including Jagesh would wake up at the  crack of dawn and work late into the evening. They would toil in the fields, home and hearth to turn those dreams into a possible reality. Jagesh and Devraj, her husband worked earnestly on days, weeks, months and years with their head held high, through hardships but a sense of duty and a smile on their lips. Until destiny changed all that.

On the 18th of August 2020 Jagesh Devi was rushed to AIIMS, Rishikesh when she passed out at home. On examination, the doctors confirmed that she had suffered a brain haemorrhage. This sudden turn of events, left the family bereft and stressed for money required for the treatment of this magnitude.

Timely intervention of the doctors at AIIMS informed them about the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana” a.k.a “Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana.” An answer to their prayers.

Fortunately the family found Jagesh’s name on the beneficiary list which made her eligible for free and cashless treatment. Since then a hale and hearty Jagesh has returned to her village in Ambapur, pursuing her dreams of making a better tomorrow for her children.

While good health is primary to a country’s sustained economic and social development. Ensuring easy access to quality healthcare is also a responsibility of every government. This is where Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana comes in. It is an initiative of the Government of India in the direction of Universal Health Coverage, which has come as a blessing to many homes in Uttarakhand.

The Power of Videos

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Dehradun: On the occasion of International Mountain Day i.e. today, the 11th of December eight short films on different aspects of SECURE Himalaya project have been launched online.

Shot by youth belonging to high altitude, remote villages the compiled films are a product of the video-documentation under the 4-month SECURE Himalaya Youth Video Fellowship programme in the state.

This is being seen as an earnest attempt by SECURE to build a cadre of future spokespersons for conservation and sustainable livelihood, in the hill-state.

In Uttarakhand, the project is being implemented in three landscapes that range from 3000 to 6000 meter – Gangotri National Park and Govind Wildlife Sanctuary/National Park in Uttarkashi District and Darmabyans in Pithoragarh District.

Post the launch, the fellows will participate in community screening of the films while also creating a platform to engage in discussions about key issues of the region.

The purpose of Youth Video Fellowship is to take the learning from Green Hub – Youth Fellowship & Video for Change (A Dusty Foot and Northeast network Initiative) and adapt it for Uttarakhand.

Film details:

1) Biodiversity of Darma Valley – by Jayendra Singh, Philam Village, Pithoragarh District.

2) Biodiversity of Govind Wildlife Sanctuary –by Manveer Singh, Pujeli, Mori Block, Uttarkashi District

3) Biodiversity of Govind National Park –by Randev Chauhan, Gangaar, Mori Block, Uttarkashi District

4) Sanskriti – Govind National Park by Randev Chauhan Gangaar, Mori Block, Uttarkashi District

5) Tootti Dor by Jayendra Singh, Philam Village, Pithoragarh District

6) Chaudas Patti ki Jeevan Shaily by Kavindra Singh Kutiyal, Kuti, Byans Valley Pithoragarh District

7) Vastukala – Govind Vanyajeev by Devraj, Doni, Mori Block, Uttarkashi District

8) Gangotri Landscape in Winters, this particular project focuses on conserving Snow Leopard and its habitat.

These eight documentaries, a few bilingual and some in Hindi are all under ten minutes and can be watched on social platforms such as FaceBook and YouTube.

Catch a glimpse of what’s in store:

https://fb.watch/2iLtkNg6wI/

Devesh Negi: Pencil, Paper and Portrait

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Rishikesh: Talent is inborn! Siblings Mukesh and Devesh Negi, born and raised in Rishikesh are proof. Today, twenty year-old Devesh Negi, a self-taught artist like his older brother is following close on his older brother Mukesh’s heel, carving a niche for himself.

A school pass out, Devesh started sketching and doodling when he was in class 7. His classmates who encouraged him, loved his cartoon characters and soon Devesh got hooked to the magic of putting pencil to paper.

Adding colour

“I draw everyday and everyday I learn something new. It is a slow process based on experience with basics, skill and hard work,” he tells me. Today, guided by his older brother, an accomplished artist and taking help from Instagram and YouTube, Devesh is constantly learning new techniques, forms and styles, working on his finesse. “With every mistake, I learn something new,” he adds.

 

His canvass varies from sneakers to musical instruments such as guitars to ukulele to automobiles to paper. There is no stopping this talented artist 
who soon wants to start doing wall murals as well.

For Devesh there is no compromise when it comes to the tools he uses. He uses regular Faber Castle shading pencils, Steadler Graphite pencils and 150gsm acid free paper for making sketches. 
Within a span of four to five days he completes regular size portraits though larger one’s can take close to ten days or more.

Mukesh the older brother takes immense pride in the way his younger brother is pursuing his passion, “though Devesh has a long way to go, I’m very satisfied by how his sketches are turning out. This art is a lifetime learning process. There are two things that go into making that ‘perfect picture’ art and craftsmanship, I think he is a talented craftsmanship but has to work on his execution of art.”

Recycled benches and tiles laid out in Mussoorie

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Mussoorie: As a part of Hilldaari initiative, over a dozen recycled plastic benches and 430 sq. ft of pavement has been laid with recycled tiles in Mussoorie with consent from not only the City Board but the Forest Department and the Cantonment Board.

“The aim of placing recycled furniture at public places is to inspire people to look at waste as a resource and adopt waste-conscious behaviour for a hopeful and sustainable future,” updated Arvind Shukla, Hilldaari Head.

Designed and manufactured by Shayna Ecounified India Pvt Ltd, Paras Saluja its Founder & spokesperson applauding Hilldaari efforts to implement source segregation says, ‘these interventions are solving a crucial roadblock in the recycling industry and will go a long way in leading the battle against plastic littering.’  

Weighing seventy kilograms each, the fifteen benches are made from approximately 1,05,000 multi-layered plastic packets (MLP). Placed at various tourist spots across the hill station from Picture Palace to Lal Tibba, Bala Hissar to Mussoorie Lake, these benches are winning accolades.

Along with this, approximately three hundred milk pouches (Low-density Polythene) were recycled into making one tile alone. To date, the project has utilised some eighteen hundred odd tiles for laying a 430 sq. ft pavement on the Mall, thus diverting around 21,25,000 pieces of discarded plastic waste from the landfills to create functional products such as these benches and tiles.

For the past two years and counting, Hilldaari has been working in Mussoorie to develop inclusive, resilient and contextualised model for solid and plastic waste management. With its latest intervention, the project intends to serve a dual purpose: Add beauty and meaning to public spaces while instilling a sense of hope for a more sustainable future.

For Children of a Lesser God: Uttarakhand’s eco-bridge

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Nainital: On your normal day, the Kaladhungi-Nainital highway, falling within the Ramnagar forest division is crawling with traffic. Next time you are there, do take time to notice a unique wildlife passage in the shape of a 90-foot (27 meter) over-head bridge made from locally procured materials like bamboo, jute and grass.

Built over a hairpin bend, the ‘Eco-bridge’ has come up to offer hope of a safer passage to smaller animals like turtles, snakes, squirrels, monkeys, monitor lizards, porcupines, ant-eaters that abound in the area’s Sal forest floor that hunches around the forever busy highway.

This wildlife crossing has been put up to prevent smaller animals that are often impossible to see from being run over by vehicle drivers on their way up to or coming down from Nainital. Within weeks of being put up, the bridge has already become a selfie point for tourists and travellers.

The man behind this unique mission, DFO Chander Shekhar Joshi tells Newspost, ‘It took us ten days to put the Eco-bridge together. We are now working on creating a micro climate around the bridge and make it seem as natural as possible with creepers and plants blending in with the passage” adding, “Two camera traps on either side of the bridge have been fixed to monitor animal movement.’

Of course it is way too early in the day to say how well this effort will work or the fruit it will bear, but forest officials are hoping that this novel eco-bridge will, to some extent, create an awareness amongst those who drive along the busy Kaladhungi-Nainital highway. They hope that the areas dense flora and fauna that presently lies neglected will attract the attention of new admirers. And if successful, the Eco-bridge will be replicated all over the hill state and will go a long way to protect the lesser-known assets of the place.

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