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Juniyali: Uttarakhand’s own Pahadi Musical Doll

By
Tania Saili
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Dateline Dehradun: “Juniyali” was born on the 6th of October 2019. Standing tall at one foot, Uttarakhand’s first Pahadi musical doll is a complete entertainment package. The dainty doll dances to the tunes of Garhwali-Kumaoni songs fed into it. Its shining wings glow in the dark, its beautiful 3D eyes make it look life-like and its shimmering attire make it look attractive. A must-have for young girls.

Three friends despite being in different countries shared a common dream, “Juniyali.” Deep Negi presently working in a healthcare company in Dubai tells us, “I along with Pankaj Adhikari and Akki Adhikari who work in Gurgaon wanted to bring alive dreams of young parents, working in the cities who wished for  their children to know their ancestral language and culture or at least catch a glimpse of it. After extensive research we designed this musical doll so that from a young age they children could somehow feel a connect with their roots.”

Designed under the “Phyonli and Pines – Journey Towards the Hills” banner, Juniyali adds to the company’s aim to manufacture or sell products related to culture, agriculture, jewellery, lifestyle and tourism to promote reverse migration.

After out-sourcing the raw material, Juniyali was put together in Delhi and Uttarakhand. The traditional attire of Juniyali includes Ghaghra, Gulaband, Pichoda, Talkha, Koti, Pahari Topi, Ghilda, Tokari etc. with plenty of scope to add more regional touches to the end product.

Deep further adds, “The responses received so far have been very motivating for the team. The product is not only creative, but also fulfils the intention of Phyonli and Pines to bring cultural awareness and educate young-minds with the help of toys.”

In today’s digital age, when children have forgotten traditional games such as Chula-Bhandi, Gudda-Guddia, Pithu and Raj etc, Juniyali is trying to bridge the gap by bringing young-souls closer to their home in the hills.

Pithoragarh Forest Rest House: Born Again!

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dateline Pithoragarh: ‘This is straight of an old fairytale!’ That, anyway, was my first reaction on seeing pictures that were sent to me by District Forest Officer, Dr. Vinay Bhargav of the picture-perfect Pithoragarh Rest House, restored to its glory.

Some three kilometers from Pithoragarh town on the Chandok road, spread over a sprawling one and a half bigha the Forest Rest House was built in 1963-64. Almost fifty years later, it had begun to lose some of its charm. Restoration work began to give the place a sorely needed facelift in December of 2018, under the watchful eye of District Forest Officer.

Soon after, in just six months, at a cost of forty-five lakhs, the two-storey building began to work its magic again. With exteriors clad with stone and seasoned deodar wood, giving it warmth, rarely seen these days. The interiors are cozy; the upper floor houses two identical suites that are complete with a drawing, dining, bathroom, toilet and bedroom while the ground floor too has two regular units.

Talking to Newspost, DFO Pithoragarh, Dr. Vinay Bharti tells us, “Pithoragarh is remotely situated. Some 550 kms from the headquarters of Dehradun, after seventeen odd hours of travel, the guests must get utmost comfort, state-of-the-art-facilities including traditional Kumaoni cuisine served along with regular food.”

 Since the recent latest renovation, the rest house has played the host for many guests and tourists; VIPs and VVIPs ensuring that they enjoy the magical environs while body comforts are taken care of by round-the-clock-staff.

For those who want to enjoy the hospitality of the VVIP suites, it costs Rs. 5,000/- + GST + food. Though regular suites go for Rs. 1,500 + GST + food.

If you would like to book any of the FRHs within Pithoragarh Forest Division, you can send a formal letter of request (either by E-mail) to [email protected]

Fax at: 05964-225234

Uttarakhand’s Nandprayag and Almora Cantonment amongst cleanest towns in India

By
Tania Saili
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0

Nandprayag/Almora Cantonment: Uttarakhand’s Nandprayag and Almora Cantonment have been adjudged amongst the cleanest towns in India under City Sanitation Ranking Survey Swachch Survekshan 2020 which concluded in January this year.

Himani Vaishnav, Pradhan for Nagar Panchayat Nandprayag is elated, all the hard work put together by her team has finally paid off, “Cleaning the entire city, cleaning shrubs and drains was done regularly. Public was made aware of their duty towards cleanliness through street plays, poster, banners and loud speakers.”

With a population of 2447, Nandprayag has four wards Muniyali, Shakuntala Bagar, Upper Bazar and Chandika Mohalla. Door to door garbage collection along with an online feedback survey by locals, keep officials on their toes. Biodegradable and plastic waste is being segregated in schools, market and other public places. While organic compost manure is being prepared by the civic body from wet waste. Apart from this, Nagar Panchayat Nandprayag has completely banned the use of plastic and challans those who continue to do so.

Founded in 1815, at an altitude of 5,262 feet, out of the nine Cantonment Boards in Uttarakhand, Almora Cantonment has also been selected for this prestigious award. Earlier in 2017-18, Almora Cantonment ranked second under the City Sanitation Ranking Survey Swacch Survekshan. With two wards and a population of 1391, as per Census 2011, for CEO Akanksha Tiwari and her team, the award gives them a boost to put their best foot forward and move onward, upward making their way close to the top spot under the City Sanitation Ranking Survey Swacch Survekshan.”

With two of its towns, one each from Garhwal and Kumaon making it into the finalists for the City Sanitation Ranking Survey Swacch Survekshan 2020 award,  comes as a pat on the back for the Trivendra Singh Rawat led State government who is working relentlessly in making Uttarakhand cleaner and greener.

Trendy yet traditional jewelry available at TUDSlifestyle.com

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun: Taking ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative a step forward TUDSlifestyle is soon becoming Uttarakhand’s one-stop shop for all your regional requirements.

Recently TUDS collaborated with Sandook for artificial Garhwali and Kumaoni jewelry exclusively. With the success of Kumaoni Pichoda from Haldwani to Pahari Topis from Mussoorie and Pahadi Dolls (Junyali) TUDS is leaving no stone-unturned to give a digital online presence to its numerable artisans: young or old, men or women to showcase their work on a digital platform.

Raman Shaily helped with his dedicated team tells us, “TUDS is your 24×7 online place for ethnic, regional lifestyle products. Just within a year, artists and artisans from our home state have approached us with their products ranging from long forgotten handmade moulds for roth (Garhwali nibbles) to customized t-shirts even pichoda’s and now ethnic jewelry. We are working on making this a completely Uttarakhandi online platform to showcase products from and by our hill-folks.”

If you like traditional jewelry from the hills of Uttarakhand but did not wish to shell out too much money, Sandook is the place for you to shop online. From Pauchi to Galabandh and the famous traditional pahadi nath are available at a steal-deal. Made from gilet and beads, the jewelry is light to wear and sure to wow the younger generation who want to carry a traditional yet trendy look but don’t want it to be too expensive or heavy.

TUDs along with Sandook and other collaborators is working on bringing the world a little closer to the hills of home by making worthy products, discoverable and within everyone’s reach, no matter where home is.

Gracias! Saying Thank you, from Spain

By
Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Uttarkashi; Guests are Gods in the Land of the Gods. The then Uttarkashi District Magistrate Dr. Ashish Chauhan, who went the extra mile, helping a stranded Spanish mountaineer who had lost his way, like many others do, in the tough terrain of Garhwal Himalaya two years ago had no idea how his gesture had left an indelible impression on the one he helped.

Dr. Ashish Chauhan, touching lives..

Juan Antonio Padilla, in his early 40’s, a passionate Spanish mountaineer was on his first visit to India in 2018. He had chosen to climb Sathopanth, but lost his way on his way back. Had it not been for the timely rescue efforts of the District administration team, things could have taken a turn for the worse.

Fast Forward to 15th August, 2020. Antonio and his well-known opening partner, David Resino have been climbing in a hidden or little-traveled area of ​​the Central System or the Dark Channels, on the south west face of Gredos, Spain. Having the opportunity to open avenues and ‘baptize’ them has always been the enthusiastic mountaineer’s dream. This alpine area is somewhat hidden on the west face of Almanzor. It is recognized throughout Spain for its steep, difficult and treacherous terrain.

In gratitude for being able to go back alive and meet his eleven year old son, Antonio, connecting over a rather ‘iffy’ internet tells me: “I have christened one of its never-climbed points “Magistrate’s Point” and the access road “Via Ashish.” This is in memory of India and what people like Mr. Ashish mean to me. It has left an indelible impression on me.”

Sharing the story and images of the summit on social media, the former District magistrate was pleasantly surprised and humbled by the gesture saying, “I was just doing what I was trained to do!”

Stories like these are heartwarming. They bring home the eternal truth that the world is, indeed, one large family. Small wonder we in the East say: Vasudeva Kutambakam.

Planting trees for a noble cause

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun: On the occasion of 74th Independence Day celebrations, EcoGroup a Dehradun based environmental group decided to ring in the festivities in a unique way.

The members planted One hundred and Thirteen saplings of indigenous trees such as amla, neem, Ashoka and others in honour of His Holiness Dalai Lama. A brand ambassador of peace, religious harmony, environmental conservation and also working for reviving Indian wisdom in contemporary India, this was a small token of love by EcoGroup along with Tara Foundation and Doon Nature Association.

Speaking to Newspost, Sherin Luding, Chairperson of Tara Foundation stated, “HH Dalai Lama said that he would live till the ripe old age of 113 years. So we pray that he lives a long and healthy life for the benefit of sentient beings,” adding, “we were happy to participate in the plantation drive organised by Tibetan Settlement office, Dehradun at Gepheling settlement, Sahastradhara Road on the auspicious occasion of Independence Day as part of celebration of ‘The Year of Gratitude’ for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.”

Members of the EcoGroup Shikha Prakash, Vidhi Bisht, Anmol Bhargava, Vivek Pradhan and Rashmi Jauhari generously donated these saplings and planted trees along with senior citizens of the Tibetan settlement for the greater cause.

Sanjay Bhargav, Secretary EcoGroup said, “not only are we planting these saplings but we will ensure their survival and protection in the coming months.”

Over the years, EcoGroup has been promoting collection of #singleuseplastic waste into a plastic bottle that can be later used in place of bricks to make flower beds or place them around trees or even for construction purposes.

The group has also been instrumental in making Kewal Vihar Colony come first in Dehradun for Best Waste Management.

Such activities by those who love Dehradun implies their commitment to uphold environmental conservation and ensures us that the valley of Doon is in safe hands.

Uttarakhand police raises over ten crores through fines

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun: Over ten crores has been collected as fine by the Uttarakhand Police to date, from violators of Covid-19 guidelines that have been put in place by the Health Department this year.

Whereas, legal action has been taken against 57,715 people on charges of violating rules, another 211 people have been booked under IT Act on charges of spreading rumors on social media. Along with 4,644 First Information Report (FIR) filed against lockdown violators.

Challans of 24,656 people have been deducted under violation of social distancing across the state. However as many as 1,97,754 people have been fined across Uttarakhand for not wearing facemasks, and this number keeps going up.

During the statewide lockdown, the highest penalty was collected under the Motor Vehicle Act. The police have so far collected seven crore, thirty lakh, nine thousand six hundred rupees under the MV Act alone, on a wide range of charges, including unnecessary driving of vehicles during lockdown.

However, under the Police Act, a fine of rupees One crore, eighty-three lakh, twenty four thousand has been garnered from across the hill-state.

Simultaneously, under the Disaster Management and Epidemic Act, a fine of two crore, seventy-eight lakh, thirty five thousand was levied under various lockdown violations.

Up until 13th of August, 2020 the Uttarakhand Police has contributed a sum total of rupees ten crore, ninety-four lakh, seventeen thousand one hundred to the state treasury.

Covid-19 has also plagued the department with 186 Covid positive police personnel as on the 13th of August, 2020 from across the hill-state. Out of the total, 99 have recovered and 72 personnel have returned to their posts. As far as containment zones are concerned the hill-state has 601 containment zones with the highest number of containment zones i.e. 403 in Haridwar district followed by 145 in Udhamsingh Nagar.

With each passing day, the amount collected from violators across the thirteen districts shows an upward trend.

IIT Roorkee partners with Coursera to offer online courses

By
newspost
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0

Roorkee,  Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has partnered with Coursera, the world’s leading online learning platform, to launch new online programs and certifications for a global audience. IIT Roorkee plans to launch high demand programs like Advanced Certification in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and Certification in Data Science, with a goal to expand its online program portfolio on Coursera as part of a commitment to make the coveted institution accessible to learners around the world.

The Advanced Certification in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning program will enable learners from around the world to learn AI/ML skills from India’s top technology institute. It is a six months program and is a unique combination of expert lectures, hands-on labs, tutorials, team projects, and workshops ensuring fast-track learning along with building knowledge on coding and mathematics necessary for building expertise in AI/ML besides equipping with classical ML techniques and algorithms, programming with TensorFlow for easy model building, robust ML production and powerful experimentation among others.

Certification in Data Science program is designed to equip professionals with competencies in the core focus areas of Data Science, Machine Learning, Critical Thinking, Data Collection, Data Visualisation and Data Management. The course will develop programming skills in Python and SQL relevant, help learners understand the algorithms used in data analytics, and build knowledge about the selected machine learning algorithms such as linear models, kNN, SVM, Trees, Random forest, and neural networks and much more. The program requires no prior knowledge of coding in Python, R or SQL.

With this partnership, IIT Roorkee joins the ranks of 170 top universities, including Yale, University of Michigan, Stanford and Imperial College of London — that offer programs on Coursera. Coursera’s 67 million learners across 190 countries will now be able to access IIT Roorkee’s highly sought-after and job-relevant programs.

“Coursera is a leading online learning platform. We are delighted to partner with Coursera to help fulfil the goal of inclusive education of the New Education Policy. Further, this partnership will help us reach out to a global audience of students and professionals aspiring for quality teaching in these sought after areas,” said Prof. Ajit K. Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee.

Jubin Nautiyal makes his international debut with Aatishbaazi

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun; Here, in his homestate of Uttarakhand since the first lockdown came into place in March 2020, Jubin Nautiyal has been keeping himself busy. From distributing ration kits in Jaunsar Bawar to his much-loved digital live concerts from Dehradun his fans cant seem to get enough of Jubin’s melodious voice.

Tomorrow, that is the 12th of August, the much-loved and adored singer Jubin Nautiyal is set to release “Aatishbaazi.” This is the singer’s first international collaboration with a Hollywood thriller film ‘Initiation,’ while Jubin also makes his foray into directorial video, with this song.

Exploring a new soundscape, this soulful rock number has been composed by Rocky Jubin, written by Rocky Khanna and produced by a India-USA entertainment startup, Malsons.

Delighted about the project, Jubin adds, ‘Aatishbaazi is extremely special to me as it’s the first time I got to direct my music video. Following strict film guidelines with a small crew we were able to capture the beauty of Uttarakhand which amplified the new sound that I have created with Rocky Khanna and 13-year-old Abhrahim Khanna, the youngest music producer in India for ‘Malsons’ first American project.”

Shivam Malhotra, Founder and CEO of Malsons states “Jubin has an amazing international music sensibility that has not been explored yet, and with this project his fans will be experiencing him in a new avatar.”

The film’s director John Berardo had this to say about the song, “Together, we have brought a level of musical sophistication to our film “Initiation,” with the bopping tracks they’ve produced. The songs will get stuck in your head for days, they’re all that good! Jubin just has this fluidity with his beats.”

On a roll, first but definitely not the last, it seems there is no stopping Jubin Nautiyal who promises to create fireworks with his latest release, ‘Aatishbaazi.’

Rain brings Uttarakhand to a dripping halt

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun: Three days of torrential downpour brought Uttarakhand to a dripping halt. Riddled with landslides, mudslides and retaining wall collapsing, the roads leading to the hills were shutdown for traffic on and off.

Power and water supply lines have been disrupted in many places due to landslides and fallen trees. Sub-montane rivers along with major rivers flowing through the plains of Uttarakhand are in spate. Locals living in low-lying areas have been advised to move to higher grounds, as there seems to be hardly any respite from rains in the foreseeable future.

Speaking to Newspost, Director Met Department Vikram Bakshi said, “There will be light to moderate rainfall in the State for the next 24 hours. From the 12th-14th heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicated in isolated places both in Kumaon and Garhwal region.”

If the Met Department is to be believed, the trend of heavy to very heavy rainfall will lash the hill-state with orange alert highlighting the latest weather chart until the weekend.

Videos of the State capital Dehradun inundated with water and the hills plagued with landslides have been doing the rounds on the social media, keeping the administration on its toes. Last evening, a major portion of the Mussoorie-Dehradun road caved in due to heavy rains. This led to long queue of vehicles lined-up on either side which officials have tried to ease by releasing smaller vehicles, and that too, one at a time.

District Magistrate Dehradun, Ashish Srivastav assures us, “All systems are in place. The District administration including State Disaster Response Force and Police have been activated 24×7. We are keeping a close watch on the weather pattern and monitoring everything closely.”

 

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