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Wings to Health during Covid-19 lockdown

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, In testing time like these everyone is doing their bit to make sure they are home and healthy.

There are those amongst us who are ensuring that their clients from different walks of life and age group get their regular workout even when they are under lockdown.

A highly qualified fitness professional, armed with many International certifications Chetna Gurung aka Koko of Dehradun’s KoKo Power Studio, in Rajendar Nagar, has come out with tailored live-stream fitness courses for her clients so that they remain fit and fab during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Talking to Newspost, Vaidya Shikha Prakash tells us, “I have been working out with Koko for over a year now. Her online classes are a good respite during this lockdown as she is able to guide us regarding right postures and sequence of exercising. She knows individual stamina and limitations and helps us target the problem areas, even during the lockdown.”

Why not any other online course? I ask Shikha. Quick comes the retort, “Online there are so many things. Copying any random trainer or celebrity may lead to grievous injury.”

The frontline Studio brings with it new concepts of personalized fitness training. The Studio comes inclusive with state-of-the-art equipment ranging from Reformer, Wunda Chair, Barrel, Step Ladder along with a TRX training center module suspension training, 3D functional Training and TRX RIP Cord Training.

“We have shifted all our courses to virtual online sessions which are one-on-one. I demonstrate the exercise to the client and they follow and there is a special diet plan according to individual needs and requirement and so far its working very well,” Koko informs me.

For now, Koko has her eights clients lined up from morning to evening sessions. Telling us more, she says, “Post the lock down I wasn’t content and happy sending clients a diet chart or exercise schedule. We started this live-stream session a few days back and it is doing wonders to all around.”

Covering all major components along with nutrition counseling, lifestyle assessment and lot more, KoKo Power Studio is ensuring that “the weight scale goes down and the quality of living goes up,” as you give your health new wings during the lockdown.

Helping Man’s Best Friend: Animal Welfare Association for Strays

By
Tania Saili
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0

Mussoorie, “Fifteen years ago, while leaving Thailand in my youth, I left abandoned a street dog that I had befriended.” He haunts me to this day,” says an author in Landour. “Never again will I abandon a canine friend, they have no one else but us.” He is not alone.  A small yet strong community of animal lovers called AWAS, Mussoorie has put their best foot forward to lend a helping hand to our four-legged friends.

2-year-old Animal Welfare Association for Strays/ AWAS run and operated by contributions of cash and kind from its active larger community of pet lovers spread across twin cities of Mussoorie and Dehradun is made up of an efficient team of professional veterinary doctors and volunteers.

De-worming, neutering, vaccinations, looking for comfortable homes for litters and much, much more, is on their day-to-day list of things. Today the plight of the poor stray animals whose only source of meal were hotels, eateries and restaurants which have shut shop overnight, have left our canines and felines hungry and thirsty.

Like always, AWAS has taken an initiative to provide food and drinking water to our streeties during relaxation hours. “This is the least we can do. I also request all the group members to feed the stray in their neighbourhood. If anyone wants to donate food like biscuit, egg, bread or any food material, these are always welcome and we will collaborate with them on phone call and do what is required,” assures veterinary doctor Sam.

Vivek Benipal another active member from the group tells us, “the need of the hour is a proper shelter, where we would be able to provide much better service and dedicated care for strays in the area, many of which need neutering and vaccinations. What we also need  is street animal feeder passes during lock-down.”

The appeal to those is authority is for Uttarakhand to give out street animal feeder licenses like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab etc to feed stray dogs, cats, cows during the lockdown period as tweeted by Minister Maneka Sanjay Gandhi earlier in the week.

Call now to make your contribution @ 91-7300-686-293

KiWi: Rising to the occasion of Covid-19 lockdown

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, Stepping in to help those in need, KiWi or Kissan Window in Dehradun has been busy since the Covid-19 lock down in the State.

A total staff of 35 manning two Kiwi Stores in the city and their Vikasnagar factory to fulfil the demand and supply of fruits, vegetables and grocery for their clients.

Letter of permission

Kiwi procured a permission letter from SDM Vikasnagar to deliver and transport essential food goods to those in need.

Abhinav Ahluwalia tells us, “with each passing day of the lock down, the demand is increasing. We are getting calls for home deliveries every five minutes, and are ensuring that we can fulfil these growing demands.”

For now, Kiwi has chosen to deliver goods in the city of Dehradun and adjoining Vikasnagar. Rural areas such as Jaunsaar Babar and Chakrata have also been on their radar.

Abhinav tells us, “these home deliveries don’t have additional charges. On days, we are spending an average of 100-150 Rs/- per delivery even if the order is for a single vegetable.”

With orders running into hundreds and a window of only two hours to deliver, the staff is leaving no stones unturned to ensure that they don’t have to say ‘no’ to anyone.

KiWi outlet in Dehradun

So how does this work? He fills us in, “We are collecting orders all day long. The staff then comes together in the two stores and prepares these orders one at a time, working early shifts. With just a two hour window to negotiate distance we start delivering at sharp 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.”

 

Giving utmost importance to safety and precaution, the mandatory social distancing, hand-sanitizers and masks are made available to the staff.

With the 21-day lock down in place, stores like KiWi and many others will prove to be god sent for those who cant venture out of homes to fill their larder.

We wish them more power.

Uttarakhand unites to fight Covid-19

By
Tania Saili
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0
Haridwar under lockdown following Covid-19 threat

In true Indian fashion, it has been a voluntary lock down highly successfully through the length and breadth of the country.

For once the only sound one woke up to today was the soughing of the wind in the pines, birds chirping, bees buzzing, dogs barking and streams gurgling by. Sounds that are so unfamiliar to young generation resounded in the hills of Uttarakhand as the state inched towards a complete lock down in the fight against Covid-19.

Well-known and iconic landmarks in most of the state’s larger cities and towns looked forlorn sending out the all powerful message that Covid-19 does not discriminate.

Leading from the front, the State administration, led by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat was amongst the first to declare a complete lock down until the end of the month. “The government of Uttarakhand hereby notifies a lockdown on non essential service in the State of Uttarakhand from 2100 hours on 22nd of March 2020 to 2359 hours on 31st of March 2020.”

Establishment providing essential services excluded from the above restrictions are as under:

Office charged with law and order and magisterial duties (District magistrate, ADM, SDM and Tehsil

Police

Medical and Health

Urban Local Bodies

Fire

Electricity, Water and Municipal Services

Banks/ ATM

Print, Electronic and Social Media

Telecom & Internet Services including IT and ITes

Postal Services

Supply Chain and related Transportation

E-Commerce

Food, Groceries, Milk, Break, Fruit, Vegetable, Meat, Fish and their transportation related activities.

Petrol pumps, LPG Gas, Oil agencies, their Godowns and their transportation related activities.

Production and Manufacturing Units which require continuous process may continue to function, after obtaining the required permission from the District magistrates.

Manufacturing units engaged in production of essential commodities.

All train services, Inter-state passenger transport suspended until 31st March exempting good trains.

At the stroke of 5:00 p.m. the hills came alive – cutting across age, caste, gender and creed people even in the remotest corners of the state rang bells, conches blew, cymbals clashed and hands came together to clap in appreciation for all the health workers who have put their lives on the line in the fight against Covid-19.

Uttarakhand: Avoid the rush, stay at home

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun: First it was the schools, then colleges, followed in quick succession by large gatherings, gyms, clubs, swimming pools, annual fairs and public places. All these and more have been shut down following the Corona virus threat in Uttarakhand.

In Mussoorie, a few proactive hoteliers and guest-house owners have taken stringent precautionary steps to ‘break the chain,’ as it were. Sunita Kudle of La Villa Bethany tells me, “we are shutting down because as it is Mussoorie lacks proper medical facilities to deal with Corona Virus. We aren’t taking in new people for the time being and all bookings and advances are being refunded.”

Basant Watika a five room home-stay in the heart of town along with Winterline Services Treks and Tours shut shop on the 13th of March “until the time the Covid19 threat comes to an end in the our country,” Rajat A Sharma informs me. “All bookings are cancelled and all trekking groups have been asked to postpone or cancel their treks for the time being,” He adds: “ Though we have loans and other financial burdens to deal with. I feel, being alive and healthy is more important and we are doing our bit to ensure that it doesn’t spread like it did in Italy and America.”

Dinesh Sah, President of the Nainital Hotel and Restaurant Association, says that 70 per cent of the bookings of Nainital hotels have been canceled due to Corona virus threat.

A state like Uttarakhand depends heavily on tourism to keep the cash registers ringing and the onslaught of the virus has already dealt a body blow to the economy in this hill-state.

However, we all know that precaution is better than panic. As individuals we have to rise to the occasion and do our bit by social distancing among ourselves. It seems that the new mantra for these difficult times, at least for the next few weeks, is: ‘Avoid the rush! Stay-at-home!’

Uttarakhand’s unsung hero

By
Tania Saili
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0

Rishikesh, Lying helpless in the Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatric and Medicine Unit- 1, Room no: 034313 of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh lies a 92 year old, veteran freedom fighter from Tehri, Shri Sachchidanand Panuli.

Sachchidanand and his ailing wife Manorama were admitted in AIIMS on the 9th of March 2020 due to age related ailments. Sadly just two days later on the 12th of March, his wife of over sixty seven years passed away.

Indeed Uttarakhand’s history (and for that matter of the nation too) would be incomplete without the mention of Sachchidanand Panuli. He is the younger brother of the freedom fighter and former MP late Shri Paripurnanand Panuli of Tehri.

If you were to visit Tehri today, you would hear tales of a man who in his youth donated his personal land holding for the construction of a hospital in his ancestral Chhol village. Defense Minister, Shri KC Pant in the late1980’s, inaugurated the hospital.

Make no mistake, the old man who now lies helpless was once honoured and feted by the President Smt. Pratibha Devi Patil. In the good old days, those who later became the Who’s-Who of the hill-state sought after his blessings. Today he lies lonely, forlorn and forgotten in a common ward bed.

This octogenarian lies unknown, surviving on tubes that dangle near him. Luckily he still has his doting children and grandchildren helped along by a dedicated team of doctors and staff who are doing their very best to nurse him back.

Surely the Uttarakhand State Government can intervene and show some measure of kindness and gratitude to the family of the freedom fighter. Surely, a private ward, is not too much to ask for? Maybe it’s time to remind folks that those who forget their heroes are doomed to pass on unsung.

Vikalp: Giving single plastic a bio-friendly alternate

By
Tania Saili
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0
plastic, solution, bag
Tarun Goyal with his innovative solution

Plastic Pollution, one of the greatest environmental threat prevailing across the globe has also spread its tentacles across the Himalayan region of India.

Dehradun capital of Uttarakhand generates close to  100 to 150 tons of plastic waste every day. Due to mismanagement of waste, most of the plastic either ends chocking gutters, sub mountain riverbeds or our dwindling forest cover.

At 32, Tarun Goyal a mechanical engineer by profession left behind his comfortable life in Abu Dhabi and returned to Dehradun to find an innovative solution to disposable of single use plastic. He founded his own company, and for the first time in Uttarakhand, he alone can boast of manufacturing compostable bags that turn to compost within 12 to 13 weeks.

Vikalp, a solution to plastic menace

My primary aim is not just to sell compostable bags but rather educate the society at large about the ill effects of plastic that we are using and how it is effecting our natural surroundings” Tarun Goyal, Founder, Vikalp, tells us.

Tarun and his team is building awareness on need for alternatives to single use plastic items as well. Post extensive R&D on alternatives required to beat plastic pollution, kind of raw material required to build eco friendly alternatives, Tarun ended up discovering compostable bag and set up his own factory to manufacture the same.

Approved by the Central Pollution Control Board of India along with Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET) for official testing and standardization of the product states, “bags by Vikalp are capable of self-degradation and can get compost into soil within 12 to 13 weeks without damaging the fertility of the soil. The product also has proper ISO standards and approvals for the same,” he tells us with pride.

“Through Vikalp we are reaching out to diverse category of stakeholders like business owners, students, educational institutes, women groups, industries in order to sensitize them towards the problem of plastic waste management” adds Tarun.

In the near future, Tarun plans to expand his campaign Vikalp by partnering with range of stakeholders like government bodies, private business enterprises, municipalities, domain experts among others.

The compostable bags are available in four different sizes with load bearing capacities – 2 kg, 3Kg, 5 Kg and 10 Kg. Tarun’s bag’s can be found at outlets ranging from grocery stores, bakers to even restaurants, who come with the same thought process of saying ‘no to single plastic use.’

Cormorant Festival: Musical-war in Uttarakhand

By
Tania Saili
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0

Rudraprayag, The scenic locale of Papdasu in the hill district of Rudraprayag will play the perfect host for first of its kind musical-war. Cormorant Festival ‘Band-War’ as the name suggests is an open invite to music bands from all genres of music be it hip-hop, rock, rap, folk, pop, indie, fusion and classical to take on each other and walk away with prizes worth a lakh.

Cormorant Festival, named after the indigenous Indian Shag or Hindi Jal Murgi, Pan Kaoway in Garhwali, is a black duck-like waterbird with blue-green eyes, a rounded head, and a slender, long-hooked bill is found in abundance here. The bird is a symbol of indulgence, and rightly so. Participants and audience of the three-day event will indulge in a medley of mixed music with the perfect blend of adventure such as Water skiing, Hot air ballooning, ATV Biking, Rafting, Paragliding, Angling, Trekking, Surfing and cycling to name a few.

Papdasu a 13 km ride from the district headquarters and is known for its scenic lake where Cormorant bird nests year after year and which has been the venue of many events in the past.

The three day musical extravaganza kick starts on 13th of March with legendary Narendra Singh Negi’s performance, followed by Indian playback singer Palak Muchchal on the 14th . The closing event on the 15th will witness a grand musical stand-off between ‘best of eight bands’ making their way from North East, Pune, Delhi and Kolkata as well.

Scheduled post holi so that visitors to the fest can get the best of weather and settings, the Cormorant Festival could well become a yearly event on the cultural map of Rudraprayag.

For those interested, the last date for submission is 8th March 2020.

Need more. Touch base: [email protected]/9760727937.

The winner walks away with prizes worth one lakh rupees, 2nd with 50,000/- and 3rd prize is prizes worth 35,000/-

A little bit of culture in school notebooks

By
Tania Saili
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0

Srinagar, As the new school session for 2020 begins there is something interesting in store for school going students and staff.

School notebooks, Hindi and English designed by TUDs showcasing our culture and tradition via bright, colourful, illustrated covers will make this school session something to look forward to.

Single-line notebooks priced at 20 rupees and above have twelve unique illustrations as covered and were recently launched at IVY Top, Srinagar. The notebook covers showcase festivals such as Phooldie, Ghugutiya, Kauthig, traditional musical instruments, costumes, flowers and berries from our hills of home with a brief bilingual write up at the back in simple text for young minds to refer to.

According to Raman Shelley the brain behind TUDS, effort is to connect youth and children with our mountain roots in whatever way possible. Shakti Doval from Ashish Book Depot Srinagar feels that this effort of ours will ensure that our culture stays alive in the hearts and mind of the future generation as we they are are trying to catch them young.

Those present at the occasion unanimously praised the efforts and thought behind the notebooks. Winner of Voice of India Pawandeep Rajan, young folk-fusion artist Ruhan Bhardwaj, young entrepreneur Tarun Chauhan, Jyoti Prakash Bagwadi, felt that these vibrant notebooks should be distributed amongst all school going children so that our rich history becomes an inseparable part of students in the region.

Everyday, young minds from Uttarakhand are coming forward with innovative thoughts and new ideas to highlight the region in whatever field they choose, be it digital, our authentic cuisine, art, craft or any other platform.

Adding to the long list of products by TUDs this latest collection helps in bringing pahadi culture and tradition, in a simple way, into the lives of young scholars in the hope that they will then pass on the baton to future generations.

To order, click: http://www.tuds.in

Uttarakhand youth out-do themselves in their latest song

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, Today we are going to re-introduce you to one such talent who never seizes to disappoint his fans. Singer, composer Abhinay Bisht and Rapper R Montz recently released their new offering “Tere Ware.” The hindi song within days of its launch on YouTube channel #Hope Music India, has already crossed 26,000 thousand views which has been well received by people from all over.

The Hindi song “Tere Ware,” sung jointly by the duo, has a romantic beat that gels in well with the foot-tapping rap by R Montz. Talking about the song Abhinay Bisht states, “the song has been recorded at Home Music Studio (Kirtinagar, Srinagar) and has been composed by Neil Shenal of Mumbai. Strumming the guitar is lead guitarist Ashish Jugran. Ankur Kukreti and I have jointly composed the song. Panch Kedar Production has produced the video for the song, directed by Kaushal Shah and Assistant Prashant Uniyal.”

Telling us more, an excited Abhinay says, “We have done a lot of new experiments with this song of ours which has been appreciated and liked by our listeners which gives us motivation to out do ourselves in the next song.”

The 3 minute and 14 second song has been shot extensively in the scenic locales of Mussoorie and Dehradun. The video also shows young promising, actress Fiza Siddiqui in a different light gathering praise from her fans.

The thirteen districts of Uttarakhand keep churning out talents one after the other. These young talents have put the hill-state of ours on an international map, particularly in the field of music and other creative fields. Their efforts not only bring name, fame and their own distinct identity to the artists but also go a long way in highlighting their home state.

Click the link to watch the complete video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je45zpQrpYw

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