Vikalp: Giving single plastic a bio-friendly alternate

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March 11, 2020

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.

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

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Tania Saili

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March 7, 2020

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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 13^thof March with legendary Narendra Singh Negi’s performance, followed by Indian playback singer Palak Muchchal on the 14^th . The closing event on the 15^th 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

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Tania Saili

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March 5, 2020

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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

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Tania Saili

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March 1, 2020

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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

10th Plastic Bank comes up in Mount Fort Academy, Dehradun

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newspost

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February 29, 2020

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Dehradun, Doon Valley based environmental action and advocacy group, SDC Foundation has established 10th Plastic Bank in the city with the help of CSIR – Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Government of India. SDC’s Rishabh Shrivastava appealed to students to bring segregated plastic waste from their homes and collect it in the school. He also explained to the students about the process through which plastic will be converted into fuel. Rishabh also told students about the importance of community participation and a cleaner environment.

Plastic pollution is becoming a major environmental and health threat all over the world. To fight and arrest the problems being caused by the rampant usage of single-use plastics, CSIR-IIP and SDC Foundation, together started an initiative of installing plastic banks in the city which helped in the recycling of plastic waste. The model of plastic bank promotes the decentralised practice of collection, source segregation and recycling of single-use plastics being generated in homes, offices and institutes.

During the event, Puja Jain, Principal of Mount Fort Academy informed the audience about numerous environmental friendly steps being taken and how the participation of students is crucial.

Jyoti Dhawan, Director, Mount Fort Academy stressed on the need to have a clean and hygienic environment and progress ahead together as a society. On the occasion of the plastic bank inauguration, the certificate of recognition was awarded by SDC to staff members of Mount Fort Academy.

During the event, SDC’s Founder Chairperson Anoop Nautiyal, Rishabh Shrivastava, Pyare Lal, Praveen Upreti were also present.

Monal Adventure Carnival: 22nd-23rd February 2020

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Tania Saili

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February 21, 2020

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Rudraprayag. For all those who happen to be in Rudraprayag hill-district of Uttarakhand on the 22^nd-23^rd of February, there is something exciting lined-up.

The district administration along with local MLA Manoj Rawat have organized a two day ‘Monal Adventure Carnival,’ at one of districts most-scenic of abode, Chopta.

Talking to Newspost, MLA Manoj Rawat tells us, “this is first of its kind festival in this region which is bereft of tourists in the heart of winter,’ adding, ‘the beauty of this place is double fold in winter and we want tourists to explore this region in every season.’

The two-day power-packed schedule will give you a glimpse of the rich and unique culture of the region. The fresh white mantle of snow, promises to add more to the magical charm, ensuring that your memory-card is full of pleasant memories.

‘Monal Adventure Carnival’ 2020 promises everything. There are adrenaline pumping adventure activities to choose from: Trekking to Chandrashila, Snow Kayaking, Mountain Biking and even Snow Skiing for those who dare, on the first day of the Carnival.

A glimpse of pahadi culture at ‘Avahaan’ is sure to get you to dance to the beat of traditional instruments like the Dhol and Damau.

On the 23^rd of February, Pandavaas and Rajnikant Semwal have lined up a befitting finale with live concerts by two indigenous artists of Uttarakhand that is sure to leave their audience asking for more.

Kunal Dobhal, of Pandavaas fills me in, “we are looking forward to our first-ever performance in our home-district. Its our own band in which we have hand-picked local talent including school going students. We are looking forward to entertaining our audience with traditional instruments and songs.”

Promising to be a regular event on the map of Rudraprayag district, those who miss the event this time round, don’t loose heart, give it a shot in 2021.

Earth Day Network Rising Star: Haridwar’s Ridhima Pandey

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Tania Saili

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February 18, 2020

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Haridwar, “My inspiration to become an activist for our dwindling environment was the 2013 Kedarnath Deluge. During the floods I learnt about global warming, I started questioning our actions as a society. I filed my first petition in National Green Tribunal in 2017, for the inaction of the Centre Government, and since then I have moved upward and onward.” A confident 12-year-old environmentalist, Ridhima Pandey, who recently received the ‘Earth Day Network Rising Star,’ award for her sincere efforts in spreading awareness about our environment, fills me in.

Earth Day Network a global, environmental NGO engages with over 75,000 partners in some 190 plus countries and marks its 50^th Anniversary this year.

To name just a few, Ridhima from Haridwar Uttarakhand joins a bevy of young achievers such as Licypriya Kangujam a climate activist, Madhav Datt who built a worldwide network of young environmentalists, Sumair Handa Bakshi who works to protect the water bodies and rare species such as Gangetic Dolphin. These young minds are taking forward the baton of preservation and conservation in India.

Ridhima Pandey with her powerful voice awakens people far and wide to work for a cleaner, greener, and less polluted planet. Earth Day Network believes strongly that, “youth are crucial to help mitigate climate change and enhance a sustainable way of life.”

Her reaction to the award, “I dint expect an appreciation or an award for my work. The award is inspiring and it motivates me to do more in the future,” adding, “the fact that they took my work and my efforts seriously, motivates me to do my best, and gives me a chance to show everyone that I am worthy of the award.”

For the future, not surprisingly the young lady plans, “to register an NGO which works on conserving environment and works on climate changes.”

We at Newspost wish this rising star, all the very best.

Heroes of Tomorrow

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Tania Saili

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February 16, 2020

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Dehradun, ‘Been There Doon That’ organized a felicitation ceremony for two young heroes from Uttarakhand. Both, pioneers in their field have won the Sanctuary Asia Award in Mumbai recently.

In their early thirties, Tauquir Ahmed and Arun Gaur, were recipients of the “Youth Naturalist Award” and “Sanctuary Wildlife Award’ by Sanctuary Asia. Together the two have put Uttarakhand on the map of Environmental Conservation.

Tauquir Ahmed, a Gujjar from Rajaji National Park, started off as a cook for a group of bird researchers. He started making notes for them and step-by-step has become one of Uttarakhand’s foremost bird watcher. He has an innate understanding of nature, and now a young graduate, he has helped in camera trapping, tracking, sighting and collar tagging numerous birds in the hill state. Wandering down memory lane, he remembers: “In 2012 I first held my first pair of binoculars to watch, observe and identify birds. Five years down the line, I have the privilege of sharing my knowledge and passion with young minds by conducting programs in schools.”

Tauqir and Arun being felicitated at today’s gathering by Author Ganesh Saili

On the other hand, Arun Gaur is one of the select few who have had the good fortune of being able to earning a living from his home in the hills. His Devalsari Environment and Technology Development Society Project spread over a radius of 70 kms, is one of its kind success story. Today ten villages under the banner of the Project are leading by example of sustainable, responsible eco-tourism in the heart of its lush green deodar forest. Arun adds, “Electricity came to our village in 2005, and a car, as recent as 2006. We started Devalsari Environment and Technology Development Society Project in 2013-14 and have given eco tourism a whole new definition.”

An intrepid Lokesh Ohri of ‘Been There, Doon That’ sums it up: “These brave sons of the mountains have brought laurels to the hill-state by pursuing their chosen passion with single minded pursuit and dedication. It is this dedication that we are celebrating here today.”

Greening Uttarakhand, one fruit tree at a time

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newspost

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February 15, 2020

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Tehri, Handpicked villages of Tehri Garhwal will witness a mega tree plantation drive on 16^th February 2020. ‘Earth Day Network’ and ‘One Tree Planted’ will help plant 30,100 saplings of apricot, walnut, plum, pear, papaya, and lemon, fruit trees in Manjgaon, Kalavan, Uniyalgaon, Haveli, Jaadgaon, Navagaon, Semvalgaon, Maroda, Lamkandai and Hatwalgaon, which fall within Saklan region.

The inaugural ceremony will be held at State Higher Secondary School, Manjgaon. The villagers will plant these saplings in their farmland and homesteads, which will then be nurtured and monitored by social enterprise Sustainable Green Initiative.

“It may sound clichéd, but indeed, where there is a will, there is a way. In the land of the “tree man” Vishweshwar Dutt Saklani, the people treat tree saplings like their own children,” says Raj Mohan, Director, Sustainable Green Initiative (SGI).

According to SGI’s estimate, each fruit tree gives a quintal or more fruits from the fourth year onwards. Even at marginal market prices of Rs 10 per kg, each tree will provide nutritional value or an additional income of Rs 1,000 to the farmer who has planted these fruit trees.

“We planted 15,000 trees in this area last year on Basant Panchami, and encouraged by the excellent survival rate and with the way the people here are taking care of the saplings, here we are, working on greening the world, one fruit tree at a time,” said Karuna Singh, Regional Director for South Asia and Country Director, Earth Day Network.

Nine-year-old young environmentalist, Ms Licypriya Kangujam who has been campaigning for action to tackle climate change in the country, will also grace the event along with His Excellency Mr Klaus Molin, Swedish Ambassador who will also plant a sapling within the school premises.

“Know your Forces” organized by Airforce Station, Sarsawa

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newspost

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February 14, 2020

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Saharanpur, Air Force Station, Sarsawa in coordination with District administration Saharanpur organised a one-day mega display of military assets for the school students of Saharanpur area.

The students witnessed various jaw dropping tactics and aerial manoeuvres of flying helicopters by Air Force pilots. On display was MI 17 V5, ALH/ Dhruv and the recently inducted sophisticated Chinooks.

The event was inaugurated by the Divisional Commissioner, Sanjay Kumar, Air Commodore Ajay Shukla Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry), DIG, Saharanpur range Upendra Agarwal and District Magistrate, Saharanpur Alok Kumar.

The aim of the programme was to reach out to the youth of the area and familiarise them with the Indian Armed Forces in general and Indian Air Force in particular. More than 3000 school children of various age group participated in the event.

Young minds were briefed about the role of the Indian Airforce and various career opportunities available in the forces. They were also apprised about the importance of maintaining cleanliness in the area to avoid birds menace, for safety flying.

The event generated remarkable interaction and excitement among the students to learn about military aircraft, equipment and the life in IAF. The event generated greater admiration & respect for our Armed forces and made many new ambassadors of Airforce amongst the Youth for whom this was an opportunity to give wings to their dreams.

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