Anoop rawat with his young volunteers spreading the message of cleanliness
Doiwala – On the occasion of the first Foundation Day of PEN-India foundation, the students of PEN-India School organised a cleanliness drive. During which students appealed to the tourists coming to Uttarakhand to maintain cleanliness during their stay in the State.
PEN-India School organised a cleanliness drive in near areas. Along with the campaign, the students also made an appeal to the visitors coming to Uttarakhand to maintain the cleanliness of the State and used the slogans like “Adopt the habit of cleanliness as a religion.”
Dr. Prakash Keshaviah, the Patron of the foundation said, “harmful gases are emitted from factories and vehicle exhausts are not the only reasons for polluted environment. The trash that people throw, is also one of the leading reasons of the pollution.” He further said that each year Uttarakhand witnesses an increase in the number of tourists visiting the state.
Mr Anoop Rawat, the Founder and Chairperson of the Foundation added, “Atithi Devo Bhawa is our culture, but it is very unfortunate that during tourist season, the state faces the problem of trash being discarded inappropriately. Hence, the students of PEN-India School have appealed tourists to maintain the cleanliness of this beautiful State.“
Co-founder and Director of the foundation, Mr Santosh Budakoti said, “by maintaining cleanliness, we can help in conservation of the environment. To make students and their parents aware about the importance of cleanliness, the Foundation organises cleanliness drive twice a month.“
Voluntary teachers, Mrs Ritu Sharma and Mrs Deepalika Negi along with the parents of the students, Bhavna, Kaamini, Nasreen, Deepa, Hina, Komal etc participated with full enthusiasm, to make this cleanliness campaign a success.
Dehradun, Heaps of dried leaves, piled along the road-side, at times being rampantly by burnt with other waste such as plastic and paper close to tree trunks, almost killing the tree, is a practice banned under law but still, a common site in Dehradun, come summer or fall.
In 2012, when Ashish Garg was posted as General Manager at Tel Bhawan, Dehradun he was pained at the sight of leaves being recklessly burnt and decided to do something about it. Adding, “Burning of tree leaves and plastic waste together, not only increases PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentration in the air but gases such as Sulphur, Nitrogen Oxides and Carbon Monoxide gas get accumulated far beyond accepted levels in the air,resulting in rising cases of lung diseases and respiratory problems.”
Dry lichi leaves carpet the floor
Ashish’s helplessness gave birth to the idea of how, “bio-degradable leaves would gradually decompose wherever they fell, in turn contributing to the quality and moisture retention capacity of the soil,” and he joined hands with Waste Warriors, an NGO working in the field.
Over the past few months, with the help of Waste Warriors, ten compost heaps have been installed within the Tel Bhawan campus which transforms tree leaves into organic compost. Leaves from over hundred litchi trees planted in an area of about 30 acres is now being turned into 250 kg of compost every season, which fulfils the in-house horticultural requirement.
“Technically, Litchi leaves are the hardest to decompose as they take 3-4 months to completely degenerate. A natural compound, basically a catalyst, was added initially, along with periodic water sprinkling to keep it moist,” Ashish informs us.
Compost heaps at Tel Bhawan, Dehradun
While the compost produced in Tel Bhawan is for in-house use, we hope many more Institutions in the valley will follow suit. This technique will not only ensure that burning leaf waste is a thing of the past but will also generate rich organic manure, which retains moisture in the long, ruthless summer months.
Nepal, Today early morning, when most of us were steering from our sleep, 24 year old Sheetal from Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand unfurled the tri-colour atop Mount Everest, creating history.
Just 25 days ago, enroute to Everest, this young lady updated :
“Finally reached Everest base camp. I am living the dream & will be heading for camp 2 for acclimatization cycle tonight.
Thank you once again for all the love & support…”
Standing tall at 8,848 mtrs, Sheetal accompanied by another fellow climber, 42-year-old Canadian lady along with three Sherpas, summited the peak early morning, putting India on the world map of mountaineering.
Known by her fellow climbers as someone who has a passion for high altitude, extreme temperatures, low oxygen and high velocity winds, Sheetal did not disappoint anyone. An advocate for gender equality, she took along with her UN SGD flag as well to unfurl on Mt. Everest, which is 8,848m above sea level.
Smitten by the peak which represents the purest form of wonder and magnificence of nature, Sheetal set out on the daring task on the 13th of May this year when the team of five made their way to Camp two at 03:00 hrs early morning. On the 14th they moved to Camp 3, and successfully completed the ascent from Camp 3 to Camp 4.
Yesterday when we were calling it a day at 20:00hrs Sheetal along with her teammates started the final climb to the summit. After over ten hours of climbing she and her teammate successfully scaled today early morning.
Sharing the wonderful news, Yogesh Garbiyal, an accomplished mountaineer and Sheetal’s guide, mentor and trainer tells us, “I dint have even an iota of doubt in terms of her capabilities at extreme altitudes. It’s all about weather since she left India. You won’t believe and nobody will believe looking at her stature unless you see her climb at that altitudes.”
Telling us more about the young prodigy Yogesh lets us know how, “Sheetal trained for months on end at an altitude of 3000m-5500m at Darma and Vyas Valley bordering Pithoragarh, which put her endurance and technical agility to test,” adding, “Sheetal also went to Leh in the dead of winter for winter conditioning, training in deep snow conditions carrying 20 kg + loads, 8-9 hours daily.”
In 2018, the young mountaineer claimed the coveted title of being the Youngest Woman Mountaineer in the World to summit Mount Kanchenjunga in April 2018.
Despite achieving international feat the State government was oblivious to her laurels and did little to help her in any which way. Sheetal tried hard to win the attention of various national, international organizations, institutions, corporate homes in time to get funds together for her Everest Expedition2019.
But all is well that ends well and sure enough today Uttarakhand has another Youth-Icon whom they will proudly call their own.
Nestlé India Collaborates with Gati Foundation launches ‘Plastic Express’ in Uttarakhand
Dehradun, Strengthening its commitment to plastic waste management, Nestlé India in collaboration with Gati Foundation, a Dehradun based environmental action and advocacy group launched a project in Dehradun and Mussoorie for effectively managing post-consumer plastic waste.
Recognizing the pertinent fact that there is need for an organized waste management system around the “MAGGI points” on the Dehradun- Mussoorie highway along with tourist points in Mussoorie, a mobile van named, Plastic Express will travel around these shops collecting MAGGI wrappers and other dry plastic waste from these outlets. The dry waste which is collected will be disposed responsibly by Nestlé India.
Working towards the ambition that no plastic waste should end up discarded in the environment, this year-long project aims at engaging around 200 ‘MAGGI Points’ in the hill towns for collecting and disposing plastic waste responsibly.
Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Sanjay Khajuria, Director – Corporate Affairs, Nestlé India said, “We believe that tackling the issue of plastic waste requires a collective approach. Through this project we will be working with stakeholders who will properly collect, segregate and dispose Multilayered plastics (MLP) to the end of its life. We are happy to collaborate with Gati Foundation to help us progress towards the journey of managing plastic waste effectively”.
Mr. Anoop Nautiyal, Founder, Gati Foundation said, “While this collaboration is a step towards reducing plastic waste by engaging with outlets, it is equally important to drive awareness among consumers for effective collection and segregation of used plastic packaging. We hope that we will be able to collectively make a significant difference in plastic waste management over the next few years”.
In an endeavour to engage with consumers and bring about a behavioural change about the need for disposing plastic waste responsibly, Nestlé India initiated the 2 Minute Safaai Ke Naam’ (2 minutes for cleanliness) in Dehradun and Mussoorie last year. In the second phase of this Project, Nestlé India is working with Mussoorie Nagar Palika Parishad (MNPP) and RECITY Network by implementing an integrated plastic waste management system in Mussoorie.
Tourists enjoying the hospitality of Ferhweh Fair Travel
Chamoli, In the long list of stories that we have done on ‘Coming Home’ or ‘Reverse Migration’ we share with you the journey of a promising lady who has brought about considerable change in our home in the hills.
Poonam Rawat-Hahne, the brain behind Fernweh Fair Travel, Peach and Pear Home-stays has been working on making women self-dependent by bringing tourists from all over the globe to their doorsteps in the interior of Garhwal.
An army child, Poonam was a wanderer who loved to explore her surroundings. Bitten by the travel-bug not only did she travel each and every nook and corner of India, the young lady explored the globe, travelling and learning, qualities that she brings on board her enterprise too.
In the year 2005, Poonam and her family opened a woman shelter using their savings under Bachan Charitable Trust Samiti in the memory of her father Major B.S Rawat. Till date the Rawat family has not applied for any funds or grants but used their own savings. It took them another four years to develop the necessary infrastructure in the villages and more so, to convince families of young widows to let them be independent.
Cleanliness drive put together by Fernweh Fair Travel
One such heart-wrenching incident of 2010 is still fresh in Poonam’s mind, as she narrates, “22 year old Sunita was the mother of two daughters and pregnant with the third child, when I first met her. She was timid, undecided and uncertain of what the future held for her,’ and, “it was her helplessness that got me thinking and I decided to do something for the women of the hills and make them independentwithin the security of their home.’
Today, “Sunita is a village hostess where our guests have a meal at her house and understand about life in a Himalayan village,” Poonam states proudly of her prodigy.
With humble beginnings, in 2015 Fernweh Fair Travel launched its first home-stay project, in Gopeshwar. Moving forward, Poonam collaborated with her brother and set up cottages in pristine environs of Chopta. For the past four years, Poonam Rawat-Hahne along with her mother, Tulsi Rawat and her hard-working crew has managed the running of these home-stays playing the perfect hostess to 1500 tourists, which won them the Top-5 Responsible Home-stays of India by Outlook Traveller, this year.
Poonam Rawat Hahne with her mother Tulsi Rawat
Poonam says, “the primary idea was to stop migration via empowerment, environment and education projects. Although we focus more on women empowerment but we are not limited.”
For now, Fernweh Fair Travel successfully runs sustainable, responsible tourism in Uttarakhand, with the dual-purpose of making villagers independent along with giving tourists an unforgettable flavour of the hills of Chamoli district.
The home-stays along with being eco-friendly have a lot to offer to the visitor. Out-door activities like trekking, soft adventure, village tour, handicraft making, festival celebration, Cooking, Organic farming Aqua-culture, culinary experience, yoga, photography, spiritual trips and wildlife sporting are just some of the activities that bring back repeat clients.
Their latest initiative is an Eco-retreat, permaculture farm under-construction in Mandal. At their Community Development Centre Poonam plans to use local raw material to produce organic products such as soaps, scrubs, pickles, jams, candles, local art, spices, organic produce to market nationally and internationally as well.
Shuttling between Germany and India, Poonam’s focus and dedication has won her laurels and mention in both national and international magazines. Her growing family of thirty-five at Fernweh Fair Travel is determined to bring prosperity to those who need it the most.
Winner of Amazon Kindle’s Pen to Publish award 2018 Nandini Kumar
Dehradun, Recently, in the first of its kind, ‘Neeli,’ a Hindi long story won the coveted Amazon Kindle’s Pen to Publish award 2018, in New Delhi. An accomplishment that has brought to the forefront that more and more people are reading Hindi now, giving an impetus to a new breed of Hindi writers, growing in India who call themselves writers of ‘Nayi Wali Hindi.’
Joining the list of authors, is Doonite Nandini Kumar, who shares her journey as an author, “I received a little diary on my ninth birthday along with a beautifully illustrated storybook. I jotted down my thoughts in my diary the very same night, and since then I haven’t stopped.”
Winner of Amazon Kindle’s Pen to Publish award 2018 Nandini Kumar
Her consistent entries into her faithful companion, her diary, overflowed with detailed descriptions of her family, tales of partition her grandmother shared along with snippets of conversation which went on to help her write her stories.
By the time Nandini turned 15, she knew she wanted to write for the rest of her life. Her articles were published in different print magazines and viola! A month later, she received her first cheque along with a letter starting with ‘Editor’s Compliments,’ words of encouragement for the budding writer.
Putting articles together for various magazines, Nandini completed her post-graduation in Psychology and started working as a Psychologist in an NGO. She went on to clear the National Eligibility Test, with the intention of doing her Doctorate, when life happened!
Stories by author Nandini Kumar
Nandini gave up her job, and moved to Mumbai to nurse her sister who was diagnosed with cancer. Strolling down Colaba, Nandini would skim through bookstalls along the road where she chanced upon Saadat Hasan Manto’s short stories about Bombay. Nandini reminiscence, “Manto’s stories made me question my own writing. Was I ready to tell the truth and not please an editor of a high-end magazine? And most importantly, was I actually ready to take the leap and begin my career all over again, this time in Hindi?”
And in 2017, Nandini penned down her first Hindi book, ‘Baaki ki Baat’ (HindYugm). Following year, when she moved to Mussoorie, Nandini authored her second book, “Neeli”, named after its protagonist, the story is set in Mussoorie and Dehradun, two places close to the author’s heart.
Nandini expresses her self both in English and Hindi, but believes, “IfI can play a part in ushering a new era where Hindi books are popular and read across borders, nothing would make me happier,” having said that, she returns to her desk to pen her thoughts, working on her next untitled book.
Dehradun: Close on the heels of the Chardham opening, the weather god might just about play spoil sport or so the Meteorological Department tells us.
With the doors of Yamnotri and Gangotri shrines thrown open on Akshay Tritiya, the Chardham Yatra officially began in the hill-state. Soon after Kedarnath opened today morning followed by Badrinath temple tomorrow .
Pilgrims line up for chardham registration in rishikesh
Over fifteen thousand pilgrims, tourists and visitors excluding another thousand foreigners have already registered themselves for the Yatra to date. With the numbers on the increase, this is good news for the State government, who have spent a considerable amount of time, money and effort to ensure that all goes well this yatra season too.
According to the Director Met Department, Vikram Singh, “there will be light activity on the 11th and 12th of May. And from the 13th to 14th of May there will be moderate to severe rain, hail, thunder, strong winds, squalls which will affect the entire State affecting Garhwal region more.”
This activity might play spoil sport for a while, but sources within the State government sound confident about dealing with any problems this might pose. All preemptive measures are in place to ensure a smooth pilgrim season and that all thirteen District Magistrates have been informed and asked to keep a close watch on the situation.
For centuries now, The Chardham Yatra, has put Uttarakhand or ‘Devbhoomi‘ on world map of spirituality and religion. The pilgrimage carries a lot of significance not only for the one who ventures on a pilgrimage, but also for the hill-state. As Frank Smyth wrote years ago, “So they venture on their pilgrimage… some borne magnificently by coolie, some toiling along in rags, some almost crawling, preyed on by disease and distorted by dreadful deformities.” adding, “unknown dangers threaten the broad well-made path, at any moment the God, who hold the rocks in leash, may unloose their wrath upon the hapless passer-by. To the European it is a walk to Badrinath, to the Hindu pilgrim it is far, far more,” still stands true.
Dehradun, Since the break of day, the once empty corridors of the Chardham Registration Office in Rishikesh is now teeming with life. Long, unending queues of pilgrims of all age groups, from all over the country as well as foreign shores have started to arrive in droves to partake in what is defined as ‘once in a lifetime pilgrimage.
The numbers have already reached promising figures with over a thousand foreign tourists registering within days of the Yatra beginning. Yamnotri and Gangotri being the first to open for pilgrimage yesterday i.e. 7th of May, followed by Kedarnath Shrine opening on 9th May and Badrinath throwing open its portal to devotees and pilgrims on 10th of May. The Chief Minister of the State Trivendra Singh Rawat, ensured everyone’s convenience and safety, adding “with the opening of the Gangotri and Yamunotri temples on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, the Chardham Yatra begins, Uttarakhand is ready to welcome the Yatris.”
Pilgrims line up for Chardham registration in Rishikesh
After being closed for nearly six winter months, the shrines of Uttarakhand also known as the famous ‘Chardham’ or ‘four shrines’ re-open their portal this May, along with temples off-the-beaten path, such as Tungnath, Madmaheswar, Rudranath opening within two weeks from today. Along with the famous-four, the Sikh pilgrimage site of Hemkund Sahib will be the last to open its portal on the 25th of May.
Traditionally, the world-famous Chardham pilgrimage comes to a halt around November when the shrines become inaccessible due to snowfall in the long cold, winter months. Following Spring, around Basant Panchami, the dates for the re-opening of the shrines are announced as per ancient rites and rituals.
The State administration is making sure that facilities and road safety norms are in place for tourists, visitors and pilgrims making their way from home and abroad arriving in droves in the hill-state of Uttarakhand or ‘Devbhoomi’ as it is rightly called.
Char Dham Yatra Final Photometric Registration Report on 8/5/19:
1 .Bus Stand Rishikesh = 2557
2. Rahi Motel Haridwar= 175
3. Rly. Station Haridwar= 349
4.Dobata = 702
5. Hina = 196
6.Phata= 241
7.Sonprayag= 674
Total Pilgrims registered until 8th may morning = 4894
Grand total from 25th april to 8th may 2019 = 10,764
Rudraprayag, Kedarnath shrine will open its portal for pilgrims on the 9th of May after being shut for five long wintery months. The Uttarakhand State government along with the Rudraprayag District Management is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the Yatra goes as smooth as planned for those who come visiting.
Today morning, Pandavaas released a 60 second clip on Kedarnath, sanctioned by Uttarakhand Tourism and District Administration, Rudraprayag.
Talking to us about the clip, Kunal Dobhal of Pandavaas tells us, “ Time was of essence. But with the blessings of Lord Shiva everything fell in place. This video was prepared within a week.”
Braving icy winds Kunal, Salil, Lokesh Adhikari shoot in Kedarnath
A film unit of four including Salil Dobhal, Lokesh Adhikari, Rishu Panwar and Kunal walked up to the shrine and shoot enroute and on location for three days. While Ishaan Dobhal and Lyricist Lavraj penned down the lyrics, vocalists: Anamika Vashisth, Sunidhi Vashisth, Shalini Bahuguna, Deepak Naithani, Aman Dhanai including Ishaan Dobhal lent their voice to the theme song.
A dedicated team of young men from the Public Works Department, State Disaster Relief Force and District Disaster Management Authority has been working on war footing to clear snow covered paths before the portals open, braving inclement weather, which the video beautifully captures.
Equipped with a Drone, action camera, Nikon D-850, the filming unit captured the essence of the Shrine and its natural habitat, with busy bodies working round the clock.
Adding more Kunal Dobhal tells us, “we were highly impressed by the team of people working under such inclement weather, with such positive energy.”
Singers at Pandavaas, lending their voice to the soulful video
Along with the visuals, forgotten traditional Garhwali instruments such as Dhol, Bhankora, temple chimes and Rudra Veena put at the heartstrings, as this Kedarnath Theme Song is both an audio-visual delight.
This sixty seconds of jingle/theme on Kedarnath is not all, Pandavaas will soon release a five-minute version of the same on ITunes and other digital platforms, something to look forward to.
From left: Principal head of Gorshali Ucchamadhyamika vidyalay, Samskrita Shikshak Muralimanohar Bhatt, Gorshali and Ananda Himani, volunteer teacher of Samskrita Bharati
Uttarkashi, Ananda Himani from Sweden has been a volunteer at a ten-day Spoken Sanskrit camp being conducted by Samskrita Bharati at the Government Inter College, Gaursaali, Uttarakashi for students from class 6th to class 9th since the 24th of April this year.
A medical nurse practitioner from Gothenburg in Sweden, Ananda Himani studied the ancient language of Sanskrit under the guidance of Samskrita Bharati, a non-profit organisation which has been working for the revival of the ancient language, she tells me over the phone in fluent Hindi, back from one of her classes.
“Sanskrit is not only a language, it is present in every sphere of Indian culture and society. The language not only contains scriptures pertaining to spirituality but that of science too like astronomy, architecture, astrology, mathematics, chemistry, medicine and more,” adds Ananda who has been learning one, amongst the 23 official languages of India and has now set out to teach one of the oldest languages, through Samskrita Bharati easy style of teaching through audio-visual technique.
Since 2017, these ten-days Spoken Sanskrit camps have seen many enthusiastic takers, in the hill-state to a language also known as ‘Dev Bhasha’ or ‘Devavani.’
About the unique teaching technique, Ananda highlights the fact that Samskrita Bharati believes in inculcating folklore, theatre, dance, games, songs and even plays so that students can learn better. The syllabus of the classes include Sanskrit words for technical equipment and science terminology too so that the student could use up-to-date Sanskrit language in every day life, as the usage of English loanwords makes one forget the language.
As we come to the end of our telephonic conversation, I ask her about Uttarakhand, Ananda Himani signs off saying, “I feel a certain connect with its simple people, its mountains, rivers and forest!”
