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May 21, 2019

Gauraangi Chawla, Pen India family — Gauraangi with Pen India family

Doiwala, Uttarakhand CBSE topper, Gaurangi Chawla gave a guest lecture to the students of PEN-India School which is an initiative of PEN-India Foundation to provide free and quality education to the underprivileged children. Students appeared very enthusiastic on meeting Gaurangi and her sister Aparna Chawla.

Gaurangi Chawla along with her sister visited PEN-India School where students gave the a warm welcome. Students appeared very enthusiastic and recited poems, counting and alphabets in both Hindi and English. Gaurangi spoke the children and wished them for a bright future. She along with her sister distributed colours and drawing books to the students.

Mr Anoop Rawat, the Founder and Chairperson of the Foundation along with Mr.Santosh Budakoti, the co-founder and Director of the Foundation felicitated Gaurangi with a momento. Volunteer teachers, Mrs Ritu Sharma and Mrs Deepalika Negi were also present.

I want to be a volunteer teacher – Gaurangi

Mr Anoop Rawat, the Founder and Chair person of the Foundation spoke highly of Gaurangi and her sister who were impressed by the students and expressed their desire to become a volunteer teachers in PEN-India School.

Both the sisters also met Dr Prakash Keshaviah, the Patron of the Foundation. Dr Keshaviah said, “its a good initiative that youngsters like Gaurangi and her sister are coming forward to educate the underprivileged children.” Co-founder and Director, Mr Santosh Budakoti spoke on the occasion stating, “students from various educational backgrounds like PhD scholar Anukriti, Shilpa Manwal from Nursing Department and Aarti Pundir from Engineering Department were also associated with PEN-India School as volunteers.”

Earthbound: A thing of beauty is a joy forever

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May 20, 2019

WhatsApp Image 2019-05-16 at 23.01.59 — Some of the jewellery designed by the ladies

Dehradun, Very seldom do we come across people who make their hobby a career option not only for themselves, but also for those around them. Earthbound, is one such exclusive boutique, which gives the buyer an interesting array of original jewellery and accessories to choose from.

The face behind Earthbound, an exquisite jewellery boutique

The brainchild of Surbhi Mamgain, Earthbound encapsulates the essence of Jute as the main body of every ornament along with silk, cotton, velvet, rayon fabrics decorated with unique German Silver inserts, adding to the collection, a classy yet ethnic look.

Sociology Honours students, along with a Post Graduate Diploma from Apeejay Institute of Design, Surbhi got hooked to the idea of designing jewellery in the year 2016.

What started of as one person’s passion, soon became a mini-industry. Surbhi ably put together a core-team of ten women, whom she single-handedly trained to create designs. Today, these self-dependent women work out of their respective homes, earn a living and dare to dream big.

Her artisans are essentially homemakers who have earned financial and artistic freedom, with every piece that they design. From neckpieces to anklets, bracelets and even belts, Surbhi is exploring more avenues with limited pieces per design being their forte.

Her passion for earthly, simple and rooted fibre and fabric along with the calm and soothing environ of Dehradun took her creativity to whole new level, “Since I moved to Dehradun a couple of years back – I found the city a boon to my creativity and started to design jewellery.”

Telling us more about her artistic bent of mind, Surbhi says, “Contemplation of the design is like a day-dream with no set pattern. But, as soon as an idea comes to me, I am always ready with my material to make that design come alive.”

A worker weaving magic with metal and fibre

Surbhi’s growing list of clienteles comes from across the globe who are strong, self-employed, connoisseur of arts – or simply those who are looking to go beyond the conventional look. “Most of my jewellery finds its owners by word of mouth. I have been sending my jewellery to various countries to individuals as well as collectors.”

Not underestimating the power of social media, Earthbound products can be found on online portals like Jaypore, The loom, Trendroots(USA). Retail outlets like : Anantam in Gurgaon, Hotel Regenta LLP Dehradun, ‘Either Or’ – Pune, showcase her art work as well.

In the near future, Surbhi dreams of creating jobs for hundreds of women who would like to unleash the artist in them and create designs, which will make Earthbound a global brand.

Adopt the habit of cleanliness and make it your religion: Pen-India

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May 19, 2019

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.

Go Organic the Tel Bhawan way!

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May 17, 2019

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.”

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, Organic, Leaves — 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.

Uttarakhand climbs Mount Everest: Sheetal

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May 16, 2019

Everest, Sheetal Raj, Mountaineer — Sheetal Raj enroute to Everest

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 13^th of May this year when the team of five made their way to Camp two at 03:00 hrs early morning. On the 14^th 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 Expedition 2019.

But all is well that ends well and sure enough today Uttarakhand has another Youth-Icon whom they will proudly call their own.

‘Plastic Express’ comes to Uttarakhand

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May 15, 2019

Nestlé India,Gati Foundation,‘Plastic Express’,Uttarakhand — 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.

Fernweh Fair Travel: Bringing prosperity to the hills

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Lucky Singh/Tania Saili

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May 14, 2019

eco tourism, tourist — 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, litter, rubbish — 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 independent within 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.

Amazon Kindle’s Pen to Publish 2018 Awardee: Doonite Nandini Kumar

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May 11, 2019

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Writer, Author, Hindi, Book — 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.”

Book, Author, Writer, Hindi — 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!

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, “If I 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.

Weather to play spoil sport this weekend

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May 9, 2019