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Valley of Flowers: A Trekker’s Paradise

By
Tania Saili
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Pic Courtesy: Rajat Rajpal

Chamoli: This season, within five months of the Valley of Flowers being opened the valley contributed close to twenty-five lakh rupees to the State exchequer from 14,965 visitors compared to last year’s 13,754 sightseers who made their way to Uttarakhand’s pristine Alpine meadow.

At an altitude of 11,500 ft in Chamoli District, the six kilometer long and two kilometer wide ‘U’ shaped valley is laced with waterfalls and rolling hills carpeted with over six hundred varieties of floral species, making it a visual treat to those who come visiting. It is also home to the elusive Snow Leopard, Black Bear, Monal Pheasant and Musk Deer that further makes it a must-visit for those who want to catch a glimpse of the rich flora and fauna of the place.

Pic Courtesy: Rajat Rajpal

Post Kedarnath deluge in 2013, the Uttarakhand State Government had banned the entry of tourists to this alpine meadow for three long years, giving the meadow enough time to rejuvenate and replenish itself. In the year 2016, in an attempt to revive tourism in the hill-state, the meadow was re-opened to trekkers, naturalists and tourists from home and abroad.

For  a long time, the Valley of Flowers has been the bedrock for research scholars from all over the globe given its rich flora and fauna. For few, the opening of the valley was a welcome move but many worried about how the influx of tourists would upset the equilibrium of what is considered the most beautiful place on earth.

For young trekking enthusiast like Rajat Rajpal who was mesmerised by the first glimpse of the Valley of Flowers found it, “scenic and pristine but I hope that those who come visiting are conscious trekkers who don’t leave behind heaps of plastic and garbage which will adversely affect the ecological balance of the place.”

The weather for Uttarakhand begins to turn

By
Tania Saili
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0

Uttarakhand, After weeks of basking in the toasty winter sun, under a clear, bright blue sky, hill-folks of the State need to pull out their woollens before the coming weekend. With Western Disturbance coming knocking at the door, Uttarakhand will witness rain and snowfall activity around the 3rd and 4th of November.

Talking to Newspost, Director Meteorological Department Vikram Singh said, “it is already cloudy from today as western disturbance is approaching the State. We will have rainfall on the 3rd of November and scattered rainfall across the State on the 4th of November. There will be snowfall in the higher reaches of 3500 meters and above.”

Hill districts such as Uttarkashi and Chamoli will have rainfall activity from tonight itself, while the rest of the State will remain overcast, bringing down the maximum and minimum temperatures across the hill-state.

The only silver lining is that the rainfall activity will subside post the 4th of November, in time for Deepawali celebrations.

Atal Ridge: A gift from Uttarakhand Mountaineers

By
Tania Saili
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0

On the 4th of October, the Chief Minister of the State, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat flagged off an expedition of six – mountaineers including two women to summit peaks in Uttarakashi’s Gangotri range.

The team set out on ‘Mission Atal’ on the 7th of October from Gangotri to summit four virgin peaks at a height 6000 to 6600 mtrs.

Principal NIM Col Amit Bisht along with Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board member Avdesh Bhatt, Jyotsana Rawat and Anamika Bisht under the guidance of Instructor Rakesh Rana from National Institute of Mountaineering, mountaineer Vishnu Semwal and high altitude porters Prem and Gailbu, were part of this daring team.

Col Amit Bisht tells us, “before going on the expedition we enquired from IMS who confirmed that these four peaks were unnamed and un-scaled, so it became a challenge for us to undertake this feat.”

Talking to us, post summiting the peaks, the youngest member of the team Jyotsana Rawat recalls, “The entire expedition happened in a blink. It still hasn’t sunk in.” She adds, “not only were the peaks a technical challenge, uncharted route, inclement weather and a fixed time span made mine and Anamika’s maiden expedition a great experience.”

Post the expedition, Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board member Avdesh Bhatt has set themselves another daunting task. Bhatt ji tells us, “we named this ‘Mission Atal’ and when we returned on 19th of October post summiting the peaks, we under took an initiative to name these, ‘Atal Ridge’ in the memory of former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpaee. We procured a no-objection certificate from local authorities in the region and are working on a report to be presented to IMF, Uttarakhand Government as well as Survey of India after which we will appeal to the PMO to name the four peaks Atal 1, Atal 2, Atal 3, and Atal 4.”

A task that this determined team assures us will be accomplished soon.

Uttarakhand 18th State Foundation Day functions from November 8 to 10

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newspost
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Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh reviewed the preparations for the 18th State Foundation Day. The framework of the State Foundation Day programmes was prepared in the meeting held at the Secretariat. The functions will be organized on 8, 9 and 10 November.

Additional Chief Secretary Mrs. Radha Raturi stated, “the main buildings in Dehradun and the districts will be illuminated with small bulbs. Shrandhali Samaroh will be organised at the Martyrs Memorial at 8 am. Apart from this, the cultural evening will be organized by the Department of Culture on 8 and 10 November at 7 pm at the Municipal Corporation Auditorium. On 9th November at 10 am, Governor will take the Salute of the ceremonial parade at Police Lines, Dehradun.”

Along with that, the Department of School Education will organize Uttarakhand quiz competition at the Block, District and State level. Saral fair will be organized by MSME Department. The fair will be inaugurated by the Governor.

In the meeting, DGP Mr. Anil Kumar Raturi, Principal Secretary Home Mr. Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretary MSME Shri Manisha Panwar, Secretary, Chief Minister Mr. Amit Negi, Secretary Mr. R.K.Sudhanshu and other officials were present.

Bhatt clan to recee in Uttarakhand for upcoming film

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

After hanging up his directorial boots Mahesh Bhatt, twenty years later Senior Bhatt will once again put on the mantle of a Director and return to the world of Indian cinema. Mahesh Bhatt is all set to shoot for a sequel to his much-acclaimed movie Sadak released in the year 1991.

The Bhatt clan including Mahesh’s older daughter Pooja Bhatt and uncle Mukesh Bhatt will camp in the hill-state for close to a week, beginning November. The team will make its way to Auli and Mana by a chopper made available by the State Government, for possible location hunting to shoot for a border sequence in the upcoming sequel and also visit places such as Mussoorie and Rishikesh as possible avenues.

Mahesh Bhatt announced the sequel to the movie Sadak on his 70th birthday which was celebrated on the 20th of September.  Sadak-2 will star Pooja Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Mahesh’s younger daughter Alia whom he will be directing for the very first time, and Aditya Roy Kapoor.

The movie is slated for release on 25th March 2020, which is twenty nine years since Sadak was first released.

Secretary, Tourism Department Dilip Jawalkar stated, “The State is being promoted by the number of movies shot here. The Bhatt team will soon recee possibilities of locations for the movie in Uttarakhand. Not only will they visit Mana and Auli but also places such as Mussoorie and Rishikesh. The unit will also meet Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on their visit here.“

This Diwali, gift your loved ones flavours from Uttarakhand

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, If you still haven’t decided what to gift your loved ones this Diwali, then how about forgotten flavors from the hill-state of Uttarakhand.

Young pioneers Sandeep Saklani and Kuldeep Rawat of Devkosh Organisation who began their food processing unit a year ago and have won praise from the likes of Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat have once again managed to bring back lost flavors from the State’s rich culinary history.

Known for using indigenous, organic ingredients in long-forgotten regional edible delights such as Koda Barfi, Timla pickle, Chulu (wild Apricot oil) and much more, the duo and their products have managed to lure customers from home and offshore.

This Diwali, Devkosh is attempting to re-introduce the delicious, mouth-watering savory called Singori. Using ingredients such as millet, dry fruits, ghee along with jaggery and the maaloo leaf. The unit is working on reviving Old Tehri’s famed savory, which was lost once the old-city went under the dam water.

Retrieving the secret recipe from Garhwal Himalaya was an uphill task, but Sandeep and Kuldeep worked hard and succeeded in re-introducing Singori to our palates. Speaking to Newspost Sandeep Saklani briefs us, “People from far and wide have appreciated out Koda barfi and now we are trying to revive the good-old-singori wrapped in maaloo leaves, a natural preservative as well as an inseparable part of the savory.”

Sandeep and Kuldeep want to ensure that the mouth-watering savory is able to make a comeback and connect with its people, just like Almora’s world-famous baal-meethai which has managed to retain its original flavor despite the onslaught of modernization.

Soon Devkosh Organisation will bring a plethora mouth-watering snacks to choose from such as Koda Barfi, Mathri, Namak Para, Millet peanuts and plenty more for their customers to choose from along with Singori and that too before Diwali.

Abhinay Bisht launches Kittiyan on YouTube

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, Exactly a week after the launch of his maiden Garhwali dance mash-up, young singer Abhinay Bisht is out with his latest Punjabi song entitled ‘Kittiyan‘ on YouTube. The three minute, twenty-four second soulful song has been shot on-location in Uttarkashi and Gurugram. Bollywood Music Director Manan Bharadwaj has lent music and lyrics to this slow number, while the song has been produced under the banner of White Coffee Entertainment and Audio & Video by Namyoho Studios.

Born and brought up in Barsali Village in Uttarkashi district, Abhinay Bisht is a well-known name in the field of Music. The talented lad has already won accolades from the likes of Urvashi Rautela and Akshay Kumar, for renditions of various Bollywood songs.

From an early age, Abhinay Bisht or AB as he is fondly called by his fans, was smitten by the music bug. While completing his Mass Communication degree AB shared his singing talent through his Facebook page, be it original or cover songs, the songs were appreciated and well-received by his fans.

Within a short span Abhinay has sung songs in Hindi, Punjabi and Garhwali which have become instant hits with his growing number of fans with every new song that AB launches.

Within hours of Kittiyan being released on YouTube it has crossed fifteen thousand hits and counting. The beautifully shot video and the soulful rendition in AB voice wants you to play the song on a loop, as it slowly grows on you.

Telling us more about his latest release, AB says, “Punjabi songs are rage of the day. I too wanted to join the band-wagon and that is why we, as a team, came out with Kittiyan. I hope my well-wishers and fans enjoy this slow number as much as  I and my team have enjoyed working on it.” 

Changing lives: Sudhir Sundriyal’s ‘भलु लगद’

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

Sudhir Sundriyal is a man, redefining reverse migration in the Uttarakhand.

After quitting his job as a journalist in the year 2014, Sudhir and his wife donated their organs to the AIIMS hospital in Rishikesh and made their way to their ancestral village Dabra in Chaubattakhaal, Pauri district.

Following year in January 2015, Sudhir formed ‘bhalu Lagad/’भलु लगद‘ Charitable Trust, a Garhwali phrase which in English translates into ‘Feel good.’

Formed with the intention to motivate people to return to their mountains of home, भलु लगद began by building a rain water-reserve in the village to sustain farming in parched months, an initiative which inspired neighbouring villages to build a similar reservoir.

Soon Feel-good Knowledge and Information Center was raised, a popular hang out for young and old from the village. Equipped with a library, projector, computer, newspapers, magazines, this community centre binds the village folks together.

Along with this, the Trust also runs simultaneous extra-classes for students from in and around Dabra to mentally and physically stimulate young minds.

‘भलु लगद‘ works in the field of Education, Agriculture and Environmental issues that are pertinent to Garhwal Himalaya even today. Close to a dozen farming models on apple, walnut, cardamom, kiwi, lemon, beetle leaf cultivation are success stories for others to imitate.

Recently, Sudhir experimented with Beetle leaf cultivation from a cutting that he got while on training at the Garhwal University, in Srinagar.

Talking to Newspost, Sudhir tells us, “we tried to experiment in the field of agriculture. Growing Beetle leaf was part of the experiment and seeing its produce we are hopeful that hill-folks will look at it as an alternate cash crop.“

Sudhir Sundriyal and his wife bring alive the saying ‘Helping hands are better than praying lips.’ They live  by example and transform lives by their initiative.

Gati organises educational tour for UPES students

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newspost
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0

Dehradun, A half day tour was organized by Dehradun based think tank Gati Foundation for students of School of Law, UPES. The visit was planned with the objective of making students aware of practical aspects related to waste management rules. Team Gati and students interacted with the officials of the Ramky,  who are responsible for managing and operating the plant.

From Ramky, Mohit Dwivedi, Plant Manager explained the entire operational elements of the plant to the students in detail and cleared their doubts and understanding related to the plant.

Amit Singh, Senior Professor of Law, UPES coordinated the entire activity on behalf of the University. Singh said, “such visits are extremely crucial for developing the right academic temperament of the students and building awareness towards the complex issues like waste management in the cities.” Adding, “this visit will not only serve as an eye opener for the students but will also enable them to identify the practical implications of the legal rules and laws that they are learning as a part of their academic curriculum.”     

From Gati, Rishabh Shrivastava, Policy Analyst and Digital Editor facilitated the visit. Rishabh is himself a law pass out from UPES. He said, “the foundation is working aggressively in the domain of waste management and have conducted several research studies and campaigns in this sector.” 

Anubhav Kumar a student with UPES said, “we were amazed to see such huge mountains of waste lying here. The law we read in books is very different from its practical implementation and that is what we learned in this visit today.” 

The 3 Cafeteers in Dehradun and their cuppa chai

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun: Over the past few years, innumerable cafes, theme–based restaurants and eateries have mushroomed all over town, each trying to out do the other when it comes to ambience, menu and service.

In the same unending list we add ‘The 3 Cafeteers’ located at Krishna Nagar Chowk, Dehradun. But whats different is that this cafe that prides itself about the variety of tea that they serve their customers.

The dream-child of three childhood friends, Zargham Zaidi, Nabeel Ansari and Shubham who got together to open an exclusive tea-café, which is now known for serving ‘tandoori chai/tea’ in a mud-cup specially baked in a tandoor and served only until noon.

Without giving away much, Zargham tells us about their specialty, “once we opened the cafe, we looked for something unique that we could serve our client and also one which would give us a unique identity. We chanced upon Tandoori chai, we add cinnamon, ginger, elaichi, sugar and a host of other secret ingredients which has since then become an instant hit with our customers.”

Within a short span, ‘The 3 Cafeteers’ has taken Dehradun by storm. Tea-lovers and inquisitive clients throng to the cafe to get a taste of tandoori tea along with regular tea, lemon tea, balck teal, cold coffee and finger food such as burgers to go with it.

Co-owner Nabeel adds,  “seeing the response we have got so far, we might venture into neighbouring towns and cities, but we need to ensure that the quality of our food and beverages remain intact.“ Shubham adds, “we have customers coming from as far as Vikasnagar and Mussoorie to have tea at our cafe, that for us is our greatest USP.”

With general winter’s long march ahead of us, cups of tea become synonymous with the season. Perhaps it is time for you too to get a taste of Tandoori Chai as well.

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