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December 1, 2018

Dehradun, Uttarakhand Police has joined hands with Waste Warriors to keep Dehradun Marathon 2018 waste free. The 3rd edition of Dehradun Marathon will be held tomorrow morning i.e. 2nd Dec .

This year’s theme of “Say no to drugs” will ring loud and clear. Uttarakhand police is organising this marathon where close to 20,000+ runners from all over the State and the country are expected to participate in.

Waste Warriors, a Dehradun based NGO, who has been working in the field of waste management to close to a decade now, along with the help of an army of volunteers are all set to educate people about how one can adapt a waste-free sustainable running style.

Through their campaign “Bring Your Own Bottle” hash tagged as #BYOB , they are appealing runners to carry water bottles so that waste generated by plastic bottles and paper cups can be minimised.

Over the year, Waste Warriors have made their presence felt at various events held in the valley and its vicinity like Mussoorie, Rajpur and have been actively participating in furthering their cause of waste management. Recently at the three day Rajpur Nature Fest organised by Rajpur Community, Waste Warriors with the help of volunteers ensured that people coming at the fest use the correct dustbin distributed around the food stalls.

The Uttarakhand Police Department has partnered with Waste Warriors to manage the waste of Dehradun Marathon. In accordance with the Swacch Bharat Mission, this will be a wonderful opportunity and a welcome step to educate people about importance of waste reduction and segregation at its very source.

Sit down, relax and let the Magic begin: Mussoorie’s Winterline

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December 1, 2018

Mussoorie's winter line — Pic Courtesy: Angad Bakshi

Come winter. Mussoorie’s famous winterline is out in all its glory. At this time of the year – a song rings clear in my ears as my father hums the tune of a song his alma-mater schoolgirls belted out around a crackling bonfire:

Ev’ry night when the winter line is forming

I can hear lonely Allen boys a-calling

Down the pine trees I wanna go exploring

When we sing that Wynberg Allen lullaby.

(1930)

Rewind. Present day, as another wintry evening descends upon the town, no matter where I am or whichever way I turn, someone is facing the setting sun, braving the cold, with a smart phone in hand ready to entrap the winterline forever. Better still would be a selfie with the famed winterline as it is sure to get you instant ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ on your social media platform!

‘Why do Mussoorie residents go on endlessly about the Winterline?’ Often we are asked, explains renowned author-photographer Ganesh Saili, “All over the world, at the end of the day, the sun ends its journey behind a fixed geographical feature, such as a mound, a hillock, or even the sea but in Mussoorie, it’s completely different. It sets behind this aerial line.”

So, what all goes into making that perfect winterline? The hill-station’s sudden rise from the plains to six thousand feet – over Doon valley. Plus temperature inversion creates inverse air-currents from which nothing escapes. Trapping smog, smoke, dust, moisture and anything in between, into a single straight-line in the sky. As the sun begins to end it journey, it sets behind an aerial line, forming the perfect winter-line.

Folklore has it that Venus, the Roman Goddess wore a magical embroidered belt called the Girdle of Venus. Made of gold filigree crafted by her husband, the not-so-handsome Smith-God Vulcan, who in awe of his wife’s beauty, hand-carved her this befitting gift. Today the girdle or belt or as some would call it the kamaar-bandh is called the winter-line.

The only other place on earth where this phenomenon takes place happens to be in the Southern Hemisphere in Cape Town.

Hotels in the town encash the phenomena. They have that ‘perfect spot’ in their hotel from where the guest can get an uninterrupted view of this breath-taking marvel. Hues of pink, yellow, orange, blue and mauve light up the horizon, with the silhouette of the hills, trees, buildings highlighting the winter line even further.

If you wish to witness the horizon step across the sky, come to Mussoorie. Be sure you get here before dusk and better still if you can make it around the Winter Solstice, the 22^nd of December – the shortest day in the calendar. Head in any direction once you arrive in town. You will surely see the winter-line, as it rises and illuminates the winter sky. No two evenings are alike in winter, here.

If you miss it, by any chance, despair not. It shall be back again, next winter, to spin a magic and have us hooked for life.

Honorary degree to Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and Mr. Narendra Singh Negi

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November 30, 2018

Dehradun, Governor Mrs. Baby Rani Maurya awarded the degrees and medals at the first convocation of Doon University. She also honoured MP and former Union Minister Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and the famous folk singer Mr. Narendra Singh Negi with the honorary degree of Doctor of Science and Doctor of Literature respectively.

During the first convocation of the Doon University, degrees were awarded to students who passed out from year 2011 to 2016. These include 617 Post Graduates, 380 Graduates and 5 Ph.D Degrees. Governor conferred gold medals to 44 students, who received the highest marks in the first attempt.

In her convocation address, Governor said, “universities have great responsibility to promote research work as per the needs of the society and to assist in the formulation of policy for overall development. The university is not a mere degree giving institution. Universities have a vital role in the overall development of the society and the nation. In particular, for high-skilled but a young state like Uttarakhand, higher educational institutions have to do many important tasks. Uttarakhand has its own distinct geographical, social and cultural environment. By identifying this uniqueness, policies for overall development of women, youth and farmers here should be made.”

Chief Minister Rawat announced a grant of Rs. 5 crore for various development works of the University. Referring to the important role of teachers, he said, “if there are good teachers in any university or educational institution, then even the lack of resources do not matter much. The honour of the University has increased by conferring the honorary doctorate degree to Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and Mr. Narendra Singh Negi.”

Chief Minister added, “the government is committed to promote regional languages and the protection of Himalayas.”

Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat said that, “the convocation ceremony will be organized regularly. The State Government has strictly implemented the education calendar. In the last academic session, against the schedule of 180 days, studies continued for 212 days in Doon University. He said that every year five eminent persons will be conferred honorary degree by state universities.”

MP and former Union Minister Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi while receiving the honorary degree said that, “Doon University should contribute to the creation of eco-friendly policy that promotes environmental protection. Explaining the importance of the Himalayas, he laid emphasis on need for a thorough research on Himalaya’s economy and ecology, conservation of the Himalayas and its water resources is our priority, Dr. Joshi stressed on the study of Sanskrit and research on Sanskrit Granths.”

Folk singer Shri Narendra Singh Negi, receiving the honorary degree, said that through him, “the folk languages of Uttarakhand have been honoured.” He called for protection of Sanskrit and all regional languages including Garhwali and Kumaoni.

Nikita Rana: A Journey from Chamba to China

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November 30, 2018

Tehri, This is the story of a journey taken by a young, pretty, petite Nikita Rana, from Chamba in Uttarakhand to Shanghai in China. All of nineteen, this young sensation from the hill-state has made her mark, at an early age, in the world of beauty. Nikita Rana made it into the ‘Top Ten Contestants‘ of Miss Asia Awards 2018, held on 23rd November in Shanghai, China.

Born and brought up in Chamba, Tehri, Nikita holds a diploma in Information Technology and worked for a year in Dehradun. A chance audition, and she was selected by Big Break Entertainment Agency from Chandigarh, who launched Nikita into the world of beauty.

A rigorous three week grooming session focussed on Nikita’s walk and communication skills that polished the young girl’s skills even further. Within weeks, a confident Nikita was set to make her debut in her first ever International Beauty Contest.

With twenty five contestants from foreign countries, Nikita managed to make it amongst the final ten. Talking about her interesting journey she tells us,” My parents have been my pillar of strength. They had faith in me and my dreams took wings. My journey has been an interesting one, from a small place like Chamba to China. I hope my story will aspire other young girls from the region who want to reach the top.”

The oldest child of retired SSB officer Dhoomsingh Rana and Sumitra Rana, Nikita dreamt of becoming a beauty queen even as a child. “For me being a beauty pageant queen is all I ever wished for. I wanted to represent my country on an international platform. This achievement is a feather in my cap, but I still have miles to go,” adds an excited Nikita, back home for a short break.

So what next, I ask? Well, Nikita has already lined up interviews, shoots and modelling assignments, while juggling her grooming sessions. With eyes firmly set on the goal, Nikita is ensuring that she leaves no stones unturned as she cat walks down the beauty ramp towards her promising future.

Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya Teachers’ Capacity Building Training

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November 28, 2018

Dehradun, USAID, Coca Cola and Plan India supported Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya is being implemented in twenty government schools and one Bodyguard Slum in Dehradun by Shri Bhuvneshwari Mahila Ashram.

In a series of Capacity Building Training component, a one-day Capacity Building Training of the WASH Champion Teachers of twenty urban government schools was organized today. The WASH Champion teachers were from schools who have been supporting the SBSV Dehradun team in implementing their activities.

The training began with introducing the SBSV Guidelines by the Government of India and also the SBSV- Dehradun Programmes’ thus far. In one of the group exercises participating teachers pointed out how the project had beautifully altered the face of sanitation. The teachers also mentioned that children had become sensitized towards WASH, with improved attendance and the Bal Swachhta Samiti (BSS) gaining more confidence over two and half years in monitoring and implementing the mandates of WASH.

Teachers also raised issues such as lack of dedicated funds for purchase of cleaning material, employing sweepers and repair work of WASH Facilities. The teachers also highlighted the need of proactive role of concerned departments like Education, Urban Development and Nagar Nigam. The teachers also welcomed the idea of introducing the WASH Truck in Dehradun.

The Guest of Honour Dr. Anand Upadhyaya, Dy. Director, Elementary Education, Directorate of Education appreciated the efforts of the SBMA’s SBSV programme and assured that the Directorate is always eager to help SBMA. Certificates were also distributed to WASH Champion teachers. Mr. Suresh Balodi, State Manager, Plan India spoke about scaling up SBSV initiative and MHM in other urban government schools and the efforts to include existing SBSV Schools in Smart Cities as well.

The participants at the workshop included Swagata Kainthola, Project Coordinator, SBSV- Dehradun, Prakash Negi,Pushpa Badoni, Shraddha Bijalwan, Sushil Kumar, Rampal Singh.

Elena Wadehra: A Palette of Dreams

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November 27, 2018

Mussoorie, Russia born, Elena Wadehra made Landour, Mussoorie her home in the year 2014, when she married a Sikh gentleman Romy Wadehra and settled here.

Painting is in the lady’s genes. Her paternal grandfather, Mikhail Tobolski was a Soviet artist who worked magic with oil paints. A self-taught artist Mikhail painted portraits and made copies of famous paintings as well. Naturally, since a child, Elena too had a flair of expressing herself in Art. A talent she enhanced under her Russian art teachers.

While acrylic paints are Elena’s medium of expression, she has her own unique style, which borders with quaint, whimsical artwork. Most of her artwork is a trip down memory lane, inspired by childhood memories of festivities in Russia.

Elena captures emotions and depicts them beautifully through her canvas, giving them endearing names such as, The Gift; Dreaming Girl, Angle of Peace, Angle of Joy, Enamored Bear and so on and so forth. Mythical characters such as Unicorns, Elves come to life in her work transporting her clients to a world of fantasy.

Romy, her encouraging husband tells us, “because of her I have started understanding art, I appreciate it more. My limited knowledge of painters and paintings has increased. I am more aware now and understand the effort that goes into making a single canvas.”

Talking to Newspost, Elena tells us how a 30 cm x 30cm canvas takes one week to a month to turn out, the way it does. “I feel obsessed and excited when an idea for a painting comes to me. I forget eating, drinking and am totally engrossed in it till its completed.”

At present, the talented lady is busy illustrating and collaborating with two American children book authors. Based on her paintings, Elena has readied a set of six Christmas postcards. Decorative and collector postcards are a must-have this festive season, available at local stores and online too.

Elena Wadehra artwork can be viewed on Instagram: ElenaDreamArt.

CM inaugurates country’s first State Data Centre

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November 26, 2018

Lucky Singh/Tulika Singhroy

Chief Minister Mr. Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the country’s first Hyper Converged Infrastructure State Data Centre in Dehradun. Thea 3-tier State Data Centre, developed by the Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) of the Uttarakhand government, is the first of its kind data-center in the country, with 100 per cent software based Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) Technology. It has 105 terabyte form, which can be expanded up to 12 petabyte.

Chief Minister, while congratulating the team of the Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) for successfully completing the State Data Centre before the deadline, “We have to develop such a system that the government work is completed in a fixed time frame. This will also remove the shortcomings of our system. Efforts are being made that a certain part of every department’s budget is being spent on IT and technical development.“

The information of all government departments will be available under one roof and hence speed up activities and save energy. Based on modern and green technology, the CM felt the need to connect the State Data Centre with Solar Energy. A step in realising the vision of the Prime Minister’s Digital India, the establishment of the State Data Centre, is a great leap in the digital sector.

ITDA added that, “the Date centre is developed on the latest technology on Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) which has been developed on Green Concept to reduce the use of electricity and increase efficiency. All citizen centric services will be accessible through this State Data Centre. It will also reduce burden on the public exchequer. Modern biometric systems and 24×7 CCTV surveillance makes State Data Centre even more secure and reliable.“

Mushrooming a brighter tomorrow: Monika Panwar

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November 24, 2018

Tehri, The youth of Uttarakhand are returning to their roots, with dreams of a brighter, better future amidst their home in the mountains. Today, we share the story of Monika Panwar, an ex-employee of a multinational company from Chamba, District Tehri. A young promising girl with all that she could ask for. But something, somewhere, were amiss. That something was her yearning for her hometown and home-state.

Monika finished her schooling from Chamba and went on to do her B-Tech from Roorkee College of Engineering. In the year 2016, Monika started working but felt the need to do something back home? Two years later, she quit and headed back home to Chamba. Today, all of 23, the young lady has started a successful Mushroom farming enterprise with a capacity of one to four tonnes of monthly produce, depending on the market requirement.

Talking about her bold step, Monika responds, ”I gave up my job because I felt the urge to do something for my State and it’s people. Armed with the right education hill folks should return to their roots and explore avenues here. ” Adding, “Garhwal is a rich state, it’s a gold mine that we are sitting on.”

Initially Monika started a small-scale, one-room mushroom production unit. She tells us, “mushroom growing doesn’t require too much fuss. They easily grow in rooms. With an initial investment of eight to ten thousand anyone can start grow mushrooms, getting good returns too.“

Along with a seven person team Monika is learning the tricks of the trade as she spreads her wings and in turn is imparting the trade of mushroom growing to those who are helping her as well.

Many ask Monika, why farming post an engineering degree? She holds her head high and retorts, “Why not? Its never too late to return home and do something for those whom you grew up with. My career graph might not be the best to boast about, but when I see a smile on the faces of those whom I have helped, and if I can convince even one youth to stay back or return home, then i have accomplished what I set out to do.”

We hope that Monika Panwar’s story inspires those who wish to make a positive difference to a place, they call home.

Culinary traditions being kept alive in Mussoorie

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November 23, 2018