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Municipal Election fever keeps Mussoorie warm

By
Tania Saili
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0

As the famed winter line announces its arrival in the autumnal sky, Mussoorie finds itself in the middle of an election fever. Local body elections, long overdue, are being conducted on the express orders of the Hon’ble Uttarakhand High Court. One woke up this morning to the sound of drums, cymbals and the trumpets resounding through the hill station narrow roads, as candidates from both the Bhartiya Janta Party, Congress and AAP took out processions, marching as a show of strength to prove their mettle, wending their way to the local Kutchery on the Mall Road.

A welcome change is that both the major political parties have kept in mind the power of women, giving them an opportunity to represent the numerous wards. For instance, out of the thirteen wards in the town, the Bhartiya Janta Party has fielded seven women candidates; while Congress too has kept its end of the bargain and given five women candidates an opportunity to prove their strength at the ballot box.

For the Chairman post, Bhartiya Janta Party has placed its trust on one-time Chairman O.P. Uniyal while on the other hand; the Congress Party has sprung a surprise by giving the ticket to a young debutant Megh Singh Kandhari, who has risen through the ranks in student union elections. This is what makes the results of these elections anyone’s game.

Ajeet Singh: Guria’s Uttarakhand Connect

By
Tania Saili
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0

Many would wonder what Ajeet Singh and his wife Manju, who took part in Kaun Banega Crorepati aired on 19th of October, 2018 would have to do with Uttarakhand.

Well it all started here, in the hill-state of Uttarakhand. A young, shy and yet an all-rounder student Ajeet Singh came to be a boarder at Col. Brown Cambridge School Dehra Dun. It was here that Ajeet studied from 1976 to 2005.

Varanasi born Ajeet spent his formative years in Col. Brown Cambridge School Dehradun. While looking back, Ajeet says, he owes it all to his Alma Mater: “Whatever I have achieved, I owe it all to my school. It was here that the seed to do something different was planted in me. Not only was I a good student, I wrote, directed plays in English and Hindi, was a good sportsperson. The school nurtured me and my talent and gave me the confidence to make a difference.”

Ajeet Singh went on to finishing his schooling from La Martiniere, Lucknow before moving to Delhi for graduation from Hansraj College. At college, Ajeet witnessed a life-changing event. At a wedding, Ajeet observed how some men were leering at girls performing mujra; something snapped within and a silent vow was taken.

Just seventeen, Ajeet adopted three orphans from Varanasi’s Red-light area and laid the foundation of Guria to fight sexual exploitation of girls. It was formally registered in 1993.

Guria has worked relentlessly in rescuing girls enmeshed in the murky waters of the flesh trade. It has been a Herculean task of rehabilitating the women and their children by educating them to give them a fresh lease of life.

Today, Guria has taken wings and works pan-India. Ajeet, his wife Madhu and umpteen volunteers are seen as ambassadors of hope who have rescued many lesser fortunate young women from the murky world of the flesh trade.

We at Newspost, salute Ajeet Singh and his team at Guria.

Dehradun: The first ever Pinkathon run in the city

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun, The city woke up on Sunday morning to witness men, women and children alike, participating in the first ever Pinkathon Run. The run was flagged of by International Blind Footballer and running enthusiast Pankaj Rana a resident of Badkot, Uttarkashi at 6:15 a.m. from Mussoorie Diversion to Rajpur Chowk, a distance of five kms, saw an impressive line-up.

Close to forty people, all within the age group of 6 years to 64 years took part in the run. Conducted by Pinkathon volunteers led by Puja Negi and Naresh Singh Nayal, the Pinkathon Run was a first amongst a series of ‘Run’ organised in sixty-one cities, in which ten thousand runners have participated. Running enthusiasts from Doon made it to the race despite the early morning chill and supporting them, were family and friends who ran along side their peers, encouraging them along the way. Speaking to Newspost Naresh Singh Nayal, one of the organisers of the race said, “the run is to celebrate the health of our citizens and to send a message to the society about how important it is to be fit, and for us to take out time from our busy schedules and dedicate it to our physical and mental well-being.“

The runners enjoyed the morning run, under the canopy of trees along the Dehradun-Rajpur stretch.  Volunteers from Benchmarkers made sure that there were no hiccups along the way, and that the run was a success. The Dehradun Runners Club members Shashi Bhushan Uniyal, C Sudhir and Anupam graced the occasion.

In the near future,  Pinkathon Dehradun Group plans to organise the race at a larger scale so that more participants can partake in the awareness run and spread the message of being hale and hearty.

2018 Chardham Yatra coming to an end

By
Tania Saili
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0

With winters long march around the corner, the 2018 Chardham Yatra is coming to an end.

Traditionally, the world-famous Chardham pilgrimage comes to a halt towards first week of November when the shrines become inaccessible due to heavy snowfall. Following spring, on Basant Panchami the dates for the re-opening of the shrines are announced as per ancient rites and rituals।

Along with the famous-four i.e. Gangotri, Yamnotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath,  the first to close its portals was Hemkund Sahib, the Sikh place of worship situated at an elevation of 15,197 feet in Chamoli, Uttarakhand. Hemkund, opened for pilgrimage on the 25th of May this year and closed on 10th of October amidst the chanting of Gurubani, in the interiors of Garhwal Himalaya.

Close on its heals are the shrines of Gangotri and Yamunotri, the source of the Ganga and the Yamuna River respectively which will close for winter on the 8th and 9th of November.

The dates for the closure of Badrinath and Kedarnath were announced on Vijaydashmi, in which it was announced that Badrinath Shrine, Vishnu’s abode in the hill-state will close for pilgrimage on the 20th of November and Kedarnath, Shiva’s highest temple will close on the 9th of November at 3:21 p.m.

Tradition has it, that the annual Chardham pilgrimage in Uttarakhand begins in the month of April/May and works in a west to east direction in a clockwise manner. It begins from Yamunotri onto Gangotri and then proceeds to Kedarnath temple, terminating at Badrinath.

To date, since 4th of March 2018 when the portals re-opened, a whooping seven lakh pilgrims and counting have made their way to the four-shrines including, Hemkund Sahib, a record pilgrimage.

The closing of Tungnath Temple on 29th of October and Madmaheshwar on 22nd November will toll the end of the Chardham Pilgrimage for the year 2018.

Stay tuned for ABRK’s latest Pahadi Dance Mash-up

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

If being praised by the likes of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and Urvashi Rautela wasnt enough, famous Rapper Abhishekh Bhatt aka ABRK is back with his latest song, to be launched on the 21st of October!

ABRK is no stranger to setting new milestones. The first to bring web-series to Dehradun, the young talent is coming out with Pahadi Dance Mash-up. The song, is an interesting, foot-tapping compilation of songs in Uttarakhand’s regional languages such as Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari, and aptly entitled Pahadi Dance Mash-up.

Telling us more about the song, Abhishekh says, “This is my first song in my mother-tongue in which you will hear amalgamation of a dozen famous regional songs, which I am sure, you have heard at parties and weddings, all from our hill-state.”

Pahadi Dance Mash-up is all set to rule the airwaves from 21st of October, “I dedicate my Pahadi Dance Mashup to my State and its hill-folks and I hope they enjoy listening and watching it on YouTube as much as I enjoyed making it,” adds Abhishekh Bhatt.

Asked, why now? Abhishekh Bhatt answers how at the back of his mind ABRK always wanted to do something off-beat and unique to bring to the forefront Uttarakhand’s varied musical heritage. His wait and watch policy worked and today Pahadi Dance Mash-up is a reality, “Mash-up is my way of making sure that the youth of our State is connected to their roots and its culture. I want to put Uttarakhand’s rich musical heritage onto an international platform.”

Along with ABRK, Naveen Dhyani lent music to the song, with videographer Krishna Dhyani and colour grading done by Bharat Gupta. Shot on-location in Maldevta, the song was completed within two days of pre and post shoot commitments.

For now, stay tuned to YouTube and Abhishekh’s FaceBook Page as Pahadi Dance Mash-up launch coincides with ABRK‘s birthday on the 21st of October @ 11:00 a.m.

Tiwari: The passing away of an era

By
newspost
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0

Veteran politician ND Tiwari, who suffered multiple organ failure in July, has died at a hospital in Delhi. It was Mr Tiwari’s 93rd birthday today.

“Mr Tiwari was admitted at the Max Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi and died at 2.50 pm,” the doctors said.

ND Tiwari, a Congress veteran, was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital on October 26. He was suffering from fever and pneumonia. A team of doctors was monitoring his condition in the ICU round the clock.

Aged 92, Narayan Dutt Tiwari bid farewell to the world. With the passing away of ND Tiwari a golden era in the politics of the country and more so, Uttarakhand comes to an end. A veteran politician, ND Tiwari was revered by all, even his opponents. He leaves behind a glorious trail in the politics of the hill-state, for many saw him as a visionary and go-getter.

Born in 1925, in Baluti a small village outside Nainital, Tiwari moved his way up the ladder in politics Initiated into the world of politics as the President of the Union of the Allahabad University, the octogenarian politician never looked back. He was thrice the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (1976–77, 1984–85, 1988–89), the largest State in India and later Uttarakhand that was carved out of Uttar Pradesh.

He was the first elected Chief Minister of Uttarakhand who enjoyed a full-term from 2002 to 2007. ND Tiwari also served in Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi‘s cabinet as Minister for External Affairs with his last stint at politics being the Governor of Andhra Pradesh from 2007 until 2009, when he was forced to resign following a sex scandal.

An elected member to the 7th Lok Sabha in 1980,1996 and 1999 Tiwari ji held several important portfolios. He married twice, first to Sushila Tiwari, and then to Ujjwala Tiwari on 14 May 2014, the mother of his biological son Rohit Shekhar with whom the veteran fought a paternity battle that ruled the headlines towards the end of his political career.

Paying his condolence to the departed leader Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendre Singh rawat said “He played an important role in Indian politics. He will be remembered as an able administrator, diplomat and for working towards the progress of Uttarakhand just after the state was formed.”

Since 20th September last year, the leader had been in and out of hospital with various health issues. He was admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi, a few days back with stomach infection and kidney failure and was being treated for the same.

Soundproof classrooms for schools near Kedarnath

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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1

Rudraprayag; Some forty five kilometers from Shiva’s highest shrine Kedarnath, the students of Primary School in Bhitsaim find it difficult to concentrate on their studies. Every half hour, the children have to stop their classes mid-lesson and wait for the thrum of the helicopter landing or taking off with pilgrims, to subside.The chop-chop-chop of the chopper rotors, from close vicinity makes it difficult for students to concentrate on their lessons.

Complaints came pouring in from all quarters. Students, parents and teacher’s alike put their grievances across to the District Administration who soon found the state-of-the-art solution. “After rounds of meeting, it was suggested that the chopper companies hired to ferry pilgrims, would from their CSR funds build sound-proof rooms for the students of the nine primary schools located close to the helipads at Phata, Guptkashi, Gaurikund, Sonprayag and Narayankoti,” informs District Magistrate Rudraprayag, Mangesh Ghildiyal.

Working on war footing, seven out of the nine chopper companies worked over a period of two months and finished their assignment.  With double-glazed windows, sound-proof doors, roofs re-done to minimise any kind of disturbance from outside, these rooms have made life easy for teachers and students as well.

 

A relieved Headmaster of the Primary School in  Siri, Shri Sanjay Prasad, tells us, “Every half hour we have a helicopter ferrying pilgrims to and fro from Kedarnath shrine, this  routine would invariably disrupt lessons, but now these newly constructed sound-proof rooms have made it easier for us to continue our lessons without any disruptions.”

“Now two more chopper companies have to meet their target, which they promise to, as soon as they resume flying in the region,” assures Mangesh Ghildyal, DM, Rudraprayag.

So, for now, the only sound that you can hear in these sound-proof rooms is that of the tiny-tots working hard, in pin-drop silence.

Weaving a future for Uttarakhand’s bamboo weavers

By
Tania Saili
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0

Dehradun: Uttarakhand, like any other mountain-state is known for its varied handicraft, which once forgotten, has now found wings due to individual and collective efforts by sons  and daughters of the soil. Today we talk about Designer Upender Rawat, employed in an IT company in Dehradun, whose efforts have given a fresh lease of life to Bamboo baskets, with his initiative, Honey Handicrafts.

Inspired by his wife Udesh Rawat’s handicraft skills, Upender started his search for bamboo weavers, a memory from his childhood spent in the hills.   Lady luck struck! Within  two three months of looking around, Upender search ended in Sahaspur Laanga area, in the outskirts of Dehradun. Here, he came across a family of seven to eight weavers, who had, despite the onslaught of modernisation, kept alive the dying art of ringaal (bamboo) baskets with intricate weaving in all sizes.

Upender tells Newspost, “I belong to the hills and have grown up in a village where two to three families were dedicated to the art of weaving, but as it dint get them any financial help, the art was soon buried in wooden trunks.“

Today Gopal and his family have restarted the art solely due to Upender’s constant encouragement. The first few samples were delivered to Upender a few months back and he decided to put them on Facebook to reach a wider client-base, to ensure that his family of weavers would soon make monetary benefits from it.

“The customised baskets are completed within two to three days. The family is in the process of passing on their talent to the next generation, which for me is a personal reward,” beams Upender.

He adds, “Though there are plenty of artisans in the State, they lack a proper platform to showcase their skill. These hand-woven bamboo baskets are eco-friendly, durable and organic. They can be used for multi-purposes and should be encouraged at all levels.“

Keeping the festive season in mind, Upender has given a 70% discount on all the baskets for now, hoping that it will bring the much-sort-after Goddess Lakshmi to the homes of those who need it the most.

Profixerz – one stop-shop for all your maintenance issues

By
Lucky Singh/Tania Saili
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0

If Dehradun is home to you, then Profixerz HAS TO BE on your quick dial! Need a reliable electrician, plumber, appliance repairer, carpenter or the latest addition, a henna artist, dial Profixerz. This team in Yellow has made life in the valley easy for those who juggle with day-to-day home or office maintenance issues.

Started by three like-minded youngsters, within a year, the company has grown into a team of fifteen young men within the age group of 20-30. Experts in their field, the company does a complete background check before hiring them.

Co-founder Istedad Muteeb tells us, “Neeraj Kumar Singh, Sahibe Aalam  and I did our B.Tech together. Post our graduation we three  went our own way, working in various cities such as Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon. The passion to do something of our own made us give up promising careers. We set base in Dehradun and Profixerz became a reality.”

There were plenty of teething trouble, new place, new people, lack of funds but soon those shortcomings have become a thing of the past.

Looking back, Sahibe Aalam tells us, “It was an uphill task for us. We started with plumbing and went from home-to-home, shop-to-shop handing out services and trying to build a brand. Today we are proud to say that we have added more services to our group.“

Not limiting themselves to home-maintenance the company wants to diversify into waste-management and daily services as well, the ground work for which is already underway.

“This is an initiative to spread awareness about waste management,” adds Neeraj, “We will collect waste material such as paper, metal,  newspapers, plastic and e-waste to generate e-points which will then work as e-cash for the services that Profixerz provide.“

Keeping their services at par with India’s metropolitan cities, Profixerz boast of giving professional services to over one thousand households within Dehradun district and promise to add more services.

Contact at 9927344344/ Or visit www.profixerz.com

Unruly mob attack on lady entrepreneur

By
newspost
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0

Dehradun, Senior Vice President FICCI FLO and woman entrepreneur Nazia Izuddin held a press conference earlier in the day where she brought to the notice that her house was attacked by an unruly mob of 150 people yesterday evening. She claimed that the attack at her residence in village Challang, Rajpur, Dehradun was led by Pankaj Aggarwal, Yogesh Bhatt, Mukesh Joshi and Ajay Dabral, well-known names in media and business fraternity.

According to her, the mob of men and women ran a mock the above said property with arms and ammunitions, physically assaulted her house help, guard and demolished her guard house with a JCB brought to the spot. Nazia added that despite repeated requests to the police, no security was given to her and though the police had taken a written complaint naming three,  they had not yet filed an FIR.

Speaking on the occasion, she said, “This reflects that the Dehradun Police does not take the safety of women seriously. Is this how daughters and daughter in laws of the State are treated? We could have even been killed. I feel insecure and threatened.”

Nazia also disclosed that in the recent past she had issued a defamation notice against Mukesh Joshi who had tried to malign her business image.

Taking cognisance of the matter, SSP Dehradun, Nivedita Kukreti updated Newspost stating, “actually this is a property dispute. We have asked both the parties in question to show us their ownership papers (land in dispute), to first determine whose land it is. I have asked SDM and Revenue Department to look into it as well.”

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