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2022 Chardham Yatra begins in May first week

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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Dateline Dehradun: Following tradition, announcing the dates for the opening of the portals of the world-famous Char Dhams begins with Basant Panchami. In 2022, the four famous shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath will open to pilgrims in the first week of May.

Calling Chardham Yatra “the center of our faith,” ex-chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat flagged off last years pilgrimage in the second week of May. For each State government the Chardham Yatra is seen as a litmus test that decides the government’s competency and capability. This significant annual event adds to the economy of the hill-state as over 30% of the state’s GDP depends on tourism, including spiritual tourism such as this event.

Year after year the State machinery goes on over-drive mode  to facilitate pilgrims by making adequate arrangement for drinking water, sanitation, sign-age, landslips along with other basic facilities enroute to the four shrines and those off-beat as well. With mandatory photometric registration of each devotee at Rishikesh’s Chardham Yatra terminal from 15th April. Instructions have been given by Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar to the Public Works Department to clear snow enroute to the Dhams, Jal Sansthan has been asked to  repair water tanks. Border Road Organisation and National Highways Authority of India need to ensure that roads are pothole-free with ample parking arrangements. Just a few ‘must-do’ for the State administration with over two months to go.

For Uttarakhand, a State that thrives on tourism, two years of pandemic have hit home hard. With recent relaxation in covid protocol, the State hopes to have a successful run hoping for a phenomenal increase in the number of devotees making their way to Devbhoomi, during the Chardham Yatra.

Chardham Opening dates:

Yamunotri : 3rd May

Gangotri : 3rd May

Kedarnath: 6th May

Badrinath : 5th May

Off-the-beaten-track temples:

Rudranath: 19th May

Watch this space for more updates.

Uttarakhand’s folktales in comic format

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0
Chaukal

Dateline Pauri: How about reading your favourite folktale from Uttarakhand that too in Garhwali and in a comic book format?

Launched on 1st February, 2022 by Chakhul  ‘Devbhoomi Comics’ bring alive the folktales of Uttarakhand. The books are bilingual as they come in Garhwali and Hindi both so even those who don’t speak or read Garhwali can understand fables that have become an  intrinsic part of the hillstate’s culture and tradition.

A team of young people handpicked folk stories from the hills and after two months of hardwork and research they launched their first comic book ‘Kafal Pako,’ in Garhwali. The comic book retells the folk saga behind the famous seasonal berry ‘Kafal.’  Colourful illustrations and simple Garhwali prose add substance to this nominally priced soft cover book that is easily available online.

Talking to Newspost Ankit Bhandari the visionary behind this idea says, “The idea was simple. This comic book series hopes to promote folk stories and regional languages of Uttarakhand. We want to inform people all around the globe as to what makes Uttarakhand  Dev bhoomi,’ and to bring alive our heroes from the past.’

Chakul a must-read

The folktales bring alive the hillstate’s glorious history, its culture and heroes. It aims to promote local regional languages through its young audience. Their future titles include the tales of Phulari, Garhwali krishn leela, Chalda Mahasu, Kali Kumaon in Garhwali, Kumaoni as well as Jaunsari in the near future.

Ankit further adds, “we wanted to print comic books that would be enjoyed by all age groups ranging from school going children to the elderlies at home.” He tells us about another noble thought behind buying the comic series, “10% funds collected from the sales of ‘Devbhoomi Comics will be given to Kothari Parvatiya Vikas Samiti that has been working on self-employment in rural Uttarakhand.”

To get your own copy, click here:

https://www.amazon.in/sme=A3B1AKUAZDND8N&ref=sf_seller_app_share_new

Perils of snowbound Mussoorie

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0
Mussoorie magic

Dateline Mussoorie: After two-days of continuous snowfall, Mussoorie’s snow magic wanes.

After weeks of sub-zero temperatures and windchill factor, the first snowflake waltzed into town on Thursday morning and continued late into Friday night. From eight inches to over two feet in the higher reaches of the town, its abutting areas like Dhanolti, Kanatal too were covered under a thick blanket of snow.

Marauders poured into the hill station in cars and two-wheelers skidding and sliding into the hill-station risking everything much before the dreaded weekend frenzy began.  Residents struggled with burst water pipelines, snapped phone and electricity lines, no internet and traffic jams making movement impossible.

Marauders on a roll

Local police has been on its toes, trying to step in and assist marauders who are totally unprepared for the cold and the perils of snow. Extra police force man crucial entry and exit points such as Bataghat, Mullingar, Kulri, Zero Point, Kincraig. SHO Mussoorie, Girishchand Sharma adds, “on an average, the hill station sees over two thousand vehicles entering town, but as it has snowed and it’s a weekend we are expecting over three thousand vehicles a day starting tomorrow.”

Learning lessons from the past, three JCB’s which have been stationed in and around the town worked late into the night clearing snowbound roads.

Local businessmen and hoteliers are happy as cash registers ring, but they too have a word of caution, Hotelier Prateek Karanwal says, “the town has come alive with the recent snowfall. Social media reels of tourists and Bollywood stars such as Akshay Kumar enjoying the snow has brought in good business  but a sense of chaos prevails with bumper to bumper traffic bringing things to a grinding halt.”

Mussoorie covered under a white mantle

If there is any silver lining at this point of time, it is that the Met Department promises sunshine over the next few days before another squall threatens to come this way.

Keeping tradition alive

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0
Himalayan Baudh Sanskriti Sanrakshan Evam Vikas Samiti

Dateline Uttarkashi: A three day festival by the Himalayan Baudh Sanskriti Sanrakshan Evam Vikas Samiti was held in Virpur, Dunda in Uttarkashi district.

During this occasion, a parikrama of the Lord Buddha’s portrait followed with the chanting of the holy scriptures of Prajnaparamita (Perfection of transcendent wisdom) aka Yum Chenmo  was carried out through the length and breadth of the village by the community who prayed for world peace.

Himalayan Baudh Sanskriti Sanrakshan Evam Vikas Samiti keeping traditions alive

The scripture consisting of 100,000 line manuscript was recited by the Buddhist monks, nuns, and the villagers for the entire duration of the  festival. The hill-folks, young and old  came together to be part of the festivities, dressed in their traditional  attire.

As the sunset behind the might mountains, the evening celebrations came alive with the community performing their traditional Gorshey folk dance with such enthusiasm that it left left the audience spell-bound.

Calendar given bu Doon Buddhist to Himalayan Baudh Sanskriti Sanrakshan Evam Vikas Samiti

Throughout the event, free vegetarian meals are offered to those who took part in the festivities. To encourage young minds to learn about their customs and traditions,  a dhamma written test was conducted amongst children with prizes for top winners.

In appreciation of those who have made notable contribution to the society, individuals or organisations are honoured and felicitated with a traditional white scarf (khada) and a gift or memento, in the presence of a highly learned lama who gives discourse of Dharma. The award this year was given to Shri Ambika Lal Azad (President of Himalaya Baudh Samaj Uthdhaan Mahasabha, Uttarkashi) and Shri Subhash Chand (teacher) for their notable contribution to the society.

A delegate from Doon Buddhist attended this special program and  offered the New year wall hanging calendars to every family of the community.

The efforts and the vision in organising this annual festival towards the end of January,  uninterrupted for decades by the elders of the community spoke volume of their resolve and commitment to preserve their culture.

Mussoorie hosts Akshay Kumar

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0
Shooting in progress in Mussoorie

Dateline Mussoorie: A film crew from Mumbai starring Akshay Kumar, Rakul Preet and Chandrachoor Singh are making sure that Mussoorie remains in the headlines.

Over the next two weeks, Bollywood stars are sure to keep Mussoorie and its environs ringing with ‘Lights, Camera, Action!” Shooting for the tail-end of yet-to-be-titled Bollywood movie the stars can be spotted in the town’s scenic locales of Everest House, Hathipaon,  Mussoorie Mall Road.

A two day shoot was wrapped up in the iconic St.Georges College, Mussoorie. Directed by Ranjit Tiwari who has made block-buster movies like BellBottom with Akshay Kumar in the recent past, this ‘Thriller’ movie is slated for a year end release.

For someone how has childhood memories of the hill-station, Ranjit Tiwari says, “I have always liked Mussoorie because of its natural beauty, weather and its amicable people. Police and local admin have been very helpful. The crowd is very supportive,” on a personal note he adds, “ I will come back for more future projects and some personal time with my family.”

Produced by Vashu Bhagnani from Puja Entertainment, the Line Producers for the project ‘The Impressions Group,’ a Dehradun based company carried out a detailed recee of the hill-station six months back and zeroed down on these sites. Mayank Tiwari, partner, The Impressions tells us, “As always, it is always a delight to work with professionals on yet another big project. The 2022 calendar looks good for now, we will be working with Vicky Kaushal and Arjun Kapoor in the hill-state in the months to come.” Locals have found employment as junior artists bouncers, security, spot boys have been hired from Mussoorie and Dehradun.

While 50% of the film has been shot in London, the remaining will be shot in Mussoorie and Dehradun over the next few weeks, which will surely keep the otherwise sleepy town in a glittery buzz.

‘Pahadi Topi’ wins hearts on Republic day parade

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0
Pahadi Topi by Soham

Dateline Mussoorie:  Republic Day celebrations are special throughout the country. Yet, the 73rd Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi held a special connect to Uttarakhand or should we say Mussoorie.

The cap donned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the three-hour Republic Day Parade was first conceptualized and designed in Mussoorie. Be it an election gimmick or his love for the hill-state, this gesture of the Prime Minister has won the hearts of Uttarakhandi spread all over the globe.

Launched on 9th of November, 2017 on the occasion of Uttarakhand Divas in Mussoorie,  the cap has been designed by Sameer Shukla of Soham Himalayan Centre, Mussoorie and is popularly known as the ‘Brahmakamal Pahadi Topi.’

PM in a Pahadi Topi

The Brahmakamal motif denotes the auspicious Himalayan flower and the four colour stripes stand for human, nature, earth and sky. What makes it even more special is the fact that local tailors and artisans were looped in to bring this ‘Made in India’ product which has become a fashion rage.

From regional to national celebrities, those who have roots in Uttarakhand or have been associated with the hill-state have worn the ‘pahadi topi’ with pride. The young seem to have taken an instant liking to the head-gear and have made it a fashion statement.

 

Raman Shelly of Tuds.in tells me, “Ever since we put the picture of PM Modi wearing the ‘pahadi topi’ on our social media handle our organic searches for the headgear has increased tremendously. We have had a good number of orders now.”

In the past, the Uttarakhand Tableau at the Republic Day Parade won laurels for the hill-state for being adjudged the best tableau three times in a row but this time around, it is the ‘pahadi topi’ which wins our hearts, hands down.

For those who want to order ‘pahadi topi‘ do log in to: Tuds.in

The Mussoorie Notebook

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Mussoorie: If you ever visit the hill station of  Mussoorie and wonder what a good memento to take back home is, then ‘The Mussoorie Notebook’ would be your best bet.

This two hundred odd page labour of love has been made possible by two of Mussoorie admirers: Ashish Narayan Sharma and TK Manoj Kumar.  The vintage looking notebook contains interesting anecdotes and tit-bits about the history of the town spanning decades with over fifty hand-made sketches or illustrations that add more value to the notebook.

From sketches of a Langur or a mountain stream, to quaint buildings that still dot the hill-station the Mussoorie Notebook is on sale at the Charleville Bookstore & Cafe just outside the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy for Administration and also online on Amazon India.

TK Manoj Kumar is an old Mussoorie hand, having worked for five years (2003 to 2008) at the Administrative Academy. Smitten by the town, he took to his pen and ink to express his admiration for the hill station. The reader will find a collection of anecdotes, cameos and sketches of landmark buildings in town,  the hill station’s scenic landscape including interesting snippets of the town’s colonial past spanning centuries.

The idea behind this notebook (with regular lined pages) was for visitors who throng to Mussoorie to jot down their own memories and keep it as an archival diary. The production by the Binder Photo books gives it an antique look with oodles of old world charm. The notebook is published by the Mussoorie Book Cafe.

Of course with a little  more research there could have been many more interesting facts added as there is plenty more that can be included about the hill station. Hopefully the second edition will just get better with more tales from in and around town to accompany more sketches.

Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre, Uttarakhand bags coveted award

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Dehradun: In an Investiture Ceremony planned on January 23, 2022 in the Prime Minister’s Office, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi will confer the prestigious Subhash Chandra Bose Rashtriya Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar upon Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC), Uttarakhand.

Instituted by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to promote and recognise innovative and impactful work in the field of disaster risk reduction, it is for the first time that a state government organisation is being conferred this award. The award is being given under the ‘institutional category for the year 2000’ and carries a cash reward of Rs. 51lakh.

The award recognizes the innovative and quality research in the field of traditional disaster risk reduction practices of the people of hill-state and seismic safety environment together with capacity building of masons and engineers in earthquake safe construction. Search and rescue, first-aid at the grass-root level, producing innovative, entertaining, purposeful and impactful print and audio-visual awareness material in Hindi as well as Kumaoni and Garhwali are some of the steps taken by the DMMC Uttarakhand to further their cause.

Sharing more about the prestigious award, Dr. Piyoosh Rautela, Executive Director DMMC who will be receiving the award in New Delhi states, “Basically this is the only award that recognises disaster management work in the country. Both amount wise and prestige wise this award is very encouraging and a pat on our back. The money will be utilised for furthering the cause of disaster management in Uttarakhand.”

DMMC, Uttarakhand is the only institution in the nation to have produced a Censor Board certified film that was successfully released commercially in over two hundred multiplexes across the nation on December 11, 2015. The movie, The Silent Heroes, revolves around thirteen real-life hearing impaired with pertinent issues such as empowerment, social inclusion and disaster preparedness brought to the forefront.

Snowfall eludes Mussoorie

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0
Pic Courtesy: Pramod Kapoor

Dateline Mussoorie: For the past three weeks, the Snow God has been playing hide and seek when it comes to snowfall in the Queen of Hills Mussoorie. While towns like Dhanolti, Kanatal abutting the hill-station remain covered under a mantle of snow since last week.

Over the weekend, hordes of tourists descended upon their favourite destination to witness the magic of the season’s first snowfall in the areas surrounding Mussoorie. Of course the crowds overflowed into town  and almost brought the hill station to a grinding halt.

Pic Courtesy: Pramod Kapoor

For teashop and Maggi point owners, the business prospects were good. The sudden fall in temperature meant a good tourist turn out especially for those along Dehradun-Mussoorie road and enroute to Dhanolti and Kanatal. Suakholi some five kilometers from Mussoorie saw maximum footfall.  Pundirji of Pundir Dhaba at Suakholi was a busy man. His sales of Maggi, piping hot vegetarian thalis, paranthas followed by umpteen cups of tea had kept business rolling. He says ‘It is a welcome change. Snowfall means good business.’

According to the Met Department icy winter’s march across Uttarakhand seems to have some respite in sight, “There could be snowfall at an altitude of 2500 mtrs and above. Light and moderate rainfall is predicted in the low-lying hills and the plains over the next 24 hours. The weather will clear up from tomorrow onwards for a week or so.”

Since the end of December, the hill-station has witnessed sub- zero temperatures, rain, hail and sleet and a dusting of snow off and on but the elusive season’s first snowfall seems to play hide and seek as of now, keeping residents and tourists wondering.

Ringing in 2022 at 2,005 meters

By
Dr. Tania Saili Bakshi
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0

Dateline Mussoorie: At 2,005 meters the spirit of Christmas is in the air. Shops, hotels, restaurants are decked up in Christmas colours of red, green and gold making it a visual delight for local residents and tourists.

At the Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels The Savoy Mussoorie, a fifteen feet Christmas tree adds to the grandeur of the hotel. “Marking the beginning of the festive season many celebrations are lined up to bid farewell to 2021 and welcome 2022 on a happy note,” says General Manager WelcomeHotel The Savoy, Gautam Valli, further adding, “While Shivaay and Cardamom music bands will perform at The Savoy Mussoorie on the 25th of December, DJ Sumaya and Rudhaari will ring in 2022 with their music.”

Christmas at Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels The Savoy Mussoorie,

Back-to-back celebrations begin with the Landour Mela on the 25th-26thof December around the Upper Chakkar from Chardukan to Lal Tibba via Sister Bazaar. The annual Winterline Carnival scheduled from the 27th-29th of December along the Mall road was postponed last evening seeing the recent rise in Covid infected numbers.

The administration is ensuring that the events over the festive week are stream-lined with less traffic snarls along with Covid appropriate behaviour being followed strictly,  SHO Mussoorie, Girishchand  Sharma reiterates, “Extra force of hundred police men will be on duty from tonight until the 2nd of January. Bottleneck such as Picture Palace, Landour, Library entry-points will have extra force to ensure that there is not much congestion orelse traffic will be diverted. We have a task force in place that will ensure that Covid protocol such as masks, social distancing task are followed to the tee.”

President of Uttarakhand Hotel Association, Sandeep Sahni speaks for all those associated with the hotel industry in the hill-state when he says,  “things were looking very promising until the end of November, but ever since the Omicron variant made it appearance in India, bookings have been considerably low. As of today, there is an average of 50%-60%  booking across the state.”

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