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Good tidings for Larji Lake
Nesting pond Running along the National Highway-21, the Larji lake has become a new nesting pond, which has attracted flocks of migratory birds this season for the first time. The birds add both colour and life to an otherwise lifeless water body located in Mandi district. The Larji lake runs for 3 km along the NH-21 and measures 25 metres in depth, promising a potential for the mahaseer and other fish. Once the fish are introduced as planned by the State Fisheries Department, locals more particularly the oustees of the Larji project can eke out a living from the lake, reveal fisheries officials. Fish in water Larji Lake has been created following the construction of the 126 MW Larji project, by the HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB) on the river Beas that comes rushing through the serpentine Kulu valley after the river emerges from the Beas Kund glacier located in the 13,500 ft high Rohtang Pass, a window to the Lahaul valley. Like the Bhakhra Dam in Bilaspur and Pong Dam in Kangra valley, Larji Lake is being harnessed for fishing as the lake has permanent availability of water in it to support the fish and the migratory birds, which feast on fish. The tributaries of Beas- the trout-rich Tirthan and Sainj rivers join the Beas at Larji, adding to an attraction for the tourists if its potential is tapped fully. Ideal location Moreover, the Larji Lake is located at the gateway to Kulu valley and has created what is described as the country’s longest, 2. 8 kms long Larji traffic tunnel, on the Mandi-Leh highway. As such, this artificial lake is set to become a new midway stopover, where fish, migratory birds and water sports can be tapped for the tourists heading for Kulu-Manali and Lahaul-Leh-Ladakh, hope locals. Director Fisheries BD Sharma says that the department is exploring the possibility of propagating fish in the Larji lake. “We will carry out survey and will tie up the Larji project to examine the water body for the purpose”, he adds. After a long last, HPSEB has commissioned the 126 MW Larji project, which has earned the epithet of ‘White Elephant’ in the state as it has turned out to be most expensive projects in the state. But the HPSEB’s engineers who worked in the project can heave a sigh of relief if the Larji Lake develops fish and tourist related activity. Chief Engineer Larji project Arun Sharma says that they have written to the fisheries department to introduce fingerlings into the Larji Lake as it has enough water to support fish. “The lake has attracted migratory birds early this month”, he adds.
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Pride of Chamba
The HP Patent Information Centre in the State Council for Science, Technology and Environment has filed for registration of the Chamba rumal under the GI Act, which will bestow a kind of community patent umbrella to the unique art form. The case of Chamba rumal for registration under the GI Act has been sent to the Registrar, Geographical Registry, Chennai. Legally protected Being the first state in the country to formulate a policy for registration of products under the GI, two Himachali products, Kullu shawl and Kangra tea have already been registered under the GI Act. Till now only 24 products, mainly handicraft and agricultural products in the country have been registered under the GI Act. The process not just confers a legal protection to producers but goes a long way in boosting its exports. The market value of the products bearing the GI logo will go up manifold as it guarantees authenticity and genuineness of the product. “It basically confers legal protection to the producers and could herald economic prosperity for the producers of the patented goods being made within a geographical territory,” explained Dr S.S. Chandel, Principal Scientific Officer and in charge of the Patent Information Centre. The origin The art form of Chamba rumal originated in the princely hill state of Chamba. Though practiced throughout the region, the craft came to be associated specifically with Chamba due to the patronage given by the rulers and on account of the quality of the craftsmanship. The artistic style of pahari miniature paintings, influenced by the Mughal style, was reflected in the rumals, a unique art that flourished in the 18th and 19th century. Historically, the craft mainly flourished during the reign of Raja Umed Singh of Chamba (1748-68), patron of miniature artists who had fled from the troubled courts of the Mughal kings. The inspiration for the rumals was not just the miniature paintings done by pahari artists but also the paintings done on the Rang Mahal of Chamba. The oldest rumal dates back to the 16th century and is said to have been embroidered by Bebe Nanki, sister of Guru Nanak. This piece is now kept in the Sikh shrine in Hoshiarpur. Another important rumal was presented by Raja Gopal Singh to the British in 1883 and is now displayed at the Victoria Albert Museum, London. This piece depicts the battle of Kurukshetra. No knotty affair The Chamba rumals are embroidered with the double satin stitch known as do rukha tanka. This stitch makes the design look equally effective and identical in content on both the sides. Another peculiarity of the rumal is that there are no knots while doing embroidery. In the typical folk style, the colors used in Chamba rumal are bright and bold and include pink, lemon, purple, green blue and red. The more sophisticated colours include ochre, dark green, blue and paler shades. The outlines of the Chamba rumal are done with fine charcoal and brush by painters, well versed in pahari painting. Generally the fabric used for making a rumal is khaddar, because of its low cost, easy availability and durability. The colour of the khaddar or the fine muslin cloth (mal mal) is off white, as it highlights the vibrant silken threads filled in the drawings on the rumal. The embroidery on the Chamba rumal is also used on cholis, caps and coverlets. The tradition of Chamba rumal is still alive in Chamba but only a few young women are engaged in making beautiful rumals these days. Kamladevi Chattopadhyay, impressed by the Chamba rumal had tried to revive the art but even she did not achieve much success in this mission. The state government has now set up a centre at Chamba for promoting and providing training in the local art, including the rumal.
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vignettes
The December 23, 2006 was the day when Shimla Amateur Dramatic Club (ADC) handed over the reins of The Gaiety Theatre to the Language and Culture Department, shifted to a new venue within The Gaiety Complex but retained its original name and the year of birth – 1837.
Of late, the ADC had reduced itself to a rendezvous of social get-togethers and had crawled out of the role of the creator and promoter of dramatics. Its last effort was organising drama competitions for various local amateur clubs and colleges in 1999 and 2000. But its long and fruitful contribution towards dramatics is significant. Such were the histrionics of the performers on this stage that Lord Curzon had remarked in 1905, “No more light plays in the bijou theatre, where the Shimla A.D.C. vainly endeavours to conceal the genius of the professional under the guise of the amateur.” The year 1896 was ADC’s peak when it performed record twenty-one plays on the Gaiety Stage in flickering lights emitted by oil lamps because the theatre had no electricity till 1899. That year an oil lamp fell on the stage and burnt scenery. The sand stored at the wings was immediately used to put out the fire and as a penalty, the theatre staff was not paid the gratuity. The incident resulted in installing a generator to light the stage, the dance hall and the tavern. When the motion pictures made their way to Shimla screens in late 1920s, the ADC with its standard plays competed well with the movies. There were people who opined, “Who’s going to pay four rupees to see the Simla amateurs when you can get Garbo for eight annas!” But the ADC provided, “flesh and blood, not cheesy photographs” and hence spectators. Hindustani theatre wallas generally had problems with The Gaiety Management. This theatre had set foot in Shimla around 1893. Their clubs were allowed to give one show in a year at The Gaiety but later even that was disallowed on the plea that their stage-prop was huge that caused danger of damage to the stage. Durga Dass, a councillor in the Municipal Committee, raised voice against this injustice in the meetings and his efforts brought results in 1928. The Gaiety was reopened for Hindustani Theatre. Major P.H. Denyer, himself, a producer of plays had written a report in 1937 to celebrate the centenary of amateur dramatic activity in Shimla. His words even today carry meanings for all budding actors,” Acting, like courtship, improves the manners and carriage. To be even moderately successful play-actor demands personality, self-confidence and imagination, all attributes only of the intelligent.” To the spectator at The Gaiety he says, “Just think that you may be in a seat once occupied by Rudyard Kipling, Kitchener or Baden Powell. Surely this fact in itself is worth the price of your seat.” Is it not the moment to raise a toast for the actors and all those who remained associated with ADC and shout,” ADC is done, long live ADC”! Himachali Celebes The ‘Scholastics publishers’ came into being in 1920 at New York, USA and have since expanded their empire to eight more countries including India with New Delhi as its epicentre. I had the opportunity of reading their latest ‘Scholastics Quiz’ in which 200 questions have been compiled by Arunava Sinha. Two out of these have touched Himachali celebrities. May interest the readers! First one is, “What was special about the phone call made by Jyoti Basu, then the Chief Minister of West Bengal, to Sukh Ram, then the Union Minister for Telecommunications, on August 23, 1995?” Any guesses. Despite Sukh Ram’s remarkable achievements in the field of telecommunications, his tenure, unfortunately, is associated with scams too. Did a scam come to your mind on reading the above-mentioned question? Or was it some thing else? If it was not the scam then you are on the right side of the fence. And the answer is, “It was the first mobile phone call made in India.” The second one is, “What is Pratima Puri’s claim to fame?” And the answer is, “She was the first newsreader on Doordarshan news.” Pratima Puri nee Vidya Rawat belonged to a Gorkha family settled at Laal Paani in Shimla and had worked for quite long with the All India Radio here. She was transferred to New Delhi when All India Radio had its first telecast on September 15, 1959 from a makeshift studio there. Good-looking and good-voiced Pratima was selected as an announcer, may be a newsreader, but was definitely the first face on the small screen in India. Tailpiece After the ushering in of the New Year, two government officers came out of a hotel past midnight. Both of them were unstable as if the earth were at a far distance below their feet. My friend whispered in my ear, “I presume that is why they are called ‘high’ government officials.”
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Overloaded buses defy norms
In utter disregard for High Court directions, private buses in the region are having a gala time using pressure horns and running high decibel music systems. Though the state’s highest court has banned their use there is little adherence to the directives in the absence of regulation by the transport authorities. The regional transport authority has not woken up to take any effective steps to control the menace despite a number of accidents taking place in the state due to these two reasons. Though the HRTC buses are abiding by these instructions the private sector buses are yet to show respect for the high court orders. The loud music in these buses can easily distract the drivers and may lead to fatal accidents. The private buses also indulge in rash driving in trying to overtake each other and put the lives of the passengers in danger. The private buses operating in the far off areas skip their scheduled routes during the cold winter months when the number of passengers declines. Daily commuters often face problem in reaching their destinations in late evening hours. For instance, as many as five buses scheduled to go to Kasauli from Dharampur between 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm but only one bus abides by the rule while the remaining four have been skipping their evening routes since November. “This practice continues every year from the month of November to the end of March. Despite such gross negligence on part of the private bus operators the authorities have not taken any steps to help the commuters. It appears the regional transport officials have given them a free hand to operate in such a manner that the four buses can stay off route for so long and still go scot free,” confided a bank employee who commutes daily from Kasauli to Solan. To make matters worse, two HRTC buses were withdrawn to allot these routes to private bus operators. With neither private nor HRTC operators plying buses in the evening hours the daily commuters are left to the mercy of taxis, which charge exorbitantly. The regional transport authority has done precious little to check this highhandedness of the private operators. When contacted the RTO, Sanjay Sharma, informed that notices were served to such offenders almost a month back. He had little idea which buses were off-route for the past months. The impact of the routine notice issued could be well imagined. Fewer buses lead to overcrowding on the few buses, which ply on these routes, increasing chances of accidents. The authorities have failed to book them. Similar situation was also noticed on other routes like Nauni, Arki, Deothi, Baddi and Nalagarh areas. In the industrial areas roof traveling was also seen but all these have gone unchecked. People have demanded initiation of HRTC buses on these routes so that regular services could be made available to commuters.
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shimla Diary Queen of hills has been reeling under severe cold with the minimum temperatures remaining below freezing point in the first week of January. However, there has not been a trace of snow so far. The weather God disappointed the winter revelers who had converged on the hill resorts in thousands to experience snow on Christmas and the New Year. A mild spell of snow early in the season had raised hopes of a “snow-full” winter. However, contrary to expectations it has turned out to be a snow-less winter like the last season. Worse, the local Ice Skating Club could not organise the winter carnival, the main attraction for tourists during this period because of unfavourable weather conditions. The sheet of ice on the rink melted away due to an overcast sky around Christmas and by the time a fresh layer could appear the peak season was over. There was no point in having a carnival after New Year, says Mr Bhuvanesh Banga, secretary of the club. However, if the weather permits the annual gymkhana carnival will be held on January 13 and 14. The budding ice skaters coming to the city to learn finer nuances of ice-skating from a foreign coach were disappointed. Mr Andreas arrived from Germany on December 23 but he had to return the very next day as his father had suffered a hear attack back home. The 80 odd participants had to be content with Indian coaches. The weather in the New Year has been favourable for ice-skating as a result of which only 40 sessions were be possible during the season. If the weather favours ice-skating enthusiasts another 80 sessions could be held during the season. The severe cold created problems for residents in the state capital as taps remained dry in many areas for days together due to freezing of water pipes. Besides, a layer of ice on the shady patches made driving hazardous. There have been a number of accidents in and around the city. Restoration drive After the restoration of the historic Gaiety Theatre, the government plans to take up the restoration of the adjoining Municipal Corporation building, another magnificent heritage structure. It was build using the material retrieved from the debris of the top two storeys of the Gaiety Theatre, which were pulled down in 1912. The two storeys are being restored under the renewal project. The plan is to restore all the heritage buildings in the British summer capital in a phased manner. Rs 229 crore plan has been prepared to for the rejuvenation of heritage buildings under the Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. The state heritage board has already declared 64 old buildings of the British era as heritage structures. Another 71 old structures have been identified and the process is on to accord heritage status to them. Under the plan Rs 93.2 crore will be provided by the Centre, Rs 23.3 crore by the state and the remaining 112.50 crore will be raised from private investors. Educating rights Most of the jail inmates are unaware of their legal and constitutional rights. All that some of them know is that if they maintain discipline it could help in their early release. However, they are not fully aware of their responsibilities for remission in sentence and what should they do if there is inordinate delay in the trial. The state legal services authority has taken an initiative to educate the jail inmates about their rights and duties. It organised a legal literacy camp at the Kanda Central Jail, which has the maximum number of inmates in the state. Mr R.L.Raghu, the district and sessions judge who is also the chairperson of the district legal services authority, impressed upon the prisoners that they must abide by the jail manual to get their sentence remitted. In case of unnecessary delays in the trial they should bring the matter to the notice of the judge as early as possible. Mr R.K Mittal, member secretary of the authority, said that prisoners could take advantage of plea-bargaining, recently incorporated into the Criminal Procedure Code. For this they will have to voluntarily accept their guilt and mutually agree to pay compensation or arrive at a compromise with the complainant. He also informed about the rights of the accused when they were arrested. Other speakers threw light on the power of police to arrest an accused in cases of cognizable and non-cognizable offences and the rights of women accused.
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hamirpur Diary Taking a lead in the region, Hamirpur has become the first district where driving licences and registration copy of vehicles will be issued in just three working days at the three e-governance centres set up in the sub-divisions of Hamirpur, Barsar and Nadaun. This will be achieved by rooting out the discretionary system of issuing these documents, maintaining transparency and establishing a mechanism which involves minimal paper work and thus no delay. Deputy Commissioner Rajneesh Kumar said re-structuring of the process of issuing of these documents had been on for over 10 months and a Netherland-based firm DNV had done the final performance-audit of these centres yesterday. It has finalised issuing an ISO certification to the e-governance centres and the certificate was expected in a couple of weeks. Usually, an ISO certification as a benchmark of quality is associated with private organisations but this is the first case wherein a government agency has been assessed for quality of services. NIT’s global alliances With its aim to keep abreast of international research, the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Hamirpur, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Technology, Sydney, for interchange of staff for the purpose of research, teaching and academic discussions. Prof I. K. Bhat, director, NIT, said in away the agreement was also an acknowledgement of the quality of teaching and research work going on at the institute. In the current scenario, it had become important to enter into international alliances with prestigious institutions and the MoU is a big leap in this direction, he said. “The two parties would take up joint research activity, which would include participation in internationally funded projects. Joint course delivery programmes would also be chalked out with the University of Technology, Sydney,” he said. The NIT has sent a detailed proposal of the activities proposed to be carried out under the agreement to the University of Sydney earlier this week. One key benefit would be visits by and exchange of students for the purpose of study and research. “We are hopeful to benefit by way of valuable research and teaching work by way of this agreement. The two parties have acknowledged that the academic and research standards established by each of them must be maintained at all times and the agreement would not operate to constrain the other party from maintaining those standards,” he said. Meanwhile, there has been a rise in the percentage of students selected through campus placements in the current academic session. Companies like Wipro, Satyam, Perot, Ashok Leyland, L & T, Hero Honda, HCC and VSNL have already visited the campus to hire students. “The placement is almost 90 per cent in most department and the remaining include those who themselves do not want to take part in the campus recruitment programme,” said Prof Bhat. As per the last compiled figures, the placement was 96.77 per cent in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, 82.93 per cent in Mechanical Engineering and 88.89 per cent in Electronics but only 48.65 in case of Electrical Engineering. Five new M.Tech programmes in the key engineering departments would be introduced in the Departments of Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. These courses have already been approved by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Board of Governors, said Prof Bhat. He added this would be in addition to the M Tech and Ph.D programmes started earlier this year, with a total intake of 100 and 37 students respectively in different departments of engineering, sciences and humanities. The institute also offers undergraduate programmes in B Tech in core branches of engineering and B Architecture. New trends in Mobile Computing The Department of Computer Science and Engineering of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Hamirpur, conducted a Short Term Course on Mobile Computing for the faculty of various Technical Institutes and Professionals from IT and Communication Industry. The patron of this course was Prof I. K. Bhat, Director NIT, Hamirpur, was the chief guest of the valedictory function. Prof Lalit Kumar Awasthi and Mr Naveen Chauhan of Computer Science and Engineering Department, NIT, Hamirpur, were the course coordinators. A total 28 participants from various institutes/organizations attended the course. The participants were from institutes in Trichurapalli, Tirupati, Jagadhari, Fatehpur Sahib. Dr Awasthi gave an insight into Mobile Computing Mobile computation, which is the merger of communication and computation. He said it must be included in course of B.Tech. Computer, Electronics and IT. Also, the course can be introduced to M. Tech-Electronic and Communication, M. Tech. Computer science and Engineering. But, M.Tech in Mobile Computing may not be started due to lack of faculty in this specialised area. The course for B. Tech. and M. Tech. should have slight variation and the course for B. tech. should include basic concept in detail. Nano technology discussed A short-term course on ‘VLSI Design & Recent Trends in Nano-Electronics’ was organized by the Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering, NIT Hamirpur. Prof. I.K. Bhat, Director, NIT Hamirpur was the Chief Guest for the valedictory function. Fifty participants from all over India registered and participated in the course. The expert, Prof. R.P. Agarwal Vice-Chancellor BU Jhansi UP delivered on technological aspects of VLSI. He appreciated the activities of E & CED NIT Hamirpur and encouraged to continue the endeavor. Dr S. S. Rajput, Scientist NPL India New Delhi, talked about the low power VLSI design aspects. Dr S. Dasgupta AP E & CED IIT Roorkee spoke on the novel Nano-electronic devices. Dr Rajeevan Chandel (Head and Coordinator), Dr Ashwani Chandel, Dr Narottam, Mr Gargi, Mr Ashwani Rana, Mr Surinder Soni also delivered expert lectures in the course. The HOD of E & CE, Dr Rajeevan Chandel said this type of courses would be organised regularly by Electronics Department. She also invited all to the National Conference on Design Techniques in VLSI & Communication to be held in May 2007.
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Artist of the mountains
The Himalayas have inspired scholars, artists, adventures and poets since time immemorial. The oil paintings of Sukh Das, a ‘Himalayan painter’, born in the valley captures myriads moods of the mountains. Even after painting the Himalayas for decades together, Sukh Das even at a ripe age of 77, still plays with his brush, capturing their magic and grandeur more pure and surreal than ever before. Apart from the painting the Himalayan mountains, Sukh Das has a name for making portraits. Sukh Das was in the news when the HP Kala Sanskriti Akademy awarded him the ‘Kala Samaan’ for his contribution in the field of paintings in 2003 by the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, in Shimla along with other artists. Born at Tholang village in the Lahaul valley, Sukh Das teaches painting. His oil paintings capturing the mysteries, magic and moods of Leh-Ladakh to Mansarovar Lake in the India-China border, are his masterpieces. The dome-shaped Mansarovar Lake, the surreal setting and the rising sun, Himalayas in and after the snowfall, in winters and summers, his paintings make a collector’s item. Sukh Das’s journey to the art world started in 1975 and eventually he started exhibiting his oil paintings in the Lalit Kala Akademy, New Delhi, the Russian Science and Cultural Centre, New Delhi, Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar, Rorik Art Galley, Naggar, Kulu and Shimla. But he never longed for ‘marketing, publicity and money unlike some of the market-oriented artists of the present age’. “I keep painting whenever the idea comes to my,” Sukh Das says. Though some critics say that Sukh Das paintings bear the influence of the Russian painter Rorick, but he has started painting the mountains the Himalayas in Lahaul and Leh and Ladakh long before he saw the work of Rorick at Naggar sometimes in the early 1960s. His paintings reflect a pure Himalaya. The paintings show towering gigantic Himalayan mountains, in which other forms of life—monastery, gompas, local tribal—are merged permanently into their vastness and grander. “When I paint I lose myself in the mountain”, says Sukh Das, who has no formal education in arts. “I have visited Leh and Ladakh and the Himalayas remain the same. The image appears in my mind then I do not know how it works and takes final shape,” he remarks. Though he laments how arts are degenerating due to commercialisation, but he hopes good artists will be recognised.
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No investigators for DNA tests
Though the state government has upgrades the State Forensic Laboratory at Junga with the Rs 70 lakh equipment for DNA Profiling, in order to speed up police investigations is suffering because of a lack of trained staff including forensic psychiatrists, anesthetists and other experts to conduct these tests to speed up investigation in the state. The government has started a refresher course for investigation officers from the police, giving them exposure on new investigation tools like DNA profiling, brain mapping and forensic evidence to keep pace with the changed patterns of crime in the state. But the state lacks forensic psychiatrists, forensic anesthetists and other the trained staff at the State Forensic Lab to conduct tests with new tools of investigations, they added. The HP police need new tools to speed up the investigation of the growing number of cases of gang rape, homicides, sexual assaults, hit-and-run and White collar and cyber crimes including the cases disputed paternity, sources revealed. The DIG Central Range, Mr JR Thakur, who inaugurated the weeklong refresher course beginning January 2, says the new methods are important for police investigation. The police are Dr Anil Sharma, a forensic expert and assistant director, State Forensic Laboratory, Junga who gave tips on forensic investigations to the policemen said that the DNA profiling and forensic investigation aide investigation in cases of homicide, gang rapes, sexual assaults and murders and disputed parentage. Pointing out its advantages over older methods of investigation like blood group and enzyme typing, which are still in vogue, Dr Sharma said that DNA profiling of criminals is valid for longer time. “But it has failed in the case of identical twins as cell structure remains similar in them”. Dr Sharma said that government has purchased the DNA profiling equipment worth Rs. 70 lakh for the Junga Labortaory that would start functioning within six months. “Besides, the policemen are getting tips on how new methods like the lie detecting test, brain mapping, narco-analysis and finger printing, hand writing analysis can help investigations.” The experts opine that cases of forgeries, including forged bills, forged LTC claims and medical bills and the forged work estimate the hand writing analysis and other tools can solve bills. “But we need trained staff for these tests conducted in CFSL labs outside the state so far”. Dr. Sharma admitted that state lacks experts and the trained staff. “But government is training staff and test facilities will be available in state labs in the near future”. The new tools of investigation are also crucial to improve the low conviction rate both in murder and rape cases, which presently remains 42 per cent and 20 per cent respectively as per the National Crime Bureau. Records, reveal experts.
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Once under the patronage of the erstwhile rulers of Chamba in the 18th century, the dying pictorial craft of Chamba rumal could get a breather with its community patenting it under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Goods Act 1999.Being a reflection of the artistic expression of women, the Chamba rumal was an exquisitely embroidered art piece, which depicted scenes from Geet
Govind, Bhagvata Puran or simply Radha-Krishan and Shiva-Parvati. Though there have been efforts to revive the dying art form but now only a few households are engaged in this intricate art form in
Chamba.