Kumbh colours Soviets in Indian hues
Haridwar, February 19
India-Russia relations are more known in the field of defence and strategic cooperation. But slowly, the two nations have started sharing another bond — spirituality — and for a change, the Russians are relying on India in this aspect. A perfect example is being witnessed in the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Haridwar where citizens of erstwhile USSR countries are not only coming as tourists, but have become a part of Kumbh proceedings - be it as saints or pupils of holy men.





Citizens of the erstwhile USSR at the Maha Kumbh in Haridwar. Tribune photos: Rameshwar Gaur

Nainital, February 19
The entire Kumaon region was shocked by the loss of the man who was known as the face of Kumaon in Bollywood.

Nirmal Pandeyand with his friends from theatre in Nainital. Photos: Afzal Hussain Fauzi

As the news of the demise of Nirmal Pandey percolated through the region, his name was there on everyone’s lips with people recounting the fond memories of the actor who had regaled the people of the region with several theatrical performances before he moved on to the bigger sphere of theatre and films in Delhi, Mumbai and London.

His long-time associate and a renowned theatre artiste and activist Zahoor Alam told The Tribune, “It is hard to believe that he is no more. His biggest achievement was that he had attained great heights on the basis of his sheer talent and dedication. He had set an example by reaching those heights without a godfather.”

Pandey is best remembered for his portrayal of Phoolan Devi’s lover Vikram Mallah in the Shekhar Kapoor directed “Bandit Queen”.

His other popular performances were in the films “Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin”, “Train to Pakistan”, “Godmother” and “One two ka four”. He had won accolades, critics’ appreciation and a series of awards including a French award for playing a female lead in the Amol Palekar directed “Daayra”.

“He was good in all three things - acting, direction and music. He could come up with a musical score within seconds. He had done the region proud by getting selected in the National School of Drama in the first attempt in 1986. Then, he came up with some wonderful theatrical performances, including some in English for Tara Arts in London.

“He had also played some roles in productions based on plays by Shakespeare. It was during one of these performances that he was spotted by Shekhar Kapoor who went on to offer him the role of Vikram Mallah,” recounts Zahoor.

He said that Pandey’s initial performances included that of a monkey in the local Ramlila in Nainital. Pandey had also directed several plays including Asgar Wajahat’s creation “Jis Lahore Nahin Vekhaya” which was performed here last month by the group Yugmanch with which he had been associated.

Pandey had wanted to establish an academy of performing arts in Ranikhet and to identify land for the project, he last visited the region about six months back never to return.

Haridwar, February 19
There is good news for sports lovers in Haridwar as they now have a world-class squash court complex. This state-of-the-art complex, which boasts of two specialised attached playing courts, at Gurukul Kangri University campus was inaugurated today.

The two courts have been made according to the World Squash Federation norms. According to squash players, these courts look the best in the whole of Uttarakhand state.

Each court’s length is 32 ft while the width is 21 ft. The front-level height is 15 ft above which is considered a foul while the back wall is 7 ft.

Inaugurating the squash complex, Juna Akhada Peethadeeshwar Swami Awdeshanand Maharaj said that sports facilities augur well for the youth as youth power can take the nation forward. He added that only if the youth are healthy, the nations will get stronger.

Vice-Chancellor Swatantra Kumar emphasised on the equal importance being given to sports and education by the Gurukul Kangri University.

He said that university players were excelling in yoga, hockey, cricket, badminton, volleyball and basketball at different levels and hoped that the same would be replicated by squash players.

Earlier, Haridwar had two squash courts - one at the sports complex of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and the other at the Roshanabad district complex. Both complexes have a single court while the Gurukul Kangri complex, inaugurated today, boasts of two courts.

Present at the inauguration ceremony were Professor Ved Prakash Shastri, Registrar, AK Chopra, Sports Director, RKS Dagar, Ajay Malik, Shiv Kumar Chauhan, Anuj Kumar, Kapil Mishra, Sunil Kumar, Jitendra Tyagi and BPEd students.

Haridwar, February 19
India-Russia relations are more known in the field of defence and strategic cooperation. But slowly, the two nations have started sharing another bond — spirituality — and for a change, the Russians are relying on India in this aspect.

A perfect example is being witnessed in the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Haridwar where citizens of erstwhile USSR countries are not only coming as tourists, but have become a part of Kumbh proceedings - be it as saints or pupils of holy men.

Clad in saffron or traditional silk sarees, these foreigners are performing dhyan, sadhna, puja, yoga and trying to understand the intricacies of Hinduism.

At Mahamandaleshwar Nagar camps, specifically made for akhadas and various saints, one can easily see citizens of Russian, Ukraine and other neighbouring countries performing rituals and living a life that is contrary to their lifestyle.

So don’t be surprised when Dinila, a pretty young Ukrainian, is seen doing yoga and dhyan in the morning and is later seen in a sari in the hut-like camp at Pilot Baba Ashram in Neeldhara.

Similarly, Pavlo Mokoyenko, dressed in a saffron dhoti, talks about his association with the Baba and surprises you by saying that he has taken up Hinduism and is a saint.

Hundreds of foreigners are taking ‘deeksha’ and what better platform to learn about Hinduism than the biggest fair in the world - the Maha Kumbh.

After changing her religion, Dinila was given the name Madhupriya. She has got so used to her new name that she introduced herself by her Hindu name.

Talking to Tribune, she said, “I am happy and blessed to be part of Hinduism. The Maha Kumbh has given us a variety of new experiences.”

Her views were echoed by compatriots Aksana and Alexei. The duo was overjoyed to know that this correspondent knew Russian and eagerly shared many experiences.

“Here we have a variety of books on spirituality and yoga. It is easier for us to learn and understand these concepts in Haridwar.” They added that they get solace, which is not easy to describe, in the holy city.

Besides rituals, these Soviets sing bhajans, offer flowers and water to idols and perform chores in the ashrams.

The All-Russia International Congress of Advaita Vedanta is held annually to create a spiritually favourable environment in Russia. Noted saints from India and Russian gurus had addressed the earlier gatherings at these seminars.

While on the one side, Swami Vishnu Dev, Mahayogi Pilot Baba disseminated their knowledge, from the Russian side, Guru Mikhail Malakhov, Swami Yoga Kamal answered the queries of spiritual seekers.

Dehradun, February 19
At the auditorium of St Joseph Academy, Uttarakhand Conclave was declared open here today. The chief guest on the occasion was Mayor Vinod Chamoli, who also visited the education fair stalls of 20 leading education institutes from all over India and abroad. While addressing the gathering, he praised the efforts of Bharat Shodh (NGO) towards enlightening the state about the skill development of youth, especially the rural population. He mentioned that people living in remote areas, especially in hills, needed the services for skill development so that livelihood of household could sustain and grow.

Mohan Singh Gaonwansi laid stress on need for collective consultation through process evolving strategies and programme that help youth in developing their skills for better livelihood. Vijendra Paul, Principal Secretary (Department of Planning), praised the efforts of Bharat Shodh and was pleased to see enthusiasm of the students, citizens and the government departments’ participation in the conclave. He opined out that the NGO’s competencies should be harnessed in the interest of the state youth in securing in the time of competition. However, to guide participants, many leading luminaries and persons of excellence spoke on the occasion. Harish Chotani, micro-finance and micro-enterprise resource expert; Krishna Khanna, IIT aluminous and mentor for Bharat Shodh; Pramod Chawla, founder NNFI and Lt Col Shivendra Roy, state convener, in detail spoke on the occasion. “The aim of NGO is to create a link with various NGO’s, government organisations and educational institutions so that masses get to know about various plans and courses being offered for a better India. Bharat Shodh comprises of a team of intellectuals from varied fields, who plan to impart knowledge at grassroot level so that we as a nation develop in all facets,” informed Rajiv Chaudhary, Director of Bharat Shodh.

RK Atri, secretary and CEO of the NGO anchored the programme and offered to train approximately one lakh youth and lift 1,00,000 families above the poverty line over a period of time. Sandeep Khanna, organiser of ‘destination 2010’, a career fair, guided students about the opportunities in different fields. The conclave will conclude on February 21. 

Nainital, February 19
A team from the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) was one of the prominent participants in the Sixth Library and Information Services in Astronomy (LISA) conference held at Pune from February 14 to 17. The event was organised jointly by the Forum for Resource Sharing in Astronomy (FORSA) libraries and co-hosted by the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune. This was the first time that the LISA conference was held in India.

Close to 90 participants attended the conference out of which over 50 were from abroad. The participants represented 18 countries namely Argentina, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

The theme of the conference was “21st Century Astronomy Librarianship: From New Ideas to Action”.

According to Dr Rajesh Kumar of ARIES, “The LISA conference has been held periodically with the aim of providing a platform to discuss the developments in astronomy librarianship in respect of information management, storage, retrieval, delivery and preservation and to discern the new directions in which the library profession is evolving.”

He stated: “Over the past two decades, five conferences were held covering a wide range of subjects, including acquisition, organisation and maintenance of books, journals, preprints and other specialised materials, both in print and electronic formats, use of information resources and astronomical information seeking on the Internet/world wide web”.

The earlier conferences had been held in Washington DC in the US, Munich in Germany, Tenerife in Canary Island, Spain, Prague in Czech Republic and Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, the US.

Referring to the Forum for Resource Sharing in Astronomy and Astrophyics (FORSA), he said in the early 1980s, due to proliferation of information, library professionals working in the Institutes where astronomy was one of the main thrust areas of research felt the need to come together and to form a forum, which can act as a springboard for sharing and exchange of information.

The sheer necessity brought all like-minded astronomy librarians in the country together and a first meeting was held on July 29, 1981, at Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, and FORSA was informally launched with a vision and mission to share resources held in each library.

Since 1989, FORSA members meet every year in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of India. A noteworthy feature of such meetings is that FORSA members interact with the astronomers in a joint session, in which developments in library and information handling activities in the field of astronomy and astrophysics are presented and comments from users are solicited to improve and expand library services.

There are 12 institute members, namely ARIES, Nainital, Bose Institute, Kolkata, Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, IUCAA, Pune, NCRA, Pune, Osmania University, Centre for Advanced studies in Astronomy, Hyderabad, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, the SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata, and the Tata Institute of fundamental Research, Mumbai.

Dehradun, February 19
College life is incomplete without having spent some time in the college canteen. The canteen for students of Garhwal University is a haven where students spend hours bunking “boring” lectures or nurturing friendships or just tucking in some food.

The DAV College canteen is very spacious and has a relaxed atmosphere. It is an ideal place to spend time in peace away from lectures and hectic schedules. However, Sandeep Chauhan, canteen owner, said, “Students are always in a hurry. So they come here for a quick snack - tea and samosas or bread pakodas. Youth bunking classes also hang out here”.

The canteen of MKP (PG) College always seems to be bustling with college girls eager to grab a bite of bun-samosa dipped in spicy chutney. Patties, cream rolls, chowmein, chips, toffees and tea are also on the canteen menu. Vegetable momos are a recent inclusion to the menu and have already become quite popular.

But the fare in the canteen of the Graphic Era Institute is a foodie’s delight. They have chole-kulche, Maggie noodles, rajma-chawal, veg burgers, ice-creams and hot and cold coffee. Sonal, a college student, said, “Our college canteen has all kinds of paranthas, but the paneer parantha is everyone’s favourite.” Chole-samosa and chowmein are also quite popular.

However, DBS College students are not so fortunate. In the absence of a college canteen, Chawla Sweet Shop selling jalebis, lassi, milk, burgers and samosas and Gulati Juice Corner is the best option to grab a quick snack.

Gopal, a final-year student, said, “We usually go to Satkar Hotel to eat a heavy and spicy meal of paranthas, rajma-chawal, chole chawal etc”.

Anurag Sharma, a final-year student and member of the NSUI, said, “The college got a new Principal recently who is improving the college infrastructure. So we might get a canteen soon”.

Shashank, general secretary, NSUI, said, “The oath ceremony during the last elections in the college was attended by Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. The construction for setting up new departments has already begun. Hopefully, we might have a canteen by next year”.

Mussoorie, February 19
Agitated members of the MPG College Union protested against the Forest Department on the announcement of a merit list for the posts of forest guard here. Its president Nitin Dutt, along with other members, staged a protest at the DFO office, Mussoorie, and demanded revoking the merit list announced by the department as written exams were not allegedly conducted in a fair manner and malpractice had taken place due to the presure of some corrupt officials in the department.

The rightful candidates have been left out and the name of non-deserving candidates have been finalised under dubious circumstances. Dutt further alleged the answer sheet for the direct recruitment for the posts of forest guard held on February 7 were devised to suit the four candidates announced in the merit list. Dutt also demanded to start a transparent recruitment process once again. He warned that if the demands were not met by February 22, then the students would launch a protest.

A complaint has been lodged adressed to the DFO, Mussoorie, and copies have been sent to the Minister of Forest, MLA, Mussoorie, and Chief Conservator of Forest.

Dehradun, February 19
Zorawar House dominated the annual sports meet of Sardar Bhagwan Singh Post Graduate Institute of Biomedical Science and Research here today. It was an outstanding performance by Virender of Zorawar House, who bagged double gold in 400m and 1500m races.

Virender won gold for Zorawar House in the 400 m boys, Rahul Singh of Fateh House had to satisfy with silver. For Fateh House, Pravesh Semwal won the second medal by settling for bronze. In girls section, Ekleen Kaur of Zorawar House came up with a gold-winning performance, Jyoti Farswan of Ajit House had to satisfy with silver and Ritika of the same house won bronze.

In 1500m race for boys, Virender Sawant yet again went on to win gold for Zorawar House, for Jujhar House Krishna claimed silver and bronze medal was won by Devendra of Fateh House.

In shot-put event Jujhar House won gold because of the outstanding performance given by Rajesh Negi, followed by Suresh Malara who won silver for Fateh House and bronze of the event went to Rakesh Punjiyar of Zorawar House.

In girls category, Ankita Sharma of Fateh House emerged winner in the shot-put event, Neerja of the same house managed to win a silver and Jyoti of Judhar House got bronze.

The high jump event’s gold went to Amrit of Fateh House and silver to Rajesh Negi of Jujhar House and bronze went to Anupam of Fateh House. In the 4x400m race, Fateh House won gold, Juhar House bagged silver and Zorawar House got bronze.

Dehradun, February 19
The HIPR team registered a five-wicket win over DBIT Dehradun at the first Inter-College Cricket Tournament here today. For the HIPR team, Sandeep claimed four wickets.

It was a low scoring match as the DBIT team was all-out for 109 runs in 23.5 overs. It was a shaky start by the DBIT team losing its opener Parth for seven runs. Another opener Ashutosh scored 23 runs off 41 balls, but failed to continue with his momentum and got out on the bowling of Ashish of the HIPR team. First down batsman Anand tried hard for his team, but was out for 10 runs. After them, none of the batsman occupied the crease for long and failed to reach the double figure mark. For the HIPR team, Sandeep was the lead wicket taker, claiming four wickets in his five over spell. Yogiambar, Ashish and Amit took two wickets each.

In reply, the HIPR team reached the target with five wickets in hand. Vinod gave his team a flying start smashing 25 runs off 35 balls. Vikram supported him well on the other hand and scored 29 runs. Sandeep made 22 runs. For the DBIT team, Manish took two wickets, whereas Digvijay, Sanjeev and Abhishek took one wicket each.

Meanwhile, in the second match DCMTE won by 10 wickets against the GIHM team. Batting first the DCMTE team scored 189 runs in 28 overs. Abhijeet was the high scorer for the team with 48 runs, whereas Naveen made 15 runs. For the GIHM team Faheem took three wickets and Mahipal took two wickets.

Chasing the victory target of 189 runs, the GIHM team was all-out for 179 runs. Umesh was the only batsman who gave some resistance, he made 24 runs and Devender Singh made 21 runs. For the DCMTE team, Manish took three wickets and Naveen Chauhan took two wickets. In the third match, the GRD (PG) College team defeated the Beehive College team by 28 runs.

Dehradun, February 19
Gandhi Gram XI defeated Gautam International by three wickets at the Chandan Singh Thapali Memorial Cricket Tournament at Matawalabag here today.

Batting first, Gautam International made 169 runs in 20 overs. Opener Shristi made 63 runs off 40 balls and Sandeep made 20 runs.

Middle order batman Ajay made 47 runs off 46 balls. For Gandhi Gram XI, Subham, Sony, Shasiq and Ankit took one wicket each.

In reply, Gandhi Gram XI openers set the pace for the team and reached the target with ease. Shasiq made 30 runs and Subhar Joshi made 38 runs. For Gautam International, Kuldeep took two wickets.

Dehradun, February 19
Brijesh Kumar of OLF, Dehradun, has done the state proud by qualifying as an international umpire of table tennis after clearing a test conducted by the International Table Tennis Federation.

He is the second person from state to have cleared the test after the state formation. He is now eligible to officiate as an umpire in international tournaments. Brijesh Kumar recently officiated 71st Senior National Table Tennis Championship at Guwahati organised form February 10.