A view of an illuminated Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib on the eve of the annual Jhanda Mela in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, March 4
Scenes of heightened activity were witnessed today at Shri Guri Ram Rai Darbar Sahib as hundreds of men and women were kept busy stitching covers (scarves) to be wrapped around the new Jhanda Sahib that would be raised tomorrow, signaling the start of Jhanda Mela, which is held every year in memory of Shri Guru Ram Rai.

Men and women in perfect harmony and mindful of the strain of the task before them looked happy and content singing the glories of Shri Guru Ram Rai. More than 1,000 covers made of thin muslin cloth measuring 26 metre long and 1.5 metre wide would adorn the Jhanda Sahib. These are laboriously stitched and offered for wish-fulfilment and also for thanksgiving.

“I have come with my family from Hoshiarpur to pay obeisance at the Darbar Sahib. It also gives us opportunity to participate in community activities that all of us undertake,” said Gurjeet Kaur.

In keeping with the tradition, soon after the offering is made by the devotees, the covers will be removed and only 40 will remain tied to the Jhanda Sahib.

Altogether 20 persons will be tying the satin scarf (the second cover). They hail variously from Dehradun, Chandigarh , Hoshiarpur, Patiala and an NRI Rabjoth Singh Rajaah from the US.

This year, honour for tying the sacred scarf, called the Darshani cover, has been reserved for Darbara Singh of Noormahal tehsil in Jalandhar who had made the bookings 25 years ago. No longer alive today, his son Sukhvinder Singh has arrived in Dehradun to carry forward the tradition and honour his dead father’s wish. The booking for Darshani covers has already been made till 2082.

“The muslin covers are brought by devotees while the satan and Darshani covers are arranged by the shrine authorities for which a token amount of Rs 5,000-6,000 and is paid by those desirous of making an offering and Rs 10,000 for the Darshani cover,” said BP Saklani, Manager, Shri Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib.

Dehradun, March 4
Feeding a large number of devotees twice a day is no mean task. At the Darbar Sahib langar, estimates are never made nor quantified, yet devotees eat to their hearts’ content. A deep-rooted belief that at the Darbar Sahib no one goes hungry is oft-repeated.

The credit for a smooth conduct of langars during the 10-day Jhanda Mela goes to Pyara Singh, a resident of Bhungarni village in Hoshiarpur.

Called the sarpanch of the community kitchen, on his shoulders rests the responsibility of ensuring the kitchen is full at all times, for who knows there may be a sudden arrival of devotees. As soon as the date for the mela nears, Pyara Singh begins making preparations for his duties as a sarpanch.

“I have been participating in langar activities since 1972. Our menu largely consists of dal, roti, rice and sweets. It is an offering that we all humbly partake of in one another’s company,” he said.

At the Darbar Sahib langar, 25 persons are assigned the task of rolling chapatis, eight cook the vegetables and services of eight halwais are also taken who churn out sweets.

However, the service rendered by the ordinary pilgrims too holds immense significance, right from chopping the vegetables to kneading the dough, women contribute in equal measures.

With no caste or religion coming in the way, men and women cook and eat together.

Elsewhere too the langars are being organised for the pilgrims. These are at Guru Ram Rai Schools (Talab), Mata Wala Bagh, Raja Road, Patel Nagar and Bindal.

Tents and toilets have been put up for the pilgrims.

Significantly, a blood donation camp was also organised today where 60 units of blood was collected. It was held under the aegis of the Mahant Indiresh Hospital and Medical Institute.

Mussoorie, March 4
Responding to the allegations that appeared in the media that MLA Dhanolty was neglecting the constituency after the announcement of it converting into general category for the next elections, State Disaster management Minister Khajan Das on his visit to Mussoorie, categorically termed it baseless and untrue.

He asserted that all projects were moving forward according to the plans in micro-irrigation under the Bharat Nirman scheme in his constituency Dhanolty. He also informed that more than Rs 20 crore worth projects had been granted for the constituency this year. He said the allegation of irregularities in the construction of micro-irrigation canal was also untrue as all schemes were granted after the recommendation of gram pradhans of the village concerned.

He said all farmers were benefiting from the development works in his area, irrespective of inclination to any party.

Speaking on Hatjipaon Dibogi road irregularities, he said the District Magistrate had been directed to investigate the matter and if complaints were found true, action would be taken.

He apprised that more than seven engineers had been suspended on the CM’s directive, including the chief of the Micro-irrigation Department recently. His disaster management was ready for any crisis in the state. He also informed that till now 670 villages under the Atal Adarsh Gram scheme had been identified for complete development and 1,800 personals would also be trained for crisis management.

He added that till now 8 DMMC emergency information centres of disaster management were working and other five districts would also start working within three months.

Further, he said 51 women from the Mahila Mangal Dal, including Home Guard, were also being trained in disaster management at the local level.

Speaking on the Social Welfare Department, he said no budget lapse had occurred in the department and the amount allocated for scholarship and widow and senior citizen pension plan was being provided at a regular basis. He also said the government had ample budget under the Gauri Dhan Yojana for girls from reserved category, but some problem was being faced which would be solved soon.

Speaking on developing van panchayat, he said the Chief Minister was serious about the issue and had directed the officials to form van panchayats in the state soon so that preservation of environment at local level could be initiated.

Pitthoragarh, March 4
Nearly 30 local deities of the Kumaon region, including famous ones like Nanda, Sunanda, Golu, Jagnath, Gangnath and Sam whom villagers here have been worshipping from time immemorial, will be bathed in the Ganga on April 16.

These 30 deities will join in to form a procession of more than 108 local ‘devtas’ (gods) of Uttarakhand who will bathe in the Ganga in a group for the first time at Haridwar during the fifth snan (bath) of the ongoing Maha Kumbh on April 16.

This unique procession of gods descending from their local areas in the hills of Garhwal and Kumaon is being organised by a senior BJP leader and former minister Mohan Singh Gaonwasi.

“This for the first time that the deities, who form a major part of the tradition and culture of Uttarakhand, will take a bath in the Ganga,” said Gaonwasi.

He added that the tradition of Uttarakhand deities taking a bath in the Ganga has been in practice since long, but their coming together for it is a first.

“The ‘dolas’ (palanquins) of the deities with their auspicious signs and flags will gather at Kankhal in Haridwar. On the morning of April 16, the procession will be led by the flag of Lord Badrinath, the lone Vaishnav deity in Uttarakhand.

“They will take the bath in a group,” said Mohan Singh, organiser of the Sri Dev Bhumi Uttarakhand Lok Sanskriti Birasati Shobha Yatra.

Gaonwasi, who has been touring Uttarakhand from the past three months to contact worshippers of local deities, said that he contacted more than 350 areas of the state where different local deities hold sway.

“Some of the deities have their base at Mount Kailash and even these ‘devtas’ will take a dip this time,” he said.

Besides the deities, the procession will include the four Vedas and Puranas. “The local deities will be awakened by the folklore related to them,” said Gaonwasi.

According to the organiser of this mass mythological procession, the period between April 14 to May 2 is highly auspicious.

Haridwar, March 4
The Railway Budget and Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee have got accolades from saints, who have come to Haridwar from all over the country, for the Kumbh.

Akhadas and saints have expressed happiness over Banerjee’s budget allocation of Rs 40 crore for the much-awaited Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line construction. It was long-pending demand of the hill people of Dev Bhoomi.

Also thanking Pauri Garhwal parliamentarian and former Union Minister of State for Railways Satpal Maharaj, Swami Harisantoshanand, general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samaj, said the railway line would benefit crores of people thronging various shrines situated in Uttarakhand.

Specifying that crores of people visit the four shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri in addition to Hemkund Sahib and several other important shrines, Swami Harisantoshanand said the rail track would ease the difficulties that the devotees have to face in treading to these holy places.

The Karnaprayag-Rishikesh line would make travel to these holy places easier and will also facilitate the common man’s entry to Dev Bhoomi, he said.

He added that it was in 1996 that Satpal Maharaj paved the way for this line by having a survey carried out for it.

The saints also thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for several projects and schemes being implemented in the state.

The saints also thanked the UPA government for allotting Rs 500 crore for the cleaning of the Ganga and including Haridwar in the four trains named Bharat Teerth and for the three new trains from Uttarakhand.

Also expressing gratitude on these projects were Swami Anandatanad, Swami Tadroopanand, Swami Fakiranand, Swami Bodhanand, Swami Ratneswaranad, Swami Prabhidarshanand, Swami Govindanand, Swami Revanand and several other prominent saints.

Dehradun, March 4
With the rampant increase in cutting of trees in the Vasant Vihar locality, members of the Citizen for Green Doon (a group to protect greenery) protested here today.

Nitin Pandey, member of the group, said, “We received complaints through our helpline numbers from residents of Vasant Vihar that three beautiful trees were chopped off for being tall as compared to average tress”.

He said, “When we contacted JP Nawani, chairman of the Vasant Vihar Cooperative Society, he informed us that due to complaints from residents the trees were chopped off”.

Agitated with the callous attitude of the residents and officials, members held a protest here today. They also expressed resentment against the felling of six trees four days back on the Bawani Balika School premises without adhering to any rules and regulations.

Dehradun, March 4
Unable to complete most of its projects, the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) is now aiming to auction most of its land to private parties at Transport Nagar and even starting business ventures with private players for building houses.

It is widely believed that the MDDA is taking the auction route only to allow itself a free run for carrying out projects with private partners whose rules won’t be binding as the one’s undertaken under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, that has a semblance of transparency and monitoring.

Failing to take lessons from the past, the MDDA is venturing into housing business, even though most of its projects in the past had few takers and were disasters from the beginning.

Significantly, the two important projects like Doon Haat (Doon parking plaza and commercial complex) near the Clock Tower and City Centre to come up at Majra are awaiting government approval before work can even be started.

Doon Haat to be built on PPP mode at a cost of Rs 40-50 crore in the heart of the city near the Clock Tower that will provide parking for 650 vehicles, the biggest parking so far is waiting approval from the Uttarakhand government.

“After the Planning and Finance Department raised objections, the leave lease provision is being incorporated making mandatory on the party that gets the project to specify the exact nature of activity that will be undertaken. So also the concession agreement is being discussed, the bids have already been invited and so far no date has been set as to when the project would roll,” said RK Sudhanshu, Additional Secretary, Housing and Vice-Chairman, MDDA.

Similarly, the proposed City Centre to come up at Majra in 18.28 acres of land is expected to provide amenities to people of Dehradun like planetarium, activity centre, auditorium etc that have been absent in the city. It too has a provision for accommodating 400 vehicles at the parking facility. The project too is pending approval from the state government.

Both projects are to be built on PPP mode. Besides auctioning of land at Transport Nagar, the MDDA has also developed fascination for housing projects.

Dehradun, March 4
A woman comes with her sister-in-law to the SSP office to complain against her teenage son who, she says, beats up his parents and young sibling and threatens to kill them if they complain to the police against him. The woman musters guts to seek officer’s consultancy after seeing her husband getting mercilessly thrashed by her son on the street in full public view a day before. Her husband’s only fault was that he reached his shop a little late and his impatient son, who had dropped his studies and would now take turns in the shop, had to wait for him. The insult inflicted on her husband became too unbearable for her.

Wary of the susceptible age of her growing son, she asked for the advice of the police officer, and then reached the conclusion of making him cool his heels for a couple of days in prison. In the same breath, she also requested the SSP not to reveal her identity to her son fearing for her life. A mother is mother after all. She also requested the SSP not to be too hard with the boy in the cell saying that the subsequent anguish might turn him into a terrorist.

SSP Abhinav Kumar, who confirmed getting many such cases these days, arraigned parents for this upsurge, saying: “There is a general breakdown of social fabric which is becoming evident in the form of rebellion among youngsters. The time is changing, but parents still want to impose the conformity of old worn-out values on their children which results in aggression on the part of youngsters”.

He said the actual role of the police started with the criminal intervention until then if it was a domestic problem, parents had to hold the baton. He also warned that if the police took stringent action on such susceptible youth, then they might commit suicide, which would reflect bad on the police.

It is indeed startling to know that the parents who hitherto were considered to be role models have become villains for them and are becoming punching bags for their pent-up anger.

Dr Nand Kishore, a well-known psychiatrist, gave a number of reasons for this manifestation of aggression saying: “Everybody is under acute stress these days. The teachers are all the time dealing with loads of syllabus. They are not teaching the ethical and moral values such as giving regard to one’s parents, which used to be part of school curriculum earlier. Secondly, at the global level, degradation of social values is so evident. Thirdly, children are generally emotional and unstable. Earlier in joint families, they always had lots of cousins and grandparents to confide in, but now in nuclear families where parents have less time for their children, the problem escalates into violence. Fourthly, in this age, where children have good money, they become easy prey to bad company due to isolation and less control of parents. One can see such self-defeating behaviour showcasing in rash driving and many other such instances”.

Dr Kishore suggests that parents spend quality time with their children, instil good values in them and encourage children to participate in games as, according to him, sports teaches one to become patient, take highs and lows in equal stride, boosts one’s confidence and reduces negativity in life.

Well-known sociologist Rajesh Gill blames this perilous trend to the pseudo concept of friendliness and excess freedom to children. She says: “Parents constitute an important part of home domain. Clash between both children and parents take place, as there is no transparency in their relations. Parents don’t know where their children are and what they are doing. The same is with the children. Parents take pride in giving separate bedrooms and gadgets like mobile phones and the Internet to their children. Then these children hang stickers of “Don’t disturb me” outside their rooms. The wall of misunderstanding grows higher and higher as parents get oblivious of their children’s lives. Children who get closer to mobile and the Internet become distant and insensitive to the parents and others”.

This so-called freedom costs dear to parents. Dr Gill also says children spoilt with gizmos and money live far from the stark realities of life and do not value the pain and hard-earned money their parents spend on them. And thus loses moral strength.

Gifts and gizmos can never replace the love and time parents can give to their children, which would never make them turn hostile to their parents.

Dehradun, March 4
ITM scored a facile 133-run victory over the Amba Club in the Jatinder Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament underway on the Ordinance Factory Ground here today.

Batting first, the ITM piled on a total of 210 runs in the 20 allotted overs. Sandeep (71) was the mainstay of the team’s innings and ably supported by Himanshu, who contributed with a valuable knock off 36 runs.

Replying to the target, the batsmen of the Amba Club couldn’t stand in front of the ITM’s bowlers and were bundled up on 77 runs.