The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

IAS probationers train for mela duty
Haridwar, April 10
With the Maha Kumbh being the greatest fair in the whole world, managing such a fair requires high administrative as well as managerial skills. Keeping this aspect in view and with Haridwar witnessing the century’s first full Maha Kumbh, a lot of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) probationary officers have been sent to Haridwar as part of their training programme.

Alok Sharma, DIG, Mela Police, briefs IAS probationers in Haridwar on Saturday. Tribune photograph: Rameshwar Gaur

Rural women depict true face of Kumaoni lifestyle
Nainital, April 10
Various facets of Kumaoni lifestyle were brought alive through the rendering of folk songs by women from rural areas of the region at an event organised here by Mahila Samakhya here today.

Rahul brigade alleges misuse of funds
Mussoorie, April 10
Sunit Singh Rathore, state president of the All-India Rahul Gandhi Brigade, has alleged gross misuse of funds by the Kumbh mela administration in Haridwar.

Uttarakhand Rahul Gandhi brigade state president Sunit Singh Rathore addresses a press conference in Mussoorie on Saturday.

World Homoeopathy Day
Make homoeopathy first line of treatment: Director
Dehradun, April 10
On the World Homoeopathy Day, homeopaths of the state vowed to make it a first line of treatment and make it on par with other treatments.
A function to mark World Homoeopathy Day held in Dehradun on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Very few officials turn up for Char Dham meeting
Mussoorie, April 10
In a meeting called by Char Dham Vikas Parishad president Surat Singh Nautiyal, very few officials turned up. The review meeting was held on the Nagar Palika premises here.

Char Dham Vikas Parishad president Surat Ram Nautiyal in a press conference in Mussoorie.

Sikh mahasangh presents sword to Petroleum Minister
Dehradun, April 10
Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jiten Prasad was presented with a sword by the Rashtriya Sikh Mahasangh here today. At a function held at the ONGC Guest House, the mahasabha members, led by Harpal Singh Sethi, presented sword to the minister.

Pratibimb 2010 held
Dehradun, April 10
The International Institute of Fashion Design, Dehradun, held its annual function and fashion show, Pratibimb 2010, here today. Dr Virender Singh, IAS, Director of the Study Centre, MS University, was the chief guest, who inaugurated the event by lighting the lamp followed by Saraswati Vandana presented by students of the institute. Models walk on the ramp at a fashion show in Dehradun

Models walk on the ramp at a fashion show in Dehradun on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Scouts, guides hold food plaza
Dehradun, April 10
On the second day of the centenary celebrations at Rajiv Gandhi Navodya Vidhyalay, scouts and guides from 29 states organised a food plaza presenting the mouth watering and scrumptious cuisine of their respective native places.

Film on Ghandiyal deity launched
Mussoorie, April 10
A Garhwali film based on Ghandiyal Devta was launched along with a special screening at Shagun Wedding Point here yesterday. Chief guest on the occasion was Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola, who launched the CD.
Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola launches a CD of Garhwali film in Mussoorie on Friday.

‘Worship breaks shackles of worldly concerns’
Haridwar, April 10
While giving religious sermons, noted saint and spiritual guru Yogeshwar Pushpnandan Maharaj at his Sidh Peeth Sidhashram cited the example of Lord Krishna in the epic Bhagawad Gita stating that one who has faith in God while worshipping breaks away from the shackles of worldly illusion.

	Social issues find place at Maha Kumbh Sandeep Rawat Tribune News Service Haridwar, April 10 Keeping in sync with the Maha Kumbh, a convention of experts from different fields of spirituality, science and education etc, was organised in Haridwar yesterday. It took up the social issue of drug addiction. Experts drawn from across the country discussed the ways to eradicate the drug menace, which surely is affecting a major section of the youth worldwide. A national convention on “Nationwide Tobacco Control for Mass Awareness” is being held at Shanti Kunj. Speaking at the session on “Holistic Approach to Tobacco Control”, chief of Akhil Vishwa Arya Samaj Swami Agnivesh said, “The society is now engulfed by drugs and we have to make efforts to bring it out of the clutches of drug addiction”. He cited medical reports that state that every year worldwide 10 lakh people die due to ill-effects of drugs. He also referred to the holy Kuran which puts drug usage equivalent to sin. Focusing on the need of generating mass awareness on drug issue, chief of Akhil Bharaitya Gayatri Parivar Dr Pranav Pandya said, “Every day about 5,000 young people are getting afflicted with drugs usage and it’s high time that spiritual-religious heads supported by scientists and social activists take pledge to eradicate the menace from our society”. Speaking at the convention, Maha Mandaleshwar Jagadguru Ramanand Acharya Swami Hansa Devacharya related the issue with Maha Kumbh. He said when the sea was drilled, then Kumbh came into existence, and once again in this Maha Kumbh another drilling was being done which was against social evil. While All-India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) cancer expert Dr Rakesh Thakur informed that every year a million people were dying due to drug use. Adding on, Uttarakhand Health Director Dr Asha Mathru said in 2003, the Indian government had passed an Act which prohibited children below 18 from not selling tobacco substances. She also shed light on the alarming rate in which women were taking to drug products which did not augur well for children. At the convention among those who expressed their views were Allahabad High Court former judge Shambhunath Shrivasta, Russian Maha Mandaleshwar Swami Vishnu Devanand Maharaj, Kumbh mela OSD Dr Anil Sharma Swami Alakh Giri Maharaj, Swami Prakashand, retired IAS Kamal Tawri and several prominent saints and academicians.
	Voice of Uttarakhand Narendra Singh Negi in Kumbh city Sandeep Rawat Tribune News Service Haridwar, April 10 It’s not for nothing that he is called the Voice of Uttarakhand, a legend, mirror of hilly culture and an exponent of Garhwali music. Narendra Singh Negi justified all these adjectives in his brilliant stage performance in the Kumbh city late night. With a packed audience with half waiting outside the pandal, it was imminent that some renowned artiste was going to perform on the stage and it was a night that not only local people, but pilgrims and tourists from other states would relish for a long time. As are his albums super hits, so was the stage show a smash hit with folk melodious songs reverberating the auditorium and every now and then people dancing to the songs of Negi Da, as he is now being fondly called in art circles. In his imperative style and sensitiveness towards society, Negi has been conveying through his musical life, be it via lyrics, songs or music. Here too, Negi won many hearts even without singing a song. “I pay homage and tribute to the martyrs of Dantewada who made a supreme sacrifice for our country to ensure that we live peacefully,” he said, drawing a huge applause and then sang “Shaheedo te salaam…” lighting the stage with patriotic fervour. This was followed by religious presentations with a goddess Durga devotional song, “Jai Durge Durga Bhawani-Jai Amba Jagdamba...”. This was followed by folk dance depicting the local god Hudiya devta palanquin with the help of dance artistes. With the Char Dham yatra to start next month onwards, Negi beautifully described the four pilgrims of Shri Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Another performance which depicted the sensitiveness of Negi Da towards society, specially his hilly home state, was when he urged everyone to shun and prohibit the usage of the environmental hazard of polythene and cleaning the holy river Ganga. He urged people on these two issues singing “Gandulu kari yali teru chalu pani Ganga ji maa ka doodh laaj ni sah rakhi jani …” made the audience ponder over the condition of the holy Ganga. Chamoli region’s traditional folk dance of Chanchari-Dankudi was also the highlight of the night on the song “Jai Badrinath ji jhama kou...” aided by Jagar based on Kumbh rituals: “Kumbh nahaina kou chala”. Applause was also garnered by Negi’s rendition of “Harshu ma ma vala...” based on Jaunsari folk culture. But the best was yet to come with Negi humming his super hit album title track “Dui gati baisakh...surma myar mulka ai jayi...”. This popular track was in much demand and be it young or old, everyone seemed to be dancing. Co-singers Manju Sundriyal, Poonam Sati and Usha Negi too churned out melodious and famous Garhwali-Kumaoni numbers. Speaking on the sidelines with The Tribune, Negi said, “It’s an honour to perform in Haridwar, and now as it is the first Maha Kumbh when its being organised by Uttarakhand, the feeling is more so. And if we artistes can contribute a bit to the successful hosting of the mega fair then it’s a privilege for me”. Negi hails from the cultural town of Pauri Garhwal. The musical troupe aiding the legendary singer comprised Anil Bisht, Ganesh Kukshal, Prem Ballabh Pant, Shanti Bhushan, Jaspal Rana, Vinod Chauhan, Dwarika Nautiyal, Ramcharan Juyal, Ashok Rawat, Vinod, Lalit, Sudarshan Bisht, Vikki Bharadwaj, Neelam Bisht, Meenakshi, Nidhi Singh, Sneha and Neelam Tomar.
	IAS probationers train for mela duty Sandeep Rawat Tribune News Service Haridwar, April 10 With the Maha Kumbh being the greatest fair in the whole world, managing such a fair requires high administrative as well as managerial skills. Keeping this aspect in view and with Haridwar witnessing the century’s first full Maha Kumbh, a lot of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) probationary officers have been sent to Haridwar as part of their training programme. As many as 130 odd IAS probationers are being given a two-day Kumbh mela training which started today in the mela zone. Firstly, the trainees were made to undergo an intense on-foot visit to apprise them of the geographical and sociological knowhow of the Haridwar mela core zone. After this came the second schedule which comprised lecture and interactive sessions. Addressing the probationers were Inspector-General Garhwal Division MA Ganapathy, Kumbh Mela Police In-charge Alok Sharma, SSP, Kumbh, Ajay Rautella, ASP, Kumbh Security, Yogendra Singh Rawat, SP, Kumbh Traffic, Ajay Joshi and DSP, Traffic, Shweta Chaubey among others. The mela officers spoke on the finer points of managing the Kumbh, ranging from crowd management, traffic diversion, diffusing of crowd pressure at one single point, maintaining traditions and rituals and security. Many probationary officers were seen in awe when they were told that on the coming April 14, the mela administration would have to deal with about 1.30-1.60 crore people in Haridwar in one single day as on the day was the festive occasion of Baisakhi and the biggest Shahi Snan. The probationers are currently undergoing training at Mussoorie-situated Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy. Notably of the lot there are four foreigner probationers too, with four being from the Royal Bhutan police and other two from Maldives.
	Rural women depict true face of Kumaoni lifestyle Rajeev Khanna Tribune News Service Nainital, April 10 Various facets of Kumaoni lifestyle were brought alive through the rendering of folk songs by women from rural areas of the region at an event organised here by Mahila Samakhya here today. The two-day event, “Maati Se Manch Tak”, has brought together women singers of Kumaoni folk, who otherwise led their lives working in the fields and taking care of their children. The high point of the presentation was the coming together of eminent Kumaoni poet Girish Tewari, who is fondly known as Girda, and well-known voice of the All India Radio’s Lucknow station Beena Tewari. Much to the delight of those present, the two came together on the stage after almost four decades to present a folk song. It was clearly visible that Girda’s increasing age has failed to dampen his enthusiasm for promoting the culture of the land. Well-known singer Kabootri Devi was also present at the event. Eminent singer Basanti Didi, who has stormed the male bastion of jaagar singing and made a mark in the art form, will also be performing at the event. Saraswati Devi said, “I am happy that more women are taking to singing jaagars. There was a time when I was forcibly taken off the stage as men did not want a woman to sing a jaagar. It is high time now that efforts are made to preserve our folklore”. Eminent historian and cultural activist Shekhar Pathak said, “It is a well-known fact that everyone in rural areas sings songs about issues pertaining to day-to-day life. They sing about their sorrow and miseries along side the happiness in life. This is an attempt to provide a stage to ordinary masses living in the villages who have a treasure of folklore with them”. The artistes presented songs depicting the miseries in the lives of women and how at times they are forced to take the extreme step like ending their lives. Devki Devi of Ramgarh came up with an excellent rendition of the “huleri” or “lori” (lullaby), something which women in urban areas have long forgotten. A team of women from the Buxa tribe residing between Ramnagar and Bazpur sang a song about the 12 months of the year in a dialect that resembles Rajasthani. Two teams of women from Ramgarh and Okhalkanda enthralled the audience with a jod or bhagnaul or bair which is a form of competition, in which the participants make extempore addition of stanzas after the main facet of song has been sung. During this competition they talk of contemporary issues and also make humorous remarks aimed at their opponents. Another unique presentation was that of neoli, a form of singing, which is done only in the wilderness. The singer closes her ear with a fingertip, as it is a song sung for oneself. Neoli is also the name of a local bird.
	Rahul brigade alleges misuse of funds Our Correspondent Mussoorie, April 10 Sunit Singh Rathore, state president of the All-India Rahul Gandhi Brigade, has alleged gross misuse of funds by the Kumbh mela administration in Haridwar. Addressing a press conference here today, Rathore alleged that all development work was visible only on the paper, while the ground reality was completely different from the tall claims made by the government. He also said a team from the brigade, on its visit to the area, found that the sewage water from pubic toilets was being disposed of on the ghats at Nil Dhara. He further said the funds provided by the Centre for the Kumbh mela were being syphoned off meticulously. He added that the observation made by the committee of Rahul brigade members suggested that 70 per cent of the saints were being ignored and only a few with greater clout were being entertained during the Kumbh and recent fire was an example of this. He lamented the fact that fire victims at the camps in the Kumbh had not been provided any assistance till now. The condition of health and hygiene was also deplorable in the Kumbh mela and chances of diarrhoea could not be ruled out in the near future leading to a major epidemic. Rahtore stated that the linking routes to various camps of akhadas had not been developed adequately, despite the available funds. Many irregularities were also visible in ration distribution at the camps and many saints complained non-availability of food. The saints were of the view that the administration was providing only a limited amount of ration despite reminders. Rathore said the Kumbh mela was bringing profit only to mela officials, whereas devotees and saints were reeling under the mismanagement of the administration. He firmly stated that if nothing was done soon, they would corner mela administration officers and demand an appropriate explanation. A letter of the complaints has also been sent to the high command and Rahul Gandhi regarding this ‘misadventure’ of the mela administration.
	World Homoeopathy Day Make homoeopathy first line of treatment: Director Neena Sharma Tribune News Service Dehradun, April 10 On the World Homoeopathy Day, homeopaths of the state vowed to make it a first line of treatment and make it on par with other treatments. Dr BC Lakhera, Director, Homoeopathy, said it had been proved that homoeopathy was effective in chronic cases and acute diseases, so it should be popularised. “Homoeopathy is effective even while dealing emergency cases and should be promoted as a first line of treatment,” Dr Lakhera said. While Dr Inderjeet Nanda said, “It’s an age of aggressive promotion. We should not shy away from publicising popular case studies for the benefit of the general masses and also keep abreast with the latest advances and training taking place in our field”. Dr Fatima Nasreen, District Homoeopathy Officer and Nodal Officer of Homoeopathy in Kumbh mela, said the homoeopathy doctors had shown 90 per cent compliance whenever they had been entrusted with official duties. While Dr Omkar Singh, Under Secretary, Ayush, said a beginning had been made to give homoeopathy its due in the state. He said a special impetus was being given to homoeopathy under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). “We have been able to provide vehicles and offices to our District Homoeopathy Officers from the allocation made under the 12th Finance Commission,” Dr Omkar Singh said. The Homoeopathy Department also presented a memorandum of demands to the Homoeopathy Director, which include implementation of the Tikoo Committee Recommendations, a separate cell for homoeopathy and the NRHM at the directorate level, filling up of vacant posts, pharmacy and medical college for pharmacists and doctors. Among those present at the function were Dr BS Kanwari, District Homoeopathy Officer, Pauri, Dr BN Dwivedy, Dr Satish Singh Pingel Medical Officer and others. Govt fails to find land for state’s first homoeopathy college Failing to find land for housing the first Government Homoeopathy Medical College, efforts are on to establish a wing at Chander Singh Garhwali Medical College, Srinagar campus. The non-availability of land at Srinagar has forced the state government to look for alternatives and a proposal to accommodate it on the Srinagar Medical College campus is being discussed with the Central and state governments. “We will be able to share faculty as common subjects are taught for both allopathy and homoeopathy. We will then have to make provisions only for laboratories. The Central government has already allocated Rs 10 crore for this purpose,” said Dr BC Lakhera, newly appointed Director, Homoeopathy, while interacting with mediapersons today at a function to mark 255th anniversary of Dr CFS Hahnemann. He said after the creation of the homoeopathy organisational set-up, 32 medical, 32 pharmacists and 32 multi-purpose workers were appointed under ayush and in 2010-11 the number would be raised to 60. In addition, 58 medical officers selected through the Public Service Commission too would be shortly joining the Homoeopathy Department. “Since the homoeopathy treatment is cheap, we want the poorest of the poor to get access to and this can be only done by spreading the services far and wide,” said Dr Lakhera. Dr Lakhera said at every health centre, homoeopathy dispensaries would be set up. “Our medical officers are willing to work even in remote areas and take up duties where the allopathic doctors are not willing to go,” emphasised Dr Lakhera. A budget of Rs 50 crore has been allocated for the department. There are also plans to set up a research unit for undertaking research exclusively in homoeopathy in Uttarakhand. It may be mentioned that for years homoeopathy had to bear the burnt of apathy. Since the creation of a separate directorate, things have begun to improve.