Dehradun, April 4
The Mahanagar Congress Committee, Dehradun, submitted a memorandum to Garhwal Range’s Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Deepam Seth condemning the lathicharge by the police on cricket fans and people on Saturday night after the Indian team won the World Cup.

Congress workers burn an effigy of the police in Dehradun on Monday. A Tribune photograph

Harish Virmani highly condemned the incident and asked for strict action against the cops who were involved in it. He said in the letter that the police did not even spare children, women and journalists.

Virmani said if action would not be taken against the cops involved, then the party, along with people, would launch an agitation and the administration would be held responsible for the same.

The Uttarakhand Mahanagar Mahila Congress Committee, Dehradun, criticised the lathicharge by the police and burnt an effigy of the BJP Government at the Astley Hall here today.

President Kamlesh Raman said, “People who were peacefully celebrating the winning moment of the nation were lathicharged mercilessly”. She demanded the termination of all the policemen who were responsible for indulging in such an act.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Harish Rawat also condemned the lathicharge. He said like the whole nation, residents of Dehradun were also celebrating the win when they were lathicharged by the police. He has demanded that the cases lodged against innocent people should be taken back.

ICC flayed for giving fake World Cup trophy

Mussoorie: Members of the Mussoorie Sports Association in a meeting held at a hotel here on Monday flayed the lackadaisical attitude of the International Cricket Council (ICC) headed by Sharad Panwar for giving a fake World Cup trophy to the men in blue after they won the final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Saturday.

Speaking to the media, SS Kharkai, spokesperson of the association, said the revelation, that the Cup so passionately kissed and hugged by the Indian players was a fake one, was shocking and disgraceful.

Kharkai was of the view that the ICC should apologise to the nation for playing with the sentiments of the people on such a memorable occasion. President of the association Suresh Goel said the whole nation had been cheated.

Anuj Tayal, Rafiq Ahmed, Ayub, Ajay Bhandari and others were present on the occasion.

Dehradun, April 4
A proud bearer of an ancient legacy that has been termed as an “oral and intangible heritage of humanity” by UNESCO, Kapila Venu can easily pass off as a college-going student, but put her on the stage amidst the high-voltage drumming of Mizhavu copper drums, and her persona comes alive. It is this deceptive charm of the young Kutiyattam dancer that has held the audience captive since she took to dancing at the tender age of seven years.

“When you take to dancing at the age of seven years, it is never a conscientious decision. The environment at home was conducive for me to take up dancing, and by the time I finished school my mind was made up and I decided to pursue my passion. For me it is not a career, but a passion, a life devoted in learning the dance form that is a 1,000 years old,” she emphasised, while speaking with The Tribune today. Kapila is in Dehradun as a part of SPIC MACAY team.

If her parents, Mohiniyattam dancer Nirmala Paniker and Kutiyattam exponent Gopalan Nair, initiated her into dancing, then it were legendary Kutiyattam maestro Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar’s efforts that saw her evolve into a dancer capable of taking varying shades of grey while enacting scenes from the Ramayan.

“My guru instilled in me virtues of discipline and hard work. It is a lot of sacrifice and pain. Every day I used to go to his home, and though his health was failing, the time that I spent under his tutelage gave me an insight into the legacy of this ancient theatre form,” she stressed. In fact, it was this single-minded dedication that helped her embrace Kutiyattam with a vengeance once she passed out from Lovedale School (Ooty).

But her adherence to tradition did not stop her from experimentation and innovation. “Our art is bound by tradition, yet change is inevitable. Those practising traditional art are pitted against modernity. It is a constant struggle in which most of us are engaged. It is a complex existence, of constant struggle and evolution. I love to interpret themes a little differently. These experiments have helped me bring an element of freshness and allowed me to break new grounds. I do not like set patterns. In fact, this is one quality that allows me to connect with my young audience,” revealed Kapila.

Thanks to her mother, Kapila has an equally strong training in Mohiniyattam, though it is Kutiyattam which keeps her occupied. “I think the actor in me is happy performing Kutiyattam, and as a woman performer I find Nangiarkoothu, an exclusively woman-backed performance, greatly inspiring,” explained the performer.

Haridwar, April 4
Devotees in large numbers thronged the Ganga ghats and temples situated across the city on the first day of the Chaitra Navratras and the Nav Sanvatsar, the Hindu traditional year.

Devotees gather at the Mata Mansa Devi Temple on the first Navratra in Haridwar on Monday. —A Tribune photograph

Pilgrims were seen taking a dip in the Brahmkund, Har-ki-Pauri and its adjacent ghats - Malviyadeep, Alaknanda, Birla, Gobindpuri, Prem Nagar Ashram from the wee hours.

Long queues were seen at the Mata Mansa Devi, Mata Chandi Devi, Mata Vaishno Devi, Bharat Mata, Tulsi Manas, Daksh Mahadev and Bilkeshwar temples on the occasion of the first Navratra, dedicated to Goddess Shailputri.

The huge rush of pilgrims is expected to continued over the next eight days of the Navratras.

Dehradun, April 4
Doon Defence Academy (DDA) defeated the Institute of Technology and Management (ITM) by three wickets in a Twenty20 encounter organised by the Students’ Association of India on the OFD Ground here today.

Opting to bat first, ITM scored 145 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs. Abid (55), Amit (34) and Shashank (23), were the main scorers for the batting side. Vijay and Shekhar took two wickets each for DDA.

Batting second the DDA team had to face tough resistance from the rival team. However, it achieved the target in the last ball of the match with four wickets to spare. Varun Negi (57), Deepak (22) and Shekhar (20), were the main contributors in the victory.

For ITM, Shashank scalped three wickets, while Sunny took two wickets. Harvinder and Sai Judge got one wicket each.

While Varun Negi of the winning team was declared the man of the match, Keshav received the man of the series award. Keshav and Amar Malik, both of DDA, were adjudged the best bowler and the best batsman, respectively.

Dehradun, April 4
Union XI defeated Evergreen 2-0 during the ONGC Inter-Departmental Football Tournament at the ONGC Ambedkar Stadium here today. Sanjay Bhatt (seventh minute) and Raj Kesla (19th) were the scorers.

Security (Blue) beat Security (Red) 3-1 in another match. Hatim Nawaz (20th) scored the lone goal for the losing side. Kripal Singh netted two goals, in the 14th and the 35th minute of play. Nadim (31st) also netted a goal.