Haridwar, October 6
The ashes of 4,743 unknown dead persons, who were cremated across various cremation centres in Pakistan, were finally immersed today in the holy Ganga in the pilgrim city of Haridwar.

As the ashes were brought to Haridwar to be immersed at the Sati ghat today, a large number of people came out to be a part of the immersion ceremony. These ashes were brought by Devothan Sewa Samiti from Pakistan.

Almost every one present at the Ganga ghat in Kankhal got sentimental as rituals were offered prior to immersing the ashes by saints and pundits in this fortnight tenure of shraadh, during which Hindus offer rituals, remember their forefathers and pray for peace for their souls.

These ashes of 4,743 persons were brought in 135 clay pots collected by Devothan Samiti members from 344 cremation centres in Pakistan. These were lying there as the deceased could not be identified.

According to Hindu religious tradition, ashes need to be immersed in rivers, particularly the holy Ganga, to give the deceased souls final peace. It is considered a noble gesture to immerse ashes, particularly of the unknown ones.

Head of the Devothan Samiti Anil Narendra said that since 2002, they had been collecting ashes from across Pakistan of unidentified, unknown people, who were cremated in the various cremation centres, and also of those whose relatives could not immerse the ashes for one reason or the other.

Lauding this effort, Vishwa Sanatan Dharma Parishad national chief Mahant Surendra Avdhoot said that these "wandering 4,743 souls of our Hindu brothers living in neighbouring Pakistan have now been given the ultimate peace" following the immersion of their ashes in the mother Ganga by the Devothan Samiti.

Acharya Balkrishan, Vice Chancellor of Patanjali Ayurvedic University, termed Anil Narendra as 'another Bhagirath,' as he had been doing this noble work of collecting and immersing ashes of unknown Pakistani Hindus in the holy Ganga for the past decade.

Uttaranchal Punjabi Maha Sabha founder Ram Moorti Veer said that Lord Vishwanath gave shelter to everyone, and now finally today these 'souls' brought from Pakistan got their peace in the holy Ganga water.

Prior to immersion at the Sati ghat, the ashes were brought in a royal procession amid musical band and a tableau, depicting the Nish Kamh Seva Trust, Bhoopatwala. Various ashrams and saints midway offered floral tributes to the ashes-carrying vehicle, and people prayed for the peace of the souls of these unknown persons.

Mussoorie, October 6
Renowned film actress and former Miss India Nafisa Ali visited Mussoorie along with the wife of Congress candidate Saket Bahuguna and sought votes in a meeting held with Congress workers today.

Nafisa Ali, addressing the party workers, said that if Saket was elected from their constituency, the youth power would get a boost in the state. Speaking on allegations made by BJP against the Congress, she said that the Opposition was bent upon raking unnecessary issues and it would not affect the poll prospects of Saket Bahuguna.

She also said that Saket would be beneficial for the constituency as it would increase the employment prospects in the region. She also said that the price rise, FDI and capping of gas cylinders would not have any affect in changing the opinion of the voters here.

The wife of Saket Bahuguna, addressing the gathering, said that she had come to Mussoorie to seek blessings in form of votes in favour of Saket from the people of the town.

She also said that BJP had already conceded defeat and was trying to mislead the people of the constituency. When asked by the media about the allegations of Vijay Bahuguna's links with the underworld, she said that they were baseless and would not like to comment on them any further.

Dehradun, October 6
Marked by graceful expressions and lithe movements, Kathak dancer Monisa Nayak's craft is rooted in the centuries-old Jaipur Kathak Gharana, whose foundation was laid by male dancers, known mostly for their speed and grace.

Tutored by Pt Rajinder Gangani of the Jaipur Kathak Gharana and performing today at Heritage School as part of the Spicmacay concert, Monisa Nayak gave ample evidence of her own evolution as a dancer. "So much has gone into my dance, kind courtesy the teachings of my guru, that along with imbibing his instructions, there is a constant search for one's own identity that gets manifested in my individual style and expression," said Monisa, while speaking with The Tribune.

Known for it's rigorous training and tough body movements, significantly with the passage of time and the entry of several female dancers, the Jaipur Kathak Gharana has also acquired a soft touch. " Though we continue to follow the classical principles of the dance form, that is tough on the body, but with the entry of more and more female dancers, there is a perfect blending of spectacular body movements and underlying softness of expression," said Monisa.

Despite the mainstream films popularising Kathak, Monisa says these may kindle temporary interest but they are no substitute for stage performances. "The soul of a classical dance performance is a dancer giving a full-bloodied dance performance on stage, leaving the audience rooted to their seats, and for the students it is the best medium to learn any dance form," averred Nayak.

An accomplished dancer, Monisa teaches at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya and also runs her own school. " Belonging to the Khanak Institute of Performing Arts in New Delhi, I lead a disciplined life. I am able to accomplish all this without compromising on my time and energy. Besides, interaction with my students on a daily basis helps me improve on my own dance," she added. Quite optimistic about the future of classical dance, Monisa says along with the government, private organisations dedicated to performing arts, too, had begun extending patronage to dancers and singers.

During her performance Monisa was accompanied by Yogesh Gangani on the tabla, Saimullah, vocalist, on the harmonium, and Malvika, who also gave a dance performance. 

Dehradun, October 6
Students of St Joseph's Academy participated in the annual marathon held here today. The marathon was flagged off by Father John Chakkanatt, Secretary, Education Society , Diocese of Bijnor, Father Jerin Thomas , Diocese of Kotdwar, Father Jose Thekkmuri , Manager, Masidilasa School, Uttarkashi, and Bro AJ George, Principal of St Joseph's Academy.

In the junior boys' section, Yathartha Gairola of Donovan, Joshua Anthony of Dooley and Vibhor Joshi of Bergin House stood first, second and third, respectively.

In the junior girls' category, Shristi Rawat of Dooley, Yuyusta Barthwal of Duffy and Ayushi Bisht of Duffy won the first, second and third positions, respectively.

In the senior boys, Harshwardhan Singh of Dooley, Tushar Rauthan of Donovan and Aman Singh of Duffy won the first, second and third prizes, respectively.

In senior girls, Archie Mamgain of Donovan, Aditi Singh of Donovan and Prachi Miyan of Dooley bagged the first, second and third positions, respectively.

Dehradun, October 6
In the 5th Rohitash Singh Memorial Inter School Boys' Super 8 Cricket Tournament being played at The Heritage School, only one match was played today.

Col Brown School won the match against North Point Children Academy by 17 runs. In the 1st inning, Col Brown scored 30 runs at the loss of 5 wickets, whereas North Point Children Academy scored 27 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.

In the second innings, Col Brown School scored 39 runs at the loss of 3 wickets, while North Point Children Academy scored 25 runs at the loss of 5 wickets. Thus, Col Brown School won the match by 17 runs. 

Dehradun, October 6
The Welham boys' and girls' basketball teams won their respective matches in the District Sub-Junior (under-14 years) Basketball Championship organised by the District Basketball Association here today.In the girls' section, Welham Girls' School defeated Summer Valley School by 65-16. Shreya Singh scored 14 points for Welham Girls' School. St Thomas College beat DAV School by 14-00. Sonali Rana scored 10 points for the winners.

St Jude's School beat Convent of Jesus and Mary by 08-00. Tanya Karanwal scored eight points for the winners. In the last match, Doon Girls' School beat Unison World School by 16-12. Amrit Mann scored 10 points for Doon Girls' School. In the boys' section, the Welham boys team got a walkover while Pestle Weed College defeated Hilton school 41-27. Nehal scored 15 points for the winners. St Jude's School beat St Mary's School 21-17. DAV School defeated Summer Valley School 25-15. —TNS

Dehradun, October 6
The entry of Saket Bahuguna, son of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, into politics is sudden. Since the elevation of Vijay Bahuguna as Chief Minister of the state, with the blessings of the Congress high command after the state assembly elections in March this year, it was clear that someone from the Bahuguna family would contest from the Tehri Lok Sabha seat to be vacated by him.

The entry of the Chief Minister in the state legislature from the Sitarganj assembly byelection with a thumping electoral victory further paved the way for the CM to get the party nomination for his own family member. There was a talk of either his wife Sudha Bahuguna or his son Saket Bahuguna being fielded from the Tehri Lok Sabha seat. Instead of his wife Sudha Bahuguna, who had been active politically in Tehri since 1998, the Bahuguna family decided to field its next generation into politics.

Like his father Vijay Bahuguna, who decided to quit as a judge of the Mumbai High Court to enter politics to claim the political legacy of his father Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Saket has also jumped into the political arena to carry forward the dynastic politics. But he is better off than his father who had to fight hard to register his first electoral win in 2007 after entering politics.Vijay Bahuguna entered politics after the demise of his father but Saket is lucky to have entered politics when his father is the Chief Minister of the state.

On being asked about being a novice in politics, Saket replied that politics was in his blood. “I was the chief election agent of my father in all elections that he had fought. So I am not unaware of the politics,” he added.

Asked about the charge of promoting dynastic rule in democracy, Saket said the decision to join full time politics was necessitated in order to promote development in the entire state, particularly in the Tehri parliamentary constituency. “Since my father represented the Tehri Lok Sabha seat, there were a lot of promises and priorities which needed to be fulfilled in the area. It was our moral responsibility to get the basic infrastructure for development here. There was an emotional bond with the people,” stated Saket.

“There is a basic difference between the Congress and BJP candidates. I am son of Vijay Bahuguna, who is a democratically elected leader while the BJP has fielded daughter-in-law of Maharaja of erstwhile state of Tehri. So they are more dynastic than us. The people have to choose the better candidate,” he said.

Saket did his early schooling till VIII class from St Joseph’s School, Allahabad, and completed his schooling from Modern School, New Delhi. After doing graduation in law from ILS, Pune, he practised at the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court from 1997 till 2006. Since 2006, he was working as the president of a company called India Bulls. Married in 1997 to Gauri, Saket has a 13-year-old son Prabhav and a four-year-old daughter Jhanvi.

“We have received a lot of love and affection from the general masses and there are hopes among youth about a positive change ever since the Congress has come to power in the state,” he claimed.

On being asked about the dismal performance of the state Congress government in the past six months, Saket replied that it was too short a period to make any judgment. Moreover, he said, Sitarganj and now the Tehri byelections had affected the developmental works. “We will be working for overall development of Tehri and the entire state. Since the Chief Minister belongs to Tehri, the area needs a bigger pie of the developmental efforts,” he said.

“I am hopeful of winning from the seat and it will be a litmus test for us in the next 16 months before the 2014 general elections,” he claimed. It will be known only on October 13 if the people of the Tehri Lok Sabha accept the third generation of the Bahuguna family.