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The good once again triumphs over the evil
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Performing the role of Hanuman at 70
Chandar Bhan, who has been playing the role of Hanuman for the past 43 years, gives blessings to devotees during the Dasehra celebrations in Mussoorie on Wednesday.
Entrepreneurship awareness drive begins in Doon tomorrow
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The good once again triumphs over the evil
Dehradun, October 24
The ground was packed to capacity and the crowd was extending on to the roads and top of buildings in the vicinity where the scene of burning effigies was visible. The vehicle movement was barred around Parade Ground. The traffic police was on its toes to streamline the movement of people on to the roads along side the vehicles leading to Parade Ground. Parking was provided in a couple of vacant plots around the area as well. Chief Minister Vijay Bahguna was present on the dais in Parade Ground. He wished people Happy Navratri, Dasehra and Diwali giving a message of staying united and working towards strengthening Uttarakhand as a developed state. Former Speaker Harbans Kapoor too addressed the gathering and wished them as well. Many prominent leaders such as Mayor Vinod Chamoli, MLA Rajpur Road Rajkumar and Mala Raj Luxmi Shah were also present. After setting fire to the effigies, a brilliant display of different kinds of crackers held. The entire series of Ramlila and Dasehra was organised by the Bannu community of the city. Despite the pulls of modernity, the craze among families and even youngsters to watch the centuries old tradition of Dasehra was spectacular. The children were seen excited and wearing interesting musical glittering caps and enjoying whistling toys. Meanwhile, the Dasehra celebrations at the Ordnance Factory ground witnessed a big turnout here today. Effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkaran were set ablaze in the evening. Chief guests on the occasion DIG, Dehradun Range, Sanjay Gunjayal, and General Manager of the Dehradun Ordnance Factory R Rajshekar jointly inaugurated the Dasehra fair. Rajshekar said one should work to destroy evils of hatred, greed, selfishness within oneself. He said such events were a great source of camaraderie among Ordnance Factory employees and their family members. Several stalls ranging from eateries, toys sellers to video games were put up at the fair. Fireworks were the main attraction of the fair. Additional General Manager of the Ordnance Factory RS Thakur, joint General Manager VK Tripathy and office-bearers of the Ordnance Factory Employees Welfare Committee, the organisers of the fair, were present on the occasion. Mussoorie: The festival symbolising victory of the good over the evil, Dasehra, was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in Mussoori today. Villagers from around the region flocked in large numbers various markets in Mussoorie for shopping. However, the consumers were being selective during their purchases due to the rising prices this year. Shanti from Kempty village rued the fact that she had a long list but had to curtail it to bare minimum by only purchasing few fruits and sweet items due to an increase in the prices, which were hitting the roof. A religious procession, under the aegis of the Sanatan Dharam Sabha, Mussoorie, from Landour Bazaar to Laxmi Narain Temple at Library Bazaar was also taken out where various tableaux from the Hindu mythology were much appreciated by all. The main attraction of the show was Hanuman, who blessed tourists and residents alike with his mace and distributed sweets among the gleeful children following him. The children had their hands full as they were seen wearing masks of their favourite lords, especially Hanuman, and other deities on the occasion. A Dasehra mela was also organised at Appu Ghar by the Lions Club of Mussoorie, where a number of food items and games stalls were set up. A raffle draw was organised in which the first prize, a Nano car, was one of the attractions of the festivities here. The tourists from Bengal participated in the festivities actively by joining in the tradition of immersing the statue of Goddess Durga in the Yamuna river, near Yamuna bridge, today. Members from other communities also joined in the festivity and distributed prasad to the devotees on the occasion. Later in the evening, effigies of Ravana, the demon god, were burnt at Appu Ghar and Library Bazaar amid the bursting of crackers, thus marking the culmination of the festivities in Mussoorie.
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Performing the role of Hanuman at 70
Mussoorie, October 24 This year too, he walked from Landour Bazaar to Gandhi Chowk with same vigour and strength which he attributes to the devotion to Lord Hanuman. “I am residing in Roorkie but I do make sure to present for the Dasehra procession in Mussoorie and play the role of Hanuman, said Chandar Bhan. Recalling his stint as Hanuman for the procession, he said it all began 43 years ago when he was assigned by the temple committee to walk along with the religious tableaus from Landour Bazaar to Gandhi Chowk where the procession ended with the burning of the effigy of Ravana. Chandar Bhan arrived at Sanatan Dharam Temple in Landour around 1 pm today where he was helped by his close aide Vijay Singh, who was the director of Ramlila that used to take place in the past. It took at least an hour to dress him like Lord Hanuman, says Vijay Singh. “After wearing the clothes of Hanuman and with the mace in his hand, I feel the power of Hanuman in myself,” says Chandar Bhan. For children, Hanuman walking on the road of Mussoorie is nothing but godsend as he picks up the fruits and other eateries from the shops and hurls it towards them who follow him all along the road till Library Bazaar in anticipation of more eateries. The shopkeepers also do not refuse him and offer something on their own as a form of blessings. The director from his Ramlila days Vijay Singh and his close aide assist him in dressing up for the occasion. Vijay Singh is of the view that it is indeed a miracle that Chandar Bhan, who does not take a single penny for his role as Hanuman, is ready for a grueling journey at the age of 70 till today. "Family members of Chandar Bhan are also supportive of him and have never raised questions about his playing the role of Hanuman during the Dasehra processions year after year. They know it is one role which gives him immense joy and satisfaction," added Chandar Bhan. However, Chandar Bhan is worried as to who will take up the job after him. He is of the view that since the Ramlila performance came to a halt in Mussoorie, no more artistes are left to perform such shows now. The lack of budget has left them to abandon the performance of Ramlila in the town. His dream on Dasehra is to revive the Ramlila enactment in the town so that future generations can be made aware towards the true traditions of the country.
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Entrepreneurship awareness drive begins in Doon tomorrow
Dehradun, October 24 According to Rajat Suman, associate member, entrepreneurship cell, IIT Kharagpur, each selected city will play host to an entrepreneurship awareness camp, where eminent entrepreneurs, industry leaders and students will deliberate about the pros and cons of entrepreneurship as a career and how it differs from the usual run-of-the-mill job culture. “Each camp also features a networking session where start-ups, students and the guests can freely interact as well as a start-up pitching session, where the start-ups attending a session, get a one-on-one interaction with the guest lecturers”, Suman pointed out. In Dehradun, entrepreneurship awareness camp will be held at the Dehradun Institute of Technology on October 26. The event will have the presence of entrepreneurs like Director iVolunteer Shalabh Sahai, Chief Executive Officer Trident Techlabs Sukesh Naithani and YUVA foundation founder Shantanu Gupta. The drive came started 4 years ago and some of the distinguished guests, who attended the drive include leading entrepreneurs Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Irrfan Alam and Shaheen Mistry.
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Mussoorie, October 24
