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Garbage at Brahmkund, ghats exposes UP’s claims
Dengue cases: DMC swings into action
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HDI to detail progress made in education, health
Man held for stealing idols
International authors to grace Mussoorie Writers' Festival
French footballers impart training to Georgians
Selaqui team lift soccer title
UK school girls walk the ramp
Summer Valley holds marathon in Dehradun
Sarod player Sachin performs at Virasat
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Garbage at Brahmkund, ghats exposes UP’s claims
Haridwar, October 30 Though more than a week has passed since the canal was closed for maintenance, Brahmkund, Har-ki-Pauri, and Malviya, Nai Sota, Gau, Alaknanda, Birla, Gobind, Prem Nagar, Damkoti and Pull Jatwada ghats are still awaiting action by the UP Irrigation Department. Filth and garbage accumulated at the ghats are inviting more trouble as more than 36 cases of dengue have been reported in the district. Plastic, garbage, left over ritual material, waste and filth can be seen littered and sewers falling into the Ganga canal are visible. But it doesn’t seem to be attracting the attention of the department concerned as sewer water falling into the canal is hurting the sentiments of the devotees. Ganga activists say though the Ganga Action Plan-1986 or several similar projects and drives were launched earlier, sewage water directly falling into the canal was the major hindrance in its cleaning. Sub-Divisional Officer, Ganga Canal, UP Irrigation Department, VVS Yadav says dilapidated ghats are being repaired and garbage is also being removed. It will take time for the maintenance work on the 560-km canal to complete. Chief of the Teerth Maryada Raksha Samiti Sanjay Chopra says the ritual material could be seen littered on the ghats necessitating the need for controlling its usage as it is polluting the river. Former MLA Ambrish Kumar says a comprehensive plan is needed before the canal is closed for maintenance during the festival season. During Maha Kumbh in 2010 several social organisations, ashrams, saints, institutions and Ganga activists had come out to clean the river at Har-ki-Pauri and adjacent ghats. But since then except the Shanti Kunj Gayatri family no NGO has come forward for the work. Even former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti during the Ganga Sagar-Gangotri Gaumukh movement in Haridwar didn’t say anything about open sewers falling into the canal near
Har-ki-Pauri.
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Dengue cases: DMC swings into action
Dehradun, October 30 He also emphasised that soon he would start a public awareness campaign to educate people not to store water in containers or coolers or in the vicinity to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. He said the campaign would be carried out by distributing leaflets or pasting of posters on public spots about the dengue. Mayor Vinod Chamoli has called a meeting of the Health Department of the corporation tomorrow to discuss the next course of action in this regard. He said, “I will review the action taken by the Health Department till now to check dengue and prepare the future strategy to deal with it more effectively.” He said during festivals, people were cleaning their houses and debris was
getting deposited outside houses. The sanitation condition of the city is also getting affected as the sanitation workers of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation are busy celebrating Valmiki Jayanti for the past
three-four days. The garbage and insanitation condition in the city may trigger more cases of dengue. Owing to this, City Magistrate Harak Singh Rawat has also given direction to the Chief Sanitation Officer, DMC, Dr Gurpal Singh, to carry out extensive fogging in the busy, dirty and moist locations of the city.
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HDI to detail progress made in education, health
Dehradun, October 30 The per capita income does not always ensure enrichment of quality of life and a need has been felt to draw the HDI measuring the progress made by the state in the areas of health, education and economy. For drawing the HDI, the Uttarakhand government has made a provision of Rs 2 crore under the special assistance plan (SPA). “The Department of Economics and Statistics will prepare the HDI and the exercise is expected to take at least a year. But once it is over it will be a comprehensive development report on Uttarakhand that will help us assess the gaps in the areas where we need to focus and also give inputs for future planning,” says Principal Secretary S Ramaswamy. While the United Nations has been calculating the HDI for its member states since 1975, the Indian government too has been preparing the HDI for its states. In the last HDI, Uttarakhand had a poor score of .046, much lower than even Himachal Pradesh. Now, Uttarakhand would depute officials of the Economics and Statistics Department to gather data to prepare its HDI. “While examining various health indicators, we will be able to statistically prepare a health report card of the state. These indicators include the average life expectancy of the people of the state, their nutritional status and whether an average food thali of a resident contains all necessary nutrients. The data collated by us will help in assessing the reach of the immunisation programme and other programmes launched to prevent child and maternal mortality,” says YS Pangtey, Director, Directorate of Economics and Statistics. In the area of education and economy the progress made will be tabulated on basis of the set indicators.
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71-yr-old Chand Bhenji is a woman on mission
Mussoorie, October 30 Chand Bhenji, a recipient of the President's award in 2001, has taken on to herself the task to convert poems written by eminent regional authors into classical song and dance form by imparting training to young kids of the town and preserving the culture of the state in the process. Chandralekha Tripathi or Chand Bhenji, born in 1941 at Mussoorie, from her childhood was inclined towards classical form of dancing, and at age six, she learnt her first steps in dance and singing from various gurus belonging to Jaipur and Gwaliar gharanas. Chand Bhenji recalls that in those days her gurus would always maintain while explaining principles of choreography, "unfurl your arms, and don’t fling them out. Don’t stomp, use light and shade in footwork." Later, she joined Mussoorie Girls' Inter College at the post of dance teacher and began her career as a classical dance teacher. After her retirement in 2004, Chand Bhenji could not stay away from the dance floor and opened a small school for young kids at her home from where she taught any willing kid without charging any fee. Chand Bhenji, who is also an avid reader, after reading poems by authors from Garhwal and Kumaon came up with the idea that if the poems of such authors were converted into classical song and dance form, they would be immortalised musically and would also help in preserving the culture of the state in the process. Subsequently, she took up poems of authors such as Hemchand Saklani, Veena Pani Joshi, Bhajan Singh and late Haridutt Bhatt Shalesh. They also liked the idea and began sending their poems to Chand Bhenji so that they could also be turned into the melody of traditional ragas and classical dance from by small kids around the state, thus receiving the much-desired publicity. Tom Alter, the eminent Bollywood actor, also received his early education from Chand Bhenji, apart from several others who are doing well for themselves in various levels.
Chand Bhenji, speaking on her misson, says that it was important that the young kids were introduced to rich words used by the eminent authors of the state and by giving these a musical shape, they are able to remember them easily, thus enriching their literary knowledge. Speaking on the commercialisation among teachers and students where the demand is for the latest Bollywood trends, Chand Bhenji without calling names says that every form of dance should be respected, but if remain attached to the classical form of dancing along with the traditional poetry, "we will be able to admire the beauty of other cultures easily." For Chand Bhenji, who is her 70s, training the students on the beat of tabla and harmonium will always remain the most preferred way of teaching as that is where she finds her solace, even today.
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Man held for stealing idols
Dehradun, October 30 Meanwhile, the police arrested four accused Subhash, Suresh, Anil and Gaurav Khatri for carrying a stock of 1,015 drug injections. Subhash and Anil had bought the stock from Muradabad a few days ago. The police had also arrested accused Preetam Puri a month ago for drug trafficking.
— TNS
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International authors to grace Mussoorie Writers' Festival
Mussoorie, October 30 The festival is being organised by the Hanifl Centre for Outdoor and Environmental Study at Woodstock School with an objective to celebrate Himalayan culture, exploration and ecology. Loveraj Singh Dharmshaktu, Assistant Commandant with the Border Security Force, who has climbed Mt Everest six times and reached the summit on four occasions, will be inaugurating the festival. Other distinguished international participants in the festival are Capt MS. Kohli, who led the first Indian expedition to the Everest in 1964, Steve Swenson, former president of the American Alpine Club, who has climbed the Everest and K2 without supplemental oxygen, Dr Charles Clarke, a veteran of many British Himalayan expeditions and a specialist in high-altitude medicines, Susan Hunt, an Australian mountaineer and sportswoman who is also climbed the Everest; and two elite Alpine climbers from Italy- Maurizio Manolo Zanola and Herve Bermasse. Rekha Bhardwaj and the Tetseo Sisters from Nagaland will be performing live in concert at Woodstock’s Parker Hall. Filmmaker and poet Gulzar will present a poetry recitation in the company of authors Pavan Varma and Sukrita Paul Kumar. Viraf Mehta will speak on ancient rock art of Ladakh while Prof Shekhar Pathak will share his insight on the career of Pandit Nain Singh Rawat. Photographer Sankar Sridhar will also out up his exhibition on Ladakh. On November 4, a half marathon race will be held at 7.30 am, starting at Picture Palace with a turnaround at Everest House and finishing at Woodstock. The writers festival is funded by Winterline Foundation. Sponsors and partners of the festival include the Worldwide Fund For Nature, India, The Cultural Section of the Italian Embassy, IRun Sports Management and Wilderness Films India Ltd.
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French footballers impart training to Georgians
Mussoorie, October 30 The camp is being organised by the Football Club, Doon, in association with the Edukick firm launched by Eric Benny, former Indian football team manager. Benny, while speaking to mediapersons, said the cooperation with FC Metz would help the students improve their basic skills and provide a chance for them to go ahead and represent various clubs of the country. Benny said his firm along with FC Metz would be assisting the footballers of Doon to develop the technical skills and help make the Football Club of Doon into a premiere club of the country. He further said it was a good opportunity for both France and India for players and coaches to advance themselves. Benny also said the camp for the footballers of Doon would also be held soon. Denis Schaeffer, Director, FC Metz Academy, who is known for developing players like Robert Pires, Emmanuel Adebayor, Cisse and Louis Saha among many others, said, “FC Metz is pleased and delighted to expand our collaboration with the FC, Doon, by holding the camp at St George’s College. We have had a long desire to facilitate the development of football in the country. He further said there was an immense talent in India the need was to channelise it in a proper direction by providing the technical know-how equivalent to other European nations. The Principal of St George’s College, Brother Christopher, said the training being imparted to the students would go a long way in helping them improve their football skills. He thanked the French coaches and the members of FC Doon for imparting the training. Brother Naveen and Amar Singh Gurung, former Asian Games football player, were also present on the occasion.
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Rao Cricket Academy make it to semifinal
Dehradun, October 30 In the first match being played at the Rangers’ College ground, Rao Cricket Academy defeated Dabbu XI by 131 runs. Rao Cricket Academy scored 236 for nine wickets in 35 overs after electing to bat. Kiran was the top scorer with 76 runs while Asishpal scored 37 runs. Sachin scored 24 runs in 10 balls. Shanky, Hyder, Anshul and Dabbu took two wickets each. In reply, Dabbu XI was dismissed for 105 runs all out in 20.5 over, losing the match by 131 runs. Depankar and Shail took three wickets. In the second quarter-final match played at th eTanush Cricket Academy ground, Abhimanyu Cricket Academy defeated Tanush Cricket Academy by eight wickets. Tanush Academy won the toss and elected to bat first. The team scored 186 runs for nine wickets in 35 over. Ravi Sangar was the top scorer with 56 runs. Varun Khanna took three wickets while Sunny Rana and Ravinder Rawat took two wickets each. In reply, Abhimanyu Cricket Academy scored 191 runs for two wickets in 24.1 overs to win the match by eight wickets. Vaibhav Bhatt scored 82 runs. Kunal Chandela with 42 runs and Gaurav Gambhir with 29 runs remained unbeaten.
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Selaqui team lift soccer title
Dehradun, October 30 The second day of the tournament began with the enthusiastic and encouraging words of Professor Surendra Kumar, adviser, SIEM. He asked all participants to play the game with zeal and feeling of sportsmanship. Prof Dhram Buddhi, Prof Dharam Saktu and Dr Aparna Singh boosted the morale of all teams by their inspiring words of wisdom. The final match was played between the team A of SIEM and the team of Beehive College. The team A of Selaqui Institute of Engineering and Management won by 3-1 and received the winners trophy with a cash prize from Prof Surendra Kumar.
The team of Beehive College was awarded by a runner-up trophy and also a cash prize . Kshitij Rawat of SIEM (B.Tech-II yr) bagged the special title of “Golden Boots” for his persistent and tremendous performance in all matches. All participants of the winner team and the runner-up team also received individual medals with a certificate of participation. The certificate of participation was also given to all teams that participated in the tournament. Prof Dhram Buddhi, Prof Dharam Saktu, Dr Aparna Singh, all faculty
members, staff members and students were present during the prize distribution ceremony.
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UK school girls walk the ramp
Dehradun, October 30 The girls were attired in Indian ethnic wear - sarees and salwar suits. The girls looked gorgeous and the audience was mesmerised to see them as they walked the ramp. The show had three rounds for judgement. It was judged by Hemant Nawani, Parminder Singh and Anjanee Singh. The star for the evening was Heidi Louise Thomas being titled as Miss Desi Gori. Eve Feenan was given the title of Miss Best Smile and Francessca Froggatt was titled as Miss Best Walk. Julie Dowling, Head Abbots Bromley, did the honours of crowning Julie Dowling said she was enthralled to see her girls dressed in Indian traditional wear and they looked outstanding. She also said her girls had made her feel proud.
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Summer Valley holds marathon in Dehradun
Dehradun, October 30 The individual position in the senior category was won by Debojit Kalita (boys) and Ishita Panwar (girls) of Akbar and Ashoka Houses, respectively. In the junior category, the first position was bagged by Shivang Negi (boys). The overall trophy was won by Ashoka House. DrAshok Wasu , Director, Summer Valley School, was also present on the occasion. He gave away medals to the winners.
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Sarod player Sachin performs at Virasat
Dehradun, October 30 Sachin is a disciple of sarod maestro Padma Vibhushan Ustad Amjad Ali Khan for the last 14 years. He recently performed the Ignite concert series for the Royal Albert Hall, London, and the University of
Hong Kong. As the function on the chilly night came to an end, Sachin’s rendition of Raag Kirvani’s Rachnain in “teen taal” and “teen bandish” of Raag Malkaus left the audience spellbound. He was accompanied by Hintendra Dixit on tabla. Dixit is a disciple of Zakir Hussain. Earlier in the morning, artisans Ishaq Bhai (tie and dye), Sunita Karan (paper mache), Ashim Mandol (dry flower and dry decorative items), Asif bhai (kite making) and Bhatti conducted workshops with school students.
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