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MLA Joshi, MC chief Mall fight over hoisting Tricolour
Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi and Municipal Council president Manmohan Singh Mall almost come to blows for unfurling the National Flag in Mussoorie
on Thursday. A Tribune photograph
Students across state celebrate I-Day with patriotic
fervour
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No cultural event on I-Day
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna unfurls the National Flag at the Parade Ground in Dehradun
on Thursday. A Tribune photograph
DM skips office for month,
people inconvenienced
Mesmerising kathak recital by Rajendra Gangani
Bust of Gandhiji unveiled at Woodstock school
Kunjwal hoists Tricolour in Assembly
CS gets addl charge
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MLA Joshi, MC chief Mall fight over hoisting Tricolour
Mussoorie, August 16 As the fight continued for half an hour, bringing disrepute to the town, the gathered crowd was appalled at the disgraceful turn of events. At last a two-year-old child was called to unfurl the Independence Day flag while the two leaders, MLA, Mussoorie, Ganesh Joshi, and MC president, Manmohan Singh Mall, were engaged in a fist-fight and were also hurling abuses against each other over the issue of who was the rightful claimant for the job. It is worth mentioning that the seeds of the rift between the two leaders were sown in the meeting held under the chairmanship of SDM, Mussoorie, on August 7 where earlier it was decided that the MC president Manmohan Singh Mall from Congress would unfurl the flag on Independence Day. But due to the pressure from the BJP, the decision was changed later and the SDM, Mussoorie, in order to avoid any dispute did not mention the clear-cut name of the person who would unfurl the flag, and instead stated that the function will be organised according to the past practice. Both MLA Ganesh Joshi and Manmohan Singh Mall arrived amid such ambiguity at the venue and began claiming their right to unfurl the flag. Following that, the duo, fearing that the other person would unfurl the flag, first reached the podium and began jostling with each other, resulting in a fist-fight, much to the disgust of the gathered crowd. Meanwhile, the crowd disgusted with the act of their political representatives brought in a two-year-child who unfurled the flag, thus defusing the situation altogether. The family members of the child said that they wanted it to be a memorable experience for the kid of witnessing unfurling of the flag but watching the public representatives jostle with each other like wild animals had left a bad taste. The residents of the town, aghast with such display of unruly behavior by their elected representatives, have condemned both in strong words. The Communist Party of India members, submitting a memorandum to the Governor of the state via the SDM, have demanded that the display of unlawful behaviour by the elected representatives on Independence Day had undermined the honour of the flag. Therefore, strict action should be initiated against the two so that they do not bring disrepute to the National Flag again in their life. The schoolchildren who were also present on the occasion said that they would avoid taking any citation and awards from such leaders if possible in future. Many other social and political organisations have also condemned the incident and have termed is an utter shameful act. Rajrani, senior citizen and daughter of a freedom fighter, said that it was indeed a sad commentary on the conduct of the public representatives, which was unbecoming of the post they were holding. Former MLA, Mussoorie, Jot Singh Gunsola, state secretary, CPI, Samar Bhandari, has flayed the incident and termed it as shameful. The teacher associations in the town are also aghast with the incident and have demanded to ban the two leaders from unfurling the flag in public place for at least five years as punishment. However, the two leaders in question showing no remorse at the incident stuck to their old views and blamed each other for the debacle. MC president Manmohan Singh Mall, speaking to the media, said that the whole incident was unfortunate but MLA Mussoorie Ganesh Joshi should have not indulged in such hooliganism as there was no mention of his name in the proceedings of the meeting held to determine who would unfurl the Tricolor. MLA, Mussoorie, Ganesh Joshi, too, being unapologetic said that he was entitled to unfurl the flag in accordance to the same proceedings of the meeting which clearly stated that the past precedence would be followed while unfurling the flag. He also alleged that Manmohan Singh Mall misbehaved with his party workers and when he questioned the Congress leader, he lost his cool and entered into a brawl with him. The incident has led to a strong reaction in the social media where the netizens have condemned the act and are demanding strict action against the two. Many have also demanded that the two political parties should tender an apology in public and the senior party leaders should expel them for at least six years.
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Students across state celebrate I-Day with patriotic
fervour
Dehradun, August 16 A dance performance on patriotic song 'Desh Mere', and the soul-stirring rendition of "Sing a Song of Freedom" and "Vande Mataram" by students were the highlights of the day. Principal Brother George was also present. In his address, Alok Lal exhorted the gathering to rise above narrow feelings and work unitedly to achieve goals. Nalanda College of Education
The Nalanda College of Education, too, celebrated the Independence Day with great pomp and enthusiasm. College director Savita Rawat hoisted the Natural Flag and delivered a speech on the occasion.
Indian Cambridge School
Patron, The Indian Cambridge School, Dr S.
Farooq, and Mohammad Amin, Joint Director, Election Commission of India, who was the chief guest, unfurled the Tricolour on the school campus. Students and all those present on the occasion also remembered the victims of the recent disaster. In his address, Mohammad Amin said India is not going to change by playing blame games. "It will only progress when we change ourselves, becoming more patriotic and aware of our own faults and then rectifying them," he said The chief guest also honoured the winners of the art and painting, quiz and essay writing competitions held on August 14.
The Aryan School
A cultural programme marked the Independence Day celebrations at The Aryan School, Mussoorie Diversion Road,
Dehradun. The National Flag was hoisted by chief guest Lt-Gen GS Negi
(retd). Rig House sang "Lahrao tum aaj tiranga", Atharva House "Agar hum nahin desh ke kam
aaye, Sama House "O sapooto bharat ki takdeer bana do and Yajur House sang
"Sangathan gareh chalu, supath per bade chalo." Yajur House stood first, Rig House second and Sama House third in the signing performance.
Unison World School
Maj-Gen SR Bahuguna (retd), who served in counter insurgency areas in the east and commanded 15 Kumaon Regiment in the Indo Pak War in 1971, hoisted the National Flag at Unison World School. Patriotic songs and dances were presented by students of different houses on the occasion.
Ann Mary School
The imperative necessity for ushering in peace in the world was underlined at the Hiroshima Day-cum-Independence Day celebrations at Ann Mary School. Veteran journalist Raj Kanwar was the chief guest. The function began with the chief guest unfurling the national
Tricolour. This was followed by prayers and National Anthem. Bharat Vande
Mataram, specially composed by the music teacher and beautifully rendered by the school choir, was the highlight of the morning
programme. Other attractive items were a power point presentation showing the numerous monuments of peace around the world from Hiroshima to the
Lotus Temple in New Delhi. A skit ''Kindness Boomerang'' by class X B and a peace song (Shine on Sunshine) by class X A were highly appreciated. Another skit aptly named ''MAD,'' Making a Difference, demonstrated the virtue of self-help, underlining the responsibilities and duties of citizens. It was virtually a model of what a
Dehradun-based organisation of students, also called MAD, and effectively brought home the importance of self-help. Sitar recital by a group of five students, too, was good. Another item on the menu was ''Save Me,'' a peace song by students of class XII. The finale was
''Sare Jahan Se Achcha'' sung in unison with everyone clapping to the beat. The students also presented specially crafted peace clocks to the principal Deepak
Arora. According to school Director Silvia Arora, a special feature of the programme was that everyone in a particular class and section compulsorily participated in every item. Thus it turned out to be a community effort and gave even a lesser talented student a chance to display whatever limited talents he/she had. In his brief speech, Raj Kanwar listed greed, arrogance and intolerance as the three major enemies of peace. He attributed the beginning of both the World War I and World War II to these very causes. Even nearer home, greed and intolerance were responsible for much of the strife, he said. ''Peace is not essentially absence of war,'' Kanwar added. ''In our country, there are many islands of conflict and strife, broadly caused by intolerance and animosity. Thus it is of utmost importance that we all must rise above these narrow considerations and try to live in the spirit of give and take and live and
let live.''
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No cultural event on I-Day
Dehradun, August 16 In his address, the Chief Minister recalled the sacrifices made by freedom fighters. He said ‘India has a rich history’ and called upon the people to uphold it and the traditions of the country. “We must work together to make India a country of Mahatma Gandhi’s dreams,” Bahuguna said. He said it was due to our great leaders that we got a strong Constitution and a vibrant democracy. The Chief Minister offered tributes to those who lost their lives in the recent natural disaster in the state. He said the civil administration along with the defence forces made all efforts to ensure the best of relief and rescue operations. Bahuguna said some of the security personnel even attained martyrdom in the line of duty in Uttarakhand. He reminded the people of Uttarakhand that despite their meager resources they provided all assistance to the pilgrims in distress. The Chief Minister also gave away medals to police personnel for excellence in services. They include SP Girish Chandra Tamta, Inspector Indu Bhushan Nautiyal, Inspector Chakradhar Anthwal and constable KC Prasad. Earlier, the Chief Minister hoisted the National Flag at his residence. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar hoisted the National Flag at the Secretariat in
Dehradun.
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DM skips office for month,
people inconvenienced
Dehradun, August 16 People are distressed as they come to the District Magistrate’s office and wait for Sundaram, but in vain. The staff too does not tell them clearly whether the District Magistrate will come to the office or not. Raghu Prasad, who came from Tehri, said, “I have been making rounds of the District Magistrate’s office for the past six days to enquire about the relief amount for my damaged house but I returned without meeting him each time.” Sundaram’s office employees too express their ignorance about the District Magistrate’s schedule. “I am staying in a dharamshala and have to spend money on food and transportation. I have lost everything in the natural disaster,” said Kanchan Kumari. She came from Chakrata to meet the District Magistrate as she was not satisfied with the way the relief amount was distributed in her area. “There are anomalies in the distribution of relief assistance. Some people have been given more relief aid while deserving ones have been paid less amount. There are cases where none of the persons who got the relief assistance had suffered any loss. Those having political patronage are being given all help while poor people are being ignored. My two buffaloes and four goats were killed in the natural disaster but I was offered an assistance of just Rs 10,000, which I refused. I want to meet the District Magistrate to get justice for myself,” said
Kanchan. However, the District Magistrate has not attended the office for the past one month. He is also not holding his court and cases are piling up. Advocates can be seen enquiring about him. A staff member at his office told The Tribune that Sundaram was sitting at the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) office situated at the far end of the city. Those willing to meet him could go there. However, when the MDDA office was contacted in the afternoon, an employee said Sundaram had not come to the office and there was no confirmation either whether he would turn
up or not. He said for a few days Sundaram tried to manage his additional responsibilities of the Director, Information Directorate, Vice-Chairman of the MDDA and Additional Secretary from his office, but now he had stopped going there. Sitting amid a pile of files, Harak Singh Rawat complained that he was already shouldering the additional responsibility of City Magistrate. He said the files, which were earlier cleared by the District Magistrate, too were being sent to him and it had become difficult for him to handle the additional burden of work.
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Mesmerising kathak recital by Rajendra Gangani
Dehradun, August 16 Gangani started the performance with an eye-catching piece titled 'Shiva stuti.' He then explained to the audience the importance of sounds in ‘Damru’ and ‘Ghunghru’ followed by another solo. The depiction of ‘Varsha, Badal and Bijli’ through his brisk footwork, supported by the mellifluous tinkle of his anklets was superb and left the audience craving for more. The main highlight of the performance was the episode of ‘Krishna Leela’ where Gangani through his ‘bhavas’ and ‘mudras’ recaptured the traditional love story of Radha and Krishna, keeping the dance drama very precise and focused. The enthralled audience exploded with applause on presentation of the dance recital by the exponent. His troupe members did a commendable job in giving ‘sangat’. Gangani also interacted with the students and gave them insights into this form of dance. He advised them to keep practising as practice brings perfection and said that they should follow this principle in every aspect of their lives. The event was attended by students and faculty members of the university. The show concluded with university Vice Chancellor Krishna Kumar, extending his warmest thanks to the artiste and his troupe for their extraordinary performance. Pandit Rajendra Gangnani has been a recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2003. A torch-bearer of Jaipur Gharana, Gangani is known for his innovative style. The Friday evening performance saw a huge turnout of students from various prestigious institutions like Unison World School, John Martin Memorial School and IMS University as well as faculty and staff.
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Bust of Gandhiji unveiled at Woodstock school
Mussoorie, August 16 To mark the occasion, a bust of Gandhiji created and presented to Woodstock by alumnus Jim Havens from 1957 batch was unveiled in Parker Hall by Sylvia Skinner Mahendroo, a classmate of Havens. Woodstock chaplain Brian Dunn, who graduated from the school in 1989 and is in his third stint at Woodstock, addressing the gathering spoke of his love of India and took the audience on an 'Indian road trip.' He urged the students to embrace the mutual sense of real co-existence, which occurs in India, and compared this concept to life on the Indian road, which, although full of traffic, people, cows and goats, was like ''a relational dance where everyone worked together to untangle the knot.'' He praised India for its ''unique vision of secularism which does not push religion out of the public sphere, where everyone has a place on the road.'' He encouraged listeners to strip away their kingly robes like Gandhiji and remember ''life is like the Indian road, drive accordingly.'' Woodstock School Principal Jonathan Long speaking on the occasion said although this was a day of great joy and gladness, it was also tinged with sadness in Uttarakhand following the devastating flooding over the summer. He called for all those present, despite being from many different colours and creed, to follow Nehru's pledge to live life ''in service of the larger cause of humanity.'' A minute's silence was held in remembrance of those who had been affected by the catastrophe in June. The school also acknowledged South Korean Independence Day which also took place on Thursday, while students from the school's myriad nationalities wore their national dress. A Hindi choir sang ''Ae Watan Ae Watan'' while the Indian National Anthem was played by the Woodstock Advanced Band. As part of the week of celebrations for Indian Independence at Woodstock, a group of dancers and singers from Punjab who were finalists in India's Got Talent TV performed bhangra and giddha dances from Punjab.
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Kunjwal hoists Tricolour in Assembly
Dehradun, August 16 Uttarakhand Twenty Point Programme Implementation Committee vice president Rajendra Singh Bhandari, MLA Sundar Lal Mandarwal, Raipur MLA Umesh Sharma, Principal Secretary, Vidhan Sabha, DP Gairola, and a large number of Vidhan Sabha employees were present on the occasion. Day celebrated sans cultural activities
Haridwar: In the wake of the recent natural disaster in the state, the 67th Independence Day celebrations were a low-key affair in Haridwar. No cultural, musical or any other activity was organised. On the Roshanabad Collectorate premises, District Magistrate Nidhi Pandey unfurled the National Flag. In her address, she highlighted the significance of the independence movement and the need for the younger generation to live up to the dreams of the freedom fighters.Haridwar SSP Rajiv Swarup took the salute at a march past and honoured 38 police personnel. On the court compound premises, City Magistrate JS Nangiyal hoisted the Tricolour. He also paid tributes to the disaster victims on the occasion. Mayor Manoj Garg hoisted the National Flag at the Mayapur-based civic body office. Legislator Madan Kaushik, Ranipur-BHEL MLA Aadesh Chauhan, Jwalapur MLA Chandrasekhar Bhattewala and Haridwar (rural) MLA Swami Yatishwaranand unfurled the National Flag in their respective Assembly segments.
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nearly came to blows over the hoisting of the National Flag during Independence Day celebrations on Thursday.
Dehradun, August 16
