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Solan no longer number one
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Grassroots
HIllside view
Reviving the Kangra Kalam
Flavour of the Raj
Hope rekindled
Shimla
Diary
CITIZEN FIRST
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Haphazard construction is the bane of Solan and the Mushroom City of India is seeing mushrooming of unwanted buildings, reports Ambika Sharma With a 57.26 per cent population growth rate witnessed in the last decade, Solan has emerged as the fastest growing town of Himachal. Marred by haphazard and unplanned constructions the town, known as the Mushroom City of India, is slowly turning into a jungle of concrete. Vanishing greens The town which once boosted of lush green hills enveloping its roads, variety of fauna including the endangered pheasants, the migratory bulbuls which had made the town their annual sojourn, the majestic panthers which leisurely strolled in the wild are now reminiscences which old timers recollect while discussing Solan of the yore. Former forest official D.R. Awasthi, who has seen the town grow from scratch, observes: “No longer does one hear the warble of the migratory birds like the laughing thrush that would visit the town at the onset of the monsoons. The majestic panther that occasionally strolled leisurely in the green environs is not to be seen anymore. The most telling effect is the scarcity of water, especially during summers. The population has risen from 21,751 in the year 1991 to 34,206 in 2001. The growth has bypassed the growth rate of bigger towns like Shimla, which has noticed a modest growth rate of 32.59 per cent in 2001. Even towns like Hamirpur with a growth rate of 36.37 per cent are far behind. The high growth is attributed to an exodus of people from the nearby districts for employment or education.
Tourist rush Its proximity to both Chandigarh and Shimla has led to an added influx of tourists here. This has introduced the town to the apartment culture and high-rise buildings are coming up at every nook and corner of the town. Despite the existence of a plethora of norms to regulate their growth, lack of proper regulation has defeated the very purpose of planning. The provision of floor area ratio meant to regulate the height of apartments vis-à-vis total surface area has been adroitly ignored with none leaving any set backs. Successive governments have turned a deaf ear to the numerous violations to gain political mileage. The most glaring violation was an overnight approval granted to as many as 222 building plans in the year 1998. This was done just before the enactment of the Town and Country Planning Act. This not only emboldened the political cohorts but they went a step ahead and gave the norms a go-by. This set precedence where offenders have adroitly escaped punitive action. According to a report submitted in the last winter session of the Vidhan Sabha as many as 36 buildings have violated four-and-a-half floor norm construction. Little has been achieved in bringing the offenders to book despite having identified them. It is interesting to note that permission to construct as many as an administrator has granted six floors to a local hotel while the government policy never permitted constructions beyond four floors. The municipal committee is now shrugging the onus of punishing these 36 violators.
Concrete steps Officials of the Public Health Department say that the water is barely sufficient to meet the requirements of the town in summers. The requirements multiply several times with an added rush of tourists. With reduced water availability and summer temperatures shooting abnormally. It is time the government agencies woke from their slumber and took steps to save this hill town from being lost in concrete commercialization.
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It may not provide something as spicy as Radio Mirchi, but the Dharamsala FM station with its folk touch has won many hearts, reports
Vibhor Mohan
The FM fever is catching up in Dharamsala. The All-India Radio (AIR) now offers extended transmissions, with a major time slot for the local folk artistes, who now have a growing fan following. The Dharamsala FM station, which caters to the districts of Kangra, Chamba and Una has extended its transmission to 16 hours from this month by adding two hours of Delhi FM Rainbow. Even though advertisements and sponsored programmes are still a dream for the ‘non-commercial’ stations in Dharamsala and Hamirpur, the phone-in programme called ‘Hello Dharamsala’, along with ‘Aaj Kal’, which alerts listeners about power shutdowns and change in interview dates, are popular in both urban and rural areas. The Dharamsala station also offers a platform to upcoming talent and it already has over 150 applications from young artistes pending for a written test and audition. Once through, the candidates would participate in a 5-day ‘Vaani Certificate Course.’ Similarly, any graduate, less than 35 years of age can audition for the post of announcer at the station. “Celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Lata Mangeshkar have lent their voices to the AIR at some point in their careers. Going by the credibility of the channel, upcoming talents still consider it the ideal platform to make a start,” says Yog Raj, programme executive. Set up in 1994 with only five hours of transmission, the 103.4 MH frequency is now on from 5:55 am to 11 pm with small breaks, even though no corresponding increase in its sanctioned posts has been made over the years. The FM has a special time-slot for the tribal belt and local folk songs of dialects like Sanghi and Churahi are a regular feature. There is a regular programme on Gujari folk songs, every Sunday at 8 am. Another programme,
Maati ki gandh features the local talent, he says. M.R. Chandla, assistant station director, says the channel gives a local touch to its programmes by producing special programmes for festivals and other occasions. “We have talks by experts from different fields to educate the audience about the relevant issues,” he says. With several popular religious places in the area, navratras is the time for special religious programmes, which feature talks with the pujaris of the temples and interviews of the devotees. The literature-based programme titled Sahitya Gunjan gives an opportunity to local poets and writers to showcase their talent. Many relay programmes like Manas gaan, which features verses on Ramayan, have a devoted audience. “All scripts are scanned before broadcast to make sure nothing objectionable is aired, which is not fit for family listening. The AIR code is strictly adhered to,” says Chandla. The ‘sarkari’ setup may be a hurdle to complete revamping for the Dharamsala FM to have a ‘Radio Mirchi’ like programme but with its melodious folk touch, it still is good company on a scenic long drive in the hills. It is hard to find a bus or a teashop in the city without a radio. There is scarcely anyone who hasn’t tapped his or her feet to the rhythm of the racy numbers that pour forth the radio while on the bus, says Rajneesh, a student at Government College, Dharamsala. |
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Grassroots
Despite residing in her native place, a remote village in the Myarghatti area in Udaipur block of Lahaul, Shichiangmo is involved with a number of projects, mostly aimed at improving the quality of life of fellow villagers, especially women folk. She is coordinator of the Social Work and Research Centre, Udaipur, and has worked with volunteers from Tilonia, a Rajasthan-based NGO, working in the Lahaul valley. A graduate from Government Degree College, Udaipur, she is concerned about the problem of deserted women, majority of whom were lured into local marriage by employees and business men, whose only intention was to have a wife only till the time they were posted in the area. Most of them are living a life of misery as they have no financial support to bring up their children, as they have no inkling about the whereabouts of their husbands. “I have already identified about one dozen such women in the six panchayats of Tingrat, Chimrat, Tindi, Udaipur, Shakoli and Triloknath, who are awaiting the return of their husbands, who haven’t looked back since they got a posting outside Lahaul,” she says. The problem is assuming alarming proportion as the number of such deserted women in Lahaul and parts of Kinnaur is on the rise, she says with concern. To deal with this growing social problem, she has associated with the state body of the Ekal Nari Shakti Sangthan, which has units in many states of the country. “I am in the process of undertaking a survey of such deserted women all over Lahaul Spiti as the problem has become a major cause of concern,” she says. While some of these women, who have children, are living with their parents. There are some who have to fend for themselves with no family support. Strange it may sound but with practically no exposure to the outside world these naïve women do not even know the address or new place of posting of their husbands, majority of whom are government employees. “Taking advantage of the local custom ‘shorshung’, where a woman can choose a husband for herself, these men got into a marriage with local women, which only lasted till their posting in the tribal area,” she says. Unfortunately, in the absence of any document or proof of marriage, there is no way these women can get to their husbands. “It is a pity to see most of them waiting for their husbands to return, refusing to believe that they have been cheated by the man they loved,” she says. Some of these men do take their wives for short holidays to places like Manali or Kullu but never to their native villages to their families. While some eke out a living by selling hand knitted sweaters, socks and caps, there are many who have no support.
Shichiangmo, intends creating awareness about the issue among the Lahauli women so that whenever they get married they do it legally. This way at least they will have proof of marriage and in case of desertion they shall be in a position to protect their own and the child’s rights, she adds. She feels the matter should be taken up at the government level also. “It is not difficult to locate these men as majority of them are in government service but any action on the part of any NGO or at the official level has been lacking so far,” she says.
It is with the help of Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan that Shichiangmo wants to take up the cause of the women who have been deserted by their husbands.
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HIllside view
Then followed both the straight and slanting torrents, the refreshing aroma of rain digging into the earth, and the great gurgling sounds that could silence a thousand pot-bellied bursts of laughter. Against the backdrop of a relentless pitter-patter, families huddled together, reviving human warmth and adding an extra coziness at home. Alas! Most of all this is history now. The monsoon is more of a scattered rainfall— weak downpours, a mere relief from heat and dust. Romance is bowing out, nature yielding way to machine-driven pleasures. Even so, a bit of it is still there, but we have to look around. The green, hooded, cobra-like plants (arisaema ) still crop up on the hillsides (though scantily), confirming the monsoon’s arrival, irrespective of the weatherman’s utterings. This plant is part of the visual feast, like the green ferns swaying in rain-streams, lush lively creepers shielding bird-nests, the layers of moss on tree trunks which you feel like peeling with your nails. Leech (jhoonk), an inspiration for many ignoble expressions and proverbs, is slowly becoming less visible in Himachal’s big towns. There was an interesting case of a veterinary attendant in Palampur. Like many of our rural folk, he used to drink from natural streams with cupped palms. He developed violent headaches. After several tests and doctors’ failure to diagnose, it was a vet who suspected that a leech might have got in through the nasal passage. There is a standard line of treatment for this common occurrence among cattle. The creature was evicted from the human host. Man has outsmarted the leech long ago, in the mixed art of survival and blood sucking! What a natural herbarium Himachal has always been! Rain-streams feed the flora with mixed nutrients from varied terrains, making them especially rich. But with pills and tubes over the counter for every ailment, very few use the home remedies these days. Dr. Narain Singh Chauhan’s book Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Himachal Pradesh (Indus Publishing co) carries an interesting local legend about akashbel (cuscuta reflexa). Prosperity, reputedly visits the home of anyone who keeps the thread-like white root of this plant in a pot and pours fresh milk in it every day. Shares and Mutual Funds have replaced such instruments. And nobody keeps the leaves of the once common pissu-buti under bed-covers and floors to repel bed bugs, and other nearly invisible pests. And you can’t find anyone using the decoction of brahmi leaves to improve “brain power and poetic imagination”. Several years ago, waiting at the Shimla railway station, I overheard a retired gentleman lecturing his middle-aged daughter: “You can keep stomach ailments away during the rainy season easily. Towards the end of summer, soak ajwain in lemon juice. Dry it up in the sun. Repeat it seven times and store it. Eat it daily during the rains.” I did it for two years and benefited but gave up as easily as we give up any other good thing! No wonder, chemists tell us that “gastric-related medicines” command maximum sale in the long monsoon phase. For years I had watched with fascination a gentleman obsessed with drying clothes in the wet season. Whenever the sun sneaked through cloud-cover even briefly, he would rush out to turn over the wet clothes on the railings outside his flat. To ensure that the wetter side of garments got the heat and breeze for drying uniformly, he would keep shifting and turning their sides, every few minutes. God, it was some sight, some obsession! And that pleased look on his face when he held aloft a dried shirt or whatever and carried it away from the railing! His wife, obviously tired of his restlessness, has bought a washing machine limiting the scope of his peculiar skills. I am told many people share this anxiety (about drying washed clothes) during the monsoon phase. That too will be a thing of the past!
Cost of courtesy!
A young lecturer was traveling in a local HRTC bus two months ago. He found a middle-aged lady standing next to him. He got up, offering her the seat. Even before feeling good about his own good manners, another youngster slipped into the seat smoothly, nonchalantly. He looked pleadingly at the lady, but she just looked away. Then he addressed the usurper, but he too kept mum. He had to ignore the other passengers’ smirks, to avoid a scene. The usurper had a happy, comfortable journey. The lecturer had a nightmarish experience the very next month. He was in Delhi on duty. Undeterred by the previous experience, he got up, offering his seat to a young lady, standing next to him. Lo and behold! All hell broke loose. “Line maar rahe ho? “ etc. The lady let out a steam of accusations verging on abuses. Nobody came to his rescue. He apologised profusely, and got out of the bus at the next stop. Bitten twice, the lecturer learnt his lesson— he decided to merely “preach” courtesy to his students and leave it at that! Yesterday, he came up with a strange observation. Aged “aunties” these days stand next to young passengers in HRTC buses and grab the politely vacated seats for their young girls. Then, they stand next to another young passenger sitting innocently. “ Times are bad everywhere”, he says. Do you agree?
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The Kangra School of Miniature Paintings,
despite enjoying a high market value in the West, is craving for survival,
reports Ashok Raina The Himachal Pradesh Government, recently in a bid to revive the art of the Kangra paintings, is setting up training centers for young artists through the Handloom and Handicraft Corporation. The Himachal Academy of Art Culture and Languages has also started training through guru shishya parampara, though failing to achieve the desired results. The Kangra School of Painting, Kangra Kalm, has been described as an ‘ Art of patience, labour and native devotion’ as well as an art of delicacy of line, brilliancy of colours and minuteness of details that began during the reign of Raja Goverdhan Chand of Guler (1744-73). And this art, after more than 260 years now, was at the verge of extinction —sinking and craving for survival. Mughal musings Many artists fled the Mughal courts to escape the depredations of invaders like Nader Shah Durrani and Ahmed Shah Abdali and sought refuge in the serenity of this lush green Kangra valley. The artists received patronage from the hill rulers and they incorporated new elements in the Mughal style and the final blossom was the Kangra Miniature. The Kangra painting witnessed an era of strong emergence and reached its zenith during the rule of Raja Sansar Chand (1775-1823) and many miniatures on the theme of the Hindu Mythology were produced. The patronage given to the artists by the Raja Goverdhan Chand was continued by his successor Raja Prakash Chand who died almost a bankrupt.
Pioneer Painter It was under the patronage of Raja Sansar Chand that the Kangra School of Painting achieved its glorious height both in the perfection of style the vast sweep of its themes. Pandit Seu, who came to Guler from Kashmir in 1720, was the pioneer of this Kangra school of miniature painting and was now continuing to pursue the hereditary legacy of this art was a ray of hope to keep this art alive. District language Officer Sukh Dev Sharma says that time has bedimed the glow of the colours or the themes. In fact these great miniatures constitute a valuable record of ancient culture of Vaishnava faith. The universal feelings of love and romance were conveyed through ideal and spiritual love of Radha and Krishna. Dismal state After Independence of the country, the artists who had been preserving and developing various forms of this art in different courts of the erstwhile rulers of Guler and Kot Kangra had to part with their art and sustenance. In 1973, the state government started a training school of the Kangra Miniature paintings at Rait under the supervision of Chandu Lal Raina and the center came to a closure in 1979 when Chandu Lal was transferred to Palampur to a toy center. After the death of the renowned Kangra painting artist Chandu Lal Raina, on May 5, 1994, his son Anil Raina and Satya Prakash made copies of masterpieces. The practicing artists of the school could be counted on the fingertips now Puran Chand of Samloti is also doing the copy work. Three of the remaining five artists of this school have been deputed in the famous shrines of the district to make the Kangra painting and sell them off through the temple trusts. Mukesh Kumar, Preetam Chand and Joginder Singh are the budding artists and were trying the preserve this art in the Chamunda, Bajjreshwari and Jawalamukhi temples. Anil Raina and Dani Ram Kushdil were trying the keep the art alive in the Kangra museum. O.P. Tak is not a traditional artist but he has adopted this art and produced a large number of pahari paintings on various themes and his works have been shown in the national exhibitions. Western Bazaar The Kangra paintings have a high market value in the West. Dr. Eberhard Fischer, an art scholar held a show of Kangra paintings in the museum Rietbrg, Zurich, in Switzerland for three months back years back. Under the guidance of Dr. Fischer, the Department of the Art Culture and Languages had to
set up a gallery for Kangra paintings at the Kangra Museum but lacking patronage from the Government, it did not materialize. The remaining artists of Kangra School of Art hope that better sense would prevail among those in power and the state government takes appropriate steps to help in preserving this art by starting training centers of Kangra school of Miniature Paintings for new artists under the surveillance of the Raina clan so that this school of paintings remain preserved and thoroughly intact without any loss to its originality and authenticity. |
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Shimla’s luxurious Wildflower Hall Resort is the perfect gateway for those willing to travel back in time to the British era, in comfort and style, reports Rakesh Lohumi
The Queen of Hills has the unique distinction of having three prestigious hotels of the famous Oberoi Group. The Cecil and the Clarkes were built by the British and later acquired by M. S. Oberoi, the founder of the group and the latest addition, Wildflower Hall Resort, has been resurrected after the old structure perished in a devastating fire about two decades ago. Perched majestically atop the 8,250 ft Chharabra hill, this resort too has a British connection. The original Wildflower Hall complex was built more than a century ago by Lord Kitchner, the then Commander–in–Chief of the British Army, who enriched it by growing wild flowers from the forest around, giving the place its evocative name. Though the structure was gutted, the aura of Raj still lingers over the hills. It was housing a state run tourism hotel when the fire consumed the structure two decades ago. The Oberois Group built a luxurious resort at the site at a cost of Rs 100 crore subsequently. It is acclaimed to be one of the finest hotels in the world. The thickly wooded hill surrounding the complex presents nature at its captivating best. The imposing slanted-roof structure, typical of the hill architecture, peeps out spectacularly from the grove of towering cedars. The new complex incorporates original designs of the older one and blends well with the hillscape. With a large expanse of dense cedar and pine forests, the resort offers awe-inspiring views of the majestic snow peaks. Retreat for VVIPs
It has already emerged as a favourite destination of the rich and the famous and had been attracting celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar and VVIP’s like Sonia Gandhi. The bilateral talks between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, were scheduled to be held at the resort but the venue had to be shifted to Jaipur at the eleventh hour because of inclement weather. However, the media hype, which preceded Blair’s visit, put it firmly on the international tourism map.
East meets West
Reflecting its gracious past, the interiors of the resort are luxurious and inviting, with wood panelling, fire places and original works of art creating an aura of old world charm. Built to the most exacting international standards, Wildflower Hall combines the charm and beauty indigenous to the area with modern comforts. Burmese teak panelling and polished parquet floors covered with oriental rugs imbue the interiors with an element of luxury and old-world charm. Arched picture windows of the spacious lobby lounge offer splendid views, bringing in the beauty of the outdoors and flooding the public areas and restaurants with natural light. The palatial luxury suite has been named the Lord Kitcheners Suite. The various banquet halls are called Auckland Room, Lutyen Room, Ripon Room and Lawrence Room. The special evening theme on the Raj helps take a trip back in time to the days of the British days, where the food and pace of life were stately. The candle-lit splendour of the resort’s vaulted dining room along with stoles for the lady guests and hats for the gentlemen add to the ambience for the evening. Period memorabilia and bric-a-brac lend an added elegance to the atmosphere. The service staff in attendance is attired in stylised versions of the Bengal Lancers uniforms. The exclusive bar features a range of Scotch whiskeys and single malts on request. Of late it has also come up as a spa resort. Banyan Tree, one of Asia’s best-known spa companies, offers non-clinical therapies for relaxation and rejuvenation. Treatments incorporate the use of Ayurvedic principles of holistic healing, aromatherapy and other oriental and western techniques. Other facilities include a well-equipped fitness centre, an indoor heated swimming pool, an open-air Jacuzzi and special spa pavilions that facilitate spa treatments in the midst of nature. The Kalyani helipad is just nearby by but it is exclusively used for VVIPs. The Oberoi Group wants the helipad to be opened to commercial flights for attracting high-end tourists. However, permission of the Centre is required as the helipad is beside the Presidential Retreat, where VVIP’s stay during their visit to the state capital. The state government had taken up the matter with the Centre but it has refused permission on the ground that it will be a security risk.
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Hope rekindled
Three years ago, Khem Raj was a dejected, unemployed youth. But today he runs a joint mushroom growing unit with five other farmers in a Churag village in Mandi district, grows off-season European vegetables and has earned more than Rs. One lakh last season! Like Khem Raj, Dharminder Sharma also had a same problem after he did a computer diploma from Mandi. But today, he runs his own PCO-cum-cyber café at this tiny town and earns a handsome income. But for the financial assistance from the Himachal Gramin Bank (HGB), Khem and Bhupinder could not have charted their success story. In fact, there are over 257 farmers, in six panchayats in Karsog block, who have set up their floriculture farms, apple orchards and mushroom units and off-season vegetables farms. They can serve as an example for the rest of the unemployed youth in the state. The HGB has issued Kissan Credit Cards (KCC) to over 257 farmers in six panchyats of Churag, Bakhrot, Manola, Soshan, Mahunag and Sortoyla in Karsog Sub-division in Mandi district. The HGB is only one bank available there that caters to the needs of farmers in these panchayats. The HGB’s Churag branch manager Mr. Maninder Jishtu, invited scientists and hold camps in each panchayat and advised the small and marginal farmers to take the KCCs and Swarozgar Credit Card(SCC). “I have small land holding. I took the SCC and set this dhaba-cum-PCO here. Today I earn enough to meet the needs of my family”, said Mr. Khem Sharma. As many 40 farmers grow off-season European vegetables and 10 farmers grow flowers and sell the produce in markets in New Delhi or Chandigarh. The farmers have formed three farmers’ clubs-Keel-Dharmorh, Chamanpur and Mahunag, which have 20 members each. The NABARD also provides a monthly grant of Rs. 3000 for each club, they added. But the farmers faced problems. They demanded that HGB should raise the limit from Rs. 73000 to Rs. One lakh. “The apple orchard is a capital intensive venture. It needs water tanks, sprayers and other farm implements. The orchard takes 10- 15 years to bear the fruits”, said Mr. BD Sharma, a Churag farmer. We also need cold chain to transport flowers and European vegetables in the market, they said. The HGB manager Mr. Jishtu said the bank would cover another 250 farmers by March 2006. “We have issued loans worth Rs. 80 lakh to the small and marginal farmers. There are 18 farmers, who run their own trucks with loans from bank”, he added. Dr. SP Bhardwaj, scientist, Research Centre Mashobra, said the farmers are responding to the new varieties of fruits and vegetables. “Still the scientists have yet to reach out to the larger and poor sections of farmers in the state to exploit the unlimited potential ”, he added.
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Shimla Diary
While one of the most familiar face on the religious channels, Anandmurti Guru Maa, was here last week, this week it is the turn of Gurudev Shri Swami Vishvas. Not to mention these immensely popular figures, who have attained the status of nothing less than cult gurus, are accompanied by hundreds of their followers who bring along a whole lot of paraphernalia for the convenience of their gurus. Guru Maa was here at the conclusion of the four-day yoga and meditation camp organised by the Rishi Chaitnaya Trust, Ganaur. While addressing a press conference, the media savvy Guru Maa expressed concern over the declining sex ratio as a result of female foeticide. Terming education as the most powerful means of empowering women, she said they needed to be trained in self-defence as well. She informed that the trust at Ganaur was providing free education to several girls and all those poor candidates keen to avail this could correspond with the trust. Gurudev Shri Swami Vishvas would be arriving here for a meditation camp from June 25 to 27. The same day, Sant Shri Radha Damodar from ISKCON would reach the town for the Bhagwat Paath from June 25 to July 1. Changing political equations within the state BJP have led to a lot of speculation about the prospective leader, who would lead the party in the next Assembly election due in March 2008. The changing political equations, which became evident during the recent visit of former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, who is in charge of the party affairs in Himachal have led to a lot of speculation. The recent activities of the anti-Dhumal group in the party, who have been making attempts to pose a challenge to the leadership of the former Chief Minister on his home turf, have led to a lot of regrouping. The attendance of senior leaders at the function organised at her residence by Mrs Urmil Thakur, BJP leader from Hamirpur and one time close aide of Mr Dhumal, during Mr Verma’s visit left many surprised. With Mrs Thakur aligning with her own brother-in-law, Narinder Thakur, who at one point of time was her arch rival, the former Chief Minister and his loyalists preferred to stay away. It’s a different matter that former Union Minister and national Vice- President of the party, Mr Shanta Kumar, whose loyalists are eagerly awaiting his return to state politics ensured his presence.
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CITIZEN FIRST In the summer season, tourists from all over the India and abroad come to Himachal Pradesh for amusement. This is very good for trade and the economy of the state, but the increasing number of tourists is also responsible for increasing the pollution. Most of these tourists come by their own vehicles that pollute the air. At this time all hotels and inns are full of tourists and they consume a big part of the water supply. Consequently, the inhabitants of these places have to face the scarcity of water. If this continues, then the green hills will lose their charm and amusement. We have to take initiative to save the environment. Ishan Goel, Paonta Sahib Commercial Complex
The SDA commercial complex adjoining Shimla town is packed with problems and the Government seems to be a mere spectator to the misery being faced by people here. There are numeral Central and state-owned offices running in this vicinity, apart from business houses, still there is hardly anything in the name of basic amenities over here. Hundreds of people arriving everyday have to counter numerous problems. Garbage littered in basements of almost every building, is a serious concern. There is a dustbin or two in the locality; however the litter is scattered outside these, which emits a foul smell. The complex lacks public toilets, least to say about the facility of drinking water to the people visiting. Overflowing of sewage on pathways is sheer nuisance. Problems do not end here. Due to deficient parking facility, vehicles are parked along side the road, causing traffic jams. Inadequate drainage system is also a menace. Further, the shops in the complex have started encroaching the corridors. Vikas Vasudeva,
Shimla Donation or obligation?
Inspired by a letter published in your columns, I decided to donate my body after death for scientific research to a medical institute. As I am a senior citizen nearing 80 years, I am living all by myself at Dharamsala but keep shifting to Chandigarh Nature’s mystery is that one cannot choose the time, place and manner of death. Keeping this in view, I addressed a letter to principals, R.P. Medical College and Hospital, Tanda, district Kangra and Government Medical College and Hospital, sector-32, Chandigarh to accept my offer and for completing formalities of donation. None of them has responded to my request. Dharam Pal Sharma,
Dharampal
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If you have a grievance about the functioning of a public organisation in Himachal Pradesh, you are welcome to write to us and we will publish it in Himachal Plus, a weekly colour pullout published every Wednesday.
Grievances like the inordinate delay in getting a water or power connection or a provident fund payment or getting a passport or overcharging of interest by a bank or the failure to service a machine during its warranty period etc. will be published in the Citizens’ Grievances column of Himachal Plus. Every effort will also be made to publish the response of the organisation concerned. However, grievances, which are purely personal like a landlord’s complaint against a tenant, will not be entertained. Grievances — in about 150 words, preferably typewritten — should be sent to the Editor, Himachal Plus, The Tribune, Chandigarh - 160030. They can also be e-mailed at
himachalplus@tribunemail.com — Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune
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Haphazard construction is the bane of Solan and the Mushroom City of India is seeing mushrooming of unwanted buildings, reports
Ambika Sharma
Having brought light to over 100 houses in Changuth village of Lahaul during the cold harsh winters through a UNDP-funded solar energy project, Shichiangmo, a spirited worker, has now taken on the responsibility of bringing sunshine into the lives of local women, abandoned by outsiders, who under the garb of the local customs married them.
The first rain of the monsoon in the hills had a ring of romance fifteen years ago. First the colourful clouds would waft around, like gentle smiles in a celebrating home. Thick, dark ones that followed bellowed like wild buffaloes on the loose. Lightning streaked across the black sky ferociously, like many flashing steel blades coming down to behead.
It is not just high profile politicians and diplomats who are making a beeline to Shimla but even spiritual gurus are heading for the hill station to enjoy the cool climes in order escape the scorching heat of the plains.