Dehradun, December 19
With the UN declaring 2009 as the Year of Natural Fibres, for the state of Uttarakhand the development comes as a fillip to its efforts towards promoting the use of natural fibres.

Plant fibres are obtained from cotton, jute and hemp. They mostly comprise cellulose and can be classified as seed, stem, leaf, fruit and stalk fibres. While cotton is a perfect example of seed fibre, linen, hemp and jute are fibres obtained from stems.

Similarly, sisal and cantala are among fruit fibres and coir fibre that is mostly used for ropes, brushes and mats is a fruit fibre. Some of the commercially important natural fibres found in Uttarakhand are obtained from sisal, bhimal, hemp and nettle.

Natural fibres that have catered to the daily needs of mankind, face the gravest challenge from synthetic fibres. But of late realisation has dawned upon the people that apart from ecological and other advantages, financial benefits of natural fibres trickle down to the poorest of the poor.

The UN objectives behind declaring 2009 as Fibre Year include encouraging policy responses from governments to the problems faced by the natural fibre industry, fostering an effective and enduring international partnership among various industries and working towards sustainability of the industry. Natural fibres have proved a boon for developing countries like Bangladesh that has excelled in jute, Tanzania in sisal and West African countries in cotton.

Uttarakhand constituted the Bamboo and Fibre Development Board in 2003. It is a subsidiary of the Uttarakhand Forest Department. STS Leptcha who heads the board has been instrumental in promoting natural fibres. He feels the need for a dedicated centre of natural fibres in Uttarakhand.

He says these fibres, if properly exploited and marketed, can be a source of livelihood for hundreds of families in rural areas where viable employment opportunities continue to pose a big challenge.

Fortunately, assistance to the industry has come from institutions like the Uttarakhand Council For Science and Technology, Rural Technology Action Group, Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation and Women’s Development Organisation.

Nabard has come up with a facilitation centre for promoting the cultivation of fibre plants. Uttarakhand has about 70 fibre-yielding species. But there are few that have been explored so far. The state has about 4,000 flowering plants and the potential of the fibre sector is still to be harnessed.

The state feels it needs a for centre for natural fibres to address critical issues like research and development, product diversification through design inputs, machine improvisation, propagation techniques and marketing of new value-added natural fibre-based products.

Processing techniques, nursery raising techniques, standardising the value chain mechanism and more importantly tapping potential markets are some of the challenges facing this cottage industry still in its infancy. And certainly the paucity of information on the fibre-yielding plants is a major constraint.

According to a study conducted by the Uttaranchal Bamboo and Fibre Development Board, fibrous plants immensely contribute towards the state GDP. As much as 1,765 quintals of bhjimal tree fibre is extracted from Garhwal region. Similarly, hemp is the most cultivated plant in Uttarakhand with Garhwal producing 1,71,000 kg and Pauri Garhwl 215 kg.

The biggest advantage for Uttarkhand is that some of its tribal communities have been traditionally engaged in fibre craft. The Pabila community in Garhwal and Kuthliya Bora in Kumaon of Uttarakhand use hemp fibre for making blankets, quilts and ropes.

The Kuthliya Bora in particular has a rich tradition in handicrafts.

They manfacture items like kuthla (sack for storing grains), budla (mattresses), theli (small bag), jeora (rope for fastening wood) and galliya (rope for tethering cattle).

Unfortunately, the younger generation is not keen on taking up fibre production as occupation and lifestyle changes has reduced the demand for fibre-based products.

But of late, there has been a shift in focus from polythene bags to fibre products. “We have been working with self-help groups in villages” towards promotion of fibre products. Some of our products like sisal bags were sought by the BJP at its national executive meeting in Ahmedabad,”, said Dr KK Sharma, secretary, Women Development Organisation. She says a lot needs to be done for promotion of fibre as people lack awareness on its advantages.

Several entrepreneurs are manufacturing fibre products which are in much demand among tourists. Raghu Nandan Singh Rawat. MD, Doon Rubber Private Limited, has taken up fibre promotion in hills.

“Fibre-made handbags, slippers, sweaters, rugs and carpets are in great demand in modern-day world, particularly the West. This can be a boon for rural communities in Uttarkhand,” Raghunandan Rawat points out.

Echoing similar sentiments, KS Panwar of Polygon Chemical, Dehradun, says fibers can be a road to prosperity in Uttarakhand. “The only thing we need to do is exploit the state’s fibre potential and promote it in the right manner”.

There is little doubt that fibre-yielding plants can provide a boost to the rural economy and help achieve sustainable socio-economic development.

Dehradun, December 19
After a slow start, the District Consumer Forum has gathered steam and cleared the backlog of cases, reducing the number from 700 in 2007 (July) to 308 in 2008 (November).

Since it’s inception in 1988, of the total 8,183 complaints received, 7,875 were cleared. “The forum has delivered 96 per cent of the complaints. Now, only 308 cases are pending till November 2008,” said R.K. Sharma, retired district judge and president of the District Consumer Forum.

The Forum is receiving complaints from parents seeking payment of security fees and widowed wives demanding claim money. “These forums can be approached by the consumers, if they do not get delivery of service that was promised to them after paying a certain amount,” said Sharma.

Shashi Kwatra, who had filed a complaint against the Institute of Academy Fashion Designing, Raj Plaza Rajpur Road, on behalf of her daughter who had been admitted to the institute but did not get the diploma, managed to get a compensation of 9,800 with nine per cent interest.

Dehradun, December 19
The festival of the Santa Claus, joy and togetherness is round the corner and famous bakery and confectionary outlets in the city are all set to enticing customers with cakes and other bakery products. "Special plum cakes with dry fruit are a Christmas specialty. Unlike ordinary plum cakes, the dry fruit used is soaked in rum for a month,” says Sushil Uniyal, manager of Melting Moments.

One can pick up from a variety of plum cakes, puddings and mince pies. “We also have jubjubes and bakery chocolates in shape of Xmas trees this season,”says Uniyal.

The bakeries take orders as per the requirement of customers. "We do make cakes as per the requirement and taste of customers. From mid-December, People start placing orders and our sales pick up after DEcember 20,” informsUniyal.

“Plum cakes and chocolates are most in demand,” says Harvinder Singh Ratan, owner of Sheeraz Bakers. “ All bakeries in the city mostly make plum cakes, puddings, cookies and biscuits. We are making special plum cakes, dark chocolate truffle and butter pista biscuits in almond, coffee and chocolate flavours,” says Devendra Gulati of Nanny Bakery.

The Gulati family has been in business for the past 60 years. “ We make sure that we provide variety as well as authentic taste to the customers. They appreciate our products and the sale from Id till New Year is good,”

Dehradun, December 19
With another soldier from Uttarakhand proving his mettle, the state will get its 99th Shaurya Chakra in April 2009. Major Sunder Bisht, an officer of the Intelligence Corps in the Indian Army, will be awarded the gallantry award for gunning down three ULFA militants in Assam.

Major Bisht is the son of a taxi driver. He hails from the sleepy Devlikhet village in Almora district. “During an IQ test in Class X, the invigilators wrote on my sheet that I was perfect for direct entry into the Army.That was a turning point in my life. I decided to become to an Army man,” said an elated Major Bisht.

Major Bisht, now posted in New Delhi, said his father, Chinta Singh Bisht, plied a tourist taxi. “Due to financial constraints, our family shifted to Mumbai, where my father earned a livelihood driving a taxi. Despite being a taxi driver, he made immense efforts to help me achieve my goal.”

After completing training at the Indian Military Academy, Major Bisht joined the Army on June 7, 1997. He is the first to join the defence forces from his village. And Major Bisht’s Shaurya Chakra will be the 10th for Almora district.

Major Bisht has also received several other coveted honours, including the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card (2005), General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Commendation Card (2006) and Mention-In-Dispatch (2007) during the past three years.

Displaying extraordinary courage and intelligence during an encounter which took place on the night of November 11, 2007, at Tinsukhiya in Assam, Major Bisht rescued a woman from the clutches of armed ULFA men, who had taken over a house in the area.

In the encounter, three ULFA militants were also gunned down. 

Dehradun in 1956 was a small, sleepy town; it was renowned for its green hedges and grey heads. Hedges dotted its landscape and made the valley one of the greenest in the country.

The grey heads symbolised retired senior civil and defence officials who chose Dehradun as their “last Refuge” because of its salubrious climate and peaceful ambiance.

They built beautiful bungalows in Dalanwala, Kalidas Road and at Rajpur amid orchards of litchis, mangoes and guavas. Instead of ugly brick or stone boundary walls, their houses were fenced with green hedges. The green then was Dehradun’s distinctive badge.

The town also attracted, in the pre-Independence era, a score of rulers from princely states. They built mini palaces on large plots of land as their summer retreats. Two such palaces, were to become an integral part of ONGC history. The Patiala House became its headquarters. The Nabha House on East Canal Road was turned into a “little Russia”. It housed earlier expat Russians and their families.

What, however, gave Dehradun an endearing characteristic was its cosmopolitan face. The influx of migrants into Dehradun begun nearly 200 years ago; it varied from trickle to torrent. The “exiled” Guru Ram Rai settled here with his disciples and followers. Then came the Gorkhas.

Among the earlier settlers were also hillfolk from Garhwal and Kumaon; they too stamped their imprint on the town’s variegated hues. Many more from other parts of the country came and settled in Dehradun; they immigrated for different reasons but once settled here, the town gradually grew on them, and they did not return.

The first influx of Bengali bhadralok was in the later part of the 18th century when the Survey of India shifted here in 1767 from Calcutta. Some more Bengalis came with the setting up of the ordnance factory. There were large enclaves of the Bengali community in Hathibarkala estate and Karanpur area near DAV College. Another large concentration of Bengalis was in Raipur. Where Bengalis go, fish-vendors follow; the latter set up shops in predominantly Bengali enclaves. Refugees from Punjab and NWFP in Pakistan migrated in large numbers to Dehradun in the wake of Partition in 1947.

Though came in a state of penury, soon enough they stood on their own feet and added a robust look to town’s multicultural collage.

Geologists arrival

When three first class bogies, carrying 40-odd geologist apprentices arrived at Dehradun’s rather quiet railway station on a cold morning in mid-November, 1956, it did not cause any stir except among station porters.

Three additional first class bogies meant more baggage to be carried and more money to be earned. Some geologist-passengers carried holdall with heavy winter sleeping gear and steel trunks. Others brought leather suitcases. Someone from Patiala House met them at the station; several tongas were engaged to ferry them to their make-shift accommodation.

One was at 65-D Rajpur where two to three apprentices shared a room. Others were put up at two hotels, Doon View and Parade View, flanking the entrance to the now defunct New Empire cinema house.

It was, thus, in such a melting pot of diverse cultures that these young men, at the threshold of promising careers, came. That they themselves were from the various parts of India with different mother tongues made it easier for them to adapt to and adjust in Dehradun’s Catholic crucible.

They found this town of 1,00,000 people both quaint and exotic, but more “modern” than they had imagined. It was much cleaner than most other towns in Uttar Pradesh.

After having lived for several months in overcrowded and chaotic environs of Calcutta, the somnolent pace of Dehradun’s life greatly appealed to their susceptibilities. “We instantly fell in love with this quaint, beautiful town,” says PK Shrivastava, a geologist.

I.A. Farooqi, his batchmate and close friend, echoes the sentiment.

The hotels were, however, unkempt, and much below the station of those geoscientists who were soon to become Class-I gazetted officers. But in those days, barring the Hotel White House, there was no quality hotel in town. The only redeeming feature was their central location. At stone’s throw were some popular eateries; sweets and confectionary shops, four movie theatres, including one that showed British and American movies, a roller-skating rink and two of the town’s posh restaurants. There were two popular watering holes too; Majestic Cafe and Bar, adjoining the Parade View managed by the Khanna brothers who also owned the hotels.

It was at the Majestic that the geologists initially partook of their meals, occasionally spiced with beer, gin or rum. Later, once they got the feel of the town, the more enterprising among them found private lodgings that they shared with like-minded colleagues.

Patiala House was the destination they were told to report. The togetherness at the Calcutta “classes” brought about a spirit of bonhomie and camaraderie among that bunch of young men. When they duly reported at Patiala House, there was no work for them, not until at least the Rajpur field training camp was ready to receive them.

That camp was to become functional only on November 24; that meant they were deemed to be on furlough, for the nine days, albeit with several restrictions. Paltan Bazar, the town’s main market, and “red light” areas beyond, were “out of bounds” to them, and so were the movie theatres. They were enjoined upon to keep in check their “wanderlust” and not be seen roaming about aimlessly.

All were in their early or mid-twenties and barring a few, they were all bachelors. How to while away their time became a big question. A few lovers of Bacchus took refuge in the Majestic while others took to roller-skating.

At the end of their official “hibernation”, many young geologists had become accomplished skaters.

It was during that period of “forced idleness” that the young geologists were initiated into the leisurely pastime of eleven O’clock coffee. Kwality and Indiana were then two of the finest restaurants in the country and those naturally became their favourite rendezvous. It was here that the young men retreated twice a day; savouring crispy keema or vegetable samosas, with ketchup or mint chatni; a cup of hot coffee or a glass of cold coffee would follow.

At times, they would have their meals at these restaurants. The menu was reasonably priced, and portions generous. A chicken curry cost Re 1 and eight annas and mutton curry barely Re 1. Dal Makhni was eight annas and so was a vegetarian delicacy.