|
|
|
|
High on sweet success
Dehradun, January 2 The courage displayed by her not only helped her save her land but also show the way to thousands of other hill women. Five years ago there were few options for Kala woman who had two infant children. Her husband is an Class IV ad hoc employee of the forest department.Their only asset was two-and-a-half bighas of ancestral agriculture land in Ambiwala village not far from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in the Doon valley. She and her husband tilled the land and toiled hard to make both ends meet. “The land could not give us enough food to eat for a year,” she recalled.They even thought of exercising the option to sell their land to the land mafia since there was sharp appreciation in the land prices around Dehradun after it was made a capital town in 2000. However, Kala decided to take the hard way and continue farming adopting a new strategy. Instead of rice and wheat crops, she decided to experiment with organic farming and diversify in other agricultural-related activities. Getting technical help from Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO), a non- government organisation, she started a fruit nursery, a bee-keeping unit and a vermi composting unit on her land. She also decided to go for fruit processing. She decided to undergo basic training in fruit processing and preservation and started with mango pickles and papaya chutney. The products were sold in the local market and were much appreciated. Buoyed by the initial success, Kala decided to switch over from traditional crops like wheat and maize to strawberry. “It was tough convincing my in-laws to give up traditional crops as these provided food security to the family,” she recalled.” But the strawberry crop perished within days and I was unable to do anything,” Kala said. Then she decided to get more information and training on value additions to harness the potential of her crops. HESCO helped her in going to the Central Food Training Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore for training two years ago. Since then Kala and her husband Trilok Singh have had never to look back. Kala prepares jams, jellies, fruit juices, pickles and chutneys from locally available fruit like the mango, guava, papaya, amla, and strawberry. With active support from her husband, she has been able to find a market for the products. “At every fair and mela hosted by organisations like the ITBP, the forest department, the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP)etc we are able to sell our products and get orders,” said a proud Kala. In the past two years, the young women entrepreneur had to take a bank loan of Rs 5 to set up a workshop and buy fruit-processing machinery. “I am not only repaying a loan instalment of Rs 10,000 per month but also paying salaries of Rs 5000 each to four employees assisting me,” said Kala. She set up a shop and a workshop in her village and a nursery of plants in her strawberry fields. She has more than fifty boxes of honey bees to produce honey. “ The fruit nursery, honey and vermi composting have started paying me back,” she claimed. More and more people are coming to her daily to either buy her products, plants or honey. Her most sought-after-product is “Bel (aegale marmelos) fruit juice.” “Earlier, the villagers with one or two fruit trees had little option but now I buy fruits from nearby areas and pay them well too,” Kala said. She preserves fruit and fruit pulp and prepares the requisite quantity of jams, jellies and pickles on order. HESCO has also helped her in getting an FPO certification. A successful farmer-cum-entrepreneur, Kala (35) visited Switzerland in July 2007 on the invitation of the people of the Angeden valley under the Alps-Himalaya exchange programme to learn better farm and fruit-processing techniques. “The Swiss experience helped me in knowing better and latest techniques for fruit and vegetable preservation that I am trying to employ here,” she said. “I think economic empowerment of the rural poor is the biggest empowerment and the example of Kala Bisht shows that through value addition and science and technology (S&T) inputs and by tapping local resources and local market, a decentralised approach to development is possible,” Dr Anil Joshi of HESCO opined. More and more women are flocking to Kala Bisht for training. “Two women after training have started their own fruit-processing units,” Kala informed. Kala and her husband now plan a bigger workshop to expand business. Earning more than Rs 30,000 a month, she has inspired the hill women to utilise their fruit and farm products which otherwise go waste.
|
|
Bake it like Sumati
Dehradun, January 2 She came in contact with the Himalayan Environment Studies and Conservation Organization that encouraged her to learn bakery. She was taught some basics and sent to the Central Food Technology Reaserach Institute in Mysore to learn the latest techniques in bakery. Initially, Sumati tried her hands at biscuits and cookies. “I was given an oven and i tried making biscuits and cookies at home. I took my products to a few shops and people started taking interest in these,” she said. In 2005, she expanded business by saving money and starting her own bakery from home. “I expanded my bakery and started making
rusk, patties, sweet buns, cream rolls and a variety of biscuits,” said Sumati
Negi. She specialises in making biscuits from traditional grains like the
mandwa, chaulai, soyabean, and jangora . “Mostly people know about biscuits prepared from wheat flour, but I wanted them to know of the Uttarakhand specialty and by using traditional nutritious grains, I was able to popularise these products,” said
Sumati. In 2007, as part of the Alps-Himalayas exchange programme, she visited the Angden valley in Switzerland, home to world-class bakery products and cakes. Taught by master bakers of Switzerland, she returned to add more value to her products. Her nut and plum cakes are liked the most. “I’m getting many orders for mandwa biscuits that are nutritious besides order for cakes, she
Sumati. Her products are being sold in several confectionary shops, schools and colleges. She is a regular at fairs and exhibitions held in and around Dehradun throughout the year. Starting with a loan of Rs 80,000, Sumati bought equipment for bakery three years ago and has repaid her loan. “I have now applied for loan worth Rs 10 lakh to buy the latest equipment for my bakery,” she said. Not content with being a mere housewife, Sumati has become a role model for other women. “When I started, I was a little hesitant but I always wanted to work and earn money. Fortunately, I have been lucky in having a family which supported me through thick and thin. “My husband manages the accounts in the bakery. I supervise the workers,” said Sumati
Negi. Her Negis’ Bakery is steadily getting popular in the valley.
|
|
|
Sepulchral move
Dehradun, January 2 Built in 1906 and located in a congested locality in an old dilapidated building, the Postmortem House’s relocation is creating problems for the administration, which has plans to house a mini secretariat in its place. The Dehradun administration is already spearheading a major relocation plan that would see the District Collectorate, Social Welfare Department and District Judiciary being relocated on Haridwar road, the site of Jail premises, and the plan to house the mini secretariat is part of the same exercise. According to sources, Rs 20 lakh has been sanctioned for the construction of the new Postmortem House, however, no body wants to live in the vicinity of a building where dead bodies are brought and post mortem is conducted. As per reports, the plan to relocate the Postmortem House at Sahastdhara road was proposed by former District Magistrate Dr Rakesh Kumar. However, due to peoples’ opposition it could not be taken up. The administration is finding it increasingly difficult to earmark a place that is far away from the town and in a secluded area. However, since the town is expanding rapidly it is extremely difficult to find such a place. Moreover, nobody would be happy with the idea of having a mortuary in his or her neighbourhood. Admitting that there were plans to relocate the Postmortem House at Sahastdhara, the CMS, Doon Hospital, Dr RK Pant, said: “We were told that the Postmortem House would be relocated to a new place as it is there is a need for a mortuary that is equipped with modern coolants. At present, we have one at the Doon Hospital where bodies are kept for a few hours only. The present Postmortem House was built when the population of Doon was less, but now the area has become congested.” If the relocation is giving a tough time to the administration, even officials and employees who would be moved after the proposed mini secretariat comes up at Chander road are also unhappy with the idea. In fact, it is believed that the proposal was shot down as nobody wants to work from a place where dead bodies were previously brought for postmortem. Another theory doing the round is again attributed to superstition. It is rumoured that Dr Rakesh Kumar was transferred from the post of DM Dehradun as he tried to relocate the Postmortem House in the first place. “He fell prey to the good old superstitious belief that the dead should not be disturbed and countless bodies have been brought here. Postmortems are usually conducted on persons who die of unnatural causes: accidents, murders or suicides. It is not a happy situation for the family members, which is why the superstition is so strong,” said a doctor on condition of anonymity. Even after Dr Rakesh Kumar took charge, the plan was suddenly put on the backburner. The new District Magistrate Amit Negi said he had no idea about the proposed plan. “Even if a proposal comes up in the future we would look at it with inputs from the Chief Medical Officer of Doon Hospital and other officials,” he said.
|
|
State gets helidrome
Dehradun, January 2 Khanduri said: “In order to provide better facilities to tourists and the people of Uttarakhand, as many as 26 more helidromes would be constructed in the state. And for this purpose, the Rajpur-Sahastradhara bypass road helipad has been developed as the base helipad.” Stressing that upgradation of infrastructure is essential for the progress of the state, Khanduri said the helidrome complex was a step in this direction. Khanduri also said the state government had chalked out a plan to construct helipads in all districts of the state. “The helipad would not only provide the tourist helicopter transport facilities but also be instrumental in disaster management and natural calamities,” he said. The helipad inaugurated today has a VIP lounge and hangars. It is very near to the tourist spot of Sahastradhara and covers an area of 4900 square metres. Its main advantage is that it is close to the city centre. The helipad being used till now by the state government at Dehradun is the one located at the Jolly Grant airport and is under the control of the union ministry of civil aviation. The parking facility available there is only on the airstrip. Apart from this, night flying is not permitted. Besides the construction of helipads, the government aims to have rest lounges, waiting rooms and hangars for safe parking of helicopters. “If we are able to provide helipads and hangars, the visitors will have the choice of reaching their destinations by chartered chopper flights. Also, the tourism potential of all districts can be tapped as all will be easily accessible. This will give a boost to the tourism sector in a big way,” claimed minister for tourism Parkash Pant.
|
|
Foodies throng Rajasthani stall
Dehradun, January 2 Although the people of Doon are fond of eating a variety of dishes, right from Muglai to Chinese to Continental, and eating joints here are jam-packed in the afternoons and evenings here, the city has a little less to offer as far as Rajasthani or Gujarati food is concerned. However, the Rajasthani food stall is making up for this and that too in
a big way. On offer are a variety of dishes such as ‘dal bhati churma’, ‘mava Jodhpuri kachauri’, ‘onion and dal ki kachauri’, ‘Jodhpuri mirchi vada’ and ‘moong dal ka halwa’, which are a treat for lovers of Rajasthani lovers. “I love Rajasthani food and I am happy I could find it here. In the city we mostly get Mughlai or Chinese, but Rajasthani food is difficult find,” said Prakash Chandani, a visitor
to the stall. “We have come here for the first time and the response till now has been outstanding. People are enjoying our special ‘dal bhati churma’ and ‘moong dal halwa’,” said Babu Lal Raika, the cook at the stall. Starting from Rs 10 to
Rs 80, one can find a large variety to choose from and satisfy their appetite for good
Rajasthani food. In addition to culinary delights, the exhibition also offers a large variety of Rajasthani handloom products like traditional quilts, bed-sheets, bed-covers, saris and lehnga chunri at affordable prices. “We have come here for the third time and the response this year has been excellent. People are especially appreciating our traditional quilts and bed-covers,” said Rameshwar Yadav, secretary of the Rajasthan handloom stall from Jaipur. “Amongst the lot, the ‘kanta work’ bed-sheets with beautiful motifs stands apart. As this bed-sheet has got a thick base, people of Uttarakhand are picking it up in bundles for this winter season,”
he added. “I have bought one quilt as it is soft and light in weight, but because I love the traditional Rajasthani bed-sheets I took four of them,” said Rekha Srivastava, a housewife. “Having received such a good response, we will definitely come to Dehradun again next year,”
said Yadav.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
