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Rafting on Ganga catching
up; operators explore other rivers
More wildlife exposure to
IFS trainees |
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Philately
dying slow death
‘Blue’ opens to good
response in city
Floored by Indian
hospitality, German couple to come again
From Almora hills to Doon
School Dr Mohan Chander Joshi
Rahul, Mukesh to flex
muscles in Dubai meet
125 playgrounds to promote
regional sports
Basketball: Doon girls
play for Tehri in final
U’khand sub-junior team
lose pre-quaterfinals
Drying wetlands attract
fewer winged visitors
Pauri shines bright as
residents celebrate eco-friendly Diwali
Vishwakarma Jayanti
observed
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Rafting on Ganga catching up; operators explore other rivers Dehradun, October 18 The rafting business on the Kaudiyala-Rishikesh stretch of the Ganga has an annual turnover of Rs 40 crore per annum. It was the initiative of some of the rafting and adventure sports enthusiasts that opened this opportunity. Avinash Kohli, a tour operator, began exploring new business opportunities in the hills of Garhwal a decade ago and found a great potential in the white-water rafting business on the tidal waves of the Ganga at Shivpuri, near the holy city of Rishikesh. That was the first time that Kohli set up a rafting company, namely Wildlife Adventure. Within a few years, Shivpuri, an idyllic beach, became the Mecca for adventure sports lovers. Despite not getting any support from the government, Kohli guided the local youth to expand the rafting business. According to an estimate, nearly 50,000 people are associated with the adventure sport business in Uttarakhand. Yusaf Zaheer, the owner of Himalayan River Runners, has an annual turnover of Rs 30-35 lakh. Zaheer organises white-water rafting as well as beach camps at Shivpuri. He is also now organising rock climbing in the area and planning trekking tours. With rafting business increasing by leaps and bounds, now it is the turn of the state government to get into it. Rafting operators went on a strike last month in protest against the government decision to auction the rafting sites than issuing the permits to those already doing business. These operators were annoyed with the Forest Department for not having issued lease permits this season and for instead adopting the bidding process. Forest officials also expressed their helplessness, saying that the move to adopt the bidding process had been taken at the highest level in the government. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank intervened to persuade the operators to start their work and assured them of looking into their grievances. However, Dr Nishank was categorical that rafting companies had to fall in line and the auction of the rafting sites would be done to get revenue for the government. “We are willing to consider the demands of the local youth about their apprehensions of jobs and employment but we have decided to auction the sites to get more revenue from rafting business,” said the Chief Minister. The Ganga between Devprayag and Muni-ki-Reti, near Rishikesh, is considered to be an ideal location for adventure sports activities. Thousands of tourists, from home and abroad, throng river sites from October till April to enjoy water sports. The main grouse of the adventure companies, mostly local ones, is what they say is “government interference” in a business that they have nurtured over the years with little or no government help. Meanwhile, Deepak Bhatt, convener of the rafting companies association, has urged the government to issue a new policy for promoting adventure tourism in close association with local companies. “We are in the process of making a new policy,” announced Dr Nishank Interestingly, not deterred by the state government interference, many of the rafting enthusiasts are out exploring other rivers in the state. These operators have identified other rivers like the Yamuna, Tons and Kali, where they have found good scope for rafting and rock climbing. River-rafting camps and training sessions for local youths to train them in the skills of white-water rafting had been organised on the Yamuna and Tons rivers in the Garhwal region and Kali, Ramganga and Sharda in the Kumaon region. These operators hope that like the Ganga, adventure sports enthusiasts would be coming to new virgin spots. Officials of the state government also hope that private operators would make white-water rafting a big-time business in Uttarakhand in the coming years.
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More wildlife exposure to IFS trainees Dehradun, October 18 A total of 200 exclusive sessions linked to wildlife are being conducted at the academy. These sessions lay stress on wildlife enforcement with tiger poaching getting all paramount importance. Wildlife Institute of India’s presence in Dehradun is proving to be of immense help for the IGNFA in conducting these sessions. Climate change, carbon trading and foremost clean development mechanism are also finding much of importance in the training curriculum with institutions like the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education making their authority over the subject available to the IGNFA. A special one-week module on these topics has also been introduced with the training curriculum. This is apart from environment conservation, which in itself is a full-fledged subject at the academy. “In a changed forestry scenario, wildlife enforcement and subjects like climate change and carbon trading are turning to be integral part in daily affairs of Indian Forest Service officers,” opines Prof SK Awasthi, a senior faculty with the IGNFA. These are very much needed in the training, he adds. The academy had inducted human resource management in its training curriculum under the guidance of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, a few years ago. “A fresh passout of Indian Forest Service has around 300-400 subordinates and thus management of human resources greatly attributes to his efficient working,” he added. The Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy goes for a general review of the training curriculum every five years. Probationers of the IFS in all undergo a 24-month training course. The initial four months of their training is conducted in Mussoorie at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration while for the rest of 20 months the training is held at the IGNFA, Dehradun. Nearly five months of their total tenure of training at the IGNFA are spent on study tours. IFS probationers from friendly nations like Bhutan also undergo training at the IGNFA. Apart from training direct recruits, the academy also conducts refresher courses for senior IFS officers that extend from three days to two or three weeks. The academy is headed by Dr RD Jakati, who is its Director. Most of the faculty comes on deputation.
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Philately dying slow death
Dehradun, October 18 There are a little over 500 members of the bureau and the number has been static for the past many years. Of them, only 100 are active members. Two years ago, the number of these active members was around 300. It amply hints philately is dying a slow death. Even the membership comprises mostly the aged and not the young. An active member of the Philately Congress of India, Rajesh Verma, who also heads the Uttaranchal Philately Association, strongly suggests efforts by parents towards inculcating interest for stamp collection among children. “Stamp collection is no more a knowledge hobby like in the past. Earlier, elders were instrumental in inculcating this hobby among the new generation. But, this tradition is seldom followed nowadays and the new generation hardly refers to stamps to enhance their knowledge,” says Verma. He also dismisses an opinion that the high cost of stamps act as a deterrent in the promotion of philately among children. “It is not money but disinterest that is keeping away children from philately,” Verma added. As per an estimate, Dehradun may have over 200 schools, some of international reputation, but practising philately continues to be the last thing on the mind of school-going students. The Internet has led to an access to new sources of information for children, causing a disinterest in hobbies like stamp collection. “A children would prefer spending money on surfing websites in a cyber café than go for any First Day cover,” Verma points out. This fall in interest in philately comes at a time when the Dehradun postal authorities have been organisation workshops and exhibitions in schools to promote the hobby. “Awareness towards philately has certainly gone missing among students,” says Anurag Anand, Director, Pine Hall School. He strongly advocates efforts for the promotion of philately at the school level. Even though the authorities have introduced stamps giving fragrance of sandalwood, the revival of philately looks distant, The coming years will certainly prove detrimental to philately, once known as king of hobbies and hobby of lings.
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‘Blue’ opens to good response in city
Dehradun, October 18
With the presence of stars like Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Lara Dutta and Zayed Khan, the story of the movie is based on an under water treasure hunt. Inspired by Hollywood flick “The Deep”, it is a two-hour movie unlike the recent box-office disaster “What’s Your Raashi”, a three-and-a-half hour movie. “On the first day it was a houseful, and even today it’s running houseful. The box-office rating will be out within a week, but presently it’s doing pretty well for being different and providing a visual treat, particularly to those who appreciate nature at its best,” said Virendra Pal Singh, manager, New Empire cinema hall. Where the Kylie Minogue track, “Chiggy Wiggy” is already popular. Sanju and Lara's romantic track, “Aaj Dil”, is sensuous and “Fiqrana” a song at the end credits lot of energy, giving sole acknowledgment to music maestro AR Rehman. “People are coming to watch a hitherto unseen marine life as well to hear ‘Chiggy Wiggy,’ which is already a hit on the chartbusters,” added Virendra Pal Singh. Moreover, the movie is simultaneously running in two city halls with packed shows and price of tickets being sold expensive as compared to normal days.
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Kanak cinema gears up for second innings
Dehradun, October 18 Established in 1976, the Kanak cinema once was known for running houseful Bollywood masala movies, and being one of the most favourite destinations for recreation. However, plagued by a financial crisis for the past 15 years, the condition of the cinema as well as its popularity has been affected badly. It became a hub for playing low-grade movies, basically attracting the labour class only. “Though renovation had started earlier also, owing to financial crisis our targets couldn’t be achieved. Now, under a partnership project, it is getting renovated so that the lost glory of the oldest cinema hall can be revived,” said Surinder Singh Negi, head booking clerk and supervisor. The hall has the largest seating capacity and is situated in the centre of a market place. In proximity to eating joints, a petrol station and endless shops for a gala-shopping spree, it has all the possibilities to give a tough competition to the rest of cinemas. Starting from repairing seats, audio-visual impact and providing a hygienic canteen and air-conditioning, the cinema promises to set the ambience in a perfect condition within a span of two or three months. “We are going to totally change the look so that crowd gets back and quality movies can be played here. We no longer intend to run low budget movies and focus totally on cinema, which is worth appreciating and screening,” added Negi. Interestingly, whereas “Blue” has already given a good start to this venture, on November 6, the cinema will showcase Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor-starrer “Ajab Prem ki Gajab Kahani” and many other awaited movies in the future.
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Floored by Indian hospitality, German couple to come again
Roorkee, October 18 Indian hospitality has virtually won the hearts of these foreign guests, who are on their maiden visit to the country on the invitation of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee. Dr Olaf Dossel, one of the pioneers in inverse ECG and professor with Karlsruhe University, Germany, along with his wife, a chemist, has been invited to deliver lectures on a computer model of human heart for diagnosis and therapy planning and one-to-one interaction with the students of the subject. “Watching monkeys and langoors roaming freely in the streets and rooftops is something very strange for us,” said Dr Meike, with her eyes wide open. “In our country, such animals can be seen only in zoos, but here we are thrilled to have monkeys and other animals around us,” said Dr Meike and her husband. Apart from this, crowded and colourful temples and Ganga ghats fascinated the couple for whom it was altogether a different world. “We never experienced such a big crowd what we witnessed in Haridwar and Amritsar,” said the couple, adding that Indian people were very amazing. “Top of all, Indian people are just fabulous. Their love towards foreigner and hospitality has no match, what we can say. They are very nice and helpful,” said the couple in unison. Dr Meiki, who has a crush on Indian traditional woman dress, saree, has been learning the art of wearing a saree from her hosts in the IIT. “I have bought two sarees from a local market. Apart from this, I have purchased bangles, scarves, anklets and various kinds of jewellery for our three daughters back in Germany,” said Dr Meiki. They want to visit here again along with their daughters.
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From Almora hills to Doon School
Dehradun, October 18 He has already put in 31 years as a teacher of Hindi during the course of which he twice served as Head of the Hindi Department. At present, Dean of Community and Social Service, Dr Joshi has been dean (activities) besides being one of the founders of Oberoi House and the house master of Kashmir House. Though he thinks it will be improper to name anybody, many of his students, including central and state ministers, MPs and MLAs, are holding high positions. But what is most inspiring about this teacher who could have, given his brilliant academic career, easily become either a university don or a top bureaucrat by now, is that he never studied in any English-medium school. He had his first brush with the language in Class VI. He passed Class XII in science stream at Nav Bharat Vidyapeeth, Partap Pur, Meerut. He is a gold medallist in MA Hindi and completed doctorate studies during service at Doon School. “I became a school teacher by choice, which I strongly believe the case should be if one wants to take up this profession. I was very passionate about it and cherished interaction with young minds. It is for this reason that I never aspired to become a headmaster, which I could have, because this would have deprived me of direct interaction with students. Honestly, had it not been Doon School, I would have been teaching elsewhere,” he says, on being asked why he preferred teaching at school to a career in civil services or higher education institution though both areas were an automatic choice for his generation in the hills of Kumaon those days as there were almost no other career opportunities in hilly areas. He studied at the primary school at Agar village, perched on a hilltop. It catered to primary education needs of seven or eight villages. “We used to cover 7 km or 8 km up and down daily. But, somewhere in inner recesses lurked a burning desire to hit the top in profession I may choose later. The hard grind that people of hills go through in their daily life hardened me to take challenges,” he says. He goes on to say that general perception about Doon School as an institution for the elite class never held him in awe despite his rural grooming. “What is great about this school is that it provides space for everybody to grow irrespective of socio-economic or cultural background. It respects quality and professional integrity. I had working knowledge of English. But, I got an opportunity to bloom because this school identified in me the qualities required in a teacher,” says Dr Joshi, whose rural moorings are still so strong that he has already decided to go back to his village after retirement.
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Rahul, Mukesh to flex muscles in Dubai meet
Dehradun, October 18 Both, Mukesh and Rahul are under training of RK Sharma, body instructor at Body Temple, one of the oldest gymnasiums in the city. Sharma said the conditions for bodybuilding were very good in the state and asserted that the people were equally passionate about it. He felt that in the coming time there would more bodybuilders from state who would bring laurels to state. But he advised all those interested to follow a proper exercise and diet chart in order to have a good body. Sharma has been running the gym since 1974 and has instilled interest in many aspiring bodybuilders to take up the profession. Sharma said hill people had smaller wrists and knee joints. People with smaller joints were expected to do well in bodybuilding. It was always a game of creating an illusion in bodybuilding and people with such body structure were successful in doing so, he added. The gym has already produced names like Mukesh Thakur, Rahul Bisht and Lekhraj Gurung, who have left a mark at the national and international level. He had a word of caution for those who wish to develop good muscles in shorter span. Sharma said developing a good body takes time. Exerting unnecessary pressure on your body could result in muscular injures which could have long-lasting effects on the body. Sharma said bodybuilding required a lot of discipline and was to be followed for gaining healthy mind and body. Sharma further said one should not use steroids to build body in a short span. It was definitely a shortcut to success, but was harmful and not advised by experts. Expressing delight over his selection for the world bodybuilding championship, Rahul said, “It will be a tough competition, but I am prepared and I am looking forward for the competition”. He too feels that bodybuilding can prove to be a good career option for those who wish to take it up seriously. He started bodybuilding six years back with the general aim of having a fit body. And later took it up as a profession. However, he feels that sponsorship is the major hindrance, which is depriving good bodybuilders from taking it up as a profession.
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125 playgrounds to promote regional sports
Dehradun, October 18 A majority of these playgrounds will come at Kalsi and Chakrata blocks of Dehradun district. Areas for the preparation of the ground have already been selected at the village level and Rs 1 lakh has been allocated by the ministry. As per the scheme, most of the gram panchayats of the district have been allocated 50 per cent of the budget and soon the construction work for the preparation of ground will also initiate at the village level. Some 62 grounds were expected to come up from the budget of 2008-09 and 63 grounds from 2009-10. Work for these grounds has just started. The grounds are being built with the purpose of promoting regional games at the ground level. Once the construction of these ground is over, a physical instructors will be appointed at the gram panchayat level on salary basis to promote games in the villages. District Youth Welfare Officer Shakti Singh revealed that a committee would be formed at the village level that would look into the construction work of the playground.
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Basketball: Doon girls play for Tehri in final
Dehradun, October 18 Sources revealed that Dehradun girls played from most of the teams, thus snatching away the right to play from the players of various districts. Even the finals between the Dehradun and Tehri teams was said to be an all-Dehradun affair. It was said the Tehri team was wholely composed of players from Dehradun, and that was the reason behind the victory in the finals, which otherwise would have been a difficult task for the Tehri team. Most of the people were angry with such a development taking place in sports. They said it was against the spirit of the game and would have a bad affect on the future of the game. On the other hand, no action could not be taken against the teams for many reasons. The team coach had already produced players certificate of the respective districts and had also shown training camp certificates of the players, thereby leaving no space to point a finger at them. It was also claimed by some that this trend was catching up in the state, because the coaches are despite to see their team win at the tournament. District sports officers PS Lunthi said, “The team coaches have produced all required papers of the players. Therefore, there is no question of taking action against any of the teams here”.
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U’khand sub-junior team lose pre-quaterfinals
Dehradun, October 18 Sub-junior team’s today’s match was against the Army Boys team proved tough as the Army Boys battered them by 14-0, whereas in their previous match they went down fighting to Sanik School by 2-0. The team will play for its prestige in the last match coming up against the Sri Lanka team tomorrow. In the juniors the team is struck in a must win situation, with two upcoming matches against Orissa and Bengal teams. It will play its first match against Orissa on October 20 and its second match against Bangladesh is on October 21. Till date, the Uttarakhand team has reached the semifinals of the Subroto Cup. Before this, the Gorkha Military team from the state had won the Subroto Cup twice and had been a runner-up in the tournament twice as well.
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Drying wetlands attract fewer winged visitors
Pitthoragarh, October 18 According to bird watchers in the state, leading wetland areas in the state like Nanak Sagar, Cheela, Dhaura, Begul and Jim Corbett in the Kumaon region and Assan Barrage and Haridwar in the Garhwal region have seen a decrease in the number of birds. It may be due to either the shortage of water or encroachments on the periphery. “The dry portion of these wetlands has gradually increased,” said IA Khan, a breeder scientist from Pantnagar University. “Generally, the bar-headed goose, grey-leg goose, pink-tail duck, mallard, Brahmin duck, cormant and red stark come to the Uttarakhand wetlands every year during winter, but their numbers are gradually declining,” said Dr MS Bisht, a professor of zoology in Garhwal University, Srinagar, who has worked for the past 20 years on migratory birds coming to Uttarakhand wetlands. “I have not seen the fork-tail duck for many years,” he added. “Due to the unusually hot weather this year, migratory birds have delayed their arrival to the wetlands of Uttarakhand. In addition, continuous construction and industrial activities around these wetlands has led to a decrease in the number of fish, insects and algae in these wetlands,” said AK Dobriyal, Head of Department of Zoology at Garhwal University, Pauri. The Uttarakhand government has been totally negligent towards this phenomenon. States like Orissa and Rajasthan have constituted wetland boards to look after their wetlands and the birds coming every year and this has become a big attraction for tourists in these states. The Uttarakhand government has not taken a single step in this direction. “The Assan Barrage in Uttarakhand attracts the maximum number and species of migratory birds every year, but the state government has not done anything to preserve the wet area of the barrage,” charged Lalit Kothiyal, a science journalist. He added that while the government of India has selected 604 wetlands and Uttar Pradesh has selected 25 areas, the Uttarakhand government has not selected a single wetland area for development. Every year, thousands of flamingos, pelicans, common shelducks, redshanks and common sandpipers visit lakes, ponds, rivers and forests of Uttarakhand to escape the Siberian cold. These lakes include Assan Barrage, Nanak Sagar, Corbett Park and Dhaura lake and other many small and medium-sized water bodies in the state. “At Corbett, the birds used to come in big flocks near Koshi channel, but they are rarely seen now as human encroachment has disturbed the area,” said Sanjay Chimwal, a known bird watcher of the Terai region. Chimwal added that in the Assan Barrage near Dehradun, the number of migratory birds had decreased over the years due to less water. “The birds, which prefer deep water, are coming in less numbers,” said Chimwal. A recent trend to hunt these migratory birds has also been reported in the Terai region of Uttarakhand. The police has seized meat of pelicans in Bazpur, Gadarpur and Nankmatta towns.
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Pauri shines bright as residents celebrate eco-friendly Diwali
Pauri Garhwal, October 18 These were some of the wordy expressions of tourists and people who saw Pauri town on Diwali night. People here seem to be more inclined towards lighting and decorating their homes, rather than polluting the environment with firecrackers. With Pauri people always known to be eco-friendly, they are opting for environment-friendly crackers and the Diwali night this year was a testimony to this fact. There were minimal firecrackers and maximum stress was on Diwali lighting and decoration. Traditional earthen diyas and candles were equally seen in homes, as were the electrical fancy lights. “Compared to the past few year, there has been a sharp fall in the sale of crackers. Price rise is definitely one of the reasons, but the locals’ inclination towards environment and pollution-free Pauri, can’t be ignored,” said Moni Negi, a shopkeeper. Locals too liked the way Diwali was celebrated this time. Special drives and awareness programmes started a few years back in schools to apprise people, especially children, about the harmful effects of crackers are bearing fruits. “Earlier it used to be only the sound of crackers and that too till late night, but this time it was more somber, peaceful and ideal Diwali,” opined Negi. Youngsters too relished the option of celebrating Diwali with non-pollution crackers. “It’s better to celebrate Diwali with lights, flowers and a few eco-crackers,” remarked Tanvi Rawat, a student. “See the price of everything has rocketed and you get a handful of crackers for even a Rs 1,000. So how can one celebrate that way. Besides now, nuclear family is the norm, and so people are confined to themselves only and mass Diwali celebrations have taken a back seat,” said Swaroop Singh Negi, a local.
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Vishwakarma Jayanti observed
Dehradun, October 18 At a function organised by the Ramgaria Sabha at Patel Nagar, Dehradun, the speakers highlighted the importance of Vishwakarma Diwas. Starting with an akhand path, shabad kirtan by Bhai Gurmel Singh, and Bhai Bhopal Singh, it was followed by a discourse by Head Granthi Bhai Narendra Singh. Sewa Singh Matharu, secretary, Ramgarhia Sabha, disclosed that the Ramgarhia Sabha has been observing Vishwakarm Diwas for past many decades. He also took the opportunity to disclose that the sabha will be holding a health camp at the Sabha Bhawan on December 6 from 9.30 am to 2 pm. Mahindra Singh Bhambara, Prabhjeet Singh, Jathedar Dilip Singh and Baldev Singh were among the prominent present on the ocassion.
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While studying in a government primary
school in hills of Almora district, Dr Mohan Chander Joshi had never
thought that he would teach at Doon School, one of the prestigious
schools of the country. But, it has happened purely on the strength of
tremendous self-confidence and firm belief in hard work that should
inspire others having a similar background.
Dehradun,
October 18 
Due to the shrinking wetlands in the
state, particularly in the Kumaon region, and due to encroachment and
other reasons, the number of migratory birds arriving in these areas
has dwindled over the years.
According to bird watchers in the state, leading wetland areas in the state like Nanak
Sagar, Cheela, Dhaura, Begul and Jim Corbett in the Kumaon region and Assan Barrage and Haridwar in the Garhwal region have seen a decrease in the number of birds.
“It’s awesome, just magical,
breathtaking and solacing. The beauty of Pauri has enhanced with
Diwali lights and it seems we are in a different world”. These were some of the wordy expressions of tourists and people who
saw Pauri town on Diwali night. People here seem to be more inclined
towards lighting and decorating their homes, rather than polluting the
environment with firecrackers. 
