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Goaded by HC, police to decongest Shimla
Polyhouses boost Hamirpur economy
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idening of Parwanoo-Solan road
Bid to mitigate impact of climate change
Tributes paid to freedom fighter
Govt help necessary to promote theatre artistes
Vignettes
Haphazard construction mars Dalhousie
Varsity releases software for farmers
Century-old Loreto Convent comes a long way
Himachal diary |
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Goaded by HC, police to decongest Shimla
Shimla, November 17 With the court giving directives to the administration to implement short and long-term measures at the earliest, the district police in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation and other departments has swung into action. The court had observed that short-term measures, including the diversion of traffic during peak hours, filling of vacancies and widening of the bottlenecks causing jams should be implemented within a year. The suggestions have been given by a committee constituted by the court, including some lawyers. The police has also asked the government to provide it with two Doppler radars, 10 sensors, five motorcycles for checking rash and drunken driving and better mobility. The issue of providing an honorarium of Rs 500 to traffic wardens assisting the police in regulating traffic has also been moved so that their services can be better utilised. For the convenience of the commuters, the State Transport Authority has been asked to make mandatory reservation of 33 per cent for women, 10 per cent for children below 14 years and 5 per cent for senior citizens in all public transport vehicles, including the ones owned by the HRTC. Despite 75 additional buses being added to the HRTC fleet within the town, the buses are crowded with no seats reserved for any section till now. The issue of widening narrow curves that are the main bottlenecks in the capital has also been taken up with the PWD. These points include the road leading from Khalini Chowk to the national highway, from Sanjauli Chowk to St Bede's College and from State Bank of India to Bharari. The police has already initiated the process for filling of 262 vacancies of constable, among others, which as per the court directives are to be filled up within three months. The police has asked the government to fill the vacancies so that there are enough personnel to regulate traffic, especially in the state capital, which has a huge floating population of tourists on most occasions. The long-term measures to be implemented include creation of more parking sites by the Municipal Corporation (MC) on a priority basis in over 12 places. The committee constituted by the court had suggested the imposition of a tax on the pattern of green tax in Manali on vehicles with outside registration numbers, observing that this could be possible only if enough parking space was created. The government has already taken up with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) the issue of creating more parking lots.
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Polyhouses boost Hamirpur economy
Hamirpur, November 17 Farmers of the district were by and large growing traditional crops like wheat, maize and other traditional crops. Polyhouses have now caught the attention of farmers for growing vegetables. After a few enterprising farmers, especially young educated youths, adopted polyhouses these have become popular among growers. With hundreds of farmers diversifying the agricultural pattern by growing off-seasonal vegetables, a large number of polyhouses are being established in different parts of the district. Till now 160 polyhouses have already been established while about 500 would be set up during the current financial year. About 1600 polyhouses would be established in the next three years. Many farmers are these days growing off-seasonal capsicums and flowers which are fetching them good prices in the market at New Delhi and other places. Vijay Singh Datwalia, who was among the first few farmers to establish a polyhouse at Moharal under Badsar subdivision, started growing capsicums and shoots of flowers in 2004. Though there were a few initial hiccups, he started getting a good crop later on that fetched him handsome prices. He also became a role model for other youths like Kamal Pathania of Rohvien Patta, who after running a taxi a Hamirpur switched to farming by setting up a polyhouses. All these farmers have not only paid back their loans but also sell varieties of yellow and red capsicum which fetches them about Rs 100 per kilogram in the market. They have also been successful in growing a single fruit weighing 400 grams. With government support these framers have also constructed water tanks and set up water sprinklers for irrigation purposes. Their success in this field has motivated others to emulate them. Government agencies are providing technical knowhow and subsidy to farmers, besides other incentives, for setting up polyhouses.
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Widening of Parwanoo-Solan road
Solan, November 17 Interestingly, while there is no land use freeze for buying and selling land along the NH, the Town and Country Planning Department has been exercising restrain in issuing NOCs to builders within a periphery of 22.5 m from the acquired width of the road after PWD officials instructed them to do so in 2006. This, however, is not enough as there is no bar on the sale and purchase of land. The four-laning has, therefore, taken scores of builders, who had bought land for pursuing commercial ventures, by surprise as they would now not be able to make use of the land. Moreover, compensation would be granted as per the prevailing government rates which are usually the annual average of land deals executed in the area. It is a known fact that with a view to evading stamp duty, land is bought at rates much higher than what is shown on paper. While four-laning was necessitated in view of the increasing traffic on this section and has been welcomed by motorists, fear of displacement is being felt by those having dhabas, restaurants and even houses right on the road with little scope of shifting back. The acquisition initiated at Tipra village, which fell in phase I of the four-laning and is the initiation point in Himachal Pradesh. It is already seeing protests from villagers who are dissatisfied with the compensation. Though the survey for four-laning is under way for the past almost eight years, brisk sale and purchase of property along the road has been going on unchecked. With the number of vehicles believed to increase by 30,000 in the next 20 years on this section, experts opine that its expansion has become imperative. The survey report pointed out that in order to facilitate expansion, land acquisition had to be undertaken both from the valley as well as the hillside. A 30-m road is required to convert the highway into a four-lane carriageway. At least, 20 m from the hillside and another 15 m from the valley side will have to be acquired. A 1.5-m median bifurcating the two double lanes with to and fro tracks has been proposed to channel the traffic in an organised manner. This would bring a lot of standing structures in its purview. Deputy commissioner Amandeep Garg said the ADM, who was the land acquisition collector, was in the process of submitting a case for land use freeze under Section 3 A of the Land Acquisition Act and it would be notified thereafter. This would put a freeze on all land transactions, including sale and purchase along the NH.
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Bid to mitigate impact of climate change
Shimla, November 17 The failure of the government to put in place a foolproof system for keeping a watch on forests and trading of forest produce has over the years led to wanton destruction of the green cover. Global warming apart, large-scale deforestation and ever-increasing human activity in the higher mountain ranges are local factors that have accentuated the process of climate change in the state. Weather patterns all over the world are changing and the state is no exception. The impact is all too visible in the receding snowline, declining discharge in rivers, erratic rainfall and increasing frequency of flash floods and rising average warming climate in hill stations like Shimla. The vagaries of weather have indeed started taking a heavy toll and the worst
hit have been the farmers whose fortunes have been virtually oscillating between drought and deluge. There is a clear indication of climate change having a direct impact on vegetation, natural and cultivated, as also on the availability of water in the rivers and streams. At the same time high-altitude land, which is not presently available for forestry, being under permanent snow cover, could gradually convert into grassland and forests. The entire phenomena has thrown up a host of issues which need to addressed effectively on priority. It is, thus, heartening to see the Forest Department hosting a national conference here on "Forestry solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change in the Himalayan states" from November 19 to 21 Attention is shifting to environmental services flows provided by the forests. These include critical watershed services, biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and of course maintaining landscape beauty. The role of woody vegetation in sequestering carbon is well-recognised and research to study vegetation shifts in the forestry sector---to establish whether crop compositions are changing, or there is the effect of climate change on biodiversity----are urgently needed in Himachal Pradesh, says Jasjit Singh Walia, additional principal chief conservator of forests, CAT Plan and eco-services. Such studies will ultimately help define the policy on raising and maintenance of forests in the state. The possible mitigation forestry strategies would be implemented to reduce GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions and enhance carbon sinks in soils and forests. Conservation of green cover is the answer and it could be better achieved by using modern systems like forest certification and satellite imagery-based monitoring. Certification of timber and non-timber forest products is carried out on the basis of agreed standards of quality of management from environmental, social and economic perspectives and it also ensures traceability to help check illegal exploitation. Similarly, remote sensing technology can be used for ascertaining the status of forest cover on the basis of which it could claim green bonus or "payment for environment services". Under adaptation, the issues that are in focus are the vulnerability of higher altitude forests in Himachal Pradesh and possible forest-type shifts occurring in more than 80 per cent of forestry grids, likely increased forest fire occurrence and the anticipated water stress and scarcity that would come under water resource management. The state has more than 50 per cent of its land above 3000 meters from the sea level. Although trees do not grow beyond this altitude, the eco-system supports unique biodiversity, including several globally threatened species, like snow leopard and Himalayan Ibex, which needs to be conserved.
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Tributes paid to freedom fighter
Nurpur, November 17 Singh exhorted the youth to follow the footsteps of this patriot who laid down his life at the age of 24 while languishing in prison in 1849. He also called upon the committee to come forward and take initiative to install a statue of the freedom fighter to commemorate his supreme sacrifice. He also underlined the need to highlight numerous hidden and oblivious historical and cultural heritages of the nation and enable them to inspire the coming generations. On the occasion, Kewal Singh Pathania, former minister and patron of the committee, assured to constitute Ram Singh Pathania Trust to fulfil the longstanding demand of installing the statue of the patriot. Wazir Pathania had initiated revolutionary steps against the English regime with his team of young revolutionaries and was captured by the English government when he was performing a ‘pooja’. He even killed many English soldiers before he surrendered. He was kept in Rangoon jail and died of the prison’s atrocities on November 11, 1849. Hailing from Kangra district, he still has immense respect among the people of the district.
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Govt help necessary to promote theatre artistes
Mandi, November 17 Most of the government budget meant for art, language and culture is used for salaries and artistes get peanuts, rue theatre artistes. The rich folk theatre in the state is surviving due to the individual efforts put in by theatre groups in Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Nahan, Dharamsala and a few other places. The folk theatre is dying its natural death as young budding artistes seeking a career in theatre have no training centre-cum-professional repertoire in the state. Both the government and the Department of Art, Language and Culture remain as apathetic as ever towards their demand of such centre catering to over 500 artistes. Even HP University has no department of theatre, the artistes rue. Though the government restarted the historic Gaiety Theatre in Shimla with much fanfare, it is ruled by the “wives of state’s babudom” as theatre artistes have no representation in the newly constituted dramatic body, complain the artistes here. Dr Kailash Ahluwalia, an eminent theatre personality, says there was a time when they were not able to find good actors or artistes in the state, but now it is buzzing with good artistes. But they need financial assistance for production and performance. He observed that the state was home to a reservoir of folk theatre like Banthara in Mandi, Kariyala, Swang Shimala, Haran, Bhagat, Harnagfo (Kinaur), but they lack financial assistance and professional theatre training centre like Anupam Kher’s Centre in Chandigarh. Dr Ahluwalia says theatre has lost patronage and the government and the department remain apathetic. Anupam Kher’s (a product of Gaiety) academy in Chandigarh remains out of reach for common man as it charges Rs 2 lakh for three months course in acting. “HP University needs the Department of Theatre, a training centre-cum-professional repertoire”. The artistes say individual groups in Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Nahan are doing good theatre. “But they need funds for both production and performance as theatre lack patronage as it used to be a case in olden days”. The budding artistes have no career prospects in theatre as over 500 artistes of the state are perishing in misery as the state has nothing to offer them. “Even teachers at the Youth Festival come for doing their duties and they are not committed. HP University pays paltry Rs 1.25 lakh to organise the festival each year and the college and artistes have to spent most of the expenses from their pockets,” the artistes rue. Kedar Thakur and Rupesh Bali from Sankalp and Dayal Prasad from Abhilash, Lawan Thakur, convener, Indian People Theatre, Mandi, and other theatre groups assert that they lack funds and patronage. There is an auditorium in Mandi, the home to the best folk theatre in the state, say the local artistes. Even the Gaiety charges whopping Rs 10,000 as rent for a play and gives no time and space for rehearsal. “At that the government pays paltry Rs 5,000 for performance,” they rue. Dr Ahluwalia says the cast as seen in the drama performances at the youth festival from different colleges is capable of doing wonders. But they need training in making use of lights, sound, dance and songs during the theatrical performances. There are no books available on theatre in the state libraries and bookshops, what to speak of training or research centre, added theatre experts.
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Vignettes
Embroidering Chamba rumal was the vocation of upper class women earlier but now done by the commoners. A trained miniature artist draws the theme of the rumal in charcoal and guides on the colour-schemes. The themes are generally religious - Krishna-leela, dasavatar, Shiv parivar etc. Fabric used is handspun unbleached muslin or fine khaddar. Embroidery is done in double satin stitch called dorukha. The stitch is carried forward and backward alternately and is done simultaneously on both sides of the cloth, so there is no right or wrong side of the rumal (See picture). The image is same on both sides. The art of using the thread is as lyrical as writing poetry. Kesavdas (1555-1617), a riti kaal poet of Hindi literature, wrote 'rasikpriya' giving details of 'asht nayikas' (eight heroines) in 1591 not knowing that women of Chamba would, one day, translate it into a rumal rewriting it with thread. The eight heroines that have been embroidered in the rumal are: Svadhinapatika: Loved by her husband, she has full control over him. The hero gladly applies 'aaltaa' on her feet. Utka: She has all her heart for her lover and comes out to portico to wait for him anxiously but he is held up elsewhere and has no signs of returning. Vasaksajjika: She waits with garlands in a bower where there is greenery and plants for her lover who has to return from a journey. Vipralabdha: She is disappointed as she had waited the whole night for the lover who had failed to come. Disheartened, she removes all her jewels and ornaments away. Abhisarika: She is the brave one who cares not for the storm and lightening, snakes and other hazards of the forest and has resolved to go to meet her lover. Proshitpatika: Her lover has gone away and does not return on the appointed day. She sits remembering him and even the presence of the maids and friends is no consolation to her. Abhisandhita: Her arrogance is the cause of her lover's separation from her. He goes away dejected and depressed and she becomes downhearted and glum without him. Khandita: She is hurt by the unfaithful behaviour of her lover who had promised to come to her at night but spends the night with another woman. She reprimands her lover for disloyalty. Rasikpriya depicts that seven out of the eight nayikas pine for their lovers - call it their arrogance or the lover's unfaithfulness or any other reason - love, truly, begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a teardrop. Pining for lost love fills more pages of poetry than otherwise. Shakespeare says, "So dear I love him that with him, All deaths I could endure. Without him, live no life." Poetry is always felt by the heart but the eyes see it in that small but utterly precious piece of cloth from Chamba.
Tailpiece
Indian treatises divide women in four major categories. And man is an animal for whom the grass on the other side of the hedge is always greener. He sees his woman colleague as Padmini (soft as lotus and cheerful); woman boss as Shankhini (short-tempered but clever); colleague's wife as Chitrini (graceful and well proportioned) and own wife as Hastini (heavy and coarse).
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Haphazard construction mars Dalhousie
Dalhousie, November 17 Unfortunately, in a rush to increase the tourism and revenues of the government, there is a spate of unplanned and haphazard constructions both in and around Dalhousie and the forests have been bearing the brunt of human greed. It appears that the government has escaped its attention towards the imminent threat eating into the woody hills and its wildlife. The area of Kalatop-Khajjiar Sanctuary is proposed to be decreased from 69 sq km to a mere 16 sq km and thereby withdrawing all laws protecting this region from human excesses. And even before the formal de-notification is approved by the Supreme Court, a number of commercial construction projects have started coming up making it a field day for developers and property dealers who sell the dreams of having a house in the green hills and cool climes. Villagers driven by greed end up selling their agriculture land to these developers and only realising it, when it is too late, that they had suffered an irreparable loss. The builders, on the other hand, are moving in due to the absence of the Town & Country Planning Act and Panchayat laws. They are building ‘dream’ houses without a care, for the drain they are causing on the natural resources or the environmental damage they cause with the debris and garbage dumping or for the pollution they will cause by letting their sewage damaging the water resources. The Forest Department in the meanwhile remains a mute spectator under the pretext of political pressure and looks the other way to all stone quarrying, illegal felling and dumping, the Society for Protection of Forests and Wildlife, an NGO working to save the nature in this mountainous region, expresses concern. A prime example of this is the proposed road from Dalhousie to Chamba via Kohladi, where the developers have begun their projects. This too on a road passing right through the middle of the Kalatop-Khajjiar Sanctuary. The forest is full of wildlife and beauty and a home to the black bear and cheer pheasant, both of which are classified as “vulnerable” species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of the world. Most of the land along this road has already been bought by the developers, who have started construction work with a frenzied pace in the light of this proposed road being completed. Right now, it is the beginning. But do we have to wait till it all ends like in other hill stations or do we wake up and set things right for our future generations? The Society has sought the enforcement of relevant laws enacted for conservation and preservation of fauna, avifauna and flora in the wooded hills urging the departments concerned to see the things for themselves in letter and in spirit. On the other hand, officials maintain that the construction activities are being executed after the formal clearance of the plans.
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Varsity releases software for farmers
Dharamsala, November 17 The software has been developed by the university’s Centre for Geo-Informatics, Research and Training under the aegis of the Department of Science and Technology. Vice-chancellor Tej Partap released the software at agriculture officers’ Rabi workshop in Palampur last week. He said the application would provide resource managers, policymakers and scientists with ready and quick information for decision making in the field of agriculture. “In the first phase, it has been developed for one district. We shall bring out full application for the whole state in due course of time with additional features,” he said. Director, research, Dr SC Sharma said many studies had been done, but the output was rarely put to use by farmers as it remained mostly dumped in the reports. The said software would eliminate the repetitive nature of projects. Dr Sharda Singh elaborated that the application had five modules - agro-socio-economic-information, bio-physical information, crops’ information and management, agriculture statistical data and database update module. “Agro-socio-economic-information module allows for querying of the data and visual representation in the form of thematic maps, tables and charts in an interactive environment on various parameters of agriculture and allied sectors. Bio-physical information module presents available resources. Crops’ information and management module deals with crop requirements and their management whereas agriculture statistical provides options for calculating cultivable areas in low, mid and high hill zones tehsil-wise and overlaying them on satellite imagery, diversification index and Income generation module. This will definitely reduce dependence on the development team to update the information. Hence, it can facilitate the efficient use of existing resource information (spatial and non-spatial) and enhance decision making. This application module can be downloaded from university’s website: <http://hillagric.ernet.in/edu/cobs/gis/downloads>.
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Century-old Loreto Convent comes a long way
Shimla, November 17 A day school below the bazaar, which had been managed by women teachers, was taken up by the sisters. “Firwood” was later rented and day scholars as well as boarders were taken in. “Mythe” a larger estate was rented for a year as it had more extensive space to accommodate the students. Finally, Mother Gonzaga found what she had ardently desired for, the two properties of Tara Hall and Belle Vue, which had been offered for sale together. It was here that the sisters established themselves on November 30, 1895, overcoming the hazards of space, financial restraints, unavailability of domestic help and unpredictable weather. In 1899, the Mother Superior opened St. Joseph’s Day School. For six years, the two schools ran side by side but when Tara Hall sought recognition, the Ministry of Education granted it on the condition that the two schools should amalgamate and be known as “The Loreto Boarding and Day School.” This proved to be highly beneficial as the services of nuns were readily available. St. Patricks’s Day School was opened in March 1946, at Willows Bank with four pupils. The Chalet was taken over in July 1947, but after the restoration of the house and increasing student numbers, it was disposed of to The Evangelical Church. Meanwhile, Tara Hall advanced from strength to strength and additions were made in the form of classrooms, laboratories, a concert hall and a library. From high school examinations of Punjab to Cambridge overseas examinations to ICSE Board, Tara Hall sure has come a long way. December 1975 witnessed a dramatic change as the boarding was closed down. With it was gone the days of dormitory chatter, dining room clatter, of splashing in washrooms and excitement at favourite puddings for, regretfully Tara Hall was forced to close the residential school, bringing to an end a very special era of its history. With this began a new epoch as a day school Loreto Convent could accommodate larger numbers, with the strength presently being 1,500. The increasing strength has in no way led to compromising on quality education as there is no dearth of opportunities from computer sciences, S.U.P.W, environmental awareness to social service, which Tara Hall has always stood for. Managed by the Institute of Blessed Virgin Mary, Tara Hall, now 117 years old, stands as a monument to the perseverance and success of those pioneers who paved the way for generation upon generation of young women to become fully bloomed individuals. The road ahead
With the Loreto banner once again flying high at Tara Hall after a hiatus of 14 years, the Loreto Education Society has the challenge to keep alive century-old traditions. With the dedicated band of Loreto nuns having been forced to pull out of Tara Hall, owning to a shortage of personnel, the school management changed hands as the institution was handed over to Sacred Heart in 1994. “Faced with a shortage of personnel and the desire to keep our presence more localised than scattered all over India, we moved out but with certain legal wrangles arising we had to come back to Shimla,” explains Sister Anita Briganza, Principal. Under the guidance of Sister Stephanie, who has spent a good amount of her life at Loreto Shimla, the school is once living up to its long tradition of education and service. With only a year since the Loreto Education Society brought the school back under its guidance, the challenges are aplenty. “Besides academic excellence, a very important aspect of overall development of students has to be borne in mind so that they have a rounded personality with every aspect, including religious and social, being taken care of,” emphasises Sister Anita. Notwithstanding the fact that infrastructure development is another area which is in need of dire attention, the school is fast regaining the old pace and rhythm. The Belle Veu part of the school, which had begun to crumble, has been restored and now houses the exclusive nursery wing for tiny tots, replete with a playground. Yet another chapter would be added to the history of the 117-year-old school when it switches over to the CBSE pattern from the current ICSE Board from the 2011-12 session. This will necessitate addition of classes XI and XII with science, commerce and arts streams. To cater to the growing needs of the school, there are plans to have a bigger auditorium, library along with restoration of the old basket ball field.
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Himachal diary Don't be fuelish", the theme of a state-level painting competition organised here early this week under the "National Awareness Campaign on Energy Conservation-2009" said it all (See picture). The increasing shortage of power and the fast-depleting fossil fuel reserves have brought "energy conservation" into sharp focus. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has been holding the annual event across the country for school children and Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) has been made the nodal agency for the state. In all 227 schools from all over the state participated. Of the total 378 entries, 50 best works were selected by a four-member committee for the state-level event. Besides "don't be fuelish", there were two more themes -"Save power, save life" and "You have the power to save power". While most of the participants focused on frugal use of power and popularising renewable sources, one of them showed a piggy bank filled with small energy savings to drive home the point that small measures could make a big difference and also lead to significant financial benefits. Yashkriti Garg of the local Dayanand Public School won the first prize of Rs 10,000 while the second prize of Rs 8,000 went to Royal Sethi of Saem School. The third prize of Rs 5,000 was bagged by Aakriti Khachi of DAV School, Theog. Ten consolation prizes of Rs 1,000 each were also given. Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur gave away the prizes to the winners of the competition organised in collaboration with the Education Department. The best way to save energy is to promote a low-energy lifestyle. It will not only bring down the gap between demand and availability but also help reduce the carbon footprint. Energy conservation must become a habit with the people and this could be best achieved by creating awareness among the children. That is why the event is open to only for students of Class IV to VI. Ignoring spouses cost Cong, BJP seats
The outcome of the Rohru and Jawali Assembly byelections must have made the Congress and the BJP realise that ending the dynastic rule is not an easy task. The decision of to deny the ticket to spouses of the sitting MPs, who had vacated the Assembly seats after getting elected to Parliament, has indeed cost the two parties dearly. The BJP denied the ticket to Sudha, wife of Rajan Sushant, from Jawali while the Congress ignored Pratibha Singh, wife of party stalwart Virbhadra Singh, from Rohru. The spouses were axed but the parties failed to field strong candidates who could win the electoral battle. The BJP lost Jawali and the Congress Rohru, making it obvious that the two parties lacked the organisational strength to ensure the victory of ordinary party workers. Replacing a heavyweight like Virbhadra Singh may not be possible but his wife, Pratibha Singh, was certainly a better choice. The Congress lost the plot when it opted for another candidate from Rohru. More so, because no prominent leader except Virbhadra Singh and PCC chief Kaul Singh campaigned for party candidate Manjit Singh. The BJP miserably failed to put its house in order in Jawali and rebel candidate Madan Sharma remained in the fray to play a spoilsport.
Alert citizen to police help
Of late the frequency of serious offences involving criminals from outside the state has increased Recently, a vigilant resident of Hamirpur helped the police in One of the victims of the gang, Dinesh Kumar, who had lost gold ornaments worth Rs 8000 and Rs 9300 in cash a few days back, kept looking for thieves at the Hamirpur bus stand for a few days, besides reporting the matter to the police. His effort was rewarded when he identified some of the thieves while they were boarding different buses to commit thefts. The police nabbed the thieves immediately and not only recovered all his stolen ornaments from their possession but also arrested all other members of the gang, provided respite to the passengers. The incident has once again proved that alert citizens can play a vital role in maintaining law and order by helping the police in checking criminal activities.
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Nurpur, November 17
Shimla, November 17
Don't be fuelish", the theme of a state-level painting competition organised here early this week under the "National Awareness Campaign on Energy Conservation-2009" said it all (See picture). The increasing shortage of power and the fast-depleting fossil fuel reserves have brought "energy conservation" into sharp focus. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has been holding the annual event across the country for school children and Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam
(SJVN) has been made the nodal agency for the state.
Poetry in thread is being written in Chamba since times unknown, but it got recognition when Umed Singh (1748-1764) ruled the state. It is Chamba rumal (kerchief). Raja Bhuri Singh (1904-1919) took a variety of rumals to Delhi while attending the Durbar there in 1911 and distributed these among the British nobles, thus spreading their popularity abroad.