Haridwar, March 15
Known as the greatest conglomeration of people at one place, the Maha Kumbh today showcased its mythological and religious aura as the second Shahi Snan marked the pious occasion of Somwati Amawasya today.

Even before the dawn, lakhs of pilgrims had already taken a holy dip in the Ganga at Har-ki-Pauri and adjacent ghats and by 8 am, the restricted time deadline for common people to take bath at Har-ki-Pauri, according to the mela administration, the pilgrim count had already touched the whopping three-million mark.

Till late evening another influx of common people and devotees were waiting to take the holy dip after the completion of Shahi Snan by all 13 akhadas at Braham Kund, Har-ki-Pauri.

A sanysin and a Naga saint do a ritual during the second royal bath. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

But, the main attraction of the Kumbh bath has always been the akhadas and this second Shahi Snan was different from the last month’s first royal bath on Maha Shivratri with saints of all main 13 akhadas taking the holy dip. On the last royal bath saints of only seven akhadas had taken the holy dip.

Processions of all akhadas taken out from their respective camps to Har-ki-Pauri carried varied elements. Naga saints, sanyasins, children saints and saints from abroad were major attractions at the processions.

The processions were led by respective chiefs and prominent saints of the akhadas. The akhadas of Nagas (Niranjani, Anand, Juna, Aahwaan, Agni and Atal), of Bairagis (Nirmohi, Nirwani and Digambar), Bada Akhada (Udaseen), Naya Akhada (Udaseen) and Nirmal Akhada made elaborate arrangements for their processions.

More than 200-odd musical bands were part of the processions. The followers of respective akhadas accompanied the processions while people kept standing on both sides of the procession route till Har-ki-Pauri to witness the religious proceedings.

For akhadas the mela administration had carved out six sectors for today’s Shahi Snan from which they went towards Har-ki-Pauri and tread back in procession after taking the dip.

It seemed a mini world had descended on Haridwar and its focal point was Har-ki-Pauri. Those who had participated in previous Kumbh, pointed out that the magnitude of the Kumbh is growing with every mega fair.

This time for akhadas’ privilege bath at Har-ki-Pauri was extended till 6:30 pm when the last akhada in today’s Shahi Snan allocation order, Nirmal Akhada, completed the holy bath proceedings. Not only the mela area, but also the whole Haridwar city and adjacent suburban areas were bustling.

The next Shahi Snan is coming a fortnight after on March 30 and the final and biggest of these baths will be falling on April 14 on the occasion of Baisakhi.

Haridwar, March 15
Elaborate arrangements were made to ensure a hassle-free completion of the Maha Kumbh’s second Shahi Snan. In view of terror threat, a foolproof security cordon was put in place. The setup was such that at every nook and corner and at a few laps, police personnel were deployed. More than 15,000 security personnel were deployed in the 130-sq-km Kumbh mela area spanning Haridwar and Rishikesh.

Keeping in view the ultra-sensitive Har-ki-Pauri and akhadas’ camps, the security control there was given to paramilitary forces, while in case of any disaster or eventuality, special squads of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Quick Reaction Team of the home state were on high alert.

While human eyes were keeping vigil on the activities, camera eyes too were monitoring the proceedings round the clock. CCTV camera footages were monitored at the police control room round the clock being with 50-odd cameras installed at sensitive Har-ki-Pauri area only. At all important places, temples and establishments, such as Mata Mansa Devi and Mata Chandi Devi temples, railway station and bus station, additional forces were deployed.

Sniffer dog squads and bomb disposal squads carried out search operations and were on high alert to thwart any terror attack. Water police personnel manned Har-ki-Pauri, Muni-ki-Reti and adjacent ghats to save people from drowning.

The Railways had also geared up for the royal bath and operated five special trains for pilgrims. But, the heavy influx of people meant that apart from normal routine trains these special trains too were full as soon as these halted on platforms.

Similarly, additional buses were introduced, but the arrangement too proved short. There were more than 1,200-odd buses plying for various places in Uttar Pradesh, while 100-odd reserve buses were used by the Haridwar depot. But, still people were seen waiting for hours for buses to their designated or nearby places. ARM of the Haridwar depot HM Dabral said the depot made every attempt to provide buses to pilgrims and utilised every bus available, specially for those routes where passenger rush was severe.

While special hospitals had been set up for the Kumbh today, 20 additional ambulances were pitched in along with EMRI 108 ambulances. A special burn unit was also set up at the mela hospital while additional beds were attached at the three major hospitals of the city. The Mela Health Department had made 20 temporary hospitals with 10 beds each and another 20 relief posts for the pilgrims. Social organisations too came out to help the administration with more than a 1,000 volunteers giving their services.

Meanwhile, Bada Panchayati Akhada’s saints, citing inconveniences caused to them, warned of boycotting the coming Shahi Snan. 

Dehradun, March 15
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today said he would be pitting candidates in all Lok Sabha seats of the country.

Addressing mediapersons in Dehradun, Baba Ramdev said while he kept no immediate plans to constitute a political party, his organisation Bharat Swabhiman Sangathan would be contesting all Lok Sabha seats in the next Parliamentary elections of the country. He said the Sanghatan would also be enrolling a big number of members across the country.

Ramdev said corruption was the biggest challenge before the country with big sums of Indian money lying in foreign banks. He also reminded that most of the nation’s budget was put to misuse by politicians of the country.

The yoga guru said very few knew that as many as 17 crore hectares of 
government land had been leased out to foreign companies at throwaway prices.

Ramdev strongly advocated death penalty for crimes like rape, dowry and terror acts. “Only then we can solve deep-rooted evil of corruption,” he said.

Referring to Bharat Swabhiman Mission, Baba Ramdev said to further the mission, as many as two lakh persons had already been trained. He said it was his endeavour to ensure people of credibility go to Parliament. “Our 543 MPs should be of high integrity,” Ramdev said.

Responding to queries, Ramdev, however, did not rule out forming a political party if such a measure is necessitated. But he also categorically held that he would himself maintain a safe distance from politics.

He also backed stern punishment for ochre-clad criminals. “Only those people who keep good education and a high moral character must be given the sainthood,” said Ramdev. 

Mussoorie, March 15
Reacting to the news that appeared in The Tribune a couple of days back, the High Court has toughened its stand on encroachments in Mussoorie.

The palika officials, led by high-powered committee chairman Jasvir Kaur and EO, Mussoorie, began the drive to remove encroachers in haste from the market at Picture Palace here today.

The officials unloaded the goods of street vendors and seized their belongings in the process.

The hapless victims of the drive were extremely poor street vendors as the rich and famous shops of the town were spared with a warning.

Vendors expressing resentment said Palika was acting in partisan way and sparing the rich. A shopkeeper from Kulri Kashmiri Lal said this had become an annual cat-and-mouse game every season without any result. It was merely eyewash and was done just to please the High Court.

The vegetable vendor Kadir alleged that his goods were confiscated due to personal enmity shown by a member of the Palika.

Social activist Dr Hari Mohan Goel also alleged that Palika was taking a tough action on poor encroachers, while the rich were being left with a minor warning. He also said he welcomed the move of anti-encroachment drives in the town, but it should be conducted in a non-partisan way.

Committee Chairperson Jasvir Kaur refuted the allegations and said the law was equal for all and no one would be spared. However, Palika officials did not dare to pick the goods from the shop of a senior politician in Mussoorie.

The residents of Mussoorie were pleased with the beginning of the drive, but questioned the intention of Palika and were skeptic about its duration.

Jaikumar Gupta, Sushil Agarwal and Kedar Singh Chauhan, ward members, assisted the drive.

Mussoorie, March 15
Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola inaugurated the union annual and farewell function of MPG College by the lighting the lamp here today.

The cultural programme commenced with a welcome song presented by students, followed by a folk dance and song presented by Mahendar Chauhan and Dharmendar Parmar. Komal Surayal, who participated in the Republic Day Parade in Delhi, was also felicitated on the occasion. Students were given a grand farewell on the occasion.

However, the land lease to the Art of Living organisation was the main talking point in the function too.

Gunsola commended the outgoing union for its successful tenure and wished them for their bright future.

Speaking on the ongoing issue of college land lease to the Art of Living, he reaffirmed that not a single inch of college land would be given to any organisation. He also announced Rs 5 lakh for a sports ground in the college land.

Former Palika president Manmohan Singh Mall said if the college land was leased to any organisation, he would sit on an indefinite fast and protest. Mussoorie Congress president Bhagwan Singh Dhanai also reiterated that a massive protest would be launched and town would be brought to standstill if such move was initiated. He also said the whole deal was done in close doors and the Congress ward members were also not aware of it. He further said if the Congress ward members were found guilty of signing on the dubious, the deal action would be initiated against them too. President Nitin Dutt thanked the invited guests. President of the Mandi Parishad Opendar Thapli, Bharosi Rawat and others were also present on the occasion.

However, ex-officio president of the college OP Uniyal and Palika ward members were absent from the programme despite the invitation. Mohsin Tanha was the coordinator of the programme.

Dehradun, March 15
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) held its 21st convocation ceremony here today. About 1,842 bachelors and masters students were conferred diploma and degree certificates. Chief guest for the ceremony was Durg Singh Chauhan, Vice-Chancellor of Uttarakhand Technical University. IGNOU Regional Director Dr Anil Kumar Dimri and media coordinator for the state government Devendra Bhasin were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, Chauhan said in spite of the IGNOU courses being long distance in nature, as compared to previous years, the number of candidates for the department of bio technology, information technology and para medical science had increased.

“For working students or those who are living in interiors, such courses have proved beneficial. Besides awareness has created employment opportunities,” added Chauhan.

Discussing the progress report of IGNOU, Dimri said as compared to previous years there had been 26 per cent growth in the number of students, for which the credit went to the teachers and educational facilities being provided at the regional centre.

However, IGNOU, in association with Lal Bahadur National Administrative Academy at Mussoorie, has also been running a public policy course for IAS trainees. Out of the present students, P Roshi Devi (diploma in nutrition and health) and Santosh Kumar Singh (diploma in civil engineering) were awarded gold medals for their outstanding performance in academics. 

Dehradun, March 15
To discuss and announce holding a competition for educators and parents, the Forum for Emotional Intelligence Learning (FEIL), Dehradun Chapter, in collaboration with Samadhan Pahel and UCOST, held a press conference at Hotel Ajanta here today.

The panel of the chapter has planned “Innovative and Effective Teaching Methods” as the theme of the competition. There will be a healthy interaction of educators as well as of aware parents sharing their ideas in the competition.

However, the competition aims at informing both teachers and guardians to make teaching and learning stress free. During the competition, experts will also give information on how to make learning pleasurable at the primary as well as secondary level. The competition will be based on innovative ideas on effective usage of their suggested methodology, practical teaching aid, concepts developed and specific learning outcomes and goals.

The competition will be open for all schools (government aided, ICSE, CBSE, Primary, etc) and approach others too for maximum participation. Eminent psychologists and educators will be evaluating the entries, while the winners of the competition will be awarded with recognition, certificates and prizes.

Dehradun, March 15
For Saji Mathews, who is visually impaired, clearing the first year of the three-year PG diploma course in computer application was never easy. A one-year course extended to three years, but at the end of the exercise there were tears of joy as he strode to receive the award today at the convocation ceremony of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

Three years of relentlessly mastering numerical and algorithm tables had borne fruit for Saji who scored 59.8 per cent in the first semester. He is working at the Computer Application Department of National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH).

“Days would stretch into nights, as I would laboriously pour over tables and books scanned on my computer. At times the exercise bogged me down, but due to the support of my family members, I would again go back to studying,” asserted Saji while speaking to The Tribune.

He lost his eyesight in 2000 while working for a French company at Chennai due to retinal detachment, a condition in which the optic nerve weakens, a catastrophe that was a huge setback to him. “There were days, when I pondered over my future, but faith in God kept me going. An opening at NIVH came by and I grabbed it,” said Saji.

To this day he has kept his interest in books and adventure sports alive. “The screen reading software is a boon to the visually impaired. I scan most of the books available with the help of the software,” he said.

After crossing the biggest hurdle of clearing the first semester, Saji is confident of clearing the remaining six papers in less time that would help him earn the coveted diploma.Once this hurdle is crossed, he plans to take up research activity.

Confident and positive, Saji says that several friends of his in a similar situation have been absorbed by the IBM and other companies. “Companies are opening up and jobs are trickling for us, it is up to us to make or break it,” he added. 

Dehradun, March 15
Governor Margaret Alva extended greetings and warm wishes to people of the state as well as the nation on the occasion of Chaitra Sukladi (Nav Samvatsar), Ugadi, Gudi Padava and Chetti Chand.

In her message, Alva said, “I’d like to extend my heartfelt wishes to all my fellow citizens. The festival of Navratras reflects our diversity as it is celebrated in a wide variety of ways in different parts of the country yet underlining the unity of the nation. May these festivals reinforce the common bond of togetherness of our people and ensure progress, prosperity and peace”.

Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank also extended greetings to residents of the state on the occasion of Chetra Navratra. He also expressed warm wishes to fellow citizens on the commencement of the Indian New Year.

In his message, Nishank said, “May this year and the festival bring prosperity into the lives of people as it brings sanctity in body and soul”.

He also expressed regret for the evils occurring in society. He asked residents to join hands in making the state a better and safer place to live in.

Dehradun, March 15
The Dehradun Football Association has taken stringent steps to curtail the entry of fake players in football tournaments this year as well.

It is a well-known fact that the club usually includes outside players in their teams during crucial matches of a tournament just to enhance their performance.

In order to bring an end to this, the District Football Association has begun the registration process for all clubs players with the association. Under this process a club needs to get its new players registered with the association well in advance of the football tournament and the old players need to get their registration renewed before any football league.

The process is expected to bring about greater amount of discipline in the game.

Secretary of the District Football Association Devandra Bisht said, “The association was faced with the problem of fake players participating in the tournaments for a long time. Therefore, they have made it mandatory for all clubs to registered their players with us and to get their registration renewed before the tournament”.

The new measures taken by the association is expected to maintain the spirit of the game and will promote the local players.

The association will provide a three-day period annually to the players to take transfer from one club to another.

After this period, the players are not allowed to switch over to any other club for a period of one year.

Dehradun, March 15
The North India Volleyball Tournament will get underway at Junior High School Doiwala from April 9. Four teams from across the country are said to participate at the tournament. The tournament offers a handsome cash prize to the winning team.

President of the Volleyball Selection Committee team Arun Sood revealed that it would be a three-day competition, which would see 16 teams like Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, ONGC, Uttarakhand Police, Sport College and other participants at the tournament.

It would be a day and night tournament and the winning team would get a cash prize of Rs 20,000.

The runner-up team would get Rs 10,000 while the team at third spot would get Rs 5,000. Sood was confident that ONGC team would be able to repeat its good performance at the tournament as it had done in the recent past against the various national level tournaments.