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Ganga shifts course by 500 metres
A satellite image of the Ganga flowing through Haridwar
Director Ashvin makes film on alma mater
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Kathak exponent Uma brings
Raas Lila to life
Rush of devotees during the Maha Kumbh. A file photo
Pratap Section lead overall obstacle championship
Arjuna awardee paralympic shooter Naresh Kumar
A match in progress at the S Kandhari Memorial Inter-Sechool Hockey Tournament in Dehradun on Sunday. A Tribune photograph
Gypsy Young enter semifinals in sudden death
Lucknow team defeat U’khand Police
Soccer camp begins at Martial School
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Ganga shifts course by 500 metres
Dehradun, May 2 The Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC), which had conducted the count of pilgrims on the last shahi snan in Haridwar through satellite imageries, has noticed this gradual shift in the course of the Ganga in the past four decades. The latest Haridwar imagery taken during the shahi snan was compared to the 1970 Survey of India sheet and the change was revealed. Moreover, the imageries taken through satellites in 2003 and 2006 were also taken into consideration, thus, further confirming the gradual shift in the course of the Ganga in
Haridwar. - Dr MM
Kimothi, Director, USAC, Dehradun
“It was strikingly noticed that the Ganga changed its course from Jagjeetpur, which falls just outside Haridwar city. This change so far is to the tune of 500 m from its original course,” said Dr MM Kimothi, Director, USAC, Dehradun. This change in the Ganga course has been to the both sides east and west and has been revealed distinctly in the stretch of 500 m. The Director did not deny the Ganga continuing with the changing of its course in the future, which, he said, could be a cause of threat to settlements and agriculture land alongside its banks as the change could lead to submerging of much of land. The satellite imageries received from Haridwar during the Maha Kumbh have come up with 17 layers of information, which has been converted by the centre into a database in the form of digital maps. The database refers to surface water sources, groundwater, floral wealth, agriculture land, topography crop pattern and other information. This Haridwar database will prove immense help in the planning for the holy city. Interestingly, it has been only through the USAC data analysis of satellite imageries taken on the last shahi snan that the presence of 1.64 crore pilgrims could be confirmed in Haridwar on that day. Significantly, the USAC has created the digital data base for entire Uttarakhand state so that various line departments like Potable Water, Agriculture, Forest Department, PWD, Horticulture, Water-shed Management, Urban and Rural Development and Disaster Management are benefited and their progress is accelerated in the process. Established in 2005 by the Department of Science and Technology, the centre has been mandated to conserve and manage the natural resources of the state and also work for disaster mitigation. It has been given a responsibility towards execution of user-friendly space technology enabled programmes. The Uttarakhand government has identified the USAC as nodal agency for carrying out all space-related programmes in the state.
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Director Ashvin makes film on alma mater
Dehradun, May 2 When the governing board of India’s best known school, Doon School, approached him to make a motion picture, initial astonishment gave way to excitement and Ashvin was game for a challenge. Between holding auditions of more than 70 boys at the school campus to rekindling memories of his school, Ashvin was able to find time to chat at length about his films, the school and the project he is working on during his short stay here. “For the first time in India, a 45-minute motion picture is being made to convey the ethos and values of the school. It is a story about two boys and their experiences while growing up at Doon School. Side by side my own recollections about the time that I spent here, about incidents whose memory I still treasure, will invariably get reflected,” said Ashvin, not ready to divulge much. Expectedly, the film will also focus on Welham Girls School and its perceived importance in every Doon School boy’s life. In its platinum year, the school, that has produced one Prime Minister, a few ministers several MPs and many captains of industries, plans to premier the film on October 23 to mark the Founders Day. It was here at the Rose Bowl that Ashvin’s interest in theatre first got ignited. “I participated in a few school plays. The generosity of teachers is still fresh in my mind. Some of teachers are still there and now I share a different kind of relationship with my teachers. The realisation that I should seriously pursue mass communication and films dawned on later when I was studying at St Stephen’s College. From there I went to London. It was an invigorating experience, being on my own and learning,” he said. Quite happy with the response to short films that he has made, Ashvin said he liked to convey his stories in the shortest possible time. “I never had that kind of money to spend. Short films require less budget and are within my means,” he said. The inspiration behind the “Little Terrorist” was actually the climate of hostility that the nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan had generated in the ’90s: “I allowed the idea gestate with me for quite some time before writing a full script in just two sittings. I think it is the most important part of the film and once you get it right, everything else is bound to flow in a pattern,” said the director of “Road to Ladakh” in which he even performed with Koel Puri. So far, “Little Terrorist” has been part of 156 film festivals all over the country. Besides the film for his alma mater, Ashvin is also working on another short film titled “Inshallah Football” with focus on Kashmir. “I would not like to talk about the film at this point in time. It is in the final stages,” said the filmmaker.
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Kathak exponent Uma brings Raas Lila to life
Mussoorie, May 2 Uma mesmerised the audience consisting mainly of students from Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School (GNFC). She was accompanied by Jwala Prasad on the vocals and harmonium, Mubarak Ali on the tabla and Khalid Mustafa on the sitar. Earlier, the Headmistress of the school welcomed the eminent kathak exponent by presenting her a shawl. The show began after the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. Uma showcased her dancing
skills by depicting various stories in the most articulate and expressive manner. Her eyes, hands and feet movements assisted in unfolding the story of Krishna’s childhood and his pranks with the gopis. Later, speaking to the media Uma said she started kathak from a very young age. She recalled that in her childhood she was invited every year to perform at Pandit Nehru's birthday celebrations. Since then she has performed for nearly every President and Prime Minister of the country as well as for Queen Elizabeth and other
dignitaries. She said her grooming was done under the tutelage of Pt Sundar Prasad of Jaipur Gharana and Pt Shambhu Maharaj of the
Lucknow Gharana. She has also adapted works of Ghalib, Tagore, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Kaifi Azmi and other contemporary poets under the guidance of late Naina Devi from whom she learnt the art of thumri and ghazal singing. Uma is also one of the rare artistes who sings with performance making it a unique experience. Uma has kept alive the folk tradition of raas leela from Brindavan and presented them in different temples around Delhi. She also happens to be the first dancer who pioneered the publication of a journal entitled Lipika. The programme held under the aegis of the Spic-Macay, that is pioneer in organising such programmes and promoting Indian classical music and culture amongst the youth.
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Dehradun Diary SMA Kazmi Tribune News Service The plea by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank for a Nobel prize for peacefully and successfully hosting the Maha Kumbh from January 1 till April 28 in Haridwar has further divided the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of the state and also received severe criticism from the Opposition Congress. The issue was first brought by Nishank himself, when after the shahi snan of the Maha Kumbh on April 14, he said a professor from a US university who visited the state was amazed by the management of the Maha Kumbh where nearly 1.64 crore pilgrims took holy bath on that day and rooted for a Nobel prize for the state. Nishank clarified that it was a demand by the professor from the US. Everybody took it with a pinch of salt. But, later, as other BJP leaders and Cabinet colleagues also clamoured, it seems that the demand for a Nobel prize became semi-official. It was believed that there was serious thinking in the government to rope in Indologists from Europe, particularly some German Indologists well-versed with the Hindu culture, scriptures and the Sanskrit language to lobby for a Nobel for the Kumbh hosting. Nishank, in a clever move, also held a meeting of his council of ministers at Har-ki-Pauri on the banks of the Ganga to show his commitment to clean the river and to preserve the river in its pristine glory. Obviously, since there was more of politics than any substance in the move to exploit the sentiments attached to the Ganga and Maha Kumbh, the Congress was quick to condemn the move. Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Harish Rawat, who is also Lok Sabha MP from Haridwar, termed it as a cheap gimmick. He questioned the success of the Maha Kumbh and the subsequent demand for a Nobel prize. He said seven deaths occurred in the stampede on April 14 and still the Chief Minister was demanding a Nobel. The Congress has been accusing the state BJP government of misappropriation of the Rs 400 crore given by the Centre for the Maha Kumbh preparations. “Instead of a probe into the money actually spent, the state BJP government has been trying to hoodwink the people by terming it a success and asking for a Nobel prize,” said Rawat. There was a shocker for the Chief Minister and the state BJP unit when a former Chief Minister, Major-Gen BC Khanduri (retd), also ridiculed the idea of getting a Nobel for hosting the Maha Kumbh. He was not that candid in his criticism but said in so many words that Nobel could only be given in certain categories and holding of the Maha kumbh did not fall in any of those. At the best, Maha Kumbh could be listed for an entry into the Guinness Book of World records. Khanduri gets active
Khanduri, who was unceremoniously removed by the BJP high command in June last and has been licking his wounds since then, has again become politically active. Khanduri was asked to go following a rebellion launched by another former Chief Minister of the state Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. In the fight between, Khanduri and Koshiyari, Lady Luck smiled on Nishank, who was the Health Minister in the Khanduri ministry and was elevated as the Chief Minister. It was believed that Khanduri would get a place in the party organisation headed by party’s national president Nitin Gadkari. However, the announcement of Koshiyari as an office-bearer instead of Khanduri came as a surprise to even BJP leaders. But, Khanduri, taking these developments in his stride, has started afresh and has been touring the state. He has been in touch with the grass-roots party workers and explaining to them the circumstances in which he worked. He admits that he was not able to do much developmental works due to intermittent imposition of model code of conduct during various elections that he faced in his more than two years of rule. He has been getting a good response from the party workers who still consider him a senior powerful party leader of the state.
Former Andhra Pradesh Governor and veteran Congress leader Narayan Dutt Tiwari, who has been living in Dehradun after the Hyderabad Governor House taint, has been enjoying life to the fullest. He has been a regular at social and even official gatherings despite the fact that most of the Congress leaders of the state are shunning him privately as well as publicly. He was at his best at the recently concluded function of the 1st Uttarakhand International Film Festival. In the presence of state Governor Margaret Alva, when asked to speak, Tiwari sought her permission to speak while sitting stating that the blows received during freedom struggle are troubling him in his old age. But he showed that he was young at heart. He started singing a film song “Maine tere liye hi lal rang ke sapne chune, sapne rangeeley sapne,” much to the amusement of everyone, including Alva. In her address, the Governor termed Tiwari as “ever youthful”.
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Pratap Section lead overall obstacle championship
Dehradun, May 2 The seniors’ course comprised the obstacles of juniors as well as 10 feet wall, double ditch, monkey crawling and a cycling college round. In the juniors’ category cadets Arjun, Aryama and Ashutosh won the gold,
silver and bronze respectively. In the seniors’ category cadets Lalit,
Marshal and Himanshu won the gold, silver and bronze respectively. In the overall result Pratap section came 1st, Ranjit stood 2nd, Chandragupta at 3rd position and Shivaji at 4th. The chief guest on the occasion, Col H Dharmarajan, SM, Commandant, RIMC, praised the cadets for their commendable performance and encouraged them to work harder with more zeal and
enthusiasm. Coordinators of the event were D N Thapliyal and B Chauhan. Others present on the occasion were Lt Col R Nathawat, KS Ahlawat, Lt Com S Chakravorty, Major SR Sahu, CS Vishwakarma, PK Sharma and
PN Naik.
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Challenges no bar for shooting star
Dehradun, May 2 His exploits at the Maharaja Kerni Singh shooting range even caught the attention of MP and industrialist Navin Jindal, who encouraged him to represent Chhattisgarh at national events. “They sponsor my equipment and training for shooting events. The financial assistance has taken the burden off my shoulders. I believe the quality of equipment can make or break the career of a shooter. If these needs are taken care of, one can hope to concentrate on other things,” said Naresh, who was in Doon recently to participate in paralympic trials for the shooting team that will take part in the World Cup to be held in France and Spain and the World Championship to be held in Croatia. However, midway he shifted to rifle shooting to prove a point that he could excel in another event as well. “When I was shooting with pistol, my detractors pointed that I had an advantage because I used a stool for seating purpose and was thus able to score more points. To prove them wrong, I took up rifle shooting. In this event the rules and body position is similar to those in the Olympics,” emphasised Naresh. An Arjuna awardee, Naresh was placed fifth at the Beijing Parlaympics and hopes to bag a gold medal for the country. Naresh said, “It is high time the sports bodies start giving cash prizes to shooters. We have asked the Paralympic Committee to consider the proposal so that disabled athletes get a complete share of the prize money,” said
Naresh.
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Sports College drub RIMC 8-1
Dehradun, May 2 Prabhakar Nautiyal netted three goals for the winning side. He scored in the 22nd, 26th and 53rd minutes of the game. While Manoj (9th minute), Ankit (53rd minute), Praveen (40th minute), Ajay Singh (43rd minute) and Vivek (45th minute) scored a goal each. On the other hand, beleaguered RIMC could just score a goal. The goal came for it in the 27th minute through Mohit. Host Welham Boys School B team had an embarrassing day too. It was thrashed by Doon School 7-0. But the team A of Welham saved the face of the school as it defeated Wynberg Allen School (WAS) 3-1 in another match played today. St Georgia School, Mussoorie beat Oak Grove School (OGS) 2-0. The OGS was blanked yesterday as well by Welham Boys School B team.
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Gypsy Young enter semifinals in sudden death
Dehradun, May 2 Both the contesting teams had a fierce battle in the quarterfinal played today. The teams after battling it out hard couldn’t score even a single goal in the stipulated time. The excitement of the crowd increased and the players nerves too. After playing a draw the match was to be decided through penalty shootouts. But no result could come out in this too and the nervousness remained as it is. In sudden death, Gypsy Young managed to get past its mighty rival 4-3. Mahender Singh Matela, Youl, Ankush and Gaurav scored for the winning team. While for Garhwal Sporting Shashank Mangai, Shivam and Harsh scored. Sudarshan Negi, goalkeeper of the winning side was appreciated for his good work. Vijay Cantt to lock horns in a quarterfinal tomorrow with Akranta.
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Lucknow team defeat U’khand Police
Dehradun, May 2 In this 35 over match, the U’khand Police won the toss and decided to bat first. Opening batsmen Yogender Chauhan (36) and Harsh Vardhan Negi (27) started off well for their side, but couldn’t convert their individual scores to big numbers. The cops team that was 64 for one in 8.1 overs, lost three wickets in quick succession and in the 13.1 over it lost four wickets for just 87 runs. However, Ashish Joshi (51) and Narender (32) led the side later. The U’khand Police set a target of 239 at the loss of nine wickets. For LDA, Jai Narain captured three wickets and Karan Sharma got two wickets. Batting second, the LDA scored 242 at the loss of eight wickets. Javed Anwar (74) and Arun Sharma (51) were the principal scorers in the win of their team. Lalit Panwar, Ravi Bisht and Narender got two each for the U’khand Police.
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Soccer camp begins at Martial School
Dehradun, May 2 The children were taught basics of the game by international coach CB Thapa. It will be a 21-day camp at the school. A summer camp will also be organised at nine other places by the foundation. “We have received a good response from children. They are ready to learn and have potential in them,” Budhimaan Thapa, president of the foundation, said. He said they had put banners at all 10 places where the camps were to be organised to attract kids for the camp. Besides this, they had also visited various schools and met coaches there to send children for attending the soccer camp, Thapa added.
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The Ganga in Haridwar has shifted from its original course by 500 metres and if the trend continues it can spell havoc for many settlements and farmers down the Gangetic plains.
The Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, which had conducted the count of pilgrims on the last shahi snan in Haridwar through satellite imageries, has noticed this gradual shift in the course of the Ganga in the past four decades.
