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State education setup pathetic: ABVP
NAINITAL DIARY
Easy title win for DAV cagers
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Two feared drowned in Ganga
Haridwar, October 10 According to people living in the vicinity of Lal Pull, a six-member family from Bijnore was crossing the narrow bridge when suddenly they saw a train coming. They got caught in the middle of the bridge and tried to run to the other end. In this haste, one-and-a-half-year-old Jiya fell from the lap of her mother. In an attempt to save her, Jonny and Krishna, her brothers, dived into the river. A woman relative, Krishna, also dived to save the girl but was swept away in the flow along with Johny. A physically challenged boy of a nearby area, Chand Mohammed, saved two persons from drowning. His act inspired others to participate in the rescue operation. After the incident, residents have once again stepped up the demand for the constructing of a permanent bridge at the place as such incidents are happening quite often. Nearby people have to tread almost 2 km further to reach Jwalapur if they avoid crossing the railway bridge. The bridge, known as Lal Pull, has got the bad reputation of killer bridge as in the past few years several persons have drowned while crossing it. Police station in charge Dharmendra Ramola reached the spot and supervised the rescue operation. The Jal police too searched for the missing persons till late evening.
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The man who sculpts the divine
Dehradun, October 10 The preparations for making idols start two months prior to Durga Puja. Bankim Pal leads a team of four members from the famous Kumartuli locality of Kolkata who have been invited to Dehradun to create these figures. These traditional artistes have to toil night and day to complete the task. Pal has been visiting Dehradun for almost 20 years now. In the state capital, his statues will adorn several pandals to be erected at the Junior Club premises of the Ordnance Factory Estate, Hathibarkala, Karanpur Panchayati Mandir, Baliwala Chowk, Model Colony etc. He has also been entrusted the task of making similar idols for Bengali cultural organisations in Kurukshetra, Jalandhar, Ferozepore, Rishikesh, Viksanagar and Haridwar. Rishikesh will be their next destination once the work gets finished here. “We mix hay of rice with a peculiar variety of clay, collected from all major rivers of the country. It is mixed with a major portion extracted from Raipur and then put into various moulds. “Then, the figures are taken out and put on temporary structures made of wood and bamboo,” he told The Tribune. “In one week, we complete the images, paint them and also dress them up.” “We prepare the idols of Goddess Durga annihilating the Asura, along with idols of Lord Vishwakarma, Ganesh-Lakshmi, Kartikeya and Saraswati along with their mounts - swan, owl and peacock etc,” Pal said. The team has made the verandah of the Bengali Library in Raipur their makeshift workplace. “We mostly use water colours on the idols. To impart extra effects, ararot flour is mixed with the colours,” he said. The thought that their work will be immersed in rivers once the celebrations are over does not faze the artists one bit. “Our work is to prepare the idols and it is the Bengali tradition to immerse the same, so it does not bother us,” Pal maintained. He added that the structures costs around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 depending on their sizes. “Our work begins after Janmashtami when a small puja is held. To make these sculptures, these artisans live in Dehradun for around a month and return when only a few days are left for the Puja,” Tapas Chakraborty, General Secretary, Puja Committee, Raipur, Dehradun, said. It is only two days prior to the Puja that the goddess is decorated with ornaments and various weapons are fixed to her 10 arms. The colourful dress that she wears are specially brought from Kolkata,” Chakraborty said. “The decoration is generally made of the ‘shola’ products. These are forest products, grow on ‘shola’ trees and are very light. These are also procured from Kolkata,” he said. “Various ornaments are prepared from ‘shola’ and offered to the goddess. Headgears (mukuts) made of ‘shola’ are worn by brides and grooms in traditional Bengali marriages. “Durga Puja festivities are considered incomplete without the presence of Dhaki. They are a special class of drummers who beat their drums and dance in a peculiar style. They shall be landing in Dehradun soon,” Chakraborty reiterated.
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U’khand artisans to showcase skills at Pragati Maidan
Dehradun, October 10 These selected groups of artisans and craftsmen along with 10 more Self Help Groups (SHGs) from other parts the country have been picked from the local trade fair Saras Mela-2010 running in Dehrdaun. The Saras Mela-2010 is organised at the Parade Ground, Dehradun, jointly by the Indian government and Uttarakhand government’s Rural Development Department. It has made a business of about worth over Rs 60 lakh just in 10 days’ time. The mela is a platform for more than 200 self-help groups from 21 states. Speaking to The Tribune, Ravikant Pandey, state coordinator (marketing), Saras Mela-2010, said: “It’s an honour for us that these groups of artisans have been selected by the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA) for an International event on the basis of their finesse in work, exceptional skills, sales and demand of their works at Saras. We would primarily promote five districts
of Uttrakhand, including Champawat, for their iron craft, Bageshwar for their copper goods, Pitthoragarh for woollens (specially Angora), food items (lentils), Haridwar for woodwork and readymade garments while Dehradun for dry flower and honey.” The trade fair was conducted to encourage artisans hailing from BPL families who are not beneficiaries of state and Central government schemes while upgrading skills of artisans through industrial exposure and training. The Uttarakhand Rural Development Department has been entrusted with the task of providing training to the artists. The event also entails providing aid to trained members of BPL families in the form of variouos implements, raw material and financial assistance in setting up a unit. “Like every year, this year too self-help groups in Uttarakhand will provide increased employment opportunities and help in curtailing migration of the youth from hills to plains,” asserted Pandey. He also lauded the participation of women in Saras Mela-2009 as they marked their maximum presence among other participating artisans. At the inauguration of the mela, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank highlighted the need for strengthening self-help groups through such an initiative at the national level while improving the rural economy too. The participating states in the mela include Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Goa, Sikkim, Haryana, Maharashtra, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. The mela showcased cultural stalls presenting cultural and traditional art form along with mouthwatering cuisines with different flavours of India. Also the cultural programme of singing and dancing captivated Doonites. The programme was coordinated by state convener Ravikant Pandey, Sharad Sundriyal and others.
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State education setup pathetic: ABVP
Nainital, October 10 While hitting out at the private educational institutions for fleecing people, the organisation has also pointed out that the scenario in the government-run education setup is pathetic. It has said while there is a large team of officials in the Education Department, schools are functioning without the adequate number of teachers. The activists said the creation of the State Council for Education Research and Training (SCERT) was serving no purpose as everything was being implemented on the pattern adopted by its counterpart at the national level, the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT). The ABVP activists also expressed their reservations over the course content at the school level. The participants came up with a series of demands at the meeting. These included the creation of a university exclusively for girls on the lines of the one at Vanasthali in Rajasthan, an end to self-finance courses in government institutions, a state-level entrance test for admission to vocational courses, a cut in fees in the government institutions and ensuring allotment of seats to the meritorious students in every institution. The participants have also demanded making available home science courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and starting of postgraduate courses in education and music. The participants said laws must be framed to put an end to the commercialisation of education and for determining admission fee in various institutions. They have sought recruitment of teachers in all government colleges across the state.
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Sanstha opens computer centre
Dehradun, October 10 He said vocational courses like computer training were important for
employment generation in rural areas as these areas were often devoid of
such training institutes. Digmabar reiterated BJP’s commitment for
better computer education in the state. Pan Singh Rawat, head of the
centre, said apart from providing computer education, the centre would
also provide Internet and other services to villagers in Nehru Gram and
adjoining villages. He added that the institute would also conduct
special classes for the underprivileged sections of the society. Vikram
Singh Negi, secretary, Gram Vikas Sanstha, coordinated the proceedings.
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Bala Hissar Academy celebrates annual function
Dehradun, October 10 Meritorious students and ICSE-ISC toppers were presented prizes during the ceremony. The extravaganza started with the welcome dance followed by the “Little One Dance”. A Western dance by senior students and folk dances of different parts of India received maximum applause from the audience. The school choir lent solemnity to the
programme. It was followed by a Hindi play, “Chief ki dawat” and an English play, “Tom Sawyer”. The event concluded with a vote of thanks and the National Anthem by the school choir.
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NAINITAL DIARY
The event that rocked the Lake City and even put the issues related to the recent natural disaster on the back burner was the fire that gutted the Collectorate Building, a heritage site. Built in the Gothic style during the colonial era, it was a delight to watch and the local population was very possessive about it.
The moment people came to know about the fire breaking out at the building, they rushed to the spot pitching in to douse the flames. These included people from all walks of life. Those present on the hill facing the building rushed to capture the incident in their cameras, clicking hundreds of pictures in the process. There was no way they could have reached the spot immediately. People did pitch in with all their might, but they were let down by the fire-fighting mechanism available as there was very little that these people could do. A large number of fire extinguishers kept on the premises failed to function. Even as the fire brigade arrived at the spot, there were several corners which could not be reached. In this process a large number of documents were destroyed. Desperate efforts were made to save documents kept in the offices. As the files were thrown out to save them from fire, the documents got scattered all over, making it a herculean task to put them back in order. The fire at the building has been the talk of the town since then as debates have erupted over the incident all around. Although the prima facie cause of the fire is being assumed to be a short-circuit, there are skeptics who are not buying this theory and are pointing at sabotage. There are still others who are gunning for the top officials in the administration although the latter have done a commendable job by making the Collectorate functional from the very next day. Such reactions are very expected in small places where there are far too many vested interests at play and small-time politicians are always on the lookout for an opportunity to make a quick buck or hog the limelight in the media. The building was constructed in 1898 after Nainital district was carved out of Almora. The building was granted a heritage status in 2005 by the government led by Narayan Dutt Tiwari. The restoration work are learnt to have been entrusted to the Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). Plans to the tune of more than Rs 2.96 crore had been drawn out for its restoration. However, it was not declared a heritage building by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The administration is looking at possibilities of restoring the building to its old form. The people of the region are very much dismayed over the building being gutted down and a lot many blogs have appeared on various sites on its grandeur and the place it has in the hearts of the people. A number of people connected with Nainital who are now based elsewhere have conveyed their shock over its being burnt down. After all this building had been a witness to several historic occasions both during the British rule as well as the post-Independence period. Among these events was the creation and prosperity of the district of Udham Singh Nagar in the Terai area that was carved out of
Nainital.
Cops launch
aid-collection drive
The civil society in Nainital district has been very late in responding to the needs of the people hit by incessant rains last month. Eventually, it was the police that initiated a drive to collect aid in the form of cash and kind for the people who are facing all sorts of hardships that include hunger and housing problems as they have been forced out of their houses that have been badly damaged in the rains. The police took the initiative and called a meeting of the prominent organisations in the town that set the ball rolling. Otherwise the town had displayed a “shockingly selfish” attitude till that time. The disaster-hit people are struggling in villages that are at a distance of a few kilometers. Yet, very few people had thought of organising relief efforts unlike the civil society in Haldwani, Almora and Udham Singh Nagar. With the drive once initiated, people of Nainital are now donating liberally for their fellow citizens who are in dire straits and fighting for their survival. At present several organisations and institutions, along with individuals, are coming forward with aid.
Nishank govt
draws flak
The state government led by Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank is once again drawing flak for its response to the disaster that struck the area last month in the forms of cloud bursts, landslides, flash floods and mudslides. People are peeved over the fact that the government is continuing to print and heap publicity material singing praises about its functioning in the districts. “Can’t they stop this at least for now when it is a well-known fact that they have failed miserably in preventive efforts and disaster management. How can they keep cribbing about lack of money when they have crores to spend on promoting their images even at this hour? All this is going to lead them nowhere,” is a common refrain that one gets to hear in public discussions at various points. People are also questioning the help coming from public representatives at the individual level, particularly the legislators and parliamentarians. “The ruling party and the Opposition are just busy slinging mud at each other while people continue to suffer,” is the normal response. Ironically, people have had no qualms about being skeptical about the utilisation of relief money. They have been openly expressing doubts about the politicians handling the money and instead of worrying about the amount of money are more concerned that there must be a mechanism to monitor its distribution.
Yet another leader shoots his mouth off
The politicians of the state are slowly gaining the reputation of regularly putting their foot in their mouths. Earlier, there was an incident of a minister wanting to inaugurate a post-mortem house. His demand did not end here as he also wanted a pundit to preside over the event. The latest in the series has been a senior Congressman who went on to announce that he would ensure that the school in remote village of Chukam, near Ramnagar, gets a computer. The officials and people are wondering what the people of Chukam would do with a computer as the village strives for the bare essentials and the power supply is evading them most of the time.
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Doon dist b’ball tourney begins
Dehradun, October 10 Doon International School beat Aryaan School 29-22 in an interesting encounter. Atul scored nine points for the winners while Lahmal scored eight points for Aryaan School. In the third match in the boys section, Hilton School trounced Scholars’ Home 31-6. Shivam was the top scorer with 14 points while Himansh scored seven points for Scholars’ Home. In another match, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy beat Pestle Weed College 35-25. Amar scored 13 points for Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy while Mani scored seven points for Pestle Weed College. St George’s College, Mussoorie, defeated Scholars’ Home 18-8 in another match. Ankush scored eight points for the Mussoorie team while Himash scored two points for Scholars’ home team. In the last match in the boys section, Doon International School beat St Mary’s School 32-4 in a one-sided match. Mayank scored ten points for the winners. In the girls section, Hopetown School defeated Summer Valley School in a close match 27-26. Anjum scored 18 points for the Hopetown team while Amna of Summer Valley scored 19 points for her team. Welham Girls School defeated Convent of Jesus and Mary 42-11. Sumana of Welham scored 12 points. In another match, Hilton School defeated Carman school 10-8 in which Sneha scored six points for the winners. St Thomas School beat Doon International School 16-10. Vijay Shree scored 10 points for her team while Khushbu scored 10 points for the rivals. Welham Girls beat Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy 48-24. St Thomas School beat Unison School 20-09. In another match, Carman School defeated St Mary’s School 16-3. Scholars’ Home beat Shigally Hills School 34-10. In the last match in the girls section, Aryaan School beat Summer Valley School 19-8.
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Asian, Hilton, St Thomas schools win
Dehradun, October 10 In Pool D, Raja Ram Mohan Roy School defeated Doon Cambridge School. The first match in Pool A was played between Carman School, Dalanwala, and the Asian School. Carman School won the toss and elected to bat. In the first innings, Carman School scored 33 runs at the loss of three wickets and the Asian School scored 30 runs at the loss of one wicket. In the second innings, Carman School scored 19 runs taking their total to 52 runs. The Asian School won the match scoring 27 runs and taking their total to 57 runs. Bhavesh of the Asian School was adjudged the best striker with a total of 28 runs. In Pool B, Bala Hissar Academy played against Hilton School. Bala Hissar won the toss and elected to bat. In the first innings, Bala Hissar scored 23 runs at the loss of six wickets and Hilton School scored 26 runs at the loss of five wickets. In the second innings, Bala Hissar scored 34 runs taking their total to 57 runs. Hilton School won the match scoring 35 runs and taking their total to 61 runs. Anupam of Hilton School was adjudged the best striker with a total of 15 runs. In Pool C, Guru Nanak Academy played against St Thomas School. Guru Nanak Academy won the toss and elected to field first. In the first innings, St Thomas’ School scored 36 runs for three wickets and Guru Nanak Academy scored 29 runs at the loss of five wickets. In their second innings, St Thomas School scored 31 runs taking their total to 67 runs. Guru Nanak Academy could only manage 31 runs losing four wickets thus ending with a total of 60 runs. Sachin of St Thomas’ School was adjudged the best striker with a total of 28 runs. In Pool D, Doon Cambridge School played against Raja Ram Mohan Roy School. Raja Ram Mohan Roy won the toss and elected to bat first. In the first innings, Raja Ram Mohan Roy School scored 45 at the loss of a wicket. Doon Cambridge School scored 23 at the loss of three wickets. In the second innings, Raja Ram Mohan Roy School scored 34 runs taking their total to 79 runs. Doon Cambridge could only score 25 runs for the loss of seven wickets taking their score to 48. Santosh of Raja Ram Mohan Roy School was adjudged the best striker for his score of 20 runs.
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Haridwar judokas score a perfect 10
Haridwar, October 10 In this three-day state-level competition, 250 participants from all districts of the state exhibited their judo skills. As many as 10 participating judokas had more than 10 coveted national championships’ medals to their credit. Abhay (40kg category) bagged gold while Kailash and Ashish won silver and bronze respectively. In 50kg, Gaurav, Aditya and Amardeep were the podium finishers. In the girls section, Tanvi bagged gold followed by Nikita and Nisha in the 40kg group. In 48kg, Priyanka Negi, Swati and Shilpa were the three position holders. In the senior category, Deepa Chaudhari and Sumita Bhandari won in the 52kg and 57kg respectively. Manoj, Arun (60kg) and Ankur and Abhijit Chaudhari (66kg) were also among the medal winners. The top 30 judokas of this championship have been selected for the upcoming National Judo Championship to be held in Bengaluru from November 25 to 30. Commissioner Dr Rajeev Tyagi, who is also the Director of RIMS, the championship sponsor, lauded the efforts of the players and the officials. Yeshbeer Singh, general secretary of the Judo Association of Uttarakhand, assured that the state judo association would help organise more events.
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Easy title win for DAV cagers
Dehradun, October 10 Bhawna scored 12 points and Rajni scored 10 points for DAV (PG), Dehradun, while Presh from Mussoorie was the highest scorer with four points. Earlier, DAV (PG) College, Dehradun, defeated DBS College, Dehradun, 87-2 in the semifinal. Rajni scored 20 points for the winners and Jyoti chipped in with 13 points. In the second semifinal, MPG College, Mussoorie, defeated MKP College, Dehradun, 26-15. Neena scored 10 points for the winners while Amarpreet scored six points for the losers. Kuldeep Kumar, MLA from Vikasnagar, was the chief guest who gave away the prizes.
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Jain-Mathew win lucky doubles title
Dehradun, October 10 Both semifinal and final matches were played on the last day today. In first semifinal of open doubles, Pawan Jain and Sameer beat Brijender Chauhan and Vipin Roy 6-1, 6-4. In the second semifinal of open doubles, Rajeev Negi and Praveer Pandey beat Pradeep Wali and Harish 6-2, 4-6, 11-9. In the first semifinal of lucky doubles, the pair of Pawan Jain and Sunil Mathur beat Sameer and NP Dangwal 7-5. In the second
semifinal, the duo of Pradeep Wali and Virender Mishra beat Vipin Roya and Manoj Gupta. AP Kala, General
Manager, ONGC, gave away the prizes. Veteran tennis player of the FRI SMH Kazmi was also present on the occasion.
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