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Aloe vera farming boon for changar farmers
NIT director in tight spot again
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Move to extend MC limits draws flak
Climate change
Kangra reels under traffic jams
Himachal Diary
Vignettes
Master of unique paper cutting art
Science camp for class X students
PTA teacher threatens self-immolation
Baddi unit bags award
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Aloe vera farming boon for changar farmers
Dharamsala, October 19 Chairman of the Kangra Cooperative Bank RS Mankotia said: “We have formed societies that are providing aloe vera samplings to farmers with a buy back guarantee as Baba Ram Dev has entered into an agreement with the state to buy the produce at cost of Rs 5 per kg. As per our calculations, a farmer can earn upto Rs 20,000 per kanal per annum.” Aloe vera needs dry weather and arid conditions for growth. Since it does not need any fertiliser or pesticide, cost of production is nominal. Besides, aloe vera has another added advantage over other crops. Farmers in Changar and adjoining forest areas have given up farming due to damage caused to their crops by wild animals. However, aloe vera crop does not have that problem as wild animal do not feed on it. Due to lack of stable farming or sources of livelihood, Changar areas of the state have maximum cases of migration. Experts are of the view that if the farmers start growing medical plants like aloe vera, it can help check migration also as it will provide them with a stable source of income. However, inquiries by The Tribune have revealed that non-availability of medical plant saplings in the market and lack of knowledge about the buyback schemes is keeping many farmers away from this venture. Though some progressive farmers have taken to farming of medical plants like musali, benefits of the practice have not yet percolated to marginal farmers. Experts from the Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology, CSIR Centre, Palampur, are also advocating farming of medicinal plants in the state. They are of the view that farming can save bio-diversity of medicinal plants in the forests.
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NIT director in tight spot again
Hamirpur, October 19 In a major blow to Dr IK Bhatt, the state High Court has accepted PIL against the denial of permission to the CBI to proceed against him by the Chief Vigilance officer, Ministry of Human Resource Development, after a CBI raid in the institute on April 16, 2009, and issued notices in the case. A Division Bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court comprising Chief Justice Joseph Kurian and Mr Justice Kuldeep Singh has issued six-week notice to file reply to seven respondents i.e. Ministry of HRD, All India Secretary of NITs , NIT Director I K Bhatt , Vigilance Bureau, New Delhi; CBI Director , SP, CBI, Shimla; and Amit Khare, Chief Vigilance officer, NITs in MHRD, on the PIL filed by Anil Sud. Counsel for the petitioner Said: “We have sought relief under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution against the order of Chief Vigilance officer of NITs to deny permission to file an FIR and proceed against Dr Bhatt to the CBI in his order dated 18/2/2010, which was important to maintain quality of education in the NIT as the CBI had sought permission to proceed in the alleged irregularities in the appointment of faculty members here.” It is notable that after complaints of alleged irregularities in the appointment of faculty members in a few departments by the teaching community and other quarters, a CBI team headed by the SP, CBI, Shimla, had conducted a raid in the Hamirpur NIT campus on April 16, 2009, but could not proceed in the case due to the denial of permission by the MHRD. Though the term of Dr Bhatt is coming to an end in November, the High Court notice is going to put Dr Bhatt in a tight spot over the recruitment issue at the fag end of his term.
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Move to extend MC limits draws flak
Mandi, October 19 Earlier, RG, Census Operations, which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued a circular to all state governments on October 22, 2009, directing them to ensure that “no boundary of any administrative unit can be changed between January 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011 till the current census operations are complete”. Residents and the RTI Bureau, Mandi, have termed the Urban Development Department’s notification as “whimsical and arbitrary”. “It aimed at giving into aims and objectives of land mafias and town developers to increase their tentacles by acquiring agricultural land in Mandi and industrial belts of Baddi, Barotiwala, Nalagarh, besides Paonta Sahib and Kangra,” resented farmers. In Mandi, HP urban development department has sought to include Bhiuli, Bijni, Nela, Kangni, Chandiyana, Saniardi, Panjiati, Warri and some pockets in Old Mandi in the Mandi municipal committee. “Farmers in many areas still cultivate land and will loose their precious sources of income as they grow vegetable and sell them in the markets”, the farmers resented. The land mafias are out lobbying hard to get the municipal limits extended to expand their business, as there is no land available within towns, residents said. The state government has asked all residents affected by the notification to send their objections or suggestions through the respective deputy commissioners to the government within six weeks. “We will finalise the draft after receiving objections and then put them before the government for further action”, officials said. The officials are, however, tightlipped over the violation of RG’s circular, but they justify the move on the ground of expanding population in the towns. The matter will be put before the Cabinet, which is likely to meet on October 18, they add.
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Climate change
Mandi, October 19 According to HFRI scientists, they have identified key transition zones in Kullu, Kinnaur and Chamba. The impact and effect of climate change on local flora and fauna in the zones is more pronounced and hence it provides insights into the degree and amount of change. Natural calamities like flash floods, cloudbursts and droughts are becoming regular phenomena in the region, puzzling farmers and scientists alike. The scientists are almost groping in the dark on climate change as the data is insufficient for the arriving at a conclusion. After documenting and studying the phenomenon for 10-15 years, the scientists will predict whether or not the change will be favorable for plants, forests or soil or crops.
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Kangra reels under traffic jams
Kangra, October 19 The town witnesses more than 1,900 private and government buses entering daily from Dharamshala, Pathankot, Chandigarh, Delhi, Hoshiarpur, Shimla, Kullu, Manali and Mandi and the equal number of trucks and more than 4,000 cars and jeeps too ply on the roads of the town daily. Unfortunately, frequent traffic jams indicate deterioration in the alleged efficiency graph of the police. Traffic jams are witnessed on the Dharamshala road, outside the new general bus stand, Tehsil Chowk and the Gupt Ganga road with traffic regulating authorities as mute spectators to the problem faced by commuters. Wrongly parked vehicles on these roads are the basic reasons of frequent jams, besides encroachments on roads also add to the problem. The police authorities seem not to be bothered about the prevailing situation. Traffic lights installed at Tehsil Chowk and Hoshiarpur Road stopped functioning a few years ago, but the authorities never bothered to make them functional. The police does not care to take action against those who park vehicles wrongly on the national highway or against those who park at ‘no parking zones’. The Gupt Ganga road, connecting Dr RP Government Medical College with the town at Tehsil Chowk, mostly remains chocked with excess traffic putting locals, pilgrims and patients in trouble. The recently constructed Kangra bypass has not helped people to get rid of the chaos. Youths enjoy rash driving by risking human lives.
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Himachal Diary The Amateur Dramatics Club is becoming active again, though slowly. Members of the club staged a one-act play “Nine Jakhoo Hill” (see photo) at Shimla’s historic Gaiety Theatre. The club had virtually become defunct as far as the dramatic activities were concerned as the imposing edifice remained closed for over seven years for undertaking major restoration work. It was only the second play by the club since the reopening of the theatre, the first one —”Taj Mahal Ka Tender”—staged in December last year. The play depicted the travails of two friendly families, which migrated from Lahore to India during Partition. The originally rich family of Amrita, which had a summerhouse, “Nine Jakhoo Hill” in Shimla settled there, while the family of Chitra opted for Mumbai. After the death of her husband, Amrita, could not manage the affairs of her family well and gradually lost her assets. The “Nine Jakhoo Hill” was the last property on the verge of sale. In contrast, Chitra’s family in Mumbai prospered. The change in their attitudes and relationship over the years was evident when Chitra chose to marry her son to a daughter of rich “Rai Sahib” rather than her friend Amrita’s daughter with whom he was in love. The play was directed by Kanwar Vijay Singh. The main roles were performed by Purnima Chauhan, who played the character of dominating woman Chitra, while Feroza Singh played Amrita. Given the rich history of dramatics and other cultural activities of the club one would expect more frequent performances from the members. Neglect of duties in focus
A public interaction on “ Fundamental Duties of Citizens”, organised by Swarn Educational Welfare and Awareness (SEWA) and the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) early this week brought the neglect of duties by citizens into sharp focus. Chief Justice of the High Court Kurian Joesph, who presided over the event, asserted that “duties must precede the rights” and called for an honest introspection whether those clamouring for their rights were doing their bit on the duty front. “Those who neglected their constitutional duties had no moral authority to press for their fundamental rights. Unfortunately, the duties had taken a back seat due to excessive focus on the rights”, he said. It was time intellectuals, teachers, students, NGOs and other bodies engaged in an open debate on the fundamental duties of citizens and made efforts to create awareness among the general masses on the issue. The State Legal Services Authority had already taken a decision to laminate the Hindi version of 11 fundamental duties to be displayed in all public offices, schools and colleges to make the people aware of their duties as laid down in the Constitution,’’ Justice Kurian said. Being head of the judiciary in the state, he could be a part by organising activities to discuss and sensitise people about the fundamental duties. The process could be started by involving the institutions first and thereafter extend the campaign to cover the common people. Institutions like the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, the Accountant- General Office and other offices of stature in Shimla, could organise such interactions once a month, he suggested. National days January 26 and August 15 should not be enjoyed as holidays but celebrated with patriotic fervour. It would be mandatory to celebrate the occasion as national days,’’ he said. Additional Director-General of Police SR.Mardi deplored the path of violence being pursued by youngsters and even political parties in staging protests and raising various issues. The damage being inflicted by such protests not only caused national loss but also infringed upon the rights of other people. A senior practising lawyer in the Himachal High Court, Ajay Goel, gave details of some Supreme Court judgements regarding duties of citizens.
Minting money social way
In today’s materialistic world greed for money is becoming so rampant that some people do not hesitate even in using social functions to gather money from their ‘near and dear ones’. It is quite common for politicians; top mandarins and even middle-rung officers to hold wedding receptions, birthday bashes, ‘Grihparvesh’ and other such occasions not only to display their clout in society but also to collect gifts in ‘ cash or kind’ in the shape of ‘ shagun’. In one such incident, an officer of the Excise and Taxation Department recently organised a birthday party and ‘Grihparvesh’ function extending invitation to a host of people. Since the officer happened to be from the department directly dealing with the trading community, invitations were sent to all ‘important people’ and officials from the department ensured that none of these remained uninvited even from the surrounding area. While preparing to attend this function all these ‘important invitees’ took special care in preparing ‘shagun packets’ to remain in the good books of the department. Obviously, the gathering was large and so was the amount received as ‘shagun’. The people are asking if officers could operate in a politically “sensitive” district like Hamirpur what would be the state of affairs in other places. (Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi and D.P.Gupta)
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Vignettes
Bharari is a silent and sunny locality in the north of Shimla. It was a small village of Pagog pargana as part of the princely Koti state in the early 20th century with camaraderie among its residents who would often celebrate soirees, especially of devotional music.
The activity got a boost when Kundan Lal Sehgal rented a set on the first floor of Kodumal building, opposite the present temple, before leaving for Kolkata in 1931. There was no common place and the get together used to be in the houses of individuals. Madan Lal Gupta, a 77-year-old resident of Bharari, who was born and brought up here, has records that disclosed that on January 4, 1942, the bigwigs of Bharari met in the house of a petition-writer Mast Ram at Girdhari Lal (now Devraj) building, the present first shop on the left as one enters Bharari from the east. They toyed with the idea of having a sabha here, which was ratified by a good number of residents. It was decided to have Shri Sanatan Dharm Sabha, Bharari, affiliated to the Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha, Lahore. The first executive consisted of four members, Mastram, Ramamal, Jagannath, and Lakshmandas, besides treasurer Sita Ram; secretary Ramkrishna Gupta; vice-presidents BD Joshi and Joti Ram; and president Shankar Singh. The sabha decided to get a temple constructed at Bharari. There existed a mound in the bazaar jointly owned by the deity, Dhandi of Pagog and a shopkeeper, Rijhamal of Kelti. The deity through its caretaker Kapuru Ram and Rijhamal agreed to gift the mound on January 25, 1942 for constructing a temple. Bhagat Kanahiyya Lal laid the stone of the temple on August 10 same year. Had president Shankar Singh not fallen ill, the temple would have been ready earlier, but then it fell upon BD Joshi to get it completed who was elected president on June 3, 1945, after the sad demise of Singh. Lakshmi Narayan temple was ready by September 1946. Madan Gupta feels that the dome of the temple has Islamic features because Muslim masons had done the job. I disagree because the round dome has a lotus cap whereas the Islamic domes are generally onion-shaped and have bald tops (see photo). When all was set for the installation of idols in the temple, a hitch developed. The idols were transported to Shimla from Jaipur, but that of Narayan reached here with a broken arm. A broken idol, even if mended, cannot be consecrated. Not to repeat the mishap, the craftsman from Jaipur along with a marble slab came to Shimla and had stayed at Panchwati to do the chiseling here. The make-do of the earlier idol stands outside the garbha-griha (inner sanctum) as “Maire Prabhu”. Fresh Narayan came into shape and then the idols were installed on June 3, 1948. A weeklong function was held to celebrate the event. Jagat Ram Shastri was appointed priest of the temple and when he left Bharari after three years, Pandit Brij Mohan was appointed in his place. His long service is still remembered and on his demise in late 80s, his sons stepped into his shoes. I recollect the night of August 14, 1947 when Bharari had no electricity and special permission from the Municipal Committee was taken to draw electric wires from streetlight to the temple. It was illuminated and here the entire Bharari had assembled to hear the “tryst with destiny” speech of Jawahalal Nehru. The positives have the negatives too. The thieves broke open the locks of the temple twice. In 1991, they decamped with Rs 400, and in 2007, with Rs 10,000 and silverwares. The so-called long arms of the law are still groping in the dark. The 64-year-old temple looks decent because of facelift given in 2003 through donations.
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Master of unique paper cutting art
Shimla, October 19 This uncanny ability to create objects of arts spontaneously using his power of imagination makes Prabal Pramanik an international master in the art of paper cutting. He has displayed his artistic prowess within the country and abroad through 160 shows he held till date. His art was especially appreciated at the shows in London and Paris where he also gave several demonstrations and lectures at some prestigious institutions. “My art form uses negative space to create positive images with mottled play of light and shade. The forms are cut out in a short time, but it takes years of painstaking effort and practice to attain the requisite skills to create complete balanced compositions without the aid of drawing or tracing. A well-developed visual imagery is a pre-requisite for mastering the unusual art form,” Pramanik, who was in Shimla for his paper cutting exhibition, explained during an interview. “The art of paper cutting and paper folding is found in several other countries, but the Indian art of Devasthanakala or Sanjhi, as it came to be known due to its evolution in temples, is distinct in technique and structural form. Cutting strokes have to sure-handed and unhesitating to translate an uninterrupted stream of imagination into reality,” he observes. “I never copy from any picture while creating paper cuttings as copy work robs an artist of the joy of spontaneous creation and severely limits his artistic skills. Only those gifted with extraordinary neuromuscular coordination, sense of balance, geometry and composition, knowledge of structural anatomy and proportions are able to enter the highest realm of creativity and artistry,” he points out.
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Science camp for class X students
Solan, October 19 The camp was inaugurated by Dr KR Dhiman, vice-chancellor of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni. In his inaugural address, he emphasised the need for young students to opt for science in their higher education and said basic sciences were very important for proper understanding of applied sciences. Dr DVS Jain, professor emeritus, Panjab University, the guest of honour, explained the interdisciplinary approach in science. He cited the example of Sir CV Raman, the first Indian Nobel laureate in science, and urged the students to seek inspiration from his life in the pursuit of knowledge. Dr Umesh Kumar Sharma, national coordinator of INSPIRE, told students about various initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology, and financial support available after 10+2 for pursuing a career in basic science. He was happy to note that more than 60 per cent participants were girl students belonging to the rural areas of Himachal. He also apprised the participants of scholarships for pursuing science at the graduate and postgraduate level and told the students from rural areas to take advantage of such schemes. Prof PK Khosla, vice-chancellor, Shoolini University, said students should be allowed to choose their career themselves. Keeping in view the importance of science, Dr Khosla announced that Shoolini University would start elite programmes in basic sciences for the benefit of students who had secured more than 76 per cent marks in 10th standard and were pursuing science as a career. Dr Sunil Puri, dean, faculty of basic sciences and humanities, delivered the vote of thanks.
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PTA teacher threatens self-immolation
Kangra, October 19 Ajay alleged that he was being victimised and traumatised by the Education Department authorities from the level of Education Secretary to the level of principal. He said in view of the apprehension that the authorities would victimise him by posting a new appointee in his place he moved the Himachal Pradesh High Court and the Double Bench comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Kuldip Singh on September 29 passed an order that “in case the fourth respondent could be accommodated at Government Senior Secondary School, Raja Ka Talab, where according to the petitioner vacancy still exists, the petitioner shall not the disturbed”. The next hearing in the case was fixed for October 27. Ajay alleged that despite the court order he was allegedly harassed as the school principal relieved him on partially modified orders of the Director of Higher Education dated October 8. He said he was moving from pillar to post for justice but the state authorities were mute spectators to the trauma he was undergoing. He threatened that he would commit self-immolation on the school premises and the Education Department authorities would be responsible for the same.
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Baddi unit bags award
Solan, October 19 Buoyed by the achievement, JS Kang, unit manager, said, “Dwelling on our strength of providing excellent training infrastructure since inception we strived to improve facilities, systems and resources in a planned manner and innovations were made in retaining employees after making an in-depth study of the problems of low sustainability”. Established in 2004 in a remote village with no other industry in the nearby area, retaining employees having no exposure to industrial jobs was a major challenge. Encouraged by the appreciation, Elin Appliances has paved the way for others to follow in the state.
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Kangra, October 19
The Amateur Dramatics Club is becoming active again, though slowly. Members of the club staged a one-act play “Nine Jakhoo Hill” (see photo) at Shimla’s historic Gaiety Theatre. The club had virtually become defunct as far as the dramatic activities were concerned as the imposing edifice remained closed for over seven years for undertaking major restoration work. It was only the second play by the club since the reopening of the theatre, the first one —”Taj Mahal Ka Tender”—staged in December last year.
Bharari is a silent and sunny locality in the north of Shimla. It was a small village of Pagog pargana as part of the princely Koti state in the early 20th century with camaraderie among its residents who would often celebrate soirees, especially of devotional music.
The activity got a boost when Kundan Lal Sehgal rented a set on the first floor of Kodumal building, opposite the present temple, before leaving for Kolkata in 1931. There was no common place and the get together used to be in the houses of individuals.
