The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

SAF Winter Games
‘Pushing’ row forces replay of 500m final
An ice skater falls after being ‘pushed’ Dehradun, January 11
The final of the women’s 500m speed ice-skating event will be held again tomorrow at the South Asian Federation (SAF) Winter Games in Dehradun. The reason: An Indian player, who was injured after she fell during the final, has alleged that she was pushed by another skater. India’s Shruti Kothiya won the gold in the event today. Meanwhile, the 1000m long speed skating for men has been scheduled at 12 noon tomorrow.

An ice skater falls after being ‘pushed’

Doon rink impresses Czech judge
Dehradun, January 11
India has a good future in winter games, feels International Skating Union judge Jana Vanova who is in Dehradun for the SAF Winter Games. “I saw players in action yesterday and I found that they were trying very hard to learn. This is a good sign. Seeing the facilities here, I can say that in the next two to three years, the country will do well in winter sports,” she told reporters here.
Jana Vanova

ITCC defeat U’khand Cricket Academy by two runs
A match of the Uttarakhand Twenty20 Cricket League under way in Dehradun on Tuesday Dehradun January 11
The ITCC defeated Uttrakhand Cricket Academy by two runs in a match during the Uttarakhand Twenty20 Cricket League organised at the Survey Stadium here today. The ITCC team won the toss and elected to bat first. Sunil Tripathi (27) made highest runs in the first innings and won decent scores to bag the trophy. Karan (21) also of the ITCC kept the team score rolling till 28 balls, but didn’t get much support from other side and later got caught.
A match of the Uttarakhand Twenty20 Cricket League under way in Dehradun on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

U’khand lads reach quarters
A player in action at the All-India Talent Series Tennis Tournament in Dehradun on Tuesday Dehradun, January 11
The lads from Uttarakhand reached the quarterfinal of the All-India Talent Series Tennis Tournament. Mritunjay, Utkarsh, Dhruvpal, Dhruv Sabbarwal and Mayuk won all their matches (Boys 12-14 years) played today at the Shanti Academy. Dhruv Sabbarwal of Uttarakhand defeated Nikhil Chaudhury of Delhi (6-4) (6-3), Utkarsh Bhardwaj defeated Shivank Bhatnagar of Delhi (6-2) (6-4).
A player in action at the All-India Talent Series Tennis Tournament in Dehradun on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

Manjari lights up the rink

Manjari Chaturvedi, a renowned dancer, performs a combination of kathak and Sufi kathak on the second day of the SAF Winter Games in Dehradun on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Anil P Rawat

PU beat HNB Garhwal varsity
Dehradun, January 11
In women pre-quarter final, Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, beat HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), 3-0 in the North Zone Inter-University Table Tennis Championship. Nadia Saini bt Priyanka Madhwal 11-5, 11-5, 11-2 and Nirdosh defeated Vanita Chhimwal 11-8, 11-8, 12-14, 11-9. Also, Gurpal Kaur bt Riya Dimri 11-8, 11-4, 12-10. Kumaon University, Nainital, also surpassed RML Faizabad 3-0 and Minakshi got the better of Punam Dubey 12-10, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5. While Monika bt Reshma Banu 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 and Babita defeated Priya Gupta 13-11, 11-9, 11-4.

Ready, Get set, GO

Skaters participate in the speed-skating events of the SAF Winter Games in Dehradun on Tuesday. Tribune photographs

Guru Gobind’s birth anniversary celebrated
Tribune News Service

Devotees partake langar during Gurpurb celebrations in Dehradun on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, January 11
The 344th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh was celebrated at Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha. Hymns were sung throughout the day since early in the morning by Bhai Surjit Singh of Bangla Sahib Gurdwara and other religious heads.

Head Granthi Gyani Bhupal Singh threw light on the life of Guru Gobind Singh.

Political leaders, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Speaker Harbans Kapoor, Suryakant Dhasmana and social worker Dr S Farukh also visited the gurdwara to pay obeisance. Later in the day, thousands of devotees savoured the mass kitchen.

President of the gurdwara Rajender Singh Rajan, vice-president Dalip Singh, general secretary Guljar Singh and DS Maan were among those who were present.

The president of Uttarakhand Sikh Vikas Parishad has welcomed the announcements made by the Chief Minister on the eve of Gurpurb and expressed gratitude to the Sikh community towards him.

Gurpreet Singh, general secretary of the parishad, spoke about the Chief Minister’s declaration of donation of Rs 10 lakh for the construction of a new hall in Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, which would have the capacity to accommodate 1,000 devotees, and a public holiday on this pious day next year.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister said: “We all need to emulate the ideals propounded by Guru Gobind Singh as his teachings are still pragmatic in the present time. The Sikh community has contributed a lot in the development of the state which also has been graced in having religious places such as Hemkund Sahib, Reetha Sahib and Nankana Sahib of great importance”.

Demand for having Lakhamandal in winter religious tourism circuit
Ajay Ramola

A devotee looks at his image in the Shivalingam at Lakhamandal.

Idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati excavated from Lakhamandal.

Mussoorie, January 11
Local residents, historians and hoteliers have welcomed the move of the Char Dham Vikas Parishad Vice-President to create a winter religious tourism circuit in the state. They believe that it will not only ease tourist pressure at Char Dhams in the peak season but also generate employment in for the state youth in winter. The local hoteliers are also of the view that the religious places, such as the Surkhanda Devi temple and Lakhamandal, should also be included in this winter religious tourism circuit.

According to the Mussoorie Hotel Association spokesperson Sunny Sahni, the government has failed to capitalise on winter religious tourism despite Mussoorie being close to these religious centres. Sahni said Lakhamandal and the Surkhandi Devi temple could be developed into a separate tourism circuit, especially for winter, as the site at Lakhamandal is only 60 km from Mussoorie.

Local historian Gopal Bhardwaj, who has been researching on Lakhamandal for 30 years, says the government should take utmost care in preserving and promoting temples like Lakhamandal otherwise the state would lose a site of international repute. At present the site is under the control of the Archaeological Department. Its neglect has led to theft of several idols and the degeneration of others gradually.

Char Dham Vikas Parishad Vice-President Surat Ram Nautiyal says Lakhamandal should get prominence while developing the winter religious tourisms route and as it is situated on the Yamunotri highway, the chances of the place becoming another tourist attraction are very bright.

The lost religious city called Lakhamandal owes its existence to an ancient temple complex, believed to be almost 5,000 years old, the period, which is known as the epic age in the history of India, the age of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The temple is situated on the banks of the Yamuna at an elevation of 1,110.36-metre above the sea level on the edge of Dehradun district. The temple complex has a temple of Lord Shiva, which is believed to be built by the five Pandava brothers. The ancient Amoghbhuti coins of the Kunindas discovered at Lakhamandal also corroborate the association of the place with the period of the Pandavas. Bhardwaj says Lakhamandal also means the house of wax. Kaurav King Duryodhana had planned to get rid of Pandavas during their 12-year exile. He got a house of wax built at this place and wanted to burn the Pandavas to death in it. But, the Pandavas somehow came to know about his plan and escaped from the house through a tunnel.

Bhardwaj further says there are several tunnels around the Lakhmandal place to lend credence to the story. These tunnels are believed to be the charred remains of the Lakshagrah or the house of wax, which has been mentioned in the legend of the Mahabharata and can become a major attraction for tourists.

The other wonder present at the site is a two-foot-high Shivalingam made of black granite, which shines brightly when water is poured on it.

Bhardwaj has demanded that the Cultural Department should wake up before the remaining artifacts and historical material at Lakhmandal are either stolen or destroyed and to be found later at auction houses in the US and the UK.

SAF Winter Games
‘Pushing’ row forces replay of 500m final
Tribune News Service

An ice skater being taken out who fell after being ‘pushed’

Dehradun, January 11
The final of the women’s 500m speed ice-skating event will be held again tomorrow at the South Asian Federation (SAF) Winter Games in Dehradun.

The reason: An Indian player, who was injured after she fell during the final, has alleged that she was pushed by another skater.

India’s Shruti Kothiya won the gold in the event today.

Meanwhile, the 1000m long speed skating for men has been scheduled at 12 noon tomorrow.

Shruti Kothiya who won the final of the women’s 500m speed ice-skating event of the SAF Winter Games in Dehradun on Tuesday. Tribune photographs

The 1,500m long speed skating for men will be held at 2.30 pm.

Participants from Bangladesh, the Maldives and India are taking part in the speed ice-skating events.

Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are only taking part in the skiing events at Auli and have reached there.

The closing ceremony for ice-skating events will be held at 4.30 pm. Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will be present along with a host of dignitaries.

A cultural programme will also be held. The skiing events are at Auli from January 14 to 16.

Doon rink impresses Czech judge
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 11
India has a good future in winter games, feels International Skating Union judge Jana Vanova who is in Dehradun for the SAF Winter Games.

“I saw players in action yesterday and I found that they were trying very hard to learn. This is a good sign. Seeing the facilities here, I can say that in the next two to three years, the country will do well in winter sports,” she told reporters here.

Vanova, who has been coaching a club in Czech Republic for five years, praised the ice-skating rink at Doon.

Vanova, who started playing at the age of five, has represented the Czech Republic in several international games. She said they were holding talks with the Winter Games Federation of India to hold practice camps in Doon.

U’khand lads reach quarters
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 11
The lads from Uttarakhand reached the quarterfinal of the All-India Talent Series Tennis Tournament. Mritunjay, Utkarsh, Dhruvpal, Dhruv Sabbarwal and Mayuk won all their matches (Boys 12-14 years) played today at the Shanti Academy.

Dhruv Sabbarwal of Uttarakhand defeated Nikhil Chaudhury of Delhi (6-4) (6-3), Utkarsh Bhardwaj defeated Shivank Bhatnagar of Delhi (6-2) (6-4).

In the Under-14 category, Dhruv Pal of Uttarakhand defeated Abhimanyu Rozara of Haryana 8-0, while Mritunjay Badola of Uttarakhand defeated Druvish Handa of Delhi 8-5.

Mayuk Rawat of Uttarakhand defeated Ahmed of (Uttar Pradesh) 8-1.

The participants are from Delhi, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

PU beat HNB Garhwal varsity
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 11
In women pre-quarter final, Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, beat HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), 3-0 in the North Zone Inter-University Table Tennis Championship.

Nadia Saini bt Priyanka Madhwal 11-5, 11-5, 11-2 and Nirdosh defeated Vanita Chhimwal 11-8, 11-8, 12-14, 11-9. Also, Gurpal Kaur bt Riya Dimri 11-8, 11-4, 12-10.

Kumaon University, Nainital, also surpassed RML Faizabad 3-0 and Minakshi got the better of Punam Dubey 12-10, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5. While Monika bt Reshma Banu 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 and Babita defeated Priya Gupta 13-11, 11-9, 11-4.

Other results:

Men Team Championship

2nd Round

Allahabad University, Allahabad bt Dr RML Avadh University, Faizabad 3-0 Saurabh Tripathi bt Rahul Kaunaujia 7-11, 11-3, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8.

Manish Yadav bt Aditya Avasthi 11-4, 11-5, 11-5

Amit Singh bt Amit Kumar Yadav 7-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4

AMU Aligarh bt UTU Dehradun 3-0

Ayush bt Sudhir Kumar 5-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-4

Faishal bt Zeeshan Waris 11-9, 11-7, 11-4

Arsalan bt Sarang Jain 8-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10

HNB Garhwal Srinagar bt Lucknow University, Lucknow 3-1; Mohit Bist bt Bharat 11-7, 9-11, 12-10, 13-15, 11-5

Mayank Bhatt lost to Shantanu 9-11, 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 9-11

Dinesh Rana bt Anupam 11-6, 11-5, 11-9

Mohit Bist bt Shantanu 11-2, 11-6, 11-7

PU Patiala bt IVRI, Bareilly 3-0; DT Karthick bt Netram 11-4, 11-13, 11-2, 10-12, 11-4

Manish bt T Ramaswamy 11-5, 11-5, 11-6

Akash bt K Karthik 11-1, 11-9, 11-7

Kumaon University, Nainital, bt GADVASU, Ludhiana, 3-0

Harendra bt Gaurav Sharma (Jr) 11-7, 11-9, 11-6

Prem bt Gaurav Sharma (Sr) 6-11, 11-7, 13-11, 9-11, 12-10

Vibhor bt Gurvendra Singh 11-6, 13-11, 4-11, 11-7

KU, Kurukshetra, bt LPU, Phagwara, 3-2

Navreet lost to Arnav 10-12, 6-11, 8-11

Mohit bt Rachit Kakar 11-4, 11-7, 11-5

Sandeep lost to Prashant Jha 5-11, 6-11, 9-11

Mohit bt Arnav 11-6, 11-6, 11-5; Navreet bt Rachit Kakkar 12-10, 11-2, 11-8

Pre-Quarter Final

CSJM, Kanpur, bt HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, (Garhwal) 3-0

Avneesh Yadav bt Mohit Bist 11-7, 11-4, 11-6

Satyam Singh bt Dinesh Rana 11-5, 11-5, 11-7

Saurabh Pal bt Mayank Bhatt 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6

Kumaon University, Nainital, bt Jammu University 3-1

Prem bt Abhinav 11-8, 11-3, 11-7

Harendra bt Sandeep 4-11, 11-8, 11-5, 15-13

Vibhore lost to Tushar 2-11, 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-13

Prem bt Sandeep 11-8, 11-4, 11-7

Allahabad University, Allahabad bt A.M.U. Aligarh 3-0

Saurabh Tripathi bt Faisal 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 14-12

Manish Yadav bt Ayush 10-12, 11-6, 11-2, 8-11, 11-9

Amit Singh bt Arsalan 11-8, 11-9, 11-9

Punjabi University, Patiala, bt KU, Kurukshetra, 3-2

Manish Saini bt Himanshu 11-8, 11-7, 11-3

Net Ram lost to Mohit 7-11, 5-11, 8-11

Akash Chopra bt Navneet 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9

Manish Saini lost to Mohit 8-11, 14-12, 5-11, 6-11

Net Ram bt Himanshu 11-2, 12-14, 11-4, 11-6