|
|
|
|
|
Couples all set for Valentine’s Day getaways
|
|
|
British-era Wishing Well for to-be Valentines still exists in Mussoorie
More married couples going for V-Day shopping in Haridwar
4 smugglers nabbed, 42 turtles recovered
135 urns with 40-yr-old ashes from Pak immersed in Ganga
Nainital Diary
ISG Chapter Award 2010 for Space Application Centre
Workshop on condition of forest, water sources, land held
Children’s Academy School holds farewell party
ICFAI celebrates Basant Panchami with fervour
Students given football tips
|
|
Couples all set for Valentine’s Day getaways
Dehradun, February 13 Most people want to give a surprise to their beloveds, especially those who have recently got married or are about to get married. “I got married just last week. So the day is very special to me,” stated Rahul Gaur, who further added, “I will take my wife for a candle-light dinner as she is very fond of it”. While Tanika Sharma, a resident of Karanpur, said, “The weather itself is proving that romance is here to stay and I am planning to visit Mussoorie with my dear friend. I hope it will snow and make the day more romantic”. But there are a few for whom the celebration of love begins a week ahead of Valentine’s Day. “I have planned an entire week full of fun and love for my wife. I will take her to Switzerland this year. It is a surprise treat for her as I told her that we are visiting our relatives in Delhi,” said businessman Rohit Sharma. “I am sure she will enjoy it and fall in love with me all over again,” he added. Owner of a gift shop Jaspal Ahuja told The Tribune, “Our sales have gone up in the past one week. People in all age groups are visiting the shop to buy gifts,” he said. “Heart-shaped Thai chocolates are very much in demand. Other than these, boys prefer buying various types of jewellery and teddy bears that come in various sizes and colours, while the fairer sex prefers to buy watches, wallet or perfumes”. Doonites also prefer gift items made of brass or crystal. “People are visiting my shop to buy various showpieces that are made of brass or crystal,” said Arun Kumar Gupta of Gifts A Brass Affair. Florists are also in a good mood and expecting huge sales by tomorrow. Nidhi of Petals Flower Gallery said, “The sales are very good as expected and we are getting many bookings from the city as well as outside the city. The prices are expected to increase tomorrow,” she said. To beat the increase in the price of the rose stick, many youngsters preferred to buy it today only. Jeetu Aneja, student of DAV College, said, “We all friends have bought a bundle of rose sticks today. Last year, the price of single stick crossed Rs 50”. Eating joints like Nirula’s and McDonalds that are one of the favourite hangouts for the youngsters were also occupied for the whole day. A waiter at McDonald said, “Couples like to hang out here most of the time as they like the ambiance,” while the one at Nirula said, “People enjoy various kinds of ice-cream at our parlour. So they prefer visiting here. Our sale triples on this day”. Red roses, V-Day cards, teddies, heart-shaped chocolate packs, printed love letters are some of the items that are selling like hot cakes.
|
|
British-era Wishing Well for to-be Valentines still exists in Mussoorie
Mussoorie, February 13 The well now is used for washing clothes, but according to local historian Gopal
Bhardwaj the well in the Himalayas was built by General Wish in 1829 to cater for water to his estate known as the Park Estate. Sir George Everest, when he arrived in 1932, also used the water of the well. The Wishing Well also figures in the map of 1920. About 100 years ago the name Wish was converted into “wishing” by lovers who visited the area, and a legend is still prevalent that if two lovers exchange finger rings and throw these in the well making some wish, they are fulfilled. Bhardwaj further says that it is strange that the well is still filled with water. He says even a celebrity like Amitabh Bachchan visited the well during the shooting of the film, “The Last Lear” and presumably asked for Abhishek’s marriage to Aishwarya. The well still stands as testimony of love on Valentine’s Day.
|
|
More married couples going for V-Day shopping in Haridwar
Haridwar, February 13 As per the gift shops, card gallery owners, florists and restaurateurs, the ongoing week was abuzz with married couples. The trend is an indication of the traditionalist atmosphere prevalent in the pilgrim city, as a result of which the married couples are now coming out to celebrate the week of love that they could not do as freely when they were not married. Owner of Archies Gallery at Ranipur Chowk Amita Singh said, “While the young college-going crowd is seen buying gifts, married couples are also thronging their gift shops in large numbers.” Commercial establishments are also making sure to cater to these married couples’ choice. An English writer, who lives in Model Colony, Mona Verma relates this trend in the pilgrim city to two causes: firstly, due to the religious and traditional viewpoint of the residents of the city and secondly, the realisation that Valentine Day is not only for the young couples. Former women’s college union president Jaya Adlakha attributed this trend to the last year’s staunch opposition from the extremist outfits like the Shiv Sena, Hindu Jagran Dal, Bajrang Dal and the BJP that staged protests prior to the Valentine Day. “Married couples have definitely a certain level of security, so they are openly celebrating this love week. While the school, college and unmarried couples have to face public wrath from the traditionalist,” said Jaya. Shikha Rawat, a banking aspirant, who bought a set of tea cups for her fiancée, said, “In the past, too, love could not be suppressed by emperors. In this age of technology, where e-mails, mobile phones, facebook are an integral part of youth, the lovers do not worry of the social stigma.”
|
|
4 smugglers nabbed, 42 turtles recovered
Nainital, February 13 According to information, the officials had been receiving complaints that turtles brought from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh were being sold in the Shaktifarm area of Udham Singh Nagar district. On a tip-off given to them, a team of Forest Department officials descended on the house of one Kalidas who was found to be selling turtles to a Nepalese national and Dalip Bachar with the help of his servant Shakti Roy. During the search, the officials confiscated 42 turtles from them. The turtles had been kept in a crate and a jute bag. During interrogation the four accused revealed that turtles had been smuggled from Shahjahanpur in small vehicles and further sold from the region. All the four accused have been booked under various provisions of the Forest Protection Act.
|
|
135 urns with 40-yr-old ashes from Pak immersed in Ganga
Haridwar, February 13 While the noble act will give peace to the souls of 135 persons, it will bring people of the two nations closer. It was a rare sight to see people from Pakistan sharing their emotions with their relatives, who have settled in India, while they performed the last rites of the deceased at the Ganga ghat. A special chariot was arranged by the Shri Devothan Sewa Samiti, which immerses the ashes of unknown people in the Ganga, to transport the urns to the ghat. The procession was flagged off from New Delhi-situated Shaheed Bhagat Singh Park on February 12 and it reached here late last evening. The urns were then kept at the residence of Mahant Kalka where a yagya was performed by Surendra Nath Avdhoot. It was attended by Kamla Adwani, wife of former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishan Advani. This morning, the procession was flagged off from the Nishkam Sewa Trust ashram for the Kankhal-situated Sati Ghat. Talking to The Tribune, Mahant Ramnath Mishra Maharaj of the world-renowned Panchmukhi Haunman Mandir, which is situated in Karachi, Pakistan, said they had been trying to bring the ashes to India for immersion in the Ganga for quite some time. For the past 40 years, these ashes had been kept in a library in Karachi and were guarded by Muslim watchman Murad Baksh. The temple authorities and local Hindus got in touch with various Indian social and religious groups to pave the way for their immersion in the Ganga. According to the Pakistani delegation, more such urns have been kept safely by Hindus in the provinces of Quetta, Panjab and Sindh. These are also to be brought to India for the final rites. Anil Narendra, head of the Shri Devothan Sewa Samiti, termed the day as a historical one, adding that it will pave the way for strengthening the bond among people of the two countries. Like the Shri Sai Samarpan Samiti, the Nishkam Sewa Trust and the Shri Devothan Sewa Samiti are also pressing for the facility of granting a religious visa to Pakistanis who want to immerse ashes of their loved ones in the Ganga. “We were not granted even a religious visa, but just a visit visa, which confines our visits to the cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Haridwar only. The issue of granting a religious visa to the Pakistani visitors should be dealt with seriously by both the governments of India and Pakistan so that the souls of the Hindu and Sikhs who had died in Pakistan don’t have to wait for decades for peace,” said Ramu, who accompanied the visitors from Karachi. Kabir and Mahima, two kids, were quite happy to be in India though they were not aware that it took almost four decades for the ashes of their relatives to be immersed in the Ganga.
|
|
Nainital Diary The public function held for the launch of the Atal Khadyann Yojana in Nainital gave too many political and social signals for keen observers. To begin with the speeches made by the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, state unit President Bishan Singh Chufal and other leaders were heavy in their political content as they were aimed at their political opponents. So carried away were some of the speakers that they did not know what they were talking about and this drew a sarcastic and hilarious response from the audience. While addressing the function, local leader BC Harbola said: “Hathon ko sudhridh banayein (make the hands stronger)”, to which a listener raised an eyebrow and asked those around him whether Harbola was asking for making the Congress strong whose election symbol is the “hand”. Deviating from the practice, Commissioner Kunal Sharma welcomed the Chief Minister with a bouquet of flowers. The audience raised questions whether it was an appropriate thing for a top-level bureaucrat to do at a function, which clearly had political overtones. Nishank’s speech too drew interesting comments from the audience. When he related that hundreds of children had been delivered in ambulances being run by the 108 EMRI service and counted it as an achievement, the listeners pointed out, “Are children supposed to be born in hospitals or ambulances? How can such a thing be counted as an achievement?” An interesting aspect of Nishank’s speech pointed out by the keen political observers was that this was perhaps his first speech after becoming the Chief Minister of the state where he did not mention that Uttarakhand was “Bharat ka Bhal” (forehead of the nation). Otherwise the general perception about Nishank’s speeches is that whatever may be the occasion, he never forgets talking about Uttarakhand’s paani (water), jawani (migration of youth), the state being “Bharat ka Bhal” and “Dharti ka Swarg” (heaven on earth). It was an irony of sorts that on a day when a populist scheme meant for the poor was being launched, people of Nainital who earn their living by selling eatables and cheap apparel on pavements around the Flats Grounds, where the function was held, had to keep their shops shut. The administration and the police ensured that these joints remained shut and no cart found its way closer to the grounds till the time the function got over late afternoon. Till then these people, most of whom find it difficult to make both ends meet, suffered in silence even as the Chief Minister and other BJP leaders made tall claims of their concern for the poor and their pro-poor approach in governance. Wheat OK but where is flour mill?
An interesting facet of the yojana that came to light on the day of its launch was that while the government went around highlighting the scheme, the officials were embarrassed to be told that there was no flour mill in Nainital. It was pointed out that there was no merit in distributing subsidised wheat in a town where there was no flour mill. It was also pointed out that a very large number of water mills, which are locally known as gharats, were devastated in the recent rain-related disaster that had struck the region and hence even the villagers would face a very difficult task when it came to grinding the wheat being provided to them. When apprised of these facts, a visibly defensive Nishank countered by saying, “Doesn’t matter we will give loans to the people to install mills. This will generate employment for a few hands”.
Yet another winter sans snow
For yet another year, the Lake City has had a winter without snow. This has become an issue of concern among the locals who have seen heavy snowfall in the past and the issue has been the talk of the town for the few days past. This year, on two occasions, Nainital town was deprived of snowfall even as its higher reaches experienced snowfall. One of the reasons attributed to the phenomenon by the elders is, “Just when the weather conditions indicate the possibility of snowfall, the people in the plains get to know about it through the latest and fast modes of communication and cars arrive in the town in hundreds. This combustion and increased human activity prevent snowfall in the town. Then there are other reasons like the depleting tree cover, etc.” People in the town can now be heard lamenting, ”Very soon a day would come that we would tell the coming generations only tales about Nainital experiencing snowfall.” The most concerned are those who earn their living from the tourism-related activity as snowfall surely adds to their income in an otherwise dull winter season, which is considered to be an off season.
Dogs to catch man-eater tigress!
It is a well-known fact that the politicians and officials in Uttarakhand are in the habit of shooting their mouths off and very often they came up with solutions to the problems that are comical. A recent example came from the issue pertaining to trapping or killing of the man-eater tigress in the Jim Corbett National Park. The rationalists were shocked to read in the local media that some officials had come up with the idea of deploying dogs to trace the wild cat. People could be seen laughing their heads off at various eating joints when they pointed out, “Whoever thought a dog would counter the tiger. Don’t they know that the dogs get so scared on smelling the wild cat that they are ready to flee for their lives? But, the officials in Uttarakhand can come up with any bright idea and the media is more than happy to give space to such ideas”.
|
|
ISG Chapter Award 2010 for Space Application Centre
Dehradun, February 13 Addressing a press conference in Dehradun yesterday, Dr Kimothi said the award had come as recognition to the services provided by USAC towards promoting the usage of satellite data in planning and development in Uttarakhand. He said USAC had worked efficiently in its three years of existence towards putting geomatics techniques in aid of the utilisation of natural resources for uplift of quality of life in the region. “This award has certainly boosted the morale of the scientists and officials of USAC, who have been working with utmost dedication and sincerity and contributing their bit to the development of Uttarakhand,” Dr Kimothi said. He disclosed USAC had prepared a 17-layered digital database that will prove to be a milestone in planning activities in the state. One of its kind, the database will have all the information linked to Uttarakhand ranging from forests, rivers, wetland, glaciers, constructions and others. With the installation of an EDUSAT antenna and hub at Doon University, Edusat Programme has been initiated in Uttarakhand and the process of connecting it with 53 PG colleges across the state is Answering queries, Dr Kimothi admitted while some of the state departments had started approaching them for putting database to use to better their working, it was certainly for the state to extract maximum benefit for an institution of He also held that within next six months, USAC was on the verge of completing its key project, School Mapping Information System For Uttarakhand State Using Geospatial Techniques. He said the satellite data would identify each and every school in the state and would help generate other linked details.
|
|
Workshop on condition of forest, water sources, land held
Dehradun, February 13 A large number of people participated in the workshop, where eminent people from all walks of life spoke about the present condition of the forest, water sources and land. The participants also discussed how changes could be brought to preserve the natural resources. While expressing concern over the geographical conditions of hilly areas, Jay Singh Rawat, senior journalist, criticised the media for being insensitive. He said, “The recent government projects are dilapidating the condition of different districts of the state due to the undergoing work of mining, power generation and other technological development”. “There is a need of bringing change in various schemes and projects of the government in the name of development. The state requires initiating social agitation against such evil instead of lamenting on it,” he added.
|
|
Children’s Academy School holds farewell party
Dehradun, February 13 Chief guest Prem Kashyap, Chairman, Children Academy Association, conveyed his best wishes to the students. He asked the students to work for the betterment of society. Kiran Kashyap, Principal of the school, said the blessings of the teachers would always remain with the students. She asked the students to bring a good name to the teachers by being upright citizens of the country. Ankesh was adjudged Mr CBSE, while Geetika was Miss CBSE. A cultural programme was also organised on the occasion. Yash Kulsherestra was declared the Best Captain of the year. Akhilesh got the Best Orater award, while Angadpreet was declared the Most Promising Student.
|
|
ICFAI celebrates Basant Panchami with fervour
Dehradun, February 13 The alumni of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) also came forward this year to organise the event as the day also marked the foundation day of the university by Mahamana Madan Mohan Malviya ji Vice-Chancellor, Uttarakhand Technical University and alumnus of BHU DS Chauhan explained the greatness of Malviya ji. VC of ICFAI University, also an alumnus of BHU, Prof GP Srivastava expressed his thanks to all present. President of the BHU Alumni Association Col KN Rai said such associations helped in building a spirit of comradeship. Students of the university enthralled the audience with cultural performances.
|
|
Helax Club pip Graphic Era
Dehradun, February 13 Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Helax Club set a target of 221 runs in 30 overs for five wickets. Vinod (57 off 52) and Punit (54 off 32) scored principally for the batting side, while Shobit (35 not out) and Gaurav (14 not out) remained unbeaten. For opponent team, Abhishek, Achal and Upendra Bhatt pocketed a wicket each. Chasing the target, Graphic Era was bowled all out for 177 runs in 26.4 overs. Opening batsmen Sumit Pundir (58) and Modit Tyagi (58) started off well, but the rest of the team members failed to capitalise on that. Gaurav got three wickets and Arun and Agrim Tiwari got two wickets each for Helax Club. Mohit also took a wicket. In another match, New Sky, Doiwala beat Mussoorie Club by six wickets. YMCA enters T20 semis
YMCA posted an eight wicket win over ITCC and entered the semifinals of the Uttarakhand Twenty-20 Cricket League Championship here today at the Mahindra Ground here today. ITCC won the toss and batted first. It scored 91 runs in 17 overs before getting all out. Sunil (23), Aman (18) and Raju (15) were the main scorers for the team. Lakshman, Atul, Jaswinder and Vishal took two wickets each for YMCA. YMCA while batting achieved the target in 15 overs, scoring 93 runs for 2 wickets. Avnish (47) and Hondo (27) were the principal scorers. Anu Vrat got two wickets for ITCC.
Fitness Solution beat Best XI in Challenger League
Fitness Solution defeated Best XI in the Uttarakhand Cup Beehive Challenger League at Matawala Bagh, here today. Fitness Solution scored 131 in 20 overs for nine wickets. Aman (21) and Bunty (52) were the main scorers. Best XI, batting second, was bowled all out for 115 runs in 19.5 with Tarun (51) top scored for his team. Aman and Bunty took three wickets for the winning team. In the second match, Kumaon Cricket Club beat Tanush Cricket Club. The former team scored 136/8, while TCC was packed off for just 81 runs.
|
|
Students given football tips
Dehradun, February 13 “Hard work has no substitute and discipline is most important in sports to excel,” he said. He first gave them lecture recounting his days at their age as footballer and later he came on the ground to give them practical tips. He told them different techniques of the game and asked them to work on it. He also praised the ground and the facilities available. Recalling his early days, he said as a player of the Gorkha Military Academy, Dehradun, the former international player said he later joined the East Bengal Club, following which he was selected for the Indian side.
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Mussoorie, February 13
Haridwar, February 13
Dehradun, February 13
Dehradun, February 13
