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Dalai Lama’s retirement
A church ‘in wilderness’ prays for help |
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Kangra sewerage project hangs fire
Alcohol major cause of liver diseases: Experts
Hast Shilp Bazaar
Poor sanitation in Palampur areas
vignettes
Bhanodi gompa in state of neglect
Inclusion of Himachali language in Eighth Schedule demanded
Himachal diary
Nalwadi Fair being politicised: Cong
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Dalai Lama’s retirement
Dharamsala, April 5 Till date, even after more than 50 years in exile, the Tibetan community remained attached to the institution of the Dalai Lama due to the belief that he is a reincarnated Lama, the living embodiment of Buddha. Their belief is illustrated from the fact that a large number of Tibetans name their children as “Tenzin” after him and his photo adorns the wall of almost every Tibetan house or business establishment. The Tibetans also stand with heads down as the cavalcade of vehicles carrying the Dalai Lama passes along the road. However, the move of the Dalai Lama to retire has created a dilemma for the community regarding the acceptability of the said change in Tibet. Many of the leading Tibetan leaders here feel that without the Dalai Lama, they might not get acceptability of the entire Tibetan community. The view was also echoed by Tibetan parliamentarians who debated the issue in its session that ended recently. The majority still did not dare to think of their existence without the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan parliament-in-exile, despite a clear direction from the Dalai Lama to make amendments in the charter for devolving his political and administrative authority to political leadership, failed to take any concrete step in this direction. It just decided to form a committee to ponder over the issue for a longer period. However, many young and educated Tibetans were quite vocal in supporting the retirement plans of the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), which claims to be the biggest Tibetan NGO having a membership of 30,000 Tibetans, openly wrote to all the parliamentarians to accept the proposal. A majority of young and educated Tibetans now believe that belief in reincarnated Lama was not the alone pivotal force that is fuelling the Tibetan struggle. Some of the young Tibetan activists when asked how would they get the acceptability of those living in Tibet in the absence of the Dalai Lama, said education was changing attitudes. Many young Tibetans who are studying in universities in China are now more aware of the Tibetan struggle. Many young and educated Tibetans participated in the 2008 riots that erupted in Tibet just before the Beijing Olympics. “Many youths from Tibet and even those living in Beijing are in contact with us and are actively becoming part of The Tibetan struggle,” they claimed. The fact that the strongly emerging young and educated community is asserting itself is illustrated in the convincing win of Dr Lobsang Sangay, a former office-bearer of TYC, in the preliminary elections to the post of Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile. Sangay later maintained that improving education among the Tibetan community would be one of his primary objectives in case he was elected as the Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile. With the Dalai Lama aging and China strengthening its hold, it seems that the transition from belief to realism could be the only hope for the Tibetan community-in-exile.
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A church ‘in wilderness’ prays for help
Dharamsala, April 5 The church has seen a glorious past, but now the historic monument is in a dilapidated condition and cries for help. Broken windows and coloured glasses, leakage from the tin roof and growth of wild grass around the church and the cemetery disappoint visitors. The church society has pasted appeal pamphlets inside the church premises, saying, the church is in urgent need of repair. The total funds required are approximately Rs 5 lakh. It also mentions the works required to be carried out like construction of a bell tower, repair of the organ, reinforcement for the windows, including replacement of grills etc. The society has also placed a donation box inside the premises. Federick Manmohan, who looks after the maintenance work of the church, said, “It is sad to see the sorry state of the historic monument. We have been doing our best in keeping it in good shape, but there are only five or six Christian families here and it becomes difficult for us to maintain it through our donations. We had approached the DC. Though he helped us, it wasn’t sufficient for the upkeep of such a big structure. We are now depending on donations,” said Manmohan. He also said there was a need to maintain the cemetery also as many important people from the history rest in peace there. The church authorities want to get the church included in the heritage list. RS Gupta, deputy directory, said, “We helped the church society with Rs 2 lakh for its maintenance work about a year ago. After that, they never approached us for any monetary help. But they are most welcome and we’ll be glad to help them as per their need”. This is an Anglican church dedicated to Saint John. It was built in 1852. Set amidst deodar forest, and built in neo-Gothic architecture, the church is known for its Belgian stained-glass windows donated by Lady Elgin (Mary Louisa Lambton), wife of Lord Elgin, which are again in danger. Though the church survived the 1905 Kangra earthquake, its bell tower was destroyed. Later, a new bell, built in 1915 by Mears and Stainbank, was brought from England and installed in the compound of the church. The then viceroy of the country, Lord Elgin was brought here after his death in 1863 AD to this church as his final resting place
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Kangra sewerage project hangs fire
Kangra April 5 PR Agnihotri, member, Indian Road Congress, says the town is desperately seeking this facility, but due to the alleged callousness of the successive governments the residents have been suffering. He says in the beginning there was a delay in identifying sites for three treatment plants, but later, the project was delayed due to paucity of funds. He raises questions over the layout plan for the sewerage pipes that was not finalised till half of work was completed. He says the delay is proving as a burden on the state exchequer due to the escalation in the prices of raw material. Vijay Dadwalia, executive engineer, IPH Department, says the estimated cost of this sewerage scheme has gone up from Rs 9.28 crore to Rs 12 crore. Old Kanga residents allege that streets in their area were dug up and pipes were laid, but the roads were not repaired. They allege that despite protest, the government turned a blind eye to the problems being faced by the common man. Dadwalia claims the work is in progress on a war footing and hopes that the scheme would be completed by the end of next year. He claims that 65 per cent work has been completed and adds that the work of treatment plant on the bypass road is nearing completion whereas work on another treatment plant near the PWD resthouse is 75 per cent complete. Dadwalia agrees that the work on the third treatment plant near old Kangra is yet to start, but tenders are being finalised. He says in the beginning, the scheme received a setback because of some budgetary problems, but now the funds are being made available through the Urban Development Department. Meanwhile, Sanjay Choudary, Kangra MLA, could not get funds from the government during the first year after he was elected on the BSP ticket. In 2008, only Rs 20 lakh were sanctioned for this project. It was following Choudary's induction into the BJP that some funds started trickling in and work on one of the treatment plants was initiated. During 2009, Rs 3 crore were sanctioned, but in the last financial year, only Rs 1.27 crore were cleared, claims IPH Xen. He says to expedite the work, an SDO has been posted here. This town lacks proper leadership due to which the issue has never been raised at a proper platform and the people have been left in the lurch in the absence of civic amenities.
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Alcohol major cause of liver diseases: Experts
Kangra, April 5 These views were expressed by medical experts from all over the world during a day-long 19th annual conference of the Indian National Association for the Study of Liver (INASL) organised jointly by the Department of Medicines of TMC and the organising team of INASL in Shobha Singh Auditorium of Dr. RPGMC, Tanda, recently. Kris Kowdly, director, Centre of Liver Diseases, University of Washington, US, said alcohol consumption and the failure of the absorption of iron were two major factors of chronic liver diseases. Masao Omata, professor, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Tokyo, Japan, who inaugurated the event by lighting a lamp, spoke on the molecular targeting drugs a new paradigm for HCC. Dhriaj Tripathi, consultant, Hepatologist
Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, UK, delivered goods on prophylaxis of Oesophageal and Gastric Varices. The other topics were Hepatitis B and C treatment challenges in patients with cirrhosis, hepatitis in developing countries. Dr Rajesh Sharma, associate professor of the Department of Medicines, TMC, the key organiser of the event, said it was for the first time in the history of TMC to hold such an event where a galaxy of world-renowned medical experts delivered goods.
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Hast Shilp Bazaar
Kullu, April 5 In the context of a world that is going increasingly organic, Tapan Saha’s jewellery is also taking the natural route. Terracotta, an Italian word, which literally means cooked earth, is a versatile medium that lends itself to different art forms and interpretations. To truly understand just how different and versatile it is, one must visit Tapan Saha, an artist from West Bengal, who devoted 20 years researching and studying terracotta, its myriad, colours, shades and textures. Tapan says, “All my work is handmade and products purely natural. I never use moulds, paints or dyes. Research has taught me how to use soil of different levels and to match colours”. One could see many foreign nationals visiting his shop and seem attracted to his products. A Canadian national, Ellen Reitman, a professional photographer, said, “It is hard to imagine that one could create such amazing products from soil”. She was astonished to see the tiny link in the terracotta handmade chain and said, “If you examine the pendant or the earrings closely you will notice minor differences that are characteristic of handmade work. Each piece is different and moulds are not used to replicate the large number of one design. It’s amazing,” she exclaimed. Tapan makes jewellery, murals and collages out of terracotta using more than 17 shades of natural soil (clay) and given these the label La Lavena.
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Poor sanitation in Palampur areas
Palampur, April 5 The proposal for sewerage in the panchayats areas has been pending since 2006. A detailed project report (DPR) and other documents have already been sent to the state government, but till date no funds have been sanctioned. According to information, in 2006, the Congress regime has in principal agreed to provide the sewerage facility to the left out areas of Palampur. A project costing over Rs 9 crore was prepared by the Irrigation and Public Health Department, which was also approved by the government in 2007. However, in 2007, the BJP was voted to power and the project could not make any headway after that. No political leader of the area shown interest in this project which is the basic right of the residents. Consequently, no funds were allotted for the project, resulting in inconvenience to over 35,000 residents. Suresh Mahajan, executive engineer, IPH, Palampur, said earlier the department had demanded funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Mission (JNUM). Since these areas fall in panchayats, the proposal was turned down and no funds were allocated, he added. In the absence of sewerage, most of the wastewater from these areas flows into Kirpal Chand Kuhal and other irrigation channels. Consequently, the water of these khuals, the lifeline of 50,000 residents of the lower areas of Palampur, is getting polluted. Besides, most of the garbage from these areas is also being dumped into water channels. Though local leaders are well aware of the fact that Palampur town is expanding fast and needs all basic amenities, no efforts are being made to persuade the state government for the grant of funds. Besides, all interior roads are in bad shape. Due to overflowing drains and leaking water pipes, streets remain waterlogged. There is also a shortage of potable water. Keeping in view manifold increase in the population in the past five years, panchayats are finding it difficult to maintain the town with meagre funds allotted to it every year.
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Need to preserve rare manuscripts of Himachal
by Shriniwas Joshi I was in Shimla's Gaiety complex recently where dialectic lecture on 'The Himalayas and the manuscripts' was delivered by an acknowledged Hindi writer Ganga Prasad Vimal. The session was chaired by Tobdan, a writer hailing from Lahaul but settled in Kullu, who generally writes in English. His five books on Lahaul, Kullu and Moravian missionaries have earned him a name. The literary get-together was arranged by the Himachal Arts, Culture and Language Academy, which also functions as the resource centre for the collection of manuscripts in Himachal Pradesh (See photo). The collection of manuscripts is being done under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) established in February, 2003, by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. India possesses an estimated five million manuscripts, probably the largest collection in the world. Himachal Pradesh also has a rich collection of manuscripts. The survey was conducted here in September, 2006, that could indicate approximately 20000 manuscripts across the state, a few of which are written in Tankri, Bhoti and Pali. Vimal laid emphasis on the procurement of these manuscripts from the places of their hiding. He said: "The China-Tibet part of the Himalayas and the Ladakh-Kashmir area of India has the highest number of manuscripts and the process of adding more to the number is still continuing there. These need to be procured." He observed that the greatest destruction of manuscripts was being done in Nepal where there was no established organisation tasked with preservation of such manuscripts. Deepti S. Tripathi, Director of the NMM, said in a recent interview: "We haven't entered that area (purchasing the manuscripts) to date but have proposed it in our annual action plan that it be included. It is important because manuscripts or other heritage items, if not taken care of, can reach the custody of people who do not value it. I've been given to understand that there was an illustrated manuscript somewhere in Himachal Pradesh. A man bought it, threw away the text part and sold the pictures separately. Manuscripts need to be saved from landing up in such unscrupulous, uninformed hands. They also need to be protected from being sold abroad." It is known that all folk literature is available to us through three mediums - oral, ornamental, i.e. illustrated, and written. The oral literature in the form of songs or ditties or parables and stories is required to be written first and then preserved. The other two types of literature do exist but either the life of the paper or the alternative used for it is over or the ink in which it is written has faded. There is need to conserve it. Most of these ancient manuscripts are associated with local deities and, at certain places, the persons in charge of these deities do not let the officer designate to even touch the manuscript for fear of the deities' fury. The collection of manuscripts is, thus, a very sensitive matter and only a properly trained officer can tackle it. So, thorough training to officers before assigning the task is important. Some rare books have, so far, been received by the resource centre. A book giving meaning to the cawing of crows is there, spiritual Ramayana in Gurmukhi, Hanuman natak, 250-year-old genealogical map of Katochs, 300-year-old Quran from Nahan, a 650-year-old book from Lahaul and Spiti and many more are now the possessions of the resource centre. In Shimla and Sirmaur districts, there was a system of predicting the future through a popular system of Sancha, a book of astrology based on mathematical calculation. One such book written in the 12th century has also been found. The collection would have been still richer had people willingly come forward to donate the manuscripts to the resource centre and, I believe, that the resource centre too had slackened in putting the 'manuscript collection' on the agenda of the Gram Sabhas held every three months. Involving panchayats could have made the difference.
Tailpiece
Outside of a dog, a book is your best friend, and inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
— Groucho Marx
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Pinegrove alumnus does school proud
Solan, April 5 About 25 Nobel laureates will take part in the meet and Sumit was among the 550 young researchers from 70 countries who will attend this forum. The meetings are held alternatively each year in the field of medicine, physics, chemistry and economics and they provide a globally recognised forum for the transfer of knowledge between the generations of scientists. This helps in inspiring and motivating Nobel laureates and international best talents. Lectures of Nobel laureates reflect current scientific topics and present relevant fields of research of the future. Sumit, who is a resident of Kalka and presently studying in Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, said: “Nearly 20,000 people worldwide apply for the meeting, out of which the Lindau Council selects only top 550 minds. It is a three-level selection procedure. In the first step, one has to be nominated by one’s institute, then the global partners of the Lindau Council like the Department of Science and Technology (DST) - India, Siemens India, etc., nominate participants from their respective countries for the final round of selection”. Out of the 1,500 participants shortlisted by various academic partners from all over the world, the Lindau Council makes the final selection of 550 candidates, including undergraduates, PhD students, and post-docs. The selections are done on the basis of the research background of the candidate, conferences, awards and fellowships in the field of research, etc. This year, around 20 candidates from India, including eight undergraduate students, are selected to attend the conference. Sumit, who had qualified for the final 550 young talents from all over the world, was nominated by the DST and Siemens India, respectively. Sumit had received the International Student Congress of Medical Sciences (ISCOMS) Research Fellowship from University Medical College Groningen, Netherlands, last year and is also the university ambassador to India for ISCOMS-2011.
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Bhanodi gompa in state of neglect
Chamba, April 5 The gompa needs immediate repairs and renovation. There is also a demand to construct a dharamshala near it. Situated at an altitude of about 3000 m amidst dense forest ranges in the hilly terrain of Churah subdivision in the district, Bhanodi gompa also holds significance to historians and archaeologists from the research point of view. It is said in the ancient times, when Buddha's devotees from other countries used to travel to India to pay obeisance at holy places of Gautam Buddha, they never missed a visit to Bhanodi gompa. Even today, the place is visited by Buddhists from home and abroad every year. Raja Sham Singh of the erstwhile Chamba state also visited the place in the fag-end of the 18th century. The first Chief Minister of the state, Dr YS Parmar, also visited the gompa and at the time, there was a footpath connecting the place to the main road. A patch of road has been constructed by the PWD from Guila Gharat to Bhanodi to connect the main road at Tarella. Recently, when local residents accompanied by Bawa Sonya Gyatso, head lama of Padma Chhokharling Bodh Gompa, brought the matter to the notice of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, he directed the PWD authorities to start construction of the 8-km road from Satrundi to Bhanodi. PWD officials have also confirmed that the forest clearance has been obtained and the issue of land acquisition for the proposed road has been processed. The road, when constructed, would be a shortcut link to the isolated snowcapped Pangi tribal valley of Chamba district via Bhanodi.
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Inclusion of Himachali language in Eighth Schedule demanded
Nurpur, April 5 Talking to the mediapersons, Guleri thanked Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for submitting a resolution to the Centre in this connection and Varinder Kashyap for highlighting this demand in the Lok Sabha. Guleri, who is also a former member of the National Sahitya Academy (NSA), asserted that after the inclusion of Himachali language in the Eighth Schedule, the NSA would accord recognition to it. “After getting recognition of the NSA, the language would get a boost and its writers can avail opportunities to prove their aptitude at the national level. At present, the NSA has included as many as 22 regional languages across the country, but longstanding demand of the hill state is being ignored since a long,” he rued. Guleri also underlined the need to teach Himachali language in government schools in the state up to class X on the pattern of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir states where Punjabi and Dogri languages were being taught.
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Gaiety to showcase Shimla’s history
Shimla’s historic Gaiety Theatre, which has been humming with art-related activities since it was reopened after renovation two years ago, will now also serve as a museum providing valuable information about the history of the erstwhile British summer capital.
Director of the department Prem Sharma said in all about 250 to 300 rare photographs, graphic pictures and paintings will be displayed in the corridors and other available space through which the visitors, who come to see the complex, are taken through. A fine specimen of the Victorian Gothic architecture, the historic landmark was conceived by architect Henry Irwin and famous theatre personalities like Rudyard Kipling, Baden Powel, K.L.Sehgal, Prithvi Raj Kapoor and Balraj Sahni remained associated with it. Sharma said that the restoration work has been now over with the completion of the seminar hall in the underground portion. This hall with a seating capacity of over 40 could be used for intellectual discourses. Residents begin cleanliness drive
The Sector Four Residents Welfare Society in New Shimla is using the auspicious Navratri festival as an opportunity to create awareness about environment protection, cleanliness and health care. Apart from organising a "Ramcharitmanas path" it also carried out an extensive cleanliness drive and distributed pamphlets to educate people about environment-related issues. The society urged Mayor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation Madhu Sood, who was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony of the "path", for making it a part of the monitoring mechanism for effective cleaning and sweeping of the lanes, bylanes and staircases in and around the sector. It also urged her not to allow transfer of already shrinking green spaces and instead develop these into parks for children. Other demands included creation of parking spaces, improvement of drainage by clearing the clogged drains, a collection window for payment of water bills, opening of a fire station in New Shimla and an alternative road to ease traffic congestion. PK Ahluvalia and Amarpal Singh Kochhar, president and general secretary, respectively, of the society, dwelt upon about the initiatives taken by them for making the area plastic-free and ensuring proper disposal of garbage. Madhu Sood promised to help the society and said ward offices would be set up soon in various localities to serve the residents better.
Nod to enrolment of NRIs as voters
On the direction of the Election Commission of India, the state Election Department has issued a notification for enrolment of NRIs in the electoral lists. It has also launched a website for online registration for the convenience of NRIs. Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Rajinder Singh Thakur said as per amendment to Section 20-A of the People's Representation Act, 1950, carried on February 10, 2010, all NRIs living abroad for the purpose of employment, education or any other reason and had not attained the citizenship of that country and were otherwise eligible for registration as voters, could get themselves enrolled as voters in the constituency, where they had their permanent residences. He said as per voters registration rules 1960 section 8A of Himachal Pradesh, all such persons having their permanent residences in Hamirpur district and having attained the age of 18 years on January 1, 2011, could apply on form number 6, available on the website http:// ceohimachal. nic. in. Application forms for the voter's registration could also be submitted personally in the office of the SDM or by post along with a copy of the passport showing the residential address duly certified by an authorised officer of Indian Mission in his country of residence. (Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi and DP Gupta)
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Nalwadi Fair being politicised: Cong
Bilaspur, April 5
Sources say while some of the charges might be overstretched, it is a fact that the names of some members of the Mela Management Committee have been struck off because they were members of the Congress while activists of the ruling party were roped in, who allegedly lacked in experience. This resulted in certain lapses during the fair. Locals say such fairs and festivals should be held without any bias and all sections of society should be associated and the best in them should be allowed to come to the fore. JP Nadda, BJP national general secretary, and local MLA, had inaugurated the fair by pitching a wooden peg into the ground and tying a pair of bullocks with it and worshipping it for better prospects of crops and rains and prosperity of the people. The tradition has been going on for the past more than 500 years. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was the chief guest on the concluding day. He gave away prizes to the wrestlers who displayed their skills during the four-day contest during the fair. The Chief Minister also announced that Union Power Minister Sushil Shinde was expected to lay the foundation stone of the first-of-its-kind Rs 250-crore Hydro Engineering College in Bilaspur, on April 26. Ritesh Chauhan, deputy commissioner-cum-chairman Mela Management Committee, honoured the Chief Minister and gave details of the attractions of the fair, which included a three-day cattle fair, exhibitions, men and Women kabaddi and other sports competitions, cultural shows and wrestling bouts.
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Dharamsala, April 5
Kullu, April 5
I was in Shimla's Gaiety complex recently where dialectic lecture on 'The Himalayas and the manuscripts' was delivered by an acknowledged Hindi writer Ganga Prasad
Vimal. The session was chaired by Tobdan, a writer hailing from Lahaul but settled in
Kullu, who generally writes in English. His five books on Lahaul, Kullu and Moravian missionaries have earned him a name. The literary get-together was arranged by the Himachal Arts, Culture and Language Academy, which also functions as the resource centre for the collection of manuscripts in Himachal Pradesh (See photo).
Bilaspur, April 5
The State Language, Art and Culture Department has decided to display rare pictures of the city with focus on the magnificent buildings of the pre-Independence era, particularly the spectacular edifice of Gaiety Theatre itself (See photo). Not only that scenes, cast and other details of the famous plays staged at the 125-year-old theatre over the period will also be displayed at various vantage points in the huge complex so that visitors learnt about the history of the city.