Dehradun, April 22
Members of the BEd/BPEd Prashikshit Berozgaar Sanghtan today blocked the main road in front of Gandhi Park for several hours in protest against the non-fulfilment of their demands.

The police, however, after about half an hour, managed to vacate one side of the road and the protesters then sat on the other side, shouting slogans near the protest site. About three to four protesters also fell unconscious and the 108 emergency service, which was called up late, was sent empty handed by members of the association.

As the protest of trained teachers today entered its eighth day outside Gandhi Park, they took the administration head on. At about 1 pm, some members who were laid on roads with white cloth wrapped around them, posed as dead bodies in protest.

The remaining protesters stood around them, jamming one side of the road near Gandhi Park. After sometime, the condition of the protesters, who were posing as dead bodies, deteriorated due to it being a hot day.

They were then brought back to the camp and left to sleep there.

Following this, all protesters took to both sides of the main road.

They imposed heavy jam there for about half an hour.

The commuters in long queues had to wait in hot conditions and were a harried lot. Surprisingly, there was no senior police officer at the protest site. After sometime, Superintendent of Police (City) Ajay Joshi along with three circle officers reached the spot.

They first requested the agitating protesters to vacate the road but the latter didn’t agree. The police then had to forcibly remove the protesters from one side of the road to let the vehicles coming from Clock Tower pass.

All protesters then sat on the other side of the road near the protest site.

They shouted slogans against the state BJP government and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Himanshu Rajput, state vice-president of the association, said today “we have a do-or-die situation. We will not leave the roads until the government releases posts of eight thousand vacancies of special BTC teachers. Many of our members are in a very bad health condition and the government is not bothered.”

Till the filing of the report, the members of the association were sitting on the road and had blocked it.

Mussoorie, April 22
Staff and students of Manav Bharti International School took out a march against the use of polythene bags and plastic in the town to mark Earth Day here today.

Principal of the school Manjari Joshi, along with 20 student volunteers, went around in the town and exchange the polythene bags being used by shopkeepers with handmade paper bags. Speaking to the shopkeepers, Joshi said Mussoorie was a plastic-free zone but still generated about 11 lakh kg of non-biodegradable waste out of which about 3 lakh kg was plastic. She appealed to the citizens to fight the menace and pledge to remove the scourge of polythene bags from the town starting from Earth Day today.

The shopkeepers promised to abide by the law and assist the school in its campaign against plastic.

Meanwhile, Joshi said her next programme would be to clean the 17 springs that are the source of water supply for the residents and tourists in the town.

In another event, the Tibetan students who are on an Eco-Study tour, paid a visit to Turner Organic Garden at Woodstock School. The director of the garden, Darab Nagarwala, informed them that the garden was one of its kinds and was managed by the staff and the students of the school. The garden previously was a plum orchard but after the death of its caretaker, it was abandoned and the trees were felled by the villagers to be used for firewood. It was six years ago when a financial assistance was provided by Sue Turner Hanifl that the garden was converted into an outdoor classroom for the biology students of the school. At present, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and even medicinal herbs used to cure sore throat are grown in the garden.

Nagarwala said the Israeli technology of micro-drip irrigation was used in the garden to save water.

Dehradun: Earth day was celebrated at Tibetan children village at Selaqui, 15 kms from here on the the theme “A Billion Acts of Green”, reflecting the power of every person on the planet to make a difference. The chief guest on the occasion was senior wildlife forensics expert at the Wildlife Institute of India (WWI) CP Sharma who inaugurated the programme with symbolically watering plants placed in the centre of the stage. It was followed by a meditative nature walk, gardening session, wherein all the students tilled, aerated and loosened the soil around their respective hostels. Nature-themed poems were recited in three languages - English, Hindi and Tibetan.

Dehradun, April 22
An eighteen-year-old girl set herself afire by pouring kerosene on herself at her residence in Rajiv Nagar today. She was admitted at a local community health centre from where she was referred to Government Doon Hospital.

According to information, Rajivnagar resident Preeti had a fight with her sister over some issue, following which she threw kerosene and set herself afire. She was taken to the hospital immediately by the family.

The girl sustained 70 to 80 per cent burnt injuries in the mishap.

Her condition is said to be normal now and the doctors are operating upon her. The Kotwali police said it had not received information about the incident yet.

Dehradun, April 22
Straddling two worlds, sitarist Prateek Chaudhuri has made a perfect alchemy of music and academics. Inside the prestigious music faculty of Delhi University, Chaudhuri is the perfect master honing the skills of his students and his tryst with music takes an altogether different dimension when he comes face to face with his audience. “With the listeners clamouring for more, the encore does not seem to end. It is this atmosphere that fires you up,” said Chaudhuri.

Often referred to as the Young Turk in the music fraternity, Chaudhuri is quite serious about spreading the notes of music among the youth. It is the role of a brand ambassador for the youth that saw him performing in the Garhwal hills and in Dehradun as part of the Society for the Promotion of Indian classical Music and Culture Among Youth (SPIC MACAY).

“I want to break the notion that Indian classical music is intricate and cannot be understood by the younger generation. I want more and more kids to learn classical music because this is the only way we can promote it. The sheer apathy on the part of the government at times has left me worried for the survival of music in India,” said a visibly disturbed Prateek while speaking with The Tribune.

Keen that the youth embrace Indian classical music, Prateek has started a fusion group called Sitar Ecstasy that has six members who perform live. “When I think of fusion it would mean bringing together an ensemble of various instruments, even those used by Western classical musicians. I would like our youth to get high on music and not on drugs,” said Prateek.

He traces his lineage to Mia Tansen, the court musician of emperor Akbar and his style is redolent with the choicest nuances of the Senia style and at times reminiscent of the sitar maestros and his Guru, late Mustaq Ali Khan. When he began his apprenticeship under his father and Guru, Ustad Debu Chaudhuri, one would have thought it was a perfect setting for the young musician to take forward the legacy of his family but Prateek is quite clear that “You have to be good yourself and getting a head start by way of family legacy cannot take you far. It is your own worth that really matters in the end,” he emphasised.

Watch him play the traditional 17 fret sitar whose foundation was laid by Maseet Sen, one cannot but acknowledge the sound training that he has received from his Gurus. That apart he is known to have developed electronic speed hand movement that stand as a testimony to the innovation that he brings into his music. But, this too comes at a price for more often than not his fingers get bruised but there is no explanation to it and such suggestions are usually brushed off casually. “There would be no pleasure without pain, the standing ovation which we get after our performance often acts as a balm and the pain invariably vanishes,” emphasised the sitarist.

Dehradun, April 22
The 11th Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) Challenge Quiz was organised at the college here today. A total of 15 schools from all over India took part in the quiz. After the preliminary round six teams of Brightlands School, Welham Girls’ School, Summer Valley School, The Doon School, Welham Boys’ School and the RIMC qualified for the final round.

There were a total of 10 rounds namely “current affairs”, “ecology and environment”, “science and technology”, “sports”, “ask and quit”, “do or die”, “brain teasers”, “audio”, “video” and “buzzer”.

The results were as follows.

Rashtriya Indian Military College 1st with 95 points, The Doon School 2nd with 85 points; Welham Girls’ and Summer Valley School 3rd with 75 points each.

The quiz masters were PK Sharma, RT Selvan and Neelam Kaushik. The chief guest of the evening was Col Arun Mamgain (retd), Ex-Commandant, RIMC. He appreciated the level of the quiz. At the end Col PK Kumaria, Commandant, RIMC, thanked the chief guest and all the participating schools for their whole-hearted support to the event. The overall coordinator of the event was PK Sharma who was ably helped by members of the computer faculty Neeraj Negi, Vineet Mathews and UP Dalvi. The other dignitaries present on the occasion were Lieut-Col A Tiwari, Wg Cdr SK Thapliyal, Major SR Sahu and CS Vishwakarma.

Dehradun, April 22
Pandit Prateek Chaudhuri, a renowned sitar player, performed at the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) here today.

He was accompanied by ustad Rashid Zafar Khan on the tabla. Pandit Prateek Chaudhuri encouraged the cadets to learn Indian classical music and revive the rich culture of the country. He also enlightened the cadets about many different ragas. Sharing his experience as an artiste, he narrated many experiences that he gained while performing in concerts worldwide.

He started his performance by showcasing the effect of the morning, afternoon, evening and night ragas. Then he presented “Miyan ki Todi” on the sitar followed by “Bhatiyali” (Bengali Folk). Then he presented the famous Kumaoni Folk “Bedu Pako Bara Masa”. By answering questions from cadets, he explained the history of the sitar and the importance of the sitar and the tabla in Indian classical music. He was happy to note that the cadets had a solid background of classical music.

At the end of the programme, Col PK Kumaria, Commandant, RIMC, presented tokens of appreciation to the artists and thanked them for gracing the occasion. He also appreciated the efforts of the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Among Youth (SPIC MACAY) in promoting Indian classical music. Other dignitaries present on the occasion were Lieut-Col A Tiwari, Wg Cdr SK Thapliyal, Major SR Sahu and CS Vishwakarma.

Dehradun, April 22
The first and second year students of MBA of ICFAI University bid adieu to the passing-out batch of MBA final year on the premises of the university here today. The function was presided over by Dr GP Srivastava, Vice-Chancellor of the university. The students enthralled the audience by their dance and song performances. The passing-out batch of the students appreciated the performances.

Addressing the gathering, Srivastava showered his blessings upon the students and wished them good luck. He encouraged them to burn their midnight oil and leave no stone unturned to come out with flying colours in their future endeavours.

Also, the Principal of the Management College of the university, Brig ML Sabharwal (retd), congratulated the passing-out batch of students and said: “The success story is never complete without hard work, dedication and integrity”. 

Dehradun, April 22
The Doon School and defending champion Welham Girls’ School claimed titles in the boys’ and the girls’ category, respectively, in the District Junior Basketball Championship that concluded in Doon International School, here today.

Spirited girls of Welham beat Convent of Jesus and Mary (CJM) 29-17 in the girls final today. Welham won the first three quarters 11-2, 9-4, 6-3 while the CJM managed to win the fourth quarter 6-3. Simran of the winning squad and Diksha of the CJM side scored 10 points each for their respective teams.

In the boys’ final, the Doon School defeated Hilton’s School 50-32. Doon lads didn’t let the opposite side prevail over in any of the four quarters. It won the quarters 11-4, 15-11, 14-9 and 10-8.

Arpit of Hilton’s School gave his best with maximum 22 points of the day but in vain as the team lost the final fight. For the winning team, Sharan scored 15 points.

In the semifinal encounters on Thursday, Welham Girls’ School thrashed Unison World School 9-2, 12-9, 14-2, 4-1 and the CJM got the better of Hopetown School 8-5, 6-2, 6-2, 5-15 to register the final berths.

Meanwhile, in the prize distribution ceremony, the winning and runners-up teams were given individual prizes and team trophies.

Three international players, including Suresh, Arvind Rawat and Vishesh, were also present at the concluding day programme.

Dehradun, April 22
West Doon Cricket Academy (WDCA) beat Bright Angels by 18 runs to win the Late Pati Dass Memorial Twenty20 Cricket Tournament title at the Sudhowala Jail ground here today.

Batting first, WDCA set a target of 147 runs in 20 overs losing six wickets. Narender (30), and Neeraj (26) were the principal scorers for the batting side. Lakshya and Naushad got three and two wickets, respectively, for Bright Angels.

Batting second, Bright Angels could score 118 runs in 20 overs. Sameer (45) was the top scorer for the side. Vaibhav of the winning team took three wickets. Arvind and Ankush took a wicket each.

Meanwhile, organiser Javad Butt said Sports Minister Khazan Das and MLA of Shaspur Raj Kumar gave away the prizes to players. The Sports Minister announced that Rs 5 lakh would be granted for the upkeep of the Jail ground while the MLA said he would give Rs 2 lakh for the same.

Mussoorie, April 22
The second late Anil Godiyal Memorial Six-a-Side Cricket Tournament began in Mussoorie today under the aegis of the Mussoorie Sport and Cultural Samiti. More than 20 teams are participating in the tournament this year. The inaugural match was played between Arvind Sports Club and Woodstock School.

Arvind Sports Club won the toss and elected to bat first. They made 106 runs in the stipulated five overs. Aashish took two wickets for Woodstock School. Chasing the target, Woodstock School lost the match as they could score only 71 runs at a loss of six wickets in the stipulated five overs. Raajkumar for Woodstock scored 23 runs in 13 balls and Manoj scored 10 runs.

The chief guest on the occasion, former President, Krishi Mandi Parishad, Upendar Thapli, donated a cricket kit and cash worth Rs 15,000 to the Mussoorie Culture and Sports Samiti here. He said various cricket associations should keep politics at bay, unite and try for affiliation with Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) in the state in the larger interest of sports. Samiti president Narendar Kumar, Secretary Samuel Chandra, convener Virendar Rawat, Parwinder Rawat and others were present on the occasion.