Sunny Singh – Man who played matchmaker for Sharmila & Pataudi!

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 27 Apr 2009:

The 71-year-old Sunny Singh, President of the Guniyal Gaon based Tons Valley Education Trust (TVET), is the man, who Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan should be thanking for their present star status.

“I knew both the families well before their marriage,” said Sunny Singh, who now runs a Guniyal Gaon Education Centre, where 51 girls (one got married today) from rural families based in Purkul, Shigally Hill, Chandroti, Guniyal Gaon, etc., are taught basic computer skills and spoken English.

The matchmaker

According to Singh, who had his education at The Doon School, he was a neighbour of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi while in Delhi. “Being close to where Pataudi lived (Hilly Road, Delhi) we naturally became friends,” he claimed, adding that their short-lived but enduring friendship came to an end after he joined The Doon School in 1949.

“Later, destiny took me to Calcutta, where I got a job with General Electric Company as a Purchase Officer in 1964 (he retired in 1996 as Director, Administration in the same company). This is the time I met Sharmila Tagore, alias Rinku, at a party, and eventually became friends,” he recalled.

His flowing beard (a la Rabindranath Tagore) and his impeccable Bengali is a pointer to his close connection with West Bengal, where he made many friends later in his life.

Talking about his mediatory role in the marriage of Sharmila Tagore and Pataudi, he said that ‘both the families were strongly opposed to the marriage’. “Eventually, a settlement was reached between the families, as per which, the actress (then Sharmila, after the success of Kashmir Ki Kali, is said to have shifted base to Bollywood from the Bengali film industry) had to change her religion,” he added.

Singh, who then was about 25 years, had reportedly convinced Gitindranath Tagore (Sharmila’s father as well as her grandmother, who was related to Rabindranath Tagore) and Pataudi’s mother, for their wedding in 1964-65. “I still have some photographs with the Tagore family,” he said, while showing some from his album.

Doon connection

After playing a crucial role in that high profile love story, Singh, who has made Doon his home, is still bringing positive changes in the lives of his students through his Guniyal Gaon Education Centre (started in November, 2006) . “I have developed a good number of friends, who do not mind donating for a social cause,” he said, while showing boxes of clothes, sandals, sarees, etc., some of which were sent by the likes of fashion designer Ritu Kumar.

Although at Guniyal Gaon Education Centre the girls are charged Rs 50 per month (four teachers in all), their every requirement, from sandals to higher education including a good portion of their wedding expenses is taken care of by TVET.

Bride No 2

Among the invitees list sent by Singh to attend one of his students’ wedding today, Singh also invited BL Joshi, Governor of Uttarakhand. “He has been instrumental in cutting red tape to get access to broadband and electricity connection for my school,” he said, while showing a Raj Bhavan letter dated Jan 24, 09, which was addressed to Singh.

The latest student of Guniyal Gaon Education Centre (GGEC), who tied the knot today, is 21-year-old Urmila. “The boy works in a Call Centre in the city,” said Pawan, Urmila’s brother, who looked after the wedding arrangements in Shigally Gaon.

According to Singh, who blessed the young couple this afternoon along with other GGEC students, all girls on their marriage, are given household gifts as well.

“We have introduced this concept was because, during marriages in villages surrounding Guniyal Gaon, poor parents often sell their household jewellery or land or borrow money from moneylenders at huge interest rates.”

"They are like my own daughters," he reasoned.

Future plans

"In the days ahead, I want to empower more rural girls by starting vocational courses in tailoring, nursing, etc., at Guniyal. For this, I would approach the appropriate authorities for grant of land,” he told Garhwal Post.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Feature&article=678

All that’s hot in the Book World

Ruskin Bond, along with Upendra Arora and Randhir Arora, at a book release function in Doon on Sunday.

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 26 April 2009:

Ruskin Bond’s books commands a respectable fan following in India (his star status is no less than a Bollywood star as he is always sought after by autograph hunters. This was evident during a book release function in Doon on Sunday). But it is not just his books that raise a storm among Doon’s literary circles.

One book topping the charts in Doon is Rhonda Byrne's The Secret. Despite the fact that the English version (a Hindi version also available) costs a mammoth Rs 680, the price has not deterred its sale in any way. “The book has a The Alchemist feel,” said Randhir Arora, owner of Astley Hall based Book World.

“Though the book is a hit with all age groups, it is mainly preferred by marketing professionals and those who want to enhance their personality,” he disclosed, pointing out that slowdown effect has increased its demand.

“This book takes one to a utopian world, where everything is possible.”

Following its tremendous success, The Secret’s publisher has hiked its price thrice. “Till July 2008, it was priced Rs 495. After that, it jumped its price again to Rs 550, which continued till August 2008. Later, its price was hiked to Rs 680,” Arora said.

Watch them out

Among the recent books to watch out for are Paulo Coelho’s (author of the all time hit The Alchemist) ‘The Winner Stands Alone’ and NR Narayana Murthy’s ‘A better India, A better World’ (non-fiction).

Released by PM Manmohan Singh a week ago, Murthy’s book (Rs 499) has reportedly made a good beginning. “This book is primarily meant for students and educationalists, and contains lot of ideas for a better tomorrow,” informed Arora.

Local books

Two recent books by local authors, which are also doing above average business, so far, are Ganesh Saili’s Mussoorie across the Ages and Ganguli’s Doon Rediscovered. “So far, we have sold 20 copies of Saili’s book,” added Arora.

Love Stories

Those who consider poetry and non-fiction as drab and boring, need not feel lose out, as recently, Srishti Publication has come out with some novellas on love and romance, for the young.

Priced for Rs 100 each, these mini novellas, which are written by first time authors, can be termed as the Indian version of hugely popular Mills & Boons.

Some of the well-known titles on teen romance currently available in Doon’s well-known book stores like The Green Bookshop, Book World etc are Arpit Dugar’s Nothing for you my dear, Tushar Raheja’s ‘Anything for you, ma'am’ (an IITian’s love story), Abhijit Bhaduri’s Mediocre But Arrogant (a B-School love story), Animesh Verma’s ‘Love, Life And Dream On’ (school love story) etc.

Other popular teen love novellas, which have caught the imagination of the young brigade are Novoneel Chakraborty’s ‘A Thing Beyond Forever: The Reward For Every True Love Is Not Love’ and Ravinder Singh’s ‘I Too Had A Love Story’ (online love story of two strangers who meets through a matrimonial site) etc.

According to Upendra Arora, proprietor of the Rajpur Road based ‘The Green Bookshop’, such books do well ‘because they can ‘connect’ with and form a rapport with the youngsters’. “Apart from this, these books also come cheap,” he reasoned.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Dehradun&article=650

Rare 1948 Gandhi book on display at Readers’ Choice

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 22 Apr 2009:

A hitherto unknown book on Gandhi’s quotes – Aaj ka Vichar (Daily Thoughts) -- which was written by Jairam Das Daulat Ram, the then Governor of Bihar in 1948, is on display at Moti Bazar based Readers’ Choice book store.

Written by Gandhiji, himself, from 20 November, 1944 to 20 August, 1948, the maxims printed in the book retain his own scribbled handwriting in Hindi (printed version) along with the readable text provided by Jairam Das Daulat Ram in clear Hindi.

In the preface, written by Anand Hingorani, Gandhi dedicates the book of quotes to one Vidya alias Rishikanya. Then priced at Rs 10, the book has over 300 quotations relating to worldly wisdom.

“There may have been only 100 copies of this book. Of these, only this piece survives,” claimed Naseem, proprietor of Readers’ Choice, who also deals in rare books of historical importance.

The book, in tattered shape, now, reportedly costs thousands. “The Collector who has offered to display this book is also willing to sell it,” he told Garhwal Post, while refusing to name the Collector.

Another book (in two volumes), which the Readers’ Choice proprietor claims to be of rare category, is a hard bound edition of the Times of India’s collected front pages titled ‘Forefront’ (published during 1938-1988) and selected edit page articles titled ‘Viewpoint’ (published during 1900-1990).

Features

The first mentioned book (published in the year 1988, costing Rs 275 then), contains the reprinted version of all the important national and international happenings, as appeared in the newspaper, in A4 size.

The book has all important front page stories published in that paper during 1938-1988, including the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, declaration of Emergency, death of Nehru, 1971 war, etc.

Similarly, in the second book titled ‘Viewpoint’, are contained collected edit page articles (during 1900-1990) written by many luminaries on a wide spectrum of social, political, economic and cultural happenings at the national and international levels.

Among the articles reprinted in the book are those by Dr Rajendra Prasad (The Making of the Constitution), JRD Tata (Government and Industry), Dr Homi Bhabha (Science and the State), Nehru (What is Culture), Tenzing Norgay ('On to the Summit', a first hand account of his Mt Everest conquest) etc.

One of the interesting articles has been written by RH Goddard (To the Moon), which he wrote in February 1930, imagining mankind’s venture to the moon with the type of rocket patented by him (Man actually set foot on the moon in 1969).

According to Naseem, these two books ‘are also priceless’. “They too have gone out of print.”

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Dehradun&article=589

ONGC is more an Energy Company: CMD RS Sharma

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 24 Apr 2009:

Knowing well that world Oil and Gas reserves won’t last forever, ONGC has been looking beyond Hydrocarbons, said RS Sharma, Chairman & Managing Director of ONGC, today. He added that ONGC had become an Energy Company and was not restricted to just Oil and Gas. Its corporate philosophy was now ‘Oil and Beyond’.

He said this during a media interaction at Tel Bhavan, today, in the presence of Dr AK Balyan, Director (HR), AK Hazarika, Director (Onshore), DK Pande, Director (Exploration), Sudhir Vasudeva, Director (Offshore) and UN Bose, Director (Technical and Field Services).

Elaborating further, Sharma told media persons that ONGC was foraying out into new energy areas like solar, wind and other alternate sources of energy.

“We have already commissioned a 50 MW Wind Power Plant on 6 September, 2008 in Gujarat,” he said adding that ONGC had also inked an MoU with Uranium Corporation of India (UCI) for extraction of uranium from its sub-surface drilling.

“Despite good potential, right now, India depends on foreign countries for its uranium requirements,” he said, disclosing that ONGC had set up four teams to explore uranium deposits in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Assam. Feasibility studies were on in this regard.

During his extensive interaction with the media, he also spoke on various issues concerning ONGC in particular and others related in general to the global oil industry.

R&D – Not reinventing wheel

While answering a question on ONGC’s R&D and Engineering capabilities vis-à-vis other international Oil majors, UN Bose, Director (Technical and Field Services) acknowledged that there existed a large gap.

“There is no point reinventing the wheel, as we believe in capturing already available technology,” he explained.

Future of Oil

Dispelling the myth of oil resources getting exhausted anytime in the near future, Sharma said, “The world is not going to run out of oil in the foreseeable future.”

Commenting on the concept of ‘peak oil theory’, he said that the advances in technology had made it possible for Oil companies to go for deep/ ultra-deep exploration, which was not possible earlier. “Through use of latest technology, the untapped oil resources, which could be equivalent to the existing oil resources, can be extracted,” he said, emphasising that in the foreseeable future ‘we may not run out of oil resources.

Meltdown Effect

Answering a question on the effect of the global meltdown, he pointed out that it had negligible impact on ONGC. “We have been able to withstand better than our global peers,” he said, adding that ONGC Videsh operates in 18 countries.

Continuing he said, “The reasons primarily are that the cost of equipment used in oil exploration/ drilling has come down. Similarly, unlike foreign oil companies, who hiked oil prices, ONGC had perforce to operate on a business model based the administered price regime.

”Referring to administered price mechanism practiced by Indian oil majors, he said that following the global meltdown, while it battered others due to fall in demand/ price of oil, ONG C remained immune. Earlier, ONGC had an ‘oil price realisation’ of around $ 52 a barrel, which was now just below $ 50 a barrel. At the same time, the price of equipment had come down considerably and poaching of its human resources had also decreased. ‘So, while ONGC did not benefit too much from the ‘upside’, it was not hurting from the ‘downside’. As such, ONGC was in a ‘comfort zone’.

Oil Prices

While answering another query on oil prices, he claimed that these wouldn’t come down further. Referring to the time when oil prices went on to command 146$ a barrel (July, 2008), he also questioned the veracity of oil price predictions done by the likes of Goldman Sachs.

The international securities firm had then predicted the oil price would touch $ 200 a barrel, ‘which turned out to be untrue’. “The long term demand and supply paradigm will ensure that prices do not fall much further,” he asserted.

ONGC strikers’ fate

Commenting on the recent Oil PSUs nationwide strike, which also included ONGCians, Sharma told media persons that the issues raised by them, ‘did not justify the strike’. “In those three days, not only was the economy hit, but also the common man was put to great hardship,” he said, adding that all the 64 ONGCians whose services had been terminated for joining the strike had been taken back.

“However, an inquiry is still on against those office-bearers who had passed the strike resolution, and they remain suspended. And if found guilty, the punishment would be exemplary.”

ONGC & Brain drain

Commenting on the effect of brain drain faced by ONGC, Sharma said that following global recession, very few employees were jumping ship. “Compared to last year, the situation on this front is quite better.”

Contract employees

Responding to another question on the frequent dharnas staged by ONGC’s contractual employees at regular intervals, Sharma clarified that ‘it was due mainly due to miscommunication between workers and management’.

Earlier, Sharma presented a slideshow about ONGC’s journey since its inception.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Uttarakhand&article=601

Futuristic Medical Sciences: How about donating kidney, liver, heart … after death!

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 22 Apr 2009:

If the spurt of kidney diseases among Doonites appears ominous, what is more unfortunate is the fact that, at the moment, there is no mechanism for kidney transplantation in any of the ‘super’ specialty hospitals in the state.

Ironically, despite the fact that there may be donors who would not mind donating their vital organs like heart, kidney, liver, etc., after their death, there has not been any initiative by the state on this front. The same is also true for NGOs, who are conspicuous by their absence in the field of organ transplantation.

Possibilities

According to Dr Lav Kush Pandey, an Anesthetist at the CMI Hospital, who has earlier worked at St Stephen’s Hospital, Delhi, as an anesthesia expert with an organ transplantation team, transplantation of the kidney is feasible in Doon.

“There are a good number of Urologists in Doon, as also eye specialists. But the problem is that of infrastructure,” Pandey told Garhwal Post, adding that, post death, kidneys removed from a deceased person at the current stage of scientific advancement, could be preserved for 4-6 hours.

“Apart from kidneys, the liver and heart of a deceased person can also be preserved for the same duration."

Problems

Apart from major hospitals like St Stephen’s, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Apollo, Hinduja, AIIMS, etc., unfortunately, despite the advancements in science, organ transplantation is not being carried out, lamented Pandey.

“There are various reasons for this. First, it is a case of demand and supply, i.e., a person who wants a kidney transplant never knows when he would get a donor. Similarly, doctors, even if they are capable of transplanting the organs, remain worried about legal complexities if the donor happens to be a stranger to the recipient,” he explained.

What is more shocking is that despite having a Central Act on organ transplantation (The Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994) very few states viz. Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra have adopted this Act.

Among other provisions, if adopted in Uttarakhand, the Act would empower doctors to extract human organs from willing donors or after permission from relatives of brain dead patients after being cleared by ‘Authorisation Committees’.

Speaking to Garhwal Post, Dr DC Dhyani, an Officer at DG (Health), pointed out that, at the moment, no organ transplantation ‘is taking place in the state’.

“Even an eye bank at Jolly Grant Hospital, which was inaugurated a year ago to collect corneas from donors, is also in a non-functional state,” he said, acknowledging that the ‘Organ Transplantation Act’ had not adopted by the Uttarakhand Assembly, so far’.

108 & Organ Transplantation

In the event a good health infrastructure is put in place for organ transplantation in the future, 108 Emergency Services may play an important role.

“Presently, 108 has 9 ambulances in the District,” said an EMRI staffer

.However, organ transplantation may not be easy. “For organ transplantation to take off, there should be mass awareness among the people about the need for donating organs after death. There are also other issues like legal complexities, availability of requisite infrastructure, expert doctors, a coordination agency looking after demand and supply, collection and preservation of the organs,” said Pandey.

What the law says

To look into various complexities arising out of organ donation by humans for humans, the Parliament enacted The Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994. It has been reportedly adopted by states like Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra and all the Union Territories. Under the Act, states can also adopt this Act by passing a resolution in the State Assembly under Article 252 of the Constitution of India.

If agreed to by an Authorisation Committee (to be appointed by the Central/ State governments), to whom the donor/ recipient would submit applications, removal and transplantation of human organs can take place.

What Hinduism says

“One should not worry about death, as the soul can never be slain. Rather it sheds one body at death and takes on a new one, in birth after birth”-- Bhagavad Gita.

Loosely interpreted, there is no harm if one donates body organs after death as the soul remains immortal.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Dehradun&article=548

Gandhi’s green ‘descendant’ is still alive & kicking

BY PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 22 Apr 2009:

Anything attached with a ‘Gandhi’ tag is known to have lasting value (the three generations of Gandhis from Feroze Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi) and also, sometimes, known to command good prices at auctions (Vijay Mallya paid $1.8 million to acquire Gandhi’s glasses, a pocket watch, a brass plate, etc).

It is little wonder that, if Gandhi’s lifeless objects raise that huge a sum of money, then, what would be the price tag of a living tree left behind by Gandhi in Doon? That nobody knows for sure.

Welcome to the Rajpur Road based Christian Retreat and Study Centre (CRSC), where Gandhi planted a Peepal sapling (Ficus religiosa) on 17 October, 1929.

Now, at close to 80 years, the full grown tree not only stands tall at the entrance of the CRSC’s three-acre campus, but also provides support to countless small living creatures in its unique ways.

Life support

For many years (it still does), the branches of the tree have been shelter for black ants, birds, flies and insects, as well as monkeys, who swarm the tree in hordes.

“The tree is a favourite resting place for wild pigeons, woodpeckers and monkeys,” said Sarita Dass, Administrative Assistant of CRSC, adding that in view of its historical importance, ‘two gardeners water the tree everyday’.

The CRSC staff also constructed a round platform encircling the tree to strengthen its trunk base and filled it with earth. At 11 a.m. this morning, the tree had some friendly visitors – a pair of wild pigeons, a group of black ants, who have made a home inside one of the crevices in the tree trunk and a butterfly that hovered above the ornamental plants closeby.

“The tree will get more visitors in the days ahead when it grows new tender leaves,” said Dass, who also acknowledges the historical importance of the tree.

Ramjas and Yogesh – the two gardeners employed by CRSC, take care of the tree by spraying insecticide, watering, etc., at regular intervals.

History

According to Dr Manoj Panjani, a historian and an ex-JNU staffer in the Gandhian Studies Department (1990-96), who is chronicling Gandhi’s travels in Uttarakhand from 1915-1946 in his forthcoming book ‘Gandhi & Uttarakhand’, Gandhi planted the Peepal sapling during his third visit to the state (then known as United Provinces).

“On 17 October, 1929, Gandhi planted a sapling in the premises of what was then known as ‘Shakti Ashram’ in memory of T Keshava Deva Shastri, a doctor. The latter had founded the ‘Shakti Ashram’,” he stated, while pointing out that ‘nothing concrete is known about the activities of the Ashram and nor even about the life of Keshava, himself.

Elaborating further, he said that Gandhi had come to Dehradun on an invitation extended by Mahaveer Tyagi, a Congressman, after the latter promised Gandhi that he would collect Rs 5000 for Gandhi’s Daridra Narayan Fund.

Ironically, there is no record with CRSC management about the person (Keshava) in whose memory Gandhi planted the sapling in 1929.

“We do not have any photograph or picture of Keshava at CRSC,” said Rev RK Tandy, Director of CRSC to Garhwal Post, disclosing that CRSC had purchased the land from Mabel Khan, sister-in-law of Dr Keshava, in 1954 following the deaths of the Keshava couple.

Speaking about Dr Keshava, Tandy told Garhwal Post that the former, who had married an American woman, came to Doon in 1919 along with his sister in law. “Dr Keshava was a renowned doctor during his time,” he said.

Prior to Dr Keshava, the property is said to have belonged to the Salvation Army, which reportedly purchased it from an Austrian Glass manufacturer in the 1800s.

“From 1942-1948, the premises was used to run a Manav Bharti School,” Tandy said, adding that CRSC is now used for holding workshops, seminars, etc., for pastors.

“From tomorrow, we will be holding a 10-day Holistic Development workshop for Uttarakhand pastors,” he said.

Suggestions

According to Dr Manoj Panjani, who is now working as a Research Associate with Doon Library and Research Centre (DLRC), the sapling planted by Gandhi ‘should not be taken lightly’.

“In this time when deforestation activities go on unchecked, this sends a clear message for conservation,” he said, suggesting that ‘an open space should specially be earmarked in the city, where all important visiting luminaries – social, political, etc – should plant a sapling’.

“In this regard, some of the well-known schools of Doon, where children of the rich and mighty study, should take the initiative,” he suggested. He also pointed out the relevance of totemism (nature worship) prevalent in tribal societies in the conservation of the environment.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Dehradun&article=559

Leprosy affected inmates of five U’khand Shelters get patron

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 19 Apr 2009:

If all things go according to plan, there will be no more begging for Nepal’s Paro, 50, a formerly leprosy affected person and inmate of the Tyagi Road based Shiv Kusht Ashram. The same is the case for 70-year-old Khadak Singh and other 14 inmates as they have got a new mentor – Sarat Kumar Dutta.

Dutta (now 60 plus), a former leprosy affected person, had fled home at the age of 16 years after facing discrimination in his native Haripur, Birbhum District (West Bengal), to land up in Delhi. He now is the President of the National Forum’s North Zone, an organisation that works for the leprosy affected in India, which has collaboration with Japan’s Nippon Foundation.

“Under the Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (SILF), a sister organisation of Nippon Foundation, five leprosy shelters have been identified in Uttarakhand. They would get about Rs 3 lakhs, each, (based on its inmates’ strength) to start their own enterprises,” Dutta told Garhwal Post.

Of the 22 Leprosy Shelter homes in Uttarakhand, the five lucky ones are: Chandrashekhar Kusht Ashram (Haridwar), Swami Vivekananda Kusht Ashram (Haridwar) and three Doon based shelter homes - Rotary Kusht Ashram, Shiv Kusht Ashram and Shanti Kusht Ashram.“The inmates would be trained in incense stick making, candle-making and paper cutting,” he added, pointing out that the sanctioned money also included the cost of training, machinery and procurement of raw materials.

According to Dutta, for Uttarakhand state, the responsibility of training and marketing of the produce has been delegated to an NGO called DISHA. “The money has been sanctioned under the Livelihood Group Project initiated by SILF, this year,” he said, stating that some more Shelter Homes would be identified, later, ‘depending upon the success of the present ones’.

Dutta also disclosed that in the 10 North Indian states, there were about 250 Leprosy Shelters.

Present income source

At Shiv Kusht Ashram, where there are presently 16 inmates (10 women and 6 men), the main source of livelihood is begging. “We go for begging only three days a week. The rest of the time we remain free,” said Paro, who feels that after getting trained in candle making, she too, would have chance to live a dignified life.

Interestingly, most of the leprosy affected (all cured now), cook their own meals independently, but go for group begging (all pool their daily earnings) six times in a month. “Whatever money is collected in these six days, goes towards payment of our common needs like electricity bills, travel charges and other common expenses,” said Ghanshayam Vishwakarma, 65, President of the Shiv Kusht Ashram.

According to Vishwakarma, though many Samaritans visited their colony, nothing had materialised at the ground level. “Like politicians, they just make empty promises,” he alleged.Elaborating about the programme, Dutta said the National Forum had recently conducted a workshop under the leadership of National Forum National President Dr PK Gopal (also leprosy affected). “Held in Lucknow, it was on Integration and Empowerment of People Affected by Leprosy,” he said.

“This empowerment programme, if it is successful, would help the leprosy affected to stand on their own feet,” opined Dutta, whose tri-monthly magazine titled ‘For the Affected, by the Affected’ was recently launched by President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan.However, the inmates of Shiv Kusht Ashram, need to solve another problem before they can get possession of the sanctioned money, as under the SILF rules, a joint account is needed to be opened. “We don’t have an account yet,” said Vishwakarma.

State compensation

“From May, 2009, the Sheila Dikshit government has assured an increase in the compensation from Rs 1000 to Rs 1800 to all leprosy affected people (including cured ones),” disclosed Dutta. As against this, the Uttarakhand government reportedly doles out Rs 400 per month to each leprosy affected person.

“The National Forum has held talks with the Uttarakhand State Health Department to raise the compensation up to Rs 1000,” he said.According to one of the inmates of Shiv Kusht Ashram, even the meager Rs 400 per month given to them by the government often comes as late as six months. “We get all the compensation amounts at one go,” said another inmate.

Catch ‘em young is mantra: Dr Kiran Seth

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 19 April, 2009:

Dr Kiran Seth, an IIT Kharagpur product, who also has a Doctorate from the Columbia University, New York, is an unassuming man – but a man who knows his priorities.

On the concluding day of Spic Macay’s three-day state convention at IGNFA Auditorium, here, there were many artistes who even remained unaware that it was in 1979 that he had laid the foundation for the greatest Indian cultural movement. (May be his khadi clothes failed to attract anybody’s attention!)

After the convention formally got over in the afternoon, Seth was found removing scraps of paper from the auditorium. He also requested students not to leave any mess behind.In the list of 44 Padma Shri awardees felicitated by the President of India, recently, which also included Dr Kiran Seth, the spotlight was ironically hogged by the likes of Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bacchan.

Spread over 300 cities in India, and 50 International cities in countries like US, Canada, Norway, UK, etc., Spic Macay has been exposing Indian culture including its music, art forms, yoga, meditation, songs, etc., to the Indian Gen-Next since 1979.

After ensuring that the last piece of waste was removed from IGNFA Auditorium, Seth talked to Garhwal Post about Spic Macay and what it means for Indian culture.

Some excerpts:

How did you get the idea for a movement like Spic Macay?

I was completely hooked on the Beatles and Mary Hopkins stuff while I was studying at IIT Kharagpur (1965-1970). But, there was one Lee Sen, a staff member at IIT Kharagpur, who slowly took me closer to Indian classical music. Every year, Sen would organise a Classical Programme in the campus called Green Amateur’s Night.

But it was not that I listened to it very intently, as then I preferred to while away my time playing cards with my friends in the back benches.

Later, when I went abroad for my PhD (Columbia University), I got a chance to attend a Dhrupad concert by Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariddudin Dagar at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York, in 1972. That one concert moved me as I can still vividly remember every detail of the event, the raga they sang…I was completely overawed, thinking if they could move me, then why not others.

So, after some time, I formed an Indian Club of Columbia University with some of my friends. We pooled money and started inviting Indian music maestros to Columbia University whenever they came to New York for their performances.Later, after finishing my PhD, when I joined IIT Delhi as an Asst Prof (in 1976), I had once casually asked my 50 students whether they had ever heard the name of Pt Nikhil Banerjee (Veena player). When they replied in the negative, I asked them whether they were interested in having a classical programme every year…The students later formed MEFORG (Mechanical Engineers Final Year Operations Research Group).

As a first, we invited the Dagar brothers in 1977… Later, under Spic Macay, the first official event was conducted in 1979…

So far, how many artistes have performed under the banner of Spic Macay? And in how many art genres?

We do not have any numbers. But all Indian classical stalwarts have at one point in time, performed for Spic Macay. Over the last decade, we are also trying to expose other international art/ music forms under the Best of World Culture Programme.

What is the best way to popularise Indian classical fare among youngsters?

Catch ‘em young—is the mantra to popularise India’s rich legacy. During my stay in West Bengal, one thing that attracted me was the initiative taken by parents in this regard. They are quite art conscious and introduce their children to Bengal’s artistic traditions like Rabindra Sangeet, etc., which sentiment is missing in other parts.

In this regard, I feel school principals like HM Rout (Principal of Meerut based Dewan Public School) where about 5000 students study, can play an important role. He actively holds Spic Macay programmes in the school four times on an average in a year.

Ironically, the same is not happening for other Indian children, who are not getting exposed to India’s traditional arts.

Unlike mainstream Bollywood music or films, why is it that Indian classical music has failed to become popular?

Communication of Indian classical music is quite slow. But the best way to take it to the masses lies in repetition, i.e., good things should be repeated again and again. What does an award mean to you?Awards are extraneous; therefore, I prefer getting them internally inside me. I have a Bharat Ratna inside me (laughs, before he heads to have dal/ rice).

Career Watch: Law

Lawyers should say no to frivolous cases: C Raj

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 19 April 2009:

Professor C Raj Kumar, VC of the newly established Sonipat (Haryana) based OP Jindal Global University has an important task at hand in Doon. Kumar, who is a product of Harvard Law School, is touring some of Doon’s best schools to attract students for its five year law course to be offered in Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) from September this year.

The newly established JGLS, which also wants to be reckoned as one of the prestigious law schools in the country, would be introducing five-year BA LLB (after plus two) and three-year LLB programme in its 54-acre campus in Sonipat, Haryana (NCR) from this academic year. The course fee would be Rs 7 lakh per annum for a 3 year course, while it is Rs 6 lakh per annum for 5 year course.

JGLS would be formally inaugurated by the Chief Justice of India on 7 August, 2009. Among its future plans, by 2010, OP Jindal Global University would also start a School of Government and Public Policy on the lines of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Planning as well as a School of International Affairs by 2012.

During the course of his hectic schedule in the city (he visited 16 Doon and Mussoorie schools), he spoke to Garhwal Post about the vision of JGLS and various other legal issues.

Some excerpts

What is the mode of selection to JGLS?

Selections to the law courses would be based on merit ie on the basis of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) - India, which was created by US based The Law School Admission Council as a common admission test for entry into Indian law schools. JGLS is the first law school in India to adopt this test. The last date for registration for the exam is 27 April, 2009.

Why did you choose Sonipat as the location for JGLS?

For any law college, the ideal location is its proximity to courts. With Sonipat being quite close to Delhi, our students can have access to the High Court as well as the Supreme Court of India for their legal learning needs. We are also quite close to the District Court in Sonipat as well.

How is JGLS different from other law schools?

At JGLS, we would have institutional collaboration with prestigious law schools like Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, New York University School of Law, University of San Francisco School of Law, etc. We would facilitate student exchange programmes.

Won’t the high fee structure at JGLS discourage students?

Compared to normal law colleges, the fees of Rs 7 lakh per annum for a 3 year course, and Rs 6 lakh per annum for 5 year course, may appear high, but would definitely not be at the cost of quality. However, one silver lining is that, at the least, about 25 % of JGLS students would be covered under some kind of scholarships.

Where can they expect to get employment?

We are mainly targeting prestigious foreign and Indian law firms. We have already entered into MoUs with Indian law firms like Amarchand Mangaldas, Fox Mandal, etc. Similarly, we are also targeting the US and UK based law firms, which specialise in Corporate law, Trade law and Intellectual Property Law, etc.

It is said that good lawyers never teach. How are you going to tackle this?

Under the rules framed by the Bar Council of India, eminent practicing lawyers are also allowed to teach on part time basis. So, we are planning to rope in practicing lawyers in specialised areas like civil procedure, criminal procedure, arbitration, etc., on a need based approach.

Why is it that students of National Law Schools like National Law School of India University, Bangalore, NALSAR, etc., have never hogged the limelight?

The tendency for most of the law students in prestigious law schools has been to get into the corporate side in various legal firms. They also opt for other well-paying legal areas like Trade Law, Intellectual Property Rights, etc. As a result, most of them, despite earning handsome salaries, could not gain popularity among the masses.

However, they cannot be blamed due to the fact that the legal profession has opened many doors in the present market scenario.

There is a huge pendency of cases in the lower as well as higher judiciary in India? How do we control this?

Apart from increasing the number of courts and judges by the government, lawyers can also play an important role. If all lawyers outright refuse to appear in frivolous litigation, the pendency rate would come down drastically.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Interview&article=465

By the sighted, for the blind

‘Feeling’ is also believing: Dr Md Sami Al Sufi

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 17 April 2009:

For Dr Md Sami Al Sufi, EMRI’s Advanced Clinical Educator from Hyderabad, Thursday’s one day Basic life Support Training Programme for the 70 Visually Challenged students of NIVH was a learning experience for him as well.

“This was the first time in my life when I taught Life Saving Skills to visually challenged people,” he told Garhwal Post, pointing out that in a similar training programme for normal people, they usually bank on a lot of video footage for explaining the basics of life saving skills to the participants.

“Today’s training session taught me another important lesson, i.e., feeling is also believing,” said Sufi, who has also trained trainers in Life Saving Skills in Hyderabad.

The one day training session, in which partially as well as completely visually challenged students were divided into two groups, was led by Dr Vijay Mittal, HoD of EMRI’s Emergency Medical Learning Care. It also included two Advanced Clinical Educators and three EMLC instructors.

Life Skills

The life skills taught to these students by the EMRI experts had really come late for many of the participants. “Had I known these techniques earlier, I could have saved the life of a motorist, who died due to excessive bleeding in a bike-car collision in Moradabad two years ago,” said Surjeet Singh, a sighted student of Bachelor of Mobility Science, who is undergoing a course in NIVH.

Explaining further, Singh said that since an average human has about 5 litres of blood, ‘it becomes extremely crucial to prevent blood loss during accidents’. “This can be done by tying a piece of wet cloth/ handkerchief tightly at the affected place,” added Singh, who had already attended the programme in the first session.

Similar is the case with other visually challenged participants like 38-year-old Dev Kumar Sharma, Yogesh Kumar and others, who all now feel confident of rescuing even normal people.

Other skills

Apart from teaching the technique of administering Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), the students were also taught basic skills to tackle problems like fits, fainting (giddiness), chest pain, removal of airways obstruction in choking patients, bleeding nose problems, etc.

“Ironically, in many of these instances, though the visually challenged students would not be able to see the problems themselves, but if told by someone, it can definitely help in saving the life of the victim,” said Sufi, while pointing out that the life of a victim ought not to be compromised till the arrival of Emergency Medicare.

“Even if 108 services are called during emergencies, what people should understand is that there is no guarantee that they can always reach on time,” he said, emphasising the need for compulsory training in Basic Life Skills for everyone.

“The Golden Hour (first hour when the patient gets affected) is very crucial in CPR cases.”

“If you compare the scenario in the US, there, almost 88% of the people are capable of administering CPR,” he disclosed, adding that till March 2009, EMRI had trained 850 participants in Life Saving Skills in the state.

Misconceptions

Sufi also highlighted many prevailing misconceptions with people with regard to Basic Life Skills.

“For instance, in nose bleeding cases, there is a myth that making the victim smell onion helps. Similarly, in cases of fits, people make the victim smell onions, shoes and are also known to place keys in the fists of the victim,” he said.

“Instead, what we have taught the students is that in cases of fits (since, they cannot see, somebody has to tell them), they were told to immediately remove sharp objects from the vicinity of the patient, loosen their clothes, provide breathing space and protect their heads. As regards fainting, they were told to make the victim lie down and to raise their legs up to 12 inches to help restore blood circulation to the brain…”

Problems

According to Sufi, who also has a degree in Life Saving Skills from Stanford University (US), this was the first time for EMRI to conduct Life Saving Workshop for the visually challenged in India.

“So, in order to understand the problems of the visually challenged, the EMRI trainers were forced to explain some of the techniques blindfolded,” he explained.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Dehradun&article=412

Empty Nest Syndrome

Empty Nest Syndrome
By PRABEER SIKDAR
DEHRADUN, 17 April 2009:
Whenever I happen to come across a labourer’s family living in a slum, I envy them, especially their children, who despite their parents’ subsistence income, stay along with them and also chip in with their own contribution to the family.

In one way, if one sets aside the quality of life enjoyed by the labourer’s family, the children of the former definitely score over the rich/educated urban families, whose children often migrate from their hometown in search for better education/ jobs.

When I look at the condition of my present landlord and his spouse (both are above 80 years), it really makes me wonder whether human beings are really different from animals.

Why I say this is because, recently, my landlord, who retired as a Central government employee many years ago, despite having a good pension, does not have anyone near him to even to buy medicines for his ailing wife (she suffers from acute joint pains and crawls even to climb stairs).

Though the frail man can ride a scooter, at this age, he carries on with his daily routine by walking the distance for every household needs. Of course, there is also a domestic help to take care, but their pains gets more accentuated, when they find none of their dearest are around at the time they require them the most.

Many a time, it is neither the doctor nor even the 108 emergency service staff old and ailing people require. It is an assurance from their children – a statement that we are there, a sense of hope and a little bit of love.

Significantly, my landlord’s two sons work in reputed companies in Delhi and Mumbai, respectively, earning handsome salaries for their own families.

I wonder what use of that money would be when they can neither even buy medicines for their ailing parents or can even take them to a doctor.

What, ironically is true, is that the case of my landlord is not an isolated one. Most well-off families living in urban centres also face similar problems – children of richer families would head for US/abroad while for the average rich in towns, their children would migrate to the metros.

And the reasons for the internal and external migrations are mainly related to education and employment. Maybe, the solution for this voluntary separation -- of parents from children and children from parents and also grandchildren from grandparents – lies in improving the two sectors to the best possible limits.

So, the next time you look at a labour couple, enjoying their moments with their children, you know whom to envy.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=GupShup&article=397

Double Jeopardy: Petrol bunk owners, fraudsters squeeze money from salesmen!

By PRABEER SIKDAR
DEHRADUN, 15 Apr 2009:
The condition of about 100-150 petrol salesmen working in 15-20 petrol outlets in the city appears to be worse than that of private security guards (see Garhwal Post story, 2 April, 2009).
With a starting salary of Rs 2000 per month (it goes up to Rs 2850 per month after more than a decade’s experience), they are not only being harassed by the Petrol Bunk owners, but also some fraudsters, who slip away without making payments.

Problems

“When we report for work, our owner notes down the Petrol Meter reading and also hands over some money. Later, after the duty period, they tally the meter reading before collecting the day’s income,” explained Rajender Prasad, newly appointed President (Association formed in May, 2008) of the CITU affiliated Petroleum Karamchari Union (PKU), who works at Agarwal Filling Station, Astley Hall.

“The problem is with some fraudsters (mostly young), who slip away without making payments after getting the tank filled,” added Prasad, pointing out that all ‘Petrol Bunk owners follow a similar policy of holding them responsible for such problems.

So, it doesn’t surprise Pradeep Thapa (name changed), who earns less than Rs 2850 per month (his officially fixed salary) even after having a work experience of 22 years in the same profession. “On an average, every week, one such case happens with most of us, and especially for those where they get more customers,” Thapa told Garhwal Post.

Ironically, CITU PKU Office bearers, due to their ignorance and lack of power, have not yet tried to raise their problems with the Petrol Outlet owners, who actually are also supposed to look into security aspects as well.

However, for the Petrol Salesmen, the problem does not end with the unnecessary loss of money, as they also remain bereft of other job benefits like weekly off, paid leave and excessive duration of work, i.e., more than the stipulated 8 hours.

“Whenever anybody tries to raise our problems, he is fired by the management,” Prasad said, disclosing that some of the PKU office-bearers were recently fired after their owners objected to ‘Union’ activities.

Ravi, another Petrol Salesman working at a Petrol Outlet on Raipur Road, said that many-a-time, ‘some customers also mange to get away by confusing us’.

According to Sanjeev, Manager of the Indian Oil Petrol outlet on Raipur Road, in such cases, they note down the vehicle numbers. “Later, we get information from the RTO and track down the fraudster,” he said, acknowledging that barring ‘unruly cases’ (where someone openly refuses to pay after filling petrol), they personally hold the salesmen responsible for the day’s collection.

What also appears surprising is the fact that none of the Petrol Outlet owners appoint a specific ‘collector’ for looking after the payments. “Every salesman is also supposed to work as his own accountant,” said Prasad.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Dehradun&article=381

“Past life experiences can affect present behaviour”

By Prabeer Sikdar

DEHRADUN, 13 Apr:

Seeking cures for problems like migraines, stress, low self-esteem, money issues, dysfunctional relationship, poor destiny and bad health, 33 participants attended a Spiritual Therapy Workshop in the city today. It was conducted by Dr Kondaveti Newton and his wife, Dr Laxmi Newton -- Hyderabad based Past Life Regression Therapists.

According to Anil Sinha, an IIT Kanpur alumnus and a Software/ Management Consultant, who organised the workshop at a hotel here, the duo were ‘world renowned Regression Therapists’. “After bidding adieu to their medical career, they started Life Research Academy in Hyderabad in 2000 to heal patients through the Past Life Regression Method,” he said.

Many names

According to Sinha, who also attended the Newtons’ workshop in Hyderabad in 2007, Past Life Regression Method ‘is known as Para-Psychology, Meta-physical Therapy or Regression Therapy’.

‘Benefits’

Recalling his own experiences, Sinha said that the Past Life Regression Method ‘gives one a chance to understand life and helps to balance one’s life in a better way leading to spiritual growth’.

Speaking to Garhwal Post, Chaitali Sinha, a student of St Joseph’s, who was the youngest participant at the workshop, said, “I attended the workshop not to seek solutions, but to explore spirituality.”Anjana, another participant, who was attending the workshop for the second time said that ‘this time the workshop helped me to identify my problem’.

According to Anil Sinha, the workshop was also attended by participants from half-a-dozen states of North India. “This was the third workshop by the Newton couple in Doon,” he said, adding that they conducted two more workshops in 2008.

Is it a Science?

Though acknowledging that the Medical Council of India (MCI) does not officially recognise Regression Therapists, it ‘is still a science’, it was claimed.“In order to understand the science behind spirituality, a lot of research is being done in the west. Those who have doubts about it should read Brian Weiss’ ‘Many Lives, Many Masters’ and ‘The Intention Experiment’ by Lynne McTaggart,” Sinha said.

In his defence, he said that many US researchers were trying to find a connection between spirituality and science. “There definitely is a connection because modern scientists researching in quantum physics have discovered many sub-atomic particles deviating from the principles of physics.”He also blamed Indians’ contempt for anything that is not western.

“Anything new in science has always faced opposition. Earlier, westerners used to call Indian traditions superstitious, but now they have embraced Osho, Yoga and meditation techniques,” he said, pointing out that, sooner or later, ‘it would also get its desired recognition’.
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Reliving is relieving: Newtons

According to Dr Laxmi Newton, who along with her husband, Dr Kondaveti Newton, has been practicing Past Life Regression Therapy in Hyderabad (both are medical graduates of Kurnool Medical College, AP) since 2000, their ‘method’ helps pinpoint the root causes of problems.

“For instance, if an adult has a problem of low confidence/ low self-esteem, to find the ‘root cause’, the Regression Method would be suitable,” she said.“In many people, problems of stress, migraine, low self-esteem, dysfunctional relationships, etc., may have their origin in childhood or previous births,” she explained, pointing out that a child often criticised by parents as good for nothing, etc., would eventually grow up with low self-esteem.

Citing the recent case of a patient, she said that the victim ‘showed symptoms of asthma, i.e., breathlessness. “He also had hydrophobia (fear of water),” she said, disclosing that through Regression Method, later, they discovered that he ‘had died due to drowning in his past life’.“Through hypnosis, once you make them relive the same pains/ agony and help them relieve those suppressed emotions, the problem is solved,” she claimed, acknowledging that all medical problems do not have such solutions.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Dehradun&article=315

No special provision for freedom fighters, senior citizens in sight as elections approach

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 13 Apr:

One has always heard of freedom fighters getting privileges while utilising essential services such as in buses, trains, etc., but, shockingly, when it comes to the great Indian game of democracy – Assembly & General Elections – they remain without comfort.

Ironically, despite the fact that spotting a freedom fighter, in days to come, would become a rarity, there are neither any provisions in Representation of the People Act, 1951 that directs polling authorities to provide facilities for hassle free polling to freedom fighters or senior citizens, nor has the administration, on its own, appeared to plan any measures.

So, if the Election Commission of India chooses to conduct the General Election in the summers (thank God, it is comparatively cooler in Doon than other parts of India), it is the senior citizens who would feel the impact of the sizzling heat the most while standing in serpentine queues to cast their votes.

With the Lok Sabha election just round the corner, Garhwal Post spoke to voters from three Freedom Fighter families of Doon to understand their problems in addition to their thinking on contemporary political issues.

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Come what may, I would cast my vote: Kanti Narayan SharmaKanti Narayan Sharma (92), Freedom Fighter (spent a year and more in jail during the freedom struggle). He also voted in India’s first General Election in 1952.

Even using a walking stick, I cannot walk properly as I experience too much pains in my legs. Still, I won’t cite this as an excuse for not casting my vote this time.I could have opted out of casting my vote this time, but if every voter thinks this way, nobody would turn up for voting.

Basically, most politicians are corrupt and some, who are not rich, are thus because they never got an opportunity to make money. Even though they betray the people, I have never failed to exercise my franchise.

Renuka Sharma (87), w/o Kanti Narayan Sharma

I do not consider myself old so I have no problem waiting in line to cast my vote. However, I am concerned about those who face difficulty in even standing on their own feet. I feel for senior citizens. The administration should, at least, provide seating arrangements and if not, at least, allow them to cast their votes before others.

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My vote would go to the least corrupt: Sateshwar Narayan Sharma

Sateshwar Narayan Sharma (92), Freedom Fighter (spent time behind bars for 45 days in 1942 after he dared to hoist the tricolour at Jhanda Bazaar. He even voted in India’s first General Elections in 1952.)

Whether it is a Local Bodies election, Assembly or General Election, there was never a chance in my life when I have not voted. Despite the fact that I remain bedridden for most of the time, I will still go to my Election Booth (200 metres away from his home on Tyagi Road) to cast my vote.

As it is summer time, the best way to cast my vote without feeling the heat is by going early in the morning. Every time, during elections, I have always been among the top 10 voters in the line.I also understand the fact that most politicians are bad, but I would still cast my vote in favour of the least corrupt among the contestants.

Rajeshwari Sharma (82), W/o Sateshwar Narayan Sharma

I, too, have never missed any opportunity to cast my vote during election time. Despite the fact that I would have to stand for a couple of hours in the queue, I would still vote, as a single vote has the power to decide the fate of a contestant.

http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Dehradun&article=316

Sleeping over Food Adulteration Act

Sleeping over Food Adulteration Act
By PRABEER SIKDAR
DEHRADUN 26 June 2008:
Food remains the basic human requirement for survival since time immemorial and it would always remain so. Therefore, to cater to the needs of the hungry, hundreds of restaurants, roadside eateries, fast food centres etc have sprang up in the state in different nooks and corners.

Scrutinising all these eateries and restaurants fall upon Food Inspectors, whose job includes seeing that they conform to the established norms under Food Adulteration Act, 1954. Armed with powers to collect any food samples, which are openly sold in the market, these Food Inspectors can be a nightmare to all food adulterers.

Ironically, for the last seven years, the government has failed to appoint even a single public analyst to test the quality of collected food samples.

Under Section 11 (c) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA), 1954, the Food Inspector has to send the food sample for analysis to the public analyst after necessary intimation to the Local Health Authority.

Says Dr Gurupal Singh, Senior Health Officer of Nagar Nigam, “Right now, we are sending the samples to a public analyst in Lucknow.” To convict food adulterers for their crime, like the two persons who were arrested recently for trying to sell fake cheese, the report of the Public Analyst plays an important role.

Surprisingly, despite being empowered under PFA, the state government never bothered to appoint a single public analyst so far. Section 8 of PFA reads, “State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, may appoint public analysts for such local areas…”

It has serious implications for public health because, the prosecution of those accused in food adulteration cases depend upon the reports of Public Analysts. Consequently, convictions in PFA cases are negligible in the state.

Also, forget about hoping to see a notice board in hotels, restaurants and other food stalls containing separate lists of items, which have been cooked using ghee, edible oil, vanaspati and other fats as required under 50 (7) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955. For, most of these operate without a valid licence from Nagar Nigam!

Rule 50 (1) of PFA, 1955 says that no person shall manufacture, sell, stock, distribute or sale any article of food, including prepared food or ready to serve food except under a licence.
“I never knew that a licence is required to operate a food stall. So far, nobody asked me for one,” says Swaroop, who along with his wife sell cooked food items to office goers and students from their unlicensed temporary stall in a commercial building based at Rajpur Road.

As per an estimate, apart from licensed restaurants, there are about 500 illegal roadside food vendors in the city, whose food quality is never monitored by the Food Inspectors.

Says Shivraj Singh, Nagar Nigam’s s lone Food Inspector, “As the only Food Inspector in the city I could just handle 32 cases during 2007-08.” Curiously, the overburdened Singh also looks after sanitation work.

According to official sources, after state bifurcation some Food Inspectors were repatriated to UP. And coming as another blow to Nagar Nigam, one Food Inspector had passed away recently.
“We require eight Inspectors for the city but we have just one,” states Dr Gurupal Singh, while admitting that staff crunch would increase the menace of adulteration.

Acupressure: Giving the Right Touch

Acupressure: Giving the Right Touch
By PRABEER SIKDAR
DEHRADUN, 15 September 2008:

Namita Pathak of Sewak Ashram Road suffered from a rare collagen muscle disorder for six years. While allopathic medicines failed, acupressure had worked in her case.

Namita is not alone as former President KR Narayanan, ex-CM of Karnataka SM Krishna and Biocon India’s Kiran Mazumdar Shaw were also said to have taken recourse to this complementary therapy.

According to 64-year-old Kamal Sehgal, an acupressure and naturopathy practitioner based at EC Road, people in the metros are increasingly taking help from complementary therapies like Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Naturopathy and acupressure techniques to cure themselves of various diseases.

Terms like rolling pins and foot roller may be Latin and Greek for many, but many youngsters working in call centres in Bangalore and Hyderabad are using them to cure backache, headache, neck pains, ears and even eye-stress.
“It’s not all as acupressure has also been found to be effective in the treatment of paralysis, liver, thyroid, depression, BP, prostate cancer, physical deformity, gall bladder problems,” she says.

Beginning in 1994, Sehgal, who retired from Post and Telegraph service, claims to have treated more than 1000 patients till date. A collection of ‘thank you’ mails received by her is testimony to its effectiveness.

Though acupressure involves applying physical pressure to acupuncture points by the hand, elbow, or with acupressure tools, she also combines naturopathy to cure diseases.
“ In certain cases, I also recommend patients to use neem based products for faster recovery,” she adds.

For Sehgal, who now offers her services free of cost, her knowledge in acupressure came handy after her husband suffered paralytic attack during a conference in Hyderabad.

Her husband, who is in fine shape now, works as a consultant with NTPC.

“Earlier, when he was posted as Senior Manager of Water and Power Consultany Service on a World Bank funded project with Zimbabwe Electricty Supply Authority in 1994, I began studying about acupressure techniques,” she claims.

“Among my high profile clients during my four year stay in Harare (Zimbabwe) were Dr Chidzero, the then finance minister of Zimbabwe, Peter Paffit, son of a Greek minister, Mayor of Harare,” she said.

In the city, her clients mostly include nuns from catholic schools like St Lawrence, Convent of Jesus and Mary, St Josephs etc.

To diseeminate information about the benefits of acupressure, Sehgal has also conducted workshops for school children. The latest awareness cum training workshop she conducted was at St Lawrence, she said.

Though acupressure originated in China, and is not treated on par with AYUSH in India, she says that it too offers the same advantages that the former offer: cost effectiveness with no side-efects.

Doon dancer to perform marathon dance, eyes Guinness

Doon dancer to perform marathon dance, eyes Guinness
By PRABEER SIKDAR
DEHRADUN, 24 September 2008:
Javed Jaffri, Prabhu Deva and Hrithik Roshan are the ones who come to mind when it comes to dance. But imagine performing a marathon 24-hour non-stop dance without a break!

City’s dance lovers will get to watch a never-before-seen reality dance show on 24 October when 34-year-old Dev Pathik performs a live 24-hour non-stop dance recital in a prominent hotel here.

Pathik, who is the Director of Rajpur Road based NAACH Music and Dance Academy, already finds a place in Limca book of Records for his 19.5 hours of non-stop aerobics performance. “I achieved the feat in Jaipur at the fag end of 2002 to beat Raj Kumar Verma, (the then Limca record holder) who had clocked 17.5 hours doing non-stop aerobics,” said Pathik.

However, the 24-hours of non-stop dance feat he plans to perform would not include aerobics. “I would be dancing to Bollywood numbers, about 400 songs approximately, without taking any break,” he claimed. He has reportedly performed a 12-hour non-stop trial dance in June at Dance Academy this year.

“Though the Limca Record rules provide an interval of 10-15 minutes interval after every 10 hours, I would not like to use this option,” he said, adding that he would be taking in only liquid food during his non-stop performance. “


A trained aerobics instructor from Reebok Institute, Pathik also has a diploma in Kathak from Bhatkhande Music Institute. Students from all age group can be seen at his dance institute learning western, folk, Bollywood, semi-classical, Dandiya, hip-hop, salsa and aerobics.

“I had earlier worked with Ganesh Hegde’s ( Lagaan choreographer) dance troupe in Mumbai. But a chance visit to Doon two years ago made me leave everything,” he said.

In 2007, Pathik organized a two-month summer camp for dance lovers. “After that huge response, I decided to open a permanent dance academy in the city itself,” he said.

Pathik, who always prefers to dress in whites, is also aiming to break the current Guinness World Record on individual marathon dancing. (Suresh Joachim, a Sri Lankan national, holds the current longest marathon solo dance Guinness record for clocking 100 hours of non-stop dance from 16 to 20 February 2005)

“ I already have a Limca Record under my belt but what I am eyeing at is Guinness,” he said. According to Pathik, after his 24-hour non-stop performance on 24 October, he would perform a non-stop 58 hour performance in January.

But, who will benefit from the reality show? “My marathon peformance is for higlighting the fact that one can derive immense health benefits out of dance. Apart from its entertainment value, it also provides professional dancers job opportunities as choreographers,” he explained.

“Moreover, on that day, I would also be setting up a donation box to collect money for the Bihar flood victims,” he said, appealing people to witness the reality show in large numbers.

Interestingly, members from the audience are also free to join him in his marathon dance show. “Their participation would encourage me to go on,” he said.

I want to be lucky as Hrithik: Anuraag Pandey

I want to be lucky as Hrithik: Anuraag Pandey
By PRABEER SIKDAR
DEHRADUN, 5 March:
Apart from the beaches and Bollywood, those hooked on to entertainment in Mumbai never lose an opportunity to listen to the dozen FM radio stations. For many Mumbaikars, whether on their way to offices or colleges, tuning in to FM channels is a must.

So popular are the RJs, who number about 50 for the dozen FM stations in Mumbai, that Bollywood producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra based the plot of Lage Raho Munnabhai around a RJ, essayed by Vidya Balan.

From reel to real gangsters, children, women and the old, FM mania is a reality in metros but is yet to catch up in B and C level cities.

What really makes a popular RJ? Meet Anuraag Pandey, a Mumbai based RJ, who started his FM career in 2002 with WIN 94.6 FM in Mumbai.

Winner of 2002 RAPA Award (Radio and TV Advertising Practitioners Association of India Ltd) for excellence in radio programming, Pandey is presently trying his luck as an actor in Bollywood.

So far, he has also given voice overs in over 1000 ad films, 50 bollywood films including Amitabh starrer Aankhen, Shaheed Bhagat Singh etc, stage compeering, theatre etc.

He also runs an Event Management company called Raag Anuraag Productions in Mumbai, which does dubbing/ voice over works for filmmakers.

While on his way for a short visit to Mussoorie after attending a film shooting schedule in Chandigarh, he took out some time and spoke to Garhwal Post about various issues surrounding the profession of an RJ.

Q. Who are more popular among Mumbai FM listeners: a Male RJ or a female RJ?
There is a misconception that after the popularity of Lage Raho Munnabhai, it is only female RJs whose programmes become hit. Even male RJs do have their own female fan following. During phone in programmes on FM, it is mostly female callers who greet us.

There are about 12 FM radio stations in Mumbai. While some are run independently, many are owned by media houses like Sun TV (RED FM), Mid-day/BBC (Radio One), Times of India (Radio Mirchi), Hindustan Times (Fever) etc.

What has to be understood is that from amongst the 50 RJs in Mumbai, there is always a specific fan following for any RJ. It may be due to different time slots or may be due to his/ her popularity.

Q. When you are on the show, do you always operate using a readymade script about what to say and what not to?
Right now, most RJs working in Mumbai enjoy an average of three hours everyday. During this time, they are often on their own and free to do what they want to discuss with their listeners.

Q. What is the content of what you say/ discuss with your listeners?
RJs generally tend to avoid discussion on current affairs. But some events like the latest terror attacks on Lankan cricketers in Lahore, may find air time owing to the popularity of cricket. However, most often we offer nuggets of wisdom for our listeners, which may be practically implemented in their daily lives. And for this, RJs have a really tough time, catching up with the latest happenings, knowledge about the lives of great people etc. I personally read more than 10 newspapers everyday and regularly go through biographies of great men.


Q. Which programme are you on right now?
I recently left 93.5 RED FM to join FM Fever 104. Earlier at RED, I used to host a programme called ‘Pandey ke Fundey’. But at Fever 104, I am yet to think of a title for my programme. It is supposed to go on air from 17 March in the 11:00 a.m - 2.00 pm slot everyday.

Q. Tell us about the film you are working on right now?
The film is titled ‘Punjab Majra’, which is directed by Owais Hussain, son of painter MF Hussain. Just yesterday, I had completed a 7-day shooting schedule at Chandigarh. The film has music by AR Rahman.
Q. What are your future plans?
I want to become a full time actor in Bollywood. Though I am quite satisfied being a RJ, I feel I have better potential as an actor. I have so far acted in over 18 plays and also directed four plays as well. Like Hrithik Roshan, I too have an extra finger on the right hand but I am not as lucky as him yet (laughs).

Harsil goats also lined up for slaughter

Harsil goats also lined up for slaughter

By PRABEER SIKDAR

DEHRADUN, 8 December 2008:

With Eid slated for Tuesday, hundreds of Muslims are making last minute buying of goats for slaughtering them tomorrow. Traffic around Tehsil Chowk came to a standstill today as ‘namazis’ flocked to Emmanuel building to make the best purchase.

While Pakistan’s Dhumba breed of goats attracted the attention of most buyers, with some reportedly sold for more than Rs 1 lakh, mountain goats from Harsil too, invited attention of buyers for their attractive looks.

Said Farid Ahmed, Chander Road based (MDDA Colony), goat seller, who has been selling mountain goats from Harsil for the last five years, “These goats are not only affordable but its meat also tastes better than other goat meat.”

Priced at Rs 5000, Ahmed pointed out that customers do not prefer Harsil goats, due to lack of awareness. These goats are domesticated by the members of Bhotiya community and found at an altitude of 16, 000 feet on the high Himalayan alpine meadow.

These goats said to come down to lower reaches of the Himalayas during November to February owing to lack of fodder in winter. “They again travel to the higher reaches with the Bhotiya community in March,” he said.

Found mostly in two colours –white and black – these goats appear stunningly beautiful with their long and flowing hair. Though all Harsil goats meet the criteria applied to highly priced goats viz. beauty and health, they nonetheless do not command higher prices.

“In the last 15 days, I sold only three Harsil goats,” Ahmed added. As per the Islamic tradition, a sacrificial goat eventually gets divided into three parts. “One part is distributed among friends and relatives, the other go to the poor and needy while the third portion is kept for personal use,” said Ahmed.

Spotting Bond on a Rainy Day

Spotting Bond on a Rainy Day

By PRABEER SIKDAR

MUSSOORIE 29 Jun 2008:

It was a normal foggy evening on Mussoorie's Mall Road, when everything was moving at a snail's pace, honking vehicles looking for a way in the clogged streets, tourists taking a leisurely stroll and salespersons attracting their attention through their high-pitched tones.

And then happens the unexpected. It starts raining and everybody runs for cover. Though there were an odd couple or two, who, unlike others and unmindful of the icy waters from out of the blue, chose to carry on with their green sightings.

Rains not only spoil the pleasant sightseeing itinerary of the travelers, but also make some petty businessmen turn green with envy.

While most nature lovers, who blissfully forgot to get their umbrellas along, thronged ice-cream parlours and restaurants for a hot cuppa, a few bookworms 'crawled' inside a book store, where Bond was already waiting to pick them off.

Come every Saturday, the portly figure of Author Ruskin Bond can be seen at the Cambridge Book Store sipping hot tea and obliging autograph hunters.

Opened in 1952, just two years after Bond finished his schooling, he fondly savours the nostalgia of this place. "I still remember buying Agatha Christie's 'Death on the Nile' in 1965 for Rs 3 from this store," says the creative writer strolling down memory lane, while having a cup of tea.

Thanks to Bond's voracious appetite for words in black and white, the store has remained in business. "Bond is a loyal patron of our book shop and his presence provides readers a chance to interact with him," states 85-year-old LD Arora, the owner of the shop.

Unfazed by tourists and their accompanying children, who keep pestering him for autographs, he revels showing his funny side to all the visitors. "His mere two hours presence at the shop sells about 50-100 books every Saturday," discloses Sunil Arora, the owner's son and personal friend of Bond.

When Jalandhar's Vandana and Delhi's Shelly Jain hurriedly purchased Bond's books to get them signed, an avid soccer lover opted for his autograph on a Ronaldo picture. "I am also a Ronaldo fan," reveals the story-teller later, while trying to catch soap bubbles blown by playful children in the shop.

Clad in a red jumper, the ageing writer still retains his loyal readers, who seem to keep increasing by the day. His latest work 'Book of Humour' is reportedly doing well.

"He has an elephant's memory," recalls a lady from Delhi, who had last met Bond 21 years ago during a visit to the hill town as a student of St Thomas' School and now seen getting a couple of Bond's books autographed for her children.

Funnily, when the poor weather dampened Arora's business, it was a good time for writers, points out Bond giving slight heartburn to his friend. But how would he walk up to his Landour home without an umbrella?

Ergo, went the shop assistant and came with a bunch of colourful umbrellas. And Bond selected the obvious – the blue umbrella. Was that meant for Biniya – the 11 year old girl and the protagonist of his famous story 'The Blue Umbrella'?

Well, nobody knows.
(But as it turned out later, Bond's beloved Blue Umbrella had a gaping hole and it had to be replaced. Bad luck Bond).