tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-184874322024-03-13T16:57:43.819+05:30Uttarakhand NewsThis blog contains selected reports by Raju Gusain, a journalist based in Uttarakhand Current: Contributer to CatchNews.com (Rajasthan Patrika Group), Past MAIL TODAY (INDIA TODAY Group)and Hindustan Times.Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-22843469001900016132023-12-10T07:57:00.002+05:302023-12-10T08:08:06.475+05:30 Mystery solved: Gartang Gully was made by 'Pahadi' Wilson for secretly venturing Tibet<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-NsbHWFZMfATZDt754opC3AFVvdzzh0iTFDQQ-kEKOS7qO66_ZOIXoppMXilH8YIXI4UY_UaXL4GJ4yF99rynQ3ZHKDj-cM2UWcJ8ER3Lge2AI3TgvDyXrGVdqsTPb_5ed283_3_It4s7AmE5OG8kg0bCEK6XOljsISh5PKdEJ7FeSIYATga4Q/s640/GV2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="640" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-NsbHWFZMfATZDt754opC3AFVvdzzh0iTFDQQ-kEKOS7qO66_ZOIXoppMXilH8YIXI4UY_UaXL4GJ4yF99rynQ3ZHKDj-cM2UWcJ8ER3Lge2AI3TgvDyXrGVdqsTPb_5ed283_3_It4s7AmE5OG8kg0bCEK6XOljsISh5PKdEJ7FeSIYATga4Q/s320/GV2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Gartang Gully is located in the picturesque Nelong Valley in Uttarkashi. The 136-metre-long and 1.8-metre-wide pathway offers a skywalk experience</b></p><p><b>Raju Gusain June 18, 2023</b></p><p><b>https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/mystery-solved-gartang-gully-was-made-by-pahadi-wilson-for-secretly-venturing-tibet-12754272.html</b></p><p>Confusion prevails about the history of Gartang Gali/Gully, an ancient pathway used for Indo-Tibetan trade and located on a vertical ridge in district Uttarkashi, for a long time. There are many theories about the making of the wooden pathway at an unusual location. Local people claim that the pathway was used for cross border trade by Jaad Bhotiyas. But, little documentary evidence is available on who constructed it and when? </p><p><br /></p><p>Extensive research proves that Gartang Gali was constructed by British timber tycoon, hunter, naturalist and writer Frederick Wilson for conducting secret excursions into Tibet for hunting and collecting information. Based on the documents available, it can be said that Gartang Gali is about 160-170 years old. Not the 200 to 300 years as per the theories that are in circulation.</p><p>Gartang Gali is located in the picturesque Nelong valley in Uttarkashi. The 136 m long and 1.8 m wide pathway offers a skywalk experience. The Deodar slipper lined stairway, was renovated and reopened for tourists on 17 August 2022. Located at an odd location the route was used by traders from Taknore Patti for cross border trade with Tibet till 1962. After the India-China war the stunning wood structure had remained unused and in complete neglect for many years. Little clarity exists on Gartang Gali as till 1930s only temporary wooden bridges (Sanga), made from tree trunks, existed in Garhwal. The Gartang Gali was special in approach and design. </p><p>Ban of entry of foreigners in Tibet</p><p><br /></p><p>Foreigners were barred from entering the Tibet territory, so Frederick Wilson used this method of making a secret route to enter Tibet territory, rather regularly. Wilson had all the resources-manpower, money, timber stock and trust of Tehri King- to execute the operation comfortably. Famous as Pahadi Wilson and Raja of Harsil, the retired British Army soldier settled in Harsil (Uttarkashi) in the 1850s and married a local girl. He made the Indian Himalayas his home and used to go on adventure and hunting trips regularly. </p><p>In the initial period Wilson made a living by selling wild animal and bird skin/parts in Mussoorie. Later he was involved in supplying timber sleepers to the railways and the new venture made Pahadi Wilson one of the richest men in this part of the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hinting about the wooden pathway</p><p><br /></p><p>Frederick Wilson constructed the wooden pathway and he hints about this project in his 1860 edited book and in an 1873 published article. Without providing any name of the location he provides details in A summer ramble in the Himalayas (1860), he writes, “Various are the contrivances to make a practicable path across these. Flights of wooden and stone steps, of fantastic forms and rude construction, serve the purpose in some of the bad places; and in other long planks are laid along the face of the rock, resting on wooden pegs stuck in the crevices.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Frederick shares this information in connection with a trek in Ganga valley area, where trees and bushes grow in crevices of the rock with little or no soil to nourish them. Adding more details he says, “…perpendicular rock, running from several hundred feet above, sheer down to the river.” A Gartang Gali like location, where a vertical granite stone wall exists and Jadh Ganga, an important tributary of the Bhagirathi, flows ceaselessly 200 metres below. Edited by Mountaineer, pen name of Wilson, A summer ramble in the Himalayas was developed by Frederick Wilson. He wrote many chapters to transform the manuscripts, containing some rough notes, into an interesting book on the Himalayas and adventure.</p><p><br /></p><p>More clues</p><p><br /></p><p>Pahadi Wilson provides more clarity on the Gartang Gali project, in his article A stalk in Tibet, published in Gentleman’s Magazine (Volume X, January to June 1973), by announcing that he has just completed a little excursion in Tibet. Terming the geographical condition of Himalayan extremely challenging than England, Wilson writes, “Set to work and build four or five miles of a broad flight of stone steps to the moon, send an army of navvies with sledge hammers to smash all to pieces, and you will have something akin to many of the hills in Tibet.” The distance between Bhairoghati to Nilang, via Gartang Gali, is about 6 miles. Almost the same distance as mentioned by Wilson in his piece. </p><p><br /></p><p>Route used for Tibet trade</p><p><br /></p><p>The old trade route from Harsil to Tibet used to pass through Jangla and Karcha, over the Kopanga hills, not through the Bhairoghati. All the tourist guidebooks and maps show the route away from Gartang Gali. Even the Mussoorie to Nilang route published in Guide to Mussoorie (1907) shows the path heading from Harsil, Karcha to Nelong. An 1878 survey of India map, Western Hundes and Tehri Garhwal, presents a clear picture and route used by traders for border trade. The map shows the trek passing through Jangla (See map), from where Nelong was about 20 Miles. The traders from Uttarkashi possibly began using the Gartang Gali to reach Nelong long after the death of Frederick Wilson in 1883.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilson played a key role in improving communication on the Mussoorie to Gangotri route by constructing many bridges and improving the forest road. He built forest guest houses at Harsil, Bhatwari, Uttarkashi and Dharasu. </p><p><br /></p><p>Secret route for hunting and Tibet expedition</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilson was popularly known as Ranger of the Himalayas, and he was one of the most influential persons of this region in his time. He used to go into secret operations into Tibet from Bhairoghati. Shooting in the Himalayas by Colonel Fred Markham (published in 1854) presents a vivid account of the author going on a Bharal (Himalayan blue sheep) shooting expedition with Wilson in the deep Bhairoghati area (near Nelong). Even in his write up on Tibet tour (1870), Wilson discloses entering Tibet, where a ban on entry of foreigners existed. Many writers even claim Fredrick Wilson was a spy, feeding information on Tibet to the East India Company and later to the British government. He possibly used to go to the neighbouring foreign country to gather information. No documentary evidence of Wilson acting as a spy is available.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilson’s relationship with Jaad</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilson held high esteem among the Jaad community as he was involved in settling them in Nelong and Jadhong. In 1849 Wilson obtained a lease of forest, from Tehri King Sudarshan Shar, in Taknore Pargana for an annual rent of Rs 400. He needed manpower for his railway timber project and a land settlement carried by the Tehri government on 23 May 1849 states that Wilson was appointed Maharaja’s agent for rehabilitating the area rendered desolated during the Gorkha occupation. </p><p><br /></p><p>The settlement document says, “Wilson invited certain Jadha from the upper Pargana of Kunawar in Bashahr state (now in Himachal Pradesh) to settle at Nilang, re-establish the hamlet of Jadhang and administered the area on behalf of Maharaja Bhavani Shah.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Jadhs shared a special bond with Wilson. They were possibly involved in the Gartang Gali project and later specialised in stone chiseling, the Pathans, were used to make the pathway. Wilson has used ‘navvies with sledge hammers’ to describe a specialised group of workers in his article. A close survey of the Gartang gali also indicates that dynamites were possibly also used; some unused holes can be seen in various places on the wall of the pathway.</p><p><br /></p><p>Locals were unlikely to make a path on their own</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the Tehri government rule only the government had the power to make a road through Garhwal territory. Local villagers had limited rights over the forest and its produce. They were allowed to cut timber for building houses, burning, and agriculture purposes, but not for public use. The Tehri administrative report shows the Bhairoghati-Gartang road under construction in 1918-19. Even the development of the pilgrimage route to Gangotri was slow at that time. Until 1868, the road up to Dharashu only was ready. Gangotri is about 120 kms from Dharashu. Even maintaining the mule track was difficult in those days and constructing a wooden path like Gartang Gali was near impossible, due to logistics , cost and only for public communication. </p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion</p><p><br /></p><p>Frederick Wilson was famous for using out of the box ideas in real life. Floating timber in Ganga and making the first suspension bridge of Bhagirathi valley at Lanka, near Bhairoghati, are some of the examples that prove the innovative approach of the British business tycoon. Gartang Gali was another such project which Wilson conceptualised and executed. After all he was the King of Harsil! He enjoyed full domination and freedom in the area.</p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-59905930151192785422023-12-10T08:04:00.001+05:302023-12-10T08:04:12.366+05:30In Uttarakhand, a man-eater leopard unleashes a reign of terror, casting a pall over social and economic life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuFjO64InM2n5YuBgKevbtbadNvh1q8pQfA5wPtujaYlyRsZ8SjtLmUIg8JgYj3q0j77ZvQh9T_4AWTF2HH-ECYCU6RDjeubkLpP0exL0_HvqDv2kFBhq-q8vxXtrAiRFvtjNU2RyW1viGAPVeCAgLyaNWLlG-DD0IxNtQC95ZQo_fOqkUubvrQ/s469/24kot_photo%20(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuFjO64InM2n5YuBgKevbtbadNvh1q8pQfA5wPtujaYlyRsZ8SjtLmUIg8JgYj3q0j77ZvQh9T_4AWTF2HH-ECYCU6RDjeubkLpP0exL0_HvqDv2kFBhq-q8vxXtrAiRFvtjNU2RyW1viGAPVeCAgLyaNWLlG-DD0IxNtQC95ZQo_fOqkUubvrQ/s320/24kot_photo%20(1).JPG" width="302" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Uttarakhand's efforts, including compensation schemes and occasional shooting of man-eaters, have proven insufficient in resolving the problem</p><p>Raju Gusain July 07, 2023</p><p>https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/in-uttarakhand-a-man-eater-leopard-unleashes-a-reign-of-terror-casting-a-pall-over-social-and-economic-life-12837842.html</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>Dehradun: Over half a dozen villages in the Chinyalisaur block of Uttarkashi district are reeling under the fear of a man-eating leopard for the past one and a half months. The feline has created terror in the area by killing two women and injuring two others, instilling panic among the villagers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The presence of a man-eating leopard has profoundly impacted the social and economic fabric of the villagers, as evidenced by the current situation in Mani, Bhadkot, Tulyada, Anol, Baadshai, and Malli Badan villages. Following the harrowing mauling of 45-year-old Bhagrithi Devi by the leopard in Bhadkot village on 16 June, an atmosphere akin to a curfew has gripped the region. Fear has enveloped the minds of children, dissuading them from attending school, while farmers venture out to the fields in groups for safety. Women from the village cautiously gather fodder from nearby areas, avoiding any foray into the forest. Even the slightest hint of movement startles the locals, leaving them on edge.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shivraj Singh Bisht, Pradhan of Bhadkot village, rues, “The villagers are afraid of going to their agriculture fields. Their livelihood depends on agriculture and animal husbandry. The work remains badly affected as the locals are living in great fear and not even going to the forest to collect fodder.”</p><p>In response to the lurking danger posed by the man-eating leopard, the villagers have been compelled to alter their daily routines. They now venture into their agricultural fields later in the day and return home early, significantly reducing the time dedicated to farming activities. Despite being aware of the adverse impact on their production, the locals find themselves with limited options, as risking their lives is out of the question. In several regions of the Chinyalisaur block, paddy transplantation work has been completed, but the crucial task of de-weeding the Koda (rice grass) and Jhangora (Indian barnyard millet) fields has suffered immensely due to the presence of this formidable feline in various areas. The de-weeding from Koda (rice grass) and Jhangora (Indian barnyard millet) fields have suffered badly due to the dangerous feline active in different areas.</p><p><br /></p><p>After the Bhadkot village incident, the local people lost their patience. Following the unsettling incident in Bhadkot village, the patience of the local community wore thin. A team from the forest department arrived at the affected area, only to be confronted by the intense anger of the villagers. The prevailing sentiment among the villagers compelled the Uttarakhand forest department to officially classify the leopard as a man-eater, leading to the deployment of a specialized team of shooters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Divisional Forest Officer (Uttarkashi) Devi Prasad Balooni says, “Two Rapid Response Teams are patrolling in the affected area. We are closely monitoring the situation.”</p><p>The leopard came into the limelight by killing Sunita Devi (32) in the village of Mani on 13 May. The feline killed Bhagirathi Devi (45) at Bhadkot on 16 June affecting everyday life in many villages of Chinyalisaur block in Uttarkashi. Bhadkot is a big village with a population of about a thousand people, with about 150 houses.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reports of leopard sightings are recorded from different areas. With the villagers actively using social media, the news about the new sighting instantly spreads in the affected areas. This too has forced the locals to maintain extra security and remain in safer locations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pramod Rawat, a resident of Anol, says, “My village is close to Bhadkot and we are receiving reports of leopard sightings regularly. Those who can afford, are sending their children to school on a vehicle to Chinyalisaur. Many are not sending their kids to school due to the grave situation. The parents of the students, who undertake a walk to reach their schools, remain anxious till their ward returns home.”</p><p><br /></p><p>As the villages see any leopard they rush to safer locations and alert others. This has become routine in many affected villages. Rajveer Tamta, a resident of Baadshai village says, “The villagers are leading a miserable life. We hear the leopard’s roar from the area near Pani Khala on a regular interval. We don’t know when things will turn normal.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The enduring issue of man-animal conflict in Uttarakhand paints a distressing picture, as indicated by the data compiled by the state forest department. Among all instances of man-animal conflicts, leopards have emerged as a significant contributor. Over the past 23 years, from 2000 to 16th June 2023, more than 500 individuals have tragically lost their lives as a result of leopard attacks in Uttarakhand. Additionally, during the same period, another 1,834 people suffered grave injuries due to encounters with leopards.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to the Uttarakhand forest department’s wildlife census (2008), there are a total of 2,335 leopards in Uttarakhand – 593 in the protected area and 1,742 others outside the protected area. But, field staff of the forest department feel that the number of leopards is much higher in the state.</p><p>Whenever any man-eater becomes active the forest department deploys specialized shooters. However, the National Tiger Conservation Authority has recently revised its regulations, implementing stringent guidelines. These updated norms restrict the execution of operations to eliminate man-eaters solely to authorized personnel from the forest department and government servants.</p><p><br /></p><p>Renowned shooter Joy Hukil, who has shot down 44 man-eater leopards, says, “The scene is alarming. In simple words I can say that there is room for two and one dozen are there.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2018, the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India released a report — ‘Status of leopards, co-predators, and megaherbivores in India’. The study places Uttarakhand in the fifth spot in the leopard population in India. Madhya Pradesh leads the table with 3,421 leopards, followed by Maharashtra with 1,690, Tamil Nadu with 868, Chhattisgarh with 852 and Uttarakhand with 839 leopards. The data of the state forest department and NTCA vary as the census was conducted in protected areas only.</p><p><br /></p><p>Making a note on Uttarakhand, the leopard statues report states, “A total of 10 sites were camera trapped in Uttarakhand that yielded 2,594 photo captures of 517 leopard individuals. As mentioned earlier, we only report leopard numbers from potential tiger habitats in the state. The leopard population of the state was 839.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite the absence of a comprehensive statewide study on leopards, reports of human casualties and injuries resulting from leopard attacks consistently grab newspaper headlines. Individuals residing beyond the confines of protected areas find themselves grappling with the relentless and dangerous man-animal conflict, endangering their lives.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the reasons for the growing man-leopard conflict, shooter Lakhapat Rawat, who has killed 53 man-eater leopards and two tigers, says, “The population of leopards have increased manifold and there is the reduction in their prey base. We have even witnessed leopards living in a group like lions. This is a dangerous trend. Mass migration hits most villages, and the abandoned houses provide safe dwelling/hiding places for the leopards.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the hill state, numerous individuals have tragically perished or suffered severe injuries due to leopard attacks. The alarming situation has instilled fear among the locals, who directly attribute it to the conservation practices that prioritise preserving the species without embracing the concept, prevalent in Western countries, of maintaining a sustainable population.</p><p><br /></p><p>In various countries such as Sweden, Finland, and Norway, the culling of wolves is being practised as a means to manage their population and mitigate the conflicts between humans and animals. Unfortunately, villages bear significant losses in the ongoing man-animal conflicts. To address this pressing issue, conducting a thorough study on man-animal conflict is imperative. It is crucial to implement practical measures that effectively control these conflicts. Thus far, Uttarakhand’s efforts, including compensation schemes and occasional shooting of man-eaters, have proven insufficient in resolving the problem.</p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-49210996431360359752023-12-04T15:43:00.004+05:302023-12-04T15:54:38.072+05:30Confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi: Where has the temple visited by James Baillie Fraser, Prince Waldemar vanished?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUK_unXHSAaR-RAoMA07IA1m4hJ8el1SVwlF1vlyDaSSaO3jDUGVXlxRfRJB4fOASz-9TrlQ_Q6hNNH77MjXr9zpwIrcwR79oF6oT56Qc9x1-nJI2LiACd010G-bY4qphT_Q29YiimDiToEy5XnkWznetIbSH1SL117ReMgQ9dri4ArIkp1zDQ8w/s1600/IMG-20220502-WA0042.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1600" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUK_unXHSAaR-RAoMA07IA1m4hJ8el1SVwlF1vlyDaSSaO3jDUGVXlxRfRJB4fOASz-9TrlQ_Q6hNNH77MjXr9zpwIrcwR79oF6oT56Qc9x1-nJI2LiACd010G-bY4qphT_Q29YiimDiToEy5XnkWznetIbSH1SL117ReMgQ9dri4ArIkp1zDQ8w/s320/IMG-20220502-WA0042.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span face=""Playfair Display", sans-serif">Besides James Fraser, many foreign travellers have mentioned about the Bhyram temple in their writings. Even the famous British photographer Samuel Bourne took a photograph near the confluence and made a striking note about the temple in his 1870 published article</span><p></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Raju Gusain May 28, 2023</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/confluence-of-jadh-ganga-and-bhagirathi-where-has-the-temple-visited-by-james-baillie-fraser-prince-waldemar-vanished-12656532.html</span></p><p><span face=""Playfair Display", sans-serif">Famous Scottish explorer, painter and writer James Baillie Fraser was stunned when he visited the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi in the Indian Himalayas in1815. The beauty of the place and perpendicularity of rock slides took Frazer under its spell. The Bhyram (also mentioned Bhairam) temple, above the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi rivers in district Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand), where the writer and explorer had performed prayer has disappeared. A visit to the site, where the Hindu shrine had existed, hints that the shrine was possibly hit by some natural calamity and is under heavy boulders. The Bhyram temple has faded away from the memory of the local people and many claim the foreign writers and travellers have wrongly pronounced the Bhairo temple as Bhyram temple. </span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Besides James Fraser, many foreign travellers have mentioned about the Bhyram temple in their writings. Dr. A Hoffmeister, who accompanied Price Waldemar of Prussia in his 1845 tour to the Indian Himalayas, describes Bhyram as god of the rivers. Even famous British photographer Samuel Bourne took a photograph near the Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi confluence and made a striking note about the temple in his 1870 published article.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Details published in different books published in the 1800s prove that the temple was located near the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi river. Pilgrims used to halt at Bhyram temple, take holy dip in the confluence, offer prayer and eat food in the temple complex before proceeding for Gangotri. </span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">The Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi confluence is 1.5 km away from the current Lanka bridge, located on Uttarkashi-Gangotri highway, in district Uttarkashi. A Sangha (wood bridge), erected about sixty feet above the Jadh Ganga river, with steps hewn in it was used for crossing the river in old times. A steep climb among boulders used to take the pilgrims to the Bhyram temple. Creating location through details provided in different books. The temple was located under an overhanging rock and a thick grove of fir trees existed there.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">James Baillie Fraser writes in his 1820 published book Journal of a tour through part of the Snowy range of the Himala Mountains, and to the sources of the rivers Jumna and Ganges, “A small shrine or temple is erected at this place, dedicated to Bhyram Jee, and called Bhyram Ghati, and here we found a Brahmin ringing a bell; we paused to recover our breath, and to survey the prospect, which was inexpressibly grand.”</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Providing more details about the location, Fraser adds, “Just at the end of the bridge there is an overhanging rock, under which worship is performed to Bhyram, and a black stone partly painted red is the image of the god; and here prayers and worship alone were not performed, but everyone was obliged to bathe and eat bread baked by the Brahmins, as preparatory to the great and effectual ablutions at the holier Gungotree.” James Baillie Fraser visited the Indian Himalayas in 1815 as part of an expedition to find the sources of Ganga and Jamuna.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Is Bhyram temple and Bhairo temple same?</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">The Modern Traveller, A popular description (Volume III) published in 1828 mentions both ‘Bhaior-ghati’ and ‘Bhyram Ghautee’ names to describe the valley. It even describes Bhyram/Bhairo Lal as an esteemed janitor of Gangotri.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Even if it is assumed that Bhayram and Bhaironghati are the same, confusion prevails about the shrine situated at the confluence. As no record of the Bhyram (Bhairo) temple getting shifted from the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi to the current location, which is about 1.5 kms uphill from the river bank, is available. Bhairo devta is worshipped as janitor of Gangotri. Even the Bhyram devta has been described as Janitor of Gangotri by many foreign explorers and writers. The area is also known as Bhairo Ghati and not Bhyram Ghautee in the present time.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Suresh Semwal, general secretary of Gangotri temple committee, says, “The western writers must have misspelled Bhairo temple as Bhyram temple. The shrine has existed at the present location since ancient times. It was never shifted from anyplace to the current location.”</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">The current Bhairo temple is a modern double story construction. The existing temple is far away, about 1.5 km, from the confluence of Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi rivers. The Jadh Ganga flows through the rock cliff and there is no chance of it changing its confluence. Local historian Uma Raman Semwal states, “Never heard about Bhyram temple. The new Bhairo temple was constructed in 2000, before that a small cemented temple existed there. We have heard from elderly people that earlier a wood temple existed at Bhairo Ghati.”</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Role played by bridges</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">In the 1800s the wood bridge (Sangha) was located near the Jadh Ganga and Bhagirith river confluence. Later a suspension bridge was shifted 1.5 kms up and created near the existing Lanka bridge. The suspension bridge created by O’ Callaghan of the Bhagirathi Forest in 1874 was considered a fine example of amateur engineering. The mentioned bridge was about 400 metres above the river and 330 metres in length and the tourists were scared of it and they used to cross it with much difficulty and great fear. The suspension bridge was discontinued after some years and again an iron pedestrian bridge was created downhill near the Jadh Ganga and Bhagirathi confluence. In 1985 the Lanka motorable bridge was thrown open to the public. The shifting of the bridge also played some role in Bhyram temple losing its popularity and importance.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Exploring the Bhyram temple site</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Creating location through details provided in different books. To reach the Bhyram temple one had to cross a temporary wood bridge, which was about 60 feet high from the Jadh Ganga river and near its confluence with Bhagirathi. Large beams of wood were driven into the fissures, on which other beams and large stones were placed; thus forming a hanging flight of steps to reach the shrine. The temple was located under an overhanging rock and a thick grove of fir trees existed.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">To reach the Bhyram temple site, mentioned by different travellers, one has to presently take a 1.5 km trek from Lanka bridge. The old pilgrimage route to the Jadh Ganga and Bhaginathi river confluence is still intact and presently Gangotri National Park uses it for patrolling. The pedestrian iron bridge on Jadh Ganga river is in a dilapidated condition and in a bad shape.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">After crossing the iron bridge one reaches the spot where the Bhyram temple existed (possibly). One can locate an overhanging rock and can spot the small grove of fir trees. But below the rock and its surrounding areas lay heavy boulders. Which indicates that the temple was possibly hit by some landslide and scientific exploration could help in tracing damaged or surviving parts of the shrine? No documents are available in Uttarkashi and with the Gangotri temple committee about the Bhyram temple and its references are only found in books written by foreign travelers.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">The temple was built by Gorkha military general Ummur Singh Thappa (Amar Singh Thapa). The Gorkha General also provided financial support for building the road and also for the construction of Gangotri temple.</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">Famous British photographer Samuel Bourne took a photo of the majestically flowing Jadh Ganga from its confluence in 1866 and wrote, “This was at a place called Bhairamghati, though there was no village or sign of a house-in fact, there is no room for any. The river here poured through a valley so narrow that it might almost be called a gorge, the sides formed by step mountains, which towards to an enormous height, so high that their summits could not be seen from below.”</span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Playfair Display, sans-serif">The Jadh Ganga-Bhagirathi confluence still bears the old primitive look. Leaving the iron bridge over Jadh Ganga no man made structure exists there. The million dollar question! Where has the temple visited by James Baillie Fraser disappeared?</span></p><div><br /></div>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-77881029199759750482023-12-04T15:32:00.004+05:302023-12-04T15:32:53.842+05:30Madhyamaheshwar temple leaves pilgrims spellbound with ancient utensil collection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42-yvJbTwHZi5mV-pnOl_p7Z1ZgycOhrXXGTk7Jby_b33MgEX2XEkhLYwXi0IrRW5NfmZw2O_9SD30zdSPpLNwc-BlgoTdKUqaovFPQCywiNlUV-pj7YnIVNsJPPrNqyTUvKK-dGWnlieuYlw-WJ8wqmb8Spo4O-TP1CAep64aRwZhTN4cN9yKw/s640/Madhya-Maheshwara-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="640" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42-yvJbTwHZi5mV-pnOl_p7Z1ZgycOhrXXGTk7Jby_b33MgEX2XEkhLYwXi0IrRW5NfmZw2O_9SD30zdSPpLNwc-BlgoTdKUqaovFPQCywiNlUV-pj7YnIVNsJPPrNqyTUvKK-dGWnlieuYlw-WJ8wqmb8Spo4O-TP1CAep64aRwZhTN4cN9yKw/s320/Madhya-Maheshwara-1-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple is located at a height of 11,473.1 feet, and the middle (Madhya) or belly part (navel) of Shiva is worshipped here</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Raju Gusain May 27, 2023<p></p><p>https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/madhyamaheshwar-temple-leaves-pilgrims-spellbound-with-ancient-utensil-collection-12653202.html<br /></p><p>Tourists and villagers were amazed by watching a big collection of traditional and ancient utensils of Garhwal hills during the opening of Madhyamaheshwar shrine in district Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) on Monday. During the opening and closing of Madhyamaheshwar temple, the premises of the shrine become an open museum, and a display of traditional utensils is conducted. Though it is a part of the old ritual to exhibit the utensils of the deity, not many temples continue to host such practises in the hills these days. For viewing this open air museum one will have to undertake a long trek of 18 km from Rasi village.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dedicated to lord Shiva, the Madhyamaheshwar temple is located at a lofty height (11,473.1 Ft) and annually pilgrims and trekkers from different parts of India visit the valley. The temple is one among the Panch Kedar, shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. The middle (Madhya) or belly part/navel (Nabhi) of Shiva is worshipped here.</p><p>According to local people the deity inspects the utensils. Most of the utensils on display are rare and no longer in the collection of the highlanders. Utensils used for cooking, storing water, keeping grains and for other daily needs are in the collection of the Madhyamaheshwar temple.</p><p><br /></p><p>Madan Singh Bhandari says, “Our family holds the traditional right to look after the temple store. We keep a large number of utensils on display during the opening and closing ceremonies of the temple. In many utensils year and date is mentioned. Most appear to be ancient.”</p><p><br /></p><p>About a hundred utensils are displayed during opening and closing ceremonies of the shrine. The Bhandari family arranges the utensils in the open area in front of the temple. Even this time this old tradition was conducted. This practice has contributed to preserving the old utensils. Otherwise, with the use of stainless steel, aluminum cookware and other mixed material ware, the use of brass and copper utensils are no longer in common use in the hills.</p><p><br /></p><p>Veer Panwar, Pradhan of Gondar village, says, “Many villages kept the old brass/copper wares for a long time in their houses. But, failing to use them forced the local people to sell them to Kabadiwala and to shop owners in exchange for new utensils.”</p><p>The 18 km trek for Madhyamaheshwar starts from Rasi. After passing through Gondar, Bantoli, Khatra, Nanu, Maikhamba and Koonchatti, the pilgrims reach the shrine devoted to Lord Shiva. This time over three hundred devotees attended the opening ceremony. After the opening was over the Bhandari family was again busy moving the traditional utensils from the open ground to the temple store. Many temples in Garhwal used to rigidly follow the practice in the past, but now they just exhibit a small number of utensils. As the utensils belong to the deity it can’t be used in homes or sold.</p><p><br /></p><p>The opening of the Madhyamaheshwar temple, after six month of winter break, witnessed a big presence of villagers and tourists on Monday. During winters a symbolic idol of Madhyamaheshwar is shifted on a palanquin to Ukhimath. As summer approaches, villages carry the palanquin from Ukhimath to Rasi (22 kms) on day one, next day they take halt at Gondar village and day three reach Madhyamaheshwar. The villagers undertake a foot march of about 40 kms to carry the symbolic idol from Ukhimath to Madhyamaheshwar.</p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-59913424817761821472023-12-04T15:27:00.002+05:302023-12-04T15:27:11.839+05:30Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail project: Dumped by British, ignored by Congress and Modi government's grit to complete<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0vSWuXcZTTJTnTSn-6elKW2hhR9Gt5fZgrnuGuflngBMl1EMH9tpRY44tmws1IQo5_TfV1LDgD8kOZLE8MUDfg4cCsP7RZTPZuGPeBENh6qr0flEvQ_wcvx-zTCNtSpKQx26eplLyyiiGz3HKAGwbhsXKBbkfHGnsWrhj7LYBxUD39CdvPlf1Q/s1600/rishikesh%20karanprayag%20rail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="1600" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX0vSWuXcZTTJTnTSn-6elKW2hhR9Gt5fZgrnuGuflngBMl1EMH9tpRY44tmws1IQo5_TfV1LDgD8kOZLE8MUDfg4cCsP7RZTPZuGPeBENh6qr0flEvQ_wcvx-zTCNtSpKQx26eplLyyiiGz3HKAGwbhsXKBbkfHGnsWrhj7LYBxUD39CdvPlf1Q/s320/rishikesh%20karanprayag%20rail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Declaring it unprofitable, the British dropped the rail project connecting the Garhwal hills after a survey in 1927 and post-Independence Jawaharlal Nehru and other governments did nothing significant for decades to roll down the Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail project</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Raju Gusain May 20, 2023 </b></p><p>During his tour of the hills in 1938, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was deeply shocked by the inadequate road connectivity in Garhwal. He expressed profound pain over the halted Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail line project that had been initiated during the British Raj. The survey for this rail line, intended to alleviate traffic for pilgrims visiting Badrinath and Kedarnath, had taken place back in 1927.</p><p><br /></p><p>During his five-day sojourn in Garhwal in 1938, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru lamented the deplorable state of the road and rail network, expressing his bewilderment at the prolonged delays in their construction. “Why has this road making been delayed so long in Garhwal? It was expensive, of course but equally expensive roads have been made all over India in mountainous regions. During the period of the World War the people of Garhwal were soothed by promises of a railway and a survey at the cost of many Lakhs of rupees was actually made. But neither the railway nor a road materialized,” Nehru wrote about his tour to Garhwal hills in his 1941 published book The Unity of India.</p><p><br /></p><p>The World War promise, mentioned by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, is related to the brave Garhwal Rifles soldier Darwan Singh Negi, who was awarded the prestigious Victoria Cross for his courage in the First World War. Historian Bhuwan Nautiyal says, “When King George V presented Darwan Negi the Victoria Cross, the Garhwal Rifles soldier made a special request to build a school at Karanprayag and to connect Karanprayag with a rail line.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In response to Darwan Negi’s request, the survey for the rail line commenced in 1927. However, the first phase encountered delays due to the late approval of route alignment and the omission of compensating for the acquired land intended for the project. Despite the survey’s completion in 1927, the project was abruptly abandoned, leaving the aspirations of a railway connection unfulfilled.</p><p><br /></p><p>The issue even figured in the Council of State, the upper house of the legislature, during British rule. Jagadish Chandra Banerjee (on behalf of Rai Bahadur Lala Jagdish Prasad) asked the question about the Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail line in the Council of State in 1933. Replying to the query, Guthrie Russell said, “A survey of a line of railway from Haridwar to Karanprayag on the way to Badrinath was carried out a few years back but the result showed that the project could not be justified as a business proposition. The project has therefore been dropped.”</p><p>After the first survey in 1927, the hope of highlanders to get a rail line in the hills was shattered by different governments. Major General (Retd.) BC Khanduri began raising the issue in Lok Sabha regularly in the 90s. On his query in 1992, Minister of State for Railways Dr Mallikarjun replied in the house, “The cost of construction of railway lines in mountainous terrain is prohibitive. The Railways are facing an acute constraint of resources. Consideration of any proposal for such lines will have to wait till resource position improves.”</p><p><br /></p><p>After remaining ignored for seven decades, the United Front government, headed by HD Deve Gowda and supported by the Congress, restarted the survey of the rail line in 1997. Satpal Maharaj, Pauri MP and MoS Railways at that time, vigorously advocated for the age-old stalled rail line project. But, after initial work little happened on the ground. Even for the survey a sum of Rs 10 lakh was sanctioned during the HD Deve Gowda government.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2010-11 the project was sanctioned in the rail budget. Again it was survey time. With the Lok Sabha 2014 elections approaching, the UPA attempted to woo the hill people by playing the Rishikesh-Karanprayag card another time. Union Minister for Railways Dinesh Trivedi and Union Minister for Defence AK Antony even laid the foundation stone for the Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail project in Chamoli on 9 November 2011. The project started moving at snail’s speed and Defence Minister AK Antony in a written reply in Lok Sabha on 11 March 2013 declared the survey of the strategic railway line between Rishikesh to have been completed. The survey was completed but the groundwork was yet to start.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2014, the Modi government was voted to power and the new government made serious efforts to implement the rail project connecting the Garhwal hills. The alignment, land acquisition and forest clearance were done and presently work on the 125-kilometre, electrified BG line, is going on at a war footing. The target is to complete the project by 2024 end.</p><p><br /></p><p>Once fully operational, the Rishikesh-Karaprayag rail line will help in easing tourism pressure at Badrinath and Kedarnath, contribute to the development of backward areas, prevent migration from hills to plains and improve connectivity for security troops to the international border.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a public sector undertaking of the Ministry of Railways, is executing the project. RVNL’s Chief Project Manager Ajit Singh Yadav says, “About 50% of the work of the project is over. A total of 213 km of tunneling-104 km main tunnel, escape tunnel 97.5 km, Adit 4.5 km and cross passage 7 km- will be done for the rail project. Of which we have completed over 104 km of tunnelling. The current rate is 6 km of tunnelling per month.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic harmed the project and slowed down the construction work. Besides this, the progress was hampered due to soft and fractured geological masses comprising shared zones and falls. By adopting innovative solutions and advanced machinery, RVNL aims at completing the project on time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nehru was accompanied by his sister Vijay Lakshmi Pandit and Raja Hutheesing (husband of Krishna Nehru) during his Garhwal Hills journey in 1938. They travelled by aeroplane, car, on horseback and walked to tour Gochar, Devprayag, Srinagar and Pauri. On the pilgrimage, Nehru wrote, “The aeroplane took us all the way to Badrinath and Kedarnath, and we had a near view of the snowy peaks which dominate these ancient places of pilgrimages. We could not land there and had to come back some way to Gochar where we landed.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In the 1930s, the Himalayan Air Transport and Survey Company used to operate an air service between Haridwar to Gochar. The air service was popular among the pilgrims. A three-engine machine, carrying 10 passengers with English pilots and engineers, became the talk of the hill area at that time. Ninety per cent of the school children, while interacting with Nehru, disclosed never seeing a train, car and carriage, but had seen an aeroplane. During the starting days of the air service, Lady Willingdon took the flight to Gauchar in 1936 and Victoria Cross decorated Darwan Singh Negi was there to welcome the high-profile guest.</p><p><br /></p><p>The dream of Darwan Singh Negi is materialising and Karanprayag will soon get connected with a rail line. Out of a sanctioned cost of Rs 16,216 crore, the RVNL has already spent over Rs 10,000 crore on the project so far. The construction of bridges and tunnels is presently underway. The proposed railway line will connect important towns like Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Gauchar and Karnaprayag.</p><p><br /></p><p>The journey from Rishikesh to Karanprayag will be completed in two and a half hours. Providing new experiences and comfort to visitors and passing through 12 railway stations, the 125-kilometre rail project is all set to become a game-changer for Uttarakhand.</p><p>(https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/rishikesh-karanprayag-rail-project-dumped-by-british-ignored-by-congress-and-modi-governments-grit-to-complete-12617942.html)<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-67556010003429690032022-06-14T21:20:00.001+05:302022-06-14T21:20:15.164+05:30Walking In The Footsteps Of The Beatles In Rishikesh<p>Raju Gusain</p><p>https://www.outlookindia.com/national/walking-in-the-footsteps-of-beatles-in-rishikesh-news-199430</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkts7Ukw_l6d6WVQtjl3F1AiWb8qtKHsxYew5tBzToO3TlwqvO8t-qzlSDXlb4pv5-2DhtoOa8xjFj9fgjC1MOmgExGfX902yrohqaqHKMEgTDQ5p2AQrpsDw0K20lyE7xyDGacUGFydpSSKPkQvTupbMVCtZgvxDVIFq2yZ5Q0NWgDBU-QH0/s1040/IMG-20190213-WA0035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1040" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkts7Ukw_l6d6WVQtjl3F1AiWb8qtKHsxYew5tBzToO3TlwqvO8t-qzlSDXlb4pv5-2DhtoOa8xjFj9fgjC1MOmgExGfX902yrohqaqHKMEgTDQ5p2AQrpsDw0K20lyE7xyDGacUGFydpSSKPkQvTupbMVCtZgvxDVIFq2yZ5Q0NWgDBU-QH0/s320/IMG-20190213-WA0035.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: kepler-std, serif; font-size: 22px;">I made my first visit to Chaurasi Kutiya, now popularly known as the Beatles Ashram, in Rishikesh way back in 2003. The simple idea of my trip was to write a piece for the Hindustan Times, where I was working as a reporter. The visit took me to the erstwhile Ashram of spiritual Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and I was stunned by the landscape of the area, architect of the buildings and could feel the vibration.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: kepler-std, serif; font-size: 22px; line-height: 29px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">To make my report interesting and insightful, I began searching for local persons who would provide me with details about the 1968 tour of the musical group and the Ashram history. But, I failed to locate any such person in the pilgrimage town. I extended my search through the internet and established contact with two time Emmy award-winning Canadian filmmaker Paul Saltzman, photographer Ram Panjabi and other persons who had stayed at Maharishi Ashram or visited there during the Fab Four stay. </p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: kepler-std, serif; font-size: 22px; line-height: 29px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">The process of obtaining information about the visit of the boys from Liverpool in the Indian Himalayas and other facts about Chaurasi Kutiya still continues. In fact, it has turned into an obsession.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #343434; font-family: kepler-std, serif; font-size: 22px; line-height: 29px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">After visiting all the old photo studios of Rishikesh and failing to trace old photographs of the Maharishi Ashram and the Beatles, I fixed my search outside Rishikesh. Adventure tour expert Avinash Kohli, considered a pioneer in river rafting in Rishikesh, was the only local tour operator who had some photographs of the Beatles and Maharishi at his camp near Shivpuri. Searching for veteran photographer Ram Panjabi in Bangalore and motivating him to track 1968 negatives and make some prints took almost seven years. In a similar fashion, I collected news clippings and documents from 1968 from different places.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /> </p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-30298475781007480852022-06-14T21:13:00.003+05:302022-06-14T21:13:46.867+05:30Yaks are making a return to Uttarakhand, but is it viable to domesticate them?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.firstpost.com/author/raju-gusain" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="article-by " style="border-right: 1px solid rgb(147, 147, 147); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">Raju Gusain</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px 10px; text-align: start;">June 12, 2022</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px 10px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px 10px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;">https://www.firstpost.com/india/yaks-are-making-a-return-to-uttarakhand-but-is-it-viable-to-domesticate-them-10786301.html</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHQ0fessM9th6s6RgAT8cSDvgbytsMHWdOltpmQf76DvuDUetUi9LPAqS8xOAHzHObyiBss92xuR2KS1XBJ6ytLQMJ_emhNPX4ytu5Lhrt8BBNdw9SR0Et7OEl7qOjfCB3KfRiKAI5-qtEWg8iJ_Nl9xfic8dGwUSkmASQC6v2GB9sn6uKAs/s1156/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-06-09%20at%2010.08.05%20AM%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHQ0fessM9th6s6RgAT8cSDvgbytsMHWdOltpmQf76DvuDUetUi9LPAqS8xOAHzHObyiBss92xuR2KS1XBJ6ytLQMJ_emhNPX4ytu5Lhrt8BBNdw9SR0Et7OEl7qOjfCB3KfRiKAI5-qtEWg8iJ_Nl9xfic8dGwUSkmASQC6v2GB9sn6uKAs/w148-h320/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-06-09%20at%2010.08.05%20AM%20(1).jpeg" width="148" /></a></div><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the tourism industry have failed to dampen the spirit of 53-year-old Brijbhushan Rawat, hailing from a remote village in Chamoli (Uttarakhand). Living in a far-flung village of Farkiya Padhan, Rawat decided to domesticate an unusual pet, yak, in 2017. He used to visit Badrinath, during the pilgrimage season, and exhibit his pet to generate funds to meet the expenses for rearing yaks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">The fame he got after becoming the first person to domesticate yaks in the entire Garhwal region, has kept him motivated. Managing the finance to keep yaks during the pandemic was difficult for Rawat. He, however, managed by using the income earned from his agricultural field and mules to feed the yaks.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">One of the oldest references to yaks in Garhwal Himalayas can be found in a painting of Hyder Young Hearsey. In his 29 May 1808 water colour of Badrinath shine, Hearsey shows three yaks and two boys. Hyder, born to an English father and Jat mother, accompanied William Moorcroft in 1812 to explore Tibet.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">In ancient times, yaks were used for cross-border trade with Tibet. The traders from Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh used to ferry products on yaks. The villagers also used them in the agriculture field. The India-China war put an end to cross-border trade. With the development in road connectivity and the end of cross-border trade, the villagers found little or no use for the yak in daily life. Slowly the bovid disappeared from the scene in Uttarakhand.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Rawat got inspired to keep yaks when he visited Kullu and Manali in 2016. Recalling the visit, he says: “In Himachal I saw tourists enjoying the yak ride. These made me nostalgic as in the past yaks were used by villagers for different works in our area. I approached the animal husbandry department and finally got a yak in 2017 and I named it Chandu. Later, I added a female yak.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">The arrival of yaks in Farkiya Padhan has turned them into a big attraction for visitors. People touring this village, located about 75 km from Joshimath, make it a point to see the pets. Rawat began getting invitations regularly to display his yaks at animal husbandry and other fairs/functions. The sudden attention made the yak owner and his pet grab media and public attention.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Can domesticating yaks turn economically viable for farmers? Lokesh Kumar, Additional Director of Uttarakhand Animal Husbandry Department, says, “I was at Farkiya Padhan village last month. The health of the yaks was fine. I feel that yaks can become economically viable for farmers, but for this, we need to link it with tourism.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Yak rides are common in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim. In Uttarakhand too, the long-haired domesticated bovid can be used as a tourist attraction. The experiment of Brijbhushan Rawat proves this. He was with his yak in Badrinath (in 2018 and 2019) and the tourists fell in love with the animal. They touched and clicked selfies with the yak. This season Rawat is not in Badrinath and he is getting occasional calls from tourists who want to see the yak.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">In the present time, only a few villagers are domesticating yaks. Besides Farkiya Padhan, there are some yaks in a few villages in Pithoragarh. Veteran Padam Singh Raypa, who lives in Dharchula (Pithoragarh), says: “In earlier times we used to go for cross-border trade to Tibet on yak. We used to even ride on yak for our Mansarover Yatra. Now a handful of villagers from Gunji, Nabi, Kuti, and Rongkong are using yaks.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Harish Dhami, a resident of Dharchula, adds, “Yaks are presently used for ferrying loads, for milk and for work in agriculture. In Pithoragarh, families use the animal for their migration from summer to winter villages.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">After completely disappearing from the scene, yaks are making a slow comeback in Uttarakhand. Pitambar Molpa, a resident of Mana village in Chamoli, says: “I have been approaching the animal husbandry department to supply me a yak since 2003. This time my request was approved and I will be collecting a yak from the department in the winters.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">The Uttarakhand Animal Husbandry department operates a yak breeding centre at Lata (Chamoli). In summers the centre takes the animal to a high-altitude area at Dronagiri hills, the place from where, legends say, Hanuman took “Sanjeevani Booti” for healing injured Lakshman.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Ravindra Rana, veterinary doctor of Yak breeding centre (Chamoli), says: “We presently have 15 yaks in our centre. This time we are supplying one yak to a farmer in our district and have received 2-3 more applications.” So, the interest among farmers is growing.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Handling yaks is considered a little difficult as they are semi-wild. Many stories are in circulation about yaks coming to this part of the world. Many claim that the Chinese troops abandoned them on the India side after the 1962 war. Many claim the traders engaged in cross-border trade had brought the animal in the Indian Himalayas. The recent development indicates that yaks are making a return in Uttarakhand.</p></div>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-68390404808197535742022-06-14T21:08:00.003+05:302022-06-14T21:08:30.804+05:30Amid record number of people visiting Char Dham, Uttarakhand registers high death rate among pilgrims<p><a href="https://www.firstpost.com/author/raju-gusain" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="article-by " style="border-right: 1px solid rgb(147, 147, 147); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">Raju Gusain</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px 10px;">June 07, 2022</span></p><p>https://www.firstpost.com/india/amid-record-number-of-people-visiting-char-dham-uttarakhand-registers-high-death-rate-among-pilgrims-10769391.html</p><p><img alt="Amid record number of people visiting Char Dham, Uttarakhand registers high death rate among pilgrims" class="" data-src="https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/25chardham.jpg?impolicy=website&width=640&height=363" height="362" loading="eager" src="https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/25chardham.jpg?impolicy=website&width=640&height=363" srcset="https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/25chardham.jpg?impolicy=website&width=640&height=363" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: top; width: 640px;" title="Amid record number of people visiting Char Dham, Uttarakhand registers high death rate among pilgrims" width="640" /></p><div class="article-img" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px;"><p class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #888888; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px;">File image of Char Dham yatra in Uttarakhand. PTI</p></div><ul class="bullets-list" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></ul><div class="inner-copy article-full-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px 10px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">At least 142 pilgrims have died in the last 35 days due to heart problems and other illnesses at Char Dham in Uttarakhand. Devotees in big numbers are heading for Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri — popularly called Char Dham — this season. The high attendance of pilgrims has created management crises for the Uttarakhand government and to control the number, online registration for visitors has been introduced by the Uttarakhand tourism department.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">According to the state disaster management cell, this year (till 6 June), 62 pilgrims have lost their lives due to heart problems and other sicknesses in Kedarnath, 35 others at Yamunotri, 34 at Badrinath and 11 at Gangotri. The highest deaths were registered at Kedarnath and Yamunotri — where a visitor has to undertake a trek to reach the shrine. Uttarakhand tourism secretary Dilip Jawalkar said, “In 2019, we registered 34 lakh pilgrims at the Char Dhams, but this year we have touched the 16 lakh mark in one month. This indicates the growing popularity and attraction of the Char Dhams.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Char-dham-1.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #df5b43; cursor: pointer; display: inline; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="Amid record number of people visiting Char Dham Uttarakhand registers high death rate among pilgrims" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10769511" height="362" src="https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Char-dham-1.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; vertical-align: top; width: auto;" width="640" /></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">In a move to control the number of visitors touring Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, the Uttarakhand government has made online registration on <a href="https://registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #df5b43; cursor: pointer; display: inline; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in</a> mandatory and daily number of pilgrims in each of the four shrines has been fixed. A maximum of 8,000 pilgrims can visit Gangotri and 5,000 can tour Yamunotri daily. Only 13,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit Kedarnath and 16,000 to Badrinath daily. The Uttarakhand government has fixed the number by taking the carrying capacity of each pilgrimage centre.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">This year Badrinath has so far attracted 5.75 lakh tourists, Kedarnath 5.45 lakh, Gangotri 3.05 lakh and Yamunotri 2.31 lakh visitors. The heavy rush of devotees has provided the tourism industry in Uttarakhand a big relief. But, the high causality of pilgrims at Char Dhams has forced the state government to enforce health screening of the visitors at different points. The high death forced the state government to form a committee of experts to provide their expertise on the casualties and ways to minimise them.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The committee in its study states that 60 per cent of the deaths took place as they were suffering from co-morbidity and most of them were over 50 years of age. The committee in its report, submitted to the state government on 5 June 2022, suggests that old people, Covid infected and people suffering from various illnesses should only undertake the Char Dham Yatra after medical tests and consulting doctors. The committee also advises a 48 hour acclimatisation period for pilgrims and asks them to maintain caution.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Uttarakhand health secretary Radhika Jha said, “Pilgrims coming from the plains without any break have to face adverse health conditions in visiting the dhams located in the high Himalayan regions. Cases of breathlessness, hypothermia and heart attack are prominent. It has also been observed that it takes time for the pilgrims to get used to the weather and environment of the hills. As a result of all these reasons, every year unfortunate death due to cardiac arrest takes place. In 2017 also there were 112 unfortunate deaths of pilgrims.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Char-dham-2.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #df5b43; cursor: pointer; display: inline; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="Amid record number of people visiting Char Dham Uttarakhand registers high death rate among pilgrims" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10769521" height="362" src="https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Char-dham-2.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; vertical-align: top; width: auto;" width="640" /></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The Uttarakhand government has introduced health screening facilities for visitors for the first time in the hill state. These screening facilities are available at nine places — Gauchar, Pandukesar, Sonprayag, Jagwari bypass, Kund bridge, Dobata, Janki Chatti, Hina and Gangotri.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri were thrown open for devotees earlier this year on 3 May. Kedarnath reopened after six months of winter break on 6 May, and Badrinath on 8 May. With the opening of the Badrinath shrine, the Char Dham pilgrimage became fully functional. In the past the annual pilgrimage to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri used to peak after 15-20 May, but this time it was a totally different story. The Char Dhams were packed to capacity from Day 1. It is a general tendency that the pilgrimage slows down on 15-20 June. Will the same trend prevail this time? Nobody knows.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The tourism data of Badrinath and Kedarnath of the last 21 years presents an interesting picture. In 1990, the total number of pilgrims visiting Badrinath was 3.62 lakh, and in 1995 touched 4.61 lakh. It jumped to 7.35 lakh in 2000, dropped to 5.66 Lakh in 2005, progressed to 9.21 lakh in 2010 and suffered a major blow after the 2013 flashflood to register 1.80 lakh visitors in 2014. In 2017 Badrinath attracted 8.84 lakh visitors and this time a record 5.75 lakh have reached the pilgrim town in over one month.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The case of Kedarnath is similar. From 1.17 lakh tourists in 1990, Kedarnath attracted 1.05 lakh tourists in 1995, which increased to 2.15 lakh in 2000 and 3.90 lakh in 2005. After recording an all-time high of 5.83 lakh in 2012, Kedarnath registered the lowest arrival with a mere 40,832 visitors in 2014. After 2017, when 4.71 pilgrims visited the pilgrimage town, 5.43 lakh pilgrims have so far toured Kedarnath. Both Badrinath and Kedarnath are all set to attract record pilgrims this season.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Char-dham-3.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #df5b43; cursor: pointer; display: inline; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="Amid record number of people visiting Char Dham Uttarakhand registers high death rate among pilgrims" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10769531" height="362" src="https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Char-dham-3.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; vertical-align: top; width: auto;" width="640" /></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Over a hundred mules have died in Kedarnath due to ill-treatment and working without rest. Reports about cruelty against animals taking place in Kedarnath compelled Saurabh Bahuguna, Uttarakhand’s Minister for Animal Husbandry, to visit and inspect ground reality. He was in the Mandakini valley recently. Admitting death of 129 mules in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand Animal Husbandry Minister had disclosed data on his Twitter handle about registering FIR against seven mule owners, imposing a fine on 62 others, disallowing operation of 297 unfit mules and forcing the withdrawal of 93 other mules.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Regular visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have created a lot of interest about Kedarnath in the public. The cave where Prime Minister Modi had stayed in 2019 in Kedarnath has become a big hit among tourists. Heavy booking for the meditation cave exists and Rudra cave has been booked till the first week of July.</p></div><p><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0px;">Sudarshan Khatri, regional manager of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, said, “We are presently managing three meditation caves in Kedarnath. The cave where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stayed remains the most popular of all, in two other caves the response is low. Electricity and water is available at the Rudra cave, we provide juice and fruits to the tourists.”</span> </p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-26544260712531282362022-06-14T21:06:00.000+05:302022-06-14T21:06:08.329+05:30Sudden rush of pilgrims in Kedarnath demands better tourism management<p> <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/author/raju-gusain" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="article-by " style="border-right: 1px solid rgb(147, 147, 147); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">Raju Gusain</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px 10px;">May 25, 2022 </span></p><p>https://www.firstpost.com/india/sudden-rush-of-pilgrims-in-kedarnath-demands-better-tourism-management-10718901.html</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0KrnFlue7CC6B0DZXRMbrmbKAao-AiGdiWyg6Pd6lfVkaVa3WXAxJW9PAWfoGoLDmGvGdAnc6im6-rXx7hlUiJO-D2FxfzFLlyq9tw3bPcJtrQ388Ula7b5tLw4VDB3Z-xoGjKuwwx10SNpyum3zJZyDwwIu2NYM8AArjyQuLDVjvygbsTU/s612/kedarnath%20new%20(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0KrnFlue7CC6B0DZXRMbrmbKAao-AiGdiWyg6Pd6lfVkaVa3WXAxJW9PAWfoGoLDmGvGdAnc6im6-rXx7hlUiJO-D2FxfzFLlyq9tw3bPcJtrQ388Ula7b5tLw4VDB3Z-xoGjKuwwx10SNpyum3zJZyDwwIu2NYM8AArjyQuLDVjvygbsTU/s320/kedarnath%20new%20(1).jpeg" width="307" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">After a day's break, the pilgrimage to Kedarnath resumed again on Wednesday. The Yatra to Kedarnath was stopped due to snowfall and bad weather on 24 May and the devotees were asked to remain at the point/stopover they were staying and proceed only after the weather clears. Sonprayag and Guptkashi were packed with pilgrims and the chopper service to Kedarnath became operational. Clear weather provided big relief to the tourists.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">This time, Kedarnath in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district has attracted record footfall. The annual Char Dham Yatra to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri is on its peak in Uttarakhand. The response of the devotees has taken the tourism experts by surprise. Among the four Hindu pilgrimage centres, Kedarnath has attracted the biggest attendance. An unusual trend!</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has made an appeal to pilgrims to suspend their trip to Kedarnath for a brief period due to bad weather. With fresh snowfall on Tuesday, chilling situation prevail in Kedarnath. Besides heavy woolens, the visitors needs raincoats for moving from one place to another in Kedarnath.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The trek to Kedarnath demands high level fitness. A pilgrim has to undertake a tough 14 km walk in high altitude and in challenging conditions, and despite this over 3.2 Lakh tourists have visited the Hindu shrine in just 20 days. The big movement has also raised questions about the carrying capacity of the pilgrimage centre and ways to manage the inflow. The question is valid as 62 pilgrims have so far lost their lives due to heart attack and other health reasons at Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Photographs and videos of garbage piling up in Kedarnath have created a stir on social media.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">After the 2013 flash floods, Kedarnath has constantly remained in media glare. Regular visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has helped Kedarnath create bigger hype. It was generally witnessed that Badrinath used to pull a higher crowd than Kedarnath. This time Badrinath has received 3,18,396 footfalls, Kedarnath a record 3,20,833, Gangotri 1,90,482 and Yamunotri 1,39,899. These are initial figures and are likely to change with each passing day.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Local resident Rakesh Goswami states, “I never saw the Yatra picking in the early stages. This time an amazing scene prevails. After the pandemic, the tourism industry got badly affected. This time the response is providing some solace to people involved in the tourism industry.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Jump in numbers is fine. But, the demand of the time is better management of pilgrimage centres. Hotels and restaurant operators charging hefty money for their services created headlines. Tourists faced traffic jams on Char Dham routes. People visiting Rishikesh, considered the gateway to Char Dham, on weekends have to face traffic jams for long hours. The bottleneck on national highways with the heavy inflow of tourist vehicles and local vehicles choke the city road and most of the time crossing Rishikesh becomes hard. Reaching Natraj Chowk to Tapovan, a distance of about 5-7 kms, takes over two hours on weekends in the holy city.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">What about waste management? Photographs and videos of plastic waste dump at Kedarnath have shocked nature lovers. The visitors throw used water bottles and other plastic waste on riverbanks and other places. Social activist Anoop Nautiyal says, “A tweet on plastic waste in Kedarnath has gone viral. The policy option for Uttarakhand is to widely promote the ideas of responsible tourism. This can be possible only when there are systems in place for collection and processing. Sadly the current situation is unsustainable.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Anoop Nautiyal presents a simple calculation. He avers, “If 50 lakh pilgrims come for 2022 Char Dham Yatra, spend average 10 days and 50 percent buy three water bottles/day; 7.5 crore plastic bottles would get sold in six months. Apart from water; we have soft drinks, tetra pack juices etc. My wish is to ensure collection and recycling of max plastic bottles!”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The viral photograph and video on plastic garbage pilling up in Kedarnath has forced the Uttarakhand Police to make an appeal to visitors for contributing in keeping the sensitive area clean. Uttarakhand Police’s DGP Ashok Kumar has made an appeal on social media. He said, “On big issue has come to limelight recently. Photograph and videos about garbage pilling up in Kedarnath became viral on social. I would like to request the visitors to throw their waste in open and use the dustbins. kept in hotels and other places. Please contribute in keeping the pilgrimage centres clean."</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The annual Char Dham Yatra to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri is considered as the backbone of Uttarakhand economy. In the six-month long pilgrimage season, a big influx of tourists is witnessed in the state. While Badrinath and Gangotri are on road head, for reaching Kedarnath and Yamunotri a pilgrim has to walk. Among all, the trek to Kedarnath is toughest of all. The 14 km trek from Gaurikund offers challenging conditions. A visitor needs to carry a raincoat and proper woolens for the trek. People with good fitness cover the 14 km distance in 5-6 hour and average fitness in 8-10 hours.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Chopper service to Kedarnath is available. But, during Yatra season heavy demand for air tickets exists. Leaving, the pilgrims opt for mule ride, palanquin/basket or to undertake the foot march. This time 62 pilgrims lost their lives after falling ill on Char Dham Yatra. Half of the casualties took place at Kedarnath and its route.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">In the 2013 flash floods, hundreds of people lost their lives and thousands got stranded in Kedarnath. The Indian Army and Indian Air Force had to launch a massive operation to rescue stuck pilgrims. After the 2013 disaster and recent COVID-19 pandemic, tourism is on a revival path in Kedarnath and other Dhams. The big rush of pilgrims took the local administration by surprise.</p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-25378345531239826692022-06-14T20:58:00.001+05:302022-06-14T20:58:17.471+05:30Explained | Why visiting Gartang Gali offers an out-of-the world experience<p><a href="https://www.firstpost.com/author/raju-gusain" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="article-by " style="border-right: 1px solid rgb(147, 147, 147); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">Raju Gusain</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px 10px;">April 24, 2022</span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjQV2NThTesm4P-F1QcSW6Vnc_Qgbw5TckpVDby3LZMI0ZVkasG7PvAU6U0ZI1PfQo7RLEjgB2dX2volmBUZVTVVD5BBisfp6SAiSvtjTQS5tP1uoe_htsu9IZKCy6imOimIBvTT2QB1DDgOQEpMPoygpivYkzP-DYCQFrewSs78HM6LM3X0/s640/GV2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="640" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjQV2NThTesm4P-F1QcSW6Vnc_Qgbw5TckpVDby3LZMI0ZVkasG7PvAU6U0ZI1PfQo7RLEjgB2dX2volmBUZVTVVD5BBisfp6SAiSvtjTQS5tP1uoe_htsu9IZKCy6imOimIBvTT2QB1DDgOQEpMPoygpivYkzP-DYCQFrewSs78HM6LM3X0/s320/GV2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />https://www.firstpost.com/india/explained-why-visiting-gartang-gali-offers-an-out-of-the-world-experience-10592731.html<p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Gartang Gali, an ancient pathway used for Indo-Tibetan trade and located on a vertical ridge, is fast emerging as a major tourist attraction in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Offering a skywalk experience, the Gartang Gali was renovated and reopened for tourists last year on 17 August. And, in its 106-day operation (in 2021) the Gartang Gali has attracted over 5,000 tourists. The trek provides the visitors with a chance to explore the route used by Jadh Bhotiyas, on which they used to move with their yaks and herds of goat/sheep, to their summer villages Jadong and Nelong on the international border.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The tourism data of Gangotri National Park (2021) provides a clear picture of the domination of the Gartang Gali among other treks, including Gaumukh-Tapovan and Kalandi. Gangotri Park provides permits for the Gaumukh-Gangotri-Tapovan, Kalandi, Gartang Gali, Kedartal to Basukital trekking routes, and the Bhairoghati to Nelong vehicular movement. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the tourist spot remained closed for a long time. They were reopened for visitors in August last year.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Growing number</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Gartang Gali attracted 5,457 tourists in the last season, Gangotri-Gaumukh-Tapovan 2,353, Kalandi trek 165, Kedartal to Basukital trek 391, and Bhairoghati to Nelong (on vehicle) 1,026 guests. All these trek routes and Bhairoghati-Nelong motorable road remain open for eight months from 1 April till 30 November. The new season started earlier this month and park authorities are expecting high attendance at Gartang Gali this time.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">The trek</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The 2-km trail for Gartang Gali starts from Lanka Bridge, which is located 90 km from district headquarter Uttarkashi. A mix of moderate and steep trek, the journey passes through dense Deodar (Himalayan cedar) and Kail (Pinus roxburghii) forest. If the guests are lucky they can get a glimpse of the Himalayan blue sheep and Himalayan goat in the wild. Though snow leopards have habitat in the Nelong valley, their sighting is rather rare. The pathway stands at an elevation of 10,000 ft above sea level and offers challenging terrain.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">The wooden pathway</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The pathway located in the picturesque Nelong valley is 136m long and 1.8m wide. The Deodar slipper lined stairway has attracted attention worldwide. The gallery was used for cross border trade with Tibet till 1962, but after the India-China war the stunning wood structure had remained unused and in complete neglect. Leaving army and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarkashi) teams, the ancient wood architect was rarely used by civilians.</p><div class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_10592841" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; width: 650px;"><a href="https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GV1.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #df5b43; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="Explained Why visiting Gartang Gali offers an outofthe world experience" class="size-full wp-image-10592841" height="362" src="https://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GV1.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; vertical-align: top; width: auto;" width="640" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #888888; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 10px;">The Bhotiya tribe ferried their goods on yaks on Gartang Gali for barter to other parts of the country. Image courtesy uttarkashi.nic.in</p></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Praising the wooden structure, G Shah writes in his book <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Abode of Gods: Uttarakhand</em> (1984), “For reaching up to the source of Jadh Ganga, we have to go upstream. The route is good except for the initial dangerous path which lies over a huge rock face below which Jadh Ganga flows fiercely. But human ingenuity has done miracles by driving iron bars over the rocks and putting wooden planks on them. It is known as Gartang Gallery.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Technically a pathway</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">It is believed that the pathway is over a century old, but no documentary evidence is available on the claim. The wood planks were replaced to provide a new zeal of life to the infrastructure. Contractor Rajpal Bisht, who executed the restoration work, says: “On two patches — one of 12m and other of 24m — Gartang Gali acts as a bridge and in the rest part it is a pathway created by chiselling hard stone.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Walking on Gartang Gali</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Even tourists with big hearts and courage walk slowly and close to the chiselled stone wall and not by holding the wood rallying. It takes a lot of effort to muster courage to see the Jadh Ganga (Jhanevi) river majestically flowing 200m below. The tourists can’t go beyond the end point of the wooden pathway.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Guideline for tourists</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Carry your water bottle as there is no canteen, dhaba, café and habitat area on Gartang Gali trek route. During the rainy season, carry your umbrella/raincoat as no shed exists on the 2-km trail. Maintain slow movement. Use a sports shoe and track pants (lower) for a comfortable walk. For taking selfies and photographs, select a safe location. Ticket charges (per person): Rs 150 for Indians and Rs 600 for foreigners. People with acrophobia and health complications related to the heart should avoid undertaking the trek.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">New development</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The 1962 war forced the villagers from Jadong and Nelong to permanently settle at their winter villages Dunda and Bagori, but now the Government of India is making new efforts to resettle Jadh Bhotiyas in their bordering villages. Even in the new development, there is remote chance of revival of the old trek route as the Bhairoghati-Nelong motorable route is functional.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Compared with other skywalks</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Skywalk is a new concept in Indian tourism. A report of the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Times of India</em>, 9 November 2020, states, “The Sikkim Skywalk is the first glass skywalk in India. It has been built so as to give a wonderful view of the Chenrezig statue and the stairs that lead up to it, with golden prayer wheels on each side.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Compared to other skywalks of India, the Gartang Gali offers a totally different experience. Trekking in the wild and walking on an ancient wooden wonder — which shows the hard work of local people or agency involved in chiselling the hard rock — leave one speechless, providing unforgettable experiences.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Gangotri National Park</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Gartang Gali: 5,457 tourists (income Rs 8.53 Lakh)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Gaumuk-Tapovan: 2,353 tourists (income Rs 3.78 Lakh)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Kalandi: 165 tourists (income Rs 49,500)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Kedartal to Basukital: 391 tourists (income Rs 3.78 Lakh)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Bhairoghati to Nelong (vehicle permit): 1,026 tourists (Rs 2.29 Lakh)</p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-72135035453909163012022-06-14T20:53:00.000+05:302022-06-14T20:53:38.587+05:30Uttarakhand polls: BJP creates history with back-to-back victories; CM Dhami, Rawat go down to defeat<p> <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/author/raju-gusain" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="article-by " style="border-right: 1px solid rgb(147, 147, 147); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">Raju Gusain</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px 10px;">March 10, 2022</span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">https://www.firstpost.com/india/uttarakhand-polls-bjp-creates-history-with-back-to-back-victories-cm-dhami-rawat-go-down-to-defeat-10449261.html</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The Bharatiya Janata Party created history in Uttarakhand by becoming the first party to retain power and serve a second successive term in the hill state. BJP won 48 seats in the 70-Member house.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">While the saffron brigade failed to repeat its magical performance of 2017 in which it won 57 seats, the party countered anti-incumbency by sailing on the Modi wave.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The Congress got 18 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party two seats and Independents won two seats. The counting of votes is still underway. As per provisional figures, BJP got a 44.31 per cent vote share and Congress 37.92 per cent vote share.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Leaving Haridwar district, where Congress won 5 seats, the grand old party failed to make any major headway in Garhwal and Kumoan regions. Bahujan Samaj Party too made some impact in Haridwar district by winning two seats.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">After Uttarakhand was created in 2000, parties in power have, until now, served just one term. After winning the 2002 Assembly polls, Congress faced defeat in 2007. BJP likewise failed to retain power in 2012.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">But after registering a big win in 2017, the BJP pulled off a sensational performance this time.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The pundits predicted a close contest, but in the end BJP prevailed with a comfortable majority. More than hard work and proper election planning, the Congress solely depended on anti-incumbency to script a win. That didn’t happen.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The public’s ire was raised after the BJP replaced chief minister after chief minister. Congress raised the issue prominently, but BJP managed to overcome that by highlighting development works of the central government: the all-weather road project, Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail line project and Kedarnath redevelopment to mention a few.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">People touring hill areas used to make one common statement, “Modi is too popular among hill women.” Women voters played a key role in the BJP’s easy win.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Big names suffer defeat</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Many political bigwigs were left shocked. It seems it is not easy for any Uttarakhand chief minister to win their own seat. Harish Rawat lost from Haridwar (Rural) and Kichcha seats in 2017, BC Khanduri lost from Kotdwar in 2012 and Uttarakhand’s first chief minister Nityanand Swami was defeated from Laxman Chowk seat in 2002.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">This time, Dhami lost from Khatima.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Former Uttarakhand chief minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat lost from Lalkuwa this time, ex-Assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjawal bit the dust from Jageshwar and Miss Asia Pacific world 2014 Anukirti Gusain Rawat was defeated from Lansdowne.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Crisis in BJP over new CM</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">After Dhami lost from the Khatima seat, BJP has started search for a new CM face. The hunt is on and even names such as Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni and Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank are doing the rounds. Dr Dhan Singh Rawat is also in the race after missing out last time. Satpal Maharaj, Madan Kaushik and Bishen Singh Chufal are the other names.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Ex-CMs daughters avenge fathers’ defeat</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">For Ritu Khanduri (BJP) and Anupama Rawat (Congress), this Assembly election was sweet revenge indeed.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Former Uttarakhand chief minister Major-General (Retd.) BC Khanduri’s daughter Ritu shocked Surendra Negi of the Congress by registering a win from Kotdwar. In 2012, Khanduri was BJP’s CM face and lost to Surendra Negi at Kotdwar.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Similarly, Rawat, who was defeated by Yatishwaranand (BJP) from Haridwar rural in 2017. Anupama, Rawat’s daughter, defeated Yatishwaranand in a close contest.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Rawat’s political future uncertain</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">After losing back-to-back elections in 2017 state Assembly polls and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rawat was hoping for a big win. After suffering a big defeat from Lalkuwa, Rawat’s hopes have been extinguished.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Even his close aides -- Govind Singh Kunjwal, Karan Mehra, Manoj Rawat -- have lost. The situation is grim and the anti-Rawat camp will not allow the 73-year-old ex-CM to dictate terms.<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Aam Aadmi Party fails to impress</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">AAP made a weak debut in Uttarakhand. The party obtained a 3.32 per cent vote share and failed to impress the highlanders. AAP’s Chief Ministerial candidate Colonel (Retd.) Ajay Kothiyal finished a poor third from Gangotri Assembly seat with 5,998 votes.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Assessing the Modi wave</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The result of Nainital seat provides a clear indication of how the fortune of a candidate changes in a Modi wave. In 2017 state Assembly election, Sarita Arya, the Congress candidate, finished runner-up with 22,486 votes. Her rival, the BJP’s Sanjeev Arya, got 29,730 votes. This time, Arya joined BJP and defeated her old rival Sanjeev (who had joined Congress weeks ahead of the polls) by 7,881 votes in Nainital.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Challenging time for Harak Singh Rawat</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Senior leader Harak Singh Rawat, who was recently expelled from BJP and who joined Congress ahead of the polls, is facing a tough time. Harak decided not to fight election this time and managed to get Congress ticket for his daughter in law Anukirti Gusain (Miss Asia Pacific world 2014) from Lansdowne.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">Anukirti, despite creating big media hype, failed to woo voters. She lost by 8,977 votes against BJP’s Daleep Singh Rawat. Harak had gained power by jumping from one party to another. Facing an inquiry into the misuse of labour department funds during pandemic, it seems bad days are ahead.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">The BJP’s victory celebrations, which have begun in Uttarakhand, are set to go on for a while.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Party position</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">BJP 47</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Congress 19</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">BSP 2</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Independent 2</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Uttarakhand assembly election 2022<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />List of winning/leading candidates</span></p><p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px 10px;"></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Playfair Display", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">1 Purola: Durgeshwar Lal (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />2 Yamunotri: Sanjay Dobhal (Independent)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />3 Gangotri: Suresh Singh Chauhan (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />4 Badrinath: Rajendra Bhandari (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />5 Tharali: Bhupal Ram Tamta (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />6 Karnaprayag: Anil Nautiyal (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />7 Kedarnath: Shaila Rani Rawat (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />8 Rudraprayag: Bharat Chaudhary (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />9 Ghansali: Shakti Lal Shah (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />10 Devprayag: Vinod Kandari (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />11 Narendranagar: Subodh Uniyal (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />12 Pratapnagar: Vikram Singh Negi (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />13 Tehri: Kishore Upadhyaya (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />14 Dhanaulti: Pritam Panwar (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />15 Chakrata: Prtiam Singh (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />16 Vikasnagar: Munna Singh Chauhan (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />17 Sahaspur: Sahdev Singh Pundir (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />18 Dharampur: Vinod Chamoli (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />19 Raipur: Umesh Sharma Kau (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />20 Rajpur Road: Khazan Dass (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />21 Dehradun Cantonment: Savita Kapoor (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />22 Mussoorie: Ganesh Joshi (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />23 Doiwala: Brij Bhushan Gairola (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />24 Rishikesh: Prem Chand Aggarwal (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />25 Haridwar: Madan Kaushik (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />26 BHEL Ranipur: Adesh Chauhan (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />27 Jwalapur: Er. Ravi Bahadur (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />28 Bhagwanpur: Mamta Rakesh (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />29 Jhabrera: Virendra Kumar (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />30 Piran Kaliyar: Furkan Ahmed (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />31 Roorkee: Pradeep Batra (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />32 Khanpur: Umesh Kumar (Independent)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />33 Manglaur: Sarwat Kareem Ansari (BSP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />34 Laksar: Shahzad (BSP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />35 Haridwar Rural: Anupama Rawat (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />36 Yamkeshwar: Renu Bisht (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />37 Pauri: Rajkumar Pori (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />38 Srinagar: Dhan Singh Rawat (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />39 Chaubattakhal: Satpal Maharaj (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />40 Lansdowne: Daleep Singh Rawat (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />41 Kotdwar: Ritu Khanduri Bhushan (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />42 Dharchula: Harish Dhami (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />43 Didihat: Bishen Singh (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />44 Pithoragarh: Mayukh Mahar (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />45 Gangolihat: Fakeer Ram (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />46 Kapkot: Suresh Gariya (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />47 Bageshwar: Chandan Ram Dass (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />48 Kapkot: Suresh Gariya (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />49 Salt: Mahesh Jeena (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />50 Ranikhet: Pramod Nainwal (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />51 Someshwar: Rekha Arya (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />52 Almora: Manoj Tiwari (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />53 Jageshwar: Mohan Singh (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />54 Lohaghat: Kaushal Adhikari (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />55 Champawat: Kailash Chandra Gahtori (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />56 Lalkuan: Dr. Mohan Singh Bisht (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />57 Bhimtal: Ram Singh Kaira (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />58 Nainital: Sarita Arya (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />59 Haldwani: Sumit Hridayesh (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />60 Kaladhungi: Bansidhar Bhagat (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />61 Ramnagar: Diwan Singh Bisht (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />62 Jaspur: Adesh Chauhan (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />63 Kashipur: Trilok Singh Cheema (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />64 Bajpur: Yshpal Arya (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />65 Gadarpur: Arvind Pandey (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />66 Rudrapur: Shiv Arora (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />67 Kichha: Tilak Raj Behad (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />68 Sitarganj: Saurav Bahuguna (BJP)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />69 Nanakmatta: Gopal Singh Rana (Congress)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />70 Khatima: Bhuwan Chand Kapri (Congress)</p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-85659819887718134412022-02-10T15:40:00.001+05:302022-02-10T15:40:25.926+05:30Gangotri in winter: A snowy wonderland for those seeking 'off-season' adventure<p> Raju Gusain February 09, 2022</p><p>A trip to Gangotri during winters presents a picture postcard like setting of the pilgrimage centre. Snow on house roofs, temples, trees, mountains, etc. With no pilgrims and presence of less than a handful of people, the beauty of Gangotri casts its spell on the daredevil visitors, who undertake the challenging 98 km long journey from district headquarter Uttarkashi. The Gangotri temple remains closed in winters and reopens in summer for the annual pilgrimage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Explorer and photographer Tilak Soni visits Gangotri in winters every year. Soni was at the pilgrimage earlier this month with a small group of adventure lovers on 2 February. As the bikers and jeep/suv riders passed through the Uttarkashi-Gangotri highway the sight of the Border Road Organisation staff, clearing snow from the road in freezing condition, left the tourists amazed. They pass on greetings with the BRO staff to appreciate the efforts being made and to motivate them.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 98 km journey from Uttarkashi to Gangotri is normal till Sukki Top. From Sukki Top to Gangotri, a distance of 35 kms, offers a challenging situation. The slippery conditions demand high driving skills.</p><p><br /></p><p>Explorer Tilak Soni said, "We first train the participants snow biking. As we move on snow hit roads, we keep slow speed. It demands high patience and concentration. The speed is between 10 to12 km per hour."</p><p><br /></p><p>Located on the banks of the river Bhagirathi and origin of the holy Ganga river, Gangotri is a major pilgrimage centre of Uttarakhand. Situated on the lofty Himalayas, at a height of 3,100 metres, the town attracts thousands of devotees annually from every nook and corner of India. According to Hindu legends, Ganga descended from heaven to earth at Gangotri- when Lord Shiva released the mighty river from his locks.</p><p><br /></p><p>In winters, Gangotri offers an out of the world experience. The peaks, the temple roof, campus and river bank is covered with snow. The freezing temperature with little or no habitat takes the guests to a totally different place. Leaving a dozen staff of the forest department, one-two cops, one temple committee staff and a few monks, the pilgrimage centre is completely deserted.</p><p><br /></p><p>Harsh weather conditions forces the local residents to devote most of the time in their residential complexes and not to venture outside. They are engaged in socializing only on a clear day. This year the locals in Gangotri will enjoy mobile network connectivity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the water sources in the valley, leaving river Bhagirathi, freeze in sub zero temperature. The situation forced the wild animals living in the proximity of the temple township to come to the river bank to quench their thirst. The visit of guests from the forest amuses the Gangotri residents.</p><p>Surya Prakash Chauhan, a staff of the Gangotri temple committee, said, "We get a chance to see the Blue Sheep coming to the river bank for drinking water. Very recently I was walking near the Kankhu forest barrier and saw a snow leopard. Before I could take out my mobile to photograph, the elusive snow leopard disappeared in the forest. I do meditation daily and consider myself fortunate to live in Gangotri during winters.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Staying in Gangotri during winter is not easy. The Surya Kund, located near the shrine, freezes. During a clear day, the sun appears for less than two hours (from 11.30 am to 1 pm). The sunshine injects new zeal among the residents and it is no less than a festival.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Gangotri residents are presently waiting for the polling parties to arrive in the pilgrimage centre, for conducting voting for the Gangotri assembly constituency. The polling team will be visiting and staying in Gangotri for a couple of days. The residents will enjoy the company of the polling team and security staff. The election related activities will provide some engagement to the local people.</p><p><br /></p><p>The forest department deploys a team on rotation basis in Gangotri in winters. A new team replaces the old every ten days. Rang Nath Pandey, Deputy Director of Gangotri National Park, said, "There is no threat of any theft due to low movement. Our staff monitors the camera traps and conducts light patrols there."</p><p><br /></p><p>Reaching Gangotri and that too after the snowfall is risky. The slippery road and cold condition makes driving difficult. Team leader Tilak Soni and his team opted to travel from Uttarkashi to Harsil on day one and cover Harsil to Gangotri and back to Uttarkashi on day two.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Border Road Organization deploys machinery at Bhaironghati and Sukki Top to clear snow and make the Uttarkashi-Gangotri highway fully functional round the year. Till Harsil, the visitors find some movement. Local jeeps, BRO and army vehicles ply on the road. But, after Harsil one rarely encounters any human movement on the road.</p><p><br /></p><p>Harsil, which is also called as mini Switzerland of Uttarakhand, shares a special bond with the Indian film industry. The place came into the limelight after famous Bollywood director Raj Kapoor shot a major portion of his blockbuster Ram Teri Ganga Maili in this village in the mid 80s. Film actress Mandakini became a household name through the film and her sizzling bathing scene created big controversy. The place where the actress was filmed is presently known as Mandakini ghat.</p><p><br /></p><p>The winter beauty of Harsil is unparalleled. The environs force the guests to spend more time there. After crossing Harsil, the riders need to take extra precaution in the 14 km patch between Jhala to Jangla. "The patch is in a shady area. Generally the snow accumulation is high," Soni adds.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Gangotri temple was closed for winter break last year on 5 November and the portals of the shrine will reopen for the devotees on coming 4 May. Routine prayer of goddess Ganga is conducted in winters at village Mukhwa.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the advent of summer, local administration, temple committee and people associated with the tourism industry become active. They start visiting Gangotri to prepare for the pilgrimage season. The movement breaks the monotony and life turns normal in Gangotri. The start of the pilgrimage season turns the religious town into a hub of vibrant activities.</p><p><br /></p><p>https://www.firstpost.com/india/gangotri-in-winter-a-snowy-wonderland-for-those-seeking-off-season-adventure-10361141.html</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsWR4cA3YmvkxnLhvfa7zh2wByPLxS-rFQbXkxOikcO6jEZm13RP14s_2xGyFtN2OsNFLVjcwswt2BN4Gg4qSkDJH0KG0kdYHpN4lgBYewVOicrjY1V0O6kXgxXlTbJoSF9o3Hl7Wy9Uj9UOEytaee00boT69SjHokxuoA7_E5GdxPPKlRkCk=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="640" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsWR4cA3YmvkxnLhvfa7zh2wByPLxS-rFQbXkxOikcO6jEZm13RP14s_2xGyFtN2OsNFLVjcwswt2BN4Gg4qSkDJH0KG0kdYHpN4lgBYewVOicrjY1V0O6kXgxXlTbJoSF9o3Hl7Wy9Uj9UOEytaee00boT69SjHokxuoA7_E5GdxPPKlRkCk=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-43688845156319054232022-02-10T15:34:00.002+05:302022-02-10T15:34:43.231+05:30Uttarakhand Assembly polls: How it's going to be a close electoral battle in six VIP seats, including Kedarnath<div class="author-info" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px 10px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 10px;"><div>Raju Gusain February 04, 2022 </div><div><br /></div><div>Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid special attention to redevelopment projects at Kedarnath in district Ruderprayag. He so far visited Kedarnath five times, after becoming the prime minister in 2014.</div><div><br /></div><div>In poll-bound Uttarakhand, Kedarnath is among the six VIP seats - others being Gangotri, Srinagar, Haridwar, Khatima and Lankuwa. Kedarnath is considered VIP due to personal involvement of Modi in the redevelopment projects. Close fight between BJP and Congress exists in these seats. Polling for the 70-member Uttarakhand assembly will take place on 14 February.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kedarnath</div><div>Uttarakhand Assembly polls How its going to be a close electoral battle in six VIP seats including KedarnathSitting Kedarnath legislator Manoj Rawat of Congress is facing a challenging situation against three major competitors</div><div>The result of the Kedarnath Assembly seat in 2017 shocked the BJP. Party's official candidate Shaila Rani Rawat finished fourth in a multi corner fight. Even this time four corner contests exist. Sitting Kedarnath legislator Manoj Rawat of Congress is facing a challenging situation against three major competitors - Shaila Rani Rawat (BJP), Kuldeep Rawat (independent) and Suman Tiwari (AAP). In the 2017 state Assembly election Manoj Rawat secured 13,906 votes against 13, 037 votes by Kuldeep Rawat (independent).</div><div>In Kedarnath an interesting equation prevails this time. BJP is making an appeal to the public to vote for the party on the Kedarnath redevelopment projects executed by the central government. Shaila Rani Rawat was among the nine Congress MLAs, who had rebelled against the Harish Rawat government in 2016. Independent candidate Kuldeep Rawat, who is into real estate business in Dehradun, is making things difficult for the national parties.</div><div>Uttarakhand Assembly polls How its going to be a close electoral battle in six VIP seats including KedarnathShaila Rani Rawat was among the nine Congress MLAs, who had rebelled against the Harish Rawat government in 2016.</div><div>Aam Aadmi Party candidate Suman Tiwari belongs to the priest community. The AAP candidate can prove a blessing for BJP if he manages to get votes of the angry Panda and priests’ community. The Pandas and priests of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri had launched an agitation against the Uttarakhand government after the then Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat introduced the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act. The bill was approved by the state Assembly in 2019 and owing to the agitation of the priests the Pushkar Dhami government abolished it last year.</div><div>After the 2013 disaster, major redevelopment activities started in Kedarnath in 2014. That was the time when Narendra Modi became the PM of India. The PM constantly reviewed and monitored the progress of the project in Kedarnath. Winning the Kedarnath Assembly seat is a major issue for the BJP.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lalkuwa</div><div><br /></div><div>Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat has turned Lalkuwa Assembly seat in district Nainital hot. Seventy-three year old Harish was forced to leave Ramnagar, from where he was keen on contesting and from where his name was announced as party's official candidate, after Ranjeet Rawat threatened to go against Congress decision. Ranjeet was prepared to fight the poll as an independent candidate from Ramnagar.</div><div>The mood of Ranjeet Rawat forced Congress to correct its decision and change candidates. Harish Rawat was made candidate from Lalkuwa and Ranjeet Rawat was shifted to Salt. But, in the process, Sandhya Dalakoti was sidelined. She was earlier announced as Congress candidate from Lalkuwa. Annoyed with the decision, Sandhya is contesting as an independent candidate. In 2017, BJP's Naveen Dhumka with 44,293 votes registered a big win against Harish Chand Durgapal (17,185 votes) of Congress. This time BJP has changed its candidate and shown trust on Mohan Singh Bisht. BJP faces a similar problem at Lalkuwa as party’s rebel Pawan Chauhan, despite best efforts, is contesting as an independent candidate. Rebels can spoil the game of BJP and Congress at Lalkuwa.</div><div>Uttarakhand Assembly polls How its going to be a close electoral battle in six VIP seats including KedarnathThis time BJP has changed its candidate and shown trust on Mohan Singh Bisht.</div><div>Close fight is expected at Lalkuwa. After losing back-to-back elections in 2017 state assembly polls and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Harish Rawat is hoping to return to the winning track for his political future.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gangotri</div><div>Aam Aadmi Party's Chief Ministerial candidate Colonel (Retd.) Ajay Kothiyal is facing a tri-angular fight at Gangotri assembly constituency. Congress candidate Vijaypal Singh Sajwan and BJP candidate Suresh Chauhan are in key contests. Ajay Kothiyal was involved in the reconstruction work at Kedarnath after the 2013 flash flood. Failing to get an entry in BJP, Kothiyal has joined AAP. The election at Gangotri seat is going to be close like a T-20 cricket match. It can go anyway.</div><div>Uttarakhand Assembly polls How its going to be a close electoral battle in six VIP seats including KedarnathBJP has opted for Suresh Chauhan, a former block Parmukh from Bhatwari and an ex-district Panchayat member.</div><div>In the last Assembly election BJP’s Gopal Rawat defeated Vijaypal Singh Sajwan (Congress) by a margin of 9,610 votes. Due to the sudden demise of Gopal Rawat, BJP has opted for Suresh Chauhan, a former block Parmukh from Bhatwari and an ex-district Panchayat member.</div><div><br /></div><div>Haridwar</div><div>Uttarakhand BJP president Madan Kaushik is making an attempt to win the Haridwar Assembly seat for the fifth time. He has not lost a single state election after the formation of Uttarakhand. Kausik is facing anti-incumbency due to his long term in the constituency. Madan Kausik is in a head-to-head fight against Satpal Brahmchari (Congress), a former Nagar Palika chairman.</div><div>Srinagar</div><div>BJP leader and cabinet minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, who was among one of the frontrunners to become CM after Trivendra Rawat was axed, faces an uphill task to retain the Srinagar assembly seat. Dhan Singh will contest against the state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal. Uttarakhand Kranti Dal's Mohan Kala is working hard to make a triangular fight at Srinagar.</div><div><br /></div><div>Khatima</div><div>Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will be taking on his old rival, Bhuwan Chandra Kapri of the Congress, at Khatima Assembly constituency. Last time Pushkar Dhami secured 29,539 votes against 26,830 votes by Kapri. The win was by 2,709 votes. In a dramatic turnaround Dhami was crowned Uttarakhand CM in July last year. Serving a small term, Chief Minister Dhami is under pressure to take BJP to a big win in the Uttarakhand assembly election.</div><div>It is not easy for any Chief Minister to win own seat in the state Assembly election in the hill state. The strange trend! Harish Rawat lost from Haridwar (Rural) and Kichcha seats in 2017, BC Khanduri had to face defeat from Kotdwar in 2012 and Uttarakhand's first CM Nityanand Swami was defeated from Laxman Chowk seat in 2002.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWPYTMdXquJEBr-ZTcwbRtBPzr9MGXk-fA1SQH2yuWN2aSgI3EMcnHoI5CIR35gy-HBWB4k-ft97_MVx_548X-i5cn52gm_AnCsvswULt_VJjtevzSQrSkka1BpYry9qVUPr46oxHJs5Sa2B-QFjDzjfPX8bBqL0w5ZQ1unDRxkeOoYfM4s3k=s878" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="878" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWPYTMdXquJEBr-ZTcwbRtBPzr9MGXk-fA1SQH2yuWN2aSgI3EMcnHoI5CIR35gy-HBWB4k-ft97_MVx_548X-i5cn52gm_AnCsvswULt_VJjtevzSQrSkka1BpYry9qVUPr46oxHJs5Sa2B-QFjDzjfPX8bBqL0w5ZQ1unDRxkeOoYfM4s3k=w320-h144" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>https://www.firstpost.com/politics/uttarakhand-assembly-polls-how-its-going-to-be-a-close-electoral-battle-in-six-vip-seats-including-kedarnath-10348671.html</div><div><br /></div></span></div>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-14855002276936244412022-02-02T15:43:00.000+05:302022-02-02T15:43:25.729+05:30Unwilling to contest Uttarakhand polls, ex-CM Rawat tells JP Nadda; Harak faces hurdle in joining Congress<p>Raju Gusain</p><p>Dehradun, 19 January </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAJlAl03D1JaoqA3diySQo6-LqJ0FCjgriyP9NhT7nC62vzxTaPfmdqZ3r7poVo7Sx6nET8tDKPZ55w8Ty6q_MqoOYStssEmZzZf-faFfHtln2AyNtNLBRGg8pZzLqP_r364b-YN9-609fXwXRZBVno6XRr1TA_Wd8PrD--hS977rIkGEa1yI=s2118" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2118" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAJlAl03D1JaoqA3diySQo6-LqJ0FCjgriyP9NhT7nC62vzxTaPfmdqZ3r7poVo7Sx6nET8tDKPZ55w8Ty6q_MqoOYStssEmZzZf-faFfHtln2AyNtNLBRGg8pZzLqP_r364b-YN9-609fXwXRZBVno6XRr1TA_Wd8PrD--hS977rIkGEa1yI=w320-h278" width="320" /></a></div><br />2022<p></p><p>https://www.firstpost.com/politics/unwilling-to-contest-uttarakhand-polls-ex-cm-rawat-tells-jp-nadda-harak-faces-hurdle-in-joining-congress-10301601.html</p><p>Former Uttarakhand chief minister and senior BJP leader Trivendra Singh Rawat in a letter has expressed his unwillingness to contest the upcoming state Assembly elections. In his 18 January letter to BJP president JP Nadda, Rawat, the sitting MLA from Doiwala Assembly seat, cited the changed political scenario and added that wants to put his efforts towards supporting the party.</p><p>"Please accept my request to not contest Uttarakhand Assembly polls so that I focus on supporting the party," Rawat wrote." The political scenario has been changed in Uttarakhand. After these developments, I should not contest the Assembly polls. I want to put all my effort towards the formation of the government under Pushkar Singh's Dhami's leadership," Rawat added.</p><p>Uttarakhand Assembly polls are scheduled to be held on 14 February. Rawat in his letter thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for all the support and for making him the Uttarakhand chief minister. The former chief minister could have possibly made the move with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.</p><p>Rawat was made chief minister after BJP swept the 2017 Uttarakhand Assembly elections, winning 57 seats in the 70-member Assembly. The Congress, on the other hand, won just 11 seats. Rawat resigned from his post on 9 March, 2021 after BJP high command asked him to step down.</p><p>The Congress, the main Opposition party, is making the constant flux in the top leadership position in the state an election issue. During his tenure, Rawat instituted an inquiry into the misuse of funds by cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat and his close aides in the Uttarakhand Building and Other Construction Workers welfare board.</p><p>Now, BJP has removed Harak Singh Rawat from the party and government. Harak, meanwhile, is running out of time. Three days after being booted out of the saffron party, Harak is yet to join the Congress.</p><p>The grand old party is expected to host its central election committee (CEC) meeting in Delhi on Thursday to finalise candidates’ list for the election. According to sources, many Congress leaders have opposed the entry of Harak and have even dispatched letters to high command. A group of Congress workers even hosted a protest in Dehradun on Tuesday and demanded that Harak not be granted admission to the party.</p><p>Harak, who was Minister of forest and environment, skill development, labour and employment in Uttarakhand government, was expelled recently by the BJP for anti-party activities and for attempting to pressure the party into giving tickets to his family and supporters.</p><p>Sensing that the situation is grave, Harak told the media, “Harish Rawat is my big brother. He can call me a thief, criminal and anything he likes. I will ask him to pardon me.”</p><p>Speculation about Harak and his daughter-in-law Anukirti Gusain Rawat joining Congress was rife on Wednesday with media even staking out Uttarakhand Congress headquarters.</p><p>Harak had joined hands with former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna to stage a revolt against the then chief minister Harish Rawat and Congress government in 2016. Harak and other Congress leaders joined the BJP.</p><p>It seems the wounds caused by Harak and Vijay Bahuguna to Harish Rawat are still fresh. Harak has often switched parties. He began his political career with BJP in 1991, joined Bahujan Samaj Party in 1997, rejoined Congress in 2002 and rejoined BJP in 2016. Now, he is making an all-out effort to rejoin Congress.</p><p>Harak, after winning an Assembly seat, has displayed a tendency of shifting to a new one. Even this time Harak wanted to leave the Kotdwar Assembly seat in favour of Lansdowne. A routine practice!</p><p>Harak won the Pauri Assembly seat in 1991 and shifted to Lansdowne seat in 2002. He lost his affinity for Lansdowne after winning the Assembly seat twice and in 2012 moved to Ruderprayag. In 2017, Harak fought and won the poll from Kotdwar Assembly seat.</p><p>Harak Singh changes party and seats comfortably. But after being expelled from BJP, Harak has lost his bargaining power. This time he needs to clear a big hurdle before he can join the Uttarakhand Congress – Harish Rawat.</p><p><br /></p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-22561667009912735562021-11-06T08:21:00.001+05:302021-11-06T08:21:28.916+05:30Gangotri park to counter tourists writing ugly graffiti on ‘skywalk’ Gartang Gully through CCTV cameras<p> <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/author/raju-gusain" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="article-by " style="border-right: 1px solid rgb(147, 147, 147); box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px;">Raju Gusain</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px 10px;">September 15, 2021 13:08:17 IST</span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUMK4RVcb04EB9mKX-NT_FIa4kJZlIP7MJD4Kz8ZGSMbqzu4zQYv9kHxRpSIL4PKiFqckckkNoj46buf4MwUp14hLbIxEUJjZPfVPElDA6hX8JsfcQSDfR-5Kf-p-fiVMRVQ5Bw/s640/image-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="640" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUMK4RVcb04EB9mKX-NT_FIa4kJZlIP7MJD4Kz8ZGSMbqzu4zQYv9kHxRpSIL4PKiFqckckkNoj46buf4MwUp14hLbIxEUJjZPfVPElDA6hX8JsfcQSDfR-5Kf-p-fiVMRVQ5Bw/s320/image-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />https://www.firstpost.com/india/gangotri-park-to-counter-tourists-writing-ugly-graffiti-on-skywalk-gartang-gully-through-cctv-cameras-9966381.html<p></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Dehradun: It's going to be a skywalk with CCTV eyes now along the breathtaking pathway called the Gartang Gully in Gangotri National Park, Uttarakhand. This wooden pathway - renovated and reopened for tourists recently in Nelong valley of Uttarkashi district - is built into a long slash hacked into a near-vertical wall of rock and offers a 'skywalk experience'. Now it will have to be watched over because the park administration got the tourists it wanted, but it also got ugly graffiti on the structure and constant reports of stunts and dangerous selfies along the walkway.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">The gallery was used for cross border trade with Tibet till 1962, but after the Sino-India war, the stunning wood structure remained unused and neglected for almost six decades. It is believed that the pathway is over a century old, but no documentary evidence is available to back this claim.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Located in the picturesque Nelong valley (also called Nelang), the Gartang Gully is a 136-metre long and 1.8-metre wide oak wood-lined stairway that seems to ascend into the heavens, with the turbulent but pristine waters of the Jadh Ganga, an important tributary of the Bhagirathi, roiling ceaselessly 200 metres below. At 10,000 feet above sea level, the Gartang Gully is a wonder to behold and a thrill to those who traverse its length.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">The 2-km trek for Gartang Gully starts from the Lanka bridge on the Uttarkashi-Gangotri highway. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">Gangotri park to counter tourists writing ugly graffiti on skywalk Gartang Gully through CCTV cameras</span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">The wood planks were replaced and the refurbished pathway thrown open to visitors on August 17 this year. Of the tourists that came to this far place for adventure many couldn't help but inscribe their names on the structure at half a dozen places, using marker pens, coal and chalk. This behaviour began to be noted, and even made it to social media. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed his sorrow in a tweet, saying, “Tourists deface 150-year-old Skywalk in Uttarakhand. Gartang gali skywalk.”</span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">Besides graffiti, younger tourists have been seen performing stunts on the pathway, besides the usual 'hanging' selfies. This was a major issue of concern for the park authorities, given that loss of life is likely from these behaviours.</span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Park officials who are tasked with maintaining this new Himalayan wonder have had enough. The Gangotri National Park management has registered a police complaint against unidentified miscreants in Uttarkashi for damaging government property. Rang Nath Pandey, Deputy Director of Gangotri National Park, said, “About one thousand tourists have visited Gartang Gully so far after it was opened for tourists recently. After finding graffiti written on the wood structure we have registered a police complaint with the local police. To stop such practices, we will be installing CCTV cameras at various locations on the pathway. We have asked the PWD to execute the installation as soon as possible.”</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">There's no electricity available at this location, so park authorities plan to use solar panels to power the cameras. </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">Tourists who may not have thought things through often leave behind what they think are harmless markers. But it makes preserving cultural sites a constant battle.</span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Rajpal Bisht, who undertook the reconstruction work of the pathway, recalls, “It was not easy. Snowfall and high-speed wind affected our work. Not many workers were willing to go there due to challenging conditions, so I had to select team members based on their courage rather than expertise in wood and iron fabrication.”</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">It wasn't easy for the Gangotri National park management either. A couple of contractors abandoned the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic; more likely an excuse for buckling under the challenges that the Gartang Gully imposed.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Before the Indo-China war, traders used to take mules and yaks into and back from Tibet along this path. Jaad Bhotiyas used to stay during summer at Jadong and Nelong villages on the international border. After the 1962 war, these villagers permanently settled at Dunda and Bagori in Uttarkashi and cross-border trade is now a thing of the past.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">In the absence of documentary evidence, confusion clouds the age of the Gartang Gully pathway. One legend ascribes the old walkway to have been hewn out of the cliff by Pathans from Peshawar. Others differ. Harsil resident Madhvendra Rawat says, “I have interacted with over a dozen elderly persons, who are in their 90s, from my village and they claim that the wood path was created by funds provided by local trader Dhani Ram. The passage was used for cross-border trade only. The reopening of Gartang Gully will provide a new attraction to tourists in Uttarkashi. We are presently collecting and seeking documents related to the history of the Gartang Gully.”</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">In the 17th century, the Nelong valley was the centre of the boundary dispute between the Garhwal and Bushahr (also spelt Bashshr) princely states. A 1919-20 settlement report shows 17 families dwelling at Jadhang and 58 others at Nelong.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Besides troops of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and army stationed at the Nelong valley, and the occasional visit of shepherds, the area had remained out of bounds for the common public after the Chinese aggression. Nelong valley is often termed as the Ladakh of Uttarakhand. In May 2015, the Uttarakhand government decided to reopen the Nelong valley for tourists. and this year the heritage path was renovated.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Adventure expert and explorer Tilak Soni says, “The Gartang Gully is a unique cliff-side hanging-stairway. It has all the potential to become a major tourist attraction in India. Tourists visiting the gallery should behave properly and contribute to the conservation and promotion of the heritage wood pathway.”</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Commenting on the trade at Nilang pass, adventurer W Wilson says in his 1860 classic A Summer Ramble in the Himalaya: “The little trade carried on over the Nelang pass is entirely in the hands of the inhabitants of that village, about thirty families of Tartars, who reside there during summer, and come down into Gurwhal in winter.”</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">On the region's social life, Wilson adds, “The Gurwhalees themselves rarely or never go into Tibet, and not one of them can speak the Tartar language. They take their grain to Nelang, and exchange it for salt with the Nelang people, and even should other Tartars be there, they are not allowed to exchange or trade with them. The Nelang people take the grain into Thibet, exchanging it for salt or wool, or the Thibetians come down to Nelang. Scarcely any other article of merchandise crosses this pass.”</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">Now tourists have come, and CCTVs are coming in their wake.</span></p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-54273550253786371852020-08-30T20:36:00.002+05:302020-08-30T20:37:30.543+05:30Saving culture is society’s duty: folk singer Narendra Singh Negi <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cKVRHsCkCwD1XpPMtdOMh1ngXNgEk5fLc46hc2sdbW-SXsRtwrAfMpE3aHkZJy3Br_yd6oKe04KYdFc-pzJgUtWJmki26DoAcTaSGzNUXx4GvuEt5TeLRYOrCxBE8-QLYSIENw/s1589/3ce07f6e-9e1c-439d-9579-50a45927b08a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1589" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cKVRHsCkCwD1XpPMtdOMh1ngXNgEk5fLc46hc2sdbW-SXsRtwrAfMpE3aHkZJy3Br_yd6oKe04KYdFc-pzJgUtWJmki26DoAcTaSGzNUXx4GvuEt5TeLRYOrCxBE8-QLYSIENw/s640/3ce07f6e-9e1c-439d-9579-50a45927b08a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p> Raju Gusain | New Delhi | August 29, 2020</p><p><br /></p><p>NARENDRA SINGH NEGI is widely dubbed as a living legend of Uttarakhandi folk music. There is a saying in the hill state that if you want to know about Uttarakhand, you hear Negi’s songs. In a remarkable career spanning nearly five decades, the iconic folk singer, writer and musician has composed hundreds of songs.</p><p>He drew fire from the Congress in 2005 for composing a sarcastic song against the then N D Tiwari government and from the BJP in 2011 for his trenchant musical composition against the then Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank government. With over three dozen musical albums under his belt and by singing and writing lyrics for 15 Garhwali films, Negi continues to rule the hearts of highlanders.</p><p><br /></p><p>His songs capture the narratives and vignettes of life in the hills. He is the first-ever Uttarakhand folk singer to have won the coveted Sangeet Natak Akademi award, which he did in 2018. Born into a modest family in Pauri Garhwal district in 1949, Negi went on to become a district information officer and has many interesting stories to share about his dual roles as a folk singer and a government employee.</p><p>In a freewheeling interview with RAJU GUSAIN, Negi shared his thoughts on the themes of music, culture and the journey of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Excerpts:</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. How do you look at your fivedecade- long journey in the world of Uttarakhand folk music?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. Amazing! The affection of the public made it memorable. I am thankful to my fans, who continue to hear my songs and motivate me to write and sing new compositions. Those highlanders, who have spent a part of their life in the hills, love my songs the most.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. What about the younger generation?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. The new generation does not have much idea about language and culture. My style of writing is connecting with the village and folk life. The younger generation loves high beat songs. There is hardly any content in many of the songs that are making waves on YouTube. The new generation loves songs to which they can dance. They are not concerned about the subject and content of the songs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. Don’t you think folk artists too have a key role to play in such a scenario?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. Folk singing has become a profession now. With this trend many good and bad things have come. Unfortunately, nobody is giving any attention to content and good songs and the entire focus is to create rhythm-based compositions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. How will the situation change?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. I don’t know how things will change. But, I continue to stand in the market despite my advanced age due to the prevailing condition as there is a vacuum for good content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. How do you view your Youtube experience?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. I am new to YouTube. The good thing is that you get instant response — views received, comments etc. for any song — which was not possible earlier.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. With online music, the pressure of yesteryears to sing eight songs for a cassette does not exist, isn’t it?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. Now the pressure is of different kind. Earlier the music companies used to spend money on the product and do business. Now, you have to bear the cost of recording and shooting. Though I consider it a starting hurdle.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. What needs to be done to preserve the folk music of Uttarakhand?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. Changes take place always. But the folk spirit of our songs should remain intact. We have different folk singing forms in Garhwal like Thariya, Chancheri, Chaufala, Jhumego, Jagar and Mangal. The subjects of the songs can change with time, but the traditional singing style must endure.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. How do you feel about winning the Sangeet Natak Akademi award?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. You are thrilled when you get an award without applying for it. Its value is more. It also proves that people are tracking my work.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. Has not the end of the CD/DVD and cassette era affected the folk music industry in a big way?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. The format has merely changed. The listeners and viewers have increased many times after the mobile revolution. Technology has played a key role in popularising culture. Otherwise we could never have imagined a situation that the population of Uttarakhand is about one crore and many of our folk songs have received two-three crore views.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. What role should the government play in preserving folk music and culture?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. My idea is that more than government it is the responsibility of society to ensure preservation of folk music and culture. The public should be more concerned about it. The people approach the government for construction of roads, schools, hospitals, etc.</p><p><br /></p><p>They create pressure for such works. Nobody approaches the government for conservation of folk music and culture. If there is any pressure from the public, the government and political leaders will be forced to work for folk music and culture preservation. We need to remain watchful for the cause of culture. So, only we can save it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. After ‘Nauchami Narayan’ and ‘Aab Kathga Khailo’, the people seem to be waiting for your new satirical compositions…</p><p><br /></p><p>A. After two experiments, I realised that political parties take advantage of my songs. So, now I have become more alert.</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. You must have faced challenging situations in your roles as a folk singer and a government official. Can you share some of them?</p><p><br /></p><p>A. Once I toured with a political leader as an information officer to a remote village in Pauri. The leader was delivering his speech on the stage and I was standing in a corner. Some villagers recognised me and suddenly I saw the crowd abandoning the leader and surrounding me.</p><p><br /></p><p>More than the leader, my situation became tricky. I handled it by moving towards the stage and urging the people to take their seats. In 1994, I was posted in Uttarkashi and that was the time when the Uttarakhand statehood movement was at its peak.</p><p><br /></p><p>To support the movement, I released a set of two audio cassettes from a music company. The agitation was going on in the hills and on Republic Day, the Uttarkashi district magistrate was to hoist the flag. But, the agitators were creating hurdles and they were singing my songs of the statehood movement during the protest.</p><p><br /></p><p>A local intelligence unit officer told the DM that Negi had composed these songs. Later in the day, the DM called me and said being a government servant I should avoid such activities. I tried to convince him that both the Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati governments have promised to create a separate hill state and my songs create awareness about the issue.</p><p>The DM just looked flummoxed!</p><p><a href="https://www.thestatesman.com/exclusive-interviews/saturday-interview-saving-culture-societys-duty-1502920716.html">https://www.thestatesman.com/exclusive-interviews/saturday-interview-saving-culture-societys-duty-1502920716.html</a></p>Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-86275157500469878892019-06-02T06:42:00.000+05:302019-06-02T06:42:40.407+05:30Fake degree row returns to haunt Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Statesman (New Delhi edition)<br />
2 June 2019<br />
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Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-83376778423668503572018-06-15T08:18:00.000+05:302018-06-15T08:25:58.326+05:30My interview on Radio New Zealand <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Famous New Zealand television and radio broadcaster Jesse Mulligan interview me on 25 January 2018. I was invited in the radio programme to share my knowledge on Beatles in Rishikesh.<br />
Here is the link of the 9 minute interview:<br />
<a href="https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018629414/fifty-years-on-from-the-beatles-ashram-get-away" target="_blank">https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018629414/fifty-years-on-from-the-beatles-ashram-get-away</a><br />
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Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-5214329512049518472016-10-01T16:30:00.000+05:302016-10-24T16:31:41.889+05:30No one in Mahi's ancestral village will watch 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
RAJU GUSAIN<br />
@rajugusain | First published: 1 October 2016,<br />
http://www.catchnews.com/india-news/no-one-in-mahi-s-ancestral-village-will-watch-ms-dhoni-the-untold-story-1475336025.html<br />
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<br />
As India celebrates one of its favourite cricketing sons with the release of Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, it's ironic that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's family won't be able to watch the movie on the big screen.<br />
<br />
Dhoni's ancestral village, Lawali, lies in the Almora district of Uttarakhand. His father's brother, Ganpat, still lives there. But neither uncle Ganpat nor any other villager will have an easy task watching the movie, since the nearest cinema hall happens to be 115 km away!<br />
<br />
REMOTE LOCATION<br />
The nearest road-head to Lawali is at Jainti, a five kilometre trek away. From there, one would need to travel 110 kilometres by bus or jeep to Haldwani in Nainital district, in order to get to the nearest theatre.<br />
<br />
Even though Almora, the district headquarters, is just 75 kilometres away from Lawali, there are no cinema halls there.<br />
<br />
Almora resident Deep Joshi says: "Two cinema halls used to operate in Almora, but they closed down about eight to nine years ago."<br />
<br />
Because of this remote location, the release of the film has failed to excite the villagers of Lawali. In fact, they will wait for the day when the movie is screened on television.<br />
<br />
THE DHONIS AND THEIR ROOTS<br />
A zig-zag road takes one to Dhoni's ancestral village. On the way, one come across villagers working in their fields, women carrying fodder and cattle grazing. Lawali is alike any other village in Uttarakhand - a remote place with limited resources. The village is yet to get road connectivity, and is far away from many development activities.<br />
<br />
The irony hits one even harder when one realises there isn't a proper playground in this village of approximately 50 families, adding up to a population of around 500-550.<br />
Dhoni's cousin Hayat says: "We have to ferry sick villagers on dolis (palanquin) to the nearest hospital located at Jainti. We recently submitted a proposal to the district administration demanding building a stadium at our village - for which the villagers have indicated their willingness to donate their land. But, so far nothing has happened."<br />
<br />
Dhoni's father, Pan Singh, left Lawali in 1972-73 to join the Ranchi Steel Factory. The cricketer himself last came to the village in 2003, but since then, has had no time due to his busy cricketing schedule.<br />
<br />
But when the Indian cricket captain got married in Dehradun in 2011, many relatives were ferried secretly to attend the wedding.<br />
<br />
Village resident Puran Bhandari says: "Pan Singh uncle came here in 2011 to attend a wedding function. Uncle may have left several years ago to settle down in Ranchi, but he continues to keep in touch with his roots."<br />
<br />
GRABBING ATTENTION<br />
Dhoni's success in international cricket brought Lawali a lot of attention from the media and his fans. Over the years, many cricket fans have started visiting this village, making it something of a local tourist attraction.<br />
<br />
Every now and then, rumours about Dhoni visiting his village force the media to rush there.<br />
<br />
But even now, the villagers still don't have a means to catch a movie about their favourite son easily. All they can do is wait, and watch it on TV at the Dhonis' ancestral home.</div>
Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-32190627451535216932016-09-05T16:09:00.000+05:302016-10-24T16:10:18.207+05:30There's a temple at the spot where Shiva cut off Ganesh's head. And no one cares<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
RAJU GUSAIN<br />
5 September 2016<br />
http://www.catchnews.com/culture-news/there-s-a-temple-at-the-spot-where-shiva-cut-off-ganesh-s-head-and-no-one-cares-1473085625.html<br />
<br />
the 10-day long Ganesh Chaturthi festival began on Monday, marketplaces across the country were flooded with colourful idols of the elephant-headed God. But it's rather sad that a shrine that should have a special significance for his devotees remains completely neglected in Uttarakhand.<br />
<br />
Kedarnath is one of the most visited shrines of Lord Shiva in the country. But devotees who travel to Rudraprayag district to visit the famous temple rarely ever go to the Ganesh temple at Munkatia.<br />
<br />
Hardly anyone who visits the region from outside knows that this is one of the most significant Ganesh temples of them all - possibly the only one that ties in directly with the myth of his beheading. And poor promotion and an utter lack of publicity on the part of the authorities is to blame.<br />
Legend has it that the Goddess Parvati had gone for a bath, instructing her son Ganesh not to allow anybody through. And when Ganesh denied Lord Shiva the passage, Shiva got angry and beheaded his son.<br />
<br />
A headless idol of Lord Ganesh is worshipped at Munkatia (which literally means the place where the head was chopped off).<br />
<br />
SIGNIFICANT, BUT DESERTED<br />
A tourist has to undertake a walk of 200 metres from the road head on the Sonprayag-Gaurikund highway to reach the Ganesh temple at Munkatia. The trek is also used as a mule trek to Kedarnath.<br />
<br />
A signboard near the temple states: "According to the Shiva Purana, this is the ancient spot where Lord Shiva cut off the head of Shri Ganesha ji."<br />
The fact that the temple complex has such a strong mythological connection but is almost always deserted never ceases to surprise the occasional visitor. In the words of traveller Sobhan Singh Bisht: "I have visited the Ganesh temple four times, and each time, I was the lone visitor there."<br />
<br />
LOCALS' PLEA<br />
Atul Jamloki is the priest at the Triyuginarayan temple about 16 kilometres away from Munkatia. Triyuginarayan is a shrine where the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati is said to have taken place.<br />
<br />
He says of the Munkatia Ganesh temple: "I can confidently claim that this is only temple associated with the life of Lord Ganesh in the entire world. Presently Ganesh Chaturthi, is being celebrated in all parts of India with fervour. But this Ganesh temple has failed to catch attention of the devotees because of poor promotion and publicity."<br />
After the 2013 floods ravaged the Kedarnath valley, many landslide zones have developed from Sonprayag onwards, which are now posing a threat to Munkatia. This monsoon, a seasonal nullah has started flowing in the village, making the local residents lose their peace and worry about their future.<br />
<br />
Local resident DP Goswami rues: "Before the 2013 disaster, about 10,000 visitors used to annually visit the Ganesh temple. But now, we receive tourists just occasionally.<br />
<br />
"The Ganesh temple should be promoted in a big way, and basic facilities like a road and a boundary wall should be developed here to make it a prominent tourist destination."<br />
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Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-49741594323671532752016-03-12T10:15:00.000+05:302016-10-24T16:05:28.486+05:30Farewell, Amar Bahadur: the man who brought India the 1970 Asiad football bronze<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
RAJU GUSAIN<br />
12 March 2016<br />
http://www.catchnews.com/sports-news/farewell-amar-bahadur-the-man-who-brought-india-the-1970-asiad-football-bronze-1457795103.html/fullview<br />
<br />
The death of 73-year-old Amar Bahadur Gurung due to jaundice in New Delhi earlier this week failed to make news in the national media. But it should have - after all, he was the man who gave Indian football one of its few bright moments - the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games bronze medal.<br />
<br />
Amar Dai, as he was fondly called by his friends, scored the lone goal against Japan to grab the medal for India. But he remained unsung, because the historic goal was wrongly listed under Manjeet Singh's name.Also read - Indian football: After mauling in Muscat, it's time for AIFF to introspect<br />
<br />
amar bahadur gurung embed 4<br />
He himself used to say about the goal: "It was my best goal. I received an excellent cross from Manjeet from the right flank to score the winner."<br />
<br />
Since then, Indian football has struggled to win anything of note on the international stage. Even at the Asian Games level, this was India's last football medal.<br />
<br />
THE BEST IN HIS POSITION<br />
Amar Bahadur was born on 18 April 1942 in Dehradun. He began his football career as a player for the Gorkha Brigade, before quitting the Army in 1967 to play for Mumbai's Mafatlal. He represented India on many occasions in the late 1960s and early 1970s.<br />
<br />
Ex-India footballer Shyam Thapa added: "I represented the Indian side in the Bangkok Asian Games and Amar Bahadur scored the winning goal for our team against Japan. It is rather sad that the record stands in the name of Manjeet Singh. Amar Dai was the best-ever left-winger produced by India."<br />
<br />
Having remained in Mumbai after his retirement, he moved back to Dehradun in 2006, and devoted his time to training budding players. He formed FC Doon, a club which participates in the local football league.<br />
<br />
About a year-and-a-half ago, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent surgery at a private hospital in Delhi.<br />
<br />
After the operation, Amar remained confined to his home at Johri in Dehradun.<br />
<br />
CALM TEMPERAMENT<br />
Amar Bahadur was famous for his calm and cool temperament. Recalling this, his Gorkha Brigade and Mafatlal teammate Bhupender Rawat said: "I've never seen a player like him. Amar Dai never got any card for foul play in his entire career. During the Gorkha Brigade's 1966 Durand Cup win, he played a key role. Though I scored 12 goals in the tournament, but most came from fine passes from him. He was like a big brother to us."<br />
<br />
<br />
A disciplined man on and off the field, Amar Bahadur was highly praised for his excellent skills. When his career was at its peak, top Kolkata clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal approached him many times. But he refused all their proposals, since he considered himself unsuitable to face football politics in Kolkata.<br />
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Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-64034051175015483792016-05-13T10:15:00.000+05:302016-10-24T15:51:09.775+05:30After the victory: 10 dos and don'ts for Harish Rawat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
RAJU GUSAIN<br />
13 May 2016<br />
http://www.catchnews.com/politics-news/after-the-victory-10-dos-and-don-ts-for-harish-rawat-1462883696.html<br />
<br />
Harish Rawat seems set for a comeback as Uttarakhand's chief minister. The Supreme Court on Wednesday will declare the result of Tuesday's floor test in Uttarakhand legislature. Here are 10 things Rawat should avoid after assuming power:<br />
ONE<br />
Do keep poor political advisors away<br />
The political crises which Rawat had to face was created by his advisors. First, his aide Ranjeet Rawat provoked leaders like Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat and other to take the extreme step to revolt against the CM.<br />
<br />
One of Rawat's close aides took the CM to the Dehradun airport, where the sting by a TV news channel was carried out, to land Harish in deep trouble. If Harish Rawat failed to keep check on his advisors, he will land in fresh problem.<br />
<br />
02<br />
Don't change the liquor policy<br />
The Harish Rawat government was under fire for giving patronage to a particular businessman who dealt in liquor. The situation was horrible: an invisible ban prevailed on regular brands while many inferior brands, which most never heard of, did good business.<br />
<br />
After the imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhand, Governor KK Paul acted on a public complain to quash the excise policy, allowing regular brands back.<br />
<br />
The grapevine had it that one of the newly favoured brand, 'Dennis whiskey', belonged to a member of the Rawat family. Re-introducing the old excise policy may turn fatal for Rawat.<br />
<br />
03<br />
Do act against illegal sand mining<br />
The BJP has been raising the issue: dubious persons associated with illegal sand mining have been moving freely in the corridors of power during the Congress regime.<br />
<br />
Things are now under control as Paul was pretty strict against illegal mining. The President's Rule didn't provide any cover to those involved in illegal mining. Hope Rawat continues the good work.<br />
<br />
04<br />
Don't reappoint the favourite<br />
Harish Rawat created a parallel post for one of his favourite IAS officers. Rakesh Sharma was made the chief principal secretary to the CM, after being denied a post-retirement extension by the Centre.<br />
<br />
President's rule forced Sharma out and Chief Secretary Shatrughna Singh started executing his normal duty. If Rawat re-appoints Sharma, he will create a rift in the bureaucracy.<br />
<br />
05<br />
Do win over party members<br />
The revolt by nine Congress legislators indicated that party leaders were annoyed with Rawat's rude functioning. With state elections not far away, the leader must keep the party intact in Uttarakhand.<br />
<br />
Harassing members of the Legislative Assembly by saying surveys show anti-incumbency trends against them won't work.<br />
<br />
Most rebel Congress MLAs were given the hint to either shift seats or not contest elections.<br />
<br />
06<br />
Do ensure transparency<br />
The CM should stop preaching lessons in morality and act against the guilty. In his two-year term, Rawat failed to indicate his intention of implementing transparency and act against those found guilty.<br />
<br />
Rawat has so far taken no action in the incident in which his personal secretary Md Shahid, who featured in a sting operation, asking for money to provide liquor license. Similarly nothing has been done on the misuse of disaster relief fund. Merely by providing lip service to honesty, Rawat can't consolidate his position.<br />
<br />
07<br />
Do put a break on family politics<br />
Harish Rawat is not against promoting family politics. His better half, Renuka, contested the last Lok Sabha elections from Haridwar. Three of his children: Anupama, Anand and Virendra are looking at the forthcoming Assembly elections. Rawat can avert a rift in his party by putting a break on family politics.<br />
<br />
08<br />
Do give up superstitions<br />
The CM should now be convinced that he can improve his position by performance, not superstition.<br />
<br />
He did not occupy the chief minister's official residence, considered inauspicious. Yet he had to exit from the CM's office.<br />
<br />
Now he should go occupy the official bungalow make a new start.<br />
<br />
09<br />
Do Stick to the basics<br />
Try to generate employment. Stop mass migration from the hills. Keep the government away from hosting irrelevant entertainment fights (like the Khali bout)<br />
<br />
10<br />
Don't underestimate your rivals<br />
He needs to learn the trick of turning his foes into friends.</div>
Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-48258515606167236172016-05-14T15:49:00.000+05:302016-10-24T15:50:15.402+05:30After the victory: 10 dos and don'ts for Harish Rawat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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RAJU GUSAIN<br />
13 May 2016<br />
http://www.catchnews.com/politics-news/after-the-victory-10-dos-and-don-ts-for-harish-rawat-1462883696.html<br />
<br />
Harish Rawat seems set for a comeback as Uttarakhand's chief minister. The Supreme Court on Wednesday will declare the result of Tuesday's floor test in Uttarakhand legislature. Here are 10 things Rawat should avoid after assuming power:<br />
<br />
0<br />
SHARES0<br />
SHARES0<br />
COMMENTS01<br />
Do keep poor political advisors away<br />
The political crises which Rawat had to face was created by his advisors. First, his aide Ranjeet Rawat provoked leaders like Harak Singh Rawat, Amrita Rawat and other to take the extreme step to revolt against the CM.<br />
<br />
One of Rawat's close aides took the CM to the Dehradun airport, where the sting by a TV news channel was carried out, to land Harish in deep trouble. If Harish Rawat failed to keep check on his advisors, he will land in fresh problem.<br />
<br />
02<br />
Don't change the liquor policy<br />
The Harish Rawat government was under fire for giving patronage to a particular businessman who dealt in liquor. The situation was horrible: an invisible ban prevailed on regular brands while many inferior brands, which most never heard of, did good business.<br />
<br />
After the imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhand, Governor KK Paul acted on a public complain to quash the excise policy, allowing regular brands back.<br />
<br />
The grapevine had it that one of the newly favoured brand, 'Dennis whiskey', belonged to a member of the Rawat family. Re-introducing the old excise policy may turn fatal for Rawat.<br />
<br />
03<br />
Do act against illegal sand mining<br />
The BJP has been raising the issue: dubious persons associated with illegal sand mining have been moving freely in the corridors of power during the Congress regime.<br />
<br />
Things are now under control as Paul was pretty strict against illegal mining. The President's Rule didn't provide any cover to those involved in illegal mining. Hope Rawat continues the good work.<br />
<br />
04<br />
Don't reappoint the favourite<br />
Harish Rawat created a parallel post for one of his favourite IAS officers. Rakesh Sharma was made the chief principal secretary to the CM, after being denied a post-retirement extension by the Centre.<br />
<br />
President's rule forced Sharma out and Chief Secretary Shatrughna Singh started executing his normal duty. If Rawat re-appoints Sharma, he will create a rift in the bureaucracy.<br />
<br />
05<br />
Do win over party members<br />
The revolt by nine Congress legislators indicated that party leaders were annoyed with Rawat's rude functioning. With state elections not far away, the leader must keep the party intact in Uttarakhand.<br />
<br />
Harassing members of the Legislative Assembly by saying surveys show anti-incumbency trends against them won't work.<br />
<br />
Most rebel Congress MLAs were given the hint to either shift seats or not contest elections.<br />
<br />
06<br />
Do ensure transparency<br />
The CM should stop preaching lessons in morality and act against the guilty. In his two-year term, Rawat failed to indicate his intention of implementing transparency and act against those found guilty.<br />
<br />
Rawat has so far taken no action in the incident in which his personal secretary Md Shahid, who featured in a sting operation, asking for money to provide liquor license. Similarly nothing has been done on the misuse of disaster relief fund. Merely by providing lip service to honesty, Rawat can't consolidate his position.<br />
<br />
07<br />
Do put a break on family politics<br />
Harish Rawat is not against promoting family politics. His better half, Renuka, contested the last Lok Sabha elections from Haridwar. Three of his children: Anupama, Anand and Virendra are looking at the forthcoming Assembly elections. Rawat can avert a rift in his party by putting a break on family politics.<br />
<br />
08<br />
Do give up superstitions<br />
The CM should now be convinced that he can improve his position by performance, not superstition.<br />
<br />
He did not occupy the chief minister's official residence, considered inauspicious. Yet he had to exit from the CM's office.<br />
<br />
Now he should go occupy the official bungalow make a new start.<br />
<br />
09<br />
Do Stick to the basics<br />
Try to generate employment<br />
Stop mass migration from the hills<br />
Keep the government away from hosting irrelevant entertainment fights (like the Khali bout)<br />
10<br />
Don't underestimate your rivals<br />
He needs to learn the trick of turning his foes into friends.</div>
Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-65923799149879217892016-05-05T05:58:00.000+05:302016-10-24T06:00:10.553+05:30India fires: Rainfall douses deadly blazes in Uttarakhand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejnYgrXMfs5pKASdPXPLcMPlr6V2hCOlYN5phSG3zDw_ubz_7_XJHUDoM1vA0VQSB-B5lXzNXxMx5CBHi60GN9ddfF64AndOQ5dlhQ59Lzo0SPbQZC4evM-ZFCrNvgvFa1hQz-A/s1600/_89606087_89606086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejnYgrXMfs5pKASdPXPLcMPlr6V2hCOlYN5phSG3zDw_ubz_7_XJHUDoM1vA0VQSB-B5lXzNXxMx5CBHi60GN9ddfF64AndOQ5dlhQ59Lzo0SPbQZC4evM-ZFCrNvgvFa1hQz-A/s320/_89606087_89606086.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36215747<br />
5 May 2016<br />
Rain in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand has extinguished forest fires which killed at least six people and destroyed more than 1,900 hectares of woodland, officials say.<br />
Fires in the state have persisted over the last four weeks despite the efforts of the army and air force.<br />
But heavy showers over the last 48 hours have put nearly all of them out. From mid-February, Uttarakhand has witnessed nearly 1,800 forest fires as temperatures soared across the country.<br />
The Uttarakhand Department of Disaster Management said on Thursday that all fires had been extinguished in hill forestry areas of the state and there were now no fires in any of the state's 13 districts.</div>
Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18487432.post-21302532123427431042016-05-02T05:22:00.000+05:302016-10-24T05:53:47.605+05:30Uttarakhand fires: Battle to douse deadly blaze in Indian state<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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2 May 2016<br />
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36184817<br />
Thousands of people are battling deadly forest fires in India's northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.<br />
At least six people have died in the fires, which have burned more than 1,900 hectares (4,700 acres) of forest, officials said.<br />
The fires broke out a month ago, but intensified in recent days with more than 400 burning simultaneously.<br />
They have not yet hit Himalayan tourist towns, but villagers say that smoke has affected air quality and visibility.<br />
The Uttarakhand fires in numbers<br />
1,218 separate fire incidents in the last month<br />
427 simultaneous fires have been burning since the weekend<br />
1,900 hectares (4,700 acres) of forest destroyed<br />
Officials say fires have been widespread this year because the forest is exceptionally dry due to low rainfall.<br />
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Raju Gusainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502635567268850364noreply@blogger.com0