Dehradun celebrates Durgotsav-08

Diksha Grover

Dehradoon, October 8, 2008:

After Karanpur, Raipur, Dharampur and now on the Mall Road in the Cantt area, the ‘Durgotsav’ organized by the Durgabari Committee is in full swing. While Tuesday was the day when the main puja took place; early Thursday morning, the idol would be immersed into the holy water of Ganga in Haridwar.

Being the 53rd Durgostav since it was first started by ONGC in 1956, this year’s festival was better organized for approximately 4,500 people. With various cultural happenings by evening, there was enough accommodation for all to sit and eat. Listing the much awaited happenings of Wednesday, Sumit Chakrabarti, the Secretary of the Durgapuja Committee said, “Today the married women, would play with sindoor and put tika on the idol. This ceremony would be followed by a Bengali play. Later, there would be dance on drumbeats with burnt mud containers, which would hold essence sticks and coconut fibers.”

With most women who let their hair down, the morning of maha saptami (the seventh day) was taken up with the worship of the deity, followed by devotees offering prayers and flowers on an empty stomach, amidst the chanting of mantras to the Goddess. Bhog at lunchtime was a welcome break for those who gathered in the pandals. But by evening, the pandal became dazzling with array of new clothes, shiny faces of children and a spectacular display of lights. The rhythmic drumbeats added to the mood of Bengal’s most popular festival. Beside the actual Puja,the pandal organised different kinds of competition to regale the local people

Releasing ‘Durgotsav-2008’, a magazine with various advertisements, articles, editorial pages, festival schedules, Balance sheet-2007, cultural program details etc, the festival this time has no doubt taken up a very celebrated shape. While Mr. Sandeep Kalara sponsored the Saptami food, the Asthami food was sponsored by DIT. People were coming in numbers of ten members per family every ten minutes. The place was not just flooded but also over flowing by mid afternoon.

The beautifully decorated pandal was covered with charkas and intricately cut images of Ma Durga in white. This Ashwin (the season of Durga puja in the month of September–October) the Khilone-wale had a huge sale of bright and new toys for the younger. According to Makhan Singh, a khilone wala, who sat through all the four days of puja, this year witnessed one of the most celebrated Durga Puja in Dehradun.

Despite the Durga puja greetings for the Durgabari Committee, by the President of India and the Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s office; what made the festival more deep and close-knit was the interaction between all the people present there greeting one another. While it may not have been possible for Dehradun to become Kolkata, the festivity and the involvement in all the people surely made Dehradun a part of Kolkata.

Published in Hindustan Times, Dehradun

Rush-Era on Dusshera

Diksha Grover

Dehradun, October 9, 2008:Expecting traffic on Dusshera, is much definite and obvious for any Doonite. Also, expecting major injuries and major road fights is also not a big deal on the so-called occasion. With the parade ground coagulating as many people as it could, angry road fights and loud dramas added to the Ravan’s role on Dusshera in Deharadun.

According to Manoj Kumar, a police officer in the Kotwali Police Station, in the past six months there have been 5 cases of tragic deaths and almost 20 major injury cases that have been reported in the Dallanwala area only.

What added to the chaos in many areas of Dehradun, was the sudden shift of all traffic personnel and police officers, to the parade ground. In places like Survey Chowk, Ghantaghar and Cannaught Place the influx of traffic created a bottleneck, heating the volatile drivers.

When the common bikers and car racers were surveyed, maximum number of people said that fines and challans help drivers obey traffic rules. Analyzing from the survey, when asked about following the current traffic rules, all of them had a clear mark on ‘yes’. However, when asked to define traffic some common words like- chaotic, unpredictable and irresponsible were mostly used.

Though, the survey proved beneficial to understand the rash and speedy business of travelling, what added to its meaning were the suggestions that people had. A lot of them believe that one way traffic in the narrow and bottleneck areas will help in the movement of traffic in Dun. While, congestion and hap-hazard networks of roads add to bumping and collision of vehicles.

According to some, smooth traffic is possible by strictly obeying traffic rules and having a strict challan system (something similar as followed in Delhi) for the traffic rule breakers.While enough promotion of the "Yatayat Mitra Yojna" (or the friend of traffic scheme) has been done, it seems to have had a lesser impact due to public involvement. However though the Uttarakhand Police are taking the help of general public to streamline the growing traffic woes and to spread awareness about basic traffic rules and the need to abide by them, citizens in general, refuse to move the gear.The ugly face of traffic in Dehardun is still quite dominant. There are enough reasons to poke the police and in return get poked back. But, while the pedestrians have condemned and criticized the fast and furious, the survey also proves that traffic has become better off from before.

Published in Hindustan Times, Dehradun

From Boom to Bloom: Air Hostess Academies in Dun

Diksha Grover

DEHRADUN, October 10, 2008:

In the past few years, Dehardun’s students have had several opportunities in the field of the Aviation sector. With AHA-Air Hostess Academy, Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, Flying Cats Air Hostess Training School and All India Institute of Aeronautics creating some successful cabin crew, Kingfisher Training Academy also plans a landing here.

Some common reasons why most organizations feel that this sector is booming immensely is because of the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Ritika Anand, Public Relations Manager of AHA feels, “This is a very promising career option with the vision of a smart, efficient lady in mind. One gets to travel some of the best destination in the country and abroad. Also, Liberalizations of air policies have increased the private operation of air services and this has created immense job opportunities in this field.”

With a per annum fees of Rs. 65,000 extending up to Rs. 1.25 lakh (approximately), there are not just pay-in-installment helps but also financial assistances provided through certain banks. When asked about the sudden hype in fees of such organizations; surprisingly, the two common replies were “some standards have to be maintained” and “the escalation in prices and the overall inflation”.

These organizations also provide complete job placements after finishing the course. Be it ground job or hotelier services, the high priced money makes sure, everyone gets to earn from a ‘respectable job’. According to Mr. Jitinder Chauhan,Public Relation Officer of the All India Institute of Aeronautics, “Job placement is not just about where the institute wishes to place the student, but also about how well the student is prepared for the interview. Though we have a lot of opportunities for our students, various consultancy services and sites like naukri dot com also help our students getting placed.”

With the course structure like Code of Conduct, English Language, Announcement Delivery, Cabin Familiarization, Galley Management, Airline Food and Beverage, Customer Care Fundamental, Aviation Safety Attitude Impacting Behavior, Team Building Emotions and Change Management- one needs to devote 2 hours on 5 days.

Most of these academies are affiliated with various Southern or Eastern Universities. To exemplify- AHA-Air Hostess Academy is validated by the Cambridge University's CIE (Cambridge Internal Examinations). Edexcel, UK awards the degree by Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training. Flying Cats Air Hostess Training School is affiliated with Annamalai University. All India Institute of Aeronautics is affiliated with Karnataka Open University and Kingfisher Training Academy is obviously recognized by Kingfisher airlines. Though there is enough work for everyone, respectable work continues to attract the economy.

Published in Hindustan Times, Dehradun

More Sunny, Less Money

Diksha Grover

DEHRADUN, October 11, 2008

Saving the environment is not just about saving the flora and fauna; it is also about saving money and electricity. Ravi Mathur is one man who has not just designed and planned his house himself, but has also blended the benefits of environment into his lifestyle.

Living right opposite to a lush green hillock on the Rajpur Road, he not only has the advantage to listen to countless birds chirping in his luxuriously green balcony, but he also takes advantage from nature to save his living costs.

The decorated Brigadier from the 1962’s war with China, R.K. Mathur and his wife, a founder teacher of the Welham Girls’ School and a founder principal of Hopetwon Girls’ School, Madhuri Mathur, use water as a resource most effectively. The kitchen and bathroom water is flown into septic tanks which disinfect water, then is carried by perforated pipes buried in their garden, to save time in watering lemon tress, grape fruit, sweet limes and various other species of flowers and fruits. Using rainwater harvesting as an effective tool for their kitchen garden, they have been able to grow rare herbs, turmeric, ginger, lettuce, radish, Colocacia, Cilantro, mint etc.

There is no need for the Mathurs to buy manure, for they can produce it at home. The waste disposal system is very natural, systematic and definitely very useful. They have dug two pits for waste decomposition- one for disposing waste, and the other which is waiting to be re-used once the manure is prepared.

They use LPG geysers to save electricity, which also makes them least dependent on electricity. The Mathurs also have eight hens and cocks in their backyard----enough to be-come eggitarians and save the bother of going to the market.

There is a cost-effective heating and cooling system in the house. Solar panels are connected with pipes that are networked all through the house. These pipes contain heavy electric transmission oil. In winters during daytime, these pipes blow hot air and by the night, the oil that is heated during the day warms the air that the pipes blow. For summers, tin roofs that have been used in the balcony are kept cool by the shade, and on the inside, cement and high ceiling keep the mansion ventilated and cool.

One would wonder how much it would cost a Doonite to build a house similar to that of the Mathurs. At a time when price of steel, cement, other construction material and labour charges are shooting through the roof---Rs 20-25 lakh would suffice to own an eco-friendly ‘retreat’.

Mathur says that saving space is also a very important element in an eco-friendly house. He believes by having a joint bathroom and by adding connectors to rooms, the usage of many products decreases. Talking about saving, though the initial cost about any eco-friendly device may only be meager, it was surprising to find out that there really is no maintenance cost at all!

Pointing out how Vastu is absolutely eco-friendly, he said, “Vastu says that the entrance and the water source should face North-East. Now, when the sun rises, it naturally kills all the bacteria present in the water. Also, kitchen is supposed to face South-East because the sunrays kill all the harmful germs all day long in this direction. If one believes in Vastu environment comes all by itself.”

For Ravi Mathur, the USP of the location was the thick and dense forest, and to ruin it, all kinds of polluting machines were available. But for him, “As far as the idea of eco-friendly goes, there is more a need to come closer to nature than go closer to anything man-made. That way, there is no environmental pressure nor any pressure on the pocket!”

Published in Hindustan Times, Dehradun

Pouring Wealth into Health

Diksha Grover

DEHRADUN, October 12, 2008

Wealth and Health have always been synonymous and also complementary. Let’s just say, that fitness industry has picked up speed in Dehradun because of its wealth. Be it schools, hotels, beauty clinics or even real-estates, physical equipments for slimming and trimming are all a by product of the money that people are ready to pay.

For Rajdeep Singh, a gym instructor at Body Care Gym, “Fitness is in. People are ready to control diet, loose calories and pick up weights to look slim.” When asked about the pain of paying for such therapies, Rajdeep had a very genuine reply, “In spite of the green Dehradun that has almost everything natural to offer, people take pride in paying for the treatment.”

Madhuban Hotel for instance, has a health care center inside the hotel that invites any localite to pay Rs. 250 plus tax for a single sitting in the gym. Moreover, they also offer body massage and spa treatments for Rs. One thousand plus tax. With almost a 40 per cent of the hotel guests also using the health center, no wonder there are other options like body scrubbing and health spas available inside the health center.

Apart from hotels, schools that have gyms are comparatively a better option from the ones that don’t, because they keep the child fit. According to Mamta Chaudhry, the mother of a ten year old, who is also looking out for a better schooling for her child, “ I am trying to find a better school that not just helps my child better his marks but also keeps him active in sports which keeps him healthy and fit. So I definitely would prefer sending my child into a school with gym.”

‘Beauty parlor’ is an old word now. Doonites have certainly moved onto Beauty shops and Beauty Clinics. With various slimming centers and skin toning centers, we sure are getting over-night healthy. Dr. Archana Gulati, from Perfect Look says, “People want to look good. For youngsters, fitness is more about becoming slim and therefore, they get into wrong eating practices. However, for the elder generation, fitness is about health. In order to motivate this working social class, I may perform liposuction.”

The aspects of fitness also charm the real estate industry. An advertisement on ninetynine acres dot com glorified a 3 bedroom apartment near Sahasradhara road with the luxury of 24 hour power supply, swimming pool and gym. The real estate associate in Delhi, Rajesh, had one observation from the market trends, “People come to Dehradun to enjoy their vacations. When they find the same facility available in the lap of nature, they love to purchase what we sell. Plus, fitness has occupied a large amount of the market forces.”

Health and fitness have had a taste into the economy. This field is sure to flourish in Dehradun, where the payers and payees have no problem with the payment.

Published in Hindustan Times, Dehradun

Capturing the market-Chinese cell phones

Diksha Grover

DEHRADUN, October13, 2008

Chakrata Road and Chinese cell phones are relative to each other in Dehradun. With almost a multitude of telecomm shops one after the other in this busy area, the Chinese mobiles are the most commonly sold items in this market.

According to Manish, a salesman at Hot-Spot, “ Though we sell only those mobiles with warranty, there are almost 2 buyers for such phones everyday.” While most of these shops sell mobile phones without any warranty, the customers are ready to take the chance on such inexpensive phones.

With a mere cost starting from Rs 1300 to Rs.7000; one can hold a high definition camera on one’s palm. Apart from camera, these phones have the features of mp3, FM and radio, high storage capacity, MMS facility and also a large variety of multimedia.

Vikas Verma, the proud owner of Jai Durga Telecom, says, “ Because of the growing need to possess cell phones, people are ready to buy cell phones that are cheap and have better facilities. Though I also sell branded phones, there are more buyers for Chinese handsets.”

The problem such phones have is more-or-less because of the software. Rajender Verma, from Virmani Communication says, “ The problem that customers face with such phones is that of the unreliable quality of the software. If the phone slips down too many times, the phone becomes almost worthless. There are other problems like that of its unavailable batteries and it’s low quality chargers.”

Yet, this is not a problem for those who also repair these phones. For them, parts of many branded phones that are sold in the black market also have assembled parts. They believe that the phones that are sold in the ‘grey market’ are even worse. Sanjeev Sharma, who repairs phones at Tip-Top cellular, are not all Chinese ones.

Sanjeev belives, that as far as the two sim card Chinese phones are concerned, they do not create any problems. For after one to one and a half months, the second sim, automatically stops working. He also informs--- that a 4 sim Chinese model would be out in the market soon. However, as far as the security is in question, these phones would continue to pose a threat, be it in any form.

While many shop owners refused to talk about possessing the Chinese phones that they rapidly sell, Arora traders was one such shop that refused to be questioned on their Chinese products.

Published in Hindustan Times, Dehradun

Hidden yet beautiful: the Oldest Shani temple in Doon

Diksha Grover

DEHRADUN, 14 October:

The oldest Shani Mandir of Dehradun remains hidden for many localites. The narrow entrance, the shaded lane, and the undetectable board are some reasons why devotees who come here are only a handful in number.

Come Saturday, we all want to rush to the Shani Mandir on the hustle bustle of the clocktower and pray to our lord of Saturn, the son of Sun. For all its natural peace and silence, this temple is almost 8 kms from Clocktower, on the Sahastradhara Road, after the Kalunga Memorial. And as compared to the entire population that visits the Shani temples, this shrine only gets visited by some 10-15 thousand devotees who know about the place.

The serene temple was built by Virendra Mohan Uniyal in the year 1998 and is looked after by Pandit Ramesh Uniyal, who also does the pooja here. Surrounded by deep green hills from all four sides, this land locked temple also sees the gorgeous moon sparkling at the deity on Saturdays.

One of the specialties of this temple is its 700 years old banyan tree. “People have prayed under this tree for more than three hundred years now. I would say this tree is the reason why the Shani Mandir was set-up here,” says Pandit Ramesh. To which he adds, “It is believed that almost 33 crore spirits reside on this tree, who answer prayers if one pleases lord Shani.”

The other reason what makes this temple unique is the pair of snakes that live close to the temple. Though the Pandit-ji has seen the snakes many-a-times, he says it is certain for them to come out on Saturday mornings and be the first ones to wrap themselves around the idol.

“Shani Bhandara,” the priest says, “happens every year in the month of May and June. Many people who get what they had asked for, sponsor the bhandaras here. This place has fulfilled many dreams.” What adds value to his words are the small paper chits tied on the banyan tree which get removed once the lord, fulfills the wish.

However, the only problem Kalpana Tewair seems to have with the pooja-ki-thali seller is everyday’s affair of the fluctuating price rates. She says, “From a bare minimum of Rs. 5 per thali, two years back, they have increased the price of oil, neel and til to Rs. 20. Sometimes due to their monopoly I adhere to the rates but mostly I get the requirements from home.”

For people like Sumit Chawla, Jitinder Rekhi, Ritu Sharma, Manisha, Kalpana Grover etc who come practically every Saturday to this gorgeous shrine--- it’s not just the believe in god that they strengthen, it’s their believe in the temple too.

Published in Hindustan Times, Dehradun