Holy Char Dham Yatra 2012 Begins




Today on 24-April-2012, the Char Dham Yatra begins with the performing Pooja (Hindu Worship) at the holy place, Rishikesh on the very special day of Akshaya Tritiya.

Char Dham Yatra is very popular and a famous Hindu Spiritualism Yatra. It consists of a visit to the four holy places of Uttarakhand (India) namely, Gangotri, Yamnotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

The gates of both Dhams (Gangotri and Yamnotri) were opened for pilgrims today at 11:00 am and thus the Yatra of the Char Dham began. A large number of spiritual tourists from all over and outside India will join this six month long pilgrimage to the four Hindu shrines.

The Char Dham Yatra begins with the pilgrimage flagged off by the Honorable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Sh. Vijay Bahuguna. Not only is the Char Dham Yatra a spiritual experience, but is also a source of income for the pandits of these dhams as well as a means to maintain the economy of the State. The administration has made abundance security arrangements as well as special accommodations for pilgrims, expected to be approximately 50 lakhs this session. Heavy deployment of PAC, home guards, police, fire safety measures and CCTV cameras have also been installed for security reasons.

Since the route of Char Dham Yatra passes through hilly areas, the Transport department has also made arrangements to reduce the number of unexpected accidents. The transport department and Police personnel’s have been strictly ordered to prevent overloading in vehicles. The price list for all the eatables and essential items also has been set by the administration and the shop keepers have been instructed to sell those items according to the set price list. For details visit http://www.hillsguide.com/

Special arrangements made by Government of Uttarakhand for Chardham Yatra. Please visit http://www.hillsguide.com/ an official Tour and Travel guide (All India Hills)for complete details and guidelines provided by the State Government. In case of Emergency you can call at 100 Within Uttarakhand. For White water Rafting, you can get details from another official website http://indiarafting.com/. Please beware of Thugs. Always take help from Uttarakhand Police or Government Tour and Travel Offices of Uttarakhand as mentioned in www.hillsguide.com. The list of the Government Guest Houses are mentioned in Hillsguide.com. You may select the following Tour and Travel Agencies as mentioed :

White Water Rafting in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand,India

Sports activity is a good way of refreshing oneself from the hectic busy schedule of life. We a group of eight girls and boys decided to do river rafting. The experience of riding on fast, raging river was something to remember forever. We decided to do river rafting from Kaudiyala which is located on the Rishekesh- Badrinath road at a distance of 36 km and at an altitude of 389 meter. We contacted Indiarafting.com and they gave us all the relevant information required for carrying on the expedition.
River rafting is generally organized in the morning till mid or late afternoon. This thrilling wild sport is practiced chiefly in the upper reaches where the water is wild and white because of white froths and foams, that splash’s on narrow gorges, rocks and falls at deep gradients. The favorable period for river rafting depends on the water level owing to rain. Thus September - November and March - April - May are most suitable for river rafting. The equipments required are ordinary outdoor gear, goggles, antiseptic cream and a liking for getting wet. Rubber rafts, canoes and Kayaks have ruled the rivers for river rafting. We were anxious because we knew that river rafting is not possible on our own we needed some experts in this sport but sports agencies provided us with a trained crew to lead the expedition on international standards.
When we started river rafting one of my friends Priya fell in the river, we all were horrified but thanks to the rescue member from the crew Martin who immediately jumped in to the river to save her life. So one should be careful but not be too terrified to enjoy. These incidents should not stop us from enjoying the Mother Nature. Then we all sat on the river bank beside our camp and enjoyed the natural ambience by singing songs and eating barbequed snacks.
Our next concern was food and lodging facilities but this was taken care by travel agencies and the food was sumptuous.
The mighty waters of Ganga running from Rishekesh is best suitable for white water rafting. One can choose from many rafting courses offered at Kaudiyala. In addition to river rafting we were also interested in seeing wild life. Thus, this desire was also fulfilled since Kaudiyala is surrounded by dense forests. A walk in the natural surroundings near beautiful wildlife really rejuvenated us. The mode of transport from Rishekesh to Kaudiyala is 37 kms.
Thanks to indiarafting.com who provided us with the information on river rafting in a very organized manner that we were able to comprehend it and hence our expedition saw its day.

When people plan for such an expedition they look forward to additional things to do during the expedition. Rishekesh offers other additional attractions. Rishekesh is a pilgrimage centre attracting pilgrims in huge numbers. The Yoga centers of Rishikesh have given huge significance to the place. Local and foreign tourists from all over the world visit this place to have take lessons on Yoga and meditation.
If you are looking for ways of reaching Rishekesh then the transport facilities are available via road, rail and road. If you choose to go by air then the nearest airport is Jolly Grant situated from Rishekesh on the way to Dehradun. Rishikesh is connected by rail with Haridwar, Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah, and Lucknow and Agra. Roads are connected to Northern regions.
The river Ganga is the most holy river of the Hindus. This river offers an excellent option of river rafting for an exciting experience for amateurs as well as professionals. We all decided to do river rafting down the river from Devprayag because then the river transforms in to a pool drop river which is quite suitable for river rafting .We enjoyed the sight of exotic oak, pine, spruce and fir trees and my friend Priya and me took some fun pictures around the trees and the river.
To reach the destination tourists normally drive from Delhi to Deoprayag where a camp is set. This is the junction of the Alakananda and the Bhagirathi. It is an exciting river run and a two-day program was planned, with an overnight camp arranged on the banks of the river. Some of the rapids are dangerous but this area gives you the thrills of fast water, deep gorges and silver sands. You can relish one to three day rafting trip from Oct. to mid Dec. and from Feb. to June, from Deoprayag to Rishikesh in the lower Himalayas. So people what you are waiting for.

Pooja

For Hillsguide.com
Posted by Falcon Solution and Services, DehraDun

Tiger is no more ...

Tiger is no More ......

I got up after a siesta and checked out the mobile to see if there was any call that I had missed. I failed to attend 5 calls and all were of my mother. I knew that something was wrong. That very moment the phone rang again. At first, I vacillated to answer the call but somehow I gathered audacity and answered . I suffered a thud in my heart as my mother told me the matter. There was a complete tranquility in the room for a moment. TIGER WAS NO MORE.

The last time I saw Tiger was in June 2009. He rang the bell and came in. He was an impressive figure with an air of dignity about him. He came in and sat on the sofa and in his powerful voice said “Tiger, go and get me a glass of water.” Then he asked me how my vacation break was going on and then our talk accelerated and it didn’t show any signs of ending until my mother made black tea for him [He always preferred black tea to normal tea.] He then told my mother and my grandma that he had to leave as he had to turn up at a marriage ceremony. That was it. I didn’t see him after that. Well I did see him but in the snapshots that my mother had captured in her mobile while she was there in the hospital to visit him in Pune.

Tiger, namely Col. Pradeep Pasbola ,was in 5/11 Gorkha Rifles.In relation,he was my father's brother-in-law,in short he was my " Phuphaji". He was an impressive figure with an air of dignity about him. An army officer by métier, he was extra ordinarily erudite. Ask him anything, he would always have the correct answer regarding your question. Never did I see him sitting idle, always active. Even when he was “suppose” to sit idle, he always had a book in his hand or was solving sudoko, or watching some sports channel on T.V. He was a person who would get mixed up with anybody and with ease. Often times he use to interact with my brother and me. He was also very enthusiastic about music[Only English music]. This I only discovered in Leh, when we had gone there to visit this place that he had been posted to. He was a sports aficionado. Playing sports had always been a part of his routine. Jogging was also a part of his daily routine. He loved to play Golf {it was his favourite sport} and whenever he came across a golf course near his place, he never missed any opportunity to play there. He also knew a lot about football. Oftentimes I had seen him following football matches on television. Whenever he was at my house and wanted to watch television, he always asked me on what number were channels like "ESPN","Ten Sports" etc. being shown. Now speaking about his physical fitness. Never had I heard him carp about any sort of ache. He was so completely fit. As mentioned earlier he was too much into sports which helped him to remain fit and healthy.But he did not use to eat much.I hardly saw him eating dinner and what I observed was that he loathed to eat tomatoes.

In comparision to this, while he was suffering with cancer the whole scenario changed. He first showed signs of pain while he was in Leh. He complained about backache and got his medical checkup done. The doctor told him that every thing was normal and he would soon get well again. Here’s where the biggest faux pas was commited. The doctor present in Leh should have conducted tests to detect whether there was any problem or not. Had it been detected earlier, the chain of events would have been different today.Another stroke of bad luck which came to his way was that the GCO in Leh did not grant him leave. The reason for this was that there weren't sufficient officers on duty to push on with the work .Since the doctor had declared that Tiger would soon become well again, the GCO requested Tiger to remain on duty. Tiger being a hard worker and a very dedicated officer agreed to stay back and to go on with the work inspite being in so much of pain.This was where the delay was caused. The cells of cancer kept on multiplying and he remained unaware of this deadly fact. After some days, Tiger could not take it any more. He was then hostpitalized in Leh and was there for about 8-9 days. When the doctors could not detect what the problem was, Tiger went to Hyderabad {This is where his family resides}.It was a voluntary decision as he knew that it was of no use staying in the hospital in Leh where the doctors were unable to detect the problem. He got his check up done again in Hyderabad. An eye opener came to us as he was detected with cancer and the worst part was that it had spread from kidneys to liver. This news came to us as a big blow. But more than us it was Tiger who was shocked and was very sad by this news. My mother told me that he once said that after hearing this he was completely shattered. He could not get what was going on. But he was a fighter. He did not take much time to get to the grips with the situation. He was then recommended Command Hospital in Pune which is one of the best army hospitals in the country. This is where his suffer begins. Cycles of chemotherapy started making him weak but hats off to that person who did not give up during such baffling phase of his life. I still remember talking to him on the phone where he said to me “TIGER I WILL SURVIVE.” But destiny had planned something else for him......

The name "Tiger" goes hand in glove with his personality. Actually it was he who used to call others by this tag of "Tiger," but for me he was a tiger in true sense. Just like a tiger, he too was "Fearless." "Fearless" of the fact that he had been detected with cancer. "Fearless" of the fact that it is almost out of the question for any patient detected with cancer of liver to survive. "Fearless" of the fact that this phase of his life would be the worst and the most thorny phase of his life. Instead he took it very normally and went on fighting against all odds.The first four months would have been difficult for any person who would have been in his place. But for tiger nothing was difficult. Everyday he used to walk for atleast 2 km. He used to watch television and like always found it a great fun to talk and to interact with people. People went on to visit him and had just one thing to say after meeting him, "His will power to live will not let his soul leave his body too soon." He was as powerful as before,in body as well as in mind.

In the interim,everyone who knew him was doing whatever he could so that Tiger would get well again. His relatives were on the job of visiting temples and performing rituals. His brother Mr. Sudeep Pasbola,an advocate by line of work, paid frequent visits to the hospital to be by his brother's side during his most difficult times. Many of his coursemates and colleagues too paid habitual visits to the hospital.

Now getting back to Tiger who was fighting it out to live. 6-7 months passed and still the skirmish between tiger and the deadly disease was on. He started looking like a man in his early 60's. Suddenly his impressive figure seemed equivalent to an old man’s fragile body. His knowledge had started to fade. He hardly remembered anybody’s name. His powerful voice seemed to be alike an ailing man’s voice. Whenever I talked to him on the phone he took a lot of time to absorb what was asked to him. Suddenly a man who was always active and never idle had hardly anything to do besides sleeping. A person who would easily get mixed up with people, found it very antagonizing to even talk to his closest relatives or pals who had come to visit him. Over a period of time he regularly carped about pain. This went on for about 7 months and one day my aunt called my mother and told her that he was in his last stage of cancer and was throwing up blood which was a sign that some collapse had happened to his system. My parents left for Pune that very night and a bolt from the blue came to me when they told me about his condition. It was even worse than before. He was shifted to I.C.U. that very night when he was throwing up blood. But I tell you, his will power to live was serving as a barrier between life and death. His spirit was as powerful as before but his body was not supporting his doggedness to live. Soon his body stopped giving responses to the medication. It meant that the cancerous growth was at its height. Nothing could be done to reduce or to restrict the cells from multiplying. Seeing all this, he was then taken back to Hyderabad and admitted there . After 8 months of a long battle with cancer, he gave up. He breathed his last on 19 May 2010.

The news came as revelation to the people not because he had died but because THE TIGER, THE FIGHTER, and above all A GREAT HUMAN BEING had died. Even during his last time he did not give up. Like a guerrila fighter he went on fighting with this lethal disease.

I would like to thank all the people who stepped in with support and help for Tiger. His colleagues were the people who stood beside Tiger during his battle with cancer. One of them was Brig.Jayrath, whom I had met in Leh, when he had come with his family for a low key meeting with Tiger. The support that he gave and provided is indeed exemplary.

Col.G.P. Singh and Brig. Mishra (retd.) had also been one of the frequent visitors who proved to be a great helping hand for Tiger.

Another mention must be made of Retd.Col.Chinnappa and Col. Durga .They both provided a great abet to Tiger's family in Hyderabad.

I would also like to thank the orderlies namely Jitender, Harminder and Roshan who were in service to tiger in Command Hospital.

A special thanks to Dr. Col. Kapoor who was treating tiger and the whole staff of the Command Hospital,Pune.

Also, 9 on 10 places visited by me are because of him. I would specially like to mention, that those of you have read my article on Leh must know that I could only pen down that article because of him. He had been a constant pillar of support for me in putting down that article. It is one of the places that I have visited becuase of him since he was posted there. I’ll cherish each and every moment that I got to spend with him and especially his most favorite word "TIGER" . In the end I would only like to say :

I know that you will be gifted heaven,
Because you deserve it.
I know that your soul will rest in peace,
Because you deserve it,
I know that all your unfulfilled wishes will be fulfilled in heaven,
Because you deserve it,
And one more thing I know dear tiger,
According to God you deserved death
Because he needed the most humble & caring person on earth
To help him to manage the universe.
Au revoir dear Phuphaji,
May your soul rest in peace…….

By SHREYASHI KUKRETI
IX C.J.M. [DehraDun]

DehraDun

Dehradun
By Shreyashi Kukreti, CJM, DehraDun for hillsguide.com

“After you have exhausted what there is business, politics, conviviality and so on, have found that none of these finally satisfy or permanently wears- what remains? Nature remains”
-Walt Whiteman
It is very correct what has been said by Mr. Whiteman. When a man is completely dog-tired from his work, the best solution to his problem is NATURE. The beauty of nature not only makes a person feel fresh but also takes away all the worries from his mind and brings peace to him.
Dehradun is one such place whose awe-inspiring beauty can drive a person mad. “Doon” dun or dhoon in Sanskrit language means a valley formed by tectonic activity within the earth. It is enclosed by Himalayan Mountains in the north, the shiwalik hills in the south , river Ganga in the east and Yamuna in the west. The oxford dictionary therefore describes it “valley in shiwalik hills” Dehradun is an enthralling destination for tourists. The queen of hills, mussoorie, located here can just make a person go breathless. Places like Sahatradhara, robbers cave, dak pathar et cetera are some of the other wonderful places of Doon. The Indian military academy, the forest research institute which is the biggest institute in India where all forest officers are trained is located in dehradun. Institutions like the Doon school, welhams etc are well known schools of India.

Dehradun, which is considered to be a small town as compared to Mumbai or Delhi, is now developing into a big city. Today from mac’d to pizza hut, from Addidas to Levi’s showrooms, its all here. Coming up next is PVRs and malls. Every doonite must be proud to watch Dehradun develop but do they even realize that due to these developments taking place in dun, it’s losing the most precious gift given by god? Nature. It’s losing nature. Hardly anywhere in the town do I see that greenery that was found here ages ago as told to me by my grandparents. Today what all I see is tall multistory buildings and construction sites. We are lucky as compared to other cities since we still have a lot of greenery left. But till when is this beauty going to last?

The government is reprehensible for the present state of dehradun to some extent. It says that Dehradun is on headway and within 10 to 20 years it will become what a metropolitan city is like. Govt. says that it’s trying its level best to make Dehradun a hi-tech city. The govt. is planning of the next 20 years but has it even premeditated for the next 50 years? Do they have any plans for the future? Dehradun will lose all its beauty within the coming years just because they want to make Dehradun a hi-tech city. I have heard many people say that how lovely it would have been if there was a mall in Dehradun. What is the need of malls when you have big shops and big showrooms available here? The stuff that will be in the malls will be no different from that in showrooms or shops. Why cut a hundred trees and construct malls? Dolefully, each day many trees are cut down to construct the so called buildings.
In Rajpur road there was once a large property with trees and a very big open place. I use to enjoy going there in my leisure time and feel the lovely gentle breeze blowing but lately I have realized that a big mall is being constructed there.

Today Rajpur is no where like it was e few years ago. I remember reading somewhere that when a queen {the name of the queen is a thingummy} visited Dehradun she was suppose to stay in Rajpur. “Switzerland!” she ejaculated on seeing the first site of the Rajpur road. Don’t think I am talking anything through my hat!! I know its quite unbelievable but just imagine what Rajpur road would have been ages ago that it was called Switzerland and that too by a queen who had traveled to a hundred places of the world.. Never a remark had she made for any other city or a country no matter how big it was or how developed it was. She must have traveled to England, China, and U.S. A. and where not but still she chose a small place in a small town to be compared to Switzerland. What beautiful dehradun would have been at that time being compared to Switzerland. But today being like Switzerland it is nowhere even near to it.

I am sure everybody must have heard of the famous writer Mr. Ruskin Bond who presently lives in Mussoorie. Mr. Ruskin Bond, being a great writer, has written many books on dehradun as he has grown up here. One of which is ‘once upon a monsoon time’ It is a lovely book which states the condition of dehradun 70 years back. Mr. Bond has described the beauty of dehradun brilliantly connecting it with story of his childhood in this book. But will Mr. Bond ever be able to write a book on the present beauty of dehradun? The answer is a flat ‘no’ since there is hardly any beauty left here to write about.

There was a time in dehradun when the water that used to come in people’ s house was as clear as crystal and no R.O. or aqua guard systems were required to purify it. But today due to the pollution, every house has one such system to purify water. Today bottles of bislery and mineral water are sold, and I am very sure that 50 years ahead oxygen cylinders will be sold as the air here will become so much polluted.

I am crestfallen to see the condition of dehradun today. The air is completely polluted, the trees look so lifeless & there are hardly any rivulets left. The lure of the city is completely finished. Let’s not remain unfazed and do something about it. I understand that we are not vagrants and we all have lots of work to do but at least we can make some effort to improve the present state of dehradun. Let’s stop slumbering and wake up and do something of it before it’s too late. Whenever you sit reclined under a sweet bower think of the lovely city and of what should be done to make it a better place to live in. Rope in some people who share the same passion like you, to bring back dehradun her beauty. I am sure that our efforts to make Dehradun a better place to live in will culminate with flying colors. And when our long trick’s over, our coming generations have no problem to live in a beautiful city, namely dehradun.

SHREYASHI KUKRETI
C.J.M. [D.DUN]