Dehradun, November 9
Warming up to ninth Statehood Day of Uttarakhand with a marathon race and an
address by Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the Prime Minister, a day before,
celebrations reached their zenith with an inspiring speech by Governor Margaret
Alva.
Paying homage to statehood martyrs,
the Governor said that we must fulfil the aspirations of the brave men who laid
down their lives to form the state.
She said, “While taking pride in the
rich cultural heritage and traditions of the state, we must also look to the
future and ensure that we progress in every field.
“Our children need health care,
education and nutrition; our youth need jobs and opportunities; our women need
to live in dignity, security and comfort; our men need to earn more by
producing better yields and getting better prices for their products.
“Vision 2020 adopted by the state
aims at making Uttarakhand self-reliant and a leader in many areas of
development.”
Appreciating the
police force for its efficiency in combating pressures from inside and outside
the borders, she said, “We have international borders to protect and internal
security of citizens needs to be ensured. We are short of personnel while we receive
five times the state's population each year as pilgrims.”
He also said that the Uttarakhand
police force is committed to emerge as the best police force in the country in next three
years.
The main attraction of the day was
parachute-jumping from a height of 2 km performed by the Akash Ganga Para
Trooping Group of the Air Force under the guidance of Wing
Commander RC Tripathi.
On the occasion, the Governor also
met an expedition group, led by police officer Nilesh Bharne, which covered a
distance of 1,811 km throughout the state on motorcycles.
The Governor also honoured the
recipients of medals who have been recognised for distinguished and meritorious
service in the police force. These officers were JN Goswami, Satish Kumar Shukl,
Rajender Prasad Sharma, Joginder Singh, Madan Singh, Dinesh Chander Rawat,
Kanchal Singh Rana and Diwan Tamta. Rami Ram was also honoured for his
exemplary service with certification and cash prize.
The bevy of celebrations that
continued throughout the day came to an end with a soulful rendition of
classical music by noted singer Shubha Mudgal and an impressive dance
performance by noted Odissi danseuse Geeta Mahalik.
CM announces pension
for statehood agitators
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, November 9
On the occasion of the 9th Foundation Day of the state, Uttarakhand Chief
Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today announced a host of welfare schemes,
including the flagship Atal Adarsh Gram Yojana. Launching the Atal Adarsh Gram
Yojana, Nishank said initially villages under 670 nyaya panchayats would
benefit from the scheme and later it would be extended to all villages in the
state.
He also announced the inter-state bus terminus (ISBT)
in Dehradun had been named Maharana Partap Inter-state Bus Terminus while the
Jollygrant Airport had been named after Swami Ram Tirth. He also enhanced the
money being paid to a leprosy patient from Rs 400 per month to Rs 1,000 per
month.
Besides honouring five freedom fighters of the state,
the Chief Minister also honoured five women and five men statehood agitators
and also announced to give pension to the statehood agitators who had undergone
prison for seven days during the agitation. He also gave cheques for Rs 25 lakh
each to the widows of Havaldar Bahadur Singh Bora and Havaldar Gajendra Singh,
who died fighting militants.
The Chief Minister also called for overall development
of the state with the help of each and everyone. “Keeping our political
differences away, each and every one in the state should work wholeheartedly
for the development of the state,” he added. Nishank said if the Himalayas got
weak, the entire country would be threatened. He exhorted the people to work
hard to make Uttarakhand a strong and vibrant state. He also released a
souvenir listing the developments of the state on the occasion.
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, November 9
To commemorate the ninth Foundation Day of the state, Great Value Hotel,
situated on busy Rajpur Road, had organised a two-day Garhwali food festival
since yesterday. Unlike other normal days, this food festival gave people a
chance to relish authentic cuisines of Garhwal, which are normally not
available in the local markets.
“We organised this festival so that during the
celebrations of state’s Foundation Day we can also contribute by giving people
of the state a chance to taste the famous delicacies of Garhwal, which
otherwise are difficult to hunt for,” said Magan Bhandari, assistant manager of
the hotel.
However, unlike other cuisines, the food of Garhwal is
mostly cooked in rich spices and mustard oil, making it healthy from the point
of view of the overall wellbeing. Starting from “gath ka shaureba” (soup),
which was made out of lentils, combined with leaves of garlic and asafeotida,
there was “pahari chach” (lassi), salad (reddish leaves and spinach leaves
mixed with mustard oil and salt). And to add more variety to the starters, there
was “gath ki paturi” and “urad daal ki bhuri”, yummy crispy pakoras made out of
gath (a special daal of Garhwal) and urad daal. “Lot many times people enquire
about the specialties of Garhwal and by the means of this festival we have
tried to incorporate all main dishes under the comforts of one roof. The food
is primarily cooked in powered masalas and mustard oil, which has ayurvedic
properties and is excellent during winters and for patients who are suffering
from stones,” said Bhandari.
While the snacks were quite to tickle the taste buds,
the main menu comprised a thick dal made out of gath and urad, known as
gathwani and masfani. Another dish favourite of many and of Roshan, chef of the
hotel, was “kandali ka saag”, made out of bichhu grass. It is firstly boiled
removing the itching sensation of the grass and then mashed with the aromatic
and heavy flavour of asafetida. Chemi ki bhuji (boiled beans-mustard oil and
asafetida), aloo ki thinchani (aloo veg with little curry).
Beautifully complimenting this wholesome cuisine was
“kodhu ki roti” and “jangora ka rice”, cooked in the dumpukht style for adding
an extra flavour to the palate of food lovers.
Last, but not the least, was traditional sweet dishes
like “arsaa” and “jangora ki kheer”. While “arsaa” is made of boiled rice
powder and jaggery paste, it is fried with crispiness outside and soft and
melting flavour of jaggery on the inside. “Jangora ka kheer” is delicious kheer
and tastes pretty different from the usual rice kheer.
