A tank which stands on its knees in the honour of our soldiers in Chawinda

The M47 Patton Tank captured from the Pakistan army during 1965 conflict, on display at War Memorial Dharamshala (Image Credit: Manish Gupta)

by: Manish Gupta

Dharamshala: “The M-47 Patton tank captured from Pakistan during the 1965 war is like a medal for Indian Army”, says Col KKS Dadwal (Retd), the current chairman of war memorial in Dharamshala about the battle tank on display at the memorial.


According to Memorial officials, it belonged to the 6th Armoured Division of Pakistan Army and was among the tanks captured by the 1st Armoured Division of Indian Army in the battle of Chawinda in one of the largest tank battles after World War II. Also used as MBT (Main Battle Tank), the M47 Patton tanks were the most advanced tanks during the period. During the 1965 conflict, India has destroyed 471 Pakistani tanks as per official estimates and captured 38 of them.


“The tank’s barrel is kept low as it is the practice with captured tanks”, said Col KKS Dadwal. The tank on display at the Dharamshala war memorial, the only War Memorial in in Himachal Pradesh, is a center of attraction for the visitors. The tank on display has a 90 MM main gun capable of firing 71 rounds with the in-tank ammunition. Weighing 44.1 tons, it had an operational range of 100 kilometers and a maximum speed of 40 KMPH.


“We are taking care of it with honor and a feeling of patriotism”, said Ashok Sharma, who works as a clerk at the memorial. “Visitors come from faraway places to pay their respects to the martyrs”, he added.


“This tank is like a war trophy which our solders got by sacrificing their lives and I am proud to have a look at it,” said Aman Deep Singh, a tourist from Punjab.


Named after General George S Patton, an exponent of tank battle, who commanded the US Third Army in World War II, Patton tanks were considered formidable weapons till 70s. The 1965 Indo-Pak conflict became the first real combat test for Patton tanks and it did not turn good for it. During the conflict, Indian army decimated more than 97 Pakistani tanks in the Khem Karan- Asal Uttar battle on 10th September 1965. According to US war historian Steven Zaloga, more than 65 of these tanks were M47 & M48 Pattons. The place and the battle later came to be known as the ‘graveyard of Pattons’.

" Whatever happens now,I will not be silent.I will run away with kids if I've to "

Representative image ( Credit : Umang Arora)

By: Umang Arora
“My husband wouldn’t use protection, Didi. I’ve to buy contraceptive pills every now and then. I now have started to feel pain in various parts of my body. He would drink daily. I don’t know what to do. I cannot even leave him. My children will suffer,” says Kusum*, a woman in her mid-forties who hails from Uttar Pradesh and works as a home maid at several houses in Jalandhar city.

This is not just the story of Kusum. Many women, living in the villages of rural North India, virtually go through similar experiences. Dominated by the husband, tortured by the in-laws, they often don’t speak to anyone about the misery they put up with.  Domestic violence related to dowry and sex determination is a matter of regular occurrence for them, even today.

“He even said that if I get pregnant somehow, he’ll dump me and marry someone else,” says Kusum with fear in her eyes. Kusum’s story about how she manages to go home at the end of the day to face her husband is a shaking one.

Kusum has three boys but her husband won’t let any of them go to school.  He wants them to pick up errands available in the residential complexes in the city, like washing people’s cars, which will pay up small sums. She has tried several times to enroll them in the school but he wouldn’t let them go.

The misery does not condone the hard work needed to earn the daily bread.  Her daily shift starts from 8 in the morning till 9 in the night. She would find extra part time work as well to make the ends meet. “Whatever I earn at the end of the month, he manages to snatch away. Even if I try to hide it from him, he would make me swear by my children. I cannot lie then.” Kusum’s husband usually takes away all the money and spends it on booze.

“Fortunately”, her mother-in-law has died but it is her husband now, who is making life a hell for her. “It’s good if this person also dies, I’ll sail my kids somehow,” she murmurs.  “My mother gave bed, utensils, jewelry and what not; still my in-laws used to beat me up and would ask me to get cash from my mother. My mother has brought up us three sisters on her own” recalls Kusum.

Her father would beat up her mother when they used to live in their gaon. As a little girl, she would see her sisters getting beaten up by her father and in-laws. “Every night my father used to beat my mother for not giving birth to a boy,” recalls Kusum. When it became unbearable, her mother ran away from there. She was carrying her fourth child in the womb at that time.  “Hamaari taraf aisa he hota hai! (This is what happens at our side!),”shrugs Kusum.

There’s a long, long battle for Kusum to fight through. For herself and her children. “The bastard doesn’t even die! Whatever happens now, I will not be silent. I will run away with kids if I’ve to,” says Kusum.

*Name changed for the privacy

Millennials, a driving force towards Sustainability

Fashion & Sustainability (Representative Image)

By Preshita Thakur

State of Fashion 2018 report by BoF and McKinsey reveals that nearly sixty percent of global millennials are willing to spend on sustainable brands. Nielsen have dubbed 2018 as the year of the influential sustainable consumer which they credit entirely to the millennials and their shopping patterns.

Millennials as a word refers to people born between the early 1980s to late 1990s, marked by their increased use and familiarity with communication, media, and digital technologies. A very common misconception is that millennials are into ‘fads’, as in, short-lived trends. But aren’t we all confusing millennials as the immature type, not at all concerned about the quality of their consumption, wasting their money on whatever that’s ‘in trend’?

It is high time we clear those judgemental clouds and see where today’s generation is headed to. What better way to learn about them if we don’t include fashion as a way to understand the word ‘sustainable’ which has ended up in their regular life jargon.

Mehak Sharma, a millenial fashion blogger with more than 40k of loyal followers on Instagram, says; “everyone knows what sustainability is. We’ve all studied it at school, in college, but what makes us different is our action”. She points out that her regular posts about skin care are popular because people want to know about these brands which don’t hurt the environment as well as their skin. “They’re very conscious about the chemicals”, she says.

We’ve all heard “to kill two birds with one stone”, and millennials are the ones doing it when it comes to fashion and sustainability. You don’t have to buy clothes synthetically made to be fashionable, you don’t have to use makeup made from chemicals, all of which is more or less impossible to decompose. That is where sustainable and eco-friendly; the new ‘it’ terms in the world of fashion comes in.

Designer Mercy Renthlei, who started her own accessories label ‘MERCY’ last year, points out to the same principle for using canvas and other eco-friendly fabrics. “It is a good investment with varying results, less clutter everywhere, plus consciously I’m doing good”, says she.

It is no wonder that names like Forest Essentials, Innisfree, Khadi Natural are a hit for their natural skincare and beauty products. Indian brands such as Pero, Nicobar, Bodice, 11:11 are all popular for their sustainable yet fashionable clothes and accessories.

‘Sustainable’ is such a hit that major fast fashion retailers like H&M have also introduced their own line called “Conscious” to cater to the growing niche consumers. Celebrities like Emma Watson regularly promotes sustainable fashion as witnessed with a separate Instagram account where she details everything sustainable she wears and uses.

The fact is that today, millennials have far more spending power and are willing to contribute towards an ethical cause. However, more brands need to identify this developing supermarket which will not only help them but also our home, our ecosystem. And to people who have still not thought about this, now is the time to think and act accordingly.

The Millenial Way

Indian millenials like juggling several assignments than a single job. (Representational Image)

By: Ajay Kumar

Working a single, 9 to 5 job and building up a career along was the norm of the day. That is now a thing of the past. Millennials have begun creating their own definition of work life. They love juggling multiple jobs across different fields.

Manpreet Kaur, (24) from Bhatinda, Punjab, has tried being a salaried employee and a freelancer juggling multiple projects. She works as the Head of Marketing Operations at Brijraj Fashion in New Delhi. But she also works part-time as a content creator, editor and a digital marketing consultant and enjoys it more. She finds social media and affiliation marketing as fruitful avenues of revenue generation. “There’s a huge scope. You can make good money if you are good at the job”, she said.

Social Media provides a great platform for them, primarily by bringing people closer, opened up new opportunities. Social media marketing, online business applications, digital asset monetization, e-commerce are vistas where these job-hopping millennials find new opportunities in.

But make no mistake. It does not mean that you can just make some quick buck here. “Digital marketing is much more complicated than posting social media content. People have to understand that before trying to pursue this as a career. It is a job that changes every day and you have to stay on track or you lose,” cautions Manpreet.

What, then, is their motivation for taking up various projects? “It’s definitely the money because I like to be independent. The current economic situation across the country makes it little hard on everyone’s pocket and part time opportunities help you as a cushion when you fall back.” Says Arun Kumar, who works in the HR sector, writes for a website and dabbles in ad films.

Many who have settled for more stable jobs cherish the other work life. Sumedha Choudhary, an ICSSR Research Assistant at Central University of Jharkhand still fondly recollects her time being a freelance journalist. “I’m doing fulltime job at CUJ but I enjoyed that phase of my life where I used to do freelance reporting besides writing for blogs,” she said. She was engaged in research as well. “It kept me active round the clock and helped in gaining more knowledge”, remembers she.

For some, a full time job is not a reason for dropping off their passions in life. So they juggle such roles in their free time. Ankur Chakravarty is a Corporate Communication professional with a renowned healthcare company in Ranchi. But in his heart, he is a hardcore film enthusiast and film maker. So he nurtures his passion for filmmaking whenever the full time job throws up an off. “I am an Independent Filmmaker and still pursue it actively despite my fulltime job. I have been associated with Prasar Bharati and academic circles as part of my effort to pursue my film dreams,” says he.

But how do you manage such an ‘unstable’ and ‘insecure’ work life? It may appear ‘foolish’ in the older generations’ idea of work life. But the millenials calls it a ‘professional approach’, which fits their idea of a better lifestyle. Here you are more independent, can do things which you enjoy and get paid for that.

The basic prerequisite is the ability to prioritize things, says Rupesh Sahu (25), from Ranchi who juggled many jobs and presently working as a journalist. Before this, he worked as a call center executive, video editor and a blogger. For him, full time jobs take away all the precious time in your life with their rigid working hours. “I am that guy who always race to finish the assigned work as early as possible so that I can have some quality time myself. That’s why I stick with part time assignments. They save time, make me feel independent and pays too”, says he.

काँगड़ा का किला ,खूबसूरत वादियों में एकमात्र अजूबा

By:  पूजा ठाकुर

463 एकड़ के क्षेत्र लगभग 4 किमी में फैला हिमाचल प्रदेश के कांगड़ा जिले में सबसे प्रमुख आकर्षणों में से एक है कांगड़ा किला ,यह हिमाचल प्रदेश का सबसे पुराना किला माना जाता है।यह किला कांगड़ा शहर से  धर्मशाला तक तकरीबन 15-20   किलोमीटर दूर स्थित है। पुरातत्व सर्वेक्षण के मुताबिक, यह देश में 8 वां सबसे बड़ा किला  है । कांगड़ा किला एक पहाड़ी के ऊपर स्थित है, इसके एक तरफ बाणगंगा नदी और दूसरी तरफ पाताल गंगा नदी बहती है। इस किले में बहुत सारे दरवाजे हैं जो कई राजवंशों के शासकों द्वारा बनाए गए थे । किले के प्रवेश द्वार को पत्थर की नक्काशी के साथ बनाया गया है | किले के द्वार का अगला प्रवेश द्वार है जहानीरी दरवाज़ा , उसके बाद अहिनी और अमीरी दरवाज़ा । किले के अंदर तीन मंदिर अंबिका देवी मंदिर, शीतलामाता मंदिर और लक्ष्मी नारायण मंदिर हैं। यहां एक मंदिर जैन तीर्थंकरों को समर्पित है जहां पर भगवान आदीनाथ की एक पत्थर प्रतिमा स्थापित है। शीतलामाता और अंबिका देवी के मंदिरों के बीच में एक सीढ़ी शीश महल की ओर जाती है |

यह लगभग 3500 साल पहले कटोच परिवार के वंशज महराज सुशर्मा चंद्रा द्वारा बनाया गया था। किंवदंती यह है कि एक समय था जब देवी अंबिका (देवी पार्वती का एक रूप) एक क्रूर दानव से लड़ रही थी । लंबी और कठिन लड़ाई में, देवी की पसीने की एक बूंद पृथ्वी पर गिर गई। इस चन्द्रवंश (चन्द्रमा कबीले) के भू-चंद उभरा, जिसने देवी को राक्षस से लड़ने में मदद की। आशीष के तौर पर, अंबिका ने उन्हें त्रिगर्ता का राज्य दिया, जो तीन नदियों - सतलज, ब्यास और रवि के बीच स्थित था। कांगड़ा इस क्षेत्र का एक हिस्सा है।

                                     

यह माना जाता है कि कटोच वंश के महाराजा सुषमाचंद्र ने कांगड़ा किला बनाया था उन्होंने महाभारत युद्ध में कौरवों के लिए लड़ाई लड़ी कौरवों की हार के बाद, सुषमा चंद्र अपने सैनिकों के साथ कांगड़ा आये  और अपने राज्य की रक्षा के लिए किले का निर्माण किया।

लगभग सभी शासकों ने कांगड़ा किले को अपने नियंत्रण में लेने की कोशिश की थी।इस किले पर पहला हमला कश्मीर के राजा के द्वारा 470 एडी में किया गया था। महमूद किले में पैर कदम रखने वाला पहला शत्रु था।

कांगड़ा किले में 21 खजाने के कुएं होते हैं - प्रत्येक अच्छी तरह से 4 मीटर की गहराई है और परिधि में लगभग 2 और एक आधा मीटर-ग़ज़नी के सुल्तान ने आठ कुओं को लूट लिया, 18 9 0 के दशक में ब्रिटिशों ने पांच और कुओं को पाया। 1619 में, मुगल सेना ने लगभग 14 महीनों तक किले को घेर लिया, जिसके लिए अकबर द्वारा 1615 के बाद से लगभग 52 असफल प्रयास किए गए थे।

महाराजा संसार चंद ने सफलतापूर्वक स्वयं को एक शक्तिशाली शासक के रूप में स्थापित कर लिया और जय सिंह (कांगड़ा घाटी के जयसिंगपुर के राजा) के साथ एक समझौता करने में सक्षम हो गया और किले पर नियंत्रण प्राप्त किया। उन्हें बदले में जय सिंह को कुछ मैदानों को देना था।

4 अप्रैल, 1 9 05 को एक भूकंप में भारी क्षति हुई किला 4 किमी लंबी बाहरी सर्किट के माध्यम से दोनों तरफ एक बड़े क्षेत्र में फैला हुआ है। पूरे किले को बड़े बड़े हिस्सों और काले पत्थरों की विशाल दीवारों से संरक्षित किया गया  है। मंदिर की आंगन दर्षी दरवाजा (पूजा का द्वार) द्वारा बंद कर दिया गया है, यहां से ऊपर वाले द्वार का नाम महल का का दरवाजा (महल गेट) कहा जाता है। मुख्य मंदिर द्वार के बाहर अन्धरी दरवाजा (अंधेरे गेट) नामक पहला रक्षा फाटक है।

                      

आजादी के बाद, भारत के पुरातत्व सर्वेक्षण ने राष्ट्रीय महत्व के एक प्रबंधन समझौते के तहत किला को महाराजा जयचंद्र को लौटा दिया। अभी भी वर्तमान परिवार के नियंत्रण में किले का एकमात्र हिस्सा मंदिरों और महलों के अंगारों के कुछ हिस्सों में शामिल है । कटोच अभी भी अपने देवता, देवी अंबिका देवी को अपनी प्रार्थना करने के लिए आते हैं, जिसका मंदिर अभी भी किले के भीतर बना  हुआ है ।

Bathu ki ladi- Nature’s best kept secret

By Akriti Mahajan

“Heaven is a myth, Dharamshala is for real”

Himachal Pradesh, known as the land of Gods and Goddesses, has many hidden treasures for explorers in the form of lesser-known historic sites.

One such Nature’s best kept secret is Bathu temples popularly known as ‘Bathu ki Ladi’, a string of 8 temples with towers and outer protection walls. The temples are located near Dhameta in Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. It remains immersed in Maharana Ptratap Sagar, the reservoir of Pong Dam for almost eight months of the year. The unique thing about these temples is that they are  only  visible during four months (from March to June) in an year when the water level in the reservoir drops.

The beauty and color of Bathu stone used for construction is mostly intact except that some plaster and bricks have washed out.  Despite being submerged in 50 to 180 feet of water in the reservoir for the last nearly 50 years, there have been no substantial harm to these historic buildings so far.

The temple is made of very strong stone and even after 30 years of being submerged in water it is standing tall and beautiful. The big Pillar next to these temples is the only visible thing you get to see when the Pong Dam Lake is very much in water as all the temples are submerged in the water.

It is said that the temple  have been built around 14th to 16th Century A.D. by Raja Hari Chand Guleria and his descendants just when other forts in the area came up around this period.

The temples receive an influx of tourists during the time when it is visible. As , the temples are in the midst of river, one has to ride a boat to reach the temple complex.

Spending a slow day at Bathu ki ladi, can be the most sought-after weekend where on one side you have vast meadows devoid of any plantation and a little further there is a water body so huge that seems to have no end. The water in the lake is crystal clear and blue giving a similar glimpse of Pangong Tso river of Ladakh.

You can spend few hours at the bank of the water body, enjoying boating or just gazing at the sheer beauty of the lake. Sunlight falling on the blue water of the lake makes the sight even more enticing. One may spend a hushed afternoon here by just sitting at the bank where the light breeze kisses the face and get mesmerized by the serenity in nature.

Central university Students hair style

BY: ANJNA DEVI     

Abhishek Kumar

As the new session at Central University of Himachal Pradesh starts at the end of January, students are coming to the campus for the fresh semester. The fresh semester seems to be so hip with most of the students donning a different hair-do than last year.

Just a look around the campus, you see all types of hair-dos. Well, we don’t know if sky is the limit, but one glance around the campus, we know hair is no limit to be trendy and creative. “I try to maintain my hair style to that of my favourite actor,” says Abhishek kumar who is a second semester student of MA Sanskrit. Abhishek is not alone.

Amit Bhatiya(selfie)

Amit Bhatya student of MSc Physics last semester says that they follow their favourite singer hair style because it provides them the trendy look.

 Being hip with the hair is not just a boy terrain in CUHP. But following the hair steps of their favourite actress is a popular trend among girls also. “”. But apart from these Bollywood ‘divas’, many girl students in the campus maintain straight hair style, and to stand out in the crowd, some others have coloured their hair.

Supriya Dhar(in pink top) and Swati in blue dress with their friends

Keeping trendy hairstyles is not only accepted among the junior students but also followed among students of the senior batch. Swati and Suprya Dhar, both fourth semester students of MBA department say they maintain these styles because they can be easily done and it does not take much time to folding their hair with their present hair-do. “And this style also gives fashionable looks”, they added.

केन्द्रीय विश्वविद्यालय में अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय महिला दिवस

अजंना देवी

8 मार्च को अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय महिला दिवस मनाया जाएगा। इस वर्ष की थीम ‘be bold for change’ है. क्या सच में ही ऐसा हो रहा है? इस बारे में महिलाओं के अलग-अलग विचार हो सकते हैं? पर क्या वे वास्तव में ऐसा करने में सक्षम हैं?

कामिनी शर्मा

एक ओर जहां कई तरह के बदलाव समाज में आ रहे है वहीं लोगों की सोच में भी बदलाव आ रहे हैं।

कामिनी शर्मा जो केन्द्रीय विश्वविद्यालय में B.Sc. Physics (Honors)की छात्रा हैं वे इस समय को बदलाव का युग मान रही हैं जिसमें वे अपने आपको बहुत आगे बढ़ते हुए देखना चाहती है।

दिपाली गिल

प्रियंका, विश्वविद्यालय में समाजशास्त्र की छात्रा हैं,का कहना है कि उन्हें शिक्षा के द्वारा और आगे बढ़ने का मौका मिल रहा है। वे अपना हर ख्वाब पूरा कर सकती है।

दीक्षा जो MBA कर रही हैं वे देश के सुरक्षा बलों में अपना कैरियर बनाना चाहती हैं ताकि वह और युवतियों का हौंसला बढ़ा सकें।

गीता कश्यप, केन्द्रीय विश्वविद्यालय से पी.एचडी कर रही हैं उनका कहना है कि समाज को महिलाओं के प्रति रवैया बदलना ही होगा क्योंकि यह समय की मांग है।

दीक्षा

दिपाली गिल, जो B.Sc.  Physics (Honors) में कर रही हैं, उनका कहना है कि महिलाओं को आत्मविश्वासी होना चाहिए ताकि वे सब कुछ कर सकें और किसी से भी अपने आप को कम न समझें।

रितिका शर्मा जो MBA की छात्रा हैं उनका कहना है कि लड़कियों को अपने सपने पूरे करने के लिए अपने आप को स्वंय ही आगे बढ़ाना होगा।  

                           Conversation with girls on Women's Day

Reclaiming the youth: the campus style

By: Shailesh Kumar

His name defines his work. 6 feet tall Kartar Singh, at his age of 48 years, still keeps the stature of a soldier, as a reminiscence of his past days in the Indian army. But,these days, he is re-living his youth again, as he is working as a watchman for the Central University of Himachal Pradesh.

“When I am in the University, among the young students, it seems that I am just another student in the university,” says Kartar Singh. He has been working here almost for the last four years. Like many of his earlier colleagues from the army, he has also picked up a job in the security services sector after retirement.

Now, He works in two shifts. When I have asked how do you manage working the night shift? He tells that it is not too difficult since he rests during the day. “I usually ask my employer to provide me with a day off, before taking up the night shift”, he said. 

Kartar Singh is a way of being milder, contrary to the stereotype of tough, harsh ex-army hand. But, he is still fighting. Kartar Singh is the sole bread-winner of his small family which consists of his wife and two children."I get 9, 000 per month," says Kartar, "It is not enough for my family but it's good that I am doing something for my family."

The preamble machine of the Nawada village

By: Rajesh Kumar

A five and half years old rustic boy, wearing torn shorts and shirts. He wipes his free running nose on his shirt's sleeves. With a shabby, disheveled hair and dust smeared all over his body, this is Deepak Ram, the Preamble machine of the Plight village of Nawada, Samastipur district in Bihar. At his age, despite being counted as mentally unstable by the village folk, Deepak can recite the complete preamble of the Indian Constitution without even a slighter mistake.

Deepak in front of his school in Nawada

People in the village call him 'Batha' (a person who does not have mind to think and do the work properly) . But officially, in the records of at Rajkiya Utkrmit Madhya Vidyalaya in Nawada where he is enrolled as a student, he is Deepak Ram, son of Ramanand Ram and Somani Devi. 

The day starts for Deepak when he reaches school at 8.30 in the morning, too early, since the class hours starts at 9.30. “Though he is not very bright in the studies due to his mental condition, he comes to the campus early in the morning, often by 8.30”, says Vikash Gupta, a teacher at the school. “He never skips the school assembly and the mid­-day meal also”, adds Gupta. It is his love for the school assembly that inspired his love for the preamble. The preamble is being recited every morning in the school assembly and thus Deepak has learned every sentences and words of it by-heart.

Food factory for the foodies

By: Arslan Samdi

Rakesh Kumar preparing Naan

Rakesh Kumar wakes up at 4'o clock in the morning and cuts 10 to 20 kg vegetables, prepares 30 kg rice and deals with 50 kg of wheat flour which will later turn into hot chapattis. No, this is not a part of his diet, but this is what makes the routine diet for hundreds of students in the University, when they eat from the lone canteen in the campus of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP).

As the only cook in the University Canteen, work is hectic for Rakesh Kumar. According to him, on an average day, he works for almost 13 hours. “My typical day starts at 4 or 5 in the morning with my tussle with the vegetables, and by the time I wind up the day to leave, it gets to 6.30 in the evening”, says he. Well, that makes it longer than the actual office hours of the University.

Is he ok with that? Well, like the subji he makes, his feelings are a mixed bag. He is happy because he gets his time to spend with the young students in the campus. “Students here in the campus treat me very well. That makes me feel very good working here”, says he. But he knows the good treatment is not without reasons. “I know they look back for small favours”, says a grinning Rakesh; “Hot chapattis, jumping the crowded lunch-line, tea on demand; yeah, small favours”.

Buttons of bliss

By : Rishika Sharma

Jitendar Koundal, in his shop with his collection of buttons at Dharamshala.

Buttons. They may seem insignificant to you. After all, aren’t these just plastic bits with a couple of holes for stitching up in your clothes? Ask Jitendar Koundal and he will vehemently protest. He is a button collector, one who passionately accumulates buttons as a hobby. For him buttons are tiny little fragments of joy that mean the world to him.

Jitendar is the typical middle-aged businessman you find in the sleepy towns of the Indian Himalayas, sitting in his shop with a welcoming smile to his customers. He does not look like someone who would venture on a road less travelled in India, that too for collecting buttons of all things collectible.  However, the moment you ask him about his collection you can spot a sparkle in the eyes of this 47 year old from the hill station of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. It switches his five foot frame to a different level of almost child-like energy as he tells the story of how it all started.

Life at little-Lhasa: a confluence of cultures

By : Surinder Thakur

TIPA Secretary Tenzin Lhaksam Wangdue at his office

Mcleodganj is India’s little-Lhasa, a name given by the travel guides for the large settlement of Tibetan refugees here. Living that name to its fullest, Mcleodganj is now a Tibetan celebration of their own culture, religion and the way of life, in its full bloom.

Seeing them living their life in Macleodganj, is a beautiful image of the confluence of two cultures on a sharing mode. But is it that easy for people coming from another culture to adapt and carry on?

“Most of the Tibetans don't find much problem here in regard to communication or whatever”, says Tenzin Lhaksam Wangdue, Secretary of Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), a major cultural entity for the Tibetan community in Dharamshala. “However, for new comers, language is a major issue”, says Wangdue.  According to him, there are NGO's who are conduct language training sessions for these new comers, trying to bridge the gap. “Teaching English and Hindi to the newcomers often takes lots of time”, adds he.

Sharing is success

By Arjita & Priyanka                                                                  

Jyoti Dogra during one of the rounds in the
Miss Himalaya 2014

TAB:“That day I came back confident, being the only one who spoke for the 10 minutes that we had to,” she reminisces first day of the Miss Himalaya 2014 contest. Contestants had an hour to prepare a 10 minute speech. Speaking on ‘negative impact of tourism in Himachal’, she opined that increasing commercialization, drug abuse were some of the problems, while solutions lay in ecotourism – where environment protection and making a profit went hand in hand. In the ‘talent’ round that followed, she sang ‘Climb’ by Miley Cyrus.

On the second and final day of the pageant, models hit the ramp and introduced themselves. “With courage and determination, one can do absolutely anything," she said. It looked like a festive carnival – colorful dresses, heavy ornaments – Tibetan and Himachali culture filled the stage when participants adorned their ‘traditional wear’ in the second round. “What does success mean to you?” she was asked in the 5th and final ‘Q&A’ round. “It is not the amount of money or bank balance, but the satisfaction one gets by sharing, and giving back to the society. So when I die, I’ll tell myself, this was a big success,”  she said.

                Jyoti Dogra is Miss Himalaya 2014. Back in her university, she is a student, struggling to complete her projects in time. And making time for the socio-cultural activities, she recently won the pan-India debate on ‘Role of Earth Sciences in Preventing Environmental Degradation’ organized by the Indian Geological Congress.

Surjeet: Its all in his name

Surjeet training with student of Govt. degree college , Shahpur                                                                                                                                                                        

By Arjita & Alka

Chattri:Nights in the hills are especially quiet; a heavy voice resonates through the wind, a classical melody slowly fills up a silent valley. At its height, it meets the hills which keep it alive long after it has stopped - what echoes is a madhya-raatri raag. Surjeet is living his name. It’s time for his riyaz.

                Daytime is a striking contrast. Upbeat music blasts off the speakers, in tune with the college tempo, his tiny stationary shop is full of college girls who find the musical setting very comforting. They bring their own tracks and play it on his new laptop that has replaced the phone. Meanwhile, he photocopies - work that gets so loaded during exams that he finishes it after a quick dinner at home, back at the shop - with the shutter down and his favorite music playing.

Fighting winter in cotton shirt

By Arjita & Shradha

TAB:Woolen sweater: check, gloves: check, socks: check, warm bunny cap: check – folks are bundled up to battle chilly Himachal winters. But one man walks around like summer’s here. “If Gandhiji could wear a dhoti and shawl the entire year, why not us?” he explains. Famous in the campus for his all-year-round outfit – a white cotton half-sleeve shirt, trousers and chappals, it’s the curious case of Dr. S. Sundraraman.

We hear often of ‘a flexible mind and a strong body’, but his motto comes with a twist, “A strong mind and a flexible body”. Movement is the key, “Pilgrims who walk up till Vaishno Devi start removing their warm clothes on the way – as the body becomes hot”. He enjoys a walk, uses little transportation. After an early morning cold water bath, he walks around while completing house chores. He always bathes with cold water, twice a day.

A vegetarian, he consumes seasonal food - sometimes in raw form, sometimes without salt - the diet varies. “People get defensive, I get adaptive,” says he. In the scorching summers of Tamil Nadu, in his home-state, he doesn’t use a fan. No prize for guessing then his dislike for AC. The trick is to, “manipulate little of the outside, instead change the inside.”

He pursued higher education alongside a 16 year service in the Indian Air Force. Retired, he completed a PhD, and began teaching at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior. He has been in Himachal for two years now, teaching at the School of Tourism, Travel & Hospitality Management in CUHP. Never once spotted as someone biting the cold, he seems to taste it.

"Jo dar gaya, wo mar gaya,” he believes. Is it that easy to adapt? “To get used to a change in weather, my body needs 48 hours. I don’t suggest anyone to follow my routine suddenly. This has been my way of life for 25 years.”

Eve Teasing rampant in Chattri bus stop near Central University of Himachal Pradesh

by Priya Yadav

For representation only (Photo Credit: pee vee)

Anjali *, a 21-year-old student, decided never to go alone to PG. She took that decision because what she thought a matter of only metro cities ,happened with her. One day on her way to PG , she found that two boys on bike were stalking her. As quoted by her ,”The two boys were following me. They stopped at one point and gazed at me and when I crossed them , again they started their bike and stopped at some distance and were continuously looking at me . “

A hat is not just a hat - political overtones of the Pahari cap

By Gaurav Mandyal 

Fixed ? Himachali caps on display at a retail shop in Kangra.
(Photo Credit: Gaurav Mandyal)

A cap is not just a cap in Himachal Pradesh, especially during the election time. The traditional Pahari cap of Himachal Pradesh is copyrighted by different political parties as a part of their identity. Yes, we are talking about the Virbhadra’s green Himachali cap and Dhumal’s red cap; and the latest addition is the blue, which belongs to the BSP.

Any Time Milk, naturally

by Varun Kaushal

            ATM inaugurated in Kerala (Photo Credit: The Hindu)

मशीन में पैसे डालो,

दूध का पैकिट निकालो ।

दिन हो या रात

अब दूध रहेगा साथ ।

Anand just got Anand-ier - the milk capital of India will now have 24X7 milk supply. This is made possible through the Any Time Milk machine introduced by Amul ● For Rs.10, it dispenses a 300 ml milk packet ● Accepts only Rs. 10 currency notes ● Can store maximum 150 pouches at a time.