Chicu Lokgariwar
Tug of war on the Gomti
Posted on 29 Aug, 2013 02:44 PMAs temple tanks go, this one is quite beautiful. It is a rectangular masonry-lined tank, about the size of a badminton court. Brick steps lead down to the water. On one of its longer sides is a lovely old temple, shaded by mango trees. Groups of men and women sit and gossip in the coolness. Facing them is an avenue of large trees, below which sit contemplative buffaloes.
Angioplasty for groundwater or a heart attack waiting to happen?
Posted on 16 Aug, 2013 10:38 AM“What is in a name? That which we call a rose, would smell as sweet by any other”, goes the line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There is quite a lot in a name, Juliet, especially if attaching the wrong terminology to a process is used to appropriate public funds - Rs. 800 crores, in fact.
Open Confusion: Charba and Coca Cola
Posted on 10 Aug, 2013 08:36 PMCharba is a small village in Uttarakhand with a population of 10,000. It is located in the 'Vikas Nagar' area just beyond Dehradun - a section that the government has denoted an industrial area. This little village shot to fame when Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages (HCCB) decided to build a plant there.
Turtle relocation program or turtle poaching plan?
Posted on 09 Aug, 2013 12:23 PMRajkumar needs no urging to talk about Sundari. She is evidently a favourite of his. When we met, he regaled me with stories of her beauty, her smartness and her incredibly sweet nature. When he finally brought her out to meet me, I failed to see any signs of a winning personality or of towering intelligence. "Well," I rebuked myself, "you've only met her for two minutes.
Fighting the good fight using the Right to Information Act (RTI)
Posted on 20 Jul, 2013 11:21 AMWhat exactly does a 'campaign' look like? What do people actually do when they 'protest' against something? And how do the protesters get hold of all the facts that they quote? These questions surfaced every time I read about a campaign or a protest on environmental or human rights issues but I never got any answers that made me wiser. Until this summer.
Sacchidanand Bharti - in his own words
Posted on 15 Jul, 2013 07:12 PMReams have been written about Sacchidanand Bharti, of Ufrenkhal fame and his work on afforestation and water conservation. However, very rarely does he speak about his own efforts and experiences.
Extreme weather warning!
Posted on 11 Jul, 2013 04:04 PMWe sat in a plush climate-controlled room and deliberated climate change as the outside world collapsed around us..
Breaking a centuries-old curse in Uttarakhand
Posted on 09 Jul, 2013 11:23 AMSudha Gunavante is a contented woman. She has reason to be. After all, she and her husband have managed to prosper on their farm, her children are well-educated and well-settled, and her rhododendron syrup is the pride of the village. If that is not enough, she has also managed to escape a centuries-old curse.
The Himalayan states - are they India's crown jewels or distant cousins?
Posted on 04 Jul, 2013 10:25 AMLeft, right, up, down...bump, bump, bump! That was me… being thrown about on all sides of the jeep that I was in. No, I wasn’t off-roading! I was on an investigative mission to Pinrow, a village in Nainital district, Uttarakhand from my home. I was investigating the impact of the state government's push for 100% of child births to happen in the hospitals.
Uttarakhand - ravaged by God or Governance?
Posted on 26 Jun, 2013 07:23 AMIf you thought that Uttarakhand was a land populated solely by tourists, I wouldn’t blame you. After all, that’s been the focus of the media in relation to who’s been affected by the recent floods – pilgrims at the Char Dhams and at Hemkund Sahib. The numbers are staggering, no doubt.