Guwahati/Agartala, Dec 19 (IANS) Union DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday that constructing more railway lines and connecting routes between the northeast and other regions are the priorities of the Central government.

Addressing the inaugural function of the two-day North East Festival (NEF), the DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Minister said that the region has ample wealth and human resources and the government is trying to exploit these resources and natural reserves for the all round prosperity of the region.

The 8th edition of the North East Festival started on Saturday with a colourful inaugural function in Guwahati.

Addressing the opening session of the festival, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal talked about the encouragement of youth and foster learning to use the resources of the region purposefully and positively.

"Hardworking and united efforts would definitely yield positive and beneficial results for the better and brighter future of northeast India," the Assam Chief Minister said.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said: "The northeast region itself is an asset to the region and its people. Our cuisine can be promoted across the world. The DholaeSadiya Bridge (also referred to as the Bhupen Hazarika Setu connecting Assam with Arunachal Pradesh) is a landmark milestone in developing the tourism sector of the region."

Deb said that taming terrorism in the region, the Central government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking the erstwhile backward northeastern region to the path of growth and prosperity.

The North East Festival is an attempt to showcase and create awareness about the northeast and to promote entrepreneurship and tourism. One of the major aims of the festival is to attract tourism and investments and create positive vibes during these trying times.

The opening session was also graced by many dignitaries, both in person and virtually, including Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

The speakers further highlighted the use of the resources with the advancement of science and technology.

North East Festival's organiser-in-chief Shyamkanu Mahanta said that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, northeast region's first and foremost source of income and livelihood, tourism, has been affected severely and everything has come to a standstill.

"The focus of the festival would be a growth agenda for the northeast region post Covid-19. A new entity, 'NEF Ideation Conclave', would have a series of discussion sessions. The 'North-East Youth Session' would feature prominent personalities of the region, including Zubeen Garg, Armstrong Palme, Hima Das, Niti Deb and many others speaking about their journey," he said.

The events of the festival would be telecast for the spectators across the world through digital platforms.

A session, 'Market Linkage on Agriculture', will see agri companies of the northeast region interact with buyers from outside, a eB2B Meet on Tourism' will be organised wherein tourism stakeholders of the northeast will interact with prominent tour operators of the country.

Another session on eMake in North East' will see prominent investors in the northeast region, including Numaligarh Refinery Limited, Patanjali and ITC, share their experience of investment in the region.

Some successful startups from the region will also share their story.

Mahanta said that a virtual walk through of North East Festival will be showcased. The evenings will showcase cultural events from across the region.

"North East Festivals over the years have been able to create a positive perception about the region. This time the focus is to highlight the strength of northeast as an investment destination and focus on the region as an ideal tourism destination post Covid-19.

"The virtual North East Festival will aim to create a market linkage for the products of the region and will try to motivate youngsters of the region for entrepreneurship, sports and other activities," Mahanta said.

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANSlife) For Delhiites weekend getaways and road trips may not involve the sandy beaches of Goa, but with Jaipur and Agra less than a 300 km drive away, there's a lot to explore.

Jaipur one of the biggest city of Rajasthan offers history, tradition and shopping. With stunning palaces, museums and and many homegrown Indian brands, a two-day getaway just isn't enough. They also have traditional textiles, memorable camel rides and experience traditional folk dance and musical performances from the artistes.

If you have not yet seen the Taj Mahal now might be the best time, with tourism at an all time low, you avoid all the crowds usually expected at this wonder of the world. Located in Uttar Pradesh, It goes without saying, besides being known for its ivory-white Taj Mahal the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage offer a great lesson in history.

To make the journey safe and worry free, checkin at the ITC Hotels in both cities; the properties are offering some of the best deal for an extravagant weekend indulgence! One such offer is the '100?ck' deal where the hotel matches your spend and doubles your joy! The ITC Rajputana, Jaipur offers the full amount you spend as hotel credits which you can instantly redeem during your stay. Enjoy responsible luxury experiences including delectable food and beverage offerings, soothing spa treatments and a lot more. This exciting offer is valid on weekdays and weekends, available across 15+ #ITCHotels and Welcomhotels at over 10 destinations across India. Curating immersive luxury experiences and world-class hospitality strengthened by their #WeAssure program, a one-of-a-kind safety and well-being initiative, ensuring peace of mind and well-being during your stay.

(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)

Are ‘air bubbles’ between nations a way of getting international passenger travel going again?

With India having created “air bubbles” with some countries such as France, the UAE and the US and advanced negotiations on with Germany and other nations, it is heartening to see that international commercial air travel is restarting. An “air bubble” is a form of a bilateral air traffic agreement but one that follows the entry rules set by various nations related to registration and quarantine protocols. In India, for example, travellers from abroad are still mandated to undergo one week’s institutional and a week’s home quarantine. The “air bubbles” also prevent direct “sixth freedom” air traffic, a connecting one. International travellers will not, for example, be able to connect through Dubai or Paris airports while coming to India unless specifically allowed by the Indian Government. However, one wonders how an immigration-free zone such as Europe’s “Schengen” area will be managed. The increased flights will hopefully see better utilisation of air fleets and present airlines an opportunity to make some money. However,  if experience from India’s domestic flights resuming operations is any indication, the volume of passengers might be minimal after an initial rush as few people have an urgent non-personal reason to travel this time.

So these “air bubbles” could be a start as it remains to be seen whether commercial air traffic can ever re-emerge from the pandemic. For example, many airlines made significant volumes of connecting air traffic but with restrictions as well as the risk-averse nature of most people to deal with another large airport, how will airlines like Emirates and Singapore Airlines cope? Emirates, for example, has already retired the earliest of its A380 superjumbo aircraft and laid off thousands of employees as the Indian air traffic that sustained that carrier has vanished overnight. Even storied airlines like British Airways have announced that they will retire their entire Boeing 747 fleet, joining Australia’s Qantas and Dutch airline KLM in retiring the “Queen of the Skies.” While airlines highlight how safe travel onboard is, drastic reductions in service, thanks to the pandemic, and the lack of passenger confidence have made certain that many of them will not re-emerge from the crisis. Bubbles or not, the aviation industry itself sits on a precarious bubble.

(Courtesy: The Pioneer)

As the world grapples with the Corona pandemic, travel bubbles may be the way ahead to open international tourism

At a time when tourism, which was considered to be a growth engine of the new economy and a defining lifestyle statement, has reached a dead end courtesy the Coronavirus, here’s some solace from at least from one corner of the world. Ongoing talks between New Zealand and Australia to chalk out a plan to create a “travel bubble,” which would allow citizens of both nations to cross the 2,000-kilometre sea line, offer some hopes for recovery for this industry. Maybe create a template for the rest of the world. Agreed, it may take some time for tourists to start moving freely but a designated guided tour between two or microdots of “safe” countries may yet rescue a sector from dying. As the two countries work on the modalities to create the bubble, it must not be forgotten that this is a hard choice they have had to make. However, both nations have been way ahead in containing the pandemic — registering only one per cent growth in new cases — which is why they have been lucky enough to consider the option to open each other’s borders for their citizens. Besides, the two nations share the closest bilateral relationships in the world. With easier visa agreements, the flow of people, work-related or for pleasure, had been pretty smooth before all hell broke due to the spread of the pandemic. Heavily dependent as they remain on each other, with Australians making up almost 40 per cent of international arrivals to New Zealand and the latter making up for around 15 per cent of the former’s international visitors, they might just get a micro-economy going.

With Australia looking to double the pace of economic growth next year and a somewhat diluted form of recession in New Zealand, this would be a symbiotic relationship that has to be closely monitored in terms of disease control protocols. Moving too fast would mean not only a second wave of COVID-19 cases but a challenge laden with potential risks of new infections. With another country being involved in the mix, contact tracing would be even more difficult. From following stricter health protocols to tightening up airport rules and quarantine checks, a lot would be needed to restore confidence of travellers. Technology would have to be deployed to intensify the screening and tracking the movement of the each tourist. A bubble indeed that cannot be allowed to burst. India, too, over the course of time, can experiment with domestic bubbles between “safe, contiguous” territories.

(Courtesy: The Pioneer)

With more than 20,000 deaths, Spain, which used to be a tourism hotspot, has turned into a contagion hotbed. But hopes are high that it will soon be able to return to normalcy

In Europe, Spain, with a population of 46 million, is closely following the footsteps of Italy in terms of COVID-19 fatalities. It has suffered more deaths per million inhabitants than any other nation with the death toll crossing 20,000 on April 17. There were more than 9,000 new cases on March 31 and 950 deaths on April 2, the biggest daily death figure. These horrific statistics were provided by the Spanish Government’s top scientific advisor on the pandemic, Fernando Simon. Immunologist Alexander Edgar of the University of Reading said, “A lot of the spread had happened before people realised. Most of them assumed that the problem was elsewhere — Wuhan, which was shut off since January.”

This is analogous with Myanmar’s Health Minister saying in Yangon when it claimed zero COVID-19 that “Hubei was 1,200 miles away from the country though it shares a 1,900-mile border with China.” The three main reasons for the high fatality rate in Spain are the country’s slow response; demography and social behaviour; and low testing capacity. This, despite the country having an excellent healthcare system and not to forget the high-life expectancy in Europe due to its Mediterranean diet. But Spain’s ageing population has been shrinking since 2010 due to recession and migration. More people died in 2018 than were being born here and the pandemic started with the elderly contracting it first, like in Italy where social and cultural behaviour matches that of Spain’s.

On a holiday in Spain months before the outbreak of the Wuhan virus, one had heard of the Spanish flu and influenza pandemic that occurred in 1918-1919 during and after World War I, where one in three human beings were infected and around 17 million to 100 million perished across the world. Calling the flu Spanish is a misnomer: It started in Kansas at Fort Riley when the US was preparing to join the war. Others say it started in the congested trenches of Europe, which at that time were filled with young men and later American soldiers. The Spanish flu was really bad as it came in three waves and reached across the world, including Africa and Australia. Medicine, too, was not extensively developed.

The holiday was memorable. Ethiopian Airlines describes Madrid as the city of great monuments. I would add museums and Plaza Mayor to that list. It has just one cathedral and that, too, constructed in the mid-20th century as the Archbishop of Toledo, the old capital of Spain, would not allow it. Madrid sits astride Rio Manzanares with gentle slopes on both sides of the river connecting the two parts of the capital with a blend of ancient and ultra-modern bridges, marvels of architecture reflecting the extraordinary vision of the Spanish rulers building six-lane bridges in 16th century.

On both sides of the river are walkways, partly covering the Madrid marathon cycling tracks. Spaniards ride bicycles whenever and wherever they can. September is a great time to arrive in Madrid’s new and a design wonder airport where immigration officials took just four seconds to stamp my congested passport. But immigration rules will change now.

Madrid has one palace, one cathedral, more than 50 museums, 46 art galleries and 23 concert venues. All of these were renovated for the 400th anniversary of the Plaza Mayor, which records Madrid’s heartbeat with its ancient square and adjoining food and wine markets.

I am not a connoisseur of wine but Spanish rioja is excellent at 3 to 4 euro per bottle. In Madrid, in the grocery shops, I could find only Spanish wine. A bottle a day is bound to keep spirits high, ideally with fresh strawberries, ham and cherries. Bar Nakama, a hole in the wall, is run by the solitary English-speaking barman Robert. Nakama, he explained, meant “friend” in Japanese, though we never saw a Japanese in here. In his bar one could buy a glass of reasonable wine for 2 euro, which is accompanied by plentiful snacks and gratis. Excellent espresso coffee and Spanish beer were available, too.

All roadside cafes charge 1 to 2 euro extra for service except the chain 100Mantidelos, where self service rules, which is pronto. Madrid is not expensive like London and Paris or even  Brussels and Amsterdam. Though museums charge an average of 7 to 10 euros, many are free between 7 and 9 on some days and gratis all times for EU and Latin American nationals.

September is also the month for art, music and theatre festivals organised by DCode, supplemented by exhibitions and concerts by Arte Madrid and Appertura. World class bands, including Team Gallagher and Oasis, Broadway musicals,  English theatre artistes, flamenco dancers, singers and guitarists, all perform here. Bull fighting happens only between April and June but Spain stands divided on whether the sport should stay or be banned  altogether. Madrid boasts of a three Michelin-star restaurant Cairella Bistro that has a Valencian chef. The most famous landmark is that of a male Spaniard, leaning on a balustrade near Calle Allemedine and Calle Mayor June. Most tourists mistake the bronze life-size statue for real and brush past it whispering inanities and rubbing its bottom for good luck. They call him the good bum. Toledo is a world model tourist attraction. On a Sunday, it was bursting with human kind with tour guide-led columns crawling like ants. It takes an hour to reach the old capital of Spain, which is surrounded on three sides by River Tagus. From the moment one alights the bus, one is elevated to Plaza de Zocodover on a series of escalators rising 500 feet to reach the panoramic heights of the old city famed for a blend of three cultures.

Over a period of time, Christians, Moors and Jews lived together peacefully (not quite like today in West Bank in Jerusalem). A 10th century mosque, preserved for two centuries before it was turned into a chapel, is in good shape. Toledo’s cathedral, built in the 13th century contains El Grecho masterpieces of de-robing Christ. The bell in the tower weighing 30,000 kilos apparently rang only once as it caused a minor earthquake in which a 90-metre high clock had one of its needles disappear. A 14th century synagogue is well preserved in the Jewish quarter, next to El Grecho’s recreated house. Toledo is an experience of a lifetime. Equip yourself with a tourist map, the Es Madrid magazine and mucho gracias for your travel whenever you can plan one in the future.

Fast forward, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday that current measures of lockdown will extend beyond April 25 and schools will be closed till September. Like elsewhere in Europe, he has announced a sector by sector opening of the economy. Sunday saw the smallest one-day death toll, 410, since March 22, which means the curve is bending.

(Writer: Ashok K Mehta; Courtesy: The Pioneer)

For a sustained and all-round economic growth, there is need for an integrated sectoral approach to ensure the ease of doing business 

Discussions on the performance of the Indian economy have been taking place for months now. The many years and cycles that our economy has been through show that in order to grow at a healthy pace and sustain that growth year after year, no sector can operate in isolation. From being recognised as a predominantly agrarian economy in its early days, we have seen various sectors develop, contribute and help grow its overall size.

The Pahle India Foundation’s (PIF) report titled: An Integrated Value Chain Approach to Ease of Doing Business: A Case Study of Sugar, Alcohol Beverages and Tourism Sector points towards the synergy between the three sectors. This has remained largely unexploited. States like Kerala and Bihar, which have an immense potential for tourism, have been battling broader policy issues like the ban on alcohol. Kerala quickly realised the effects of prohibition and reversed it two years after it was imposed in 2015. Why such a ban is detrimental to the success of the tourism sector is self-explanatory, especially when one considers foreign tourists visiting India. Consider this; Bihar lost over Rs 3,000 crore in excise revenues in a year after alcohol ban in 2016; tourism is down too as the State has seen a decline in the number of domestic and international arrivals. According to data from the State tourism department, the number of domestic tourists in Bihar was approximately 61.52 lakh in 2015, which in 2016 decreased to 42.84 lakh. At present, Gujarat, Nagaland and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep also practise prohibition.

Sadly, reforms on the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) front have been very generic so far and there are many challenges which need to be overcome for the tourism industry to realise its potential. For instance, among the many licences that are required today to start a hotel, one is for washing clothes. There are close to 70 such licence requirements which are a burden on the industry. The estimate made in the report that the Indian hotel industry has a potential to grow to $424 billion by 2027 points to a clear need to rationalise policies across sectors in order to harness it.

If tourism is to be made business-friendly, the Government needs to introduce sector-specific reforms. This is necessary as tourism as a sector has strong interlinkages with other sectors and industries such as food services, hospitality, retail, travel, real estate and others. Tourism as a sector comes with direct, indirect and induced benefits and allied economies play a role for the growth of tourism to sustain such benefits. There is a need to bring down the incoherence in the status of tourism and its regulations in the country. In Schedule 7 of Article 246, tourism is not listed under the Concurrent, Union or State list. Each State has its dedicated tourism board which is responsible for overlooking its promotion and development.

From the perspective of EoDB, recognising the need to upgrade tourism infrastructure in India, the Central Government has proposed an outlay of Rs 152 billion for the sector. From an EoDB perspective, the States have a bigger role than the Centre.

As the report points out, the tourism sector today faces various challenges not just with respect to the value chain but also in services and infrastructure. Some of these include an ineffective single window clearance and extended time periods for clearances and licences. To make things simpler we need to further enhance the efficacy and implementation of the Government’s skill development programme and it is here that stakeholders would have to support the efforts of the Government.

For an industry which is the seventh-largest in the world, with respect to its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) report of 2018, has pegged the tourism sector to grow to Rs 29,680 billion by 2027. At present it accounts for Rs 16,380 billion, which is 9.4 per cent of India’s GDP.

For the industry to achieve its true potential, a conducive reforms programme will have to be implemented on the lines of what the report is suggesting. The PIF report makes several critical recommendations. Ideas like creation of investor and entrepreneur-interactive platforms (competitions, fairs, summits) in small cities are the need of the hour. A quick and transparent licencing process is another important need and enforcing stricter timelines a necessity. Enhancing EoDB is a challenge but policy initiatives in the right direction are a must, specially considering the tightrope walk that the Government is doing for ensuring that the economy remains on track and moves in the right direction. An integrated approach to EoDB  is the first step in that direction.

(Writer: Vineet Taing; Courtesy: The Pioneer)

There is an adage, where there is a will, there is a way. It stands true for seven girls who decided to take the road less travelled. MUSBA HASHMI catches up with the youngest trekkers to scale Mt Kilimanjaro to bring you their success story

On August 7, 2019 while it was a normal day for everyone, seven young girls decided to set off on a journey that will be remembered by all for years to come. These girls are the talk of the town and for all the right reasons. They have scripted history by becoming the youngest trekkers.

The girls aged between 15 and 18 years are fearless, focused and had only one thing in mind — to make their country, parents and school proud. They embarked on this expedition along with two faculty members — Priya Dhillon and Major Priya Jhingan. The expedition was led by Ajeet Bajaj, director, Snow Leopard Adventure a Padmashree Awardee who scaled Mt Everest along with his daughter, Deeya Bajaj, last year.

The expedition was conducted by The Lawrence School, Sanawar and no surprise that it is a success. Mt Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak with the summit located at 5,895 meters above sea level. It is also the world’s highest free standing mountain. The expedition was sponsored by Hero Cycles, who later felicitated the girls after their return.

The adventure bug bit these girls early.  And scaling Mt Kilimanjaro is just the beginning. They have miles to go.

Seventeen-year-old Class XII student,  Megan Bhagirath, recalls the journey as one of her best things that has happened in her life.

“It is very unlikely for parents to send their children on such adventures when it is about Class XII Boards. But, I am very fortunate to have got such supportive parents who motivated me to go on this expedition. Not even for a moment did they think that this would affect my studies in any way. My father just walked up to me and asked if I would manage both. I say I would and he replied then go. I can say that this expedition was one of the best things that happened in my life,” she says.

But not all was smooth and easy. Bhagirath had her moments when she thought of dropping the plan. She was anxious if she would live up to the expectations of her parents and teachers. It affected her — what if not everything turn out to be good. That was when, her father became her strength.

“My father told me that I will have this fear until I will set off on the journey. But, I should stood strong. I can’t quit. He told me you will never know what is going to happen until you are off to the journey. So just go. Then there was no stopping,” she tells you and adds she has keen interest in sports. The reason being her school.

“Sports is a compulsory subject for everyone. Each one of us have to enroll in a sport of our choice. That was the reason I was always interested in sports. My brother is a big sport fanatic as well,” the 17-year-old says whose favourite sport is hockey.

One can only imagine how is it like to  look up the mountain with a vision of scaling it. When you are on the top and everything else seems so tiny, one can’t do anything but admire the Mother Nature.

Bhagirath’s experience of the expedition, she says, was full of people.

“There were so many people who had the similar thing in mind — to scale it. We all were strangers but up on the mountain they all felt so familiar. The Africans are very hospitable, they are very sweet. When you are up there everybody wants to connect. There are people all around you. Even the most introverts turn into  extroverts on the mountains because at the end, people is all what you have up there,” she says and adds that imagine you are on the mountain for seven days with no Internet, no family, just the mountain and the cold air.

“It is very peaceful. There are no tensions. No stress of what is happening in school or what will happen later on. It is like purification of the soul. It is beautiful. One can definitely take a sigh of relief on the mountains,” she tells you and says that their training started in February  from Rishikesh where the girls had to walk for eight hours straight with not more than a 10 minutes break after every two hours.

“Rishikesh training taught us endurance. It gave us that belief that you will get there (to the top) just keep going.  Then we trained in Ladakh. It got us the feeling of training on a high altitude with limited oxygen and low resources. It taught us to manage time and our mental abilities,” she tells you.

Though, their initial training started from school. It is compulsory for students to go running for an hour-and-a-half in the morning and then in the evening. They also need to go for hiking daily. But, it was not easy. Time management was a problem because of academics. They overcame this in Rishikesh and Ladakh, where their sole focus was on training.

The ones who are willing to go for such expeditions have to keep in mind that there is a particular diet they have to follow. No junk or fried food, lots of carbohydrates, protein and collosal amount of water is a must.

Bhagirath tells you that the moment they reached the top, all of them felt an adrenaline rush. It was a  proud moment. “It felt like all our efforts paid off. After a 11-day journey we were there where we wanted to be. It gave us immense pleasure and all the other things seems very small then. It was 11 am when we reached the Summit and we couldn’t help but smile all through our return,” she recalls with yet another smile on her face.

There are still many parents who are not willing to send their daughters or even sons on such adventures. Bhagirath has a say on that. “To everybody out there, there is so much to the world than just few boundaries that we live in. There is a lot to explore. It is not like students have to earn a well-paid job to spend a good life.  They should do what they love. If we can do this in such a small time, then they can definitely do much more,” she says.

Unlike Bhagirath, who is a sports lover,  a 15-year-old Avanti Aggarwal the youngest among the seven girls was never into sports.

“I am in  Class XI student. I was always more inclined towards academics. I didn’t do well in sports and it didn’t interest me. One day, when our faculty informed us about the expedition, I was very apprehensive about it. I had to prepare for my Boards. I decided not to give my name for it. Then, my parents encouraged me to give it a try. So I did. And it turned out to be the best experience of my life,” Aggarwal tells you.

But, sometimes only motivation is not what helps you in the long run. It is about training too. And Aggarwal had to face a lot of difficulties because she missed the Rishikesh training and all the others had an edge over her. “I missed the Rishikesh training because I enrolled into the activity very late. I joined the group in Ladakh. So everyone was apprehensive whether I would be able to continue or not. One day, we all went for a high-altitude check and I did face a lot of difficulties in it. It made me lose confidence but then the entire team supported me and I pushed myself  to do that,” she tells you.

There are always perks of being the youngest. So was the case with Aggarwal.

“In between I fell ill. I had mild symptoms of acute mountain sickness. I thought it’s time for me to go back home. Because I didn’t want anyone to feel like one person didn’t anything and all the other did neither I wanted any one to stay back with me. But, all my seniors in the group and my faculty motivated me and took care of me. They were very generous with me. Fortunately, I recovered fast and accompanied them on the expedition. Their support and love helped me get back to normal. Since, I am the youngest they all treat me with special care. It gave me the confidence to not surrender,” she says.

Aggarwal recalls that on the summit night when they started from Kibo to the  Gilman’s point which is the highest one, it was the toughest part of the expedition. “The slope was very steep with an inclination of 75° and the temperature was about -20° Celsius. As we were walking there were boulders all through our way. Every time we thought that we have made it to the top, we found out that it was the boulders and so much more is still left. Everyone was asking us to take heart, that Gilman’s point is not too far. It became dark and all we could see was the team that was ahead of us because of their flashing head lights. The guide told us that that was the Gilman’s point but they were also moving ahead and so were we. Every time we thought we have reached, we were disappointed. It took us seven hours to reach there from Kibo,” she tells you.

Though it did disappoint the team a bit but no one ever felt like quitting. They all knew that they had to reach the top.

“It was very cold. Everyone was helping each other. Everyone was motivated and motivating others too. We all were energetic despite the long walk. All we had on our minds was to reach the top. That thought kept us going,” she adds.

Any journey is incomplete without a mentor. Everyone needs a guru who can show the path to success. So was the case here. The guru or the leader of the expedition was — Ajeet Bajaj. He says that it was a wonderful experience to go on the expedition with the seven girls whom he now call his daughters — the daughters that listen to him. (laughs)

Bajaj says that it was the highlight of his career. The thing to look out for is that this expedition was the first one for the girls, who scripted history at one go.

“These girls made the country proud. The great resilience that they showed on the mountains was appreciable. A thing to learn from them is their spirit and the never give in attitude. This is a message for all that given an opportunity there is nothing that our girls can’t achieve. They just the need the push and support to get going,” he says.

One thing that Bajaj abides by is that on the mountains one has to proceed with a lot of respect for Mother Nature. He has to be very slow and steady. Going with the mindset of conquering mountains is a big ‘no-no’. Humans can never do that.

Not only Bajaj but both the faculty members, Dhillon and Major Jhingan were as supportive as him. They also highlight the need of sports education in India and opines that sports should be given equal importance as academics. It is important for the overall development of the students.

MK Gulia, Head of Sports and Outdoor Pursuit, The Lawrence School who selected the team of the girls and faculties says that they didn’t select the girls on the basis of physical strength but their will power.

“We can work upon the physical strength and fitness. It can be build with training. The key is the will power, mental strength and a passion to go for trekking. This is how we selected these seven girls out of the others 15-20 girls who gave their names for this,” he tells you and adds that he felt disappointed when a number of girls withdrew their names because their family didn’t allow them to go on the expedition.

He tells you that it’s high time when we stop asking the Government to focus on sports. The Government is doing its part. It is the responsibility of the society, the schools and the parents to identify the importance of sports and let their child free to do what he wants.

“These seven girls are an example for others who believe that sports will not take them anywhere. The parents should understand this and should encourage their children for participating in sports. When the young generation scale such highs, it is not only a proud moment for their parents and the school but for the whole country. Many people took inspiration from them,” he says and adds that the school will definitely plan more such expeditions and will encourage the youth to scale new highs.

Writer: Musba Hashmi
Courtesy: The Pioneer

The Himalayan States have demanded that the Centre give them an environment grant, not really an unfair demand

India’s extremely fertile plains are nourished with water and nutrients from its mountains, like a bloodstream disseminates life force across the human body. Without the Himalayas, there wouldn’t be glaciers or the resultant rivers to water our vast plains. There wouldn’t be rains if the peaks hadn’t blocked the monsoon clouds and trapped them in the Valleys. It is important, therefore, for India as a whole to treat the Himalayas and the ecology of these mountains carefully to ensure that civilisational life as we know it can continue as it has for five millennia. Ergo, it is not imprudent for the Himalayan states to demand a ‘Green Bonus’ so that they can preserve the ecology of the mountains and plan for sustainable development.

We have seen what rampant, unplanned development in the mountains can do. Shimla, the erstwhile colonial summer capital of this country, ran out of water last summer. Rampant development has seen the destruction of thousands of acres of primeval forests and wanton construction activity continues with nary a concern for the future or resource management. Satellite imagery shows that the rapid retreat of large Himalayan glaciers, through a combination of both local and global environmental contagion, is grave indeed. It is only fair then that the citizens in the plains do their bit to contribute for the health of the mountains and the economy of the states because in the long run, they are protecting themselves and their progeny. There has to be a stop on the race to develop huge projects and even too much industry in the mountains, but the population of the mountain states needs some sort of compensation for this denial, which seems like a small price to pay. Without any financial incentive, unrestricted development will continue, because the fear of penalties will be overridden by economic interests. We need to incentivise and not just penalise. Ten of India’s 11 hill States met as part of a recently concluded campaign and made this demand to the Finance Minister. They also advocated for a separate Central ministry to explore concerns specific to them and for better efficacy of ecological programmes targetted for the mountains. This is something that should be explored, maybe not as a ministry but definitely as a department of the government that looks at some of these critical issues. In the end, these would not just impact residents of these States but every other Indian. The Himalayas might be one of the world’s youngest mountain ranges but they have suffered from the ravages of civilisation. This must be controlled now, if we, as a nation, are to continue.

Writer & Courtesy: The Pioneer

The closure of the Lakshman jhula is another warning sign on the pressures of over-tourism in the Himalayas

Perhaps a great way to rewind family histories in India would be to turn the pages of a photo album and find generations frozen forever on the Lakshman jhula bridge in Rishikesh, all the way from sepia to instagram. Even Bollywood has relied on it as an eternal prop through the ages. That’s the span of the iconic suspension bridge, far more everlasting than the 137 m gap it closed on the Ganga and helped people transit from the Tehri to the Pauri side. And though it is being shut after years of gross overuse, for Indians it will never be a bridge too far. When it was first built in 1929, it served as a jeepable road for British India to transport men and materials and facilitate administration and connectivity in the hill states. But for locals, who believe that Lakshman crossed the river here on a rope way he made with Lord Ram and has probably the only temple in his name, it is about a gift from the Gods. Over time, it, along with Ram jhula, came the shortest and only transit corridor between both banks of the Ganga, ferrying everything from cows, buffaloes, bikes, jeeps and cars to locals, pilgrims, vendors and visitors. With more time, an entire economy grew around it, be it of the spiritual trail linking a group of temples, souvenir shops and food outlets and the quaint colonnades radiating from it. It also became Rishikesh’s best vantage point to watch the mystic river flow, the clear green waters full of fish on a sparkling day and a dark ripple catching flecks of a starlit night sky. With ever-increasing footfalls, the bridge had far exceeded its carrying capacity a long time ago. But its lifeline value far exceeded structural concerns. So when its sagging weight seemed to tilt the poles, the authorities rightfully decided to close it than risk a human catastrophe. In fact, the vintage Ram jhula will also be at risk as some traffic will tend to be diverted here. Authorities have promised another bridge but it will take some coming. They say Lakshman jhula itself was built because an earlier bridge was washed away in the floods. So one hopes an improved version, with latest technology and factoring in today’s demands better, continues a much-trusted legacy. Meanwhile, locals will have to depend on the boat crossings that pose a challenge to the waters and fish. Besides the waters are not safe during floods and the monsoon.

The fate of Lakshman jhula is a warning sign of the over-exploitation and over-tourism posing a serious challenge to the hill economy. And places like Rishikesh, which serve as a base town and a resource hub for both adventure and pilgrimage trails, have indeed come under tremendous pressure in terms of providing basic services like adequate hotel rooms, water and electricity. The Uttarakhand High Court had to ban all water sports and paragliding camps in the state, citing water pollution, ecological damage, and garbage piling up on beaches and hills, mostly around Rishikesh. River rafting in Uttarakhand is hugely popular, especially with weekend travellers from Delhi, and generates sizeable business. Thailand and the Philippines are already shutting down over-run tourist sites at the cost of the exchequer and laying new guidelines to open them once they recover. There is an urgent need for eco-friendly guidelines and rationed permits on the basis of an impact assessment report until 2050. Except for the Amarnath yatra, there are no unified codes for the Char Dham yatra yet. Because without sustainable and equitable tourism, the Himalayas may turn into a wasted paradise

Courtesy: Editorial-The Pioneer