Expressions - July, 2010

8/9/2019 Expressions - July, 2010

1/30expressions JULY 2010 1

promote and support youth. why?

what are we heading towards?

featuring



MnnMac

SandipPuran

Singh



14 The future is oursPooja Bhatt

6 This editor even writesRaj Kanwar

7 What are we heading towardsSneha Pande

20 Face to Face withMr. S. S. Khera10 Promote & Support Youth

Yudhishter P Singh

5 From the Editors DeskRaj Kanwar

4 Thank YouFeedback

18 The Green BeatShalini Mehta

12 Photo StoryAkshay Madan

25 In the newsicare

28 Green Tipsgo green

22 Ways to Photograph DoonSandip Puran Singh

Cover Story

Features

Regulars

Fresh

founder & editorYudhishter Puran Singh

guest editor

Raj Kanwar

creative editor

Akshay Madan

photo editor

Sandip Puran Singhnews editor

Aishwarya Sharma

marketing

Lotus Leaf Business Exhibitions

advertising

Tushar Goel (NCR Region)[email protected]

Gaurav Gupta (Rest of India) [email protected]

subscription team

Harshal Mirchandani, Anuvansh Sharmaspecial thanks

Pooja Bhatt, Shilpy Goel AggarwalSuresh C Sharma

cover design & photographs

Akshay Madan

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ThankYou

After going through the article named Thenand now by Mr.Raj Kanwar,

I am actually pondering over the thought that dehradun has gone over a

large change.

This article truly gives out the essence of the inevitable yet terrible change

that has taken dehradun in its clutches. It thus comes out to be a knowl-

edgeable article spun with an amazing sense of responsibility towards

ones own town!

via e-mail Annanya Sharma

FEEDBACK

Clean doon Green doon is yet another wonderful article written by

Aishwarya Sharma, this article is a bit different from what other usual

centralized articles are and that is the u.s.p.of the write up.

In the from of direct questions asked to the reader, Aishwarya has suc-

ceeded to evoke that sense of awareness. Readers are ought to become

cautious after reading this article and will certainly realize that environ-

ment is a bit more than what we actually suppose it to be!

via web Nishant Kapur

Most people love their hometown, some of us get lucky - we get to love

some other cities as well. I am one such. I fell in love with Dehradun in

1983 from the moment I stepped off the Mussoorie Express into the wait-

ing arms of the Drill ustadsof IMA who would make a man out of this lad

in a years time. That year, I trekked the Dun Valley, Tons Valley, from

Rishikesh to Deoprayag, and to Doditaal and I fell in love with Garhwal

and, of course, with Dehradun. With its timeless atmosphere of early

Ruskin Bond novels and its quaint small station atmosphere, I came back

again and again, sometimes on military duties and often to indulge my

hobby at the Wildlife Institute of India whose alumni I also happen to be.

You can imagine that it gave me great pleasure when I came across in

a friends links, Yudhishter Puran Singh and the icare for Doon on Face-book. I joined up and was very pleasantly surprised to receive thefirst e-

magazine of EXPRESSIONS. The excellent design, images, artwork and

well written articles which spoke of the great love and affection that their

authors had for Dehradun and its message of self-help to look after ones

own town,won me over. Quite frankly, I had expected much less from

the first issue of a small NGO. It warms the cockles of ones heart to see

something done well, and as this was concerned with Dehradun, a love

of mine, it gave me great happiness. I am deeply thankful for this to the

team which publishes the magazine and its myriad contributors as also to

those who added their bit to make it a success. And lastly, my very bestwishes to Yudhishter for making this something special for me. Good luck

and God Bless!

via email Col Ashwin Baindur

CONTACT US

Write to us atExpressions

51-A Subhash Road

Adj. Damama Super Mart

Dehradun 248001

Uttarkhand

For SubscriptionSMS I CARE to +919411114921

Call +919760614317

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Email [email protected]

www.icarefordoon.org



The second edition of e-magazine, EXPRESSIONS has a few very interesting and informative articles.

the future is ours is going to be the cover story. Here ours meansthe youth of today. Pooja Bhatt, in her own inimitable style, has under-

scored the important role that the youth of today with immense latent

energy could play in saving this planet for various pernicious evils and

dangers that dog it. She has made a strong case for young people to

come forward and muster enough courage to confront the environmen-

tal hazards that face this planet today. She has exhorted the young peo-

ple not to whine and grudge but take it upon themselves, the numerous

task such as waste disposal and management rather than depend on

other people to do it. She rightly says that the future is ours and it is

for us to ensure its well being.

THEREENBEAT by Shalini Mehta, who had migrated to the UKthree years ago, writes about apparently differing cultures and mindsetsbetween Indians and the British. But then she realizes that people in both

the countries are essentially similar in nature and habit. She makes out

a very good case for three Rs, viz. REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE.

She strongly pleads that every country in the world must have laws to ensure recycling. She also highlights

some interesting benefits that will accrue from recycling.

Another very interesting piece by Sneha Pande, WhaT aRE WE hEaDInG ToWaRDS? succinctly elab-

orates numerous natural hazards on this planet earth which, some describe, as part and parcel of the

inevitable evolution of Planet Earth. Her description by bringing in Sage Narada and his arrival on theBhoomi Devi where he confronts government ministers and chastises them for their wonton destruction

of Bhoomi Devi or Mother Earth. Sneha deserves full credit for an excellent piece.

Last but not least, the piece de resistance is an article by Yudhishter Puran Singh, titled PRomoTE anD

SuPPoRT YouTh: WhY??. His argument is that the world in general and India and particular have a

much larger proportion of young people, and it is this young generation which is being and will be worst

affected by increasing and unfettered environmental degradation. His suggestion is to institutionalize the

role of the youth in policy making through advisory entities such as youth councils. Yudhishter freely

quoted from paragraph 153 of the Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable

Development, held in Johannesburg in 2002. This paragraph had supported the need to promote and sup-port youth participation in programs and activities relating to sustainable development

I must confess that the standard of these articles is of very high calibre, considering that most of the writ-

ers are teenagers. They have shown their enthusiasm, commitment and dedication to the cause of icare,and I have every confidence that this movement will grow exponentially in the months to come. Yudhishter

Puran Singh, himself a young man of just 21, is leading from the front and inspiring others in a like manner.

Raj Kanwar

FRomThEEDIToRSDESk



Lifeis full of ironies. Sometimes, one

wonders at the unkind cuts that an

irony inflicts. Consider this irony:

when we are little boys, the big girls kiss us. And

when we are big boys, little girls kiss us. Another

irony that is very common is, when our fathers giveus some good advice, we reject it, and call it a gen-

erational gap. And we realize the truth only what our

father had advised us umpteen years ago when our

own son tells us, papa, you are out of date; things are

today very different.

I bring up this issue because I sincerely feel that life

now onwards will take an ironical path. We, the man-

kind, face an unprecedented peril and danger to our

very existence, and the irony of it all stares us in the

face. Yet, the funny thing is that we are not even con-

scious of the catastrophe that is waiting to overtake us;

we are as complacent as we have always been. The

Nature had been generously bountiful to Man, but it is

the Man who has proved unworthy of Natures gener-

osity, and has played havoc with what it had given us

in plenty. Even the air which was once pure is today

badly polluted. Likewise, once clean water is now full

of impurities. These two boons were once considered

free and bountiful; now these are neither free nor plen-

tiful.

Man has been destroying what the Nature had be-

stowed upon us; he has intruded into the natural habi-

tat of wild animals, causing destruction everywhere

in the name of development. The wildlife is now an

endangered species, on the verge of

extinction. The jungletheir natu-

ral habitatis shrinking more and

more with every passing day. In the

name of development, the land useof the jungle is being changed at the

drop of a hat. From forest to agri-

culture and from agriculture to residential, and from

residential to commercial is the sequence through

which this process of land use passes. The result is

there for all to see.

It is here that the youth of today has to come forwardand take head-on the growing menace that confronts

the man. My generation, and the earlier generation,

had woefully failed to stem the ever-increasing deg-

radation of natural resources over the decades. Those

generations were neither aware of the inherent peril

that threatened the Nature nor perhaps even con-

scious of its frightening implications.

It is in the last six or seven decades that the Man is

becoming increasingly conscious of the dangers that

the looming degradation of natural resources pose.

Yesterday is virtually non-existent, Today dies to-

day. And it is the Tomorrow that would only matter,

and it is the foremost responsibility, nay bounden duty,

of the youth to ensure that Tomorrow is a better era to

live than the eras of Yesterdays and Todays. Be-

cause it is Youth who has the inherent energy, and the

motivation to save the Tomorrow not only for their

own future, but also for the future of coming genera-

tions. Admittedly, the earlier generations had not fully

realized the dangers that the fiddling with the Naturewould bring about; they were not that educated, and

science and technology had not by then developed be-

yond the elementary stage.

The development of Science and Technology has to-

day crossed many frontiers, and even planets. The

Youth today is both highly educated and fully aware of

the dangers and havoc that the playing with the Na-

ture would befall. The Youth has the desired WILL

and the required determination. All that it(Youth)needs is a motivation and a platform. iCare initiated

by Yudhishter Puran Singh is one such organization.

Let a hundred such flowers bloom leading to an un-

stoppable wave of Youth power. This is the only way

to save the world from the impending environmental

catastrophe, and make our TOMORROWS more har-

monious with Nature, and much, much better than our

YESTERDAYS and TODAYS.

ThISEDIToREvEnWRITES

LETthe YOUTHWORK

for2MORROW

Raj Kanwarveteran journalistandauthor


7/30



Few years later, Narada visits a place called Dehradun to check if the concern for nature had awakened.

..speaking to himself: When I used to come to Dehradun 50 years ago, it was so much more pristine the

air was wonderful, there was far more greenery and there was magic in the air. Now when I am visiting

dehradun again I can see the the terrible situation of a beautiful town. Ruined at the ruthless hands ofhumans. Everytime I look at doon it seems to cry in pain and ask for my help to save it and bring it back

to life once again. I am feeling disgusted, helpless and hence I want to return. I better hand in my resig-

nation to Brahma and head off to Timbuktu!

Since early school years, we have been taught about evolution. Nowhere did the booksmention that evolution has been stopped after the last of the Ice Ages. Yet nowherein the reams of print being devoted to environmental disaster issues does one find any

mention of the possibility of currently visible environmental changes being perhaps on

account of Evolution. It is a threatening in disguise, nature is giving us signals that we

are not being able to comprehend sensibly. The scenario worsens every minute and onewonders whether this is really it the shape of things to come!

Whether bells are, after all, tolling for life on earth! Are we slowly but surely approaching

apocalypse?

WhaTaRE WEhEaDInGToWaRDS?

And, what are we, humans, doing about it?

Only quibbling over steps for mitigating

carbon concentration from the atmosphere!Sitting at Copenhagen, pretty close to the

melting Arctic, leaders of humanity do not

seem to see eye to eye even now for taking

effective measures to save the earth! When

life on the planet is in peril, we, the humans,

having divided ourselves among several

nation-states few rich, many poor and

some surviving on the very edge and highly

vulnerable are bickering over who will dowhat and how much to cool the planet to

make it hospitable for life.

Time seems to be running out fast.

Environmentalists make a great hue and

cry about various development projects to

be located in what are termed ecologically

sensitive areas. Would such experts kindly

demarcate on a map of the world the areas

which are notecologically sensitive and can

safely house any new development projects

with its inevitable pollution and consump-

tion of natural resources?The signals are loud and clear and there is

hardly any time to be lost. No longer can it

be business as usual. Copenhagen or no

Copenhagen, all of us governments, or-

ganizations and individuals have to chip

in. Everyone has to take well-measured de-

termined steps, whatever the costs, for mit-

igating carbon from the atmosphere the

root cause of global warming.

It is time we the YOUTH of today get their

acts together to fight it and do our utmost

to prevent it from engulfing the entire hu-

manity. I would here like to quote Chapter

25 of Agenda 21, adopted at the 1992 Unit-

ed Nations Conference on Environment and

Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro -



It is imperative that youth from all

parts of the world participate

actively in all relevant levels of deci-

sion-making processes because it

affects their lives today and has impli-cations for their futures. In addition

to their intellectual contribution and

their ability to mobilize support,

they bring unique perspectives that

need to be taken into

account.

It is time each one of us gets our act to-

gether to fight it and do our utmost to pre-

vent it from engulfing the entire humanity.

The signals are loud and clear and there is

hardly any time to be lost. No longer can it

be business as usual. Copenhagen or no

Copenhagen, all of us governments, or-

ganizations and individuals have to chip

in. Everyone has to take well-measured

determined steps, whatever the costs, for

mitigating carbon from the atmosphere the root cause of global warming.

It is a on and had battethat e hae to fiht

the batte that i een-

tua decide hethe e

suie o eish!

Sneha Pande17 years old studying in CJM, Dehradun.

With writing as her passion, she utilizes it for herconcerns towards the environment

WhaTaRE WEhEaDInGToWaRDS?

EXPRESSIONS 2010

TImESEEmS

TO BErUNNINg

OUTFAST

San

dipPuranSingh



PRomoTEanDSuPPoRTYouTh whY?Y

oung people constitute a large part of the

worlds population. In India particularly, the

proportion of younger people is much larger

than in most other countries. The youth have both

special concerns and special responsibilities in rela-

tion to the environment. A number of environmentalrisks and hazards disproportionately affect young

people, who have to live for an extended period with

the deteriorating environment bequeathed to them

by earlier generations. Therefore, it becomes the

bounden duty of the youth to engage in new forms

of action and activism that will evoke effective re-

sponses to ecological challenges.

We must remember that the future generations will

be greatly and adversely affected by the decisions

our respective governments take today and the ex-

tent to which they have addressed the existing con-

cerns such as the depletion of resources, the loss of

biodiversity and ever alive radioactive waste (1984,

Bhopal Gas tragedy should ring some alarm bells) to

name a few.

The role of youth can be institutionalized in policy-

making through advisory bodies such as youth coun-

cils. Many national governments, including our own,

have ministries or departments with youth affairs

as part of their portfolio, though to be honest, such

offices tend to view youth as a population to be ad-

dressed by public policy (often youth affairs is part

of the education or sports ministries), rather than

considered as a resource to be tapped for participa-

tion in policy-making in a variety of areas, which in-

cludes the environment too.

Currently, the participation of youth appears to be

formalized more extensively in international govern-

mental organizations than at the national level. For

example, the UNEP has a Youth Advisory Council

that plays a supportive role. Even UNDP sponsors

training for young environmental leaders in some of

the countries. But what are we waiting for? Do we

not realize its urgency and importance? The deci-

sions taken by the government will affect our future

and yet we are not even in the picture..Isnt that

quite weird? I should seriously like to know how the

Indian government is helping the youth in tackling

the various environmental issues. I am sure on paper

there must be hundreds of schemes but how many

of us are aware of them? At least, I am not. It is my

serious request to whoever has any info about the

same to get back to us; I would greatly appreciate it.

Let it be remembered that it is not just a small bunch

of people who think that the youth involvement is

the need of the hour. Paragraph 153 of the Plan of

Implementation adopted at the World

Summit on Sustainable Development,

held in Johannesburg back in the year

2002, had indicated the need to pro-

mote and support youth participation

in programs and activities relating to

sustainable development through, for

example, supporting local youth bod-

ies or their equivalent, and by encour-

aging their establishment where they

do not exist.

Apart from having a greater stake in

more distant a future, the youth is es-

pecially ideally placed to promote en-

vironmental awareness because they

often have a better access to informa-

tion about the environment than their

elders. In part this is a matter of hav-

ing being exposed to more environ-

mental education in schools, at least

in the developed world and perhapsmore sporadically elsewhere (like In-

dia though where I feel Environmen-

tal Education is a mere subject which

is hardly helpful in conserva-a

kshaym

adan



PRomoTEanDSuPPoRTYouThtion). The youth will face challenges as pressures are

brought to bear in the opposite direction. The com-

mercialization of every aspect of life affects young

people as well.

I have discussed about environmental awarenesswith many youngsters when I was in Mumbai or even

with people all across the continent, and if I was to

sum it all up then I could say that as far as environ-

mental awareness is concerned, it varies consider-

ably from country to country, and likewise from state

to state. Nevertheless it could be said that there is at

least some awareness in every country. Awareness in

terms of information about the carbon cycle, sustain-

able development, biodiversity, renewable resources,

ecology, the greenhouse effect, ozone layer deple-

tion, carrying capacity, et al.

There is no denying the fact that, young people rec-

ognize environmental problems as real and signifi-

cant and are knowledgeable and concerned about a

wide range of local, national and global problems.

However, one can question the depth of their under-

standing, and greater appreciation of the issues in-

volved. For example, in every country the destruction

of the ozone layer was seen as the most important

environmental issue facing the world. Yet, this must

be amongst a few global problems that repeated in-

ternational action seems to have solved, although

recovery to pre-1980 levels is not expected until

around 2050. Probing this situation might lead to sev-

eral questions. Are students misunderstandings due

to incomplete teaching, inadequate educational re-

sources or, perhaps, the tendency for environmental

courses to focus on problems rather than solutions

and success stories? It is time that we came forward

and started questioning the effectiveness of various

conferences held across the world or about the vari-ous environmental legislations prevalent across the

country because if we dont, then we are ourselves to

be blamed and like, I have pointed before, we are the

ones who will eventually suffer the most.

Interestingly, the young people generally believed

that while protecting the environment is more impor-

tant than economic growth, it is possible to have a

mix of environment and prosperous economy. How-

ever, they do not seem to have a sound understand-

ing of the relationships between social, economicand institutional frameworks, and ecological degra-

dation and sustainability. This may be because the

young people in every country, through various data

available online, are of the opinion that the media,

particularly the television, was their major source of

environmental information. The next are the schools

whose content and methods seem boring. There is an

immediate need for our very own HRD Minister to

look into the effectiveness of making students mug

up various environmental issues. What for? Why has

environmental education so far failed to deliver theanticipated benefits? Part of the reason may lie in the

kind of education delivered. I am sure if we look into

this aspect sooner than later we may find the solution

to our problem.

We would all agree that individual actions to protect

the environment vary greatly within and between the

countries. However, the question that needs to be

asked about this finding is Why is the figure so low,

especially when the young people said that they usu-

ally felt good when they took such actions? Perhaps,

it is because the vast majority of students felt that

they did not know much about what they could do and

did not have enough faith in social institutions. Indeed,

the knowledge that young people seem to have about

the environment is mainly propositional in nature,

rather than procedural; i.e., it is knowledge about

the environment rather than knowledge of how to

work for the environment. This situation might help

explain the ambivalence between the young peoples

high levels of expressed concern and their generallack of willingness to change personal life-styles or

take other actions to protect the environment.

In the end I would like to quote - Gaylord Nelson - former governor of Wisconsin, co-founder of Earth Day,

The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future genera-

tions whose words of thanks will not be heard.

Yudhishter Puran Singh

EXPRESSIONS 2010



PhoToSToRY

HAvINg A pASSION FOr pHOTOgrApHy AND A DESIrE TO gET ClOSE TO my

HOmE THATS my HOmETOwN DEHrADUN. I Am pASSIONATE ABOUT ClICKINg

pHOTOgrApHS wHICH SHOw THE TrUE BEAUTy OF THIS wONDErFUl vAllEy

wE All l IvE IN. THESE p ICTUrES ArE my DEDICATION TO my BEAUTIFUl AND

DIvErSE DOON vAllEy.AKSHAy mADAN

emai l :akshaymadan@l ive . in



PhoToSToRY


14/30



CovERSToRY

government and the people take notice and formu-

late corrective and preventive measures, but do we

choose to ignore what is all around us? Their voices

and protests fall on deaf ears. It doesnt take too

long to observe and become conscious of the little

things that we do that wreak havoc and cause ir-

revocable damage. What are we supposed to do?

Theres a lot we can! An earnest effort must be

made to help restore the ecological balance if we

wish to redeem ourselves. It really boils my blood

to see so much pain and destruction in this world,

so I just hope that young people like us come for-

ward and take a serious look at stark reality that

stares us in the face, if our planet ceases to exist,

so shall we!

Technology may have advanced but everything

cannot have a replacement. So lets be mature and

rather than whiling away our time and cribbing

about why theres no proper waste disposal system

in India, go plant a tree instead and try to reduce

the amount of waste you produce. Dont dirty the

roads and you know it all! Weve constantly been

told about these dos and donts yet we dont fol-

low them. Sad and bad!! Well, lets try to discipline

ourselves. If our conscience pricks us reading this

or anything like this, its about time we ruminated

about these problems. Lets not ignore them pre-

tending they are not ours. We need to dig into the

deeper cores of our conscious and ask ourselves a

simple question. If we had an ailing mother, would

we leave her dying or try to save her?So, just as

we care for our mothers, we must love our planet

with the same intensity. Every little thought counts.

We, the young blood with fire within us must con-

front head on these challenges and make this world,

a better place to live. Like I said earlier, we should

go hand in hand building up this entire force that

can successfully combat any barrier. Remember,

that more often than not, there are SIMPLE solu-

tions to COMPLICATED problems. Its just a matter

of perception. All it needs is a thought, a helping

hand that says...

Pooja Bhatt19 years old, pursuing accessory designingfrom NIFT Bangalore

i care, i can and i will

EXPRESSIONS 2010



PhoToSToRY

COmE INTO my pArlOr


17/30



THEgREENBEAT

Hello everyone! Welcome back to the second edition of this Corner.

First of all let me congratulate the icare teamfor the fantastic launch of the new e-magazineExpressions. Everyone who contributed did ex-

tremely well. Lets hope that this can be a common

platform for everyone to share their opinions and

contribute new ideas towards a greener environ-

ment.

I have been in the UK for the past 3 years. At first

it was a total cultural change for me, a whole other

world, but as time passed I began to realize that

the people here are no different than in India. They

also face the same everyday problems like price

rise, traffic, pollution, corrupt politicians, etc. but

people here respect the law. One such law here is

to recycle. Follow the three Rs REDUCE, REUSE

AND RECYCLE. I feel every country in the world

should have a law to recycle and the required infra-

structure to promote it. This is only possible when

people themselves realize how important it is forthem to recycle, starting from all those who run our

country to the common men like you and me.

In Britain there are bins provided by the councils for

each and every household to recycle their waste.

Almost 90% of all household waste can be recycled.

There are separate bins for glass, plastic and paper.

People who have gardens and backyards are pro-

vided with additional bins for all the garden waste

like grass, tree branches, leaves etc. which is then

taken and converted to mulch for the gardens or

in some places made into logs for firewood used

in winters. Also you can be provided with compost

bins on request. Recently, there are some Councils

that are providing the residents with incentives to

recycle more. They have come up with bins with a

special chip that will measure or weigh how much

you have recycled in a month and depending on

that the residents are given vouchers for local busi-

nesses where they can shop.

When I think of all this I just ask why cant such

schemes be introduced in our country. I know it re-quires a lot of infrastructure and money and train-

ing for operations, but it is possible, more than all of



this, it needs the will to do it. The local government institutions can hire private contractors to remove

household waste and every locality can be provided with bins for bio-degradable and non bio-degrada-

ble waste. The residents should be provided with information as to what kind of waste goes into which

bin clearly labeled on the bins itself. There should be a public helpline where residents can call and get

information about recycling, what they can and cant recycle and raise more awareness about the three

Rs of recycling.

Some Interesting Recycling Facts 1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours.

1 recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes.

1 recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hours.

70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw materials.

As much as 50% of waste in the average dustbin could be composted.

Up to 80% of a vehicle can be recycled.

9 out of 10 people would recycle more if it were made easier.

Recycling is an excellent way of saving energy and conserving the environment.

We can all start in our own backyards by making compost which is environment friendly and so much

better to use than the synthetic variety. Grow your own organic fruit and vegetables in your gardens

and share a few with your neighbors if you have extra.

To conclude, in the famous words of a Michael Jackson song, if you want to make the world a better

place, then make the changeNOW..

So have fun guys. Till next time.

BE gREENTHiNk gREEN

Shalini Mehta

THEgREENBEAT

EXPRESSIONS 2010


20/30



icare bringing people together

ABOUT USWelcome to icare, the part of SUSWAdedicated to bringing the young Doonites

together to actively participate in taking

care of their valley and at the same time

help CFD its sister organization build an

online encyclopaedia of Doon.

icare is a non-profit organization work-ing towards bringing people together such

as conservation professionals and other

concerned citizens of Doon. Its resource

persons include conservators, educators,

scientists, students, archivists, historians,

and concerned non-resident Doonites allover the world.

Conserving our natural and cultural herit-

age is of paramount importance, but doing

so presents complex challenges to both the

administrators and the residents of Doon.

At icare, we understand the seriousnessof the situation and are there to bring peo-

ple together who care for the valley. We

feel there is an urgent need for us to be

conscious of our relationship with nature

and to bring about a change in our per-

ception in such a way that the interactions

between us and our environment become

mutually rewarding.



Hello and welcome to the second edition of Expressions. Looking at your response to the photo-story

in the inaugural issue we are bringing you a series of articles related to photography in Doon valley.

Its never been easier to take a photograph than it is today. Anyone who can hold a camera, point it in

the right direction and then all he has to do is press a button. But taking a good photograph requires

a little more thought. Very often you need to spend only a moment or two to make the difference be-

tween taking yet another uninteresting snapshot to producing an eye-catching image.

The Doon valley and its surrounding hills have been a source of inspi-ration for countless creative people over the ages and even today

there is something for all to experience and enjoy. There is something

spiritually uplifting about seeing the beauty which the forces of nature have

created and for a photographer the effect is amplified when it can be used

as a means of expressing the feelings the experience evokes.

The aim of this series is to show something of the rich variety of subject

matter which can be used to produce striking images. While spectacular

vistas like viewing the snow-clad Himalayan ranges from Mussoorie quite

understandably attract the greatest attention its important to appreciate

that beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder when it comes to pho-

tography and potentially photogenic subjects are all around us.

A perceptive eye for shape, texture, colour and light is the key to producing

outstanding photographic images and the aim of this section is to illustrate

and explain how these vital, visual skills can be developed together with the

process of composing and recording what is seen in the most effective way.

As a keen amateur for many years who has spent all his life in the valleyIve looked at various fields of the medium but photographing the landscape

of Doon has always been my greatest passion. During this period Ive used

several types of cameras and processes but none excites as much as those

available today. Digital capture and image control have opened my eyes to

new ways of seeing my surroundings and have introduced me to virtually

unlimited creative possibilities for controlling and presenting the final pho-

tograph.

Sandip Puran Singh

WaYSToPhoTGRaPh

Doonvalley



WaYSToPhoTGRaPh1

One of the most frequently taken landscape pictures is of a lovely view, as this is the

kind of subject that its hard to resist snapping. The desire to have a visual memento ofa beautiful place is often the main reason for photographing it

SNOw-CAppED

HImAlAyAS

The first step towards pro-

ducing an eye-catching pho-

tograph of a classic view is,

of course, to have the right

view point. There are anumber of viewpoints which

among landscape photog-

raphers of Mussoorie, with

many of them having been

photographed initially by

people like Samuel Bourne

and Thomas Alfred Rust.

Its not uncommon for en-

thusiast to plan their photo-

graphic itineraries aroundsome of these places. How-

ever this approach invites

disappointment, as its very

unlikely that similar condi-

tions to the iconic image

will be found on a casual

visit.

This shot of snow-capped

Himalayas was taken

from a well-known and

much-used viewpoint at

the famous apple orchard

Hazara Heights, Kanatal

14 km ahead of Dhanaulty

coming from Mussoorie.

Little else was needed to

capture it other than plan-

ning to arrive an evening

before in late autumn when

the sunlight was clear and

undiffused. The picture was taken

using a wide-angle lens in the

morning and a polarizing filter to

increase the colour saturation of

the foliage. Id seen a stunning

photograph of thesame scene in

Ajay Marks collection at Wood-

stock and, in comparison, my

effort seemed very inferior. But if

you ask Ajay he will tell you howmany times one has to go to the

same spot to get the perfect shot.

When your motive is primar-

ily to produce a striking image,

landscape picture are among the

most difficult subjects to photo-

graph. When distant details are

an important element of a scene,

then the conditions need to be as

close to ideal as possible because

atmospheric haze and diffused

light will detract significantlyfrom the clarity of the image.

The best landscape photograph



WaYSToPhoTGRaPh

KAlANgA FOrT

are usually the result of good luck in being at the fight place at

the right time, or of the willingness to keep returning to the

same location until the conditions are right.The scene appealed to me because the dark monsoon

clouds in the valley and the sunlight filtering through them

was creating some beautifully graduated contours in the

gently rolling landscape

sa

ndippuransingh

This landscape picture was

entirely unplanned, as Id

taken upon myself to take

photographs to illustrate a

study called Exploring the

Doon that involved visiting

geographically relevant fea-

tures of Doon valley. Walk-

ing up the old bridle path

from Rajpur to Jharipani I

was surprised and delighted

to see a sweeping view of

the surrounding countryside

with the famous Kalanga

hillock clearly showcased.

The landscape was lit in a

very pleasing way by the

dark monsoon clouds gath-

ering low on the horizon

and yet the rain had the

atmosphere that was clear

enough to see far into the

distance with the Song river

flowing towards the Ganga.

The scene appealed to me

because the acutely dif-

fused sunlight was creating

some beautifully graduated

contours in the gently roll-

ing landscape, which was an

attractive shade of green. I

used a wide-angle lens and

chose a viewpoint which al-

lowed me to frame a little of

the foliage in the foreground

to heighten the sense of

depth and distance.

Sandip Puran Singh

Writer is the founder of

SUSWA, an NGO working

along the northern bound-

ary of Rajaji National Park.

Hes also an avid bird

watcher and an amateur

naturalist working on the

Doon valley.

His love for photographing

the valley can be seen by

logging onto

www.icarefordoon.organd

can be reached at

[email protected]

1



InThEnEWS

Hafu cheica s in atoshee can cause

sk in, es i ato a i ents

Though Doon valley was once famous for its green

and clean environment, the combination of environ-

mental degradation and natural factors has created

a situation wherein the quantity of dust and sus-

pended particles of harmful chemicals in the air has

reached a level that is up to four times more than

the healthy limit.

According to measurements recorded by the Utta-

rakhand Environment Conservation and Pollution

Control Board (UECPCB), the unhealthy dense level

of such particles in the ambient atmosphere of Deh-radun can cause illnesses related to skin, eyes and

respiration.

The measurements taken by the UECPCB reveal

that the level of sulphur, phosphorus, magnesium

(SPM) particles at the Clock Tower in Dehradun is

445 microgram per cubic meter. The level of SPM

particles at Raipur Road intersection was measured

at 370 micrograms per cubic metre. According to

the levels set for the Doon valley, an SPM level ofmore than 100 micrograms per cubic metre is con-

sidered to be in the bad for health category.

As per the measurements taken using respirable

dust sampler pollution measurement device, the

general level of SPM and dust particles in the ambi-

ent atmosphere of Doon valley has been more than

250 micrograms per cubic metre. The quantity of

nitrogen and sulphur in the ambient atmosphere is

also substantially higher in the valley. According to

Meteorological department head Dr Anand Sharma

the drizzles being experienced in the valley now

and then are not providing any relief from the heat

due to the drop in level of moisture in the ambient

atmosphere. Doon Hospital medical officer Dr Ajit

Gairola states that those susceptible to asthma and

allergies of skin and respiratory system should take

special care considering the climate and condition

of ambient atmosphere in the Doon valley. The in-

crease in heat and pollution is causing a correspond-

ing increase in complaints of eye and skin ailmentsamong residents, he added.

Scientists and officials agree upon different reasons

responsible for the unhealthy increase in density of

SPM and other harmful particles in the ambient at-

mosphere of Dehradun. From the climate point ofview, this month has been marked by the advent

of warmer winds from the western direction in the

valley. The level of moisture in hills surrounding

the Doon valley is comparatively less due to the

lack in snowfall and its effects brought in the val-

ley from the northern direction during the winter

season. Major canals being covered with concrete

and made underground is also a factor contributing

to the decrease in moisture in the ambient atmos-

phere of the valley. This has been exacerbated by

the diminishing area covered by trees particularly

the large mango and leechi orchards for which the

town was once famous.

In addition to the severely debilitated condition of

Rispana and Bindaal rivers, the drastic and con-

sistent increase in the number of vehicles creating

pollution and increasing number of constructions

replacing the greenery have made the Doon valley

hotter and its ambient atmosphere more unclean.

Source: PIONEER



InThEnEWS

Susensi on of hde o j ectsUkhand govt to move court Cites acute shortage, demands 1,000 MW

free power in return

The issue of hydel power projects in Uttarakhand issnowballing into a major controversy with the BJP

Government in the state planning to move court

and challenge the Centres decision to suspend Pala

Maneri (480 MW) and Bhaironghati (381 MW) pro-

jects on environmental grounds.

A belligerent state government has also demanded

supply of 1,000 MW of free power from the Centre

for shelving the projects.The decision to suspend the projects was taken on

the recommendations of the Group of Ministers

constituted by the Prime Minister. Environmental

concerns raised by activists in the state have been

corroborated by a special audit conducted by the

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) as

well. The report, yet to be tabled in the state As-

sembly, has received the required assent from the

Governor.

The CAG report, it is learnt, has severely criticised

the state governments decision to sanction 56 hydel

projects, five of which have become operational.

There are 200 more projects awaiting sanction and

the report points out that not only will rivers face

the threat of drying up, but diversion of 90 per cent

water to these projects will also force people living

on river-banks to migrate.

The state government, on the other hand, holds that

Uttarakhand has a severe shortage of power and

there is no reason it should not exploit its hydel po-

tential of generating a

whopping 15,000 MW

of electricity. Suspen-

sion of power projects,it contends, would

force industries out of

the state and lead to

migration from rural

areas.

The states policy to

promote mini and mi-

cro hydel projects had

also been opposed by

the Congress, alleg-ing that individuals

and companies with no

experience of power

generation had bagged

the projects. Distillers,

bottlers, cycle manu-

facturers and knitwear

companies from Chan-

digarh, Ludhiana and Kanpur and even individuals

close to the ruling party were awarded the projects,

alleged Harak Singh Rawat, leader of the Opposi-

tion in the Assembly.

Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, howev-

er, claimed that procedures were transparent and

of the 741 bids received for the projects, 624 were

found eligible.

Source:

SMA Kazmi, TRIbUNE - Dehradun



DEHrADUNS F IrST ENvIrONmENTAl E-mAgAZINE

lAUNCHED

InThEnEWS

An environmental e-magazine for Dehradun was launched by icare as a part of its crusade to preserve

the flora and faunna of the city on June 12th 2010. The launch was a great success owing a heartfelt

gratitude to Delhi based event management firm LOTUS LEAF BUSINESS EXHIBITIONS who supported

them in their initiative.



gogREENTipsSAy NO TO plAST IC

Did you know that organic waste takes a week or to deteriorate itself, paper takes 15-30 days, cotton

2-5 months, wood 10-15 years, Tin / aluminum 100-500 years and Plastic??

Yes! Plastic takes more than 1000 years to deteriorate.

You know plastic is derived from petro-

leum which is an inflammable substance.

It is the main cause of pollution in the

world today. It has created havoc in our

society. Plastic is surely attractive, dis-

posable, cheap, easy to use but at the

same time non-biodegradable as well.

Everywhere we are subjected to drainsbeing clogged due to plastic bags which

not only choke resulting in overflowing,

water logging and at the sametime has

serious repurcussion for aquatic life as

well.

Plastic pollution has become the most

sensitive issue of the environment. Eve-

ryday we use hundreds of items made of plastic without realizing that we are responsible for increasing

the demand of plastic and inviting dangers of plastic pollution. However, by adopting some simple steps

in our daily life we can reduce these problems.

g greensteps Declare your areas no plastic zone

Plastic carry bag is the main culprit. Use alternatives such as cloth bag/jute bag/paper bag.

Make a habit of keeping a cloth bag/jute bag in your car or scooter.

Dont accept plastic bags from shops. Carry your own bag.

Use garbage cans instead of plastic garbage bags.

Buy bottled goods instead of plastic containers. Never dispose off plastic waste in open fields, public parks, sewer drain as they are clogged.

Replace plastic crockery by ceramic crockery which is eco friendly

Stop buying disposable plastic pens; use ink pens.

Explain children why we should not use plastic bags.

Keep the environment plastic free in whatever way you can.

Use re-useable metallic razors instead of disposable plastic razors.

Innovate your own ideas and share with your friends and relatives all about avoiding plastic and

using alternatives.



Because we don't think about future generations,

they will never forget usHenrik Tikkanen

g

akshaymadan

anant

aggarwal

suresh

csh

arma


30/30

CoNTEsT QUEsTioNNow wrack your brains and answer this in 100 - 150 words.

How can Environmental Education be made more enjoyable?The best entry will not only win a prize but will also be featured in the August issue.

ECO SpACEHave a passion for drawing, painting, sketching, photography.....???This is your chance to be featured in EXPRESSIONS august issue, and youstand to win a surPRIZE.

Theme - ENVIRONMENT & WOMEN

Send in your entries latest by 25th July, 2010 at

[email protected]

www icarefordoon org

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Expressions - July, 2010

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Transcript of Expressions - July, 2010