Foreign buyers throng textile fashion event (Go to Top)

          New Delhi: Scores of international fashion buyers thronged the fashion event showcasing India's textile manufacturing and design capabilities in New Delhi on Monday. Titled "Dsyn 2004", the event is organised by the National Institute of Fashion Technology and Australian Fashion Innovators. The show aims to give a boost to the Indian textile and fashion industry in the global market by facilitating business interactions and partnerships through seminars, fashion shows and theme pavilions.

          Nine fashion shows over the period of three days would display collections of various designers from India in categories which include ready-to-wear, men and women categories, men's sports wear and street wear. More than 700 buyers from England, Australia, Thailand, Singapore and United States have expressed willingness to buy textiles. Barbara Constantico, a buyer from Australia, said she was struck by the variety of textiles. "Anything that is fine and that is beautiful, silks, cottons-I have gone up to Ludhiana and Amritsar. I look for wool, embroideries, printing and all the things you are good at," said Constantico.

          The buyers have shown interest in designs which are key to providing India a competitive edge among the other Asian countries. The focus of the show is innovative design, shapes and silhouettes, fabric specifications to manufacturing components and techniques. Amrit Sikka, an upcoming designer, said foreign buyers were eyeing Indian fashion industry's potential. "What they are trying to do here is modernise the big export houses, who have to get their designs from outside or get designers from outside to get their designs to sell. We have good facilities in terms of good colleges. They are not big names as such but they will work to get the industry move and we can sell their design elements," said Sikka. Events in India's fashion industry promote trade between businesses and corporations and attract huge public interest. "Dysn 2004" showcases nearly 165 collections and provide an insight into the Indian textile and fashion industry.
March 30, 2004

Hidimba temple, Manali: Protest against land acquisition (Go to Top)

          Manali (HP): Nestled in Himachal Pradesh, the famous Dhungiri or Hidimba temple of Manali, has become a subject of controversy with local residents and authorities literally fighting it out over the land's ownership. The altercation began in 2001 when the temple's land was taken over by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Hidimba temple had been taken over by the ASI way back in 1967.

          Residents allege that the acquisition of the temple's land by the ASI has caused them a lot of inconvenience, and they have to seek permission from the ASI's office in New Delhi before conducting even routine religious ceremonies. "We have been facing a lot of problems since this order has been passed. We need to ask for permission before cutting any plant, but we ourselves do not want to disturb the forest area and want to save it," said Tirath Ram, head priest of the temple. Tired of all the red-tapism, around 400 families, representing 3,200 voters, have submitted a representation to the government asking for greater freedom to practise their religious ceremonies.

          Local authorities too say that the adjacent land which has inadvertently been brought under ASI jurisdiction, will soon be restored to the people. "I think by some mistake some area around the temple has also been brought under the jurisdiction of the ASI but we will try to redeem the situation as soon as possible," said R.D. Nazeem, Deputy Commissioner of Kullu- Manali. Hidimba, a demon and wife of the mighty Bhima of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, has been deified and is worshipped in this area. Hidimba Devi is today worshipped as the "Goddess of the Valley", and the present-day Hidimba temple was built in 1550 by Maharaja Bahadur Singh.

          The four-storeyed temple with a pagoda-shaped roof is best known for its intricate wood carvings that cover the pillars and door posts, and is considered as a site of national and international importance. Each year during the month of May, thousands from all across India congregate to worship the Goddess.
March 17, 2004

Olive Ridley: Mass nesting of turtles starts in Orissa (Go to Top)

          Hrishikulya (Orissa): Environment lovers in Orissa kept vigil on Saturday as thousands of endangered Olive Ridley turtles arrived on Hrishikulya beach for annual nesting. Every year as winter rolls around, the Olive Ridleys move in in large numbers to three major nesting sites along the Orissa coast by the Bay of Bengal and afterwards return to the sea. Hrishikulya beach is one of the world's major nesting grounds for the benign creatures.

          Conservationists said there was an urgent need to legally protect the area in order to save the species. "We have enforced the Fishing Regulation Act and Wildlife Protection Act in preventing unauthorised trawling in those areas off the Gohirmatha coast and as a result there has been very good mass nesting this year, starting from March 1 to March 7, we estimate some 2,50,000 turtles have nested in the Nasi 1 and Nasi 2 islands," said Suresh Mohanty, chief conservator. Mohanty and other wildlife officials are also marking the nesting turtles to protect them from poachers. Wildlife officials said over 250,000 turtles had made their annual trek to the nesting sites and many more were on the way to lay eggs. With each turtle laying an estimated 120 eggs, large stretches of the state's Hrishikulya coastline are now packed with them.

          Vishwajeet Mohanty, a wildlife expert, said the artificial lighting along the coast has become a potential hazard for the creatures. "Industrial development and lighting has emerged as one of the biggest threats because lighting distracts the sea turtles and especially the hatchlings instead of going to the sea are coming towards the land, and a lot of them are killed every year," said Vishwajeet. Last year over one million turtles came to the Orissa shores to dig sand pits and lay eggs, the largest concentration being at Gohirmatha beach. In the year 2000, only 700,000 turtles arrived. In 1997 and 1998, the turtles skipped the annual ritual and there was no mass nesting at all.

          The Olive Ridley turtle, which can grow up to 75 cm in length, is found in tropical regions of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Such large concentrations only occur at a few sites in the world. But if Orissa is the turtles' largest nesting ground, wildlife activists say it is also their biggest graveyard. Though protected under a Central law, in the past five years over 50,000 turtles have either been mangled by fishing trawler propellers or suffocated in fishermens' gill nets. The Orissa government has declared the whole nesting area a marine sanctuary and has banned mechanised trawlers in the state. Besides it is also urging local fishermen to include Turtle Excluding Devices (TED) in their fishing equipment. But though fishing is restricted around the marine sanctuary, mechanised trawlers move freely scouring the sea-floor within 200-300 metres of the sanctuary. The turtles are vulnerable because of high mortality rates. According to studies, only one out of of every 1,000 hatchlings normally reaches adulthood.
March 13, 2004

Solang Valley: Tourist inflow threatens ski resort (Go to Top)

         Sloang Valley (Himachal Pradesh): Environmentalist and sports enthusiasts in Solang valley of Himachal Pradesh have raised concern over the region's deteriorating ski slopes. Situated 17 km away from the famous Manali tourist resort, the snow slopes here are one of the best in the world, offering ideal setting for winter sports. But in recent years, unchecked sporting activity coupled with poor maintenance has led to severe degradation.

         Experts warn that if immediate conservation steps are not taken, the picturesque valley could lose its sporting potential. "The confusion here is due to excess of activities like skiing and sledging. The tourists have also dirtied the place. The administration should make separate tracks for the events. If the administration takes the initiative in regularising all these, it will be good for us," Bhagat Ram, a national-level skiier, said. But despite the hiccups, the region continues be the Indian skiers' favourite destination and thousands are coming in every year. "We did skiing, para-gliding, sliding and many more. We liked it very much," Dheeraj, a tourist said.

          However, little efforts have been made to regulate the tourists and the flourishing hotel and tourism industry associated with it. Himachal Pradesh boasts of some of India's best ski slopes. But skiing enthusiasts cite lack of adequate infrastructure as a big drawback.
March 7, 2004

Harike Pattan Bird sanctuary (Go to Top)

          Ferozepur: The 148 sq km Harike wetland near Amritsar forms the second largest bird sanctuary in the country, home to rare varieties of avifauna from parts of Europe and north Asia for a large part of the year. Harike Pattan, as it is called, is also a brilliant example of nature conservation and protection by the authorities. The golden wealth of nature in its divine glory, untainted and undisturbed, and the need for it to remain so.

          Through its ups and downs over the years, this is what this vast expanse of water intermingled with bushy wetland has come to symbolise. One of the country's lungs, that's how ecologists have described Harike Pattan. Through the Indian autumn, spring and winter, Harike Pattan becomes a refuge to over 361 species of birds, 140 of whom are breeding. For Harike is strategically situated for birds migrating to and from the Himalayas of central Asia and Siberia to southern areas. Says Jagdeep Singh, District Forest Officer posted at Harike Pattan in District Ferozepur, "Studies about the reason for migration is still long. ....the reason are availability of suitable habitats. In those areas the weather is very cold and the lakes there become frozen. Here the water body is very large, temprature falls but it never freezes. Birds from other waterbodies which are solid they come here is winter."

          Of 148 square kilometres of the wetland area, 41 square kilometres is open water. In fact, it came into being with the construction of a barrage at the confluence of the rivers Beas and Satluj with the objective of storing and providing irrigation and drinking water to parts of southern Punjab and the adjoining state of Rajasthan. It was in 1978, 26 years after the barrage was made, that the government of Punjab declared 148 square kilometres a closed area and declared the water based body a wildlife sanctuary.The area of the sanctuary has since been increased to preserve some precious ecologically important habitats. Interestingly, says the forest officer, the presence of some rare species of birds and aquatic animals this year has also been related to the international situation.

          "Bar Headed Geese, Red Crested Pochard... which normally visited this place in November, this time they came little bit early. In November they disappeared and returned back again in December. This was all because of disturbances, I think, in Afghanistan because once the habitat is disturbed thay preferred to go to secured places," says Singh Some rare international species - the Sykes' Nightjar, Rufous ventred Prinia, the Indian skimmer and Whiteheaded stiff tailed duck among others, have been spotted here by avid birdwatchers over the years.

          The Ramsar Convention of 1990 held in Iran, one of a series of world conventions on ecology and wetlands, has formally declared Harike as a wetland of international importance. Harike Pattan, its ecological wealth, also tells a revival success story. The sanctuary was hit by the dreaded water hyacinth in the late 1990s. So much so that the army was called in for a cleaning operation, the hugely successful Operation Sahyog completed in 1999. Alongwith this success came a fresh determination to hold on to this ecological wonder, provide every succor possible to its winged inmates and wildlife. "We are giving them full protection. No poaching is allowed, no fishing is allowed and they feel secure here. We have tried to minimise encroachment, we have tried to keep the inhabitants intact. And we have tried to keep the water clean reserved for them," say Forest Officer Jagdeep Singh.

          In many ways, the creation of this habitat has in it the hand of man and nature in equal measure, each not interfering with the beauty of the other. It's all about freedom at its highest brilliance. The literal reaching out to the realm of the symbolic, the dreamlike, the divine. The experience of being here, in itself, is out of this world.
March 5, 2004

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