Ten-day long Hot Air Balloon festival started on the bank of River Ganga in the spiritual city of Varanasi, on Sunday.
A private tour operator – Tour Assistant India – in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Tourism department has taken the initiative in order to explore the scope of adventure tourism in the city.
According to Vikas Narayan, Assistant Tourism Officer at UP Tourism, the project is on a ten-day test as a pilot project to check the feasibility to make it a permanent adventure to attract more tourists to the city.
“Varanasi has a large scope of adventure tourism and despite having river and many landscapes, it has not been explored yet. The Hot Air Balloon service is an initiative in this direction. It is on a ten-day trial as of now and after examining the response, it can be made permanent,” said Narayan.
“It is very affordable and reasonable as the ticket is Rs 500 per head during the trial period. The Hot Air Balloon involves a lot of cost along with several limitations such as weather,” he added, while talking about the cost and affordability.
The flying balloons created a big buzz among the tourists and the local residents pulling them to the river bank.
A local resident, Sarika, told ANI, “This is a very new thing for all of us and everybody, especially kids, are very excited about it.”
“Banaras is already a very beautiful city and the view will be more beautiful from the top of it,” she added. (ANI)
source: http://www.aninews.in / ANI / December 24th, 2017
The much-awaited Lucknow Mahotsav, which was scheduled to be held from November 25 to December 4, will now be held in the last week of January.
The event had been deferred due to elections to urban local bodies in three phases in the state.
Officials here said on Sunday that Lucknow Mahotsav would kick off on January 24, the day Uttar Pradesh will celebrate first foundation day, or UP Diwas.
The announcement came after a high-level meeting here on Saturday chaired by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Anil Garg. As part of the event, kite-flying competition would be held on January 26 and Vintage Car rally on January 28.
District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma confirmed that the Lucknow Mahatsov would be organised along with the UP-Diwas from January 24.
Both Lucknow Mahotsav and UP Diwas would be celebrated at one place — Awadh Shilp Gram — in Gomti Nagar Extension.
However, the duration of Lucknow Mahotsav has been restricted to six days. This time, greater number of renowned artistes are likely to participate as the event has been coupled with UP Diwas.
Lucknow Mahotsav is organised every year to showcase the state’s art and culture, in particular ‘Lukhnavi tehzeeb’.
UNI MB RS 1140
source: http://www.uniindia.com/ United News of India / Home> States / December 24th, 2017
The Uttar Pradesh government is working on a plan to get international recognition for the fossil park at Sonbhadra, considered to be the oldest fossil finds in the world. This work will be carried out along with the development of Kapilavastu, Kushinagar and Sharavasti, areas closely connected with Lord Buddha.
Speaking in the Vidhan Parishad on Thursday, tourism minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi said a research team has been formed and a roadmap would be chalked out to promote the fossil park internationally. Members of Samajwadi Party had demanded that the government get UNESCO recognition for the site, as it had recently done for Varanasi.
“The fossil park at Sonebhadra is older than even the Yellowstone National Park in the US. Earlier, I could not have taken action as the area came under the environment department. However, recently an MoU has been signed between the departments of environment and tourism for the development of eco-tourism. We will take up the fossil park under this MoU and soon have a plan in place to ensure international recognition for the area as a heritage zone,” she said. The roughly 25 acre-fossil park in Salkhan is believed to be more than 1,400 million years old and is located 12 km from Robertsganj, the district headquarters of Sonbhadra.
The fossils were reportedly first discovered in the 1930s but the area was designated a fossil park only in 2002. Fossils of algae and stromatolites have been discovered in the area, adjacent to the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary. A similar fossil park was discovered a few years later close to the one in Salkhan, in Badagaon village under Chopan Vikas Khand. This year, said Joshi, Rs 89.60 lakh has been sanctioned for various development work to be carried in and around the fossil park. She said the Centre had sanctioned Rs 99 crore for a project to develope tourism in areas closely linked with the rise of Buddhism, namely Kapilavastu, Kushinagar and Shravasti.
Outlining works that were already going on, Joshi said the area would be developed as acircuit that would promote tourism in the entire region.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News> Civic News / TNN / December 22nd, 2017
Lucknow boy Jitesh Singh Deo, who won the title of Peter England Mr India World 2017, in Mumbai on Thursday, says he always had the confidence to make it to the top but could hardly believe it when his name was announced as the winner.
The 22-year defeated 15 other contestants in the final round to win the coveted title. Having worked hard for two years to clinch the title Jitesh is “super happy” and is now looking forward to coming back home to Lucknow and celebrating his success with his friends and family. Also on the top of his to-do list, when in Lucknow, is tucking in his favourite Tundey kebabs.
Speaking to us from Mumbai, Jitesh says, “I froze on stage when they announced my name as the winner. And then when Kangana Ranaut put that sash around me, it was the most incredible feeling. I knew I had it in me but frankly, the win was unexpected. But as they say, and now I firmly believe it too, that hard work definitely pays.”
And Jitesh would know that as the engineering graduate also tried his luck in the contest two-years ago but couldn’t make it to the finals. He then groomed and trained himself for this year’s contest and succeeded, and how!
Jitesh Singh Deo, Peter England Mr India World, 2017, in a scene from the film A Disaster….June 16 in which he plays lead (BCCL)
The former City Montessori School student of Mahanagar, third branch, says he is now looking forward to sharing his happiness with his family and friends in Lucknow. “Bas ab Lucknow aa ke celebrate karna hai”Jitesh laughs and adds, “My grandmother and parents are eagerly waiting for me to be there at home.
My grandmother and mom had started crying when they got to know that I had won. My parents were so happy that they cut a cake and partied the whole night the day I won. My friends have been calling me up ki ‘bhai kab aa raha hai, party karni hai’. There’s so much excitement among all my relatives and even our neighbours. Ab bas sabse milna hai. Aur sabse zyada, Lucknow aa ke khoob saare Tundey kabab khaane hain. I am dying to have them. Mein thoda patla bhi ho gaya hoon toh Lucknow aane ke baad khoob sara khana khaunga.”
‘But what surprised Jitesh was a call from his school congratulating him for his win. “I got a call from my school and they said they want to felicitate me. It was a bit surprising kyunki mein aisa koi studies mein bahut achha nahi tha. And now they want to honour me. That’s what I call god’s blessings. It’s all feeling so nice.
My friends are calling me and saying ‘yeh ladka jo hamare saath padhta tha, khada hota tha, aaj TV pe hai aur Mr India bann gaya hai!’
Giving credit to his city of birth for his win, Jitesh says, “All credit goes to Lucknow for my success. Yahan ki tehzeeb, parvarish, grooming, yahi sab zimmedar hain meri kaamyabi ke. My basic personality has been shaped in this city. Yes, I got the exposure and the confidence to face the world in Mumbai, where I shifted six-months ago and also in college in Ghaziabad, but shuruaat toh Lucknow se hi hui hai.”
An aspiring actor, Jitesh has acted as lead in a film made last year on the 2013 Uttrakhand floods. He has also participated in fashion shows in the past and says that Bollywood will be a natural progression, but not just yet.
“As of now, I want to focus on the Mr World title. After Rohit Khandelwal winning the Mr World title and Manushi Chillar being crowned Miss World, I feel my responsibility has increased. I want to retain the Mr World title in India and win it for my country again. So abhi toh usi ki taiyyari karni hai,” says Jitesh, adding, “As a kid I always was interested in singing, dancing and acting but I had never imagined myself to be Mr India. I used to participate in cultural activities in school.
In fact, when I was in class 12th, the school annual function was to be held. And since we had our board exams, we weren’t allowed to participate in it. But I saw these juniors practicing for the group song and I also joined in. On the final day of the event when people saw me as the lead singer in the group, they were shocked ki yeh ladka kaise aa gaya annual function mein, so main aisi cheezen karta rehta hoon. But, eventually, I want to be an actor.”
— Itishree.Misra@timesgroup.com
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / December 18th, 2017
Swadesh Bandhu, an eminent theatre personality and a pioneer of the theatre movement in Uttar Pradesh, died following prolonged illness in Delhi on Sunday. He was 77.
For the past two years, Bandhu had been suffering from acute respiratory ailment and had suffered nervous breakdowns a couple of times, said his son Ritu Raj.
A 1978 graduate from Bhartendu Natya Akademi, Bandhu was the founder of Darpan, a theatre group in Lucknow.
Originally established in Kanpur, he opened Darpan’s Lucknow edition in 1971.
He acted in more than 250 plays.It was Bandhu who brought the trend of inviting directors from National School of Drama to direct plays in the city that further helped in creating an environment of theatre appreciation.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / December 18th, 2017
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli | Photo Credit: Instagram
While people can’t get enough of how stunning and much in love Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli look in their wedding pictures, which are being circulated on social media, not many know the couple who made everything look so beautiful. Lucknow girl Devika Narain was entrusted with the task of designing the wedding and her husband, Joseph Radhik, was the one who clicked all those inspiring photos.
After the couple made their official pictures public on their social media accounts, Devika and Joseph, who had to keep all their work a secret from everyone, finally got a chance to reveal what had kept them busy for a few months.
“Some days, the whole world conspires to make things right. Thank you @virat.kohli and @anushkasharma, it has been an absolute honour and privilege to be a part of your journey,” posted Devika on her Instagram account.
She also wrote a post on her company’s Facebook account, “It’s finally all settling in, the cold is seeping back in and at this point I’m an odd mix of relief and immense excitement. We’ve been keeping a secret for a couple of months now and all of it has come to life today, in a beautiful tuscan village, where Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma got married. We’re overwhelmed to have been chosen to be a part of such a special day. It means a lot to us to have had their trust, not just in keeping all of this a secret but to create a setting for their big day! Congratulations and thank you! #virushka.”
Devika made several trips to Italy’s Borgo Finocchieto to get every detail in place and make all the arrangements for a wedding that had the nation interested. Devika’s father told a national daily that she had kept her assignment a secret from her family as well.
After completing her schooling from Lucknow’s Loreto Convent Intermediate College, Devika studied English honours from Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College. She worked at a popular wedding planning company for a few years before starting her own.
Devika has also designed the weddings of Indian cricketers such as Robin Venu Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik and more.
source: http://www.timesnownews.com / Times Now News / Home> Zoom> Entertainment / Times Now Digital / December 12th, 2017
Initiative to attract a large number of tourists from Nepal. The train will run on a 15 kilometer route and will carry eco-tourists through the forest area
Lucknow:
A vintage train that stopped moving for over 30 years now will start its journey once again.
The train will soon run through the thick foliage of the lush green Sal trees in Laxmipur range of Maharajganj forest division which is famous for the Sohagi Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary that has a huge population of antelopes besides rare and endangered birds and wildlife.
The train will run on a 15 kilometer route and will carry eco-tourists through the forest area.
The initiative for this was taken by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath who wants to give a boost to tourism in eastern UP.
The railway authorities have already completed the survey of the track and found it fit for operations. The vegetation on the track, however, has to be cleared. Mr Manish Singh, divisional forest officer of the Sohagi Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary, said that while the train earlier used to run on steam engine, it will now be driven by a diesel engine between Laxmipur and Ikma. The forest official said that since the area is near Sonauli border with Nepal, it is sure to attract a large number of tourists from Nepal.
The track that runs along Taungya villages also has a parallel road alongside on which there is a heavy movement of people all day through.
The vintage train that used to run on a narrow gauge track had 56 bogies and four engines, apart from a saloon.
Incidentally, the train was started in 1922 to ferry wooden logs and its operations was stopped in 198
source: http://www.asianage.com / The Asian Age / Home> India> All India / December 10th, 2017
Taking a step towards ending VIP culture and spread the message among other officials in the district, additional district magistrate (ADM) of Muzaffarnagar, Harish Chandra, is trying to set an example here.
Chandra not only commutes by bicycle from his home to office and other places for official meetings, but also completes his daily chores on it. He also never has security personnel with him.
A 1997 batch provincial civil services (PCS) official, 40-year-old Chandra had taken to riding a bicycle during his previous stint in Saharanpur as well. On seeing the ADM take a bicycle to work, the district bar association president, Thakur Anup Singh, also appealed to his associates to start using bicycles instead of travelling by cars or buses in a bid to reduce pollution. “I will soon put a proposal to bring bicycles while coming for the bar meeting,” he said.
“I use the bicycle even for my daily chores. It saves time and fuel,” said ADM Chandra.
Advocate Firoz Rana, who has a chamber only 100 yards away from the ADM office, said, “I know many my associates would like to bring the bicycle to work. I am sure in the coming days they will also use it.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Meerut News / by Mohd Dilshad / TNN / November 29th, 2017
A woman poses for a selfie during the heritage walk and (right) the poor state of the road leading to Kashishwar Mahadev temple
Lucknow :
A journey called ‘Yatra’ to lesser-known yet important landmarks of Lucknow on the city outskirts was organized on Sunday by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.
The ‘Yatra’ started from Chatori Gali near Gomti Riverfront and had four stops, Kashishwar Mahadev Temple at Mohanlalganj, Shivala and Kakori Memorial at Kakori Road and Kudiya Ghat in Old City.
“The idea was to explore the monuments in Lucknow that are not much talked about. The tourism department doesn’t keep them in its itinerary despite their historical and architectural value. For instance, Kakori Memorial, it is one of the landmarks that tells so much about Lucknow’s association with the freedom struggle but it’s nowhere on the list of places to visit in Lucknow,” said Vipul Varshney, convener of INTACH’s Lucknow chapter.
She added, “Mostly when people speak about Lucknow, they talk of Imambada or Tunday Kebabi. Not even all Lucknowites know that these places exist. So, we want people to get acquainted with these monuments and give them their due importance.” The ‘Yatra’ was attended by 50 people, including 25 architecture students. Several among them visited these monuments for the first time.
“The most interesting stop of the trip was Kashishwar Mahadev Temple at Mohanlalganj. Built in 1860, it is a perfect example of Vastu Shastra. It has eight ‘Shivalayas’ and the top of the main compound has a ribbed dome on a rectangular base with inverted lotus finial and metallic pinnacle. It was fascinating to see anything so architecturally wonderful,” said Shweta Singh.
Expressing concern over the poor upkeep of monuments, Vipul said, “Despite their historical importance they are in shambles, be it Kashishwar Temple or Kakori Memorial. Despite getting lakhs of rupees for Kudiya Ghat’s beautification, river there is full of water hyacinth; even the stairs are not cleaned properly.”
“Kashishwar temple is ASI protected, but the approach is not cemented. Garbage was strewn everywhere,” said Aparna Mishra.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Vidita Chandra / TNN / December 04th, 2017
Buddhist monk Bhadant Galgedar Pragyanand, youngest among the seven priests who had initiated Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar into Buddhism in 1956, died here at Lucknow’s King George’s Medical University (KGMU) on Thursday morning.
Just about 18 days short of this 89th birthday, the Sri Lanka-born ascetic had been undergoing multiple age-related medical problems, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
Head of Lucknow’s Buddh Vihar near Risaldar Park in Lal Kuan area, monk Pragyanand had come to India at the age of 13 and was visited by Ambedkar in Lucknow twice, in 1948 and 1951.
Pragyanand was only 20 when Ambedkar first met him.
Disciples of the ‘gururji’ claimed that it was after his visits to Lucknow to seek blessings from Bhadant Boddhanant and Bhadant Pragyanand that Ambedkar was inspired to embrace Buddhism.
Bhadanta Pragyanand (File Photo)
Final rites in Shrawasti after procession in city.
A procession carrying the body of Bhadant Pragyanand in an open vehicle will leave Risaldar park situated Buddh Vihar at 9am. Following the Husainganj, Burlington, Odeon cinema route, the procession will reach Ambedkar Mahsabha where the body of its founder president will be kept for 15 minutes. The procession will then reach Hazratganj situated Ambedkar statue where a halt of 30 minutes will be made for tributes to be paid, when finally at 12 noon the body will be carried to Shrawasti for last rites as per Buddhist rituals.
‘Guruji spoke little but talking about Ambedkar would always energise him’
He was brought in on November 26 after complaints of fever and chest pain but had multiple age-related medical conditions,” said Prof SN Sankhwar, chief medical superintendent, KGMU.
Pragyanand was born on December 18, 1928, and had nephews and nieces in Sri Lanka who were in regular contact with monks in Lucknow, but could not come to India on Thursday. Followers and wellwishers of the old monk, including UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya, poured in at Buddh Vihar where his body was kept.
Bhikshu Pragya Saar, the oldest of Pragyanand’s disciple at Lucknow’s Buddh Vihar said, “When behenji (Mayawati) became CM for the first time in 1995, guruji asked her to go on a pilgrimage.
When she asked to which place should she make the pilgrimage to, he replied Shrawasti. And she indeed did.”He added, “It was also around 1997 that on guruji’s persuasion Behenji declared Shrawasti a district and raised its political importance to match its religious significance.”
Six disciples of the monk lived with him at the Buddh Vihar, one of whom Bhikshu Dharam Priya said, “I came under guruji’s wings in October 1999 and it was from him that I imbibed the unending energy and will to work. He had published 62 books on Buddhist teachings and had authored some of them.”
The disciples recalled, “Guruji spoke little but talking about Ambedkar would always energise him. He would tell us about the ceremony in Nagpur on October 14, 1956, where Babasaheb’s wife Savita Ambedkar was also present.” The group which had performed the ceremony was headed by Chandramani Mahasanghayak and had Bhikshu Paramshanti, Pannanand Mahathero, Bhadant Sadhatiss Mahathero, H Sangratn Mahasthavir and Bhikshu Sumedh.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Yusra Husain / TNN / December 01st, 2017
