Day II : 3rd Munsyari Greeshm Mahotsava

Munsyari. Day II of the third edition of Munsyari Greeshm Mahotsava commenced with citizens visiting the proposed venue of Nain Singh;Kishen Singh Memorail, at the Tehsil headquarters and garlanding their busts. The main event consisting of this writer addressing the sudents of the Munsyari Public School and the Government Inter Colleges as well as citizens gathered at the Jyoti-Devindra Sabhagar, at the main Tiksen bazar. Lead speaker  R.S. Tolia informed especially the school-going youth that Main Singh Rawat, about whom till a few years back not many Uttarakhandis had heard fully, now is well known and his inspiring life ( 1830- 1882 ) is one of the best example of a youth, who was not privileged with a parentage protection, he was self-schooled , as when he grew in the then Uttarakhand during 1830s and 1840s, there were no formal schools, yet he educated himself in learning Hindi, Persian, Tibetan both in writing and speaking, his own Johari dialect and surprisingly, even basic English. Born in utter-most poverty, he served the great Schlagintweit brothers ( 1855-57 ), taught as the first teacher at Milam ( 3 years ) set up the first school at Garrbyang ( 1865 ) and then was selected to be trained as a scientific explorer with the Survey of India. He became the first explorer who surveyed the yet unknown terrains of Tibet and durig his four major survey explorations he contributed almost every thing that today is known about the Geography of Tibet. After 11 years of extremely strenuous survey his work was awarded with the highest decoration that could be conferred on any civilian for his public contributions, the Companion of the Indian Empire ( the C.I.E. ) He is the only Asian till date whose name figures in the Honors Board of the Royal Geographic Society of London. This address by Dr RS Tolia, was also distributed among the audience.

His achievements were recognized by the highest scientific societies of France, Italy and England and his bust, alongwith his cousin Kishen Singh, again a son of thsi region, namely Johar-Munsyari, that gives company to that of  Sir George Everest, the then Surveyor General of India, after whom the highest peak of the world, estimated by another India, Sikdar, adorn the Museum of Survey of India, at their EC Road Headquarters. A grateful Survey of India has named its main Auditorium , after this great explorer. Besides, several honors, a jagir in Moradabad, the Indian government has also released a First Day cover in his honour and DR Tolia expressed his happiness over the fact that an Adventure Institute, also dedicated to his name, has also been sanctioned for Munsyari, which will undertake mountaineering and other adventure sports in this region, just as the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering does in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Dr Tolia also broke a happy news that all Post Doctoral Scholars hailing from this region have also come togather and joined hands to establish a state-of-the-art Munsyari Library & Mountain Research Centre, to perpetuate the great scientific tradition of the region during the 21st Century as well and conduct forward researches in physical and social sciences in all cis-Himalayan states, with focus on Munsyari region. Already more than 20 PhD and DSc scholars have expressed their willingness to be actively involved in their latest and most innovative enterprise. 

Dr Sher Singh Pangtey, the founder of the Tribal heritage Museum, now visiting by thousands of tourist during a year, a renowned scholar, who chaired the session added several local facts that were known about the great explorer, Nain Singh Rawat. This greatly added to the known facts about Nain Singh, the explorer. Kedar Martolia, who came from Patna, conducted the proceedings and the proceedings ended with a few questions and answers..

Dr. Sher Singh Pangtey

Dr. Sher Singh Pangtey

Johar Club Ready with Diamond Jubilee Football Tournament:

The pictures accompanying the report shows the advertisement displaying the inaugural exhibition match between two teams of Munsyari's first Girl Football Players, who have been sponsored by Gori Ganga Club, a diaspora organisation of Johari Shaukas in Delhi who have fully supported the raising of 35 Girl Footballers, including their shoes, kits, track-suits, daily diet during the professional coaching of full two months, at the Johar Club Sports Ground. Gori Ganga Club's initiative also shows that in remote parts of this state communities continue to live without Government Support, as this example of coaching of Girls Football players has demonstrated.

JFC Women's Football

While government assistance pours at various other local football tournaments and Mahotsavas Munsyari , like in past decades, continues to rely on its local and diaspora citizens to take its newer and newer initiatives, and it is an excellent example of How People should Laern to live Without Governments and rely on their collective strength. Many journalists and tourists who visit the beautiful valley of Munsyari marvel both at the negligence on the part of the governments, both the Central and the Local, and take lessons back home on being self-reliant and make their own roads, if the government fails to make for the. The Johar Club Football Ground is fully ready to receive teams coming from all over the country and local villages, like the past 59 years, and get it inaugurated by the local MLA, Chief Minister Harish Rawat. The accompanying picture shows a beautiful ground, overlooeked by the Munsyari Public School and the Vivekanand High School, the latter proving the Topper of the Girls' Merit List of this years High School, Soumya Srivastava, whose younger brother Shikher studies in the Munsyari Public School, the one next door. The Johar Club, with the metallic name plate, is on the extreme left, a building contributed fully by local contributions and the contribution of the Johari Shauka diaspora. !!! The kick-off is due on the 2nd June 2015. 

Football Ground

Third Day is scheduled to discuss the Tourism Potential of Munsyari on which our Tourism Development Board spent milliions of rupees in getting its Tourism Development Project studied ! Tourism season is in full swing only the officail efforts are no where to be seen. The Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam ( KMVN ) has built TRCs all along the Munsyari Milam road, whose windows are broken down, rooms locked, no management arrangements made, and the one at Rilkot said to be thoroughly wasted, What a criminal waste of Tax Payers money !!! This is the image and impression that our foreign and domestic tourists are taking back home, as they return from visiting and having a look at this wastage of public resources.

Will some one wake up our Tourism Development department ? This si to be discussed by the public in an Open Forum. To be reported, later. 

R S Tolia

Late Dr. R.S. Tolia, Ph.D., was former Chief Secretary ( 2003-05 ) and Chief Information Commissioner ( 2005-10) of Uttarakhand. He also served in various voluntary positions after retirement and devoted his time for Mountain Development Agenda.

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