बागहरु फुलिरहेछन् इंद्रधनुष को रंग
घर घर मा बसिरहून् खुशिहरुको उमंग
मन मा होस् संवेदना तन मा नव स्फूर्ति
आफन्तहरुसँग सदभावना जगमा सुंदर कीर्ति
उन्नति को सृजनाहरु गरुन् यस्तो विकास
संस्कार को जगमा बनिरहोस् विश्वास
वर्षनयाँ गुलजार होस्-मिटोस् सबैको पीडा
मेहनतले हामी झारिदिऊ बिगत वर्षा धुलोपिठो
अभिनंदन नववर्ष को मंगलमय होस् वर्ष
ऋद्धि सिद्धि सुख संपदा सबबाट रहून् भरपूर।
सबै मित्रहजुरलाई नववर्ष को ढेर सारा शुभकामना छ💐
(साभार: इंटरनेट)
The world renowned Gorkha Rifles or Gorkha Regiment completed 200 years of existence in April last year. It has been the backbone of the Indian forces since the British times in 1815.
Dehradun or the Doon valley, as it is popularly known, has several interesting landmarks of the eventful Anglo-Gorkha Battle (known as the battle of Nalapani or Khalanga) of 1814-15.
The Khalanga Memorial was built by the British on the banks of the Rispana river, which flows below the Khalanga Hill, to commemorate their brave soldiers as well as the Gorkha gallants whom they defeated. The fort was made of wood, red sand and stones.
The new memorial there commemorates the inspiring and indomitable courage of Balbhadra and his men.
The Khalanga Memorial, a nationally protected monument, looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India, is located on the road which takes tourists to the Sulphur Springs of Sahastradhara. It was in this Khalanga-Nalapani area of the valley that a, fierce battle between the British and the Gorkhas was fought as both of them were eager to expand their territories.
In 1804 the Doon valley came under the control of the Gorkhas. Raja Pradyuman Shah of Tehri was killed by them in the battle of Khurbura in Dehra Dun. Till the battle of Nalapani took place, the valley was under Gorkha rule. After the battle, the British Government reinstated Sudarshan Shah on the throne of a truncated part of Garhwal.
On October 31, 1814 the third infantry division under Major General, Sir Robert Rollo Gillespie, with a large force, attacked the Khalanga -Nalapani fort defended by Balbhadra Singh Thapa and his soldiers barely 600 in number.
The gallant General, who is said to have been among the bravest soldiers of the British army, fell to the bullets of the defenders. Colonel Mawby succeeded to the command and the attack was resumed on November 25 and the fort was shelled on November 27.
The British also cut off the water supply to the fort. All this forced Balbhadra Singh to decide that the fort could no longer be held. On November 30, he, along with 70 of his men, evacuated Khalanga.
They opened the gate, came out of the fort, and ran towards a stream nearby. The British troop was surprised to see this. After they had quenched their thirst, the brave Balbhadra said to the Britishers: "Go and occupy the fort. We have deserted it."
When the British troops entered the fort, they found nothing but corpses, some dying men and children crying out "Pani, Pani" in their thirst. The Nepalese troops went away, but did not surrender before the British troops.
A Mela is held in the last week of November every year in the area to commemorate the sacrifice made by the Gorkhas during the battle. Balbhadra Singh Thapa was killed by Afghan troops when he was later in the army of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh.
The foundation of the fort, which was razed to the ground by the British, can be seen under the thick carpet of grass on the hill and also some huge black boulders which were once part of the fort's walls. The incredible silence tells the story of the exceptional courage of the Gorkha men, women and children who refused to bow down before the massive British army.
Downhill, the original memorial of the war which was built by the British is now an enclosed space with some signage put up by the ASI. There are twin obelisks which stand there - one is in memory of Major General Gillispie and his officers and men, and the other, probably the only one of its kind in the world, was dedicated by the British to the memory of the very men they defeated- Balbhadra and his Gorkhas.
People from the world over would also like to know more about the brave Gorkhas who with their Khukris and their battle cry of "Ayo Gorkhali" faced the huge British force at Khalanga with exceptional valour. Developing a Gorkha Tourist Circuit in the Doon valley would indeed be a great idea to boost historical and cultural tourism.
Courtesy: Jaskiran Chopra, The Pioneer
Here are 7 facts you have to know about Sasha Chettri a.k.a The Airtel 4G Girl.
1. Sasha is originally from Dehradun
She moved to Mumbai when she was 16 for higher education.
2. Sasha has a degree in Advertising from Xavier's Institute of Communications, Mumbai
This 19 year old was working as a trainee Copywriter in an ad agency before becoming a sensation in the advertising world.
3. Sasha is extremely fond of music and is herself a musician known as Rickshaw Rani
She is currently working on her mini album which is set to be released soon.
4. Sasha had to cut her waist long hair for the 4G ad audition
Ouch.
5. When Sasha was told that she’s got the part she thought it was a prank
She always aspired to become a model and was registered with many modelling agencies, and finally found her calling with the Airtel 4G ads.
6. Sasha also played the role of a musician in the movie Katti Batti
Didn’t recognize her in the movie, did you?
7. Sasha’s onscreen presence with the Airtel 4G ads was more than what even celebrities get
In September and November, 2015 the Airtel 4G ads were played 54,406 times, meaning 1,708,586 seconds. So roughly Sasha was on screen for almost 20 days!
(Courtesy: MTV India)
DEHRADUN: Celebrating over 200 years of Gorkha's valour in the historic battle of Khalanga, the two-day annual event concluded in the state capital on Sunday with food fest and cultural programmes. A delegation of retired personnel from British army Gorkhas, who are now residing in Nepal, visited the festival.
The event is organised by Gorkhali Sudhar Sabha, an apex non-political body in Dehradun that works for the uplift of the Gorkha community in the state. Every year, the community celebrates the battle of Khalanga by holding a big get-together at Nalapani, the hilltop on the eastern fringe of Dehradun, where the Gorkha army fought a fierce battle against the British army in October, 1814.
"The festival is held to commemorate the Anglo-Gorkha war where nearly 600 warriors used guerrilla warfare technique for a month to defeat the British. However, the Gorkhas lost but till today they are remembered for their bravery," said anthropologist Lokesh Ohri.
Madhu Gurung, who has penned a book on Khalanga war, said, "The British had to multiply the strength of their soldiers from 10,000 to 30,000 and cut water supply of the zone where Gorkhas operated, in order to win the war . However, the British, too, were impressed as even Gorkha women fought the battle with children tied to their back. The brave women hacked their enemies to death with dagger. In fact, the British erected a memorial as a tribute."
Located 5 km from the hill capital at Sahastradhara Road, Khalanga War Memorial is a famous tourist spot. It is believed to be world's first memorial constructed by an army for its opponent. The dagger, known as 'khukhri', also became a symbol of Gorkha bravery.
According to Ram Thapa, president of the committee formed to organise the mega event, chief minister Hraish Rawat announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh for the annual festival. "Former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had also announced a grant five years ago, but we only get half the amount every year. Nishank had also allotted Rs 50 lakh to maintain the area for development of eco-tourism, however, no amount has been sanctioned till date. Except for a sitting arrangement near Sagar Tal by forest department, no work has been done so far," Thapa said.
He demanded security for Khalanga War Memorial as he said that it has been damaged by some anti-social elements. Thapa also requested to repair the old Chander Narayani temple in the vicinity.
(Article Credit: Seema Sharma, Times of India; Representational Image)
