Next weekend you can be at ... Bangriposi

Bangriposi, a tribal hamlet nestled in the Thakurani range of hills in Orissa, offers the perfect marriage of scenery and serenity. Situated 228km from Calcutta, this quaint destination off NH6 is far from the city’s frenzy and a welcome abode in the solace of nature. Those who long for hills, jungles and waterfalls cannot afford to miss the beautiful daughter of the hills (that’s what Bangriposi means in Oriya).

Bangriposi can be easily reached by road or rail. There are buses from Esplanade to Keonjhar in the afternoons and late evenings that cross Bangriposi around five hours after departure. One can also hop on to buses heading for Baripada, which take a turn at Bombay Chowki, 14km from Bangriposi. Trekkers are available from here to Bangriposi.

If you are travelling by train, get off at Balasore and take a trekker to Bangriposi, 110km away. By road, take Bombay Road (NH6) and drive straight, past Kolaghat, Kharagpur, the Baharagora checkpost and Jamsola. The drive is pleasant, especially on a winter morning, with stopovers at roadside dhabas selling mouth-watering fare.

The main attraction of Bangriposi is its serenity. For the more adventurous, there’s rock-climbing, a picnic by the fabled Buribalam waterfall (Bagha Jatin fought the British alongside this river) and a visit to the Kanak Devi shrine in the hills. A day’s trip to the Kuliana village 7km away promises a satisfying encounter with the traditional folk-art, dhokra.

There are a number of picturesque trekking and walking trails in the vicinity, especially those that start at the foothills of the Thakurani hills. One can also stroll midway up the hill and enjoy a panoramic view of the rocky terrain.

For staying, Hotel Bangriposi is a good option. It is an earthy cottage, the last resort before the hills start. Savour their chicken curry and dimpora and enjoy a moonlit night on the portico amid the distant drumming of the madol and the heady fragrance of mahua (local brew).

Plan your trip over a weekend to visit the local haat and get a taste of haariya (fermented local rice wine). The place is also well-known for its honey brought down by woodcutters from the forest in the hills.

Various migratory birds visit Bangriposi in winter, making it an ideal destination for birdwatchers and those interested in wildlife photography. Shutterbugs can delight in the hilly landscape, the trickling waterfall, the Buribalam river and the local Santhals.

Tourist destinations like Puri, Chandipur, Gopalpur-on-sea and Chilika are easily accessible from Bangriposi.

National Law University, Odisha inaugurated

The National Law University, Odisha (NLUO) was formally inaugurated by Chief Justice of India Justice K. G. Balakrishnan here on Saturday.

In his address Justice Balakrishnan emphasised the importance of legal education in today's world. Noting that legal profession had played a decisive role in shaping the course of our political and social developments, he regretted that the present decline in professional and ethical standards had cast a shadow on the reputation of the bar and the bench alike.

The Chief Justice expressed the hope that new law schools such as NLUO would succeed in arresting this trend.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik touched upon the remarkable economic progress Odisha had made in the recent years and last twelve years and termed the state as an emergent knowledge-hub.

Envisaged as a third generation law school, NLUO seeks to become a leading player on the global stage as well. It focusses on justice studies rather than law as it is usually understood and its goal is to address law in its larger context and ensure that its students and research output are finely attuned to ethical and social relevancies.

Among others who spoke on the occasion include Chief Justice of Odisha High Court Justice. I. M. Quddusi, State Higher Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra and Minister of Law Bikram Keshari Arukha.

Orissa on Discovery Channel - Saturaday 9 PM

Orissa is a state characterised by beautiful landscapes, magnificent archaeological sites, dense forests, abundant wildlife, pristine beaches, rivers, art and culture. Learn all about the state in Discovery channel’s new programme, Orissa: The Divine Land on Saturday, October 31, 9 p.m.

The programme takes you into the heartland of Orissa and shows you more than classical Odissi dance, exotic sculptures and rituals like Jagannath Yatra that attracts thousands of visitors. Hosted by Kim Jagtiani, the programme delves into Orissa’s documented history stretching back to 2000 BC. Dotted with ancient monuments ranging from the ruins of Sisupalgarh to the magnificent Lingaraj and Jagannath temples, from the world heritage site of the Konark Sun temple to the exquisitely carved Mukteswar, the programme captures the grandeur of the state.

Venture deep into the excavation sites of Udaygiri, Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri; bask on the sun soaked beaches of Puri and Gopalpur; observe the spectacular wildlife of Bhitarkanika; step into the birds paradise at Chilika Lake; and explore the colourful art and handiwork that Orissa is famous for at the weavers’ village of Nuapatna and the artisans’ village of Raghurajpur, amongst others.

The Divine Land offers interesting facts about Orissa: Bhubaneswar, also known as the ‘city of temples’ still preserves over 500 of India’s finest temples which showcase centuries of temple architecture. The small and elegant Muktesvar temple dates back to 950 AD.

SPV formed for development of primitive tribals

Orissa government has finally begun acting to take proper measures for the development of primitive tribes thanks to the intervention by the Apex Court.

In a belated move the state government at the instance of the Supreme Court has formed the much touted Lanjigarh Project Area Development Foundation (LPADF), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to initiative programmes for primitive tribal communities like Kutia Kondh and Dongaria Kondh.

The SPV is being headed by southern range Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) Satyabrata Sahu, the LPADF has the state-owned Orissa Mining Corporation and Sterlite Industries as its stakeholders.

Developmental projects in the areas of healthcare, education and infrastructure in the poverty-stricken Kalahandi and Rayagada districts will be carried out for which Rs 20 crore has been sanctioned in the first phase, according to Mr Sahu. There will be emphasis on supply of drinking water beside health care, he added.

The first meeting of the Board of Directors of the SPV, which was held in Berhampur on Wednesday under the chairmanship of RDC Mr Sahu, decided to take up Chairman of the Foundation. Mr Sahu informed that the SPV would initiate projects for socio-economic development of Kutia Kondh and Dongria Kondh communities on priority basis, besides looking after other tribal sections of people living in the region.

Hyderabad based National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) has been short listed for undertaking the Need Assessment Study (NAS) in the tribal area. The study will help in formulating effective development interventions.

The Foundation will have its office at and operate from Lanjigarh. However, on temporary basis it will have offices at Kalahandi and Rayagada collectorates. Collectors of both the districts, who are ex-officio directors of the Foundation, will be responsible for execution of the entire developmental project, in their respective area of the Foundation.

Sterlite Industries had deposited Rs 20 crore in the Foundation for the year 2007-08 and 2008-09, as per the Supreme Court’s directive. It had deposited another Rs 12.2 crore during the same period towards tribal development and compensatory aforestation.

Dr Mukesh Kumar, chief operating officer (COO) Vedanta Alumina Limited (VAL), - the Indian arm of Sterlite Group said,“Vedanta is expecting a sea change in the peripheral village development process once the money will be utilised for the tribal development which is otherwise long awaited.”

As per the Supreme Court’s order on August 8, 2008, Sterlite Industries will deposit five per cent of the profit or Rs 10 crore; whichever is higher for local area development with the SPV. The SPV will dedicatedly work for development of tribals in the areas of health, education, communication, recreation, livelihood and cultural lifestyle within 50 km radius of Lanjigarh Project.

Vedanta Alumina Limited (VAL) a subsidiary of Vedanta Resource pls has set up a Greenfield Alumina Refinery in Orissa with a capacity of 1 million tons per annum. It is also setting up a 0.5 MTPA aluminum smelter, 1215 MW captive power plant. The Group Company Sterlite Energy Limited is also setting up a 2400 MW Independent Power Plants at Jharsuguda.

Tata Steel to set up Rs 300 mn hospital in Orissa

The steel major, as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), is setting up a 6 million ton integrated greenfield steel plant at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district, and a hospital near its rehabilitation colony at Gobarghati, reports Economic Times.

The project will be completed over next 2 years with the first phase commissioning slated in next one month. The hospital building is under construction over 4 acres of land and the civil construction of the project is almost over. About Rs 300 million is proposed to be spent by the company for the hospital project.

This is expected to benefit the families affected by the Tata Steel`s (Q,N,C,F)* project at Kalinganagar and also the people in periphery villages.

Various health services related activities like, rural health check-up programs, health camps during epidemics and awareness building activities for people on health issues are proposed to be planned through the hospita

Sivakasi of Orissa

Nalabanta, a tiny village on the outskirts of Aska, is known as Sivakasi of South Orissa for manufacturing fireworks in huge quantity.Making fireworks is almost a way of life here. The inhabitants, mostly poor, make a quick buck by manufacturing fireworks during Diwali and sundry other functions. A number of mishaps due to blasts has failed to deter the people from ‘playing with fire’. Rather they have taken the mishaps in their stride.During last three decades, at least 25 villagers have died due to blasts while manufacturing crackers. The deceased include women and children. The blasts normally occur just before the Diwali. Though manufacturing fireworks is household business here, the village has only a handful of licensed firework manufacturers. The rest have been manufacturing fireworks illegally for decades.Of late, the number of accidents during manufacture of fireworks has multiplied due to involvement of unskilled workers. The elders of the village feel that the small-time fireworks makers should form a cooperative to get licence to manufacture fireworks in an organised way so that the risks can be minimised. But no attempt has been made in this direction yet.Villagers make fireworks as per order for various occasions like marriages, rallies and idol immersions apart from Diwali. But they eagerly wait for Diwali as it is their main source of income.Fireworks were first manufactured in the village under the patronage of king of Dharakote. Later after independence, the villagers took it up as a profession. They earn up to Rs 50 lakh a year, most of which is earned around Diwali. The finished goods are supplied throughout Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.The village is known for manufacturing hugely popular “Aska Chakra”, an innovative cracker made of palm leaves. This cracker spins like a “chakra”, rises high like a rocket and explodes mid-air.The village usually takes centrestage during Diwali. But this year it is in the news much before the Festival of Lights due to a different reason. Police have cracked down on illegal fireworks manufacturers in the village.Three platoons of armed police led by revenue officials raided five cracker-making units in the village and seized explosive materials worth around Rs 5 lakhs yesterday. Two persons were detained for interrogation. Last month, police had seized fireworks worth around Rs 2 lakh.