Benital - India's first Astro Village

Benital - one of it's kind village in Uttarakhand is marking its presence in the field of Astro tourism very rapidly. In the past, in December 2021 an Astro Park was set up in Benital which lies in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand , situated at a height of 2500 m or 8500 feet for a variety of activities. 

As per officials, due to minimal human intervention, Benital offers a unique view of night sky which is an ideal site for watching  celestial bodies. From here the idea of Astro tourism also popped up which is one of its kind. 

The paradise of nature

In fact this place can be a Paradise for nature lovers. Amidst heart taking natural beauty and negligible pollution, visitors are engaged here in a variety of activities like star gazing, identifying planets constellation finding ,sky observation and learning astrophotography.

As per one of the visitor" I was feeling as if we are being covered with the blanket of stars and moon here. We are feeling as if we are revitalized by coming here. We are unable to observe such a clear sky in the city due to pollution. I wish that it should we night forever and no day break should be there. It's simply mesmerizing. "

A new trend in Tourism

Paul Savio, Co founder and Chief executive officer of the company Starscapes, finds this place to be ideal for this event. With increasing pollution, people are continuously searching for more peaceful and new places which can provide them off beat experience and Benital can prove to be a milestone in the field of Astro tourism which is an entirely new concept. The Astro party was organized by the Chamoli district administration in collaboration with Gurgaon based company Starscapes experiences pvt Ltd. 

The live Experience

The visitors spent two nights observing stars, planets and constellations, then they were taken to a nearby village where they were explained the construction and launching of a rocket. It was a great experience to see Jupiter in the night sky as per observers. For visitors help, there were 8 experts available throughout the night on the spot. There was no entry fee for the event. In all it was an enriching and wonderful experience. Apart from Star hunting and night sky gazing events like tracking, bird watching and cycling we also arranged to give a wholesome experience to the visitors. 

No doubt this new trend is going to stay for long and it will soon fetch the hearts of people. Benital is going to become the next travel destination surely and will mark it's presence as India's first Astro village.

Kisaan school of Chattisgarh

 Chhattisgarh's First Kisaan School

Baheradih village of Janjgir Champa district of Chhattisgarh has made its identity all over the country and it doesn't needs introduction anymore. Chhattisgarh first Kisan school is being opened here and very soon it has become a model for farmers across the country. The school is excelling not only in farming and farmer's training but also generating employment opportunities for the villagers.

The Man Behind

On 23 December, 2021, a progressive former named Deendayal Yadav of Baheradih village of baloda block of Janjgir Champa district lead the foundation of first Kisan school in Chhattisgarh on the occasion of Kisan Divas. Deendayal Yadav has been experimenting on vegetables since 2010-11 and those efforts became fruitful with the opening of Kisan school in 2021. The School has been a role model for farmers as it is carrying out new and innovative experiments on crops and vegetables with the help of Agriculture department and the process is still in progress. 

The Journey of  Innovation

Farmer Deendayal narrates his story " In 2012, I got a sample of half kilogram Australian Eisenia Fetida earthworm for vermicomposting from Agriculture department. " Afterwards he himself  started producing these earthworms . At present he has produced more than 12 quintals of earthworms and earned more than 12 lakhs by selling them. Also 8 lakh rupees have been earned by making vermicompost with those earthworms. He is also supplying these earthworms and vermicompost to government "Gothans". He is facing excess demand for them. 

The Journey Ahead

This is not the end of the journey  it is only one aspect of it. The School has patented not only 36 kinds of vegetables including Aamari, Chench and Chaulai bhaji but also many varieties of rice. The farmers are not only getting training in organic farming but they are also learning to make organic compost here which is proving to be greatly beneficial in the farming of vegetables and other plants like moringa, papaya, mango and lemon.

Courses Run in School

Any farmer of any age can enroll in various courses running in the school free of cost . Apart from vermicomposting and production of earthworms there are various schools of learning like mushroom production ,dairy farming, vegetable farming ,biogas plant setup, terrace gardening, poultry farming, pisciculture , apiculture, organic pesticide production, animal fodder production and farmer rights protection information. The school will provide training to farmers as per their field of interest. 

Milestones

The school's achievements doesn't stop here. It has fabricated jackets and rakhis through the fibres of amari and chench bhaji  and banana. The school is also experimenting on four layer system of farming of fruits and vegetables. In 2013, Australian farmer Krrish and his wife Merilina has visited the school as a part of the research on organic farming. Many farmers from US and Australia have visited the school from time to time. 

Talent needs no recognition rather it makes its own identity like a Shining Star among innumerable stars in the sky. This is applicable for Deendayal Yadav - the founder of Kisan School, a man dedicated for selfless service in the field of farming.

 Chandrakali Markam - A light of Change

Just like other women, born into a poor Adivasi family, Chandrakali Markam didn't have much choices to live until she took the charge of her own life and set an example in her community through the power of micro-enterprise. 

An Introduction

Dindori a small district of Madhya Pradesh bordering Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh, is having a large area which is densely forested where one can find mobile network also with difficulty. Moreover Naxalites also pose a greater threat there. In spite of all these difficulties Chandrakali Markam is visiting many inaccessible and remote villages of the area with a motto to make the women of those areas self sufficient. 

Chandrakali belongs to a poor adivasi family of Agariya tribe in Barga, a small village in Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh. Just like other woman she was spending a marginalised ,powerless life with a little connection to the outer world till she joined a self help group run by an organisation "Pradaan" secretly.

Pointing to old days, she reminds" life was actually very hard those days. " She was married at the age of 11. It was just impossible to run the family on low wages of rupees 20 per day. In spite the fact that they had a small patch of land ,still it was left uncultivated because of lack of money to buy seeds. The men travelled for in search of work.

The start of change

Chandrakali left the school at the age of 11 after studying class five. When she protested that she will not leave the school, her father scolded her not to study as she is a girl. When she was 19 years old she joined a self help group secretly. This was the first step towards change. Gradually she started saving Rs 1 every week and also motivated other women for savings. 

The baby step

In year 2006,Chandrakali stepped in the field of poultry farming for landless families by making a Cooperative farm with governments assistance. In the earlier stage, 60 people joined the group. Today more than 500 women across 23 villages have joined this business under the expert guidance of Chandrakali. They are doing business with turnover in crores and were able to save 8 lakh rupees in 2019-20.

Chandrakali only knows how to put up signatures but she is running successfully the -poultry business. She has kept accountants and manager for managing the business and the whole business is being done in Hindi. She has even formed Federation by combining 507 self help groups across 23 villages.

Magic of attitude

Chandrakali is now working towards acknowledging the efforts of women farmers and rewarding them with proper wages." Although women farmers are doing more work than their male counterparts, still they are not acknowledged and given credit. " she says. For this purpose she has made one cooperative society with the name "Halchalit Mahila Kisan". She also advocates higher education for women of adivasi regions. To generate alternate sources of income , she motivates mushroom cultivation and kitchen garden also.

Awards

She bagged numerous awards for her excellence in the field of micro enterprise but the prominent one is women Exemplar award in the category of micro enterprise being awarded by confederation of Indian industries (CII) in 2020.

Chandrakali is the face of change in rising India amidst of all the factors  like poverty and lack of resources. She is a change maker not only for her community but for entire women as she dared to step out in outer world and made her identity.