Pillars of strength

Over the years Haridwar has taken some giant leaps of success. P.S. Chauhan has the details

Since times immemorial Haridwar has been a world famous destination for religious tourism, whereas Roorkee has established its identity as one of the oldest centres of technical education in the world and Rishikesh has carved a niche as a global hub of yoga and meditation. During recent decades, the entire region has taken big strides towards progress and development, while retaining its basic traditional features. The four key drivers have taken the region to new heights.

Pilgrimage and tourism still continue to be the major pillar of strength for Haridwar as well as for Rishikesh. The two cities, which are the gateway to the Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand, have always been a place for crores of pilgrims from the country and abroad, seeking solace here, for from the madding crowd, on the serene banks of the Ganga. The recently concluded Kumbh, in which nearly 5 crores devotees thronged Haridwar to take a dip of salvation in the holy river, clearly testifies the powerful fascination which the city exercises all over the world. Char Dham Yatra, one of the biggest yatra circuits in the world, also begins from Haridwar and Rishikesh. Lakhs of the Sikhs also, who come to pay obeisance at the Hem Kund Saheb, mostly take this route. Piran Kaliyar, near Roorkee, with the dargah of the famous sufi saint, Sabir Saheb, is one of the most revered places for the Muslims in the country. During recent years Rishikesh has also emerged in a big way as a destination for adventure sports, like rafting, canoeing and kayaking.

Along with spirituality, the region started developing into a great centre of education in the 19th century. The first technical college of the country and the fourth in the world, was set up at Roorkee in 1847. The college produced eminent scientists and engineers who played a key role in shaping modern India and made their mark in West. The college was elevated to the status of the Roorkee University of Engineering and Technology in 1949, the first of its type in the country and was integrated in the IIT network of the country just after the creation of the state. If Roorkee became a hub of modern technical education, the Gurukul Kangari University, set up in 1902, became a trendsetter in reviving the ancient system of Gurukul education. The State Sanskrit University, set up in the district after the creation of the state, to promote higher studies in Sanskrit language and literature and the Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidalaya, set up to provide Gyan (knowledge) as well as Vidya (wisdom), by blending the old and the new, are also contributing their bit in developing Haridwar as a big centre of education.

The third key driver, pushing the region to new heights, is the recent establishment of a vast network of industries in the district. Lured by the central industrial package, which included various tax concessions, the regular supply of electricity at cheap rates and cheap land provided by the State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL), nearly 250 units were set up here by such big industrial houses as the Hero Honda, the Hindustan Unilever, the Birla Tyres, Asai Glass, Mahindra & Mahindra and Kirby, with an investment of nearly Rs. 20,000 crores. These industries have generated employment, both direct and indirect, for nearly one lakh people. This has proved to be a boon, both for the industrial houses as well as for the locals.

The fourth pillar of strength of the region is the recent emergence of Haridwar as the world famous centre of yoga. Though Rishikesh has always been a hot spot of yoga and meditation, specially for the foreigners, and Haridwar has been a seat of ancient wisdom of ayurveda, it is the recent meteoric rise of Baba Ram Dev of Kankhal here, which has really catapulted Haridwar as a great yoga centre on the global map. The setting up of the Patnjali University of Yoga and Ayurveda at Bahadrabad on the national highway between Haridwar and Roorkee, is emerging as the most preferred destination for yoga for all the seekers of physical and mental fitness. Patanjali Food Park, the biggest food processing unit of the world, has become functional at Padartha.

The region has proved that with the positive approach and the right types of policies, the full potential for development can be tapped. However, most of the credit for the fast track development of the region goes to the locals who showed a never-say-die attitude to make this possible. Salute to this heroic spirit of the people of the region and Haridwar Plus has been regularly trying to showcase this spirit.