Save The Hills (STH) an NGO working towards raising awareness about landslides in the Darjeeling and Sikkim hills took on a different role today. Hearing the plea of a young hardworking but under-privileged student, Subash Chhetri, from Sinji a remote village in Kalimpong subdivision, who is currently doing his B. Tech (agriculture) in Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwa Vidylaya, Cooch Behar, STH raised money from donors and with the help of Digitech, a Siliguri based computer firm which supplied the computer at a subsidized price, gifted the student with a laptop today. The seven donors were individuals, a school and NGOs from Sikkim and Kalimpong.

STH President Wg Cdr Praful Rao (retd) also reminded the people that it was the 40 anniversary of the Oct 1968 disaster in these hills when thousands died in landslides. To commemorate this STH has organized a national level workshop on Landslide Hazards in Darjeeling on 21 Nov 2008. Prof Leszek Starkel a world renowned geographer who had been studying landslides in this area for the past 40 years will be the Chief Guest as well as main speaker. Other resource persons will be drawn from NBU, GREF and STH. Sikkim representatives have also been invited to attend. Officials from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Authority are also expected to attend.

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Professor LESZEK STARKEL’s bio-data

Professor Leszek Starkel (b 1931), from the Institute of Geography of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow, is a leading international figure in Physical Geography, specializing in geomorphology and hydrology. During his productive 50-year career with the Institute, Professor Starkel has made significant contributions to the field of palaeohydrology and is known for his studies that link an understanding of contemporary processes with longer term landscape evolution.

Starkel’s research has focused on the geomorphological mapping of Poland and the evolution of Holocene palaeohydrology of the Polish Carpathians, Poland and the whole of Europe. This included his pioneering studies from the Szymbark Research Station in the sixties, for which his Holocene evolution of the Polish landscape is particularly well known. Furthermore, Starkel has specialized in the study of extreme events in the evolution of the landscape in both temperate and monsoonal climates.

Professor Starkel has been active on the international stage by participating in over 100 congresses and workshops in 37 countries, among them seven IGU congresses and all five congresses of the International Association of Geomorphologists. In addition to his European work, his field studies have been in Asia, India, Mongolia and China, and his work has been recognized by leading geographical societies in Hungary, Slovakia and Sweden and he is an Honorary Member of the International Union for Quaternary Research. Throughout his career he has a longstanding record of productive collaboration with many UK geomorphologists. Also Professor Starkel is noted for his close links with geographers in India through his work on floods and landslides in the Darjeeling Himalaya.

His achievements have been acknowledged by medals on several occasions, among others, he is the holder of the Gold Founders Medal of Royal Geographical Society.

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About Subhash Chettri (21y), recipient of STH’s laptop gift:

a) Permanent Address : Sinji bustee, Kalimpong
b) Father’s occupation : Farmer
c) Passed Madhyamik from SUMI – 70%
d) HS from SUMI – 62%
e) Now studying B Tech (Agri) 3rd year in Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Cooch-Behar

Donors for STH gift:

a) Mr Sher Bahadur Subedi (Minister for Forest, Wild Life & Environment Management Department, Mines & Minerals Geology Department, Science & Technology Department – Govt of Sikkim)
b) Mr Udai Gurung (DFO – S Sikkim)
c) Centre for Mountain Dynamics (Kalimpong)
d) Mr Lobsang Bhutia (Kalimpong)
e) Mr Rakesh Sharma (Digitech Computers – Siliguri) helping out for the second time.
f) Mr NR Pradhan – SUMI School, Kalimpong
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From L to R : Mr. Pravakar Dewan – Legal Advisor (STH), Mr. A. K. Pradhan – Treasurer (STH), Mr Anil Kaul – SUMI teacher and representative, Mr. Nayen Pradhan – Centre for Mountain Dynamics representative, Ms. Gayatri Kharel – Structural Engineer and STH Executive member, Wg Cdr Praful Rao (retd) – STH President, Mr Bharat Mani Pradhan – General Secretary (STH), Mr. Hemkar Rana, STH member and spokesperson.