North India Section of The Textile
Institute (NISTI)
Mr.Aloke Goyal, Chairman and Treasurer
Managing Director, Aloke Fibrecareas Pvt.Ltd
A-1/40, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi – 110 029. India
Tel: 26160581-3 Fax:26168343, Mob:98101-23991,
Email : alokfibre@gmail.com
Dr. Vinod Shanbhag, CText FTI, Honorary Secretary (to be confirmed)
The North India Section of the Textile Institute (NISTI) was
formed in 1989. It is a subsidiary of the Textile Institute,
Manchester with its mission to promote professionalism and provide
global network for the long-term development of the industry.
North India has a strong concentration of Textile Industries
spanning all sectors inclusive of spinning, weaving, knitting,
worsted, processing, terry towels, industrial yarns, garments,
made-ups, denim, shawls and all concerned services spread across
several clusters like Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Barnala,
Panipat, Ludhiana, Baddi, Nalagarh and Himachal Pradesh. The
section boasts of the presence of some big names like Winsome,
Shamken, Nahar, Vardhman, Oswal, Shamken, Pasupati, Alps, LNJ
Bhilwara and Trident etc. NISTI was set up to cater for their
needs. NISTI provides a program of activities that are of direct
interests and relevance to local conditions. Typical program
include factory visits, meetings, workshop, conferences, seminars,
and social events to promote professional knowledge and provide
networking for growth and development. An Executive Committee
comprising of eminent professionals drawn from the industry/technical
institutes etc administers NISTI.
Executive Committee Members :
- A.K.G.Nair, Executive Director, Pearl Academy of Fashion
- B.B.Chakravarty, Professional Consultant
- H.L.Bharadwaj, Shriram Management Consultants
- H.P.Gupta, Professional Consultant
- K.C.Tapadar, Professional Consultant
- Kuldeep Kr.Sharma, Managing Director, Megatech Overseas (
India) Ltd
- Kushal Sen, Professor,Textile Technology Department, Indian
Institute of Technology
- Praveen Kumar Garg, Partner, Bharat Cotton Industries
- R.Chattopadhyay, Professor, Textile Tech Department, Indian
Institute of Technology
- R.K.Asthana, Professional Consultant
- Rajiv Girotra, Indo Rama Synthetics (I) Ltd
- V.K.Kothari, Professor, Textile Technology Department, Indian
Institute of Technology
- Vijay Bhalla, Professional Consultant
NISTI Study Tour 2007
A Report
Inspiration Tibet
Following the Chinese invasions of the Tibet, it was to Dharamsala, in the south of Himachal Pradesh in India that the Dalai Lama and his followers fled. For more than 30 years now this hill station is best known as the seat of Tibet’s government – in –exile and the temporary home of His Holiness.
It is to this little hill station that NISTI executive decided to go for an inspirational tour of Tibetan culture for their annual study tour. Twelve NISTI members with their families joined the tour. Also among the touring members was Mr. Dilip Gianchandani, Regional Director of Intertek Services Ltd who has recently moved to Delhi from London.
For the serious student of Tibetan culture there’s the monastery up at McLeod Ganj and the school of Tibetan studies and its library, one of the best in the world for studying Tibet and it culture.
A section of NISTI delegation
For the not-so-serious, McLeod Ganj is a small hippie centre with lots of Tibetan–run hotels and restaurants, all the menu favorites, low price, crowds of Western travelers – almost another Kathmandu in fact. McLeod Ganj is full of colour and energy; there’s a small temple with a giant prayer wheel in the middle of the Main Street and strings of multi-coloured Tibetan prayer flags wave in the breeze. The shops sell ‘Free Tibet’ stickers and badges and the local theatre plays Che Guevara’s the Motorcycle Diaries. The steep roads and the snowy views of the Dhauladhar, the ‘white mountain’, may be typical of any India hill station, but McLeod Ganj is not called Little Lhasa for nothing. Wherever you look in the Tibetan settlement in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra valley, you’re sure to catch a glimpse of a monk in red, a stupa, or chorten as the structure is called, a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a line of prayer flags, Everything about this small town-which has preserved its peculiar culture amidst heavy commercialization – is redolent of exile.
A Chorten in Mcleod Ganj
Streets of Mcleod Ganj
At an elevation of 1,800 m, the busy destination also referred to as Upper Dharamsala is just nine km from the lower town. Though overcrowded, there’s an ineffable quietude amidst the hustle and bustle. Prayer wheels, or mani, with mantras painted on them, adorn the temple on the main street – turning the wheels is considered an invocation to the Buddha of Compassion. The temple road to the south leads to the Dalai Lama’s Temple, called the Tsuglagkhang, where imposing gilt statutes of the Sakyamuni Buddha, Padmasabhava and Avlokitesvara greet visitors. The complex also houses the residence of the Dalai Lama and the Namgyal monastery.
Gilt statutes of the Sakyamuni Buddha
NISTI delegates outside the residence of the Dalai Lama
Bead Jewelery
Colourful Yak Shawls,
blankets, and
apparel.
Tibetan textiles in the form of colourful yak shawls, caps and gloves; and handicrafts like the signing bowls and holy beads, or the multi-coloured jewellary can be found every where. While enjoying roadside momos (dumplings stuffed with spinach, potatoes or chicken), the low intonations of Om mani Padme Hum wafting into the bustling square from the shops fill the air with an unmistakable energy that lifts your spirits.
Om mane padme hum
After Dharamsala, NISTI delegation also visited Dalhousie and Kalatope wild-life sanctuary.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
3.8.2007
