Educational Trip to FRI, Dehradun & Mussoorie
Three day educational trip was organized by Department of Botany from October 21 to 23, 2016 under aegis of Kashyap Biological Society. Students of B.Sc. Sem V (Medical) went on botanical excursion to FRI, Dehradun and Mussoorie.
On first day they went to FRI (Forest research institute), Dehradun which is one of the oldest institution of its kind set in the lush green estate spread over 450 hectares with outer Himalayas forming its back drop. The institute’s main building is an impressive edifice, Greco-Roman and colonical style of architecture with a plinth area of 2.5 hectares. The institute has a developed infrastructure of all equipped laboratories, library, herbarium, arboreta and experimental field area for conducting forestry research. Students visited the museum which has six sections- Pathology museum, Social forestry museum, Silviculture museum, Timer museum, Non-wood forest product museum and Entomology museum.
Next two days of trip included exploration of local flora of Mussoorie. Students and staff visited Kempty fall which is 13 km from Mussoorie on Chakrata Road. It is nearly 1346 m above sea level. Another place visited was Company garden, a major spot to observe wide variety of angiosperms chiefly Viola, Cineraria, Fuchsia, Primula, Bignonia, Ginkgo biloba etc. Students also went to Sahastra Dhara. It means thousands fold spring. The place has an ecstatic beauty of nature where water drips from limestone stalactites, making water sulphur abundant and thus the place is also called sulphur spring. An old Shiva Temple along with guru Dronacharya cave is present in the location, providing a good mythological scenario and essence of historical importance to the place. At the end we went to Paonta Sahib gurudwara located in Sirmour district of Himachal Pardesh. It is believed that Guru Gobind Singh ji (Tenth Guru of Sikhs) and there army stopped at this place and stay here for four and half year and wrote many religious books. The journey completed at 11.30 PM on 23 October, when staff and students reached Jalandhar.
Students thanked Dr. Komal Arora, Society In-charge & Head of Department for organizing the trip. Dr. Baljeet Kaur, Assistant Professor, also accompanied students.