“Udaipur of My Dream” organized by UT and Big Bazaar. Following are the essays by TOP-3 winners in Junior Category. Scroll down to bottom of this article to see the names of all top 10 winners in this category.  

Name : Garima Chaudhary

Class : IX

Age : 15

School: Central Academy, Sector-3

  Udaipur is a beautiful city in the Indian State of Rajasthan. I like this paradise because it is the land of Maharana Pratap who fought many wars to save the honour of Mewar, its people and tradition. Apart from its heritage status, I like this city for its picturesque beauty with splendid Lake Pichhola lapping against shimmering white buildings and the stunning Aravali hills closing in to savor the view. The master piece of the city is the floating lake palace which I admire the most. It seems to me that gorgeous lakes, beautiful lush green gardens, inspiring palaces, forts, old Mansions and havelies of Udaipur are straight out of a fairy tale book. Changes To Be Made in Udaipur Udaipur is an International destination as well as an exotic city offering various tourist activities. To preserve the reputation of the city, I wish to change a few things for it with changing times so that our city can continue to be called as Kashmir of Rajasthan. For this the top of the agenda is maintenance of the places of tourist interest. They should be maintained in good condition and their cleanliness should be the foremost priority. The tourists from abroad as well as from other parts of the country reach Udaipur through air, road and rail. Udaipur falls on the ‘Golden Quadrilateral’ so it is well connected to the country by road but not by rail and air. Udaipur lacks direct connectivity to south India and major cities of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. More trains should be introduced connecting these places which would increase the inflow of domestic tourist traffic.   More private airlines should be permitted to operate in this sector so that more foreign tourists can visit this area. Frequency of flights should be increased connecting different parts of the country. Local transport needs upliftment for local people as well as tourists. Metered taxis and auto-rickshaws as well as regular city bus service should be introduced for the convenience of the tourists and the local people. The traffic movement within the city needs to be taken care for the safety of the people. Considering the size and population of the city, number of vehicles is very large and the movement of traffic is also very fast and rash which needs to be controlled and regulated. With the increase in the size and population of the city, the medical facilities also should be improved for the better health of the people. Due to changing lifestyle and modern eating habits, people require more and specialized medical attention. Government and general public duties to make Udaipur a dream place Maintenance and cleanliness of the places of tourist interest can be done with the help of local administration and people visiting these places. Administration can take the help of the NGO’s and voluntary organizations for the purpose which will help in the growth of tourism. Local administration with the help of these organizations should raise public awareness of the environment to sensitize tourists to nature and its processes and to reduce negative impacts of human activities on natural areas specially around lakes and gardens. For the maintenance of tourist spots, the security aspect of these places should be strengthened and strict vigilance is also necessary. India has promoted the idea of ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ (the guest is divine) to protect international tourists from negative experiences such as cheating and rudeness. CCTV cameras should be installed in prominent and sensitive places for the security of the tourists and the travelers as their protection is the foremost responsibility of the government. Udaipur is well connected between Delhi and Mumbai on National Highway (NH) 8 as such most of the domestic as well as foreign tourist come by road but the condition of the state government buses and Udaipur bus stand needs to be revamped. Keeping in view the importance of the city, the government should take necessary steps to improve the condition of bus stand as well as condition of the state owned buses. Most of the buses are old. They should be replaced with the latest models which are environment friendly, have larger seats and better air conditioning. Due to lack of organized local and public transport, tourists visiting this city have to rely upon their tour operators or their hoteliers. Local Administration should introduce metered taxi and auto rickshaw for the convenience of the tourists’ especially domestic tourists. Local City bus should also be introduced which would ease the traffic load of the city. The traffic movement within the city needs to be controlled and organized because of the increasing population and large number of private vehicles. Proper and systematic parking measures should be taken by the local administration to get rid of parking nuisance in the busy market areas and places of tourist interest. Helmet should be made compulsory for two wheelers. Teenagers without valid driving license should not be permitted to drive vehicles. This should be implemented by traffic police in true spirit and should be strictly followed by the people for their own safety. With the increase in the population of the city, the government and health organizations should take essential steps for better, specialized and prompt medical facilities to the people in effective and most convenient way, so that they don’t need to depend for medical facilities in nearby major cities like Ahmedabad and Jaipur. More specialized government hospitals should be brought up to cater the need of common people who cannot afford the expensive medical treatment of private hospitals. Last but not the least, I wish that it should not only maintain its rich heritage but surge ahead keeping with changing times of modern banking, Industrial and Technological development also. Udaipur is a visual treat for its vibrant colourful lifestyle, something that will keep the traveller rapt with attention, as experience that he will cherish for the lifetime… INCREDIBLE UDAIPUR Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam Be it ever so humble, there is no place like Udaipur my home!!!

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Name : Shrijita Basu Dhar

Class : X ‘C’

Age : 15 years

School : Central Academy, Sec-3

  ‘If a building becomes architecture, then it is art’ Introduction Udaipur is a wonderful city full of eye pleasing architectural marvels. Udaipur is by far the most glamorous city of Rajasthan. It is so eye-cooling and gives an enchanting look to the city of lakes especially in monsoon. What I like about Udaipur Owing to its mesmerizing charm and picturesque settings of the grand palaces standing ashore beautiful lakes. It has been shot in several major international films including ‘The Bond’, ‘Octopussy’ etc. Udaipur scored the highest position in the ranking of Travel + Leisure in 2009 ahead of some of the major cities such as New York, Rome and Sydney. Every year lots of tourists visit udaipur from all the parts of the world. I love the greenery in Udaipur. The key things that I want to change Udaipur in past few years have developed a lot but it needs to improve a few aspects so as to bring more development and growth. There are few areas where scope of improvement is required. A few amongst these are – Infrastructure Being a tourist spot and student hub, the government and the local body must take care about the roads. Every now and then the roads are found in very bad conditions especially after the monsoon. And if by chance the construction of roads or any repair-work is initiated, its mostly left half constructed or the roads are not properly laid off. Pot holes are also not well covered, raising lot many accidental issues. Therefore, special measures should be taken to enhance better connectivity and transportation. Proper sewage facilities should be introduced within the city to avoid water logging in areas which occur every year due to rain. Transport The transport facility in the city is very weak. Though in recent times the local authorities made their modest attempt to run city buses but unfortunately it failed.   The routes and frequency of the buses to make trips to and fro should properly planned and secondly, the local people were also not able to take the advantage to the fullest. Also the tempos and autos running in the city don’t charge proper rates. They don’t have any amount fixed per kilometer nor the meter system got introduced in the city. Though there are lot many people who avail the facility of autos here. If the meter system and fixed amount per kilometer can be implemented in Jaipur City then why not in Udaipur? Also, with the introduction of CNG autos will help to keep a check at the increasing rate of pollution and further environmental degradations. Due to lack of international airport in the city, the growth prospective and connectivity to various cities or country gets hampered. Therefore, international airports needs to be opened on a priority basis. Security The security in the city is not at par. Though, the police tries hard to put the crime at its lowest but still in newspapers every now and then we read and listen to news that arises because of the crime in the city whether at a lower of higher level. Being a tourist spot and now, as we have IIM in the city, the security plays a vital role. Employment Though the city imparts best of its education and we have lots of renowned institutes and schools here but still the employment opportunities are very less here. Youths have to travel in search of jobs and better package. Though the inflation rate is at par with lot many big and metro cities but the earning or the per capita income is too low if compared with others. Hygiene and Cleanliness The major area where the city requires the most of its improvement is the hygiene and cleanliness factor. The city lacks the number of waste disposal bins. Every now and then one can see litters scattered around and the worst situation is in the main and at the areas where mostly the tourists visits. Because of lack of garbage bins, the lakes are being used as the litterbins. We can always see the lakes filled with plastic bags and other garbage. Because there is no proper measures for this being taken, people are forced to throw garbage at the open places and this in turn brings lot of cows and cattle together, thus creating traffic chaos in most of the areas. And the last area where the city needs to work is towards the alarming rate of girl foeticide found in the heart of the city. On one hand, we talk about the women and girl child development but on the other hand, still such types of incidents put a black mark on the city. Also, proper attention and security should be given to the tourists who visit Udaipur city because of the past cases that occurred in the city. Now the question arises- How these changes can be implemented and what the government and local people can do First, this should be marked that changes does not happen overnight. A planned and effective blueprint or action plan should be designed to make these changes effective. Along with these, the emphasis should be given on the weaker section and quick measures should be implemented. Secondly, All this is not possible only at a simple level but collaboration and cooperation is expected both from the government and people. This is only possible by spreading awareness. Conclusion Therefore, to conclude- I see Udaipur as a city of my dreams only when these changes will be initiated and thus creating a benchmark for others. “ They always say time changes things, But you actually have to change them yourself”

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Name : Hemang Choudhary

Class : IX

Age : 14 years

School : St Paul’s Senior Sec school

Udaipur, also known as city of lakes, is well known for handicrafts such as paintings, marble articles, silver arts, terracotta etc. Udaipur is also well connected to the major cities of India by land, rail or air. Because of its picturesque and scenic locations, Udaipur has been the shooting location for many Hollywood and Bolllywood movies. Udaipur is a popular tourist destination in India. I am proud to be an Udaipurian, proud to be a Rajasthani and proud to be an Indian. What I like about Udaipur? There are many things which I like about Udaipur. Its natural beauty and rich culture appeals to me the most. The great Fateh Sagar Lake which is the heart of Udaipur is my favourite. I also like other lakes such as Pichhola Lake, Swaroop Sagar, Jaisamand, Badi Talab etc. Udaipur is famous for its heritage. The great Maharana Pratap of Udaipur who was a man of self respect did not accept the supremacy of the powerful Mughal ruler Akbar and fought a war against him. I also like big shopping malls in the city such as celebration mall, R K mall etc. Whenever we sit in the car we are entertained by the great FM’s of Udaipur such as 94.3 FM, 92.7 FM and 95 FM; and 94.3 FM is my favourite. What are the 5 key things that I want to change? First and foremost change should be proper cleaning of the lakes. As our lakes are getting polluted and getting full of ‘Jalkumbhi’ there should be proper drainage management of the lakes. Second change should be that the traffic rule in Udaipur should be followed. Although Udaipur is not much crowded but yet there are many traffic jams which indicate that our system of traffic is not well and is not followed. There has been increase in the number of accidents and some of them has led to deaths. This is because the citizens are not following traffic rules and are not wearing helmets. So the third change I want to make is that the traffic rules should be followed and use of helmets should be made compulsory. As we all know that nowadays, during evening around fateh sagar youngsters are moving in their vehicals at a very high speed due to which others are having problems. So the fourth change that I want to make is that the youngsters should move their vehicles at slow speed or if some of them is moving with high speed the police should be aware and get hold of these youngsters. Illegal construction in non-construction areas, encroachment etc are the problems which are causing interruption in flow of water from catchment areas and are also becoming dark spots on the beauty of our city. The change which i want is that there should not be any construction in the non-construction zone and those found constructing in these zones will bw punished seriously. How can these changes be made? Lakes can remain clean if we do not throw waste materials such as garbage, polybags etc and we should not use more powered vehicles near the lake which causes more pollution instead we should use less powered or should use cycles. We should make the government aware to remove the jalkumbhis and make the water drinkable. We, the citizens should follow the traffic rules. We should wear helmet and should remain patient and attentive while we are driving. We should drive slowly and if anyone of our friends are driving fast then we should tell him to drive slowly and carefully. Government should be aware of the people who are constructing illegally. What can the Government and general public do to make Udaipur a better place? Government should make sure that the traffic rules are followed. It is the duty of the citizens to follow traffic rules. We should not throw waste materials here and there; instead, we should throw it in a dustbin. Government should be aware about the proper cleaning of the lakes. We should treat everyone equally. Government should keep an eye on the persons who are not following the rules. We should plant more trees, rather than cutting them, to make our city a green city. Government should encourage the citizens to use less powered vehicles rather than using high powered vehicles as it causes more pollution. Industries should be made far away from the city. So I think that by following at least these things we can make Udaipur a little better place.

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Rest of the winners 4.Rizwan Ali Hitawala – St. Paul’s School- 9th class 5.Nikhil Vaya – St. Anthony School – 10th class 6.Isha Pokharna – St. Anthony School – 9th class 7.Malvika Maloo – St. Mary’s Convent School – 9th class 8.Abhay Singh – St. Anthony School – 10th class 9.Harikrishna Modli – St. Paul’s School – 10th class 10.Akhyar Ahmad Kathawala