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| Monday, February
11, 2002,
Chandigarh, India
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A show of canine grace Chandigarh, February 10 But once away from the glitter of the glamorous world, some of them huffed and puffed in the closed metal cages placed in the open stalls under the bright afternoon sun, or barked anxiously as their owners went away even for a few minutes. For some of the dogs, it was nothing less than an ordeal. Not used to seeing so many dogs at one place, except at the dog clinics, they huddled closer and closer to their owners. Tied to the poles and to the parked cars, some barked, others whimpered. Their plight, however, went largely unnoticed by a majority of the onlookers as they gazed at the breeds they had seen only in posters, or had read about in the novels. They gathered around the stalls to admire Miniature Pinscher, Pekingese, Poodle Miniature, Welsh Corgi, St. Bernard, Neapolitan and Bull Mastiff, along with Great Dane and Rotweiller. Among the participating dogs were at least 30 foreign dogs. For them, there were booths offering soft and cosy bedding for keeping over miniature folding beds, synthetic bones, special vitamin-enriched packed diet and steel utensils for feeding the “furry ones”. Noodles and other delicacies too were being sold, not for the canine friends, but for the owners. Giving details of the show, one of the organiser said over 300 entries had been received by the club for today’s show. “Forty champion dogs of 35 different breeds participated in the show,” he added. The club, according to a press release, was founded in 1980 by dog lovers of Chandigarh and is affiliated to the Kennel Club of India based at Chennai. The results of the 32nd All Breed Championship Dog Show are — First prize: GSD owned by Mr Abdullah Noori of Delhi; second prize: Labrador owned by Dr Ajay Pal Singh Mangat of Ludhiana; third prize: Dachshund smooth haired owned by Mr L.S. Bakshi. Prize of best puppy in the show was bagged by Great Dane owned by Ms Neha Katyal. The results of 33rd Best All Breed Championship Dog Show are — First prize: Labrador owned by Mr Mangat; second prize: GSD owned by Mr Abdullah Noori of Delhi; third prize: Boxer owned by Mr Shyam Mehta. Prize of best puppy in the show was bagged by Boxer owned by Mr Harinder. The prize for Best Dog of Chandigarh went to Rotweiler owned by Bobby Sekhon and Pom owned by Ms Saroj
Banglah. |
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More than just ‘admiring’ pets Chandigarh, February 10 A slight murmur of appreciation escaped from the dry lips of forlorn students, gathered around the venue, every time the fair chiseled hands of pretty damsels moved up and down the silky back of adorable puppies sitting elegantly in the stalls, waiting to be picked up by a connoisseur of dogs. As the grimalkins trotted from one makeshift booth to another, looking for imported shampoos, leather collar, enamelled bowls and other “gifts of love” for their “furry ones”, the guys followed, relishing, but not daring to pass comments. Among them were Akshay, Harman and Ashu — all undergraduates. No, they were not dog lovers in the strict sense of the word. Nevertheless, they had bobbed up at the show on their 100cc, of-so-macho, single-cylinder mean-machines. To adore kitty-cats. All clad to silently skip away with young hearts palpitating for love pangs. “We are aware of the fact that all damsels, well almost all, nurture dogs, or at least love them,” asserted Harman, passing his frail fingers through his dusty hair. “That’s the reason why we three have been driving down to the valley since the mid 90s.” Riveting his eyes on a maiden in burgundy polo neck sweater over dark brown trousers parading across the lawn with a Pomeranian, he continued: “It is all very convenient. You not only get to ogle at the earth angles out here to witness the competition, but can actually converse with the beauties.” The three were not alone in their endeavour. Post graduation student Dheeraj Khaurana too was there, in the valley of dogs, talking to the lasses showing off their fancy curs. “Remember, the way to a girl’s heart is through her dog,” he insisted. “So, you should walk up to her without hesitation, pat the pooch on its head and enquire about the dog’s credentials. If the owner is friendly, ask her the secret shrouding the dog’s silky tresses. Then narrate a sad tale about a dog you never possessed. Even before the story concludes, inform her about your intention of keeping another dog. Then ask her address. It is all very simple. All you need is a little practice and knowledge about dogs, girls too. I was badly bitten the first time I tried to perform the trick”. Well folks, it may be convenient, but the problem with dog show is that it is an annual affair, like St Valentine’s Day. So, if you were unable to gather many addresses, best of luck for next year. |
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Consumer associations object to TRAI decision Chandigarh, February 10 Reportedly, TRAI, has recently appointed a private agency to assess the quality of services of the cellular and basic services providers. The agency will come out with a quarterly report on the quality of services, besides consumer satisfaction survey. According to consumer associations, such an appointment will not bring out fair assessment of the services being provided by operators. In a letter to the Regulatory Authority, the Kerala Consumer Services Society, one of the constituents of the FOTCAG has said the private agency will be able to get in touch with only a specified strata of telephone users. “Instead of entrusting the survey to one organisation exclusively, it will be desirable to collect reasonable survey reports already conducted by consumer organisations in different parts of the country”, stated the society adding that consolidation of reports from such organisations would be helpful. There are around 2,000 consumer organisations across the country . Expressing their apprehension over the success of the private agency in carrying out the survey and the assessment, the society has written that the agency will not be able to bring out the true picture as “their coverage is limited to urban sectors only. They may be in touch with the upper strata of society, but not with the users in the rural and semi-urban areas”. Regarding the questionnaires, the consumer society has said that in case the data is collected over the telephone, the chances of correct information are bleak. Nobody will respond whole-heartedly if the interview is on the telephone, and that the purpose of the questionnaire will be lost unless interviews are taken personally, the society has stated. Commenting on the format of questionnaire that has been sent by TRAI to consumer associations for their comments the Chandigarh Telecom Subscribers Association is of the view that it needs a thorough revision. The association has further suggested additions in the number of questions for better information, questions on telephone directory and value-added services like ISDN. |
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Exams keep kids away from cyber cafes Chandigarh, February 10 “Gone are the days when the dexterous hands of the students would rapidly click the mouse before rotating it on the pad for hours together, even during the school hours," says Dinesh Chauhan, working as a manager in one of the cyber cafes in Sector 35. "Today, they are all staying back at home flipping through the pages of history and chemistry books, mugging up the lessons for the examinations just a fortnight away.” Giving details, owner of another cyber centre in Sector 35 Raja Raghu Chandervanshi asserts: “Just a month back we had scores of students who were missing classes for travelling through the cyber world. They would come here at 10 am — as soon as the cafe would open — casually place their heavy bags in one corner of the room and sit in front of the computer before clicking on the icon of internet explorer.” He adds: “They would continue to surf the sites till about 1 o'clock — time for them to go back to their homes after a day's hard work, only to come again to the cafe for some serious lessons in international affairs the next morning.” Agreeing with him, Dig Vijay Singh Thakur, running a cyber centre in Sector 11, says: “Most of the times, the young innocents, sitting on their revolving chairs, would enter the chat room and talk to unknown aliens for almost two or three hours. This is not all. I know of at least one incident where a class X student forgot to wish `happy birthday' to his best friends in his anxiety to say hello to a dame he had never seen. In fact, he was not even sure whether the damsel was actually a girl or a boy making fool of him by writing love mails. But all this is over now and will remain like this till the examinations are over by the end of March.” |
Poll manifestos were once a sacrosanct thing by which the electorate decided their minds. Things have changed now and today everything is taken with a pinch of salt. Local resident. Angrez Singh Badheri, President of the very vocal Pind Bachao Committee, has a solution. In his simple rural style he says: “Anyone not fulfilling the promises in the manifesto should be booked under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This is also like criminal breach of trust. So why not use it. At least the promises will be genuine.” It seems simple and a demand with which many people will agree but someone will have to balance it with factors like caste based considerations and financial problems of the state and the country. Mr Badheri’s argument: All problems have been created by the politicians themselves and they need to solve them.
With an eye on
the media... Chandigarh residents, never very keen on politics or politicians, had a little more aversion to these after last week’s visits by Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and Congress President Sonia Gandhi to the city. Traffic was blocked. Certain markets were closed. The question being asked was that polls are in Punjab; so why was the city being made to suffer as these leaders had come to Punjab to address rallies there? Chandigarh was just a stopover. When Mrs Gandhi chose to visit Congress Bhavan, parking was not allowed in the crowded Sector 35 outside the row of hotels for hours preceding her visit. Not many were happy with it. Chandigarh has become an important stopover for politicians headed for Punjab. With a huge media contingent based here, the muchneeded publicity is easy to get. Otherwise Chandigarh may be a place that every politician dreads. Just 35 per cent of the people voted in the local Municipal Corporation elections. The urban turnout was a little over 18 per cent. Media coverage seems to be the only explanation for these visits.
R.K. Malhotra R.K. Malhotra, who was head of Panjab University’s public relations department, apart from being Secretary of its Publication Bureau in 1992, died on January 30. Most of the teaching and non-teaching employees who remained associated with him or worked with him, fondly remember his wit and way of working. He had a desire to ameliorate the sufferings of the mankind. It was for this reason that he had donated his eyes for transplantation in a deserving case. Mr Malhotra served the university for nearly 27 years and succeeded in establishing its commendable rapport with the press and brought the university on the national and international map of publications. After his retirement, Mr Malhotra was conscripted by Dr P.N. Chhuttani, a former Dean and Director of the PGI for his Charitable Trust and Chhuttani Medical Centre in Sector 17. He was engaged by Dr Chhuttani for editing the life story of his own mentor and master, the late Col Amir Chand in his book “Raj and Medicine in India” Dr Chhuttani was so pleased with his performance that he entrusted him with the task of bringing out his books on medical literature for the layman, “A Surgeon’s Inquest —Ethos and Pathos in Justice Lamba’s Death”; “Health and the Layman” which were widely reviewed by medical experts and immensely liked by a large number of people.
Hailstorm The city and its surrounding area were covered under a sheet of white following a sharp hailstorm. The road, parks, rooftops and roundabouts were all white. The hail was more prominent in the southern sectors and adjoining SAS Nagar (Mohali). At least residents of southern sectors got something more than their counterparts living in northern areas. When the hail occurred Punjab was playing Orissa in the Ranji Trophy knockout. It was day four of the five-day match at the PCA stadium. Players from Orissa were fascinated by the hail and fished out their cameras to capture the effect of white hails on the green outfield. It took a while of explaining about the hailstorm to the Oriya lads. Some of them may have seen huge cyclones in the costal belt but never a hailstorm. It was not snowing, they were told, as they prepared themselves for icy winds. Indian offspinner Harbhajan Singh could be seen playing the hail with Indian opener Shiv Sunder Das. Probably he was bonding with him as Das takes those tremendous catches at shortleg off Bhajji’s bowling.
Basant Utsav The Environment Society of India (ESI) with the support of the tourism department, Chandigarh Administration, is organising Chandigarh Basant Utsav 2002, at the Leisure Valley Sector 10, from February 15 to 17. A number of events have been planned. There are on-the-spot painting, fancy dress, turban tying, tug of war, kite contests. In addition, yellow flowers show, cultural programmes, folk dances from various states will be staged. On February 15, Kerala’s K.L. Saigal night will be organised. To mark this event all food and drinks will be of yellow colour at the mela grounds.
Code of conduct? It happens during every elections. The candidates at the time of filing their nomination are strictly told to comply with the model code of conduct. This time is no exception. Party flags, posters and blaring loudspeakers can be seen everywhere in SAS Nagar.
WTO seminar Prof M.R. Aggarwal, Department of Economics, Panjab University, will be one of the key speakers at the national seminar on “WTO and Allied issues” at New Delhi in February. The seminar is being jointly organised by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (New Delhi), Indian Institute of Management (Lucknow) and the Strategic Management Forum. Professor Aggarwal will present his paper on “Distortions in global trading order: implications for India and new paradigm.” Scholars from the WTO, industrial and public sectors and academic institutions from the country and abroad are expected to participate in the seminar.
His own style As a decent habit of his yearly routine, Prof R.D. Anand of the Chemistry Department at Panjab University has circulated cards to his near ones wishing them a happy New Year on the eve of the Republic Day! Republic Day is the day when India woke into a new life and is rightfully the day when each one of us should remind ourselves of the sacrifices behind the “new life” that has been bestowed on us following years of the freedom struggle, the Professor feels.
Conservation Last week the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) in collaboration with the Environment Society of India (ESI) launched a major conservation exercise to make its campus environment and nature friendly. A rudraksh grove was created on the campus. The first sapling was planted by Mr M.M. Rajendran, Governor of Orissa. Led by Mrs Raker Rashid, Regional Director CYP, the foreign delegates put up eight nesting boxes on the trees for birds to nest and breed. Bee boxes and vermiculture units have been set up. Besides, solar education kit and a set of garden tools were exhibited. A circular pond was constructed. Eight geese and ducks were released. When these birds laid eggs next day, the staff and foreign delegates danced.
Half a comment! Prof Kapil Kapoor from JNU was at Panjab University last week to deliver a guest lecture. When the lecture ended, Prof M.L.Raina, who chaired the lecture, asked the audience to limit themselves to asking one question and half a comment due to dearth of time. And true to his request a single question was asked and before asking another question a university faculty member stated that she was making just half a comment. The discussion was just ending when the PU Vice-Chancellor wittingly said he too wanted to state something which could easily fit as one-tenth of a footnote.
Domain of pain At a function organised at the PGI, to commemorate Childhood Cancer Day, the Adviser to the UT Administrator, Ms Neeru Nanda, who is normally all smiles and a very lively person, could barely hold her tears back. Moved by the innocence and pain of the children who were suffering from cancer, she said anyone who had seen a cancer patient knows the pain and suffering they go through.
Home health care Dr Vikrant Gupta Memorial Foundation has started a diploma course for women in home health care nursing. Women from needy families are trained in basic health management at homes. Since there is a great demand for such trained young people in the city where many old people live alone and have health problems, these women get well paid jobs in the city itself. The first batch of such women were recently awarded certificates by the UT Administrator. The All India Women’s Conference, City chapter, also trains women from poor families in home health care to be able to get good jobs.
The record keeper Germany-based Punjabi poet Rajvinder Singh always had a brilliant academic career. Way back in 1977 when he was studying MA (Punjabi) from Jammu and Kashmir University, Jammu, he cleared the finals with 574 marks out of 800. With these marks he created a record in his region. Till date this record stands
unbeaten. When Rajvinder Singh, who is currently in India for a book release function, visited his university, he was told by people of the Punjabi Department that his record had lived through 25 years. The poet reacted crisply: “It may live for another 25.”
Trust Jaspal Bhatti to speak anything against politicians. He was the chief guest at an audio cassette release function recently. When asked how he described the election and campaign scene, he replied: “They all look like fighting cocks.” — Sentinel |
CSD canteen renovated Chandigarh, February 10 In his address, the Army Commander said that the long-felt need for improved canteen services for retired service personnel in Chandigarh has been fulfilled. He thanked the Punjab Governor, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), and the Chief Minister, Mr P.S. Badal, for making requisite space available on the premises of Punjab Sainik Bhavan to the Army authorities for running the canteen. Earlier, the canteen was housed in the adjoining UT Sainik Rest House where the premises used to be overcrowded and customers had to wait to be served. The new canteen premises are
air-conditioned and computerised and the self-service system has been introduced. |
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Seminar on sufism concludes Chandigarh, February 10 Prof Prem Singh clarified the concept of ‘saiguna, nirguna and bhakti’. Sufism belongs to democratic tradition and most of the sufi saints used the language of the common man to spread their messages. It is difficult to differentiate among the sant, bhakt and guru because all these words have been used in ‘Sukhmani’. Sufi powers believed in ‘Karamic tradition’ to be achieved through sound as it leads to an inner awakening. Prof Gurbhagat Singh who presided over the first session stressed that sufi poets and sants were not concerned about other and in the creation of new man that ultimately culminated in the concept of the Khalsa. Prof O.P. Vashisht presented a paper on Vaheguru and Gurmukh in Guru Nanak’s bani. Dr Nisar Ahmed Farooqi who after paying tribute to Prof Attar Singh expressed direct concern with Baba Farid as he belonged to a generation that is a direct descent of the sufi poet. Prof Namwar Singh, a well known scholar, gave the concluding speech in which he emphasised that sufism is an experience hence it needs to be preserved as it has been kept intact in the Guru Granth, Sahib, The seminar was followed by a lively discussion where a large number of university faculty members participated. Dr Deepak Manmohan Singh, Prof and Head, Sheikh Baba Farid chair, Panjab University, proposed a vote of thanks and narrated the contribution made by Prof Attar Singh (late) to the Chair. |
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Healthy baby show Chandigarh, February 10 Category one included children between 6 months and 1 year in which Gurmehak and Ishaan were the other two winners. Category two constituted children between one year and two years in which Sukriti Kumar and Shivansh Bector were the winners. Category three comprised children between two years and three years and Eashani Bhargav and Manjoot Dhingra won prizes in this category. Category four included children between three years and four years and Alisha Sarma and Pritesh won prizes in this category. The criteria for judgement was based on the overall health of the baby, which included height, weight, milestones, vaccination details, mental growth, hygiene, appearance etc. |
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Mass marriage function Panchkula, February 10 The couple was amongst 18 couples who were married off at the sixth mass marriage being organised by the Lions Club Chandigarh Plaza here today. Hundreds of people from all over Punjab, Haryana and even from Uttaranchal had gathered here to attend the mass marriages. The entire place was reverberating with joy as the families of the 18 couples were overjoyed at the benevolence of the club members. Said an emotional Mr Dharampal from Amritsar, whose niece was one of the brides, “We could have never done so much for our child.” The couples were also given some necessities like folding beds, quilts, mattresses, crockery and clothes. Mr Varinder Gulati, president of the club, informed that the club members had donated and also collected donations of over Rs 3 lakh to arrange for this mass marriages. Mr D.K. Sood, District Governor of the club, said that a screening committee of the club had been set up to ensure that only genuine couples were married. The Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jyoti Arora, who was the chief guest, lauded the efforts of the club for their humane service. She announced Rs 1,100 for each couple from the district administration. |
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Cleaning of mandis on contract Panchkula, February 10 An official press release said that the auction for the sites would be held in the office of the Market Committee on February 18. It may be noted that Apni Mandis are organised in Sector 16 on Tuesday, Sector 4 on Thursday, Sector 8 on Friday and Sectors 11 and 15 chowk on Saturday. The tenders will be opened on the same day. |
Villager assaulted, robbed Chandigarh, February 10 Injured Arrested Scooter
stolen PANCHKULA Car theft: Two cars were stolen from different parts of the township during the past 24 hours. While one car (DL-4CL-4642) was stolen from Sector 4 last night, the other car (HR-03D-1656) was stolen from Sector 11. Burglary
thwarted |
Scheme to boost used-car market Chandigarh, February 10 The company will re-condition the old cars at it’s own workshop and provide a platform for meeting of the seller and the buyer of the used car. “The old car will go through 150 checkpoints before coming to the showroom. The idea is to provide the customer of the used car with a reliable product “, stated a company press release. Berkeley will keep a fixed price for the used car and will also attach a certification of satisfaction by Berkeley with the car. Insurance and registration related work will also be dealt in the showroom itself. “A customer who goes to purchase a used car is apprehensive of the quality and also the price he pays for it. This service would not only provide him with the right quality and price of the car but will also avoid procedural delays”, stated the release. Berkeley will also give a warranty of three months and one free service on the purchase of the car.  |
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BIZ CLIPS IBM offerings Chandigarh Product launch Usha International will launch automatic pop up toasters, food processors, emergency lights and Usha invertors soon. The company plans to focus on the cooler market in the region this season, said Mr Sujit Sengupta, senior general manager, who was on an official visit to the city on Friday. He said the company would bring a tall cooler ‘Oasis’ and a personal cooler to the market in this region , this season. The prices would be competitive —ranging between Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,600, he said.
TNS
Education loan Sector 7 branch of the State Bank of India and the NRI branch set up an education loan stall at the annual festival of the Government Home Science College, Sector10, here today. The students were provided information about the education loan schemes for studies within the country and abroad. The NRI branch officials explained about various schemes including housing loan scheme for the NRIs.
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