EDUCATION

Panel to look into Kewal Singh’s appointment
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 19
Panjab University has constituted a committee to look into the controversy that surrounds the appointment of Dr Kewal Singh as Director of Sports.

The appointment of Dr Kewal Singh as Director was turned down by the university syndicate on September 14, pointing out his lack of desired experience as the main cause. However, following a detailed debate in the following Senate, Prof K.N. Pathak, Vice-Chancellor, decided to appoint a committee to look into the matter.

The committee has been constituted with Justice D.V.Sehgal as the chairman. The committee members include Prof Bhuvan Chandel, Prof Charanjit Chawla, Principal S.C.Marriya, Prof Paramjit Singh, Registrar, and Mr S.K.Sharrma, Secretary to Vice-Chancellor.

The advertisement had sought that the applicant should have a regular teaching experience of 15 years as per the University Grants Commission guidelines. The Syndicate found that he did not have any experience of senior lecturer scale or the selection grade to suit the requirements.

It was also pointed out that the university should first probe how the name of Dr Kewal Singh was cleared by the screening committee. However, during discussion it was also pointed out that he had served for long in Nigeria in the concerned area. Certain members of the Senate argued that his experience in Nigeria should be counted.

Dr Kewal Singh, meanwhile, maintains that he has the required experience to suit the post. Certain data provided to the university includes: 1972-1974 at a college in Samalakha (Haryana); 1974 to 1975 (October) at a college in Rajpura; December 1975- 1984 as Senior Education Officer in Nigeria; 1986-88 as a part-time teacher at PU; and 1988-94 on an ad hoc basis at the university.

Those opposed to the appointment, however, point out the “flaws in appointments as per the UGC norms and not merely in terms of years on paper”.

School fete begins
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 19
“Satluj Splendour” — the first day of Satluj Public School’s fete — started with colourful events like “Jam session, “antakshri”, Mr and Ms Talent and several other inter school events here today.

As many as 25 stalls with about 50 food items, 20 games, activities and various competitions were held. Fun game stalls like computer horoscope, mehndi, tatoo, face painting, Micky foloats, bouncy cattle drew large crowds. American, North Indian, South Indian and Italian cuisines were offered at various stalls.

The main attraction for teenagers was a rose stall, a request song stall, jam sessions with dance floor, disco lights and a DJ . A fancy dress competition was also held today with tiny tots dressing up as various mythological creatures, political leaders, pop icons and even inanimate objects like cola bottle and tooth paste. The results for various competitions are as under:- Mehandi:- Rashmi and Deesha; Painting:- Aakriti and Ankit Soni; collage making:- Shamair and Taranpreet; calligraphy:- Omica Sahni and Ankita Chand; antakshri_ Sagarika and Gurpreet and Mr and Ms. Talent: Gaurav Gupta and Amanpreet.

COURTS

DISTRICT COURTS
CVM president remanded in judicial custody
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, October 19
Seven persons, including the president of Chandigarh Vikas Manch, who were arrested by the UT police for agitating against the move of the enforcement staff to confiscate goods lying outside the premises of shops in Sector 28, were today remanded to judicial custody by a local court. Meanwhile, the court has issued a notice for tomorrow on a bail plea moved them. They had been booked under Sections 147, 148, 332, 353, 392 and 186 of the IPC. Another 24 persons have been booked as they tried to block traffic in protest against the MC action.

Adjourned

A local court today adjourned a defamation complaint filed against the Chief Minister of Punjab, Capt Amarinder Singh, by a local leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Mr N.S. Minhas, till December 3. Mr Minhas had filed a complaint under Sections 499, 500 of the IPC against the PPCC for publishing posters in various national and regional newspapers against SAD President Parkash Singh Badal. He claimed that the contents of the advertisement were false and malicious. He alleged that the PPCC had inserted the advertisement with a view to mislead the public and to lower Mr Badal’s esteem and, to defame him.

Meanwhile, in a civil suit filed by the former Additional Director of Information and Public Relations, Punjab, Mr Jagdip Singh Chowhan, for the recovery and attachment of property such as jogging machine, music system and ACs, sofa sets, double beds, TV and 12 other items, against the Chief Minister of Punjab and his son was today adjourned till November 30 by the UT Civil Judge (Senior Division), Mr C.L. Mohal.

Mr Chowhan, had stated that in 1998 he was working as Deputy Director of the Information and Public Relation Department, Punjab, at Chandigarh. He alleged that the Chief Minister of Punjab had directed him to work in the election campaign of his son, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal during the period of 1998-1999.

Ex-servicemen to contest Bar Council election
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 19
The All-India Ex-Servicemen Lawyers Association today decided that ex-servicemen, practising as advocates, would contest the forthcoming Punjab and Haryana Bar Council elections.

The decision to field their own candidate was unanimously taken by the Association during a meeting reportedly attended by ex-servicemen advocates practising in different district courts of Punjab and Haryana, besides Chandigarh.

According to Association Chairman Bhim Sen Sehgal, the decision was taken as ex-servicemen advocates, despite their large numbers, had no representative in the Council.

The association’s Governing Body also urged the lawyer community to vote, support and elect ex-servicemen advocates as Bar Council members “so that welfare activities for the advocates and their families are taken on priority basis”.

CULTURE

A magical dance performance
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 19
Living mythology through the medium of classical dance is always a blissful experience. Not only because classical streams treat the subject of dance recitals with great respect and sensitivity, but also because they cast a magical spell on the audience with their spiritual aura.

Based as our dance traditions are on the greatness of our deities, all of these share some elements, despite having a great deal of diversity. Finally, however, it does not matter which form you are witnessing. All forms are pursuits in art, with pleasure and worship their quintessence.

Yesterday the audience at Pracheen Kala Kendra got a chance to witness the nuances of bharatanatyam, as presented by Sangeeta Aich Bhowmick, disciple of renowned guru Thankamani Kutty. Handling the dance form delightfully, she diverted the gathering’s attention from technique to aesthetics. With grace resting on her nimble feet, the dancer recreated episodes from epics with her tremendously strong abhinaya ang.

The story of Sita swayamvara, Sita haran and finally Hanuman’s devotion came alive on stage. Not even once did the form appear rigid or conditioned. The dancer was living the form more than she was practising it. Hence the rasa that flowed right from the inaugural item Saraswati Vandana to the concluding presentation which came in the form of Bankim Chandra’s Vandemataram, sujalam, sufalam...

Sangeeta translated the national song into mudras of classical tradition with admirable ease, proving that dance was a form of expression more than it was a statement of detail. In all the items from Kalika Strotam to Ramayana shabadam, Sangeeta mudras flowed like a stream, narrating tales from mythology. Her theatrical prowess stood out throughout the recital.

Bringing Kerala’s vigour with grace
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 19
For any art form to be made relevant, it is important to inspire it with freshness. Perhaps no one knows this better than renowned mohiniattam exponent Bharati Shivaji, who is credited with enriching the art form with vitality and vigour. Having researched mohiniattam’s literary, sculptural and musical elements, Bharati later went on to even author a book, “The Art of Mohiniattam”. Today, apart from being a harbinger of this dance tradition, which grew in medieval Kerala, Bharati sees herself in the role of a guru, passing on the rich legacy to the disciples who follow her training at the Centre for Mohiniattam in Delhi.

Once again in the city to perform under the Jhankar series of the UT Administration, Bharati Shivaji today presented before the audience glimpses of kalaripayattu, the martial dance form from Kerala, which draws base from mohiniattam. Accompanied by her disciples, whom she prefers calling daughters, Bharati once again became the enchantress (mohiniattam literally means dance of the enchantress) on the stage of Shanti Kunj in Sector 16. Flanked on both sides by her students, she underlined the two elements of mohiniattam — abhinaya and shingara.

Beginning the recital with Ganesha stuti, the dancers swayed to diverse themes, reminding the audience of the beautiful landscape of Kerala. Commanding themselves with grace, they delighted the viewers with finely-choreographed sequences in Padam and later in Unniarcha. Where Padam was dedicated to Lord Padmanabha, Unniarcha was a kalaripayattu piece. Choreography by Bharati and her daughter Vijaylakshmi thoroughly impressed the audience.

Composed in ordinary dialect, this form of dance is very popular. Among the various heroes, Unniarcha, the heroine, stands out supreme on account of her formidable strength, despite womanhood. She is believed to be well-versed in the ancient martial art of kalaripayattu.

The production began with Unniarcha dreaming of festivities at the Ayappan temple, drawing young girls of her neighbourhood to partake of the auspicious occasion. Inspired, she decides to visit the temple and approaches her in-laws to seek permission. They, however, warn her of the danger of going through Nagapuram, a place notorious for miscreants. Unniarcha proceeds and fights the miscreants with her extraordinary martial skills.

As the dance progressed, the performers seemed to have merged with their art form. They stood in a beautiful communion, so divine that being a part of it was a blissful experience, courtesy Bharati, the guru and her disciples Vijaylakshmi, Vani Bhalla, Aditi Banerjee, Vinaya Narayanan and Sulini Nair. The show was attended by the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lt- Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd) and UT Adviser, Ms Neeru Nanda.

FILM REVIEW
Remixes redone refreshingly
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

‘Dil Vil Pyar Vyar’ (Jagat) is a reflection on the current Bollywood trend of financially cheaper productions that have comparatively fresh faces and are made at a much faster pace.

The story is in tune with the vibrant cast (Jimmy Shergill, R.Madhavan, Namrata Shirodkar, Sonali Kulkarni, Hrishita Bhatt, Bhawna Pani, Sanjay Suri and Rakesh Bapat.). Though the story idea is refreshing, the progress of action is a little scattered into individual units of the love pairs.

One interesting innovation in the presentation is a re-mix of hits of yesteryear, originally sung by Kishore Kumar, which have been fit on to scenes. The re-mix, although refreshing, appears to be a little of an overdose that takes away the shine from the experiment. Costumes in some songs appear to be copy of the recent hit, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’.

Jimmy is the son of a stinking rich business man (Kiran Kumar) who does not want to join the family business. He is in search of a love that he discovers on a train journey-adventure. She (Sonali Kulkarni) is a middle class girl. Madhavan along with his partner Namrata Shirodkar are musicians in search of success. Namrata is discovered by a music company head (Sanjay Suri) and Madhavan is reduced to playing the role of her manager.

Suri has lost his wife. He stays with his sister. The other cast members include Gulshan Grover and Asrani.

Babloo Chakravorty has composed the music. Sudip Sen has done the screenplay for dialogues by Sanjiv Puri. Anand Mahadevan in his directorial venture has tried a fresh approach where excessive concentration on ‘seriousness’ of heart-matters has been fairly cropped.

Vivek Vaswani is the producer.

‘Hathyar’ (KC) is a typical Mahesh Manjrekar presentation venturing into sights of the ‘black deeds and black future’ of the underworld. Sanjay Dutt perfectly slips into the role, further enhanced by his get-up and dialogues.

Circumstances force Dutt into the streets of the underworld. Shilpa Shetty plays his conscience keeper in a tale that focuses on the plight of families of gangsters.

The film has been produced by Venus Tapes and Records. Vijay Arora is the cinematographer; Mohinder Verma action director; Raju Khan choreographer; and Anand Raj Anand music composer. ‘Hathyar’ is a sequel to ‘Vaastav’, an earlier Manjrekar presentation.

The cast includes Namrata Shirodkar, Sharad Kapoor, Shakti Kapoor, Sachin Khedekar, Shivaji Satnam, Reema Lagoo, Deepak Tijori, Pankaj Berry and Gulshan Grover.

WESTERN FILM REVIEW
High in action, low in substance
Rajiv Kaplish

Chandigarh
Adrenaline-junkie, bloodshed fan, thrill-seeker — call him by any name. The new action kid on the block is extreme in every way. Chrome-headed with bulging biceps, he is Xander Cage. Carefree and bold, he indulges in activities which result in either the maximum rush of blood, or, perhaps, lead to a very early grave.

No one knows it better than National Security Agency chief Augustus Gibbons, who is facing a desperate situation in Prague following the slaying of an undercover operative by a bunch of goons, calling themselves “Anarchy 99”. Gibbons needs a new agent to go to the distant country and take head-on the brutal ex-Russian Army commander, Yorgi, and his beautiful girlfriend, Yelena. So, the fighting machine called Cage is the most suitable, if somewhat reluctant, candidate for the dangerous job.

The toughie has now got a new name — Agent Xander Cage, code name XXX. His mission is to go underground and play by “Anarchy 99’s” own set of rules (or, lack of them) to stop them from destroying the world. The thugs will soon pay the price for messing with the death-defying hunk.

Giving a new dimension to the secret agent genre, Rob Cohen, Neal H. Moritz and Vin Diesel, the director, producer and star, respectively, of the “The Fast and the Furious” cobble up another thriller, “XXX” (Kiran and Piccadilly), which, like other spy movies, is low in substance, but high in action.

Vin Diesel, who earlier played the part of Private Caparzo in Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan,” delivers a high-octane performance as agent Xander “XXX” Cage. Resembling like an armoured car full of flesh and blood, he is, nevertheless, a rare combination of brawn and brain.

Veteran Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson essays the role of NSA agent Augustus Gibbons with panache. Daughter of cult film-maker Dario Argento, Asia Argento who plays the role of Yelena, the girlfriend of the villain, is a perfect foil to Diesel. Thankfully, unlike other spy movies, she is not supposed to shed much of her clothes in the film.

New Zealand-born Marton Casokas who recently featured in Peter Jackson’s highly successful epic, “The Lord of the Ring”, passes muster as the disaffected Russian Army officer, Yorgi.

Contrary to its title, “XXX” has no explicit scenes which may disappoint a section of the audience.

Pop singer releases debut album
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, October 19
Rajdeep Lally, an upcoming Punjabi pop singer, has come out with his debut album “Pehli Pehli Baar” which he released at a function here recently. Like so many other singers from Punjab, Rajdeep too has cashed on the ongoing trend of blending Punjabi folk with western music.

The lyrics for the songs have been written by Bhatti Bhariwala, Jagga Ranguwal, Jaggi Kohala and Amrik Mondikharar and the overall presentation was by Bhatti Bhariwala. The album was released by folk singer Hardeep.