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Fasting, feasting and shopping |
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Phagwara industrialists rue “step-motherly” treatment
Phagwara may have had the sobriquet of the Manchester of Doaba, but industrialists of this town paint a grim picture of the industrial scene there these days. They rue the "step-motherly" treatment is being meted out to the industries at Phagwara.
Lawyers’ chambers caught in official maze
Tug-of-war between mayor and minister leaves five colonies parched
No horsing around with horses at PAP
From the schools
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Fasting, feasting and shopping
Sheer
jewellery glowing resplendently on mannequins, bright and brocaded clothes vying for attention in window-displays, gifts stacked attractively on shelves — it's just the right season for hopping into a shopping mode. And this is precisely what city folks are doing.
"It's the time to shop. With a clutch of festivals around the corner, you have no choice but to do up your wardrobe and also buy some jewellery," says Ms Neelima, a home maker. Her mother-in-law, who has accompanied her to the shopping spree, adds, "Everything has its own time. These days are meant to shop around. After all, Dashera, Karva Chauth, Diwali are approaching."
Shopping these days, for most of the shoppers, is a complete experience, as Ms Manisha, a home maker, tells us. Right from watches (Christian Dior to Titan), clothes and jewellery (branded and non-branded) to silver and steel utensils, shopping is at its peak. "I started shopping at 4 pm and it's already half past seven. I am still not done," says a middle-aged woman, with her armful of bags swaying merrily.
No wonder, the sales have perked up in the past few days. "As usual, gold continues to be the hot favourite. There has been more than 50 per cent increase in our sales in the past few days. The 'festive-effect' is surely there," says Ms Anita, showroom manager of Tanishq, Model Town here. She adds that tribal motifs are gaining currency this festive season. "We have three new collections - Daisy (inspired by daisy flower), Ebony (tribal motifs) and Filigree-Fan for the festive season. And these are 24x7 collections and they can be worn any time," she says. In many cases, the done-up shops rev up the buying. "Impulse buying gets a boost when there is a buying euphoria. People come to the markets and seeing the festive mood there, they invariably end up buying something or the other," says Mr Prakash, who runs a garment shop. "Even a poor rickshaw wala would like to buy some things during this time," he adds. Interestingly, shrinks have a rather different explanation. They say shopping is therapeutic and cathartic. It lifts up your spirit. So, the festive season gives people a good excuse to go on a shopping binge! Well, explanations apart, it's "shop till you drop" for the city folks. |
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Festive air Festivities are in full swing here. City temples are being done up beautifully. There's a feeling of celebration and the decorated temples add to that feeling. "Festivals perk up your spirits," says Ms Renu, a schoolteacher. There are some who feel that the season of festivities augurs the season of change, a time to rejuvenate the sagging spirits. "After 15 days of frugal living, as enjoined by our tradition, these days are symbolic of the advent of new life. They represent the resurgence of new hope," says Mr Krishan Lal, rather philosophically. Even for the not-so-religious, the festivities are the time to take a break from the routine and do something "different". "I am not exactly religious. But the festivities do have a feel-good factor about them. You have that feeling of 'change for better'. Also, the slight nip in the air tells you that hot, scorching days are over and winter is slowly making inroads," says Ms
Diveya, a young professional. Well, this does sum up the charm of the festivities.
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Phagwara industrialists rue “step-motherly” treatment
Phagwara
may have had the sobriquet of the Manchester of Doaba, but industrialists of this town paint a grim picture of the industrial scene there these days. They rue the "step-motherly" treatment is being meted out to the industries at Phagwara.
There is no industrial focal point here, power supply is erratic, air-connectivity of the region with business centres is missing, say the industrialists. Quantity-based and not value-based taxation, simplification of labour law and hassle- free environment, setting up of a technical institute to train manpower, shifting of District Industry Centre and Material Test House from Kapurthala to Phagwara were some of the other issues raised by the industrialists, while talking to this correspondent. "If industries are not supplied power, how can work be done?" asked Mr Ashwani Kohli, Senior Vice-President of the Punjab Chamber of Small Exporters. He was for an assured power supply in the Industrial Area. "If 10-hour power could be supplied during day to Ludhiana and Jalandhar industries, why can't it be supplied to Phagwara industries?" This was the grouse of Mr I.K. Sardana, another industrialist. The hike in the prices of steel was yet another complaint of the industrialists. Steel should be made available at international prices and not at domestic prices, said Mr Paramjit Singh Sethi, President of the Northern India Exporters' Federation. Some industrialists and businessmen were for preferential treatment to exporters. Most of the industrialists said that the setting up of the industrial focal point was the need of the hour. "In case an industrial focal point was set up, business, export and foreign revenue would increase. The units operating in houses and residential quarters would expand," said Mr Ashwani Kohli, an exporter.
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Lawyers’ chambers caught in official maze
Lawyers
here have been fighting a lone battle for the past three years to get their chambers constructed in the new judicial complex. This is thanks to the indifference of the district administration, which is yet to decide about the appointment of the government agency that can execute this Rs 1- crore project.
In the absence of proper seating arrangements, many of the lawyers (more than 350) are functioning from temporary sheds in the old courts complex, while some 300 lawyers were functioning from pucca rooms constructed in a haphazard manner. The problem for the lawyers here started way back in the year 2001 when contrary to their expectations, the building of the new judicial complex was completed without lawyers' chambers. According to the original plan approved by the building committee of Punjab and Haryana High Court, the lawyers' chambers were planned to be constructed in the old courts complex to be later connected with the new judicial complex through a 500 metre-long bridge. Subsequently, the District Bar Association (DBA) had taken up the issue with the building committee of the Punjab and Haryana High Court headed by Justice N.K. Sodhi. The lawyers contended that it was not practically possible for old persons to cover the distance between the two complexes through the flyover bridge. Besides, the litigants and lawyers would have difficulty in appearing before courts time and again every day. Meanwhile, the then-Badal government while acceding to the demands of the lawyers, had sanctioned a sum of Rs 50 lakh for the construction of lawyers' chambers. "A three-member panel of building committee of the High Court approved the plan for construction of chambers in June 6, 2002. Later, the DBA had deposited a sum of Rs 40 lakh with the Deputy Commissioner office as a part of the matching grant. Though the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had laid the foundation stone of the project here on February 15, but till date not a single brick has been laid. The district administration is not clear about which government agency will execute the project," Mr Gurnam Singh Pelia, President of the DBA said. Ms Surjit Kaur, a litigant, maintains, "This is totally inhuman. I keep standing in verandah outside the courtroom for hours together to wait for my turn, as there is no proper seating arrangement here." "Despite assurances of the CM, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ashok Gupta, is still seeking clarifications from secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, for the appointment of a government agency for the purpose. This is happening despite the fact that the Punjab Chief Secretary had already told the DC about six months back that the PUDA authorities will undertake the work. We fail to understand what the hitch is," Mr Gurmail Singh Lidhar, Secretary of the DBA said. Mr Gupta, however, was not available for comments, despite repeated attempts.
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Tug-of-war between mayor and minister leaves five colonies parched
Residents
of five colonies in Jalandhar (South) are facing drinking water shortage due to the alleged failure of the local Municipal Corporation to install new tubewells to augment water supply in these areas.
During a survey of the affected localities by The Tribune team, it was found that the residents of New Model House, Kartar Nagar, Passhouri Mohalla, Tilak Nagar and Ghai Nagar were facing acute shortage of water. The only source of water — the lone tubewell installed inside Kaypee Park in New Model House - caters to the needs of more than 25,000 residents. Though the population in the affected colonies has been doubled during the past six years, but the MC authorities failed to take note of it and install additional tubewells to ensure clean drinking water facility for the area residents. "Water pressure is very low here. Almost every family in the locality has got monoblock pumps fitted to the incoming pipelines to ensure proper water pressure. But those who cannot afford to spend on monoblock pumps are still facing problem, as it takes almost half an hour to get a bucketful of water," rues a resident of Kartar Nagar. "Though the MC authorities had sanctioned requisite funds for the installation of a new tubewell about five years back, but the project was later shelved for non-availability of any vacant space in the locality. The residents of Kartar Nagar had submitted several memorandums to the officials concerned to make necessary arrangements for the installation of pumping machine in any of the adjoining localities, but to no avail," Mr Satnam Singh Dhillon, president of Kartar Nagar Welfare Society maintains. Residents of New Model House allege that the haphazard growth of unauthorised colonies in its vicinity has further aggravated the situation, as these illegal colonies have allegedly got water connections through the pipelines meant for New Model House. This further reduces the pressure of water, the residents argue. "The MC authorities are least bothered to check such illegal practices for obvious reasons. Besides, there is no check on private plumbers, who tamper with main underground pipelines to provide water supply connections to unregistered consumers," Mr Joginder Singh, a resident of New Model House alleges. The residents also allege that the ongoing political tug-of- war between the Mayor, Mr Surinder Mahey, and the Punjab Transport Minister, Mr Mohinder Singh Kaypee, who represents Jalandhar (South) Assembly segment, is the main reason behind the non-initiation of the developmental projects in these localities. "This is evident from the fact that despite the sanctioning of funds for a new tubewell project in Kartar Nagar by the previous MC House, nothing concrete has been done in the past five years," says another resident, pleading anonymity. Another thing, which has hit the residents hard, is the cut in the duration of water supply by one hour each in morning and evening shifts. While the Superintending Engineer (Operations & Maintenance), Mr A.K. Parbhakar, and the Mayor, Mr Surinder Mahey, were not available for comments, a senior MC official revealed that the developmental works had allegedly been put on hold, since most of the affected colonies fell under ward number 35, which was represented by Ms Surinder Kaur, sister-in-law of Mr Kaypee.
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Trinity College aims at overall personality development
Trinity
College here has one avowed mission - to impart value-based education to students. The college has been set up with a unique vision of moulding the younger generation into intellectually mature, morally upright and spiritually inspired citizens, claim college authorities. On the basis of the experience of initiating and promoting education in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh for over a period of 30 years (95 primary schools and 66 secondary schools), the Diocese of Jalandhar headed by Revered Dr Symphorian Keeprath was encouraged to enter the domain of higher education. The opening of the college has been the logical conclusion of the authorities' efforts to promote education based on the pattern of convent institutions.
The college, affiliated to Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, holds regular sessions of meditation and spiritual retreat programme to improve physical and mental abilities of the students. This is apart from imparting education. During a visit to the college, The Tribune team found that Father Mathew, a renowned psychologist, was delivering a key lecture on "Love and Friendship" to a select group of students in peaceful atmosphere. "It's not binding on every student to attend seminars and workshops pertaining to spirituality and meditation. Inter-religious prayer meetings are being held on a monthly basis to apprise the younger generation about the fact that God is a living person, whose love, mercy and healing touch can be experienced here and now," says Dr Kurian Mattan, Principal of the college. The college also conducts personality tests to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the students on a periodic basis. "The tests help students to discover themselves. Our focus is improving the mental ability and personality of the students," say college authorities. Set up in March 2002, the college mainly offers job-oriented courses, including bachelor's degree in information technology, bachelor's degree in computer applications, postgraduate diploma in computer applications, B.Com (Professional), besides offering traditional course - Bachelor of Arts. "The college aims to impart job-oriented education to the students keeping in view the present global context. Besides, we have decided to set up a special placement cell for providing a platform to the graduates to access job opportunities in national and multi-national companies," maintain college authorities. Two computer labs, a properly catalogued library having more than 3000 books on different subjects, a special multi-media room, an auditorium and vast playgrounds are there for imparting better learning to the students in the field of education and sports. Counselling is another subject, which is top on the agenda of the college. "We have set up stress management cell under the aegis of psychology department. To provide free-of-cost counselling to the locals, we have decided to approach people through dedicated telephone line. Anyone interested in availing of the counselling just needs to give us a call and our staff will be there to help that person out," Dr Mattan elaborates. Regarding the college's priority, the principal adds, "We provide text books to the bright students belonging to poor families on returnable basis. Besides, our fee is about 30 per cent less as compared to other educational institutions in the city."
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Cultural fest at Ladhewali Regional Campus
It
was the festival time at the Regional Campus of Guru Nanak Dev University,
Ladhewali, here last week. A four-day annual cultural bonanza, including literary and fine arts contests, was organised. Girls' teams from as many as 20 colleges participated in the zonal youth festival of the university.
The participating teams from Jalandhar city and cantonment, Phillaur, Nakodar, Kapurthala, Phagwara, Mukandpur and Nawanshahr arrived on Thursday morning, and a valedictory function was held on Sunday. During the valedictory function, the winners of more than 35 events received prizes. The team from the Apeejay College of Fine Arts virtually monopolised the festival by clinching the trophy. They won the trophy fifth time in a row. The team won 17 first prizes, five second prizes and four third prizes, with a total score of 126. They defeated the second team with a handsome margin of 64 points. The students of this college bagged the first prizes in mimicry, histrionics, dry flower arrangement, rangoli, skit, Western vocal, Western group song, clay modelling, landscape, still life, poster-making, group shabad, group song, percussion tabla, classical vocal, shabad and ghazal singing. They won the second prizes in play, mime, classical dance, folk orchestra and gidha. The team brought home the third prizes in sketching, debate, quiz and folk song competitions. On the inaugural day, the campus reverberated with the beats of bolian and claps, as girls performed gidha, the first item of the show. The inaugural programme was presided over by the university Vice Chancellor, Dr S.P. Singh. Dr Daljeet Singh, Head, School for Legal Studies, and Dr K.S. Duggal, Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, were also present on the occasion.
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Bollywood fails to entice petite Shardha Nigam
"Spontaneity
is the best part about acting. Whatever good homework you may do, if you are not a spontaneous actor, you will find things difficult," feels Shardha Nigam, the cute-looking actress of Sahara Manoranjan's
"Saathiya-Pyar Ka Naya Ehsaas" fame. In "Saathiya…", she has played Gayatri, a simple girl with middle class sensibilities.
About the importance of homework for an actor, Nigam, who was recently in Jalandhar, says," Homework is good, but homework alone cannot make an actor out of you. However, homework does make a difference to the outlook of your character. There are times, though not very frequent, when I go into the skin of the character and study it. While doing
"Saathiya…" I observed how small town girls behave and carry themselves. But I must say that working in
"Saathiya..." has been quite challenging," she says. On why people don't see Shardha Nigam often on TV, she observes that she does not want to be seen in every second serial. " I am satisfied with the kind of work I have done and I am very cautious about the work I choose. I would not associate with something that I may regret later. It is better to be seen for something substantive than unnecessarily being in news," she feels. About her plans to join films, she says movies have never been on her mind. "Yathaarath happened just by chance. But if you ask me what I prefer, I would definitely go for TV. In fact, I want to stick to television for a bit longer. It is better to work for television as a lead actress than to do itsy-bitsy roles and go unnoticed in films. Today, TV has more to offer," says Nigam.
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Historical statue at Kapurthala gets a new look
The
109-year-old statue of Maharaja of Kapurthala has got a new lease of life. The statue of Maharaja Randhir Singh Bahadur Ahluwalia erected in the core of the Kapurthala administrative complex had been dying a slow death due to the ageing process that had set in. But owing to efforts of the local administration, the process of beautification, not only of the statue but also its pedestal and the area around it, has begun.
The statue formed the landmark of the building ever since the erstwhile king of the district, Maharaja Jagatjit Singh Bahadur Ahluwalia, unveiled it outside his then- durbar in the year 1895. The statue showing the Maharaja seated on his majestic horse had been built out of bronze. The alloy had started blackening due to oxidation that had started. To conceal the blackening of the statue, the previous administrators in the district had directed artists to give it a new look by painting it all over with greyish white enamel. The enamel coat, too, had started becoming dirty, imparting a weary look to the royal statue. Even the pedestal had started becoming somewhat dirty. The local administration recently started hunting for ways to impart a fresh look to the royal monument. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma, got in touch with a Delhi-based NGO, INTACH, to explore a method to preserve the historical monument. Mr Nilabh Sharma, a member of the NGO, recently visited the local administrative complex. He studied the statue closely and suggested ways to bring back the metallic look. He brought with him some chemicals to test their effect on the statue. The purpose was to remove the enamel coat without harming the alloy that lay covered inside. The chemical tests proved harmless, and the administration then entered a tie-up with the INTACH. An agreement, according to which the organisation would charge only for the chemicals used and nothing for the labour involved in the process, was worked out. Finally, the bronze metal was recovered and polished to impart a fresh, gleaming look to the statue. The whole process took two to three days. Simultaneously, the administration also got the pedestal renovated. The area around the statue is being beautified, as short pillars are being constructed all around. Saplings of flowering plants will also be planted soon, so as to impart greenery to the place. The marble stone on which the historical importance of the statue has been inscribed is also in the process of being polished. Mr Verma said that the basic aim of the whole project was to preserve the historical monument. He said that with the INTACH's help, the administration was able to manage the project at the minimum cost.
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No horsing around with horses at PAP
Horsing
around may have the connotation of fun, frolic and play, but it does ring a familiar bell at the PAP headquarters here. Well, to be exact, it's horses (in their galloping glory) that call the shots. Competitions lose their sheen if there are no horses to take part. And policing loses immediacy and efficacy with mobs if there are no tall horses to ride. With this twin "must-remember" begins our "equestrian initiation" at the PAP headquarters here.
"It's not simply the question of getting a tall, shiny horse with a lush tail. Each horse has a history sheet. There are certain physical norms to which a horse must adhere. For instance, it must measure up to certain height and length," explains Sub-Inspector Jagdish Singh, adding, "Usually, horses between three and four years are purchased. A horse grows till six years of age. It remains active till 18-20 years, after which it is usually auctioned off." There are at present 43 horses in the PAP stable. Sports, with a horse as a player, have their own charm, say PAP sportsmen. The PAP started hosting equestrian meets in the 1990s, though it had been participating in these meets since the 60s. "Tent-pegging, show jumping, cross country - there are a variety of sports in the equestrian meets. "These sports are by no means a throwback to the past. Neither are they a fancy of an animal lover. They are simply convenience coupled with a bit of practicality sprinkled with a whiff of grandeur," sallies Mr Jagdish Singh, who himself has bagged 117 medals in various equestrian events. However, he hastens to add, horses have a non-sports role too. "To control a mob of 10,000 persons, only 10 horses are enough," he informs.
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From the schools
A
three-day inter-police public schools sports and cultural meet organised by Police-DAV Public School at Punjab Armed Police Campus Stadium concluded on Wednesday.
The mega event served as a platform for showcasing the talent of youngsters. Mr Rajan Gupta, IG, PAP, declared the games open. Athlete Gurmej Singh took the oath. Five police schools of Punjab participated in the extravaganza. On the first day, Ritu of Police DAV Public School won the first prize in instrumental music. Nikhil of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Police Public School, Phillaur, won the second prize, while Bikramjeet of Police DAV Public School, Amritsar, stood third. In folk songs contest, Karan of the host school and Jagrup of Amritsar stood first. Jitendra of Phillaur stood second and Amit Kaur of Police Public School, Bhatinda, was declared third. In group song competition, Bhatinda team stood first, followed by those from Jalandhar and Amritsar. Dance competitions were held on the second day. In Kathak, Tanvi Joshi of Police DAV School, Jalandhar, won the first position. In bhangra, Phillaur team was declared the best, while Jalandhar team was declared the best gidha performers. In sports, the Jalandhar school maintained the top position in most of the events. The team won the first prize in judo (under-19 boys and under-19 girls), hockey, kho-kho (boys and girls) and handball. In athletics, the hosts won 12 gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal. The Amritsar team also won first prizes in basketball (girls and boys) and volleyball. Dasehra celebrated
Staff and students of Apeejay School, Rama Mandi, held Dasehra celebrations on Saturday. Children staged a play "Ramleela" depicting the episode in which Lord Rama killed Ravana and came back victorious with his consort. After the play, they burnt the effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkarna. Talent show
Spectacle-2004, a talent show, was organised by students of class I from Apeejay School, Model Town, on Saturday. As many as 200 students participated in the show that was viewed by their parents.
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