EDUCATION

Nursing programme launched
Tribune News Service

Mohali, November 7
The fourth Founder’s Day and second Convocation of the Canadian Institute for International Studies was held here today. CIIS, an extension campus of both Georgian College and Laurentian University, Canada, was established in 2000 in Mohali.

Mr Briyan Tamblyn, President, Georgian College, Canada, Mr Jay Notay Dean, Computer Studies, Georgian College, Canada, were present on the occasion and gave diplomas to students.

Dr S.K Salwan, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Technical University (PTU), Jalandhar, gave BCA degrees to the students.

Student scholarships and achievement awards were also given on the occasion.

The High Commissioner of New Zealand in India, Mr Graeme Waters, launched RNBN Nursing Programme at CIIS to be offered in collaboration with UCOL, New Zealand. He was accompanied by his wife Ms Audrey Waters.

An auto show and cultural programme were the other attractions of the function.

A total of 58 students graduated from the institute today.

Angad received the best graduate award among boys while Amrita Padda received the best graduate award among the girls.

Ranyodh Singh, Irma Thakur, Sunny Walia, Poonam Dhillon, Sahil Marwaha, Arjun Bhawan, Tarun Bhardwaj received academic scholarships. Ojaswi, Paveen Malhotra, Avneet Singh were chosen as the best students of the year. Anju Sharma won $ 4000 (NZ), Maninder Bal won $ 3500(NZ), Harpreet Kaur won $ 1500(NZ) as part of the CIIS– UCOL RNBN Scholarships.

Mr Bir Devinder Singh, MLA Kharar, Dr K. N Pathak, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, Chandigarh and Mr M.S. Grewal, Registrar, Punjab Technical University also attended the function.

Students exhibit talent in craft, theatre
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 7
On the concluding day of the founders’ day celebrations at Vivek High School, an open house and a craft exhibition were organised.

Students exhibited their talent in toy making, using leftover fabrics and waste material, and the use of paper prepared at the school’s own recycling plant to make folders, coasters and pots.

Commerce students, who have floated their own “firm”, JA Company, exhibited their practical knowledge of the subject. They float “shares” and sell them, use the “capital” so collected, sell snacks in the canteen and at the end of the term file their “returns”.

The inter-house competitions saw a tough match between the houses. In the relay races, Andhra got the first position among boys and Taxila among girls. In the march-past competition, Gandhara was proclaimed the best house.

The highlight of the celebrations was a play directed by Pick Pillow, who has been instructing the students of the school in the art of theatre. The play was staged yesterday.

An adaptation of a 1940 Broadway play, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” it featured students of classes VIII to XI. Racy and thrilling, it was a dark comedy that centred on two protagonists who challenge each other to kill people. Also in the race is their nephew, a hardcore criminal already charged with 12 murders. In the midst of the insanity emerges another character, Teddy, who arrogates to himself attributes of the US President.

Well-rehearsed, the play progressed smoothly with the plot deepening as sisters Abby and Martha get into the dirty race of murdering more and more people.

The story takes a turn when Teddy runs into the bodies of the people they have murdered and raises the alarm. The police comes in, unaware of the ill fortune that awaits them in the house of criminals. In the climax, the police officials are also killed. However, the “mission” of the women remains unaccomplished as they are able to kill only 12 persons and their criminal nephew has also killed 12.

COURTS

High Court
Special Bench seeks status report on encroached land
Our High Court Correspondent

New legal authority chairman

Chandigarh, November 7
A judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr Justice Amar Dutt, has been appointed the Executive Chairman of the State Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh.

A notification regarding the appointment of, Mr Justice Amar Dutt, has been issued by the Chandigarh Administration following a recommendation by Chief Justice B.K. Roy.

Mr Justice Amar Dutt, who was promoted as high court judge in 1999, had earlier worked as the District and Sessions Judge, Chandigarh. TNS

CULTURE

Exploring dynamics of life & death
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 7
The three-day theatre festival of Bhanu Bharti’s plays began at Tagore Theatre with the presentation of Chandra Sekhar Kambar’s philosophical play “Mahamayi”. Adapted by Bharti and the lead actress of his company, Sidhu Mishra, the production was played out on the space of performance to near perfection. The festival is being sponsored by The Tribune.

The most overwhelming element of the play was its strong storyline that centred on the eternal conflict between life and death. Structured as a dialogue between the forces of destruction and creation, the play bared a deep human urge to incessantly strive for life and all that it represents.

Key characters Mahamayi, the Goddess of Death (played by Sindhu Mishra) and her foster son Sanjiv (Bhupesh Pandya), a doctor by profession, become the symbols of death and life, respectively as the playwright delicately deconstructs a profound truth.

Though blessed to save lives, Sanjiv can hardly fulfill his vocation, fettered as he is by his mother who controls his pursuits. Sanjiv can save only those whom Mahamayi chooses to bless with life. With a mortgaged freedom and a powerless heart, Sanjiv can’t but depend on Mahamayi for success until love teaches him to discover his talents.

Sanjiv seeks out his life’s direction as he falls in love with a princess whom Mahamayi wishes to predate. The entire gamut of Mahamayi’s philosophy suddenly sounds meaningless to Sanjiv, who awakens to his powers and freedom.

He fights to save the princess’s life even at the cost of displeasing his mother. Through a deep, intense rhetoric, the playwright establishes the supremacy of freedom in life. Sanjiv, who has been blessed by Mahamayi with a long life exchanges his soul with that of the princess and forces his mother into subjugation.

In the climax, life rules over death and the celebration of freedom ensues.

Mixing music and masti
Swarleen Kaur

Suketu

Chandigarh, November 7
It was time for disco and masti with Disc Jockey (DJ) Suketu in city today. He was in the city in connection with a dance party held in the Industrial Area.

This music jockey enjoys his profession to the last note. ‘‘Music has been my passion since childhood’’, says this 27-year-old DJ with a dimpled smile. Watching a DJ play music during his college days inspired him to take to the profession. He also has MBA and M. Com degrees.

"A DJ must have the ability to judge the crowd and get a hang of what it wants. Rhythm is very important and the clubbing of the beats should be good enough to make people get up and dance" says Suketu.

Commenting on the remix albums he said, " Remixes are good because these bring back the songs that people have forgotten. If there is any problem then it is only with visuals. I think only those people make the dirty videos who are not sure about the quality of their music". He released his own album ‘‘440 volts’’ last year. But tracks like ‘‘Pyar Zindagi Hai’’ and ‘‘Bin Tere Sanam’’ gave him the much-needed recognition.

Suketu learnt to play tabla for four years and is also taking piano lessons. He believes that music is inborn. ‘‘Once you have learnt the basics then rest comes with the practice’’.