The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

From Schools & Colleges
Government girls school celebrates annual day
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 30
A two-day annual day function of Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, concluded in the school premises here today. Mr D.S. Mangat, DPI (Schools), and Mr Rajesh Gupta, a councillor, were the chief guest on the occasion.

Over 228 students were awarded for their performance in academic and co-curricular activities. The principal of the school, Ms Rajesh Minhas, said the topper of the school in the non-medical stream got 699 rank in IIT.

Three students of the school were amongst the merit holders for being on the list of 0.1 per cent merit of CBSE. The programme began with a welcome song followed by Saraswati vandana.

Seminar

A seminar was organised at DAV College by the Adult and Continuing Education Department, Panjab University. Dr Renuka Dagar, stressed that gender was a powerful factor in discriminating men and women. Prof Rajesh Gill, emphasised on the issue of sharing of problems, responsibilities and knowing ones rights and duties. It is the empowerment of human being and not only women alone that was important. Dr D.S. Cheema, talked about giving equal rights to women as a free race.

Environment awareness week

‘Prakriti’ the environment society of Government College for Girls, Sector 11, organised one-day inter-college function on the theme ‘ Pollution- a rising worry’. As many as eight city colleges participated in various contests. The Deputy Conservator of Forests, Mr Ishwar Singh, delivered a lecture on ‘Pollution highlighting the harmful effects of the use of mobile phone, protection and preservation of wild life’.

The students of the college displayed models on environment friendly, non-polluting renewable sources of energy and natural cosmetics. To mark the World AIDS Day, poster-making contest was organised by the NSS unit of the college.

The results of various contests are

Quiz- Anita, Garima and Ritu; Waste paper bag- Shikha Sharma; Potting a plant- Harjeet Singh; Debate- Shweta Sharma, Simrita Singh; Best out of waste- Vijay Lakshmi; Eco rangoli- Priyanka; Poster making - Maninder and Extempore- Karan

World AIDS Day

The NSS unit of Government College, Sector 46, observed the World AIDS Day by holding essay writing competition on the topic ‘ Equality of women helps fight AIDS”, a slogan writing and a poster making competition.

The winners of essay writing contest are: Udita Singh -1, Rekha -2 and Mamta -3

The results of poster making and slogan writing contest are: Jagjit Singh -1, Chanda Nautiyal -2 and Narinder Kumar -3.

Enhancement of retirement age

The group C and D employees of Punjab Engineering College in a representation to the Home Secretary have sought enhancement in the age of retirement of the employees from 58 to 60 and from 60 to 62, respectively, as per the IIT pattern, said the president of the group C and D employees Union of PEC-deemed University, Mr Jeewan Singh.

Scholarship

Anurag Garg, student of Class X at St John’s High School, has been offered the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Youth Scholarship to pursue a two-year pre-university course in a junior college in Singapore, beginning from January 2.

Activists mobilise PU canteen workers
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 30
Taking up cudgels on behalf of the workers of canteens and messes of Panjab University, members of the local chapter of Initiatives For democratic Rights (IFDR) today said that the contractors were exploiting the workers, paying them little and there was no job security.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Rajiv Godara, an activist of the IFDR, said even though the workers were employed by the contractor, the university would be considered their principal employer. “It is for the university to see that the workers are at least paid minimum wages and salaries and entitlements should be increased as the number of years put in for the job goes up,” he said.

In the research which has been brought out in a booklet form, it is stated that most of the workers had joined when they were between 19 and 25 years of age. “Some have been employed for as long as 42 years and have earned nothing. They only chose to stick to the job because they had a roof over their head and meals were assured,” he explained.

Claiming that the living conditions provided to the workers were miserable, Mr Godara said the report had brought out the fact that in rooms meant for two or three persons, four to 11 workers were accommodated. “They live in unhygienic conditions and through this report we want the students to awaken to the realisation that all is not well with the university,” he added.

Mr Godara claimed that the other benefit of the research had been that the workers of canteens and messes had begun organising themselves in groups to fight for what is right. “They know the contractor can throw them out for raising their voices. However, aware of their rights, they are now ready to face all odds,” Mr Godara maintained. A copy of the report will be presented to the university authorities as well. “The idea is to help out these workers who have been subjected to a lot of suppression. We feel we have made a difference,” the activists said in unison.

Paragon Senior Secondary School celebrates annual day
Our Correspondent

Mohali, November 30
Paragon Senior Secondary School, Sector 71, wore a festive look on the annual day celebrations here today.

Students dressed in colourful costumes presented one item after another at the cultural show. The function began with a shabad “tu saajan tu pritam mera” followed by saraswati vandana. Later finy tots presented a welcome song. Shimmering green costumes captured the stage when students of the Phase I branch of the school danced to the tune “dhoom machale dhoom”. Stress was laid on conserving the natural environment in the item “in panshiyon ko dekh kar”.

Harvind Kashyap, a student of Class XII, presented a song “Jind meriye” while Harpreet Singh Sidhu presented a poem. Students also presented dances of different kinds, including bhangra, giddha and garba.

Mr Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Parliamentary Secretary, Agriculture and Cooperation, who was the chief guest at the function, said primary education and primary health were in a state of neglect. There were hardly any schools worth the name in rural areas. Some villages did not have proper buildings for schools and neither were there adequate number of teachers. A nation which could not provide basic needs to its people could not progress at a fast pace.

He said there were nearly 20 lakh unemployed youths in the state who were taking to drugs. In villages nearly 90 per cent of the children had taken to drugs. He said when development was talked about in rural areas people only asked that the village be provided with proper streets and drains. Nobody ever asked for a proper school for children there.

Corruption was on the rise and the society was becoming its slave. There was a need to bring leadership which could give direction to the nation. This was possible only if educated people exercised their right to vote, he added.

Dr Harbans Singh Sidhu, Chairman of the Punjab School Education Board, who presided over the function, said the only sphere in which India could compete at the global level was education. But unfortunately only 3 per cent of the budget was being spent on education which should be at least 10 per cent.

He said there were a number of issues that had to be taken care of. He said he would make efforts to change the face of the education board.

3 students selected for global project
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
Three students of Vivek High School — Tara Sharma, Tushar Mimani and Kudrat Kahlon of Class XI will go on a Round Square International Service Project to a remote village in Uttaranchal from December 5 to 20.

Students from all over the world are participating in this project. These students would construct a heritage centre and a community hall for the villagers and would be working as manual labourers to help in the construction.

The service project is a part of the round square philosophy, which aims to bring out the students from their comfortable existence to reach out to the needy with a sense of social responsibility.

Meanwhile, Vivek High School, Sector 38, has won the first prize in the Hindi section and second prize in the English section in the inter-school carol music festival held on November 27. The event was organised by the YMCA at Indira Holiday Home auditorium, Sector 24. In all, 10 local schools had participated in the event.

Notices to IG, cops in journalist’s arrest case
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 30
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued contempt notices to the IGP, Mr Rajesh Kumar, and two other police officers of the Chandigarh Police for violating the Supreme Court guidelines in connection with the arrest of journalist Dinesh Goyal.

Mr Arunjeev Singh Walia, counsel for the complainant, had moved the High Court alleging that Mr Goyal was falsely implicated in a criminal case under Sections 107/151 of the CrPC by Jaspal Singh and Dharamvir, SI and ASI, respectively. In spite of being reminded, they failed to abide by the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in the “D.K. Basu vs State of West Bengal” case relating to the duties of the police officials while arresting a person.

The complainant was allegedly assaulted by the ASI and not allowed to inform his relatives about the detention. Moreover, no arrest memo was allegedly prepared at the time of the arrest and his request for a medical examination was turned down.

Claiming that he was not produced before the SDM, he alleged that no legal aid was provided to him with the result that he was detained for over 24 hours.

The then UT Administrator, Mr O.P. Verma, had ordered a departmental inquiry by Mr Devinder Singh Thakur, DSP, into the case. However, as the DSP reportedly failed to submit the report, Mr Goyal approached the High Court.

Decision on warrants against Hooda’s son deferred
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, November 30
The decision on arrest warrants for Deepinder Hooda, son of former Haryana Pradesh Congress Chief, Bhupinder Hooda, in a dowry case was deferred, after the police here failed to present in the court of Mr Ajay Aggarwal today.

A case of harassment for dowry was registered earlier this year, against Mr Bhupinder Hooda, his wife, his sister-in-law and Deepinder, by the latter's wife, Dr Geeta Grewal. Other than Deepinder, all other accused have secured bail. Deepinder is in the USA, and the police was to serve him arrest warrants through the US Embassy.

The police had filed an application for warrants to arrest Mr Deepinder Hooda on October 29. The judge then asked the police about the status of the warrants issued earlier, and asked them to file a reply on November 5. The police, however, failed to appear before the court on November 5, and again approached the court on November 7. They were given the next date of hearing for today.

LIFESTYLE

Fitness Trail
Pep up with good-mood foods
Renu Manish Sinha

Tired, irritable, stressed out, suffering from chronic mental or physical fatigue and in need of a magic pill to eliminate the ailments associated with a modern lifestyle?

The answer has been provided by the father of medicine, Hippocrates, himself who rightly said, ‘‘Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food’’.

The magic potion to cure these lifestyle diseases lies on your kitchen shell.

Nutritious green, rich reds, healthy yellows, fruits, vegetables, cereals, whole grains, legumes, milk, poultry pulses etc are a complete store house of vital minerals, vitamins, and other phytonutrients required for the proper functioning of the central nervous system.

These also aid in improving the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain thereby improving concentration and memory and keeping stress levels and mental fatigue down, says Dr Neelu Malhotra, a Mohali-based nutrition expert.

A balanced diet not only provides a healthy body but a healthy mood as well as the cliche goes, adds D.R. Malhotra. So lets dip into our kitty of vitamins and minerals to see how it can nourish our mood.

For a calm and happy mind, eat foods which raise your serotonin levels, says Dr Malhotra. Serotonen is a brain chemical often dubbed as the happy hormone. Its levels can be raised by eating foods rich in an amino acid called, tryptophan.

This amino acid gets converted into serotonin. Tryptophan-rich foods are legumes such as peas, beans, lentils, meant fish, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt. Since tryptophen gets converted into the happy hormone in presence of whole carbohydrates, so an intake of whole grains, including whole wheat, oats, brown rice aids in the production of serotonen.

During stress periods a hormone called adrenaline is released which consumes valuable nutrients, including vitamins B3, B5, B6 and C and minerals magnesium and zinc.

Try to include vitamin-B rich foods like oatmeal, whole grains, figs, orange-coloured fruits, dried yeast, liver etc. Fruits such as citrus, strawberries, kiwi and green leafy vegetables, broccoli, bean sprouts are a good source of vitamin-C, which is a powerful antioxidant.

Dark green vegetables, nuts, raisin, chicken are good sources of magnesium while zinc can be found in nuts, seeds, sardines, tuna, eggs, berries etc.

Vitamin B-complex, including thiamine, riboflavin, macin, especially helps in proper functioning of the central nervous system, improves blood supply to brain, converts food into energy for the use of brain. It also improves the function of brain neurotransmitters leading to a better ability to think, reason and learn.

To counter physical and mental fatigue and increase mental concentration and attention span, eat foods rich in iron, maganese and potassium as these can counter anamea a major cause of chronic fatigue. So eat more dried fruits, red meat, seaweed, mushrooms and green leafy vegetables. Bananas are good source of potassium, needed to maintain blood flow to brain, while egg yolks, whole grain cereals sarines etc provide maganese.

Since body consumes more calcium during a stress phase, eating calcium-rich foods like milk, curd, butter milk, cottage cheese, dry fruits can help to keep stress levels low calcium is also a woman-friendly mineral as it helps counter symptoms of PMS, including moodiness, it also reduces cramps and puffiness. Calcium is also needed for impulse transmission, a major function of the brain. So for a alert mind, gorge on calcium-rich foods.

Magnesium is another mineral which releases stress from nerves and promotes good sleep so eat more of dry fruits, nuts, raising, seeds, crab, grape fruit etc for your magnesium supply. Magnesium to also helps reduce blood pressure, depression, water retention, beat-tenderness. Its consumption during PMS and menstrual days can help beat the symptoms.

Last but not the least, protein-rich foods are a good buffer in stressful conditions because nitrogen, the end product of protein, is needed for building and repairing muscles and tissues and for producing hormones, enzymes and nerve chemicals.

These are vital for a good immune system. Since immunity is affected when the body is under stress protein foods are required, says Dr Malhotra. Soybeans, legumes, nuts, seeds, meat, poultry, fish etc are good protein sources.

Some tips for tranquil mind and energised body. Don’t consume too much coffee, tea, alcohol, aerated drinks. The caffeine and tannin in them are only short-term stimulants and can disturb sleep patterns, cause mental fatigue, affect judgement ability.

Don’t go hungry: Eating small meals throughout the day will keep energy level stable.

Don’t avoid fats: Some amount of fat is needed by the body as it cannot produce some essential fatty acids which are required for building cell membrane, hormone production and proper functioning of central nervous system.

At least 20 to 30 per cent of the daily calorie intake should include fats. So include the good fats, especially omega-3 fats (found in oily fish, sardines, tuna, mackerel, soya beans, linseed etc) and Omega-9 fats (olive oil, avocado). Apart from satiety value these include essential fatty acids which help reduce inflammation.

Exercise: Regular physical activity helps beat moodiness, depression stress and produce certain brain chemicals called end orphins, which produce a sense of well being, says Dr Ashwin Mohan, a Chandigarh-based psychiatrist.

So a balanced diet, including a variety of foods from various food groups like complex carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, fats and daily fitness regime is a sure shot way to beat stress and keep the mind and body in shape.