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Encroachments mushroom along Hukam Singh Road
Teachers and scholars of Guru Nanak Varsity write to President
Remembering Colonel Gill
Sabzi Mandi issue hots up again
VB enquiring into amount spent on maintenance of street lights
Bank offers D-mat services to city
residents
Amritsar business directory launched
‘Rang Ishaqe Da’ released
Training camp by 2-Punjab Air Squadron NCC
Water woes in walled city
localities
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Some historians claim Guru Arjan Dev laid the foundation stone of Harmandar Sahib, while others give the credit to Muslim saint Sain Mian Mir. In this confusion, however, the lessons of universal brotherhood and communal harmony that shine through the Sikh history are increasingly getting lost, writes
Varinder Walia
The limited authentic historical record coupled with conflicting reports about the events regarding the laying of the foundation stone of Harmandar Sahib has baffled many historians and common people. Confusion also abounds about the visit of great Punjabi Sufi poet Bulleh Shah to the Holy City. The confusion about the foundation stone was compounded by the self-contradictory information given in the SGPC’s literature and its website. The Shiromani Committee since 80 years of its inception has not been able to provide complete and authentic information about the unflinching devotion of Muslims towards Harmandar Sahib. Consequently, Sikhs have more information about the Mughal attacks than about the devotion shown by the Muslims towards “Guru Ghar”. Dr Harminder Singh Bedi, Dean, Guru Nanak Dev University, and Head, Hindi Department, says that the devotional aspect of Muslims towards Sikhs needs more research to remove historical misrepresentations. Even as various historians have stated that the foundation stone of Harmandar Sahib was laid by Muslim seer, Sain Mian Mir, the fact was vehemently denied by the former Jathedar Akal Takht, late Giani Kirpal Singh, in his well acclaimed book, “Sri Harmandar Sahib da Sunehri Itihas” (Golden History of Harmandar Sahib), published by the SGPC’s Dharma Parchar Committee. Another Sikh scholar, Dr Madanjit Kaur, in her book “The Golden Temple: Past and Present” also concluded that the foundation stone was laid by the Sikh Guru and not by Sain Mian Mir. However, the confusion about this significant historical event was further deepened by the SGPC’s websites having two versions in this regard. The initial website reads that the foundation stone was laid by Sain Mian Mir, while its revised version says it was laid by the Guru himself. The SGPC’s first website says: “Guru Arjan Dev got the foundation of Harmander Sahib laid by a Muslim saint Hazrat Mian Mir ji of Lahore on 1st of Magh, 1645 Bikrmi Samvat (December, 1588). The construction work was directly supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib himself and he was assisted by the prominent Sikh personalities like Baba Budha ji, Bhai Gurdas ji, Bhai Sahlo ji and many other devoted Sikhs.” However, the amended website of the SGPC reads, “The foundation of the Darbar Sahib had been laid by Guru Arjan Sahib on January 3, 1588. (Later, it was propagated that the foundation stone of Darbar Sahib was laid by Sain Mian Mir, a Muslim holy man. Sain Mian Mir was very friendly with Guru Sahib but the foundation of Darbar Sahib was laid by Guru Sahib himself).” J.R. Puri and T.R. Shangari, Indian historians , write: “It is well known that Guru Ram Das got the foundation of Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar laid by Mian Mir.” However, Lahore-based Makhdom Syed Chan Pir Qadri, the 19th descendant of Sain Mian Mir, during his recent visit to Amritsar had claimed that there was enough historical evidence that the foundation stone of Harmandar Sahib was laid by Sain Mian Mir. This had ushered in the era of Muslim-Sikh friendship at that time. He made this claim on the historical fact that Guru Nanak Dev himself had spread a message of peace and spiritual unity in India. Another Muslim link with Harmandar Sahib, which has been ignored by historians, is whether Bhai Mardana visited the Sikh shrine. Bhai Mardana, a Rababi expert, was Guru Nanak’s long-time Muslim companion throughout his extensive journeys. Though three “shalokas” (hymns) composed by Bhai Mardana have been incorporated in Guru Granth Sahib, yet there is no authentic record of his visit to Harmandar Sahib. Giani Kirpal Singh (a former Jathedar, Akal Takht), while quoting from the historical facts given in “Twarikh Guru Khalsa”, authored by Bhai Gian Singh claimed that Guru Nanak Dev and Bhai Mardana had visited the site (which later became Harmandar Sahib) many times. They used to sing hymns there. He said this fact got credence as the site of Harmandar Sahib was on the Kartarpur-Sultanpur-Lodhi road. Guru Nanak Dev used to go to Sultanpur Lodhi, where his elder sister, Bebe Nanki, was married. However, Mr Roop Singh, a prolific writer and Assistant Secretary, SGPC, said he could say with surety that the visit of Guru Nanak Dev and Bhai Mardana to the site of Harmandar Sahib was a “concocted story”. The holy verses composed by Bhai Mardana are included in the Adi Granth in “Bihagre ki Var”. These verses are against the use of wine that brings about “misery, lust, pride, self-conceit, falsehood, ill health and disease”. Another historical fact given by Giani Jang Singh in his “Amritsar Sifti Da Ghar” (Amritsar: The City of Values), published by the Sikh Itihas Research Board (SGPC) in 1977, claimed
that Bulleh Shah (1680-1758) had once visited Harmandar Sahib. Quoting one of his “Qafis”, the author claimed that Bulleh Shah had praised the serving of “langar” (community kitchen) and
performance of kirtan in the Sikh shrine. However, no wall of the Sikh Museum of Harmandar Sahib adorns the picture of Bulleh Shah nor is any other historical reference available to authenticate the version of Giani Jang Singh. Bulleh Shah was one of the greatest Sufi poets of Punjab and was so unorthodox in his life that he was refused burial in the community graveyard by the Muslim priest after his death. Baba Farid (1173 -1266) is another Sufi poet who is considered as the “first poet” of Punjabi language. Nawab Habeeb Jang Bahadur of Hyderabad, direct descendant of Baba Farid, visited Harmandar Sahib during the quadri-centennial celebrations of the installation of Guru Granth Sahib. He was honoured with a “siropa” (robe of honour) by the Shiromani Akali Dal supremo, Mr Parkash Singh Badal. Baba Farid was a mystic and belonged to the radical Sufi Chishti School. He built his poetry on simple expressions based on folk traditions. The Muslim Rababis used to perform kirtan in Harmandar Sahib till the formation of the SGPC in 1925. Ghulam Mohammad Chaand ( from the family of Bhai Mardana) during his recent visit to Amritsar was disheartened to know that he could not perform kirtan in the sanctum sanctorum of Harmandar Sahib like his forefathers did. His paternal uncle, Bhai Chaand, was the “Hazoori Raagi” of the Golden Temple before Partition.
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MC 2005: Random hits and massive misses
The Municipal Corporation remained under tremendous pressure on many counts this year. The growing traffic management problems and water contamination/supply led to several schemes being floated. This included three schemes of elevated roads project, out of which, the Rs 134 crore scheme got government nod. A proposal for hi-tech sky buses was also floated by the Mayor, Mr Sunil Datti. The Municipal Commissioner, Mr K.S. Kang, formulated a multi-crore water supply and sewerage augmentation scheme, sanctioned by the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh. Despite the Commissioner’s efforts to set an example of cleanliness by driving a garbage tricycle himself and donning a vest and shorts to scrape-off vulgar posters from city’s walls, the message was short-lived. His economic measures in the usage of fuel by the Corporation-owned vehicles by riding a bicycle to office on every Tuesday too failed to cut much ice. A glimmer of hope was seen in the unusual price of Rs 78 crore fetched for a 10,000-yard plot meant for a multiplex. It was the highest bid for a commercial plot in the city so far, a pathbreaker and a reflection on the zooming real estate prices. In the meantime, encroachment on government and the Corporation’s properties continued unhindered and building byelaws were violated with impunity squeezing road breadth and causing traffic chaos. But the city also got a pleasant surprise with the installation of more streetlights and the ongoing construction of road dividers. Many residents were perturbed over the demolition of road-crossings centres which they said went against the historic character of city. These were replaced by modern-day tower lights. The year also saw the city facing defacements with banners, hoardings and indiscriminate disposal of garbage, as the ambitious waste management project failed to materialise. Many roads continued to hold their potholed status while vital intersections faced neglect in missing or faulty traffic signals and the consequent rise in the number of road accidents. The menace of stray dogs and rats continued unabated.
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Encroachments mushroom along Hukam Singh Road
The Hukam Chand Road adjoining the historical Ram Bagh and leading to the Majitha and Batala Road has virtually become a new market for pull cart encroachers. This has resulted in regular traffic jams, especially from the intersection where vehicular traffic including heavy trucks and buses turn towards the Batala Road making it a potential accident spot.
The ever-increasing number of vehicles on the roads is already chocking the traffic and with the encroachments, even the pedestrians shy away from the pavements. The fruit vendors sell fruits and park their carts on the pavements and roads ignoring problems faced by the general public and creating a hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic. Initially, these vendors used to sell their items from the pavements and later they spilled on to the roads. Municipal Corporation and the traffic police have turned a blind eye to this blatant misuse of the road. Buses that come from the new flyover head towards the Batala and Majitha Road and the two-wheelers from the Crystal Chowk face severe traffic snarls created by these carts. It is pertinent to mention here that Batala Road is a link between J & K and Himachal Pradesh, thus making this route significant. The other side of Hukam Singh Road (from the Dental College to the flyover) is encroached upon by scooter and motorcycle repair shops that have extended their business to the pavements, encroaching upon the rights of the pedestrians. The absence of a traffic beat box has added to the woes of the residents despite the fact that many representations have been forwarded to the authorities concerned. The people living in the vicinity even allege that huge sums of money change hands every day to grease the palm of the administration which allows the mushrooming of encroachment. Mr Brij Bedi, a social activist and president of the Citizens’ Forum Vidya Mandir criticised the Municipal Corporation for its inefficiency in dealing with the encroachments. He alleged that vehicle repair shops held regular bazaars on the pavements and there no path left for the pedestrians to cross the road. “Even boards of No Parking and One Way Traffic installed by the police have disappeared. The government must empower the people to stop this menace, as this could prove to be a major traffic hazard in this area,” he added.
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Teachers and scholars of Guru Nanak Varsity write to President
Teachers and scholars of the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) have written to the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and sought legal action against Members of Parliament (MPs), who were caught accepting bribe by a private news channel for asking questions in the Parliament, under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Appreciating the role played by the electronic channels for exposing the rot in the political system as also the prompt response of the Speaker, Somnath Chatterji, Prof Harish. K. Puri, B.R Ambedkar Chair (Retd) said it was simply not a question of corruption or moral turpitude involving MPs caught off-guard on camera. It was, in fact, another pointer to the serious sickness in the political system and believed that some of the present MPs might be permanent retainers of big industrial and business houses who sell their services for their own benefit thus reducing the authority of the Parliament, he added. Mr Puri said there was widespread apprehension that like a number of earlier warnings, even the present wake-up call might be ignored. He further said that profound sense of shame and anger against cheating and corrupt MPs provided an opportunity for deterrent punishment and also systemic reforms for prevention of such crimes. Citing the JMM corruption case and initiating urgent codification of the immunities and privileges of MPs, he said the government should take advantage of the recommendations made by the Constitution Review Commission, 2000, as lacuna left under Art 105 (3) had been costly to the nation. He said institutional reforms should be introduced banning paid advocacy, maintaining a regularly reviewed register of the members’ interests, investigation and adjudication of complaints and training of MPs in public sector ethics. Scrapping of the Member Parliament Local Area Development scheme and utilisation of the money saved for funding candidates and parties in the election, which opens the window for corruption. He said the country was fortunate as the present leadership, including the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Leader of Opposition and leaders of other political parties cutting across ideological differences, had appeared in favour of effective institutional mechanism for prevention of such crime and unethical practices.The present wake-up call opened a window of opportunity, which should not be allowed to pass, as the citizens of this country had a right to clean and responsible governance, he added.
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Remembering Colonel Gill
Post-retirement, this soldier who fought in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and served in the Indian Army for over 32 years, took an active part in Indo-Pak cultural programmes to improve relations between the people residing on either sides of the border.
Lieut-Col (retd) S.S. Gill, who died here a few days ago, was commissioned into the army in 1968. He served with distinction in various sectors and dedicated his post-retirement life to the welfare of the people, particularly the downtrodden. While paying tributes to Colonel Gill, Col J.S. Bal (retd), president, Rashtriya Raksha Dal (RRD), Amritsar, said his contributions and services to the welfare of others would remain fresh in people’s minds. He said Col Gill also made significant contributions in establishing and running educational institutions and often quoted historical events to encourage national spirit among the youth. Lt Col Gill was president of RRD, a political party sponsored by ex-servicemen. He was also the general secretary of the Defence Services Officers’ Association (DSOA) and founder-trustee of the Hasham Shah Trust.
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Sabzi Mandi issue hots up again
The issue of Sabzi Mandi took centre stage again with the Fruit and Vegetable Merchants Union demanding alternate plots for those who had been shifted to Vallah Mandi in cognizance with the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The court held that the area allotted to many of those shifted from the old mandi was under the defence prohibitory area. Mr Harbans Singh Kamboj and Mr Harish Taneja, the union office bearers, stated that 32 allottees in 2003 were allowed to construct shops in the new Vallah mandi that fell in the banned area. However, they claimed that the court in its fresh directions said the new mandi be opened for redesigning through the Punjab Mandi Board, “so as to relocate such members whose plots fall within the 1000-mt radius to another location beyond the prohibited area.” The court added that till relocation, the affected could operate from old mandi. The Mandi Board had also been directed to carry out demarcation of the 1000-mt radius within a stipulated time of two weeks. The mandi was shifted last year on 29 June in a joint operation by the district administration under the District Commissioner, Mr Raminder Singh, and the Municipal Commissioner, Mr K.S. Kang. Illegal constructions were demolished in the area in a daylong operation. The shifting of the old mandi located in a prime commercial area near the historic Hall Bazaar came as a major relief to the public. However, some of the shopkeepers, due to legalities, continued to operate from the old mandi. Almost three acres of prime land was taken into possession on the orders of the High Court leading to the formal shifting of the mandi to Vallah Township in outskirts of the city. The Municipal Corporation had leased nearly six acres in prime area to Mandi Karan Board and some private lessees since 1953. Although the leases had expired years ago, the occupants tried to create hurdles. Significantly, the Corporation plans to use the prime land for multi-storey parking or a shopping mall. Experts allege that the mandi has been source of filth and garbage, and has also created unhygienic conditions. Traffic congestion here had reached a peak due to haphazard parking of goods trolleys along the Bhandari Bridge and the Ram Bagh area.
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VB enquiring into amount spent on maintenance of street lights
Vigilance Bureau has initiated an inquiry into the alleged inflated expenses incurred on the maintenance of street light points falling under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation (MC). The MC had awarded the contract for the purpose to three private companies.
The inquiry was instituted following a complaint by the All India Youth Association (AIYA) alleging malfunctioning into the awarding the contract besides the contract’s extension. The city has been divided into two circles and a sub-urban segment for management of streetlights. According to the allegations leveled last year, the Municipal Corporation awarded a contract worth nearly Rs 2 crore for about 39,000 points to three private firms. However, its actual estimate on July 20 last year was Rs 1,10,17,020 with the rise or fall of 10 per cent. Therefore Rs 69,76,240 was alleged to be excess. It was also alleged that contract, which expired in September this year, was extended for the next six months at a cost of Rs 75 lakh. Besides, the AIYA claimed that one of the three companies was charging almost double of the actual maintenance cost for the sodium vapour lights compared to Jalandhar. The city has about 9,238 such light points. When contacted, Mr Kashmir Singh, DSP, Vigilance Bureau (IO) said the investigations into the allegation was at a preliminary stage and inquiry would be completed in three months. According to Mr K.L. Malhotra, XEN, MC, the fault lay in the estimate drawn for the contract. He said an SDO failed to review the prices from previous estimates. “The difference between the charges for maintaining sodium vapour lamps between this city and Jalandhar was owing to quality work.” Meanwhile, Mr K.S. Kang, the Municipal Commissioner, said the decision of extending the contract for six months with the same companies was of the Finance and Contract Committee.
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Santa Claus distributes material for dental care
Christmas was celebrated with much fan fare by the residents of the Holy City. Local chapter of the Church of North India (CNI) organised mass at churches.
Shops were tastefully decorated to woo customers. People dressed like Santa Clause were standing outside shops to attract customers, especially children. Commercial areas of the city, including Gandhi Gate (Hall gate), Katra Jai Mal Singh, Bhai Vir Singh Marg (Lawrence road) and Madan Mohan Malviya road, witnessed a brisk business and people were seen enjoying the festivity. The Dental Research Institute of Versatile Education (DRIVE) celebrated Christmas in a unique way. They plied a chariot riding on which Santa Clause distributed tooth pastes, tooth brushes and dental health education brochures instead of sweets. Dr Puneet Girdhar, President, DRIVE, said it also marked the conclusion of Dental Health Project-2005. The theme of the project was ‘Bright smiles and bright futures’, he added. The DRIVE was formed in 2000 with the motive of sharing the experiences in dentistry with patients, school children, teachers and public at large. Its members comprise experienced and budding dentists. Dr Girdhar said it was established for imparting the dental health education to the people through dental check-up camps, demonstrations, seminars, discussions, audio-visual presentations, charts, models and exhibitions. He said in the ancient Indian society dentistry used to be regarded of divine origin and the English word ‘Dental’ was derived from Sanskrit word ‘Dantha’ that is tooth. The science of dentistry flourished in Taxila (now in Pakistan) and Nalanda (in Bihar) universities. He said good oral health was an essential and important component of general health. He said during the past two decades there had been tremendous increase in awareness regarding oral care. Dr Girdhar said they would organise this carnival at Shimla and Goa on Christmas from next year.
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Bank offers D-mat services to city
residents
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) threw open its maiden Depository Services (D-mat) in the state for its customers at its Hall Gate branch on December 22.
Mr A.P. Singh, Chief Regional Manager, said IOB had become the first nationalised bank to offer D-mat account in the city. He said they chose the Holy City keeping in view the large number of people investing money in the share market. He said IOB had offered shares to the public in 2001 at Rs 10 each and now its cost was about Rs 95. Besides, he added that 24 per cent dividend was given last year. Mr S.K. Sehgal, Director of the bank, inaugurated the service. He informed that the bank had 1500 branches across the country, including 52 in Punjab.
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Weekly Round-up Quiz
Modern Study School has won top honors in the Inter ICSE School Quiz Championship. The principal of the School, Ms Sudha Bhandari, said Arpit of Class IX and B. Partap of VIII claimed the top positions. St Francis and Cedar Spring High School jointly won the second position.
Union
The Northern Railwaymen’s Union has formed a joint action committee in view of the strike call in protest against the alleged anti-labour policies of the Central government. The members of the committee include— Mr Kirpal Singh, Convener, Mr Jasmangal Singh president, Mr Vijay Bhatti, vice-president, Mr Joseph, secretary, Mr Satnam Singh and Mr Raghbir Singh, joint secretaries.
Contest
Holy Heart High School has won the runners’ up trophy in the Kawaljit Memorial Inter-District Declamation Contest held at the Government Saragarhi Memorial School recently. About 27 schools and colleges from various districts of Punjab participated in the competition. Among Punjabi orators, Preet Parneet of Holy Heart Presidency School, bagged the first position for speaking on “Nashe main Dubdi Jawani” while Nikita Khanna stood first after her speech on “Generation Gap.”
Seminar
To mark the National Consumer protection Day, a seminar on consumer rights was organised at the DAV Senior Secondary School. The function was presided over by Ms Sukhwinder Kaur, Controller (Education). Ms Sudesh Chopra, director of a Hindi and Punjabi daily was the chief guest.
Sports meet
Sri Hemkunt Senior Secondary School organised its annual sports meet and prize distribution function recently. Mr Darshan Singh, Director (Education), Chief Khalsa Diwan was chief guest while Mr S. P. Singh, director of school presided over the funtion.
Office-bearers
Following have been elected as the new office-bearers of the Punjab Medical Representative’s Association. Mr Vivek Talwar was elected president, Mr T. R. Dogra, secretary and Mr Rajesh Sharma, Mr Gaurav Bhatia and Mr Susheel Mahajan were elected vice-presidents.
Launch
An US-based company recently launched its premium skincare product H2O at the Dr Morepen Tango showroom. The product manager of the company, Ms Garima Makkar, said the products offer a pure, clean and simplified approach to skincare and were designed to meet the needs of variety of skin types and life styles. She said theirs was the first company to focus its products on water-based skincare.
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Kids in city ‘spinning
around’ Beyblades
The ‘Beyblade’ toys are the latest craze to have stormed the kids’ world.
From the common man’s earthenware ‘lattu’ and the wooden ‘pambheeri’, a new sophisticated contraption of ‘beyblades’ have emerged. Major toyshops report a booming rise with sales of ‘beyblades’ touching 70 per cent of toys being purchased by all age groups irrespective of gender favourites. The charm of cars, Barbie dolls, batman, superman and hunks comparatively waned with more and more sophisticated models of beyblades whose new ‘avtars’ arrive almost every week, says Jagdeep Singh, owner of Lovy selection center for toys. Ms Sumita, an interior designer, was thrilled to be treated to a blazing lights ‘beyblade’ show by her son Manav as a special birthday gift! The craze for beyblades is not confined in the region here it has found an echo in the twin city of Lahore across the Radcliff line. A beyblade competition was recently held at ‘Lifestyle international exhibition’ held in Lahore, Pakistan. While the city has lagged behind metros in holding any such competition, the beyblade has undoubtedly added charm to picnics, birthdays and festive occasions. Interestingly, competitions using ‘lattus’ launched with ropes and ‘pambheeris’ were popular in Pre-partition times in the twin cities of Lahore and Amritsar as were the wrestling duels, cockfights, ram fights, pigeon-flights and kite flying. The ‘top’ then merely cost half a paisa, while a ‘pambheeri’ costs even less. Though ‘lattus’ are still available, costing between 50 paisa to Re 1 in rural townships, the beyblade may cost anything from Rs 10 to Rs 1300 with assorted accessories like remote controls, blinking space lights, electronic blades, exotic launchers, stadiums and assorted stickers among others. Weird names like polta, wing defenser, bistool, makendo, driger, big top, metal tiger, dranaer, phantom force, engine gear have caught the imagination of kids from 4 to 14 years of age. Games too have been introduced using four, two or solo blades.
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Amritsar business directory launched
The first ever directory of the businessmen of the Holy City was launched here recently. Compiled by Mr Ashok Verma and Mr Naresh Johar, the directory is a complete guide for trade, industry and services of the city. It includes information about the city. Various manufacturers, dealers and commercial units of the city, different associations, merchants, and agents besides schools, colleges, nursing homes, and hospitals have also been included.
The publication has also included a page on helpline that gives information on Member Parliament, Members Legislative Assembly, Mayor, and other elected representatives of the city, including the district administration, Municipal Corporation, Police department Courier services, Press correspondents, Circuit House, Telephone department, clubs and two major shrines, Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple. Though there are howlers in the directory, but still the business community has appreciated the efforts of the duo in bringing out the business directory and further hoped that more information regarding the left out persons and the places of historical importance would be included in the next issue. |
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‘Rang Ishaqe Da’ released
The Amritsar-born Raju Sarai seems to have carved a niche for himself in the field of singing with his newly-released audio cassette ‘Rang Ishaqe Da’ which is being appreciated and enjoyed by all folks of life.
Its songs, including the title song ‘Rang Ishaqe Da’, ‘Soh Nahi Khani Si’ Munde Tere Nakhre ne, Pyar, Sardar etc are popular among young folks. The lyrics is given by famous lyricist Nimma Loharka, while Daljit Singh have given the music. The cassette is released by M-series company.
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Training camp by 2-Punjab Air Squadron NCC
The 2-Punjab Air Squadron NCC has started its annual training camp for 187 NCC Air Wing Cadets at Khalsa College.
The two-week camp aims at promoting and developing the community and integrated living. Towards this end, the camp is imparting training to the Air Wing cadets to make them responsive towards the nation and humanity. The training involved social service activities conjoined with military training. The military training included drill, handling of weapons, fire fighting and traffic rules among others. The cadets were apprised of menace of drug abuse and socially alarming issues like female foeticide, AIDS and cancer, besides made aware of hygiene and civil defence. In the final stages, the camp would hold inter-institution competitions, while special emphasis would be laid on augmenting the trainees’ communication skills. For multi-dimensional development, the camp has organised various cultural events, besides special emphasis has been laid on the management and administration of camp activities at all levels. The cadets would learn teamwork, adventure and undergo personal hardship to inculcate values of self-discipline and integrity. Emphasising on developing leadership qualities and character through actual experience and example, the camp has designed activities to enable cadets to overcome mental and physical challenges. The cadets would be awarded NCC air wing ‘c’ certificates and oriented for its potential in defence and private sector placements.
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Water woes in walled city
localities
Hundreds of residents of Bazar Babian, Khoo Sunarian and adjoining localities located inside the walled city have been going without water for the past few days.
The residents said they had not been receiving regular water supply putting their lives out of gear. The area is one of the most densely populated localities of the city and has narrow maze-like lanes. A resident of the area, Mr Krishan Kumar, said all work came to halt when they found the tap not releasing water. “I was not able to open my shop on time and other family members were also at loss on how to start the day.” When contacted, Mr A.S. Dhaliwal, SE (Water Supply), said the tubeell of the area had developed a snag and it would be rectified today. He rejected the allegation that it was a recurrent problem and said it had occurred earlier only once.
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Physical disability no constraint for this artist
Physical -disability is no constraint for 24-year-old Mandeep Singh “Manu”, a self-taught computer graphics artist, who has carved a niche for himself among the renowned artists of the Holy City.
While talking to The Tribune, the artist said he got attracted to computer graphics after he started learning accounts on the machine. “With encouragement from Mr Avtar Singh, a sculptor who runs the Thakur Singh Art Gallery, my art got a voice.” Also impressed by his work was Mr Parminderjit Singh, the editor of Akkhar, a weekly magazine. “He used some of my works as titles in various issues of the magazine.” Describing the art of computer graphics, Mandeep Singh said it was like a collage. “There are pictures of sceneries, faces and figures. All of them have a meaning. The artist breaks and joins these pictures to create a composition, which in itself is complete and different. It’s different because there is no need for colours, brushes and canvases. Here the computer is the tool and the monitor is the canvas.” “Sometimes it happened that I tried to depict one subject, but the end result turned out to be different,” he said. A student of B.A. (Major) in History from IGNOU, the artist has won an award in the 70th All India Exhibition of Fine Art, in the 2nd Annual Indian Royal Academy Awards – 2005 at Gulbarga in Karnataka. He also got the Vocational Award in 2004 from Rotary Club (Amritsar).
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