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A Tale of Two Cities
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Teachers, students of Lahore Art College in city
1,000 rural courts on the anvil, says Law Minister
Crime rate dips in Holy City
Over Rs 55,000 donated to family of teacher killed in Canada
Indo-Russian family enjoys
village mela
Vagaries of life: Once affluent, now
living in penury
Stray dog menace haunts
city residents, MC helpless
‘Bhavani Jyoti’ installed in
Durgiana Temple
Pensioners’ front
Art of Living reaches out to prisoners
Guru Nanak Varsity professor in TIES
DAV team enters semi-finals of CBSE Heritage Quiz
10-day NSS camp concludes at
Khalsa College
English training programme in Amritsar
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Amritsar and Lahore are the cities that had to bear the brunt of Partition. However, the cultural bond between Amritsaris and Lahoris remains as strong as ever, report
Varinder Walia and Rashmi Talwar
Ajj Akhaan Waris Shah Noo Kitae Kabran Vichon Bole...” (Rise and speak up from the grave, Waris Shah). These most touching lines penned by Punjabi poetess, Amrita Pritam, portray the agony of women who fell victim to the communal frenzy on both sides of Wagah at the time of Partition. The agony of the two Punjabs (East and West), separated by Partition, continued to haunt Punjabis. However, the inseparable bond is likely to be revived with the much-talked-about Recalling the composite Punjabi culture of The legendary origins of Lahore can be traced to Lav or Loh, son of Lord Rama, the king of Ayodhya and hero of the Ramayana, the Hindu epic from the pre-historical period. Loh or Luv is still acknowledged as the founder of the city of Lahore even in the official website of Pakistan. UNESCO also recognises this fact in its information board located at Shahi Killa of Lahore where the shrine exists. Interestingly, Kasur in Pakistan was founded by Kush, the twin of Luv. Lahore became the capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1799-1839) where Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims lived in communal harmony. For all lovers of Lahore, the announcement by the Nazim, Mian Amer Mahmood, that his “government” had decided not to go ahead with its idea to “make Lahore Islamic” by changing the names of 58 streets and roads that bear Hindu and Sikh names is a great relief indeed. Tourists from Amritsar would ‘relish’ the old names whenever they visit Lahore in the bus. The Amritsar-Lahore Bus Service may also throw light on the matchless contrasts and comparisons that join the two cities of Lahore and Amritsar in an everlasting bond. The thawing of tension between the two countries has rekindled the interest in the cultural affinity between the people of Lahore and Amritsar. Pakistani Hindus would love to visit Durgiana Mandir in Amritsar. The Bara Hanuman Prachin Mandir and the Banyan tree in the Durgiana Temple complex, Amritsar, also arouse the curiosity of those from Lahore. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Hanuman was tied to the tree when he opposed the royal twins (who were the founders of the two cities that are now in Pakistan) and tried to prevent them from taking back the Ashvamedha horse. What is most heartening is that Lahore and Amritsar share a cultural affinity that cuts across the borders. Many Hindu customs like putting henna on hands and wearing bangles have percolated to the Muslim weddings across the border. Traditional festivals like Basant gave impetus to kite-flying nightlong competitions that have become a rage and obsession in Lahore, though the kite-flying has been denounced by many mullahs for its association with the Hindus and the Sikhs. Earlier, pigeons — the traditional folklore messengers — with their feathers smeared with Urdu stamps and couplets had brought cheer to Indian villages like Dauke (Amritsar), surrounded on three sides by Pakistan. Likewise, kites with portraits of Indian filmstars also brought thrill to the people of the neighbouring country. Pigeon-flying, once common in Amritsar, is still a craze in Lahore, where Indian breeds of pigeons like Rampuri, Ferozpuri and Jalandhari fetch a hefty amount. The sport was popular in both cities as were games like ram-fights, cock-fights and “lattu-bazzi”. Even the markets in both cities have some kind of uncanny similarity about them. Mr Ali Raza, a senior staff correspondent with “The News”, an English daily from Pakistan, while talking to The Tribune from across the border, says that there are many areas in Lahore that may be interesting for a visitor. For instance, a Landa Bazaar with the same name exists in Lahore and in Amritsar, selling goods from across the border. Interestingly, both bazaars are located near the respective railway stations of the two cities! The booming bazaars of Lahore like the Wholesale Market at Shah Alam where plastic goods, shoes, toys, perfumes, cosmetics, bakery items, utensils are sold remind an Indian visitor of the walled city markets. The Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore showcases readymade garments, including salwar-kameez. The “Paan Mandi” displays Indian paraphernalia like Banarsi sarees, “hajmola”, “paan masala”, “paan ka patta”, soaps etc. A bibliophile can get Urdu, Persian and Arabic books from the Urdu Bazaar. Liaquat Ali Butt and Tanveer Hussain, both from Lahore, say that while both countries are flooded with low-grade Chinese items, it is Indian goods that are liked in Pakistan and vice versa. People of Lahore find Indian banana, papaya, apples, and ginger better flavoured and these items are available there at half their price in India. While Lahore glitters with its gold market called “Suha Bazaar”, the “Guru Bazaar” in Amritsar is a nice shopping stop for jewellery buffs. Though there is not much difference in the prices of pulses and daals sold in Lahore’s Akbari Mandi and the markets of Amritsar, there are some pleasant surprises like fresh “kasuri methi” available in Lahore at merely Rs 5 per kilo or the famed Pakistani rock salt available there at Re I per kilo. A bicycle costs about Rs 1500 in India, while the lowest model of “Sohrab” cycle costs Rs 2500 in Lahore. A non vegetarian may find the best Punjabi cuisine at the Food Street of Gawalmandi and the Anarkali Bazaar. Among the best buys that a visitor can have here is a pair of the famed “Kasuri jutti” and this can be bought here at one-fourth of its price in Amritsar. The Hall Road in Lahore sells electrical appliances, while it namesake “Hall Bazaar” in Amritsar, too, sells the same. Mall culture Lahore boasts of three five-star hotels — Pearl Continental, Avari and Holiday Inn — at the Egertain road, besides posh Malls at Gulberg owned by cricketer Imran Khan, and a zoo and a race course, while Amritsar lags behind. Incidentally, most “C” grade hotels in Lahore are found near its railway station and bus stand, and the same is somewhat true for Amritsar. The Western influence has caught on more in Lahore with Mc Donald, KFC, Pizza Hut and posh restaurants like Village, Buffet, Ziafat and Smoke (located at Gulberg and the MM Alam Road) being hot favourites. Besides, “Bhaiyee-dey-kabab” and famous Chinese restaurants, Xinwa and Taiwah, are also located there.
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Teachers, students of Lahore Art College in city
Well-known Pakistani painter, Mr Mehmood Hasan Zafari, also a teacher in the National College of Arts, said artists from the sub-continent have been getting a belated recognition internationally.
Mr Zafari was part of the 37-member delegation of the National College of Arts, Lahore which also included eight teachers who arrived in India on January 9 to take firsthand information on the contemporary and old arts forms of the country. He said it should have happened at least fifty years ago. “India and Pakistan share common roots in art, and it cannot be viewed separately.” He said this common root, which grew thousands of years ago in the sub-continent, developed into a gigantic tree, which had several glorious branches. Prof Shahnaz Malhi of the college, heading the delegation, said it was a big opportunity for students of her college to study the art forms here, which would help them develop their creativity. The Indian Academy of Fine Arts
(IAFA), Amritsar accorded a warm welcome to the delegates at Thakur Singh Art Gallery. Mr Avtar Singh, President of local chapter of the
IAFA, said the visitors had agreed to display their paintings during an exhibition here. In the exhibition, paintings of Zafari and Pirzada
Najam-Ul-Hasan were displayed. |
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1,000 rural courts on the anvil, says Law Minister
The government has decided to nominate two women judges in each bench of the High Court with immediate effect, the Union Law Minister, Mr H. R. Bhardwaj, told The Tribune after delivering the 32nd convocation address of the Guru Nanak Dev University here recently.
He said the Centre had already taken the initiative and appointed five women judges in the Delhi High Court bench and would fill the vacancies of women judges in other high courts as and when the names were approved. In a significant resolution, the Law Minister said the government had prepared a comprehensive plan to bring about establishing ‘Gramin
Nayaliya’ (Rural Courts) for quick dispensation of justice to a large segment of the rural population. He said more than 1,000 courts would be established for this purpose to reach out to the remote villages of the country. Answering a question on bringing in the legislation on the Women Reservation Bill, Mr Bhardwaj said that the Union Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, was already working on the text and tring to create a consensus among various political parties. The Bill, he said, was expected to be brought for discussion into the Parliament during this session. The Minister added that the entire working of the judiciary, especially in the Supreme Court, had already been computerised and the government has earmarked Rs 1,000 crore for installing latest computer technologies. He said that during the second phase, the working of the High Courts would be computerised and later, the judiciary in the metros and other major towns would be covered by IT. “This will help in faster justice.” Expressing his satisfaction over the working of the fast track courts, he said the government had sanctioned a special budgetary support to add more fast track courts benches in the country. He claimed that within the next two to three years, the country would have one of the most efficient judicial systems in the world. Commenting on complaints of corruption in the judiciary, Mr Bhardwaj said the National Judicial Council Draft prepared by Mr J N Rao had already been received by the government and it would be established in consultation with the Chief Justice of India. “The government is expected to set up the commission soon.” He though admitted that the judges might adopt the contempt route to save themselves from common
complainants. "But the government will protect genuine complainants.” Responding to a question about the number of large vacancies in the judiciary, the Law Minister said the government was open to appoint ad hoc judges at various levels to solve the problem. He, however, added that with the computerisation that pending cases would be cleared soon. |
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Crime rate dips in Holy City
If the records of the police records are to be believed, the crime rate in the Holy City has shown a with a total of 2591 cases registered in 2005 as compared to 3144 in 2004.
However, the recent recovery of a major cache of narcotics has upset the equation. Compared to last year, as per the police records, lesser number of cases were registered the under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) act— 160 to 212 last year. In all, the police had seized over 160 kg of heroin, four-and-a-half kg of opium, three kg of smack, 72 kg of poppy husk and over six kg of ganja as compared to two kg of charas and 21 kg of poppy husk. However, the quantity of opium seized in 2005 (about five kg) was much less than year 2004 (more than 22 kg.) About three cases of smuggling of narcotics and fake currency were registered against 26 persons with links to ISI. Fifteen smugglers were arrested during the period while 19 involved in fake currency rackets were held with the seizure of Rs 1.15 lakh of fake counterfeit notes. The number of murders was marginally low. As many as 46 cases were reported last year while it was 48 in 2004. Out of this, the police claimed to have solved 43 cases in 2005 in contrast to 42 in 2004. Cases of attempt to murder was half the number registered in 2004. It was 26 this year as compared to 50 last year. The number of registered kidnapping cases came down to 20 from 31 reported in 2004. Nine persons and one child were recovered in the cases and the police have only been able to solve 10 of the 20 cases. The number of rape cases was five in 2005. It was a staggering 25 in 2004. As per the police records, there was no dacoity in 2005 and only 51 cases of burglary were reported as compare to one and 102 respectively the previous year. The number of theft cases reported in 2005 was 117 while it was 181 in 2004. The district police claimed have solved 25 burglary cases and 55 theft cases out of 51 and 117 reported respectively. During 2005, 15 gangs of robbers, burglars, thieves and snatchers were detected in which 72 persons were arrested. 172 cases were of stolen property were traced in which 327 persons were arrested. Stolen items like gold jewelry, cash and vehicles worth more than Rs 1.83 crores were recovered. Though the number of road accidents registered in 2005 was higher than that in the 2004, there was a sharp decline in the number of fatal accidents. As many as 82 lives were lost in road accidents against 88 in 2004 while the number of injured iswas 99 as compared to 92 in 2004. The police earned revenue amounting to Rs 57.75 lakh from challans. It was Rs 40.43 lakh in 2004. The number of vehicles challaned in 2005 was 27,605 as compared to 24,485 in 2004. The police said that although the incidents of crime under various heads was marginally lower, the detection rate of crime was high. |
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Over Rs 55,000 donated to family
Acknowledging the services of late Charanjit Singh, 23, a resident of this city, for training hundreds of Sikh children with Gatka, a Sikh martial art, in Canada, the Sikh Sangat, a California-based organisation, has donated Rs 57,400 as a token gesture to his family.
Charanjit was killed in a road accident at Vancouver, Canada, in May 2004. Besides him, Mr Parminder Singh, head of Gurmat Studies Institute, Canada, and Ms Reena Kaur, 17, a gatka student, also died in the accident. The accident occurred when the driver lost control over the van, in which they were traveling, while negotiating a turn. A teacher of gatka, Charanjit had been living in Canada for the past two years. He had trained over 700 students and in this way he bridged the cultural gap between the Canadian youths of Punjabi-origin and Punjab. Mr Vicky Singh of California, a representative of Sikh Sangat, who was here to hand over the money to the family, said they came to know that his family was living under penury since his untimely death. He informed that the money had been gathered from Sikhs based in the USA, UK and Canada. He said father of Charanjit died six months ago. He said Charanjit was survived by old mother and two brothers. |
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Indo-Russian family enjoys
village mela
It was a wonderful experience for an Indo-Russian family when they visited a mela at historical Bhakna village during their trip to India.
Even the residents of the village, which is seven kilometre from the Indo-Pak border, were surprised to see a “foreign lady in salwaar kameez,” and the Punjabi-speaking children of the couple. Kashmir Singh, hailing from Roopwali Khurd village who has been an active communist since his youth, came to India with his Russian wife Olga Singh, son Victor Singh and daughter Rashmi Singh. The family became a cynosure of all eyes as villagers were excited and curious with a Russian lady amongst them. What amazed them further was the Indian salwar-kameez the Russian lady wore. The smattering of Punjabi words by the Indo-Russian children generated a lot of excitement. Olga was the one of the honoured guests on the occasion of the mela to commemorate Sohan Singh Bhakna — the brave son of the village who started the Gadhar Movement that became instrumental for freedom of the country from the British rule. Kashmir Singh, too, is respected owing to his father’s unstinting communist roots that were dominant during the mela organised by the CPI activists, here. More so because he participates every year in this special event. “Attending the mela is almost like an annual pilgrimage for me,” he says. As a young lad, he used to visit Bhakna every year with his father Darshan Singh, a veteran communist leader who was one of the 33 awardees, at a function in the village recently. Kashmir Singh, who reached foreign shores in 1975, started out on Radio Moscow as Punjabi announcer. He also worked for the Radhuga Publishers that exposed him to great Russian writers. His grasp at the two languages and their literature helped him to be elevated as general secretary of Hindustan Samaj in Moscow. In due course, Kashmir Singh started translation of the works of Gorki and Chekov (great Russian Littérateurs) and narrated their stories in Punjabi on Radio Moscow that became very popular amongst the Indian community there. Subsequently, he ventured into business and made good money. However, through thick and thin he saved enough money to visit India every year. For him, it was the happiest moment that his family could visit the place he loved most in the world. For the family to see mela was extraordinary. Shy at first they were excited to get their hands reddened with henna stamps, play the hoopla, buy parandis and churiyaan and eat sweet ‘gatta’ while the seller whistled a bird song. |
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Vagaries of life: Once affluent, now
living in penury
“I accept what the destiny has in store for me”. These are the words of 65-year-old Charan Kaur, who once belonged to an affluent family in Malaysia and enjoyed all the comforts during her heydays, but for the last four years was spending her life on the footsteps of a shop near Darbar Sahib in Tarn Taran.
Charan Kaur, daughter of a police officer in Malaysia, was married to Hazara Singh, who was also working in that country. When parents of Hazara Singh expressed their inability to work in the fields due to their old age, Hazara Singh returned to the country along with his wife Charan Kaur, four sons and six daughters, to look after the 18-acre agricultural land at Warana village in Sarhali area. They were living happily till the tragedy struck the family fourteen years ago when Hazara Singh died. Though Hazara Singh had married off some of his sons and daughters, but Charan Kaur had to sell off the agricultural land for the marriage of her unmarried daughters and for her own sustenance. Charan Kaur’s elder son Harjinder Singh is bed-ridden as he suffers from some mental problem and younger son Mukhtar Singh is working as a daily wager in Amritsar to fend for himself. Her third son had died at a young age. The fourth one is living in Malaysia. The daughters and son-in-laws, who did not get any part of her property, do not seem to be bothered about the way Charan Kaur was spending her life. Mr Mukhtiar Singh,
from Warana village, said Charan Kaur’s family was once one of the affluent families of the region. He said Charan Kaur had never asked for alms and spending her life by taking langar at Darbar Sahib.
— TNS
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Stray dog menace haunts
city
The menace of stray dogs continues to haunt the residents of the Holy City with the Municipal Corporation failing to find an effective solution to this.
As per the official records, about 1,890 cases of dog bites were reported during 2005 at Anti-rabies Department of the government-run Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) here. However, the officials say the actual figure could be very high, as all the incidents of dog-biting usually do not come to the GND hospital. People preferred private clinics and hospitals for treatment than government hospital. According to information, three persons were reportedly died of rabies in November. A five-year-old girl of Chheharta was recently reported to have died after a bog bite. The situation was worse in ‘Haddo-Rodi’ areas where villagers used to dispose off the bodies of dead animals. Most number of dog biting cases reported from nearby areas of this point. The posh localities like Green Avenue, Basant Avenue,
Kennedy Avenue were also facing the menace. Mr Ravinder Kumar, a resident of Green Avenue area here, said it had become very difficult to move around in the city freely. Even after reporting to the authorities concerned in the MC and despite of getting many verbal assurances, nothing was done so far, he alleged. Sometimes people could not enter their houses because of a group of barking stray dogs standing in front of their residences. He had also written a letter to the Chief Minister with copies to Mayor, Commissioner, and Civil Surgeon urging their immediate intervention and attention. Even the Municipal Corporation does not have any record in this regard. The people in the narrow lanes of the walled city were the easy target for these countless stray dogs in the city.
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‘Bhavani Jyoti’ installed in
Durgiana Temple
Religious fervour marked the grand procession that carried the “Bhavani Jyoti” from Durgiana Temple in a historic journey recently.
Under the aegis of the Durgiana Temple management led by its president, Mr Surinder Arjun, the yatra was flagged-off from the temple premises. The religious procession was led by five flower-bedecked golden palkis (palanquins) atop raths (chariots) and tableaux showcasing scenes from the Ramayan with revered idols of Lord Ram and Sita Mata, Lord Hanuman, besides the legends of Durga Mata and Lord Ganesh and others. The “Jyoti” in a silver “Jyot” brought from Mata Jawalaji followed the grand procession in an open jeep. People from all walks of life paid obeisance to the ‘Divya Jyoti.’ The procession passed through Hathi Gate, Katra Parja, Khoo Bambey walley, Lohgarh, Katra Dullo, Dhab Khatikan, Namak Mandi, Batti Hattan, Bazaar Churasthi Attari, Ghanta Ghar Chowk, Katra Sher Singh, Hall Bazaar for six hours before concluding at the temple premises. The “Jyoti” was installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple late evening. People and members of various religious, political and educational organisations joined the procession. Prominent city personalities including the Mayor, Mr Sunil Datti, Chairman of the Improvement Trust, Mr Jugal Kishore Sharma and senior BJP leader, Ms Laxmi Kanta Chawla. The route was decorated with buntings, saffron flags and welcome banners through which the yatra passed. Amidst beats of dholak and rhythm of bhajans, the yatra was joined people from various organisations including Prem Sabha, Radha Madhav Kirtan Mandal, Ram Sewak Sabha, Vaishno Bhajan Mandali besides others. The procession that passed through various narrow bazaars of the Walled City also caused temporary traffic jams. As many as 25 kirtan mandlis participated in the procession. Students from various schools, colleges and educational institutions joined the celebrations. According to temple authorities, the “Jyoti” from Jawalaji would be an “Akhand Jyoti” (eternal flame). |
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Pensioners’ front
The Punjab State Pensioners’ Confederation, Ludhiana, Punjab State Pensioners’ Association, Ferozepore, and Punjab State Pensioners’ Mahasang, Chandigarh, has formed a joint front to highlight their long-pending demands promised to be fulfilled by the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, in the party manifesto during 2002 assembly elections. Mr Avtar Singh Afat, chairman of the front, said the joint front would struggle for achieving these demands, which the government failed to fulfill in the past four years.
The demands include 15 per cent additional pension at the age of 80 or above, revision in the rates of medical treatment and reimbursement up to Rs 25,000 at district level, DA to family pensioners and merger of 50 per cent DA with pension with effect from April 1, 2004 and restoration of old commutation formula among others. The front would hold meetings at district level from January 16 to 21 for the finalisation of action programme, he added. —
OC
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Art of Living reaches out to prisoners
It was for the first time in life that Manjit Singh came to know of yoga technique to keep a check on anger. He was among the 80 inmates, who underwent a ten-day Prison Smart Course organised by the local chapter of Art of Living with the active support of Jail administration.
Manjit Singh, who is undergoing 20 years of sentence at local Central Jail, while expressing his remorse said his one act of rage consumed one life, but as a consequence his whole family fell apart. “I was the sole bread winner for the family of five,” he said, adding that during his seven years stay in jail his wife and a daughter passed away. Now, his old father and a 13-year old daughter are the only members left to fend for themselves. He was very impressed after taking lessons on meditation techniques of Yoga to control extreme feelings. He said after meditation he felt himself relaxed and out of duress. Mr Raman Bhai, Coordinator, local chapter of Art of Living, said the objective behind the camp was to instill positive thinking, to control anger and to prepare the inmates to play a constructive role in society. He said Pranayam and Sudarshan Kriyas were taught to help in relieving stress and making mind calmer and peaceful, besides a number of Asans (exercises of yoga) for physical fitness. As soon as the idea of holding the camp brought to Mr Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, SSP, Central Jail, here, he heartily extended full cooperation, he said. Mr Raman Bhai said there was a visible change among the inmates during the camp. On the very first day, the prisoners’ facial expressions were very strong and they were not ready to mix up and were sitting at a considerable distance from the stage. Subsequently, they mellowed down and used to restlessly wait for their arrival. He said after the completion of camp inmates promised to continue the meditation techniques. |
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Guru Nanak Varsity professor in TIES
Prof Amarjit Singh Sethi of Punjab School of Economics, Guru Nanak Dev University was made joint secretary of the national body of the Indian Econometric Society (TIES).
The TIES boasts of a membership of nearly 1000 econometricians from India and abroad. In the recent 42nd Annual Conference of society at the university, Prof Sethi chaired the technical session on “Productivity and Technical Efficiency.” |
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DAV team enters semi-finals of CBSE Heritage Quiz
It was literally a cakewalk for the DAV Public School students trio to emerge as toppers during the zonal final of the CBSE India Heritage Quiz-2005.
The school’s Principal, Mrs V Puri, said the students had qualified to participate in the preliminary finals to be held in January next year in New Delhi. The anchor of the quiz show, Mr Kunal Sawarkar, who conducted the show appreciated the performance of the team comprising Aadish Rakhecha, Samarpreet Rai and Ravi Sharma. He said it was amazing that all of them were quite knowledgeable of the history of the heritage of the country. The other schools who participated in the contest included DAV Public School, Shimla, MDN Public School, Rohtak, and MGN Public School, Kapurthala. The Amritsar team secured 115 points, while the teams from Kapurthala and Shimla managed to score 50 each and the team from Rohtak stood at last position with 35 points. |
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10-day NSS camp concludes at
Khalsa College
A 10-day camp was organised by NSS Khalsa College during which students removed the weeds from the campus, hostel complex and the roadside leading to Mahal village.
Dr Inderjeet Kaur, president of the All India Pingalwara Charitable Society, while addressing the volunteers, said, “We could learn from the selfless services rendered by the Bhagat Puran Singh who was an apostle paradigm of humanity and an epitome of Sikhism philosophy.” She asked the volunteers to purify their soul with the name of God and work against social evils. During the camp, the volunteers under the supervision of Prof Satnam Singh,
N.S.S. Officer in charge of the college, held discussions on various social issues like dowry, women empowerment, corruption, drugs, moral values, pollution, and female foeticide. The volunteers also took part in cultural activities to show their talent in various fields of poetry, skit, mimicry, and songs among others. They planted saplings of evergreen ornamental shrubs and trees. Various scholars from different fields delivered lecture to the volunteers. Dr Gurbachan Singh, who had a long experience in this field, expressed his views on human development and role of NSS in the society. Dr
H.B. Singh, senior lecturer of Post Graduate Department of Botany, expressed his views on disease AIDS and its control measures. Prof Jagdish Singh from the United Sikhism delivered lecture on the importance of religion and the service for the sake of humanity. Dr Daljeet Singh, Principal, said there was no scarcity of jobs for talented and experienced persons. He said the volunteers should learn to work with dignity to serve the nation. |
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English training programme in Amritsar
Hero Mindmine has launched the English training programme at Dashmesh Academy in Amritsar for career aspirants and professionals to help them improve their communication skills and build successful careers.
Mr Rajesh Kumar, a representative of the company, said the Advantage English training program was designed for aspirants who wanted to improve their English-speaking skills, enhance their personality and also increase their suitability for jobs in service industries. Mr Kumar claimed that the programme, which had been organised in association with DynEd International, USA, had helped over 2 crore people across 70 countries in improving their English speaking skills. He claimed that Hero Mindmine pioneered the concept of training for call centers and other customer service industries in India by providing services and knowledge-based initiatives. “The company offers end-to-end solutions ranging from recruitment, training, assessment and re-retraining helping raise service quality, productivity and efficiency,” he claimed. Mrs Sarita Gupta, Centre Head, said the programme had four levels of training. “The Foundation level initiates beginners to start speaking English, Level A corrects basis grammar structure and builds confidence, Level B enhances fluency in English and Level C enriches language along with voice and accent”, she said. |
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Nukkar Sabha
AAGAAZ, an NGO, and Earth and Resources Care Group organised a ‘Nukkar Sabha’ at Putlighar area here for spreading awareness about water conservation. Mr Deepak Babbar, executive director of the association, said that during the programme a film on water conservation and saving of environment was screened. He also urged the people not to waste water.— OC
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Office-bearers elected
Following were elected unanimously as office-bearers of Ranjit Avenue C-Block Welfare Association in the annual general body meeting held here recently. Mr Avtar Singh Varpal was nominated as patron, while Mr Gurmej Singh Gill and Maj (Retd) Jaspal Singh was elected as president and vice-president of the association, respectively. Mr Joginder Singh Thind, and Mr Jagdish Singh Gandhi were elected as general secretary and joint secretary of the association. Protest rally The district unit of Kendriya Arya Sabha demonstrated against Communist leader Ms Brinda Karat for levelling “baseless” allegations against Swami Ramdev that the medicines produced by him contained animal residue. The protest march started from Arya Samaj Bazar and concluded at the Hall gate. They said the communist leaders should apologise to Swami for “defaming” him.
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It was a wonderful experience for an Indo-Russian family when they visited a mela at historical Bhakna village during their trip to India.
Even the residents of the village, which is seven kilometre from the Indo-Pak
border, were surprised to see a “foreign lady in salwaar kameez,” and the
Punjabi-speaking children of the couple.
