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Village Vignettes
Cold City |
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Niku Park gets brand new rides
Powering his way to
corporate success Bag it with style
Market Buzz From Schools and Colleges Website launched Athletics record
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Village Vignettes
The sun is peeping out shyly and cold wind is rustling the leaves of old, gnarled trees. A gaggle of children greets us with warm smiles that could thaw the chill right up to its last degree. “Oh! You have come to attend the wedding in our Partap Pura village?” they quip. Our “No” does not dampen their spirits a wee bit. Unlike most of the city kids, they are in no hurry. School can wait when it’s wedding season in a village. The valiant efforts of the sun to find its space in the sky continue and we move past a buffalo chewing the cud, even as an old woman and her young companions look indulgently at the animal. “It’s cold and she needs a protective covering. But thank God, the sun is showing,” says the woman. Already, the sun has found a surer footing. A few old men are getting the best of the sun on the roadside that overlooks a potato field. Frost has stamped its mark on the crops — the leaves are wilting badly. Chairs have been laid in a semi-circle, and some discussion is in full swing. But we are welcome to join. Hospitality of villagers is not a myth. “A village life is different. Things amble along. The winter sun makes us all sit together and thrash out our worries,” sallies Mr Baldev Singh, a villager, while his friends nod in agreement. Most of the houses here have an NRI connection, we are told as a matter of fact. “We have lost the count of youngsters who left the village to try their luck abroad. Daily, we grapple with loneliness. And it’s community life that sustains us,” says another villager. As we go a little further, an array of brass utensils that glisten in the sun greets us. Though it’s very cold, women are cleaning the utensils zealously. Lohri celebrations are in the air, and women (of all ages), with their thick shawls covering their heads, are chalking out the details of the Lohri programme. Tidbits of the latest gossip are squeezed into the conversation with a practised élan. For those who think that rural women are all for home and hearth, there is a pleasant surprise — a surprise that is enough to scotch stereotypes. We see a small shop offering biscuits, toffees and other knick-knacks being run by a young woman. And she doesn’t make much ado about it. As we drive on, scenes flit across our eyes in quick succession — women trudging along with sacks full of fodder, children romping back home from school, girls sewing clothes in the open, men playing cards, dogs yawning lazily and bellowing a random bark at strangers they don’t fancy and football-shaped water tanks dwarfing the houses. The sun is already getting a shade weaker. And as we leave Partap Pura for other nearby villages, the vast fields, and the narrow, cobbled lanes, and men and women who live in sync with the cycles of nature leave us rather enamoured of the village life!
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Cold City If the hard-working villagers find it difficult to begin their day early morning, the city residents have their own brand of difficulties. In fact, many city residents envy the “sarson ka saag” sellers from the nearby villages, who have the stamina to brave the chill and sell the “saag”. School-going is an ordeal for kids. Parents may try their best to swaddle their children in designer woollen wears, but usually the chill has the last word. Kids are hardly seen in the open, though they move out in closed cars, huddled in colourful ponchos, jackets and caps. Incidentally, chicken and fish points in the city have all of a sudden started getting more crowds in the evenings, even as many families prefer preparing barbecues at home.
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Niku Park gets brand new rides The city kids are much excited. Their all-time favorite Niku Park has got new rides. Small colourful, wooden slides in the shapes of dinosaur and elephant and swings in the form of dolphins are fascinating the little ones ever since they have been installed in the park last week. While these slides and swings have been erected right near the entry of the park, a bright new unit comprising slides, see-saws, swings, hangers, ladders, umbrellas, hurdles and bouncing pathways that has been put up further inside has become another major attraction for the children of all age groups. The kids are so eager to visit this 25-year old Niku Park that their parents find it difficult to keep them indoors even in cold winter evenings. Sight of children unwilling to leave the park is common around the gates. Hundreds of families including those from the richie-rich types to the lower class visit the Niku Park for the entry ticket is pegged at just Rs 2 per person. The charges of various rides including the “toy train” that takes two rounds beneath the tunnel and water falls, and frog shaped hopping train are, however, taken separately. A Mickey Mouse bouncer is put on every weekend when the number of visitors often crosses one-thousand mark. A duck pond on the left side of the entry gate too draws children to th park. The kids enjoy watching the snow-white ducks waddle around, sip in water with their long, orange beaks and utter the quack-quack sound. The section on the right side of the park with short plastic rides is usually enjoyed by the toddler group. This section has a doll house, see-saw, huts, slides, swings for twosome and other attractions. There also is a pathway just next to the section where the kids sit inside the car and steer it as they propel it further with their feet. The park also has thrilling rides for teenagers and elders including fast-rotating disc, pendulum and roller-coaster ride that gets down splashing water all around. Others simply rejoice a stroll inside and sit on the benches near the fountains where they like to munch pop-corns taken from a stall inside. Even as most children and their parents love to visit the park, they have some complaints too. Ms Sumedha, a parent, said, “The ground of the park is so dusty that every time I bring my children here, their clothes have to be given a thorough wash.” Mr Nitin Garg, another visitor, went on saying that upkeep of the park was a must as a number of rides including Merry-go-round, slides, doll house and bigger train needed repair. He went on complaining as he said that the food available in the canteen inside was sub-standard. Mr Atamjit Singh Bawa, President of the Children Welfare Society, maintaining the Niku Park, said, that the entire collection made from the visitors that amounted to Rs 9 to 10 lakh was being used for the upkeep of the park. He said that the society was now planning to invest on more free rides for little ones instead of adding up any new adventure ride for the adults. He said that new fountains were also being planned for the park soon. Mr Bawa added that he was looking for a new canteen contractor as he too had received many complaints in this regard.
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Lift, pull, snap and smile The thread was taut and the square pink paper swayed in the harmony of winter winds above the bustling Ladowali Road. The eyes then suddenly located upon another flying object and the thin fingers loosened their grip. The endless yellow thread was sucked into the air. Harjinder then ran forward on the roof of his friend’s house, his aerial weapon flipping madly. The fingers soon pulled closer the ties and he was in control again. Now the target was in hand. The tug of fingers lifted the paper and the thread hit another thread. He gave it a pull: it didn’t work; he gave it a swing: it didn’t work; he gave it another pull: the hostile ties were cut. There was a short pat on Harjinder’s shoulder, as the defeated kite fell flat on the ground, only to be rescued and nursed for another dogfight. The season of kites in Jalandhar has taken-off. And the designer flying objects—big and small— being cut and pasted by kite-makers—big and small— are being lapped up by enthusiasts—also big and small. Light as feathers, with long strings attached, these kites on sale in crowded markets and on silent street corners are giving the festivities of Lohri ( also called half-spring) a different spin. But the village kid’s passion and the city kid’s envy is transcending social barriers now. The marts and malls in this city of NRIs could be seen displaying kites in multiple colours and sizes. The types are many, the buyers including. “Putkali,” made of a thin plastic sheet and soft in texture generally succeeds in scaling maximum height during the moist dawn or dewy evening, informs a veteran kite seller. The seller in Rainak Bazar said that it saved the kite from the dew in the atmosphere. “It also uses less of sheesh (mirror) in the dor (thread). Then there is “Chhajj”— jumbo in size and deeds. Its string is thickly smeared with sheesha and is delicately woven for strong worth the size. Some kites on sale in the Model Town market are man-size. It uses “tilla” (light wooden strings) for steering. “Jhabbu”— the biggest of all, has an comet-like tail and likewise uses a strong string. But the favourite of the middle-class city boy and his father remains the midsize kite, commonly known as the “Taranga” or “Botal.” Ten-year-old Harvinder and others like him could be seen in Attari Bazar, Garha Road, Ladowali Road, Jyoti Chowk, picking up kites like they pick up beyblades. The strings being made on the roadsides are stretched long from poll to poll through a process called “Manja.” The “Manja,” made of Ararot, Suresh, and even eggs on the reels make the thread sharp enough to cut through the string of another kite. The other essential accessories include “Guttiyan” (small lengths of strings), pins of the strings and the “Charkhari” used for rolling the strings Though kites can be humbly priced, starting from Re 1, the ostentatious prefer the bigger, more expensive ones. The aim of the kite flyer, Rosan, a kite-seller in Model Town, teaches, is to cut the kite being flown by another person. “And it all depends upon your skill.” “The strings of the kites when they touch each other, is called Pecha,” he says. “The Gota style (dip) is used for cutting the heavier kites. In Saran, the string is let-off till one of the strings is cut off, while in the Khich style, the string is pulled back in a jerk to snap the rival string.”
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Powering
his way to corporate success
He began manufacturing electrical goods 50 years ago from a small room on Nakodar Road here. The venture led Mr Ved Prakash Mahendru to carve out a niche for himself in the Indian electrical equipment industry. Mr Mahendru now owns the Rs 500-crore Indo-Asian Fusegear Ltd, with four manufacturing plants across the region. A graduate with born entrepreneurial skills, Mr Mahendru has been manufacturing various energy conservation devices including compact fluorescent lamps, circuit protection equipment and low-voltage switchgears that are being exported to the UK and other European countries. “Even though I own manufacturing plants in Sonepat, Noida and Parwanoo, Jalandhar has been my pet project where I have installed latest machinery that solely manufactures products for export,” he said. “I have started a new Rs 66-crore project in Haridwar where two new plants are being set up simultaneously.” H said he was apprehensive before starting his business in Jalandhar. “Since I belonged to a service-class family, I did not even have enough money to invest. But soon success started coming my way. Despite problems pertaining to government control, red tapism and labour issues, I achieved the sales target of Rs 1 lakh in the very first year.” Mr Mahendru has also been the President of the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association, Rotary Club, Northern India Switchgear Manufacturers’ Association and Federation of Engineering Industries of India. He also has been a member of the Bureau of Indian Standards’ (ISI) governing body. Outlining his future expansion plans, Mr Mahendru said the company was coming up with fluorescent tube lights in a range of 18, 20, 36 and 40 watts. “Besides this, the company had tied-up with an Italian company, Nordex, for a Rs 15-crore project for manufacturing automatic streetlights that would turn on and off depending upon the intensity of the light. The lights
will consume just one-third of electricity and brighten-up a bigger area,” Mr Mahendru added.
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Bag it with style Ranging from metallic leather, multi-fabric, embellished, colourful to sophisticated designer ‘batuas’ laced with gold, zari and crystal works, the markets are packed with multi-hued handbags. Popping-up in bright colours of the season with fantastic prints, patterns and style, the various range of purses have become the desired personal property of the fashion conscious people as these give dazzling looks to the owner. “Handbags made of jute, wool and denim are the latest craze among the youngsters who find these more trendy and cheaper compared to the leather ones,” Sunil of Deep Sea Shop in Model Town, says. Sunil adds that be it wallets, purses, jholas, big totes, in multihued fabrics like cotton, silk, woollens or denims, all with embroidery works fit well to the attire of the college students. “Specific sections of the society go for a specific brand or a particular style. They also prefer to have a big collection in their wardrobe to suit dressing style and even attitude,” Preeti Gupta, a fashion designer, says. She added that her new found love was embroidered handmade-jute bags. Preeti adds that working women no longer go for only leather products. “For them, the trendy totes with the capacity to carry more, besides imparting a glamour to their looks, are better options. The monotonous popular brands are out and the trendy ethnic style bags are in.” Amrita Arora, the wife of an Army officer, says, “Party purses are in big demands, as besides clothes, the fairer sex has developed a taste for possessing sophisticated and attractive designer purses too as they partying around in gala events where looks matter most.” The designer party purses are made up of gold, zari, crystal and jerkins stones and involve “tille” works and “dabke ki kadhai” which make the product expensive. “But for party lovers, price doesn’t matter,” Sunil says. When it comes to buying a purse, the customers also think about the comfort, besides looks. “Keeping in mind these necessities of people, the companies also try to bring new products meeting these market requirements,” says Ajinder Singh of Leather Emporium, a shop in Model Town here. “Purses with mobile holders are in demand among working women,” he says.
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Market Buzz IndusInd Bank, a private bank, has introduced “Indus Easy Savings Account” by way of which a new account could be opened with an amount as low as Re 1. The bank would also provide free Internet registration and allow weekly direct withdrawal facility with an option of an ATM card, said Mr Bhaskar Ghose, Managing Director of the bank. He said the objective of the facility was to lower the entry barriers and simplify procedures so that the people from the lower class too could get an account opened. Designer
jewellery Tanishq has launched an exquisite range of jewellery designed especially for Lohri at its local store. In a press release, Mr Vipul Sachdeva, Regional Manager of
Tanishq, said the new designs were a blend of traditional ones with modernity. They said the pure 22 k range of jewellery could be worn any day for casual evenings, family functions, weddings as well as festival season. Skin
camp ‘Twatcha,’ a skin, laser and aesthetic clinic, organised a free skin camp in a hotel. The skin check-up was done by experts with a
dermascope. Patient education material on laser acne and skin care, hair care and grooming and aging of the skin was also distributed during the camp. Various pharma companies displayed a range of skin products at their stalls. A seminar on laser aesthetics and newer trends in dermatology and cosmetology was also conducted. Dr Anu Pal Goel, owner of the clinic, spoke on laser technology for skin care and treatment. Malls
MBD
group would set up four malls in Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar and Neopolis on Ferozepore Road. The MBD Neopolis mall, the 100 crore venture, is expected to come up by the last quarter of 2007, Mr Ashok Kumar
Malhotra, chairman and managing director of MBD group, said in a press release issued here. The mall would include a five-star hotel, a mega store, a platinum lounge with 5 screen multiplexes, kids’ entertainment area, food court, he said. The five-star deluxe hotel would be set up in collaboration with Carlson Hospitality Worldwide (Radisson), MBD Group’s Senior Executive Director, said.
The MBD Neopolis in Jalandhar would be launched in October 2007, she said.
— TNS
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From Schools and Colleges Eleven students of CT Public School went to Singapore and Malaysia for a seven-day tour. The students visited the Petrona Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, and Sentosa Island in Singapore. Yasmin, a class eighth student, said it was a very enjoyable trip where they learnt a lot about the systematic administration in the country. Gurmukh, a class tenth student, said that he was fascinated by the road system of Malaysia and Singapore. NSS camp Students from Lovely Institutes participated in a 10-day NSS camp at Maheru village that concluded on Saturday. The NSS team took a host of welfare and development-oriented works which included cleaning of village sites, tree plantation drive, a literacy campaign –especially for children and illiterate women, promotion of primary health care, sanitation and various other issues concerning with rural development in the chill and dust of the countryside. In the evenings, they promoted various themes concerning rural welfare by organising street plays, songs and skits. Prize distribution The students of Seth Hukum Chand S.D. Public Senior Secondary School, Kapurthala Road, celebrated its annual prize distribution function. The function was presided over by Mr Avtar Henry, the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies. The programme began with the lighting of ceremonial lamp, followed by a welcome song. Various items like ‘The heritage of Punjab’, ‘Windy dance’ and bhangra stole the show. Meritorious students in the fields of academics and co-curricular activities were given prizes. Ms Manju Arora, Principal, read the annual report.
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Website launched Dr M.D. Bowry, President of Bowry Memorial Education and Medical Trust, launched the website of Innocent Hearts School at its Green Model Town campus on Thursday. Dr Bowry said the website, www.innocentheartschool.com would provide the visitors the list of selected candidates for pre-nursery and nursery admission. On the website, parents could get the general information like profile of the school, examination-evaluation system, multifarious activities, home assignment system and hobbies for harmonious development of the children, he said. Nutrition Week Students of Delhi Public School organised “Health and Nutrition Week” on the campus. The week was inaugurated by the Principal of the school, Mr B. Banerjee. A nutritious and balanced menu was planned by a dietician for the students which the parents followed religiously. Workshops, presentations on healthy habits, table etiquettes and manners were conducted by the coordinator of the Health Week, Ms Vandana Sondhi.
— TNS
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Athletics record
Amritpal also won a gold medal in the 4x100-metre relay race and silver medals in 200-metre and 4x400-metre relay races.
Earlier, he was declared the best athlete in All India DAV School meet that was held in Meerut in
November. — TNS
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These days, keeping money is not the only reason for anyone to carry a purse along as the world of handbags has blossomed into every form, colour and material to suit the taste and needs of the fashion addicts. 
Amritpal Singh, a 10+2 student of Police DAV Public School here, set a new record in the 400-metre All India CBSE National Athletics Championship that concluded in Bhopal on Saturday.
He finished the race in 49.3 seconds.