Seminar: Dr S. S. Pattnaik, Head and Professor, ETV Centre, National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research, Chandigarh, addressed members of the Chandigarh chapter of the Public Relations Society of India on Saturday. He said research had shown that continuous exposure to the microwave signals from mobile phones can lead to several diseases. Dr Renuka Salwan, Chairperson of the society, said they would soon launch a campaign to create awareness among mobile phone users.

New Lions Club team: The following have been installed as office bearers of the Lions Chandigarh Supreme Club for the coming year — Mr G.S. Chawla, president; Mr Yogesh Jairath, secretary; Mr Balwinder S. Pabbla, treasurer: Mr Ravinder Dhingra, public relations officer. A new team of board of directors was also installed.

It is eight years of constant hard work that has borne fruit for 13-year-old swimmer Jashandeep Singh of Ropar.

He bagged two of the five bronze medals won by Punjab in the 33rd Junior National Aquatic Championship for boys and girls held in Chennai recently. It was his performance in the 50-m and 200-m breaststroke events that brought him the laurels.

His achievement is all the more commendable because he was able to practice for the events only from March to November, the period during which the swimming pool in Ropar remains open, while most of the swimmers with whom he competed got to practice throughout the year, owing to the facility of indoor swimming pools. In Punjab, only Sangrur district has indoor swimming pools.

“I get up 4.30 in the morning and practice from 5 to 8, and in the evening from 4 to 7 everyday,” says Jashandeep. Besides the National Games, he has won a number of golds in state events also.

“We have one of the best swimming pools here. But one shortcoming is that the swimmers can be trained only from March to November, and not in winter. But for national events they have to compete with people who practise throughout the year,” says district swimming coach, Surjit Singh Sandhu, who has been training Jashandeep for the past eight years.

“We have been making efforts to improve his skills as per international standards,” adds Sandhu.

Says Punjab Swimming Association President, Dr R.S. Parmar, who gave Rs 2000 as cash prize to Jashandeep Singh, “Besides Jashandeep, we have been providing free diet to nine other swimmers of the district. With the help of the administration and Sports Department, we are working out a plan to convert the swimming pool here into an indoor one.”

Come monsoon and not only do brollies of all sizes and shapes pop up, but also those who keep them in shape.

This is especially true on the hills, where hardly anyone ventures out for a walk in the clouds without the customary umbrella. And when the showers come, it’s time for everyone to duck under them, save the chhatawallahs.

For, this is the time when it pours work for this ubiquitous tribe, with people flooding them with umbrellas in need of urgent repair.

One such chhatawala is Deepu, who repairs umbrellas on the roadside in a Shimla suburb.

A retired government employee, he makes both ends meet by doing odd jobs through the year. But when the rains come, out come all the tools, handles, knobs and spokes that are needed to service malfunctioning brollies.

“The day it rains hard, I get almost 60-70 chhatris for repair,” he informs. And dry days mean an almost empty pocket for him. “The maximum orders are for setting umbrella spokes straight or replacing handles,” he adds as he tends to an umbrella whose spokes have bent backwards to brave a thundershower. For him, they’re certainly no spoke in the wheels of existence.

What is one man’s cover is another man’s means to cover his expenses.

*****

Contributed by Kanchan Vasdev, Kiran Deep, Sunit Dhawan and Chetna Keer Banerjee