Even as the inter-state bus terminus is located barely 4 km from the PAP Chowk, the tri-junction is commonly functioning as the bus stand for commuters going towards Amritsar, Pathankot or Jammu areas. During the peak hours, the area gets overcrowded, making it accident prone and causing traffic congestion.

Both public and private transport buses stop there for a few minutes for passengers waiting there. In an effort to save time, commuters coming from Ludhiana or Chandigarh side stop there and change the buses to go to Amritsar or Jammu. They do this to avoid going to bus stand. Their contention is that this saves their 30 to 40 minutes or even more, in case the level crossing near Lyallpur Khalsa College closes at that time.

Alternatively, those coming from Amritsar side stop at the PAP Chowk to board a bus going from Jalandhar side to Ludhiana or Chandigarh side. This side is even more congested because of some technical reasons. The road lane behind the footpath along the PAP headquarters that could act as an island is not used. In fact, this lane is often flooded with water, making it impossible for anyone to stand there.

The traffic police here has created an extra lane by tying a rope in the centre of the one side of the road. The inner side of the division thus created is used for buses to stop and take passengers, leaving little space for the commuters to go to the other side of the rope across the GT Road.

The problem also exists at the Rama Mandi Chowk, a roundabout at the next cross section. Since hundreds of residents commute from Jalandhar to Hoshiarpur and back daily, many prefer to start their bus journey from here to save time. All buses coming from Jalandhar stop here after turning towards the Hoshiarpur road, a little before the flyover.

Similarly, those coming from Hoshiarpur to Phagwara or Ludhiana also stop here and board another bus from the chowk going towards that side. This side of the chowk on the GT Road also proves to be chaotic to the commuters. This is happening despite the notice on a signboard there, directing passengers towards the bus stand, and despite the presence of traffic police personnel there.

The previous DSP Traffic, Mr Gautam Singal, had tried to devise a system whereby buses were not allowed to stand at the chowk and commuters were diverted towards the bus stand, but it proved to be futile.

Mr Jagjit Singh, new DSP Traffic, said that he was formulating plans as per which the buses would not be allowed to stop at the roundabouts. But they would be allowed to stop at fixed points a little ahead so that there were no traffic hurdles. He felt that it was very difficult to convince passengers to go to the bus stand as they had become habituated to board buses from there. 

Bad roads, rainwater accumulated in huge potholes and garbage strewn about at every nook and corner. This is the picture of Urban Estate, Phase-I, Jalandhar, at the close of the monsoons.

While the colony had got its roads re-laid just two years back, these roads are in worst condition now. The roads have got completely washed off at many places, and deep craters have formed at other points.

Residents said that accidents were common because of skidding. They said that the condition worsened when rainwater accumulated in these craters and potholes. “Commuters cannot see the potholes because of rainwater. Many a time accidents take place,” said a dhaba owner in the colony.

Even as one enters the colony from the Garha side, the bumpy ride starts. If one moves ahead on the road on right side of Gurdwara Singh Sabha there, one can easily notice that there is hardly any road except broken pieces of stones.

The residents of house numbers 1005 to 1014 of the colony are the worst affected. The road in their area has been washed off because of the rains.

The residents are also perturbed over the garbage heaps in the colony that they said were not lifted regularly. Mr Ankur, owner of a garment store at the entry point of Urban Estate-I, said that the stench emanating from the waste was so intense at times that he found it difficult to sit in his shop. “Flies and mosquitoes swarming there further add to our problem,” he added.

Mr A.S. Multani, a member of the Urban Estate Welfare Society, said that they had made a representation to PUDA officials, but to no avail.

Mr S.C. Gandha, SE, PUDA, said the roads had got damaged due to the rains. He added that the garbage heaps at the entry point of the colony were being thrown by residents from nearby colonies of the Municipal Corporation.

He said that barbed wires put up there made no difference. He added that he was taking up the matter with the MC officials and asking them to find a suitable solution to protect the misuse of their land. Mr Bhagwant Singh, Additional Chief Administrator, PUDA, said that he would get the problems rectified.

Having been selected in the regional-level science exhibition organised by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) last week, five teams from four local schools are now preparing for the national-level exhibition to be held on October 6 and 7 at Gurgaon.

Recasting their models and adding new technology, the students are putting their best efforts to make a mark in the national-level exhibition that could take them to a contest to be held later at the international level.

The five local teams selected for the contest include that of Swami Sant Dass Public School here. The students had prepared a model on “Celebrating birthday” under the sub-theme of “Communication and information technology in education”.

Three models presented by local schools were selected under the category “Environment management”. Students of Dayanand Model School presented a model on “Irrigation through satellite”. The team from Delhi Public School put up a model on “Waste water treatment”. The model of the host team, Apeejay School, on “Reduce, reuse and recycle”, too, has been selected in the same category.

Another team from the school has been selected for the national-level contest under the sub-theme “Mathematic models” in which three students, Abhay Navjeet Singh and Anchal Bansal from Class X, and Rishabh Babuta from Class VIII had presented a cluster of models on solving linear equations without using formulas, solving Pythagoras Theorem by different methods, finding equivalent fraction of 1/29, and dividing a strip into equal parts or any particular ratio, all without using complex mathematical calculations. The team also depicted mathematical puzzles that attracted many visitors. Interestingly, out of the six participants in this category, the Apeejay School team was the only one to get selected.

While as many as six teams have been selected under the sub-theme of “Environment management” at the regional level, and all are bound to face tough competition, the Apeejay School team, which will be the only one from the region in the mathematical models category, will have an easier going.

Abhisaar Sharma, Tarik Gupta and Sidhartha Attri, all Class IX students of Apeejay School, said that they had demonstrated organic farming, vermicompositing and paper recycling techniques in their model. But they said that they were now planning to add rain water harvesting, preparation of organic pesticides and other newer technologies for the competition ahead. 

Sukhpal Singh Thind’s parents wanted him to be a doctor, but he had a literary inclination. Though parental pressure made him join the science stream, he continued to nurture his literary aspirations. He loved reading Punjabi literature. His love for literature made him leave MSc (Chemistry) midway to join MA Punjabi at Punjabi University, Patiala.

Today Thind has carved a niche for himself in the Punjabi literary circle. Two interesting travelogues go to his credit.

While he penned his first travelogue “London Nu Mildian” in 2003, a year after participating in the first World Punjabi Conference held in England in 2002, his second travelogue “Canada: Ik Bagh Bahurangi” came in
the market in 2005, two years after attending the second World Punjabi Conference held in Canada in 2003.

Thind portrays in his travelogues the trials and travails of Punjabis forced to go abroad because of their financial condition.

The Punjabis in India think that their counterparts settled abroad are leading a glamorous life, but it’s not so. The Punjabis living abroad face countless tensions due to cultural contradictions there.

His travelogues have been well noticed in the literary world. A well-known Punjabi critic Wariyam Sandhu has stated about his first travelogue that Sukhpal has
the ability to pen extraordinary literature.

Several students are doing Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) on his travelogues at Guru Nanak Dev University, Kurukshetra University and Punjabi University.

Born at Boolpur village falling in Sultanpur Lodhi sub-division of Kapurthala district, Thind has been
teaching in various colleges as a Punjabi lecturer since 1997. Presently teaching at Government College,
Kapurthala, he proved his
teaching skills at Government College, Sidhsar, Ludhiana, and Government College, Hoshiarpur.

“My writing skills came to the fore during my visit to England when I was invited to take part in
the first World Punjabi Conference. This visit was personally beneficial to me,” he says.

“I joined PhD in Punjabi because of my inclination towards creative
literature, but I became a critic after completing my PhD in 1994,” he adds.

His book “Birtant-Shashtra: Uttar Aadunik Paripekh” was published in 2002.

Thind was provided fellowship by the UGC when he cleared the examination for lectureship. The UGC
also gave him a post-doctoral fellowship in 2005. He prepared papers on “Heer Waris Da Virtant Shastri Adayan” and “Punjabi Galp Ch Dalit Chetna”.

Nowadays, he is busy reviewing Mittarsen’s novel “Kaurav Sabha’ for postgraduate students of Kurukshetra
University.

Some years back kids were meticulously taught the art of writing. In fact, Mahatma Gandhi always regretted not having a good handwriting. Cut to 2015, pen and paper may be mere antiques. These symbols of individual expression may very well become obsolete.

Are you ready for this future sans pen and paper? Well, with the invasion of technology it seems that this paperless future is not far off.

With the onslaught of technology, traditional ways of teaching and socialisation are on the brink of being wiped out. Interests like reading, poetry, theatre and traditional forms of entertainment are facing the acid test of survival against new-age computer games, movies and music. So much so that even art is going digital.

Another skill that is bearing the brunt is the art of writing. People are becoming increasingly reluctant to write and prefer typing. “Who wants to mess around with pen and paper in the age of e-mail, particularly when typing saves time and storing documents is easier?” questions Mr Vinod Malhotra, a bank employee.

Kids, who are barely able to write, are now experimenting with keyboards. “My child is only four-year-old and he can easily type whatever I dictate to him,” says Ms Meenakshi, a resident of Chahal Nagar in Phagwara.

But the problem that is arising is that children start typing too early, way before they become adept at writing. Says Ms Ayesha Duggal, a schoolteacher, “I have been teaching for many years now. The handwriting of students is deteriorating in this keyboard era.”

“A person’s handwriting reveals his character and personality. Making subtle changes in your handwriting can alter certain personality traits,” says Mr Mohan Khurana, who runs a coaching institute.

Can the fact that children these days are not writing enough obliterate the once-famed art of handwriting? “Paperwork and writing are soon going to become things of the past. Maybe people will hold their pens only to give autographs,” says Professor Joginder Singh.

“Writing involves psychological mechanism, which influences our mood and thoughts. The spontaneity and pleasure that accompany writing is missing in typing, and this I believe can withhold creativity,” says Ms Jasbir Kaur, a teacher. “I even write my diary on the computer,” says Rajesh Minhas, a student of DAV College in Phagwara.

So are we on the verge of bidding adieu to the age of ‘penmanship’? Answers Mr J.P. Kapur, a psychologist, “I think man will continue to write as a form of expression though the tools may change with time. But then, this is the way man has evolved — losing some abilities and developing others.” 

Students of New Sunflower School, Satnampura, Phagwara, bagged 12 positions in various competitions organised by the Punjab School Education Board in the district.

In the primary group, the school students bagged the first, the second and the third positions in shabd singing, declamation contest and song singing, respectively.

In the elementary group, the school students stood first in poem recital, second in shabd singing and third in declamation contest and poetry.

In the secondary group, the students of the school bagged the first, the second and the third positions in writing, declamation contest and simple knowledge, respectively.

Shooting in Chandigarh seems to be the latest fad among the filmmakers. Going by the number of films being shot in and around and with the proposed film city coming up soon, the city would soon be a hub of filmi people.

The latest one being Security Tight, a Punjabi film directed by Ravi Nishand. A comedian himself (he worked with Jaspal Bhatti productions for many years), Ravi (sitting calmly donning the director’s cap) reveals, “I never enjoyed acting as I always wanted to be a director. In reality acting was a mode of survival for me while I was gathering all that is required for directing right from technical know-how to the finances required. Interestingly, the film which is lapping it up at Kalagram, is a satire on the police system and playing the dim-witted cops caught in funny situations are none other than the stand up comedians, Pratap Faujdar, Deepak Raja, Sudesh Lahiri and Khayali Saharan from the much liked The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. For the first time noted Punjabi actor Vivek Shauq, is playing a negative role in the film.

“It is actually easy availability of regional artists with authentic ‘Punjabi accent’ and economically affordable locations which bring the film makers to Chandigarh to see their much loved script being shot in reality,” opines Ravi, director of the film. On being asked as to what is better amongst stand up comedy and acting, Deepak Raja (popularly known as ‘all in one and one in all’ owing to his act of mimicking all the participants of the laughter challenge) replies, “It is actually the presentation that matters in both cases as the task in hand remains the same – tickling the funny bone of the people”.

With other Punjabi movies disappearing in oblivion, let’s hope this work wonders for ‘Pollywood’.