Amritsar, May 2
Even after 60 years of Independence it seems as if freedom fighters have not got the respect they deserve.

The condition of the statue of Shaheed Udham Singh at Hall Gate in the holy city is a big example of it. The string lights tied to the statue give an impression as if the martyr has been “shackled”.

If you think it is for the first time, you are mistaken because the freedom fighter is insulted on various occasions in the name of beautifying the roundabout.

Interestingly, despite visits of high profile politicians for the Amritsar (South) bypoll, the statue has remained unnoticed. Even the local administration has turned a blind eye to the disgrace shown to the statue.

What is worse is the fact that the management of the Chief Khalsa Diwan-run-orphanage has encircled the revolutionary’s name on the entry register which is of historic importance.

Born on December 26, 1899, Udham Singh’s original name was Sher Singh. He lost his parents before the age of seven years and was admitted to the Central Khalsa orphanage, Amritsar, along with his brother Mukta Singh. This freedom fighter was a witness to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919 and to take the revenge went to England and killed Michael Francis O’ Dwyer, the then governor of Punjab.

Amritsar, May 2
The elections to the Amritsar (South) constituency has come as a blessing to the farmers of the region as officials of the district administration are making rounds of various grain markets in the district.

Deputy commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu, accompanied by Dr Anjuman Bhaskar, district food and supplies controller, and officers of the marketing board, visited various grain markets, including Bhaktanwala, Majitha and Gehri to oversee the procurement of wheat by government or private agencies, besides listening to the grievances of farmers. He also held meetings with commission agents, farmers, labour/transport contractors and procurement staff in the mandis.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president and MP Sukhbir Singh Badal and other senior leaders are in the city to address a series of rallies in favour of SAD candidate Inderbeer Singh Bularia in the south constituency where byelections are scheduled to be held on May 22.

Addressing farmers and arhtiyas on the occasion, Pannu said arhtias themselves could lift the wheat crop from the fields which would not only help 
in speeding up the procurement work, but also help the farmers and the government.

He said transportation costs borne by the arhtiyas would later be compensated by the government.

He also inspected the quality of bags and wheat and expressed his satisfaction that the quality of wheat has been by and large good, except the crop which had flattened during the first two weeks of April due to heavy storm and rainfall.

He expressed hope that the district would achieve record procurement of 5.5 lakh metric tones of wheat this year as compared to 4.49 lakh metric tones last year.

Amritsar, May 2
Swami Mitrananda, acharya of the Chinmayananda Mission, Chennai, delivered an enlightening talk on overcoming fear at a special gathering of intellectuals at Bhawans S.L. Public School here recently.

Addressing the gathering, he urged the people to develop a sense of detachment in their bid to get rid of fears. While elaborating his concept the Swami said ignorance is the root cause of fear and anxiety makes it grow and attachments strengthens fear in minds.

The Swami said the people who are wise and full of knowledge do not encounter fear or worry in their lives. He said the fears like death, living, failures and nonacceptance were the root cause of all fears. He said everybody has the potential and the tenacity to overcome fear through acquiring knowledge by studying scriptures and holy books. He said nobody wants to lose its achievements and possessions and one has to develop a sense of detachment which allows him to have a free access to knowledge and remain away from worldly belongings.

He subscribed to the theory that if there is not attachment there would be no fear of any kind. He said to develop such a positive attitude people should give up possessions and lead the life to serve others.

He said no one has control over what is happening and what is going to happen they why should one develop a sense of fear and anxiety over which he has no control.

He urged the people to face all unsavoury and adverse situations bravely without any fear of the results thereof. Only this way one could successfully overcome the fear, he added.

Earlier, Avinash Mahindroo, president, Chinmaya Mission, Amritsar, welcomed the Swami.

Amritsar, May 2
The 50-year-old Gagan Dhaba, located on the Amritsar-Attari road, has become a must-visit eating joint for students of Guru Nanak Dev University and historical Khalsa College for savouring Punjabi delicacies.

Even tourists who return to the city after seeing Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Wagah/Attari border check post love to have food at the dhaba, which is a hit among the residents of Kabir Park, Khalsa Avenue, Putlighar, Islamabad, Khandwala, Chheharta, and Guru Arjun Dev Nagar of the city.

Students, who generally get bored with the routine food served at the mess of the university or college canteens, visit the dhaba in the evenings. Most of the students visit it daily due to its flavoured delicacies like dal makhni, chana masala, masala chicken, butter chicken and chilli chicken.

Gurmeet Singh, a student of GND University, said he along with other students regularly visit the dhaba in the evenings, which is one of the best in that part of the city and also had reasonable rates. He said though there were other dhabas and restaurants in the vicinity, but they prefer to have meals at Gagan Dhaba, due to the unique flavour of the food.

Balbir Singh, the proprietor of the dhaba, said they had been in the business for the past about 50 years. Earlier, the dhaba was situated in the Putligarh area, but they shifted their business to the vicinity of Khalsa College as the previous site lacked space for adjusting more customers, whose number was increasing day by day. There was also not sufficient space for the parking of vehicles. He said even tourists, after watching Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Wagah/Attari joint check post had food at his dhaba.

He said the students preferred mostly non-vegetarian items which they seldom get at the canteens. He said he had to engage more workers as the students wanted quick service as they had to return to their hostels by 10 pm.

Amritsar, May 2
DAV Public School won the overall trophy, while Bhavan's SL Public school bagged the runners-up title in the inter-school contests organised by Delhi Public School on its foundation day on Friday. Various competitions, including collage making, ad-mad show, rangoli kaking, Hindi group song, salad making, fusion dance and flower arrangement, tested the creativity of participants from 16 schools across the city.

The results:

Salad Making : 
(1) Bhavan's SL Public School (2) DAV Public School (3)Delhi Public School

Ad-Mad Show:
(1) Holy Heart High School(2) DAV Public School (3) SacredHeart High School /DPS

Hindi Group Song: 
(1) Bhagat Puran Singh Adarsh School/Bhawan's SL (2) DAV Public/DPS (3) Guru Harkrishan Sr. Sec School /Holy Heart Presidency School

Collage Making: 
(1) DAV Public (2) Bhawan's SL (3) Sacred Heart School

Fusion Dance : 
(1) Sacred Heart School/ Bhawan's SL (2) DPS/ Harkrishan International School (3) Bhagat Puran Adarsh School.

Radio Jockey: 
(1) Holy Heart Presidency School (2) DAV Public School  (3) Harkrishan International School.

Flower Arrangement: 
(1) Holy Heart School (2) DAV Public (3) Bhawan's SL School.

Rangoli Design: 
(1) DAV Public School (2) Amritsar Public School, (3) Holy Heart School.