This Diwali gifts get bigger and better
Amritsar, October 23
For most Indians, the month of October promises to burn a hole in their pockets but all for happy occasions though. As all the major festivals mark their annual attendance this month, in Amritsar the festival season could not get better. Dhanteras, Diwali, Gurpurab, Bandi Chhor Divas, Bhaiya Duj and more, the festivities are unending.

Amritsar, October 23
Yesterday's major fire incident speaks volumes about the apathy of the authorities towards the vital fire fighting system as the fire squad struggled to control the massive fire which broke out in Mahan Singh Gate market, near the busy Inter State Bus Terminal last evening.

It is a pity that the holy city has merely four fire stations, which cater to the entire Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts. Amritsar, together with Tarn Taran and its surrounding areas with a population of over 21 lakh has a staff of mere 58 firemen against the sanctioned strength of 130. Ironically, this number was decided in the 1980s, when the city had a population of 7 lakh only.

This scant 'fire-fighting and disaster response force' caters to Khem Karan, Baba Bakala, Patti, Ajnala Mehta and Beas areas too. It is a fact that since 1980, not a single recruitment has been made in the fire department by the authorities against the staff which retired. Due to a staff crunch, they are put on eight hour duty schedule on a rotational basis, in three shifts.

The city has insufficient water filling points. With the overhead water tanks becoming obsolete, the existing filling points in the various parts of the city have become non-functional and over 50 per cent of the total number of tubewells in and around the city are lying non-functional.

If a fire breaks out in Ranjit Avenue area, the water in the fire tender will be filled from Town Hall station. Yesterday too, the Town Hall station was overloaded because all the vehicles had to be driven there to get the fill. Even as the Gillawali Gate station has a reservoir that had a capacity of 20,000 litres of water. However, this too demands renovation, which was never paid attention to. Another demand for two water bousers (large tankers) of 25,000-litre capacity each, that could be used to provide water to the fire engines, has not been met, despite several reminders.

Similarly, against the requirement of at least 25 fire tenders, there are only 11. Besides four fire tenders (two each of the 2002 and 2009 model), the remaining seven have outlived their lives. The department has no small tender to reach the interior narrow lanes of the walled city. The fire department has no uniforms, wireless or hotline at present. They use their own personal mobile phones. The fire station has a ladder that can reach only 35 feet. In 2005, a proposal to buy hydro-platform vehicle with the capacity to reach 150 feet, was passed, but it never materialised.

Amritsar, October 23
As many as nine girl students of the department of Architecture of Guru Nanak Dev University are in the soup for allegedly 'ill-treating' students junior to them.

Upon receiving a written complaint from the junior students, the university authorities had constituted a disciplinary committee to inquire into the matter.

The committee has recommended to the authorities to order the accused students to vacate their hostels, as a punishment.

The recommendation has been forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor, AS Brar, for action. On October 17, some first year students of Hostel No 1 had submitted a written complaint to the varsity Dean Students Welfare Dr Mohan Pal Singh Ishar, alleging that some third-year students have misbehaved with them.

Dr Singh said, "Though ragging would not be the appropriate word to describe the incident, yet the senior students had crossed their limit, it appears. Actually, it was some sort of personal behaviour, which disturbed the junior students psychologically. Students of a sensitive nature cannot tolerate such petty behaviour. A thorough inquiry has been conducted in the case and the same has been referred to the Vice Chancellor for necessary action.

The guilty students may even be asked to vacate the hostel accommodation," he said.

The Vice Chancellor AS Brar said there was some brawl between some senior and junior students. "Since I am on leave, I will take note of the incident once I join back after Diwali," he said.

Amritsar, October 23
The innate talent of prisoners lodged in the Amritsar central jail here came to the fore at a cultural programme organised inside the jail premises here today. The two-hour long programme was a welcome diversion for the inmates who showcased their Bhangra skills on the occasion and watched their favourite artistes from the Punjabi entertainment industry perform live. The event was organised for them by the prison authorities and the Amritsar based Abhinay Kala Society.

Jail Superintendent, Tejinder Singh Maur, said it was an effort to provide an opportunity to the prisoners to develop their self-confidence and demonstrate their hidden talents. “Though our Bhangra team could not practice much, yet their impressive performance earned the appreciation of all. It’s good to see their enthusiasm,” he said.

Daljit Singh Arora, president of the cultural society said scores of artists from the Punjabi entertainment industry readily agreed to take part in the programme. Punjabi singers Madan Maddi, Sabar Koti, Tarlochan Singh and Gurwinder Mann made the occasion memorable for the inmates.

The performance by famous comedian Ghulle Shah alongwith his co-artists Gurjeet Kaur and Kashi Ram Chann provided a laughing dose to them. Local child artists-Khyati Mehra with her folk dance and Agam Singh with his skills on the tabla won the hearts of the audience. Famous anchor and TV artist Arvinder Singh Bhatti and actor Kavita Arora also performed. The prisoners offered sweets and wished their fellow inmates.

Amritsar, October 23
For most Indians, the month of October promises to burn a hole in their pockets but all for happy occasions though. As all the major festivals mark their annual attendance this month, in Amritsar the festival season could not get better. Dhanteras, Diwali, Gurpurab, Bandi Chhor Divas, Bhaiya Duj and more, the festivities are unending.

Dal roti ghar di, Diwali Amritsar di (nothing beats the taste of home-cooked food and Diwali celebrations in Amritsar). It is not just a saying, but a statement that symbolises the essence of the festival of lights, of festive spirit that the holy city is so proud of. The city wrapped in lights and seasons decorations, narrow lanes to the multi-storeyed malls packed with festive offers and everybody soaking in the joyous festive spirit. Whether it’s the food, clothes or jewellery, the favourite time of the year is here and the best you can do is go shopping.

Diwali gifts are an important part of the celebrations. From being a gesture of the festivities to becoming a status symbol in society, Diwali gifts have seen a makeover of sorts both with their appearance as well as the price tag. Since Diwali is the time to spend, new concepts and customised improvisations have made their mark in the market.

“Since Diwali is the most important festival in India, everybody is in a festive mode. Over the years, our Diwali budgets have become important and inflation or recession have no effect on it. Gifting options have become bigger and better, moving away from regular sweets and dry fruits. People are now mostly into customised gifts and designer options,” says Bharti Malhotra, owner, Bharti Arts, which specialises in making customised gifting options like murals, clay and moulding crafts and paintings. “My Diwali special includes decorative thaalis in crystal with embellishments, home décor items like murals, even portraits,” she says.

One might spend anything between 1,000 and 15,000 per gift, SS Innovations in Green Avenue has more to offer. Silver photo frames embellished with pearls and semi-precious stones, customised candle stands in white metal and silver, and lots of silver décor items are what they are talking about. “Silver makes for a very classy and elegant gift and since it is auspicious for the season, it becomes a perfect gifting option,” says Sujata, owner, SS innovations. The price falls between Rs 500 and Rs 5,000 per piece. If not the cash or kind types, then there are more out-of-the-box options like gifting a grooming and spa session. “We have festive offers like body spas, face treatments and hair treatments on the occasion. One can gift them as a surprise grooming package or else get the bookings done before hand,” says Dr Meena Sharma, spa head, Orane Day Spa centre.

We are talking a traditional or therapeutic foot spa, Orane signature massage, sauna and jaccuzi therapies and hair spas within the range of Rs 999 to Rs 1,899. One can also avail the fish spa packages for single and couples from the Mehak’s Fish spa at Alpha One mall. At Rs 250 for single fish spa, its innovation at best price. Looking good on Diwali is the best gift one can expect.

While everybody is busy shopping and fussing about the perfect Diwali gift, here’s a round up to prove that inflation or not, Diwali will be about guilt free materialism.

(With inputs from Manmeet Singh Gill and Neeraj Bagga)

Amritsar, October 23
The two-day National Cardiovascular Summit organised by a private hospital in the city concluded today. More than 450 doctors from Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh participated in the summit.

The summit included an echo-cardiography workshop in which renowned cardiologists and echo experts conducted a hands-on training. In total 11 experts of the field presented their research papers, which helped the local doctors to update their knowledge.

Lauding the role of the hospital, Civil Surgeon Dr Avtar Singh Jarewal said, “The summit would help local doctors to know about latest development in the field of cardiac sciences.”

Cardiology Society of India’s Chairman (Punjab and Chandigarh), Dr GS

Wander said, “The up-gradation of medical knowledge is very important in today’s fast changing world. This help the researchers to a great extent.” The doctors are able to serve the people and the country in a better way, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, renowned cardiologist and pioneer of cardiac science in the country, Dr Kler, said the conference gave sufficient time for live case discussion and interaction that will prove beneficial for the doctors. He thanked Prateem Tamboli, Director FEHA, and Dr HP Singh for organising this academic session.