Jalandhar, November 4
The thrill of Diwali festivities was short-lived for a businessman’s family at Mandi Road near the Jalandhar city railway station as his house got caught in a major fire early this morning, with seven of the family members admitted to hospitals.

The family was asleep at around 2:30 am when a security guard, deployed at an ATM in front of the house, noticed fire and smoke and immediately called the fire emergency number. Two fire extinguishers reached the house and found that a few persons were struggling to come out of it, while the rest were either unconscious or coughing badly due to the smoke.

While one fire tender was used to douse the flames emanating from the house, the other was used to rush the injured to Civil Hospital. After taking preliminary treatment at Trauma Centre here, the family took its injured kin to a private hospital.

Among those who sustained deep burns are Ritu (25), a student of PCM SD College for Women, and her mother Neena Rani. Ritu’s brother Saurabh said doctors said she had sustained 50 per cent burns with deep wounds in her hands, feet and back. “My mother who was trying to save her family, too, has had deep burns in her hands and feet. My nephew Ishant (9) has his nasal passage badly choked owing to smoke. The doctors have had to operate upon him,” he said.

The other four who were hospitalised were Saurabh’s wife Shruti, his brother Gopal, brother’s wife Payal and father Dogal Mal. Saurabh said the four had been discharged after short treatment. “I was saved as I was sleeping on the top floor. Those on the first floor were the ones more seriously injured. I do not know how it all happened. When I was woken up, the power in the house was gone and it was pitch dark all around,” he added.

The fire officials, too, said that they got a call from the ATM security guard. They said the cause of the fire could not be ascertained. The family owned a mobile phone store and service centre on the ground floor with house on two floors atop.

There has been a lot of material loss as many goods were charred.

Meanwhile, 45 firemen equipped with 11 fire engines remained on their toes on Diwali night in the city as fire incidents were also reported from 13 other places. Luckily, no one sustained any burn injuries in these fire incidents. ADFO Kashmira Singh and sub-fire officer (SFO) Rajendra Sharma said, “Fire also broke out at 13 other places on Diwali night. No one sustained any burn injuries in these incidents, as these had broken out either in vacant plots or rooftop of various premises.” Prominent places where minor fire incidents broke out on Diwali night included Natha Di Bageechi on Old Jail Road, Khurla Kingra, Coal Depot near Jhandia Wale Peer on Basti Road, at the rooftop of a house located opposite the house of deputy mayor Arvinder Kaur Oberoi at Nayan Bazar in Pacca Bagh and Krishan Nagar near SD College.

Jalandhar, November 4
While until a few years ago, Diwali without crackers was unthinkable, a massive shift towards a cracker-free, eco-friendly and traditional Diwali in the past few years has done society loads of good.

While there are still many families who can't do without crackers worth thousands of rupees every year, there is a growing alternative movement of eco-lovers who have discreetly been shunning crackers altogether, easing the burden on the smog-laden, noisy Diwali skies.

The vacuum created by less crackers is being effectively filled by alternative, vibrant means of celebrating the festival, which include lighting of traditional or contemporary decorative diyas, candles and making of rangolis among women and girls and partying by men.

Vikas Ghai, a Jalandhar-based entrepreneur, says until two years ago their family was enthusiastically bursting crackers, but now their Diwali party has gone totally cracker-free for good.

Ghai, who has two lovely daughters, says, "We do it for our children's future and also because it is so much more fun."

He says dressing up the home, lighting candles and lovely lights and making rangolis is what keeps the family occupied on Diwali and makes the festival much more dreamy and interesting.

"We sit down and spend time together and at the end of the day, we feel much cleaner and healthier," he adds.

The major triumph for the eco-friendly Diwali cause has been that even men are willingly parting with bombs and rockets which were once an integral part of the boys' Diwali to-do list.

Student Samarjit Clair, whose Diwali wasn't complete without fireworks until a few years ago, has effectively given up crackers for the past couple of years. "It is healthier to celebrate Diwali without the crackers and I am actually enjoying it a lot. I, along with my friends, go out and we have a party in the evening and it seems like we are having a lot more fun this way."

On being asked whether it was hard for him to part with crackers, he says, "Not at all. Actually, I just lost interest in them and my friends also feel similarly."

Law student Simarpreet and BCom student Amarveer agree. "Crackers limit the Diwali to a very polluting way to enjoy the festival. There are many other ways in which the festival can be celebrated without causing all that noise and exposing people to health risks. One just needs to try quitting crackers once."

Meanwhile, the awareness and anti-pollution campaigns launched by activists, schools and NGOs etc are also adding a lot in making people give up crackers.

Environmentalist Sant Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, who has been regularly giving a call for a cracker-free Diwali, celebrated a smoke-free Diwali by planting saplings on the occasion yesterday. While none of his disciples burst a single cracker on Diwali, Seechewal organised a "deepmala" on the banks of the holy Kali Bein, lighting earthen lights with oil.

Sant Seechewal exhorted all to donate stationery and needful things to poor kids rather than spending money on crackers.

Jalandhar, November 4
Vishvakarma day was celebrated by industrial workers with fervour here today.They cleansed their machines and tools and worshipped these. The owners of various industrial and commercial units also distributed sweets among their workers and some of them also burst fire crackers to express their joy. Havans and kirtans were also performed.

Talking to The Tribune, the president of Federation of Industry and Trades Associations, Gursharan Singh, said “This is a centuries-old tradition of performing prayers and not doing any work on Vishvakarma Day. Thousands of owners of various establishments and nearly two lakh workers have followed this tradition today and have not done any work.”

The chief of Jalandhar Industry Association, Raj Kumar Sharma, said “Nearly 10,000 owners of various medium and small-scale industries have prayed before the Almighty to grow their business by leaps and bounds in the coming days. Nearly 1.5 lakh men working in these units have also followed the owners in praying Lord Vishvakarma, considered as the Architect of the Gods.”

The main auto bazaar located at Sehdev Market remained closed after morning prayers. Similar was the case with other commercial establishments.

Jalandhar, November 4
“I would like to win the world over,” says 15-year-old Ishwinder Singh, a special child who has done the city proud by getting selected in the Special Olympics Asia Pacific Regional Games to be held in Newcastle, Australia from November 29 to December 7. This is the first time that these games are being organised for special children and Ishwinder Singh is the first participant from the city.

“The trials for athletics were held in Hyderabad in September and he stood first in 100 and 200 metres trial race. He would be competing with 1700 special athletes from 30 countries. This would indeed raise his confidence-level which is a must for a Down Syndrome Child,” said Dr Kuldeep Singh, the proud father of Ishwinder Singh.

According to his father, who is a Deputy Director at Punjab Agricultural University, Ishwinder is suffering from Down Syndrome since his birth. “At the time of his birth, one of our close relatives,who himself is a paediatrician noticed his problem but didn’t reveal it to us. Later he simply told us that we may have to help him a little bit more in his studies. At that time we didn’t apprehended but later realised that his milestones are actually lagging behind than normal ones,” said Dr Kuldeep Singh.

His mother, who herself is a teacher took charge of his academics and other Brain Development Activities (BDA’s) and his father took charge of his health. In the lack of any special coach in Punjab, his father even took a special training himself as a special games coach and is now accompanying him to Australia.

“Not even a single time, the district administration has held any felicitation ceremony for the special Olympian children. There is not even a single rehabilitation centre for them. What’s more? There is not even a single special educator in the entire district! Also, there is not even a single course run by the district administration for the rehabilitation of our special children. What will happen to our children after us?,” said Amarjeet Singh Anand, Chairman of the Channan Association for Mentally Retarded Children, Jalandhar.

Jalandhar, November 4
An exhibition of over 100 photographs showing cross- section of Punjabi life, landscape and culture was held in Lyallpur Khalsa College. Sardarni Balbir Kaur, president, college governing council, inaugurated the exhibition. The exhibition was organised in collaboration with Punjab Darshan and was dedicated to the memory of late Balbir Singh, ex-member Parliament, and former president of college governing council. Baljit Singh of Punjab Darshan informed the press that these photographs were taken and collected during his 2,600 km travel across Punjab in 1993. Speaking on the occasion, Principal, GS Samra said such representations of Punjabi culture could help students understand Punjabi life in its diversity.

Diya, candle decoration

Ivy World School held diya decoration competition and rangoli making. The whole area was decorated with the display of decorated diyas and rangoli. Students from all classes participated in the competition and their efforts were lauded by everyone.

Youth festival

Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar, bagged the overall trophy in Inter-zonal Youth Festival that concluded in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, for 14th time. Dr Sucharita, college principal, credited the jubilant participants. The college won first position in 17 items and bagged 8 second positions.

Environment fest

An environment-fest ‘Green wave’ was organised by the community, ‘SCOPE’, under the guidance of Principal JS Randhawa and the president of SCOPE, Asst Prof Vishal Sharma, at GND University College ,Jalandhar. Different events like environ quiz, slogan writing, caption contest, poster making, collage making, best out of waste, weaving bird hut, extempore were held.

Chemistry competitions

R Venkataraman Chemical Society of Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya organised chart making, i-model making and magics in chemistry competitions. Science students participated in the competition. There were appreciable numbers of entries in each event. There was a display of 70 charts, 10 i-models and 20 magics of chemistry. Preeti got the first prize in chart making in college category and Priyanka in school category. Saniya and Mandeep got the first prize in i-model presentation. Ridika got the first prize in magics of chemistry. Principal Rekha Kalia Bhardwaj admired the efforts of students and staff. Bhupinder Kaur, Head of the Department, Jyoti Kaul, Dr. Neelam Sharma were among others present on the occasion.

Kirtan darbar

Dera Sant Baba Bhag Singh (Manko) organised a kirtan drabar here today at its Dewan Hall. Head of the Sri Kes Garh Sahib, Gyani Mal Singh and Punjabi University’s Head of the Gurmat Sangeet Department, Bhai Gurnam Singh was also present at the function. Addressing the gathering, Gyani Mal Singh said we should imbibe the essence of Gurbani and follow the sacred words to guide our life style.

Annual function

Nirmaan School for Holistic Education organised its fourth annual function at the DAV Auditorium on Punjab Day with the title of "every child is unique". Deputy Commissioner, Excise and Taxation, Sarojini Gautam Sharda, was the chief guest. While delivering her keynote address, she said every child is unique but the holistic education in the early years of a child can provide strong foundation for socially relevant and great personalities. She added that first decade plays a pivotal role in a child’s life. Prominent personalities along with parents of the kids were present on the occasion. Students of Nirmaan School presented gidha-bhangra, choreography, and other dances.

Vajra Museum

DIPS UE-I organised a visit to Vajra Museum and Vajra Park at Jalandhar Cantt for students of nursery to VII (golden). These visits were organised to establish a close bond and liason with the Army.The visit provided direct source of latest modern technology and warfare. The students got first hand information from the Army soldiers about martyrs who sacrificed their lives to protect and safeguard the frontiers of our nation. Students witnessed the photo gallery of Indo- Pak War (1965-1971), and a 15-minute documentary on Indo-Pak War, the Vajra Park.

Vigilance Awareness Week

Kamla Nehru Public School, Chak Hakim, Phagwara observed a Vigilance Awareness Week. The theme of vigilance awareness was “Promoting, good governance-positive contribution of vigilance”. During the week-long programme to spread awareness among the students, poster making and essay writing competition for classes VI-VIII was conducted. Talk by Jagjit Singh Channa Editor-in- Chief of Phagwara Headlines on role of media was also organised. P K Dhillon, Principal, lauded the initiative.

Guest lecture

A guest lecture was organised by the Department of Physics, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, on ‘nanotechnology and application in solar energy’. Resource person for the lecture was Dr Vamsi Krishan from Centre of Energy studies, IIT Delhi. He was welcomed by Principal Gurpinder Singh Samra and Balwinder Singh Chahal, Head of Physics Department, along with other faculty members.

Jalandhar, November 4
Himself tracking theft in his shop, a cloth shop owner did not just follow his employees but also secretively managed to make footage of them on his mobile phone selling off the fabric stolen from his shop to another trader. Providing concrete evidence to the police, he got the three caught red- handed with recovery of fabric.

The Division Number 3 police has arrested Amit and Ashu, employees of Wahayguru Collection, Chowk Kadayshah, Saidan Gate, and Sidhanshu alias Niku of Ashwini Kumar and Company Jaura Gate, Peer Bodlan Bazaar. All three have been booked under Sections 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen goods), 381 (theft of goods by employee) and 34 (acts done by several persons with common intention) of the IPC.

The shop owner Gurmeet Singh said he had been noticing his fabric bundles going missing for sometime. “On Saturday night, I saw my employees carrying bundles and handing over these to a man in i-20 car (PB-08-BZ-5400 ) for exchange of money and caught them exchanging money in a video grab that I managed to make over my phone. The police was immediately called and we got them arrested”, he added.

Amritsar, November 4
A raiding police party was attacked by several relatives of a bootlegger, Gurdeep Singh, a resident of the Khandwala area, yesterday.

Head constable Labh Singh stated in his complaint that he along with head constable Amarjit Singh and head constable Pawan Kumar had gone to arrest Gurdeep when his brother Ravinder Singh, alias Kala, along with his half a dozen accomplices attacked the police party. He said they tore the uniform of Amarjit Singh and manhandled them.

Dilbagh Singh, in charge of the Ghanupur police chowki, who was asked to enquire into the incident, said a case under Sections 353, 186 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against them, while no arrest was made so far as the accused were on the run. He said Gurdeep Singh was wanted in a case in which 221 bottles of liquor being smuggled into the city area were seized.

Meanwhile, in a similar instance a head constable Jang Bahadur was manhandled by a resident of Nangal Guru village, Rajbir Singh, while he was performing his duty at Ghah Mandi, Jandiala chowk. He alleged that he had asked Rajbir Singh to move aside in a crowded area. He said Rajbir Singh entered in a verbal duel with him and later manhandled him, due to which his turban fell down. The Janidala police (Amritsar rural police) has booked Rajbir Singh, while no arrest has been made so far.