The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Football’s wonder girls from Bhiwani village win glory
Reigning national champions in U-19 category; placed second, third in U-14, U-17 categories last year
Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service

Alakhpura (Bhiwani), November 7
Anju, Sanju, Munesh, Nirmal, Poonam, Jyoti, Preeti and Pooja among around 100 gutsy teenage girls are students of Government Senior Secondary School in the village. They are like the girl-next-door in every Haryana village, extremely shy who religiously obey every instruction of family members, do the household chores, work in the cotton fields and also study seriously. The only difference is that they are allowed to go to the playground in the mornings and evenings to play football every day.

With their hard work and determination, these girls now dominate in school football at the national level. They are reigning national champions in the under-19 category while they were placed second and third in the under-14 and under-17 categories last year. They even reached the

finals of the prestigious Subroto Cup held recently in Delhi where they lost to Manipur in penalty shootout after finishing 1-1 during the play time. Three of the girls had represented the country in the World School Football Cup held in France in April this year where they battle it out against the teams like France, Brazil, Romania and Denmark.

And they achieved these feats without any facilities -— no coaches, no logistical support and not even a ground. The girls have been practising on panchayat land — smaller than the football ground — close to their school which was a pond a couple of years ago. They have to share this ground with the kabbadi boys as two kabbadi courts are also located within it.

The girls and the entire village give credit to the school physical training instructor (PTI) Govardhan Dass, a kabbadi coach himself who enjoys immense respect in the village, for this transformation and the phenomenal success of the girls. Surprisingly, neither villagers nor the PTI has any knowledge of the game. Even the girls have started following soccer after they started playing at the national and international levels.

The girls could not figure out the nationalities or the clubs being represented by their heroes like Messy and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Messy is from Purtgal, I guess, and Ronaldo from Brazil. No, this Ronaldo is not from Brazil. I don’t know about his country,” said Sanju, a student of plus two in the school who was declared the best player in the Subroto Cup and was given Rs 25,000 and a laptop as prize. Manju, who was adjudged the best player under-14 keeper two years ago at the National School Games, admits shyly that she has a poster of Messy which she keeps in her schoolbag. When asked about the best Indian player, they knew only one name, Sunil Chhetri. The best team for them is Pune FC and they failed to speak about any foreign club teams.

When asked how it began, Govardhan Dass said that he formed a kabbadi team of the school in 2006-07. “Some girls also insisted on playing some game. I gave them a football lying in the school store and the girls started kicking it. After a year, I started taking them seriously and their regular practice session was begun. In 2008, they came second in the state school games and there was no looking back after that”.

The village sarpanch, Mahender Singh, said they filled the pond to prepare this ground and have also prepared another ground on the adjoining common land. “The villagers are proud of the girls and we honour them with cash rewards and blessings whenever they returned victorious,” he said, adding that he knew nothing about the game nor watched the girls while playing.

Balbir Singh, a school headmaster who handles the finances of the team, said it had brought about a social transformation in the village.

“Earlier, there were inhibitions among parents about allowing the girls to play or even sending them for higher studies, but now you can see around 100 girls playing here at one go. More importantly, the sports discipline has helped the girls improve in studies and now they are going to college for higher studies after completing schoolin while earlier families used to marry them off at this stage,” he maintained.

The district sports officer (DSO), Chhaju Ram Goyat, admitted that these girls has heralded a new era of not only women's football but of a social change in society in which controversies about girls’ freedom kept on springing up time and again. “I have recommended to the government to set up a football academy for girls in this village.

These girls definitely need expert coaches, other facilities and support as they have the potential and grit to make it big at the national and international levels,” he said.

When asked about their demands, Munesh, Indian team's famed defender, denies stating that they have been learning the technique of the game during matches with other states and then teach the fellow junior players. "We dominated the Subroto Cup final but better technique of the Manipur team did us in," she said with the rest of the girls not knowing the fact that theirs was the ancestral village of Mallika Sherawat who is the great granddaughter of Seth Chhaju Ram of this village.

Group’s Achievements

* 2008 - Second position in state school games (U-4)

* 2009 - First position in state school games (U-4 and U-7)

* 2010 - First position in state school games (U-4 and U-7) and second position at national level (U-4)

* 2011- Under 14 and 19 first and under 17 third in state.

* 2012 - First in state in three categories. First at national games in U-19. Second and third position in U-14 and U-17.

* 2013 - Runners up in the Subroto Cup for junior girls. (First Haryana team to reach the final in the cup).

‘Inflation impacts middle class more’
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, November 7
There is a strong case for regular monitoring of inflation based on consumer price index (CPI) on retail prices and not wholesale price index (WPI) which is based on "wrong" methodology of point-to-point basis, a known reality to all including the Planning Commission which believes in a comfortable level of inflation. This was stated by Dr MM Goel, Prof of Economics and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kurukshetra University.

Talking to mediapersons here recently, Goel expressed his concern on the measurement and management of inflation in the country affecting the middle class severely especially during the festival season.

Goel said the impact of inflation was more on the middle class than the rich and the poor. Therefore, we need to understand the intricacies involved in measuring inflation, he added.

For helping our countrymen, we need to adopt inflation targeting, manpower planning and good governance, said Goel.

We have no technical problem to adopt inflation targeting in the country but have three constraints including debt management function linked with the monetary management function. Steering the interest rates, the financial markets are segmented and imperfect.

CM inspects arrangements for Gohana rally
Congress on its toes to make it a success
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, November 7
After the BJP and the INLD organised successful rallies at Rewari and Kurukshetra recently, the Congress is all set to demonstrate its popularity through the Gohana rally on November 10.

MP Deepender Singh Hooda talks to mediapersons at the site of the Gohana rally.

To ensure perfect arrangements for people during the rally, its proper media coverage, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inspected the arrangements at the venue of the rally last evening. The CM was accompanied by the state Congress president Phool Chand Mulana and MPs Deepender Singh Hooda and Arvind Sharma.

CPS Jaiveer Singh, MLAs Jagbir Singh Malik and Sri Krishan Hooda, OSD Randhir Singh Saroha, the IG, Rohtak Police Range, Anil Rao, DC Chander Shekhar, SP Arun Singh and local party leaders were present on the occasion.

Later, talking to mediapersons, Deepender Hooda said the rally would create a history with regard to the participation of the public. “The rally will prove the popularity of the party and the government,” he claimed.

Prof Virender, political adviser to the CM, said there would be no tent in the rally and the media gallery would be linked with the satellite for the coverage. “The occasion will be marked by such announcements, which were never witnessed in the past,” he claimed.

He said as Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and senior leaders of the party were busy in election campaigning in other states, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda would be the chief guest and the state Congress president, Phool Chand Mulana, would preside over the programme.

In a reply to a question about allegations of some party leaders that they had not received invitation for the rally, Prof Virender clarified that the leaders were present at the meeting of the party’s state executive committee and all were invited. “There is no logic in inviting the individuals again. It is the party’s rally,” he added.

Rural institutes making 'youth employable'
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, November 7
“Women can empower themselves socially as well as economically by developing skills that can make them employable,” said JS Wadhwa, Chief Manager of the State Bank of Patiala, Fatehabad.

Wadhwa stated this while addressing women trainees at the Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) run by the State Bank of Patiala in Fatehabad’s Panchayat Bhawan recently. He also distributed certificates among newly trained women, who had learnt beauty techniques in a course run by the RSETI.

He said the main aim of courses run by the RSETI was to make women and youth from weaker sections of the society employable.

Most of these women, who come to the institute belong to the lower strata of the society, plan to open their own beauty parlours in their villages after training. Some of them aspire of getting jobs in parlours run by others.

“Here, they learn all basic techniques like pedicure, manicure, cutting, hairstyle, facials and threading etc,” said beautician Madhu Sharma, who imparts training to women in the institute. Karamvir Singh, Director of the RSETI, Fatehabad, said his bank had been allotted one district (Fatehabad) in the state and seven districts in Punjab. He said under the scheme the bank provided training in mobile repairs, dairy production, electronics, bag making, manufacturing of disposable crockery, sweater knitting, manufacture of sanitary napkins, fridge repairs, accounting, food preservation, achar and jam making, besides the beauty techniques.

The RSETIs are institutes running under a scheme of the Union Ministry of Rural Development. They are managed by banks with active co-operation from the Government of India and state governments.

These institutions are designed to ensure necessary skill training and skill up gradation of the rural BPL youth to mitigate the unemployment problem. The aim of the scheme is to make youth coming from poor and weaker sections of the society employable by providing them skills through training.

Infosys shortlists 49 Mullana varsity students
Our Correspondent

Ambala, November 7
In a recent placement drive organised at Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana, Infosys from Bangalore picked up 49 final year BTech and MCA students.

The selected students have been offered jobs with packages. They will be joining their assignments with the MNC giant in June 2014 after completion of their courses. Training and Placement head Ladher said the institution had already lined up nearly 10 more MNCs to visit the campus for the placement drive.

Expressing happiness over the placement of students Chancellor Tarsem Garg said although the recession in the country and world over was continuing, MM University had been successful in inviting MNCs to the campus for placement. This had been possible due to consistent focus on the overall personality development of students, he added.

The university has incorporated special courses on communication and analytical skills.

Gurgaon had quieter, but toxic Diwali
Fireworks shot up air-pollution level
Sunit Dhawan
Tribune news service

Gurgaon, November 7
As expected, the levels of toxic gases and pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), suphur dioxide (SO2) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) recorded a sharp increase in the air of the millennium city as a result of Diwali festivities.

The silver lining in the proverbial cloud was the fact that the levels of noise pollution at certain locations were considerably lower as compared to those registered on the festival night last year.

However, though the noise levels were monitored at five locations across Gurgaon city, air pollution was checked only at Vikas Sadan, as the ambient air quality (AAQ) monitoring system is installed only there.

The levels of SO2 and NO2 were recorded at 28.94 mg/cubic metre and 39.54 mg/cubic metre respectively, showing a sharp increase from 5.45 mg/cubic metre and 20.34 mg/cubic metre a day earlier.

The SPM (PM 10), the air ambient quality (AAQ) limit of which is maximum 100 mg/cubic metre in 24 hours, was recorded at 387.83 mg/cubic metre. The level of carbon monoxide measured 2.32 mg/cubic metre.

HPSCB Regional Officer Balraj Ahlawat observed that the increase in SO2 levels was an alarming trend and a cause of concern as SO2 was associated with breathing difficulty and other respiratory ailments.

“According to our assessment, SO2 levels shot up due to the use of poor-quality crackers which emit more fumes,” he stated.

On the other hand, the reduction in noise levels may be attributed to the prevalence and bursting of low-noise crackers.“Inspection of cracker stalls revealed that the sales of expensive and high-noise firecrackers were comparatively lower this year,” said Vijay Chaudhary, Assistant Environmental Engineer at the board.

The officials, however, maintained that it would be difficult to pinpoint whether it was due to increased awareness about environmental concerns or simply because of rising prices.

Gohana rally to make history, says Gillankhera
Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, November 7
The coming “Haryana Shakti Rally” in Gohana on November 10 will be a huge rally and people of Fatehabad Assembly constituency are excited and full of enthusiasm for the rally.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS), Public Works (Building and Roads) and Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Prahlad Singh Gillankhera, said this while addressing the people of Dhingsara, Sirdhan and Bangaon villages in the Fatehabad Assembly constituency today.

Gillankhera visited more than one dozen villages including Matana, Dhangar, Salamkhera, Dharniyan, Badopal, Chindhar, Bhoda Hosnak, Kumharia, Kajalheri, Khajuri Jati, MP Rohi and invited people for the rally. He also redressed the grievances of the people with the help of officers and officials concerned.

The CPS said that the leaders of opposition parties were indulging in false and "greedy" politics. He said the era of lies had come to an end. All-round development had taken place in Fatehabad under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Fatehabad had also achieved milestones in terms of development and highest funds had been allotted to this area also, he added.

Gillankhera said the rally would change the future and the picture of the state. The Chief Minister would make various announcements in the rally for the welfare of all communities of society. He said the rally would make history.

69 take part in KU Dept of Geology alumni meet
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, November 7
The Department of Geology, Kurukshetra University, organised an alumni meet in the University Faculty Lounge recently. The chief guest of the function, Manoj Basu, Vice-President, Energy Infratech Limited, a leading MNC involved in constructing hydroelectric power projects in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Uganda, addressed the students.

While addressing the alumni, Basu emphasised on focusing on their goals and plan for their future well in advance. He congratulated the alumni of the department, working in his concern, for their competitiveness and scientific acumen.

The KU Registrar, Prof Krishan Chand Ralhan, in his presidential address, stressed the need to become humble and knowledgeable to attain success in life. He narrated an interesting anecdote from the Mahabharata to elucidate his advice. He also advised the students to respect their parents, teachers and imbibe their culture in order to reach the pinnacle of success and glory.

The Chairman of the department, Prof AR Chaudhri, welcomed the guests and the alumni. He said the department had started functioning in 1987 and since then had not looked back in its growth towards excellence.

Professor Dogra told the guests about the progress of the department and the alumni over the years.

The students of the department gave scintillating performances. Dr Naresh Kumar thanked the Registrar for sparing time for the alumni meet while Dr OP Thakur proposed the vote of thanks.

The teachers of the department, including Satish Kumar, Veerendra, Akash, Mohit, Bhavuk, Deepak, Vikram, Sikander Khan, Rajesh, Sarita, Radhika and others were present on the occasion.

Sixtynine alumni participated in the meet and interacted with the faculty and students of MSc and MTech of Applied Geology Course.

Camp for NSS programme officers concludes
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, November 7
A seven-day camp for programme officers under the National Service Scheme (NSS) ended here recently. Speaking during the camp, Dr Radhe Sham Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of Chaudhary Devi Lal University, said NSS units set up in colleges helped in inculcating the spirit of nationalism and hard work among students.

He said as the basic aim of the NSS is to promote the spirit of voluntary services among students, the programme officers should make it a point to include only those who believe in serving others.

Dr Sharma said the NSS programme officers should aim at instilling discipline, self-confidence among students.

Training convener Dr Satyavir Malik from the Institute for Development Communication said the basic aim of the NSS was to eliminate social evils. He said at present 33 lakh volunteers and 33 thousand programme officers of the NSS had been working in this direction.

Dr Meera Kashyap, a teacher from Government College, Naraingarh, said a myriad of issues were discussed during the seven-day workshop.

Fatehabad 2nd after Ambala in paddy sale to Hafed

Fatehabad, November 7
With a bumper crop of paddy in the district this year, Fatehabad has so far contributed 1.76 metric tons (MT) to the total purchase of 9.56 lakh MT by the Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited (Hafed) and is placed second after Ambala.

The procurement agency is likely to surpass the target of purchases given to it this year.The Haryana Cooperation Minister, Satpal Sangwan, said the Hafed would not only achieve its 30 per cent allocated target of procurement of paddy during the current kharif season, but would also procure more as the agency had already achieved its 28 per cent target.

While elaborating about the procurement made by Hafed, Sangwan said Hafed had procured 12.13 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of paddy during last year as against the allocated target of 10.66 lakh MT. More than 9.56 lakh MT of paddy had already been procured during the current season.He said that maximum 2.30 lakh MT of paddy had been procured by Hafed in Ambala district followed by Fatehabad where 1.76 lakh MT paddy had been procured. Similarly, 1.38 lakh MT paddy had been procured in Kurukshetra district, 1.32 lakh MT in Karnal, 1.05 lakh MT in Kaithal, 71,634 MT in Yamunanaga.— TNS

Kajal promoted as Inspector-General, CRPF
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, November 7
Suraj Bhan Kajal, Deputy Inspector-General of the Sonepat Group Kendra of the CRPF, has been promoted as Inspector-General with immediate effect. He was given a warm welcome by the officers and other ranks of the kendra in a programme organised here recently.

Speaking on the occasion, Kajal exhorted the force personnel to discharge their duties honestly and dedicatedly to safeguard the unity and integrity of the nation and to maintain communal harmony, social amity and the law and order situation. “The CRPF has gained the confidence of the people and the law enforcing authorities and we all should feel proud of it,” he added.

Kajal was enrolled as Deputy Superintendent in the 17th batch of the CRPF in 1984 and during his service career of 29 years, he served in Punjab, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir in difficult conditions many a time. He also led a unit of the CRPF in Mozambique under the United Nations Peace Mission.

Decorated with many medals and commendations, Kajal had played a key role in setting up a new Group Kendra at Sonepat and in giving momentum to raising of new infrastructure for the kendra near Khewra village.

Police ropes in residents to devise safety measures
Our Correspondent

Ambala, November 7
With the festival season coming to an end with Bhaiya Dooj, the Haryana Police decided to enforce new security plans for various police districts. Police Commissioner Rajbir Deswal called upon police officers of the district to involve residents and business establishments in devising state-of-art measures to ensure safety and security during festivities.

He visited busy markets to remove encroachments so that fire brigades and ambulances could have easy access to any place in case their services were required. He held meetings with departments concerned, including Health and municipal corporations. Around 250 city policemen were roped in for detailed discussions.

He said during the week preceding Diwali, the Ambala-Punchkula Commissionerate control rooms received 271 calls from various locations seeking police intervention. These calls involved issues that were solved on the spot. No case was registered nor a follow-up warranted after their instantaneous resolution.

The police convened meetings with market and business associations, besides residents to seek suggestions for focusing on the area which required much attention. The police also wanted their support in maintenance of law and order during the festival of lights, when business worth crores was transacted. In Ambala 163 complaints were received during the week preceding Diwali, while in Panchkula the number stood at 93. In Ambala rural district, only 15 complaints were received.

City residents supported the police in containing and keeping check on persons drinking at public places, besides gambling. No major incidents except a few skirmishes at some places were reported. These scuffles were resolved on the spot by the police. No chain snatching was reported except one in Ramgarh. A chain snatcher was caught red handed in Ambala. Around 16 quintal of crackers being sold illegally were seized in the city.

The police had tied up with hospitals and the Fire Department for making arrangements in case of emergency. Mounted armed police was also deployed at various locations. Vantage points were selected in busy markets for static police pickets besides foot-patrolling. In Ambala and Panchkula, the Commissioner and the DCPs patrolled markets to remove encroachments, control heavy rush of traffic and also to ensure smooth access of fire tenders and ambulances if they were needed in case of any emergency.

Inter-University Women Lawn Tennis Championship
Delhi University beat JMIU in final
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, November 7
Delhi University (DU) won the six-day North Zone Inter-University Women Lawn Tennis Championship by defeating Jamia Milia Islamia University (JMIU), Delhi, 2-1 in the final played at the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, recently.

In the singles, DU’s Rishika outplayed JMIU’s Shilpa by 6-1 and 6-1, but JMIU’s Prerna Bhambri levelled the match by defeating DU’s Khanoor by 6-1 and 6-2.

However, in the doubles, DU’s pair of Rishika and Digvijya scored a 6-4 and 6-2 win over JMIU’s Prerna and Shilpa Dalamia.

Punjab University, Chandigarh, bagged the third position by defeating Punjabi University, Patiala, by 2-1.

Teams from different universities of northern states participated in the championship. The university’s Registrar, RK Arora, distributed prizes among the winners.

Addressing the participants, the Registrar said that sports were getting more popular day by day and had brought job opportunities on the doorsteps of outstanding sportspersons. The youth were required to opt for the sport of their choice along with their studies, he added.

He opined that the new sports policy of the Haryana Government had helped sportspersons from the state to write a new history of their performance in international events.

The university has also taken every possible step to promote sports activities among the university students, he said and exhorted the students to avail the facilities available on the university premises.

Over 400 take part in wrestling competitions
Our Correspondent

Rewari, November 7
More than 400 wrestlers, including acclaimed national and regional grapplers, participated in the zonal wrestling competitions held by Hind Kesari Vikram Pahalwan and his associates at Kakar Dopa village in Behror tehsil of Alwar district of Rajasthan recently.

Olympian Sushil Kumar presents a mace to Amit Swami, vice-president of the Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, during a wrestling meet at Kakar Dopa village in Rajasthan.

While Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar was the chief guest, Amit Swami, vice-president of the Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation and national chairman of the Young Men’s Association of India, was the guest of honour.

While wrestlers from various states displayed their skills to the delight of the spectators, Bharat Kesari Kala Pahalwan and Haryana Kesari Mansh Pahalwan, both renowned Haryanavi wrestlers, whose exhilarating bout ended in a draw, equally shared the highest cash award of Rs 1 lakh.

Sushil Kumar and other dignitaries gave away prizes to the winners.

Simultaneously Amit Swami showered accolades on Sushil Kumar while describing him as a celebrated icon of wrestling in India and a creative force for the young generation of Indian athletes, whereas the Olympic champion Sushil Kumar presented a mace to Amit Swami appreciating his promotional contribution to wrestling and the bodybuilding sports.

‘Regular check-up must to check renal failure’
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, November 7
Regular medical check-ups, including screening for kidney disorders as well as proper monitoring and control of hypertension and diabetes, are must to avoid renal failure, incidence of which is rising at a fast pace.

A preventive approach, including the aforementioned measures, becomes all the more significant in view of the fact that persons suffering from chronic kidney disease may not have any symptoms to alert them of their
condition, which results in end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

This was stated by medical experts specialising in nephrology at a media interaction during a two-day conference on peritoneal dialysis which concluded here recently.

The conference was sponsored by Baxter, a multinational healthcare company which makes medical devices, pharmaceuticals and iotechnology products with primary focus on heamophilia, kidney diseases and immune disorders.

The specialists opined that kidney transplant was advisable in cases of renal failure, but due to the practical medico-legal and other socio-economic factors, only 3 to 5 per cent of the ESRD patients in the country get some form of renal replacement therapy.

Advocating peritoneal dialysis, Dr Gokulnath, president, and Dr Narayan Prasad, secretary of the Peritoneal Dialysis Society of India, claimed it was a more patient-friendly technique and could be done at home on a daily basis.

Three-day women sports championship begins
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, November 7
A three-day state-level Women Sports Championships was organised jointly by the district administration and the Sports and Youth Affairs Department. Deputy Commissioner Nikhil Gajraaj inaugurated the event at Dronacharya Stadium here on Wednesday.

DC Nikhil Gajraaj addresses a gathering at the state-level women sports championships at Dronacharya Stadium, Kurukshetra, on Wednesday. Photo: DR Vij

In his inaugurated address, Gajraaj said the objective behind organising sports events under Panchayat Yuva Krida Khel Abhiyaan (PYKKA) was to hunt for the talent at the village level so that girls could show their performance and bring laurels to the state and nation in various national and international championships.

Gajraaj said the state government was promoting sports in a big way. It had also announced to give Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 2 crore to gold, silver and bronze medal winners of Olympic games. Apart from this, the government had also secured future of outstanding players by giving them job up to class I level under its sports policy.

He said 12 residential, three day-boarding, 12 B category and two other nurseries were functioning to look for the talent at an early age. Similarly, 13 day-boarding and three residential sports academies had also been established. Gajraaj said 73 sports wings had been set up for promising players in the state. The state government was also trying to groom sports personalities in rural areas, he added.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg, Thanesar SDM Ashok Bansal, DIPRO Dharamveer Singh and officials of the Sports Department were among those present on the occasion.

As many as 1,400 girl players (under 16 years) drawn from 21 districts are participating in the in first phase under the PYKKA scheme.

Book on ‘magical mantras of psychology’ to improve life
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, November 7
"Manovigyan ke Saat Jaadui Mantras" (Seven Magical Mantras of Psychology) authored by Dr Ravinder Puri, an associate professor of psychology in Government National Post Graduate College, Sirsa, is drawing immense attention of readers in Sirsa and adjoining areas.

Dr Ravinder Puri and his wife Mona Puri show the book, "Manovigyan ke Saat Jaadui Mantras”, in Sirsa. A Tribune photograph

Puri was one of the teachers honoured with the Best Teacher award in Haryana Raj Bhawan by Governor Jagannath Pahadia on September 5 this year.

A well-known name in the field of psychology, Puri says that through this book, he has tried to simplify seven well-researched theories of human psychology so that even a layman can understand them and derive benefit from these theories to improve his life.

There is an acute shortage of psychologists in our country especially at the grassroots levels and when it comes to resolving some emotional and psychological problems, people do not know where they should go. In order to guide them in their dilemma, the book comes forward to provide some practical and scientific remedies in a simplified way,” said Puri.

The book contains seven chapters representing seven mantras of psychology.

The first chapter belongs to the way of thinking. The second one to emotional intelligence, the third to self esteem, the fourth to self-efficacy, the fifth to a hardy personality, the sixth to happiness and the last but not the least to excellence.

Every chapter is based on psychological research-based theories and set in catchy real-life stories which keep the book interesting.

The book aims to make life more enjoyable and worth living. Build bridges not walls, be music not a noise, be a player not a spectator, are some golden rules which motivate the readers.

“Through this book any one can train oneself to become emotionally intelligent, strong enough to overcome stress and exploit one’s potentiality,” he said.

Puri asserts that everyone has a birthright to achieve success, everyone is capable to attain excellence, everyone is born to win and everyone should try lest he may die without actualising himself.

Puri, who has a vast experience of teaching, writing, giving lectures on stress management, personality development, etc, believes everyone can inscribe a success story, everyone can be happy, everyone can stay mentally healthy if he follows these seven mantras of psychology.

Puri has dedicated his book to his parents, who, he says, provided him an “unlimited outlook” despite their limited means.

The author has also dedicated his book to his wife, Mona Puri, who, he said, held his hand firmly in every condition to assure “I am with you” and children Aishwarya and Samarvir, who keep making him realise, “You are the best father.”

Miss India Elite Shefali Sood backs Rahul as Prime Minister
Ravinder Saini

Miss India Elite Shefali Sood Jhajjar, November 7
Expressing concern over rising incidents of ‘honour killing’ in Haryana, Miss India Elite 2013 Shefali Sood has called upon people to bring a change in their mentality towards girls and women to check honour killings as any religion, caste and gotra do not allow anyone to indulge in such a heinous crime.

Shefali was interacting with mediapersons during her awareness campaign against social evils in Bahadurgarh town, located on the border of Delhi and Haryana, about 25 km from here, recently. She said honour killing was a social evil and it should be eliminated by making collective efforts.

In reply to a question, she said there was an urgent need to take concrete steps in the direction of curbing rising crime against women to strengthen the social set-up.

“Not only that men should change their attitude towards women, but the police also should work honestly to deal with crime against women so as to ensure the safety and security of women,” said Shefali, adding that sincere efforts should be made in the direction of women empowerment.

Terming female foeticide as a ‘blot’ on the face of society, she said awareness among people could turn to be an instrument in eradicating social evils as these had caused imbalance in gender ratio to a large extent.

“Awareness campaigns at school, college and village levels should be launched by the government and social organisations to make people aware about future adverse effects of female foeticide on society,” said Shefali, adding that taking out awareness rallies was one of the effective ways to motivate people against female foeticide.

In reply to another question, Miss India said Rahul Gandhi was her first choice for the post of Prime Minister as he possessed the ability and calibre to integrate the youth power for the progress of the nation hence the youth should give an opportunity to Rahul Gandhi to hold the reigns of the country as Prime Minister, she added.

Notably, Shefali, a resident of Delhi, was adjudged ‘Miss India Elite 2013’ in September. She emerged winner after defeating 60 women from across the country. Haryana’s Sonam Barak was runners-up while Uttar Pradesh’s Reshu Sisodia got the third position. Out of the 60 women, 19 were chosen for the grand finale.

Movies This Week

Satya 2
Directed by: Ram Gopal Varma

Ram Gopal Verma known for films on gangsters is in the news for his "Satya 2", showing that the underworld never dies, only changes its form.

The cast of the original film comprised Manoj Bajpayee, JD Chakravarthy, Urmila Matondkar and Shefali Shah. Newcomer Puneet Singh Ratn plays the protagonist in "Satya 2" with South star Anaika Soti in the female lead. Ram Gopal Varma shot a song in Kashmir.

The budget of the song is move than the original "Satya".

The other actress is is the movie is Aradhna Gupta. She adds color to the film which opens all over Haryana.

—Dharam Pal