‘PR is all about impressions'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 22 — While it is true that the information technology has opened gateways to faster and easier access to communication, it is also correct that today's communication is all about 'spin doctors' weaving and disseminating images and ideas. At the three-day 21st National Public Relations Conference being held here, TNS spoke to a few professionals to get an insight into the changing concepts of PR.

"Public Relations is all about images and impressions really. Look what happened during the Pokhran blasts. Had PR been used to develop world opinion about the blasts in a planned way, India could have saved on adverse reactions", said Ms Adity Syam, Executive Vice-President, Public Relations, ITC Ltd.

Explaining the changing role of public relations, Mr N. D. Rajpal, President, Public Relations Society of India (PRSI), said, "In the 50s, little PR existed in India. But today, the role of a public relations man has changed drastically, because we are simply not handing out press releases alone but performing more of an advisory function".

Mr K. R. Singh, former President of the PRSI and President of Kirloskar Theratronics, said, "Today our job is not only of arranging for the 'wining-dining' of the press. We have to respond to the pressure of time on the newsmen. But the press also needs to make the public relations man understand his role." Mr Singh, who has also been the Executive Editor of 'The Daily' added, "This relationship has to work both ways, and there is no reason why PR cannot be seen more as a process of communication, rather than propaganda".

"In the era of liberalisation, the job of the PR has become quite vast. The change I think is also being seen because of the coming of information technology", said Mr Mukund D Kansara, ex-chairman, PRSI, Ahmedabad Chapter.

But is not PR all about packaging? "Maybe a layman still confuses the business of public relations as being only about building brands. It needs to be understood that people like us have worked on the content to finally make something into what is referred to as a 'package deal'", said Mr Dilip Cherian, of Perfect Relations.

Added Ms Rita Bhimani, Chairman and Managing Director, Ritam Communications, who has been in this profession for the past 25 years, "The PR person today is not required only at the fire-fighting stage. We now form part of a whole process. Actually it is not only a mere tool of the trade, but a more strategic management tool, making the role of PR very pro-active".

Public relations job is still envisaged as something which is both 'high profile' and 'high-flying'. Has gender role any significance in this area of work? "I do not think that gender is any issue at all, but it is true that women as PR persons do 'look' better to most people and hence are more acceptable", said Ms Syam.

But Ms Bhimani said that gender does prove to be advantageous in some cases. "Women are inclined to be more analytical than men, and more sensitive to the needs of communication. Otherwise, there is no real gender difference ".

Parents worried over clash in exam dates
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 22 — With the dates of the examinations of the under-graduate and post-gradute classes having been announced by Panjab University, students have their noses to the grindstone. Parents are keeping track of the dates of examinations and the clash of examination dates with entrance exams and are keeping their fingers crossed for early declaration of results to enable their wards to apply in other universities and courses.

Prof S.P. Dhawan suggests, “The university could judiciously plan its datesheet to make it compact enough to accommodate all papers in a few days. This will enable the student community to have enough preparation time for other examinations.’’

Another worried mother, Mrs Usha Kaushal, exclaims, “My daughter is taking her final year examinations and wants to join a course in fashion designing. Even if she clears her written test and interview, she will be unable to join if her result is awaited. The university must make a special cell for evaluation of final-year examinations at the under-graduate and post-graduate levels.’’

A businessman, Mr Mahesh Sharma, opines that the number of examiners employed for evaluation should be doubled to ensure quicker disposal of papers. Being an exceptional year as far as examinations go, it deserves special treatment so that children do not lose out on opportunities for absolutely no fault of theirs.

“The evaluation work should be initiated as early as the second day after the commencement of examinations. Besides saving valuable time of the students, this will ensure that the next session of the university is not unduly behind schedule,’’ states Namrata Sharma, an under-graduate, as she goes through her notes.

Shivani Gupta and Manu Sharma remark in unison, “It was futile to waste time of the students when the government knew it had no option but to succumb to the demands of the protesters. This burden of studying for the examinations, coupled with anxiety and delay, has hampered our preparation for the examination. The university could only help us by getting the examinations over before summer arrives in all its fury.’’

City lad for BAI camp
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, April 22 — Vivek Sharma, a 17-year-old BA first year student of the local DAV College has been included in the list of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) for participation in the all-India summer coaching camp for under-19 years to be held at Shillong (Meghalaya) for May 11 to 31.

Vivek is currently Chandigarh number one in juniors and he also reached the pre-quarterfinals of the National Junior Badminton Championships held at Chennai last year.

Vivek is a trainee of Surinder Mahajan, a coach of the Sport Authority of India. Surinder Mahajan conducts his coaching at the Panjab University gymnasium hall.

A total of 16 boys and 12 girls figure in the list of campers released by the Badminton Association of India. Mr Iqballuddin of Maharashtra and Mr Manoj Sabat of Orissa will be the coaches for the camp.

When contacted, Vivek said that he was delighted to see his name for the camp where he could further hone his skills and improve upon his weak points by playing with top players of the country.

Plan to revamp nurseries, sports facilities
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 22—A plan to revamp the nurseries and sports facilities in government schools is on the anvil and the Education Department has the project, spread over the entire year, worked out.``The idea of opening these model nurseries was to do away with the dull image the government schools are associated with, and experiment with the playway method of teaching. Since it is only at the initial stages that creativity can be cultivated in the minds of the students, we will promote development of the mind in an interesting fashion, second to none,'' Mrs Anuradha Gupta, Education Secretary, said while disclosing the project.

To begin with, eight schools — Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Dhanas, Government Model Middle School, Sector 42, Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 10, the GMSSS, Sector 19, the GSSS, Sector 38 (West), the GMSSS, Sector 21, the GMSSS, Sector 32, and the GMSSS, Sector 33 — have been identified for the project of building model nurseries, while the ninth school, the GMSSS, Sector 46, has the distinction of being the first school to have a model nursery this year.

Last December, one such model nursery was inaugurated in the GMHS, Sector 34, which marked the beginning of the project. Mrs Gupta said the first model nursery was very well received and the success prompted the department to experiment further.

Besides planning for colourful interiors, the department has come up with ideas to arouse the students' interest.``We are using colourful plastic chairs in place of the regular desks and benches. This is one small effort to add zing to these classes which will have audio-video facilities to make teaching an interesting affair for the students who play truant more often than not,'' says Mr DS Mangat, DPI Schools and Colleges.

The added attractions in these model nurseries will be charts painted with scenes from different stories or cutouts of the characters featuring in the stories adorning the wall which will help the teacher concerned to keep the students' interest in the stories alive.

Further, these model nurseries will have some area earmarked for a place where the children can play with sand and plastercine. Multi-coloured blocks, story books using pictures for the tales, audio-videos churning out popular nursery rhymes and visits to gardens and zoos to give the children a feel of what they are learning will make learning fun for the children seeking admission to these schools. Puppetry and imagery will be the highpoints of these nurseries.

Though no new recruitments will be made, the existing staff will be trained for the purpose and workshops in collaboration with the Department of Child Development, Government Home Science College, Sector 10, will be organised for the teachers, says Mrs Sudesh Kalra, Deputy Director, Adult Education and in charge of the project.

She adds:``These introductions are the result of concerted efforts to gather the best from all schools and our visits to the various schools have paid off. We have a concoction which will bring the much-needed fizz back to our nursery classes.''

To develop interest among students in sports and encourage participation in games, the department has collected comprehensive data from schools which include the area available with them, specialisation of sports teachers in particular games, the games students are interested in introducing in their schools and the like. Also, the department has tied up with the Sports Department and has been assured of the use of coaching centres all over the city, provided the students are accompanied by their teachers.

``This will not cost us much and at the same time, it will bring back these children to the classes and increase the participation of children in sports which have taken a backseat for most of them,'' Mr Mangat says about the two projects.

Resentment against liquor shop
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, April 22 — Resentment is brewing up among residents of Sector 21 here against the opening of a liquor shop in the sector market. The agitated residents demonstrated in front of the shop this evening.

They lament that the liquor shop, which opened early this month, had made it impossible for the peace-loving residents of the sector, especially women, to go to the market to make their daily purchases.

Quoting guidelines of a minimum distance for opening a liquor vend from a religious place or an educational institution, the residents say that both conditions were not being adhered to in this case.

With a demand to shift the vend, the House Owners Welfare Association of the sector met the Deputy Commissioner and the District Excise and Taxation Officer (DETC). Mr D.P.Gautam, President of the association, said the liquor contractor had promised to shift the shop if directed by the authorities concerned.

Efforts by the residents to convince the authorities concerned to get the vend shifted had failed to yield any results, said Mr Gautam. The agitated residents today demonstrated in front of the vend. Memorandums in this connection were submitted to the Superintendent of Police and the Administrator of HUDA.