City shakes, rattles and rolls
By A Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, July 18 — "We like to party, we like to party," chirp Vengaboys in their latest album. Well, they are not alone. There are any number of youth, both boys and girls, in Chandigarh who like to party. They would do it round-the-clock if they had their way. The involvement of people in parties and celebrations now seems so intense that some of them, especially youth, refuse to do without it. They feel that partying liberates one's mind from tensions of routine chores.

Confined to special occasions like marriage anniversaries and birthdays till not long ago, partying is fast becoming a way of life with the youth now. Any occasion is good enough to get together with friends and dance away till well past midnight. The occasion can be a birthday, Valentine's Day, an anniversary, Christmas, Diwali, Holi, new year's eve or just entertaining friends and family.

A typical party starts around seven in the evening and tapers off around midnight. The number of persons attending it varies from 20 to 200. Snacks, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, and drinks, including soft drinks and beer, are available in plenty. The music is loud. Fast western beats and also popular Indipop numbers by the likes of Daler Mehndi, Jassi and Mika, among others, are played. Dancing partners are generally well behaved. Incidents of brawls are rare. There are occasions when friendships are struck at such get-togethers and blossom into an affair.

There are all sorts of parties — birthday parties, dance parties, anniversary parties, drink parties. Parties attract not only bachelors but also married couples and students.

Mr Anuj, an employee of Intel, who parties to get socially rejuvenated says, "You renew old acquaintances, get to meet new persons and sometimes, have fruitful discussions with friends." He says that parties have become more enjoyable with girls too going to these.

Ms Jasmine, a student, does not party much with her friends because her parents do not like it. Still, she feels like partying. She generally goes to dinners with her family on birthdays and anniversaries and that's what she calls celebrating.

Mr Vijay Chabbra, a businessman, who loves to party with his family and friends, says that there has not been much change in the party culture in the last six years.

Ms Deepti, a final-year student, likes to party without any special reason. She enjoys going 'uphill' with her friends and prefers to party at her residence.

Ms Arvind, a medical student, cannot party much now because of her studies. But, she tries to party whenever she gets a chance. She relishes going to fast food joints as she likes the kind of food these places offer.

Mr Amarpreet, an engineer with canon who parties approximately once a month, goes 'uphill' with friends for a day or two to have a break from his routine work. Ms Kiran, another party lover, prefers to join friends and family at fast food joints and enjoys going to movies. She says, she parties to relax and enjoy. Partying-trends are changing, according to her, as people are more outgoing now than before. She thanks cable television for bringing in a change in the outlook of people.

Mr Pradhuman, a law student and a party freak, says that there has been a big change in the attitude of people towards parties. "Girls never used to attend parties earlier. Things have undergone a sea change now. This may be because parents nowadays are more liberal with regard to their daughters.

Not everybody likes parties. Mrs Shikha Sood, a housewife, abhors parties because she finds them "suffocating". She believes that such parties are nothing more than occasions to show-off.

Priya and her friend Nishu both are fond of partying. They mainly party in the evening to release their tensions and feel happy.

Partying, thus can be one of the most preferred choices of millions if it keeps out all its negative attributes.

Few care for the old, retired
By Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 18 — Old age, it is said, is second childhood, bringing along with its ugliness the comfort that one will soon be out of it — out of the war, out of debt, out of the blues, and any regrets. The staggering walk, shrivelled faces, and melancholy eyes speak volumes of the loneliness within while the world goes on without much care for the old.

Unfortunately, many consider them to be burdensome, worthless and expendable appendages of the family. For the old, the greatest compensation comes by way of freedom of spirit, liberation from envy, hatred and malice, which drives them to spend as much time away from home and materialism as they possibly can. Gardens are their favourite haunts, an oasis in the desert of old age, a constant reminder of their days of childhood and youth.

White-haired and solemn looking Mr Mahinder Singh, accompanied by his wife Mrs Charanjit Walia, is disgusted with life as also with the people around. Sitting in one corner of the garden, on a bench, their initial reaction to any approaching company is plain disgust and they make no bones of it.

“Anybody who wants to talk to us is a major source of headache for both of us. We are completely uninterested and disinterested in striking a conversation with anybody and want to be left alone. Does exchanging pleasantries with a stranger serve any purpose? When our children have chosen to walk out of our lives, why should a stranger be interested in walking in to share our sorrows? They all want to have fun at our cost,’’ the husband explains.

The wife, slowly responding to questions, says, “There is hardly any thing we talk among ourselves. From this bench, we watch the flowing traffic, life going on while reminding ourselves that we have nothing to look forward to. We don’t wish to visit our children and don’t want to see them. Also, there is no use reflecting on the past, the present is all we have and all we ask for is silence and peace, nothing more nothing less.’’

They don’t wish to divulge information about themselves, who they are, where they stay and what has made them remorseful because they firmly believe that nobody is listening to them because they are afflicted with a disease called “retirement’’ and have nothing to offer to anybody. They sit idle, helpless and hopeless, waiting to die.

Toothless and feeble, Mr Om Prakash Kapoor, says he is 85 years old and has a certificate to lend authenticity to his claim. “I am a senior citizen and this is all that matters ever since my wife died. Earlier, we would talk for hours on end and I miss her and her company. Everybody in the house is running to stock material possessions but my son is very nice. He peeks into my room after he returns from office, brings me a glass of milk everyday. This is what keeps me going day after day. I eagerly await his arrival and these moments form my bounties for the day,’’ recalls a loving father as he sits on the green grass in the ground with youngsters, all around, engrossed in their game unmindful of the lonely soul who sits in their midst. He is tight-lipped about others in the family.

Showing his bus pass, he says, “This is my card to freedom and enjoyment. Each morning I catch a bus, go to my daughter in Panchkula and when evening sets in, come back and sit in the garden, returning home after dark to sleep in the room allotted to me after a few words with my son. What more can I say,’’ he asks.

Mr Ganesh Dass, retired as an ASI from the police force some 25 years ago. He says, “Honesty is the only thing that pays. If a man earns by foul means, his children will turn out to be devils and will suck the last drop of blood from his body. I keep repeating this to my children and grandchildren and am hoping they will take my advice.’’

Bent on his stick, the old man said, “I have retired and I know what I am worth. At home, I speak very little and spend most of my time in the adjoining temple,’’ he says with eyes twinkling with pride of a bygone era. The attention he gets is sufficient, clearly an indication that he is unheard at home and hinting that his ideas are dismissed with mocking laughter. “I have left my wife back home while I have come out for a whiff of fresh air and will return when my son comes to pick me up,’’ he adds.

A regular at the ground in Sector 20, 60-year old Mr Ramesh Chand, has little he can call his own. “I am a retired soul and my life revolves around the pleasant evenings I spend here. It is nice to know I have company and have made friends with a few retirees who frequent the place everyday. We talk of the latest on the national and international front, discuss the day’s schedule and go back. There is little to talk of the family. Passing time is the idea”, he says.

Mr Suchha Singh, rues, “I’m alone at home all day, nobody to talk to and nothing to do. The garden is a haven for somebody like me. I stay here till noon time and return home, eat my lunch and then its siesta time. After my cat’s nap, I am back here to live life through the children who play in the garden and the young who come for brisk walks. Watching them infuses some excitement in my life.’’ His son, being in the police, spends little time with him and he refuses to talk of his daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

There are many in the garden, each with his her story, living life as a non-entity, spending time looking around, playing cards, reading newspapers, discussing and hoping that someday the evening of their life will bring its lamp and they will quietly fade into oblivion. The traffic on the adjoining road will continue to flow.

'Stress on moral uprightness'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 18 — To keep pace with the changing times, schools should try and impart sound spiritual, moral, intellectual, social and physical education so that the students go out in the world as morally upright, socially concerned, intellectually well-informed and spiritually-oriented persons.

These views were expressed by Sister Josy, Principal of St Annes Convent School, Sector 32, in an interview here today.

According to her, the education system should aim at promoting the growth of an integrated personality of the young pupils. "Emphasis should be laid on making the students imbibe the noble spirit of our ancient land, immensely patriotic, deeply religious and tolerant towards other religions," she adds.

An M.Sc B.Ed in mathematics, Sister Josy has been in the teaching line for the past 16 years. She took over as Principal of this school last year.

Teachers are builders, moulders, guides and artistes. According to Sister Josy, the quality of education is more often that not, the quality of the teacher. Teachers do not only teach what they know, but also what they are. "A good teacher is one who respects the personality of the students and their individual freedom.''

She believes that whatever has to be obtained from children must be got spontaneously so that it may be lasting and because "true liberty is the highest sign of the Divine image in man.'' To meet the requirement of a school, teachers must prepare themselves with diligence to acquire knowledge and obtain necessary qualifications.

Striving to make the learning process more enjoyable and creative, she stresses on the need to make use of the latest techniques like computer projectors, charts etc. Innovation and imagination transform the tedious lessons into fun learning, she maintains. While for the lower classes, she advocates a playway method, in the higher classes, she believes in giving students a wide exposure to exhibit their skills.

The need of the hour is to set them thinking so that they are in a position to form opinions and inculcate right values.

Parents are the first and foremost teachers of their children. Hence, they play a vital role in the formation and information (education) of their wards. According to her, parents ought to take an active and personal interest in the growth of their children. They should provide them with a congenial atmosphere at home so that the children find it easy to assimilate what has been taught in school.

She believes in the maxim "Spare the rod and spoil the child''. One should not spare the rod of affective correction — understanding, forgiveness, acceptance and love. This ,she feels, will go a long way in promoting harmony and brotherhood.

As regards tuitions, it is anathema of education in today's world, not only at the school level, but all levels. Meant to help the weak students, they have over a period become a malpractice. It has led to the commercialisation of education as tutors are busy exploiting the result-oriented craze of students and society.

Answering a question on her preference for the CBSE, she says that since it is the more prevalent system, both at the school as well as competitive levels, the students find it easy to get admissions to professional courses.

The school provides teachers a dignified salary as per school resources, contributory provident fund and gratuity. Besides this, they are also entitled to the benefit of free education for one child and 50 per cent exemption on the education of another child.

Quoting a saying of Oliver Wendel Holmes, Sister Josy's message to students is what lies behind us and what lies before are tiny matters compared to what lies within us therefore, "Sow a thought, reap an action, sow an action, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character, reap a destiny - both individually and collectively to build a new society." She wants her students to have compassion for the poor and the needy.

She plans to lay more emphasis on vocational education and open it's doors to the economically backward sections of the community in the coming years.

Centres lack equipment, facilities
By Arvind Katyal
Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, July 18 — Many coaching centres in various disciplines run by the Sports Department, chandigarh, are not fully equipped. The facilities in Gymnastics Coaching Centre at Moti Ram Arya Senior secondary school, sector 27, are far from adequate.

The department has a gymnastics centre in the Indoor hall in sector 7. It was the centre of activities when badminton was played there. Players like Kanwal Thakur Singh are products of this hall. After the shifting of the badminton centre to sector 42, the Gymnastics coaching centre was opened.

The centre has given the city many good gymnasts, thanks to the ITBP. According to a senior gymnast, between 1980 and 1990, the gymnastics scene was different and many good gymnasts came up due to the dedicated efforts made by coaches.

Now the indoor hall houses almost the entire bureaucracy of the city. It is in a sorry state, which deters players from practising. The ceilings and corners of walls are covered with dust and spider webs. A former gymnast, who used to practise here in the 1990s, says nobody has cared for the hall.

The department has three gymnastics coaching centres — in Sector 7, in MRA School, sector 27, and in St Stephens School, Sector 45. The centre at Shivalik Public School, sector 41, was recently handed over to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

The UT Sports department has two women coaches on deputation from the SAI — madhavi and Neelam, and one male coach — Shashi, of the UT department. When this reporter visited the MRA School in Sector 27, Neelam was giving practice to young girl gymnasts in the ground of the school, with mats and other apparatus lying on grass.

On being asked about the reasons for not doing practice indoors, the coach and the girls had the same answer. They said this was the only place where they had practised for the past many years. In case of rain, the practice had to be abandoned, said Kamalpreet Kaur, who had won a bronze medal at the National School games in Surat this year.

When the girls were asked why they did not practise in the Indoor hall in Sector 7, they said they did not want to miss their present coaching schedule and would like to practise here under their present coach.

Kamalpreet Kaur, who passed her matriculation from Shishu Niketan School, Sector 22, with 80 per cent marks ,was upset as she could not get her sports gradation done. as per the rules of the Sports department, a minimum of four schools should have taken part in the inter-school meet.

Devinder Kaur, a class X student of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Senior secondary School, Sector 35, had also bagged the third position in her event in the National School Games at Surat this year. She had taken part in various national gymnastics championships. In the state championships, both Kamalpreet and Devinder were winners in their respective events.

There are other girls like Monika, a class X student of Government Model school, sector 35, who have performed well in rhythmic gymnastics. Pinki, who studies in class IX in SDJ Model School, has won the first position in uneven bars and has taken part in various national gymnastics championships.

Sita Rawat, who studies in class X in Government High School, sector 7, aims to be an gymnastics coach. She has excelled in artistic gymnastics. She was also a member of the Chandigarh trampoline team, which won the second position in National Trampoline championship at Surat this year.

Sonia, who studies in class XII in Government Girls Senior Secondary School, sector 18, says she has never thought of becoming a national-level gymnast as whenever they go for national championships, the facilities give them an inferiority complex.

Rama Bagga, who studies in class XII in Government Model Senior Secondary school, sector 20, has participated in Senior National Gymnastics in Rajasthan in January this year. She says if they are provided with better equipment and facilities, the results will be different.

All of them have one aim — to continue with gymnastics. They are hopeful that with their present coach and promise of better facilities, they will strive hard to bring a name to Chandigarh in the national circuit.

One of the senior gymnasts says as UT coaches do not have the fear of getting transferred anywhere, there is no acountability. A system should be devised where coaches are asked to produce results or face the music, says a former national gymnast.

When asked about the deterioration of the Sector 7 Indoor hall and lack of equipment in the centres, Mr J.P.S. Sidhu explained that since the hall was quite old, termites had eaten the wooden portion, causing damage to mats and spreading dirt. But recently new mats were provided and soon the hall would be extended. He added that the funds for the same had been sanctioned and the new director Sports, Chandigarh Administration, Mr Ramsekhar, was keen to improve the sport infrastructure in the city.

The Manager of the sector 7 centre, Mr Kashmira Singh, said due to less staff, cleanliness and maintenance had become difficult. Mr Sidhu said more staff had been sanctioned for the centre.

Sale of helmets picks up
From A Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, July 18 — In the wake of the Supreme Court's refusal to stay the operation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict making mandatory the use of helmets by women drivers and pillion-riders, the sale of helmets here picked up today.

When contacted, helmet dealers said that ladies had started buying helmets. They said that some were still awaiting a favourable verdict on a petition filed by former SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra and others. The petition seeks exemption for Sikh women from the use of helmets.

Several unauthorised vendors have come up to sell helmets. Shopkeepers and vendors have been selling "ISI" mark as well as locally made helmets. They maintained that due to heavy weight and high price of the "ISI" mark helmets, people preferred cheaper and light-weight helmets.

Stating that there was no such provision to use ''ISI'' brand helmets, Mr Surinder Pal Singh Ahuja, said that the low-quality mini cap helmets and open face helmets were in demand. He said women were buying helmets just for the sake of formality.

The cost of a non-ISI mark mini cap helmet ranges from Rs 50 to Rs 100, whereas a non-ISI mark open face helmet is priced between Rs 90 and Rs 125. According to dealers, schoolgirls preferred mini cap helmets, whereas ladies wanted open face helmets. Industrial as well as bicycle helmets are also available in the market.

On the other hand, the price of a locally made open face helmets (ISI) ranges from Rs 250 to Rs 350, whereas open face helmets of Studs and Vega (ISI) ranges from Rs 450 to Rs 600. The price of full face helmets of the same brand, though less in demand, ranges from Rs 650 to Rs 1300.

Shopkeepers allege the Estate Office is not taking any steps to curb mushrooming of the unauthorised vendors.

Some residents of the city, especially young girls, expressed their resentment against the decision to make compulsory the use of helmets for the women two-wheeler drivers as well as pillion-riders. Some Sikh women also protested against the decision to wear helmets.

The General Secretary of the Chandigarh unit of the Akali Dal, Mr Narinder Singh Minhas, said if the Sikh women were not exempted from wearing helmets, the party would organise a protest rally and demonstration on Monday.

The Central Coordination Committee of all gurdwaras and Sikh institutions of Chandigarh under the chairmanship of Mr Gurpartap Singh Riar has asked the Sikh women two-wheeler drivers and the pillion-riders to defy the order. The committee has also decided to bear the expenses on challan.

The Chandigarh unit of the Sarab Hind Shiromani Akali Dal under the presidentship of Mr Joginder Singh Sawheny, has in a memorandum to the Administration demanded to exempt ladies two-wheeler drivers as well as pillion-riders from wearing helmets.

‘Raining’ tree attracts many
From Bipin Bhardwaj
From Our Correspondent

CHHAT BIR, July 18 — Kala Gulmohar trees in Chhat Bir Zoological Park have become a centre of attraction for many as these have been “raining” for the past about two weeks.

The trees are reportedly infected by a rare species of an insect, which creates a foam-like dropping on the earth in the shape of droplets. The perpetual dripping of droplets from the twigs and the leaves has become so acute that one can get wet within 10 minutes, standing under one such tree.

According to eyewitnesses, the continuous dripping of water takes the shape of drizzle, virtually turning the area under these trees slushy. The insect gathers foam around itself for self-defence wherever it climbs on the tree. The foam gets melted into water. And being large in quantity, the water even flows through the stems of the trees.

Mr Suman Kumar, who is running a booth of eatables, said he had noticed droplets dripping even in peak summer some days ago. “The “showers” become intense in blazing sun,” claimed Mr Kumar.

A worker of the zoo said delicate leaves of the trees first wither and then dry up after some time. If precautionary measures are not taken in time, even the fully grown trees dry up. Some trees have already dried. The insect has infested certain specific species of trees, he added.

Meanwhile, the Director of the zoo, Dr Vinod Sharma, expressed his ignorance about the dripping of water from the trees. “I will check it out if there is any insect, parasite or bacteria. If some parasite is responsible for it, then a spray of insecticide would be done.”

Leaf analysis of fruit plants
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 18 — Are you interested in ascertaining the exact nutritional status of your fruit or vegetable plant and the exact amount of elements required to correct the excess or deficiency of one or more such elements for balanced growth of a plant?

If yes, all you have to do is just to take or send samples of leafs of a plant or a tree to the Leaf Analysis Laboratory being run by the Department of Horticulture of the Punjab Agriculture University at Ludhiana or its extension offices at different district headquarters in the state or its office in Sector 19 here.

In spite of a low response to the leaf analysis service by farmers of the state due to lack of awareness among them about the facility, the laboratory, the only one of its kind in the state, is serving the fruit and vegetable growers by analysing and making recommendations for ensuring a balance growth of a plant or a tree which is the first condition for a good yield of fruit and vegetable.

While elaborating the working of the laboratory and the problems being faced by it in view of the poor response, Dr Amrik Singh Sandhu, Head, Department of Horticulture, said the process of leaf analysis was best to ensure proper growth of a fruit or vegetable plant as through it the exact amount of deficiency or excess of one or more food elements could be detected and consequently exact dose of that element could be suggested to farmers, who, generally were not aware of the exact requirements of a fruit and hence likely to resort to heavy and unnecessary dose of fertilisers, which could be detrimental to the growth of the tree in more than one ways and could cause antagonistic effect in the tree. "Suppose if element of nitrogen is more it could prevent uptake of potassium by the tree, which in that case will have more vegetative growth than fruits," he added, saying by getting leaf analysed the farmers could ensure a balanced growth by adding the required elements. He said during the analysis it was observed that citrus, pear, mango and peach trees in Punjab and Chandigiarh were generally iron deficient.

On how a farmer could avail of the service which was being extended free of cost, Dr Sandhu said any one interested in getting his crop analysed should get in touch with laboratory officials at Ludhiana or the field staff of the PAU based at district headquarters in the state. He said the farmers or even city-based people were generally unaware of the service being extended by the PAU. "We are getting only about 1,000 samples of plants in a year, and ideally at least 400-500 sample should pour in a month," he said and added that the department had been selecting about five orchards in a district through the district extension specialists under the farm advisory service scheme initiated by the PAU.

Dr Satish K. Narula, the city-based representative of the PAU, said on the pattern of districts, he was collecting samples of plant leafs from orchards in the Mani Majra and Kishangarh belt. He said there were different periods for obtaining samples of different trees. "Samples of peach could be collected from mid-May to mid-July," he said.