Selling in the name of ‘the cause’
By Sonoo Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 25 — A leading shoe-company had recently announced that all Indian soldiers would be given 50 per cent off on purchases made from their exclusive stores as part of a drive to do their bit for the Kargil heroes. And at the bottom of the advertisement which had made this announcement was a fine print that said, "This is valid for purchases worth Rs 5,000 and above only". Wow! talk about the benefits that our Indian soldiers are slated for, now that the battle seems to have been won by them.

With the media finally managing to bring the war right into our bed-rooms through the various television channels and newspapers and magazines giving details of Operation Vijay, the Kargil issue has managed to not only whip up the patriotic emotions in a big way but also set the cash registers rolling. Otherwise, why would a television company advertise its latest technology and beckon the customers since some parts of the proceeds would be given for "the cause".

The latest to do the rounds of the market these days are t-shirts which have banners embossed on them, proclaiming, "I am for Kargil". One t-shirt company had even added its own name on the t-shirt with the word "Kargil" lost somewhere in small letters.

The people of City Beautiful made their own little contributions for "the cause". A plethora of fashion shows, marches, and even art shows, both by professionals and amateurs, were held to pay homage to the heroes and the martyrs of Kargil. But nothing could beat the recent rally taken out by dogs and dog-lovers, in which the four-legged creatures had containers hanging around their necks to make collections for the soldiers. There was even a boxing match to collect funds, and the highlight of this show — a boxing bout between the fairer sex.

When everything from "Yeh Dil Mange More" to "I am for Kargil" is being used to adorn t-shirts, and now also cars and scooters, how could greeting cards not come out proclaiming their love for motherland. Yes, it was maybe only after taking a cue from some school-children busy making huge greeting cards to be sent for the soldiers, that card companies also have now come up with such cards, full with weepy sentimentality over the love of India and the loss of our valiant soldiers-- and all at a cost to be contributed for the welfare of the Kargil soldiers ?

With everybody clamouring for their 15-minutes of fame, even the bride who donated her entire wedding jewellery was being beamed into our homes through our television sets. So why should the one proclaiming to marry "any Kargil widow" and offer his mite to the cause, not demand to be featured on all the front pages of at least the city editions, to glorify the sacrifice being made by a young eligible bachelor ?

So anything in the name of a cause goes, and everything sells. In fact who would call you patriotic if you did not buy tickets to see your favourite stars or even singing sensations perform on the stage — all for a cause? So what if you contributed your one day's salary, again for the cause, but did not get your name printed in the newspapers in the list of the contributors? It does reap dividends to work in the age of a "cause".

Parts of ‘Shanti Kunj’ neglected
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 25 — Though the Sector 16 ‘Shanti Kunj’ garden is beautiful enough to impress and make anyone visiting it for the first time fall in love with it, parts of the garden offer ample proof of neglect on part of the authorities towards the place.

In 1975, the place was developed by the UT Horticulture Department officials by keeping the concept of a Japanese garden in mind so that residents could be provided with an ambience of peace, but it somehow failed to take off. Later, it was renovated and renamed ‘Shanti Kunj’, and was handed over to the local Municipal Corporation after its coming into being in 1996. Since then, the small but beautiful place is under the supervision of the horticulture wing of the civic body.

This time the plantation was done in such a way that it depicted four stages of human life. This was done by planting pink flowers at the entrance, then red and orange in the middle and white in the last part of the garden.

The very first thing which greets a visitor is small hedges lined up along both sides of footpaths in beautiful and colourful patterns. Next attraction is a bridge over the Leisure Valley nullah which further adds to the beauty of the place. As one passes the bridge, one is in the midst of a wide lush green lawn studded with a number of flowerbeds and circular footpaths. A new addition is a water feature adorned with lotus plants, almost half of which had been converted into a stage by the municipal corporation authorities.The decision of the civic body had drawn flak from a large section of nature lovers, whose contention was that there should be no stage at the place, the very existence of which was envisaged for taking visitors to a realm of peace and tranquillity.

According to sources, earlier, there was no stage at the place, and the entire water feature was used for growing lotus flowers only so that people could relish the beauty of elegant flowers by sitting on small benches set up around the place.

And one could rejoice the beauty of nature at its peak by confronting a ‘wall’ of tiny and colourful ‘sawani’ flowers in lakhs along Madhya Marg.

What puts off a visitor is a number of spots, which need a lot of care and upkeep. Most of these spots are located in the backyard of the cricket stadium and at the entrance of the garden facing Sector 23. All lawns near these places are full with grass and wild growth and even trash. The worst spot is part of the nullah near the stadium where one could see heaps of garbage and non-biodegradable material. At some places, the heavy flow of water after rains has caused damage to a number of trees by eroding their base. Same is the case with part of the garden near the entrance from the Sector 16 side where one thing which dominates the scene is nothing but wild growth.

Carcasses’ smell worries residents
From A Correspondent

PANCHKULA, July 25— The foul smell emanating from the dead animals thrown across the road at Rail Vihar and Army flats in Sector 4 in the Mansa Devi Complex here has made the lives of residents miserable. The recent dumping of garbage here has further aggravated the situation.

According to residents, the process of dumping of dead animals has been continuing here for long. Stating that the carcasses of animals usually come from Panchkula and Mani Majra, they add the stench emanating from the heap has led to breathing problems.

''Birds and wind force foul smell into our premises,'' residents say, adding that the population of insects and flies has increased manifold. Mr S.S.Negi, who is here with his family for holidaying, laments that as he has invested a large amount of money in the allotment of the flat, he has no other option but to stay. ''Had I known about the dumping of the dead animals, I would not have opted for this flat,'' he says.

Pigs and birds, including vultures, can be seen feeding on the carcasses.

The General Secretary of the Rail Vihar Residents Association, Mr A.D. Sehgal, says several memoranda and requests have fallen on deaf ears. In spite of several applications to the Chief Administrator, HUDA, nothing fruitful has been done by the officials concerned, he says, adding that foul smell forces them to keep the windows and balconies of their houses closed.

Inhabitants and shopkeepers of Bhainsa Tibba village in the Mansa Devi Complex have a similar story to tell. They say that the rise in the number of insects and bad odour have made their lives hell. It has forced several shopkeepers to abandon their business.

Residents and shopkeepers fear outbreak of an epidemic due to the problem.

The Chief Administrator of HUDA was not available for comments.

'Extra-curricular activities vital'
By Poonam Batth
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 25 — The present education system is curriculum oriented and puts enormous pressure on the children by way of competitions and entrance examinations right from the start, laments Mrs Sumati Kanwar, Principal of I S Dev Samaj Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 21. The excessive pressure leads to after-school studies by way of tuitions and coaching classes. This leaves very little time for the children to pursue any hobbies and extra-curricular activities, which are so vital for the development of good social values and leadership qualities in them, she adds.

Keeping this in view, school should stress on the all-round development of the child and prepare them to face the competitive world with confidence. According to her, their school's motto "Acquire Knowledge and Form Character'' is most appropriate in the changing scenario. She reveals that special emphasis is laid on the development of good moral values, which was the basic aim for which Bhagwan Dev Atma, the founder of Dev Samaj had started numerous educational institutions for girls in the beginning of this century. Stress is laid on helping the children acquire a balanced personality, sound knowledge and plenty of self-confidence, she asserts.

An ace basketball player, Mrs Kanwar has represented India in the Asian Basketball Championship at Hong Kong, besides participating at various national and state-level tournaments. With a post-graduate degree in physical education, Mrs Sumati Kanwar is one of those few who have risen to become the principal of a school on the basis of her twin achievements in academics and sports.

At present doing her doctorate in physical education from Panjab University, she has worked as lecturer in physical education in Shivalik College, Naya Nangal; Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar; DAV Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar. She took over as Principal in November, 1997. She has also been participating in handball, athletics and hockey.

With this background, she believes in giving equal attention to sports and other extra-curricular activities. She says that Saturday is normally observed as an activity day and emphasis is laid on organising activities like painting, quiz, slogan-writing, debates, declamation, lectures and excursions on a regular basis. The school is presently running three sports centres in basketball, cricket and kho-kho on behalf of the UT Sports Department and has won distinctions in shooting, cricket, badminton and basketball in 1998-1999. According to her, students with a sports background are always more alert both physically and mentally and have a good social bearing.

"Explore your hidden talent, develop it further and excel in it. Don't let it bury under the weight of textbooks. This can provide you a nice hobby and even a promising career.'' This is her message for the students of today, who are the torch-bearers of society. The schools must provide them a healthy atmosphere where they can develop and realise their immense potential.

She maintains that a good teacher is one who has the knack to come down to the mental level of the students and relate to them more effectively. He/she should not only identify the peculiar talent in a child but also help him exploit the same. His temperament should be such that students feel free to discuss their problems and he should try and make a positive difference in their lives.

The role of parents becomes most important, particularly during the early impressionable years when children spend more time at home. Since, the initial 4-5 years are important for metal and psychological development, parents are the first role models. Mrs Kanwar is of the view that parents should try and spend more quality time with children which will have a bearing on their character. They should also be in regular touch with the teachers to know of their wards performance.

She is strongly opposed to the idea of corporal punishment for it hurts the self-esteem of the child and also hampers his development. Teachers should be patient and understanding while tackling the problems of adolescents and teenagers for a strict attitude will only make them more defiant. However, corporal punishment can be used as a last resort and that too in rare cases.

She further maintains that teaching is slowly moving out of the classrooms to the tuition houses as over-ambitious parents force their children to take private tuitions in this age of competitions. There is an urgent need to check this menace as it not only over-burdens the student, but also makes it difficult for parents to afford the high cost of tuitions, thus creating inequality in society. The schools should take pride in preparing children to face board examinations without resorting to external help from tutors. The school should conduct extra-classes during zero-period and holidays, both for the weak and the intelligent students to achieve excellent results.

Mrs Kanwar is of the view that there should be a single examination body to ensure uniformity in the standard of curriculum and examinations. She further suggests that to revive the importance of the board examinations, 50 per cent weightage should be given to the marks scored in the board examinations and the remaining 50 per cent could be given to the entrance examinations.

Talking about the future plans, she disclosed that she plans to start the non-medical stream in plus two from the next academic session. More emphasis will be laid on imparting moral education and improving performance in sports. She will also strive to improve the standard of English in this otherwise ordinary school so that pass outs of this school do no lag behind others. She has already taken a step in this direction by making English compulsory from Class 1 so as to help them have a better base. She also plans to regularly monitor the upgradation of the computer centre and the school library. The NSS wing will also be started shortly.

She is of the firm opinion that in the field of education, there is no end to achieve excellence and therefore no place for complacency. Hence, together we shall continue to experiment and strive for more success.