Memories of The Tribune
By V.S. Mahajan

OF all the newspapers, I have had the longest association with The Tribune now lasting for over six decades. In fact, it has been far far longer than with any other newspaper. While in school I became a keen a reader of this paper, particularly the news and letters to the editor and often wondered whether I could contribute something of public interest.

However, I did not want to face failure in my very first attempt, that I thought was bad enough. But then writing something for this paper which could be accepted was not so easy.

At that time in the 1930s Lahore had acquired almost metropolitan status and it was the largest city in the north, even Delhi was less known, and only two prestigious English dailies were published from here one was Civil and Military Gazette and the other The Tribune. The former was patronised by the British and their followers, mostly bureaucrats, while The Tribune was the most popular middle class newspaper who looked at it not for providing them information about current happenings but also for its editorials and articles which provided balanced view without any colouring.

So, I had to work quite hard in case I wanted my piece to appear in The Tribune. I thought it over several times and ultimately decided to begin this attempt by writing a letter to the editor, which had good chances for publication. I planned with great care the title of this letter so that it was interesting and appealing. I worked hard for the contents of this letter. I prepared one draft after another, and when I thought it was enough I myself typed out the final draft weeding out any possible last-minute error. When finally ready I posted the envelope myself from the GPO and thereafter every morning searched carefully the letters column of The Tribune. I felt disappointed when it did not show up for quite sometime, so anxious I was to see in print that I barely realised that such a piece from a very unknown person like me would take its own time.

One fine morning, after I had lost all hopes it was a pleasant surprise that there was my letter in black and white. I was overwhelmed with joy that ultimately my efforts had borne fruits and there was my letter before me published in a prestigious daily, though it had been subjected to much editing. I showed to everybody and preserved its cutting with great care. For, was it not an achievement for my age and then at the very first attempt!

Writing for The Tribune since has followed wherever I happened. After partition in August, 1947, when I was in the Kurukshetra refugee camp I wrote long letters to The Tribune mainly ventilating the sorry state of affairs that prevailed at that time and suggesting how the administration could improve it. Later, when I had moved to Simla and subsequently to Calcutta, I continued to be in touch with The Tribune. Meanwhile, I had graduated from letters to articles when some of my articles also began to appear in The Tribune.

When I was in London in the mid-fifties pursuing higher education, I would make it a point to visit The Indian High Commission’s office which fortunately happened to be close to my study place and anxiously looked forward to read The Tribune which was displayed along with other leading newspapers from India in the reading room. I would feel my visit incomplete unless I had spent good part of time in knowing what was happedning in Punjab and neighbouring areas in particular. Such was the attraction for this paper which at that time was published from Ambala.

Much later when I had settled in Chandigarh and The Tribune had also shifted to its present, permanent premises, I had more opportunity to write for The Tribune. For over a decade I was closely associated with it for reviewing a large number of titles in economics, the list ultimately was large enough to be published in a book form.

What is strong attraction behind this newspaper, I have often wondered? It is natural for one born in this area to read this newspaper which provides maximum coverage of local news and this attraction grows much stronger as one happens to be cut off from this side by long distance. Now with The Tribune’s satellite edition being there one can have these news any time, anywhere.

Apart from this, this paper has other attractions. This paper has strong roots for independent and fearless coverage.

This newspaper on the whole has been nourished by a coterie of independent editors, who have been, left free to pursue their own thinking, unlike most other newspapers where editors are generally under pressure to safegurarad the policy of the management. That’s why its editorials, articles news and views have maintained their own tone of objectivity and independence. Because of this, this paper has been able to withstand several onslaughts from politicians, government, as well terrorists and its views have been accepted by the public and critics. It is for this tradition that makes this as a separate newsaper; particularly for an average Punjabi the cup of morning tea is incomplete without a copy of this paper.

‘India should help Pakhtoons’
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 28 — “An independent Pakhtoonistan is the only lasting solution to end the Pakistan-aided militancy in Kashmir and the war-like situation in Kargil created by the direct involvement of the Pakistan army, bent on redefining the Line of Control,” said 74-year-old Dr Desh Raj Bhangi, a veteran freedom fighter and a staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi, who has dedicated his life towards the service of the Dalits and the downtrodden. He stated that this was the only effective measure to check the growing insurgency which was taking its toll on the armed forces.

According to Dr Bhangi, during his visit to Jalalabad in Afghanistan in April, 1967, Frontier Gandhi had said that all dialogue with Pakistan was futile and fraught with danger because even if a part of Kashmir was given to Pakistan as piecemeal offering, Pakistan would not change its policy, since Indo-Pak friendship was a contradiction in terms and the very foundation of Pakistan was based on hatred and the two-nation theory.

“Frontier Gandhi wanted to remind the Indian nation to fulfil Gandhiji’s pledge, given at the time of Partition, of coming to their help when they sought help to free themselves from the clutches of Pakistan,’’ Dr Bhangi recalled.

Dr Bhangi, in various letters to Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, had made inquiries on the kind of help the Pakhtoons expected from India after coming across a statement made by Abdul Gaffar Khan saying, “If Gandhiji were alive today, he would have remembered us and come to our aid. Alas, he is no more and the rest have forgotten us.” In his subsequent meetings and communication to Dr Bhangi, Frontier Gandhi said that attacking Pakistan for the atrocities committed on the Pakhtoons for “being Hindu agents”, would make matters worse because Pakistan would cleverly play up the Hindu-Muslim card and win the support of the international community. Instead, India could help by arranging for the supply of weapons and providing experts for training the men of the army of Pakhtoons preparing to take on the Pakistanis, he had suggested.

He further wants India to lend support to the movement “to atone for the betrayal of the Pakhtoons by the Congress at the time of Partition and the forgetfulness of the pledge by the subsequent governments which came to power’’ which would be a shot in the arm for the movement, headed by Khan Abdul Wali Khan, the son of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, to muster support for Pakhtoonistan.

Dr Bhangi suggested that time was now ripe for any kind of help required by the Pakhtoons to give a crushing blow to the “Pakistani wolves’’ and ensuring the creation of Pakhtoonistan comprising the North West Frontier Province and the free belt near the Durand Line to “get rid of the thorn in the flesh—Pakistan’’.

Getting lepers cured his aim
By Pankaj Shukla

CHANDIGARH, June 28 — Some persons have devoted their life for the welfare of others but remain behind the curtains throughout their life. One such person is Permanand Das, a rickshaw-puller from Khagaria district of Bihar. For the past eight years, he is staying in the verandahs of shop-cum-offices in Sector 17.

Once a leprosy patient, he not only get himself cured, but has also helped six other persons to get out of the grasp of the disease. A few years ago, he had painless skin patches on his body. On the advice of one of his friends, he got himself treated at General Hospital, Sector 16, and fully recovered. This was a turning point in his life.

Permanand got so much motivated that to help leprosy patients became his aim. He also brought his wife Asha Rani from the village for treatment.

His commitment did not stop here. He persuaded some more people from his native village, including Srikant and Manoj, rickshaw-pullers, and Allahudin and Shankar Das, labourers, for treatment at his own expense. Two of them have now fully recovered. Shankar Das and Allahudin are under treatment.

Permanand has shown leadership skills as he felt concern for his co-villagers. He has been actively involved in the cure of his friends and neighbours suffering from leprosy in this unique social service.

Tibetan on world peace mission
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 28 — Even as India and Pakistan are locked in a bloody conflict in the Kargil region and the Kosovo crisis continues unabated, a Tibetan youth from Bangalore is on a unique world peace mission.

Tenzin Chodar, who arrived in the city today as part of his peace mission, is focussing the attention of the countrymen for global peace and freedom of Tibet. For spreading the message of world peace, he distributes pamphlets as he moves from one city to another on his mobike.

Embarking on the peace mission on May 20 from Bangalore, Tenzin had so far covered over 6,000 km on his mobike. Till now, he had been to Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Sharing his experiences, Tenzin told Tribune News Service that lack of any sponsors notwithstanding, the response from the people had been overwhelming. Though he had spent over Rs 35,000, yet the hospitality of the people and dhaba owners on the way has moved him.

He said he got the inspiration for the peace mission while doing a form of meditation—"vipassana" — so as to "contribute something to the world peace according to his capacity".

Through his pamphlets with messages like the NATO bombing is not a solution to peace and the understanding and friendship of India and Pakistan are important for world peace, Tenzin strives to elicit the support of the public for the cause of world peace.

Another pamphlet draws the attention of the common man to the plight of the Tibetans and makes startling revelations like over 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed under Chinese rule, more than 6,000 monasteries destroyed and Tibet, once a peaceful buffer between India and China, has been transformed into a vast military base.

Tenzin, who intends to conclude his tour in Mumbai in August, said he was also planning a world tour.

Lack of maintenance disappointing tourists
Tribune News Service

PINJORE, June 28 — Even as the Haryana Tourism Department has undertaken certain measures to improve the sagging image of the historic Yadvindra Gardens here, lack of maintenance of certain facilities continues to disappoint thousands of tourists thronging this place known in the past for its beauty and grandeur.

Though the front of the garden is being given a facelift with a fresh coat of plaster, once a visitor enters the walled place, the joy of being in a place of serenity evaporates. Non-functional fountains and certain dry water-features takes away most of the charm of the visit.

Green coloured dirty water in some of the water-features enroute the channel which runs almost from the entrance to the end of the garden, speaks for itself about the upkeep of the garden. Mr Parmod Kumar, a tourist from Delhi, who along with his family stopped at the garden on way to Shimla, said, "The fountains are run only when a VIP visits the garden. We had heard a lot about the garden."

Broken sidewalls of the canal, uprooted electricity fittings and broken lights present a poor picture. A number of coloured lights used to illuminate the fountains are non-functional. Besides, lack of proper lighting in certain areas of the garden, especially around animal cages, makes it difficult for tourists to venture here when darkness sets in.

Enquires reveal that the fountains were run for three hours from 7 p.m daily. An employee at the garden said excessive electricity bill was the main reason for restricting the hours of running the fountains.

Questioning the decision of the Tourism Department to run the fountains for limited hours, Mr A.S. Shekhawat, a tourist from Rajasthan, said the government was earning lakhs of rupees from tourists as entry fee. It seemed that the money was not being used for the upkeep of the garden, he said.

Enquires reveal that each year, contracts for selling eatables, joy rides and parking lots fetch the Tourism Department lakhs of rupees.

Besides, the contract for collection of fruit-bearing trees in the complex of the garden also goes for lakhs of rupees. The tourist flow which had been badly affected during the prohibition period in the state had picked up but was much below the expected level, felt shopkeepers who run shops in front of the garden. A number of tourists complain of being fleeced by shops selling eatables in the garden complex.

To improve the image of the garden, the Tourism Department has undertaken a number of measures like relaying the bed of the canal in which the fountains are installed. Some structures in the garden are being given a fresh lease of life.

Besides, birds are absent from a number of enclosures in the garden. Sources said the aviaries maintained by the Wild Life Department had been empty ever since the birds were stolen a few months back.

PU hostel repairs yet to begin
By Rupesh Kumar

CHANDIGARH, June 28 — Though the summer vacation has been declared in almost all academic departments of Panjab University and most of the inhabitants have vacated their hostels, but neither any repair work nor white-washing of the hostels for boys have begun so far.

The hostels are surrounded by bushes of congress grass and other shrubs which breed infectious flies, insects and even snakes and monkeys. Hostelers, on the condition of anonymity, said those living in ground floor rooms have to suffer a lot as the infectious flies, seasonal insects and snakes enter their rooms.

The cleanliness of the bathrooms and toilets is given proper attention but most of them have broken doors, non-working flushes and insufficient number of cloth hangers. Though water supply is sufficient, but due to lack of proper arrangement, the residents of the top floor of these hostels face scarcity of water. As a result, they have to depend on the bathrooms situated on the first or the ground floors.

The Secretary of the Panjab University Students Council, Mr Akhil Goyal, said, "Neither the flushes in the toilets are working nor the bathrooms and the lavatories have proper doors and sufficient clothes hangers." He alleged that several windows are without panes and the parking sheds of the hostels had become godowns, which instead of giving shelter to vehicles, were housing chairs, benches and damaged furniture of these hostels.

The absence of proper maintenance and light arrangements, has made pitiable the condition of the parking sheds.

Mr Goyal said, "I invite the Vice-Chancellor to reside in any of the hostels, even for a day." He alleged that officials had misinformed the VC regarding the living conditions of the hostelers.

The six hostels, meant for the boy students of the university, comprise around 2,000 rooms, including dormitories, but there is no provision of first-aid boxes. A hosteler said, "A couple of months back, the absence of the first-aid boxes in the hostels created hardships to several residents, who got injured due to the tremor in the city. "

Varinder Kumar, a hosteler, complained that the authorities do not supply the requisite furniture to every resident. He also alleged that there was a lot of difference between the rooms of wardens and those of the hostelers.

In some hostels, electric wires are found naked in the corridors as well as bathrooms. If not given attention, this loose wiring can endanger the lives of the residents. The residents lamented that the space marked out for basketball and volleyball courts, was in a deplorable condition as requisite infrastructure is missing.

The closure of the mess and canteen of several hostels till the new academic session has created problems for the students of pharmaceutical science and research scholars. They said, "Our examination will continue till July 3, but due to the indifferent attitude of the authorities concerned, our exam plan has been disturbed as most of the messes and canteens have been closed."

Similarly, research scholars have their own tale to tell. "Because of our research schedules, we have to stay in hostels throughout the vacation. The closure of messes and canteens, has given severe a setback to our researches and led to wastage of precious time as well as money," the scholars said, adding that they have to cover a long distance to take meals which is neither tasty nor cheap.

The scholars demanded that if the university wanted the expected results from their researches, they should provide alternative food arrangements to them. They alleged that the university was discriminating between the boys and the girls as during the summer vacation, the mess and canteen of two of the four hostels for girls remained open.

The scholars opined that if all the research scholars were accommodated in a hostel during the vacation, it would be easy for the authorities to provide food.

On the other hand, the hostellers complained that as a result of the vacant post of Dean, Students Welfare (DSW), they have to suffer as there is nobody to redress their grievances.

Dr B.S. Ghuman, who has been looking after the day-to-day work of the DSW, said, "Due to the UGC exams of the students, the university has to keep open the messes and canteens of three hostels for boys but after their closure from June 28, the repair work and white-washing will be started." Dr Ghuman said that the repair work had been started in hostel numbers 1and 2.

He added that during the summer vacation, the university had to close the mess and canteens as the mess servants also need a vacation once a year as also for the repair and white-washing of the hostels. He disclosed that the mess and canteen of two of the hostels for girls remained open as at night, it would not be safe for the girls to go outside for eating.

‘Oppression good for cinema’
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 28 — "A little oppression, in any country, is always good for meaningful cinema." This was stated here today by Dr Geza Belhlenfalvy, Director of the Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, New Delhi. He is in the city in connection with the Festival of Films from Hungary, to be screened by the Chandigarh Film Society. The festival began today.

Talking about his country's legacy of 50 years of communism till the year of the Hungarian uprising against Russian rule in 1956, Dr Geza said a lot of Hungarian films have been made on the oppressive communist regime. "Somebody had to tell the story of those times, and even today people have tears in their eyes while viewing theses films. People like me, who have lived in those times, throw up sometimes when we watch in films, the tyranny that our people had to bear," he added.

Giving reasons why Hungarian-born film-makers like Korda, known for films like 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' and 'The Private Life of Helen of Troy', leave for Hollywood, he said, "Hollywood has taken over Hungarian films and our film industry is just a patch on the sleeve of the Hollywood film industry. Films like 'Titanic' are a roaring success in Hungary, but still our industry is surviving. I personally do not like to see Hollywood films, because I do not like unneccesary violence in films. Today, there is a tussle between art cinema and commercial cinema," said Dr Geza.

Commenting on the state of cinema halls in Hungary, Dr Geza said these were a losing proposition because television had taken over movies in a big way.

On Hindi films, he said, "We do have Indo-Hungarian film festivals back home but the 'real' Hindi cinema is not shown. I remember seeing Mira Nair's 'Salaam Bombay', which did quite well in Budapest."

'Dolly Birds', directed by Timar Peter, was screened today at the Institute of Microbial Technology, Sector 39. The film begins when Yuri Gagarin flew into space in 1962 and World War III almost broke out.

'Prosecution', directed by Sara Sandor, will be screened tomorrow at the same venue. Set in December, 1944, it centres around a farming family preparing for peace and love but distress enters their lives.

'Video Blues' directed by Arpad Sopsits, will be screened at the CSIO Auditorium on June 30.

Army welfare fund exempt from IT
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 28 — Contributions made to the Army Central Welfare Fund (ACWF) are fully exempt from income tax under Section 80 G of the Income Tax Act, 1961, says a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau here today.

Those desirous of helping may send their contributions through a crossed cheque or draft in favour of the Army Central Welfare Fund to the Deputy Director (CW 8), Adjutant General’s branch, Army Headquarters, West Block III, Room number 76, R.K. Puram, New Delhi.

Contributions to the fund may also be sent to the Colonel A, Headquarters, Western Command, Chandi Mandir, for submission to the ACWF.

This has been done in view of the whole-hearted support by the citizens of the country in offering their voluntary service to the nation and monetary offerings to support the families of soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice and those who were permanently disabled in Operation Vijay.

As a mark of respect to the brave soldiers of the nation, employees of Oriental Insurance Company, Chandigarh Chapter, have decided to contribute one day’s salary to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. The money is for the rehabilitation of the next of kin and the welfare of those were injured while saving the borders of the country in Operation Vijay.

This would be followed by blood donation camps and collection of items needed by the soldiers in Kargil, according to a statement by Mr S.M. Garg, Regional Manager, today.

The Army Welfare Housing Organisation Cooperative and Maintenance Society, Sector 47 C, has donated Rs 12,000 to the ACWF. According to Col H.K. Dev (retd), President of the society, many ex-servicemen have offered their services to the Army.

Meanwhile, employees of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) have decided to contribute one day’s salary to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the welfare of the soldiers fighting in Kargil. This was stated by Mr Vijay Kumar, General Secretary of the CTU Employees Union, today.