Beating heat in their own way
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 2 —The heat is on and the soaring mercury is forcing city, residents to try every rule in the book to beat the heat due to the early onset of summer though frequent powercuts and reduced water supply are adding to their woes, many people are preferring to stay indoors to save themselves from the piercing rays of the sun.

“I manage to remain cool with coolers and air-conditioners at my place. A pint of beer on a hot afternoon, especially during power cuts, works for me”, says Mr H.S. Bains.

Mrs Suman Gupta, a lecturer in a local college, says, “I could eat watermelons all day but the prices are as high as the temperature outside so I’m making all efforts to remain indoors. Anyways I don’t have much choice since I’m allergic to heat and have been advised against venturing out.’’ A mother of two, she is worried about her children and has put restriction on their outdoor activity.

W. Okuku, settled in the city for the past few years and a teacher at a school, opines, “The best way to stay fit during summers is to increase the intake of fluids and exercise every evening. During the day, in case of power cut, it is better to go to a fast-food joint to have a good time. It will make a dent in the pocket, no doubt, but then everything comes with a price and I’m willing to pay if my comfort is at stake.’’

Pallavi Loomba, an under-graduate student, remarks, “I don’t subject myself to too much heat. I try to beat the heat by gulping down glass after glass of “lassi” and dozing off for some time. The idea is to relax completely after having worked hard for my examinations. Eating delicious fruits of the season will be a priority during the summers.’’

A sprightly little girl, Nayamat Bal, will spend the better part of the day under shower though she does not rule out the possibility of escaping to the hills when the programme materialises.

A lawyer by vocation, Mala Chowdhary, with a positive frame of mind says, “If you can’t beat them, join them and that is what I plan to do this summer. Nobody can afford to be sitting pretty in these trying times. We have to go about our daily work, summer or no summer, though I admit that I don’t look forward to venturing out during the day.’’

Manpreet Singh, a student, says, “It is just another season and we might as well enjoy the good things it has to offer to us instead of cribbing all the time. Moreover, if summer comes can monsoons be far behind,’’ he asks philosophically.

'Vehicles and speculation bane of city'
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 2 — "The major cause for the deterioration and destruction of the urban fabric is the automobile," opines Mr Aditya Prakash, an architect and educationist, and says that the "automobile has turned Chandigarh, a pedestrian's paradise, into a pedestrian's nightmare".

Mr Prakash came to Chandigarh in 1952 and worked with Le Corbusier and his team of architects in the Capital Project for 11 years before he went to Ludhiana for five years to design the Punjab Agricultural University campus. On his return, he was among those entrusted with the job of establishing the Chandigarh College of Architecture. He retired as the Principal of this college.

Mr Prakash feels that besides the automobile,another factor responsible for bringing the city to the crossroads, is the speculation in real estate by the State and property dealers.

"If you look at any of the cities in perspective, they were mostly habitable until there was restriction on car ownership. But once Marutis hit the roads, things started deteriorating. If things are not controlled, this city will be destroyed.

"It is the automobile which is gradually bringing in alien culture, the Western culture. Everything is getting distanced, for example, place of residence and place of work, place of education and place of entertainment. The gradual change in our lifestyle is making us travel more, making it difficult for us in every way. With more vehicles, you need more roads and more places to park vehicles. The day is not far off when you will have vehicles everywhere and no place for movement.

"It is alien culture that we are promoting. Now even the food articles come from a distance. I do not understand why we need automobiles in general and cars in particular for travelling small distances. For example, why do school children have to be dropped in cars? This is why our city, which was planned as a pedestrians's paradise, has become a pedestrian's nightmare.

"See the predicament of a vegetable seller, who comes from a rural area and does not know how to cross a busy traffic intersection. The redesigning of paths of movement are contrary to the concept of the city. For example, where a V-2 road meets a V-5 road, there is no provision for a pedestrian to cross. This is not acceptable.

"Unfortunately, those responsible for planning the city move in cars and do not know the problems of pedestrians," he adds. He says that he prefers to walk from his house in Sector 8 to Sector 17 and to other places.

Mr Aditya Prakash says that in the 50s, Chandigarh was a city with few houses, wide roads and lots of space in it. "At that time, it was jokingly said that Chandigarh was the best place to learn driving. It was in the 60s that the city made a place in the psyche of the people who wanted to come and live here. It was okay until the beginning of the 70s. In fact, the 60s was the critical stage for the city to take off.

"The rising graph of prices in the early 70s made all the difference. Everything escalated. The State indulged in speculation in real estate. The decision to fix the price at the last auction the reserve price for the next auction set speculation in property in motion. This has been the major reason for the growth of slums in the city. Since property dealers wanted to protect the artificial price hike they had generated at the previous auction to ensure profit at the next, land went out of the reach of well-paid government employees. The fate of those engaged in menial jobs can well be imagined.

"The rise in land prices in Chandigarh was not natural but man-made and was a social curse. No government made any effort to check speculation in real estate.

"My thesis is that the present-day problems are because of lack of appreciation of the pressures to come. It is because of the pressures on Chandigarh that SAS Nagar and Panchkula came up.

"I agree that things are getting out of hand now. There are reasons for it. The influx of people is continuing becase Chandigarh continues to be a place of opportunities. Whosoever comes here gets assimilated. Each one of us needs domestic help, gardeners, rickshaw-pullers to take children to school and persons to iron clothes and to repair wheels of bicycles and scooters.

"These persons, who start off in slums and work at our homes, are progressing. They are in offices, into computer-based jobs and other things because this city offers them opportunities to grow. I do not find anything wrong in rehabilitation of slum-dwellers.

"In my opinion, the biggest mistake in Chandigarh is that we have created an oasis in a desert," he says, claiming that in the initial stages, even the houses for the poor were planned. The only failure was that growth pressures were not fully apprehended at the initial planning stage.

"For me, Chandigarh is not a local issue but a national issue and at a wider scale, it becomes an international issue for being a major experiment in urban development and planning. This is corroborated by the response the city got when it held an international conference to celebrate 50 years of the idea of Chandigarh in January this year.

"Le Corbusier did a yeoman's service to make people think. His was not the last word. The process must go on. People should be made part and parcel of planning, not only for Chandigarh alone but for the region," concludes Mr Aditya Prakash.

Deepti is game for short dresses
By Sonoo Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 2 — "No sensible films are being made today. What the viewer is getting is an entertainment package, where the songs are thrown in as advertisements for the film", said model-turned-actress Deepti Bhatnagar today in an interview with TNS.

After some forgettable films behind her like 'Ram Shastra' with Jackie Shroff and Manisha Koirala, this Miss India, '87, her big banners include 'Mann' with Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala, 'Supari' with Sunny Deol and an untitled film with Salman Khan. "I know that I should have started with a solo project in the beginning of my career. But I hardly knew anything that time", she said on her "misses".

Talking about her soon to be released B. Subhash's 'Dulhan Banu Main Teri", she said, "The project, based on the real life story of a girl influenced by the sect of 'Hare Rama Hare Krishana', was good to start with. But then the producer gave me so many problems that I decided to quit the industry itself. ".

But after this "bad" patch came the offer of acting in television serial 'Yeh Hai Raaz' in which she played the lead role of a police officer replacing anchor-veejay Ruby Bhatia. "I am still open to offers in television, because acting is acting. Television in fact has a wider range of audience and the money is also quicker. ", Deepti said while comparing the two media.

This girl from Meerut, who started her modelling career while still in XII standard, and was known as the 'Sari Queen' after modelling for many sari stores in the country, said, "Modelling has actually helped me in my acting skills. I think acting is something one does in day to day life. And there is so much to learn in this industry. In fact I think that models make the best actresses".

After having acted in more than 150 ad-films and done many ramp-shows, she says, "Something like ramp-modelling can be done anytime. There is no thrill in that. But today I would certainly like to do some commercials, which are all about big time bucks".

And what about the need for godfathers in this industry and the stories about casting couches to get films? "This happens in most industries, and not only in Bollywood. As far as the godfathers are concerned, it does help having one. But the casting couch thing actually depends on individual to individual. Not many people can dare take pangas with the women of today", she remarked.

And this "woman of today" who has been having a live-in relationship for the past seven years with her model boyfriend Randeep, while commenting on her personal life said,"What I do after 6pm is my problem. I am committed to my work, but people seem to have problems with this fact. There always is that lurking fear in the minds of the producers that I would go ahead and marry this guy".

"But I believe that if the beauty of the face is intact and the body is in a good shape, an actress can last for a long time", Deepti added.

And to what extent would she be willing to "show-off" her body? "The kind of films being made today have deemed it necessary to have one sexy song at least. I cannot be a prude and say that I will not wear short dresses and the works".

Her forthcoming films include a "semi-art" film being directed by Guru Bhalla, 'Uljhan' with Puru Raj Kumar and 'Ganga Ki Kasam' with Jackie Shroff and Mithun Chakraborty.

‘Education will be weapon for future’
By Poonam Batth
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 2 — Education and skills of today's students would be the dominant competitive weapon of the 21st century, said Mrs Madhu Bahl, Principal of Kailash Bahl DAV Centenary Public School, Sector 7-B. She has developed a new 'study culture' to meet the forthcoming challenges. She says that her school follows learn-by-doing approach because students learn best by doing rather than listening.

With a view to widening the scope of studies in the changing educational scenario, students should be encouraged to step up their general reading, both in school and at home. The school, started in 1994, had a well-equipped library with about 7000 books on various subjects, besides a reading room to enable students to make good use of the library.

The basic thrust of education was on making students allrounders so that they were equipped to take up top assignments in various walks of life. According to Mrs Bahl, considerable emphasis should be laid on developing the intellect of children by adopting creative methods and not burdening them with books. In order to ensure healthier development of students, the fear of teachers should be dispensed with, she adds.

Mrs Madhu Bahl was appointed Principal of the new DAV Centenary Public School in 1994. A postgraduate in M.Sc (Botany) from Jammu and Kashmir University, she passed her B.Ed examination from Panjab University in 1986.

She believes that in this era of science and technology, schools should go in for all gadgets and equipment, which will help develop the scientific temper in students. She says, this will go a long way in motivating students to take up scientific research.

Academic excellence in public schools should be given top priority. But, a perfect balance between studies, sports and extra-curricular activities will provide the best oppurtunities for students to grow. She feels that children should not be one-dimensional in today's social system. Hence, each student of the school is encouraged to excel in at least one activity. This also helps the school tap talent at an early stage. Gifted students are paid special attention.

With a view to making students tough and impactful, students are taught leadership skills such as planning, delegating and decision making. They are encouraged to be obsessed with winning.

To make studies enjoyable and effective, command-and-control appraoch has been replaced with motivational teaching style. The basics of subjects are taught in a step-by-step manner and for the difficult topics, teachers follow the 'KIS' principle. KIS stands for 'keep it simple'. A special set of work books prepared by teachers of the school are proving to be good revision aids for students.

Steps are also taken to eliminate the fear of examinations from the mind of students through continous and comprehensive evaluation. Monthly tests, mid-term and final examinations divide the course so that students do not feel burdened at the end of the session. The review plan, in the shape of home assignments for summer vacations helps them come prepared for the new class.

Talking about future plans, she said good planning was essential to review the past, evaluate the present and project into the future. The emphasis of the school should not be on producing bookworms but personalities with attitudes. Mrs Bahl summed up by saying that tomorrow belonged to the students.

Upset over burning of PGI waste
From Vishal Joshi
From Our Correspondent

MULLANPUR- GARIBDASS, May 2 — The burning of waste material, including used and dirty linen and other “contaminated” articles, by the PGI authorities in an open space adjacent to this village has posed a threat to not only the residents here but is also affecting the ecological balance.

This has been continuing for the past several years, said Mr Diwan Singh, Sarpanch of the village .

The burning of the waste is carried out near the Mullanpur bridge. Truck-loads of “refuse” are dumped and set afire during the early hours of the morning or in the afternoon. The whole place is covered with a thick blanket of smoke during activity.

Villagers demand steps to check this activity as they fear the material may have contaminated cotton, syringes and other such articles dangerous for human beings.

Mr Arvind Puri, a local resident, said vehicles earlier threw waste material at a site far from the main road. As a few residents have erected barbed wire fences on the route, the site was changed and it is now being disposed of at this spot. The staff just sets the material afire and go away without waiting for it to be completely destroyed, he said.

The worst-affected is Commander R.S. Gill (retd), whose poultry farm is at a stone’s throw from this spot. He fears that the unchecked process could affect the ecological balance of the area. He has been in the business for the past three years and has been witnessing the dumping at regular intervals.

When contacted, the Medical Superintendent (MS) of the PGI, Dr AK Gupta, confirmed that the process had been continuing for the past several years.

He, however, claimed that none of the material burnt is “contaminated”. “ Only bed-sheets, mats, rexin covers and other non- hazardous products of the hospital are burnt”, he explained. He, however, admitted that burning of these products leads to air pollution in the area.

When asked about the facility of incinerator, Dr Gupta said non- hazardous material was not burnt in it as it would increase the expenses. Using the hi- tech machinery for other than contaminated articles would overburden the machine. “The process does not pollute the environment compared to other industries”, he added.

Villagers fear that this process could lead to other problems. Mr Ranjit Singh, a local resident, said as ragpickers could be sighted on the spot after the departure of the hospital staff. This leads to every possibility of disposed things being used afterwards in various forms.

Soil experts feel that this practice affects the land where burning takes place. According to Dr RK Aggarwal, an expert on soils, the continuous burning of waste material at a particular place may affect the underground water quality.

Dr Gupta said great care is taken to avoid any public nuisance. But the process is undertaken by an officer other than medical officer. The person in charge is an assistant store officer.

The burning process could cause fire in the nearby vegetation of dry grass etc and also pose a danger to the area as a whole.