Man arrested for stealing
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 13 — The police has arrested a Bapu Dham resident on the charge of stealing Rs 10,000 from the cash box of a shop in Sector 27.

According to police sources, Mohinder Pal, a tea stall owner, was caught red handed while taking out the money from the cash box by the shop owner. He was later handed over to the police.

A case under Section 379, IPC, has been registered at the Sector 26 police station.

Injured: Mr Sandeep Sehgal, a resident of Kalka, was hit and injured by a car, CHOIL 0069, near the Sector 20 bus stop. He was admitted to the PGI while the driver of the car fled from the scene of the crime.

A case under Sections 279 \ 337, IPC, has been registered at the Sector 19 police station.

Burgled: Mr Raj Kumar, a resident of Sector 20-A reported that someone had burgled his house and decamped with Rs 2,000 in cash and a gold chain. A case has been registered.

Stolen: Mr Navtej Pal Singh, a resident of Mohali, reported that someone had stolen his van, CHOIH 3270, from Sector 16. A case under Section 379, IPC, has been registered.

SAS NAGAR

3 booked: The Nayagoan police has booked three property dealers for allegedly assaulting a businessman at his house at Nayagaon village here.

According to information available, Mr S.S. Cheema, was at his house when one person, Baj Singh, came to his house asking him to withdraw a case of cheating against two of his friends and in the ensuing discussion the victim was assaulted .

A medical examination of the victim revealed that he was seriously injured in his left arm. The police has registered a case against the three persons under Sections 323, 452 and 120-B of the IPC. The police has arrested Baj Singh.

Face to face with melody king
By Devinder Bir Kaur
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 13 — Aankhon se jo uttri hai dil mein ..., Jaaiye aap kahan jayenge ..., Aaiye meharbaan, baithiye jaanejaan ..., Ello main hari piya..., Bahut shukriya badi meharbani ..., Mang ke saath tumara ..., Yeh chand sa roshan chehra ..., Yoon to hum ne lakh haseen dekke hain ..., Kahin pe nigahein kahin pe nishana ..., Zara holle holle chalo more saajana ..., Ik tu hai piya jispe dil aa gaya ....

The list is endless. The maker of these and countless other unforgettable melodies, O.P. Nayyar is in town in connection with the Rafi Nite organised by the Yaadgar-e-Rafi Society.

I come face to face with the living legend at a plush hotel here this morning. He is tall and slim with striking looks. The trademark hat is in place. And he is ready to answer any question. ‘‘Hypocrisy is not my religion. I don’t believe in falsehood,’’ he states.

I begin with what everyone has always wanted to know. ‘‘Why did you never use Lata Mangeshkar's voice for any of your songs?’’

‘‘I was successful without Lata’s voice. No doubt Lata's voice has a spiritual quality, but it's just that her thin, thread-like voice wasn't suitable for my rich, robust, romantic compositions. Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle were my kind of singers," he clarifies. He goes on that though he and Asha together have scaled new heights he regards Lata as the best singer, and Asha the second.

The man responsible for making Asha Bhosle a respectable singer, O.P. Nayyar says earlier she used to sing light, frothy and cabaret numbers. He helped her realise her full potential. Her songs in ‘‘Ek Musafir Ek Haseena,’’ ‘‘Naya Daur’’, ‘‘Kashmir ki Kali’’, ‘‘Mere Sanam’’, ‘‘Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi’’, ‘‘Baharein Phir Bhi Aayegi,’’ ‘‘Phagun’’, ‘‘Howrah Bridge,’’ ‘‘Humsaya,’’ ‘‘Mr and Mrs 55,’’ ‘‘Kismet’’, ‘‘Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye’’ etc will vouch for this statement.

‘‘My inspiration has come from a woman. I was a romantic in my younger days, and good looking too,’’ he says with a twinkle in his eyes. His association with Asha lasted about 70 films and together they created magic. Then he realised that time had come for them to part. Besides, Asha was a career-oriented woman. He would always have the second place in her life. He therefore used Krishna Kalle's voice for one of his songs. This infuriated Asha and brought about the end of their relationship. Asha went on to marry R.D. Burman. Ironically, Pancham (R.D.’s nickname) would give his best compositions to Lata and the second-best to Asha.

When Asha won the Filmfare Award for her last number with O.P., Chain se humko kabhi..., she did not go to receive it. "I feel Lata and Asha should have retired gracefully years ago. Their voices don’t have the same magic," he opines.

Talking of awards, O.P. himself refused to accept Lata Mangeshkar award in 1990. He explains that he did that because it was a singer's award to a composer, and secondly, awards are always named after dead persons and she’s alive, and thirdly, he had never worked with her. Thus, he turned down the Rs 1 lakh award.

He feels his biggest reward is that his music is immortal. Even today there is hardly any marriage in the country where his songs Yeh desh hai veer jawanon ka ..., Mera naam chin chin cho ..., Humdum mere, maan bhi jaao ... etc are not played. His songs are specially popular abroad.

The present era of mixed music has brought out several cassettes of his songs. Kajra mohabbat wala ... being one such song. O.P. is rather pleased about it. He feels it is a feather in his cap. It is a compliment to his genius. ‘‘Andaz Apna Apna’’ had music that was blatantly lifted from his tunes O.P. says; "Why just this movie, music directors of the past too had songs based on my tunes!’’ He laughs and says Daler Mehndi is the best example of someone making pots of money on his tunes which are vibrant and folksy.

However, O.P. does not blame the present music scene. ‘‘Everything has degenerated. Our emotions, values, lifestyle ... So has music, ’’ he says. But he at once clarifies that the seven surs can never be cheap. Lyrics, dance movements, picturisation can be vulgar, but not music. He sums up, saying ‘‘It’s Kalyug, you see.’’ He feels sad that the golden era of music of stalwarts like R.C. Boral, Punkaj Mullick, Khemchand Prakash, Shyam Sunder, Ghulam Haider, Anil Biswas, C. Ramachandra, Vasant Desai, Roshan, Madan Mohan, S.D. Burman, Naushad and O.P. Nayyar can never come back. "What's gone is gone,’’ he says in a matter of fact way.

Having given so much to music, O.P. Nayyar has found an alternative vocation. He is a full time homoeopath and treats patients free. He claims he has cured some incurable cases ‘‘by the grace of God and my guru.’’ His guru, Dr S.R. Pathak, had taught him this system of medicine after curing him of piles. So while his music was for the soul, his medicine is for the body. "Music director O.P. Nayyar is dead while doctor O.P. Nayyar is living," he says with an air of finality.

O.P. has no regrets. His music has made him immortal. He quotes a couplet written by S.H. Bihari in his honour:

Teri zindagi mohabbat

Tera naam hai deewana,

Tere baad bhi karega

Tera zikr yeh zamana;

Tu wo zindagi nahin hai

Jisse maut khatam kar de

Jisse bhool jaaye duniya

Tu nahin hai woh tarana."

Tomato, onion dearer
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 13 — The prices of tomato and onion have increased in the local market during the past four days. During a survey of the Sector 22 market it was found that if a kg of onion was priced at Rs 10 just two or three days back, it was priced at Rs 12 today in the retail market. The wholesale price has increased from Rs 40 to Rs 50 per 5 kg during this period.

Similarly, a kg of tomato, which was priced at Rs 12 a kg three days back, could be had today for Rs 16. The wholesale price has shot up from Rs 50 to Rs 60 per 5 kg. The hike was attributed to lesser arrivals from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab during this period.

On the other hand, the price of peas has seen a dip during this period. A kg of the vegetable, priced at Rs 25 a kg three days ago, was available today for between Rs 16 and Rs 20. The wholesale price has decreased from Rs 100 to Rs 70 per 5 kg. The reason behind the fall was attributed to increased arrivals of fresh crop from Punjab and Haryana.

The prices of cauliflower and cabbage have also come down during this period. If a kg of cauliflower was priced at Rs 10 last week, it could be purchased today for Rs 7. The wholesale price has come down from Rs 40 to Rs 28 per 5 kg. The price of cabbage has also decreased from Rs 10 to Rs 8 a kg in retail and from Rs 40 to Rs 32 per 5 kg in the wholesale market.

Carrot has also become cheaper with enhanced arrivals in the market. If a kg of the vegetable could be had for Rs 20 just two or three days back, it could be purchased today for Rs 15 in retail and for Rs 55 per 5 kg in the wholesale market. Lemon was available for Rs 32 a kg in retail and for Rs 130 per 5 kg in the wholesale market.

Ginger and garlic were priced at Rs 30 a kg in retail and for Rs 130 per 5 kg in the wholesale market. Fresh potato crop was available for Rs 6 a kg in retail and for Rs 24 per 5 kg in the wholesale market.

PGI club enter final
By our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Nov 13 — PGI Cricket Club defeated Godrej Cricket Club XI in the semi-final of the third JAL Cup cricket tournament being played at PGI grounds here today.

PGI XI won the toss and asked GCC XI to bat first, who made 180 runs for 9 wickets in the allotted 28 overs. Rajesh Patha and Arun Tuli were involved in a 68-run partnership for the losers, with Rajesh scoring 54 runs and Arun 26 runs. Rajinder Singh scored 75 runs off 61 deliveries for the winners, hitting 8 boundaries and 3 sixes, and Sanjay Sharma hit 14 runs off the last 4 balls with two sixes.

In the final, PGI XI will take on Mohali Gymkhana Cricket Club at Cricket Stadium, Sector 16, tomorrow.

Brief scores — GCC XI 180 for 9 in 28 overs (Rajesh 54, Arun 26, Madan Lal 25, Vinod 19, Anil 2 for 31); PGI XI 186 for 8 in 27.5 overs (Rajinder 75, Anil 21, Rajesh 2 for 13, Sanjay 2 for 37).

HSIDC lift title: Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation won the inter-corporation league cricket tournament by defeating Haryana Warehousing Corporation by 87 runs in the final at Cricket Stadium, Sector 16.

HSIDC won the toss, elected to bat first and scored 181 runs in 25 overs. Narinder Sharma scored 58 runs off 46 balls and Rajinder Mehta scored 33 runs. They were involved in a 77-run partnership for the second wicket. Sanjeev Sharma contributed 30 runs. Ramesh took two wickets for 20 runs.

In reply, HWC XI were all out in 21.3 overs. Vaneeet Chawla scored 52 runs. Narinder Sharma, who claimed 3 wickets for 12 runs, was declared best allrounder, Vaneet Chawla best batsman and Rajiv Sharma best bowler of the tournament.

Kabaddi squads: Bhagwanti and Amarjit Singh will lead the Chandigarh women's and men's teams, respectively, in the senior national kabaddi championship to be held at Amravati in Maharashtra from November 17 to 21, according to Mr Baldev Singh, President of the Chandigarh Kabaddi Association.

The men's team is: Amarjit Singh, Satbir Singh, Jasbir Singh, Balwinder Singh, Jasbir, Dalbir Singh, Jagjit Singh, Jagdish Singh, Umed Singh, Vajinder Singh, Ramesh Kumar and Jagmohan Kumar. Pawan Kumar Rana is the coach and A.C. Khanna the manager.

The women's team is: Bhagwanti, Gurpreet Kaur, Sarla Kashyap, Jaswinder Kaur, Mamtesh Sharma, Sudeshna, Harjit Kaur, Surbhi Sesodia, Mamta, Ritu Kanwar, Sangeeta and Seema. Anoop Singh is the coach and M.P. Chauhan the manager.

UT athletics: The Amateur Athletics Association will hold the annual Chandigarh state athletics championship from November 28 to 30 at the Sports Complex, Sector 7, according to Mr Milkha Singh, President of the association. The three-day meet will have events in under-14, under-16, under-18, under-20, and under-22 sections, besides seniors. The event will also include road races and long walk.

Shishu Niketan win: Shishu Niketan Senior Secondary School entered the final of the Lions Trophy cricket tournament by defeating Coaching Centre, Sector 32. CC-32 scored 101 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Shishu Niketan achieved the target in the last over with 3 wickets in hand. Arvind scored 35 runs.

GMHS-34 triumph: Government Model High School, Sector 34, defeated Government Model High School, Sector 40, by 17 runs in the UT inter-school cricket tournament for under-16 boys at DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8. GMHS-34 were 128 all out in 18 overs. GMHS-40 were bundled out for 111 runs in 18 overs.

Panchkula schools get top honours
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Nov 13 — DC Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 7, Panchkula, and Hansraj Public School, Sector 6, Panchkula, secured first and second position, respectively, in the boys' section of CBSE North Zone badminton tournament, which concluded at New Era Public School, Mayapuri, Delhi, yesterday.

In the final, DC Model School team, comprising Ankan Gupta, Gaurav Kapoor, Saurav Kapoor and Parteek Pawan, defeated Hansraj Public School team, comprising Anshul Aggarwal, Parteek Mittal, Munish Garg and Neeraj Gupta, 2-0. The District Badminton Association, Panchkula, congratulated them.

In all 86 schools from Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab took part. In the girls' section, Holy Child School, Delhi, beat New Era Public School, Delhi, 2-0.

Results — boys final: DCMSS b HPS 2-0 (Saurav Kapoor b Munish Garg 15-9, 15-8; Gaurav Kapoor b Anshul Aggarwal 15-10, 15-4).

Basketball teams: Navneet Kaur of Government Model High School, Sector 26, and Hardeep Singh of MRA Senior Secondary School, Sector 27, will lead the Chandigarh girls' and boys' basketball teams, respectively, for the 26th national sub-junior basketball tournament, which begins at Anandpur Sahib tomorrow.

The eight-day tournament is being organised by the Punjab Basketball Association under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India. The girls' team comprises Navneet Kaur (captain), Simranjit Kaur, Sumandeep Kaur, Sanchi Sharma, Harshita, Rekha, Vibha, Mehak, Prabhdeep Kaur, Urmila, Suman and Sumit.

The boys' team comprises Hardeep Singh (captain), Rajbir Singh, Sachin Kumar, Akshayjit, Ayush Gupta, Ravinder Singh, Navdeep Singh, Gurinder Singh, Mohit Sharma, Gurvir Sidhu, Varun and Rishab Gosain. Paramjit Kaur and Manjit Singh are coaches. Dinesh Kumar and Sukesha Gosain are managers.