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| Monday, February 7, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Seminar on nationalism CHANDIGARH, Feb 6 — A nationalist ideology is fabricated, designed and possibly created as cultural nationalism by movements of intellectuals in Asian and African countries, Dr Rumina Sethi, an expert in feminism and nationalism in literary theory, said while chairing a seminar on Nationalism: Issues of Current Interest organised by the Panjab University Teachers Association, in collaboration with the ICSSR, North Zone, at ICSSR Complex, PU, here yesterday. "While nationalism has caused a lot of bloodshed, we still lack nationalist consciousness," she remarked. Dr Pampa Mukherjee from Political Science Department termed nationalism as an imagined idea as we never came to know most of our fellow nation members. She pointed out the role of the print media in the evolution of modern nationalism. Prof Rekha Jhanjhi asserted, "The construction of national identities in terms of religion is most problematic. Brahminical religion is not spirituality, as has been understood by Hindutva supporters in India." Prof Swaranjit Mehta
felt that space or territory had not been given due
importance in the discourse on nationalism. She said the
National Anthem put great emphasis on topography or
space. Calling the nation fatherland or motherland
indicated the extension of family to a larger space, she
added. |
'Media
used to fight cultural wars' CHANDIGARH, Feb 6 — The monthly meeting of the Sahit Chintan, Chandigarh, was held this morning at Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16. It was attended by film and theatre experts. A book of stories translated from a selection of 19 Indian languages, Katha, was released by Dr Atamjit Singh. A discussion on this book followed, in which talks were delivered by Dr Gurdial Singh Arif and Prof Nirmal Dutt. The meeting began with a talk by Dr Gurbachan Singh on the recently concluded 31st International Film Festival at Delhi. He expounded on the subject of cultural wars and fights fought via the electronic media. He said that though films are the strongest media today, most of the films being produced were breaking the very rhythm of life. Dr Gurbachan Singh further listed three important factors in cinema — market, art and science and technology — and said film-makers were targeting each of these. Hinting at the controversies surround Deepa Mehta's Water, he said, "Religious factors seem to have played havoc and created impediments in creating good films". But in the same breath, he also said that a lot of good work was being done in the Asian countries primarily because these countries had had their share of poverty and backwardness and struggles. Not recognising the economic globalisation of the world, Dr Gurbachan Singh focused largely on the cultural globalisation of the world. Later, Mrs Neelam Man Singh, a renowned theatre personality of the region, also spoke on the issue. Her focus remained Water and the controversies surrounding it. Others who spoke at the
function included Dr Atamjeet, Prof Inde, Mr Susheel
Dusanj and Ms Rama Rattan. |
Lawyers against Act
amendments CHANDIGARH, Feb 6 — The proposed amendments to the Advocates Act by the Law Commission received severe criticism at a seminar organised by the local unit of the All-India Lawyers' Union here today. Speaking on the occasion, various speakers termed the proposals as "uncalled for, unwarranted and misconceived". The proposals, which were sought to be introduced in the name of improving the standards of legal education and excellence in the legal services, had been made with the sole aim of destroying the autonomous character of the Bar Council of India (BCI) and the state Bar Councils, they added. The President of the local unit of the union, Mr J.S. Toor, said the proposed amendments to the constitution of the BCI would deprive the profession of its self-governing body and play havoc with its autonomous character. The advocates were strongly against the restructuring of the Bar Councils, as 50 per cent of the members would be nominated, which no democratic institution could tolerate, he said. He added that the Bar Councils constituted under the Advocates Act, 1961, had stood the test of time. The proposed amendment to include one retired Judge as the member or Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee was strongly opposed by the participants. They said the inclusion of the members of the judiciary or the administration would tend to suppress the advocates' voices. They also rejected the amendment on legal education, which till now was to be provided on the recommendations of the 10-member committee comprising five members of the Bar Council and five of the universities imparting legal education. The proposed amendment, under which there would be only five members of the Bar on the committee, tended to ignore the role of the Bar in the legal education, they added. While opposing the entry of foreign multi-disciplinary law firms which have among their members other professionals as well, Mr Toor said in foreign countries, the law firms charged a contingent fee. This meant they shared the spoils of the litigation which was not the case in India. Besides, their concept of soliciting cases through advertisements was banned in the country. The participants said
the amendment advocating the renewal of licence every
five years, subject to the continuing legal education,
had not been defined. Among others who spoke were Mr R.S.
Sihota, Mr H.S. Nagra, Ms Sheela Didi, Mr M.S. Gill, Mr
G.S. Rangi, Mr I.B. Bhandari, Mr Harpawan Kumar and Mr
Ranjivan Singh. |
Bar threat
on court opening PANCHKULA, Feb 6 — The District Bar Association has demanded an early decision on the opening and functioning of Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge at the court complex, failing which they would be forced to begin an indefinite chain-hunger strike. In a press note issued here today, Mr Amit Singla, Secretary of the association, said that the matter had been hanging fire for a very long time now and the executive body of the association had been meeting the authorities concerned with regard to this demand and were assured that the court would become functional very soon. However, nothing has happened in this regard so far. It added that at the
last meeting of the general house of the association, it
was decided to give time to the authorities till February
7 to meet their pending demand which had been raised when
Panchkula was declared a district in 1995. |
HUDA
ordered to pay Rs 50,000 PANCHKULA, Feb 6 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has ordered the Haryana Urban Development Authority to pay Rs 50,000 for the escalation of costs and delayed possession of a plot in Sonepat and pay Rs 2000 towards the cost of proceedings to Mr Aseem Chibber, a resident of Chandigarh. In his complaint, Mr Chibber had stated that he was re-allotted a plot in Sector 23 of Sonepat by way of transfer for a balance cost of Rs 1,72,575 in 1992 and was required to pay this amount in six annual instalments. It was further alleged that he ended up paying Rs 2,49, 038 to HUDA against the stated sum. He said that HUDA had illegally charged Rs 32,414, which were deposited by the complainant in 1999 on account of interest and enhancement. Despite the payment, he said that he was not offered physical possession of the plot. In his complaint he had demanded the physical possession of the plot and the refund of interest of Rs 32,414 with interest and compensation. In its written statement, HUDA stated that the said amount had been deposited by the complainant but that it too had offered physical possession of the plot to him in 1999. He, however, was a defaulter in payment and was not in a position to construct the house for which he had demanded extension in time for payment of instalments. Further, a request for at least one year extension to make the payment of additional price had been made to the office. The bench observed that while the plot had been allotted to the complainant in 1992, the physical possession was given in 1999 only. Also, the delay on part of HUDA to develop the area within a reasonable time tantamounts to deficient services on its part. However, the bench
brushed aside the demand of the complainant for a refund
of Rs 36,992,30 charged by HUDA from him as stipulated in
the allotment letter. Sapinder’s deposition CHANDIGARH, Feb 6 — Former Chief Minister of Punjab Beant Singh’s assassination case continued yesterday with prosecution witness Sapinder Singh stating that he did not know accused Jagtar Singh Hawara. Sapinder Singh’s deposition was significant as, according to the prosecution, he had accompanied Hawara and another accused to Ajnala prior to the blast. The Chief Minister, it may be recalled, was killed in an explosion outside the Civil Secretariat here on August 31, 1995. While the believed-to-be human bomb, Dilawar Singh, was killed in the blast, the other accused in the case are facing trial. Today, deposing before
UT District and Sessions Judge B.S. Bedi, in the
make-shift court room at Model Jail in Burail village
near here, the witness stated that he had never gone to
Ajnala. |
THIS is in reference to Make encroachment a criminal offence, published in Chandigarh Tribune on December 27, 1999, and The evil of roadside vendors , published on January 6. Undoubtedly, the concern that the roadside vendors, rehris and khokhas lend an untidy face to an otherwise clean Chandigarh is well intentioned. But let us not fail to see the other side of the coin. Aren’t these the dictates of the dynamics of an ever-evolving society that these kiosks, chhabris, rehris and khokhas come up on a very fundamental demand and supply basis? It may simply be a conditioned response of our senses that these appear ugly to us. I run the risk of offending many a ‘Chandigarhian’ sensibility but I must say that the inherent antisepsis of the Corbusier architecture seems to have desensitised us to the human face of life altogether. The ground reality of the matter is that people need to be fed and they must be fed well if we have to have a healthy, productive, happy and secure society. Unfortunately, millions of people just do not have sufficient means at their disposal to sustain themselves and their families. How can we take away even their right to try to bear their own burden with a little bit of dignity? The brighter side of these roadside enterprises, if I may call them by this name, is that they are by and large self-established, self-generating, self-sustaining places of employment. Isn’t it commendable that these places of self-employment have been set up without scavenging on society, and without recourse to any public or state funds? What is more, the people who set up and run these ventures are not only generally simple, honest, hard-working, enterprising and very needy, but also a remarkably resilient people who have refused to compromise with integrity to enable them to earn a square meal a day. They could have as easily taken to a life of crime to fill their stomach, but the fact is they choose not to. Most of them do not have the ways and means to generate even the requisite loan to begin their so called business — which, in most cases is confined to cigarette and paan selling, tea stalls, cobblers’ shoe repair, cycle/scooter repair, hand-made artifacts etc. To thoughtlessly uproot them from their income-generating set-up would be extremely myopic and unreasonable. Many among them are young men and women who would otherwise, in my opinion, be led astray by the lure of easy money, often associated with the ‘meaner pastures’ of crime. Or they would start begging for alms to fulfil their daily needs for survival. That, I’m afraid, is the uglier alternative with which anyone would rather avoid being confronted. In fact, they would need to be first provided alternative means and sites to enable them run their work to earn an honest sustenance/subsistence, before an attempt is made to cleansweep them or else we will be responsible for forcing them to resort to a life of crime. The administration can levy on them a reasonable tax and permit them the use of land on the basis of apni mandis. This permission, of course, should be with a rider that hygiene and cleanliness of the surrounding environs will be their responsibility. After all, how many places of business can the government provide, to how many people, that too at an affordable price? And how many such people can actually afford to rent out let alone buy their own places of business? Who will lend them the money to establish the clean business at specified places we would like to envisage? Vivek Khanna Syndicate session The recent Syndicate session of Panjab University was a stormy one and the subject that generated of heat was the UGC communication about the retirement age of non-teaching employees too being raised to 62 by the Senate. The UGC and the Chancellor have taken exception to this decision, as it would upset the balance because other universities have not done so. So it is to be seen what comes of the special session of Senate called by the university. Can the university, Syndicate and Senate take a decision against the directions of the funding bodies the government, the UGC and against the wishes of the Chancellor? Also, what is the position of Principals of affiliated colleges — logically they come in the category of the non-teaching staff. Vimal Manohar
Lal Defective water meters Apropos of the news item that the MCC proposes to increase water charges and owners will be responsible for the replacement of defective water meters. To avoid inconvenience to house-owners in purchasing, getting the meters tested from MCC officials and installing these, it is suggested that the MCC may itself replace defective meters and charge the price from house-owners before the scheme is implemented. Balwant Singh |
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