The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

UBS team wins debate
From a Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Feb 9 — The team of Priti Sharma and Vishal Shukla of the University Business School won the first prize in the All-Chandigarh Open Debate Contest held in the UBS Auditorium of Panjab University here today. The second prize went to the team of Simran and Damini of Punjab Engineering College.

The debate was organised by the UBS in collaboration with the Chandigarh Management Association on the topic WTO is a Boon for India.

Priti Sharma and Simran won the first and second individual prizes, respectively. About 15 teams from all over Chandigarh participated in the debate.

Participants gave strong arguments, both for and against the motion. Priti said India should accept the challenges of open market and criticising the WTO showed our inefficiency. She urged that India should realise its potential and compete with multinationals.

Her team-mate Vishal, while opposing the motion, said the WTO was discriminatory as the treaty was mostly in the interest of developed countries. Simran of the PEC said in the cricket match between India versus the WTO, India was out. Another speaker said the WTO was of the multinationals, by the multinationals and for the multinationals.

Participants faced questions from the audience on the topic in the second round of the contest.

Inculcate spirit of idealism: Kang
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 9 — The Governor of Kerala, Justice S.S. Kang, today called upon the youth of the country to inculcate a spirit of idealism and patriotism among themselves.

Addressing students and teachers at a function organised at the A.S. College, Khanna, Justice Kang asked the youth to think big and dream high and then work with commitment and dedication for the realisation of their dreams.

Justice Kang, who had graduated from this college, recalled his happy youthful days here. He lauded the role of the A.S. College imparting knowledge to the people of Khanna and the neighbouring villages.

Welcoming Justice Kang, the Principal of the college, Mr Tarsem Bahia, dwelt at length on the progress made by this institution.

Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, MP, who is also an old student of this college, also addressed students and impressed upon them to emulate the example of Justice Kang.

COURTS

‘Long adjournment’ plea declined
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 9 — Declining the plea for “long adjournment” of the appeal against the dismissal of an application for restraining Justice Kuldip Singh from acting as the World Sikh Council president, UT District and Sessions Judge B.S. Bedi today fixed February 21 as the next date of hearing.

Opposing the plea, counsel for Justice Kuldip Singh and other respondents had earlier stated that the application, being misconceived, was liable to be dismissed.

Accusing the plaintiffs — Talib Singh Sandhu and Baldev Singh Brar — of making an attempt to keep “the appeal pending as a threat”, counsel had stated that the adjournment was being sought to stall the proceedings.

In the reply counsel had further stated that the appellants should withdraw the suit if they had “faith in the authority of Sri Akal Takth Sahib”. Claiming non pendency of any “alleged dispute on behalf of the Council” before Sri Akal Takht, counsel had also alleged that the appellants had “no regard for any religious authority or institution”.

Admitting the summoning of Council President by “Singh Sahib Gyani Puran Singhji”, counsel had stated that the Singh Sahibans were apprised by Justice Kuldip Singh regarding the Council’s working since inception.

Earlier, plaintiffs Baldev Singh Brar and Talib Singh Sandhu had claimed in their application that “it would take time to settle the dispute by the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib because of his preoccupation with the other important matters”.

Claiming to have been summoned, the plaintiffs had also stated that the Jathedar had informed them regarding his being “seized of the matter relating to the Council dispute”.

The Jathedar, the plaintiffs had added, had also told them that the dispute would be resolved within a short period as “Justice Kuldip Singh had also agreed for the settlement of the dispute by him”. The Jathedar, the plaintiffs had further added, had also told them that the “necessary information” would be sent to the plaintiffs.

Giving details, the plaintiffs had stated that the information regarding Justice Kuldip Singh being summoned “in order to resolve the Council dispute” had been received through a reliable source and from the newspapers. The news regarding the retired Supreme Court Judge appearing before the Jathedar was carried in “almost all newspapers in Punjab” on July 27, 1999, he added.

Earlier, dismissing the application, UT Civil Judge (Senior Division) B.C. Gupta had observed: “I hold that the plaintiffs have failed to make out a prima facie case for the grant of injunction, nor the balance of convenience lies in the favour of the plaintiff and it is Justice Kuldip Singh who will suffer irreparable loss if the injunction is granted”.

Four fined for carrying liquor
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 9 — The UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, today fined two Pinjore residents and a city resident Rs 1,000 each for carrying liquor without licence or permit. He also imposed a fine of Rs 500 on another city resident accused of the same offence.

Rajinder Kumar, Madan Lal and Rajiv were earlier booked under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act. According to the prosecution, they were in possession of one beer case and two cases of liquor on June 21, 1999. The liquor was being carried by them in a car, the prosecution added. Suresh Kumar was booked by the police after eight bottles of liquor were recovered from his possession in Sector 26 on September 3, 1999.

CULTURE

'Punjabi woman has contrasting features'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 9 — Punjabi women always had two contrasting inner features which were highlighted in the folklore over the past three centuries, said Dr Nahar Singh of Punjabi Department during a talk on Punjabi women through her own literary creations at the Department of Sociology, Panjab University, here today.

One stream of vocal rendering of the compositions maintained its service to male domination while the others, including boliyan and chichdian, had an element of revolt, Dr Nahar Singh said. The contents of literary creations had contrasting features of cultural models and its rivals.

Marriages did not have enough positive sentiments in the folklore. Pre-marriage home babal was repeatedly referred to by the bride as the biggest loss she would face after marriage. In one of the compositions she complained that giving away of land and property to brother alone was not fair, he said.

The marriage did not find very positive expressions in the folklore researched by Dr Nahar Singh. It seemed that a woman was rendered homeless after marriage. Marriage compositions found very repeated references to death. The men on the other hand had cross references to games and battle.

Dr Nahar Singh also compared marriage to war of two countries in his views on the Punjabi folklore. The whole act of getting married resembled an assembly for a war and responses after conquest.