The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

50 foreign students for festival
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — More than 50 students from abroad have confirmed their participation in the forthcoming international youth festival to be held in Panjab University from March 7 to 10.

Dr V.K. Bansal, Dean Student Welfare, said that the students had confirmed their participation in the festival, titled ‘Students in the new millennium’. Fifty more students from abroad are also likely to come to the festival.

The DSW said arrangements for the stay of the foreign visitors would be made at the residence of local students. Visitors from other universities of the country would be staying in hostels.

The Panjab University Campus Students Council also held a meeting in this regard where various competition-related activities and programmes came up for discussion.

The foreign visitors are to come from Romania, Slovakia, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Belgium, Ukraine, Tanzania, Hungary, Ghana, Croatia, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and Egypt.

Dayanand’s birth anniversary
From A Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — DAV college, Sector 10, celebrated the birth anniversary of Maharishi Dayanand here today. Mr. O. P. Vij, President, Freedom Fighters Association, presided over the function.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Vikram Viveki, from PU, highlighted the contribution of Maharishi Dayanand in the field of education and women welfare and urged the youth to follow the ideals of pious living put forth by him.

Principal of the college R.C. Jewan elaborated the salient features of Swamiji’s life and work. The function was preceded by ‘hawan yajna’.

UGC grant for PU colleges
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — The University Grants Commission has sanctioned Rs 43,96,560 for extra-curricular activities in colleges affiliated to Panjab University.

Dr Deepak Manmohan Singh, Dean College Development, said today that a formal intimation regarding the release was received by the Dean office recently.

The activities for which the funds have been released also include books, journals, equipment and extension services.

Psychology tests
From A Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — The Department of Psychology, Government College, Sector 46, organised an exhibition- cum -demonstration on psychological tests and experiments here today.

The Principal of the college, Major D.P. Singh, inaugurated the exhibition and appreciated the initiative taken by the students of the department in demonstrating the measurement of personality, intelligence, aptitude, learning and memory with the help of various aids. Students and faculty members from other departments visited the exhibition. The exhibition will continue tomorrow.

COURTS

HC lawyers extend strike for one more day
By Our Legal Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association in a resolution today decided to extend the strike up to March 1.

At a specially requisitioned meeting, the association appealed to the members of the lawyers' franternity, who are MPs, to take up their cause with the government.

The association decided to constitute a committee to go into all aspects of the proposed amendments in the CPC and the Advocates Act and suggest the changes required to be made.

Addressing the meeting members, stressed the point that the proposed amendments in the CPC and the Advocates Act, instead of cutting delays in the disposal of the cases, will have the opposite effect and justice would be curtailed. The members were especially exercised over the proposed deletion of the provisions regarding filing of revision, abolition of the letter patent appeal and amendment of pleadings. They were critical about the curtailment of litigants' right to give additional evidence and the provision for recording of evidence through a commission.

It was emphasised that to do away with the delays, appointment of more judges was the only course. The lawyers were also critical about the proposal to allow private individuals and foreign nationals to practice before the courts.

Mrs Daya Chaudhary who presided over the meeting, said the proposed amendments would not only delay justice, but make it expensive and counter-productive.

Jerath’s plea disposed of
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — Disposing of an application by former UT Chief Engineer K.K. Jerath seeking the supply of certain documents, UT District and Sessions Judge B.S. Bedi has held that the applicant is not entitled to receive the same as the prosecution “has not relied upon them”.

Pronouncing the orders in the open court, the Sessions Judge observed: “At this stage, it is submitted by counsel for the applicant that during the trial, the prosecution may try to introduce in evidence some documents which have not so far been placed on record by it”.

The Sessions Judge also observed: “However, ostensibly there is no reasonable ground for the apprehension of the counsel for the applicant. In any case, under the law, no document which has not been relied upon by the prosecution can be introduced in evidence during the trial except with the permission of the court”.

The Sessions Judge added: “If any such eventuality arises, such application of the prosecution, if any, shall be disposed of in accordance with the law after giving full opportunity of being heard to the applicant”.

Blast case hearing on March 22
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — The Sector 34 blast case will come up before UT Additional District and Sessions Judge S.K. Goel for arguments on framing of charges against two accused on March 22.

Today, the two accused in the case — Gurbax Singh and Sher Singh — were produced before the Additional District and Sessions Judge. The third accused Rattandeep Singh had earlier been declared a proclaimed offender in the case by UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class) A.K. Bishnoi.

The prosecution, it may be recalled, had alleged that the investigations had revealed the handing over of the bomb used in the blast to accused Sher Singh and Gurbax Singh by Rattandeep Singh.

Subsequently challan against Sher Singh and Gurbax Singh, under Sections 307, 323, 427 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, besides Sections 3, 4 and 6 of the Explosives Substances Act, was submitted to the court.

The two had earlier been booked by the Chandigarh Police after a resident had sustained injuries following the blast in an unmanned parking near the Sector 34 Milkfed office on June 30 at about 12.35 p.m. As many as 14 vehicles had also been damaged.

The impact had been so powerful that the window panes of several multi-storeyed buildings in the sector were shattered. Panic had gripped the staff of the organisations housed in the commercial centre as the people had rushed out of the buildings.

A team of experts from the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory in Sector 36 had soon reached the site for collecting samples and parts of the damaged vehicles for ascertaining the nature of the explosive and the intensity of the blast.

Relief for family of deceased employee
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — Nearly three-and-a-half years after a government employee succumbed to his injuries in a road accident, UT Additional District and Sessions Judge S.K. Goel has granted a compensation of Rs 6.2 lahk to his family.

The victim — Balwinder Singh Cheema — was admitted to the Sector 32 Government Medical College and Hospital here on November 29, 1997 after a jeep rammed into the scooter he was riding near the CII building at about 6.50 p.m.

In the claim petition, counsel for the victim’s wife, Ms Sukhdeep Kaur, and other family members had stated that 42-year-old Balwinder Singh had expired the next day.

Giving details of the accident, the counsel had stated that the victim was going to Sector 46 on his scooter when the accident occurred. The jeep, he had added, was travelling on the wrong side.

Claiming the victims salary to be Rs 12,000 per month, counsel had stated that a compensation of Rs 50 lakh was being sought on account of pain, loss of earning capacity and damage to the scooter, besides expenditure on medicines.

Shopkeeper convicted
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — A Sector 21 shopkeeper, accused of selling pulses, salt, flour and other commodities, without licence, was today convicted and sentenced to imprisonment till the rising of the court by UT Chief Judicial Magistrate Sant Prakash.

The shopkeeper — Joginder Singh — was also directed to pay a fine of Rs 500 by the court. The accused was earlier booked under certain sections of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

According to the prosecution, Joginder Singh was found selling pulses, salt and other commodities by food inspector M.K. Sharma on November 17, 1998.

The accused, when confronted with the incriminating evidence against him, had, however, denied the allegations. Claiming to have been implicated in the case, he had asked for a trial.

CULTURE

Navrang 2000 exhibition
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Feb 29—A painting exhibition Navrang 2000 with works of 32 local artists on display will be inaugurated at Swastik Vihar on March 2. The exhibition is being held by the Artists Association of Panchkula in collaboration with the All-India Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) and the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC). This was stated by the president of the association, Mr HG Chamb, here today.

The exhibition will be inaugurated by the Financial Commissioner of the Local Government, Mr MK Miglani, and the Director of the NZCC, Mr RT Jindal. The artists will highlight their problems at the inaugural function and demand the formation of the Haryana Lalit Kala Academy.

The association will hold workshops in the state and organise exhibitions also. He said this was the first time that two big organisations, NZCC and AIFACS were getting together to promote local artists. The exhibition will continue upto March 9.

Exhibition of talent and creativity begins today
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — A serious attempt to represent one’s talent and creativity on canvas would go on display tomorrow at the Art Folio Gallery, Sector 9, which would exhibit a group show of five young and upcoming artists from Delhi.

These works include oil on canvas and mixed media on glass and seem to represent a very individualist language and tone of these upcoming artists— Renu Jain, Rajesh Sharma, Ajit Kumar, Anil Gurtoo and Shalina S Vichitra.

The works of Ajit, Renu and Rajesh stand out from the others, not only because of their use of peculiar shapes and big canvas sizes, but also because of their successful attempts at trying to be distinctively singular in their lingo of strokes and use of colours.

Ajit has only three canvases on display, but his definitely linear creations and excessive use of green and blue hues form some interesting designs and arrangements, that sometimes seem to appear out of ‘purposeful chaos’.

Rajesh has four of his canvases on display and his use of semi geometric shapes and red and orange shades are reminiscent of one’s own local folk patterns, but presented in a contemporarised fashion. His interesting displays include a canvas that is cut from the middle, but in which hangs a small square piece of painted canvas.

Renu Jain has the maximum number of works put up in this exhibition — 12 in number, ten of which are mixed media on glass. These small little intimate works are very engaging because of their quaint quality of human figures appearing just out of nowhere, since they blend together with the mish-mash of the colours used in her works. Two of Renu’s works, however, are very different from these glass works, which use somber brown tones on canvas.

The exhibition also has on display nine works of Shalina, who is presently working as a visiting lecturer at NIFD, Delhi. Gurtoo has four of his paintings on display here.

This exhibition will open tomorrow for public and can be viewed till March 25, everyday from 11am to 7pm.

Eye-catching paper sculptures
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 29 — A flying fish, a hanging man, a comfortable chair underneath a shady tree and huge pointing finger towards the sky. These are some highly engaging and provocative figures that can be found at exhibition of paper sculptures outside the College Gallery of the Government Art College, Sector 10.

These interesting works are a result of a special workshop conducted by Mr Manmadha Rao, a teacher at the college, recently, with the students of different specialisations residing in the Art College hostel. What is also attractive about the exhibition is that the way it has been displayed — something that truly sets it apart from the other run-of-the-mill exhibitions which do not even seem to understand the basic grammar of an exposition.

Some recently held exhibitions like ‘Paryas’ — a group show of students of art from Hoshiarpur — could well learn a lesson or two from such exciting exhibitions. In fact it is only in the recent times that the college has become not only active but luxuriously so, yielding forth some very admirable results.

This exhibition was today inaugurated by Mr Nek Chand, the Director-Creator of the Rock Garden, who also presented a sketch to the college, that he drew on the spot.

The exhibits are arranged in a small garden-like-enclosure right in front of the college gallery, where the visitor is greeted by a huge egg like structure that has hands like shapes emerging out of it, titled ‘Search for Salvation’.

In fact, in this age of extremes the students have effectively managed to capture the eye of the audience by creating colossal structures that only intrigue but also enchant. A modern day Arjun could actually venture into this exhibition where a huge hanging fish can be seen through water rippling in a huge tub, which is again a paper sculpture. This is an untitled work done by Jagjit Singh of 2nd year Applied Arts.

Hemant Kumar’s ‘spring girl’, which is in the form of a girl that has branches emerging out of the base also has the capacity to conjure many images in the mind of the viewers. He is a student of first year painting. Nitin Sharma, a second year student of Applied Arts, has sculpted a form of a man that hangs on the all, while moving along with the slight wind.

What also catches the eye is an exhibit that has the form of a man and a microphone almost fused together, done by Sandeep Singh, a third year student of the Applied Arts.

Even atop the roof some of the exhibits can be seen from afar, like a form of a lion and two human figures tugging at each other.

The exhibition of paper sculptures would be on view till March 4, 2000, daily between 11am and 6 pm.