EDUCATION

Spring camps for kids
By Akanksha Sharma
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 21 — What’s in? Yes, the Spring Holidays. Not only kids but also parents wait for the vacation with equal enthusiasm. However, one problem facing parents — whether working or not working — is what should the kids do during the vacations. Children get bored if they are made to sit at home and do nothing but watch TV. Some feel that the 10-day break is too short a time to go out of station.

This city provides kids many avenues to enjoy and learn during the holidays. Lots of pamphlets are being distributed about special classes and camps in swimming, skating, computer courses, sketching and drawing courses etc. Parents do have to spend on these classes but most of them find these to be of great utility.

“Spring carnival” is one such camp organised by the Director of Go Bananas Kids Club, Ms Anu Vala, the highlights of the carnival are picnics, pool party and workshops like paper mache, yoga classes, mask-making workshop and a pottery workshop. Music is played in the background while the kids learn.

“The idea behind the carnival is to expose the kids to new things, enhance their creativity and judge their ability. I run this club round the year. Every Sunday, kids are taken to different places like milk plant, fire station, parks, newspaper agencies etc. They see and learn and this makes it easier for the kids to know about new things” said Ms Anu Vala. The camp time is from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. This gives kids sufficient time to spend at home before their schools start again. They can finish the vacation homework, apart from learning at the camp.

Bal Bhavan in Sector 23 has organised hobby classes in drawing and painting, music- vocal & instrumental, kathak and bharatnatyam and stitching classes for girls and a library. Children below 16 are eligible to join these hobby classes. There is a fee of Rs 100/- per hobby class. Around 100 children are expected to join the classes during their vacations, said the Assistant Secretary of Bal Bhavan.

Ms Anju’s five-year-old daughter goes to one such spring camp. The idea behind sending her daughter to the camp is that kids gain confidence, make new friends, become creative and learn to communicate. My daughter excitedly tells me about what she learns at the camp.

Mrs Kapoor, a housewife, sends her 10-year-old son to Go Bananas Kids Club. She finds her son recharged after he is back from the camp. He communicates better than before, is no longer shy and is more comfortable.

Mrs Madhu, who was accompanying her friend, said she was keen to put her daughters in these vacation camps. The only problem is of dropping them and picking them up. In case that is solved, she would definitely put her kids in the camp. They would get more creative and less “destructive”, she added.

Sonia (5) said she was very happy and that she had made five new friends and loves to dance a lot during the camp time. Himanshu (10) likes to spend time at the camp and loves to go out for picnics. Aman (6) likes to be at the camp. He said I like the madam and I have made new friends. They take us out to picnics, I like every thing.

Many individuals have started hobby classes and more such camps would start during the summer vacation time. So kids get set and go for these.

COURTS

Bail denied in video piracy case
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 21 — A campaign launched by exhibitors and distributors of movies against video piracy in the city has got a boost with a court denying anticipatory bail to one of the alleged pirates.

The Mani Majra police had conducted a raid on the premesis of a cable operator, Mr Deepak Tandon allegedly seized pirated video cassette of “Hey Ram”, following a complaint lodged by Mr Surjit Singh Sandhu, authorised representative of Messrs Vijay Films, Jallandhar, a few week ago.

In his complaint Mr Sandhu had stated that the producer and the distributors of “Hey Ram” had authorised Suraj Theatre, Panchkula, and Jagat Cinema, Chandigarh, to exhibit the movie. No cable operator was given any rights for the exhibition of the movie.

He alleged that Mr Tandon was exhibiting the movie through his cable network unauthorisedly and had thus violated the Copyright Act.

A case under Sections 51 and 63 of the Copyright Act was registered against Mr Tandon and his employee.

Mr Tandon, however, could not be arrested and later he filed an application for anticipatory bail before the District and Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi.

Opposing the bail application, the public prosecutor submitted that the custodial interrogation of the applicant was necessary in the public interest because the modus operandi of video piracy was to be inquired from the applicant. He also submitted that the camera and other equipment used for pirating the movie was to be recovered from Mr Tandon.

The public prosecutor also told the court that the gravity of the offence could be judged from the fact that the minimum prescribed sentence for the alleged offence was rigorous imprisonment for six months and a minimum fine of Rs 50,000.

Besides, the alleged offence of video piracy had also caused huge loss to the public exchequer in the shape of evasion of entertainment tax and other levies and duties.

Rejecting the bail application, the Judge held that keeping in view the totality of the facts and circumstances of the case, “one finds that the custodial interrogation of the applicant is essential and necessary in public interest. It is now even judicially recognised that the custodial interrogation is much more elicitation oriented than the questioning of a person, who is already on anticipatory bail.”

CULTURE

Showers of music on Holi

IT was an effort to revive a lost tradition at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Panchkula. The artiste for the evening Lakshman Krishnarao Pandit, a descendant of the legendary singers of the Gwalior Gharana reminded the select audience of the Amritsar music conference when for three days music lovers were drenched in the showers of classical music along with the colours of Holi. Before commencing his recital Panditji urged the music lovers to revive lost traditions in whatever small way they can.

Panditji, known for his traditional eightfold gayaki began the recital with Puriya Kalyan. A raga to be sung in the evening Puriya Kalyan blends the colours of Puriya and Kalyan. Colouring the background with depth Panditji rendered the vilambit khayal ‘Malaniya gund lavo ri’ with protracted taans up and down the Saptak. For his advanced years, the fast moves in different Saptaks were remarkably controlled and well timed. The drut khayal ‘More ghar aa ja’ unfolded the raga in a colour of spontaneity with fast taans and tihaais.

The second choice for the evening was a raga with masculine temparament, raga Durbari. Panditji’s rendering of the bandish in this raga had all the expertise of a seasoned singer. The flawless moves in kharaj and controlled gamak brought out the essence of the raga beautifully. Panditji concluded his rendering with a rare Holi where instead of Radha Krishna the scene of Holi is described between Lord Rama and Sita ‘Ram Siya phaag machawat’. The evening brought a ray of hope for those who care to preserve what was beautiful in our tradition. But, what disappointed the select gathering of music lovers was a very short duration of programme and absence of the rendering of Tapp Khayal few artistes can render these days. Panditji is a known exponent of Tappa gayaki.

Panditji was given vocal support by Dr Arvind Sharma, Chairperson, Department of Music, Panjab University. He was supported on the harmonium by Neeraj Gandhi, and on the tabla by Paramjit Singh. — Vandana Shukla