The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

SPORT

Kanwaljit fastest in board meet
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, April 4 — On the second day of the ongoing Punjab Mandi Board founder's-day three-day sport meet here today at the Sector 46 Sports Complex, Kanwaljit Kaur of Amritsar won the first position in the 50 m race. Balvir Kaur of Chandigarh won the second place, while the third position went to Jatinder Kaur.

The other events included 800 m race in the age groups of below and above 40. In the above-40 age group, in the 200 m race, Jaswant Singh of Gurdaspur won the first position, while Sewa Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib stood second and Jaswant Singh came third.

In badminton events, Patiala beat Jalandhar in the first semi-final, while Chandigarh defeated Faridkot in another semi-final. In the circle-style kabaddi, international player Surinder helped Patiala beat Faridkot, 28.5-7. Mr Gulzar Singh Ranike, State Agriculture Minister of Punjab, gave away medals to the position holders.

Sportsmen lack seriousness: VC
By Arvind Katyal

CHANDIGARH, April 4 — ''The nutritious diet and a proper envioronment to play are essential for any sportsperson to grow and show potential," said Prof M.M. Puri, Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University here today. In an exclusive interview today, Prof Puri, a former state-level hockey player who later switched to lawn tennis and now played golf, said he desired to work for pomoting sport in the university.

He, however, criticised the way playfields were being utilised by most of the affiliated colleges (109) in Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Ferozepur, among the other distant ones in Punjab. When asked about the decline in performance of sportspersons after the year 1995-96 when the university won the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, he said players lacked initiative and coaches had now become physical-education teachers. Their concentration shifted to theory, whereas we lacked in its practical implications.

Prof Puri said ever since he had taken over as the VC, he had tried to implement every suggestion regarding the improvement of sport infrastructure in the university. He said the Department of Physical Education should come out with innovative ideas, which had not been happening.

The VC was asked about the possibility of creating any sport-sciences centre to help injured players and for other advanced medical help, especially since the PGI was also nearby. He said the idea was welcome, but, he would have to consult specialists in this field. He also said today only, an Arjuna Awardee and a former Director Sports, Dr Ajmer Singh, had been appointed Professor of physical education in the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Chair. He hoped the move would improve sport culture in the university.

Prof Puri said he had seen how in European countries, players pursued physical training seriously, even in frequent rain. He said unfortunately, Indian players did not make sincere efforts.

On the question of creating more facilities in the university, he said proposals to have another swimming pool and squash courts had already been sent to the Department Of Sports of the Government of India. They are yet to get the university land vacated from jhuggi dwellers in Sector 25 to earmark it for sport infrastructure.

He said enthusiasm among coaches should not be allowed to decline. He said it was the duty of the Sports Administrator to keep the morale of coaches high. Prof Puri said the university Gymnasium Hall had been fully airconditioned and had been made fit to host any international event. At present, three badminton courts, besides regular practice facilities for judo and other indoor sport are included in the hall. The International Judo Cup in 1998, various inter-university badminton and table tennis touraments were also conducted in this hall.

The university, in the past few years, has also hosted all-India inter-university swimming and wrestling meets, besides Special Olympics at the national level, Asia Cup Baseball and Senior National Baseball Meet among others. The VC had even offered to host the badminton event of the National Games to be conducted by the Punjab Olympic Association later this year, at the university gymnasium.

Prof Puri said the potential of sportspersons was not being fully utilised at the university level and they did not end up before touching the peak of their career.

Prof Puri said sportspersons also enjoy an advantage at the time of admissions, but, sometimes a few of them use it as a backdoor entry and stop playing after joining a course.

Master dog trainer
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 4 — ‘‘You can teach an old dog new tricks’’, believes Mr Shivraj Bharti Kaushal, adjudged best dog trainer by the Limca Book of Records in their millennium edition.

‘‘Four to eight months is the right time to train a dog,’’ asserts Mr Kaushal. ‘‘But dogs as old as six years can also be made to learn and obey. All within days’’.

‘‘Reward and punishment’’, Mr Kaushal claims, ‘‘is the best way’’. Talking to newsmen soon after hosting a press conference in Sector 17 today, he says: ‘‘Award them whenever they do something right. Just as you reward kids’’.

Mr Kaushal was adjudged the best trainer six times in a row after the 28 dogs he had handled won first positions in obedience tests. Three others had bagged second positions.

Pure mongrels, Mr Kaushal insists, are as intelligent as the pedigrees. ‘‘No reason why you should not adopt them’’, he stresses. ‘‘They are better watch dogs. Resistance towards diseases is also better because of the cross-breed’’.

Stray dogs, he asserts, should not be killed. ‘‘Dog killers should be treated same as murderers. The laws should be made strict. Action should be taken even against those planning to kill the animals’’.

Emphasising upon the need to educate students at school level, he says: ‘‘The non-profit organisations, the government and the dog lover should come together to create awareness. Also dogs should be vaccinated and sterilised’’.

Claiming to have inherited the ‘‘love for dogs’’ from his advocate father at home in Faridkot, Mr Kaushal asserts: ‘‘I grew up with two dogs at home. Training them comes naturally to me. Till date, I have trained over 800 dogs of almost every breed”.

Today, at the press conference, Chandigarh Inspector General of Police S.K. Singh honoured Mr Kaushal for his ‘‘rare distinction of figuring in the Limca Book of Records — 2000’’.

ADMINISTRATION

Three awards instituted
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 4 — Three national awards have been instituted by various Union Ministries, a spokesman of the Directorate of Social Welfare of the Chandigarh Administration, announced here today.

Children between the age of 4 and 15 years, with an exceptional achievement in any field, would be considered for the National Child Awards for Exceptional Achievements. Individuals making outstanding contributions towards service for children would be considered for Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Awards.

In the category of institutions for national awards for Child Welfare, only those institutions which were not entirely government funded would be considered.