The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

COURTS

Courier company to pay for deficiency
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH April 14 — The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held a local courier company liable for having acted irresponsibly by not delivering the assignment at the required address and directed it to pay Rs 121 as compensation to the complainant, along with another Rs 200 as costs of litigaiton incurred by him.

The direction was given by the Commission bench consisting of President, Mr Justice J.B. Garg and members Dr P.K. Vasudeva and Mrs Devinderjit Dhatt in an appeal case filed against On Dot Courier and Cargo company by Wg Cdr P.S.B. Sachdeva. Mr Sachdeva came in appeal against the earlier order of District Forum I which dismissed the complaint on grounds that the complainant was not careful enough in furnishing the address.

Raising objection to the said plea, the counsel for the appellant argued that the said assignment was delivered by post at the same address later on. He maintained that if the courier man had taken his job seriously the packet would have been delivered at the correct address.

The Commission bench concurred with the said contention and held the company deficient in services. The costs imposed were Rs 200 and the compensation ordered was Rs 121.

CULTURE

I have learnt from the city’s children: Madhumati
By Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH April 14 — She is unexpectedly humble for the wealth of experience she holds and one might just mistake her for a woman next door. But her Helen-like looks stick on to your eyes, until you flicker your lashes once again to greet the famous actress of the yesteryears, Madhumati, who was most in news when her dance sequence from the film Talaash (Tere naina talaash karen) was especially extracted to screened at the International Film Festival.

The much sought after dancer of the 1960s, who has the credit of training the now-refined artistes like Akshaye Kumar and Tabbu, has been camping in the city for the past about three months and she has trained 20 young artistes in acting and dancing during this period. All through the stay she has been keeping a very low profile, and for reasons not far to seek. She said: “I came to the city in search of young talent which I want to further expose to filmdom. My priority was to concentrate on training the children who are between the age group 6 and 25. I avoided focus so that I could concentrate.”

As we got talking to the artiste more and more, we were thrown open to the softer side of the woman, who was known for her ‘bold’ sequences in films. She is very much a family woman and more so, is absolutely in love with her better half, Manohar Deepak the man who made it big in Hindi films after he was spotted by Raj Kapoor while performing bhangra at a youth festival at Bombay. Says Madhumati, “Manohar has stood by my side through thick and thin. The akademi, where we hone artists, was his brainchild. We are both very passionate about teaching all that we have learnt. We have already conducted workshops in Delhi. In Chandigarh, this is our first experience.”

The city, she says, has been good to her. Ask her what she adores the most, and the answer comes: “The children I had were amazing at their work. They often surprised me with their wits. Each second I have not only taught them. I have learnt as much.”

As about what comprises art and what furthers it, Madhumati has strong opinions: “I feel art is a form of worship. So each child training with me has been taught to pay reverence to the Mother, the God and the guru. Touching to guru’s feet is a ritual at our workshops, and it’s not just a mark of respect for the guru. It’s something more. Actually the entire power of the guru rests in the thumb and index finger of his feet. If a disciple touches his feet, the guru’s wisdom gets transformed into him and he is blessed.”

In that case, a guru should not encourage too much of reverence. Madhumati laughs: “You are right. That’s the reason many great gurus don’t allow their disciples to touch their feet. But my fundamentals are clear. An artiste’s pursuit never ends. It only grows with every passing day. And, f or a true worshipper of art, fame can never be an end. For him, the end lies in dissemination of all that he has gathered over the years. I am also pursuing this goal. That was what I was here for — for giving away the treasure I have and for unearthing the already hidden one. “An artiste’s pursuit never ends. It only grows with every passing day. And, for a true worshipper of art, fame can never be an end. For him, the end lies in dissemination of all that he has gathered over the years. I am also pursuing this goal.”

Although the present workshop was kept a low profile affair, Madhumati is planning yet another in August which, she says, will be a major affair. The trainees were today awarded certificates of merit by Mr S.D. Bhambri, General Manager, The Tribune.

3 ‘stars’ selected
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH April 14 — Twenty young artistes who attended the three-month-long training workshop organised by Ms Madhumati here today were awarded certificates of merit. The workshop, which began in a school in Sector 38 here on January 14, ended as a big success with over 20 children attending the same and taking classes in dance, acting and applied arts.

Interestingly, Madhumati has also selected three city artistes who will now make it big on the silver screen. The selected artistes include Gursharan Gill, Prem Kumar and Vikas Sharma. Speaking to The Tribune, Vikas said, “It was an experience far off from this world. I have never seen such a patient artiste Ms Madhumati was very patient with us.” “Some of the artistes performed at the concluding function, the best performance came from seven-year-old Anurag Arya, who enacted a drunk man.

As informed by Madhumati, the curriculum included basic training in acting, dancing, voice, culture, dubbing, eye contact and personality grooming. Madhumati, being a dancer herself, has been able to groom each artiste very well. She said: “I have made them self-confident. To be respected by others, they must learn to respect themselves first.”