EDUCATION

Nursing students stage dharna
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 25 — The students of Central Mission School, Sector 9 held a demonstration protesting against the school authorities, who they alleged had defrauded them. They demanded prompt action by the police in the matter.

The school had been conducting nursery teachers training courses for the past so many years without recognition from the competent authority. The school was closed down sometime ago after the DPI had issued show-cause notices. A case had been registered by the local police under Section 420, IPC.

The students staged a dharna in front of the residence of a staff member in Sector 22. The demonstration started from Nehru Park and culminated in Sector 17, near Matka Chowk where the agitating students were stopped by the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Dr Sagar Preet Hooda, due to imposition of Section 144 of Cr PC.

They were shouting slogans against the Principal and the staff members of the school, alleging that they had played with the careers of thousands of innocent girls by claiming that the courses offered by it were recognised. They further alleged that the girls were lured by the authorities saying that they would land up with a job soon after the completion of a course from their school.

They said they had already spent thousands of rupees for the courses and now they were left with nothing in their hands. The authorities, they alleged, were still spreading misinformation that the school would reopen next month as it was about to get recognition. They said that the authorities were indulging in this practice to stop the girls from agitating.

CITCO quiz finals
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 25 —The finals of the CITCO Quiz will be held at Hotel Shivalikview in Sector 17 here on July 30.

According to Mr A.K.Malhotra, DGM (Tourism), the preliminary round of the quiz, conducted at St Kabirs School, St Stephens School, Shivalik Public School and Hans Raj Public School (Panchkula) on July 23, received an overwhelming response with over 1000 students participating in it.

The quiz has been divided into two categories — the first for the 6th to 8th standard students and the second for 9th to 12th standard students. As many as 105 students have been shortlisted for participation in the computerised quiz for selection to the final round, which will be held from July 26 to July 29. They will answer 25 questions in five minutes and 10 student thus selected will vie for top honours.

CULTURE

Child’s talent rewarded

That Jasmine Arora, a Class II student of Tribune Model School, has won the Golden Palette award for the best painting at the “Vision of the future” exhibition held in Bitola city, USA, is known to many by now. What is less known, however, is the fact that Jasmine could not make it to Bitola to receive the award. The letter announcing the award reached her sometime in mid-April. The award giving ceremony was to be held on May 23. Having no passport and with hardly any time left to complete the formalities, Jasmine had to miss out on the one of the proudest moments of her life.

Putting the missed opportunity to be in the limelight behind her, the seven-year old Jasmine is jubilant about the whole thing. “I am eagerly waiting for my school to open and share the news with everyone, “ says she. For her father, who is a fine arts teacher, and who has won a number of awards for his paintings, it comes as no surprise that Jasmine should have a natural flair and talent for painting. Expressing joy over her daughter’s achievement, Jasmine’s father says, “I am elated over her success at this young age. She always used to adore my awards and talk of outdoing my work. To my delighted surprise, she has realised her dream so soon.” Since she was three years old, she used to try to paint like her father. “Ever since she has got the award, she has been trying to sketch and paint every picture she likes, “ her mother says.

It was in January this year that the National Bal Bhavan in New Delhi invited paintings for the international art competition. The contest was open to children from four to 14 years of age. The selected pieces were sent to “The Small Monmartre of Bitola 2000”, an event organised by the Children’s Studio of Fine Arts there. Jasmine’s award-winning painting was sent as an entry for the competition by the Bal Bhavan, Chandigarh. — Ritika Mehta

Top models for fashion show
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 25 — The biggest-ever fashion show being organised here on July 28 at the Chandigarh Press Club will feature top models from the fashion industry. The show called Aristocrat Premium Walk n Rock is the annual fashion show of NIFD and will have among others, models Sheetal Malhar, Bipasha Basu, Helen Brodie, Aditi Govitkar and Jesse Randhawa.

The show will be organised by NIFD in collaboration with Jagatjit Industries, Times Music and the Chandigarh Press Club. It will also feature top pop stars like Gursewak Mann and Devang Patel along with the international dance troupe Zenith. The fashion show will be choreographed by Priyanka Singh and will be compered by Hugo D’Souza.