EDUCATION

PU admissions: 70 seats fall vacant
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 24 — Nearly 70 seats have fallen vacant in the honours school of Pharmacy and other science departments of Panjab University during the ongoing admission to the graduate courses.

Prof H.M. Dani, co-ordinator of the joint admission cell, said the second counselling for the vacant seats would be held on August 27 for students already interviewed personally and late applicants.

Professor Dani said a decision on the vacancies on account of the non-filling of seats in the reserved categories could be taken only after August 25.

Students in the general category (those with 125 or above in the CET) will be interviewed in the morning session on August 27. Those with 66.75 and above have been asked to contact the department in the afternoon.

For the Mathematics and Computing Department, interviews are scheduled for August 27 in the Department of Biochemistry.

LLM (part I) admission
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH Aug 24 — Interviews for admission to L.L.M. (part-1) course for the academic session 2000-2001 will be conducted on August 29 in the Department of Laws, Panjab University an official press release said here today. 

COURTS

Bail denied
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH Aug 24 — The bail application of Dhan Singh was today dismissed by the special Judge for the CBI cases-cum-Additional District and Session Judge, Mr Lakhbir Singh, in Panjab University paper-leakage case.

The accused, Dhan Singh, along with Panjab University Controller of Examination, Sodhi Ram, and three students, Ashwani Gupta, Anurag Gupta and Sukhwinder Singh, were arrested by the CBI for their alleged involvement in the leakage of B.Sc (III) honours question paper.

CULTURE

Punjabi play focuses on liberty 
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH Aug 24 — About two weeks ago, veteran Punjabi theatre director Gursharan Singh, had staged a production called Chhata Chanan Da Dei Janan on the premises of Punjab Kala Bhavan. The same production was repeated here today, and for specific reasons.

Last time, there were certain loopholes in the presentation which were plugged today. Also, though the story being told was the same, some more messages of liberation were conveyed today by way of dramatic nuances.

The story revolved around the youth of a remote village who are wanting to use shamlat land in the village for cultural purposes. They start a campaign to convert the land into a stage which can be used for presentation of ideas by the young and the old, and also by children who want to play around.

But, there are two negative forces — Lala Karamchand Chowdhry (played by Swaran Chaudhry) and Thekedar Ishar Singh (played by Rajender Raju), who try their level best to stall the efforts being made by the youth who are guided by a retired subedar (played by Sulaiman Bhat) and Tai Jathedarni (played by Kulbir Kaur). The highlight of the play falls towards the end in the form of a group of village women staging a production on the stage which they finally succeed to create.

The play voices the need of liberation and increased participation of youth in the affairs of the village. It also stresses that the clout created by feudal lords should be broken down and transparency should be encouraged at all costs.

A one-hour-22-minute production, which is a model production, will now be taken to various Punjab villages where the actual need for democratic revival lies. Informed the playweight, “We want to create an awareness through rural theatre based on modern sensibility. Our main idea is to arouse the villagers from their slumber and make them realise that their rights are for them alone.”

The production will now be taken to Garhshankar on September 1 and later to various other villages of the state.