EDUCATION

New schedule of SSC examinations
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Sept 9 — The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has changed the dates of various examinations to be conducted by it. The special recruitment of stenos Grade ‘D’ and LDCs (visually handicapped) in central government offices earlier scheduled on September 24 will be conducted on October 22.

The combined main (graduate level) exam earlier scheduled from October 3 and October 29 will be held from December 8. Grade ‘C’ departmental competitive examinations scheduled for December 3 will be held on December 17.

PEC teams up with Quark Media House
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 9 — The local Punjab Engineering College has signed a memorandum of Understanding with the Quark Media House “for promoting higher education through creation and dissemination of knowledge”.

A press note released here said “with headquarters in Denver, USA, Quark is a global information technology method with operations in 20 countries . The company opened a software development centre in Chandigarh in 1998.

The main areas of collaboration with the PEC include postgraduate training and project work, which includes sharing of faculty and guiding of projects, sharing of infrastructure, and development of faculty staff, besides others.

COURTS

31 cases decided in Lok Adalats
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, Sept 9 — As many as 31 cases were decided by mutual compromise in three Lok Adalats organised here today under the guidance of Mr Maghar Khan, District and Sessions judge, Ropar.

The Lok Adalats were headed by Mrs Neelam Arora, Additional Civil Judge, Mrs Harinder Sidhu, Civil Judge, and Mr Roshan Lal Chauhan, Civil Judge.

In all 92 cases were put up before these Lok Adalats and 31 were decided and a sum of Rs 7,27,960 was decreed.

CULTURE

A dance competition with a difference
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 9 — It was a dance competition with a difference where the composition of dances performed were based on the folk and Indian classical unlike many competitions organised in the city with an emphasis on western dances. Choreology, an inter-school dance competition organised by hometuitions.com set the stage of Tagore Theatre on fire today when the teams from various schools attired in fine costumes came for their presentations one after the other.

The first prize in the competition went to Manav Mangal School for a group dance suggesting harmony between India and Pakistan, with the help of scenes enacted from the Kargil episode. The second prize was given away to Sacred Heart School for a dance performance depicting the conquest of the mind to choose between the good and the evil.

The third prize went to St Stephen’s School for presenting bhangra on the famous song Jalwa. The prize for the team with best costumes was given away to Sanjay Public School that also presented bhangra depicting the enthusiasm of a farmer during the harvesting season. A consolation prize was given away to Chandigarh Baptist School for the presentation of a group dance showing that when darkness surrounds, the hope comes as a ray of the sun.

Other dances that were presented include a composition based on the national song “Vande matram Haryanavi and Punjabi folk dances.

Among the schools which participated in the competitions were Shivalik Public School, Sacred Heart Convent, PML SD School, GGSSS-20, GHS-40, GMSSS-20 and GMSSS-21.

After the competition hometuitions.com was formally launched by the CEO of Integrated Business Networks Limited. The website promises the availability of good teachers for tuitions for all students of all classes of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali.

Besides tuitions, the portal is also loaded with information on colleges, institutes along with more than 290 Indian universities. The portal also has list of 13,000 titles in textbooks of all major Indian publishers. It also offers free e-mail, latest happenings, tips on fashion, grooming, horoscopes and cookery.

Plays by tiny-tots focus on social evils
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 9 — The Young Womens’ Christian Association organised an inter-school Champa Mangat Rai memorial play competition here today. School children touched up issues starting from Pak intrusion to social evils prevailing in the country, including corruption, bribery and dowry.

The plays were based on a theme “Changing value systems in present day society”. The competition commenced with a welcome dance item presented by tiny-tots of Sanjeevani School. Various teams presented excellent performances highlighting the corruption and degradation of values in almost all spheres of life.

The play titled “Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi” enacted by a team of St John’s High School bagged the first prize. The second prize went to St Soldier International School, SAS Nagar, for the staging of a play, “Imandaari chal basi”.

The third prize was clinched by Sri Aurobindo School for the play “Tamasha”. Manraj Grewal, a journalist was the chief guest on the occasion. The panel of judges included Dr Rashmi Puri, Dr Vijaylakshmi Pandit, Ms Shweta Mahendar and Ms Ramanpreet Kaur, all associated with the Indian theatre.

This annual event was started three years ago with at the suggestion of Champa Mangat Rai, an eminent educationist and a theatre lover. She was also a founder member and President of the YWCA and the trophy is run in her memory.

50 take part in music competition
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 9 — The Department of Music, Government College for Girls, Sector 11 organised a talent search competition to encourage and motivate freshers of the graduate and postgraduate level.

Almost 50 semi-finalists, from selection tests held earlier, participated in the competition which included many events in the vocal and instrumental categories. The girls presented geets, shabads, folk songs, ghazals etc. The Heads of Department of Music, vocal and instrumental, Mrs Pamela Singh, and Mrs Uma Paul said that this talent search competition was an annual affair and even those students who had no training in music participated and fetched prizes in their category.

The Principal, Mrs. Vijaylakshi, who inaugurated the competition, gave away the prizes to the winners and appreciated the talent of the students and the healthy spirit of competition among them.