LUDHIANA, Oct 21 — Members of the All-India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO) will take part in a protest march to Parliament House during the coming Winter Session. This was decided at the 22nd academic session of the federation that was held in Chennai from October 14 to 16.

This was announced here by Prof K.B.S. Sodhi, President of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU), who had represented teachers of Punjab at the Chennai conference.

Prof Sodhi said the General Council of the federation had discussed the issues related to globalisation. He said education was not on the priority list of the Centre and state governments. He said, there were hardly any incentives to attract talented persons to the profession.

LUDHIANA, Oct 21 — The Museum of Rural Life of Punjab owes its existence to Dr M.S. Randhawa, the first Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University. Dr Randhawa visited the 88-acre open air museum at Frilands near Copenhagen during a visit to Denmark in 1970. This museum traced the living conditions of the rural folk. Inspired by it, Dr Randhawa started a similar project in PAU to portray the rural life of Punjab during the 18th and the 19th centuries.

To give authenticity to the building of the museum, a photographic study was made of ancient havelis in Jagraon, Sultanpur Lodhi, Rahon and Sunam and a number of other places. After studying the architectural features of the old havelies, the present beautiful structure was raised. The well-known author, Kushwant Singh, inaugurated it on April 26, 1974.

Old door frames and ceilings were brought from Sunam. Patterns for the ceilings were taken from the old treasury building and some from Haveli Qazian.

Old masons and wood carvers who could give proper colour and ambience to the building were sought out from obscurity. Special bricks were shaped.

The imposing building gives a thrill to the visitor. After walking along a red sandstone path with water channels on both sides, (sadly there was no water), the visitor enters the building through beautifully carved doors, and sandstone floors, to have a look at old coins found in the Sunet and specimens of pottery from the Harappan, Aryan and Gupta periods (1700 B.C. to 1700 A.D.).

Devices used to manufacture coins during the 3rd century attract attention. One is revited to a saddle quern made of heavy stone. The people used pound grain on it. Metal tumblers, bronze lamps, and silver tumblers of all kinds show the skill of our ancestors. Extracts from Punjabi folk songs are also displayed near these objects.

Outside the room, is a big courtyard, an essential feature of every house. One is impressed by the open kitchen. The dummy of a housewife looks so real that one feels that she will get up to greet the visitor. There is a coach in the courtyard. It used to be a common means of transport. You can also see a Persian wheel in the courtyard. Old metal containers used for drawing water during Babur’s rule are also displayed. In the next room lies a handmill for grinding grain with the dummy of a beautiful girl working it. There is a rice-husking apparatus, papier mache objects and reed baskets.

The room leading from the courtyard to another room has saddles for animals like camels, horses, bullock, buffaloes, trinkets, bells, beads and other decorative material.

In the bedroom the bed is huge and strong. It stands four feet high and is woven with cotton thread and has a handwoven ‘dari’ spread on it. A wooden chest, 100 years old, standing in one corner.

For festive occasions, there are musical instruments such as sarangi, algoza, chimta, tabla etc.

Then a huge oil container catches the visitor’s eye. It is made of mud and covered both outside and inside by camel skin, so that the mud does not soak the oil. The ladle to scoop out the oil is abnormally large.

Up on the first floor, the balcony displays Phulkari. When it has flower patterns, it is called Phulkari, and when all cloth is covered by the embroidery, it is called Bagh. According to the curator of the museum, every man, whether rich or poor, had to give five articles to his daughter in dowry — a charkha, a phulkari, a hand fan, a bed, and a wooden box.

There is a bridal dress worn by a dummy sitting in a dola, old design of ‘jutties’ and ornaments worn by women of fore.