The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Stress on creating legal awareness
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — As many as 40,000 persons were educated by the Regional Resource Centre for Adult and Continuing Education, in collaboration with the State Legal Services Authority and the Department of Adult Education, UT, on the occasion of Legal Services Day today.

About 400 people participated to mark the day at Senior Secondary School, Dhanas, Government Model High School, Badheri, and Sarangpur Vocational Training Centre.

Ms Manjeet Paintal, Director, RRC, gave details of the legal services being provided to the weaker sections of society. She said the cases which can be taken to the Lok Adalats are related to matrimonial, civil, criminal, divorce, property, domestic cases, claims and possessions and the cases can be decided instantly free of cost.

Dr B.B. Prasoon, Member Secretary and Permanent Judge, Lok Adalat, Ms Kamla Sharma, ex-Mayor and councillor, Badheri, Mrs Joginder Modi, Deputy Director, and Ms Anuradha Sharma, Project Officer, RRC, also spoke on the occasion.

The Chandigarh College of Architecture organised a poster-cum-collage competition on the theme "Access to justice for all". A total sum of Rs 1,000 was awarded to the winning entries. Exhibition after the competition was visited by Dr Bharat Bhushan, Member Secretary, State Legal Services Authority, U.T. Chandigarh.

The Law Society was inaugurated at the Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36. Justice D.V. Sehgal, Judge of the permanent Lok Adalat was the chief guest. He inaugurated the Law Society. Other guests were Ms Madhu Bahl, Principal of K.B. D.A.V. Centenary Public School, Ms Sarla Sharma, chairperson of the college, Dr D.S. Gupt, former Principal of D.A.V. College, Malout.

The chief guest spoke about the need for providing legal awareness to all by removing poverty and educating people of their rights. A paper reading contest on the topic “Justice for all” was also held.

The Government College for Girls, Sector 11, also observed Legal Services Day by organising a paper reading contest. Seventeen students participated in the contest. The Principal of the school, Ms Vijay Lakshmi, presided over the function and gave away the prizes to the winners of contest.

The State Legal Services Authority in collaboration with the Government College of Art organised a poster competition on the theme of “Legal awareness through art”. Forty students from different specialisations participated in the competition.

The Legal Services Day was observed in Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, where students were made aware of the legal aid available to various categories. While addressing the students, Principal P.S. Sangha called upon them to spread the awareness among the general public.

The MCM DAV College for Women, Sector 36, celebrated the Legal Services Day to create legal awareness among the staff members and the students of the college. Ms Usha Gupta, Principal, of the college announced a special legal committee constituted for the students of the college.

Mr Justice A.L. Bahri addressed the students and staff of the college.

A legal awareness cell was established in the Government College of Education, Sector 20, under the patronage of Ms Surinder Tangri, Principal of the college, with an aim to propagate legal awareness among the students.

A declamation contest was organised at Government Model Senior Secondary School by the UT Education Department to observe the Legal Services Day. As many as 74 students from various government and private schools participated in the contest.

Mr Harbhajan Halwarvi, Editor, Punjabi Tribune, was the chief guest for the day. Sanjeev Tewari, Director, Public Relations, Panjab University, and Mr Ripu Daman Sharma, Joint Director, Public Relations, Punjab, were the judges for the declamation contest. Mr D.S. Saroya, DPI, Schools, presided over the function . Dr B.B. Parsoon, Member Secretary State Legal Services Authority and Mr Brahamjit Kalia DEO were among the guests.

Government College, Sector 46, and Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, also observed the day in their respective colleges.

In order to celebrate the Legal Services Day, the police here today organised a seminar and distributed literature of the State Legal Services Authorities to the faculty and trainees at the Police Training School, Sector 26.

A seminar was organised on the functional aspects of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, which was implemented. DSPs, Inspectors, SHOs of Chandigarh police were present at the seminar which was addressed by Member Secretary of the State Legal Services Authority, Dr Bharat Bhusan Parsoon.

PANCHKULA: Surya Foundation observed the Legal Services Awareness Day in Raipur Khurd here today. A lecture on legal rights of women was delivered by Ms Amanpreet Kaur, a lawyer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh. She laid stress on creating awareness among women about the legal services provided by the State Legal Services Authority.

COURTS

Adalat settles 1,706 cases
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — At a Special Lok Adalat, organised at the Sector 17 District Courts on the occasion of Legal Services Day today, 1,706 cases were disposed of, while Rs 99, 02, 807 was awarded as compensation to litigants. A sum of Rs 1, 66, 415 was also realised as fine. Several cases pertaining to matrimonial disputes were also amicably resolved.

In all, about 2,560 cases pertaining to accident claims, matrimonial disputes, rent, recovery of money and other matters were taken up. For the first time, cases pertaining to labour disputes were also heard. To expedite the process of disposal, 16 Benches were constituted under the aegis of the UT State Legal Services Authority.

Mr. Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr. Justice N.K. Sodhi of the Punjab and Haryana High Court here also actively participated in the Lok Adalat. The Member-Secretary of the State Legal Services Authority, Dr Bharat Bhushan Parsoon, along with Chandigarh’s District and Sessions Judge Mr H.S. Bhalla, besides the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash, also took part in the Adalat. According to senior judicial officers, a liberal view was taken while deciding the summary cases.

The Adalat started functioning at 9.30 a.m. Within minutes, the familiar corridors of the District Courts were filled by a crowd of hopeful lawyers and litigants. Patiently, they waited for their turn. Tea and coffee were also served free of cost.

For their convenience, two makeshift reception-cum-enquiry counters, with details of the cases fixed before various Adalats, were also set up near the main gate of the District Courts. At the end of the day, litigants left the courts, visibly relieved.

For their guidance, literature to create legal awareness and information about the available legal services, besides the persons eligible for free counselling, was also distributed by the State Legal Services Authority.

According to the pamphlets, free legal aid was available to persons with incomes not exceeding Rs 50,000. In addition, a member of the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes, a woman or a child, a disabled person, an Industrial workman, besides a victim of trafficking, were eligible for free legal aid.

Talking to the media after the conclusion of the Special Lok Adalat, the president of the District Bar Association, Mr N.K. Nanda, thanked the advocates for making these a success.

CULTURE

Sirmauri artistes mesmerise city audience
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — Himachali folk dancers with agile movements and colourful attires mesmerised the city audience at the Punjab Kala Bhavan where the Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations organised a folk dance show here tonight.

The Sanskritak Dall Rajana Bhoj from Sirmour who performed under the horizon series acquainted audience with the rich cultural heritage of Himachal. The melodious musical notes created by simple musical instruments like Dholak, Harmonium, Hulak and Harer were highly appreciated by the audience.

Starting with a song dedicated to goddess Renuka a troupe of 15 artistes presented four folk dances. The main attraction of the show was the parat nritya performed by Kailash Chand Sharma and Raj Kumar. The deepak nritya where two artists Asha and Basanti danced gracefully carrying four deepaks lighted over their heads was another show stealer.

The show concluded with the performance of Sirmouri dance. It was a group dance performance by all 15 artistes together.

Giving refined touch to mural designing
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — Art never expresses anything but itself. And all that it expresses is beautiful. A lot of this aesthetic is being viewed in the city these days, with almost all the galleries displaying varied art forms. Yet an addition was made today to the list of artistic activity as murals designed by about 30 artists of the Bama Academy, Panchkula, went on view at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10. Mural designing may not be a very common form of expression vis-a-vis painting and sculpture, but it surely is coming up in a big way. Also, it is here to stay, it reflects a lot of creative talent, and has a high aesthetic value.

The mural exhibition confirms this statement. On view are extremely inspiring works which have been created from mediums as rare as glass, crushed paper and so on. Each work sends across a very powerful message, not only in context of its content but also with regard to its creative value.

The interesting and noticeable part of the exhibition is a shift from the very ancient formats of designing murals. The word mural is derived from the old French word Murraille borrowed from another Latin word Murralis. It means on the wall. So mural is anything which is employed to decorate the wall.

The current exhibition, however, clearly shows that the mural designing is gradually getting refined. Most works on the display in the second annual art exhibition have been created from symbols which have a strong place in the Indian tradition. The attempt of the artists is to get the best of expression with the use of exotic mediums.

Most of the works seem to be rooted strongly in nature. The traditional strength of the country is also on display, with the artists drawing a lot of inspiration from the Indian tradition. Other themes which have been voiced through art include nature, the all-time favourite with the artistic mind. Many of the works also reflect the mundane activities.

The encouraging part of the show is the amazing use to which various waste materials have been put to by the artists. The artists have employed mediums as diverse as dry stems, crushed paper, gum, glass pieces, ropes and other waste materials to give shape to their creative endeavour.

The exhibition was inaugurated today by Mr Nek Chand and it will go on till November 12.

Exploring relationship between art forms
By Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — Like signature, art is also personal and very exclusive to each artist. What inspires an artist and what chemistry converts that inspiration into a work of art is a mystery. The metamorphosis of that inspiration as visualised in the mind of an artist and ultimately into a creative work is a long process, be it in dance, painting or writing.

So is the emergence of Komala Varadan as a dancer, a painter, and a photographer. From a Bharata Natyam danseuse to a photographer of absolute maturity, she has come a long way. Today she is known and recognised for more than one skill. But mostly for her original and innovative choreography and her achievement of having enriched the repertoire of Bharata Natyam with creations. When Chandigarh Tribune contacted the artist in the UT Guest House last afternoon, she did not seem elusive at all. In fact, she shared her experiences as a woman of many skills. She is in the city to give a presentation on art and communication. While today she made a presentation titled ‘Painting comes alive’ at College of Art, she will present ‘Salutation to nature’ tomorrow.

Komala treats art as a language. So, for her, it is another medium of expression. Admits the artist, “In childhood I concentrated on dance, so much so that I was back in Bangalore to achieve this mission even when my parents migrated to Singapore. Down the line I picked up the art of painting. I had begun with portraits because my teacher V.R. Rao specialised in portrait painting.”

Talking about the power of art, she said that it was one form of art which pushed me towards another art form. “From portraits and landscapes I arrived at my own theme which is dance. As a dancer I perceived and felt movements differently from other artists and there arose an urge to make a statement.” No wonder Komala paints on the theme of dance and has even evolved a unique style of her own to depict it. She has painted almost all forms of dance including Kathakali, Kathak, Odissi, Mohiniyattam, and even the Indonesian dance.

She is however known mainly for her choreography. She is credited with choreographing of Tulsidas’s Ram Charit Manas as a solo recital. Prakritim Vande is yet another choreography which combines her skills as a dancer and a photographer. In this sequence she salutes the nature.

Coming to yet another facet of her personality — that of a painter. Komala says, “I like transcribing from one language into another, transferring the experiences felt in one medium into another. The transition from dance to painting was challenging.” Her first painting “Nartiki” was done in 1974 when she was working for an exhibit in Bangalore. Exploring dance movements, at first those of classical dance styles and later folk and other movements, as well as painting them on the canvas was a highly on experience for her.

“Some of the dance numbers I have choreographed echo as paintings,” she says. Krishna’s dance on Kalinga, Siva as Nataraja, Durga and Kali have all been represented through dance and as paintings. She has also done a series on monsoons and later she even choreographed a dance number titled “Rain” for a Tamil poem by the same name by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati. So illustrious she is considered that the Films Division of the Government of India has even produced a documentary on her titled “A versatile artist.”

She has also written two novels and over a hundred short stories. Her stories have also been translated into English, Hindi, Kannada and Urdu. She happens to be a member of the Authors Guild of India. Informed Komala, “Very recently I have published a book titled Bharata Natyam — expanding horizons which is a pictorial version of her Bharata Natyam recital of Ram Charit Manas. Yet another passion with Komala is her institution which she calls Kalaikoodam. The institute, founded about 15 years ago, has emerged as a cultural centre where people converge for furthering the cause of art. Komala herself takes lessons in Bharata Natyam here and also holds seminars to promote culture.