 |
| Wednesday, January 3, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
|
Chinese leader Li Peng arrives Special trains for Kumbh Mela Sonia concentrates power 5 killed, 1 hurt in helicopter crash Curfew reimposed in Ranchi
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basu to produce Babri tape Ayodhya may no longer help BJP: Laxman Ram temple model to reach Allahabad PM’s Gurpurb greetings Victims of ’84 riots to get relief: CM Point 5353 row refuses to die down Calcutta film institute on verge of closure I was a shy, skinny lad: Hrithik Healing with fruits and flowers SC declines Kalyan’s plea
|
| Chinese leader Li Peng arrives on Jan 9 NEW DELHI, Jan 2 — In a significant development, Chairman of the People’s Congress of China Li Peng will arrive in Mumbai on January 9 on a nine-day official visit. Mr Li Peng, who is number two in the hierarchy of the all-powerful Chinese Communist Party, is coming here on the joint invitation of the Vice-President, Mr Krishan Kant, and the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi. This is Mr Li’s second visit as he had visited India in December, 1991 as the Prime Minister of China. Mr Li’s coming, which is yet another visit in the series of the high-level exchanges that India and China have had in the course of the last 18 months, is reflective of the commitment of the political leadership of the two countries to take the bilateral ties to its real potential. During his stay in the capital, Mr Li will have meetings with important political leaders, including the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on January 15. The Chinese leader will arrive in New Delhi on January 11, when he will have meetings with the Vice-President and the Lok Sabha Speaker. On January 12, the leader of the opposition, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, will call on the visiting Chinese leader. The Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, Mrs Najma Heptullah, will host a reception for Mr Li. In Mumbai, the Chinese leader will visit the Export Processing Zone, apart from meeting Maharashtra’s Governor and the Chief Minister. Mr Li will also visit Agra and Bangalore. In Bangalore, he will have interaction with the entrepreneurs of the information technology industry. Sino-Indian relations have been growing steadily over the last few years with bilateral trade expected to cross $ 2.5 billion in the year 2000. While the first 10 months of 2000, Indian exports to China grew by 59.5 per cent over the corresponding months of 1999, while the imports from China grew by 34.5 per cent in the same period. In spite of the fact of the Indian exports touched $ 1075 million, the balance of trade remained in favour of China. The bilateral ties regained the accelerating momentum after a short setback that it had received in 1998 after the nuclear explosions in Pokhran and off-the-cuff remarks of the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes. The relations started improving after the visit of the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, in June 1999, when the two countries decided to start a security dialogue. The two countries held extensive celebration on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties last year and the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, paid a successful visit to China in May-June last year. Even in the area of border disputes between New Delhi and Beijing, there has been considerable progress as the Joint Working Group (JWG) on boundary issue has been working satisfactorily. |
Special trains for Kumbh Mela NEW DELHI, Jan 2 —The railways will run special trains and augment/extend some regular trains for the convenience of passengers travelling from all corners of the country to participate in the first Kumbh Mela of the new millennium scheduled this month. A press note issued by Northern Railway here yesterday said that a special train will leave Chennai at 2.30 pm on January 21 and reach Allahabad at 4 am on January 23. The return special will leave Allahabad at 9 pm on January 25. Other special trains will link Allahabad with Raipur, Mumbai, Secunderabad, Guwahati, Katihar, Howrah, Patna, Dhanbad and Bhagalpur. Sources in NR said the regular trains being extended/augmented include the Sealdah-Mughalsarai Express, Udhyan Abha-Toofan Express, Howrah-Delhi Jn. Janata Express, Lal Quila Express, Banda-Kanpur passenger, Manikpur-Kanpur passenger, Chopan-Katni passenger, Bina-Katni passenger, Gwalior/Agra cantonment-Howrah Chambal Express, Gwalior-Varanasi Bundelkhand Express, Lok Manya Tilak Terminal (Kurla) Allahabad Tulsi Express, Itarsi-Allahabad passenger and Jhansi-Allahabad passenger. | |
| Sonia concentrates power NEW DELHI, Jan 2 — The Congress under the stewardship of Sonia Gandhi has failed to reinvent itself or do anything substantive to catch the imagination of the people at large. While a large number of senior Congressmen are convinced that the Sonia factor has been a cementing force in keeping the party organisation together, yet others firmly believe precious little has been done to arrest the drift in the Congress. Mrs Sonia Gandhi is trying to emulate her late mother-in-law Indira Gandhi in running the affairs of the Congress with an iron grip brooking no dissent or challenge to her leadership. The election for the Congress President’s post was a case in point along with that of the delegates to the All-India Congress Committee (AICC). This has been the strategy of the coterie around her essentially to protect their own interests by giving the impression that they are the ones having the eyes and ears of the leader. There is, however, one essential and critical difference in that Mrs Sonia Gandhi lacks the charisma of Mrs Indira Gandhi in converting her individual popularity into votes for the Congress. A leader whose appeal revolves around mass curiosity has seldom earned the genuine adulation of the Congress rank and file which has invariably been spurred by the spring, verve and stature of the leader. Unrequited and discriminating Congressmen are convinced that the Congress is yet to shake itself from the stupor of having savoured power for more than four decades. Power, inspiration and direction flows from the leader and with these attributes virtually non-existent at the very top, the Congress is falling deeper into an abyss and merely chugging along in a rudderless manner. The powerful lobbies in the Congress have had their sway yet again in keeping the elections to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest-decision making body of the party, in abeyance so that they are not pushed out of reckoning. This strategy has been adopted to ensure the continuity of the majority of those already forming part of the CWC. The present spectacle of authorising Mrs Sonia Gandhi in her capacity as the numero uno of the party to nominate all 24 members of the CWC is nothing new to the Congress though it makes a mockery of the amended constitution of the party organisation. The expectation is that she will keep a few slots vacant in the CWC to appease the dissidents in a bid to contain rampant factionalism which has been the bane of the party. Congressmen by and large who have won elections and made it to the Lok Sabha emphasise in private conversation that the credit for this cannot be laid at the door of the party President. “The triumph is due in large measure to our own efforts and the fact that as a Congressman, one has enjoyed a slight advantage compared to others. That scenario is changing fast and the Congress leadership for inexplicable reasons is unwilling to come to terms with the hard ground realities,” these MPs observed. With Assembly elections round the corner in crucial states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the general scene for the Congress is dismal. In Tamil Nadu they have to ride piggy back on the shoulders of the AIADMK and meekly accept the dole in terms of seats handed down by Ms Jayalalitha. In West Bengal, the prospects of the Congress are only marginally better though they are still hoping for a truck with Union Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and other like- minded groups. |
| 5 killed, 1 hurt in helicopter crash DEHRA DUN, Jan 2 — Five persons died and one was injured in an air crash near Mussoorie this morning. According to the details available with the police control room, a helicopter carrying six passengers, including the pilot, crashed soon after the takeoff from a tourist lodge in the hills of Hathipaun. Police sources said a former Union Minister of Forests and Environment, Mr Kamalnath, the Chairman of DLF Universal, Mr K.P. Singh, their family members and a few friends, had come to the “queen of hills” to celebrate New Year on three helicopters. Mr Kamalnath, his family members and Mr K.P. Singh escaped unhurt as they were travelling on the other two helicopters, but the wife of Mr K.P. Singh was injured in the crash and was admitted to the Military Hospital in Dehra Dun, from where she was later shifted to a hospital in Delhi. The tourist party had taken off this morning from Baasi Estate at Hathipaun, a desolate tourist resort situated in the north-west of Mussoorie town. This tourist resort belongs to Mr K.P. Singh. Major P.K. Mehra, his wife Beena, daughter Radhika and a female companion. Indira Dodi died on the spot. The ill-fated helicopter developed a snag soon after taking off. The pilot of the helicopter, Capt R.K. Yadav, and Mr K.P. Singh’s wife, Mrs Indira Singh were badly injured. The local police swung into action immediately and took out the injured safely. After initial medical aid, they were shifted to the Military Hospital in Dehra Dun, where Yadav died. The tourist party had spent the weekend at Hathipaun resort to enjoy the New Year celebrations. The presence of top Congress leader and a business baron from New Delhi among the group set the district administration alert to organise relief operations. Further, the reports say the fan of the helicopter went off suddenly after the takeoff, which led to the crash but the technical fault report from experts is yet to come. |
| Curfew reimposed in Ranchi RANCHI, Jan 2 (UNI) — Curfew was reimposed in some parts of the Capital from 4 p.m. today as a precautionary measure. According to Deputy Commissioner Sukhdeo Singh the curfew was reimposed in parts of the state capital barring Kanke, Chutta, Gonda and Argora police station areas. The curfew was totally lifted in Kanke, Gonda, Chutta and Argora (barring Kadru) police station areas early this morning, while a relaxation for six hours was given in the remaining areas as the situation was fast returning to normal. During the curfew relaxation period, no untoward incident was reported from any part of the city. |
| Basu to produce Babri tape KOLKATTA, Jan 2 (PTI) — Former West Bengal Chief minister Jyoti Basu today said he would produce an audio tape containing a controversial statement by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh before the Liberhan Commission inquiring into the Babri Masjid demolition case on January 29. “I would submit to the commission, among other things, an audio tape containing an overjoyous statement of the former UP Chief Minister saying that while contractors would have taken one-and-a-half months to bring down the Babri structure (‘dhacha’ as he called it), the kar sevaks accomplished the job in five hours, Mr Basu told the 61st Session of the Indian History Congress, here. Condemning the demolition of the 500-year-old historical structure by a ‘band of frenzied kar sevaks’ on December 6, 1992, the veteran Marxist leader said, "There are some who would say that the structure was not pulled down, but it collapsed, or that it was an accident and not organised, as Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee personally told me.” Mr Basu termed as ‘unfortunate’ the manner in which a high official in a government body in Delhi had ‘gone out of his way’ to suggest that the Babri mosque had no religious significance and Muslims should hand over the site to the Hindus. Lashing out at the BJP’s ‘Hindutva’ agenda, Mr Basu said the ‘tragic upsurge’ of sectarian and fundamentalist political forces in recent times was attempting to use history to take the country backwards and mould people’s intellect with, what he termed, “obscurantism and fundamentalist values”. “At a time when historians should be encouraged to enlighten us on other issues, attempts are being undertaken in an organised manner to divert popular attention to the mandir-masjid-church issue. I feel perturbed by the venom being spread against religious minorities and the violence perpetrated against them,” Mr Basu said. The octogenarian CPM leader said on the pretext of curriculum reforms, textbooks were being rewritten on the basis of communal ideology. “While we are speaking of IT revolution, we are also toying with ideas of Vedic mathematics and a course on astrology.” “I also understand that in some school books, the map of India is even being shown as including not only Pakistan and Bangladesh, but also the entire region of Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and even parts of Myanmar. I wonder what our neighbours think of this,” he said. In a book series for schoolchildren, the section on the Indian freedom movement eulogised Hegdewar and Golwalkar, but undermined the contributions of mainstream national leaders, Muslims and Communists, he observed. “The changes proposed in history texts go against our perceived wisdom and certainly do not rest on consensus. Hindutva, now being assiduously propagated, is a direct assault on secularism, a basic feature of our constitution,” Mr Basu rued. |
| Ayodhya may no longer help BJP: Laxman new delhi, Jan 2 (PTI) — BJP President Bangaru Laxman feels that Ayodhya may have outlived its utility as an electoral issue and the controversy over Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s statements on the temple dispute have made no dent on the party’s attempts to widen its base among Muslims. In a significant statement ahead of the forthcoming Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, he appealed to Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to reconsider its decision to take up a position on the temple construction at Ayodhya and fix up a date and programme for it. In an hour-long interview to PTI, Mr Laxman who took the reins of the party in August, spoke on a range of issues from the problems of farmers complicated by the WTO obligations to the peace initiatives in Kashmir, his Nagpur message to Muslims and the strategy for the coming Assembly elections in five states. “I am of the opinion that there can be no single agenda which could electorally help the party for all times to come and therefore, if some partymen feel that Ayodhya is the issue, I don’t think they are correct.....If people feel only Ram agenda can help,” he said when asked if the Ram Temple issue would be projected in the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. “I don’t see any reason to again take it up,” he added. On the proposed Dharam Sansad (Religious Parliament) being convened by the VHP, Mr Laxman said the government, including the BJP had taken a stand to await and abide by the court’s verdict on the temple issue. “My only appeal to the VHP is to reconsider this decision on taking up a position on the temple construction and not to fix up a date and programme for the construction of a the Ram Temple”, he said. He ruled out the possibility of the allies of BJP, including the Trinamool Congress, parting ways on the Ayodhya issue saying that a break with the BJP would mean another round of elections, which nobody including Opposition was prepared for. “Things have been made clear to them (allies). There is no need to reopen the chapter (Ayodhya) as the Prime Minister has repeatedly reiterated his commitment to abide by the court verdict”, he said. Asked how confident he was about the Trinamool Congress continuing in the NDA, the BJP President said “We have been friends for over a year. I hope the interest of West Bengal is kept in mind. That was the reason which brought us together and that is still there uppermost in our minds”. On the idea of Mahajot in West Bengal to defeat CPM led-Left Front in the Assembly elections, he said an alliance only between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress would not help and that was why he had made a statement recently that as a one time exception considering the situation in the state, the Congress could also be included in the alliance only for seat adjustment. |
| Ram temple model to reach Allahabad AYODHYA, Jan 2 (PTI) — The model of the proposed Sri Ram temple at Ayodhya is expected to reach Allahabad tomorrow, where it will be displayed at a VHP camp set up for the Maha Kumbh mela, the parishad’s regional organising secretary said here today. The 21 feet long, 11 feet wide and seven and a half feet high marble-dust model, made by craftsmen in Jaipur, is a replica of the proposed Ram temple, Mr Purushottam Narain Singh said. He said the model had 212 pillars, a “Nritya mandap” and a sanctum sanctorum. It will be kept on a platform during the mela to facilitate public viewing. |
| PM’s Gurpurb greetings NEW DELHI, Jan 2 (PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today greeted the people on the occasion of birthday of Guru Gobind Singh. Extending his greetings to the people, Mr Vajpayee asked them to follow the teachings of the Sikh Guru and live in harmony with all communities. The greetings were extended by the Prime Minister at a function where he was presented a siropa, Nishan-e-Khalsa and a photograph of Guru Gobind Singh by the Delhi State Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) general secretary Kuldeep Singh Bhogal. |
| Victims of ’84 riots to get relief: CM KANPUR, Jan 2 (PTI) — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh said today victims of the 1984 riots would be given compensation by the state government. Addressing a gathering of Sikhs here to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, he expressed concern over the delay in solving the problems of the Sikhs. He said land for setting up Punjabi Research Academy would be provided on no-profit, no-loss basis. He said the Sikh community had played a vital role in forging national unity and its sacrifices in that direction could not be ignored. The Chief Minister also asked the Sikh community to suggest ways to facilitate payment of compensation state was facing financial constraints. |
| Point 5353 row refuses to die down NEW DELHI, Jan 2 — The controversy over the occupation of Point 5353 in the Kargil region of Jammu and Kashmir just refuses to die down. While yesterday in a statement issued by the office of Additional Principal Information Officer (Addl PIO), Defence, the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, was quoted while addressing the troops in the inhospitable region of Kargil on the New Year’s day that during his latest visit he had himself stood on the peak and got photographed. “This should end the unfortunate controversy about this peak once and for all,” he was quoted. This indicated that the peak which has been in the Pakistani occupation since Operation Vijay was back in the Indian possession. Further indicating that probably the Indian forces had conducted another operation to take over the strategic peak. However, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) today retracted the statement of the Defence Minister saying he had never visited the peak and that it was “a mistake committed by the Press Information Bureau (Defence Wing)”. This although restored the status quo regarding the strategically important Point 5353, but has again raked up the controversy. It points out how touchy the matter is and how important it is for the MoD to maintain clarity over it. This is not the first time that the ministry and the Army have had divergent views over the peak which gives the Pakistanis a clear view of 6 to 10 km inside the Indian territory on the Srinagar-Leh highway. While retracting the statement which was issued by the Additional PIO (Defence) himself from New Delhi, the ministry said Mr Fernandes had flown to a number of posts and had interacted with the troops deployed there. The photographs were taken with the watershed ridge in the background and also showed Point 5353 which is located on it. Later, while interacting with the mediapersons accompanying him, the minister had stated that mis-information was being spread about Point 5353 that it was earlier in India’s occupation and had subsequently been lost “should end once and for all”. At no point of time, the minister had said Point 5353 was now in the possession of the Indian troops, the statement said. It would, however, be interesting to know why by standing at a point with Point 5353 in the background the minister wanted the controversy to end “once and for all” and what prompted the Add PIO sitting in Delhi to issue a statement on behalf of the Defence Minister that he had been to Point 5353 and got himself photographed. Incidentally, a similar controversy had also erupted in August last year when while the Defence Minister had said all peaks on the Indian side of LoC were under Indian occupation and the Army had clarified that Point 5353 which is about 300 to 500 metres inside the Indian territory was never in their possession. Thus indicating that it was under the occupation of the Pakistanis. The issue later snowballed with the Army refusing to make comments specially after a Rajya Sabha Member, Mr R.K. Anand, came out with a statement that at least six peaks, including Point 5353, were still in Pak possession in the Kargil region. The Army then chose to roll the ball into the Defence Minister’s court saying since now the issue had been raised by a political personality, it would be proper for the Defence Minister to react. However before that, the opposing claims by the Army and the Defence Minister had further compounded the confusion over this crucial peak, specially after a slew of media reports about a bungled military operation in October 1999 to seize the strategic feature along the Marpo La ridge. The Army had attempted to clear the air by holding special briefing for two senior journalists where it declared that an “inter-visibility exercise” on a detailed contour map showed that the Pakistanis on top of the 17,397-foot-high peak could observe no more than 0.5 to 1 km of Highway 1A from a distance of 11.5 km. This reaction of the Army came following reports that the then 56 Brigade Commander at Dras, Brig Amar Nath Aul, had failed to seize Point 5353 around mid-October as one of the Gurkha units tasked with the job declined the mission for reasons known only to him and presumably his commanders. Following these reports, Army Headquarters had gone to great lengths to reaffirm that Point 5353, in keeping with the 1972 Shimla Agreement, was and continues to be in Pakistani control. But it remained mysteriously silent on Brigadier Aul’s role in the entire operation, neither confirming nor denying that this officer, decorated for his role in the Kargil operations, was in any way responsible or not, for India losing Point 5353 to the enemy. By simply not commenting on Brigadier Aul’s role, the Army hoped that the limited publicity over his bungle would die a natural death. However, that was not to be and the Point 5353 syndrome still continues to haunt the Indian Army. |
| Calcutta film institute on verge of closure CALCUTTA, Jan 2 — The prestigious Satyajit Film Institute in Calcutta is on the verge of closure. Admission of students and other academic activities at the institute have been suspended. The Director, Mr Gautam Ghose, a renowned Bengali film director, has resigned. The institute is being managed by the Acting Director, Mr Jatin Sarkaer, a bureaucrat. Mismanagement want of infrastructural facilities, student unrest as well as trade union problems have all jointly led to create an impasse, threatening the very existence of the “international film” institute. Built in 1995 as a central government project on the spacious 40 acres near Salt Lake and named after the Oscar-winning Bengali film director Satyajit Ray, it faces a “premature death”, Bengal’s writer-Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharyya regrets. The state government has requested the Centre to take remedial measures. The idea to have a film institute in the city like Pune Film Institute had been initiated by Bhattacharyya in the late 80s and as West Bengal Minister for Information and Culture, he also sent a proposal to the Centre. Mr Bhattacharyya pleaded that a film institute with all modern facilities in the cultural city of Calcutta, could be an ideal project where young men and women can undergo training in shooting, acting, directing, editing and other allied matters in film-making at the graduate and post-graduate levels. He also suggested that the institute be named after Satyajit Ray. Initially, the Centre was not much willing that the country should have a second film institute like Pune’s, but at persuasion of Mr Jyoti Basu and Mr Bhattacharyya, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi sanctioned the proposal as a central project and Mr Gautam Ghose was made the Director of the institute. The Centre sanctioned Rs 20 crore for building the institute on the land allotted by the state government allotted. Film making equipments worth Rs 20 crore was purchased. The equipment includes 10 Steinbook machines to edit 35mm film, full-fledged 3 camera digital and a modern TV studio network. The institute started with much fanfare and 120 students from all over the country, had been admitted for the degree course. Renowned film director, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Banegal, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Mahesh Bhatt, Mira Nair and actors, Govind Nihlani, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Aparna Sen had been directly or indirectly connected with the institute. At one stage, Satyajit Ray was made the adviser of the film institute. Academic session of 1996-97 as many as 120 students joined the institute but most of them gradually quit leaving a handful of 28, who still hope to build a film career after obtaining certificate from the institute. One batch of students has come out from the institute after obtaining certificate but hardly anyone could build a successful film career. Further admission to the institute has been closed. The institute authorities say they should first ensure proper infrastructural and teaching facilities and then arrange new admission. But in this academic year, no new batch will be admitted. |
| I was a shy, skinny lad: Hrithik NEW DELHI, Jan 2 (PTI) — Superstar Hrithik Roshan, who stole millions of hearts with his first box-office hit, says he used to be a skinny, shy lad who did “all that could help him” in acting, even meditated, and moved with a walkman till his first shot for the film. “I was anxious and nervous. I had a walkman to relax me till my first shot... That was taken in one take. If that had not gone right...,” Hrithik said in an interview with Karan Thapar in “Face to Face” on BBC World. Stating unassumingly that he did not expect the success of “Kaho Na Pyar Hai” to be “this way”, the star says “too much happened too soon. Its a bit unnerving”. Asked whether he was comfortable with his celebrity status, Hrithik says “I loved being by myself. I don’t know if I am a loner but I need an hour to myself each day. Its a need.” During the half-an-hour interview taken days before his marriage to Suzanne Khan and his reported statements which rocked Nepal though he denied them, Hrithik described his fiancee as “a part of my life... And I would like to keep her to myself”. He denied that Suzanne was his childhood love and said the first time he met her was when he was 21. Going down memory lane, Hrithik, who is now sometimes described as a “hunk”, recollected that he was “skinny as hell”. He recalls that life was not always smooth sailing. “There have been times when there was no money in the house..... “Kaho Na Pyar Hai went Rs 3 crore over the budget. The house and the car were mortgaged.” Hrithik says his heart skipped a beat when his father Rakesh Roshan, director-producer of “Kaho Na Pyar Hai,” asked him to play the lead male role in the film. “I did all that could help me in acting..... Even meditating to help my mind relax, I trained my voice..... called Salman Khan who did not know me then.” | |
| Healing with fruits and flowers NEW DELHI, Jan 2 (PTI) — Got a throbbing headache? Massage with lavender oil. Can’t go to sleep? Sprinkle it on your pillow and...you are soothened and asleep. Aromatherapy is increasingly gaining in popularity as an “alternative” or “holistic” medicine, like reiki, in which the balance of body, mind and spirit is restored as it works to bring them all to a state of balance or wholeness. Aromatherapy is derived from the ancient practice of using natural plant essence to promote health and well-being and dates back to 1000 B.C. When it was practised in India, Egypt and China. Aromatic oils and plants were then used to adorn bodies, for physical and mental well-being, for religious purposes and mummification. The therapy consists of inhaling and massaging pure essential oils obtained from a wide assortment of plants, which have been steam-distilled or cold-pressed from flowers, fruits, bark and roots. “Although the properties of essential oils and herbs may be somewhat similar, the benefits differs from herbal extracts,” says aromatherapist Blossom Kochhar. A single drop of the essential oil is equivalent to an ounce of living plant. The essence is, therefore, highly potent and therapeutic action takes place on a more subtle level, whereas aromatherapy is a natural way of treating an array of physical, mental and emotional problems, explains Dr Kochhar. Dr Kochhar has been awarded a PhD. for her work on aromatherapy by the Indian Board of Alternative Medicines which grants her the license to practise it professionally internationally. She is the only Asian to enjoy this distinction. Aromatherapy is gradually becoming recognised in India as a natural treatment which if compared with other forms of medicine, is not oral but works on the mind and through the pores of the skin and is the safest and environmentally responsible alternative to conventional medicines, Dr Kochhar adds. It is the age-old line of treatment for general ailments like cold cough, insomnia and arthritis, especially in rural areas. This therapy uses the extract of plants, roots leaves, stems and flowers wherein the pure essential oils (distilled oil from the aromatic flowers) are embedded. These are the life-force of the plants. These oils through inhalation or massage enter the body, circulate and leave the body within a stipulated time, hence are free from any side effects and can be used by people of all age groups. | |
| SC declines Kalyan’s plea NEW DELHI, Jan 2 (UNI) — The Supreme Court today declined a request by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh to transfer the hearing on his petition from the Allahabad High Court to the Delhi High Court challenging his summons by the Liberhan Commission in a case related to demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992. A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice B.N. Kirpal and Mr Justice Ruma Pal, however, suggested to Mr Kalyan Singh’s counsel Krishna Mani to file the petition before Delhi High Court in an amended form. His petition is pending at the Allahabad High Court since 1993. Last year in June , the commission issued fresh summons to Mr Kalyan Singh to appear before it. |
 | | Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 120 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
