EDUCATION

PU gears up for review
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Panjab University today initiated action on recommendations of the University Grants Commission on academic and administrative audits for a review of the implementation of the Ninth Plan schemes.

Prof K.N. Pathak, PU Vice-Chancellor, has also constituted a committee to study the issue. A university press note issued here said this had been done to foster innovative academic ideas that could be adapted to the ever-changing environment.

The VC toured Arts Block I and Arts Block II today and interacted with the faculty of the Departments of History, English, Punjabi, Hindi, Sanskrit, Mass Communication and Physical Education. Such visits by the VC are rare and rather unusual.

The committee constituted by the VC for the administrative and academic review is headed by Prof S.K. Kularni. The other members include Mr S.K. Joshi, Vikram Sarabhai Professor of the JLCSAR, National Physical Laboratory of New Delhi, Dr S.P. Singh of Kurukshetra University, Prof S.S. Kumar, Prof S.C. Vaidya, Prof Naresh, Prof P.S. Jaswal, Dr Satya P. Gautam, Mr K.A.P. Sinha and Prof Ramesh Kapoor.

The scope of the review includes all major academic and administrative issues concerning students and faculty.

Seminar on energy resources
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — The Indian Council for Environmental Education in collaboration with the Petroleum Conservation Research Association organised a seminar and an essay writing competition on Conservation of energy resources at DAV Senior Secondary School Sector 8, here yesterday.

The Principal, Mr Ravinder Talwar, highlighted the need to organise these competitions to make the students aware about how life would become miserable in the absence of natural gas and petrol.

The results of essay competition are:

Arjun Maurya (I), Ashwani Kumar (II), and Anup Thapliyal (III).

4-day school winter carnival begins
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — The four-day winter carnival started at Mount Carmel School in Sector 47 here yesterday with a two-minute silence for the earthquake victims of Gujarat .

The money collected from the carnival will be donated for the earthquake relief fund.

Inter-school competition of solo dance and an on the spot painting competition was organised here yesterday. On the spot painting contests will be held every day . Fancy dress competition will be held tomorrow. The results of the solo dance competition for juniors are :

Monami (Shivalik Public School): First position, Sunaina (Sacred Heart School): Second position, Yasmin and Manmeet (St Stephens School): Third position.

The results of dance competition for seniors are:

Shivani (St Stephens School): First position, Konika (Shivalik Public School): Second position, Rashleen (Satluj Public School): Third position.

Painting competition

Bhavesh Nibber (St Annes School): First position, Ameek (St Johns High School): Second position, Arokia (St Johns High School): Third position.

Consolation prize: Narayan (St Johns High School).

DAV College wins Limca quiz
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — DAV College, Sector 10, has emerged as a winner in the Limca Book of Records Quiz, 2001. The national-level contests were held at the FICCI Auditorium, New Delhi, on January 30.

More than 800 schools from all over the country participated. The quiz was open to three-member teams representing high schools and colleges .

The winning team from each region proceeded to the finals where 12 teams from all over the region competed. The team comprising Nakul Malik and Siddharth Chauhan from DAV College came out to be the best team. Don Bosco School, Bandel, Calcutta, came second and DAV Public School, Chennai, third.

The CEO, Coca Cola, Mr Alexandar Von Behr, said, “The three boys had perfect coordination and compatibility with each other.

Nakul said, “We as winners realised that it was a big achievement.”

Barri O’Brien conducted the quiz. Mr Neil O’Brien was also present at the quiz.

COURTS

More security for courts suggested
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — In order to enhance security, a team comprising the UT Additional District and Sessions Judge, police officer and members of the Bar Association today inspected the premises of the District Courts this afternoon.

Yesterday there was panic among advocates and employees of the court due to bomb hoax. A number of advocates and employees had complained to The Tribune that there was need to enhance security in the court. They had also complained that of the three gates, only one had a metal detector, which, too, was useless. Chandigarh Tribune carried the news item on the security system in the court in today’s issue.

A team comprising the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Lakhbir Singh, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr B.D Bector, the Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr H.G.S Dhaliwal, Inspector Arjun Singh Jaggi, and the President of the District Bar Association, Mr N.K. Nanda, inspected the premises.

Sources informed that it had been decided to beef up security. It was decided that only one gate would be opened for the visitors. To check regular visitors, more security personnel would be deployed soon. Timings for the visitors were also fixed. In winter it would be from 9 a.m to 7 p.m. and in summer 8 a.m to 8 p.m.

Sources informed that the team had also decided to install signboard to differentiate the paths for the visitors and the judges.

Patiala DC, SSP summoned
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Mr Justice N.K. Sud, today summoned the Deputy Commissioner and the Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, in the court for March 12 in a land grab case.

The case relates to a writ petition filed by the Dakala panchayat alleging that their land had been grabed by some individuals with the aid of the police.

Notice issued
A Division Bench of the High Court comprising Mr Justice N.K. Sodhi and Mr Justice R.C. Kathuria today stayed the operation of the order of the Secretary, Cooperation, Mr G.S. Pirzada, passed against the Country Club, Mohali, and issued notice of motion to the respondents for February 12.

CULTURE

Materialism eroding culture: Tohra
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Service (sewa), honour (samman) and contentment (santokh), principles of our rich and vibrant culture, are slowly being eroded with materialism creeping in. Our educational system needs to be such so as to inculcate these values in our future generations, said Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, President of the Sikh Educational Society, while addressing a gathering at the founders day celebrations of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College on the college campus here today. He also appreciated the teaching of gurmat vichar in a large number of educational institutions and said that it was a positive step in reviving our old values.

Mr Tohra also honoured various distinguished personalities for their valuable services in various fields like religion, social service and education. Among those honoured by the former SGPC chief were Dr Mann Singh Nirankari, former Principal, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Mr Kartar Singh Takkar, member SGPC, Mr Bhag Singh, former MLA, Principal, P.S. Sangha, fellow, PU Chandigarh, and Prof Charanjeet Chawla, general secretary, Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Charanjit Chawla lamented that the technical education was very expensive and as a result most deserving students from rural areas cannot avail of these educational facilities.

Later, Mr Bharpur Singh, secretary SES, highlighted the various projects undertaken and completed during the tercentenary celebrations like the Arts Block in Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, a multipurpose hall in GGS College for Women and office building of the SES.

Earlier, Baba Sarabjot Singh Bedi, president of the Gurmat Sidhant Pracharak Sant Samaj, who was the chief guest, inaugurated the newly constructed Khalsa Tercentenary Arts block and also addressed the congregation.

Impressions of French photo concepts
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — Close on the heels of an exhibition of photographic works by a fourth year student of Government College of Art, Sector 10, comes another meaningful attempt by Sandeep Singh, also a student of the same institution. The exhibition, having a strong thematic base, was inaugurated by city-based photo-artist Vijay Ozo at the Alliance Francaise Art Gallery, Sector 36, yesterday.

The prints are all quite rich in composition and all the works are in black and white. This is perhaps to prevent the concentration from being deviated. While colour has some kind of a nagging quality and may often tend to deviate thought, black and white allows the artist simply to concentrate on the beauty of light. So one plays with light and discerns images on the sole basis of this play.

Sandeep’s works reflect the ambience in and outside Chandigarh, but all the works are restricted to the city and its vicinity. There is a lot of mystery in all the prints, which have an uncanny similarity to the French concept of photography. There is this major reflection of the fact that the artist draws inspiration from Cartier Bresson, the master French photographer who has left a clear mark on the 20th century photography.

With Cartier comes his theory of decisive moment, which has some kind of play in all works. There is a lot of poetic quality in the works by the artist, who has tried to draw a contrast between the normal and the rare. The exhibition will be on till February 10.

Strokes speak of artist’s musings
By Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 — The list of academic qualifications he sports is exceptionally long, but all formal training apart, Jivan Adalja still believes that instinct has taught him the most. Art as such cannot be acquired in true sense of the word and can only be imbibed by drawing inspiration from existence.

The illustrious artist, whose paintings adorn prestigious galleries in the country and abroad, is in town with a collection of works. He spoke to Chandigarh Tribune about life, inspiration and creation. “It is not that my training has not helped. It helped me insofar as the technique is concerned. But technique alone cannot unleash a creative process. It has to be padded well with inspiration, which lies hidden in every source of the universe, be it the face of a worker, the smile of a child or a couple enjoying moments of togetherness. All this comprises creative endeavour.”

The present collection opened for public view at IndusInd Bank Art Gallery today. It shows that Jivan Adalja has painted people around him. The best part of the show is that there is no monotony on the creative schedule. Each work rises above the other as far as form, meaning and technique are concerned.

The artist has extensively painted the labour class in the present collection. In one frame he captures the essence of motherhood as he shows a child almost clasped to a mother’s breast. In another he paints the pain on the face of a labourer. “More than the pain it is the satisfaction which follows labour which I am trying to show on the face of my protagonists. As an artist, I am often amused by the ocean of feelings a face can carry in a single moment. All these emotional plays hold me to ransom and I ultimately surrender to the artistic instinct. What emerges is the fruit of surrendering to this extinct. This fruit is my reward,” mused Jivan.

The artist categorically mentioned not to ask for the medium of works. “Let us talk about creation, about nature, about streams, about people and about their associations. Let us not get into the formalities of creation. Is it not enough that we have colour in life? How are we concerned where all this came from? It is the image which is held in the highest esteem. Medium is just an instrument. The image which I create as an artist is all the worth I have,” he added.

Perhaps it is this maturity which fetched Jivan awards like the Maharashtra State Award (1956), Gujarat State Award (1962-63-64), Poland Magazine Cover Design Award (1974) and National Award (1965). It is interesting to mention here that Jivan Adalja's works have been used by Peter Nagy, who has curated an exhibition of installation art at the PU Fine Arts Museum. Contended Jivan,“I got to know about the controversy. I did not know they had used my original works also.”

His works lie in all main galleries like the Lalit Kala Akademi, Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi, National Museum, Warsaw, Poland, and International Labour Organisation. Laughed Jivan,“I am lucky that people have appreciated my work, but I am not bothered about where my works go. These are most secured in my own heart, my own home. But since art is for sharing, I must say I am blessed to be wanted as an artist. I grow with every work, but I grow even more when I learn my work gives happiness to buyers.”