AGRICULTURE

BKU condemns use of force against
agitating farmers
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Feb 22 — The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) has condemned the unprovoked use of force, including lathi charge and water cannons on farmers, who were peacefully agitating against the anti-farmer provisions of the WTO agreement in Mumbai. The BKU state president, Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, warned the government to be prepared to face the consequences of repression against farmers.

In a statement here today, he said that the protest rally had been organised on a call by the ‘Kisan Panchayat’ to oppose unchecked import of farm products at the cost of the domestic agricultural sector and to press demands like remittance of agricultural loans, grants of subsidies to farmers on the pattern of developed countries and to fix the prices of farm produce on the basis of 1966-67 as an index year. The farmers, who had come from all over the country, would also lodge a protest against ships loaded with imported food grain and other farm products.

Mr Lakhowal regretted that rather than seeing reason and considering the genuine demands of the farming community, the government had chosen to disperse agitating farmers by use of force, which had caused widespread resentment throughout the country.

The farmers’ bodies of the southern region would convene an international convention in Delhi on March 19, which would consider the situation arising from the high-handedness of the government and chalk out a strategy for an effective struggle against dumping imported food and farm products in the Indian markets.

According to Mr Lakhowal, representatives of farmers from countries like Nepal, Burma, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, besides major farmers’ organisations of India would attend the convention. Immediately thereafter, coordinators of the southern region would join a two-day meeting at Ludhiana on March 21 and 22 to prepare long term policies to safeguard the interests of the farmers.

EDUCATION

Teachers seek fund for pension
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Feb 22 — The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union has written to Master Mohan Lal, Punjab Minister for Higher Education, to seek his help in creating a corpus fund in the treasury for paying off pension to staff of private colleges.

In a press note issued here today, Mr K.B.S. Sodhi, President of the union, said he had requested the minister to direct college authorities to deposit their share of the CPF in the treasury. He said, though the staff of private colleges who were to retire in April, were entitled to pension and gratuity, pension could not be released without the creation of a corpus fund.

Quiz contest
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Feb 22 — Nearly 14 teams from various colleges of the district participated in a quiz contest help at Kamla Lohtia S.D. College here.

Finally, the host team was declaed winner. The students of A.S. College for Women, Khanna, stood second and those from Guru Teg Bahadur National College, Dakha, stood third.

The quiz was conducted by Professor Sandeep Chanana and Professor Rasha Arora. Mr Jagmohan Gupta, president of the management of the host college, was the chief guest. Mr B.D. Budhiraja, Principal of the college, gave away prizes to the winners. 

COURTS

SI sentenced for life
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Feb 22 — The Sessions Judge, Mr S.S. Arora, has sentenced Sub-Inspector Surinder Singh to life imprisonment under Section 302 of Indian Penal Code for murdering his paramour Kamajit Kaur, alias Kamaldeep.

The accused was posted in Khanna where he met Kamaldeep. Surinder Singh allegedly killed his paramour by firing at her from his service weapon on April 23, 1998. The accused, with help of his accomplice, SPO Makhan Singh, allegedly threw the body into a canal near Tallowal village.

SPO Makhan Singh has been convicted under Section 201 of IPC for helping the accused for destroying evidence. Makhan Singh has been sentenced to two-year rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 1,000. However, constable Narinders Singh has been acquitted in this case. 

CULTURE

Punjab Sabhyachar Manch reviews its activities
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Feb 22 — People want to be entertained hence the verses should have been in a lighter vein. Since the lyrics were in a sombre tone, they could not hold the interest of the rural people. At present, our culture was being influenced by materialism and westernisation, so plays and songs should be related to our day-to-day circumstances,” said Mr Gursharan Singh, noted Punjabi playwright at the Punjab Sabhyachar Manch, which had met to review its activities.

Kanwaljit Khanna, general secretary of the manch, read out a review of the activities of the manch for the past two years, before the audience. The manch came into existence in 1982, with a purpose of creating a man of revolutionary ideas. In his report, Mr Khanna enumerated the achievements and failures of the manch in the field of drama, songs and poetry. The manch tried its best to reach out to the public and has in the past years, tried to bring playwrights, singers, writers and others on a common platform.

The report said that manch felt that cultural problems should be resolved after a deep thought process and with consensus. The manch felt that it had not been able to touch upon the deteriorating conditions of Punjab farmers, the sufferings of the labourers and painful lives of industrial workers. These in fact should have been the themes of the plays.

Prof Ram Kumar said, “In the field of poetry, there were plenty of beautiful Punjabi poems that could easily replace ear-piercing pop music.

As far as their magazine Sardal was concerned, it had not been able to attract established writers.

After reading out the review, many well-known Punjab literary figures like Harmeet Vidyarthi, Harvinder Bhandal, A.R. Pawan Kumar, Amar Aftab, Shabdish, Attarjit, Ashwani Tibba, Bhupinder Tasbeen, Kulwant Jagraon, Hamdardvir, Satwinder Begowlia, Dr Mangat Rai and Amlok Singh, ex-president of the manch put forward their views. Mr Gursharan Singh, promised to give the manch Rs 50,000 annually.

War against injustice still on
By Asha Ahuja

LUDHIANA, Feb 22 — “Theatre can bring in the change in society that a playwright desires, so, plays should be based on circumstances that have shaken society. I became a playwright because I believed that social injustice was rampant. I use my pen as an instrument of social change,” said playwright Gursharan Singh.

He was here to attend the 8th state-level convention of the Punjab Sabhyachar Manch yesterday. He said, “I was an executive engineer at Bhakhra Nangal Dam. An employees’ strike there in 1954 prompted me to write a play called Hartaal. In 1957, I wrote another play that was based a story by K.S. Duggal about Kashmir. This play was titled Diya Bujh Gaya.”

Gursharan Singh said, “Since 1957, I have been regularly writing plays. So far, there have been 6,800 performances of my plays worldwide. I have penned 133 works, including street plays, which has earned me the title of the King of Street Theatre. During the days of militancy in Punjab, I staged plays in 5,000 villages of the state to generate public opinion against violence. Terrorists recognised me and told me that they would not harm me. They knew that if I was not in their favour, I did not support the government as well.”

My play Dhamak Nagade Di was the product of the Emergency. I was imprisoned for staging the play Takht Lahore Ka written by a Pakistani writer, Nazam Hussain Sayeed. Though the play was about the situation in Pakistan, it was relevant in the Indian context as well. As the play was against autocratic rule, the police thought I was against Indira Gandhi. In Baba Bolda Hai, I spoke against Bhindranwale.”

In 1993, Gursharan Singh was honoured by the Sangeet Natak Academy. He has written plays on rural Punjab with a modern outlook.

After his TV serial Manna Singh became popular, people started calling him Manna Singh. His latest play is titled Main Ah Nahin Hon Dewangi. It is about drug addiction among youth. Though he is more than 80-year-old, he is ready as ever to combat social injustice.

Mela Roshni from Feb 24
From Our Correspondent

JAGRAON, Feb 22 — Mela Roshni, which is held every year at Jagraon, is attached with the name of Muslim Faqir, Baba Mohkam Din Ala. He was the resident of Naini Sahib, Lohian tehsil.

As per instructions from Hazrat Khwaja, Baba Mohkam Din kept silent for 12 years at Ratti Kheri village in Faridkot district. Thereafter Baba came to Agwar Gujran, Jagraon, and settled here. Mela Roshni is held every year at Dargah of Baba Mohkam Din on 13 to 15 Phalgun (24 to 26 Feb.).

The devotees from the far off places come to worship and to get rid of their physical ailments. Thereafter the devotees also visit Mazar of Mai Zeena which is in Agwar Pona, near here.