EDUCATION

Minister’s remarks flayed
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11
The Principals Association of non- government aided colleges of Panjab University has reacted to a statement reportedly made by the Minister for Higher Education, Master Mohan Lal, stating that the affiliated colleges’ principals and managements had failed to deposit the provident fund share with interest in the government treasury. Master Mohan Lal, is also stated to have said that despite clear cut instructions from the government, if the colleges failed to deposit the said amount, the government will be forced to stop the grant for salaries. Master Mohan Lal has also asked the teacher unions to fight, not against the Government, but against the college principals and managements as the ball is in their court.

Reacting to this, the Finance Secretary of the association, Dr A.C. Vaid, has stated that despite clear cut orders of the minister, the Education department, Punjab, has not issued any letter to the colleges to deposit the provident fund share with interest. In fact the principals had been waiting for these orders so as to implement them immediately.

Free coaching for medi-quiz toppers
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11
If your are aspiring to be a doctor or an engineer and if you possess the mental aptitude, there is no need for you to pay huge amounts to get coaching for entrance tests. Euphoria-2001, the annual cultural-cum-literary festival of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, will provide coaching to 15 students from the city for medical/non-medical entrance examinations free of cost.

A medi-quiz will be held as part of the medical exhibition consisting of 60 MCQs in 30 minutes on March 24. The syllabus for the medi-quiz is general studies of the Class X level. The 15 students who top the quiz will receive free coaching in institutes of repute for the entrance tests. The details of the schemes have already been sent to all schools. Tickets are available at the Euphoria control room at the GMCH boys hostel.

Any queries relating to health will be answered by doctors at the medical exhibition. To lighten the stress of entrance tests and guide the students, the doctors will conduct a counselling session.

Euphoria-2001 will be organised from March 22 to 25. An all-India medi-cricket, involving doctors from all over the country, will also be held. Punjabi pop singer Gurdas Mann will perform on March 23.

The surplus funds collected will be donated to the Gujarat quake relief fund.

Yoga students awarded degrees
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh March 11
Forty students of the Brahmrishi Yoga Training College, Sector 19, received Bachelors in Education in yoga degrees at the annual convocation of the college held last week.

These students were given degrees by Brahmrishi Vishvatma Bawra Ji Maharaj who also blessed the students on the occasion. Dr Ramakant Angiras, ex-professor of Kalidas Chair and Senator, Panjab University, Chandigarh and Shillong University was the chief guest on the occasion and read out the convocation address.

Other than the students who were awarded degrees in yoga, six students, four from Guyana and two from Surinam, were given certificates of having done the Religious Preacher Course by the Maharaj from the Brahmrishi University situated at Pinjore. These students had stayed in the Maharaj’s ashram at Pinjore and learnt to speak Hindi and Sanskrit. Each one of the these students spoke on the occasion and vowed to spread whatever they had learnt in these years, in their respective countries. Speaking in impeccable Hindi, these students thanked the Maharaj and all those who had been with them in the ashram and taught them painstakingly.

The management of the college and the Metaphysical Science Research Institute’s president, Mr Krishan Gopal Goswami, congratulated the students who had received degrees. He stated that education should be gained as knowledge and given out as a gift and institutions should try to make this gift free. He also proposed a vote of thanks.

The principal of the college, Ms Manisha, however informed that the college was not receiving any form of grant from the government, so it was impossible not to take any fee from students.

The college offers a post graduate one-year B.Ed degree in yoga, affiliated to the Panjab University and a diploma in Oriental Teachers Training for Sanskrit (Shastris).

COURTS

Chambers in district courts up for grabs
Kiran Deep

Chandigarh, March 11
The 70-odd slots lying vacant in the various chambers of the district courts are up for grabs for the lawyers, with the Administration having issued notices seeking consent for filling the vacant slots in the chambers.

Sources revealed that the UT Deputy Commissioner had issued the notice to lawyers to collect their letters within four days from the Deputy Commissioner’s Office. The notice has been forwarded to the District Bar Association, which has been requested to intimate the advocates to collect their letter as early as possible. The Bar has also been requested to inform the remaining main allottee of some of the chambers to send a list of the vacant slots in their chambers within week.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, the UT Sub-divisional Magistrate (Central), Mr Prithi Chand, said that letters were sent to the main allottee of chambers, where the slots were lying vacant. He said the method was adopted to avoid disputes among the Advocates. The main allottee was directed to give the list of advocates he wanted to accommodate.

The sources also revealed that the Administration had sent a notice to the lawyers, though it had identified the 70 slots lying vacant in different chambers. The lawyers, who had joined the courts long back, had already vacated their slots. Therefore the administration had decided to allot those slots with the consent of the main allottee of the chamber.

As per original conditions of allotment of 108 chambers which took place in 1986, there had to be one allottee and two co-allottees which were to be decided upon in the consultation with the Administration. After many years, the four vacant chambers were allotted to the 12 allottees by the draw of allottees in December 2000. But soon after the allotment, the dispute arose as the allottee failed to take possession of the allotted chambers.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, the president of the District Bar Association, Mr N.K. Nanda, said the Bar had informed the lawyers to apply for the vacant slots lying in the different chambers. The Bar had also informed the main allottee to send a list of the vacant slots to the Administration.

CULTURE

A power-packed performance by Anuradha
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11
The 50th monthly baithak of Pracheen Kala Kendra, Sector 35, was a resounding success, with the day made worthwhile by the visiting disciple of none other than late Ustad Allarakha Khan and Ustad Zakir Hussain. Keeping up its tradition of inviting artistes of substance to perform for the city audience, the Kendra authorities had today arranged a solo tabla recital by Anuradha Pal, the young percussionist who has earned a pride of place for herself in the category of musicians. By the end of the performance today, the Kendra’s Bhaskar Rao Auditorium stood transformed into a world stage, with the artiste bringing out the best bits from among her various national and international performances.

Anuradha began her performance with vilambit teen taal and went on to present drut, also set in teen taal. At the outset, the artiste built an instant rapport with the gathering. Then she started with Peshkar and moved on to portray different layakaris, while unfolding the mukhdas and mohras. This sequence was followed by Kayada, wherein Anuradha came up with different paltaas. She then graduated to rela in drut gat, set to teen taal. From peshkar and rela, Anuradha apprised the audience with the intricacies of respective gharanas of tabla-playing, like the Punjab gharana, Benaras gharana, Delhi gharana, Fakrabad gharana and Ajnala gharana. She also presented compositions of Ustad Nizamuddin Khan Sahib, Krishna Maharaj and Mian Kadir Baksh, all set in teel taal.

Technical details of the presentation apart, Anuradha’s forte is blending the most traditional forms of tabla-playing with the most modern forms of almost all gharanas of India, thus covering the important points of each one of them.

Another pleasant happening of the day came in the form of the presence of Pandit Lacchman Singh Seen, of Punjab gharana of music, who took the occasion to initiate Avirbhav Verma, the son of late Pandit Prem Kumar Verma. The ganda-tying ceremony took place in the presence of some great musicians from the region.

Coming back to the presentation — Anuradha also exhibited immense clarity in the presentation of bols and different layakaris, even of the order of tukde and tode. Her portrayal of paran and tode and a delectable blend of the two, won her tremendous applause from the audience.

On the occasion, Mr K.P. Sinha, Associate Editor, The Tribune, Pandit Lachhman Singh Seen and secretary, Pracheen Kala Kendra, Mr M.L. Koser, released four cassettes and CDs of Anuradha’s music, titled Shanti — in search of peace. Stree shakti, Anokha and Sensational. Not to miss an interesting observation — it was a pleasure to see the name of the The Tribune mentioned on the cassettes and CDs of Anuradha Pal’s national and international performances.

Penaz to hold concert today
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 11
Penaz Masani was here to inaugurate a branch of a beauty clinic here.

Penaz was cheerful as ever and praised the facilities in the clinic. She said she loved being here and would also hold a concert in the city tomorrow to promote the clinic.

When asked why she had shifted from ghazals to pop in her album ‘Lakiren’, Penaz said, for her, music was universal and could not be categorised. “Anything that gives you peace is music and I am wedded to music,” she said.

Penaz also introduced some of the facilities of the clinic to mediapersons.