The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

AGRICULTURE

Wheat trickles into market
Our Correspondent

Khanna, April 10
The arrival of wheat at Khanna, Asian biggest grain market, is still very slow. In the past five days only 1,500 quintals of wheat had arrived in the mandi as against last year’s arrival of 4,650 quintals in the same period.

Although the procurement agencies in the state had made adequate arrangements to procure the wheat but only a few quintals out this wheat had been procured by these agencies because some wheat, which was dry, had been purchased at rates higher than the MSP of Rs 610 per quintal.

Most of the wheat arriving in the mandi is reported to be wet due to untimely rain. Thus auction to sell wheat was cancelled yesterday and farmers were asked to dry their wheat. Secretary, Market Committee, said government agencies could purchase only that wheat which had less than 12 per cent moisture.

According to reports about 100-150 quintals of old wheat was arriving daily in mandi and it was being purchased by private traders at Rs 620 per quintal, which is Rs 10 more than the MSP declared by the Centre.

This time untimely rain has delayed the harvesting of wheat in the area. However, there was a record arrival of migrant labourers this season but due to late harvesting these labourers have been forced to migrate to other areas like Lasara, Amloh, Nabha and Malerkotla.

Despite the sluggish of arrival of wheat the officials are hoping for a record arrival this season. They said this season the arrival may be one lakh quintal more than in the last year as the wheat crop this year is safe from diseases like guliedanda and tela.

CULTURE

Punjabi conference at Lahore from April 13
D.B.Chopra

Ludhiana, April 10
It will be an actual train to Pakistan for Mr N.S.Nanda, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association, Punjab, who will be visiting the neighbouring country as a member of the Indian delegation participating in the World Punjabi Conference in Lahore from April 13 to 16.

Apart from attending the conference, Mr Nanda plans to visit Darkali Khurd, his native village in Gujjarkhan tehsil of Rawalpindi district, which he left over 50 years ago at the time of Partition. He hopes to meet some old friends once again and share some intimate moments with them.

Some of the other prominent members of the 100-member delegation from India are: Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Mr Nek Chand of the Rock Garden fame, Mr Dalip Kaur Tiwana, Ms Roopan Deol Bajaj, Mr Nusrat Ali Khan, Sports Minister, Punjab, Justice Ajit Singh Bains, Mr Manjit Singh Khaira, Mr Harnam Singh Shaan, Dr S.S.Noor, Mr H.S. Bhatti and Raj Babbar. The absence of Surjit Pattar at the conference will also be felt as he has already left for Australia.

Apart from Punjabi writers and artists, other Punjabis settled in various parts of the globe, who have excelled in spheres other than arts, have also been invited to the conference which aims to focus on Punjab, Punjabi and the concept of Punjabiat in the context of the 21st century. As many as 600 delegates from all over the world are likely to participate in the conference.

The Maharaja Ranjit Singh Foundation and the World Punjabi Organisation will also hold a function on April 13 in Lahore in connection with the birth anniversary of the great Sikh ruler.

The conference will be inaugurated on April 13 by a former Prime Minister of Pakistan and staunch protagonist of Punjabi, Mr Malik Mehraj Khalid. A photo exhibition will be held that day. Folk and pop singers from Pakistan and India will take part in a cultural evening the same day.

April 14 will be devoted to the world Punjabi literature. “The smell of gun-powder or the scent of peace” will be the topic of the day. The evening session will be devoted to the history of Punjab. And on April 15, the morning session will be on Punjabi journalism and a play on the life of Baba Bulle Shah, the great Sufi saint and poet, will be staged in the evening. On the concluding day, a session of open speeches will be held.

A journey into the hidden realms of life
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 10
Harpal’s “Agaaz,” an exhibition of paintings, virtually seems to be his initiation into the journey of the hidden realms of life . To lift the labyrinths of the deep and dark side of one’s emotions is what seems to be his aim. His paintings are presently on a display at Students’ Home, Punjab Agricultural University.

A graduate in Fine Arts from Panjab University, Chandigarh, Harpal Singh has decided to take up his first love as his profession. His full-time involvement in this field of pure art has been announced with his first solo exhibition titled “Agaaz”. Although he is well aware of the fact that the path ahead is not smooth, he is determined and is not bothered about the hiccups.

He feels that even if an artist dies his art remains alive and its journey continues leaving its impact on the viewers. With a similar view he has displayed a painting titled “Travel” in which a boat amidst a water source carries the dead body of an artist where canvasses stand erect and the journey continues.

Before announcing his arrival in this profession, Harpal has left a job of an editor with an Indore-based magazine. “Now I am totally into it. I had to quit that job because my heart and soul were not into it and I was feeling as travelling in two boats. Now I am here as an artist.”

His paintings on display depict human relationships, grief, innate desire to fly and what not. While he has worked with a rainbow of colours depicting various hues of life he has also shown total darkness experienced by one at certain moments. His commendable works are “Maatam” where he has painted white duppatta clad mourning women with a black backdrop. In his work “Mourning bodies” his grief is an out come of the inexplicable loneliness.

One of his creations ‘Flying high’ he expresses his innate desire to fly away from everything. His other creations like ‘Love and lust’ he has painted woman in pink depicting her true love and, man in purple with his desire for lust. Other paintings which attracted attention were ‘Couple’, ‘Man’s entertainment’ and ‘turmoil’. In his yet another creation ‘Tough path’, Harpal has shown that the way to God is not so difficult but various religions had made it so.

A resident of local Sarabha Nagar, Harpal has been an active participator in exhibitions but this is his first solo exhibition. He is working with oils since the age of 16. His creations are “countless” as he says but he is exhibiting some selected ones. He has also worked as managing editor with an Indore-based magazine and as an art director for another magazine.