The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

On-the-spot art competition
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 6
Almost 160 students from different schools participated in the Blessed Edmund Rice on-the-spot art competition held to commemorate the founder day of Christian Brother Mission Schools at St John’s High School.

The panel of judges comprised eminent artists of the city. The various results are:

Category A (Blessed Edmund Rice award) — Jasleen of Carmel Convent School (2), and Archita Aggarwal of Sacred Heart Convent (3).

Category B (Br. O’Keefee award) — Suhasini of Vivek High School, Sector 38 (2), and Jasleen Kaur of Tender Heart School (3).

Category C (Br Morrisssey award) — Puneet of Vivek High School (2) and Simarpreet of Golden Bell Public School (3).

Category D (Br Crease award) — Sherya Gupta of St Kabir School (2) and Jaismeen Kaur of Goldern Bell Public School (3).

Gesture of love for mothers
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 6
It was a celebration with a difference. The tiny tots of Evergreen Academy, a preparatory school in Sector 34-C, thanked their mothers with songs and dances which they presented on the school premises on the occasion of Mother's Day today.

Mirth and joy marked the day with the school authorities organising a special programme in honour of students' mothers. A host of games were organised in which the mothers joined their wards. Special attraction of the day was the crowning of Summer Queen and Nestle Mom. It was indeed a treat of sorts to watch the mothers enjoying every bit of the day which is especially dedicated to them.

As the celebrations wound up, Ms Kuljit Suri, Principal of the academy, joined the students in thanking the mothers for taking good care of the children.

CULTURE

Ensemble of paintings, sculptures
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 6
Not long before, Chandigarh was not considered a very active city on the cultural front. But for the past year, this trend has been reversed with the city becoming no less than a haven for any artist who is in search of a sensible viewer.

Following in the same line, two Jammu-based artists have landed here with their creations. The exhibition of paintings and sculptures by the two alumni of Jammu University was inaugurated at Punjab Kala Bhavan by sculptor Shiv Singh.

While Brij Anand has brought an impressive collection of sculptures, Rakesh Kumar is here with his ensemble of paintings in mediums which are diverse.

The works of Brij exude power when taken at the face value. Each theme has been sensitively researched before being given the final shape in variety of mediums. The final product in each case has turned out to be quite arresting in form and appeal.

Brij has employed many mediums to lend shape to his ideas. So one can find any medium of sculpting in his works — right from stone and wood to fibre glass and cement. The artist has handled each medium with care and comfort. The themes are very interesting and so are the works. Brij's work, Postman, drew tremendous applause from the gathering.

The paintings match sculptures in arrest and appeal. They reflect freedom of thought and seem to have been executed with no preconceived notions. Themes are as diverse as the mediums. The works have been executed in oil, water colours and acrylic. In their finality, both sets of works have a mass appeal. The artists have drawn inspiration from mundane happenings to create marvels in respective mediums.

The exhibition can be viewed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Vinod Sehgal: humility his real strength
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 6
Vinod Sehgal’s real strength lies in his humility. A singer par excellence, he refuses to admit his mettle. Not that the short-stature singer from nearby Ambala does not realise what worth in the comity of singers he has. But that extra bit of courtesy, which the man is blessed with, does not let him brag about talent. He likes to stick to ground and for obvious reasons — what will be the fun of soaring if you do not see the ground. Only the ground tells you how high you have flown. A wonderful logic, coming from a wonderful man.

On his seventh visit to the city, Vinod looked as grounded as ever — still labouring, still struggling, still learning. As The Tribune shared some moments with the singer, he talked about the crests and troughs of his life, his admiration of Rafi, the dear association with Jagjit Singh, and finally the beautiful song he sung for Gulzar sahib in ‘Maachis’. Vinod was in town for a performance in SAS Nagar.

The latest on Vinod’s front is his shift towards commercialisation. A wave Vinod had to follow. In his latest album, titled Parvaaz, Vinod sings with Ghanshyam Vaswani. The album has music by Jagjit Singh, and its publicity began only last week.

Before this it was in 1985 that Vinod was introduced independently by Jagjit Singh. The album, titled Jagjit Singh presents Vinod Sehgal, however, did not fare very well.

The pangs of the past do not seem to bother the singer, who is also a great composer in his own right. Ask him the reason behind this complacency and he sends back a warm smile, ‘‘I am searching for the ultimate song, a song which will lend identity to me. I love the styles of S.D. Burma, R.D. Burman, Salil Chowdhry and Hridyanath Mangeshkar. I wish I could sing something like that some day.’’

His words are laced with hope, something which he has never left. After taking his initial lessons in music from father Sohan Lal Sehgal, who still lives in Ambala, Vinod went under the tutelage of R.N. Kulkarni and then Chiranjilal Jigyasu. During his college days at Ambala, Vinod used to sing and compose quite often, but that was a time when he was coarse. His singing skill was yet to be honed.

The actual struggle began when Vinod landed in Bombay in 1975. He recalls, ‘‘Till 1980 there was no scope. Rafiji was the cynosure of all eyes. But after he passed away, others started getting chances. I have always idealised Rafiji and never have I wished to surpass my idol. My first stint was as an assistant to music director Hans Raj Behl.’’

That was also the time when Vinod was introduced to Jagjit Singh by a common friend. He did not know then that this association would be the most dear and the most durable for him. Jagjit Singh started promoting Vinod in a subtle yet strong manner and a voice which remained hidden for long was suddenly being admired in every household. As soon as the title song of Mirza Ghalib began, people would sit glued to their television sets and take the pleasure of Vinod’s honeyed voice.

Vinod Sehgal has sung for many music directors, including Ram Laxman (in Bezubaan and Sun Meri Laila) , R.D. Burman (in Chor Police), Jagjit Singh (Kalka, and then the two serials Kahkashaan and Mirza Ghalib).

Nowadays, Vinod is singing for Vishal Bhardwaj, who won over music lovers with his amazingly-fresh music in Maachis. Vinod is singing in another film, Bhagmati, which is due for release. It has music by Vishal.