The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Early results good sign for PU
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 2
If the early declaration of results of its annual examinations is any indication, Panjab University may indeed achieve its target of 194 teaching days in the coming academic session.

The pace factor this year is interesting in the wake of similar promptness being shown by all universities of the region. Toppers are the biggest attraction for educational institutions and, usually, the institute that begins the admissions first, takes a sizeable number of them.

The University Grants Commission has a stipulation of 180 teaching days in an academic session. The current average is not more than 110 lectures in colleges under the existing conditions. The target is more difficult to achieve on the university campus because while colleges have six working days in a week, the university has only five. “The target of 194 is big but even any improvement on the current performance will be a pleasant surprise,” a senior fellow of the university said.

The session’s commencement has dragged till late August and even September in certain cases, particularly in the past five years. The main reason has been a delay in the declaration of results. Results of undergraduate classes have already starting pouring in and the university proposes all results by June.

Officially the session commences from July 2 and admissions are from July 2 to 14. Late admissions will be allowed by the college principals and chairpersons of the teaching departments till July 21 with a late fee of Rs 125. Classes are to commence by July 16. Late admissions can be allowed with permission of the Vice-Chancellor till August 31 with a late fee of Rs 625.

The annual examinations for the forthcoming session are proposed to begin from April 4, 2002, and stretch till May 15. The schedule has underlined 259 working days in three academic sessions.

COURTS

Witness turns hostile in Bhatnagar case
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 2
The prosecution today sought to declare one of its witnesses as hostile after he deposed in favour of Maj Maneesh Bhatnagar before the general court martial trying him on charges of dereliction of duty.

Deposing before the court, Capt S.S. Bisht said no orders to attack Point 5203 had been issued by the Commander, 70 Infantry Brigade, on June 15, 1999.

He added that no other task had been assigned to him. Captain Bisht belongs to the same unit as the accused and was present at Ganasok when the brigade commander’s briefing to capture Point 5203 took place.

The witness also stated that on being asked by the GOC 3 Division, they listed out the problems being faced by the troops and also told him that they would perform any task if ordered.

The prosecution sought to declare the witness as hostile on the grounds that all answers given by the witness were in favour of the accused and he had made some new statements.

The defence, however, maintained that the prosecution could not declare the witness to be hostile at this stage, but the court overruled the objection.

Later, while referring to some actions of the witness during the assault on Point 5203, the prosecution counsel made a remark on the conduct of the witness, which angered the accused and led to heated arguments and acrimonious scenes in the court.

897 cases settled by Lok Adalat
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, June 2
“Lok Adalat has provided convenient, inexpensive and litigant-friendly alternative forum for redressal of disputes. More and more people want to avail of this forum for its benefits of quick and hassles free justice” said Mr Justice, N.K Sodhi, Executive Chairman, State Legal Services Authority while talking to Chandigarh Tribune in a special Lok Adalat, held here today.

As many as 897 cases were settled and a sum of Rs 71 lakh were granted as compensation in motor accidents and Rs 41,330 were recovered as fines for traffic challans.

The cases of all categories, including motor accident claim cases, compoundable cases, civil suit cases, cases under the Motor Vehicle Act, the Rent Act, and the Hindu Marriage Act were taken up and settled. Nine labour court and 30 bank cases were settled.

Besides Mr Justice Sodhi, the District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S Bhalla, and the Member of the Permanent Lok Adalat, Dr B.B Parsoon, visited different lok adalats and took keen interest in disposing off the cases.

Case of cheating false: advocate
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, June 2
An advocate of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr Hari Singh, against whom the Kharar police registered a case of cheating earlier this week, stated that it was a false case registered at the instance of senior district police officials.

In a press note, he claimed that the complainant, Ravneet Singh, had cheated him and his family members to the tune of Rs 15 lakh. An FIR against Ravneet Singh under Sections 420, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC was pending trails in the court. Another civil suit regarding the purchase of land in Desu Majra village was also pending.

Mr Mann alleged that the Superintendent of Police (Detective) was helping Ravneet Singh in preventing a fair investigation into an FIR registered by him on October 16, 2000.

Meanwhile, Mr Mann, along with his family members, has been granted interim bail in the case till June 4 by the District and Session Judge, Ropar.

CULTURE

Singing contest on June 23, 24
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 2
The Yaadgar-e-Rafi Society will hold the first round of its singing competition for men and women on June 23 and 24 at Mini Auditorium of DAV College, Sector 10.

The contest will consist of two categories, male and female. The male participants will sing Rafi songs and the female will sing Lata numbers. The first three winners will get prizes in both categories. The prizes will be given away by a film personality at the society’s annual function Rafi Nite to be held in the month of November this year.

Entries close with Mr B. D. Sharma, 3035/29-D, Chandigarh on June 15, 2001.

OFF-BEAT PROFESSIONS
With passion for music
Parbina Rashid

Chandigarh
No party is complete without music, and if hiring a band is too much of a hassle, a good DJ with a powerful music system is the answer to your problem.

Disc Jockeys, or DJs as they are popularly known, are the products of the disc culture popularised by music channels like MTV and Channel V. However, DJ-ing entered the life of the City Beautiful as a profession only a few years ago.

“When I started DJ- ing here about three years ago, people did not differentiate between an orchestra and a DJ,” says Vishal who is working as a DJ in a city discotheque. “However, MTV and Channel V have popularised the concept and it is now catching up with the city residents,” he adds.

When the disc culture hit the city in the early nineties, the concept of DJs was alien to the people here, said Bijan, a popular DJ who runs his own musical group. It was only in the late nineties when discotheques with all their modern equipment came into existence, that DJ as a profession caught the imagination of the young crowd. Now almost every sector has a few DJs.”

Christo, another DJ, believes that although this profession is gaining popularity, it still lacks in quality. He started DJ-ing about four years ago. It is not just playing music, he says. It also involves educating the people about the latest trends in music , an aspect often overlooked by many DJs here, he adds.

“It is a professional job that requires training in handling the equipment, identifying the taste of the crowd and also handling them with presence of mind,” says Christo.

There are no institutes in Chandigarh to teach DJ-ing. Most of the DJs started it as a hobby. “If you have a sense of music and adequate knowledge of sound and hi-tech music systems, with experience you can become a good DJ,” said Bijan.

Christo who was lucky enough to be trained by his DJ brother, Rummy, has opened a training course for youngsters interested in this work.”A course of 40 days teaches everything from handling the equipment to handling the crowd, besides giving exposure in private parties,” he added.

Besides Discotheques, hotels, clubs and private parties also provide scope for the professional DJ. Though this profession pays reasonably, the price has, over the years, gone down.” When I started as DJ for private parties I used to demand up to Rs 15,000 per party. But with the addition of new DJs , the price has gone down,” said Christo. “People are ready to work even for Rs. 12.00”.

Though DJ-ing is a rage among the youngsters, for many it is only a stepping stone. Sanjay, a DJ with a popular discotheque, is not satisfied with the financial returns this profession gives.” It is a satisfying job for persons who have a passion for music, but in terms of money, the city is not very generous, “ he says . Armed with a degree in civil engineering, Sanjay would like to move on to something like sound engineering.

Unique honour for city dancer
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 2
Performing arts is not a new medium of expression for the city-based artiste Avtar Singh Chana. He has been appearing on the dance circuit for quite some time now, and after a 15-year-long romance with the folk dance forms of Punjab, Avtar Singh today has a new achievement to his credit, besides many others — that of being the only Indian dancer who was invited by the prestigious Laban Dance Centre of London to participate in its contemporary dance programme held towards the end of March.

After a vibrant stay spanning over two months in London, Avtar Singh is back and is all set to share with the youth of the city whatever dance expertise he assimilated during his stay there. Avtar Singh, who has long been associated with the Chandigarh Institute of Performing Arts (CIPA) as an instructor in dance forms, today talked to The Tribune about his stint at the Laban International Summer School and also about how he planned to pass on his technical dance prowess to the interested dancers of the city.

He said, “CIPA will shortly begin its training sessions in contemporary dance.” The programme of contemporary dance was held from March 26 to 30, following which further lessons in the contemporary dance forms were offered. Said Avtar Singh, “The courses at Laban are continually updated and new courses are added to reflect developments in the professional dance world.”

The specialised training which he acquired along with 30 other participants from different countries of Europe, makes Avtar Singh beam with joy. He was all praise for the methods of teaching at the Laban Centre for Dance. He said, “At Laban I was a part of a stimulating and creative community in one of the best equipped dance conservatories of the world. The expertise is amazing, so is the studio which is fully equipped.”

Avtar Singh was mainly trained in dance movement therapy, performance and choreography. And the training proceeded in three sessions of two-and-a-half-hour each every day. Other participants hailed from Poland, Spain, Japan, Germany, France and Italy.

The interesting part of the international exchange programme was that the Laban centre expressed willingness to hold more interactive programmes. Even other dance outfits of London have expressed a desire to learn Indian folk and classical dance forms.

Avtar Singh is again going to visit London to work out details of the exchange programme under which initially180 members of CIPA will be sent abroad for either dance shows or dance workshops.