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| Sunday,
June 17, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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CAMPUS ROUND-UP Chandigarh The area around the Administrative Block is dotted with guidance bureaux of student organisations on the campus. These include the Panjab University Students Union, the Students Organisation of Panjab University, the Haryana Students Association, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the All-India Sikh Students Federation. It appears that these counters were set up a bit too early because in the opening days they did not even have copies of the result gazettes, and there were very few visitor to these booths. The rush is, however, slowly increasing with more and more results being declared. PU this year has decided to start the academic session earlier than it did in the past few years. For some classes, the start will be more than a month earlier than usual. The senate passed a resolution to ensure 196 teaching days in the academic year. This may become doubtful considering the fact that the university has so far not been able to ensure the UGC stipulated 180 teaching days. This will be difficult for the university departments because the colleges have six teaching days in a week while the university has only five. Admissions to all post-graduate courses in arts, science and commerce are scheduled to be held between July 2 and July 14. The list includes admissions to M.Sc (honours) and M. Pharmacy. Late admissions can be allowed by the joint admission committee or the chairman of the department till July 21. Further, admissions can be allowed with the special permission of the Vice-Chancellor till August 31. Admissions to M.Phil, certificate and diploma courses will be held between July 30 and August 13. The chairman can allow late admissions till August 21 and the Vice-Chancellor till August 31. Students can contact the offices of the Directors of Education of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh for certain scholarship schemes initiated by them. Blind students who join regular degree and post-graduate classes will be allowed exemption from tuition fee and will be provided with free accommodation in the university hostels. One constant demand of students coming from outside is that they should know the merit and cut-off points for admission to different departments. “This will give us an idea whether we stand a chance in a particular department”, a student from Moga said. |
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Foundation to adopt night
schools Chandigarh, June 16 About 40 children have been enrolled in the night school for slum children in Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, managed by the foundation. The director of the foundation, Mr Atul Khanna, distributed T-shirts among the slum children. About 90 girls have been enrolled for four tailoring and embroidery centres being run by the foundation. These are being run at Khuda Lahora, and Kaimbwala villages and in government high schools in sectors 24 and 29. Two rural creches for children of the backward classes are being run at Dhanas and Dadu Majra. Over 55 children of working parents are attended to in these creches. The foundation is named after the first Chairman of the Punjab Legislative Council, Durga Dass Khanna. It was established to foster the growth of young minds by channelising their energies towards creative pursuits. |
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Admissions
to Class XI deferred Chandigarh June 16 According to the Dean admissions, Dr K.L. Toky, the decision has been taken in view of the fact that the result of the Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh School Education Boards, have not been declared as yet. Dr Toky said that of the 560 seats available for the non-medical students, 460 have been filled (admissions of CBSE students have been completed) for which the cut-off percentage have been 75. In case of medical group, 70 out of 160 seats have been filled . After the declaration of the results by the above mentioned boards of education, admission to the unfilled seats would be done. On July 3, only students scoring above 80 per cent will get admissions and regular teaching work will start from July 12, said Dr
Toky. |
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56 participate in dance competition Chandigarh, June 16 The programme that started with “Ram Ji Ki Kripa Se” by Chetna was dominated mostly by dance items based on Hindi film songs. Organised by the Chandigarh Institute of Performing Arts, the participants were categorised in four categories — category A for children of 5 to 10 years of age, category B for children of 11 to 15 years of age, category C for those in 16 to 25 years age group and category D for group dance. The panel of judges comprised of famous dancer and choreographer Mrs Veena Ravish, Mrs Charanjit Kaur and actor and playwright Mr Madan Gupta Spatu. Mr D.S. Saroya, DPI (Schools) and Deputy Secretary (Education), Chandigarh Administration, was the chief guest on this occasion. |
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Summer workshop
for children Chandigarh, June 16 The summer workshop comprises craft, drawing, painting, dance and theatre workshops. Children are learning clay modelling. In the next week, drawing and painting workshop will be the main attractions. Dance and theatre training is also being carried out at the school. The children are being taught basic steps of western dance. They are also learning dialogue delivery in the theatre workshop . The workshop which started on June 1, will continue till June 30. The charges for the workshop are Rs 400 per student. Ajay Rana and Zulfi Khan are the dance instructors for the workshop. |
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Maj Bhatnagar
case adjourned Chandigarh, June 16 After Major Bhatnagar declined to examine any witness or make any statement in his defence under protest after the court disallowed his plea of no case, the court decided to summon General Budhwar to question him in regard to the case. Earlier, Major Bhatnagar had been clamouring to cross-examine the general, but backed out at the last moment. The general had to return midway. The prosecution too had sought to examine General Budhwar as a witness, but during the course of examining other witnesses, decided not to summon him. |
Albums give more freedom:
Dhaarna Chandigarh, June 16 Dhaarna, who was in the city today after completing the shootings for her videos, “Paalki Mein Bethkar”, “Kitna Madhur Ye Milan” and “Mere Sajna Gaye Pardesh” says the whole experience gave her a lot of confidence to face the camera now. “When I was facing the camera for the first time for TVS Sa—Re-Ga-Ma, I was a bundle of nerves then,” she says. Dhaarna came runners- up in the mega final of Sa-Re-Ga-Ma in 1997. She says her interest lies in light music, Western classical and ghazals. “I learnt Indian classical music in Kirana Gharana as one needs to have a solid base in music which is provided only by Indian classical music,” she says. The next on line by this versatile singer is a bhajan album, composed by Venkateshwer Balaji, and a Punjabi pop album whose title has not yet been decided. But her Guru and Music director, Jaspal Mani, who accompanied her in this trip feels: “Dhaarna is more cut out to be a playback singer than pop singer. ” “It is the ultimate dream for every singer to be successful in play back singing,” says Dhaarna. “Though albums gives an artist more freedom to experiment with her voice, the fame one achieve in playback singing is uncomparable,” she adds. Stage performances have always been a part of Dhaarna’s life.The musical journey which was started during her school days gave her a few heady moments in life when she won the first prize in the contest organised by the Yaadgare Rafi Society in 1999 in Chandigarh, the first prize in the All India Singing Competition organised by the Sangam Kalagram, Delhi, and first prize in North India Singing Competition organised by the Hope Music India. |
A voice that spans Sufiana to
classical Chandigarh, June 16 In the world of music which is marked by immense fluidity, one of the very promising voices is that of the Goa-born playback singer Hema Sardesai, who has no qualms about voicing her talent. Her honesty only serves to add a punch to her character which spills from her amazingly-powerful voice. No wonder she could span the distance from Aawara Bhaware (picturised on the bubbly Kajol in Sapnay) to Ishq chandi hai (screened on Sushmita Sen in Biwi No 1) so effortlessly and so fast. In town today on a promotional tour of her latest music album Sajna (music by Jawahar Wattal), Hema spoke to Chandigarh Tribune about musical endeavours. Hema was accompanied by music director, Jawahar Wattal, on her visit. The two talked about Sajna, which blends various forms of music — from popular to Sufiana to classical. Hema was camping at a local disco in Sector 9 for today. The most appreciable fact about Hema is not that she covered her journey to success unbelievably fast, but that she exhibited tremendous amount of growth as a singer during process of travelling. Blessed with an inherently-strong range and pitch, all that Hema required to do was carve out her identity in the saturating Bollywood music scenario. She did it well and did it with style. Today Hema is being signed up by all the leading music directors, but she has worked the most for Sanjeev Darshan. She is also singing for Anu Malik in the Subhash Ghai film, Yaadein, which is Hrithik Roshan—Kareena Kapoor starrer. Hema’s forte is her ability to lend an attitude and character to voice. She treats the compositions too well and can adapt her voice to the personality of any Bollywood heroine. It’s difficult to believe that she has sung the soothing ‘Aawara bhaware’ for Kajol and the seductive ‘Jangal hai aadhi raat hai’ for Karisma Kapoor. Some of the most popular numbers she has done are — ‘Jaanam samjha karo’, ‘Love you hamesha,’ and many more....She has also done two music albums — ‘Piya se milke aaye nain’ and ‘Hindustani gudiya’. Travelling down the memory, Hema talked about Goa. Interestingly, no one sings in her family. The only inspiration she worked at was the one she drew from Pandit Dinanath Mageshkar, who was a very close friend of her father. Said Hema, “I used to sit outside my house and sing the popular Lata and Asha songs aloud. People would be stunned by my voice. They would come and tell my father that this girl is a singer.” From there Hema worked on the talent to hone it to such a skill where she could confidently share the stage with the Western pop stars like Weighfield. Hema sang with Weighfield who performed during the Screen Videocon Award function held in India some years ago. Not just that, Hema also clinched the best singer award at the 16th International Pop Song Festival held in Germany way back. She had represented India in the contest which had 20 participating countries. What made her a favourite with the judges was the blend of her melody and range. “I am fortunate to have tasted both the Western music and Indian classical music forms,” she said. Where Goan, Latin and Portugese music influenced Hema during her childhood days, the grooming in Indian classical music gave her the much-required edge over others. Hema has a degree in the Indian classical music and has sung in all the Indian languages. |
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REMINISCENCES Chandigarh Things have changed indeed, she muses before stepping into her car. Recollecting her days in Government College for Women at Ludhiana in the early 60s, Ms Sharma says, “It was not like this. The girls would not
hee-hee, haw-haw, so loudly even on silly jokes. This rule was applicable in the college, as well as at home”. On her way back home in Sector 15, she continues; “This kissing and hugging one another, instead of uttering a decent hello, was unknown. The girls would carry themselves with grace. Being a rebel was not in vogue”. Dating, so common today, was not in fashion. It was unknown those days when even on the screen, pecking and necking birds used to replace lovers. “Talking to boys was a taboo. Intermingling with the opposite sex was unheard of. There was no need to because mixing with the girls at college was a treat and there was no room for boys. All the time we were either attending declamation contests or some other function in the college. A movie in the college auditorium was something we would eagerly wait for as otherwise the students were permitted to watch religious films or the ones with a moral lesson”. As far as the dresses are concerned, the girls were not permitted to move out of their houses without wrapping themselves in nice, well ironed,
chunnis. Revealing dresses were not in existence. That was years ago, before the invasion from the skies. Now the values have changed. Fashion shows on the idiot box have given exposure a new meaning. The Internet has made the world small. “In fact, the entire visual media, including the cinema, is responsible for the change which has swept the students off their feet without realising the repercussions,” says Ms Sharma. “The students today are more independent than they were ever before, but in the process they have lost the balance between a career and the home. Career has pushed family life into the background. No one talks of emotions these days”. In conclusion she says the boys and girls today are rushing towards their goals, trying to out do the others, without realising that they are losing touch with the realities of life in this race for supremacy. |
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Instilling traffic
sense Chandigarh, June 16 The focus of the play was road safety. The play was based on traffic rules and regulations to make all age groups from school children to old people aware of the same. Marasi Mandli, Punjab, took this initiative with assistance of school children after training them to perform the play. The play stressed that by taking necessary precautions, increasing road accidents could be presented. The play was directed by Sanjay Sharma, a school student. The script was written by the head constable, Mr Des Raj and Sanjay Sharma. The music director was Manish and the songs were written and sung by the head constable, Mr Des Raj. |
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