AGRICULTURE

Rs 44 lakh given to paddy growers
Our Correspondent

Amloh, June 30
Two hundred paddy growers were given cheques worth Rs 44 lakh by Mr Balwant Singh Shahpur, MLA, at a function, organised here today. The amount was distributed for the difference in paddy procurement price paid to the farmers.

The government had fixed maximum support price (MSP) of paddy for its fine variety as Rs 510 per quintal and Rs 540 for the superfine quality, whereas the paddy was purchased at lower rate. Seven hundred farmers falling under the market committee were affected and paid lower rate than the fixed one. The total amount which is to be paid to them is Rs 48 lakh, out of which Rs 44 lakh was distributed today.

A committee comprising local MLA, SDM, chairperson, market committee, DFSO, and secretary of the market committee had been formed and entrusted this relief work.

EDUCATION

Teachers threaten stir over transfers
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 30
The Punjab Government College Teachers Association (PGCTA) has threatened to strike work in the new session if the Punjab Government failed to cancel the transfer orders of various teachers in the state.

Mr Jaspal Singh, president and Mr Balwinder Singh, general secretary of the association, condemned the recent orders of Punjab Government in which over 100 college lecturers were transferred.

Mr Jaipal Singh said more than 40 teacher couples were uprooted by this step, which in itself was in violation of the stated and publicised policy of government. He said several couples were also separated contrary to the policy. He alleged that even cancer patients were not spared. The persons on the verge of their retirement were ‘‘thrown’’ somewhere else.

Mr Jaipal Singh said,‘‘Even teachers having longstanding careers, who were bypassed for promotion, have been transferred to far flung areas, adding salt to their injuries’’.

On the contrary, certain teachers who applied against vacant posts, had not been transferred.

The association members also alleged that Mr Mohan Lal, Minister for Higher Education, had assured that no such step would be taken by the government.

The president and general secretary demanded immediate cancellation of transfer orders and appealed to the Chief Minister to intervene and evolve a comprehensive and objective policy of recruitment, transfers, deployment and promotion.

22 years and not a brick for college
Our Correspondent

Ahmedgarh, June 30
The proposal to build a government college at Ahmedgarh, the foundation stone for which was laid way back in 1979 by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, who was the Chief Minister at that time also, seems to have been totally forgotten by the authorities.

In the past 22 years, leaders of almost all political parties have addressed mammoth gatherings at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial National Senior Secondary School, but none has bothered to enquire about the progress of the college project, though its foundation stone stands in the third block of the school itself.

According to a veteran social worker, Mr Hari Ram Gupta, Mr Badal had passed verbal orders regarding establishment of the college in the town, but these have not been acted upon till today. He says that only the Janata College for Women is there to meet the educational needs of women of the area. Though the educational needs of the town have increased manifold since 1979, no recognised institute has come up for imparting education to the girls beyond class XII. As majority of the parents cannot afford to send their daughters to other cities for further studies, the girls have no option but to sit idle at home or do BA privately, adds Mr Gupta.

Mr Vijay Thapar, president, Malwa Manav Sewa Sangathan; Mr Munir Mohammad, president, Muslim Youth Front; Mr Raj Paul Garg, president, local unit of BJP; and Mr Happy Verma, a youth leader, have appealed to the Chief Minister to meet the commitment, he had made with the people of the area 22 years ago. They have also demanded that till this is done, the Janata College for Women be granted temporary affiliation to any of the state universities.

CULTURE

Bharatnatyam is not a dying art
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 30
‘‘Bharatnatyam is not a dying dance. It is very much alive. We still have quite a few serious learners of this divine dance. There is no danger of its extinction," said Ms Rasika Mohan, a Bharatnatyam exponent, during a press conference on the eve of her maiden performance in Ludhiana.Rasika is going to present various compositions at Guru Nanak Bhavan. The Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam has brought this talented artiste to perform for the Ludhianvis.

Rasika told mediapersons that she started learning Bharatnatyam at the age of five. It was her parents that urged her to dance and later she developed a love for the dance and was given scholarship and fellowship by Government of India. Rasika has performed all over the USA Latin America and Tanzania. Though a Punjabi, she has mastered this South Indian dance form and even the language.

During the press conference, she said that she was going to present a dance based on the famous shabad of Guru Nanak Dev - Simran kar ke mere mana . The shabad would be in Hindi and this would be her first dance performance on the shabad. Later she would be dancing vatsallya ras . In this dance, she would present mother Yashoda chasing Krishna, who is up to his pranks. She said, ‘‘It is a charming composition. Krishna wants to tell his mother that he is not ordinary. He starts eating mud and when his mother tells him to open his mouth, she sees the whole universe."

In Jaidev’s composition , Rasika would portray the suffering of Krishna in a very humane form. Krishna is in Yamuna Kunj surrounded by beautiful flowers. He remnicises how Radha had come happily to meet him but when she saw him with a gopi, she went away angrily. She would present a beautiful analogy between her angry face and a red lotus in full bloom.

Rasika would start with a Marathi composition. In this piece, Ganesha, who loves to be frolicsome and fun loving would perform a dance seated between his parents. Rasika said,‘‘Bharatnatyam basically derives its strength from spirituality and it is very difficult to separate the two.’’ So all her pieces from Tilaana to Four Ashtkam would be basically linked to spirituality. Her last piece would be sharanagati. In this piece, Rasika said that in the end one had to surrender one self to God and without God in one's life , the life was meaningless.