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| Sunday,
July 29, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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And they call it
a school SAS NAGAR, July 28 The school in Phase X which has 175 students from poor families on its rolls, was set up n 1981. It has leaking roofs and no drinking water or power supply. The furniture in the building which has three rooms and a store, comprises two tables and four chairs for five teachers. The staff made contributions to purchase 75 wooden “patras” for the students. The Municipal Council built one room for the school about eight years ago and another about two years back. However, the second room has no doors or windows with the result that after school hours, the residents of the colony use it for dumping garbage and even as a toilet. Often children and other residents of the colony make the premises filthy after the school has closed and the next morning it has to be cleaned before starting the classes. Vandals have been damaging the boundary wall which had to be constructed at least thrice. In the absence of drinking water in the school, the children often depend on neighbours, not all of whom welcome them. The Municipal Council had given three ceiling fans to the school and in the absence of electricity supply, a “kundi” connection was provided illegally by a municipal councillor about two years ago. This connection was, however removed by the Punjab State Electricity Board after about a month. The fans, too, have been damaged due to the leaking roofs. The classrooms are without proper ventilation as windows in two rooms have been blocked by a mandir building and a private structure built at the back of the school. It is a torture for the children to sit in the suffocating rooms without any fans. One class has to be held in the open for want of accommodation. When it rains, all the classes are adjusted in the available rooms. As there was no toilet facility in the school, the teachers had a structure constructed for this purpose. They also get the day-to-day maintenance done at their own cost. The teachers have also got the building whitewashed at their own expense as a farewell function is to be held for the teacher in-charge who is to retire on July 31. They want the premises to look respectable for the function. |
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CAMPUS ROUND-UP Chandigarh Admissions to a number of classes had to be postponed because the Detailed Marks Cards were not available and that hampered the process of compiling the list of selected candidates. The admission process had to be rescheduled and that has taken away the advantage that could have come from early declaration of results. Students faced problems in procuring their marks cards. When the cards did not reach the colleges from where the students were to pick them up, long queues were formed on the campus. There also was an unusual rush at the counselling centres opened by prominent student organisations. July 2 was first fixed as the last date for submitting admission forms. Four days later, the university extended the date to July 11. While forms of fresh candidates were accepted, it caused confusion among those who had been interviewed earlier. The university has extended the last date for submitting admission forms for the certificate, diploma and advanced diploma courses in Urdu, Persian, Chinese, Tibetan, French, German and Russian till July 30. Two students even fainted while rushing through the admission formalities and this is indicative of the mental turmoil the students had to go through. A senior student leader said that quick declaration of results was inconsequential unless the follow-up action was also streamlined. Along with the result should be declared the date on which the students would get their marks cards. Subsequently, a date should be fixed for interviews giving a workable time gap’’. The interviews in the Law Department were an example of lack of forethought. These were postponed at least a couple of times. When the interviews were held, the results of a large section of the students had not been declared. When they did not qualify for the interview, intervention of the Punjab and Haryana High Court was sought. Finally the department had to create 60 more seats. Some senior senators have pointed out that this decision should have been taken by the Senate and the Syndicate. However, considering the situation where a quick decision was needed, there was nothing wrong in it if it was in the interest of students. A senior Fellow said: ‘‘The university’s action in quickening the result process was worth a pat on the back. It would be more fruitful if details of other related activities, particularly the admissions, were worked out in advance.’’ |
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NIFD to showcase ‘Colours of Life’ Chandigarh, July 28 On display will be the creations of students who have worked hard through the semester to give substance to their designs. The ensemble will feature designer exhibits, innovative ideas of window treatment and curtain draping, designer wall panels incorporating techniques of weaving, texture, embroidery, printing, and also macrame, wherein yarns are knotted to create novel products like bags, rugs, chairs, table, hammocks and chicks etc. The exhibition can be viewed on NIFD campus between July 30 and August 1 from 11.30 am. |
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155 cases settled in Lok Adalat Chandigarh, July 28 As many as 588 cases relating to the recovery of bank loans were taken up at the Lok Adalat of which 155 cases were settled with the recovery of Rs 48, 41, 339. Besides, 737 summary traffic challans were disposed of and a sum of Rs 48,900 was realised as fine. The District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, said the next Lok Adalat would be held on September 15 in which summary cases, accident claim cases and matrimonial cases would be taken up. Mr Justice N.K Sodhi, Executive Chairman, State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) participated in the proceedings of the Lok Adalat. According to the Executive Chairman, the main objective of the Lok Adalats is to settle the disputes amicably and expeditiously. He said any party willing to settle its case through the Lok Adalat can make an application in that regard to the court concerned. If a person wanted to settle any dispute without going to the civil court, he can submit an application to the SLSA on a plain paper. The cases settled upon are then considered as the decree of the court with no right to appeal, he said. Mr Justice N.K Sodhi said a permanent Lok Adalat was functioning daily in the District Courts complex. All categories of civil cases, including matrimonial disputes, bank loan cases, service matters, landlord tenant disputes, MACT cases and compoundable criminal cases, are settled. In the event of a compromise, the court fee is refunded, he said. A meeting was later held by Mr B.C. Gupta, UT Member Secretary, SLSA, with senior officers of the banks regarding recovery of the loans. |
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Resentment over move to ban old buses Chandigarh, July 28 The president of the Chandigarh School Bus Welfare Association, Mr Manjeet Singh, said, ‘’We had requested the UT Administration many times not to discard 15-year-old school buses from roads. But they paid no heed to our request. Further this order by the High Court is not in our favour.’’ ‘’Technically a 15-year-old bus has no problem to move on the road whereas if there is pollution problem it can be checked anytime. If we go for buying a new bus it will cost us about Rs 16 lakh per bus, added Mr Singh. The bus drivers will have to pay Rs 25,000 installment per month and total expense per bus will amount to Rs 50,000. To cover up the expense they would have to increase the bus fare from Rs 300 to Rs 700 per child. If the old buses are allowed to move in the city then they don’t plan to increase the bus fare. Mr Manjeet Singh further said, “The accidents happen not because the buses are old but because of drivers’ negligence.’’ |
FILM REVIEW
"Yaadein" (Nirman and KC, Panchkula) despite being a light romantic presentation somehow lacks the ‘magical’ touch of the master-director Subhash Ghai. The story lacks the grip and the music by Anu Malik also fails to make the expected impression in a love story. Hrithik Roshan may be the hero riding the wave of commercial glory, but Jackie Shroff has managed a more commendable performance. Kareena Kapoor still faces an uphill task of making an impressionable showing in the industry despite her attractive face. Even Amrish Puri fails to cast his shadow over the real impact of the story. It is a story about love in the family in which element of friendship is shown as the stone of foundation. Jackie is a loving father of three daughters Kareena Kapoor, Avni Vasa and Himani Rawat. Kareena is his darling. Hrithik is the son of a big industrialist. Personally he has more to do with the world of art and helping build relations through internet communication. Jackie is most of the time finding missing footprints of his deceased wife Rati Agnihotri in the sands of time. Jackie is trying to open up more with his daughters by being their "friend". He returns bag and baggage to India with his daughters from the UK. Hrithik has a crush on Kareena. And surely their love blossoms. One of Jackie’s daughters who marries against his wishes is discarded by the groom’s family. Jackie tells his "friend" Hrithik that "love" meant nothing till the couple’s families tallied with each other’s tastes. It was a blunder by the youth. This is surely not pleasant news for Hrithik. The story is bereft of any super hero episodes yet there are missing links in maintaining a continuity of action. "Yaadein" has been inspired by photographs of much loved ones (Rati, mainly) which bring back fond memories. Repeatedly, the film has shown scenes of the past life of the family. There is a continuous search for a "glimpse of joy in the past life". Anand Bakshi has penned down the lyrics for the film which is written and produced by Subhash Ghai. The film also stars Anang Desai, Supriya Karnik, Madan Joshi, Suman Dutta, Subas Khandke, Dolly Bindra and Jennifer Kowal. Photography by Kabir Lal is laudable,
particularly of scenes abroad. Hrithik has beautifully translated into
action the choreography by Saroj Khan. |
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Inspirational danseuse Chandigarh, July 28 Sonali is not the type to sit back and cry in self pity. After losing her hearing ability at the age of five due to wrong medical treatment, she focused all her energy into learning Odissi. She displayed her talent with flawless technique and accuracy at Bhaskar Rao Indoor Auditorium of Pracheen Kala Kendra in Sector 35 here this evening. “Sonali has been an excellent mimic right from her childhood,” said her father, Mr Nirmal Kumar Mohapatra, interpreting for Sonali. She can only read lips and speaks Oriya. “She used to flawlessly copy TV personalities and copy the dance steps of famous dancers,” he added. Her passion for dance was channelised first by Tripti Mohanty and later by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, a follower of late Guru Dev Prasad Das. Sonali has mastered at combining flawless footwork with perfect ‘abhinay’. She has performed all over the country on different occasions. Awarded scholarships by the CCRT, New Delhi, postgraduation scholarship by the NCP EDP, New Delhi, and National Senior Scholarship by the Department of Culture for 2001, Sonali is also the proud winner of awards like Srikshetra shree award besides others. Regarding her future plans, she said, “I want to spread this particular form of Odissi, which her guru Durga Charan Ranbir teaches, and teach the poor under-privileged children.” She has opened a dance school where she has been teaching odissi for the past three years. Sonali opened today’s evening with the customary “Mangalacharan,” where the dancer offered flower to Mother Earth. She displayed crisp footwork and clear exposition of finger movements in the next item “Pallavi”, based on Raaga Chakrabak. She then moved on to perform “Abhinaya”, her forte, based on an Oriya song composed by the mediaval poet Kavi Bannmali. It depicted the pranks of Bal Gopal played on his mother Yashoda. A combined form of Purusha and Prakriti was the theme of her next item “Ardha Nari Swara”, an extract from Adi Shankarcharya’s “Haragouriashtaka.” Sonali displayed excellent footwork on the song “Yahi Madhava”, based on Jayadeva’s literary masterpiece “Geet Govinda”. The spectacular evening ended with an philosophical item on Moksha, the ultimate goal of life for every human being. The significance of this item was that no music accompanied this dance number. Nothing seemed amiss as her dance had a melody of its own. Sonali was accompanied by Nirmal Kumar Mohapatra as the vocalist, Dhaneswar Swain on the pakhawaj, Niranjan Biswal on the violin and Abhiram Nanda on the flute. Soundarya Ranjan Roy played the sitar and Durga Charan Ranbir, besides playing the manjira, choreographed the show. |
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Passionate
portrayal of Muslim grandeur Chandigarh, July 28 The illustrious actor, who has had the fortune of working under stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah, Khalid Tyyabji and Anamika Haskar, kept the audience interest alive throughout the performance at the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University today. Ashwatthama had earlier visited the city on June 9 to work out the details of this show, which has been sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Haryana. On his last visit, the actor had staged the play for the visiting Pakistani children, who were here to attend a joint Indo-Pakistan theatre workshop. The script of this challenging production is directly inspired by the grandeur of “Sufism”. When Ashwatthama was working out the possibilities of themes which should be rendered on stage, he came across a way of life called “Sufism”, which blends the elements of religion and mutual tolerance beautifully. It was then that the actor read all about “Sufism” and “jehad”. With further advice from Asif Naqvi who suggested that a theme devoted to the pious past of Muslims could be worked upon, Ashwatthama went on to build upon this script and shaped it into a one act play. The lead of the story revolves around life and achievements of Maulana Rumo (a Sufi saint). It also touches upon the life of Prophet Mohammad, followed by the struggle of his grandson Imam Hussain against Yazid. In the end, however, “Ek katra khoon” is based on Ismat Chugtai’s novelette. The script is enriched by inclusion from poetry of radical Punjabi poet Paash, Sahir Ludhianavi, Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Marsiyas (dirges) by Meer Anees also add substance to the text. Ashwatthama’s performance did full justice to the sensitivity of the theme. The best part of his effort was that despite a 130-minute long performance, he managed to arrest attention of the audience. In fact, one was reminded of the success of “Dedh Inch Oopar”, which Ashwatthama had staged some years back. Today’s presentation reflected the prowess of Ashwatthama in that he handled the verbatim very well and never lost track of what he was trying to portray. A difficult task though, it seemingly came easy to this artiste. Perhaps this is where the NSD magic works. Further binding upon the viewers was the actor’s powerful narration and his absolute command over the history of the Holy War of Karbala which he today narrated through the medium of theatre. There will be another show at the same venue tomorrow. |
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Painting contest
on environment SAS Nagar, July 28 The subjects for the two contests for the senior group (Classes IX to XII) were the “Importance of the ozone layer for humanity and need for its protection”; “The role of PUDA and the Municipal Council in the protection and improvement of the environment”; “Green Mohali, Clean Mohali”; and “The use of the plants tulsi and arjun in medicine-making and help in making the environment clean.” For the junior group (Classes V to VIII) the topics were “The importance of trees in our life and how to protect them” and “Ways and means to keep our surroundings clean and the responsibility of the Municipal Council in this regard.” Mr S.R. Chaudhuri, president of the society, said the results would be announced in September. Prizes amounting to Rs 3,000 would be given to the
winners. |
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Serial on astrology Chandigarh, July 28 The serial, shooting for which would commence tomorrow at the studio of Technical Teachers’ Training Institute in Sector 26, would identify a person from the audience on the basis of date and place of birth written by the participants on a piece of paper. Conceived and directed by P.S. Nirola and produced by Naresh Gupta of Ambika Productions, while the show would be anchored by Mumbai-based model and TV and film artiste Jasmine. |
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