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| Sunday,
August 26, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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REMINISCENCES Chandigarh Instead of ensuring discipline among the students queued up for an event during an inter-school competition, the tutor pats her tresses before enthusiastically waving at a friend walking across the barren ground, unaware of Ms Sachdeva’s presence. “Amusing, but not surprising.” That is how Ms Sachdeva describes the incident. “This is nothing but a projection of the declining dedication and devotion among the teachers in a society which now believes in materialism instead of spiritualism,” she asserts. “This was not so only a few years ago”. Sitting behind the table in her office, she asserts: “The educators were less fashion conscious in days that are no more. They believed in the theory of simple living and high thinking when I joined the profession, rather the mission, over two decades ago”. Those were the days when the tutors were there for the students all the time. “In fact, they were not merely instructors. For us, a teacher was a friend, philosopher and a guide,” the principal reveals. “We could approach them with our problems not only in the classroom, but also at their residences. They use to help us not only in solving the geometry theorems, but also our day-to-day domestic problems. They were nothing less than father figures”. That was a long time back, until “time-passers” entered the profession. “I am not suggesting that dedicated persons are not at all taking up the teaching profession. All I am trying to say is that for a large number of girls, who have little to do after completing their education and before getting married, teaching has become a lucrative profession, particularly after the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission’s recommendations,” she explains. “The status of a teacher in a reputed school also helps them in their search of a ‘suitable husband’”. The consequence of this “lost dedication” is there for all to see. “Students are not considered a responsibility by some of the young teachers. For them, they are liabilities. As an outcome, instead of making them better human beings, the effort is to get the most out of them by asking the learners to attend tuition classes. Little wonder, teachers are losing respect in society”. Giving details, she says: “As young students, we used to bow our head in front of our teachers, even touch their feet. Now, the students say ‘thank you, madam’ in the classroom and curse her outside. This is not all. The parents too have lost faith in the teachers. Instead of being angry with their children for being naughty in the classroom, they go to the school and quarrel with the teacher for punishing their wards. This is not justified”. Even though the profession has lost its glory, Ms Sachdeva believes “it is still not too late to regain the vanished splendour”. She concludes: “Let us all get together and work for it, that is my appeal to the teachers”.  |
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IN FOCUS SAS
Nagar Rinky (11) does the sweeping at a house and is paid Rs 40 per month while Suman (13), is fortunate to earn Rs 500 by cleaning the utensils and doing sweeping and mopping at another house. This is not the story of these four children alone, for there are innumerable others like them who are compelled by circumstances to do physical labour at a time when they should be attending school and playing with other children. What makes these children different from thousands of others of their age in Chandigarh and its surrounding areas is that they not only help their poor parents run the family but also attend a two-hour school in afternoon. The Bal Mazdoor Sikhya Kendra being run on the premises of Government Primary School in Guru Nanak Colony in Phase X here is doing yeoman service for these working children. The school, which function from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. after the closing time of the regular school, is run by the Punjab Istri Sabha Relief Trust. The efforts to educate poor children have not gone in vain for a few months ago students of the kendra were honoured for their good performance in the Class V board examination — six had secured the first and second divisions. The kendra, which has 20 students (not all are working children) was opened four years ago. There is only one teacher for all the Classes from I to V. Ms Kanwaljit Kaur, the teacher who is paid Rs 50 per pupil every month, said that in the beginning there was no place to hold the classes. They had to jump over the boundary wall of the government school to use the premises for studying. However, now the school authorities had given them the key to open the gate and they were able to hold the classes in one of the rooms. The general secretary of the Istri Sabha, Ms Mohinder Sambar, said each student at the kendra was given Rs 100 per month as scholarship, apart from shoes and clothes. Last year these children had an enjoyable time when they were taken on a trip to the Rose Garden and the Rock Garden in Chandigarh. This year, also, the kendra is making efforts to borrow a bus from the management of a better-off school for another outing. In fact, the children are eagerly looking forward to it and keep asking their teacher when that memorable day would come. Ms Sambar said that in 1989 the trust had opened a school for children of terrorist-affected families. However, after terrorism came to an end in Punjab, the trust decided to start the kendra to educate working children. It was a problem initially to persuade the parents to send their children to the kendra, but now the strength was increasing. Meanwhile, the sabha has also opened a stitching centre for women in Prachin Shiv Mandir in the colony. At present there are 15 women on its rolls. |
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CAMPUS
ROUND-UP Chandigarh Prof K.N. Pathak, the Vice-Chancellor, confirms the resolutions. He said that the university had sought legal opinion on the question but nothing was suggested in the direction of approaching the court. The university is considering to seek another opinion. In a related development, the university has decided to hold elections to the syndicate and of deans on September 28, just before the Senate meeting scheduled to be held on September 30. Prof Pathak said that if a court decision came by before the syndicate elections, the elected candidates would be eligible to contest. Even if there was no decision, the university has decided to go ahead with the elections, keeping in mind the academic interests of the university. The Senate resolved that “The Vice-Chancellor shall ensure that the university counsel contacts the advocate of the petitioner and intimate to the secretary of the Punjab and Haryana High Court within 10 days the date suiting them for hearing”. “In case there is a hitch in getting a date by consent from the other party, the university counsel be instructed, on behalf of the Senate, to seek clarification from the High Court and get its permission to conduct the elections to the statutory bodies, including the Syndicate”, another resolution said. The university House also resolved that “ in case the earlier two recommendations were not workable, the Vice-Chancellor be authorised to take a few senators along with him to the Chief Justice and apprise him of the difficulties being faced by the university in the absence of the Syndicate and other statutory bodies.” The suggestion that a delegation of senators should meet the Chief Justice regarding the elections was made by Mr Satya Pal Dang. Dr P. P. Arya said that in the absence of a Syndicate the academic interest of the university suffered dearly. “ If need be, legal opinion should be sought for the conduct of elections after the six-week stay period has expired’, he added. |
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College
elections may
be held in Sept Chandigarh, August 25 Although a senior police official of the city confirmed that the city police had sent its assent to the administration when asked whether enough security arrangements could be made for college elections, there were many who believed that the Administration might seriously consider not holding elections, keeping in view the personal opinion of the college principals on the matter. Election to student bodies in colleges has never been a completely peaceful affair in the city and although none of the college principals condemn these elections openly, almost all of them feel that elections are best avoided. “If the students want it, it is no use trying to stop them. We all know what the problems of having elections are, but in case you suggest something to the students, they only tend to take the suggestions negatively,” says Dr A.C. Vaid, Principal of GGDSD College, Sector 32. Another college Principal who did not want to be named said elections spoilt the academic environment of the college. The so-called student leaders promised the students that they would get their lecture shortage condoned and get them a good room in the hostel. Principal P.S. Sangha of SGGS College, Sector 26, questioned that if the colleges affiliated to Panjab University in other places in the state did not hold any elections, why should the city colleges be singled out for elections. “The elections lead to so much waste of time in the college. The students go from one college to another campaigning and disturbing everyone,” he says. Principal R.C. Jeevan of DAV College, Sector 10, felt that student elections should be student-based elections and not party based elections. “It should be an intra-college affair totally. Here the student leaders have group affiliations outside, whose leaders then come to the college and campaign. The whole process becomes totally politicised,” he said. While none of the colleges in the city have received any official circular about the elections, the students are keeping their ears to the ground about any news of elections. They are even threatening stirs in case the colleges decide not to have elections. |
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Convincing
introduction to TV anchoring Chandigarh, August 25 The inaugural session of the workshop went off well, thanks to the convincing handling of the same by the visiting media expert. Sadhna is not a new name to those who have been regularly watching DD. But more than her affiliation with the DD, what matters is her ability to have grown over the sphere of normal newsreading and graduating to compering in a big way. Sadhna has compered reputed functions, the Festival of Germany held in Delhi and Mumbai and the Swarnotsava, to mention a few. She has also been into direction, with a series of films on adventure tourism titled Destination Himalaya to her credit. She has also directed a 15- minute daily newsmagazine programme for IGNOU, apart from producing and directing the World Festival of Sacred Music for Tibet House in New Delhi. As the workshop drew to a close today, the principal of the college, Ms Mohini Sharma, looked elated. “I am happy to have taken such a lead. In today’s time, when media offers such a tremendous scope, I could not have done better than allowing my students to be guided by experts in the field.” |
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Quiz, fine arts contest held Chandigarh, August 25 The team of Meenakshi and Inderjeet Kaur won the first prize in the quiz while Deepali and Puja came second. The fine art competitions included pot-painting, cartoon-making and rangoli-making. Ms Gurpreet and Sunita got the first prize in pot-painting while Indira came second and Isha and Sapna got the third prize. Rupinder, Shikha and Mandeep got the first three prizes in cartoon-making while Shelly, Nivedita and Mona Thakur got the first three prizes in clay-modelling. Manjit got the first prize in rangoli while Kamaljit and Jagjit shared the second prize and Bhavana along with Amandeep Kaur shared the third prize. Dr Satinder Dhillon, Principal of the college, while addressing students at the prize-giving ceremony held later in the day, stressed that competitions were essential part of the BEd curriculum. These led to all-round development of the personality of the trainee teachers and helped them in preparing for their responsibilities in school. |
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Harmonious
blend of dance, music Chandigarh, August 25 The competitions in group songs, group dance and elocution in Hindi and English were held under the aegis of Kendriya Vidyalaya No 1 Chandimandir. As many as 50 students of KV No. 1 and KV No. 2 (both Chandimandir), KV (Zirakpur), KV (ITBP, Bhanu) and KV (CRPF, Pinjore). The topic for
elocution was “The Impact of Indian Culture on Modern Life”. Colourful folk dances of Manipur enthralled the audience. The winners were: Group dance — KV No. 1; Group song — KV No. 2, Elocution: Hindi — Vishwa Bandhu of KV, Zirakpur and English — Neha Sharma of KV No. 1. |
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College
welcomes freshers Chandigarh, August
25 After the students had introduced themselves, a colourful cultural programme for the freshers was organised. The freshers, too, later joined in the presentation and regaled the audience. The highlight of the function was the Miss and Mr fresher competition. While, Dilmeet was selected Miss fresher, Deep Malhotra became Mr Fresher. Dhiraj was chosen Mr Lucky Fresher, while, Ms Sandeep was crowed Miss Charming and Yashpal was chosen as Mr Personality. The college Principal, Mr D.P. Singh, presided over the function and later crowned the winners of the modelling competition. |
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Parishad
plants saplings at school Chandigarh, August 25 Mr Ishwar Singh, UT Chief Conservator of Forests, who was the chief guest, while emphasising the importance of trees in human life stressed upon clean environment and planting of more saplings. The main feature of the drive was that each sapling was adopted by a student and the best plant-adopter the would be awarded after six months. Parshant, Chote Lal and Sonia stood first, second and third, respectively, in the essay-writing competitions held by the parishad for the students of Classes VI to VIII. Anamika, Sandeep and Rohit bagged the
first, second and the third prize, respectively, in the competitions held for students of Class IX and X. In the drawing competition,
Rehka, Lalit and Baweshwar stood first, second and third in the primary section. Mr IS Bansal, president of the East branch of the BVP, welcomed the guests. |
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Revision
petition
turned down Panchkula, August 25 Syal was first produced before Panchkula’s Additional District and Sessions Judge, in pursuance of production warrants. The cops had moved an application for seven-day police remand in journalist manhandling case registered. The incident took place when the UT police, instead of taking the accused to Burail jail after appearance in a UT district court, took him to his house in Panchkula in violation of the jail rules. |
OFF-BEAT PROFESSION Chandigarh Jeet started photography in the early 60s when he was a teenager but he learnt the art of make-up only five years ago. “Initially all the modifications required to hide the flaws and enhance the beauty of a face were done in the dark room,” said Jeet. “But after I discovered the wonders of pancake and highlightners, I was fascinated by the art of make-up. Recalling his interest in photography, Jeet said when he got himself photographed as a child, he was hooked to this wonderful art. “I left my studies and home with the dream of becoming a photographer in my eyes which was realised after years of hardship.” However, his hard work bore fruit and his skill got him an opportunity to work as a still photographer in some movies. He also worked as a make-up artist in a telefilm, `Yeh Sangharsh Jaari Rahega’ made by Doordarashan. He has worked with artistes like Gurdas Mann and a number of budding models. Talking about the importance of make-up, Jeet says make-up is the backbone of photography. Quoting his guru, Ram Gopal Bazaz, he says that the main trick for making a still photograph come alive is to concentrate on the eyes. “The eye make-up should be such as to make the eyes smile,” he says. Lighting plays an important role in photography. “Even a perfect make-up would look dull if the lighting is not right.” Jeet, who started his business with a modest investment of Rs 25,000, says the cost of high tech photography equipment may run into lakhs but one can start with a second hand camera and some accessories that are easily available. About his future plans, he reveals his fond dream. “Given some financial assistance, I would like to open an institute to teach youngsters the techniques of photography and make-up. I remember the kind of exploitation I had to go through to fulfil my dream of becoming a photographer,” he adds, recalling all the menial chores he had to perform to please his gurus. |
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