EDUCATION

VC for collective festival celebrations
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, Sept 14
Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, has suggested that instead of declaring holidays in educational institutions on different religious festivals, these should be celebrated jointly by the students of all communities and religions so that they may learn about the teachings of other religions.

In his letter written to the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, New Delhi, Dr Aulakh said no religion in the world taught negative values. More opportunities should be created for mutual interaction between the followers of different religions. He suggested that in the morning prayers, the National Anthem should be sung instead of verses one or the other religious books. Stressing the role of vocational education, Dr Aulakh said the education at the school level should be reoriented to prepare the students to adopt a vocation of their own choice through self-employment. The unemployed youth could fall easy prey to the communal and partisan leaders, he said.

Dr Aulakh also urged the National Foundation for Communal Harmony to start a nationwide programme of translating religious and cultural books of Indian languages into other languages to promote mutual knowledge and understanding among different regional religious and caste groups. Seminars on communal harmony and national integration should become an integral part of school and college education. Students and teachers should write and present papers on the topics relating to these themes, he added.

Debates, contests mark Hindi Divas
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 14
Cultural programmes, debates, poetry recitation, speeches and functions to honour various writers marked the Hindi Divas celebrations in schools and colleges here today.

At Arya College, the Punjab Hindi Sahitya Academy organised a function in which it honoured Dr Suresh Chandra Vatsayan, a Hindi poet, with the Sri Virendra Saraswat Award. Dr Surjit Patar, a Punjabi poet, was honoured for his contribution to Punjabi literature. Anjali Kanjal, a student from SCD Government College, was also honoured as an emerging Hindi storywriter.

On the occasion, Dr Manmohan Sehgal from Patiala and Dr Sukhdev Hans, a Sanskrit scholar, addressed the gathering and highlighted the achievements of Dr Vatsayan. Ms Manjit Kaur, music teacher, Arya College for Women, sang his ghazal, ‘Na to manzil’. The programme concluded with the recital of Vande Mataram. Dr Kailashnath Bhardwaj, president of the academy, said the function was held to honour various writers of Hindi and Punjabi.

At the Government College for Women, the Department of Posts and the Punjab Hindi Parishad organised a function in which writers, journalists and some Central Government employees were honoured for their contributions to Hindi literature. These included Indra Verma and Rashim from Akaashvani, Jalandhar, Pooja, Anu Verma, Ruchika, Aman Jyoti, Neeru and Harjinder, all students, Fakir Chand Shukla from Punjab Agricultural University, S.N. Basniwal, Lekh Raj, Ms Seema, Sonika Malik and Anup Kumar, all employees of the post office, and O.P. Chugh from the department of income tax. Students presented various song and dance items and recited Hindi poems. Mr Chander Shekhar, IG, was the chief guest on the occasion.

Students and staff of Spring Dale Public School celebrated the day by holding a debate on the topic ‘Should Hindi be our national language?’ in which Manish Sharma of Class IX spoke in favour of the topic. Snehdeep Kaur from Class VII recited the poem, ‘Hasna hi jeewan hai’, Nidhi from Class X recited the poem, ‘Pyare pyare nabh ke tare’. A group of girls from Class VII recited couplets of Kabir and Rahim.

A handwriting competition was also organised and the winners were given awards and certificates. Ms Avinash Kaur Walia, Principal, urged the students and teachers to respect the national language and stressed upon its use in day to day activities.

Indian Overseas Bank also celebrated the day by organising debate and Hindi poetry contests. The winners received awards from Mr Prem Singh Antal, senior regional manager of the bank.

PAU magazine released
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 14
The annual issue of PAU magazine was released by Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice- Chancellor, PAU, here today.

The VC presented mementoes to student editors, Mr Manjinder Singh and Mr Gursangatpal Singh, and staff editors, Prof Sarabjeet Singh and Ms Jagdish Kaur. Dr Jagmohan Singh Bains, its Chief Editor, and Head of the Department of Journalism, Languages and Culture, said the students had contributed their articles for English, Hindi and Punjabi enthusiastically.

Dr Jaswinder Toor, Director, Students’ Welfare, Dr K.S. Sekhon, Dean, Postgraduate Studies, and Mr M.S. Grewal, Students’ Welfare Officer, were also present on the occasion.

School managing panel poll on Sept 16
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 14
The elections to the managing committee of the A.S. High School Trust and Management Society, which controls A.S. College for Boys, A.S. College for Girls, A.S. Senior Secondary School, A.S. Modern Senior Secondary School and its primary wing will be held on September 16. The management society, comprising 3,825 members, will elect the managing committee. Both ‘Aapka Panel’, known to be pro-Congress, and ‘Public Panel’, known to be pro-BJP and SAD, have fielded 20 candidates each for 20 seats of the committee.

Prominent among the ‘Aapka Panel’ candidates are Mr Onkar Rai Mehta, president, Municipal Council, Khanna; Mr Ashok Kumar Tewari, president, Block Congress; and Mr Yoginder Sharma, former president, MC. Mr Hans Raj Sood, member, state BJP executive, is contesting the elections from ‘Public Panel’. Many sitting and former councillors are also in the fray.

COURTS

PSEB fined for deficient service
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 14
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum had directed the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to pay Rs 7,000 to Mr Guriqbal Singh, a resident of Rauni village in Payalon tehsil, on account of deficiency in service. The forum has also directed the PSEB to pay Rs 500 as the cost of litigation to the consumer and to release an electricity connection for a tubewell at the earliest.

According to the complaint, Mr Guriqbal Singh had applied for an electricity connection for a tubewell on June 30, 1986. He stated before the forum that the SDO concerned had issued a demand notice on October 14, 1997, asking the consumer to deposit inspection fee and also to submit a test report. He deposited the said fee and submitted the test report along with Rs 4,250, he added. After that the PSEB officials inspected the spot and passed the test report for electricity connection.

But the connection was not released. He met the board officials many times, but nobody listened to him. The consumer alleged it was a case of deficiency in service by the PSEB.

The PSEB pleaded, ‘‘The complainant is not a consumer as the electricity provided for agricultural purposes is free of cost. Moreover, we have a seniority list of 52 persons to provide such connections and the complainant’s name comes at serial no 28 in that list.’’ It stated the connection could be granted to the complainant only after granting connections to 27 other persons who had applied before him. However, it was admitted by the board that the consumer had applied for the said connection and deposited the said amount after the issuance of a demand notice. The board also admitted that the consumer had submitted the test report.

The forum observed that if the PSEB was not in a position to release the connection it should not have issued the demand notice to the consumer. The forum stated the opposite party was also bound to provide electricity connections to all those persons whose name appeared above the complainant’s name in the list of applicants. It held that it was a clear case of deficiency in service by the PSEB in not providing electricity connection after so many formalities. It directed the PSEB to pay Rs 7,000 to the complainant on account of deficiency in service.

CULTURE

He bubbles with musical energy
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, September 14
Shankar Sawhney, a Punjabi pop sensation, is in the city to entertain his numerous fans and at the same time to promote his new album, ‘Kudiyaan’. The album was launched all over the world simultaneously. Flushed with happiness after successful release of his album in London, Shankar spoke candidly and exclusively to Ludhiana Tribune of his recent trip to London. He said: “I thank the Almighty for tremendous and phenomenal success of my latest album. This album is different from others in a way that I have incorporated three compositions which are of serious nature like the wordings of one of the gazals ‘Jab se hosh sambhali, pheli baar main royan hoon’. Seven numbers are Punjabi pop songs with pulsating music. I was very happy to see foreigners dancing to the rhythmic fast beat and tempo of my music. The people offered me warm hospitality and my songs were being repeatedly played on famous radio stations like Sun Rise, Star and Punjab Radio”.

Talking about the mushrooming of Punjabi pop singers, he said: “Punjabi music earlier belonged to rural people and truck drivers. But ever since the urban people have taken to it in a big way, marriages and parties are incomplete without it. But I would advise the new singers not to spend more than Rs 25,000 and record one or two songs only. Then they can show their songs to the music companies and if they like it, they will take out their albums. It is no point spending a huge amount of money promoting oneself as the music companies may or may not use the album of a fresh singer”.

He said, “I love to write and read books on spirituality and I have penned many devotional songs”. I remember this couplet every morning ‘Tere naam ke saath ek zikar ho jaata hai, tujhe paana kaise hai, yeh phikar ho jaata hai’.

Shankar, who was born in a musical family, is a proponent of the Kirana gharna. He was trained under the watchful eyes of his father, Prof Tej Bahadur Sawhney, a musicologist of repute.

After giving hits like ‘Yaari yaari’, ‘Kudi kurmurri’ and ‘Jat lutiya gaya’, his vivacious musical energy has now found a vibrant outlet in his new album released by Tips.

ADMINISTRATION

Octroi employees suspended
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 14
The Municipal Corporation has suspended three employees in the Octroi Department for financial irregularities. The suspended employees were charged with shortage of cash at the octroi post at Rajpura Road.

Mr S. K. Sharma, Additional Commissioner, said he had conducted a surprise checking of some octroi posts on the night of September 9 when it was found that Rs 20,000 were short in the cash collection at the Rajpura Road post. Mohinder Singh, Inspector, Ashwani Kumar and Rajinder Kumar, both clerks, were suspended.

Mr Sharma has cautioned the MC employees to perform their duty diligently and has further said dereliction of duty will be sternly dealt with.