EDUCATION

288 more teaching posts for Chandigarh
Tribune News Service

Sources in the HRD Ministry said here that the issue of upgradation of Punjab Engineering College (PEC) to deemed university and the Central Polytechnic Chandigarh to College of Engineering and Technology, was also discussed. The deemed University status to the PEC would be discussed in the coming month at an executive meeting. A team from the All-India Council of Technical Education will be sent to evaluate the upgradation of the Central Polytechnic.

Indian mind wary of spoken word: JNU prof
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 11
“The Indian mind is very wary of both the written and spoken word and there is no way revolutions can be brought by exposing masses to a particular set of books or sentences or words,’’ said Prof Kapil Kapoor, Rector, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Professor in the Department of Languages, JNU, while answering to a question from the audience about how much effect can a change of a few lines in history books make to the thinking of the readers.

Prof Kapoor was speaking on ‘Knowledge, individual and society in Indian traditions’ at Panjab University here today as part of the Saini Foundation National Lecture.

This lecture was organised by the Department of English, PU.

This construct he explained was very different from the western concept of knowledge, which bonded more than it liberated and the shift in their case is seen from the society to the self.

He quoted from ancient scriptures and dharmshastras and explained that the Indian traditional thought had brought harmony between two opposing concepts of knowledge and action.

Dr K.N. Pathak, Vice-Chancellor, PU, presided over the function and stated that it was important to study the Indian tradition more, especially when the focus of most studies is western in nature.

Prof Shelley Walia, Head of the Department of English, earlier introduced Prof Kapoor and thanked the audience and guests after the end of the lecture.

Kids celebrate Lohri with old age home inmates 
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 11
The students of Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, Sector 42, celebrated Lohri today with the inmates of the Old Age Home in Sector 15. Besides entertaining the inmates with a colourful variety programme, the students gifted them woollens, eatables and medicines that came from a fund constituted by the students and the staff of the school.

The school team was accompanied by Dr Jyoti, resident doctor of the school, who gave a patient hearing to the problems of the inmates.

Lohri at Strawberry

The students of Strawberry Fields Kindergarten School celebrated Lohri with enthusiasm. About 300 tiny tots circled around a fire, built for this purpose on their school premises in Sector 24 while munching ‘phulle’ and ‘rewri’ and matching steps with each other on a few energetic dance numbers.

‘‘Celebrating Lohri in the school will teach the children about the festival who will be able to relate it immediately to the actual celebrations when they do it tomorrow with their families and relatives," said Mr. Atul Khanna, Director of the school.

Lohri on PU campus

Lohri was celebrated at the Panjab University Students Centre here today. The function was organised by the Panjab University Campus Students Council.

The programme was delayed by two hours. A television channel recorded the event. The venue had a powerful music system which set the feet of youth tapping.

Groundnuts and ‘rewri’ packets were distributed among students. Prof Nirmal Singh, Dean, Students Welfare, was present. 

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Don’t finalise DSPs’ selection, PPSC told
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 11
Taking up two petitions, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Punjab Public Service Commission and other respondents against finalising the results of selections being carried out for filling the posts of Deputy Superintendents of Police. The Bench, headed by Mr Justice N.K. Sodhi, also issued notice of motion to the respondents for February 4.

In their petition, two candidates, Mr Parminder Pal Singh and Mr Varun, had earlier sought directions to the respondents to consider them for appointment. In his petition, the latter had claimed that his chest’s expansion was much more than the measurement prescribed in the brochure issued by the commission.

The High Court had earlier also issued directions against the declaration of the result of selections being carried out for filling the posts of DSPs besides DSP (Jails). The Bench had also directed that the commission “may proceed with the interviews” for selecting the DSPs and the DSP (Jails).

No maternity leave for adopters

A Division Bench of the High Court, in a significant judgement, today ruled that maternity leave could not be granted to an employee adopting a child.

Delivering the verdict on a petition filed by an assistant working under the District Primary Education Officer, Chander Kanta, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar and Mr Justice Mehtab Singh Gill, observed: “As the rule stands, a state employee is entitled to maternity leave which is restricted to certain situations including giving birth to a child, abortion, miscarriage etc. Adoption has not been specified as one of grounds for maternity leave”.

Dismissing the petition, the Judges ruled: “If the state has taken a specific decision not to grant a benefit to its employees, the court will normally not compel the state to widen its policy’s scope unless it was a case of exceptions carved out by judicial pronouncements or otherwise”.

Directive to SSP on murder case

On a petition filed by a Yamunanagar resident alleging police inaction in case pertaining to her husband’s murder, Mr Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel of the High Court today directed the Senior Superintendent of Police to look into her grievance and decide the matter within six months of receiving a fresh representation.

In her petition, Mr Sarni Devi had earlier sought directions for registering a murder case against two Yamunanagar residents. She had alleged that her husband Dayal Chand was murdered on September 4.

XEN’s order quashed

Allowing a writ petition filed by a Haryana employee against the Executive Engineer of the Public Welfare Department in Jhajjar and other respondents, Mr Justice Mehtab Singh Gill directed the state and other respondents to regularise his services with effect from February 1, 1996. Delivering the verdict, Mr Justice Gill also quashed an order passed by the Executive Engineer whereby the petitioner’s claim for regularisation was rejected on July 18 last year.

ADGP’s plea dismissed

Legal Correspondent adds: While dismissing an application filed by Mr P. Lall, Punjab’s Additional Director-General of Police ( Computer and Wireless ), seeking a clarification of the court’s order of July 4 last year regarding departmental proceedings against Mr R.K. Sharma, a Bench of the High Court observed that it was satisfied that the order did not need any clarification.

The Bench, comprising Mr Justice G.S.Singhvi and Mr Justice Nirmal Singh, added that the court had given an unequivocal direction to the state government to take a decision on the initiation of a departmental inquiry against Mr Sharma on the serious allegations to which reference was made in the court order. “The apprehension that the DGP or any other authority may scuttle the inquiry which, as per the applicant’s assertion, was initiated on a charge sheet dated January 14, 1993, must be treated as totally misplaced because no government officer can even think of flouting orders of the court,” the Judges observed. The court order was made available today.

CULTURE

Shekhar Suman shoots for ‘Neelam Ghar’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 11
Shekhar Suman of the “Movers and Shakers” fame finally arrived in the city today to start the shooting of Zee TV’s premier games how “Neelamghar”. The shooting of the show was cancelled in view of the death of one of the cameramen. The shooting has now started at Dara Studios in SAS Nagar and will go on till January 16.

The ace anchor says that films are very much a part of his plan. ”But I am being very careful. Unlike my struggling days, when I just wanted to sign every offer that came my way, now my main concern is the director and the script. I intend to be associated with good movies only. At least I’ll try to keep it that way,” he says. Shekhar Suman is already doing pivotal roles in David Dhawan’s “Chor Machaye Shor” and Prakash Jha’s yet untitled film. He’s also looking forward to Kundan Shah’s “Kasem Se”, which stars Sunil Shetty and Raveena Tandon. Here he plays a bungling advocate who loses one of the most important cases of his life. “It’s a typical Kundan Shah madcap comedy.”

Comedy has always been Shekhar Suman’s forte. Whether playing the role of “chachu” in “Dekh Bhai Dekh” or hosting “Movers & Shakers” or doing genuinely funny serials like “Dum Duma Dum” and “Kabhi Idhar Kabhi Udhar”, he has excelled in all.

In fact, ever since his foray into television, Suman has never followed the herd, but let his passion change the rules of the game. A couple of years back he was a case fit for the Guinness Book of World Records when he began appearing in 12 different serials across all channels. And each serial was a hit in its own right.

These days his main preoccupation is “Neelam Ghar” that he hosts on Zee TV.

Aloke at his best
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 11
Be it melancholic tunes based on raag Marwa or the devotional raag Puriya Kalyan or the nomadic Bhairavi dhun, Aloke Dasgupta did justice to all, showing the finer points of Maihar Gharana , which has made him the most outstanding and original sitar player in the north Indian classical style.

This USA-based artiste gave his performance at the Bhaskar Rao Indoor Auditorium of Pracheen Kala Kendra in Sector 35 here today.

Aloke has come a long way since beginning his musical journey under his uncle Vinay Dasgupta, from whom he developed a style and composition of his own that gives the flavour of Maihar Gharana of Allauddin Khan. Perhaps this was to be expected from a person who honed his skills to perfection from Ali Akbar Khan.

Beginning his performance with Aalap, Jor and Jhala in raag Marwa, Aloke portrayed the mystic sunset surrounding with his composition that evoked a sense of loss which could be related to the western Blues.

Moving onto raag Puriya Kalyan, a devotional raag, he played the seven notes in a style which somehow resembled Khayaal, a style initialed by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Nikhil Banerjee.

The recital concluded with a Bhairavi dhun on nomadic Boul song of Bengal that left the audience spellbound. In tonight’s performance Aloke was accompanied by Debashish Adhikari on the tabla and Subrata De on the tanpura.