EDUCATION

New learning centre in city
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 4
Direcway Global Education of Hughes Escorts Communications Ltd (HECL) has opened its satellite enabled interactive learning centre in Chandigarh.

The HECL has tied up with Apollo International Inc. to provide Western International University’s (WIU) international MBA degree programmes to professionals in India. The WIU’s international MBA programmes will be delivered on Hughes Direcway Global Education interactive learning platform. The WIU’s MBA programmes are suited for professionals who have a minimum of 15 to 16 years of education background and are taken keen to pursue an MBA degree programme while they continue to work.

Mr Colin Hatcher, director-programme and curriculum development, Apollo International said, “The curriculum of this MBA programme is practical and work-oriented. It is developed in the USA but localised using Indian case studies.” Mrs Sonia Goyal, manging director, International Institute of Management Studies, Franchisee of Direcway, Chandigarh centre, said, “The Chandigarh centre of Direcway Global Education will offer the WIU’s International MBA degree to professionals in region who are often not able to pursue higher quality international education due to either work pressure, lack of adequate resources, family issues or due to lack of conveniently available evening and weekend programmes at locations within reach.” Says Mr Amit Tripathi, vice-president, HECL, “Now the professionals in Chandigarh interested to pursue high quality international management education need not quit their jobs or leave their city. They can acquire a US-MBA degree right in Chandigarh itself.” 

Fun day for kids
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 4
It was fun day for kids at the inauguration of the summer camp with activities ranging from fields as diverse as art and design to theatre and dance to karate and yoga at KB DAV Centenary Public School, Sector 7, here yesterday.

Aimed at tapping hidden talent and potential of kids participating in the workshop, the month-long camp will conclude with an exhibition and performance programme to be organised on June 29 on the school premises.

At the camp decorated with colourful streamers, buntings and cutouts, it was an enthusiastic lot of participants that made it to the classes on the first day.

While the art and design group marked the day applying henna tattoo, clay modelling and poster-making were also undertaken. A demonstration of yogic shatkarma and various asanas was presented and a talk on the importance of yoga in the daily routine was delivered by Mr C.M. Arora, a yoga expert.

Keeping in view the fondness for sports, the school has engaged professionals to conduct the skating, cricket and karate workshop while a computer workshop has also been planned for those bitten by the technology bug.

Adding novelty to the workshop is the organising of field trips, picnics, educational trips, learning magic tricks and camera-facing sessions in the studio.

Earlier, the camp was inaugurated by the director, Colleges, of the DAV Managing Committee, Mr DR Gupta. Visiting the various workshops in progress at the school, he said that he was happy to see kids spending their time fruitfully.

The principal of the school, Ms Madhu Bahl, said that the summer workshops, aimed at introducing children to novel and creative ideas which help explore the hidden talents of the children.

Demonstration by PU staff
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 4
The Panjab University Non-Teaching Employees Federation held a protest demonstration in front of the audit branch against the alleged anti-employee attitude towards the demands of these employees.

According to these employees, the audit branch is acting as a stumbling block and has objected to the release of increments to all ASOs, enhancement of stipend to wards of deceased employees, not admitting the special/secretariat allowance and the ASOs despite approval of the Board of Finance, the Syndicate and the Senate. Another dharna will be held on June 12 by the employees in case their demands are not met by then.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Sekhon’s appointment challenged
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 4
Acting on a public interest litigation challenging the appointment of Justice J.S. Sekhon as the Chief Commissioner for Gurdwara Elections, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion to the Union of India and other respondents for June 11.

In his petition taken up by the Bench, comprising Mr Justice J.S. Khehar and Mr Justice M.M. Kumar, the President of the All-India Human Rights Watch Col N.S. Pandher, had earlier claimed that the appointment was “illegal”, “void” and “without jurisdiction”.

Giving details, the petitioner had submitted that Justice Sekhon was not entitled to any assignment under the Punjab and the Union Governments as he had served as a member of Punjab State Human Rights Commission. Elaborating upon his contention, he had added that according to Section 24 (3) of the Human Rights Commission Act, a member could not accept any government assignment after serving in the Commission.

Going into the background, Mr A. P. S. Shergill had added on behalf of the petitioner that Justice Sekhon had retired in 1994 after attaining the age of superannuation. He was subsequently appointed as member of the Punjab Human Rights Commission by the previous Akali government in 1997. Justice Sekhon was, however, appointed as the Chief Commissioner of Gurdwara Elections by the Union of India while he was still serving, he had concluded.

Notice of motion

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday issued notice of motion for Wednesday on a petition filed by a candidate for block samiti elections seeking the quashing of an order rejecting her nomination papers.

In her petition taken up by a Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Mr Justice J.S. Khehar and Mr Justice M. M. Kumar, Ms Sukhwinder Kaur of Panderi Arian village in Hoshiarpur district had earlier contended that on May 31, she was informed by the returning officer that wrong serial number had been filled in by her. Arguing on her behalf, Captain Sandeep Bansal had added that the necessary corrections were made within 15 minutes, but still her nomination papers were rejected.

Quoting the provisions of the Punjab State Election Commission Act, he had added that the Returning Officer could even overlook topographical mistakes in the nomination papers. The case will now come up for further hearing tomorrow.

DISTRICT COURTS
Students acquitted
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, June 4
A local court on Tuesday acquitted three students allegedly involved in a case of voluntarily causing hurt to a city resident. The three — Jasdeep Singh and two others — were acquitted due to lack of evidence. The complainant, Mr Bhupinder Singh, had alleged that the three students had assaulted and beaten him in Sector 16 market on May 5, 2001. The police had registered a case against the accused under Sections 323, 506 and 34 of the IPC on May 6, 2001.

Remanded

A city resident, Des Raj, who was arrested by the police in a case of house trespassing was remanded in judicial custody on Monday by a local court. Meanwhile, the court has issued a notice for June 5 on the bail plea moved by the accused. The case against the accused was registered under Sections 389, 448 and 411 of the Indian Penal Code.

SDO sentenced

Kuldeep Singh, SDO with the Public Health Department was sentenced to two-year rigorous imprisonment by a local court in a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It was alleged that Kuldeep Singh used to accept bribe for approving sewerage connections to the people.

Cheating case

An accused, Amardeep Singh, allegedly involved in a case of cheating was further remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday by a local court. The UT police had arrested the accused on April 16 in a case registered against him on December 6, 2001, for allegedly cheating Mr Satnam Singh, a resident of Hoshiarpur, son the pretext of arranging a kidney for him. It was alleged that the accused had promised to provide a kidney to Mr Satnam Singh had taken Rs 4.15 lakh for the purpose from him. However, he neither returned the money nor arranged the promised kidney.

Fake ration card

An accused, Biswas Kumar, arrested by the UT police in a case of fake ration card was remanded in police custody on Tuesday by a local court.

A puppeteer master-blender
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 4
Deriving inspiration from art is one thing; enriching it with freshness is another. But here is someone who indulges in both the practices so as to strengthen the status of his art. Varun Narayan is not just a puppeteer. He is a master blender, who draws from the rich ancient traditions of puppetry and uses them in a contemporary context so that the art form is given a new lease of life.

No wonder then that he went on to attempt a puppet version of the richly-rewarded Lord of the Rings. Not only did he create something novel, but he also managed a receptive audience for his show. In town on an invitation from Durga Das Foundation, which has roped in Varun to familiarise kids with the beautiful medium of communication, Varun spoke about his experiences in the world of puppets as also about how he sees puppetry more as means of visual communication than as a performing art.

“As a puppeteer also, sometimes one tends to underestimate the power of one’s tool. But it needs to be stated that puppets open up a whole new world before you. Then it is for you to choose from it and tell your own tale.” Varun, who runs his own puppet theatre company by the name of Pie Theatre, has many contemporary puppet theatre productions to his credit, right from Penne Pasta to Lord of the Rings. he is so widely acclaimed for his services to the art form that he had been roped in by the BBC to spread AIDS awareness through his own medium.

Informed Varun, “After going back from here I have to visit Alwar. This is with regard to AIDS awareness. I will create a big-size HIV positive puppet, which will talk about its disease, its travails and also about how it needs love more than anything else in the world. The series will be produced for Doordarshan.”

Apart from this, Varun has also been attending several workshops with contemporaries in his field. “We often sit together and brainstorm. Only recently I had a chance to interact with shadow puppet artistes from Thailand. They staged a beautiful production titled Raat ki rani. As for me, the themes that dominate my work revolve around parenthood. I try to work on how children, in their pursuit of freedom, end up encroaching upon their parents’ freedom.”

Varun has also been working on consciousness. “I have been meditating for a long time. I want to visualise consciousness with the help of Buddhist, Vedantic and Sikh text. Sufism is also very critical to this analysis. I am still working on this theme. Apart from this, Varun will go back to Delhi to work with Palna, a society which looks after abandoned children”. Informed Varun, “Palna will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. On this occasion I have worked out something which will draw from fairy tale characters as also from Penne pasta characters.”