DSGMC ROW
Anybody but Sarna, says Ranjit Singh
R. Suryamurthy
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 9
The former Akal Takht Jathedar, Bhai Ranjit Singh, today came out openly against the SAD Delhi president, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, and stated that he would oppose him tooth and nail and prevent him from heading the next Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. This despite the fact that he and his supporters had contested the recent elections under the SAD Delhi banner.

“Except Mr Sarna, whomsoever Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra chooses to head the DSGMC, it is acceptable to us,” Bhai Ranjit Singh told the NCR Tribune here today. The former Akal Takht Jathedar has six members in the 46-member DSGMC. The SAD Delhi has 27 members, including six supporters of Bhai Ranjit Singh. The SAD (Badal) won 14 wards and Independents won five seats.

With the SAD (Badal) extending conditional support to Bhai Ranjit Singh to head or nominate the members for the formation of the next executive committee, the two main Akali factions have started wooing him.

Bhai Ranjit Singh, who had served a jail sentence for the murder of Nirankari chief Baba Gurbachan Singh, was removed in 1999 as the Akal Takht Jathedar by the SGPC dominated by SAD (Badal) faction.

His removal along with the expulsion of Mr Tohra as SGPC chief triggered an Akali split ahead of the historic Khalsa tercentenary celebrations three years ago. Bhai Ranjit Singh alleged, “Mr Sarna was running the party (SAD Delhi) as his family property and he did not abide by the directive of Mr Tohra that my say in party matters would be final.”

The former Akal Takht Jathedar said, “Mr Sarna even supported some candidates who had close links with the Congress, which embarrassed me and I had to disassociate myself from them.”

Without naming the persons, Bhai Ranjit Singh said, “Several candidates distributed liquor during electioneering, which completely violated the Sikh maryada. In the name of Dharam Prachar, the DSGMC members are indulging in business activity,” he alleged.

Asked about the unconditional support extended by SAD (Badal) to him in the formation of the next committee, Bhai Ranjit Singh said, “There has been no formal dialogue from their side.”

He, however, stated that “the issue would be discussed at an appropriate time.”

On the issue of co-option, for which tomorrow is the last date for filing the nominations, Bhai Ranjit Singh categorically stated that his members would “not favour” SAD (Badal) candidate, if they fall short of the required numbers for nomination.

Alarmed by the developments in the formation of DSGMC, Mr Tohra reportedly directed Mr Sarna to reconsider his stance to enable the party to form the next Executive Committee. The SAD Delhi members had recently elected Mr Sarna as their leader to head the DSGMC.

As a conciliatory move, Mr Sarna’s two loyalists, the former DSGMC general secretaries, Mr Bhajan Singh Walia and Headmaster Sucha Singh, today met Bhai Ranjit Singh and discussed ways to resolve the differences.

GHAZIABAD
Singh Sabha polls demanded
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, July 9
The Sikh Sangat of Ghaziabad has levelled a number of allegations against the present committee of the Guru Singh Sabha Bajariya, and requested the district administration of Ghaziabad to intervene in the mater. The Sangat has also demanded fresh elections to the Singh Sabha. It has demanded that five members of the present committee be nominated to manage the affairs of the gurdwara till fresh elections are held in three months.

Mr Manjit Singh alleged that the elections to the Guru Singh Sabha Bajariya have not been held for the last 18 years. The old committee had got itself registered afresh on August 6, 1998 in which only 11 members have been shown.

Mr Manjit Singh also alleged that a heavy sum had been received to change the name of the Khalsa Primary School in the Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara, Bajariya, to Sucha Singh Khalsa School, which has not been reflected in the balance sheet of the gurdwara.

The committee members are using the building as their personal fiefdom, it is alleged. A number of the members said that since June 22 this year, they were trying to sort out the matter amicably in a meeting, but the other group is not amenable to it. The committee members, in a memorandum submitted to Mr S P Singh, member, Minority Commission of UP, have alleged that the gurdwara premises have been illegally occupied.

Amarjit Singh Batra, Darshan Singh, Gurjit Singh Hanspal Mohinder Singh Jhandu, Charanajit Singh and others have signed the memorandum.

The real exam begins after the results!
Jatinder Sharma

Rohtak, July 9
The rapid strides in the recent decades in infotech might have influenced our lifestyle in various ways, but it has hardly had an impact on the traditional admission procedure, which continues to be conservative and tedious, at least in Haryana. The admission ordeal begins with frantic efforts to collect detailed mark-sheets from the schools, getting them photocopied along with scores of other documents duly attested by a gazetted officer, organising passport size photos in triplicate and procuring an admission form.

Strangely, every college demands an original character certificate. With just a single copy in their possession, students can at best apply in one college, thereby placing all their eggs in one basket.

The other much-sought ‘notorious’ document is the domicile certificate or the SC/BC certificate. The elaborate application form comprises an affidavit on stamp paper, a copy of the ration card, a voter’s identity card and the date of birth certificate. The labyrinth does not end here. One has get the domicile certificate verified by a lawyer, a municipal corporator or a sarpanch, then by a revenue officer (the patwari) before finally applying to the SDM office after verification by the tehsildar. The admission-seeker is fortunate if the domicile certificate is duly signed when he goes to collect it after a couple of days from the SDM office.

All promises to simplify the admission procedure have come to a naught owing to the insensitivity and intransigence at the levels of heads of institutes and law-makers.

The result: A lot of inconvenience to the admission-seekers and their parents or guardians, who often hail from rural areas and are least exposed to the vicious circle. The state of affairs is, of course, quite different in private professional institutes, which hardly demand anything, except a bag full of money.

GLITZ & GLAMOUR
Indian art caravan moves to UK for Fringe Fest
Tribune News Service

It’s time for politics to stay in the passage outside, because culture has moved into the parlour. Yes, we are talking about the entry of Indian art supremos to the Edinburgh International and Fringe Festival after more than 30 years.

Over 150 Indian artistes covering various art forms from across the country will participate in the month-long festival, scheduled to be held in Edinburgh and other venues in the United Kingdom.

Among those who will dazzle the audience abroad are noted dancers Radha and Raja Reddy, Aditi Mangaldas, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Shruti Sadolikar and the Indian Ocean. For the fans of Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, there will be a four-film retrospective of the actor. India will also be represented at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. There will also be an Indian touch at the tattoo with the martial dance of Manipur on display.

The project has been coordinated by Teamwork Films, the British Council, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and the Visiting Arts of the UK.

Announcing the release of the function here in the Capital, the Minister for Tourism, Mr Jagmohan, said that functions such as this were an occasion where finer aspects of the world came into play. He said arts made even the coldest hearts warm. Ms Tripathi of the ICCR, who was also present on the occasion, observed, “They say when culture enters the parlour, politics stays in the passage outside”.

Kala 2002 is aimed at sharing and understanding fine arts from the Asian subcontinent and to evolve joint productions involving artistes from both countries in music, dance, theatre and fine arts.

More important than bridging the chasm is the fact that India and the Indian arts are being lapped up abroad. Here is what British High Commissioner Rob Young had to say, “India seems to be the flavour of the summer in Britain.”

Hair-raising week

Models at the Sunsilk Hair Fashion Show.

Sunsilk, the leading hair care and fashion beauty brand announced its plans to co-sponsor the Lakme India Fashion Week 2002 to be held at the Taj Palace hotel here from August 2 to August 8. During this week, Sunsilk will showcase and demonstrate the latest in international hair trends. A lifelike “Sunsilk salon” will be the highlight of the seven-day extravaganza, which will bring together hair care experts like Jawed Habib and Samantha Kochar who will demonstrate their skills.

A place to step in

The Gurgaon Galleria was abuzz with activity last week. The Capital’s glitterati had assembled there to witness the opening of the new showroom of Red Tape, third in the list of their three such showrooms. Now, residents of Gurgaon will not have to travel all the way to Delhi to hunt for exclusive footwear.

‘Sabse cool’ draw

Model-turned-actor Jas Arora at Ebony for the lucky draw.

Jas Arora, the famous model-turned actor came to Ebony, Noida and South Extension for the “Ebony Ka Sabse Cool Offer” lucky draw, much to the delight of the public. The month-long promotion ended with much excitement for all the winners and others too who participated in the campaign. The winners for South Extension were Mandeep Bawa for MP3 player, Himanshu Chandoke for LG air-conditioner, Tarun for Royal Enfield Electra and Praveen Sohrab for Kinetic bike. At Noida, the winners were Puneet for LG air-conditioner, Anurag Acharya for Royal Enfield Electra, Manu Arora for Kinetic bike and Gayathri for MP3 player.

Chill out in khakis

With the searing heat and humidity continuing to plague the Capital, Pepe Jeans has come out with its own version of light Khakis to beat the heat. The range, according to the manufacturers, is cool, casual and comfortable that “keep you recharged and relaxed through out the day”. According to Chetan Shah, managing director, “Khaki Deluxe is a brand that represents the spirit of fun, adventure, outdoors and freedom.”

NCR BRIEFS
Two hurt in DPS cracker blast

Noida: A student and a staff member received minor injuries in a `blast’ at Delhi Public School in Noida today, apparently caused by bursting of a cracker. The police said the bursting of the “big cracker” also shattered some windowpanes. The incident took place in the morning when the school was preparing for the assembly. There was considerable confusion as the news spread with anxious parents inquiring about the well-being of the children.

Fatal diarrhoea

Faridabad: Water-borne diseases have claimed one more life here. Inder (30), a resident of Rajiv Colony in Sector 25 here, died on Monday at the civil hospital where he was admitted with diarrhoea. According to unofficial sources, at least 14 persons, including several children, have died in the district due to diarrhoea in the recent weeks.

One dead in mishap

Faridabad: Ratiram, a resident of Palwal, was killed and his friend injured when an autorickshaw in which they were travelling overturned near Bahrola village on Monday. The vehicle had lost its balance. A person had died in a similar accident in the town seven days ago.