The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Girls’ school shifted
Our Correspondent

Mullanpur-Garibdas, July 27
The local Government Girls High School which was being run in a dilapidated building, was shifted to the old building of Government Senior Secondary School of the village today. The latter was shifted to a new building donated by a UK-based NRI, Mr Nathu Ram Puri, last week.

The Puri Development Foundation Trust For Mullanpur, got the building repaired which was declared unsafe earlier.

A tree plantation drive was organised to mark the day. Senior government officials, staff of the school and children planted over 300 trees of different varieties. The plantation drive sponsored by the state Institute of Science and Education, Punjab, Chandigarh, was aimed at making the village green, said the headmistress, Ms Sukhbir Kaur. The District Education Officer, Mr Ujjagar Singh Mahi, also planted a tree on the school premises.

Villagers also organised a community kitchen on the school premises which was attended by 2000 persons.

Inter-school elocution contest
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27
The bicentenary celebrations of Christian Brothers were marked by an inter-school elocution contest hosted by St John's High School, Sector 26, here today.

Open to children from Classes III to V, the contest saw an enthusiastic participation from 10 city schools. “The Walrus and the Carpenter'' by the team from St Stephen's was adjudged first, while “The story of Fidgety Phillip'' by the girls of Carmel Convent won them the second position.

There was a tie for the third place between the teams from St Kabir that presented “one Hundred Legs for Walking" and St Anne’s, which presented “In Search of Peace''. Both were declared joint winners.

The main objective of the bicentenary celebrations was the holistic development of children, the thrust being on holding of events for the junior classes.

Addressing the judges and participants, the Principal of the school, Ms P. Cheema, informed that more such competitions for the junior section were in the pipeline during the calendar year 2002-03.

350 students take part in quiz contest
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27
An inter-school quiz contest organised by Manav Mangal High School, Sector 21, here today, received an overwhelming response from students, as over 350 students from 35 schools participated in the keenly-contested quiz.

While the team of Devashish and Udit from St Stephen’s bagged first position, the team from the host school comprising Vinay Arun and Sunny Bhatia was second and the third position went to Abhinav and Himanshu of St John’s.

A preliminary round of objective questions was conducted, on the basis of which five teams qualified for the final round. These included St Kabir, St Stephen’s, Manav Mangal, St John’s and Hansraj Public School.

After the selection of these teams, the first round saw St Stephen’s and St John’s take the lead in answering sports questions. In the visual round for identifying monuments, St Stephen’s was comfortably placed, while Manav Mangal stepped in at the second position. In the following rounds on computers and audio, St Stephen’s continued to lead, while St John’s and Manav Mangal were tied at the second place.

In the final audio-visual round, the team from St John’s faltered, putting the host school ahead. St Kabir came fourth and Hansraj finished fifth in the quiz contest. The Principal of the school, Mr Sanjay Sardana, said schools from the city, Panchkula and SAS Nagar had enthusiastically participated in the contest.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Complainant should prove charges
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a significant judgement, today ruled that without concrete evidence it was not possible for the courts to hold that every selection or interview was deemed to be tainted, irrespective of the constitution of the body conducting the selection.

In a ruling, a Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Mr Justice S.S. Grewal, also held that undoubtedly the selection process was generally under a cloud these days, but the onus of proving that the selections had been held in an unfair manner was on the candidate levelling such allegations.

Speaking for the Bench, Mr Justice Gupta further held: “Normally, it is very easy to make an allegation and very difficult to disprove it. However, the courts cannot act on vague averments and baseless suspicion. Unsuccessful candidates can have a grievance as their hopes have been belied. Having been unsuccessful in securing a seat for training, all sorts of thoughts are bound to cross their minds. However, it is time that we learn to trust people in authority. Otherwise, suspicion can only lead to frustration”.

Referring to certain cases questioning the legality of selections for admission to veterinary pharmacists’ training course for 2001-03 in Punjab, Mr Justice Gupta observed: “In these cases, we find that each of the candidates had participated in the process of selection without raising his little finger. Having taken the chance and failed to secure a position in the merit list, the candidates are now trying to stretch things and find faults. In our view, they cannot be permitted to do so at this belated stage. In fact, it appears that they were sitting on the fence. They took their chance. Having failed, they are now trying to find holes in the process of selection. Their conduct stops them from doing so”.

Mr Justice Gupta concluded that eight writ petitions were being dismissed and an appeal filed by the state of Punjab against the judgement of a single Judge, holding a candidate to be entitled for admission, was being allowed.

Murder accused acquitted

In a complete reversal of events, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today acquitted two Jalandhar district residents convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for committing dacoity and murder.

Delivering the verdict on two different appeals filed by Ms Shano and Mr Ajmer Singh, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice R.L. Anand and Mr Justice Hemant Gupta, also set aside the conviction and sentence orders passed by an Additional District and Sessions Judge.

The two, along with their alleged accomplices, had been booked under Section 396 of the Indian Penal Code on the allegations of committing dacoity and murder of Satinder Kaur on May 23, 1992.

The accused, when confronted with incriminating evidence against them, had, however, denied the allegations. Claiming to have been implicated in the case they had asked for a trial. The counsel had contended that the two were innocent and liable to be set free.

After going through the arguments and the evidence, the Judges observed: “We are convinced that the identity of both appellants remains a doubtful affair. We allow both the appeals and set aside the judgement and order of conviction and sentence. Both appellants are acquitted of the charges framed against them”.

Status reports demanded

Expressing hope that the Governments of Punjab and Haryana would take steps to stop the use of recycled polythene bags of less than 20 microns, besides imposing a total ban on polythene bags for packaging food stuff, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the two “to present comprehensive status reports at least four days before August 28”.

Issuing the directions, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Ms Justice Kiran Anand Lall, observed: “In our opinion, the steps taken by the Chandigarh Administration for implementing the provisions of the Recycled Plastic Manufacture and Usage Rules, 1999, are commendable and deserve to be followed by the states of Punjab and Haryana. It is expected that both governments will take steps in tune with what the Chandigarh Administration has done.”

In their detailed two-page order, the Judges added that the two governments should also take note of their earlier directions issued on April 24. The Bench, on that day, had directed the two states, besides the Union Territory of Chandigarh, to rigorously enforce the ban on recycled polythene bags and had asked them to give wide publicity to the notifications prohibiting the manufacture and supply of such bags.

The Bench had also directed that the respondents could advertise the information regarding ban on a continuous basis on the Doordarshan and in newspapers, besides in cinema halls through slides.

Taking a serious view of the menace being caused by polythene bags, the High Court had earlier directed the Governments of Punjab and Haryana to impose a ban on the manufacture and use of polythene bags with thickness less than 20 microns.

CULTURE

FILM REVIEW
David Dhawan comedy in different package
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

‘YEH hai Jalwa’ (Batra and KC, Panchkula) is a run of the mill floss brand of comedy with the David Dhawan class missing. However, as a saviour this one, unlike typical family dramas, lacks in overgrinding of the ‘masala’ of emotions.

The David Dhawan package this time is a little different from his earlier presentations, a number of them with Govinda. The element of verbal pace typical to his brand of slapstick comedy has been altered which is going to be a challenge this presentation will definitely face. The impact is likely on the losers’ end. Also lacking is good quality music. Lyrics by Sudhakar Sharma and music by Himesh Reshammiya are rather below average.

Slick editing by David Dhawan is a commendable feature. Kader Khan’s role too has been pruned minus his brand of humour and the hero Salman Khan is probably very little reactive in nature which fails to hold attention.

Clean settings matched with an equally clean humour (minus the ‘chalu’ dialogues) is a worth-appreciating aspect. Rishi Kapoor has a decent performance which however holds little promise in isolation. He is supported by Rati Agnihotri, Rinkie Khanna and Anupam Kher. Amisha Patel does not have a role she would relish in her career record.

Salman Khan is a loner in very rich surroundings. Reason is that he has lost his mother when he was a child. He discovers that his father (Rishi Kapoor) was alive in England. He lands there and faces his father. Rishi would not accept him more because he is afraid of his family reaction.

Salman is determined to have him accept that he is his son. Rishi is determined not to reach out to him. Salman soon reaches his home and makes a place for himself in the hearts of family members as a visitor.

Few more credits include: producer – Kanchan Ketan Mehta; co-produce — Ketan Manmohan Desai; dialogues — Rumy Jafrey; choreographer — Ganesh Acharya; and action — Mahendra Verma.

Ganesha’s moods in murals
Parbina Rashid

Chandigarh, July 27
The feeling of spiritualism is almost palpable as you enter the Art Gallery of Kala Gram where calligraphic murals and paintings of Lord Ganesha are being exhibited by Delhi-based artist, Sweenie Khurana. Using her ‘gouache’ technique, Sweenie has given a free rein to her imagination to capture different moods of the deity.

“Ganesha as a topic provides plenty of scope for an artist to put his imagination into action,” says Sweenie who is exhibiting her works for the first time. Ganesha in Hindu mythology stands for a lot many things, the role of Sidhidata to colours of festivity, she adds.

So Sweenie, who is already an adept hand at playing with textures has given a sheen to her creations using opaque oil colours on uneven surfaces which she has used as a backdrop to instal Ganesha in combination with deities like Shiva, Lakshmi, Surya and others. The harmony is broken by slokas strategically put here and there that enhances the beauty of her creations.

There is the ‘Flame of Life’ which reflects the belief that Ganesha leads the way to a new beginning; ‘Illusion’ where the philosophy of Hindu mythology takes one to such a height where all worldly goods hold no meaning at all; and or the ‘Eternal Chakra’ where all deities like Vishnu, Brahma, Maheshwara, Durga and Lakshmi take one to the eternal connection between life and death.

The entire collection is being divided into three categories — mural, paintings and mural-paintings, the in-between the two. While the artist has combined calligraphy with the relief method and terracotta figurines to create her murals, the paintings are simply a play of colours and lines. The colours are rich, bronze, copper, gold, vermillion, safforn and yellow that complement the religious text.

For Sweenie who has been working as a qualified textile designer, painting and murals are just another diversification to satisfy her artistic streak. “The idea was hatched during my Moscow days where we used to get together and exhibit our creativity on a modest scale,” she says. Now that she has taken the first step, she wants to continue with her endeavour.

The exhibition will continue till July 31.

Anamika doles out ‘Cocktail’ numbers
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27
Anamika has some love for this city. Why else would she be here just within a fortnight of performing at Tagore Theatre? The smiling star admits that she has some great friends in City Beautiful and that she would not mind singing for them, when they want.

The singer, known for her sultry voice, was here tonight for a very short while, when she performed for the gathering at Boon Docks, the recently-opened discotheque in Sector 34. Raging in the disc were some of the best songs which feature in Anamika’s latest album called ‘Cocktail’. The album, which has been cut by a group of artistes, has most of the songs by Anamika. The music of the album has been done by Julius, one of the three musicians who form the band called Joshilay.

Anamika today spoke about the fact that people in the city had respected her songs in the album a lot. “That is also why I am here to recreate the ‘Cocktail’ magic for the city people.” The album features remixes of many Hindi songs that hit the charts in the ’70s and ’80s. During her short performance, Anamika sang some of the biggest remix hits which form a part of ‘Cocktail’. The songs include Gum hain kisi ke pyar mein, Baahon mein chale aao, Ae mere humsafar, O saathi re, Aa jaan-e-jaan and Jab chhaye mera jadoo....

A great scene-stealer as she is whenever she is commanding the stage, Anamika kept the crowd in dancing shoes all the while. Adding on to the bonhomie was deejay Bijan, who mixed music perfectly to suit the mood of the evening. Anamika further informed that the second volume of ‘Cocktail’ was due for release in a couple of weeks. The new album will have some more artistes.

Showcasing Punjabi culture
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27
After successfully presenting over 20 shows of the multi-media project Sher-e-Punjab in the USA and Canada, the 13 troupe members are now back with the promise of yet another venture. Directed by Harbux Latta and written by Dr Harcharan Singh, the show was produced with the assistance of the Bank of Punjab in 2001. Ever since its production, the show travelled to over 24 Indian cities and now to about 20 foreign cities.

The high points of the show have been its content and presentation. Spanning the entire golden era of Punjab under the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Sher-e-Punjab also gained an edge abroad on account of its technical finesse. As informed by Harbux Latta, back from about three-month-long tour abroad: “The script was altered a little. It was 17 minutes shorter than the original show. Also, the technical points were better cared for, keeping in view the expectations of the foreign audience, who are fascinated more by larger than life productions than by anything else.”

However, the present show garnered great response abroad. Where on the one hand the costumes by Pammi Latta were a great hit, on the other the presentation of artistes, including Bhupal Singh, Tej Bhan Gandhi, Pammi Latta, Rajiv Mehta, Arjun Singh, Balkar Sidhu, Harjit Kainth, Arun Sharma, Arvind Sud, Satpal Singh, Nikki Latta and Harshvir Latta, also made a mark. Pammi Latta in the role of Sada Kaur and Arjun Singh as Maharaja Ranjit Singh were greatly appreciated.

Largely satisfied with the shows abroad, Dr Harcharan Singh today talked about his earlier scripts that have been screened abroad. In 1981, the very first production of Shobha Shakti films (also the banner for the present production) titled Rani Jindan was taken abroad. Later it was the turn of Bole Sonihal to impress the viewers with its great research and presentation value.

Having produced these two shows, Harbux Latta is now planning to work out yet another production that will document the entire cultural heritage of Punjab. Titled Harappa to Hari Kranti, the production will be based on a PhD thesis by Dr Harcharan Singh, who has conducted research on the topic in great detail.

As for the present production, Sher-e-Punjab, Latta now plans to make a telefilm out of the same and sell its rights to the channel that can promise the production its due.

Singing brothers ‘here to stay’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 27
Theirs is no meagre talent. At least that is what was reflected from whatever little performance the brother duo Harmeet and Manmeet gave at the music store Planet M in Sector 17 here this evening.

Riding on the crest of light lyrical melodies, the brothers established an instant rapport with the music-loving crowd, which did not have any qualms about stating that “the singing brothers are here to stay.”

Both Harmeet and Manmeet sing to please their souls, and soft and touching as the voices are they manage to carry the listeners along. Their voices have an amazing range for while they can easily sing in lighter tones, they can also sing to follow loud, pulsating beats of the bhangra kind. As of now, the brothers are already aiming high with the track Jogi Singh from their album “Boond” hitting the charts.