The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

Presentation by fashion designing students
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, August 16
Students of fashion designing course at the Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology (NIIFT) gave a presentation of their work on craft documentation here today.

This year the students of fashion design (FD-II) course had visited Maharashtra and focused on various crafts and textiles in that state. After doing a thorough study about the crafts of the region the students had tried to convert various designs according to the present-day fashion requirements. They even gave suggestions to the artisans of the area.

Mr K. Krishna Murthy, a faculty member, who had accompanied students, said it took a lot of effort to make the students understand the craft of a particular region because only after they had been able to go deep into the craft they would be able to create new designs and give suggestions to artisans of that area.

This year seven groups comprising six students each had visited Maharashtra.

Today the students had displayed their creations which were evaluated by a three-member jury. Ms Anu H. Gupta, course coordinator, FD branch, showed an interesting feature of the banjara craft. The ‘pranda’ used by women to pleat their hair had a pouch in it which was used by them to carry money.

This year the students covered various crafts and textiles such as pathani sarees, himru shawls, Kohlapuri chappals, leather craft items, musher, bidriware, banjara crafts, Warli paintings, musical instruments, narayan peth and puneri sarees.

Mrs Vijay Sharma, director of the institute, said the jury members — Mrs Kavita Mariya, HoD, Home Science College, Mrs Meera Dham, HoD, Fine Arts Department, GCG, and Mrs Poonam Khanna, assistant curator, Chandigarh — evaluated the students on the basis of presentation, documentation, field performance, individual participation and display.

Scheme for reserved-category students
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 16
Under a new scheme of the Union Government, the Chandigarh Administration will provide students of various reserved categories with assistance for taking competitive examinations for joining a number of services.

For this, the Social Welfare Department has sought proposals from institutions that offer coaching for competitive examinations for all services in Groups ‘A’ and ‘B’ (in public as well as private sectors, where representation of the SCs is less than their percentage in the total population). The administration will accept the proposals before August 31, according to a spokesman.

Eligible institutions will include trusts, companies, partnership firms and societies registered under the relevant law. These will have at least three years of experience in teaching courses for which assistance is proposed. Those giving coaching for All-India-services examinations should preferably be located in important centres of education.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Second wife’s plea maintainable
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 16
A second wife, unaware of her husband’s first marriage, will be considered an aggrieved party and her complaint alleging bigamy will be maintainable, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has held in a crucial judgement.

The verdict is significant as in a large number of cases complaints filed by the second wives were being rejected on the ground that they, being party to the offence, could not be aggrieved under Section 198 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

In a ruling, Mr Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel of the High Court observed: “I am of the view that though the second wife may not be an aggrieved party in every case, if she shows that she was not aware of the first marriage, she will be aggrieved party and can maintain a complaint for offence (relating to marriage) under Section 494 of the Indian Penal Code.”

Allowing the petition, the Judge also set aside the impugned order passed by the courts below rejecting her complaint alleging bigamy on the ground of her being the second wife.

In her petition, Ms Kanwaljot Kaur of Jalandhar had alleged that enquiries, soon after her marriage, had revealed that her husband had tied the knot earlier also. Her counsel had added that Kanwaljot’s husband had suppressed material facts before getting married.

Produce record in petrol pump case

Acting on a bunch of as many as 20 petitions filed in the petrol pumps cancellation case, a Division Bench of the High Court today asked the Union of India and other respondents to “produce the relevant record on the next date of hearing”.

The Bench, comprising Mr Justice N.K. Sodhi and Mr Justice Jasbir Singh also issued notice of motion for September 4. They also issued notice regarding stay for the same date.

In one such petition, Kavita Devi of Assandh in Karnal district had sought the quashing of the orders cancelling the dealership. Her counsel had contended that the orders had been passed on the basis of blanket directions issued through the Prime Minister’s office.

Terming the orders as “arbitrary and illegal”, counsel had submitted that the same were passed without granting an opportunity of hearing. He added that the petitioner, after the grant of dealership, had made investment running into lakhs of rupees and would suffer if the orders were not quashed.

Sarpanch’s suspension quashed

Allowing a writ petition filed by sarpanch of Kathmathi village in Patiala district, a Division Bench of the High Court has quashed orders placing him under suspension.

Delivering the verdict on Mr Amrik Singh’s petition, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Ms Justice Kiran Anand Lall, also declared the impugned orders “illegal” and directed that the petitioner should be reinstated as sarpanch.

In his petition, Mr Amrik Singh had sought the quashing of orders issued by Punjab’s Deputy Director (Land Development) placing him under suspension, besides another order dismissing his appeal.

Going into the background of the case, his counsel had contended that the petitioner was placed under suspension on two counts — for not taking action regarding the removal of fodder and other goods from a bus stand and because of the fact that a first information report had been registered against him on August 11, 2000.

After hearing arguments, the Judges observed: “In our opinion, the orders of suspension passed by the Deputy Director is liable to be set aside on the ground of total non-application of mind by the officer concerned. He did make a reference to the two allegations, but did not go into the culpability of the petitioner in respect of the first allegation and did not consider whether the case registered against him was likely to embarrass him in discharge of his duties as a sarpanch or if it involved moral turpitude or defect of character”.

CULTURE

Talking patriotism through theatre
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 16
Crucial questions related with the consequences of hard-earned freedom were raised in the three shows of “Shaheed Ki Vaapsi”, a street play directed by Rajiv Mehta. Earlier staged about 400 times while the Kargil war was on, the play evoked the deepest sentiments of people who watched its shows in Sector 17, Rock Garden (Phase III) and again at Sukhna Lake last evening.

Set in the current backdrop, the play uses freedom as a theme to inspire people out of inertia. It takes off with four Indians representing four predominant religions, paying their tributes to the statute of Shaheed Udham Singh. As the obeisance to freedom fighters is on, Kapil Kalyan, who plays a preacher, urges the gathering to recall the sacrifices made by heroes of the Independence movement. Just as the Indians are about to unite, an English general (played by Manpreet Singh) enters the scene and unleashes his reign of treachery by using the favourite divide-and-rule policy. He derives pleasure when the four friends start fighting with one another.

Witnessing anarchy all over, Udham Singh rises to life and reminds the Indians of the past era, which saw youths sacrificing their lives at the altar of freedom. He tickles the sensitive vein and talks about the significance of freedom.

Organised by Theatre Arts in association with the Director, Public Relations, UT, the play was powerful in tone and tenor.

Sarasbani — soaring on the wings of melody
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 16
Music is a refuge, it has always been. And more than the refuge it has been a medium of social refinement. Only by introducing the young to great music can we open to them the possibilities that lie within the human spirit — enable them to see visions and dreams.

It is this very cause of music which Pandit Debu Chaudhary has been serving for the last 58 years. The world of classical music associates him not only with indepth instruction in the field of music but also with its upliftment through his series of lectures, his academic ventures and his performance zeal.

This day just saw the celebrated sitarist in a different mould. Normally one would see Pt. Chaudhary delving into the nuances of the sitar on stage and off stage, but today he was in the city to attend a special occasion, which he called “historic”. This day at hotel Aroma was all about the celebration of Indian classical tradition and also of its power to withstand and bloom, despite disharmony. And whereas various doubts shrouded the mind before Pt. Chaudhary unveiled the ‘sarasbani’, a modified version of Indian classical guitar, conceptualised and created by city-based musician Subhash Ghosh, all apprehensions were put to rest once the sound of ‘sarasbani’ filled the ambience.

As Panditji himself said, “The world of music would have vanished long ago had there been no thought involved. It is the musicians’ power of thinking and experimenting with sounds which provides the world of Indian classical music a fresh impulse. Performing arts is like a flowing stream. And creativity is its essence. I congratulate Subhash who has dared to think then present.” Pt. Debu also took the occasion to introduce the gathering to the real inventor of “mohan veena”. Without making any references to any musician, he said, “No one would know that late Pt Radhika Mohan Maitra invented the “mohan veena” way back in 1955.”

Taking the focus of the audience away from the controversial “mohan veena” of Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt. Debu rested his conversation on the “sarasbani”. “It is a hollow instrument and hence it is bound to give good sound. There is no doubt about that. And factually speaking, any instrument is loved and respected for the sound it creates. The real credit of the musician revolves around how much quality he instills into the sound of his instrument,” said the maestro, calling upon Subhash Ghosh to play upon his creation. With a humble remark, “Taste of the cake is in eating,” Pt. Debu Chaudhary handed over the stage to Ghosh, who then spilled the melody of “sarabani”.

He chose “raag malhar” to start with. Playing on the strings of “sarabani”, he created a magical spell, often inviting applause from the audience, comprising Director, Public Relations, Mr Vivek Atray, and Mr Manmohan Singh, president, Tourism Promotion Society, Chandigarh, which organised and sponsored the launch function. After presenting one item from the Indian classical stream, Subhash Ghosh chose to strike a balance by playing a folk tune in “raag mishra kaushik”. As the melody filled the air, the ambience stood transformed — the space flanked by concrete walls suddenly turned spiritual, once again underlining the celestial element of Indian heritage music.