The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

Ravana lives; so does clean environment
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 12
Various schools held Dasehra celebrations in advance, here today. In Bhawan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, making the best use of waste material, teachers of the pre-primary wing created colourful effigies of Ravana, Meghnada and Kumbhkarna, much to delight of the little ones.

Discarded aluminium foil from tiffins was transformed into shiny beads and glittering swords. The heads of the three demons were made out of papiermache. Used gift wraps, discarded wooden boards and other items were all used beautifully. The entire school got together to join in the celebrations.

The sound of crackers and the sight of the effigies on fire made the children happy and reinforced the message that evil would always lose to good.

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Enthusiasm and excitement prevailed in Aanchal Preparatory Schools in Sector 35 and SAS Nagar, where Dasehra was celebrated with traditional fervour. Children gathered in the school grounds to set the effigies of Ravana on fire.

Earlier, children were made to observe how the effigy of Ravana was made by professionals at the Parade Ground.

Later, children created beautiful effigies of the demons and decorated these with colourful clothes and packed these with old newspapers. The antics of Ujval as ‘Hanuman’ had all tiny tots in splits. Aman Chauhan, Ashish and Sakshi Nagpal enacting the roles of Lord Rama, Lakshmana and Sita, respectively, and torched the effigies amidst thunderous applause and chants of ‘Jai Sri Ram’.

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Though Dasehra was celebrated with traditional fervour in Little Kingdom Nursery School of Sector 8, the children did not burn the effigies of the demons to avoid air pollution.

Instead, children were asked to refrain from bursting crackers on Divali and light more candles and earthen lamps. The Ramayana was also narrated to the children of pre-nursery.

Tiny tots bring to life scenes from Ramayana
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 12
Students of Amravati Public School celebrated Dasehra with grandeur and gaeity and presented a cultural programme, including a welcome song while skating, melodious bhajans and skits highlighting scenes from the Ramayana. A big effigy of Ravana was also alighted. Mr Sudhir Chaudhary, senior IPS officer of Haryana, was the chief guest. A craft competition for making effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarna and Meghnath was also organised Rushar Jindal and Aditi won the first prizes, while Anmol and Tejan won the second prizes in this competition.

At Satluj Public School, Junior Wing, students enacted Ramleela, as Ritu Mehta, a class V student, introduced the story of Ramayana and other students enacted the key roles. Students of kindergarten prepared masks of Ravana, and those of play group and nursery prepared swords and other weapons. Class I students had prepared crowns for the king.

Mr Pritam Singh Serai, director of school, distributed sweets and gave away prizes and certificates to participants . He emphasised on message of Ramayana that triumph of goodness over evil.

Ph.D entrance test on November 11
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, October 12
Panjab University will hold the Ph.D enrolment entrance test on November 11. The candidates whose results of the qualifying examinations are declared by the test date are also eligible to appear in the test.

Candidates may submit their application forms for the test up to October 28 at their ‘risk and responsibility’.

However, in case the results of qualifying examinations are not declared by November 11, their entrance test for the Ph.D enrolment shall stand automatically cancelled and they shall have no claim whatsoever.

The prospectus can be obtained by hand through the State Bank counter at Panjab University up to October 28 and by post up to October 18.

The counter for receipt of forms in the university (old enquiry) will, however, remain open on October 14. This was stated in an official press release of the university.

Stepping Stones win group-song contest
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 12
To continue with the rich tradition of spreading the message of patriotism, the eastern branch of Bharat Vikas Parishad today organised a national group song contest at B Ed College in Sector 20.

Thirteen junior teams (class VI to X) and eight senior teams (class XI and XII) participated in the contest that had 250 participants in all. In the junior section the first prize was bagged by Stepping Stones School, Sector 38, the second prize went to Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, followed by IS Devsamaj Senior Secondary School, Sector 21 which landed the third prize.

In the senior section prizes (in the order of merit) went to: IS Devsamaj Senior Secondary School, Sector 21, Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 23, and Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 21. Besides team prizes, individual prizes were also given to members of the winning teams.

Posters on water conservation

Chandigarh
On the third day of the 10-day NSS camp in the Sector 20 Government College of Education, a poster-making contest was organised here on Saturday. ‘Water conservation’ was the theme of the contest, in which, Hemlata and Bhawna were jointly declared first, Amaninder came second, while Sukhwinder Singh was third. The consolation prize went to Harpreet Kaur and Satinder Kaur. TNS

Lecture

Chandigarh
A lecture on career options was delivered by Prof P.P. Arya of Panjab University Business School in Government College for Girls of Sector 11 here today. He spoke of the various courses students could opt for after graduation and postgraduation. The drive elicited a tremendous response. The efforts of the college were also appreciated by the NSS volunteers, since it gave them an opportunity to know about various professions. TNS

CULTURE

Festival of North-East states
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 12
The local Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends, in collaboration with the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Corporation (CITCO) has chalked out a plan to develop the city as a tourist destination. As part of the plan, a festival of Mizoram and other North-Eastern states will be held in the city in the ensuing months. It will include cultural programmes, exhibitions on handicrafts and cuisine of these states. Similarly, northern states will hold festivals in these states.

This was disclosed by Dr Gulshan Sharma, secretary-general, Forum of Educators and Scholars of Tourism (FEAST), here today. He was speaking at the first international convention on ‘Future Trends in HRD in Service Sector- Asia Region and Synergy between North and North-East India,’ organised by FEAST. Around 200 delegates from several states and diplomats from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia are participating in the two-day convention.

Inaugurating the convention, Mr Ashwani Sekhri, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Punjab, said: ‘‘The Punjab Government would accord a high priority to the recommendations of the convention while announcing the tourism policy of the state.’’ There was a great potential, he said, in developing the tourism triangle of Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib and Amritsar. The government would make efforts to develop the service sector, as 70 per cent of the employment opportunities were being created in that sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr A.R. Kohli, Governor, Mizoram, said tourism could be one of the major opportunities to achieve synergy and seamless fusion of culture and economies of these two regions. The city could provide trained man-power and other expertise to explore the tourism potential in the North-Eastern region.

Mr B.K.Goswami, former Secretary, (tourism) and president, FEAST, suggested that the state and central governments should bring consistency in the policies meant for service sector. He claimed that a small state like Kerala had made tremendous progress in tourism because of these factors. While Kerala had three international airports, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab did not have even one, he added.

Making a presentation on the future trends in the HRD in the service sector, Prof K.K. Aggarwal, Vice-Chancellor, GGS Indraprastha University, New Delhi, said there was a great need to reorient the educational courses according to the changing pattern of employment.

Among others who spoke included Mr Maharaj S. Wahi, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators, Mr Manmohan Singh, president, Tourism Promotion Society, Chandigarh, Dr (Ms) Surinder Bhatia, Chairperson of the Functional Research at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Mr S.P. Singh, Special Secretary, Tourism, Chandigarh.

Later during the day, a special cultural evening was organised at the sprawling lawns of Hotel Park View. Aptly titled ‘Fusion’, the evening combined the elements of North-Eastern and Northern culture to showcase the best of the two traditions. Present on the occasion was the Governor of Mizoram, Mr A.R. Kohli, along with his wife Ms Anupama Kohli.

Further fun was added to the evening on account of Mizoram’s First Couple’s marriage anniversary today. No wonder all participating teams from Mizoram and Punjab put their best foot forward in the evening with enthusiasm. The best part was a blended cultural evening which featured Mizo dancers on the one hand and bhangra performers on the other.

Web of melody captures city audience
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 12
The affair of melody which the city has been witnessing since the past week came to a full circle today, with the Pracheen Kala Kendra hosting a ghazal evening by Delhi-based Kavita Seth. The mood of the evening was as celebrative as it was on the days when Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Shubha Mudgal wove the web of melody.

There was, however, one difference. Seth presented a haul of rich ghazals selected from a richer repertory. Deep lyrics and music blended to enthrall the audience.

In her controlled and highly stylised voice, Kavita Seth presented one after another sequence to keep the interest of the audience alive. The beginning to concert was made well, with Kavita handling the timeless lyrics of Mirza Ghalib with great care and sensitivity. ‘Dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai’, was the opening ghazal, which naturally raised the expectation of the gathering. The artiste of the evening handled the responsibility of playing with rhythm well enough to keep the listeners absorbed. Kavita’s rendering of Sudershan Goyal’s composition ‘dil kahin bhi na hum laga paye’ added another string in the cycle of rhythm which went on uninterrupted featuring a Nida Fazli ghazal ‘Jab bhi kisi nigaah ne mausam sajaaye hain’...and another Mauj Rampuri nazm ‘Woh ek lamha...’

Aesthetic handling of each piece remained the high point of Kavita Seth’s presentation. She reflected the substance of her training in her presentation, which was another one among hundreds. A common face on the light classical vocal circuit, Kavita Seth learnt to unravel the mysteries of music from masters like Pt N.D. Sharma of Gwalior gharana and then Shri Vinod ji of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.

Although academically trained in classical vocal, Kavita has chosen to pursue the world of ghazals. As she said, “I was always inspired by the emotional appeal of ghasals, where the significance of lyrics is immense. The singer’s success lies in handling the words well. Light classical also gave me the chance to search depth within myself. I realised that this stream of music was much like a never ending stream of water. Unlike classical music which is invariably limited by the discipline of gharanas, light classical just flows ...and allows the listeners to flow along with.”

Mehndi Hassan is her ideal, so is Jagjit Singh. With two albums to her credit, Kavita is now going the way any budding performers would go. She is touring London for a concert next week.

FILM REVIEW
A film that seeks attention
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

‘Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai’ Nirman (Chandigarh) and KC (Panchkula) is an experiment with adventures of fresh lads and lasses on the college campus.

The youngsters are out to make their presence felt. Attention seeking is main business of the youth. Pranks to woo girls takes one into the heart of co-educational campuses in metros of the country.

The story-idea more than novel is impressive, but far away from the grind masses live in real life.

The dialogue are crisp and full of youthful babble. The double entendre — typical of a black comedy — is in plenty.

The film has gained pace by crisp editing.

The fresh faces: Aamir Malik, Vaibhav Yash Raj Veer, Prasant Chiyanani, Tarun Anand, Deepti Darynani, Payal Rohatgi and Punnarva lead the film. Pammi Baweja is the producer and Hansal Mehta the director.

Suparn Verma has penned the story. The camera has been handled by Chirantan Das. Javed Akhtar’s lyrics have been tuned by Shankar- Ehsaan- Loy of the “Dil Chahta hai” fame.

The curves of rhythm & essence of life
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 12
Curves are always amazing. Not just because they spell vibrancy, but because they are basic to beauty also. No wonder, in art as in life, the beautiful always follows the curves.

The works of Nirmala Singh which have been structured under the title of ‘Life’ rise to meet the standards of beauty. They draw not from definite forms and figures and facts, but from life itself. That explains their nature — largely abstract and hardly figurative. The themes appear familiar so does the thread that binds them. Each work derives base from a certain element of rhythm which is quintessential to life. The technique, being unique also has a way with the senses of an objective viewer who is looking more for beauty in the canvas than for perfection of technique.

Let alone the rare technique of encaustics that features a blend of pigments, wax and pigments, more important for any work of art is to qualify well on the scale of aesthetics. And Nirmala Singh’s works do that comfortably. There is no set pattern playing with the texture on the canvas. Forms seem to emerge like poetry and flow endlessly in the form of splashes of colours.

There are some forms which extend a pleasing invitation, especially the one in which youth is contrasted against age. The twilight zone of life is painted with perfection and the work inspires the viewer. There are other works of art in which aesthetics has a role to play. Some others are mystic, as art itself.

The works can be viewed between 10 am and 6 pm at Indus Ind gallery in Sector 8.

Heritage of Rajasthan
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 12
Anything related with the desert land of Rajasthan inspires a strange sense of nostalgia. From the rich folk heritage to the richer fabrics, Rajasthan remains above the mark, as always. Presenting a section of the desert beauty for the lovers of tradition at home is Aruna Singh, who is showcasing a whole range of fabric from Jaipur.

Being displayed at Panchayat Bhavan, the show features styles of Rajasthan’s traditional wear. The product line includes exclusive and ethnic clothes from Jaipur, featuring stitched and unstitched suits, Indo-western and sarees of lehriya, bandhni, gota patti, aari, embroidery, brocades, mukesh and the famous block prints on crepes and cotton.