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| Saturday,
November 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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Scientists witness Karnad’s fire sacrifice Chandigarh, November 8 The annual production of the department, the play bunched together all human emotions, from deceit and betrayal to affection and revenge. The play, that draws from a little-known myth from the Mahabharata, was staged for delegates attending the 68th annual meeting of the Indian Academy of Sciences. As curtains were drawn on the fabulously dramatic tale that centres around a seven-year-long fire sacrifice to appease the God of rain, the setting suddenly got transformed. The sets designed by the Chairman of the Department, Dr Mahendra Kumar, and the direction and music by Rani Balbir Kaur spoke the language of the age of the epic. The audience and the actors bonded so strongly that one forgot that the play was two-hours-and-a-half-long. On stage was brought alive the myth of Yavakri, who is consumed by the fire of his own passion. The play grew beyond a tale from the Mahabharata and came across as a lucid narration of emotions. At the backdrop of lust, greed, envy and revenge, the story revolves around two characters — sages Bharadwaja and Raibhya. While Raibhya is a learned man who lives with his two sons, Bharadwaja concentrates on ascetic practices. Yavakri, son of Bhardwaja, believes that his father has not got his due. To save himself the labour of seeking knowledge, Yavakri obtains a boon from Indra. The drama heightens with Yavakri using his powers, violating ethics. The play is fraught with unremitting tension, as betrayal and murder enmesh the characters, who set out to live their respective destinies. The fire sacrifice remains an integral part of the story that has a taut narrative. Yajna was always a significant part of the Vedic culture, which is why it becomes a metaphor in Karnad’s play. Theatre, too, bears resemblance to yajna, as it, too, is said to be a desirable fire-sacrifice of the eyes. Draught is the symbol of betrayal in the play, which develops out of lust and ends with an oft-repeated statement: “There are no shortcuts to knowledge.” A public presentation of the play will be on November 14, in the department auditorium. |
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3-day workshop on patterns in CSE Chandigarh, November 8 It was inaugurated by eminent expert Gulshan Kumar. There were four sessions addressed by other experts, including Mr K. Siddhartha, Mr K. Krishan and Director of the institute, IAS Study Group, Mr Parveen Bansal. The issues discussed in the workshop were about the different aspects of the examination and the intricacies which an aspirant faces in the process of preparation of the examination. Time-management skills were also highlighted in the session. The experts also focused on the environmental and socio-pathological constraints which candidates face during the preparation and how these can be resolved. |
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‘Science education useless without practicals’ Chandigarh, November 8 Dr K. Kasturirangan, Chairman of the Space Commission and president of the academy, said the problem was primarily due to the changed priorities. Earlier, students used to devour anything on science, but the dictums of the World Trade Organisation and the resultant expectations from youngsters had changed the scene. Dr Kasturirangan said all sections of society, including academicians, parents, teachers and students, would have to come
together to set the priorities right, keeping in view human welfare. Market-driven changes did not hold much promise in the long run. Training began early, so, education in schools and colleges could not be neglected for long. Prof N. Kumar, a former president of the academy, said: “We should not cite shortage of funds as the lone reason for failing interest in science practicals among students in schools and colleges. The presentation of the subject will have to be changed. Children should play with toys that teach them the laws of physics. They should wonder how a top rotates.” “A child should feel the urge to ask himself or herself why clouds do not fall when full of raindrops or why rivers meander and don’t move straight instead? Finances and mixed priorities hardly matter if our effort is to get the basics right,” Professor Kumar said. Dr N. Balakrishnan, of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, said education had been hijacked by all others but educationists. “The persons holding the charge are bringing disrespect to the subject,” he said. He said education had been commercialised and misplaced priorities had led to a sad state of affairs in schools and colleges. The education policy needed a revamp. “Earlier, students used to pay much less for education than the present rates, yet the classwork used to be far superior to what is given now,” he said. Dr Ajay K. Sood, general secretary of the academy, said practical knowledge, particularly in science, could not be ignored. He said: “A lack of motivation and finances is responsible for the present state of affairs. In several cases, engineering-college freshmen hardly know the basics of science practicals.” Prof N. Mukunda, a top man of the academy, said the falling standards of science-practical education was a matter of concern and the academy had introduced courses in Goa and Kalpakkam to promote science education. The education sector faced funding problem, but the authorities concerned should know that new ideas, that formed the base of science education, were useless without any practical work. |
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Overwhelming response to IT fest Chandigarh, November 8 Inaugurating the fest, Mr Jagjit Singh Bhatia, director, Centre for Electronic Design and Technology, Government of India, said that the traditional concept of “officers” and “clerks” were fast merging into one role giving rise to just one class which could be termed as “workers” and to keep up with this emerging trend needed to acquire the latest technologies available in their respective fields. Welcoming the participants, Dr
A.C. Vaid, Principal, GGDSD College, stressed the need for making IT curriculum job-oriented along with being “value oriented”. A panel discussion on the topic “Can IT be taught within four walls” was held. The jury for the discussion included Prof
Shyamla, chairperson, Department of Computer Science, Panjab University, Mr Prem
Ojha, Deputy General Manager, GLIDE, Mr Aditya from IBM and Mr Ajay Sharma, faculty member of SD College. Following the discussion, an online quiz and cartoon-making contest were also organised today. A number of corporate giants, including IBM, SBI, Hero Mastermind, Matters, Naukri Com put their stalls on the campus. However, Metro-35 and computer game stalls witnessed the maximum rush. On the concluding day of the fest, events like Max studio, dumb charades, skits and programming contest will be held. The results of today’s events will be announced during the concluding function tomorrow. |
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300 take part in knitting contest Panchkula, November 8 This, being the country’s biggest hand-knitting contest, has been introduced with an objective to generate awareness about benefits of hand knitting. This nationwide contest has been organised in over 600 schools of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and other regions of the country since 2000. Over 1,00,000 students have participated in this contest. During the contest, girl students from various schools knitted beautiful designs — floral, geometrical and even ones with messages knitted on them. The colour combinations in various hues of pink, red, green, blue and yellow were used to make caps, booties and miniature purses and bags. The students were given a three-hour time to knit a pattern each. A number of boys from different schools of the township also participated in the contest. The participants were grouped in five categories on the basis of their classes (from Class VI to XI). Ten best patterns from each category have been shortlisted for the final evaluation phase in March, 2003. A spokesman of Zoom Media Vision, which had conceived, engineered and managed the contest, said that this year they planned to extend the contest to 1,100 schools all over the country with more than 2,00,000 participants. |
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Fast by lawyers Panchkula, November 8 The association has also decided to suspend work in various courts and to boycott the Lok Adalat scheduled for tomorrow. In Chandigarh, too, lawyers observed a strike in District Courts. |
Meeta recites magical melodies Chandigarh, November 8 However, right when the The Tribune-sponsored recital took off this afternoon, Meeta went on to prove her musical lineage, which is richer than words. Sixth in the unbroken legacy of musicians of the legendary Pandit family of the Gwalior gharana, Meeta began today’s recital with the afternoon raga — “madhuwanti”. Beginning with her forte, the “khayal”, the vocalist excelled in exposition, interpretation and elaboration of the intricate patterns of the raga in “khayal” style. From one note of melody to another, Meeta exhibited great variation and modulation within the given framework of the raga. She has been groomed under the care of her grandfather, Padma Bhushan Pt Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, and later by her father, L.K. Pandit. With all the music in the family as her heritage, Meeta has the distinction of being the first female musician in the family. No wonder she holds upon her shoulders the tremendous responsibility of safeguarding the purity of the raga as also of the old and rich tradition of the Gwalior gharana. Supported on the sarangi by Bharat Bhushan Goswami and on the tabla by Shailendra Mishra, Meeta went on to portray the admirable crests and troughs of a “tarana” and finally she presented yet another composition in “madhuwanti”. All through the recital, she involved the students on the basic issues concerning rhythm, tone and tempo. She questioned them regarding the cycle of beats in the tabla rhythm, the taal being played and the instruments being played to support the vocal recital. With a unique voice laced with tremendous power and poise, Meeta reflected the traditional “ashtang” gayaki (eight-fold gayaki), which is a heritage of her family. At such a young age, Meeta already has to her credit the Surmani, the Yuva Ratna, the Full Circle Inner Flame award and the Pt Nikhil Banerjee Smriti Award. Meeta’s debut album, “Footsteps”, has been released by Music Today. |
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Perfect ‘abhinaya’ cuts thru her silent world Chandigarh, November 8 As Phalguni performed one item after another, starting from the traditional “Manglacharan” to “Ganesh Tandava” to “Pallavi” — keeping a perfect harmony between the rhythm in her steps with the ‘taal’, it was impossible to imagine that this girl suffered from a complete loss of hearing. But what she lacked in her physical ability, she made up more then adequately with her strong determination and talent to claim her rightful place the world of classical dance. Though Phalguni’s soft looks complemented her role as Radha dancing to the Lord Krishna’s music or Pallavi immersed in ‘sringar rasa’ or describing Lord Krishna playing Holi with Radha and ‘gopis’ in her concluding item, “Krishna Leela”, based on Jayadevs masterpiece Geetgovind, she handled the difficult “Dashavtar” with equal ease, showing perfect body movements and aggressive expression. Her presentation of “Batu nritya” which required her to stand at one place and emote only through hand gestures and expression, was also equally intriguing. Phalguni’s initiation into classical dance began at the age of 12 under the maestro of Chau form, Gangadhar Naik, who taught her the fundamentals of Bandha dance form. Later she was trained for Odissi by her present Guru Hare Krishna Padhi. Though with her excellent memory, Phalguni has soaked up each and everything about Odissi from her Guru, her need for him still remains as Guru Padhi has to accompany her to all concerts, actuating each and every move of her through the language of signs which exactly what he did in tonight’s concert. |
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The TV star who loves kathak more Chandigarh, November 8 From this claim to fame, which is more than any other, Nandita moved on to talk about her real world — that of kathak of the Jaipur gharana. In city today on a formal invitation from the UT Administration which will organised Nandita’s kathak recital at Shantikunj tomorrow, Nandita was accompanied by world-renowned tabla player Pandit Kalinath Mishra. Having performed extensively in India and abroad, Nandita, who hails from Chandigarh, is wedded to tradition. Groomed under Padmashree Dr Roshan Kumari of the Jaipur gharana, Nandita has mastered the art form which was patronised by Rajput kings. Talking about the hallmark of Lucknow and Jaipur gharanas, Nandita said, “Where earlier Lucknow gharana was associated more with the ‘lasya ang’, it is now more like Jaipur kathak, which abounds in ‘veer rasa’ and is ‘tandava pradhan’. As it was patronised by warrior Rajputs, Jaipur kathak is naturally more vigorous, more energised and more vibrant.” Having staged a special show on the architectural heritage of Agra during the Taj festival, Nandita believes in guarding tradition with all her might. “All our classical forms emerge from traditional sources, which we have to preserve at any cost. If we allow the formats of our dances to go haywire we will have nothing to fall back upon. That does not mean you do not innovate. Kathak is an extremely adaptable style of classical dance in which various abstract movements can also be used with admirable ease. I have done that often. I have, however, kept the form as pure as possible.” A popular TV artiste with coveted roles in serials like ‘Campus’, ‘Sailab’, ‘Ashirwaad’, Milan and many others, Nandita relates to herself only through the art form which she has imbibed for years now. She always takes time off to teach her disciples and also to perfect her own style. For her dance is a visual art and a universal language. She also owes her entry into television to dance. As she informed today, “I had been called over to choreograph a serial called Upanyas. The director, however, chose to offer me a role in the same. That was how I started working for many small screen productions.” Nandita also had many offers from films, but she declined all of them in the interest of her image. Tomorrow she will perform at Shantikunj along with her troupe. She will be accompanied on vocals by her mother Ms Primila Puri and sister Chandrika Budhiraja; Ustad Anwar Hussain on sarangi; Ustad Nasir on harmonium and Shri Sharad on vocals. Aditi Bhagwat and Tejashri Pachpute will join in the kathak recital. The programme will be compered by Lalita Narayan. |
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Artistes, academician honoured Chandigarh, November 8 The programme at Tagore Theatre organised by the Panch Dariya Sabhyacharak Manch offered dance items based on popular folk songs to energetic bhangra to melodious geets and soul-searching ghazals. The show started with dance items presented by young children, who are already known for their talent in the art circle. The names included Kohli brothers, Simran Lishu, Chirag Sehgal, Disha, Amit and Megha Sharma. The warmth created by Bhangra troupe from SAS Nagar continued with Raj Brar presenting a Punjabi geet and S. Gurdeep Singh’s ghazals. However, it was the performance of pop singer Harbhajan Shera which enchanted the audience as he sang his hit song — ‘Aaja aaja ne padosane’ and other numbers from his latest album — ‘Mausam Bahar Ka’. Shera and S. Gurdeep Singh, along with Narinder Kaur, an academician and sportsperson of repute were later honoured for their contribution in their respective fields. Harbhajan Shera, famous for his hit number “Aaja aaja ni padosane” was honored for his contribution towards Punjabi popular music while football player turned musician Surmail Gurdip Singh has been honored for his endeavour to make Punjab’s folklore and folk music popular among the new generation. Ms Narinder Kaur, an academician and sportsperson of repute, has been awarded by the manch for her vision and efforts that have improved the image of the board while bringing reforms in the examination system. Ms Narinder Kaur, after doing her masters degree in education from Punjabi University, Patiala and B.Ed. from Sri Hargobind College of Education, Sidhwan, has served the same college for about a decade which accounts for her indepth insight of the Indian education system. |
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