EDUCATION

‘View higher education as investment’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18
Replete with examples, figures and terminology borrowed from physics, the University Grants Commission Chairman, Prof Arun Nigavekar, said that higher education ought to be viewed as an investment on essential social and economic infrastructure component for an emerging nation like India.

He was speaking at the AC Joshi Memorial Lecture on “Role of Higher Education—Its present Challenges” at the Physics Auditorium in Panjab University, here today.

He highlighted the progress made by the country in the last 50 years in this field, starting with 25 universities in 1950, the number has grown to 264 at present, catering to 8.7 million students all over the country.

He stressed the need to make higher education more accessible and relevant to the present needs of society. He spoke of the UGC efforts in the direction of e-based education, connectivity of various university campuses for academic enhancement and plans in the direction of web-based education, e-subscription of journals for research purposes.

According to him, the 10th plan of the UGC laid emphasis on governance, resource mobilisation , open and flexible structure of imparting education through convergence of conventional and distance education modes. He clarified that even under the present UGC Act these changes could be made.

Stating that the 21st century belonged to research in the fields of social science, arts and humanities, Mr Nigavekar said that UGC was proposing to start an independent research council in these areas. He unveiled the proposal of “ Bharat Shiksha Kosh” which, when implemented, would give a big boost to higher education in India.

Earlier, he inaugurated the building of the National Centre for Human Genome Study and Research at the university, constructed at a cost of Rs 25 lakh.

Appreciating the commitment of the Vice Chancellor, Prof KN Pathak, in convincing various agencies for granting the centre to the university, he said,” It is a red letter day in the history of Panjab University.”

He added that that they should work hard and inculcate a sense of commitment, sincerity and willingness to cooperate. He warned them to guard against getting involved in unproductive activism.

In his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof KN Pathak, expressed satisfaction in being able to honour his commitment and observed that the breakthrough in genome research would have a significant effect for the welfare of mankind.

Govt College wins trophy
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, November 18
Government College, SAS Nagar, won the over all trophy of the Zonal Youth Festival of Punjabi University Ropar zone.

According to the press release issued by the college of the final results, PMN College, Rajpura, secured the second position while Mata Gujari College, Fatehgarh Sahib, bagged the third position.

In the one-act play, the SBS Khalsa College for Women, Patiala, won the first position while the team from Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib, won the first position in the traditional costume parade. In the creative costume parade, Government College, Ropar, won the first prize and students of Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib, won the first prize in histrionics.

The BZFS Khalsa College for Women, Morinda, won the first prize both in group skit and mime. ASBASJS Memorial College, Bela, won the first prize in mimicry.

COURTS

HC directive to JCT, union
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18
Acting on a petition filed by JCT Electronics Limited, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed counsel the management and for the workers' union to hold a meeting with the Managing Director of the Punjab Financial Corporation for discussing the viability of running the plant at SAS Nagar.

Issuing the directions in the open court, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar and Mr Justice Amar Dutt, also fixed December 13 as the next date of hearing in the case. The management had earlier challenged the orders passed by the Labour Commissioner.

CULTURE

Sheets of poems on a spread of loneliness
Raja Jaikrishan
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH: Negotiating the traffic bottlenecks of the Sector 22 rehri market here, asking the way to the house of poet Manjit Indira draws a blank from a few gazetted officers buying vegetables from vendors.

Punjabi poet of Pain: Manjit Indira — Photo Manoj Mahajan

After a couple of bumps in the bylanes, I heave a sigh of relief when I find her watering plants in a corner house.

The poet flicks dust from mustard paper roses arranged in a copper bowl. Her gold and silver rings ill-fit her wrinkled fingers. She lifts her recently fractured right arm and points to the bric-a-bric sofa. Adjusting her aching back to the slipping pillow, she requests you to sit. As one parks on the mildly-cushioned seat, she begins.

‘Owe! You don’t know what pain it is to live alone.’

Born with the Achilles’ heel, Manjit has been accident-prone since childhood. Forty years ago she fell from a second-storey window of her father’s house in Ludhiana. The head hit an edge of the cot. Her minor optic nerves were snapped. Perhaps, the brain lobe responsible for creativity got pressed and she gained in poetic vision.

(Hugging the trees,

I reposed in the soothing shade.

No tree, no shade, nor all-giving embrace,

The dream broke my arms).

"My mother passed on before my marriage. She was my age — 52. Soon it will be me. My father survived her only for a few years. In him, I lost the sheet-anchor. My kid brother, whom I reared like son, lives away from me. I am like an abandoned cow licking my wounds.

I married the tall and handsome Jat, son of a Punjabi literary giant. He lifted me to cloud nine in love and dragged me to courts in hate.

(No longer my father’s security, no longer my mother’s lullaby,

The frolicking with friends is long over.

No footfalls, no tinkling anklets,

They have long been snapped.)

A beam of light filters through cream curtains, rests on the tinted glass table-top and encircles the bowl of paper roses. She moves on the dark blue rug with a mild limp which she got after she banged her car against a wall. She parts the curtains on the window opening to the pot-holed lane.

"Soon it will be time when the curtains won’t be drawn for days. Then my ever-curious neighbours will break open the grill, doors and find me lifeless."

No door, no casement windows, not even a parapet

No place to keep a lamp!

The head bears the roof; shoulders hold the walls

No place either for the walls or the roof

The miscarriages of loves and marriage have shut her into herself. Now also she prepares the face to meet the only face she must meet.

"Ouch!" She rests her left shoulder against the pillows. "I broke it two years ago, but the obstinate pain is here to stay".

She lifts morsels of dal-roti. Stares at it. She looks at each dining chair as if feeling the presence of her parents and siblings. Pointing at red, blue, violet and green tablets, she says: "this is my support system".

(Parched are the lakes of scent

Having quenched thirst swans have gone away

The unattached has gone never to return...

He turns up in the fading light.

There is rain, fire all night;

But averts contact at daybreak;

For he is a night owl.)

Her phone rings frequently, but not the doorbell. She answers chatter with chatter and watches the idiot-box till her eyelids fatigue. Wreathing in pain she tosses about in her bed full of pillows and sheets of poems. Her hope in life, like lovely mustard flower, its stem bruised by plough, drooped, dwindled and died. She collects it in her poems.

Garhwalis celebrate Raibaar-2002
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18
A huge gathering of Garhwalis came to listen to many Garhwali artistes who had come from outside the city to add colour to the annual cultural function of the Garhwalis.

Organised under the name of Raibaar 2002 by Garhwal Sabha, Chandigarh, yesterday’s programme at Shanti Kunj was filled with nostalgic tunes of songs from across the Garhwal hills.

And interestingly, some 5000 persons had flocked the Shanti Kunj premises to watch the action.

Holding the fort was a famous singer from Pauri Garhwal, Anil Bisht, who had recently composed and sung in a Garhwali album.

In the presence of a Central Minister, Mr B.C. Khanduri, the folk artistes kept regaling the strong crowd that danced away on the sound of percussion instruments.

Yet another commendable performance came from Uttam Das from Garhwal, who is famous for his skill of playing two percussion instruments together.

He hangs the dhol in his neck and plays on to the other smaller dhol, which is a traditional instrument of Garhwal, played there no longer. Uttam Das has also received the President’s Award for safeguarding the age-old rich musical heritage.

After the release of Garhwal directory, the cultural function progressed from music to comedy, with comedian Kishan Bagot narrating satire on politicians of the country, who mar the society more than they ever make it.

Other performers included Shashi Joshi and Padam Gosain from Delhi. The programme featured many Garhwali folk dances and songs, even as the gathering kept asking for more of the musical treat.