The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Alliance Francaise to issue NOCs for student visas
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 6
No objection certificates (NOCs) for French visas to Indian students will now be available at Alliance Francaise de Chandigarh. This was stated here today by the Scientific Officer of the Embassy of France in India and Director of EduFrance, Mr Benjamin Demiere, while talking to reporters.

He said now NOCs would be issued by directors of Alliance Francaise in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram.

Mr Demiere had come to the city to inform students about the benefits of studying in France, which has supremacy in fashion, food processing, telemedicine, biotechnology, environment engineering, aeronautics and nuclear power, among others.

He said the first advantage of studying in France was that a person got education of international quality and that too at a price that one had to pay in India. He said education in France allowed a person to access the large market of French-speaking population spread across the world.

He said the French Government did not differentiate between French-speaking citizens and foreigners in the matter of education. Approximate expenditure on studying in France was around Rs 2.5 lakh per year. He said unlike the UK, France allowed a student to work for 24 hours in a week and 84 hours in a month to partly recover his expenditure on education.

He said Indians fitted well into the profile of an employee the French companies were looking for: engineering or management trained, English-speaking and adaptable person. France had been ranked third in terms of expenditure on research and development, he said.

Aiming to capitalise on the growing Indo-French proximity in international affairs, the Government of France had been encouraging cooperation in education so as to bring the youth of the two countries closer.

He said out of 2.5 lakh foreign students registered in France, there were only 800 odd Indian students. He said apart from studies in scientific streams, the country had a good tradition of imparting education in political science, international laws and international relations. He said boarding in the country could virtually be halved through government’s special assistance scheme for students.

Cultural bonanza by Ankur kids
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, December 6
The cultural bonanza presented by students of Ankur Nursery to mark their annual function kept their parents and visitors spell bound throughout the programme in Panjab University Law Auditorium here today.

The programme started with a well-choreographed Saraswati vandana invoking the blessings of Goddess Saraswati.

The adventure of a young princess was enacted by pre-nursery students with great confidence. Nursery students showed the basics of yoga and aerobics.

The students of KG and class I took the audience to the land of Arabia, predicting their nomadic life across the vast expanse of golden sand. The play carried the message that one should never give up one’s principles.

The wit and wisdom of Birbal were beautifully presented by KG students. The show ended with a colourful Haryanvi folk dance.

Ambedkar remembered
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, December 6
Members of the Dr Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), Panjab University, today paid tributes to Dr B.R. Ambedkar by observing a two-minute silence.

Giving details, Mr Chand Singh Madaan, founder chairman of the ASA, urged the SC/ST students to fulfil the incomplete mission of Dr Ambedkar and to work for the uplift of the downtrodden. Mr Madaan demanded modification in the rules and procedure for awarding scholarships and financial aids to them.

Seminar: A seminar on “Globalisation and political economy of North-West India” was organised by the Department of Political Science, SGGS College, here today. The seminar was inaugurated by Prof K.N Pathak, Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Insecticide dealer’s plea allowed
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 6
Allowing a petition, Mr Justice Viney Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed a complaint against an insecticide dealer. The Judge agreed with his counsel that the proceedings against him were liable to be quashed “since the sample had been taken by the inspector in the same position as it had been delivered”.

Delivering the verdict, Mr Justice Mittal ruled: “The petition has been filed for quashing complaint dated July 20, 1992.... As per the averment in the complaint, an insecticide inspector visited the petitioner’s shop on December 19, 1990. The inspector took sample of three selected packets from the dealer and sent it for analysis. The sample was found to be misbranded”.

The Judge added: “The plea taken by the petitioner for quashing the complaint is that, as per the averment, the sample taken from the petitioner’s premises was sealed. Further the petitioner was admittedly a dealer of the company. As per the provisions of the Insecticide Act, the proceedings against the petitioner were liable to be quashed since the sample had been taken by the inspector in the same position in which it was delivered to the dealer”.

The Judge concluded: “I find that the plea raised by the petitioner is well founded.... I have no hesitation in allowing the present petition and quashing the complaint against the petitioner”.

Release ordered: A provision store owner, convicted for selling adulterate dal, was ordered to be released on probation by Mr Justice Viney Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The petitioner — Chaman Lal — was convicted and ordered to undergo rigorous imprisonment for six months by a Judicial Magistrate (First Class). He was also directed to pay a fine of Rs 1, 000. His appeal was, subsequently, dismissed by an Additional Sessions Judge.

After hearing the arguments in the case, Mr Justice Mittal ruled: “Counsel for the petitioner has submitted that the matter pertains to 1985 and he has already suffered a protracted trial.... He submits that under these circumstances, he may not be sent back to jail, but may be ordered to be released on probation. In support of his contention, he relied upon a judgement wherein it has been held that even in a case where the minimum sentence has been prescribed, the benefit of probation can still be granted”.

The Judge concluded: “I find myself in agreement with the same. Under these circumstances, while maintaining the order of conviction against the petitioner, he is ordered to be released on probation”.

Maintain calm, HC tells parties
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 6
Taking up a petition filed by the Panchkula Truck Operators Union, seeking directions to Haryana, the Ambala Deputy Commissioner and other respondents to prevent the organisation of any agitation that could obstruct traffic, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court said here today that it trusted all parties concerned to maintain normalcy.

Earlier, during the proceedings, the Haryana Advocate General, Mr Surya Kant, said in the court that every attempt would be made to prevent any untoward incident that could hurt truck operators or any other citizen. He also said, if necessary, preventive measures under the Code of Criminal Procedure or other acts could be taken against those disrupting normalcy in the state.

After hearing all arguments, the Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Binod Kumar Roy and Mr Justice N.K. Sodhi, said: “We have no reason to disbelieve the most fair and correct stand taken by the Haryana Advocate General and hope that all concerned will see that normalcy is maintained.”

CULTURE

Live demonstration of Himachal art
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 6
The most heartening aspect of Himachal Pradesh handicrafts and handloom corporation exhibition, which opened at Lajpat Rai Bhawan in Sector 15 yesterday is its approach towards the promotion of traditional arts and crafts. A normal display of art products would have been easy. But the government undertaking has gone out of the way to arrange live demonstration of all the crafts — right from weaving of Kinnauri and Kullu shawls to the creation of hand woven carpets, which make the artisans of Himachal Pradesh much sought after.

Participating in the exhibition, being held under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles and supported by the Development Commissioner, are four master craftspersons from Himachal. Right at the entrance there is a loom on which Gopichand is busy crafting his talent into threads. He counts the threads everytime he makes a knot on the loom. “A small mistake on his part can destroy the entire symmetry of the shawl, which can take anything between 45 to 60 days for completion,” informed Mr D.K. Gupta, General Manager of the corporation.

He added that the purpose of exhibition was to help craftspersons establish their market and enhance sales. “As a government undertaking, we are responsible to our artisans. To increase sales we are offering 25 per cent discount on all products,” he said. Others demonstrating live crafts are Urgian Negi on metal craft creations, Uma Shankar and Rumel Singh on carpet weaving.

On display are rich handicrafts which include pure wool Kullu and Kinnauri shawls, pashmina and rabbit wool angora shawls, wollen jackets and a host of metal creations. From the last year, the quality of the exhibition has improved. It has better participation and greater number of crafts on display. The show is aimed at empowering the artisans financially. Where one group of low income group women are displaying their herbal products and foodstuff under the aegis of Sahara, a self help group for women, there is another stall where traditional artisans are directly selling products, like Indo-Himalayan woollen carpets, traditional Kangra paintings and metalware.

Driftwood creations have also been added to the list of exhibits this year. Special flavoured Kangra tea, medicinal products and honey are also being sold. Other highlights are Himachali dolls, Grass pullan, Lahauli socks and gem stone paintings. All the arts are being demonstrated live in the venue. The exhibition can be viewed between 9 am and 8 pm till December 19.

Visual insight into fascinating tribal traditions
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 6
Smitten with the rich traditions of India, Dr Cornelia Mallebrien from Germany, set out to understand feelings that inspires various fascinating religious customs in urban, rural and tribal India. A discovery that began 20 years back, when Dr Cornelia mounted her first show on India titled “Sculptures from India — Meaning and Form”, continued later when she was awarded the German Research Council scholarship to focus on the new aspects of folk and tribal traditions of India, and reveal them in thorough perspective.

From 1995 to 1997, she worked on the assigned topic “Comparative studies on cult and iconography of house, family, clan and ancestor deities in Middle India”. The result of this research were made public in an exhibition in 1998. Taking cue from its success, the German scholar went further to bare the mystifying religious customs of India. She travelled to Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Karela, Karnataka and documented the tradition of living Gods on Earth, which still exists in India.

After exhibiting her collection in Delhi, Dr Cornelia mounted the show today in the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10. And as the ambience came alive with researched images captured by the artist, mysteries of an unknown world stood bared before viewers, who could not help but treat the works with respect and awe. The show is being presented by the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi and the Federal Republic of Germany.

The show is not a plain exercise in beauty and form. It is a thoroughly researched project that offers virtual insight into folk and tribal traditions of India, which is home to fascinating concept of living Gods on earth. After the research of over 20 years, Dr Cornelia finally chose to make her experiences public. And photography was an ideal medium she could use to draw the attention of multitudes towards rich, manifold, regional traditions of India and make them look into the heart of beliefs.

The exhibition, inaugurated by the Adviser to the UT Administrator, Ms Neeru Nanda, has four distinct sections under which the artist has grouped entire visual imagery related with the subject. ‘The first chapter “The primordial divine power — its visible manifestation in the human realm’ has visuals that centre upon how divine powers reveal themselves in the human world and how their powers are transformed to humans.

The first part of this chapter ‘The self created stone’ looks at the phenomena which is characteristic to India. Much of this work has been drawn from Orissa, where tribal religious beliefs and Hindu ideas blend into one. In the second part of this chapter called ‘Leaving the forest — entering the realm of humans’, tribal goddess Patkhanda leaves the dense forest to take care of the well being of devotees.

The third part ‘The power of the sword’ deals with the importance of swords in the Panda tradition of Madhya Pradesh. All photographs further the theme. The fourth chapter ‘Power of the mask’ looks at the vibrant Bhuta tradition of Tulunadu in Karnataka. The fifth chapter ‘The power of nature’ stresses upon the importance of natural products such as leaves and colours in representing the gods on earth.

The other three sections deal with the important tribal traditions of Chattisgarh and Orissa. Focused herein are Sirhas of Bastar who represent many local deities that are worshiped by tribal and non-tribal people in this area.

Another set of photos reflects the fascination of a thrilling festival held for shepherd god Mallana in a small village in Karnataka. On the festive day the Gods celebrate his wedding day and overwhelmed with joy, his devotees behave like horses, dogs, which were considered to be Mallana’s favourite companions.

The closing section deals with communicating with inhabitants of the other worlds.

With music in soul, Pyarelal comes back
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 6
In music rests the soul, in soul rests the music. If it were not for this divine combination, Laxmikant-Pyarelal would not have been the legends that they are today. Four years after the partnership of rhyme ended in 1998, bowing to the divine will, music director Prayelal has decided to comeback with his string of melodies, as fresh and virgin as ever.

The pain of parting from his friend and mentor Laxmikant still fills his eyes, that almost come to tears at the mention of the days when the duo won their first Filmfare award for ‘Parasmani’ in 1963. “Those were golden days, filled with golden melodies. I have so much so say about Laxmikant. Together we were the best. For 40 years we courted music together, giving the country the best we had,” said Pyarelal in an exclusive interview with The Tribune this evening. He is in the city for the Rafi Award nite 2002 to be held at Tagore Theatre tomorrow.

The son of a musician, Pyarelal still has the memory of past years fresh in his mind. Especially of the days when he, along with Laxmikant, won four Filmfare awards consecutively for four films, ‘Karz’, ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ and ‘Sargam’. Also he remembers how their music scored over the music of Shankar Jaikishan in Raj Kapoor's ‘Sangam’, fetching them the Filmfare award. “Although we liked the music of ‘Sangam’, we were surprised when the award came to us. But we were always second to Shankar Jaikishan. They got nine awards, we got seven.”

He added, “Music demanded nourishment. We worked not with any expectation of rewards in mind, but with absolute devotion. I remember how people used to make fun of ‘Parasmani’ song we first recorded, after we had assisted Kalyanji Anandji. ‘Hasta hua noorani chehra’ was a song of its kind, fresh and vibrant. We were apprehensive of people's response. But all songs of the film were hit.”

Known for introducing freshness into their music, Laxmikant-Pyarelal went on to give music in 435 films. Songs ranged in emotion and appeal. On the one hand rested the soulful songs of ‘Milan’ and on the other songs like ‘Achha to hum chalte hain’.

Said Pyarelal, “During those days words had a lot of meaning. Because lyrics were touching, we could not help labouring to give good music to them. Now music directors are not well initiated into classical forms. Although they are very talented, it will be better if they seek training in classical music.”

For four years after Laxmikant departed, Prayelal kept evading a comeback. But born as he is of music alone, he had to stage comeback some day. Now he has three projects in hand, Vijay Pandey's ‘Abhimanyu’ with lyrics by Nida Fazli and Salim Irani, ‘Tum Jo Mil Gaye’ and another film in the pipeline. He is giving music to five other films.

Wanting to recreate the magic of yesteryears, Pyarelal said, “The music being made today is only a reflection of one phase. Music has always come in phases and everyone has made music in his own way, Naushad used a lot of Uttar Pradesh tunes, we chose Punjabi melodies. Some music directors used Rabindra sangeet. Music has been set into various moulds in various ages. And finally only good music will last. What is being made today will also pass away because it has no soul. Very soon we will again see a golden era of Hindi music industry.”

Pyarelal is also making two albums — one which has fusion of Western, India and Japanese tunes and yet another which has more of Indian music. With complete knowledge of Western music at hand(he is also a renowned violinist), Pyarelalji promises to bring back the reflections of the legend in him.

Convocation of Pracheen Kala Kendra
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 6
Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh, a premier educational organisation of the country will hold its 30th Annual Convocation on December 22 next at Kolkata when successful students of Visharad (B.Mus.) and Bhaskar (M.Mus.) of the session 2001-2002 belonging to the eastern region of the country will be awarded their certificates and diplomas.

The convocation will have two sessions — one in the morning from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. while the other will be in the afternoon from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Governor of West Bengal Mr Biren J. Shah will inaugurate the convocation. World renowned Odissi danseuse Sonal Mansingh and noted writer-Journalist Sankarlal Bhattacharjee will deliver the keynote address in the morning and afternoon session respectively, according to Mr M.L. Koser, registrar of the kendra.

He told media persons here today that as per tradition, nine eminent personalities, namely Odissi maestros Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Sonal Mansingh, classical vocalists Girija Devi and Ustad Rashid Khan, Biswanath Das, Director Doordarshan, Kolkata, Sankarlal Bhattacharjee, writer-journalist, Ashok Majumder, photo Journalist, Bratati Bandopadhyay, reciter-elocutionist and TV personality Kasturi Chattopadhyay will be honoured on this occasion with a cash prize of Rs. 5001 each, a citation, scroll of honour and a shawl for their outstanding contribution in their respective field of specialisation.