Arabian dance by kids
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 9
Shamrock Christian School, Hambran Road, celebrated its annual day function on Saturday.

Mr Santokh S. Choudhary, Woman and Child Development Minister, Punjab, graced the occasion. He appreciated the efforts of the school management for the progress made in various fields. He was happy to know that the school had achieved the senior secondary status this year. He added that this allround development of the child would make our nation stronger and build a society with tolerance and peace.

He appreciated the school for helping the cause of nationalism and progress. He conveyed his heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Mr S.S. Dhesi, chairman, management committee, and his entire team.

Various items like Old MacDonald and Arabian dance were highly appreciated by him. Mr Choudhary announced a donation of Rs 50,000 for the school. Mr Dhesi conveyed his thanks to Mr Choudhary and the function ended with bhangra.

Science Fair-2002
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 9
The Young Scientists Association, Gujranwala Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Ludhiana, organized Science Fair-2002 on December 9 in which a science exhibition, quiz contest and chart-making competition were organised. In the science exhibition the students displayed models pertaining to food, health and nutrition, energy, technology and environment, industry and environmental protection, transport and communication and technological aids.

The models of electrostatic smoke peerceptors aimed at reducing air pollution was quite fascinating. Similarly presentation of Cloning of genetically engineered plant of cotton BT was very informative. The students had prepared useful items like tiles , pots and statues out of used polythene and sand.

In chart-making competition, the participants highlighted abuse of science and encouraged science and ethics go side by side. In the quiz contest the students answered queries. In these competitions about 100 students from 25 institutions participated. In the science exhibition the students of BCM Public School , Tagore Public School and GGN Public School bagged good positions, while in the college category, local college cornered the glory. In the quiz contest Everest Public School and Government Girls High School, Ramgarh, finished first and second position.

In the chart-making, Rajdeep Kaur of GGN Public School and Aishwarya Taneja of Tagore Public School were the winners and runners-up, respectively Mr Sukhdial Singh, managing partner, Rattan Hammers and president, Ludhiana Machine Tool Makers Association had inaugurated the science exhibition.

Dhanda, Goel Bar Council members
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 9
Mr Harish Rai Dhanda, President, District Bar Association and Mr Balwinder Goel, senior advocate, have been declared elected as members of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana High Court by the Returning Officer, Mr Nirmal Singh Dhillon.

Mr Goel secured 708 votes. Atleast 116 candidates were in the race. Mr Dhanda, who was elected for the third time secured 696 votes.

It may be recalled that six candidates contested from the district. Four candidates, who lost the election are Mr Amarjot Singh Sidhu, Joint Director, Prosecution, Mr Mohinder Singh Sidhwan, President, Jagraon Bar Association, Mr Chaman Lal Vashisht and Mr Ashok Bector.

About 21,000 voters out of 28,385 cast their votes across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. Mr G.K. Chatrath, President High Court Bar Association and former Advocate-General, Punajb; Mr N.K. Nanda, President, District Bar Association, Chandigarh; Mr N.S. Sitta, former Honorary Secretary of the Bar Council were defeated in the election.

Mr Hermant Kalia, Mr Rajneesh Gupta, Mr Anwar Ali, Mr Pardeep Kumar, Mr Yogesh Kaushish, Mr Stevan Soni and Mr Rohit Malhotra thanked the lawyers’ fraternity for electing Mr Goel.

Mr Goel said, “I will work for the betterment of my brothers (lawyers)”. 

‘Feel Good’ makes people feel good
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 9
A humourous collection of five short plays was presented in Guru Nanak Bhavan last evening under the aegis of the Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam. Directed by versatile Sita Raina and written by Nicholas Kharkongar the short plays produced a lots of laughter from the audience 

‘Feel Good’ started in an unusual manner. Varun dressed in complete black manages a traditionally dressed puppet. He manoeuvres it deftly and the puppet, in turn, narrates to the audience the problems of a single mother, how she begot the daughter from an Italian man as her husband’s ‘system’ was not all right. She names the girl ‘Pasta’ and is looking for a ‘groom’. She locates three men from among the audience and tells them they would do for the grooms. The dialogues are witty and her singing as an ‘opera singer’ is hilarious. Thus the direct interaction with the audience keeps the interest alive.

The second play is about the communication gap. Mr Singh expects his friend to pick him up at the airport. Utter chaos prevails as the messages are left on answering machines. Mr Singh’s English pronunciation is hilarious and it is a spoof on the busy telephone lines and problems it creates. In the third play, a teenage boy tries to chat up an older woman who just by her ‘looks’ manages to contain his one-sided dialogues. The boy is in rude shock when in the end she walks away with another woman.

The fourth play had a relevant theme. The mother is busy tattling about mundane affairs when her unmarried daughter interrupts and tells her of pregnancy. The mother and daughter have very comic yet meaningful dialogues. The last play is a take off on the fashion scenario. The two fashion designers claim that they have learnt fashion designing from LIFT. They are trying to impress a young editor of the fashion magazine. They mock her when she does not know how one designer is ‘lifting’ others' designer ideas. It ends by saying that how as a fashion editor she does not know of Gyani aka Givanni.

The sets were simple and lights by Viraj just gave them the right ambiance. The cast of ‘Feel Good’ Yuri, Roshini Chopra Dhruv Jagasia and Sita Raina were outstanding. ‘Feel Good’ has run to full houses in Delhi and is now travelling around India. It has been one of the Sita’s most outstanding plays as her Prime Time Theatre has been done many plays, including ‘Dance like a Man’ by Dattani.

SPICMACAY to hold convention
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 9
In its silver jubilee year, SPICMACAY( Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Among Youth) will hold a winter convention from December 24 to December 26 at GRD Academy, Ludhiana.

Ms Manveen Sandhu, co-ordinator of north zone, at a press conference here, told the mediapersons that earlier two conventions held in Delhi and Dehra Dun were very successful. In this winter convention, they expect 500 delegates. The expenses would be borne jointly by Mr Raja, director of GRD Academy, and the Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam (LSS), a voluntary organisation that has been active in bringing different artistes of repute to the city.

The theme of convention is ‘Dialogue among civilisation’. The dialogue is going to be between Iran and Indian civilisation.This year it is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi for he taught the principle of ‘tolerance’. Ms Sandhu said that since 2002 had seen quite a lot of blood shed all over the world, the need for tolerance had to be reiterated. Since the language of music was universal the dialogue would be picked up with Persian civilisation as it had influenced Indian musical instruments.

Giving the details, she said that on December 24, the convention would be inaugurated with an exhibition of pictures of Sufi singers of Punjab. It would be followed by a concert in which two Iranian sisters and their Rumi Sufi Group from Iran would perform. Besides Ustad Allaudin Khan would also play on israj- an Iranian instrument. Israj is a unique instrument and Ustad Allaudin is the only exponent of the instrument.

December 25 would begin with meditation and a yoga class to be followed by different workshops conducted by different artistes of repute in different discipline. The following artistes would conduct these workshops simultaneously and student delegates can attend workshop of their choice. Even other interested persons can enroll themselves for the workshops. Uma Sharma (kathak), Anees Siddiqui (calligraphy), Shayma Prasad (pottery), Harijivan Kaur Khalsa (meditative art), Bashir Khan Rajwai (tie&dye), Sonaebai Rajwai ( papier mache), Chandu Gharole (rangoli), Ustad Allaudin Khan (israj), Rumi Sufi Group (cultural interaction) and Guru Dass Singh Khalsa (shabad kirtan). These work shops would be intensive in nature. In another session, noted painter Arpana Caur who is currently working on Guru Nanak Dev, was busy executing different facets of ‘Sohini Mahiwal’ and would present a slide show.

In the evening session, Uma Sharma would give a kathak presentation and the night would see the delegates in a cheery spirit as they sit around camp fire and dance to the accompanying beats of ‘dholi’.

On the last day of convention, same workshops would continue. The afternoon would witness energetically performed Malwa giddha. The evening concerts would be a real treat for music lovers. Pandit Shiv Kumar would play santoor as well as his sons Aman & Ayan Ali Bangesh who would play sarod. Incidentally these instruments have their origin in Persia.

Mr Sunil Munjal, president of Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam , co-sponsors of the convention,said that SPICMACAY had done a good job of exposing students to Indian culture and performing arts. Similarly LSS also had a mission to expose people to performing arts. It had been helping SPICMACAY in doing so.

Mr J.S.Duggal, principal of GRD Academy,said that performing arts flourished under the patronage of kings and after the kings were gone, there was a sharp decline in arts. SPICMACAY had done a yeoman service by reviving different forms of performing arts. Mr Raja of Texla, director of the school, is co- sponsoring the convention with the LSS. Similarly other business houses should chip in to promote Indian culture.