The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

SCHOOL BUZZ
These riders win hands down
Smriti Kak

Bhatnagar International School, Vasant Kunj, organised its annual horse show. The Lt-Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijai Kapoor, attended the show.

The riders from ages four to 16 displayed determination and unwavering competence. From plain racing to aerobics on horsebacks, the performance left the audience thrilled and exhilarated.

The show began with the welcome address and taking the lead were a contingent of boys and girls marching with flags in hand. The girls proudly trotting on the horsebacks matching steps with their male counterparts followed this event.

The students also presented events like figure formation, circle formation, criss-crossing and going zigzag. Hurdles as high as 4.5 feet were crossed with elan. But what was clearly the highlight of the day was Bharatanatyam being performed on horseback.

Among those present on the occasion were All India Congress Committee member, Bansi Lal Mehta, Chairman, Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation, Romesh Shabharwal and Counsellor, Russian Embassy Federation, Alexander N Paltcher.

An open window to the parents

Delhi Police Commissioner R. S. Gupta at the inauguration of the Open Day.

The junior wing of DPS, Mathura Road, organised Open Day, an annual feature, which provides an open window to the parents, the teachers and the students working together.

The Open Day is a gallery of not just the functioning of the school, but has also highlighted some present day woes that have become a matter of concern.

This year the theme of the show was, ‘Earth- The Living Planet’.

The cultural programme included a skit and dances on the same theme. The students of Ibtida Shiksha Kendra School for the underprivileged, run by the school also presented a dance, ‘Prem Shakti’. The Delhi Police Commissioner, Mr R. S. Gupta was the Chief Guest at the function.

Seminar on self-defence

A seminar on self-defence was organised by the Interact Club, Amity International School, Noida. The idea to hold the event came form one of the brain storming sessions held by the interact club members.

Mr Vijay Bhushan, SP, Noida, helped the school organise the event. Mr Sanjay Sharma, Mr Raj Bahadur Singh, Ms Sumita Gaya and Ms Mithilesh Singer conducted the seminar.

The Police Instructors, Mr Man Singh and Komal Singh, apprised the girls about the methods of self-defence.

Free medical camp

Savera Hospital, Pitampura, celebrated National Epilepsy Day. A free medical camp was organised by a team of doctors led by, Dr P. S. Narang,

A drawing and painting competition was organised for the children up to 15 years of age. The competition was planned and executed by Mrigya Public Relations. Ayush, Akansha and Kritika were declared winners.

Scholar badge ceremony

DPS, R K Puram, organised the scholar badge ceremony for Class XI. 21 French delegates, who are visiting the school as part of the French Cultural Exchange Programme, attended the programme. Dancer and bureaucrat Shovana Narayan was the chief guest.

The Principal, Dr Shyama Chona, gave the welcome address and gave credit to her teaching staff for the exemplary performance of the students.

Touched by the energy, sensitivity and creativity displayed by the students in the cultural programme, Ms Narayan encouraged them not to cease to wonder and to let the ‘shakti’ (power) of sensitivity bloom with them and make the world a better place to live in.

For special children

On the occasion of World Disability Day, Tamanna Special School organised a competitions for the special children. These children participated in poetry, prose, drawing and painting competitions.

The show was aimed at encouraging the children with special needs to express their talents and creativity. Ms Catherine Young, wife of the British High Commissioner was the Special Guest.

Conclave for teachers

Students demonstrate vermi techniques at Bal Bharti.

A training seminar for teachers from Delhi schools was organised at Bal Bharti Public School. The programme began with the lighting of the lamp and a Saraswati Vandana.

A report of the activities of the Eco Training Club was read out and a ballet; ‘Puryavaram’ was also performed. Dr T. K. Joshi spoke about the air pollution and the hazard it poses to health. Techniques of vermi composting were also displayed to the audience.

PRINCIPALSPEAK
Integrity alone can combat conflict and corruption

As the year draws to a close, a quick flash back at the events makes us shudder. It has been a time when terrorists played death-games with hostages, troops were mobilised, human lives went up in flames, banks trembled, scams shook the nation, corruption gripped it and governments appeared paralysed. Value systems were seen to splinter and crash, and the lifeboats of family, religious institutions and state were hurtled about.

Should we despair as we look at the darkening clouds or should we smile because we know that the light within us can dispel this darkness? As long as the heart of man is in the right place, we know all is right with the world. The heart of the man is the church, the mosque and the temple. It is in the spiritual sanctum of the heart that God resides and provides us with the solutions to our problems. It is here that the true morality lies and the true growth takes place. External growth is always fraught with struggle and hostility as it involves a clash of ideas and interests. The real growth is the inner growth - where we do not use achievement of power and material wealth as yardsticks of growth but ask ourselves. “How much have I grown in love, kindness and compassion?” The pursuit of money and power leads to strife and corruption, whereas inner growth brings happiness and a sense of fulfilment.

The question that arises is: Can individual growth weed out hatred, fear and corruption from the world? The answer is ‘yes’.

Individuals are the atoms that hold tremendous power within them and can serve as agents of change. After all a nation comprises of individuals. Thus, individuals with a high sense of morality and social responsibility can work miracles. This calls for honesty and integrity. We need to live up to a simple motto: “Life is like a field of newly fallen snow; where I choose to walk, every step will show.” Integrity means having a personal standard of morality and ethics that does not sell out and that is relative to the situation in hand. Integrity is an inner standard for judging your behaviour. It is the bottom line in every area of society. And it is something that we must demand of ourselves. A life of principles is not succumbing to lures of easy morality. It is standing by your convictions ever in the face of personal pressure, being honest about who you really are and giving everyone his due. A society becomes good or bad, based in the ethical value of individuals. What give society its strength is ethical values. We must remember that power is illusory and money brings only limited happiness.

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart,” said Helen Keller.

Thus money is not pay off for every kind of work. People with character integrity and right value are not for sale.

At the end of the year, let us resolve to bring in a positive change in the society by changing ourselves. Let us resolve to simplify our lifestyle and be honest to ourselves and to others. This way we can root out the evils from the society. Christmas season makes it the right time to set begin - for Christmas is not just about Santa and gifts it is a time for sharing, loving, forgiving and ushering in the good.

Madhu Chandra, Principal, Birla Vidya Niketan

COURTS

Worm in a beer bottle, man gets Rs 2,000
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 22
How much do you claim for agony on finding a dead worm in your bottle of beer? A consumer moved court seeking a compensation of Rs 2,00,000 on account of distress, which he claimed was caused by finding a worm in the bottle of beer.

The court, however, put its foot down by making a sizeable cut in the claim amount. A city consumer court asked the makers of the liquor to pay Rs 2,000 as compensation to the purchaser.

The Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission turned down the complainant’s claim of Rs 2,00,000 thereby squashing his plans to make the most of the dead worm.

The court said that since the consumer had purchased just one bottle of beer, the compensation should not exceed Rs 2,000.

The commission said the complainant had failed to satisfy it as to how the compensation of Rs 2,000 was inadequate. Earlier, the Shalimar Bagh District Forum in the Capital had found Som Distilleries and Breweries, the makers of ‘Black Fort’ beer, guilty of deficiency in service and putting the complainant to mental agony and harassment by selling the bottle containing a dead worm.

S P Upadhayay in his complaint had claimed that on noticing a dead insect in the bottle of beer he purchased from a wine and beer shop on April 21, 2001, he took it back to the seller, who expressed inability to help him. On a later date, Upadhyaya sent a complaint to the beer makers, who also turned a deaf ear.

The District Forum and the State Commission absolved the wine shop of liabilities saying the wine shop was simply a seller of the sealed bottle of beer manufactured by Som Distillers and Breweries. The seller cannot be saddled with any liability of the manufacturer, the consumer courts said.

In its arguments, Som Distilleries and Breweries said the beer was required to be consumed as early as possible because the nature of the product was perishable.