The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

A school close to nature
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh: Little Kangaroos, a preparatory school, on the Kisangarh road, offers a chance to your tiny tot to mingle with the nature in the most enjoyable manner.

The school, which came into existence in March, 2002, provides ample of space to its students, allowing them to feel free as the nature originally meant them to be. “We give equal importance to outdoor activities as we give to classroom discipline,” says Ms Billa Brar, Principal and founder of the school.

Looking at the healthy smiling faces indulged in playful activities under the cozy winter Sun, it dawns on you how important a role the environment play in a child’s mental and physical well-being. “The school does its best to provide warm and familiar atmosphere to a child who has for the first time stepped outside his home without his mother,” she adds.

Ms Brar, who has a teaching experience of 26 years in a prestigious school in Chandigarh, is trying to instil self-confidence in her young pupils. “We have kept the fee structure nominal to cater to all groups of people. But I am looking forward to add a special evening section just for the underprivileged class from the neighbouring areas,” she says.

School holds function
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, December 25
Sant Isher Singh Model Senior Secondary School, Phase VII, held its annual prize distribution function here today.

The programme started with a shabad, “Deh Shiva bar mohe,” by children. Tiny tots sang a welcome song, “The flowers are blooming and the rivers do sing.” Later, students from various classes presented, among other items, a Christmas song, a patriotic group song, “Bharat ki santan hain” and Bengali, Haryanavi, Gujarati and Western dances. A Punjabi skit, “Planning”, showed how planning often leads nowhere and evoked laughter among the audience.

The chief guest, Mr Birdevinder Singh, MLA, said it was unfortunate that the standard of education was going down.

CULTURE

City to witness unique show today
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 25
Attempting an innovation in ‘dance theatre’, the Dance Eastern Wind group will be presenting a unique show ‘No boat in sight’ which is an amalgamation of performers, artists and musicians from Asian countries at Tagore theatre here tomorrow evening.

This was stated by Makoto Sato, one of the directors of the show, while interacting with mediapersons here today. The visiting 50 odd troupe members were chalking out the finer details of the show at the residence- cum-studio of Neelam Man Singh, a city-based theatre personality.

Anuradha Kapur, the other director, was also present on the venue. The dance show will have nine different items that will be amalgamated in a single piece. The Japan-India dance collaboration features on the occasion of 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The show is being sponsored by the ICSSR.

Sato reflects philosophically “ the hearts of human beings are affected by the rivers’ flow. The river gives us beautiful images, however, it also creates gaps between us”. He adds, “ collaboration is one of the acts of crossing the rivers and I feel free while collaborating”. The ‘river’ that he refers to includes countries, past and present traditions and gap between man and woman.

His partner Keiko Takeya says, “Japanese contemporary dance has been influenced by Germany before World War II and by the USA after war. Recently European dance tendencies have also influenced contemporary Japanese work. On the other hand, a modern dance form called Buto has originated in Japan itself. The Dance Eastern Wind creates collaboration between India and Japan.”

Anuradha Kapur says, “The making of” “No boat in sight” has been like fitting a puzzle together where fragments, moments, images, improvisations and cultural references are slotted together to form a fresher image. The Indian performers and musicians working on the project journeying from classical forms to contemporary ones and back”.

TV a challenge to cinema: film director
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 25
Television has taken away the magic of cinema on screen, says Sushen Bhatnagar, an upcoming film director in an interview with The Tribune here today.

His release ‘Soch’ did not do any big wonders at the box office. However, the response to his music by critics,particularly in media, and personal contacts gave him commendation for his work. He is currently working on a couple of scripts which he would like to complete before taking on the next venture shortly.

Bhatnagar said: “Cinema has certain elements of mystery which is the main reason for its remaining attractive. The television scenario which has diversified now, however, posed a direct challenge. Watching a film in a dark theatre was a personal experience whereas the television screen has a crowd watching and commenting on the show taking away elements of mystery”, Bhatnagar said.

Film is basically a director’s medium and earlier they were known to the public indirectly through their works. Now, market compulsions force them on televisions, giving one interview after the other defending their ‘products’, he said. He opined that Hrithik Roshan had been the biggest causality of ‘over exposure’ in recent times.

Bhatnagar felt that the film world these days was offering nothing substantial to viewers which was a stage for which a director was to be blamed. Even an actor of the capability of Amitabh Bachchan is dependent on the ‘short-sightedness’ of the directors who want to cast him only in a type-cast role. The actor has suffered greatly because of absence of “ original and novel ideas to suit him”.

Bhatnagar began his journey into the world of performing arts during his college days at Lucknow. “ I was into theatre, particularly English. My yearning for creativity on stage continued before I joined the Film and Television Institute, Pune. The stay at the institute has been a great learning experience”, he added.

The role of a producer is also not neatly played in the Indian industry. Here a producer was not necessarily a professional whereas a producer is expected to sit with the director and plan details regarding executing of any production, including the cast and other details. Here producers were largely sources of ‘money alone and not ideas’.

The favourites of Bhatnagar include Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy.