EDUCATION

PTU rejects students’ appeal
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 29
The request of scores of final semester BBA and BCA students from various colleges of the city who had been seeking another chance from Punjab Technical University to clear their compartment has been rejected.

Earlier after much persuasion, the students had been informed through a notification in their respective colleges that their demand had been accepted. However, when they approached the university authorities for their admit cards to appear in the examination, they were told that the demand had not been accepted.

The students complained that the university authorities were playing with their future and they had to lose a semester. A BBA student from Punjab College of Technical Education (PCTE) said he had bought application forms for MBA and even received an interview call after clearing an entrance test. However, since he had not been allowed to appear in the supplementary examination this time, all his efforts, had been wasted.

Another BBA student from Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Model Town, said she had applied for a course in fashion designing for which graduation was a must. She blamed the university authorities for not granting her permission to appear in the examination this time, forcing her to lose another six months.

Dr K.N.S. Kang, Director of PCTE, said three students from his college had been affected. He had been supporting the students in pursuing the case but their demand had not been accepted. He said it was unfortunate that the students would have to lose another six months.

Prof Kuldip Singh, Director, Gujranwala Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Civil Lines, said nearly 10 students from his college had been affected. He said all of them had got their applications signed from him and would be delivering these to university officials, requesting for a chance.

Mr S.K. Bhatia, PTU registrar, said the Vice-Chancellor of the university had declared that from this semester onwards no student would be granted another chance for compartments. However, at an academic council meeting last month, it was decided that the fourth chance should be given to the students. But this rule could not be implemented with retrospective effect and would be applicable from the next semester, he said, adding that the students would be able to appear for the examination in June. However, their case would also be taken up at the next meeting of the council to be held in February, he said. 

Topper wants to work on folk studies
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, January 29
Gagandeep Kaur, who received two gold medals at Panjab University convocation held yesterday at Chandigarh is an alumni of Government College for Women here. In an interview with Ludhiana Tribune she said: ''after college, I would go to Punjabi Bhawan's library for reference work and return home at 5 pm. Often my grandmother would crib. I owe a lot to my teachers, specially Dr Amarjit Singh Dua, Head of Punjabi Department, GCW and Dr Sarabjot Kaur and Prof Paramjit Kaur, also of GCW. My mother Atinder Kaur stood like a rock with me and encouraged me to study late in the night."

The proud mother said: "We encouraged her to participate in declamation, debate competitions as we did not want her to be a book worm. We encouraged her to participate in Ms World Punjaban Competition in the 2000. She was declared second runners- up in the contest."

Gagandeep, now a teacher at Guru Nanak College here an ad hoc basis, feels that after becoming a teacher she has realised the true meaning of education.

“I plan to do research in Punjabi folk literature as very little has been done on it. I want to promote Punjabi culture as true Punjab culture is waning.” The gold medallist says that she is fond of reading Bhai Veer Singh's poetry and she is all praise for Dalip Tiwana's latest book 'Katha kaho Urvashi

"I also want to do creative writing based on our folk literature. May be after research will compile poems rendered by rural folk and bring out a cassette of folk ditties so that children can remain in touch with their rich heritage, "she adds.

Govt teachers hold rally
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, January 29
The Government Teachers Union, Ludhiana, held a rally in front of the Mini-Secretariat in support of their demands. The meeting was attended by the district president of the union, Mr Jagdev Singh Garcha, who said in a press note that they held a rally to give a warning to the government to change its “anti-worker” stance, failing which they would hold a statewide protest on March 8.

The teachers said according to the new policies of the government around 15,000 teachers would be rendered jobless while there were thousands of vacancies. They also protested against the government for taking work not related to education from the teachers.

In another press note, Mr Darbara Singh Dhillon, president of the Government Primary Teachers Association, Punjab, opposed the introduction of elementary directorate. Primary teachers would hold a rally on February 7 in Amritsar in this regard.

Workshop on kharif crop
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 29
The PAU will hold a two-day agricultural officers’ workshop from February 10. The workshop will be inaugurated by Dr Kirpal Singh Aulakh, PAU Vice-Chancellor.

According to Dr Jaspinder Singh Kolar, Director of Extension Education, agricultural scientists of the university and field staff of the state Agriculture Department will then discuss the recommendations for kharif crops and finalise them. These will be printed in the form of a booklet. The participants will also be shown the ongoing research experiments on rabi crops.

10-yr RI for rape

Ludhiana, January 29
Mr Inderjit Kaushik, Additional Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, has sentenced Luxmi Kapadia of Chet Singh Nagar, to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for raping a two-year old girl. The judge ordered the accused paid Rs 5000 as fine. The prosecution examined as many as nine witnesses. OC 

CULTURE

‘Jism’ aesthetic, not unusual: viewers
Vimal Sumbly
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 29
The success of ‘Jism is being attributed to the changed mindset of people, who seem to have accepted it without raising any eyebrow. The film is being shown in two theatres here, where it is drawing a good crowd.

The film is doing well not because of some hot scenes in it. Viewers say that it has a thematic beauty as well. Most youngsters who have seen the film say that it has tried to break taboos. The youth, including a number of girls, said there was nothing wrong or unusual in the movie and it was according to the popular taste.

Rakesh Aima, a young bank official, says that, probably, for the first time in Indian cinema history, we have a movie that has not been rated adult, in spite of having a number of “hot” scenes. He says that this shows the maturity of the Censor Board, that has not used the scissors too ruthlessly. The film, he says, is not being viewed for wrong reasons.

“There is a definite plot, concerning the basic instinct of a woman,” he said.

Shalini, a young working woman, said she did not find anything wrong in the movie and she had seen it with her husband. “Both of us enjoyed the movie, though there were not many women in the theatre,” she said. Her husband Jaideep said: “Each one of us would like to see adult movies on television in bedroom, so, why shy away from seeing one in theatre.”

However, there are some who say that it will take some time for the Indian viewer to come to terms with movies like ‘Jism’, since “it is too bold to be seen with family”. A leading doctor of the city, on the condition of anonymity, said, the time was still for when he would watch such a movie with his children. “Maybe, in another 15 years, but, not now. Sex is still a taboo in our families and talking about it openly is still unacceptable,” he said.

Jism has been drawing a good response from the middle-aged as well. “You don’t have a choice. You have to make do with all the third-rate stuff being shown in ordinary theatres, but ‘Jism’ has been done aesthetically,” said a middle-aged lecturer. “It entertains without being offensive,” he said.

There is a broad consensus that films like ‘Jism’ should be seen more in Indian cinema. “Nobody said ‘Titanic’ was full of flesh, even though it had many hot scenes, so why this fuss about ‘Jism’; I saw it with my family,” said Arushi, a law student. She said it would not take long before such movies were accepted. “Any movie of Mahesh Bhatt has something rebellious in it,” she said.