GC-11 wins quiz contest
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 1
A quiz was organised on the second day of the inter-college competitions being held at the Government College of Education, Sector 20, in which seven teams took part. Mr V.K. Bansal from Panjab University was the chief guest.

Government College, Sector 11, won the first prize, followed by the Government College of Education, Sector 20, and Punjab Engineering College in second and third place.

The afternoon session saw poetry recitation contest during which the Bal Sahit Lekhika awardee, Ms Rajinder Kaur, was the chief guest. Balwinder Singh from the Government College of Education bagged the first prize, with Vivek Kumar of GC, Sector 11, coming second and Manu Prabhakar of Punjab Engineering College finishing third. The trophy was bagged by Government College, Sector 11.

Students welcome migratory birds
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 1
More than 450 students from 12 schools gathered at the regulator end of the Sukhna Lake to welcome migratory birds which make the lake their home during winters. The students carried placards on environment.

Dr S.K. Jindal, Reader, Department of Zoology, Panjab University, along with five officials of the Haryana Forest Department helped children identify about 1,200 birds. According to Mr S.K. Sharma, president, Environment Society of India, which organised the function, the species identified included pintal, brahininy, bar headed geese, red crested pochard and grebe.

The Additional Director, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Dr K.K. Garg, inaugurated the festival.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
JBTs, ETTs challenge rejection to course
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 1
Acting on a petition filed by JBTs and ETTs teachers working in different city schools with five to 10 years experience but not admitted to Panjab University’s recently introduced B.Ed course, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice of motion.

In their petition, Ms Suman Tara and other petitioners had earlier submitted that they were eligible for admission to the two-year course introduced for in-service teachers, but were ignored by giving preference to the ones working in the secondary schools.

Counsel had contended that the petitioners were “shocked” to know that their names had not been included in list of successful candidates. On enquiry, they came to know that “their candidature had been rejected because in-service teachers, working in secondary schools, had been given preference over the JBT and ETTs.

Giving details, counsel had added that the “teachers working in the secondary schools with two years of teaching experience had been selected, whereas the petitioners with five to 10 years teaching experience had been ignored”.

Going into the background of the matter, he had asserted that an advertisement was issued for admission to the course for in-service teachers through the correspondence studies for 2002-03 session. The petitioners, being fully eligible, had submitted the forms, along with the employment certificate.

Tender case

Taking up a petition filed by Sector 23 resident Sudarshan Kumar Gupta seeking directions to the Union of India and an Executive Engineer with the CPWD, Chandigarh Central Electrical Division, for accepting his firm’s application for tender, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice of motion for February 18.

In his petition, Mr Gupta had earlier stated that an advertisement inviting applications regarding the installation of sub station equipment was issued on November 19, last year.

His application, along with the requisite documents, was submitted after taking a valid receipt from the clerk concerned on November 20 2002, but intimation regarding the approval of pre-qualification application was not received.

The Executive Engineer, vide his letter dated January 22, 2003, informed the petitioner that his application had not been received even though the same had duly been submitted.

Going into the background of the case, his counsel had added that the petitioner had made a number of complaints against the Executive Engineer from time to time for resorting to unfair practices regarding the allotment of tenders.

Counsel had further added that it was prima facie established from the receipt, and the affidavits, that the application had been submitted but the Executive Engineer “had intentionally thrown it away for causing undue loss and harassment to the petitioner”.

SPECIAL LOK ADALAT
Rs 73 lakh awarded as compensation
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, February 1
Around Rs 73 lakhs were awarded as compensation to the litigants, while 545 cases were settled at a Special Lok Adalat organised at the District Courts here today.

A sum of Rs 1,77,300 lakh were also realised as fine. The UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, said 17 Benches were constituted under the aegis of the UT State Legal Services Authority and 1,164 cases pertaining to accident claims, matrimonial disputes, rent, recovery of money, summary challans cases and other disputes were taken up.

Mr Bhalla further added that in the court of the UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr C.L. Mohal, 850 cases related to traffic challans and under the Shops Act were settled, while around Rs 1 lakh were realised as fine. The adalats started at 10 a.m.

This was the first regular Lok Adalat of the year and was organised in association with the UT State Legal Service Authority. Justice N.K. Sodhi, Judge Punjab and Haryana High Court, District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, and the Judge Permanent Lok Adalat, Mr Sant Parkash, also participated.

Mr Sant Parkash said that for their convenience, two make-shift reception-cum-enquiry counters, with all details of the cases fixed before the various adalats, were also set up near the main gate of the courts. He also informed that next such Lok Adalat of MACT cases would be held on March 15, 2003, and regular Lok Adalat on April 5, 2003.

The President of the District Bar Association, Mr N.K. Nanda, thanked the advocates for rendering their cooperation.

Rs 3 lakh for accident victim

Taking note of a second year student of GCG-11 here, who had suffered a permanent disability on account of an accident, a special Lok Adalat today granted her a compensation of Rs 3 lakh. The case was taken up at a special Lok Adalat organised by the UT State Legal Service Authority at the District Courts here today. The student, Ms Poonam Sharma, had suffered permanent disability in a motor vehicle accident on October 29, 2001.

After hearing the case, the Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr Justice Mr N.K. Sodhi, UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, a Judge Permanent Lok Adalat, Mr Sant Parkash, and UT Additional and Sessions Judge, Mr Balbir Singh, persuaded the Indian Insurance Company to grant a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the victim.

CULTURE

Waris to music of soul
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 1
He is certainly not one among the many Punjabi singers struggling to make a mark beyond fringes of the music world. Manmohan Waris's success stems not just from the fact that he has laboured hard through initial days of confusion when music was so much mixed with commerce, but also from the fact that his solid grounding in music showed in every song he rendered.

Only recently he stood with the already celebrated Sonu Nigam to sing what waris calls, the song of his life — mera rang de basanti chola in the much talked about Tips film The Legend of Bhagat Singh. The song, so respected for the message it conveys and for the emotion it inspires, was especially given to Sonu and Waris to be rendered in the best possible form. That the music director trusted Waris with such a sensitive number which was picturized on Ajay Devgan was in itself a big achievement for the still-struggling singer.

After the music of this film released people were already talking about this new singer, who had more to his voice than the cliched elements required to make a bhangra pop number. Let us now, however, forget that Waris, who earlier lived in the U.S.A. was introduced to India through his maiden album Husn da jadu. released by Tips, the album was composed in India and recorded in Hollywood. Ask him whether he trusts India for its technical expertise in music and waris makes a humble submission, “I am no one to comment or analyze. I have defined my area of operation very clearly. I can only sing. That is all I know.”

Waris was in the city yesterday to release yet another album under the title of Dil vatte dil, an album fashioned for non stop entertainment. Talking about the album would be like making presumptions about the quality of music without even going into its depth. So it is a thing to talk about Waris, who is tipped as an upcoming singer, who has the mettle to make it good in Bollywood.

Trained in classical vocal music by Ustad Jaswant Bhanwra (the same composer who had composed the music for Gurdas Mann's first album), Waris graduated from Panjab University with music as the main subject. “My first break came when Hans Raj Hans gave Waris the opportunity to sing along with him on a tour to North America.

The one good thing about Waris is that unlike many others who wish to amass entire credit for success all by themselves, Waris likes to talk about the people who made him. “Success depends on individual labour, but it depends a lot on how much you can gather from the experience of others. I was lucky to have been associated with singers who treat music as art and not as commodity.”

With the new album around, Waris may prove another point.

FILM REVIEW
A beautiful voyage
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Bollywood Hollywood (KC) is a beautiful voyage on waters of cross-cultural bonds portraying emotions of thousands settled across the oceans but still clinging to their roots in India. Instant appeal to those settled abroad can be gauged from the fact that the film has grossed a business of $ 3,00,000 in the first week in Canada alone. The English version released here successfully retains the original colours of the story expected to shine with the use of foreign language conveying the Indian sentiments. Foreign words do not suit the overdose of Indian emotions, however, they add to the slice of humor. The roles of Moushumi Chatterjee, Dina Pathak and Ranjeet Choudhari, in particular, deserve praise.

Deepa Mehta who is the director of the movie has earlier made a good name for herself with ‘Earth’ and ‘Fire’. Deepa has also done the screenplay. Music by Sandeep Chowta also requires special mention. He has picked music of certain hit Hindi numbers and added a mix of Western tunes. Rahul Khanna and Lisa Ray have done justice to their roles.

Rahul is the grandson of Dina Pathak, the family head and son of Moushumi an over-Indianised mother. The family turns down Rahul’s relation with a Western girl. He meets Lisa who is pretending as a Spanish girl at a bar. He ‘buys’ her services to pose as his beloved. She agrees. Things go topsy turvy when later Rahul discovers that she is actually an Indian.

The film is a gracious comedy, which sees the lighter side of the mix of identities and ideas that old and the young Indians are facing abroad. It depicted confusion on both sides. The old wanted to have their feet intact in the Indian tradition while the young were wishing to break free from restrictions of the land they had probably never visited.

Douglas Koch has done the choreography, Tamara Devell the art direction and Anne Dixon and Ritu Kumar the costumes. Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Akshay Khanna feature in special appearances. This one is a nice family outing.

Juhi Babbar may not have it easy

Juhi Babbar, daughter of Raj Babbar and Nadira Babbar, makes her debut in the Hindi filmworld with “Kaash Aap Hamare Hote” opposite singer-turned actor Sonu Nigam. This love story was shot mainly in Canada.

Although this is her first assignment, she enjoyed doing the film. Her theatre background, thanks mainly to her mother, stood her in good stead while enacting difficult emotional scenes. It is different from the average Bollywood blockbusters, claims Juhi. The story is mainly about Indian cultural ethos and movie buffs will find the story close to their real lives.

In spite of the fact that son Arya Babbar’s debut film “Ab Ke Baras” bombed at the box-office, actor-producer-politician Raj Babbar is sure about Juhi’s talents. “She has what it takes to be a good actor and has worked hard,” he told reporters.

Her parents’ support notwithstanding, Juhi might not have it easy, what with the crowd of other star sons and daughters like Kareena Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi and Esha Deol, fighting tooth and nail to make a niche in the industry. Sonu Nigam considers “Kaash ....” as his debut film because he says he was lost in the huge cast comprising Sunny Deol, Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Manisha Koirala, Aftab Shivdasani, Aditya Pancholi, Arshad Warsi, Sharad Kapoor and Rambha in Raj Kumar Kohli’s “Jaani Dushman”.

“Kaash ...” is going to be an acid test for both Sonu Nigam and Juhi Babbar.