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February 19, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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NAAC team to visit Sohna college Gurgaon, February 18 A prominent academic institution run by the Nirankari Mission, the college puts extra emphasis on moral education, claims Mr P. S. Ahluwalia, president of the governing body of the college. Every year, the college organises an inter-college moral education function that helps students imbibe moral values. The college believes in the philosophy that the young learners need to be groomed with powerful analytical and critical reasoning ability and not merely memorisation of bookish knowledge. Established in 1975 as Lok Priya College and re-christened Nirankari Baba Gurbachan Singh Memorial college in 1980, the college has expanded with the passage of time. In the last academic year, M.Com classes were started whereas in the 2003-04 session MA classes in Hindi will be added, informed Mr Ahluwalia. He added 50 per cent teaching staff had PhDs. The philosophy behind starting the college was that such an institution could serve as an instrument for spreading the message of humanism and fellow feeling. During the Kargil hostilities and the catastrophic Gujarat earthquake, the students of the college generated awareness among the people and collected and donated cash and materials. Recently, the college launched a placement cell to help and guide the students in job-oriented spheres, said Prof Surjit Misree, coordinator of the steering committee of the NAAC report. |
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STATE OF AFFAIRS New Delhi, February 18 However, there has been a decrease in the number of students taking the exams. For class X exams, the decrease amounts to 6,000 students whereas for class XII exams, there would 2,000 students less than last year’s numbers. Of the total 5,61,638 candidates appearing for the class X exams, 2,34,666 are girls while of the 3,66,145 students appearing for class XII, 1,52,754 are girls. In the Capital, there is also an increase in the number of examination centres from 5,766 last year to 6,202 this year for class X and from 3,547 to 3,840 for class XII exams. There is a marginal increase in the number of schools as well, from 2,402 to 2,506 for class X and from 2,039 to 2,160 for class XII. There is a discernible swell in the number of handicapped and spastic students as well. While last year, there were no spastics taking the class X exams, this year the number stands at 240 and for class XII exams, it is 12. The number of blind students taking class X exams is 183 and class XII is 144, an increase from last year’s 87. The number of handicapped students taking the class X exams is 887 and for class XII, the number stands at 378. The Chairman of the CBSE, Mr Ashok Ganguly, said here today that 10 schools have been earmarked as special exam centres for the visually challenged. Apart from this, the physically challenged students will be provided amanuenses, computers or typewriters and an extra hour to complete their exams. Schools have been asked to accommodate them on ground floors and they are exempt from the third language. The answer sheets of these students will be sent to separate nodal evaluation centres and the teachers from the same school will be allowed to carry out evaluation. The remuneration of the scribes has been increased and a separate column has been provided on the title page of the answer sheet for indicating the category of physically challenged to help in segregating them for separate evaluation. This year, the CBSE has made some changes in the question paper for class X. Instead of 33 questions in science, there will be 30 questions and internal choice in four questions. For class XII students, the Maths paper will have 26 questions instead of 30 and 27 in Physics instead of 30. For visually challenged students, the CBSE will provide alternative questions in mathematics and science. The formats of the question papers in English Course ‘A’, communicative Sanskrit for class X and Sanskrit core, Elective English and English Core for class XII have been modified for evaluation purposes. Separate main answer books in English Core, Sanskrit Core and Elective have been introduced. Mr Ganguly also pointed out that to check malpractices, the packet containing the question papers will be opened in the presence of at least four assistant superintendents, one of whom will be from another centre. The head examiners of Social Sciences have been asked to choose additional head examiner in such a way that the head examiner and the two additional head examiners are able to cover all four components. Also for the first time, observers have been appointed to oversee the conduct of practical exams for class XII. Another first this year is that candidates booked for using unfair means will not be asked to repeat questions already answered in the first booklet. Full-time observers have been appointed at sensitive centres in Delhi and scanned photographs of Patrachar and private candidates have been provided on the admit cards to check malpractices.
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Team to assess MDU track record Rohtak, February 18 The other members on the team are: Dr S. Gurumadhava Rao, Registrar of Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Karnataka; Prof S. Sayarama Reddy, Principal of Sri Vankateswara University College of Arts and Sciences, Tirupati; Prof Prashanth K. Sinha. Professor of English, University of Pune in Maharashtra; Prof L.Tharabhai, Dean of Social Sciences, Madurai Kamraj University in Tamilnadu; and Prof Satanu Bhattacharya from University of Kalyani in West Bengal. Dr M.S. Shama Sundar, Deputy Registrar in NAAC is the coordinating officer. NAAC is an autonomous institute established by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 1994 at
Bangalore. The Maharshi Dayanand University has volunteered for assessment and accreditation. The team comes to the institute after a thorough analysis of the exhaustive documentation provided by the institute. For this, the Maharshi Dayanand University prepared a five-volume document through its steering committee headed by Prof S B Dahiya, Dean of Faculty of Education. Other members of the committee were: Prof R. Vinayak, Dean, Faculty of Commerce; Prof C.M. Sharma, Dean, Academic Affairs; Prof A.K. Madan, Dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Dr S.K. Gakhar, Director of the Directorate of Distance Education. The purpose of the NAAC team’s visit is to validate the claims of the institute recorded in the self-study report through interactions, visits and verification of the documents. The team looks only for the pattern of evidence to understand the college impact and the ambience on the educational experience of the students. The team acquaints itself with the strengths of the institute and analyses the mechanisms for quality improvement. It goes neither for a fact-finding exercise nor makes an attempt to solve the grievances. The whole exercise is aimed at ‘positive introspection’. |
GLITZ&GLAMOUR Ironically, the man whose paintings cost a fortune was refused admission to the Slade School of Fine Art on the grounds that he “had no talent”. “They took one look at my very first picture, a painting of birds and asked me to go drive a bus,” says Shepherd. But today you may have to wait for “18 months” to get the artist’s creation. However, the artist who has taken on the mantle of a conservationist is worried today, “I am scared. The way with which we are raping and destroying the planet, we may have no future”. He adds, “Where we have gone wrong is the assumption that we are the most superior and intelligent of all the animals and that we own this planet. Whereas the truth is that we have to share it with the other animals and we are dependent for everything on life around us, the trees, the plants and the animals.” Shepherd set up a Wildlife Foundation in 1984, to create awareness and raise funds for wildlife conservation. A job the foundation has managed to do well, the foundation till date has managed to raise 2.5 million pounds. “I was visiting with my wife when I saw 255 dead zebras in a waterhole in Tanzania. The animals had died because they drank contaminated water. This is when I decided to take up conservation of animals.” In India to launch the ‘Art for Wildlife Movement’ wherein artists have been roped in by the Wildlife Trust of Indian to create works of art-based on the theme of wildlife to take the message of conservation forward, Shepherd points out, “I must say that children are more conscious about saving the environment than most heads of multinationals and most politicians”. Elaborating, “I always tell the students that man is the most destructive and dangerous animal and that we have to save the environment from him”. Wildlife and environment issues worldwide have captivated his attention. “Way back when I was visiting the Taj Mahal along with a few Indian friends, I was told that the Taj is suffering because of the immense pollution. I said never mind, you can always build another, but the last tiger that you have shot cannot ever be replaced”. Passionate to a degree that remains unexplainable, Shepherd whose painting the ‘Tiger Fire’ that fetched 1,27,000 pounds, had paved way for the Project Tiger about three decades ago, wants to draw attention to the illegal traffic in Wildlife parts. “The trade is next only to the narcotics trade”. The artist who claims to be indebted to Robert Goodwin, who “taught me not just painting, but also the business of art,” claims, “I do not know anything about wildlife, I can’t tell you how many teeth an elephant has, but I can tell you that I have seen elephants limping because their legs have been blown away after stepping on a land mine”. Winding up he adds, “Human beings have no right to involve animals in their fights and wars.” |
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Now, filter your lungs at GK oxygen bar Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja inaugurated a unique health centre, ‘Oxy Gym’, at Greater Kailash in the Capital. According to the chairman of the centre, Mr Navneet Arora, this centre has all the facilities, like aerobics studio, steam and sauna, massage parlour and oxygen bar. The main attribute of the centre is that the customers can inhale fresh oxygen by using nasal oxygen cannula, which purifies lungs, saturates the blood stream and re-energises the body. One can also take
aromatherapy, which also helps to clear the mind, heightens awareness and balance emotions. Outlining the main objective behind opening the health centre, he said that living in Delhi, where the level of pollution is so alarming and lives of people are reeling under stress, this type of centre is very much imperative. He further said that high-pressure cylinders are not used for producing oxygen. So, it is completely safe. We are using very sophisticated concentrators, which produce oxygen on demand. This technology is called ‘pressure swing absorption’, which takes the air from the room after filtering out other gases.
New jewellery range from Aastha A big name in the field of diamond jewellery in Japan, ‘Aastha’, launched its latest varieties at the Delhi-based Surya hotel on the eve of Valentine’s Day. The chairman of the ‘Astha’ said that through our South Extension-based outlet, we are trying to present different types of diamond on very reasonable prices. A cultural programme and a charity show were organised on the occasion.
Leave it to Anita, now The Applause Entertainment has brought the much-talked feature film ‘Anita and Me’ to the Indian audiences from February 21. Based on the award winning novel of Meera Sayal, the film captures beautifully the trials and minor triumphs of a bright 12-year-old girl, growing up with her conservative Punjabi immigrant parents in the English Midland in the early seventies. Her childhood was caught between two cultures, each on the brink of enormous change. The film was released in UK in November last and rated among the top five films. The film boasts of an entourage of known Indian and International actors like Ayesha Dharker, Zohara Shehgel and Kabir Bedi.
A chip off the Punjabi pop block
For 32-year-old Indira Vihar-based Punjabi pop singer Jyoti Diladar, singing plays the role of an interface between man and God. His first Punjabi album ‘Mele Lagge Rahanage’ is all set to hit the market. He is a big fan of Baba Bulle Shah. Jyoti has learned the basic things of singing from Ustad Nasir Ahamad Khan of Delhi Gharana and Indu Prakash. Under their tutelage, he mastered in tabala, dholk and classical singing. It was Ustad Baljeet Diwana, who gave him the first exposure of stage shows. And then there was looking back. He participated in several stage shows with famous Punjabi singers, like, Jasvinder Narula, Milan Singh and Shababir Kumar.
Tempting trinkets
Gyan’s, a house of fine bridal jewellery, has opened a new showroom in Karol Bagh.
On offer are a variety of gold and diamond jewellery and designs that have been crafted with expertise and imagination.
Known for their forte in designing, bridal jewellery the place takes pride in offering wearables that are graceful, intense and refreshing.
TNS
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Destiny painted the canvas of his life brilliant with myriad colours, but by his own admission his life has been “a disaster after disaster”. Celebrated artist David Shepherd became an artist when he failed to make it as a “game warden in Africa” and was left to either make living “driving a bus” or take up painting. 
