Teachers hold Board responsible for copying
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 15
The cancellation of examination following leak of the question paper and imposition of fine on students for rearranging the examination has invited criticism from every section of society, particularly the students and their wardens.

Even the retired teachers who had not witnessed such large-scale copying and leak of question papers, feel disillusioned with the authorities of the Board of School Education, Haryana, and the district administration at their failure to curb copying.

During discussions with a cross-section of people, most of them squarely blamed the board for the state of affairs.” The question papers are leaked with the involvement of the staff on examination duty and as a result of lack of supervision and inspection of the examination centres and moral degradation in the teaching community”, remarked a retired principal.

The cancellation of the question paper and fine of Rs 100 on each student of the centre for re-examination was an act of torture and mental agony for those students who had studied hard during the year and were not involved in copying, said Rajinder, a retired Army man from Gohana town.

Surender Nath Bhatia blamed that almost all people involved in the examination system were responsible for this deterioration. Instead of fining the students, the authorities should nab the people responsible for encouraging copying and paper leak, whether they were from the board or the wardens of the students or the staff on duty at the centres, he said.

“We cannot eradicate this evil until an atmosphere is created at the school level against the menace of copying. The teachers in the schools must realise their responsibility in motivating the students and the wardens against copying,” said Raghbir Nath, a retired teacher.

CULTURE

GLITZ&GLAMOUR
Obese women don’t need to shed any 
kilos for these outfits
Smriti Kak

This is one revolution that will create quite a stir in the closet. For one, women don’t need to shed any kilos to get into western wear, because ‘Revolution’, a western clothes store, promises an outfit for all sizes.

For Nisha Somaia, Director, Revolution, “The concept was self-inspired, being a larger size myself, I realised how much we are ignored in the western wear sector in the market”. Working in sync with European style forecasts and predictions the sizing starts from size two through to size four. All of seven sizes that cover a waist size 28 inches up to as much as 44 inches, the place spells good news for those with larger sizes.

Dressing up in comfort is Revolution’s talisman for success. Say Neeta, “We do not promote obesity in women. We promote good looks, no matter what the size is.” As for the look this summer, Jacqueline Meston, who heads the design and product team, says clean shapes on modern lines and smart silhouettes will dominate the fashion scene this summer.

A comprehensive collection ranging from casual wear and denims to formal work wear and party wear, there are almost a hundred styles per season available. To beat the summer heat, fabrics like cotton voile, cotton crepe, cotton poplins, cheese cloth and light-weight polyester have been used. 

The couture that exudes old world charm

A model in Vinita Pittie's creation.

Vinita Pittie, the designer from Hyderabad, was in the Capital to present her summer collection. Vinita’s summer collection had mesh sarees with printed petticoats and blouses; sarees, salwar kameez, churidars in mulmul, crushed cotton, georgette and chiffon.

Talking about her collection, Pittie says, “My summer collection is vibrant and exudes an old world romance. There’s something for everyone beginning from kurties, kurtas, sarees, blouses and bangles. The wearer would be flattered if she even saw an unintentional glimpse of her own reflection in the mirror. The collection also comprises of stone studded Hyderabadi style famous bangles.” The collection was on display for two days in the Capital. TNS

A riot of colours to liven up linens

Be:, the pret a porter range from the house of Raymond, has unveiled its Spring Summer Collection 2003. The theme being ‘Colour is Energy’ the line is a colourful riot. Bright, ice candy colours, have been used to liven up linens, cottons and denims to create a refreshing summer look.

For those who prefer subtlety, there are pastels to choose from. If Anshu Arora Sen and Magnetic Red with Be:’s in-house team have played with colours, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Jon savio with Pridarshini Rao offer a neutral palette of gentle bisque and powder tones. With designers like Krishna Mehta, Raghvendra Rathore and Rohit Bal, Be: has a collection that fetches more than just approving looks. TNS

A classical treat

For the Indian Classical music aficionados, the month of May will bring in a veritable treat. Ustad Rashid Khan, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Dr L. Subramaniam, Louis Banks, Sivamani, Prateek Choudhury and Begum Parveen Sultana will perform in the Capital’s India Habitat Centre.

The three-day music festival ‘Legends of India’ is the fifth in the series and is scheduled to be held from May 2-4. Organised by Dipayan Mazumdar and Associates (DMA), the festival is aimed at promoting Indian art forms.

Initiated in 1999, the festival, however, is grappling with the nitty gritty that is corporate funding. Says Dipayan Mazumdar, CEO of DMA, “Corporate managers seem convinced that entertainment for corporate promotion should be in the English domain. However, our endeavour to uphold traditional art forms in music, theatre and dance against this overpowering ‘phoren’ culture has been hugely successful and encouraging.”

The optimistic Majumdar adds, “By presenting this year’s festival, DMA is once again reaffirming its commitment to creating awareness about the rich traditions of Indian culture.”

A Lifetime Achievement Award for dedicated and lifelong service for the promotion of Indian classical arts, will also be a part of this year’s festival.

We are told that it is for the first time, an emerging artiste will perform on each of the three days. Reason being the promotion of young and upcoming musicians to pursue the classical traditions of India in the performing arts. TNS

Jewellery at a discount

Discounts are a delight, and it only gets better if it is jewellery at a discounted price. Inter Gold, has announced its anniversary discount sale, starting from five percent and above on all purchases. The good news does not here, like the rest of the get luck contests, this one promises an extra 25 per cent off on scratching the discount cards. A lucky draw will determine the winner of a game contest and make the winner richer by diamond studded jewellery. TNS

A parlour on wheels

Godrej Hair Care Institute, a centre for teaching the art and science of hair care was here. The parlour on wheels travelled across the city and reached out to the people. Rajouri Garden, Vikaspuri and East Patel Nagar being first followed by Model Town, Ashok Vihar and Sarojini Nagar and Lajpat Nagar.

The parlour on wheels did colour some manes for free and also applied mehndi tattoos. TNS 

Plenty of projects for Rohit

Talent does not remain dormant for long. Having made a mark for himself in a movie by the Uganda filmmaker, Mosico Paul’s Misfortune, Rohit Bali has had fortune smiling on him.

He has been roped in to play a role in Run, a film starring Abhishek Bachchan and Mahesh Manjrekar. Rohit, who has learnt the nuances of acting from the Asian Academy of Film and Television, has also been signed for Shamim Akhtar’s international film, Dilli Raat Mein. Rohit has also worked in projects like Kash, I love you, Shart and Yaadein. TNS

Joining hands to produce a cassette
Parminder Singh

Tejinder Bedi, an electrical engineer, Mukund Thakur, an ex-GM from SAIL, Kartik Prasad, computer hardware engineer and Susheela Kaushik, have teamed up to produce a cassette of devotional songs.

While Kartik has penned the lyrics for the bhajans, its music has been composed and directed by Mukund Thakur. Tejinder Bedi, Mukund Thakur and Susheela Kaushik in a chorus have sung the bhajans. Kartik hails from the steel city of Bokaro and has been writing lyrics ever since he was a kid. After completion of his graduation, Mukund got his training in classical music from his classical singer father, (late) Shridev Thakur, G. P. Thakur and Acharya Jagdish.

Mukund has done a number of stage shows of light Indian classical songs, popular Hindi numbers and pop music with the Russian groups under the Indo-Soviet Cultural Society (ISCUS).

Tejinder Bedi, who studied at Punjab Engineering College, has a passion for music. He trained himself only through listening to masters, like K. L. Saigal, Jagjit Singh, Mohd Rafi, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar and Mukesh, Lata and Asha.

Susheela Kaushik has done a course in fine arts and is an excellent player of the Veena. She has already featured in a song with the south Indian mega star Chranjeevi in the films Shukhalekha.