42 participate in declamation contest
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 3
Forty-two students from 21 schools of the city participated in an inter-school declamation contest organised at Nehru Sidhant Kendra here today. The students were given a choice to speak on topics given in English, Hindi and Punjabi. Topics in English included ‘Educate women, if we want a strong India’, ‘The first requisite for happiness of the people is the abolition of religion’ and ‘In India, corruption has been legalised’. Topics for speakers in Punjabi were ‘Vartmaan yug vich hasse da akal’, ‘Mande karmi Nanka tan man manda hoye’, ‘Hinse te nangez ton kiven mukt hove media?’ and ‘Mansik pradushan — sab burayian di jadh’, while topics for speakers in Hindi were ‘Manav ki mein manav ko hatiyara bana deti hai’, ‘Bhrashtachar ne naye kshitij chhuye hain’ and ‘Adhunik bhartiya nari ki dohri bhumika’.

Among the speakers in English, Parneet Wander of class IX from Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, stood first. Sheeba Soin of class VII from Kundan Vidya Mandir, city branch, was declared second and Tript Simran Kaur of class XI from GGN Public School, Rose Garden was declared third. Harneet Sehgal of class XII from Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, got a consolation prize.

Among the speakers in Punjabi, Jasmine Kaur of class IX from Guru Nanak Public School, Sarabha Nagar, stood first, followed by Sovina of class IX from GRD Academy. Sirjana Singh of class XII from Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School and Nisha of class from BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Focal Point, got the third prize. Consolation prize went to Manpreet Kaur of class IX from GGN Public School.

Among the speakers in Hindi, Tarun Chawla of class IX from DAV Public School stood first. Sahibpreet Kaur of class VI from Kundan Vidya Mandir, city branch, got the second prize. Uttam Wadhawan of class X from Rashtriya Bal Vidya Mandir got the third prize. Saniya Chopra of class X from Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, got a consolation prize.

The team from Kundan Vidya Mandir, city branch, was declared the overall winner. Ms Inderjit Gill Vashisht, Principal, gave away the prizes to the winners.

PAU develops 2-min pasta
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 3
The Department of Food Science and Technology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has developed an instant pasta that involves a cooking time of two minutes. Giving this information, Dr Savita Sharma, professor in the department, said the pasta required about two to three minutes cooking time. The pasta had been prepared from semolina as it required less water for preparation and gave better quality pasta with attractive colour.

The department would prepare pasta in three shapes, including twisties, shell-shaped and elbow-shaped macaroni. She said the products would be sold on a no-profit no-loss basis on test trials. The department had purchased machines worth Rs 40 lakh from Italy under the National Agricultural Technology Project.

Low-cal show
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 3
Slim-n-Shape organised a low-calorie show at their centre in which many of their present and former clients participated. The organisers had also held a low-cal show by the interns of PAU. The judges on the occasion were Dr Subhasini Verma, a dietician from the College of Home Sciences, PAU, and Ms Poonam Bindra, a home scientist.

The first prize was bagged by Vasudha, who made “station of nutritious salad.” Monika was given the second prize for “semolina sandwiches” and Kusum Kapoor the third prize for making low-cal “vegetable sandwich”. Two consolation prizes were given to Sija and Sabina for “green magic.”

Paintings that celebrate psyche
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 3
“Leela”, a painting exhibition by Swaranjit Savi, began today at a commercial complex for want of an art gallery in the city. The five-day exhibition is being organised by local Artists.

A series of 19 paintings in this exhibition, subtitled “Celebration of Body and Beyond”, celebrate human body as an eternal song of love, an artistic world of “Leela”. Depicting bodies with faces having no distinct identity, the paintings go beyond the traditional thought and indoctrinations. A body in Savi's work becomes a take-off point and a route to attain higher levels of consciousness. The senses stand purified and the body transcends time and space.

Savi has not given titles to his paintings. In one painting the figure is mummified and new leaves are coming out. It is symbolic of life after death. His paintings are neither modern nor traditional.

The body in his works is not depicted in any traditional Indian style or school of painting.

The artist has glorified human psyche. Most of the paintings don’t depict a cultural phenomenon but reflect deep thought and vibrant colours.

Savi feels love is a recognition linked with choice of the beloved. Eroticism is that dynamic, unstable and mysterious grammar that transcends all codes and criteria of beauty and offers an introduction of the beloved.

He has held 35 shows of poster poems based on Punjabi poetry from Baba Sheikh Farid to contemporary poets.

Runing the lack of space for artists to showcase their talent, Savi says the city must have an art gallery.