MDU forms quality assurance cell
Our Correspondent

Rohtak, May 15
Maharshi Dayanand University has initiated steps towards continuous quality improvement even after its accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

The Vice-Chancellor, Maj-Gen (Retd) Bhim Singh Suhag, has constituted an internal quality assurance cell (IQAC) to develop proper framework and mechanism for quality promotion and sustenance and to maintain regular monitoring of various activities of the university. The proposal to constitute the IQAC has been communicated by the Director, HACC, Dr Pillai, who recently joined as Vice-Chairman of the University Grants Commission.

Dr S. B. Dahiya, Professor of Economics and Dean, Faculty of Education, has been appointed convenor of the IQAC. The other members on the committee include Dr C. M. Sharma, Dean, Academic Affairs, Dr A. K. Madan, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr K. C. Bhardwaj, Controller of Examinations, Mr K. C. Dadhwal, Finance Officer, and Mr D. S. Dhull, Assistant Director, Sports.

The NAAC has, it may be recalled, graded and accredited Maharshi Dayanand University with B++ (Institutional score - 80 to 85 per cent). The Peer Team of the NAAC has described Maharshi Dayanand University as an university with great potential.

COURTS

Judicial remand for BDPO in bribery case
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, May 15
Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) of Murlana block, Durga Dutt Sharma, who was arrested by the vigilance team on Monday evening while accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 from one of his subordinates, has been remanded in judicial custody till May 28 by the Judicial Magistrate.

It may be recalled that the subordinate, Panchayat Secretary Gulab Singh, had lodged a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Balwan Singh, alleging that the BDPO had demanded a bribe of Rs 3,000 from him and threatened that otherwise his ACR would be spoiled.

When the Panchayat Secretary lodged the complaint, the District Revenue Officer, Mr S.L. Tanwar, was also present with the DC. The latter directed him to conduct a vigilance raid.

However, as disclosed by the sources, the BDPO did not wish to accept the money during office hours. Finally, the vigilance team swooped down on him in the evening.

A case has been registered at Rohtak under Sections 7, 13, 49 and 288 of the Anti-Corruption Act. The BDPO was produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate Paramvir Nijjar on Tuesday evening.

CULTURE

ARTSCAPE
Depicting dreams on canvas
Tribune News Service

The first solo painting exhibition by Amit Vardhan, a deaf and dumb artist of the Capital, was inaugurated on May 15 at Gallery – 2, Ravindra Bhawan, Lalit Kala Akademi here. The exhibition will remain open till May 21.

Born in Delhi on November 1, 1972, Amit was deaf and dumb right from the birth. But with the loving care of the parents, he managed to overcome his challenges and did his postgraduate diploma in Fine Arts (Painting) in first division from the College of Art, Delhi University in 2001. Earlier, he had taken a diploma in Fine Art with first division. Amit studied painting under the tutelage of the noted painter, Shobha Broota at the Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi from 1989 to 1992. At present, he is working as communication assistant with Action Aid (India).

According to Amit, his works reflect his inner self – his dreams of childhood and of the future world. But his dreams are dark without colour or a golden hue. He has always tried to depict his dreams on canvas. He has participated in several exhibitions earlier but this is the first solo one.

New collection of Manish

Manish Pushkale, a renowned contemporary artist, unveils his new collection, Samayik – Oil on Paper work at RE, 118 Shahpur Jat. The exhibition is on at RE from May 16 till May 31 a part of `Galleria d’ Art’.

Twenty-nine-year-old Manish Pushkale is a recipient of the prestigious S H Raza Foundation Award. Without any formal training or initiation into art, Manish has taken to it by observing others attaining self-hood, identity and significance through art. Consequently, he is one who has astute insights about art of his senior and contemporaries. Manish started with figuration. He attempted to ensure that he evolved figures, which are different from other artist. He tried to catch the bare essentials of human anatomy. In the process with his sensitivity to both structure and surface obtained through training in etching, he realised that the entire structured surface itself id the figure: the paintings are marks and signs on this surface.

Manish paintings are in the collection of S. H. Raza Foundation, Times of India, Manjit Bawa, Shakti Burman, Sarla Birla, Bhimsen Joshi, Ashok Vajpeyi and in many private and corporate office collections in India and abroad.

Chandrakant Channe: A journey into childhood

Ten graphic drawings, a series on ‘Childhood’, form the core of his expression in black and white. The works of Chandrakant Channne, in a series of drawings, glorifies the magnanimity of imaginative childhood. At times, he has come up with the quintessence forms of such vibrant still loving energies of childhood, with such simplest format as kite playing, horse riding, swimming, fishing etc.

In simplified forms, the artist has excelled well in reducing moments into signified visual transformations. Marvellous blend of textures and frequent silhouette add to the forms the required buoyancy and innocence.

His graphical drawings, particularly critical task even for an acclaimed artists, to be showcased at Lalit Kala Academy, represents a journey into childhood and childlike fantasies. Adult looking Chandrakant Channe is a protagonist in every work, who reminisces pictorially and nostalgically about his childhood preoccupations, possessions and passions.

The forms are well set in the space, that itself seems to be the perfect pious for such simple, innocent memories. The white of the space extends into eternity, and why not, what would be better dwelling for such fantastic period in life.

Aashay Meshram: miracle boy

Ashay Chandrashekhar Meshram dwells in a world of his own – a realm of the real and the make believe, of living traditions and fairy tales. It is the ingenuity with which he balances both that is amazing.

A member of Basoli Group of children artists of Nagpur, 11-year-old child, Aashay is exceptionally eagle-eyed, observant and receptive to happenings around him. Aashy’s strength lies in his line – gentle yet firm, meandering yet taut, now thick, now spiky, now curved, but always lyrical, infused with pulsating living rhythm. It is truly the soul of his work, says Monika Patil, art critic and professor in art history.

The boy draws heavily from his immediate surroundings – Ganesha Pandals and tableaus, the school bus, Buddhist and Hindu mythology, Kalpana Chawla and space shuttle, Iraq war, world cup, even television in good measure. But then don’t most children do the same? What is exceptional about Aashay is his soaring imagination, aided by an innate sense of pattern making and an eye for detail. One must also prepare to encounter the unexpected in the most familiar of settings – like the group of cows and elephants in the most daring exploration of perspective or the near – Gubist Sita in Ramayana series.

Blessed with a vision, both microscopic and telescopic, the young artist handles geometric configuration of a cars interior – dash board, wheel, windescreen with a same consummate ease with which he delineates windings alleys and multi-storeyed buildings.

Human and animal figures with twisted, torsion limbs, almost Mannerist in their contortions, a bewildering variety of architectural and landscape element, a splurge colour, Aashays painting’s transport you into another world brimming with innocence and adventure, fun and frolic, uninhibited and pure…in every sense, sheer joy.

Spiritual magic show

DANCE BEAT
Adding new dimensions to the good old Kathak
Priyanka Gupta

Manjari adopts folk music of various places in her dance.

When Manjari Chaturvedi dons her costume and ghungroos, she miraculously transforms an old dancing form, Kathak. For this 29-year-old danseuse, her imagination helps her create fresh steps. Manjari aims at adding new proportions to Kathak and arouse peoples’ interest in this artform. Her expressions have added several innovations to the Kathak repertoire. Manjari has incorporated the mystique of Sufism and the moving meditation, thereby unifying both the Hindu and Muslim traditions.

Born in Roorkee, she began her dancing career at a tender age when she was in school. Gradually, she drowned herself in the sea of Katahk by learning more and more about it and finally pursuing it as professions. Her parents always stood behind her. She said: “I have always found them as my best audience. They have supported me all the time and given the freedom to choose my career. I dropped one year after class XII to learn Kathak. No parents would ever allow their child to do that, at least not for dance. I am really grateful to my parents for this. They never dissuaded me from pursuing dance as a career option. In the school, I was nicknamed ‘prayer girl’ and head girl. I took it seriously only after school. Kathak is a passion for me and this is the reason that I am a dancer.”

Daughter of a renowned space scientist, Prof R. S. Chaturvedi, Manjari was academically bright too. She learned the intricacies of dance from Pt Arjun Mishra at Sangeet Natya Vidhyalaya, Lucknow. Manjari is the first dancer to tune on authentic qawali music, Irani spiritual music and whirling meditation while dancing though her seniors criticised her for her experiments and efforts to add new dimensions to Kathak. However, everyone enjoyed and started copying her style.

She added, “I try to hold the interest of people in dance. If people cannot relate my movements with the music, then it’s of no use. This is why I try to present as per the audiences. When I travelled to Punjab, I chose the music of Baba Bulle Shah, as people there understand the music and they will be able to relate to my dance steps to the music.” In her creative dance presentations, she skilfully integrates the elements of Awadhi cultural ethos of the contemporary period. In her performances, she has blended her dance with folk music of Rajasthan, Kashmir, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and others. Manjari has choreographed several innovative presentations on stage, television and for fashion shows by Muzaffar Ali. In 2000, Manjari launched ‘Sufiana Kathak’ in Delhi at Habitat Centre.

Her husband Amit Mehra is a renowned photographer. She said, “Amit has always supported me. He loves Sufi music and I dance to it. We have a good equation and nice compatibility. Initially, people were quite apprehensive whether dance would do with Sufi music but later everybody appreciated. Manjari has studied a lot of literature to increase her knowledge and to quench her thirst to learn more about dance forms and its history.