EDUCATION

Protesting students arrested
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 22
Activists of the Ludhiana unit of the ABVP organised “book auction day” today in which they planned to sell their course books in front of the house of Mr Harnam Dass Johar, Minister for Higher Education as a protest against the hike in fees of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. But as they started marching from the local bus stand towards Mr Johar’s house, the police halted their march by arresting them.

Before starting the march, Ludhiana unit president of the ABVP, Sandeep Kapoor, said the fee structure had gone up to such an extent that it was very difficult for the middle class family students to study in colleges or universities and therefore they had decided to auction their books.

Rohit Sharma, secretary of the Ludhiana unit of the ABVP, said it was time to show the power of students to the government.

But before they could show their power, they were whisked away by the police while they were marching peacefully to the house of Mr Johar.

Hardly had the ABVP activists walked a few steps when suddenly a large posse’ of policemen swooped on them and hustled the students into a police van by the orders of SP Harish Kumar. All the boys were loaded in the van along with a girl activist Sumedha Gupta, general secretary, ABVP, while other five girls were let off.

Sandeep Kapoor spoke to Ludhiana Tribune on his cell phone from Sarabha Nagar police station. He said: “The police has brought us to Sarabha Nagar police station. They have booked us under Section 751 of the IPC. But it is an attempt by the police to frame us. We were not breaking any rules as we were marching peacefully. Earlier too, the police had threatened me and asked us not to march towards Mr Johar’s house. They suggested us to go to the DC office or protest at Matka Chowk’ in Jalandhar.”

The activists were produced in the court of the SDM at 4.30 pm. “A crowd of students gathered there raised slogans against the Chief Minister and Mr Johar. Students of Guru Nanak Dev University joined them.

PAU selects book for award

Ludhiana, May 22
The book entitled ‘Intensive cropping efficient use of water, nutrients, and tillage” written by Dr S.S. Prihar, Dr P.R. Gajri, Dr D.K. Benbi and Dr V.K. Arora has been selected by the PAU for Dr M.S. Randhawa Best Prize for the year 2000.

The selection of this book was made by the committee consisting of Dr J.S.Kolar, Director of Research, under the chairmanship of Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor. OC

Labour lok adalat
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 22
A labour lok adalat will be organised by the District Legal Services Authority tomorrow under the supervision of the Presiding Officer of the Labour Court, Mr S.K. Aggarwal(Additional District and Sessions Judge). Mr Aggarwal said in order to minimise the litigation, the lok adalat would be organised in the New Courts complex.

‘Encourage Hindi playwrights to save theatre’
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, May 22
“If we want the Hindi theatre to survive, then the government and people ought to give encouragement to Hindi playwrights or else the serials being aired on television will swallow both the writers and their plays. The theatre will simply perish. It would be a sad demise of the theatre that started ages back with Natya Sahitya by Bharat Muni,” said Dr Gyan Singh Mann, winner of Mohan Rakesh Award for the year 2003 given to him by the Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi.

He received the award for his play “Katha ek Machandhar ki,” which was adjudged the best play in the All-India Drama Competition. The Sahitya Kala Parishad will later stage this play. “ This is a step in right direction. Only when the playwrights are given encouragement like Balwant Gargi and Harpal Tiwana received, the Hindi theatre would get a new lease of life.”

The play gives a new slant to the traditional theory the “transmigration” of souls. The conventional view of birth, rebirth, transmigration is considered to be the cycle of creativity.

Dr Mann says: “I have used the name Machainder from the original name Matsyander who was a sidh yogi. I have used the theory of transmigration in the modern context. I believe not in migration of souls but I think the new situations take birth and later vanish. I have woven a story around a Head of Department and two students who want to get their Doctorate . The professor is their guide. The girl, a daughter of a politician entices him by dangling the post of Vice-Chancellor in front of him. On the other hand, the boy, a son of a big industrialist, offers him a lot of money. The situation change when the girl’s father loses election and power. With changing situation, every thing disintegrates .

Dr Mann has written more than 50 books in 40 years. He has a Doctorate in Hindi and has done postgraduation in English. He has received Shiromani Hindi Sahityakar Award by the Punjab Government and is recipient of two national awards. He received the best director award for his play “Bairi meet Smaan.”