Students observe Water Conservation Day
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 4
Contests for poster making, collage making, quiz and slogan writing marked the celebrations of Water Conservation Day at Sutlej Public School, Rahon road, held in collaboration with Jal Baradry, a society for water conservation and management, here.

Over 100 students of Classes V to VIII participated in the contests. Students were given topics related to water scarcity, ways to check water wastage and sources of water pollution. For poster making, collage making and slogan writing, the students were given three hours. In quiz, three students represented each of the four teams. There were 10 rounds, the last being an audio round.

Finally, the results were declared by Ms A.K. Sur, Principal. In poster-making contest, Shalu of Class VI stood first, followed by Satvir Singh of Class VII and Simranjeet Singh of Class VIII. In slogan-writing contest, Paramvir Singh of Class V clinched the first prize. Parandeep Singh Gill of Class VII secured second position and Ravneet Kaur stood third.

In quiz competition, Satvir Singh of Class VII stood first. Chandan Jain of Class VIII was declared second and Manwinder Singh of Class VIII won third prize. In collage-making contest, Simranjeet Singh of Class VIII grabbed the first position, Harmanpreet Kaur got second prize and Baljit Kaur stood third.

Ms Sur said the contests were being held as a part of the first day activities of a five-day summer camp being held in the school. She said strict schedule was being followed in the camp as the students were woken up as early as 5 am. This was followed by yogic exercises, prayer, listening to divine music, indoor games, rest, recreation and sleep. The students were being told to manage their daily routine such as making their hair, washing clothes and making their bed, all by themselves.

The principal said students would be given independent projects based on drawing, painting, clay modelling, pot painting, nursery bed preparation, transplantation and after care of plants. Lectures on dental care, pollution, road hazards, water conservation, water use, nutrition and balanced diet would be delivered by experts to make students aware about the problems and their corrective measures.

Ms Cheema, manager of the school, said interaction of the students with village panchayat and forest department had been arranged. She said excursions to the PAU, milk plant, children’s traffic park and railway station had also been planned.

BCA (I) result: KCW students stand out
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 4
As the results of BCA I examinations were declared, it was another occasion for students and Principal of Khalsa College for Women (KCW) to rejoice. The KCW, Civil Lines, Ludhiana, marked another success by bagging four out of first five positions in Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Priya Gupta has got second position in the university with 84.62 per cent marks. Inderpreet Kaur has stood with 83.37 per cent marks. Khushdeep Kaur is fourth in the university with 82.12 per cent marks and Megha Dharnigot fifth with 82.12 per cent marks. Thirtysix students had appeared in examinations and 31 candidates got first divisions. The college has maintained 100 per cent result whereas the university pass result is 60.97 per cent.

CULTURE

You will find poetry in their music
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, June 4
“My birthday falls on May 30 and after celebrating it, I go abroad for my concerts to escape from heat of summer months. But this is the first time I am spending summers here. Actually, Ms Sapna Nihar and Ms Sangeet Kushwaha, members of the Kala Sewa Sangam, came to Delhi and requested me and my son Prateek to conduct a workshop for students in Ludhiana. I became emotional and yielded to their request. We will consider our visit worthwhile if we are able to enthuse a sustaining interest for sitar in some students,” said Padmabhushan Pandit Debu Chaudhuri in an exclusive interview with this correspondent.

Both Debuji and his son are conducting a workshop for the students under the aegis of Kala Sewa in Government College for Women from June 1 to June 14. On the last day Prateek along with the students will present a concert.

Pandit Debuji is today amongst the foremost exponents of Senia gharana, India’s oldest traditional gharana, characterised by its matchless tradition and style of playing with only 17 frets in the sitar. All other gharanas in India play 19 to 20 frets.

Pandit Debu is a talented man. He has been a teacher in the university, an author, a radio artist and creator of eight new ragas. He has forgotten the awards given to him for promoting the purest traditional form of sitar and preserving its special techniques. He said: “My ragas have no value, if they are not played and enjoyed by others. Presently my creations are being played by my students. I hope soon others will start playing. The raags are not created by order. They are purely inspirational. My latest raag was created a few months ago in a flash of inspiration. I was so excited that I played it on the phone to my friends. Then I played before connoisseurs. Only when they appreciated it, I called it Prabhati Manjari — a bouquet of flowers. The raag is in memory of my wife, Manju, whom I lost two years ago. But the best raag that I created was Raag Biseswari. This was my first raga and is a tribute to my father.”

Panditji has given hundreds of performances all over the world. He says: “Foreign audience is very disciplined and listen with rapt attention where as if there are 1000 Indians in the audience, only thirty to forty would genuinely understand and the rest will be distracted.”

Panditji and Prateek share a deep bond as guru and shishya and also as father and son. Debuji wants Prateek to give solo performances and develop his own style. Prateek in his own right is a brilliant performer. His sitar sparkles with the rare virtuosity with technical finesse and a deep sense of aesthetics. The father-son music reflects the ‘eternal essence of sitar’.

Prateek teaches music in Delhi University. He says: “A large majority of students are there to get a degree and only 10% students have spark. If the government can open venues of occupation for them, the students will take more interest.”

Panditji says that both of them have different thoughts like Prateek is more flamboyant and he is more sober. ‘But our music is one.’

Panditji says that his guru told him to keep his head low as humility was the best virtue of an artist. Recalling his younger days, Debuji says, “Those were the best days of my life. I thought then that I was the best player but today I realise I know nothing. Knowledge comes from sansakars, education and new experiences. I teach my son that humility is a virtue but Prateek says at times people mock at your humility and think that you know nothing.”

9-year old becomes first ‘toonstar’ from city
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 4
Nine-year-old Navneet Kaur Makkar, a resident of BRS Nagar, has won herself a fabulous opportunity to act along with Scooby-Doo, a popular cartoon network character, and Max, the king of the jungle, in a specially produced mini animation short. This special animation will be aired on Cartoon Network later this year.

The Kwality Wall’s ‘Bano Toonstar with Scooby Doo and Max’ a promotional campaign in association with Cartoon Network, is exclusively targeted at kids. To participate and win an assured prize, kids need to just collect three Max wrappers that have the special ‘Bano Toonstar’ logo.

Barely able to contain her excitement, Navneet said,”I am so happy and excited to be a toonstar. Since I got to know that I had a chance to be on Cartoon Network with Scooby Doo, I wanted to win. I love Max ice-creams and have been saving all my wrappers. I was staying over at my aunt’s house and she treated all of us to Max Ice-creams. When my scratch card said ‘toonstar’, everyone in the house excited. ”