The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Red-letter day for city students
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20
Students from the local DAV College figure on the top of the list among those who have made it in the Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination(IIT-JEE) from the local colleges.

Ankit Jain, a student from the local DAV College, has stood ninth and tops the list from the city. Pawan Jain (DAV College) is ranked 25th. Gaurav Mittal, ranked 41, is a product of DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8. Mohit Gupta also from DAV is 43. Mohit has also topped the entrance examination for the local Punjab Engineering College.

Gunjit Singh, ranked 48, feels there was no alternate available except for going in for coaching. Anurag Singla(DAV) is ranked 297. Hardeep Singh Guru is ranked 328. He did his plus two from DPS, Delhi. Nitish Garg is ranked 493. Supreet Bahga, also from DAV, has secured 506 position. Gurvinder Sharma from Kendriya Vidyalaya is ranked 642.

Geetika Gupta is ranked 1504. Geetika secured 90 per cent marks in plus two examination which she cleared from the local Sacred Heart School. She is ranked ninth in the CET of Panjab University. Saurabh Garg is ranked 1737.

‘Much ado about nothing’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20
The meeting of Principals of non-government colleges affiliated to Panjab University with the Minister of Higher Education, Punjab, yesterday turned out to be ‘much ado about nothing’.

Principals said they were made to sit for over three hours and the discussions did not figure beyond brief talks by officials and the introduction of their colleges by Principals. A number of Principals told The Tribune that their visit was a ‘futile exercise’.

Principal Tarsem Bahia said besides the meeting of colleges from other universities, one session was exclusively meant for the non-government aided colleges affiliated to Panjab University. The session lasted from about 11.45 a.m. to about 3 p.m. Except for brief talks by the government officials, the talks did not go beyond the introduction by the principals.

Principal Jaswant Singh said certain attempts were made by Principals to rake up important issues, however, they were asked to meet the minister in his office later.

Principal Bahia said the introduction of colleges did not mean anything and the reports of colleges were sent in routine to the government office. A lot of time was wasted without any results.

It was pointed out by Principal Jaswant Singh that issues like whether plus two classes would be shifted from colleges to schools was being hotly discussed in the academic circles and needed an immediate answer.

Principal Bahia said the fee hike by the government in the colleges of Punjab was another burning issue which needed immediate redress otherwise colleges could face tough times ahead at the hands of students when the colleges reopen. However, nothing substantial was discussed at today’s forum.

Vice-Principal sees no reason for suspension
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20
Mrs Inderjit Kaur, suspended Vice-Principal of Guru Gobind Singh School, Sector 35, in her reply to the school management, has said that she sees no reason for the letter of suspension to be issued to her.

In a letter to the President and Chairman of the school, Mr Amrjit Singh Sarna, Mrs Inderjit Kaur said she had served the institute for 27 years. She said two letters had been issued to her on May 31. The first one was a warning letter in which she was termed an indisciplined teacher. Before she could give a reply, she was given a suspension letter on the same day.

In the letter, she said, “To my surprise and shock, I was issued a warning letter followed by a suspension order on the same day.”

She alleged that the action was pre-planned. She said it seemed that the case had been concluded in a one-sided manner.

Mrs Inderjit Kaur said she saw no reason for the issuance of these letters. The suspended Vice-Principal said it would have been better if the case had been referred to the school management committee.

100 slum kids take part in contest
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, June 20
About 100 children from different slum areas of the city and nearby areas took part in an on-the-spot drawing competition organised in the memory of Prof Kanwal Nain Kotra at Bal Bhavan, Sector 23, here today. The competition was organised by the Aruna Asaf Ali Trust in collaboration with the Indian Council of Child Welfare, Chandigarh UT.

The children, a majority of whom were poor and underprivileged working children from slum areas of the city as well as from SAS Nagar and Panchkula, expressed their imagination with crayons and water colours. The theme of the contest was the environment.

Prof Kanwal Nain, an alumni of Santiniketan, had a long association with the local Government College of Art. A doyen of Indian art and cultural heritage, he was known for his services towards the poor and underprivileged section of society.

Mr P.H. Vaishnav, Chief Secretary (retd.), Government of Punjab, was the chief guest. He gave away prizes to the winners. Ms Phool Rani Kotra, widow of Professor Kotra, presided over the function.

The contest was won by Mita, followed by Arti and Rakesh Kumar. Munish, Manjeet, Vicky and Rakhee were honoured for their promising art work.

COURTS

Golden Forests case
Ex-CJ appointed Provisional Liquidator
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20
A former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice R.N. Aggarwal, was today appointed Provisional Liquidator in the Golden Forests case by Mr Justice Hemant Gupta of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Pronouncing the orders on a bunch of petitions, including the ones filed by the National Investors Forum, representing about 8000 investors, Mr Justice Gupta fixed July 3 as the next date of hearing in the case.

The direction to appoint a Liquidator in the case is significant as over 25 lakh people from all over the country had invested their money in the Mani Majra-based agro-forestry company.

Mr Justice Gupta had earlier ruled that instead of winding up the organisation, the interest of creditors, shareholders and the company would be served if a Provisional Liquidator was appointed.

Mr Justice Gupta had asserted that “the Provisional Liquidator will prepare a scheme for the settlement of the investors’ claims, especially keeping in view the interest of the small investors in the first instance.”

"The Provisional Liquidator shall submit a preliminary report to the court and the parties would be at liberty to move the court in case any further directions or clarifications are required,” he said.

In his detailed order, Mr Justice Gupta said: “The company shall not sell, lease, mortgage, alienate or incur any encumbrance against property, movable or immovable, in the name of the company or its subsidiaries without the permission of this court, except the funds required for the normal functioning of the company as may be permitted by the Provisional Liquidator with the court’s approval.”

Mr Justice Gupta has further directed that “the company shall not withdraw any amount for the purpose of paying it to the sister concerns, associates and directors or any other company or persons.”

The Judge said the Liquidator “will take into his custody or under his control all property... The property and the effects of the company shall be deemed to be in the custody of the court from the date of the order.”

Giving details, Mr Justice Gupta said: “The Provisional Liquidator shall have the power to sell the movable and immovable property, actionable claims by public auction or otherwise subject to the approval of the court and shall have all the powers of a Liquidator competent under the Act.”

The Judge also directed that the “Provisional Liquidator shall prepare an inventory of all properties of the company, its subsidiaries and associates created with funds of the company, including the property alienated either by way of sale or by delivery of possession in pursuance of the orders passed by the Lok Adalat.”

The Judge added that the “Liquidator shall be at liberty to appoint personnel, including chartered accountants and other administrative staff, with the company court’s approval to do all acts and things necessary to carry out the directions....”

CULTURE

Living their lives from music to melody
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20
Alexis Louis Lucas knows nothing expect make music. He still remembers the days when he first took to the world of music, unconsciously and unintentionally. Playing on jazz drums, Alexis has ultimately grown to fall in league with some of the greatest jazz musicians of the world. Together with his partner in rhyme — Jacky Lignon — Alexis has created music that spells excellence on the one hand and preaches human bondage on the other. His band is called Taxi Brousse, literally meaning to go everywhere.

“We have never created music for the sake of regions. During the recent American onsluaght on Iraq, the world of music was equally stormed. Musicians were suddenly making music on the theme of peace. But we were already playing the musical instruments of Iraq and Iran before the Iraq-US standoff. We did not wait for the war to happen to know what influenced the Iraqis or what their problems were. For us, peace is not something warranted by war. It is something that has to be preached through music all the time.”

No wonder Alexis and Jacky have been able to strike the right chord whenever they have wanted to. In the city today on the invitation of the French Embassy and the Alliance Francaise, the two musicians spilled magic and gave a sure meaning to World Music Day, that falls today. Celebrated with extraordinary zing all over France, World Music Day may not have grown to become equally important in India but it has some meaning and message to convey, nevertheless.

Alexis concurred, “Music is food for the soul. The more we make it, the less it seems. After studying music in all its shades and elements, I grew to pick up jazz, playing the best tunes ever created and making my own music sometimes. Jacky teamed up with me on the road to musical perfection. Now the two of us work with musicians from all countries, primarily India, to create harmonies.”

A percussionist par excellence, Alexis has proved himself in various spheres — right from live spectacles, road shows and theatre shows to circus shows and videos. All these experiences have further enriched him and helped him make music that is unexpected and different.

Ask Jacky how it feels to be part of the rhyme relationship and he thanks his stars. A talented accordeonist, who has been playing since childhood, Jacky found his way rapidly from circus and jazz to his new found association with the prominent musicians like the pianist Daniel Goyone or the clown Nikolias. Indian music also influences both these musicians, who presented Arabian, Egyptian, African and jazz melodies this evening at Alliance Francaise.

Explains Alexis, “Indian music is divinely inspiring. You cann’t explain the kind of effect it exercises on the soul, but you just love to make it or to be simply around when it is being made. We are blessed to be associated with Indian musicians like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Zakir Hussain and South Indian percussionist Subramaniam. Interestingly, Alexis learns tabla from Shyamal Mitra, an Indian teacher back home in France. He was, however, nervous about playing the Indian instrument on the Indian soil. “The fear of faltering holds me back,” smiles the musician.

This evening was all about music scoring over all other influences. The French musicians teamed up with the Indian rock band Triangle to create beautiful tunes, that reminded the listener of the glory of the legendary Pink Floyd, Eve Krypton and Bryan Adams.

Cinegoer’s death sparks debate over horror films
Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20
Bollywood’s search for a sureshot formula for success at the box office is never ending. If it was love stories yesterday and action movies the day before, the trend now seems to be towards horror movies.

Going by the success of horror films like ‘Raaz’ and ‘Bhoot’, the gamble seems to have paid off. However, the death yesterday of a cinegoer in a South Delhi cinema hall screening ‘Bhoot’ has sparked a debate on whether such movies should be made.

A cross-section of city residents were interviewed by Chandigarh Tribune in connection with reaction to the death. One group maintained that fear could be one of the reasons why the heart of the man stopped beating while the other group rubbished the reason, saying there were more hearts which were equally weak in the halls and the numbers would be much higher if that was true.

Film-buffs seemed fed up with the overdose of love stories, action films and family dramas. Ramsay brothers largely made horror movies in India, but most of these had the backing of freshers or lesser known actors. ‘Bhoot’ by Ram Gopal Verma features big names like Urmila Matondkar, Ajay Devgan and Rekha. Interestingly, another Verma presentation, featuring Antara Mali, is awaiting release.

Mr Amarjit Singh Ladhar, Additional Advocate-General, Punjab, said films like ‘Bhoot’ should be banned absolutely. These gave misleading information, which weighed heavily on weak hearts to the extent that people were scared for days together even after the show, he added. Gory images of humans lurking behind refrigerators and in empty drawing rooms at night were not the images one should present in the name of entertainment, particularly to young and fragile minds, he said.

Dr Praveen Kumar Rathi, a researcher at the local chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry, said the incident of a man dying in a theatre should not be translated into the general truth for all such shows because ‘Bhoot’ was not the first horror film. There had been scores earlier and no deaths had ever been reported, he added. It had lesser and ‘decent’ shapes of the supernatural as compared to the horrendous and blood-spilling ghostly figures of earlier films, particularly by Ramsay brothers, he said.

Dr Rathi said a film was a commercial venture minus the claims of social responsibility. ‘Bhoot’ was not the first one and there had been scores of such films earlier, ‘Darwaza’ and ‘Jani Dushman’ to name a few, he said. The films had plenty of warnings and the name itself was a warning, he added.

Anmol Singh, a Class VIII student, said the film had no message and was not entertaining. If one had to show his imagination, he should learn from Hollywood, whose science fictions were complex for Bollywood film-makers, he added.

The screams of the audience in response to ghostly figures and eerie noises was not healthy entertainment that a child wanted, he said. It was not healthy because such subjects became a hot topic of discussion among students and gave sleepless nights to many, he added.

Ms Jeeyan, a housewife, said ‘Bhoot’ was just another entertainer. She said, “I am scared of the supernatural, yet I enjoyed ‘Bhoot’. This film is not a trendsetter because there are scores of other examples. Never has any case study said that horror films are a matter of concern and these should be banned.”

Anshuman Deswal, a student, said such films carried warnings that the weak-hearted and pregnant women should not enter the halls. These should also be pasted in front of the halls, but these was no reason why such films should be banned, he said. People might not believe in ‘ghosts’, but they must have heard tales since childhood and were interested in knowing more about ghosts, he added.

Ms Simran Chabba, officer, customer care, Airtel, said there was nothing wrong with ‘Bhoot’ because it was just another film and its aim was entertainment. The name was a loud message whether one had the guts to enter the hall, otherwise one should rest at home, she said. Any word in the dictionary created an image in human minds and inquisitive nature urged humans to play with the subject, if possible, she said.

Blending constituents of music to perfection
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 20
Pracheen Kala Kendra had its share of good music this evening when Odissi vocalist Bankim Sethi made varied and interesting presentations. A well-known musician, Bankim Sethi reflected his disciplined grooming during the hour-long recital at the Bhaskar Rao auditorium of the kendra. Although Bankim had the benefit of training under a number of stalwarts of Odissi music such as his own brother Ganghadhar Sethi, guru Singhari Shyam Sunder Kar and guru Balakrishna Dash, the most decisive influence on his style has been that of the guru Markandey Mahapatra, from whom he has learnt a lot.

As far as the natural instincts for rhythm, tone, tempo, and hard work are concerned, these have been accrued to him in full measure. Further in the innovative and imaginative use of these constituents, his mind seems to work brilliantly.

Blessed with a rich, resonant voice, Bankim presented a variety of traditional compositions. With his pleasing style he established an instant rapport with his audience. Commencing his recital with the 18th century composition written by Surya Baladev Ratha — Mann Shaija manmohan in raga Kama Vardhani, set to Triput Taal (seven beats), Bankim went on to present an Oriya composition in the style of North Indian thumri. This piece was set to raga mishra kaafi in ek taal (four beats). Swara, laya nd tala found their due and rightful treatment in Bankim’s exposition of these ragas.

Bankim’s rendition of the brilliant “ashtapadi” (a piece from Jayadeva’s Geet Govinda) in raga Manjh Khamaj was incredibly attractive. So was his Tulsi Das bhajan and the final presentation of an Oriya folk song in Jhumar style. Bankim was accompanied on the mardal (pakhawaj) by Prafulla Kumar Mangaraj.