The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

CAMPUS
Peeved students launch signature drive against
fee hike
Our Correspondent

Bhiwani, July 31
Hike in the fees for medical, engineering and other technical courses in the state has upset the students, making them launch a signature campaign against the move. Under the drive launched by an organisation, All India Democratic Students Organisation, signatures of the students are being collected for withdrawal of the hike and they will be submitted to the Chief Minister with a memorandum.

The president of the organisation, Mr Om Prakash, said that the union had been agitating against the decision of the state government since June.

The union had held demonstration at Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak on June 23, and demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision.

“This enhancement, in practical, has reserved the education for the rich families,” he said.

The decision of the apex court had been misconstrued and the government was bent on converting all seats into paid seats, Mr Om Prakash said.

“Whereas the Supreme Court has provisioned for management quota for the non-government colleges, the practice of charging lakhs of rupees in the name of NRI and other quotas in the government colleges was in progress,” he said.

He alleged that the state government was bent on making educational field a profit-making industry as per the policy of the Central government.

He said that the agitational strategy would be chalked out during the state level convention to be held in Rohtak on July 31on the occasion of 123rd anniversary of writer Munshi Premchand.

Workshop on Open School

The Board of School Education Haryana will organise a workshop on Open School on the Board premises on August 6.

A spokesperson said that veteran educationists related to the Open Schools and Open Universities, general secretary of Indian School Education Board Dr. D V Sharma and renowned educationists would participate in the workshop. The problems faced by the examinees and coordinators of these study centres will also be discussed in the workshop, he said.

COURTS

HC notice to DMC on doctor’s plea against punishment
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 31
The Delhi High Court has sought a reply from the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) on a petition by an orthopaedic surgeon. The DMC in an order on June 23 had debarred the surgeon from practising for six weeks for allegedly not registering himself with the council.

The reply has been sought by Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed by October 14, while issuing notice to the DMC on the petition by Dr Yash Nigam who said since he was registered with the Medical Council of India, the apex body for doctors, it was not mandatory for him to register with the DMC. The Court also granted interim stay on the DMC’s order.

The punishment was handed down to him on a complaint by his patient of professional misconduct alleging that he had treated her without having been registered with DMC.

The complaint was filed with the DMC against Dr Nigam by his patient Ms Pushpa Soin, who was operated upon by him for knee joint pain by applying fixator technology, which he claimed was the best and latest technology available.

The doctor claimed that Ms Soin had progressed well after the surgery performed on May 11, 2001 and the deformity in the knee was corrected.

His counsel R K Saini submitted that when the process of removing the fixator was in progress around January and February 2002 and the nuts and screws between the two rings were loosened for this purpose, the patient did not report as per instructions.

She even failed to turn up when contacted on phone by Dr Nigam as he was worried about her condition, Mr Saini said adding that his client was informed by Soin’s husband that it was removed elsewhere on the same day when she was to report to him as they were not sure if the fixator would be removed at the petitioner’s clinic. The patient never visited his hospital thereafter for a follow-up treatment and her husband told him that she was getting treatment from other doctor, Dr Nigam in his petition contended.

“The whole action of DMC against the petitioner is without jurisdiction inasmuch as the petitioner is admittedly not registered with it. It is not understood as to how DMC and its disciplinary committee gets jurisdiction over the petitioner to punish him for an alleged act of professional misconduct,” Dr Nigam said.

CULTURE

MOSAIC
Celebrating the historic heritage of Indian textiles
Tribune News Service

Sashiv Chandran, who is presenting Earth Shastra.

A wall hanging displayed at ‘Threads of Identity’

Earth Shastra, an opus exhibition celebrating the historic heritage of Indian textiles, will be presented by Utsav in the Capital. A unique collection of handlooms inspired by the colours of the earth, beiges, browns, ochres, madder, maroon and vivid shades of green have been integrated by textile visualiser Shashiv Chandran in both weaves and prints. Chandran says that the thoughtless transfer of design from one region to another is to be eschewed if excellence is to be retained in the long-term perspective.

Believing the saree to be the truest style symbol of India’s living textile history, he feels that public awareness needs to be stoked so that a good saree weave is truly appreciated. The sarees in this show have evolved through a one-on-one linkage between Utsav and the weaver or master-printer.

Chandran has identified master weavers some of whom work regularly for Chandran’s Utsav and other weavers who have taken up the challenge of returning to colloquial weaving roots of their past.

In his range of prints, Utsav’s show focuses on vegetable colours which have a new market niche now. Their intrinsic values much sought after, they are eco-friendly, safe, non-hazardous, gentle, soft and subtle.

Featured in this collection are dyes like Kashish, Indigo, Harad, Anar Chilka, Alum and Haldi. The exhibition will be on from August 7 to August 9 here.

Creative threads of identity

For the first time, Dastkar presented the creative work by groups of Indian craftswomen from various states.

‘Threads of Identity’, an exhibition of wall hangings showcasing the work done by six groups of Indian craftswomen from Orissa, Karnataka, Kutch, Banaskantha and Bihar was based on themes related to their lives and environment. The work included patchwork applique, mirrorwork, sujni quilting, hook work and lambani tribal embroidery.

These decorative hangings together tell the story of rural Indian craftswomen working in partnership, using their roots and traditions as a source of inspiration and earning.

The wall hangings were created by the women in an interactive design workshop with Dasktar, led by Laila Tyabji, a designer whose specialisation is Indian embroidery who has used the traditional layouts, motifs and stitches of each craft tradition as the design base to express the new themes in vivid, individual and contemporary imagery.

Also displayed were folk paintings and miniatures done by tribal and village painters from Bihar, Chhatisgarh and Rajasthan.

Over the last few years, Dastkar has been involved in several design projects, of creating and developing unique wall hangings on social and cultural themes, for exhibitions in India and abroad. These have included the Victoria and Albert Museum Panel, the Asia Society sujni hangings, the ‘Warrior of Love’ project shown at the National Crafts Museum in 2001, the National Master Craftsperson’s award - winning ‘Lambani’ wall hanging and the ‘Woman Panels’ for the Dakshinchitras Museum exhibition in Sweden.

After having exhibited these wall hangings internationally, and exposing international audiences to the power and potential of contemporary Indian craftsmanship at its best, Dastkar has now come up with ‘Threads of Identity’, which will also exhibit 30 smaller pieces developed by Indian craftswomen.

One of the key outcomes of this exercise was the rediscovery of the creativity and innovative talent of the crafts women, making them stronger and more self-reliant in the process.

Daskar is a registered non-profit society that is dedicated to enhancing the economic well being of the large craft community of India, thereby helping preserve the rich craft heritage of our country. The society’s primary objective is to empower the artisans to use their own inherent skills as a means of employment, income generation and economic self-sufficiency.

MUSIC ZONE
Down-to-earth ‘Dil Wali Gal’

After his last successful album, ‘India Da Munda’, Jaswinder Singh Paras is now ready to leave people spell bound with his performance in his latest album ‘Dil Wali Gal’, released by T-series. His latest album has melodious music by Anand Raj Anand and lyrics by Shyam Balka.

As Paras describes it, “This album is based on a sad, but soulful song, which every music lover will appreciate.

And while in every song have the artists tried to put their very best, ‘Saari Raat’ is Paras’ favourite. “I have put in my best for this song”, he says. Another song, which is different in its lyrics and beats, is “Peg Sheg Lalo Mitro”.

Paras gives the credit of his success to his father, Bhupinder Singh, who also trained him in music.

The singer adds, “As a kid I loved to hear and sing Malkiat Singh’s tutak tutak tutian and even sang it at various school and other functions. The appreciation that I got then motivated me to become a Punjabi pop singer. I got my first break to sing for the audiences in 1993”.When asked about the competition in this field, Paras feels it is important to have healthy competition as it gives one the inspiration to be different and innovative in whatever one attempts. “My singing style is different from others, I sing Punjabi songs with a touch of modern music which appeals to youngsters. My songs are simple in language so that even the non-Punjabi category can also understand them.

Paras has performed in several countries including Dubai, Germany and Switzerland.

Paras will also sing for a forthcoming film ‘Savera’ with Anand Raj Anand as the music Director. He, who practices for four-five hours daily has a piece of advise for the aspirants in the field: “Believe in God, put your best efforts and trust the Almighty”.

ARTSCAPE
Threshold: A portrayal of life’s complex issues

Threshold, a painting exhibition by Preeti Verma, which concluded on Thursday, was not about farfetched utopian dreams, nor about baseless optimism and fairy tales. But about consolidation, the merging of the human spirit, the crossing over of limitations, boundaries set by political, religious, geographical divides.

These paintings are Verma’s recent works and they touch issues that are deeply complex in nature, age old, and much mulled over, in almost all corners of the world. Yet, there is a new hope, new direction, and a new vision.

Skirmishes, squabbles, greed, and the need to control hit daily headlines, but do we read between the lines? Philosophies from the Gita, Upanishads, the Vedas quoted and requoted in books like the celestine prophesies, the Zen, the Shamans and the holy Koran, could this be the threshold when we realise that there could only be one God, and many interpretations? These and many other issues are what the artist has attempted to potray.

In mixed medium they are a carry forward her previous exhibition titled ‘In Search of Soul’. Preeti has used many paradoxes and contrasts in the imagery, which is not consistent with the ‘adage harmony in style’. “I take liberty in artistic license, to do things as I want to, my paradoxes are of great importance to me”, the artist says.