The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Heads of 14 schools transferred
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 5
The UT Education Department transferred heads of 14 government schools here today after the Department Promotion Committee (DPC) had approved the promotions of officiating heads. The transfers, though expected, were delayed on account of a pending lawsuit. With the case now over, the DPC met to approve the promotions.

The heads who have been transferred are Ms Jagir Kaur (Government High School-46), Ms Usha Kiran (Government Model High School-42), Ms Kiran Jyoti (Government Model High School-41), Ms Jaswant Kaur (Government Model High School-37), Mr Nachhatar Singh (Government High School, Sarangpur), Mr Pramod Batra (Government Model High School, Mani Majra), Ms Paramjit Kaur (Government Model High School-39), Mr Gurdip Brar (Government High School, Colony No. 4), Ms Shobha Kapoor (Government Model High School-29), Mr Ramesh Puri (Government High School, Hallo Majra), Ms Satbir Kaur (Government High School-47), Ms Vijay Kumari (Government High School, Behlana), Ms Surjeet Kaur (Government High School-35), Ms Krishna (Government High School-30).

COURTS

District Courts
Judicial custody for 2 student leaders

Chandigarh, August 5
The two activists of Haryana Students Association Satinder Dahiya and Dharmender Balhara, president and chairman of the HSA, were remanded in judicial custody by a local court today. Meanwhile the court has also issued a notice to the state to file reply on the bail application moved by these two activists.

Ravi Sidhu case
A case under the Excise Act registered against the former Punjab Public Service Commission Chairman, Ravi Sidhu, was adjourned for August 8 by a local court. The court has sought explanation of technical word mentioned in the records filed under the Excise Act in the case.

Beant Singh assassination case
The statement of the inspector posted with Crime Branch, Mr P.K Dhawan, was recorded in the Beant Singh assassination case in a special court room in the Model Burail Jail. Mr Dhawan stated that he had visited the spot — outside Civil Secretariat — along with a team of CBI and CFSL officials. OC

Bar council notice to 23 advocates
Kiran Deep

Chandigarh, August 5
The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana here today issued show-cause notices to 23 advocates, who had allegedly produced fake law degrees for obtaining council’s licence. The advocates have been asked to explain “why their names may not be removed from the roll of the Bar Council”.

Taking a serious view of the rampant corruption in awarding law degrees, on August 3 the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana had barred the advocates from practising in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh courts. The Chandigarh Tribune had highlighted the fake law degrees scandal on June 1, 2002.

The general secretary of the Bar Council, Mr C.M Munjal, informed that in order to curb the wrong practice the Bar council had constituted a committee to examine degrees of each advocate and to submit its report to the council within 30 days. Notices were issued to the advocates this afternoon, he added.

Mr Munjal added that the inquiry would also cover 27 law graduates with suspect degrees who had applied for Bar council’s licence. The police has also registered a case of cheating and forgery against these aspirant advocates. The case will be put up to the UT police in a day or two.

The UT police had registered an FIR against these law graduates last year on the complaint of Mr Munjal. The aspirant lawyers have procured fake degrees of Bundelkhand University, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kanshi, Magadh University, Bihar, through unfair means.

The scam came to light when the council conducted verification of the applications moved by law graduates for the Bar council licence. The authorities of the universities concerned informed the Bar council that this law graduates had neither obtained roll numbers nor attendance cards of the universities.

CULTURE

Zakir a promoter of Urdu
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 5
The luminous radiance of Kashmiri Lal Zakir’s words ensures that you carry the obsession of Urdu home. Seated amidst divine chaos that defines the space of his performance as a litterateur, Zakir infects you with his old world charm. And as he drops the veil on 84 years of his life, you are left to handle memories that are overpowering with their outstanding legacy. In this legacy features Zakir and his poet friends Faiz, Faraz, Qateel Shafai, Sardar Jafferi and others who blessed Urdu with a matchless heritage.

As we converse with Zakir, whose next anthology of short stories “Sham bhi thi dhuan dhuan”, will be released at UT Guest House tomorrow, we are greeted by a pleasant fact. Qateel Shafai’s immortal couplet — “jab bhi aata hai mera naam tere naam ke saath, jaane kyon log mere naam se jal jaate hain” — was actually written for Zakir. From this revelation, we move on to travel with him, halting in the Kashmir valley where he took his first lessons in social justice.

Annoying his father who served Maharaja Hari Singh, Zakir joined Sheikh Abdullah’s National Conference to work against feudalism. Recalls the writer, who has published over 80 books, including novels, essays, short stories and travelogues, “Sheikh Abdullah patronised poets like Firaq Gorakhpuri, Ismat Chugtai, Krishan Chander and Ghulam Abbas. I was in charge of their hospitality. As I interacted with them, my passion for Urdu grew inordinately. It was fuelled by the Progressive Writers Movement, especially the presidential address by Munshi Prem Chand.”

The address was historic indeed: “Hamari kasauti par adab khara utrega jo hamme harkat, hausala aur bechaini paida kare, sulaye nahin, kyonki aur zyada sona ab maut ki alamat hogi.” Translated it means, “that literature will prove genuine on our touchstone which generates among us action, tumult and restlessness, rather than inducing slumber because, henceforth, sleeping will be akin to death.”

These lines filled Zakir’s life with purpose. He says, “As a journalist I trained under Mulk Raj Saraf of the Ranbir. I began my literary career with a short story, “Alag alag raaste”, published in Humayun, the leading literary magazine in 1943.” The story earned appreciation from Upendra Nath Ashq, who had earlier exhorted Zakir to write the draft at least seven times.

Gradually Zakir perfected poetry, the most intense of verbal arts, and created new patterns of expression for every new experience. His novel Karmanwali, which reflects human pathos, has been staged over 100 times, the first time by the National School of Drama. Zakir’s first novel, however, was “Sindoor ki raakh” which he wrote in four days after the death of his wife. It was later translated into Russian.

Transcending mundane themes Zakir created a rich body of works, including novels Dharti Sada Suhagan (on widow remarriage), Angoothe ka nishaan (on bonded labour), Black Box (on the Kanishka tragedy) and Aadhe Chand ki raat on the composite Kashmiri culture. Now Zakir is finalizing his next novel titled, Buddham Sharnam in Hindi and Dard bezubaan in Urdu.

“The charm of life lies in the challenges it throws,” says the writer, who has won the Ghalib Award, the Nuqoosh Award and the Nehru Literacy Award, among others. His best role, however, has been as promoter of Urdu. During his tenure as Secretary, Haryana Urdu Akademi, he got a branch of the Akademi opened in Pakistan. As member of the National Council for Promotion of Urdu, he is still involved in propagation of the language which is extremely adaptable. Reasons Zakir, “Urdu literature was romantic till the time progressive writers shifted the focus to social themes. My writings also came to be influenced by the Marxist thought.”

Zakir is equally venerated for his contribution to literacy in Haryana. But a poet that he is, he describes his role as a teacher through another exercise in poeticisation:

“Ye aur baat hai hawa ke aage rakhe hain....chiraag jitne bhi rakhe jala ke rakhe hain...

YOUTH LIFE AND STYLE
Dancing with umbrellas in the rains
Tribune Reporters

ALL you guys and gals eager to venture out of your house in the imprisoning rain, forget all about buying those unimpressive black umbrellas, or the ones with massive floral prints. Go in for something trendy instead, please.

Before you leave the dry comfort of your home for driving down to the market for picking up a nice umbrella, read our complete guide, compiled after talking to the experts just for your benefit.

The black and the floral ones were good for your grandparents. No doubt about it. Rains or no rains, the umbrellas were always there by their side, for support while walking down the street, if nothing else.

Things have now changed, indeed. Of course for better. You can be sure of it. There is no need for you to take home those clumsy umbrellas which you cannot even fold and keep in your car.

Buy the small adorable ones with cartoons printed on them. From Mickey mouse to Uncle Scrooge and other Walt Disney characters — you have a wide range to choose from.

Plus two student Ranjana Sharma has picked up one with Tom and Jerry. "I simply love watching their show on the television. That's why I have purchased an umbrella with the two smiling back at me".

Her friend too has purchased an umbrella with Garfield on it. "Oh, he is my favourite," Rupali Kapoor asserts. "I am planning to buy another one with Archie on it".

Like the two, go in for cool colours. You can always choose from dazzling red, oceanic blue or baby pink. Guys can always go in for sober, yet cheerful, colours.

"They look cool even in the hot humid weather and are readily available," city-based fashion designer Swati Arora claims. "In most of the sectors, you will not even have to enter a departmental store for purchasing such an umbrella. In fact, you will be able to buy it from footpath vendors".

The umbrellas are not even expensive. You can easily take home one after pulling out just Rs 100 from your leather handbag.

Now something about the raincoats also. Do not buy traditional raincoats. They make you look "so big". Pick up water-proof jackets and pants instead. They are in. Are readily available in the departmental stores.

Another thing. Think beyond browns and blues while buying your raingear. You can go in for bright colours. For a change yellow jackets are the hot favourites among the kids in the Monsoons of 2003.

If you do not feel like wearing a raincoat, worry not. You can go out in the open wearing a wind-cheater, in place of a jacket.

"These are water-resistant and look good," Ms Arora asserts. "Costing almost the same, wind-cheaters are available in myriad shades. Can be worn even after the rainy season is over. In winters, that is." So have a nice time, kids.

New trends
Brightening up your home

REPUTED to be the oldest electrical goods showroom in the City Beautiful, Luxmi Electric Co. in Sector 22-C has undergone a metamorphosis. The showroom which has completed 25 years this year, combines taste and modern ambience with a mind boggling range of the latest in the field of electrical goods, appliances and fittings.

High quality PVC pipes, fans, lamps, electrical fittings, motors, switches, wires and cables, capacitors, switch gears, flameproof fittings, MCB's, luminaries, lamps, exhaust fans, ,shades...you name it and you will find it there. Run by Goyal brothers, Rajinder and Suresh, they have now been joined by the elder brother's son, Sandeep. Incidentally, both Suresh and Sandeep are electrical engineers and therefore, know what they are talking about when they speak on the finer and technical points of the electrical goods sought by the customers.

"We are distributors for all major electrical companies including Crompton Greaves, Siemens, Anchor, Alasthom...", they say with a certain measure of pride. "We offer genuine products and state-of-the-art service. Our prices are competitive".

Their showroom has been visited by a large number of VIP’s including the chief executive officers of the manufacturing units who are amazed by the range of the electrical goods stocked by them. The showroom also has a visitors’ book in which they have recorded their comments. Most of the visitors have found to be a rewarding experience and complimented the Goyal brothers on providing all electrical requirements of a house builder under one roof.

The Goyal brothers have recently added another feature to the services available at the shoroom. The outlet now takes care of consultancy. "We take care of all the angles which go into the construction of a unit, be it residential, commercial or industrial. If offer architectural advice and undertake electrical jobs on contract basis", they say.

Mr Suresh Goyal emphasises that their outfit "also has specially designed lamps and luminaries ideal for garment stores, restaurants and other eating joints. All this adds tothe ambience of the place. We also guide the client to choose the right kind of lights according to his requirements".-- ASP