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August 8, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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SPECIAL
FOCUS ON ROHTAK Rohtak, August 7 Though the Lok Sabha elections are due in October/November 2004, the possibility of early elections is not ruled out in view of the unstable political situation prevailing in the country. While the ruling INLD in Haryana is on the defensive and is justifying the hike in fee structure, its alliance partner, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is silent on the issue. Even the Congress leaders, who criticise fee hike, do so only individually and appear reluctant to take up the issue in public as in several states, where the Congress is in power, it has also hiked the fee. In Punjab, for instance, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had announced a manifold increase in fee. Now, the CPM, CPI, Samajwadi Party, Lok Janshakti Party, Janata Dal (S) and SUCI have formed a joint front to oppose the hike in fee of the professional courses. These parties have described the step as retrograde decision in education sector. They have stated that the steep hike in fee-structure has made education a privilege of the upper class families only. These parties are jointly organising regional conventions (they recently organised such conventions at Kurukshetra, Hisar and Rohtak) to mobilise public opinion against the hike in the fee structure, including hike in the price of prospectus, boarding charges and examination fees. The CPM state secretary, Mr Inderjit Singh, said it appeared that the state and the Central governments are running away from their constitutional obligation of providing education to all, especially to children belonging to the poor and middle class families. These parties said that the Supreme Court order of 2002 has infact become a weapon in the hands of managing committees and universities to hike fee and other related charges. “It appears the corporate sector is working towards occupying the education sector as well”, said Mr Singh. The Haryana Vikas Party (HVP), a strong contender for power in the state, organised a state level massive demonstration here yesterday to oppose the hike in fee structure. If the response of the youth to the demonstration was any indication, the other opposition parties may also jump into the foray. The announcement by the HVP to withdraw the enhanced fee, when voted to power, has put a moral pressure on the ruling party. The party secretary general, Mr Surinder Singh, former MP, said that if voted to power, the HVP would prefer to constitute ‘student councils’ instead of allowing elections to the student unions. In other words, the party will prefer nominated councils instead of elected student unions. He also said that the party would introduce unemployment allowance to the educated unemployed. The matriculates and plus two pass persons ill get Rs 200 per month whereas graduates and post-graduates will be entitled to an allowance of Rs 250 per month. He said almost 15 lakh educated unemployed youth in Haryana will be eligible for this allowance. Among the student organisations, the Student Federation of India (SFI), student wing of the CPM, has given a call for a state level student strike tomorrow to protest against the fee hike. The DYFI and the six opposition parties have supported the strike call. The AIDSO has decided to conduct a student convention on August 20 and a state level rally here on September 9 to protest against fee hike. |
ARTSCAPE
An exhibition of drawings and paintings by Makhan Saha, ‘Story Untold’, is on display at Shridharani Art Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam. The show will be on till August 17. The Delhi-based artist, Makhan Saha, was born in West Bengal. After his initial schooling, he did his graduation in Fine Arts from the Delhi College of Art in 1974. Saha gathered a lot of experience by working in various ad agencies and this experience is reflected in his works. He has held several exhibitions both in India and abroad. According to Saha, “Human beings are God’s unique creation. May be that is why I am so much fascinated by them. So far, figurative drawing has always been my strength and my themes are based on the change of fortune in the life of the common man. My pieces of art are inspired by the ground realities. They may not be beautiful always, but they have the truth concealed in them. Nothing is exaggerated in my works.” “A major part of my life was spent in a multitude of activities and directions. The environment affected me so much that I had been entrenched in my socio-economic life. Creative thinking had been kept aside for a long period. My inner urge continued to glow and waited for the appropriate moment to come. For many years, I gathered expertise in the commercial field of art and worked in many leading ad agencies. But after two long decades, I decided myself to look back at the spontaneity of my first love – fine arts,” he adds. He doesn’t want to be a victim of one style, one theme and one ideology. Changes and variety in the medium and style of expression are the important aspects of Saha’s art. Saha says, “I will be successful only if my paintings find their place in the hearts of the people forever.” He also adds, “The images I paint are always pretty if you see them with your inner heart. They are an expression of my love for humanity and my concern for the world at large. They are an extension of my struggle ... and my journey goes on ...”  |
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MUSIC
ZONE
Noted Punjabi singer Shankar Sahney is hoping to repeat his past successes in his new power-packed album, ‘Kede Yaar Nu’. Released by T-Series, the album is bundled with tremendous energy and melodies of Punjabi folk music. ‘Kede Yaar Nu’, the title song, directed by Bobby Khan and choreographed by Remo, is shot in Mumbai and Jaipur. Videos of two other numbers, ‘Gaddi Utte Gaddi’ and ‘12 Bore Di’, are shot in America featuring Miss Asia California and Miss San Fransisco. Shankar Sahney has been chosen as ‘Singer of the Nation’ by music channel B4U for this album. The music of the album is composed by Babloo Mahindra and lyrics penned by Shankar Sahney, Sanjiv Anand, Sunny Mann, Dev Rishi, Pali Singh and Avtar Babb. Known as one of the best performers on stage, Shankar Sahney has promoted Indian folk music in different parts of the world. In India, he has shared the stage with Vengaboys. Born in a musical family, he is a proponent of the Kirana gharana. He was initiated into the world of swar and taal at the age of three; he trained under the watchful eye of his father Prof Tej Bahadur Sahney, head of the music department. A long journey into the realms of music followed. Since the age of five, Shankar has been performing on Doordarshan and radio shows. In the ensuing years, his raw talent was honed by countless hours of riyaaz. After finishing school, however, he studied to become a chemical engineer and embarked upon finding a place for himself in the field of commerce. However, the seed of music, sown too deep in his being, drew him back to his first love. A large part of his college years was spent in studios, recording as a guitarist and as a singer in over 500 albums. He has to his credit the number, which became a rage in Punjab in the early 90s – ‘Machhli-Hai-Oye’. He has given hits like ‘Yaari Yaari’, ‘Kudi Kurmuri’ and ‘Jat Luteyagaya’ (film Champion), ‘Ik Mangaya Yaar’, and ‘Kudiaan’. He has done more than 1,000 shows in India and abroad and received more than 100 music and television awards. Janasheen on T Series Side B starts with ‘Ankhiyan Ankhiyan’ by Sukhwinder Singh. ‘Dil Ne Dil Se Tujhe Pukara’ is sung by Gauri Bapat, which is a typical Dev Kohli style romantic song. The last song, ‘Sashe Nashe Mein Yaar’, will be liked by all Adnan Sami fans. Sunidhi has done equal justice to this song written by Tejpal Kaur. |
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PLAY
TIME August has spelt a bonanza for theatre lovers in the Capital. With Yatrik celebrating its 40th anniversary, the stage will be set for a series of plays catering to a multitude of emotions from pathos to mirth. Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit will inaugurate the celebrations on Friday at the British Council. A video interview of veteran actor, Roshan Seth and a montage of the recent Yatrik plays will also be a part of the inaugural evening. In the selection from the past works, will be two full-length plays, ‘Gitanjali’ and ‘Mangalam’. While the former has been adapted and directed by Joy Sengupta, the latter is an original play written by Poile Sengputa and directed by Bhaskar Ghosh. ‘Scenes from Shakespeare’ introduced and produced by Arjun Raina from 1986-87, ‘A Wild Evening’, including excerpts from ‘Lady Windemere’s Fan’ and ‘Salome’ presented by Lola Chatterji, Avijit Dutt and Kusum Haider will be part of the celebrations. Also on display will be materials featuring programmes, reviews, photographs and costumes relating to Yatrik’s four-decade journey. These memories will be exhibited at the Queen’s Gallery at the Council. |
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Feroz Khan’s new film, Janasheen, casting Fardeen Khan and Celina Jaitley, has some good music for a change. The music, released by T-Series, is composed by Anand Raj Anand, Biddu, Channi Singh, Mrinal Sampat and Sukhwinder Singh. Side A begins with the song ‘Pyar Hone Laga Hai’, with lyrics from Praveen Bharadwaj. It is already topping the music charts at every channel. ‘Deewani Hoon Deewani Hoon’ by Sonu Nigam, Jaspinder Narula and Gauri Bapat is yet another beautiful song with music by Biddu. ‘Ishq Fitrat Hai Meri’ is a typical fast track number and is rendered by Sukhwinder and Sunidhi Chauhan and ‘Ab Ke Baar Poonam Mein’ penned by Nasir Kazmi has a very soulful composition.