EDUCATION

BRCM students’ strike enters 9th day
Our Correspondent

Bhiwani, August 26
The strike by the students of B.R.C.M. College, Bahel, for restoring its affiliation with MDU, entered the ninth day today. The agitating students of Bachelor of Engineering, have decided to call on the Prime Minister tomorrow as no action has been taken so far on the memorandums given to the Chief Minister and the Governor.

In their memorandum, the students had pleaded for the restoration of the affiliation of B.R.C.M. College with MDU as a full-fledged faculty of engineering was functioning at MDU, Rohtak, while it would take at least five years for Ch. Devi Lal University to fully operationalise its department.

Moreover, the memorandum has pointed out that it has not been accredited by NAAC, which would make the students future uncertain.

Pointing out the geographically inconvenience for the students, the memorandum stated that the distance to Sirsa is almost double in comparison to Rohtak. They have further pleaded that if the college has to be affiliated with CDU, it should be effective from the new semester so that the students know about the affiliation before taking admission.

DTC cancellation of subsidy upsets school PTA
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 26
Members of the Parent Teacher Association of Ludlow Castle School (Number IV) are upset over the cancellation of subsidy for eight kilometers and the demand of full payment by the DTC. The DTC has also threatened the association that it will cancel the agreement of transportation if dues, which are in lakhs of rupees, are not paid within a given time.

The association and the DTC had reached an agreement after the Wazirabad bus tragedy in 1997 that the school would be provided buses to transport students. The transport charge will be Rs 150 per student. The DTC agreed to give a subsidy for 10 kilometers after discussion with the Parent Teacher Association members of the school. This agreement was reached in 1999 and was for three years. The demand of repayment has been made after the expiry of the agreement time.

Vice-president of the association Pramod Nagar in a letter to Transport Minister Ajay Maken said that the agreement was reached on the direction of the then Chief Minister, Transport Minister and Education Minister of the NCT of Delhi. Now, the bureaucrats have refused to follow the direction of the ministers. They threatened that no subsidy would be given to the school any further and they would also have to pay back the earlier subsidy amount. The association members had again approached the minister for a direction the continuation of the bus services. The minister had assured them of continuation of the bus services and waiving of the charges demanded by the DTC. But nothing has been done so far.

Special Lok Adalat at Narnaul on Aug 30
Our Correspondent

Narnaul, August 26
A Supreme Court judge, Mr Justice Ashok Bhan, will inaugurate a special Lok Adalat at Narnaul on August 30. The Chief Justice of the Haryana and Punjab High Court, Mr Justice B. K. Roy, will preside over the adalat.

Giving details, Haryana Legal Services Authority secretary Shekhar Dhawan disclosed today that Mr Justice V. K. Bali, who is the executive president of the authority and also a judge of the high court, would also attend the Lok Adalat.

He said that cases related to death and injuries in motor vehicle accidents under the Motor Accident Act and petitions and civil cases, bank loan disputes and criminal cases of Narnaul, Rewari and Mahendragarh districts would be settled in the Lok Adalat.

Other cases to be settled in this Lok Adalat include labour cases and, petitions filed under Section 125 of the Criminal Penal Code.

CULTURE

GLITZ&GLAMOUR
Now, beauty therapists just a call away
Smriti Kak

Graham Bell’s invention has brought in succour for millions, from distressed students to bored housewives, from men battling middle age blues to those combating martial discords, tele counselling has proved to be quite a boon. The latest to join the bandwagon of tele counselling are beauty therapists. Remedies and resolution to skin and hair problems are now being offered on telephone.

Cosmetologist and Founder of Alps Cosmetic Clinic, Bharti Taneja, hit upon the idea of starting a helpline with an aim to reach out to more people. “When I do live shows on radio, we get close to 500 calls and we are able to answer at best 10 queries. This set me thinking and I decided to start a helpline offering tips for hair and skin care.”

The Beauty helpline, which will begin operations later this week, will “solve all queries related to beauty, skin and hair care. Through these five lines people can have an answer for their doubts and confusions,” says Taneja.

She adds: “We also have aruyrvedic doctors working for us. If a caller is not satisfied or needs more help, we put them through to these doctors. People who don’t want to visit beauty clinics and who always search for good home remedies will be benefited from this beauty helpline.”

The beauty helpline will have trained staff to attend to queries and problems and the free service will be available seven days a week from 10 am to 7.30 pm. Bharti Taneja will, however, limit her services for a day in the week.

“Our motto at Alps is to provide complete beauty care solutions through this beauty helpline. We have made sure that our doctors as well as cosmetologists available at these help lines look at a problem from both the angles, external as well internal and then offer a solution, which delivers quick and permanent results,” says Taneja.

Having started her career at home with a small set up in 1988, Bharti Taneja today boasts of six cosmetic clinics in Delhi, which combine the latest technologies with ancient herbal and ayurvedic secrets. Between working at her clinic, she also conducts workshop and seminars to share her knowledge and technical skills with aspiring cosmetologists.

Look of the season

Wills Sport has introduced the ‘Tropical Look’ for the season. Inspired by the tropical spirit, the new look is all about bright colours and patters that exude vibrancy. The collection features trendy leaf, floral and batik prints in striking colours. Made from fine linen and soft cotton, the new look is cool, as it is comfortable. 

Suhaag: Traditional motifs with contemporary appeal

After showcasing her collection, ‘Desire’, jewellery designer Anuradha Chhabra is ready with her new collection, ‘Suhaag’. The collection will be unveiled at the Bride and Groom Exhibition to be held at the Taj Palace between August 30 to September 1.

Kundan, Rani haars, Kundani Polki and gold chokers have been made part of the collection. Says the designer, “Bridal jewellery has been more about the amount of gold put in a jewellery rather than design, with Suhaag collection, my essential focus lies on bringing out the essence and beauty of the traditional motifs with contemporary appeal.”

Chhabra has fused the contemporary with the traditional, there is Kundan Polki, which has been woven on 24 carat gold with lots of precious and semi precious stones, including opals, peridots and tanzanites. Diamonds too have been set with coloured gems in yellow and white gold.

Loving hand embroidery

Vishal Mehra has launched his own label in the Capital. A student of NIFT, Hyderabad, where he won the Best Design Collection, Vishal began his career with noted designer Rina Dhaka. Having honed his skills under Dhakas’ tutelage, the Lucknow-based designer has launched his collection, which boasts of reasonable price tags. Vishal learnt the fine art of ‘Lucknowi Chikankari’ working for his family’s hand embroidered garments business.

The designer, who now sells under his name, claims the USP of his clothes is “loving hand embroidery” and “low pricing”. The clothes have been enhanced with embroidery from various parts of the country. Zardosi, ari, parsi, sequins and chikankari all find an admirer in Vishal.

Vishal has also resorted to combine the different types of embroidery; he fuses chikan with parsi, Lucknowi with Kashmiri to create a different look.

The designer who is also exporting to the Middle East, Hong Kong and London also focuses on revival. He uses the ancient technique, like gota bakda and gota lappi. The designer, after having displayed his wares at the Dubai Shopping Festival, is now pinning his hopes on Bridal Asia. A bit belated, but Punjabi pop star Daler Mehndi probably doesn’t thinks so, the singer has decided to felicitate his team of 11 for contributing to his success.

Years after the singer made news with his foot tapping numbers, ostentatious clothes and a jewelled turban, he has chosen to make public his gratitude and affection for his band.

Formed in 1991, the band that has eleven members asserts “unflinching support” to the “king of bhangra”. Having performed in India as well as abroad, the band says, “Daler has actively helped me select the tunes and lyrics of the albums. Their support has been immense over the years.”

Eulogising the merits of his performers, Daler adds, “Despite not being professionally trained, the band has stood on its own and managed to face competition from international bands.”  Daler Mehndi to felicitate his band