AGRICULTURE

PAU experts’ advice to farmers
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 18
Scientists of Punjab Agricultural University have said that berseem sowing should be completed in the first week of October. This month is ideal for sowing lucern, oats and senji. Berseem crop may be supplied six tonnes of farmyard manure and 125 kg superphosphate per acre before sowing where FYM is not available, 185 kg superphosphate per acre should be broadcast along with starter dose of 122 kg urea. For the control of Poe grass, they have recommended that Basalin 45 EC can be sprayed @ 400 ml per acre in 200 litres of water before sowing.

In order to get higher yield from first cutting, berseem or lucern in mixture with sarson and oat should be sown. This mixture will also help in keeping the itsit under check. They further advised the farmers to conserve surplus maize/sorghum as silage to meet fodder requirements in lean period for cheaper milk production.

EDUCATION

Govt to look into complaints of capitation fee
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 18
The second counselling for admission to dental and other medical streams will be held within the next few days. This has been stated by Mr Santokh Singh Chaudhry, Minister for Medical Education and Research.

Mr Santokh Singh said that the state government would look into the complaints of alleged demand for capitation fee by some dental institutes in the state. He asserted that all admissions (filling of vacant seats) would be made on the basis of the PMET conducted by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences.

Meanwhile, Dr A.S. Sekher, Registrar of the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, disclosed that management seats of dental colleges were lying vacant and the same would be filled through second counselling.

Dr Sekhon said that the date for second counselling would be fixed in consultation with the state government. The state government has set up committees for the admission of dental and other medical stream students.

Asked if the university had received complaints of demand for capitation fee by certain dental colleges, Dr Sekhon said people had made complaints on phone to them but no written complaint had been received so far.

Dr Sekhon said that the university had also informed the students seeking admission to dental and ayurvedic colleges through newspaper public notices that all admissions would be finalised on merit and through the PMET test. Meanwhile, the managements of the private unaided medical and dental colleges are waiting for the judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the petitions pending in the High Court, the hearing on which had already taken place.

The management of the Guru Ramdas Institute of Medical Sciences has completed admission to the MBBS course and very few seats are left to be filled, according to Dr Ujjagar Singh Dhaliwal, principal of the institute.

Dr Dhaliwal said that they had admitted the students as recommended after counselling at the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences. They had accepted the tuition fee at the rate of Rs 1.5 lakh with an undertaking from the students that they would pay the enhanced fee if the committee headed by a retired judge of the High Court fixes the same higher than Rs 1.5 lakh.

It may be mentioned here that there was a deadlock between the SGPC-run institutes — medical and dental — on the question of charging tuition fee and the two institutes were insisting on charging higher fee fixed by them. But there was agreement that the state government would set up a committee for the fixation of the tuition fee under the chairmanship of a retired judge of the High Court as directed by the Supreme Court.

Similarly, admission to Guru Ram Das Dental College, Amritsar has also been completed with three or four seats left vacant.

The management of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital has yet to fill 18 seats which are lying vacant. The management is waiting for the judgment of the High Court.

Dr Livtar Singh Chawla, founder Vice-Chancellor, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences and senior member of the MCI, said here today that the medical colleges were supposed to fill all seats by September 30 as a directive by the Supreme Court.

All seats left vacant by that date would not be allowed to be filled after September 30. Violation of this directive also entails penalty to the defaulting medical college and affiliating university plus rustication of the students admitted after September 30.

FROM COLLEGES
Students participate in contests
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 18
Several activities were organised for students by Guru Nanak Girls College here yesterday. At a seminar organised by the Commerce Department, Mr J.S. Kalra, Senior Insurance Manager, National Insurance Company, delivered a lecture.

A quiz contest was organised by the Maths Department. Mr Gurbir Singh, President, Guru Nanak Education Trust, and Ms Charanjit Mahal, Principal, presided over the function.

A paper-reading contest was organised under the guidance of Ms Paramjit Kaur, Head, Economics Department.

A skit-cum-choreography was presented by students of BA III. Ms Rajwinder Kaur, Ms Gurdeep Kaur and Ms Dimple were the judges. Manpreet, Damandeep and Supriya were declared first, second and third, respectively, in the arts stream and Isha, Ruhi and Navneet were declared first, second and third, respectively, in the commerce stream. Sakshi of BA II and Sheetal of B.Com II got consolation prizes.

An inter-class declamation and poetry recitation contest was also organised. Ms Sukhwinder Cheema of the Punjabi Department accorded warm welcome to Ms Mahal. Ms Indu Kaushal, Ms Baldev Tiwana and Prof James were the judges. In the declamation contest, Amanpreet of B.Sc I, Priya of B.Sc. II and Rishu of BA III were declared first, second and third, respectively.

In poetry recitation competition, Amandeep Kaur of BA II, Deepshikha of B.Sc. I and Sandeep of BA III were declared first, second and third, respectively.

The Punjabi Department organised a programme ‘Ru-b-roo’ with poet Dr Surjit Patar. Ms Baldev Tiwana, Head of the department, welcomed the guests.

Literary discussion: The Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, Gujarkhan campus, Model Town, organised literary discussion for M.A. English students on Wednesday. Prof N.S. Tasneem and Prof Bhupinder Parihar addressed students.

Ms Manju Chawla, Head, Postgraduate Department, welcomed the guests and Dr A.K. Bansal, Principal, appreciated the efforts of the department.

Awards for lecturers: Two lecturers of Guru Nanak Engineering College will soon be honoured by the Indian National Academy of Engineering. Dr Sehajpal Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, will receive the Innovation Research Award — 2003. This is based on his PhD research ‘Studies in metal fishing with magnetically assisted abrasive flow machining’. Six papers have already been published in international journals out of his research work.

Mr Harpreet Singh Rai, lecturer, Civil Engineering Department, has been selected for the Young Engineer Award — 2003. He is the only candidate from North India to have been selected for the award. Earlier, he was selected for the prestigious project on ‘Treatment of basic dye bath effluent in areobic high rate reactor’ by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Seminar: A seminar on energy environment and sustainable development will be organised at the College of Agricultural Engineering, PAU, on September 20.

The event has been allotted to the college by the Indian Society of Technical Education, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir chapter.

Student teams from the engineering, management colleges as well as polytechnics from Punjab, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir will participate. 

School honours teachers
Our Correspondent

Ms Kusum Lata, winner of the state teachers’ award, and Ms Gurcharan K. Kochhar, winner of the national teachers’ award, being honoured by Mr Bachitar Singh (DEO), Mr Varinder Sharma (district science supervisor) and Ms Manjit Kaur (Deputy DEO) at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, on Thursday. — Photo by Inderjeet Verma

Painting contest

Ludhiana, September 18
The Bharat Vikas Parishad, Shivaji branch, organised a painting competition at Shishu Model Senior Secondary School, Basti Joshewal, here today. More than 150 students from Classes I to X participated. The topics for the competition were environment, drug addiction, traffic safety and sapling plantation. The judgement was pronounced by Mr Rajesh Nauhria, secretary of the organisation. TNS

CULTURE

Giving revellers a high through music
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, September 18
He says he gives people a high with his music and it is for this reason that he calls himself “Nasha”. He shot into fame with his number “Flute Fantasy” in which Rono Mazumdar played the flute to foot-tapping music that created waves in Indian as well as London club circuit. His album “Romanov Party” topped the charts and his other popular numbers include “Jawani Janeman” (remix), “Yeh Mera Dil” (remix) and “Hoton se aisi baat” (remix).

Nasha and T’nu were in the city to play for a party organised by a liquor manufacturing company. The crowd danced to the symphony of flute. Both Nasha and T’nu have been in the business for the past 9 years and have been experimenting to create a new type of music.

Nasha bagged World Disco Mixing Championship (popularly known as DMC) held in New York in 1999 where a number of DJs had participated. He returned to defend his title in 2000 organised in the Millennium Dome in London, which he retained.

While he won the championship at the international level, DJ Harjot, who calls himself T’nu, reached the semi-final of the same competition at the national level in 2000. Both of them have come together on their tour to six states to promote the liquor company.

Both say they are keen on creating new music and by scratching on the turntables they produce “break-beat” music. As the name suggests, the beat is broken at the most poignant moment to heighten the musical effect. Then they also play House music. Nasha says these are all “genres” of music.

While playing music abroad they include ethnic music, hence popularising Indian music, says T’nu. Nasha plans to bring out “Asian House Beat”, which will have ethnic folk sounds. He adds: “DJying is much more than just technical mixing of two songs. There is more to it. While using turntables, we can produce a new sound from the existing sound. New DJs generally have attitude problem. Actually DJs have had a good innings and they have become part and parcel of every party — be it birthday, wedding, engagement or any other bash.”

Nasha is usually invited to play in Buddha Bar in Paris and he enjoys playing music in parties where people get a high.

Nasha sports big tattoos on his shoulders and has got his body pierced as well. He plans to make an album with Tofique Quershi, brother of Zakir Hussein, the famous tabla maestro. He is currently learning tabla from him.

Beat chopping, beat juggling is enjoyed by them. They play music according to the taste of party goers. In Punjab they mostly played what the Punjabis like — peppy, lively Punjabi pop music, much to the enjoyment of party lovers of the city.