EDUCATION

CAMPUS NOTES
PU to review unfair means cases
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

PANJAB University needs to exercise more care in drafting and handling cases framed against students for using unfair means in the examinations. The Unfair Means Committee (UMC) accusing at least five persons of helping students and the university later letting off three and pondering over the case of the other two, shows several chinks in the entire process.

During the annual examination of 2002, at least three teachers at Moga were accused of helping students. The UMC held them guilty and recommended action. However, the Syndicate has give them a clean chit.

In this case the university detected that during evaluation of papers certain pages were missing from the answersheet. The students concerned pleaded innocence. The teachers were held responsible for the act.

On reconsideration, the university found that it was not fair to hold the staff guilty. Similarly in another case, a local teacher and a superintendent working with a college in Ludhiana were accused of helping a student. The university is relooking into the case because of certain new facts.

Interestingly, the university has now decided to file a case against the students so that the entire matter could be re-looked. A senior staff member said the entire procedure needed to be restudied.

Noble cause

The Panjab University Students Union (Shellay) organised a cultural programme for a noble cause on Friday. The intention was to raise charity fund for physically challenged students. At the cultural evening Rs 640 was collected. This amount will be deposited with the Dean Student Welfare, according to Gurparvez Singh Sandhu, president of the union.

Mr Ripjeet Singh Brar, Chairman, Punjab Energy Development Agency, was the chief guest. He announced to sponsor the fee of one year for 10 physically challenged. Mr Sandhu said the details of this proposal would be worked out later in consultation with the Dean Student Welfare.

‘Music people’, a band from Hotel Mountview, featured in the musical evening. The show was choreographed by Shweta, a student of bio-physics, and compered by Ramneek. The function started with Saraswati vandana. Simranjit Singh, a student of the English Department, performed a self-composed ghazal. Rajbir Singh Bhullar sang a popular Punjabi number ‘Challa’, Komal Rai danced on ‘Nimbura’ and Kulwant Singh danced on a popular Jazzy-B number.

December holidays

Students this year will have a longer winter break. The reason is the forthcoming Indian Science Congress to be held on the campus between January 4 and January 7.

The campus will be closed from December 16 onwards.

However, the university will not be able to match its plan of securing at least 196 teaching days this year. It is not surprising that the university has probably never been able to achieve its schedule of 180 days in a year as desired by the University Grants Commission.

Youth festivals

The university has decided to set up six zones instead of 12 to allow participation of Panjab University and its affiliated colleges in the national youth festival.

The university has never participated in the national-level festivals in the past many years.

Principal S.C. Marriya had brought a proposal in this regard at the Senate meeting. The university constituted a committee which included Prof Nirmal Singh, Dean Student Welfare; Prof Surinder Sharma, Director, Youth Welfare Department; Principal Satinder Dhillon, Ms Harmit Kaur, Ms Vijay and Mr Marriya. The five zones are Chandigarh, Moga, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepore and the Colleges of Education.

The university from the next year will organise a three-week camp for the team to be sent for the national youth festival. The university is supposed to send a team of 32 members, including teachers and other staff. The committee has also decided to include certain new items on the list of competitions like mimicry and skits.

COURTS

District Courts
Fresh warrants against Bhullar
Bid to assassinate Bitta
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 29
A local court today issued fresh production warrants against Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar who was earlier given death penalty for his involvement in a bid to assassinate Maninderjit Singh Bitta, former President of the All-India Youth Congress.

Bhullar had allegedly hatched a conspiracy along with eight others to eliminate former UT SSP Sumedh Singh Saini in a bomb blast that took place in 1991. Mr Saini is presently posted as IG, Punjab (Operation).

The case came up for hearing in the court of the UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, who issued production warrants against Bhullar for November 28.

As per the prosecution the nine accused had hatched a conspiracy to kill Mr Saini. The incident took place on August 29, 1991 when Mr Saini was on his way from police headquarters, Sector-9 to Sector-17. Mr Saini had a miraculous escape when a car was blown by a bomb in Sector 17 at about 2.35 p.m. It was alleged that Devinder Singh Bhullar, along with others had hatched the conspiracy in Mohali.

The UT police had filed a challan against six persons including Partap Singh, Gurcharan Kaur, Devinder Singh Bhullar, Balwant Singh, Manmohan Singh and Manjit Singh levelling charges of TADA, murder and attempt to murder. The three accused in the case have been declared proclaimed offenders.

Summons issued

A local court today issued fresh summons against a Punjabi Singer, Babbu Mann and Times Music company acting on a suit filed by the Mohali-based Catrack Cassettes Industries for restraining the producer from releasing the film “Khel” and the music company from distributing the audio cassettes and CDs of the movie for October 1. “Khel” is expected to release on October 3. Meanwhile, counsel for the producer appeared in the case and sought time to file reply in the case. Cassettes Industries had moved the case alleging that the movie contains a song “Sharrata” sung by Babbu Mann, the copyright of the song were with the company.

CULTURE

Gurdas Mann casts a spell
Tribune News Service

Kot Billa (Panchkula), September 29
The crowd swayed as Gurdas Mann sang with gusto at a musical nite organised during the threeday youth festival at BRS Dental College here last night.

The atmosphere was charged as students from over 20 technical colleges in this technical zone of Kurukshetra university jived and performed bhangra to the tunes of Gurdas Mann. Dressed in electric blue kurta and dhoti, Mann began the musical nite by invoking the blessings of Goddess Saraswati in his Sufi Kalaam “Mori akhiyan laj”. The acoustics and the background score by Mann’s troupe were very good.

With dafli in hand, Mann had the gathering on their feet with “Mur mur yaad satave pind diyan galiyan di”.

However, it was with his most famous track, “Challa”, that things reached a crescendo. The traditional folk song about love in the land of five rivers — Punjab — has been immortalised by Mann.

The organisers had a difficult time controlling the students, who stood on chairs and danced. The back of the dome, where the function was held, was transformed into a huge dance floor, where youngsters danced to their heart’s content.

The Panchkula Superintendent of Police, Mr Ranbir S. Sharma, and the Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, Dr A.K. Chawla were the chief guests. Mr Anoop Garg, secretary of BRS Dental College informed that earlier during the day, competitions in one-act play, group song, solo Haryanvi dance, Western instrumental and Western vocal song categories were held.

A dazzling display of functional designs
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 29
It was an evening full of glitter and jazz as 10 models dressed in Western outfits designed by Rachhan Ahluwalia, sashayed down the ramp at Tagore Theatre during a fashion show “Function before Fashion” organised by The Promoters this evening.

As the name signifies, the Delhi-based designer has kept his creations more towards the functional side rather letting the element of creativity dominate. So what we get to see is a collection of ready-to-wear garments, mainly comprising short skirts, trousers and gowns which look trendy and yet suit the Indian style. However, the show does not entirely shun the element of drama and glamour as Rachhan comes up with a range of outfits called “black magic”.

The show had eight rounds starting with the “net micro” round which featured the models in net tops and short skirts, followed by the shorts round, the umbrella round brought back the umbrella cut skirts in fashion again. A Goan round comprising sarongs and tops was followed by an Indo — Western round and a formal round comprising silk trousers and gowns.

“Youngsters these days are style conscious and require outfits for all occasions,” says Rachhan. “Designer clothes are not meant to be stored in one’s closet but to make them a part of one’s everyday life,” says this designer. The models who took part in the show were Divyani Gupta, Diyani, Jay Shree T, Romal, Shewta Paul, Meenakshi Sharma, Vibha Chadha, Sonal Chauhan, Ratnawali and Pooja Sharma. The show was choreographed by Vijay Roy and make up and hair style by Rakesh Seth.

A treat of true Bengali culture
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 29
The feeling of nostalgia is almost palpable at Banga Bhavan in Sector 35, where the Bengali community living in the city is gearing up to welcome Mother Goddess Durga. However, for about 700 families, the occasion means much more than observing religious rituals — for them this is also a time to remember the legacy of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore or live the dream of Satyajit Ray, so that the second and third generation Bengalis who have been away from their roots get a glimpse of their culture.

“This is a time for us to unite and take a trip to our roots and acquaint our young generation with the true Bengali culture,” says Dr S.R. De, president of the Bangiya Sanskritik Sammilani, the organising committee of the festival. Emotions reign supreme at the bhavan, as most of the members of the Sammilani turn up at the bhavan after work and contribute their bit in making the programme a success.

Acting on this sentiment, the Bangiya Sanskritik Sammilani has cooked up a cultural bonanza to tickle everybody’s tastebud. Starting the show with a group dance called “Agamani” on October 1, the day known as Sasthi, the sammilani offers treat of Rabindra Sangeet, in the form of well-choreographed ballet and solo songs. The major attraction of the day will be a play “Atha Swarga Bichitra” — a political satire directed by Saibal Sanyal, an amateur theatre personality from the city.

The Saptami day which falls on October 2 offers another bouquet of Bengali culture — more Rabindra Sangeet, song and recitation by members, including a play by the ladies wing and a dance drama — “Sap Mochan”. While “Garmail,” the play is based on the stress and tension that a woman has to go through on a day-to-day basis, the dance drama “Sap Mochan” — based on Rabindranath Tagore’s poem “Urvasi” was composed by Tagore himself way back in the Bengali year 1302.

The Maha Ashtami day on October 3 offers a variety programme that includes a number of items which will be contemporary and cosmopolitan in nature. But the major attraction of the day is a play “Gupi Gayan Bagha Bayan”, based on Satyajit Ray’s famous movie, which will be directed by Anjana Menon.

The cultural show will conclude on the Maha Navmi day on October 4 with the presentation of more Bengali songs, recitation and choreography along with a drama “Siraj Ud Ullaha” featuring the famous Nawab of Bengal, his short tenure in power as well as his unhappy love life which finally led to his assassination. This play has a significance as the saying goes, Kolkata’s most famous public festival Durga Puja can be traced to the victory of the British in Plassey. It dates back to this day when Raja Naba Kissen Deb, a financial backer of the East India Company, threw a party in honour of Robert Clive on the occasion of Durga Puja.

During the morning hours, members of the Bangiya Sanskritik Sammilani will observe the rituals of Durga Puja while the cultural show will start at 7.30 pm every evening.