The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

Daughters light father’s pyre
It was a promise fulfilled
Chitleen K. Sethi
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, October 5
Defying a tradition as old as the vedas, three daughters of a family here today shouldered the pyre of their father standing as an equal to their brother. The four, along with two granddaughters, performed the last rites in accordance with the wishes of the enlightened father who died last night after three years of painful illness.

Hari Singh (83), a resident of Sector 70, in his will had clearly stated that he considered his daughters equal to his sons and so all the rights which the son enjoyed, including the right to perform his last rites, will be shared by the daughters as well.

While two of the daughters, Shamsher and Surinder, stood beside the pyre, son Shamsher Singh and the eldest daughter Gursharan Kaur lit the pyre. Since a younger son had died young, his two daughters — Simran and Harman — too were given the right to participate in performing the last rites of the grandfather.

For the family it was a day of fulfilling their promises to their parted father. “He was a great man. He left the Army to start his own business in a small town Theog near Shimla. He gave us the best possible education. His first child, a daughter, was sent to the best medical college in India those days, Lady Hardinge, New Delhi. She is now one of the top doctors in Chandigarh,” informed Mrs Shamsher Kaur, the youngest daughter, a senior Fellow at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Chandigarh.

“Gursharan topped in joint Punjab. My father believed that there is no difference between a daughter and a son. When I wanted to join the Army’s parachute wing he encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to. It was a proud moment for all of us when I was given the Vashist Seva Medal for the 1971 war,” recalls Shamsher Singh. Shamsher Singh left for France in 1979 where he now runs a business. At home in SAS Nagar with his wife, Chantal, Mr Shamsher Singh said he was proud of his sisters and his father for discarding meaningless tradition. “Why should only a son or grandson or a close male relative light the funeral pyre? A daughter is an equal and that is what we have always believed in and decided to practise,” said Mr Shamsher Singh.

“At Theog, girl education started after our father decided to educate the three of us,” explains Mrs Shamsher Kaur who has also written a distance education teaching module on the empowerment of women as part of an UNDP programme.

“This is for the first time that I have seen both, a daughter and a son, performing the last rites jointly,” said Mr Ram Abhilash, the priest at the cremation ground, SAS Nagar. “I have seen daughter performing the last rites only when there is no son or grandson or a close male relative but today I saw the beginning of a new trend,” he added.

“This is an example to be emulated. I knew Hari Singhji for many decades. He was a man of the times. A matriculate of 1935, he was not just educated but also enlightened. He and his wife have been ideal parents,” said Mr C.L. Bains, a friend of the family and Chief Election Commissioner, Punjab.

Linking Gandhian ideology with Tibetan tenet
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 5
A group of Tibetan students from the city had the fortune of a chance meeting with their spiritual head His Holiness, the Dalai Lama today. On his way to Delhi from Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama sojourned in the city, where he talked to Tibetan students, who gathered in good numbers to attend their Head’s discourse at Punjab Bhavan in Sector 3. Coming from Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama was on his way to Delhi to further proceed for a four-nation tour to France, Spain, Germany and Czech Republic.

Speaking in Tibetan, the Dalai Lama shared with the students his experience of visiting the Pathankot Gandhi Ashram on October 2 and meeting the 95-year-old Gandhian Sidh Raj Dada, who is busy following the course Gandhi set for the world. Stressing on peace, which seemed so elusive the Dalai Lama established a clear connection between the Gandhian philosophy of ahimsa and the Buddhist tenet of non-violence.

Digressing from Gandhi, the Dalai Lama struck another interesting piece of conversation when he talked about connection between religion and science. Referring to his recent meetings with scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, which he visited during his US tour, the Dalai Lama talked of scientific facts that had roots in religion. He said, “It’s a myth that religion has nothing to do with science. My discussions and meetings with the scientists in Boston also confirmed this.” The Dalai Lama exemplified the statement by equating the concept of “shunya” in the Buddhist philosophy with quantum physics in science.

Urging the students to take interest in Buddhist studies, he stressed the need to practice Buddhist philosophy in letter and spirit. “Even the Chinese take interest in Buddhism. Reciting mantras or making offerings at temples is not sufficient. It is important to practice the soul of religion, which lies in goodness and all its elements of compassion, affection and non violence,” preached the Dalai Lama.

Making a mention of his US visit where he met the US President, Secretary of State, Senators and the Congressmen, the Dalai Lama said everyone in the USA was supportive of Tibet’s cause. The spiritual head, who also met 38 Chinese students at the Haward University in the USA, added that the Chinese students in America were open to logic. “They criticised their own country for its repressive policies. Once I met some Chinese students in Delhi. They also broke into tears on hearing of how much the Tibetans had suffered under the Chinese rule,” informed the Dalai Lama.

After a brief halt in Chandigarh, the Dalai Lama proceeded for Delhi where he has a couple of functions to attend tomorrow. The very first is his discourse at Budha Jayanti Park in Delhi. Later, the Dalai Lama has to attend a chanting festival, to be graced by saints of different religious faiths. Finally, the Dalai Lama will participate in a meeting on “Spiritual ways of sustainable and non-aggressive living”, to be held at India International Centre.

The relevance of Gandhiji
K.P.K. Kutty

GANDHIJI continues to be the one name among the billion people of India which is spelt out with respect in the many nations of the world. Men still wonder how a ‘half-naked fakir’ mobilised millions of Indians to fight successfully and non-violently for independence.

What is the relevance of Gandhi to the present generation? Among the several programmes arranged for television audience on Gandhi Jayanti day, the one on the Asianet channel anchored by a well-known film director, Balachandra Menon, was very thought provoking. Around him were a few schoolchildren, teenaged boys and girls, trying to figure out how he had impressed them.

“Keeping the environment clean” — that is Gandhiji to some. A few others rated his love and sacrifice for the nation as inimitable. “Non-violence” summed up the spirit of Gandhi to a few others. Quoting recent statements of some politicians that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics, the film director attempted a contrast between the Mahatma’s great ideals and the sharp deterioration that had set in society.

At least initially, Rabindranath Tagore was not among his admirers. Yet in an article written in January 1938, the poet had to admit this about the saintly nature of the Father of the Nation: “An ascetic himself, he does not frown on the joys of others, but works for the enlivening of their existence day and night. He exalts poverty in his own life, but no man in India has striven more assiduously for the material welfare of his people. A reformer with the zeal of a revolutionary, he imposes severe restraints on the very passions he provokes. Something of an idolator and also an iconoclast, he leaves the old gods in their dusty niches of sanctity and simply lures the old worship to better and more humane purposes. Professing his adherence to the caste system, he launches his firmest attack against it where it keeps its strongest guards, and yet he has hardly suffered from popular disapprobation as would have been the case with a lesser man who would have much less power to be effective in his efforts.’’

He condemns sexual life as inconsistent with the moral progress of man, but unlike Tolstoy he betrays no abhorrence of sex that tempts his kind.

He advises his followers to hate evil without hating the evil-doer. It sounds an impossible precept, but he has made it as true as it can be made in his own life. I had once an occasion to be present at an interview he gave to a prominent politician who had been denounced by the official Congress party as a deserter. Any other Congress leader would have assumed a repelling attitude, but Gandhiji was gracious and listened to him with patience and sympathy, without once giving him an occasion to feel small.’’ Here, I said to myself, is a truly great man, for he is greater than the party he belongs to, greater even than the creed he professes.’’

It is this greatness of his as a man that still interests a vast ocean of humanity. Greatness is marked by all the qualities he displayed in his life. He donned many roles—as a politician, as an organiser, as a leader of men, as a moral reformer, as a spiritual teacher and so on. But he was greater than all these as a man and had set the best example for the country of his birth in its attempt to solve its many problems.

We miss him today when the pluralistic nature of society plunges it into problems of intolerance, suspicion and mutual hatred. Though people still pay him only lip service, he has set the standards for best behaviour in societies as diverse as ours.

“Let me own this. If I could call myself, say, a Christian, or a Mussalman, with my own interpretation of the Bible or the Kuran, I should not hesitate to call myself either. For then, Hindu, Christian and Mussalman would be synonymous terms. I do believe in the other world there are neither Hindus, nor Christians nor Mussalmans. They all are judged not according to their labels or professions but according to their actions irrespective of their professions. During our earthly existence there will always be these labels. I, therefore, prefer to retain the label of my forefathers so long as it does not cramp my growth and does not debar me from assimilating all that is good anywhere else.’’

That is the example he has left us — in the matter of accepting one another, disregarding all the differences. He maintained that his is not a religion of a prison house. “It has room for the least among God’s creations. But it is proof against insolence, pride of race religion or colour.’’

Gandhiji has too believed that the principal religions of the world constitute revelations of Truth, but they have been outlined by imperfect men; they have been affected by imperfections alloyed with untruth. “We must not be impatient with those we consider to be in error, but must be prepared if need be to suffer in our own person. One must, therefore, entertain the same respect for the religious faith of others as one accords to one’s own.’’

Another relevant lesson for us today from his life is his emphasis on the truth and the purity of the means. He insisted that men in their fight for claims must only so assert their rights, whether as individuals or as groups, as never to violate their fundamental obligation to humanity, which is to respect life.

All these principles have their root in his spirituality; his deep faith in God. “I am in the world feeling my way to light ‘amid the encircling gloom.’ I often err and miscalculate. My trust is solely in God. And I trust men only because I trust in God. If I had no God to rely upon, I should be, like Timon, a hater of my species.’’

“Have faith in God.” Is it what he meant when he said, “My life is my message!” There is reason to believe so.

PU to house Administration’s IT project
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 5
Fresh entrants in the race for market possibilities in the Information Technology sector of the city will find a home on the Panjab University campus under a project being sponsored by the UT Administration.

The details of the project have been finalised for final clearance by the Senate. The university has set aside 10,000 square feet of area for the centre at the rate of Rs 15.70 per square foot.

The university note reads: “IT companies all over the world find it easier to locate at a new destination if they are offered single window and ready-to-shift facilities. These incubation facilities are ideal for companies to start their operations without much ado and then gradually settle down in alternative sites in a city. The famed Silicon Valley in California also has incubation facilities.” The centre is an ideal location for the start-ups who can find their feet in the industry and subsequently shift outside. The proposed information technology park in the city will be a good alternative site.

The rent will accrue to the university in return for space. Similar facilities already exist at Punjab Engineering College (PEC). At least eight companies have taken space on rent at the PEC.

The centre is seen as a platform for students in the university to do projects and even get employment. The setting up of the incubation facility on the campus will provide students of IT, computer science and electronics, exposure to “live projects’ and will also help students of the biotechnology and bio-informatics.

Justifying the university stand of allowing the incubation centre on the campus, an official note has clarified that since the administration has not specified that the location of the accommodation should be at a common place, the university plans to make the allocation at four different places. The university has decided that the centre should be set up at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Biotechnology and Old Correspondence courses building “because students involved from these departments are likely to be benefited more”.

When the matter had come up at the Syndicate meeting recently, Mr S.S.Virdi had pointed out that the university was fortunate to have been offered a high price and felt that the built-up space should be rented out in the interest of the university. Prof Charanjit Chawla said he was not in favour of “mortgaging” university property for the sake of finances. He said such practice could be allowed only if the students were benefited directly otherwise colleges might end up doing same things. Mr Gopal Krishan Chatrath said he was against renting out the university buildings for running courses by private companies since they would use the name of the university for personal gains.

Mr S.S.Hundal and Principal P.S.Sangha also spoke on similar lines.

Now, charter a train for business, tour
Rajmeet Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 5
With the largest network of railliness on its side, the Indian Railways is going all out to popularise the concept of chartered trains to the corporate world and other clients who could bring a large volume of passenger traffic.

After the first successful run of a chartered train for a corporate client between Chennai and Goa recently, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is looking for business in the northern region.

The concept involves blending business with tourism.

A chartered trains costs about 20 per cent more than the normal fare per head.

Mr Rakesh Saxena, Director (Marketing and Tourism), IRCTC, while talking to TNS over the telephone from Delhi, said earlier the chartered trains were allowed for religious and institutional purposes.

The Railways also used to charter particular coaches on a train.

He said intimation to charter a train from one place to another, provided the rail network existed, had to be given at least a month in advance.

The one-month time allows the IRCTC to seek permission from the Indian Railways to run the train and make arrangements among the zonal railways to ensure a smooth run for point-to-point, circular destinations and even for popular destinations.

However, a client had to ensure that it was fully booked with around 700 passengers. The rating structure — as per the destination and length of the run — would be similar as for other trains, said Mr Sexena.

Inquiries reveal that a number of pilgrimage trains are run to places of religious importance. The chartered trains offer a cheap alternative to the corporate clients, who want to give a holiday package to their employees.

A senior officer of the Indian Railways says that the vast network of the Railways offered the best connectivity to places of religious and heritage importance.

Compared to the chartered flights which are expensive and the chartered buses uncomfortable to ride on, the train offers comfort and privacy to passengers, he adds.

Selling unexploded bombs from firing range
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service

Bhudd/Mandlai, October 5
Undeterred by several accidents leading to physical deformities, residents of these villages are supplementing their livelihood by collecting unexploded bombs and misfired bullets along with their scrap, from a nearby firing range of the army.

The range, which had been abandoned for several years, was used by the Army for firing light weapons 10 days ago. This has brought cheer among the villagers. They say that now after six years — since the range was abandoned — they can now hope to substitute their minor earnings by selling the misfired bullets and their scrap.

Initially, the firing range was used by the Army for heavy artillery. However, in 1997, following protests by the villagers, the range was abandoned. But a large number of mortars and other unexploded artillery used in the range were not removed and the residents, in search of brass in these unexploded bombs, often sustained injuries while trying to extract the metal from these bombs for resale.

About two years ago, a young boy had lost his life while trying to extract brass from a shell in this range. It was then that the Army and the local administration had launched a campaign and discovered over 300 unexploded shells and mortars from this range. These were destroyed by the Army. However, a number of these mortars and shells, with a small amount of explosive left in them, are still found near the range. “Since most people here are herders, they often discover these mortars and shells and then sell these to the local grocer, who in turn sells it to scrap dealers in Naraingarh and Ambala. Children, too, collect these shells from the range and sell them to the grocer,” informs Pawan Kumar, a resident of Mandlai village.

A visit to the villages near the firing range, located in the Shivalik foothills, reveals that a large number of residents have been maimed or suffered other physical deformities while trying to get hold of the unexploded mortars. But this has not deterred the villagers from collecting the mortars and scrap. In fact, they say that they now no longer touch the unexploded mortars and shells, but rely only on the scrap. Narsingh, 12 and Sohan Lal (8), both residents of Mandlai, informed TNS that after the range was used again for light artillery firing last week, they made a good pocket money by selling it to a local grocer.

Some residents hide these mortars, shells and scrap in their houses. A resident of Mandlai showed TNS a mortar shell she had hidden in her house for the past two years. This shell still has some explosive content, but she seems unfased. Only when she gets a good price will she sell it.

While the brass in the mortars is sold to the grocer for anything between Rs 30 and Rs 35 per kg, the grocer further sells it to the scrap dealers in Naraingarh and Ambala for Rs 60 to Rs 85 per kg. Informs Gyan, a grocer in Bhudd, who deals with these mortars and bomb and bullet scrap, “The bullet scrap is bought from the villagers, mainly children, for Rs 2 per kilogram, and the scrap dealers buy it from us for Rs 10 per kg.”

Chandigarh Calling
Track? What track?

THE cycle track built by the Administration in the Sector 35 market opposite Sector 34 has become the ideal place for people to spread out carpets and have a game of cards. A little distance ahead a couple of vendors have occupied vantage points to sell puri chana. The entire cycle track starting from the South End crossing up to Metro restaurant is blocked by parked rickshaws and vendors selling their wares. This eight-foot broad track is of no use.

It is very difficult for a four-wheeler to drive down to the other end of the market from the South End side as the driver can be challaned if he drives out on to the main road from the South End side. The Tribune team spent virtually 20 minutes to drive out of the market. The road in this portion of Sector 35 is much narrower than the market road ahead opposite the Piccadily Theatre.

We saw one person drive into the cycle track midway from the main road. And low and behold the big vehicle made a cyclist get down from his cycle and walk with it for some distance. What is the solution to the traffic problem on this stretch of the Sector 35 market which has two big departmental stores ——-Batra and JD’s? There are also a string of hotels, bakeries and other joints along this road. Sentinel talked to one of the owners of the departmental stores. He was of the opinion that the cycle track should be merged into the main market road, so that it becomes broad enough to handle the flow of traffic. It would be much better than allowing the eight-foot broad track to be used by card-players and puri-chole vendors, who not only block the stretch but throw the leftovers making the area stink.

With the festival season on, the owners of the shops and restaurants of this stretch of the Sector 35 market feel cheated. Even the back lane of this market has deep potholes. The Tribune team got stuck at one such place while trying to drive down the backlane. The Municipal Council or the Administration, whoever are looking after these cycle tracks, have a task ahead.

Q and A session with Kalam

On his second visit to the city in less than a fortnight, the President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, at his interaction with school children, was bombarded with questions. The children had arrived at the venue with a long questionnaire.

The officials of the Administration and the Education Department kept their fingers crossed all through the one-and-a-half hour interaction when Dr Kalam answered questions on subjects ranging from Jammu and Kashmir to implementation of a uniform civil code and to careers.

However, at the end of the show, they were relieved that no awkward questions had been put to the President. The officials of the Administration congratulated themselves for having “successfully” organised yet another visit of the First Citizen.

They also gave the students their due at the end of the function, stating that the students had “performed” better in terms of questions asked than their teachers who had a similar interaction with Dr Kalam on the eve of Teachers’ Day.

Aim big

In the “Song of Youth” circulated among the school children before the President arrived at Bhargava Auditorium, Dr Kalam stressed on a line that said,’I realise, small aim is a crime”. After asking the students to repeat the line after him, he asked them to interpret and explain the essence of the words to drive home the point.

A student came up with a beautiful explanation which earned the appreciation of Dr Kalam. She began with stating that the lines inspired her to think big since a small aim would get her nowhere.” It conveys that we should aim for the moon so that even if we fall we will reach the stars,” she said.

Dr Kalam, clearly satisfied with the explanation and appreciative of the words chosen, moved on without asking for more interpretations.

A messy parking

Parking space in Sector 34 is shrinking by the day. With the rush of shops as also of customers increasing, there are times when there is virtually no space to even set one’s foot in the commercial hub, which comes second only to Sector 17. On the day of Ashtami, there was a major ruckus in the market when four vehicles were trapped for well over an hour. Unable to find space to get out of the market, the owners of respective vehicles first started quarelling among themselves, forgetting the fact that their cars had actually been blocked by two wrongly parked vehicles — a Tata Sumo and a Scorpio.

As the scene heated up, the owners of the last two vehicles landed on the scene, least apologetic about the wrong parking they had made. Instead of amending the wrong done, they started shouting at the four people, who were already too tired of fighting among themselves. For well over an hour and a half, the commercial centre of Sector 34 (the small market that houses a famous bakery joint) remained a centre of major controversy, until of course some passersby intervened and put some sense back into the quarelling six.

For their part, the wronged ones would have almost sworn never to enter the market again. One of them was caught saying, “Apna scooter hi changa hai. Aithe taan suin dharan di vi jagah nai hegi.” Perhaps it is time the MC made room for parking lots in this small centre as well.

Navratra feasts

Navratra thalis were more than a hit this season. Although they have been available at all the major food joints for long, there was something very special about the trend this Navratra season. Until about few years back, the Sindhi chain led the business, with all its joints offering special thalis. But this time around, yet another vegetarian restaurant in Sector 17 joined the fray. Not only did it attract clients for its good quality preparation, it even hooked them on. Such was the rush over the past few days that the authorities of this particular joint had to actually put some chairs outside the joint to accommodate those waiting in line to have the Navratra feast.

“I don’t care”

Some Haryana Roadways drivers and conductors, it seems, think themselves above any law of the land. Though as per the recent ruling of the Supreme Court, the management has imposed a strict ban on smoking in roadways buses and bus terminals yet its own staff give a hoot to order. The other day, a passenger travelling in a Haryana Roadways bus on the Delhi-Chandigarh route clicked photographs of a driver openly smoking cigarette while driving the bus. The driver was very furious and stopped the bus midway threatening to “throw away the passenger out of bus”.

The situation was saved with the intervention of the conductor and some fellow passengers. However, the driver continued to drive the bus in a rash manner, while threatening he would ram the bus if the “passenger dared complain against him”.

It was only after the passenger, who had clicked the photograph, agreed not to complain that the driver agreed to behave normally, and said: “I will try not to smoke in the bus again”

Air Force Day

The IAF is celebrating the 71st Air Force Day on October 8 and has issued an open invitation to all retired officers settled in and around Chandigarh for a formal gettogether and dinner.

This time the gettogether is being organised at the 12 Wing Officers’ Mess. For the past few years, IAF establishments here have started the practice of organising a joint gettogether instead of hosting individual parties in their respective messes. Last year the gettogether was hosted by No. 3 Base Repair Depot.

Besides senior officers from the Army, a host of civilian dignitaries in Chandigarh, including the two state Governors, are expected to attend the party, which begins at 7.45 pm. The local authorities have also requested that retired officers may confirm their attendance to the mess secretary, Sqdn Ldr Milind Kumar at telephone No. 638349.

In the name of security

The recently held seminar on Integrated Management of National Security saw Union Minister for Small Scale Industries, Mr C.P. Thakur, dwelling upon topics as diverse as drug abuse, sex and mythology during his talk on security matters, which prompted the session’s chairperson thanking the honourable minister for his “light-hearted comments”.

Though evidently in the dark about security issues, the minister delved upon the abuse of drugs and its relation to promiscuity in the north-eastern states and highlighted the general neglect of these states.

Highlighting the significance of holding the seminar during the Durga Puja festivities, he said that security was intricately linked to deities Kali, Laxmi and Saraswati, each of which represented elements like prowess, wealth and knowledge. He further plunged into mythology, when he related the Scud — Patriot missile duels of the 1991 Gulf War with weapon systems portrayed in the Mahabharata. Stating that Iraqi Scuds were shot down by US Patriots, he said that similar duels took place during the times of the Mahabharata, when arrows and guided weapons were intercepted by weapons like the Sudarshan Chakra, launched with the intention to bring down a particular projectile.

Thakur also took a dig at the IAF’s MiG fighters, which, he said have an alarming crash rate. He said that young pilots were dying while receiving training rather than in combat. He said that he had never seen a system where training claims so many lives.

— Sentinel

COMMUNITY

Customer gets a raw deal from police
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 5
Working against the instructions of senior police officers on public dealing, policemen from the Sector 31 police station last night ensured that they violated the orders of their superiors.

This time, the victim of police indifference was 25-year-old Joginder Singh, a rickshaw-puller, who wanted the men in uniform to register a case against the owner of a shop for selling him a substandard cooking gas stove.

Rather, the police got a statement signed from the victim showing his unwillingness to seek action against the shopkeeper.

The victim had received burn injuries to his face and legs after the gas stove caught fire.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Joginder Singh said he along with his cousin Suresh had purchased the cooking gas stove for Rs 200 from Grover Bartan Store in Ram Darbar last evening.

When Joginder was cooking food on the stove, the LPG started leaking from the regulator and it caught fire. The victim, who was admitted to the GMCH with burn injuries, was today discharged.

Narrating the tale of harassment at the hands of the police, Joginder said a PCR vehicle got him admitted to the hospital. Without his consent, a policeman from the Sector 31 got his signatures on a statement, which mentioned that he did not want any police action. “Since I am illiterate I could not understand the contents of the statement recorded by the policemen. When my cousin told me about the contents, I protested to the hospital staff.

A lady attendant at the hospital then called up the Sector 31 police to do the needful,” said Joginder.

But after no one turned up from the police station, friends of Joginder approached the police.

Meanwhile, a police party went to the house of Joginder and got another written statement from the mother of Suresh, Om Pati, that they did not want any police action and it was merely an accident.

Joginder along with his cousin, Suresh, insisted that he wanted action against the shopkeeper for endangering his life by selling a substandard cooking gas stove.

When contacted, ASI Ram Singh said the issue did not fall in the purview of the police and the complainant should have contacted the Consumer Redressal Forum to seek justice.

Mass marriages solemnised
Tribune News Service

A fruitful wait

Karamjit Kaur, a resident of Badala village, Ropar, spent anxious hours waiting for her bridegroom to reach the wedding venue. Controlling her tears, she waited in a hall near the Ravidas Bhavan where others were being wedded. Her tense parents made repeated calls to the house of the bridegroom where no one picked up the telephone. Hours later, they were told that the bridegroom with the “barat” had reached Ropar and would be at the venue soon. Hearing this, Karamjit and her relatives heaved a sigh of relief. Beaming with happiness, Karamjit Kaur and Baljit Singh were finally married almost six hours late than the scheduled time.

SAS Nagar, October 5
Continuing with its annual feature, the Punjabi Cultural and Welfare Society Mohali here today organised mass wedding of 14 couples belonging to poor families from Punjab and Haryana.

Dressed in their wedding attire, the bridegrooms, accompanied by their parents and relatives, had come from villages with “barats”, while the brides had been called a day earlier at the Ravidas Bhavan to prepare for the wedding.

‘‘We are spending over Rs 5 lakh on these 14 weddings and we feel proud that our society is able to collect this amount from all those who want to do something good for society,’’ explained Mr Phool Raj Singh, president of the society.

Organised by the society in collaboration with the Sukhdev Singh Gill Memorial Foundation, the weddings were solemnised with complete ceremonies. Each bride was given clothes and other essential items to start her own household by the society. The weddings were attended by many luminaries of the township, including the Municipal Council President, Mr Kulwant Singh, the OSD to the Chief Minister, Ms Lakhwinder Kaur Garcha, and a former Finance Minister, Punjab, Capt Kanwaljit Singh.

The families had written to the society earlier this year for financial help for the wedding of their daughters. The society had chosen those who wanted help the most and arranged for the ceremonies. While 13 of the couples were wedded according to the Sikh rites, one couple was wedded early last night according to the Hindu rites.

SAS Nagar Diary
Yajna to save environment
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, October 5
A maha yajna was performed at the Phase 3B1 temple to save the environment from pollution here yesterday. Performed by Dr Raman, a resident of the township, the yajna was aimed at invoking the gods to retain the purity of the environment and prevent the spreading of pollution. Stating that science was based on the vedas, Dr Raman claimed that the recitation of the mantras have a positive affect on the environment.

Probe sought

The Trade Union Council here today condemned the action of the Railways and Punjab Police resulting in the death of Gurdev Singh, a farmer at the Bhai Bakhtawar railway crossing. According to a press note issued by Mr Ramji Dass, general secretary of the union, a judicial inquiry into the incident should be held. Farmers were agitating peacefully for the implementation of the poll promises, he said.

He demanded that exemplary disciplinary action should be taken against those found responsible for the death of the agitating farmer. Mr Harbans Singh Bagri, President of the union said the attack on the farmers was an attack on democracy. Mr Ramji Dass stated that the statement of Mr H.S. Hanspal that the agitation of the farmers was uncalled for had exposed the ‘double-edged and anti-kisan’ policy of Punjab Congress.

Natural therapies hospital

The International Hospital of Natural Therapies here celebrated its second anniversary this week. Addressing the audience on the occasion, Dr Rasvinderjit Singh, chairman of the hospital claimed that this hospital was the only institute in north India where almost every disease considered incurable was being treated. He also informed that the hospital had spread its branches to Patiala, Jagadhari, Kapurthala and New Delhi also in the last two years of its inception. He also announced that four new branches of the hospital would be opened in the coming year.

A seminar on the teaching of Shri Guru Granth Sahib was also organised on the occasion. Jathedar of Patna Sahib Gurudwara Giani Iqbal Singh presided over the seminar.

New Ravi Dass Sabha chief

Mr K.R. Chaudhry has been elected as the President of the Shri Guru Ravi Dass Naujawan Sabha, SAS Nagar today. While Mr J.R.Kahal will be the vice-president, Mr P.R. Mann will be the general secretary of the sabha. Mr Gurdial Singh has been chosen as the finance secretary and Mr R.A. Suman as the legal adviser.

State Congress committee to hold rally
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 5
The state Congress committee will hold a rally near Labour chowk here on October 12. The rally will be addressed by the state party president, Mr Bhajan Lal, and the All-India Congress Committee secretary, Mr Jai Kishan.

This was announced by local MLA, Mr Chander Mohan, while addressing a press conference here today.

He said thousands of people from all over the state would participate in the rally, which would be organised in protest against the ‘anti-people policies’ of the government.

He said the rally would be a show of strength for the party and a number of local councillors from rival political parties and members of other parties would join the Congress.

Talking about the worsening law and order situation in the state, Mr Chander Mohan said he, along with members of the Aggarwal Samaj, would present a memorandum to the Governor, Babu Parmanand, on the issue and also ask him to recommend a CBI probe into the murder of journalist Parmanand Goyal in Kaithal last month.

When asked about the growing factionalism in the party, the MLA, who is also a son of state party chief, denied that there was any rift. He said each leader was trying to rebuild the party and motivate the masses.

“Ours is not a pita-putra rajnitik party,” he said, while referring to the Indian National Lok Dal. He denied he faced any challenge from Mr Abhey Singh Chautala, who had earlier announced his decision to contest the next Assembly elections against him from Kalka.

The district Congress also constituted its Panchkula Congress Committee with Mr R.S. Chauhan as the president.

Mr Om Prakash and Mr Naresh Rawal, both municipal councillors, have been appointed as the senior vice-presidents and Mr O.P. Abban as the cashier of the committee. Besides, seven vice-presidents, seven general secretaries, seven organising secretaries and seven secretaries were also appointed.

Twenty-two executive members have also been appointed by the president of the Panchkula Congress Committee. These names have been approved by Mr Chander Mohan.

BUSINESS

CII fair puts city on national map
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 5
The successful conclusion of four-day CII Chandigarh fair here today has put the city on the national map as far as launching or promotion of different products is concerned. More than 100 corporate giants participated in the fair to launch and promote their products.

The corporate leaders admit that after Delhi, Chandigarh has emerged the second most important destination for them to launch their products. The high spending power of the residents, cosmopolitan nature of the city and wide exposure to media offer perfect settings for launching new products. All manufacturers of white goods, like Samsung, LG, Sony, Philips and the telecom giants like BSNL, Airtel and Spice are fighting with each other to get a space in the city.

The financial institutions like the ICICI, the HDFC, the SBI tried to impress upon the customers to take housing or retail lending loans at low interest rates.

Participants said the CII and other exhibitors had chosen the right timing to organise fairs on the eve of festivals. For instance, over one lakh serious customers visited the fair. It was not only the city residents or people from SAS Nagar and Panchkula who came in large numbers, but also people from far away places like Ludhiana, Bathinda came to visit the stalls of different companies.

The onset of festival season has encouraged various companies to launch their products and offer different discount scheme to boost their sales. Though number of stalls had declined this year at the fair, but there was no lack of enthusiasm among the corporate world or among buyers. According to Mr Shri Kishan, distributor of Dr Morepan’s home health products, “We are not looking for total sales volumes in the fair, but a good chance to promote our products and test the response of the customers to the new range.We hope that participation in the fair would help corporate world to generate business worth crores.”

A cross section of customers said, “The organisors should also arrange some stalls of handicraft, and some seminars on consumer rights apart from music shows” said Mr L.K. Sharma, a bank employee visiting the fair, “When the organisers are making so much money by selling tickets, they should also ensure value addition to the customers by organising some meetings with consumer rights organisations.”