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Jayaprakash Narayan stuck to his convictions, Chandigarh, November 18 Devasahayam held the charge of Deputy Commissioner in the city during the five and a half months that Jayaprakash Narayan spent at a ‘special jail’ in the PGIMER. The book was released by Mr T.N. Chaturvedi, Governor of Karnataka. Devasahayam retold bits of history related to the leader during his stay here when he was the Deputy Commissioner. “In the beginning, it was the disorientation of the people which left them perplexed. People were unprepared for the Emergency. Jayaprakash felt very disturbed. The Emergency had a deep impression on the press also,” he said. He remembered the move to stop the publication of The Tribune and the arrest of its Editor. The moves never materialised. He remembered that the late leader was shifted to the PGIMER on July 1, 1975, from Delhi. Jayaprakash Narayan was disturbed at the developments at the national level which took away the fundamental rights of the people. At one point of time, he wrote a letter announcing a fast until death. The Deputy Commissioner played a big role in dissuading him from sending the letter and taking the “fatal” step. Mr H.K. Dua, Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune, while presiding over the function, said the book was a novel attempt at capturing a slice of history regarding what the country went through at a crucial juncture in history. He spoke on the trying times that the press faced during the Emergency. Mr Dua said Jayaprakash Narayan was essentially a freedom fighter. Earlier he fought against the British during the ‘raj’. His ideas were always evolving. Even when the country became free, his ideas kept evolving and he stuck to his convictions till his last breath. He wanted freedom from state oppression, freedom from feudal control and prevention of exploitation of workers, Mr Dua added. Mr Chaturvedi, who was the Chief Commissioner of the city, at the time when the late leader was at the PGIMER, expanded on his relations with the author and the shaping of the book. “The Emergency was the worst of times and the best of times. It was the worst of times for the political conditions but it was the best of times for the convergence and shaping up of moral values”, he said. Even while discharging official duties, “we always kept in our minds that values of democracy had to be preserved”, he added. The function was conducted by Mr Satya Pal Jain, former MP. Prof K.N. Pathak, the Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, also paid tributes to Jayaprakash Narayan.  |
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Govt College students to get more facilities Mohali, November 18 Other than an open air theatre, a two-storeyed Students Centre and a building for a modern sports centre, the college will house a nursery and a herbal garden. This was decided at a high-powered meeting held at the college here today under the chairmanship of Mr Bir Devinder Singh, Deputy Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha. A number of senior officers, including Dr Manmohan Singh, Secretary, Higher Education, Punjab, and the district officials were present at the meeting. It was decided that the Department of Public Health would initiate the process of digging a new tubewell to solve the long-standing water problems of the college. It was also decided to develop a nursery and a herbal garden on the campus with the help of the Department of Forests. On the initiative of the Deputy Speaker, the college is gearing itself to have a spacious open air theatre, a two storeyed Students Centre and a building for a modern sports centre on its campus shortly. Different aspects of design and planning of these structures were also discussed in detail. Some of the other on-the-spot decisions that were taken included the decision to ask PUDA to help clear the wild growth in the college campus in addition to providing 10-15 garden benches. The Municipal Council shall raise the level of the road leading to college to address the water-logging problem. To sort out the problems of transport facilities of the rural students, the SDM and the SP, Mohali, were asked to get in touch with
DTO, Ropar. |
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Gate rally by polytechnic
students Kharar, November 18 The protesters said land was made available at low rates for the polytechnic so that students of the area could benefit educationally. The students said if the state government did not withdraw its decision, they would gherao the Chief Minister. The students’ stir has been continuing since November 4 following the appearance of a government advertisement relating to public or private partnership in the running of polytechnic or engineering colleges at Kharar and other places. |
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100 teachers attend
workshop on e-tutoring Chandigarh, November 18 She also spoke about the scope of e-tutoring and how a teacher could extend his learning to any student of any country in the world using computers informing the participants that e-tutoring was teaching, support and assessment of students on study programmes involving use of online technology. She informed them that it was different from tutoring only in terms of the involvement of technology. The Principal, Ms Sarita Manuja, while introducing the concept, said that armed with e-tutoring, teachers of city schools would be able to compete with their counterparts from advanced countries where e-tutoring was very popular. |
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Students adamant on fee hike issue Chandigarh, November 18 They said though the UT Administrator had announced that a committee would be constituted to look into their demands for a rollback and overcharging of fee and funds, no timeframe had been specified for the purpose. DPI (Colleges), Dilip Kumar said the committee would, in all probability, be constituted by the end of the week. “The students should realise that looking into the problems, taking opinions from all quarters and getting down to studying the full dynamics of the fee hike and overcharging in private colleges is a time-consuming process. They should return to their classes since studies have suffered enough during the course of their agitation. If the outcome is not favourable after the committee gives its decision, they can always go back to striking again,” he said. “We will put the recommendations of the committee before the UT Administrator and it would be for him make the final announcement,’ he informed. The DPI (C) added that when the assurance of dispassionate examining of demands came from the office of the UT Administrator, they had no reason to disbelieve him. In colleges, studies continued to suffer and lecturers were an anxious lot, worried over having lost valuable time before the December tests. Having submitted their question papers based on the syllabi they expected to cover till December, the teachers were now exploring all options possible in dealing with the situation of out-of-course papers. In the face of studies being suspended for over three weeks and in the likely event of students having to appear in examinations immediately after classwork resumes, some colleges were preparing alternative questions in accordance with the syllabi already covered. Other colleges were considering an altogether deletion of questions on portions not covered in class set in the question papers. At a meeting of the students’ representatives and the police, the students were asked to maintain peace on the college campuses during the strike. They were also urged to allow students to enter college campuses. Meanwhile, Panjab University Campus Students Council president Malvinder Kang said a delegation of students would meet Education Secretary R.S. Gujral tomorrow to hand over a reminder to the memorandum submitted by them last week. |
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Face-painting contest
at Library Chandigarh, November 18 It all started at about 10 am. The students, eager to bring the images to life, sat patiently, while their young friends, including class mates, traced patterns on the innocent faces. About 62 teams from all over the city participated in the competition held in connection with the Children’s Day celebrations. The contests, along with “book week”, organised at the library concluded with today’s contest. Organisers revealed that each team had two members — one “artist” and other “subject”. They had brought along with them the colours and other stuff necessary to delineate figures. They used their imagination, and skill, to draw the images. As their
dexterous hands firmly clutching the brushes moved up and down, the on-lookers stood still in anticipation. Within minutes, Batman, with his wings spread, appeared on the forehead. A flower blossomed on the tender cheek and lion king growled. Comic characters were the favourites. The visitors to the library also picked up books at “discount”. They had enough to choose from — right from Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness to Merchant of Venice and Hamlet. Children’s books, including nursery rhymes, were also on display. The results of the competitions held on Monday and Tuesday in order of merit are as follow:
Collage making (junior group) DAV Model School in Sector 15, Tender Heart School in Sector 33, Shishu Niketan School in Sector 22. The consolation prize was bagged by St Stephens School in Sector 45. Senior group: Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 33, DAV Model School in Sector 15, Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 46. The consolation prize went to St Stephens School in Sector 45. Face-painting competition (junior group): St Johns High School in Sector 26, DAV Model School in Sector 15, Guru Nanak Public School in Sector 36 and Guru Harkrishan Public School in Sector 38. Senior group: DAV Model School in Sector 15, Bhavan Vidyalaya School in Sector 27, Government Model Girls Senior Secondary School in Sector 18 and Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 33. Book mark making (junior group): Bhavan Vidyalaya School in Sector 27, Guru Nanak Public School in Sector 36, DAV Public School in Sector 8. The consolation prize went to Guru Nanak Public School in Sector 36. Senior group: Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 33, Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 18, DAV Model School in Sector 15. The consolation prize went to Government Model High School in Sector 28. The prize distribution function will be held on December 6 at the library. |
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Annual function held Chandigarh, November 18 The function started with a colorful Saraswati Vandana followed by a Haryanavi skit based on dowry. The students transported the audience to Bengal and Himachal through their dances and folk music. Another highlight of the programme was a mime based on “Power of the Chair”. Mr Inderjeet Singh Sandhu, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh Administration was the chief guest on the final day of the function. Mr Inderjeet Singh Sandhu gave away the prizes to the meritorious students, who had topped the state board examination in majority of the disciplines and also appreciated the performance of the students in various fields of academic as well as extra curricular activities. At yesterday’s function, the Director, Technical Education, Mr Vivek Atray, presided over the function and gave away the prizes to outstanding students in extra-curricular activities. He advised the students to have a definite goal in life which they could achieve with a clear vision and hard work alone since there was no shortcut to it. The Principal of the institute, Ms Usha Mahajan, presented the annual report highlighting various achievements of the institute during the last academic year. |
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HIGH COURT Chandigarh, November 18 Dr Sharma, in his petition filed less than two months after he proceeded on leave, had sought the quashing of a resolution passed on October 9 in this regard. Directions to the Union of India and other respondents were also sought for allowing him to join back as the Director. Taking up the petition, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar and Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar, fixed November 21 as the next date of hearing in the case. The petition had earlier been referred to another Bench by Mr Justice H.S. Bedi and Mr Justice Viney Mittal. Dr S.K. Ganguly is currently the officiating Director. |
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Chemist shop case adjourned Chandigarh, November 18 The case came up for hearing in the court of UT Additional and District and Sessions Judge, Mr
J.S. Kler, who after hearing the Kumar Brothers counsel’s plea for seeking time to file reply, adjourned the case. |
A delightful ensemble of arts
MOUNTED on the walls of Art Folio in Sector 9 are paintings that underline artist’s own evolution through happenings and experiences. Putting thoughts together, city-based painter Pammy Mann has structured a personal show that speaks volumes about her own perceptions about society, its degrading morals, the youth and its undermined ambitions. The medium of execution is not fixed, as it differs according to the flavour of the thought. Incorporating images her granddaughter conceived, Pammy Mann notches up a nostalgic ensemble, which tells a universal tale of lost hopes, gripping memories and enduring faith. The hallmark of the latest exhibition at Art Folio is its diverse and elemental appeal. Where on the one hand Pammy Mann’s canvases reverberate with life and energy, on the other hand a set of beautiful designer furniture creations by Ricky Kang beckon the visitor. In between the magic of canvases and consoles lies glass, adorned with colours by another Dehra Dun-based artist Raman Grewal. Raman’s collection makes the show rather upmarket by lacing it with modern details and designing nuances. Pointing towards the delightfully painted antique glass lamps, especially procured from special sources, Raman talks about how she fed her hobby with passion and brought it to the professional level. Raman is also exhibiting a set of glass paintings in which she dabbles in earthy themes. Using glass paints with a fair deal of comfort, she succeeds in creating an illusion of oil on canvas. The experience is pleasing in all. Melange, as the collection is titled, can be viewed between 10 am and 7 pm. |
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City becoming exhibitors’ favourite
AFTER Delhi, Chandigarh is fast becoming a favourite destination for exhibitors to showcase their products. The most sought-after platform for the exhibitors, including multinationals, are the consumer trade fairs, often held at the Sector 17 Parade Ground. This year, at least five consumer fairs melas have been held in the city so far, which have attracted around 250 exhibitors each. Propelled by the success of such fairs, some private groups have entered the business of the holding consumer fairs. “An ideal consumer air means shopping under one roof”, says a spokesman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The concept of book fairs has not found much acceptability among the residents. The consumer trade fair held at Parade Ground during the last festival season saw multinational companies offering up to 20 per cent discounts on consumer products, ranging from upmarket products to economically priced kitchen gadgets. “We ensure that either the big companies directly deal with the consumers or appoint a retailer to market their product only at the fair”, says Mr Pardeep Chhabra, Managing Director of Exhibition Movers, a private company which has been in the business for the last five years. The organisers try to mix business promotion with pleasure. “In each fair, we try to introduce known dishes of a particular state and it works. The people who just come to see the exhibits give business by paying for eatables”, points out Mr Chhabra. Some of the organisers are trying to promote handicrafts. The last trade fair at the Parade Ground saw 50 stalls of handicrafts from all over the country. Ms Sarita Sahni, Counsellor, Corporate Communication, says the fairs provide an opening to the local industry to interact with multinationals. This year, the CII fair at Circus Ground saw six exhibitors. |
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SCHOOLS CLUBS
READING might be passe with computers reigning supreme, but books continue to occupy centre-stage in DAV Public School, Sector 8. It is a tradition that the school authorities are striving to keep alive by adopting innovative and interesting reading techniques in the school to ensure that the children are not weaned away from the very soul of education. Apart from routine classroom reading sessions, the school organises an activity called “Reading together for the year 200X” every year in its library stocked with over 25,000 books. Around this time of the year, the entire school, staff, students and employees get together to read. Those without formal education, too, are given picture books to go through. Right from the Principal to the Class IV employees, all have just one mission that of reading. The idea behind the exercise is to inculcate and uphold the universality of the reading habit. “If it is year 2003, all students, staff and employees will read for as many seconds. Each year we increase the reading time by a second to correspond to the year and the students look forward to that day with great enthusiasm, bringing their favourite books to the school that day,” says the Principal of the school, Ms Sarita Manuja. Replete with activities that augment reading, the school, besides organising visits to book fairs and providing exposure to the latest as well as the classics in the world of books, organises its own book exhibition from time to time. In order to encourage parents to inculcate the spirit of reading in their wards, book exhibitions in the school provide them with a myriad range to select from. The school “Readers Club” and the “Scholastic Book Club” also encourage reading. The students also compete in inter-class book review presentations. |
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IT'S MY LIFE Well, I resolved to stay happy throughout my life and work towards the realisation of my dreams — of becoming a commercial pilot or to join the Merchant Navy. The reason behind my eagerness was not hard to see. I love travelling and the career will provide me with ample opportunities to see the world. So, it goes without saying that I started working towards my goal. But in the process, I committed a mistake. Instead of taking up science in class XII, I took up commerce without realising the implications. I realised my mistake only after I purchased the forms for the Merchant Navy. The information printed in bold letters on the form left me shocked. I could not believe my eyes when I read that I was ineligible. I remained depressed for several days. How could I be so stupid — the question kept on haunting me. I tried to shift my thoughts, but failed to do so. Then one day, sitting alone in my room, I recalled the quote — I regret nothing. Within minutes, the teacher’s assertive voice started ringing in my ears. Immediately, I felt better. Today, after so many years, I still remember the mistake I committed, but the pain and the hurt is missing. As I drive down to my office happily, I sometimes say to myself, it is my life and I am living it without regrets. Now, I also look forward to my future and dream of taking modelling assignments. |
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21-year-old to retain Ikon A 21-year resident of Shahkot in Jalandhar district, Rohit Kumar, who won a Ford Ikon car yesterday in a prize scheme floated by Airtel, says he plans to retain the luxury car despite his rather limited resources. In a talk with TNS over the mobile phone, Rohit said he was working in a private money transfer company at a salary of just Rs 3,500 per month. “But that is no problem. My family already maintains an Indica car. Having an Ikon will raise our profile,” he exulted. “I still cannot believe that I have won the car. It is once in a life time event. There is no way I will part with the car”, he said. |
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I
regret nothing — I remember reading the quote in a book when I was still in school. At that time, I was too young to interpret the meaning, so I asked a teacher. He hesitated before telling me that no matter what, you should always remain contented in life.