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Date for sale of
AIEE Test forms extended Chandigarh, January 8 In another statement, the regional officer of the CBSE, Mr P.I. Sabu, said that the preliminary round of National Informatics Olympaid of the CBSE for class IX and XII would be held on January 31 this year. The examination would be held on behalf of Indian Association for Research in Computing Science. The preliminary examination would be a written test to check the aptitude, logical competence, problem solving skills and critical thinking. The examination would be conducted in 30 cities across the country. After the first qualifying round, a second and final round to be held in April this year. |
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Parents oppose school’s letter on ‘donations’ Panchkula, January 8 Even as the Principal has justified the “donations”, the parents are up in arms saying that the letter will set a bad precedent and have an adverse affect on the reputation of the premier school in the ensuing admission session. The parents are apprehensive that the letter will encourage admissions for other reasons than merit. The letter had urged the parents to supply the details of the “donations” made in the recent years. The letter said a directory of the “donors” was to be made and the “donors” would be honoured for their contribution to the development of the beautiful infrastucture of the school. Mr Vijay Kumar, on being contacted, said the “donations” were
perfectly in order as the DAV Management Committee and the Trust were welfare institutions running hundreds of educational institutions in the region. The “donations” were purely voluntary and would have no bearing on the careers of the students seeking admissions, he added. Mr Vijay Kumar, said merit alone was the criteria for admission in the current academic session. The decision to seek voluntary “donations” vested with the management committee and the money was accounted for, he said. He claimed that the letter had been sent just to “acknowledge” the contributions of the donors to the development of the school campus. There was nothing wrong in honouring the parents who had contributed to the development of the school campus, he quipped. |
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250 kids participate in painting contest Chandigarh, January 8 The children also wrote intelligent and apt slogans highlighting the significance of the traffic rules. Some of the slogans are: ‘Better to be late than Mr Late’, ‘Gadi tez chalaogye, accident karwaoge, ghar nahin paunch payoge, Sector 25 jaoge’, ‘An impatient on the road is a patient in the hospital’, Don’t follow the fools, obey traffic rules’ and ‘Over speed, way to graveyard’. Mr M.S. Jaiswal and Mr B.S. Canth, DGM and CDM, respectively, of the Indian Oil Corporation were also present on the occasion. List of prize winners in order of merit: (Below 14 years) Nitin Chadha, 13, New Public School, Sector 18; Gagan Deep Kaur, 14, Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36 and Vicky Kumar, Government Model High School, Sector 20; (Above 14 years) Sawan Singh, Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 40; Ritu Beri, Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35 and Manju Negi, Mount Carmel School, Sector 47. Baldev of Mount Carmel School and Mukesh of Government High School, Sector 41, won consolation prizes in below 14 years category, while Jaspreet Singh of Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, and Isha of Government Model High School, Sector 25, won consolation prizes in the above 14 years category. |
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Students build homes for leprosy patients Chandigarh, January 8 During the project, the students, Rattan Amol Singh, Sangram Rana, Simran
Meji, Aprajit Sandhu, Sukriti Gupta, Tara Grewal, Harsharan Kaur and Avneet
Khurmi, headed by Mr W.W. Okuku, a teacher built homes for leprosy patients in the
T.L.M. leprosy mission. The Round Square helped the mission to identify and purchase the plots, through its funds .The mission aims at curing severely-effected leprosy patients. Due to the social stigma, family members of the patients often abandon them . The mission provides vocational training like tailoring, mason and shoe-making. The students stayed in the mission’s hostel, ate food, cooked and served by cured leprosy patients and interacted with the patients freely. The students of Vivek High School, who had volunteered to go for this project, belong to the affluent class and it was their first exposure to life in adverse conditions. They also assisted in a medical camp where the villagers were registered and medicines for the Round Square distributed. Earlier, the projects of Round Square in India, included building homes and schools in
Bhuj, constructing water reservoirs in Pauri, Garwhal and cyclone-afflicted areas in Orissa. The school has been selected for permanent membership at Round Square Conference held last year in South Africa.
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Colleges in a fix over fee structure Chandigarh, January 8 The non-government colleges get the grant-in-aid from the Administration. The Administration yesterday ordered to roll back the tuition fee from Rs 200 to Rs 125 and relaxation in fee for the students belonging to families with income up to Rs 1 lakh. On the other hand, a committee of the Senate had decided to increase the tuition fee for undergraduate and postgraduate courses from Rs 63 per month to Rs 75 per month for two years with effect from 2004. The Senate had also decided to increase the admission fee from Rs 165 per annum to Rs 198 for both courses for two years. “When we had not raised the fee following the UT order earlier how can we refund the fee now,” a college principal said. The situation has assumed peculiar proportions because of non-uniform acceptance of the Administration decision earlier. SGGS College had charged according to the hiked fee structure. It will be forced to follow the new instructions of the Administration and refund the amount to the students. On the other hand, in case of government colleges, the process to adjust or refund the amount is to begin. The orders of the Administration were received in the colleges today. “We have not charged the hiked fee from the students. Instead it was certain non-government colleges which had charged the hiked amount. The amount has already been paid to the Administration,” said the principal of a government college. Mr A.C. Vaid, Principal, GGDSD College, Sector 32, said: “There is a lot of confusion as the university calendar says that the university governs the fee structure. There should be harmony between the calendar and the grant-in-aid.” The committee constituted by the Administration went into the details of fee and funds being charged by city colleges records. The recommendations of the committee had been approved by the Administrator. Prof Charanjit Chawla, a fellow of the Senate, said the action of the Administration had encroached upon the Senate power of the university. “The Administration does not want to spend money on higher education, forcing the private managements to start self-financing courses,” he added. |
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City team leaves for youth festival Chandigarh, January 8 National Youth Festival is organised every year from January 12, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand. The participants are:
Folk songs; Kulwinder Singh, Karan Vir Singh, Tejinder Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Balwinder Singh, Harpreet Singh, Major Singh , Simranjeet Singh, Karambir Singh, Bakinder Singh, Kanwardeep Singh, Charanjeet Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Balbir Chand, Narinder Billa, Ajit Pal Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Ravinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Gurjetinder Singh, Minakshi, Mandeep Khurana, Gurinder Kaith, Gitanjali, Divesh Modgil, and Mohit Verma. One-act play:
Sandeep Pal Singh, Rajan Sehgal, Sanjay Kumar, Deepanjay Sharma, Jasmeet Singh, Sanket Sharma, Hemant Singh, Yashpreet Kaur, Gaurav Karan, Kulwinder Singh and Rajnish. Elocution:
Gaurav Gaur; Folk songs; (Musician) Gareeb Dass, Jagmohan Singh, Prabhjit Singh and Meena. Tabla; Deepak Panwar; Kathak: Neha Sood and Guitar: Navkirat Singh. |
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PU topper clears HCS exam |
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Dhirubhai Ambani scholarship for 2 Chandigarh, January 8 According to the Principal of the college, Dr A.C. Vaid, Miss Sanya Chopra and Miss Bhagwant Kaur, B.Com (part I) students will get scholarships of Rs 7000 per annum from the foundation under the Dhirubhai Ambani Scholars Scheme-2003. |
High Court Chandigarh, January 8 The orders were passed by the Bench, comprising Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy, Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar and Mr Justice Nirmal Singh, on an application for grant of anticipatory bail to a Hisar District resident falsely implicated in a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Taking up his case, Mr Justice Nirmal Singh of the High Court had earlier directed Punjab’s Director-General of Police to give details of cases involving recovery of narcotics. Reports were also sought from all Sessions Judges after physical verification of the malkhanas. Subsequently, replies in forms of affidavits were filed by the states of Punjab and Haryana, besides the Union Territory of Chandigarh, regarding the disposal of recovered narcotics. The same were, however, not found satisfactory.
Notice issued
The high court today issued notice of motion on a petition filed by a retired Kanungo seeking directions to the Union of India, besides railway authorities, for removal of illegal encroachments around old railway line in Rajpura and other areas. Taking up the case, a Division Bench of the high court, headed by Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy, also fixed January 12 as the next date of hearing in the case. The petitioner, Mr Parmanand, had also asked for directions to initiate proceedings under the periphery Act against unscrupulous elements involved in land grabbing and growth of slums. |
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Pre-arrest bail denied Chandigarh, January 8 Kewal, a resident of Kaimbwala village had died in October last year allegedly after being stabbed in a fight in Sector 7 here. His friends, Jaspal, Devinder Kumar and Som Nath, all residents of the village had received injuries in the incident. Kewal and his friends had gone to attend a Jagrata when they were allegedly attacked by three person with baton and knives.
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Rehmat qawwals present Sufi verses Chandigarh, January 8 More than a qawwali, the presentation by Javed Irshad Rehmat, who hails from a family that has been serving this musical genre for over 100 years, was a recitation of verses by sufi saints Baba Bulle Shah, Sultan Bahu and Shah Hussain. The evening commenced with the qawwal and his group of seven accompanists binding the words of the above mentioned saints into rhythm. The first presentation was — Ai mere raqeeb aa tujhko gale se laga loon, Mere ishq bemazaar tha teri dushmani se pehle...” During this presentation that lasted for about 15 minutes, Javed Irshad recited countless couplets, drawing references from every possible element in the hall. Particularly interesting were the qawwal’s recitations on communal harmony, that drew an instant applause from the audience, which, however, kept reminding the performer that he was there to sing and not to say. Although there were long non musical spells during the show, the qawwals managed to keep the listeners glued to their witty poetic references, most of which were interesting, divinely inspired as they were. It was particularly striking that the group used bare minimum instrumental support to make this evening’s presentation, which was organised by the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi. Also, they did not adhere to any norms for qawwali presentation which blended both classical and light musical elements. About the form of qawwali and its gradual distortion, Javed Rehmat earlier said that much of the harm had been done by the craze for this new kind of music, which placed meagre emphasis on melody and form. “Popular music has polluted the music scene in our country. There are very few qawwali admirers now. But because our whole family, right from my grandfather to my father have served this idiom selflessly, I consider it my duty to continue practicing qawwali. Our ancestors have left behind rich poetic
texts of sufi saints for us. These features the qalaam of Khwaja Mohiuddin Chisti, who is considered the father of this genre. We also sing the verses of Amir Khusro and other saints.” Faced with a poor demand, many qawwals have given up singing on the mazars altogether. Javed Irshad, however, says he still offers his music at dargahs. He adds, “Apart from Sufi verses we also sing on love, nature, social issues. Ghazals also form a part of our repertory. But we never distort qawwali which is essentially classical, with minor modifications.” |
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New Releases
“Chameli” is the story of two strangers who meet on a stormy night at the arches of Flora Fountain, Mumbai. Kareena Kapoor plays the lead role of a sex worker, Chameli. Makrand Deshpande play a supporting role. The film is directed by “Calcutta Mail” fame Sudhir Mishra and has evoked curiosity among viewers. The score is by Sandesh Shandilya. Irshad Kamil has penned the lyrics. *** After “Kaante” Sanjay Gupta and actor Sanjay Dutt are back with “Plan” which has an unusual ensemble cast of Sanjay Dutt, Dino Morea, Bikram Saluja, Sanjay Suri, Mahesh Manjrekar and Rohit Roy. Sanjay Gupta and Sanjay Dutt have already launched their own banner. White Feather Films “Plan” is the second venture which will be released on Friday at Neelam Chandigarh and Fun Republic, Mani Majra. Equally determined to forge his identity is fight composer Shetty’s son Hriday Shetty. He is set to prove his worth as director with the fast-paced action film. “Plan” has an underworld background. “Plan” has an international edgy look and is for an urban and intelligent audience, the trade pundits say. Those who have seen the rushes say the film has shaped into quite a whammer. The songs are penned by Dev Kohli, and the music is by director Anand Raaj Anand and Vishal-Shekhar. Based on a story by Sanjay Gupta, the film has screenplay by Yash and Vinay, dialogue by Milap Zaveri, cinematography by Basha Lal, action by Bhiku Varma, choreography by Raju Khan, art by Ashok Kadam and editing by Bunty Negi. Dharam Oberoi is the associate producer of the film. Priyanka Chopra, Riya Sen, Sameera Reddy and Payal Rohatgi also star in “Plan”.
— D.P. |
Fashion Fundas Rising hemlines and cosmopolitan mind set have taken the footwear industry to the centrestage of fashion world . Though footwear doesn’t suffer from style schizophrenia like clothes, yet each season throws up favourite trends. Footwear has become an important part of ensemble. Smart footwear adds zing to even the most boring outfit and instantly boosts your sex appeal. While closed shoes are winter essentials, open toe sandals
are the all-year favourites.
When winter comes can boots be far behind but this year these symbols of war and strength have come back with a bang. Ankle-length, calf length or knee caressing boots in leather, lycra Chinese synthetic material in plain, with self designs, with buckles, chains in short, medium sturdy and pencil thin heels and in various colours ranging from the bold red and fuschia to the sober beige and olive you name it and they are there. In city these are available for anywhere between Rs 600 to Rs 1500. Toes are tapering though very pointed ones are not recommended by chiropodists as they constrict the foot and cause painful bunions. ‘‘These are not very practical in Indian conditions’’, says Amitabh Sarkar, a leather technologist with Hides, a Kolkata based footwear company. He adds stilletoes too are not for Indian conditions as we walk more and these are bad for the back. So keep your heel length moderate and go for sturdy heels in shoes that are to be worn for a longer time. If looking for the snug fit try out the lycra, suede stretch fabric or leather lycra combos in different shades. The tall, tight boots that are hip right now look good with hot minis and straight skirts. These are however, giving a tough time to many with not so aerobicised calves Do not fret if these beauties don’t fit because the mid-calf and ankle styles are just as chic and much less stressful to fit. Everything from flat boots to sleeker styles with narrow toes (semi-pointed to slightly square) are sufficient if you want to make a fashion statement. Pirate boot (tall, with lots of buckles and attitude) revived by Vivienne Westwood is another favourite when teamed with short dresses it adds power and style to the wearer. Some city stores stock these and these can set you back by Rs 2500. Always remember to combine your boots with dresses with clean and simple lines to make heads turn. Overdoing can be disastrous. Peep toe or open toe designs, slingbacks, mules and a host of other sexy, feminine styles too entice buyers. Sculptured, feminine heels are in and clunky is out. Roman sandals and the ones with straps (Rs 600 onwards) are also being recommended by the fashion gurus. In the formal section peep toes in coloured stones and sequins with a dash of glitter are preferred as these go well with Indian costumes. So get a pair of your dreams and put your best foot forward.
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It’s my life Chandigarh has now emerged as one of the fastest growing hi tech city. It has also acquired the status of the cosmopolitan character. City with influx of population from neighbouring states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, is now one of the most sought after city. In my case, even I being a native of Bhawanigarh in Sangrur district of Punjab began extending my services-based consultancy to the people in terms of setting up educational services in that area. But since I had different aims and ambitions and to grow faster in life, so among Chandigarh and Delhi, the former was preferred. This city has actually become the hub of information technology and various multinational corporations and indian giants in this sector are also keen to expand their base in this part of the country. I being the head of a services-based company. I feel that the growing unemployment problem could be tackled only if the Chandigarh Administration also encourage the youth to start their own units and become entrepreneurs, which is the solution facing today’s unemployment.
As told to Arvind Katyal |
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Fascination for ships made him design one He had always been fascinated by ships. But when his father, an officer of merchant navy, did not allow Samarth Madan to follow in his footsteps, Samarth had to give in. A student of Chemical Engineering at Panjab University, he found a new way of pursuing his dream. Now aiming to be a ship designer, 18-year-old Samarth has designed his first ship which is 12-and- half-ft-long and made of thermocol. He is now sending the design of his ship to ship manufacturers. Samarth says that the last time he went on a ship was 11 years ago. “ But I was fascinated with huge ships and the grace with which they tide over rough waters. Whenever, dad would come home from ship, I would coax him to tell me more about ships. I have also read a lot about ship designing and, thus, decided to create my own design,” he says. In 45 days, using 35 sheets of thermocol and waste from every imaginable thing — walkman, soldering iron, hangers, matchsticks, rough woollen cloth, old GI Joes, the 12-and-a-half-foot-long ship was ready. The ship has a helipad, watch tower, swimming pool, three chimneys (made of aluminum foil roll), as many as six lifeboats, a control room, (where controls have been made from parts of a defunct walkman), and as many as 15 staircases. Matchsticks have been used to make wooden frames of windows, railings of soldering iron, exhaust fans from the fan of a computer processor, sun mica sheets and woollen cloth have been used as the flooring of the deck. Samarth has taken care to include the minutest details like reclining deck chairs and rudder. Samarth calls his labour of love Titanic, but assures that unlike the original Titanic, his ship would not sink, but remain afloat. |
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Learning foreign languages trend picks up In French, Parle moi. Sprechen sie mit mir in German or in the Queen’s language — speak with me. The numerous foreign language schools in the city are thus wooing aspiring migrants from all over Punjab, Haryana and Himachal. Considering the number of such schools that have come up in the city, Chandigarh is earning the distinction of being the gateway for hundreds of youth leaving for foreign shores, as they halt here to hone their communication skills in French, German, Spanish, Chinese or Dutch. From Alliance Francaise to the French courses offered by Panjab University and its constituent colleges, and from the School of German Language (which has a tie-up with Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi) to the next door Germany, the city offers the perfect opportunity to the prospective migrants to polish their language before they leave. Ask Satnam Singh, a resident of Ludhiana, who travels 100 km each way, five days a week, to Alliance Francaise here, in order to have a basic grasp of French, before he migrates to Quebec in Canada. Or Priyank Puri and Saurabh Khosla from Pathankot, who are staying here as they learn German at the School of German Language (SOGL), before they leave for Switzerland, to take up an MBA in Hotel Management. For these youth, as well as for hundreds of others, waiting to fly abroad, the city offers a perfect solution to their problems. Though French, which is the second most spoken language in the world after English, remains the hot favourite for those learning a foreign language, followed by German, Spanish, too has found many takers in the city. Explains Mr Surinder Singh Maaken, Director of the SOGL: “Spanish is the second most spoken language in the USA. So everyone wishes to learn the language”. Those wanting to learn Dutch and Chinese are few, but are increasing, he adds. Officials at Alliance Francaise inform that for their various courses, ranging from elementary French to advance diploma, they have enrolment of anything between 600 and 650 students. Though all these foreign language schools thrive mainly because of the aspiring migrants, there is a small percentage of people who are learning foreign languages for the love of the language. Anant Pal Singh, a student at Alliance says that he is learning French purely for the love of the language. Other than this, there are others like Mohali-based Mona Bedi, who says she is taking up a course in German to add it in her portfolio as an additional qualification, just like city based homoeopath Sunil Sharma, who is learning German in order to get access to the German homoeopathic prescriptions. The USP of most of these foreign language schools is the use of latest teaching aids – be it audio visual, CD-ROMS, or equipping their library with the latest books. In fact, Alliance Francaise also organizes French film shows for its students, to help them learn the language better.
— TNS |
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Coffee House a hit
with students The Coffee House at the Student Centre of Panjab University is one of the hottest places for little breaks on the campus, especially during lunch hours. South Indian delicacies, including vada-sambhar, dosa and idlis, are in demand always. Vinay Singh, student of B.Sc (Honours) says, “Spicy meals are lovely and makes for a perfect outing”. Old passouts, serving in top positions in private as well as government jobs, also make a part of the crowd. They come here during lunch hours and sit for about an hour as they chat over cups of coffee. Joy and Roy, managers, of the coffee house, say it was started in 1972. “The place has lost a little value because nearly all departments have opened their own canteens and students have more options, they say. Rakesh Kumar of the Department of Mathematics says there is little seating arrangements in other campus canteens . Sushil Chandra of the Department of Statistics, says coffee houses are perfect places for long discussions. Mahesh Uniyal, of the Department of Statistics, feels the eatables are affordable here compared to the routine market products at other places. Vivek Bhanot, student of geology surrounded by over several girls and boys as he celebrated his birthday, says, “The place is fabulous. Good services at such cheap rates is the main attraction here”. Sushil Kumar, an old timer, said he liked to visit the campus just to sit and relax. “Coffee House is a perfect venue for sharing my worries and concerns with my friends. We meet at least twice a week and rarely miss opportunity to be together,” he adds.
— TNS |
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Chandigarh, January 8
From the makers of “Kaante”, “Sur,” “Jhankar Beats” and “Mumbai Matinee” comes “Chameli”, an unforgettable love story starring Kareena Kapoor and Rahul Bose with special performances by Rinke Khanna, Anupama Verma, Mahek Chahal and Yashpal Sharma. The film is a Pritish Nandi Communications Ltd presentation which will be released on Friday at KC (Chandigarh), Fun Republic (Manimajra) and world wide with an appropriate 250 prints all over.
