 |
|
|
|
|
||||
Amend gratuity Act, teachers ask Centre Chandigarh, January 15 Though the judgement of the Supreme Court stating that the teachers are not entitled to the payment of gratuity under the gratuity Act may not have effect on the teachers in the non-government-aided colleges, it could have some repercussions on college teachers", apprehend a majority of teachers teaching in non-government colleges. The categories of teachers to be affected by the judgement need to be clarified to clear confusion in minds of the teaching community, said Mr Charanjit Chawla, a fellow of the Panjab University. The judgement has, however, been welcomed by the management of private schools. The managements feel that the teachers are getting their due according to the teachings hours being put in by them. Mr Chawla said the colleges affiliated to any of the three universities in Punjab and Chandigarh were governed by the rules of their respective colleges. As per the relevant provisions of the Punjab University Act, gratuity had to be paid to each retiring employee, whether teaching or non-teaching. As the grant-in-aid being paid to the private colleges was around 55 per cent instead of the 95 per cent, the teachers were being given gratuity from colleges funds collected from students. He said the state government should pass some legislation to protect the post-retirement benefits of the employees in colleges and schools. Mr Chawla apprehended that the judgement of the apex court could be used by the managements of private colleges against their teachers. Against the due Rs 110 crore grant-in-aid, the Punjab Government was providing around Rs 56 crore as grant-in-aid. There were around 180 private colleges, 140 aided colleges in Punjab. While the Haryana Government was paying the gratuity of colleges teachers as part of the grant-in-aid, the same was not being done by the Punjab Government, said Mr Chawla. Mr Harjinder Singh , president of the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA), said the issue would be discussed in the executive committee meeting. Commenting on the issue, Mr A.C. Vaid, Principal of the GGDSD College, Sector 32, said though the interpretation of the court judgement was not available, it appeared that the judgement affected only the primary teachers. He said the teachers in the aided non-government colleges were protected by the Security Act of the Panjab University. The president of the Independent Schools Association of Chandigarh, Mr D.S.Bedi, said they were giving the Provident Fund under the pension scheme to teachers. He said the teachers were not being paid gratuity. When asked about the court's judgement, he said he was yet to go through it. Mr B.S.Shergill, Principal of Paragoan Senior Secondary School, said unaided schools in Punjab were not governed by any rules and regulations. The aided schools in the state were getting post-retirement benefits, including gratuity, he added. The general secretary of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers' Union, said in one or the other way the decision could have repercussions on the private colleges in the state and Chandigarh. It was not clear whether it was applicable to the primary teachers under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 or other category of teachers. He said there had been cases when the college teachers had been granted relief by the Punjab and Haryana High Court after the managements of their respective colleges did not pay the gratuity. |
|
Modernity like great lab experiment, says professor Delivering a lecture on ‘Reconstruction of the person: culture and metaphysics’ at the Department of Philosophy, Panjab University, Professor McLean said the process of modernisation had torn a part of the western civilisation into two segments — the ancient and the modern. “Modernity is like a great laboratory experiment in thinking about the human reality of diversity of cultures. Nazi programmes, Soviet concentration camps and the two devastating wars, followed by decades of cold war, are illustrative of the negative features of modernity,” he said. Stating that the ideals of equality, freedom, fraternity and human rights were the achievements of modernity, Professor McLean said modern science and technology should be saved and used for human well-being. In a lecture organised by the Panjab University Teachers Association, Prof Goran Therborn, Director of the Swedish Collegium for Advance Study in Social Sciences, Sweden, spoke on globalisation as the buzzword in present times. Delivering a lecture on ‘Analysing globalisation process’ at the University Business School, he said globalisation could be traced to the spread of mass religious movements, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Professor Therborn pointed out that globalisation had a multi-dimensional facet to it, which included economic, political and ecological globalisation. He said the growth of electronic communication had made globalisation more interactive in character. “Cross-border flows of ideas and transitional entanglements were emerging as part of the globalisation process,” he stated. He emphasised that the world was seeing some important inequalities, such as inequality of life and economic inequality between developed and developing countries, which needed to be studied. |
|
|
Campus Notes Chandigarh, January 15 The Students' Centre saw the students dancing to fast English music, peppy Hindi tracks and Punjabi hits. Organised by the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council, the two functions proved to be a big hit with the youngsters. However, the two days of dance, music and partying left the water pool at the Students' Centre, filthy. Once the cynosure of all eyes, the pool with shallow water was full of plastic and paper, making it an eye sore. In the ground adjacent to the Stu C, the iron frames propped up to host the exhibition of the Indian Science Congress are still in the process of being removed though students have moved into their hostels. On the academic front, too, it was a busy week for the students and academicians alike. The university got a fair share of overseas visitors who spoke on issues ranging from globalisation to literature. While the English Department got the opportunity to interact with Prof Gonul Pultar from Turkey, the Philosophy Department saw a Swedish speaker, Prof Goran Therbon, who spoke on the positive and negative effects of globalisation. The ill-effects of privatisation of water systems in India were presented by Prof Bryan M. Bradish from the USA while Prof George McLean from the USA spoke on understanding the diversities in cultures of the world and working towards wiping out hatred and establishing world peace. Meanwhile, the university authorities also geared up to hold the elections to the Academic Council.
|
|
|
From Schools Chandigarh, January 15 Mr Rajnish Mehta, Senior Regional Manager, HPCL, said the principal objective of the event was to increase the effectiveness of the message of conservation of petroleum products. Mr D.P. Vaed, General Manager, IOC, Mr J. Wason, General Manager, GAIL, and Mr Amit Sharma from the PCRA also spoke. Hostel building A hostel building was inaugurated at DAV Model High School, Sector 15. Mr G.P. Chopra, a Padam Shri awardee, inaugurated the building. The three-storey building was exclusively for girl students till Class XII. Rally on AIDS: School branch: Havan contest: Quest results: Lohri celebrated: College convocation:
|
|
Pak college invites local ex-students Chandigarh, January 15 In an e-mail received here by a Sector 8 resident, Mr
G.S. Dhillon, the ORU secretary, Mr Khalid Manzoo Butt, has expressed a desire to come over to India, along with a few other
Ravians, and personally invite their Indian counterparts for founder’s day dinner in March. The college is 125 years’ old and was at one time stated to be the ‘best college this side of the Suez Canal’. Though former students of the college in India had visited Pakistan a number of times, this was for the first time that former students from this college would be coming to India. Students from other colleges have been coming to India in the past. Delighted over the developments, Mr Dhillon said that till about five years, the alumni association in India was active and members used to go to Pakistan to attend college functions. After Indo-Pak ties deteriorated, the local chapter of the association remained virtually defunct. There are about a hundred Ravians residing in Chandigarh. Mr
J.S. Bawa, Mr K.S. Dhaliwal, both retired senior IPS officers, Wg Cdr Balwant Singh, Col G.D
Kapoor, Brig Rashpal Singh and Mr Sewa Singh, a retired IAS officer, were among those who attended the meeting. |
|
|
Jan 31 last date for
engg, pharmacy courses Chandigarh, January 15 According to a directive received by Panjab University from the University Grants Commission here today, January 31, 2004, is the last date for applying for these courses. The students are advised to apply to the CBSE before the due date. Also, admissions to the Master of Computer Applications course of PU and at the Regional Centre, Muktsar, will be made through the Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted by the IIT, Roorkee. Students should contact the Director, IIT, Roorkee for more details. |
|
e-degrees from UK soon Chandigarh, January 15 The CEO of the UKeU, a UK government-backed company, was in the town today to announced a tie up with the Chitkara Education Trust to provide online degrees in BA (enterprise), MSc (computer science) and MSc (IT management). Talking to the Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Beaumont, said the fee for the various courses varied between £3000 and £5000. The fee for the courses was much less than the students would have paid in the UK. He said the company had opted for India as culturally education was valued here, there was widespread use of English language and acceptability of the reputed UK universities was high here. The course were being introduced here after a thorough market research and feedback from research centres. He clarified that the company did not promise any placement but interacted with the companies to fill in the gaps in syllabi in accordance with the market demand. The CEO said the company was dedicated to provide quality education, keeping in mind the local markets. The tie up announced by the UKeU was the first one in the country with an Indian partner, he said, adding that earlier it had collaborated with the BBC to run a degree course in travel and tourism. He did not rule the possibility of offering online PhD in special subjects but added that it would take time. The company has recruited students in the online courses from 38 other countries since March 2003. |
|
YPS students return from Canada Mohali, January 15 The programme was conducted by the Overseas Education and Immigration Services, Chandigarh. In order to promote these exchange activities, a delegation from EIK Island Public School, Alberta, had visited the YPS recently. Mr Rob Macphee Superintendent, EIPS, and Ms K. Ausman, international director, EIPS, had an interaction with the students and staff of the YPS Dr Dhillon, Principal, Yadavindra Public School, had discussed the probabilities of more exchange programmes to be organised.
|
|
|
Bansal seeks facilities for
students Chandigarh, January 15 He said, “In the present-day scenario where information technology and IT-related services had gained an important role, it sounds rather strange that a number of schools and colleges did not possess the cyber cafe facilities.”
|
|
District Courts Bar poll today Chandigarh, January 15 The voting will start at 9.30 am and end at 4.30 pm. The results for the posts of president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and joint secretary would be known by the evening, said sources. There is direct contest for the posts of president, vice-president, joint secretary and treasurer, while there will be a triangular contest for the post of secretary. The president of the Bar, Mr Sajal Kosar, is seeking a re-election and the candidate opposite him is Mr
N.S. Minhas. |
|
Bar opposes new system of case hearing Chandigarh, January 15 The advocates further resolved that proper timeframe for completion of service and pleadings in cases should be prescribed. Moreover, all writ petitions, except public interest litigations and certain other cases, should be heard by single judges, they added. At a general house meeting held this afternoon, the members asserted that the new system of hearing was just not working and had proved to be a failure. It was resulting in a chaos. The old system, they asserted, should be resorted to. The meeting was attended by Bar Association president Anmol Rattan Sidhu, Mr Surjit Singh Swaich and other members. They added that regular bail matters should be admitted by the Registrar. A week's notice should be given to the states concerned, besides the affected parties. The matter should be placed before the Bench only after that. No adjournments should be granted if the investigating officers were absent. Wednesdays, they asserted, should be fixed for taking up regular cases alone. No other case should be fixed for that day. Moreover, a consolidated list of regular cases should be published a month in advance. The list of ordinary cases should be printed at least a week in advance. |
‘The Comedy of Errors’ retold Chandigarh, January 15 The result of two months of labour of the students, who sacrificed their winter vacation to keep the tradition of stage productions at the department alive, the play was earlier presented for the delegates of the 91st Indian Science Congress held in PU recently. The second show of the classic production, that brought out unlimited talent of students, proved to be as absorbing as the first show. An added attraction was the fact that this play had never been produced or even presented on the stage of Chandigarh earlier. One only wished the space for performance were larger. The studio theatre of the department was rather small to accommodate the rush of people, who turned up to see the novel production. Challenging as the story was, its progress on stage proved to be extremely absorbing for the ones who watched the students move along with the series of painted frames, utilised beautifully by the director, whose experience of 35 years came handy. The director’s command was noticeable in the power of the script as well as the punch of presentation, which revolved around the character of Aegeon, a Syracusan merchant, who had been shipwrecked along with his wife Amelia, twin sons, both named Antipholus and twin slaves, both named Dromio. The wreckage results in one out of each pair of twins remaining with Aegeon and another pair disappearing with Amelia. What follows is a comedy of errors, enacted powerfully on stage by actor who took up the challenge of looking alike with admirable ease. The script evolves, with more characters appearing on the stage, till the time the separated family reunites and errors are corrected. The beauty of the production lay more in the manner in which the concept of twin slaves and twin brothers was handled on stage. Whereas in cinema, it is much easy to handle twin characters, with all cinematographic tools coming to the aid of the director, the task is more than just challenging on stage where the prying eyes of viewers are invariably looking for loopholes. Prof Mahendra, however, managed the show well, using theatre as a language to build his characters in space and time. His command over technique was not limited only to interpretation of the play or to the form and colours of the sets, costumes, lighting, makeup or masks, he went ahead to perfect the gestures of his actors. Cast of the play included Rahul Bhaduria, Saurabh Kaushik, Ajay Kherera, Lekh Raj Thakur, Satosh Ojha, Sanjay Singh, Baljinder Singh, Amit Chauhan, Rohit, Ajay and Chandrashekhar, Harpreet Singh, Ranmjana Sharma, Aman, Navneet Kaur, Tanya Tandon, Rajesh, Ankush, among others. |
|
New
Release Ram Gopal Varma, most versatile amongst the contemporary film-makers, is certainly a goliath at the box office. The master craftsman is back with yet another romantic thriller, ''Ek Hasina Thi''. This one is a presentation of K. Sera Sera and Varma Corporation Ltd. The film will be released at KC, Chandigarh, and Fun Republic, Mani Majra, tomorrow. ''Ek Hasina Thi'' stars Saif Ali Khan and Urmila Matondkar. Betrayal, deceit and murder is the theme of the film. All we know is that it is a love story coupled with murder. After playing the role of an Army officer in LoC, Saif plays a charming mob man, Karan Rathod. But with Urmila claiming it to be the role of a life-time, sounds like a good watch. FTIT graduate Sreeram Raghavan, who came to the limelight after directing a small film on serial killer, has directed ''Ek Hasina Thi''. If you have seen the promos, you would have by now guessed that this is a perfect thriller which will be different from the run of the mill. Amar Mohile has scored the music. The other crew members are C.K. Muraleedharan (photographer), Pooja Ladha Surti (writer), Shyam De (art director) and Yousuf Khan (action director). Seema Biswas and Pratima Kazmi support the lead stars. DP
|
Fashion Fundas
In the quicksand world of fashion, pinstripe or stripes is one thing that has never lost its sheen and fan following. Suave, stylish and subtle appeal of stripes has made these a classic in men’s as well as women’s fashion. These look classy and are suitable for casual as well as formal occasions. A striped shirt and suit have been staple in men’s wear since ages but of late these have also been lapped up by women with equal gusto. Stripes bold, thin in contrasting colours or self in a variety of fabrics, are big this season as fashion gurus all over the world have gone all out for pinstripe in their collections as well as in forecasting the trends. Stripes and striped variations on all garments, including belts, ties and edge trims, have been projected as the most important fashion print for men in 2004. World renowned designers have used the stripe magic in their latest collections. Caroline Herrera used masculine pinstriped cottons for sundresses with ribbon straps, Proenza Schouler showed cropped jackets, swing coats, piped bustier tops using stripes to good effect. So did Narciso Rodriguez, whose carefully done designs highlighted bodylines with the geometry of the stripes. Michael Kors also opted for striped fabrics with his sea faring inspired striped nautical dresses. Clements Ribeiro used traditional red and white colour mix as well as newer combinations of stripes in softer pastels brightened up with chocolate or orange. He unravelled his collection with a nautical theme showing striped cashmere knitwear trimmed with anchor style motifs and rope belts. Major Indian designers have also relied on striped fabric or look for their creations. Sequins and embroidery have been used to give the ‘‘line effect’’ in Indian as well as fusion wear designed for women. In the city, too, be it students, corporate crowd or mature dressers, all show a passion for this latest trend this season. City’s hip apparel showrooms and boutiques also have plenty of choice in this segment. Whether it is shirts, stitched suits or trousers, the striped breed is increasing every day. Slim fit as well as straight or wide-leg trousers in corduroy (beige, rust, grey, green and even orange) and denim are among favourites of youngsters, says Savita, from Kapsons. Stripes have made inroads into women’s wear, too, as apart from wearing striped tees and spaghetti tops, one can see several women donning trousers, skirts and blazers in this print. Alisha, a marketing executive, says that striped trousers and even a shirt matched imaginatively with pants suit the corporate dressing ethos and she finds it easy to move around in a man’s world. Vertical stripes are preferred as these give a hint of height and make the person look slimmer, says Roop, a city-based designer. A striped slim fit trouser matched with a trendy top in solid coordinate colour along with boots or kitten heel sandals is the look that Disha, a Delhi-based designer, recommends for the season. Horizontal stripes, however, give a feeling of girth and are not so popular but imaginative combinations like in bias stripes give a whole new dimension to the design.
|
|
What about rejuvenating your grey cells as you sip your favourite coffee? In case you are willing to go for it, Cafe Coffee Day, is the place to be in. The premiere chain of coffee outlets, Cafe Coffee Day, today added another feather to its cap by opening a Book Cafe section in its Sector 35 outlet here and in its Patiala outlet. The cafe has entered into an agreement with famous bookstore chain, Book Cafe, to include their books and periodicals inside the Cafe Coffee Day premises. So while you intoxicate yourself with the brew, the cafe provides books to suit everyone's interests. From cookery and art and craft to science and health, the book cafe has a collection of over 8,000 books on varied subjects to choose from, says Ms Sudipta Sengupta, Head, Marketing, Cafe Coffee Day. " Our aim is to provide world class services to our clientele. Other than our product, coffee is brewed exclusively for each customer and from our coffee plantations, we believe in providing a suitable ambience. After launching our music juke box here as well as in Patiala, we are now offering the Book Cafe," she adds. Ms Sengupta says that for the past two years they have been in Chandigarh and now the time has come to provide customised services. Other than making changes in the Sector 11 outlet, where we will have a family lounge in the back yard of the outlet, we are also looking for locations to set up three more cafes in Panchkula and Mohali and on the Chandigarh- Shimla highway, she adds. — TNS
|
|
Make a splash with water denizens
Aquarium fish not only please the eye with their majestic colours and shapes but also bring prosperity and good luck (as per Feng Shui). Well, how about these water denizens as pets! Watching them can help you lower your blood pressure and break free from stress. An aquarium can deck up your living room or the waiting lounge of your workplace. Keeping in view the fad among Chandigarhians to develop a bond with fish, the market is inundated with aquariums of various shapes and sizes. The ideal sizes are 18x12x12 and 24x12x12, says Ravi Sood of Ebony. The species available in the market range from the common goldfish to the black molly, from the green swordtail to the archerfish and from the angelfish to the rainbow fish. The common goldfish is a small golden or orange-red freshwater fish of Eurasia and one of the best-known pets. Its colour and fins change according to age. The fingerlings are of silver colour. The black molly breeds easily in tanks and accepts foods. The archerfish catches insects by squirting water at them and knocking them into the water. Found in South Asia, including India, besides China and Australia, it is not a good community fish. It spends much of its time close to the surface. A native of the Amazon, the angelfish is up to 5 inches long and the rainbow fish from 1.5 inch to 2.5 inch. The angelfish prefers live food. The rainbowfish has numerous domesticated forms and these show considerable variation in colouration and fin shape. Many of these forms are susceptible to diseases. A freshwater fish of Central America having a long swordlike tail, the green swordtail is an algae-eater fish and helps keep the aquarium clean. The zebra danio is good for the beginner as it breeds readily. The transparent-looking fish is the glass catfish. It is a hardy fish, usually in shoals around plants. To maintain the natural environment of the aquarium, plantation of various species of plants is advisable. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen. For this, the aquarium should be well lit. However, the amount of light required by plants varies from plant to plant. Most aquatic plants are able to extract nutrients from the water through the leaves and do not rely on roots. It is advisable to plant two or three species of plants in an aquarium. These should be planted towards the rear of the tank. This helps the fish to move freely on the front side. In the market, various species of plants are available ranging from Rs 3 to Rs 150 per plant. Water lily, echinodorus, cryptocoryne, cabomba and water mint are available. In case you wish to give a natural look to the aquarium, there are various options available, ranging from silicon gravels to shells and corals. However, these should be introduced in the aquarium only after boiling in water and drying. This helps to reduce chances of aquarium water getting harmful bacteria.
|
|
Hair colouring picking up in Ambala Finally, he went in for streaking of hair with copper colour. He was pleased with the result. However, his relatives and neighbours were not impressed. Mr Khanna feels that their adverse reaction is due to the generation gap. To his delight, his close friends, too, are considering hair streaking. Hair colouring as well as hair streaking is gradually gaining popularity in Ambala. Even though the trend for hair streaking started in the late 1990s, in the past few years, more and more people are keen to try out hair colouring. Not just girls but also boys in the city are keen to colour their hair so as to try out something different and “get noticed”. While hair streaking and complete colouring are favoured by girls, the boys prefer “highlighting”. The colours currently in fashion for streaking in the city are copper, red and blond. Magenta red has recently become popular. Mahogany and burgundy are preferred for full hair colouring. College boys also prefer blue for streaking. Mr Rajesh Kakran of Haryana Beauty Parlour says that youngsters with darker hair tone are advised red colour for streaking and they should not go in for English colours. He said youngsters with fair hair tone should go in for copper and blond streaking. “Hair colouring and streaking can be done on natural hair. Colouring is a well-considered choice and the person must have self-confidence. It is necessary because people ask questions about the colouring,” he said. Mr Kakran says that a large number of college boys are keen on streaking after watching “Kaante”. “After seeing Sanjay Dutt and Mahesh Manjrekar in ‘Kaante’, a number of college-going students wanted streaking. While Sanjay Dutt had a brown tinge, Mahesh Manjrekar had got blond streaking,” he said. He observes that hair colouring is carried out all through the year. “There is no particular season for youngsters to go in for hair colouring. They just go for it whenever they feel like,” he said. |
|
The Gujarat State Handlooms and Handicrafts Development Corporation has brought to the city the essence of Gujarat’s exquisite furniture, jewellery, terracotta and mirror work and Kutch embroidered handlooms. The handicrafts and handlooms are on display at the annual exhibition organised by Gurjari at the Lajpat Rai Bhavan here. Given the city residents obsession with the Sankeda furniture (lacquer work teak furniture), especially the jhoolas and sofa sets, Kutch embroidered wall panels and cushion covers, they are making a beeline for the exhibition. Mr Rajinder Singh, in charge of the exhibition, says they are getting good response in the furniture items. The lacquer work teak furniture and jute furniture are a complete sell out and cotton suits and bedcovers, are also very popular, he adds. A number of tribal cloth paintings, brass and white metal wares — mainly decoration items, mandirs and centre tables — are also available here. The Rajasthani chairs with inlay work are available at Rs 500 a piece, while the patch work bedcovers, cotton suits, kurtis are also available at reasonable prices. Other than this, live demonstrations on mud work and mirror wall panels by Vilal Bhai from Bhuj, white metal jewellery by Narainbhai K Soni from Disha, and patch work embroidery by Gomti Ben has been organised by Gurjari. — TNS
|
|
|
It’s my life Different is surely the word that defines me, and passion is what drives me to reach out for stars. Being a true Arien, I am passionate about music, fine arts and athletics. Presently studying in Class XI at DAV College, I am an alumnus of St Johns High School. Since my school days, I have excelled in fine arts, specialising in linonium and abstract art from the age of 13. He took part in athletics and won marathon races during school time. Other than this, music is like food for my soul as it helps me to unwind. I firmly believe that hardwork and total commitment are the key to success. I firmly belive that “Real Men Make Their Own Destiny” “ and with this attitude, I aim to become an aeronautical engineer and contribute to the world of astronomy and aviation. As told to RMK
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Chandigarh, January 15
Mr Shailendra Khanna, a young businessman, wanted to stand out in the crowd.
After much thought, he decided to go in for hair colouring which he hoped would give a “colourful” edge to his personality. Besides being unsure about how he would look after the hair colouring, he was also concerned about the reaction of his friends and relatives.