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Make exam duty compulsory, board urges Secretary Mohali, January 19 The board authorities have found that in many cases persons with vested interests wanted to be assigned such duty while those with a clean image preferred to keep away. Mrs Narinder Kaur, Controller of Examinations, said here today that a meeting with District Education Officers was held on December 5 at which they were told that names of those persons with a good image alone should be recommended for examination duty in order to curb copying. Often it was found that personal interests motivated persons to get their cases recommended for such duty. Certain persons even went to the extent of choosing the exam centres. She said the board had selected 500 centres at the block and the tehsil level where private candidates would have to appear in the examinations. The list of such centres had been displayed at the depots of the board. She said now private students would be allowed to appear in the examination only from those centres which fell near their place of residence. Earlier, private students would opt for such centres where they could easily indulge in copying. Students of Kharar area had appeared at a centre based at Patti near Amritsar last year, she added. She said mobile phones had been banned at examination centres. Earlier, a person in charge of an examination centre would debar students from taking mobiles into the centres. Now the centre in charge would also not be allowed to use a mobile phone while the examination was on. |
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Preparations on for Republic Day Chandigarh, January 19 The little ones are also rehearsing for cultural function to be held on the eve of Republic Day at Tagore Theatre. They will be presenting qawwalis, along with gypsy and Tamil dance, besides skits and other items. In all three tableaux are being prepared by enthusiastic students. This is not all. Students of nearly 11 schools are preparing for cultural events to be held for two days from January 25. They are crooning songs and dancing to the thumping beats of reverberating music. Young skaters are also getting ready to cut along the curves on the big day. For the march past, students of 20 schools are polishing their shoes. It will have four Scout groups, besides equal number of Guide groups, from different schools. NSS volunteers from six schools will also participate in the march past. Concerned over the increasing number of accidents, the students will also highlight the need for adopting road safety measures. “Ambulance brigade” by another school will also form a part of the parade. Boys from five schools and girls from four institutes in uniforms will also participate. Rai Public School students are busy preparing tableau on nature — “We are for you, save us”. As a mini truck showcasing a jungle will roll on, 15 students dressed up as elephant, monkey, flowers, butterflies and trees will “come to life” with the first rays of sun. Nearly 30 to 35 students of Government Model Senior Secondary School in Manimajra complex are preparing a tableau on Sarav Shiksha Abhiyan. For the purpose, a tractor-trailer is being converted into a classroom. A student dressed up as a teacher will instruct the students aged between six and 14. The intention will be to enable the students to enter the main stream. In the background, a poem written by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be played. Students of Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 35 are engrossed in setting dish antennas and computers on a mini truck to display importance of science and technology in our daily lives. The Education Department authorities reveal that the students of Sector 40 Government Model Senior Secondary School will open the cultural function on January 25 by presenting Saraswati Vandana. Students of Sector 18 Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School will perform gypsy dance. Tamil folk dance will be presented by students of Sector 21 Government Model Senior Secondary School. Skit will be presented by students of Sector 46 Government Model Senior Secondary School. Two action songs will be presented by the students of St John’s High School and KBDAV School in Sector 7. Dance on works of Tagore by students of Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya School in Sector 25 will highlight of the day. Qawwali will be presented by students of Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 19. On January 26, students of Carmel Convent school in Sector 9 will perform yoga. Nearly 100 students are participating in it. Classical dance will be presented by 250 students of St Xavier Senior Secondary School in Sector 44. Skating item will be presented by 150 students of KBDAV School. Gujarati dance will be presented by about 150 students of Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Sector 20. |
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Principals back teachers’ bandh call Chandigarh, January 19 The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union had given a call for the bandh in support of its demands. Mr Sangha said the non-government colleges in Punjab were facing acute financial crunch because of irregular and inadequate release of grants. Despite repeated assurances to retain the scheme of 95 per cent grant-in-aid, the state government was reducing the grant by 10 per cent every year, he said. The present level of grant had come down to Rs 56 crore per annum, from Rs 102 crore as per the scheme. He urged the Punjab Government to restore the 95 per cent grant-in-aid. |
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Shruti is ‘princess’,
Sohail ‘prince’ Chandigarh, January 19 The first and second runners up among girls were Urvashi and Treesa, respectively, while the Miss Photogenic title went to Sheran. The Best Smile prize was won by Deepika Kaushal. Among the boys, Vikram and Gaurav were the first and second runners up, respectively. Prannay was Mr Photogenic, while Sidharth won the prize for the best smile. |
High Court Chandigarh, January 19 In his petition, father Samandar Singh claimed that his son was killed by his wife Sunita and the crime was witnessed by their 12-year-old son. Alleging failure on part of the Chandigarh Police to carry out impartial investigation in the matter, Samandar Singh claimed that directions should be issued to the Chandigarh Administration for registering a murder case under provisions of the Indian Penal Code. He added that the case should be handed over to an independent agency. Constable Mmaman Singh had died on April 13, 2003, at his residence in Police Lines. The police had claimed that the constable had shot himself with his service revolver.
Teller machines
Teller machines, displaying case numbers at different points in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, are likely to become functional from first week of March. The machines will enable the lawyers and the litigants to know which case was being taken up by a particular court. The development is significant as the members of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association had been demanding the installation of the machines. |
Peep into Bengali culture through handicrafts
AT the first instance it seems like any other craft mela but the exhibition of Bengal handicrafts at the Panchayat Bhavan, Sector 18 is different as far as the concept is concerned. Swayambhar NARI, a no-profit organisation, that has brought craftsmen and handicraft items from Bengal is what makes it different from the other exhibitions held in the city from time to time. “We have tried to bring the rich heritage of our region to Chandigarh and here people cannot only buy things but also learn about the history and the traditional aspects so it is more of a cultural experience than a commercial activity”, says Ms S. Bhadra, secretary of the organisation. She said the idea of this women’s organisation started growing by the end of 1987 and in 1988 a group of women organised a fair “Women 88”. It was the first ever craft mela organised in Kolkata Maidan. She along with some friends started Swayambhar at a time when government help was not easily available for self-help groups. The idea behind the group was to make women self-reliant and economically independent and win the confidence of the artisans based in villages and provide them with exposure so that they could reach out to other regions to spread their art. “The organisation imparts training on a regular basis with the help of master crafts persons and trainers”, she said. These artisans want cooperation and not charity and we motivate them to work not only for themselves, but also for others. The group has also held exhibitions at Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Bangalore. The organisation is also involved in education and runs four schools in the rural areas. “We motivate and educate mothers and children in the age group of four to six years and after getting initiated into the world of education they are sent to a proper school. Education is the most important requirement for an artisan as without it he/she can’t do well in their field,’’ she says. For artisans like Sarup Mandal, Sudil Jha, Chandan Das, Tapashi and Rup Goswami such exhibitions mean not only more money, but also an experience to learn about market trends and customer preference. “This way we work to make our traditional art more contemporary,” says Rup, who has brought about a lot of changes in his batik painting art and is reaping the benefits of his labour. Similar is the case of Sarup Mandal who makes jute, wood and terracotta jewellery pieces. Dry flowers, jute bags, swings, tableware, coasters, cushion covers and footwear along with traditional kantha and Balucheri saris in silk and cotton attract customers. Hand embroidered kantha saris are priced between Rs 1,000 and Rs 4,000. Tapashi who is also demonstrating the kantha stitch at the exhibition says that usually it takes about two to three months to complete a sari. Another attraction is the Madhubani or Mithila paintings stall. The art that has origins in the ancient kingdom of Mithila is now identified with the Madhubani district in North Bihar. Made mostly by women, these paintings were usually made on walls and floors of traditional homes on auspicious festival occasions. Since late fifties this art form has encompassed the medium of handmade paper. The paintings depict man as an integral part of nature. These are painted with fingers, twigs brush and nib pens and natural dyes and pigments are used, informs Sudil Jha who has brought creations of various artists here. Priced from Rs 80 to Rs 650 for the ones without frame, these paintings depict mythological scenes and figures of gods and goddesses in intricate details. “Choosing one is a tough job” says Indu Syal, a housewife from Kalka. Details of ‘Shola’ figures complement the Madhubani paintings. Carving details on the stem of a water plant with amazing dexterity is Chandan Das who gives a demonstration of the traditional craft. Durga face, Ganesha and Laxmi figures are available in different sizes and are priced from Rs 80 to Rs 1,000. The exhibition will be on till January 24.  |
Contraband cigarettes a fad with city youth Neeraj Tyagi, a business executive, loves his Rothmans fag. Till three years ago, this tobacco lover was dependent on his friends and cousins abroad to send him some of his favourite cigarettes, or would pick them up while holidaying on foreign shores. With most of the foreign popular brands being easily available off the shelf here, he says this is truly a windfall. From paan kiosks to cigarette shops, and department stores to the road side vendors — contraband cigarettes of all sizes and origins are flooding the city market. With the authorities looking the other way, their sales have increased over the years. Cigarette vendors in the city say these foreign contraband cigarettes account for almost 50 per cent of their sale. A visit to various cigarette retailers in the city reveals that other than popular brands like State Express 555, Dunhill, Marlboro Lights, Davidoff Classic, Sobraine Cocktail, Rothmans and Benson and Hedges, relatively unheard- of brands like Mild Seven Lights, Super Kings, Aziz Gold, Gudang Garam and Camel Lights are also being sold in the city. Though Marlboro Lights account for the maximum sale in the city, premium brands like Davidoff Classic are also popular, says a cigarette retailer in Sector 22. Manufactured in the USA, Germany, Holland, United Kingdom and Asian countries like Indonesia and Japan, these cigarettes have many takers here. Says 33-year-old Yoginder Singh, “Most young people prefer a foreign-made cigarette for style, but slowly get addicted to the brand. Contraband cigarettes are not a new entry in the city market. A decade ago, these were easily available at cigarette kiosks in Sector 17 and Sector 22.” Another reason for the rise in sale of these contraband cigarettes is that their prices are comparative to the prices of cigarettes made in India. A cigarette retailer in the Sector 17 market, on the condition of anonymity, informed that almost all smuggled brands were available to the customer for a minimum of Rs 3.50 to Rs 7.50 a cigarette. As compared to this, the cheapest Indian king- size cigarette is available for Rs 2.50. A retailer in Sector 26 pointed out that a few of the imported brands also manufactured in India, like Benson and Hedges and State Express 555, were also being smuggled in large quantities. He said the smuggled cigarettes were cheaper than the ones manufactured here. He said almost 90 per cent of the customers of these contraband cigarettes were in the age group of 17 to 24 years. Most of the cigarette dealers and retailers in the city point out that while earlier the trade was carried on clandestinely in rehri markets, with no official objection, it has come out in the open now.
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In the city to shoot for “Shriman Chanakya”, the Delhi-born Bhargav, says the day is not too far when he can dictate his own terms on film sets, so that he has enough time to continue his tryst with theatre. “Theatre requires a lot of time and balancing it with the killing schedule of film shooting is not possible. It took years for Naseer bhai and Anupam bhai (Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher) to get a standing in the film world, where they could sustain their passion for theatre. Certainly not in their league, but a few years down, I hope to do justice to both my film career and my passion for theatre,” he says. Bhargav, who recently caught viewer’s attention as the Bhai in Urmila Matondkar- starrer “ Ek Hasina Thi,” says he has more in store for the audience. Other than “Shriman Chanakya”, he will soon be seen on the big screen with Anil Kapoor in “2 o’ clock murder,” besides “ Bhayy”, “Crime”, and “30 Days”. Ask him if he is purposely dabbling in thrillers, he says these days suspense thrillers are the flavour of Bollywood, while cheekily adding, “…shayad main villain jaisa bhi dikhta hoon. So I am considered as the right choice for such roles”. Bhargav says arc lights always beckoned him. Being the son of a radio artiste, Mrs Saroj Bhargav, as a four-year-old child, he got a chance to act in a serial for Doordarshan in 1959. “I did several serials as a child artiste. But my parents were very particular that I pursued academics”, he recalls. While studying, he got involved with a theatre group run by Sheela Bhatia, called Delhi Art Theatre and worked in several historical musicals. From 1974 to 1995, his life revolved around Theatre and a few serials on Doordarshan. “ I did my first role in a Bollywood film in the Nana Patekar- Madhuri Dixit starrer ‘Wajood’, and since then there has been no looking back,” he says. Bhargav’s roles in movies like “ Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar’, “Chandni Bar”, and“ Satta”, and prime time serials like ‘ 9 Malabar Hill”, “ Chahat aur Nafrat”, “ Ghaav”, “ Nyay” and “Aan” have also been appreciated.
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The young man, who halted in the city briefly, while on a trip to Himachal, believes in living life to its full... and teaching the same to others. From being a top ranking student at the prestigious St Stephens College, Delhi, to later embark upon a career in advertising, the transition from a brilliant academic career to his dedication for the Creator, is complete. “God is a creative artist, and being blessed with various talents, my calling is to honour and glorify my Creator,” he says. He says he believes in spiritual and the supernatural realm of life. I am a culmination of my own choices in life, and for me the church setting was ideal, he says. After having done his schooling from Woodstock School in Mussorie, he carried on his academic pursuits by opting for English (Honours), and was selected at St Stephens College. During his three-year stint at the college till 2001, Joshua participated in various extra curricular activities. As a painter, the logo designed by him for the college was accepted and used for all three years. He even did murals for a church in New Delhi. After college he began his career in a model management company. “But I soon realised that selling soap or maybe biscuits, was not what I wanted out of life. My biggest inspiration is the holy Bible- which guides me all the time, he adds. Quizzed about how his family accepted his decision of leaving a materialist world for spiritual pursuits, he says that not only were they very supportive, but also cushioned him from any peer or societal pressure to the contrary. Joshua says that as an under- trainee, though he was being himself, he was feeling the need to refurbish his soul. So he began his 20-day sojourn on his bike, On January 12, from Delhi to Jaipur to Pushkar, and now to Chandigarh via Delhi. He will now be travelling to Solan, Paonta Sahib, Dehra Dun and back to Delhi.
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A three-day slimming carnival has been organised at the VLCC, Sector 9, to help people get “the body they deserve.” The carnival is being held simultaneously at Chandigarh, Panchkula and Ambala centres. The main attraction of the carnival was the new techniques introduced by the beauty and slimming centre for its customers. Termo slim therapy, a technique which helps bring instant weight loss with a combination of massage, lipoletic creme and machines, was launched today. Various discount schemes were also launched. Various stalls were put up to make people aware of various therapies available to achieve a slim and fit body. Figure correction techniques, body composition analysis on BCA machines, a therapeutic diet
clinic, aroma studio and spa, lifestyle corner for beauty tips, and a low calorie cafeteria were the other attractions. A taste-and-tell contest organised for visitors, had many enthusiastic participants.
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Smirnoff goes in for relaunch Smirnoff, premium vodka manufacturer, is working on distinctive packaging and a global advertising campaign to reinforce its premium status and quality. It has unveiled a sleek bottle and bold television and print ads as part of a global relaunch that hits India today. India is the second market, after the USA, to launch the new Smirnoff. This will be followed by a relaunch in 130 countries. The new-look Smirnoff will be available in all size variants and the packaging will be identical. “Smirnoff is the world’s number one premium vodka brand, and it’s important for us to communicate that in everything we do,” says Mr Amar Raj Singh, Managing Director, UDV India Ltd, adding that “we continually assess our appeal, and we recognised the need to update our look to make a bold, contemporary statement about category leadership and quality product.”
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It’s my life Experimenting with ideas has been part and parcel of my character. My interest and aptitude for fine arts, painting, drawing, sports and music has made me excel in all these fields. I have won a lot of prizes and medals in sports, including throwball, roll ball, handball, athletics, kho-kho and skating. I began skating at the age of eight years. I recently won a gold medal in roll ball nationals. I am indebted to Mr Balwinder and my parents whose guidance has motivated me. I study in Class XI in Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, Sector 26. Since KG, my attendance has been 100 per cent. I am of the firm opinion that one must value time and it is time management which makes one achieve higher status and fame in life. I am looking forward to achieving something unique to enter the Limca Book of Records and the Guinness Book of World Records. — As told to
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Seven tough years in Bollywood have only hardened his resolve to return to his first love- theatre. Abhay Bhargav, TV artiste-turned-theatre activist- turned- film artiste, says he longs to return to the live media.
He believes in sharing his multifarious talents to honour his Creator. Joshua John, 24, is a trained drummer, a painter... and a pastor under training.