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23 teachers to undergo training Chandigarh, January 20 The teachers, led by Lieutenant Jyoti, are under qualified and have not undergone any specialised teachers training. The Director of the institute, Mr P.S. Kansal, said the teachers would be given a month training on teaching tenchniques. A special teaching aid had been arranged for the programme. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mohammed Aslam, a Class XII pass out and who teaches maths to Class X students at one of the Army schools, said he had long been looking for an opportunity to improve his teaching skills. Another teacher, Gulam Mustafa, teaches social studies without any formal training. Two girls, Rinchaan Dolma Karr and Soman Dolma, both Class XII pass outs, had been looking forward to improve their computer skills. The coordinator of the course, Mr Sanjay Chaturvedi, said it was a great service to help teachers, who teach the poor children of the Kargil area. The opening session of the training programme was inaugurated by the Deputy Director of the regional office of the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti. |
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Nursing institutes overcharging students, says report Mohali, January 20 Eight institutes were inspected by the Secretary, Medical Education and Research, on January 10 following which the Registrar of the council submitted a written report on the condition of these institutes on January 12. Giving details about the institutes inspected, the report points out that these institutes are charging Rs 30,000 to Rs 80,000 per annum from each student and there is a need to re-structure the fee. About Victor School of Nursing, Kharar, the report notes that the Principal of the Institute has no experience in administration and the institute is being run from four shops. The school has only one classroom, inadequate laboratory equipment, no auditorium and a poorly lit library. The school’s hostel is without tables, chairs and cupboards and a dining room that can accommodate only 10 students at a time. Similarly, the report says at Charanjit Memorial School of Nursing, Mohali, the school and the hostel both are being run in rented houses of 500 square yards each. The only classroom is small, congested, ill-lighted and poorly ventilated. The hostel is 3 km away from the school with no sick room, no guest room, no visitor room, no canteen, no pantry and no washing and ironing room. The Mata Sarawati Institute of Nursing, Mohali is being run from rented accommodation where nine students live in one room, sharing a bathroom. Each student pays Rs 700 per month for accommodation. The Rattan Professional College of Nursing, Sohana, has acute shortage of teaching staff and the laboratory and library are ill-equipped. The Amar School of Nursing, Zirakpur, is being run from shops on the main road to Chandigarh. There is no proof of the two acres of land shown by the management, notes the report. Its principal, Mrs Kanta Sagar was once employed with a private nursing school in Haryana. The Mata Sahib Kaur Institute of Nursing, Mohali is being run from a rented industrial unit and the Fortis Heart Institute of Nursing, Mohali’s hostel is 3 km from the institute. The principal of the Punjab National School of Nursing, Gulabgarh, Dera Bassi, is not qualified enough to be the principal. Notices to these institutes were served by the Secretary, Mr Satish Chander, on January 13. In case of non-compliance of orders or reply not being satisfactory, these institutes will be barred from admitting students in the next session in May-June. While the government can withdraw the NoC (No-objection certificate), the Nursing Council can disaffiliate them too. |
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Tribune in
Education Several environmental variables influence a child’s intelligence. One of the most important variables which has received considerable research attention is the impact of schooling. Schooling affects intelligence in several ways, including transmition of information, learning systematic problem solving, abstract thinking, sustained attention, concentration and drill of several concepts and basic symbols. Schooling helps in promoting the development of significant intellectual skills which develop to different extent in different children. Since schooling is so important for the development of abstraction and intellectual skills, it is important that schools must be of some minimum standard of quality. Evidence indicates that in schools of poor quality, children may learn so little, if at all, that each year of attendance in such a school may result in a systematic decline in Intelligence Quotient(IQ). Regular school attendance is important if gains in IQ related to schooling have to be maintained. Studies have demonstrated that IQ scores decline with the amount of absenteeism and cumulative effects of attending school intermittently. These studies suggest that without the opportunity for mental stimulation provided by schools, intelligence of children will be significantly impaired. Thus, the longer the child stays out of school, lower will be his IQ. In rural areas particularly, very often children are sent to school late either because of non-availability of schools or school enrollment policies. Evidence indicates that for every year of delayed schooling, a decrement of five IQ points has been observed. By the same principle, children who never go to school, not only suffer the burden of illiteracy, which is so rampant in our country, but also of intellectual deprivation and long-term decrements in intelligence. Interestingly, long summer vacations that children enjoy each year, particularly if they are spent in non-academic oriented activities, have also been found to lead to systematic declines in IQ. Although these declines are not large, with each passing month away from school children lose ground on both intellectual and academic tests. Intelligence of young children is also influenced by their birth dates. Since most schools have restrictions on the age of the child entering school, children who are born in the last few months of the year enter school one year later than children born earlier in that year. Hence, children born in the same year, those who spend an extra year at school will have higher IQs than children who may be similar in age but have spent one year less at school. Evidence indicates that for each year of schooling that is completed, there is an IQ gain of approximately 3.5 IQ points. In sum, although intelligence influences the decision to stay in school and spend longer number of years completing school, college and university education (assuming all other conditions are optimal), a large body of literature supports the view that staying in school itself increases intelligence and more importantly prevents IQ from declining. Each additional month a student remains in school may increase a child’s IQ above what will be expected if the student drops out and stays at home. Dr Prabhjot Malhi |
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Repoll announcement challenged
Chandigarh, January 20 In his representation to Professor Pathak, Mr Valecha has demanded that a repoll be held for both the seats of the Law faculty. He claimed that following a tie between him and Mr G.K. Chatrath, it was resolved at the meeting of the faculty that the Dean, Mr Anmol Rattan Sidhu, would seek legal opinion in the matter and place it before the faculty members for their decision. However, Mr Valecha alleged that Mr Sidhu acted in an “arbitrary manner contradictory to the resolution of the Law faculty” by announcing the repoll instead of calling a meeting of the members and presenting his findings. Challenging the announcement of declaring the third candidate, Principal R.P. Asija, as elected to the Syndicate, Mr Valecha claimed that the results of the elections were declared on the floor of the house and never from any other platform. Mr Valecha, has further, sought legal validity of the circular for repoll issued by the Dean.
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DPI lauds academic performance Chandigarh, January 20 The Principal, Mr R.K.Sharma, said last year the pass percentage in Class VIII was 100 per cent while in Classes X and XII it was 97.73 per cent and 98.49 per cent, respectively. In Class VII, Pratibha Negi, Preeti Puri and Ram Narain came first, second and third, respectively. At least 10 students secured above 90 per cent. Fourteen students of Classes X and XII were awarded meritorious certificates by the CBSE.
Lecture A lecture-cum-demonstration on osteoporosis among women was held at Government College for Girls, Sector 11, here on Tuesday. Prof S.S. Gill from the Department of Orthopaedics(PGI) and Dr Harsimran delivered the lecture. The college Principal, Mrs Usha Khetarpal, was the chief guest. Dr Gill said osteoporosis was common among postmenopausal women. He said the most significant cause was lack of exercise and poor diet. The disease could lead to high incidence of vertebral collapse and fracture of waist and hip bones. |
HC takes up ‘save the lake’ case Chandigarh, January 20 Pronouncing the orders, the Bench comprising Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy and Mr Justice Surya Kant Sharma, said that the meeting should be held between secretaries concerned of the states and the Union of India, along with UT authorities. A local resident Dr G.S. Dhillon, had earlier claimed that he was associated with the Sukhana Lake since its inception in 1958. Taking serious view of his letter regarding the lake, the high court had directed its handing over to the UT counsel. In a related matter, a Naya Gaon resident had earlier sought directions for restraining Haryana and Punjab, besides the Union Territory of Chandigarh, from investigating public funds for purposes other than agriculture and afforestation around the area. The petitioner — Dr B. Singh — had alleged that urbanisation by Haryana was a scandal like Taj Heritage project. The Prime Minister, he further claimed, had already restrained the urbanisation of the area. The petitioner had also asserted that the catchment area of the lake was in fact a forest area. An attempt was being made by the Haryana government to have a lake adjacent to Sukhana Lake by retaining rain water or water from the rivulets ending into the lake. “If that is allowed, then Chandigarh Sukhana Lake will apparently dry up....”, he added. Acting on a letter, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked counsel for the Chandigarh Administration to seek instructions about attempts, if any, made to rehabilitate families from whom land was acquired for developing the city. The directions were issued by the Chief Justice, Mr Justice B.K. Roy and Mr Justice Surya Kant Sharma on a letter written by Mr B.R. Rana and others in the matter.
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Bar chief denies being removed
Chandigarh, January 20 The group led by Mr N.S. Minhas claimed that the decision to remove Mr Koser had been taken by the General House of the Bar which met today. Mr Koser, however, claimed that nothing of this sort had happened at the meeting. Armed with a signed resolution regarding the removal of Mr Koser, Mr Minhas, who lost the elections to him, said, “Mr Koser has cheated the members of the Bar and misappropriated funds amounting to Rs 27,230. The members were issued subscription receipts on January 15 but the money was not deposited until January 18, two days after the election.’’ Among others, the resolution had been signed by the newly elected secretary, vice-president and treasurer of the District Bar Association. The group also claimed that Mr A.S. Gujral, vice-president, had been made the acting president of the association. Mr Koser, when contacted, admitted that there had been a delay in depositing the money. He, however, termed it as an administrative delay. ‘‘I had apologised for the same at the General House meeting and the members have accepted my apology,” he said. He termed the resolution as illegal and added that he would be countering it. ‘‘Their resolution is illegal and is not even on the official letter head of the Bar,’’ he said.
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A cup that cheers Gone are the days when cultured teenagers — assuming tea to be common man’s drink — were ordering sophisticated cappuccino and iced café mocha in coffee bars all around the city, instead of golden elixir christened tea. Alright, they were savouring tea laced with cardamom and nicely brewed in pots over kerosene stoves in college canteens. But outside the college campus, tea was “something only their parents had in mornings and evenings”. For them, black coffee with chocolate cake was must in an eating joint. Today, things have changed. They repose on comfortable chairs in fast food joints and restaurants before ordering the magic potion. And they are not the only ones. Sushmita Sen and Cindy Crawford both claim that tea sets the pace of their day. It is also the favourite national drink in Britain. More than 1,500 types of tea are available there.The reason behind everyone's enthusiasm for tea is not hard to see. Flavoured with herbs and lemon grass, also free from caffeine, the brew brightens up the mornings and sets the mind working. It is healthy, low-calorie and inexpensive drink that relaxes and refreshes. It is also the highest consumed beverage in the world after water. It can even give you that inner glow. This is not all. Researchers at the American Health Foundation have observed that tea contains vital antioxidants that can lower the risk of many serious ailments like cancer, cardiovascular diseases,gastric ulcer,blood sugar and blood pressure. According to a recent study, women in The Netherlands daily, by consuming a few cups of tea daily, significantly reduced risk of severe “atheroschlerosis”, a key factor contributing to coronary heart disease. Doctors at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research(PGIMER) in Chandigarh quote a study conducted at the Boston University School of Medicine. The research, as per the doctors, found that drinking up to four cups of tea daily improved “endothelial” function in blood vessels of people diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Little wonder, some of the joints are offering iced tea with fresh lemon juice and mint leaves, or tea fruity with a dash of orange and mango squash mingled with rose syrup. You can also buy tea punch with lemonade and ginger ale, or tea cocoa with cinnamon and cardamom, besides cocoa. In case, you also wish to drink tea in style, follow the British style. In Britain, tea is traditionally served around 4 pm with two home-baked biscuits. A full English tea includes sandwiches, scones with jams and cream, besides fruit and chocolate cakes. Serving outdoor tea starts in spring and continues till autumn if the weather is fine. In June, strawberry teas are offered. Special cream teas are available all round the year.
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Fitness Trail The wide variety of pulses, vegetables, whole grains, fruits and ‘health drinks’ like aam-panna, thandai and kanji ensured that you got a balanced diet. No vitamin supplements were required as due to the richness of our traditional diet, we had a proper intake of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and other nutrients. But in today’s fast-paced lifestyle, these healthy foods have been replaced by ready-to-eat foods high in sodium, fats and sugar. The easy availability of junk food with the mushrooming of fast-food joints has encouraged the increased consumption of such food. The usual excuse is that it helps in saving time and energy to do things we like — which is normally plonking on a sofa, watching the idiot-box with a bottle of cola and a bowl of butter-drenched popcorns. The end result is: Saved energy + extra calories = extra pounds. The healthy foundation of our childhood may still delay a hoard of ailments — like obesity, diabetes and coronary heart disease — associated with the consumption of fast (read junk) food. But there is another twist to this alarming scenario — this food may even affect the generation we are nurturing. A study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says if these dietary habits continue, India’s heart disease death toll rate is likely to double by 2015, cancer rates may triple by 2025 and in the same year, the number of diabetes cases may be 57 million, up from 19.4 million in 1995. There are so many factors which are influencing the minds of the young ones. From TV to T-shirts, various freebies are being offered on the purchase of fast food items. The young consumers are being increasingly assaulted by hundreds of ads to buy and eat the stuff the doctors are warning us to stay away from. The working parents should heed this frightening scenario and wake up to the threat of junk food. Dr Neelu Malhotra of Silver Oaks, Mohali, says most of the junk food items have a high sodium content and use artery-clogging saturated fats. Ajinomoto (Monosodium glutamate or MSG) is another product added to most of the ready-to-eat foods like soups, pastas and noodles to enhance their flavour. Refined flour or “maida” is another ingredient of these fast foods. Breads, pizza base, burger buns, pastas, macaroni, noodles and bakery items have “maida” as base. “Maida” is a simple carbohydrate which gets converted into fat. It has no fibre, sticks to colon walls (large intestine) and is difficult to flush out of the digestive track. Its excessive intake may lead to constipation, says Ms Suneeta Bhargava, a dietician with the VLCC. The high-fat, high-sodium content of most of the these junk-food items dehydrates the body which, in turn, induces craving for something cool and sweet. This explains our automatic reading out for a soft drink or shake while eating a burger or a pizza. Besides, most of these fast food items are soft and squishy and hardly need any chewing. This hampers the formation of saliva. “The non-formation of saliva adversely affects the digestion process which starts right in the mouth,” says Prof Jaswinder Sanga of PAU, Ludhiana. It is high time we put a stop to this disaster-in-making called the junk-food generation.
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Exploring the mechanism of caste It is, however, documentary making which brings out the best in Rajeev, who went out of Chandigarh in 1992 after arming himself with a degree in theatre from the Indian Theatre Department of Panjab University (PU). He was back in the city today to share with friends the latest in the series of his documentaries. Based on casteism prevalent in rural areas of Punjab, Rajeev’s new project is more of a telefilm than a documentary, insofar as it attempts to dramatise the reality a little. As the director of Kalahn (a practice which has lower caste people singing praises of their high caste masters), Rajeev makes valid points revealing the ugly face of caste wars, that still blemish the beautiful countryside of Punjab. The telefilm is based on the story written by Sarvmeet Singh, who has dealt with the problem very poignantly. The film has been shot in the rural locations to bring out the underlying trauma which people from lower castes are continuously subjected to. In 45 minutes, the director succeeds in introducing the sensitive subject, exploring its mechanics and drawing bold inferences. The story is simple — an upper caste sarpanch, who is so used to hearing his own and his family’s praises from his servant (this practice of singing praises is called Kalahn), gets enraged when the latter affectionally invites him for his birthday party. Blinded by fury, the sarpanch unleashes a blame game, charging his servant with violating the age-old norms laid down under the caste system. He wages a caste war against the poor man, who then vows to avenge his humiliation. It is then that the real relevance of the story “Kalahn” emerges. Reversing the trend, the servant not only lashes out at his master, but also alters the content of Kalahn, which instead of narrating the generosity and greatness of his masters now becomes an account of their infamy. The story is powerful, so is the portrayal. Rajeev says, “We hired professional actors to justify the theme, which will remain relevant forever. My purpose is not solved just by capturing the ugliness of a caste-ridden society on my camera. I want some reaction on the film, which I am going to show all over the rural Punjab.” Rajeev, who earlier worked for Surabhi as team director, has also made documentaries on Avtar Pash, a revolutionary Punjabi poet. He has also reported on the condition of women potters in Gujarat, besides focusing on the royal Bhavnagar family. His profile is made stronger by the fact that he has worked as group head programmer in 50 serials telecast on Zee and Sahara. “I was not satisfied with this run-of-the-mill stuff. I wanted to enter the world of media so that I could explore the pain of people and then share the same with others, who live oblivious of the hard realities of life.” With Kalahn, Rajeev has uncovered reality to some extent.
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It’s my life STARS in his deep-set eyes and a burning ambition, 16-year-old Gurjot Singh hopes to make it big in Bollywood. This lad has not just made forays into Punjabi theatre but has recently been signed by Dharam Panesar for a film. But do not dismiss him as another Bollywood aspirant. The young man has also been selected by Asian Film Corporation, for their serial “ Ek Omkar”. And this, he says, is just the beginning of his journey. In his acting career, spanning nine years, he has worked with the titans of Punjabi theatre like Mr Harpal Tiwana. Son of a doctor couple (his father, Dr Avtar Singh, and mother Dr PP Ghumman, are PCMS doctors, posted in Fatehgarh Sahib), he says that his parents, though recognised his talent early, never let him ditch studies. “I have been involved with Punjabi Theatre since the age of seven. Since I learnt to manage time between my acting and studies, never once did I pursue my ambition at the cost of my studies,” he says. A commerce student of Class XI, at Gobindgarh Public School, he says that he would not leave his formal education, and would pursue his studies side-by-side with his acting career. Gurjot says that his parents are his biggest source of inspiration. “Generally, parents try to get their child, especially the son, into the same profession that they are in. But even as a child, when others would applaud my performance on stage, my parents always encouraged me to pursue acting as a career,” he says. Other than being an accomplished artiste and a brilliant student, Gurjot has also won various carrom championships and is an accomplished debator. Recently, he participated the Giani Harjit Singh Memorial International Declamation Competition at Ludhiana , and won the best debator award. He is also into professional modelling. TNS |
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Have prescription drugs become an addiction? Elsewhere, in Sector 15, a former civil servant from Punjab, is also addicted to prescription drug. This 69-year-old man had a recurring problem of constipation. The doctor suggested a mild dose of Lomotil , which he has been taking regularly in a bigger dose than prescribed - more out of habit and less out of need. He says that now he cannot miss a single dose , and because of his age and social stature cannot confide his problem with anyone here.He now makes regular trips to a South Delhi-based drug awareness and de-addiction centre. Pill popping brigade in the city... beware. As increasing number of well-educated city residents continue with their self- medication, doctors warn against the prescription drug abuse. The addiction to prescription drugs is on the rise, and is cutting across all socio-economic and gender barriers. From narcotic analgesics(pain killers) to sedative-hypnotic, and from anti- diarrhoeal drugs to laxatives, a number of residents are getting hooked to prescription drugs. The unsuspecting patient begins to take these medicines for relief in illness, but as they increase the dosage and its frequency in consumption, they are getting hooked to the drugs. What is alarming is that most of the patients getting addicted to these prescription drugs come from well-to-do and educated families. It could be Avil, Alprex or Eortwin, These are the new fad for those wanting a high; at an affordable price, and are legal. Sarika*,25- year- old MBBS graduate, began taking Calmpose to help induce sleep during her examinations. She began by taking small doses, but after completing her graduation, as she prepared for her admission to MD, she increased her intake of the sedative to ease out tension. Addicted to the drug, she is now trying to wean herself off the medicine. Inquiries made at the Drug Awareness and De-addiction Counselling Centre being run at Lajpat Rai Bhavan in Sector 15 showed that the addiction to medicines was increasing - mainly because of their easy availability. Says Dr D. Basu, Associate Professor at the Drug De-addiction Centre at PGI,” Though no data is available to say that there is an increase in prescription drug abuse in the city, but clinical experience suggests that the number of such patients are on the rise. There are cases where a patient has been recommended just two tablets of an anti-diarroheal medice per day, and he is known to take 20 tablets. Not only is the abuse of these drugs causing addiction, but also leads to other physical ailments like gastric ulcers or analgesic nephropathy.”
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Cold hands are warmly clutching steaming cups of tea in the cold month of January. Invigorating tea is cheering so many youngsters all over the city, once again. Of course, they are going in not just for adrak and masala chai, but iced tea or the one with a few drops of lemon without milk.
Remember the childhood breakfasts of poha, idli, upma, dosa-sambar or stuffed paranthas with curd and chutney. And the delicious lunches and dinners comprising vegetable pulao, raita, dal, veggies, curries and missi rotis, followed by lip-smacking desserts like kheer, phirni, fruit-salads or kulfis full of nuts. 
Rajeev Sharma has long been behind the scenes of hit small screen soaps like Amanat and Koshish...ek aasha. As a man of theatre he has also been actively involved in staging socially relevant plays, first under his own group called Maul-e-Hashmi and then with the grand old man of Punjabi theatre, Gursharan Singh. 
TWENTYEIGHT year- old Smriti*, a housewife in Sector 9, has frequent migraine attacks. Two years ago, her family physician recommended a mild dosage of a popular analgesic (pain killer), to help in subsiding the pain. However, she began having the drug regularly and in double the dosage than prescribed, as a preventive measure. Now, this mother of a two- year- old is addicted to the drug, and is seeking expert advice for de-addiction.