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Tributes
paid to Kalpana Chawla
Flying
thrilled Kalpana since childhood: cousin Chautala’s
visits fuel poll speculations Bhajan
sees early Assembly poll |
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VC for
cost-effective farming 12
arrested, pistols seized Ambala Diary
Art and craft exhibition held at DAV school Empowerment
of women in rural areas stressed
Villagers,
students block traffic Three
killed in mishaps 500
students examined at health camp 
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Tributes paid to Kalpana Chawla
Karnal, February 1 The biography, “Kalpana Chawla — India’s first woman astronaut”, published by Rupa and Company, was released by Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (retd), the first Indian cosmonaut, here today while paying tributes to Kalpana on her first death anniversary at Tagore Bal Niketan School where she did her schooling. However, none of the family members of Kalpana Chawla were invited to the function. Salwi said that while collecting information from those who had been close to the woman astronaut, he had come across many interesting anecdotes about her life. He said that “even as a child, Kalpana had begun to show her independent nature and she even selected her own name! Describing Kalpana’s mind-set in the book, the writer says, “Like the name she chose, which means imagination, Kalpana was a highly imaginative child. During summers when the family slept on the roof of their small house in an isolated corner of Model Town Colony, she would watch the night sky. Staring at the twinkling stars, she wondered what they were, dreaming if it was ever possible to reach them”. Paying tributes to her, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (retd), after releasing the biography, said, “It was sad as a remarkable life was lost”. He further said that the biography would inspire present generation and the generations to come. Mr V.N. Rai, Inspector General of the Haryana Armed Police, while paying tributes to her, said that Kalpana was born in that part of the country where females did not even had the right to live and growup. Newborn females were mercilessly killed at the time of birth. It may be mentioned that Karnal and its adjoining areas still have one of the worst male-female ratio in the country. “She came out of a conservative society to a world of modernism and technological advancement”, he said. Her struggle to survive in one of the most challenging professions in the world was itself an inspiring source for today’s society that could bring a social revolution. The Deputy Commissioner of Karnal, Mr
R.S. Doon, Director of Tagore Bal Niketan, Ms Vimla Raheja and Mr R.K. Mehra, Managing Director, Rupa Company, also paid tributes to Kalpana Chawla. Ms Raheja announced to setup a Kalpana Chawla chair in Tagore Bal Niketan. |
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Flying thrilled Kalpana since childhood: cousin Fatehabad, February 1 Recalling her association with Kalpana Chawla and her family, Ms Usha Batra, a distant cousin of the late astronaut, said Kalpana went against the wishes of her father regarding the selection of her career. Ms Usha Batra is married to Mr Chander Prakash Batra, a local progressive farmer. Talking on the occasion of Kalpana’s anniversary here, Ms Batra and her husband recalled her fond memories. Mr
C.P. Batra, who is a pilot by training, said he faintly remembers a 14-year-old Kalpana coming to him at the time of his marriage and enquiring whether girls could also pursue flying as a career. Mr Batra, who claims to be the first Haryanvi pilot from the Hisar Flying Club, said he informed Kalpana that there were not many girls learning flying and he knew only one girl, also Kalpana, who learnt flying at a flying club in Delhi. Ms Batra recalled that Kalpana’s father opposed her going to the USA but her mother Ms Sanyogta Chawla supported her move. Besides being studious, she was highly determined. While other children of the family indulged in gossips and playing, Kalpana was disciplined enough to know her priorities and never sacrificed her studies for playing with other children. This did not mean that she was a bookworm and did not play at all, she added. It was Kalpana’s brother, Sanjay, who first took to learning flying at the Karnal Flying Club. One day he took his sister to the flying club and the girl was so fascinated by the idea of flying that she never looked back, becoming a role model for millions of young girls the world over. |
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Chautala’s
visits fuel poll speculations Chandigarh, February 1 An officer attached to the CM, however, says that too much is being read into Mr Chautala’s habit of visiting places inside Haryana and outside. “Previously the CM was spending at least two days every week at Chandigarh. Now he spends one day in a week on an average at the state capital. But his schedule was much more hectic at the time of Assembly elections in Rajasthan and UP,” he said. The officer said the CM had, in fact, also agreed to take part in an information technology exhibition in Germany in March. The organisers, however, want definite confirmation from the Chief Minister about his visit so that the arrangements made by them specially for the Chief Minister did not suffer due to last- minute cancellation of the trip . Even if early Assembly elections are not held in the state, campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections will be at peak in the middle of March and this has created doubts in the minds of the members of the Indo-German Chambers of Commerce about whether Mr Chautala will be able to make it to Germany for the exhibition. The CM’s tour managers, however, are hopeful that despite the campaigning for Lok Sabha elections picking up in the state in March, Mr Chautala can perhaps squeeze out a day or two to attend the prestigious exhibition where the Government of India has already booked space. Asked about Mr Chautala’s knack for travelling, Mr Bhajan Lal, President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee , said it was in his blood. Interestingly, it is not that Mr Chautala travels only when he is the Chief Minister. He was constantly on the move also when he was an Opposition leader. |
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Bhajan sees early Assembly poll Yamunanagar, February 1 There was no need to advance the Assembly session otherwise, he said. However, he said the Congress was ready to give a befitting reply to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) whenever the elections were held in the state. He lashed out at Mr Om Prakash Chautala and Mr Bansi Lal for not giving justice to the people of the state for the past eight years. He also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for promoting caste politics. He appreciated the role of the Sewa Dal in country’s freedom struggle. He exhorted the activists of the Sewa Dal to prepare themselves for the Lok Sabha elections. Mr Janardhan Divedi, president of the All-India Congress Sewa Dal, and Mr Subhash Chaudhary, chairman of the Sewa Dal of Haryana and former state minister, also addressed the workers. Mr Bhajan Lal said there was no need for them to enter any alliance in the state. However, if the party high command decided to have an alliance with any political party, the state unit would obey the order. He denied there was bickering in the Congress. Ms Sonia Gandhi was their undisputed leader, he said. |
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VC for cost-effective farming Hisar, February 1 He said that the varsity wanted Haryana farmers to become prosperous by deriving maximum benefit of the WTO regime, he added. He said priority was being given to crop diversification, identification of zones for crops for export, patent-oriented researches, conservation of resources, inputs, efficient crop varieties, diseases and insect-pests forecasting system. In animal production focus was on genetic improvement of local breeds and nutritional aspects. The VC said nearly 12 market-oriented short-term courses had been developed to provide better placement opportunities to students. Mr Miglani said Haryana was contributing nearly 60 lakh tonnes of wheat and 11 million tonnes of rice to the central pool every year. |
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12 arrested, pistols seized Hisar, February 1 Addressing mediapersons at Hansi last evening, Mr A.S. Ahlawat, SP, said the accused had been identified as Shiv Kumar, Naveen, Naresh, Dinesh, Satish and Vikash Kumar, all residents of Hansi, Shamsher Singh and Shiv Sharma, both residents of Jamawari village, Rajesh Kumar of Tarkhan village in Jind district, Kora Singh of Biran village and Parveen Kumar of Depal village. The police had also arrested Sunil Tarkhan and Vijender Singh, both members of the gang, a few days ago, while the head of the gang, Pardeep Kumar, a resident of Jamawari village, was still at large. They all were involved in cases of murder, attempt to murder and dacoity in the district and adjoining areas. The SP said Pardeep Kumar, Shiv Kumar and Sunil Tarkhan had shot dead Kuldeep and injured his friend Rajesh at Barsi village last month when both were on the way to the village on a motor cycle. In another incident Pardeep Kumar, Shiv Kumar, Sunil Tarkhan and Vijender Singh shot dead Rajesh Kumar, a mechanic, at Hansi on January 10. They also opened fire at Ram Niwas, a resident of Kulana village, on December 26. |
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Ambala Diary Ambala, February
1 There are seven roundabouts
of varying shapes and sizes which dot the short stretch of road at
regular intervals. Now, yet another roundabout is coming up near
Gobind Nagar on the Jagadhari road. It is being constructed stone’s
throw from the Mahesh Nagar roundabout. Interestingly, it is still
not known how these roundabouts have contributed to better flow of
traffic. Conversely, motorists feel that some of these roundabouts are
not properly aligned which hamper vehicular traffic. They opine that a
scientific study should be carried out regarding these. One of the
first roundabouts of Ambala Cantt was the Indra Gandhi chowk, which is
better known as Capital chowk. It has been built at an intersection of
five roads. The older roundabouts include the Swastik chowk and Civil
Hospital chowk. Also, the Military Hospital chowk on the Mall Road is
an old roundabout which has been beautified. The recently constructed
roundabouts include the Geeta Gopal chowk at Nicholson Road and the
Vishwa Karma chowk near Punjabi Mohalla. * * * * MDSD Girls College
team has won the first prize in a TV show ‘Khel-Khel Mein Badlo
Duniya’. The competition was organised by Petroleum Conservation
Research Association. The show was telecast on DD 1 and it was held to
create awareness in the people regarding conservation of environment.
The show included skit presentation and quiz contest. Meanwhile, a
state-level seminar was held by the music society on the college
premises. Mr Subhash Chander Ghosh, a guitarist who is a disciple of
Ustad Amjad Khan, delivered a scintillating performance. He played the
‘Sarasvani’ and he was accompanied by Mr Mahmood Khan on tabla. *
* * * A workshop on vocational guidance was organised by the Career
Guidance and Placement Cell of SD College in collaboration with
Department of Employment, Haryana. Mr Prem Prashant, Financial
Commissioner was the chief guest while Mr Phateh Singh was the guest
of honour. Delivering the keynote address, Mr Prashant said for
survival in the present day scenario hard work and excellence were
needed. Mr Hridesh Madan and Mr Dinesh Kumar, were guest speakers.
The Principal of the college Dr Deshbandhu, dwelt at length on the
problems of employment faced by the younger generation. * * * * The
Principal of SA Jain Senior Model School, Dr Anima Jain, said the
school team had won the Vijay Vallabh Trophy. Dr Jain said Khusboo
Khanna had participated in an inter-school declamation contest held in
SA Jain College. The school team won the Vijay Vallabh Trophy and
Khushboo Khanna has been chosen for a zonal-level competition. |
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232
students of SA Jain school get prizes Ambala, February 1 Ambala MP Ratan Lal Kataria was the chief guest. He said the students of today were India’s future, adding that sustained efforts should be made so that overall development of students took place. Mr Kataria urged the students to concentrate on studies as well as participate in sports and cultural activities. He said culture was important and schools should inculcate good values among the students. He said the Union Government had generated several employment opportunities, adding that the students must study hard. He observed that SA Jain Senior Secondary School had carved a niche for itself in the state. Mr Kataria inaugurated the programme with the lighting of a traditional lamp. An impressive cultural programme was held on the occasion. A qawwali, bhangra and Haryanvi dance were appreciated by the audience. The students displayed their talent through, PT and dumb bell show. The secretary of the managing committee of the school, Mr Anil Jain, highlighted the achievements of the school. He said students of the school had excelled in academics and had secured distinctions in different examinations. Treasurer Rajiv Jain and convener Amit Jain spoke about the new school building being constructed. Mr Kataria gave away prizes to 232 meritorious students. The Principal of the school, Mr M.L. Bansal, said students of the school had secured first and second positions in the district in Class X in Haryana Education Board examinations and 34 students had been placed on merit list. In Class VIII, Chirag had stood 10th in the state and first in the district. Thirty three students had secured merit positions. In Class V, 64 students had secured merit positions. Mr Bansal stated that 15 scouts had got the President’s medal while seven had got the Governor’s medal. Students had done well in mono acting, group song, painting and fancy dress competitions. In sports, students had done well in 400 m relay race, long jump, high jump and triple jump. |
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Art and craft exhibition held at DAV school Ambala, February 1 The exhibition was appreciated by visitors. While the craft exhibition was held on the ground floor, the art exhibits were put up in the classrooms. Among others, the Army School (Senior Wing) Principal, Ms Bushra Ahuja, the Army School (Junior Wing) headmistress, Ms Lamba and Principal of the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Sister Tara, visited the exhibition. The president of the Air Force Wives Welfare Association, Mrs Anuradha Malhotra, was also present. The Principal of DAV Public School, Mrs Rita J.P. Singh, said the art and craft exhibition was the culmination of a craft week held in the school. “The students were taught a variety of things which will contribute to their overall development,” she said. Classes I to V were taught to make face masks, envelope puppets and paper flowers. Classes VI to IX and XI were taught to make posters, clay modelling, collage, painting and pot painting. The model of the school building was the highlight of the exhibition. It had been prepared by Class VIII students, Benu, Gautam, Ankur and Gaurav. Students of Class I had prepared a model of a zoo while students of Class V had depicted a village in a model. |
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Empowerment of women in rural areas stressed Yamunanagar, February 1 Addressing the students of the DAV College for Girls on its annual convocation here today, Mr Pillai said it was necessary to bring about a change in women’s perception about themselves and that of society in regard to women’s traditional role. Mr Pillai conferred degrees to 320 graduates and post-graduates. He congratulated the students for having successfully completed their course in a college accredited by the NAAC with a grade of B++ and having a place among the 15 per cent top institutions of higher learning in the country. |
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e-post introduced in Haryana Ambala, February 1 The Chief Postmaster General, Haryana circle, said
e-post was a service under which printed or even handwritten messages of customers were scanned at the
e-post centres and transmitted as e-mail through the Internet. At the destination centres, these messages are printed, enveloped and delivered by postmen like other letters. “The
e-post centres are equipped with Internet connection, computers, printers and other equipment.
e-post service is not limited to the e-post centres. It can be availed of from any post office. The messages booked at other post offices are sent to the
e-post centres for scanning and dispatch. Similarly, messages received at
e-post centres for areas beyond their jurisdiction of delivery are printed and sent to the post office concerned for delivery,” a press note said. The rates for the
e-post service are Rs 10 per page. In Haryana, the transmission facilities are available at Ambala GPO, Ambala City HO, Bhiwani HO, Fatehabad MDG, Gurgaon HO, Faridabad HO, Hisar HO, Jhajjar HO, Karnal HO, Kurukshetra HO, Kaithal MDG, Narnaul HO, Panipat HO, Sonepat HO, Panchkula MDG, Rewari MDG, Rohtak HO, Sirsa HO and Yamunanagar HO. |
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Villagers, students
block traffic Kaithal, February 1 The protest started at about 10 am and the villagers were joined by students, who deflated tyres of some vehicles. A large number of vehicles were stranded, causing inconvenience to passengers and other road-users. Some officials of the power board, who reached the site, were asked by the protesters to immediately replace the burnt transformers or be ready to face an intensified agitation. The protesters alleged that the transformers damaged a few weeks back had not been replaced by the department in spite of repeated requests. They also complained that the SDO concerned did not listen to the their grievances. The Naib Tehsildar and the SDO reached the spot in the evening assured the agitators that their demand would be met soon, following which the dharna was lifted. A delegation from Bhuna village met the Deputy Commissioner and the local MLA to seek the replacement of the damaged transformer at the village. |
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Three killed in mishaps Hisar, February 1 According to reports, Baljeet Singh (25), Uklana town nearby was killed when a train hit his camel cart at Uklana, 45 km from here, yesterday afternoon. He was crossing a Railway track near his fields when a train hit his cart. He died on the spot. In another incident, Ranjeet Singh (20), an employee of a factory, succumbed to his injuries in a private hospital here yesterday. He was returning home on a bicycle when a Sumo car allegedly hit him in the industrial area. He had received serious injuries and was admitted in a private hospital. Bhartho Devi (45), a nearby Matani village also succumbed to her burns in a private hospital here yesterday afternoon. She was admitted in the hospital in a critical condition two days ago. |
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500 students
examined at health camp Sirsa, February 1 The health camp, organised with the help of Civil Hospital and Blood Bank, was inaugurated by Dr Mohar Singh. More than 500 students were examined at the camp. At least 60 of them were provided free medical consultantation by Dr Chand Munjal. |
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Lok adalats for women planned Chandigarh, February 1 Mr Shekhar Dhawan, Member-Secretary of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority, said the first such lok adalat would be held at Karnal, Sonepat and Rewari on February 14. All pending cases of motor accident claims pertaining to women would be taken up in these adalats. |
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