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Seminar on consciousness Chandigarh, February 5 After the inauguration by Swami Prabhananda of Ramakrishana Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, Swami Nityasthananda from Mysore presented his paper, first by explaining the way we use the word ‘consciousness’. “Sometimes we use this word in the sense of seeing or observing an object, sometimes we say that someone has lost his or her consciousness, psychologists use it to indicate different mental states, such as conscious mind, unconscious mind and so on. The mental state that comes to our awareness is called the conscious mind. All mental activities of thinking, imagining, and feeling are called conscious states of the mind. “There is also what is called the unconscious mind, which is a vast repository of impressions of our past experiences of life that are dormant, but are nevertheless important in shaping our behaviour and thinking.” He further said although all of us, as individual human beings were conscious, yet, consciousness as such was universal “for if it is individual, it is finite, and if it is finite, it is as good as any other object of knowledge. But consciousness was an eternal subject. Hence, it could never be an object of knowledge. We cannot imagine consciousness as broken spatially or temporally; there are no bits of consciousness. It is universal.” The Swami clarified the concept by drawing an analogy with the ocean and waves. We could talk about each wave as having an individual identity, yet at a higher level, a wave is nothing but the ocean. In the post-lunch session, the first paper “Kashmir Shaiva Darsana Mein Saundarya Chetna” was presented in Hindi by Dr Ashutosh Angiras from Ambala. Swami Brahmeshananda then shed light on Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa’s life, and how he lived in various states of consciousness. The seminar is being organised by The Centre for Vivekananda Studies. Dr Rekha Jhanji is the co-ordinator and Dr Asha Maudgil is among the organisers. In the remaining two days, papers will be presented by Prof V. Sanil, Prof Bijoy Boruah, Mr Anil Tewari, Dr H.P. Shah, Prof Ranvir Singh, Mr Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Prof S.K. Pathak, Prof Satya P. Gautam and Prof Dharmanand Sharma. |
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College prepares for NAAC visit Mohali, February 5 The college has been given a complete new look with the college authorities putting in their best foot forward. The floors have been scrubbed to a shine and walls freshly painted. The library has been extended to include a separate reading room and a reference section, a dispensary for students and a separate room for the NSS. The staffroom and classrooms have been revamped. Special focus is on Home Science laboratories that have been decorated. A roll of honour has been painted on the dispensary wall and every room on the ground floor has been delegated for a specific job. The playgrounds and the lawns have been given the final touches. Stating that this kind of cleaning and revamping was being done for the first time ever since the college started in 1988, a staff member explained that this effort was in any case long due. “The visit of the NAAC team has given the opportunity to improve the college,” said the staff member. The NAAC is visiting the college as part of a nationwide exercise. The NAAC, an autonomous institution of the University Grants Commission, is involved in assessing universities and colleges throughout India, grading them on a nine-point scale from C to A ++ for a score of 55 per cent and above. Those who score less than 55 per cent are not given accreditation. In accordance with the NAAC assessment procedure, a self-assessment report from the college has already been submitted with the NAAC. The report is prepared based on the criteria laid down by the council. “The report itself sensitised the staff to do things that should have been done long time ago but were kept pending for one reason or the other,” said another staff member at the college. The NAAC team will be judging the college both on the basis of its self-assessment report and its independent observation. The NAAC has completed assessing a majority of colleges and universities in Haryana and all universities in Punjab. Now the focus is on colleges in Punjab. The team will visit three Government Colleges in Punjab — Government College, Ropar, Government College, Dera Bassi, and Government College, Mohali. |
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Design expert visits Landran college Mohali, February 5 More than 150 students and staff members attended the lecture during which he touched upon varying topics like the “design of human body by nature”. Dr Salwan himself being a key person in the design of some of India’s most prestigious missiles like “Agni” and “Prithvi” put some mind-boggling questions to the audience like: ‘What would have happened if the missile backfires and hits a target in one of our own cities”, and ‘What will be the consequences if a missile overshoots the mark and hits a neighbouring country”. Giving answers to these questions, he pointed out that nature was the best designer, having designed two kidneys, two ears, two eyes, it provided the most important part in human body — one heart. He highlighted the significance of survivability, reliability and redundancy in the design of human body. He brought out the historical overview on defence industry in India and pointed out that Tipu Sultan had pioneered the rocket. He talked of safety and optimisation in design and discussed various parameters like weight, life, functioning, simplicity of functioning and interchangeability, which should be considered in design. With a view to building self-confidence in students, he informed that some of the parts of missiles were designed by engineering students themselves. He advised them to have their own path. The chairman, Mr Satnam Singh Sandhu, general secretary, Rashpal Singh Dhaliwal and the principal, Col. S. P. Sharma (retd.), thanked Dr Salwan for the visit. |
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Develop speciality polymer, says Dean Chandigarh, February 5 Dr S.K. Sharma, Dean, University Instructions, Panjab University, in his inaugural address emphasised on developing speciality polymers with special focus on eco-friendly production process. In view of the international market demand for speciality polymers in the area of medicine, space, technology, defence and agriculture, India had taken a lead in the materials development. Dr O.P. Bajpai, Director of the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research, said there were revolutionary change in various technologies and polymer science. Dr Paramjit Singh, Registrar of Panjab University, highlighted the magic properties of polymers and the consequences of their long chain structure. |
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Tiny tots narrate poems Chandigarh, February 5 The students also presented dance items. A fancy dress show — unity in diversity — was also organised. The programme was organised at Sector 18 Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School. A pupped show depicting the hare and tortoise story was appreciated by the audience. The Principal of Sector 15 school, Ms Rakesh Sachdeva, and Principal of the Sector 18 school, Rajesh Minhas, were present during the function. The nursery teacher training course in charge, Ms Sweety Bahl, asked students not to make learning a burden, but a joyful activity for children. |
High Court Chandigarh, February 5 Pronouncing the orders, the Bench, comprising Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy and Mr Justice Surya Kant Sharma, also granted time to other respondents, including the UT Administration and the Union of India, for filing replies in the matter. The Judges also disposed of another petition filed by Balwinder Singh — key witness in Punjab’s former Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassination case. The directions were issued after the court was informed that adequate steps for providing accommodation and security had been provided to the witness. The Judges observed that any move to dilly dally the matter regarding the provision of security would be viewed seriously. The case will now come up for further hearing on February 17. Earlier during the proceedings, counsel for the petitioner submitted that the matter should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the allegations of connivance were against the police also. Arguing before the court, amicus curie Mr Anupam Gupta asserted that the investigation was at a crucial stage. In fact, it was near completion and it would not be in the interest of justice to interfere with the proceedings as of now. The case, he added, should as such be adjourned for a few days. Mr Gupta further asserted that record of District and Sessions Judge’s court, pertaining to the provision of cable connection and other facilities to the undertrials, contrary to all norms, should also be called. It may be recalled that the High Court, on the last date of hearing, had impleaded UT District and Sessions Judge, besides the states of Punjab and Haryana “to have their say for preventing such an incident in the jails located within their respective territorial jurisdiction”. . In his petition for the CBI probe into the escape of three alleged assassins, National President of Anti Terrorist Front of India Viresh Shandilya had contended that digging could not have been done “without knowledge, connivance and help of people who were responsible for keeping them in jail”. Claiming that the entire society was shocked by the incident, he had added that the escape of hardcore terrorists from high security jail equipped with cameras and manned by jail police, besides central force, showed that there was complete failure of the security system, besides the intelligence agencies. |
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Bhalla challenges High Court order Chandigarh, February 5 Claiming to be aggrieved by the orders passed on January 29 by a Division Bench of the High Court, Judge H.S. Bhalla asserted that a show cause notice was also issued to him “on the administrative side”. He submitted that the notice was issued by the Registrar General on the basis of observations made by the Chief Judge alone. The matter was never placed before the full court even though the same was mandatory. Elaborating upon his submissions, he contended that there was no rule or order empowering the Chief Justice to act on his own in such matters. The show cause notice, he elaborated, was invalid as it was issued in violation of Article 235 of the Constitution of India and was passed “only under the instructions of the Chief Justice”. The Judge stated that he had been impleaded despite the fact that he had no role to play in the case. The status of a Judge “in relation to jails was that of a visitor”. Giving details of his reply to the notice, the Judge asserted that “the scope and purpose of an inspection did not include management and administration of security, besides discipline in jails. The responsibility was with the jail department” He added that the “purpose of the inspection was to look into the complaints and grievances of the undertrials, to see the living conditions of the prisoners and to carry out general inspection in relation to human rights and other legal rights of the prisoners”. The management, control and supervision of the prisons, he maintained was with government’s executive wing through Inspector-General of Prisons, District Magistrates and other jail authorities. The High Court, it may be recalled, had held that UT District and Sessions Judge was duty-bound regarding “effective local inspection of the Burail Jail”. The observations were made on the administrative side after a report prepared by the Superintendent of Burail Jail was placed before the High Court soon after alleged assassins of Beant Singh escaped.
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Bail for two in triple murder case Panchkula, February 5 According to sources, the police moved a discharge application of Vinod Arora and Amit Arora, both close relatives of the deceased, which was accepted by the Judge. Following the acceptance of the application, they were released by the police. It may be recalled that K.L. Arora, his daughter-in-law Parveen Arora and her 10-year-old son, Anmol, were brutally done to death by certain unidentified persons on December 9. With the police failing to make any headway in the case, it arrested Vinod and Amit, son and grandson,respectively, of KL Arora on December 11. The brothers of Parveen had alleged that the trio was killed on account of a property dispute. Since then they had been on judicial remand.
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Romancing the stone Chandigarh, February 5 Called “Jugalbandi”, the show in New York will exhibit art works of American and South Asian Indian artists, who have chosen to break boundaries, deriving inspiration from each other’s land. The youngest sculptor (and the only woman sculptor at that) in the ongoing camp at Leisure Valley, Ratna, has long been sending her works to the best of galleries abroad. In the realm of arts, she has matured rather fast. Only two years ago, she was a Masters in Fine Art student at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, where she had a promising start, bagging the coveted Lalit Kala Akademi’s national award for sculpture. The award came to her for her ability to sculpt human emotions — a theme regarded challenging in art. Struggling yet again with emotion, this time in white marble, Ratna has been working hard to chisel stone with passion so that it can reflect the warmth she wants. The theme is simple — man and woman sharing silence. The images don’t face each other. In a sculpted form, they appear to be in disharmony. But there lies the misinterpretation, as Ratna clarifies. “The beauty of silence is fascinating. Love emerges when silence between two people is comfortable. I must admit that I work more with clay and with any material that I can model and fashion. Sculpture, in the true sense, is more taxing than modelling in which you can use the medium freely.” But that does not mean Ratna has not sculpted. Her most commended work is the series in which she sculpts tobacco leaves to signify their beauty. She explains, “The university campus in Baroda used to be littered with tobacco leaves which appeared so beautiful to me. I decided to use art to remind people that tobacco leaves were beautiful as any other manifestation of nature, but they have managed to bring beauty to a level where it becomes a hazard.” Another striking set of sculptures emerged after the Gujarat riots. Recalls Ratna; “As an artist, I was pained by the grief of people and by the barbarism that surrounded me. So I sculpted two hands — one pulling the green of the Tricolour, another pulling the saffron. In between these two hands lay the third hand, struggling to locate the white of the Tricolour. But there was none. The work laments loss of peace. There are other works in which I have shown Muslims and Hindus in dissent and in harmony. It’s difficult to create telling images. Abstract, I feel, is easier.” But abstract is not Ratna’s cup of tea. She would rather tell the truth of her times than dabble in themes that live only in imagination. |
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An offering of bhajans from foreigners Chandigarh, February 5 As the crowd settled down in Sector 23 Bal Bhavan, Hale sang ‘’Hey hey
prabhu, jag kartar mohe apne hi prem se bharde’’. According to an organiser, their music blended east and west. The sounds of sitar and guitar, she said, “merged to create a new instrument that blended unusual rhythmic patterns with the dipping and soaring of the vocals”. Hale said: “Yesu bhajans were all about the message of God’s love and
Bhakti. It reminded me of the most important thing in life — to know God and his love for me’’. He further added: “What satisfies a person in life more than anything else is relationship with God. We can enjoy all kinds of things, but deepest enjoyment comes from cultivating relationship with God.” The President of the Yesu Satsang Group, Mr Goutam
Datta, said devotional bhakti dance was also one of the highlights of the programme. |
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New Release Manoj Bajpai’s benchmark performance as Bhiku Mhatre in ‘Satya’ made him a cult figure overnight and won him many best Supporting Actor awards, including a National award. In his forthcoming film ‘Jaago’ he plays another powerful role of an honest police officer whose honesty in the biggest obstruction for the corruption-ridden system. His war can be stated as Individual versus the whole decadent system. M.K. Picture's ‘Jaago’ has a catchline “Before it’s too late...” This one will be released today at Piccadily, Chandigarh, and Fun Republic, Mani Majra. Inspired from real-life incident ‘Jaago’ has been woven around an incident of child rape in a Mumbai local train with many heart touching scenes. How should rape cases be dealt within the courts? What sentence should be given to a child rapist? Producer, director Mehul Kumar’s ‘Jaago’, makes an effort to answer these questions. Manoj Bajpai, Sanjay Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Puru Raj Kumar, Baby Hansika Motwani, Manoj Joshi, Mushtaq Khan, Pratima Kazmi, Raju Shreshta and Akhilendra Misra are in the cast. The film is written by K.K. Singh and has cinematography by Mahendra Ryan, action by Bhiku Verma, art by Sunil Singh and editing by Yousuf Sheikh. Background score is by Sameer Sen. — D.P. |
Fashion Fundas
DRESSING dilemma put frown lines on petite Anu’s brow after she secured a plum job in an MNC in Bangalore straight after getting her degree in computers. She had a tough time fitting her washed-look denims, short skirts, spaghetti tops in the new serious corporate environment. Almost every working person faces such dilemma at one time or the other. To stock up your wardrobe while shifting from formal to business casual to ‘casual Friday’ is indeed a tall order. Findings of a survey have revealed that nearly 90 per cent of the participants did not know the difference between business attire, business casual and casual. Dress is important not only for having favourable first impressions but also for self-opinion and confidence. Be it a woman or a man the way of dressing up plays an important role in the workplace. For a woman though it is a tough job as she plays the role of a wife, mother and a professional which makes it difficult to put forth a clear clothing message. So she has to choose clothes appropriate for all these roles. Trousers teamed with a shirt or coat (according to weather) has been the favourite combination for Aditi, Director, NIFD, Chandigarh, since the very beginning of her career. She goes all out for smart, chic and comfortable work wear. ‘‘Choice of fabric is very crucial as you do not want to be seen in wrinkled clothes within an hour or two so it should be chosen according to the type of work.’’ Even for a back office job one has to be smartly turned out as it boosts confidence. A person who is feeling good about himself is bound to perform better, she adds. “But never compromise on comfort while dressing up for work”, says Vandana of the faculty of Fashion Design Department at a local institute. ‘‘My work place wardrobe includes Indian and western outfits’’, she adds. A jacket teamed with Indian or western dresses gives a no-nonsense look, she says. Stoles and mufflers too can be added for that classic touch. She suggests small prints (if at all), light and simple jewellery. Make-up too should be minimal and not distractive and use perfume with discretion is her advice. Comfortable Mary Janes, mules or shoes in tan, beige and black are well-suited for workplace. According to her western collection for a basic work wardrobe should include at least two basic skirts (straight or flared), one classic pair of pants, two solid-colour blouses, one pinstriped blouse, two simple shirts, one cardigan, one all-weather mid-length or long coat and one solid-colour blazer. In India, the basic salwar and churidaar suits with easy to manage dupattas are preferable. For those opting for saree the pallav has to be neatly pinned up or teamed up with a coat or blazer for that professional look. Guys, too, face tough choices while dressing up for work. Everyone is scared of being overdressed. ‘‘There is now a return to formality that was lacking ever since the business causal took the business world by storm in the late ’90s.Three-piece suits aren’t necessarily in once again, but in general, some organisations are moving away from the jeans and sneakers/shorts and sandals look to a more polished image for employees”, agrees Rahul, Anu’s colleague. He says, ‘‘ if you have a suit in a neutral color like black, gray or navy, dress or oxford shirts, dress pants, chinos or dockers, a plain
ot tweed jacket then you are ready to face any kind of work requirement’’. Adopt the happy medium while stocking up your ‘manly’ work wardrobe, says 20-something advertising professional, Rohit. So dress pants, button-down shirts, sweaters, and sports jackets are sufficient to give you a ‘‘I mean business look’’. According to Aditi, however, if you’re unsure or have doubts about your outfit, then avoid wearing it. Always trust your
intuition and remember that your hesitation about your dress would be reflected in your attitude. Another important point is to pay attention to detail. Well-ironed clothes, shining shoes and well-trimmed hair speak volumes about your attention to detail in every aspect of life, a trait that is vital in workplace. Remember, image is everything. |
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This spring, fashion trends face complete transformation It’s spring time — the time of the year to let go of the old and ring in the new fashion trends. The spring summer season, 2004, say the city’s fashion pundits, will bring a complete transformation in the colours, fabrics and silhouettes of garments, besides bringing a sea-change in the fashion accessories. So while you put aside your winter wardrobe — the heavy fabrics with embellishments, in the brightest possible colours — we check out the fashion forecast with the cities style gurus for the ensuing spring-summer season. Though the unisexual look will surely be in — both for the city’s teeming metrosexual males, and the fairer sex — the fashion trends predict a somersault in trends as men’s wear tilts more towards the feminine, and women’s wear turns traditional, without losing its Indo-Western inkling. Flowing skirts, longer kurtis teamed with cigarette pants ( straight churidaars), straight pants with fitted tees would be the in thing for the women, while the men could replace their wardrobe with shirts in hues of pink and mauve, with contrasting ties( and in a brighter shade) for a semi formal look, though the casual look of cotton pants/ denim trousers with short length shirts and kurtas would still be in vogue. Here’s more what the city’s trend-setters and style gurus predict for the season.
Babi Grewal, Fashion Designer The Indo-Western suits — with short kurtis over pants — will show signs of fading, except for people with petite frames. The kurtis will get knee-length for most people and flowing shirts over churidaars will be in. Sheer fabrics like georgettes and chiffons will rule, along with cotton. Sheer shirts worn atop zari bustiers, or embroidered bustiers will be in vogue and embroidery will get simple- no more heavy zardozi look as in the winters. And the coming fashion season will see all the hues of pink and blue ruling the roost. Though green and lime will lie low, jade and olive will also be the most preferred colours.
Gaurav Dhir, model and Mr India finalist For men’s wear, denim is going to make a comeback in a big way. From the straight jeans to shirts and kurtis — the fabric with a washed effect will be in. It will be a bright wardrobe for the young and not-so-young. This season, the hair styles for men will also change with locks getting longer - though not like the pony tailed look of the 90’s.
Candy Brar, model We had enough of capris in the past two years. This season the loose ankle length pants with side-cut slits, teamed with fitted blouses and tees will gain dominance. Floral prints in long flowing dresses and flowing skirts will gain popularity, and will be teamed with strappy sandals. No block heels in footwear, just pointed toes with slim heels will give that extra appeal. Khadi and cotton will be one fabric to look out for - be it in loose pants, kurtis or skirts.
Simpie Bansal, faculty member at NIFD Clothes get more unisexual and all tints and tones of mauve and pink will dominate the fashion statement in both men and women wear. For men, kurtas with yokes will be in. As will short shirts hung outside the trousers, in diagonal stripes and checks. Sheer fabrics like georgettes, in soft colours will be worn as shirts and sporty look in casual ear, with the flaming red Nike shoes will be hot. Skirts - which have usually been avoided by the young — will become more popular, especially the layered skirts.
Saleem Ahmed, Chief Hair Stylist, Tress Lounge Say good-bye to the ironed hair. Waves is back as is the uneven layered hair cut. Those willing to experiment with streaking again, copper is the colour for the spring -summer season. For men, the cropped and neat look is only for the office going babus. The younger men will be seen flaunting their locks.
— TNS |
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AS the countdown to Valentine’s Day begins, everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon by offering to provide a special Valentine offer. Spice Telecom has today launched an innovative contest “Be My Valentine”. A team of celebrity Valentine dates will be lined up and the subscribers will have to choose a Valentine date from the choice available. The customers will have to dial 143 from his mobile, select the celebrity Valentine as a date from the choice available, then answer a set of simple questions to win the dream date with his chosen celebrity. The participant who answers the maximum number of questions will be declared the winner. The contestants can win a dream date with Gladrags Mega Model Simran Sachdeva, Candy Brar, Miss India North Deepika, Grasim Mr India finalist Gaurav Dhir. On dialing the number the participants can record a 30-second profile about themselves, which will be accessible to all other participants as well. Two participants with the most popular profiles, as rated by other participants , will win a gift voucher from Planet M. It may be noted that all calls made to 143 are chargeable at Rs 5 per minute. Mr Mukul Khanna, DGM, marketing, Spice, said that since Valentine’s Day holds a special place for the youth, symbolises love as well as the exuberance of youth. And spice being a part of spirit of youth, this contest has been introduced.
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There has been a marked change in the dressing pattern of working women, especially in the city in the past few years as more and more women are going in for the hassle-free pant shirt or coat combos. Handling a dupatta or a saree at work from 9 am to 5 pm, especially if it involves a lot of running around, is a tough job and causes distraction also. Moreover, many organisations are into the trouser cult, post-globalisation, says Anu, who works in a private bank in the city.