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From schools/colleges On the occasion, as many as 100 prizes were distributed to the students. The Principal of the School, R.S.Goraya, spoke on the achievements of the school.
Kite flying Students of Rai School participated in a session of kite flying in the school premises here today. The Principal of the school, Mrs Punam Dogra joined the kids to encourage the festivity.
Farewell A farewell party was organised by Class XI students of Sishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School for the students of Class XII. A cultural
programme was organised on the occasion. Mrs S. Khorana, Director and Principal of the school, blessed the student.
NSS unit The NSS unit of the college in Association with Gurmat Vichar Sabha organised awareness talk on safe blood donation and AIDS awareness. The talk was given as a promotional campaign for the blood donation camp to be organised in the college on February 17.
Placement Cell The placement Cell of SGGS College in association with G and G Management Services Pvt limited. As many as 11 students from the following streams have been shortlisted : BCA , MSc (IT), B.Com, BSc( (Medical).
Blood donation A blood donation camp was organised by the blood donors Society of Government College, Boys, Sector 11, in association with the Department of Transfusion medicine, PGI and Lions Club Central, Chandigarh. As many as 200 units of blood was collected on the spot.
Visit Mr K.K. Sethi,
Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities visited Mr Gurdip Singh, Deputy Director of Social Welfare Department, Chandigarh
Administration. The Chairman discussed the problems faced by the institution these days.
Stress and motivation The Department of Psychology, Sector 46, organised an inter college declamation contest on “ stress and motivation among adolescents”. Participants from various colleges of the city participated in the contest. The winners of the contest were Megha Dhamija 1, Nidhi Jaswal 2 and Shailija Thakhur and Minakshi Goyal 3.
Extension lecture An extension lecture of learning disabilities and the role of teachers was delivered to the faculty and students of Government College of Education, Sector 20. Dr Devinder Kumar Bains, a lecturer of Government College of Education and Honarary faculty
member of certificate course on learning disabilities delivered the lecture. All the categories of the learning disabled were described. |
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Understanding the Vedas Chandigarh, February 16 “I was carrying out a research on automatic translation of languages by a computer and I remembered Panini’s ‘Ashtdhyayi’, a treatise on grammar, written in 500 BC. This drove me to the Vedas and I delved deeper into the subject only to discover more of science,” he says. In the city to attend a seminar on “Cultural Heritage and Indian Art: Continuity in Change” which began at Panjab University today, Prof Kak added: “Science was not alien to ancient India. Our country was not only about mysticism and religion but about a mature scientific temper as well. This notion of India was either a colonial construction or a consequence of us losing connection with vital traditions.” “The British wanted to make gentlemen out of all Indians for which they gave us their education system. It teaches us about India from the eyes of the Europeans, implying thereby that we are separated from traditional system of education. Modern people don’t know about ancient India and people who know of our cultural heritage don’t know the modern language. This has deterred us from building faith in our own knowledge,” he opined. Pointing out that Americans and people the world over were turning to India and its scriptures in search of mental bliss, Prof Kak pointed out that India, in turn, was aping the West. “Yoga is a way of life for nearly 30 million Americans. It has been introduced as a subject at high school for students. In India, we need to do much more than what we are doing. We don’t need to make our heritage an obsession but use it to empower us to provide additional dimensions to understanding the self and spirit,” he maintained. Prof Kak said while science had successfully found answers to anything outside of the individual, sent man to moon, and understood the laws of gravity, the quest for the self was still on. “Science will never be able to provide answers to this inner being in mankind. The soul is beyond the subject. This is where the scriptures come in. They give the science of consciousness, Atma Vidya, in coded form. We need to take cue from these and explore further to unravel the mystery of the soul. It is almost paradoxical that the oldest knowledge has the potential to unveil the truth,” he maintains. Ruing that the ancient knowledge and heritage are hostage to controversy, he said the study of the Vedas as a science in schools would not only connect India with its past but open new vistas of learning for the students. |
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St Vivekanand students hold farewell party Chandigarh, February 16 Titles were given to Class XII students by the students of Class XI. The students of Class XII presented a gift to the Principal, Mr D.K. Kaushal. Ms Kamal Rai, founder member of the Punj Education Society, Mr R.M. Kashyap, president of the management committee, flg officer Piyush Punj, manager of the school, and Mr Kaushal blessed the students. Manisha of Class XII gave the farewell speech. |
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Exhibition on Indian civilisation Panchkula, February 16 Besides the models, the students had also displayed charts made by them. The school Principal said visitors and parents of students appreciated the creative works of the students and encouraged them to take part in extra curricular activities. |
Lawyers allege harassment Chandigarh, February 16 LHRI today released a ‘report on human rights violation’ after the incident of Burail jailbreak incident. It has been claimed that the appointment of R.S Gupta committee after the “lapse of considerable time” has lost its significance.
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Morning Chatter The ‘lala’, who has been providing ‘dals’, detergents and bread to the family for the second generation, seems incongruous in his crisp white Pathani suit. How he manages to keep it starched and clean in a shop that is tiny and stacked ceiling-high with items, most of which are loosely packed, is a mystery. Department stores have come up, making the shopping experience pleasurable and elitist. You have tried getting your parents to patronise these. Better packaging, more exotic cheese and sauces and the possibility of running into nice looking faces are trashed when mother pragmatically proclaims, “The ‘lala’ attends to phone lists pronto and gives ‘udhaar’. Young lady, you can use your pocket money to buy your shampoos, moisturisers and lipsticks from your chosen department store and leave me to my reliable neighborhood ‘rashan wallah’.” A cousin from abroad is visiting and mother thrusts a long list of provisions in your direction. The house phones are on the blink and she needs them immediately. Grudgingly, with the hoity-toity cousin in tow, you troop to the store. While the list is being double checked and the ‘lala’ is manually calculating the bill, he indulgently gives the two ‘bibis’ soft drinks and biscuits. While you don’t bat an eyelid, used to his hospitality, more so since yours are rare appearances, the cousin finds the episode ‘cute and reassuringly Indian’. You give her a look over. Is she okay? May be he reminds her of someone back in China and she is getting nostalgic. Before you jump to wild conclusions, she explains. She says she is amazed at the level of trust in the shopkeeper-customer relationship. When you tell her that the ‘lala’ would give credit not just to long- standing customers, but also to the first time walk-ins, writing off a few rupees if the lady in question ran short of money or tell her to give it later, the cousin finds it unbelievable. For, in China, there is no concept of credit. Plastic money has no meaning. It is cash which matters. She recounted the time her export outfit in a commercial centre was being renovated and she spent hours in a coffee bar on the same floor. She developed a rapport with the owner, while communicating in sign language and broken Chinese with her. Having known her for almost a fortnight, she thought they were friends. One day, the cousin had unexpected visitors and found she had run out of money to pay for the coffee and sandwiches that she had ordered. She told the owner she would pay up next morning. Imagine her shock when she met with a firm denial. The money had to be paid NOW. “Keep my traveller’s cheque,” she implored. “Not acceptable,” was the stubborn response from the unrelenting businesswoman. Finally, she kept her handbag as collateral, dashed to the nearest bank with her passport and traveller’s cheque, got it encashed and paid 100 RMB (Rs 600 approx) vowing never to have her coffee again. It had suddenly turned too bitter for her liking. When she recounted that incident to friends in the Chinese community, they told her that the shop owner was not to be blamed. In China, you could see a shoe store one day and the next day a hat boutique would come up at the same place. Ditto to the kind of lies potential customers and buyers concoct. They are ingenuous in cheating, hoodwinking and finding ways of beating the legal system. Trust is at a solid premium. The only language in the world of business and trading that exists therefore is that of instant cash payment. Having heard her, you look at the ‘lala’ with new found admiration. He is a friend you never saw, least of all recognised. |
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Cars are Sodhi’s driving force Youth has eluded him but the streak for adventure is still alive... and kicking. There is no stopping Amarjit Singh Sodhi, an avid car and travel enthusiast, as he reaches the evening of his life. His passion for cars and travelling goes back to almost 34 years. From the made-in India Maruti, to the Volkswagen, Italian Fiat, Halflinger or Range Rover — you name it and 57-year-old Sodhi has owned them all at one point or another. From the time he bought his first car in 1970, this agriculturist “born with a mechanical mind” — as he likes to describe himself — has owned many of the foreign cars that were imported in the country. Even now, Sodhi has a fleet of three Range Rovers and a Volkswagen, besides their camper designed in a Swadeshi mini bus, a Gypsy and a Maruti 800. The Gypsy and the Maruti are for my children, I still prefer my Volkswagen or the Range Rovers, he points out. “I come from an era where owning an imported car was a statement of being affluent as the only cars manufactured in India were Ambassador and Fiat. The Indian car market opened only in 1984 with the entry of Maruti, which also changed the rules — it is now hep to be driving an India made Lancer or a Honda City,” he adds. Mr Sodhi says that he is always on the lookout for different imported cars - earlier from the State Trading Corporation in Delhi, or from the owners, and now from the embassies. “ As soon as I find a new model of a car, I prefer to acquire it by selling off a car that I have had for the longest,” he adds. But his love for his machines on wheels continues even after he has sold them off, as he keeps track of their condition from the new owners. In fact, Mr Sodhi has still retained his first car, a 1951 model of Fiat 500 C, a red coloured Vintage beauty. The car is still the cynosure of all eyes, as it gracefully glides down the road. This two seater Convertible, claims Mr Sodhi, is the only model of Vintage 500 C ( the car has the smallest horsepower), in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. “ A similar Model is available with a car enthusiast in Mumbai only,” he says, as he shows off his red beauty. The car enthusiast says that most part of his day is spent in checking out on his cars . He rarely takes his car to a mechanic, rather gets into his dungarees and services his prized machines himself. But cars is not the only thing that Mr Sodhi has a passion for. Along with his youthful wife, Ms Bhupinderjit Kaur, he likes to buzz off to any place in their camper. The camper, designed by Mr Sodhi himself, has a colour TV, a window AC, besides the in built AC, a CD Player, a 35-litre refrigerator, a heater , a well equipped kitchenette and a bathroom with a WC. Mr Sodhi says that he was a regular reader of The Illustrated Weekly of India in the 70’s, and had first read about the camper in 1970. It was then that he developed a penchant for a nomadic holiday, and decided to buy a camper. “ I bought my first camper, a towing one, in 1972, and since then, I have always kept one. Before the Kashmir problem, we would go to Kashmir every year in the camper. Later, we began travelling to other places - Shimla , Kalpa and Kinnaur, Leh, or towards South India, and even Bihar. “ He says that though people get concerned when he tells them of their travelling plans in the camper- in Bihar, or towards Leh, where we travel via Srinagar — the adventure streak in them, the pleasures of driving, and the desire to be as close to nature as possible, always gets the better of these fears. |
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Harjit Harman, who was launched as a singer by HMV way back in 1999 with his debut album “Kuri Chiran Toe Vichri”, has two more albums “Zanjiri” and “Tere Pain Bhulekhe” to his credit. Harman has been performing extensively in different places in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Harman says that music came to him as a God’s gift. “I did not have formal training in music when I started but I managed to make my mark in the world of music only by the grace of Almighty,” he says. To express his gratitude, Harman plans to do his next album on religious songs.
— OC |
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Chandigarh, February 16
The quaint little ‘kiryana ki dukaan’, tucked in a bylane of a busy sector market, looks a trifle sad and out of place. Surrounded by neon-lit fancy stores with tiled flooring, coordinated wooden and glass shelves and an assortment of goodies packed in glitzy sheaths, it’s a wonder that it still has a clientele.
“Panjebaan”, a romantic music album by Harjit Harman was released at Punjab Kala Bhawan in sector 16 here today. Produced by T- series, the album comprises nine romantic sad songs. Music has been given by Atul Sharma and lyrics by Pargat Singh. The album was released by famous lyricist Shamsher Sandhu, who was the chief guest on this occasion.