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CBSE Class X exams begin Chandigarh, March 3 The morning seemed a repeat of the day one of the Class XII examination as students buried their heads in the books for the last time before taking the plunge. After the examination the students were relieved at having crossed the first hurdle successfully though they were of the opinion that the paper was a bit lengthy, more descriptive rather than objective. The Regional Director of the CBSE, Mr P.I. Sabu, said the first paper went off without any hitch and no complaints were received from any of the centres. No unfair means cases were reported at any of the centres in the city where over 11,000 students took the examination. For students of the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board, the Class X and XII examinations took off of at a positive note with the first paper, that of English, proving to be relatively easy. The students came out of the examination hall satisfied and visibly relaxed. Over 1,200 students of seven ICSE schools took the English examination. While students of Class X appeared for the paper 1 of the subject, students of Class XII appeared for the second paper of the subject. |
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Parents in the dock as engg test, poll date clash Chandigarh, March 3 The date announced for the general elections in the city, Punjab and Haryana, May 10, clashes with the CBSE All-India Engineering Entrance Examination, conducted all over the country for admission to engineering institutes. While students of the non-medical stream are busy preparing for their next examination, their parents are making frantic efforts to have the paper rescheduled. With movement and plying of vehicles restricted on the day of voting and school premises to be used as polling booths, the parents are trying to get in touch with the Delhi CBSE office but to no avail. When contacted, the Regional Officer, CBSE, Mr P.I. Sabu, said he had no information on the same and the power to change the date of the entrance examination lay only with the Delhi office. Selected: Four boys from the city are among 30 students selected for the month-long training camp for the International Mathematics Olympiad to be held in Mumbai from May 14 to June 12. The students include Raghu Mahajan of Class X and Movin Jain of Class XI while Aman Gupta and Parag Arora are students of Class XII. The training, to be held at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, will entail a series of exhaustive tests for the selection of a six-member team for International Mathematics Olympiad to be held in Greece in July this year. Seminar: A seminar on “Katha-sahitya” was organised at Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, here. “Writing is cathartic”, said Ms Madhur Kapila, a literary figure. She said she first started writing at the age of nine. Noted Punjabi litterateur, Dr M.M. Bhandari, added that only a good human being could be a good writer while Dr Vikram Kumar, Chairperson of the Department of Sanskrit, Panjab University, called upon the students to live life boldly and not be disappointed with failures. Former Principal of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Mr P.S. Sangha, deplored the fact that people did not want to spend money on books. Inaugurated: A new block for the commerce stream was inaugurated at Government College for Girls, Sector 11, today. The building was inaugurated by the Adviser to Administrator, Mr Lalit Sharma. The Education Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, was also present, along with the college Principal, Ms Usha Wahi, and other staff members.
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Prize distribution function at MCM DAV College Chandigarh, March 3 As many as 325 students were awarded for excelling in academics and co-curricular activities by the chief guest, Punjabi singer and actor Gurdas Mann. The college colour was conferred on 14 students for outstanding performance at the zonal and inter-zonal youth festival, 2003. Jyoti Sharma of MA II (Hindi) was awarded for topping in the Panjab University examination in the first year and the Anju Miglani Memorial Award for being the best “Library Reader”. Divya Raheja of B.Com II got the award for standing second in the university in the first year. The other toppers honoured on the occasion were Khushboo Goyal (B.Com II), Jaspreet (B.Sc I), Surbhi Rastogi (B.Sc I), Anupriya Saini (B.Sc I), Deep Mala (B.Sc II), Deepika Kohli (BA 1st-year), Megha Dhamija (BA II), Poonam Saini (first in aggregate MA 1st-year, (Hindi), Jyoti Sharma (first in aggregate MA II (Hindi). The secretary of the DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi, also gave away the awards. Swati Sharma of BA III received the college colour for being the best instrumentalist from 2001-04 and was given the Jatinder Ji Memorial Award for excelling in music. Students’ editors of “Mehr Jyoti”, the college magazine, were also given prizes. In her address, she emphasised on the need to “keep smiling” and advised students to inculcate faith in God, a sense of humor and laugh their way through all hurdles. Earlier, the Principal of the college, Dr Puneet Bedi, highlighted the achievements of the students and inspired them to improve the performances of the college. She added that conviction and consistency were pre-requisites of success in any field. Gurdas Mann, rather than delivering a lecture on the occasion, took recourse to melody, singing “Kehre ghar di aakhan, tainu ki satkar dyan, apne hisse di duniya main thaithon vaar diyan” to convey the feelings of a father marrying off his daughter. Another song conveyed the message of the all-new identity a girl gets after her marriage and the changes which her relationship with her parents undergoes. In complete awe of the performance, the students were bowled over by Gurdas Mann. However, much to their disappointment, he had no time for an informal interaction and had to rush on account of a shooting assignment. |
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All that this haven asks for is the will to learn Mohali, March 3 Tucked away in the Industrial Area, Jan Shikshan Sansthan has been rendering yeoman service to illiterate persons and literates and neo-literates who are keen to equip themselves with new and useful skills. As many as 1,235 persons have benefited during 2001-03. The student enrollment this year has been 948. Gopal Das, a youth from Banur, changes two buses every day to reach the institute to learn plumbing. He says has passed the matriculation examination. His father is a mason and wants a job as soom as possible to help his family. Anmol Sharma, who has joined the electrician’s course, comes for classes on his bicycle from Sohana. He says his father is handicapped and runs a tailor’s shop. Anmol says after completing the course he plans to open his own shop. Gurvinder Singh, another budding electrician, has passed Class VIII. He is determined to do well in life and spends Rs 16 daily on the bus fare coming all the way from Gharuan village to attend classes. Another student, Satnam Kaur, comes to learn from as far away as Gandhon village, near Ropar, after spending Rs 30 every day as bus fare. She finds the home management course interesting and useful and intends to start a training centre later in her village. Another enthusiast is a resident of Phase V here, Simrat. She studied up to Class V and hopes to gain proficiency in tailoring and cooking. Based on the view that the formal system of education has failed to meet the needs of the rural masses and persons living below the poverty line, the institute is a new venture sponsored by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (Department of Elementary Education and Literacy). It is the first institute in Punjab that provides need-based training programmes at low cost, both on the premises of the institute and in villages, to the weaker sections. neo-literates, dropouts, illiterate and potential workers. It also organises outreach activities at the doorstep of hitherto unreached section of society. Mr Dildar Khan, Director in charge of the institute, says it was tough finding students when the institute was set up in 2001. “We had to go from house to house in villages offering enrollment for Rs 10. It was difficult to attract students. However, we managed to motivate 418 persons from different block of Ropar district that year.” He says the vocational courses has been drawn up after a need-assessment survey in each block in Ropar district. The courses offered include a computer course designed on cabling and networking and MS office; a one-year welding course; an electrician technicians course (six months and one year); and a six-month gardening course. The last course was designed after a survey revealed that 78 per cent of those occupied is “malis” lacked adequate knowledge of plant varieties, proper use of fertilisers and environment protection. Another course offered is home science and home management for girls and women. Its is among the popular courses and includes food, nutrition and health, dress designing and tailoring. Mr Dildar Khan says that three students from the first batch had got jobs in Canada as welder technicians. From the second batch four had been employed as electricians in Godrej here and three by a Mumbai-based organisation. He says that at present the home management and beauty culture and computer are popular. In fact, admissions have been made to these courses six months in advance. The sansthan has field offices in various villages, including Desu Majra,
Mullanpur, Kansala and Makkowal. It has also been conduction field activities, training programmes and awareness programmes on socially relevant issues in the rural areas, including Chhaju Majra and
Balongi. The training covered food preservation, repair and maintenance of gas
chullahs, use of pesticides and insecticides, horticulture and paper flower making.
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Computer
centre inaugurated Chandigarh, March 3
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Hamara School
THE facilities and educational environment at Satluj Public School, Junior Wing, is world class. The school which has classes from playgroup to Class V, is an English medium, co-educational institute, well-spread over lush green 2 acres, built-up premises allotted by HUDA, in Sector 2, Panchkula. According to the school Director, Mr Pritam Singh Serai, the school is sincerely committed to the healthy and balanced growth of children by providing them educational culture comparable to International standards. The school provides its scholars a safe, caring, responsible, stimulating and inspiring environment with rich natural beauty. The school lays special emphasis on foundation of values on which the edifice of knowledge and skills is erected at a later stage as the child grows in years. The school is the best when it comes to providing emotional security with motherly touch. The children are encouraged in discovering, experimenting, problem solving and thinking creatively. Doing away with the cramming and monotonous methods of teaching, the teachers use micro teaching, team teaching, open discussions through the liberal use of multimedia and numerous teaching aids. They develop a sense of responsibility among children through activities such as setting the table, straightening up their rooms, helping each other and sharing. These virtues and values not only provide the children social and emotional growth but also prepare them and make them stronger to face the challenges in life. The school boasts of AC playgroup, multifarious stadia, badminton courts, swimming pool, skating rink, balls pool, basket ball stadium, running track, table tennis, A.C. transport, well-equipped science laboratory, well-maintained library and art and craft room. The teachers impart teaching by using creative worksheets of international standards. Frequent use of computer, internet LCD multimedia projector, audio-video cassettes make the learning much more easy and a lot of fun. The school organises open house sessions where parents can interact and discuss problems with teachers. It has a very spacious and attractive Rest-A-While-Umbrella to receive visitors. Satluj Topographical Garden with lots of flower beds and Harmony Park with spacious grassy lawns lend the school a perfect picturesque beauty and pollution-free environment.
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‘I want my students to be intellectually strong’ MY vision of education is to initiate my students into worthwhile activities and to help them to develop socially recognisable and forward-looking positive character through in-built habits. I would like my students to have total holistic development to become persons of integrity. Their reliability, intellectual, social and emotional quotient should be nearer to perfection. They should be able to understand facts in perspective with contextual linkages. As a good educationist, I would like to create an environment whereby the children grow under sympathetic guidance and direction. For their education, I shall use modern technological teaching aids plus affectionate teachers for guiding the activities with full respect and love for their students in an organised natural environment. I wish my students to be intellectually strong, emotionally stable, socially reliable with leadership qualities, independent thinkers and adaptable to newest developments at national and international levels. I aim to make the Junior Wing of our school as a very attractive and educative place to help natural growth of children. Concrete buildings do frighten an innocent child. Open places, lot of greenery, large number of indoor and outdoor plants and an educational environment do motivate the children to learn comfortably and easily. I wish the child should come to school with love and high expectations. The development of a child is not possible only through information drilling. The facilities and educational environment at Satluj Public School, Junior Wing, is world class. The school which has classes from playgroup to Class V is an English medium, co-educational institute well-spread over lush green 2 acres, built-up premises allotted by HUDA , in Sector 2, Panchkula. According to the school Director, Mr Pritam Singh Serai the school is sincerely committed to the healthy and balanced growth of children by providing them educational cultural comparable to international standards. The school provides its scholars a safe, caring, responsible stimulating and inspiring environment with rich natural beauty. The school lays special emphasis on foundation of values on which the edifice of knowledge and skills is erected at a later stage as the child grows in years. Doing away with the cramming and monotonous methods of teaching, the teachers use micro teaching, team teaching, open discussions through the liberal use of multimedia and numerous teaching aids. They develop a sense of responsibility among children through activities such as setting the table, straightening up their rooms, helping each other and sharing. These virtues and values not only provide the children social and emotional growth but also prepare them and make them stronger to face the challenges in life.
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Abolish bonded labour, directs HC Chandigarh, March 3 Pronouncing the orders in an open court, Mr Justice Nirmal Singh of the High Court also directed the states and the UT to ensure that the children of the labourers were provided with education and other facilities. The Judge added that the state should frame scheme for extending education to children of labourers working with brick kilns and to make sure that they were not deprived of their basic rights. |
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High Court Chandigarh, March 3 A law graduate from Panjab University, advocate Arora had enrolled himself with the High Court in 1980. A shradhanjali sabha will be held on Friday between 11 am and 12 noon at the Sector 27 community centre. Association president Anmol Rattan Sidhu said Arora was not only an excellent lawyer, but also a good human being. |
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United We stand, say women artists Chandigarh, March 3 Launched only yesterday under the very consciously chosen title of We, the organisation plans to offer a platform to budding as well as established women artists, who have not been able to command the respect due to them in the art market of Chandigarh. As Neenu Vij, coordinator of We, informs, “It is not by choice that women hold lesser exhibitions than men. They are actually not encouraged or helped to share their professional skills. Many women settled outside Chandigarh wish to showcase their works in the art galleries here. But they seldom know who to approach. They are also not aware of the procedural formalities to be completed before they can expect to hire the space of art galleries. I am myself from Amritsar. I faced all these problems. So I decided to start from somewhere.” The group is interesting in its constitution. It has among its members budding artists who have never exhibited their works earlier, art teachers working for prestigious institutions like the Government College of Art (GCA), as well as senior artists like Ms Sadhna Sangar, whose works are respected for their vibrancy and power. The most interesting part, however, is the style of We’s launch. Instead of going in for drab, formal functions where much time is lost in rhetoric, We decided to celebrate its birth simply by putting up a show of art dedicated to women. The show was inaugurated by Neelam Mansingh. The exhibition at Indus Ind Gallery makes more sense ahead of Women’s Day. The works are well selected and well executed. Sensitivity runs through every canvas mounted on the wall, whether it comes from the repertory of a senior artist or from the collection of a budding one. Bharati Vandana’s “Bamboos” reflects the woman’s eye for romance, while Anita Gupta, who teaches art at the GCA, Sector 10, shows ways to celebrate life by using bright colours that paint the canvas wild. Anju Pasricha’s “Musicians” have
been executed delicately in a challenging medium, while Geeta Vadhera uses her imagination to underline the power of women. She shows women as bonsais. Guneeta Chadha and Geeta Vadhera are particularly happy with their new-found roles in We. Thanks to the grouping, they have been able to share their art with the world for the first time. Among senior artists are Navpreet Kaur, Sadhna Sangar and Aradhna Tandon, who provide the much-needed anchor to the show. Among a range of paintings, two sculptures also stand out for their lustre and form. These have been executed in terracota and stone by the only sculptor member of We — Gurmeet Goldy. And that is not all. The last canvas on the exhibition list blends two streams of creativity — visual art and poetry. Nirmala Singh winds up the show with a painting that also has some verses to offer. She writes: “Haathon mein thama suraj, bhaal par trinetra...pairon mein bandh geet...chali stri...” |
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Morning Chatter
When you came to this city from the bustling metropolis of Mumbai, the one thought which seemed most welcoming was that of partaking your favourite aunt’s typical English teas. In match box- sized apartments (never mind if they cost over half a crore rupees), the last thing you could afford was the paraphernalia of a fussy and elaborately laid out meal, leave aside the silly fuss over something as trivial as a cup of tea. Convenience became a guiding principle as you tried turning ‘minimalistic.’ metropolis of Mumbai, the one thought which seemed most welcoming was that of partaking your favourite aunt’s typical English teas. In match box- sized apartments (never mind if they cost over half a crore rupees), the last thing you could afford was the paraphernalia of a fussy and elaborately laid out meal, leave aside the silly fuss over something as trivial as a cup of tea. Convenience became a guiding principle as you tried turning ‘minimalistic.’ Interior decorators helped devise space-savers to camouflage and create multi-purpose units. Box-shaped sofas doubled up as beds, lacklustre folding cabinets opened up to reveal two-in-one dining tables-cum-ironing boards and tiny bathrooms turned into mini libraries (!) stocking all your magazines and light reading material. Along the way you learned to lump sentiments and aesthetic sensibilities, which friends insisted on referring to as “the after shocks of small town mentality”. Since time is what everyone seemed deficient on, short cuts became the mainstay of your existence. Elaborate tea ceremonies were quickly discarded. Silver tea sets reverted to the loft since you didn’t fancy yourself polishing them week after week. Bone china cups and saucers which came as part of your trousseau got stashed away for they were “too good to be used.” Besides, they looked incongruous. Your house décor was smart, chic and trendy and these traditional symbols of tea regalia didn’t quite fit in. Yes, you did feel bad on not finding time to embroider lace etched delicate coffee and tea napkins. So paper napkins it was and it quite suited your cosmopolitan needs. More so since you opted for assorted ceramic mugs eliminating the need for paper doilies too. A good looking and easy to maintain tray dispensed the need for tray covers. You could just move to the kitchen, have your guest follow you in, boil the water and have the concoction ready in precisely two minutes. The question of making separate tea too didn’t arise because given high stress levels most people you know are black coffee addicts. An international trend which further impersonalises the quaint tea ceremony is the dispensing machine placed strategically at the reception and waiting areas of hospitals, clinics, offices and, now, homes too. With provision for hot and cold water there is a discreet counter along side stocking jars of coffee powder, tea bags, sugar cubes, milk powder, disposable paper cups and a dustbin. No one really asks if you would care for a cup of tea/coffee. You are free to help yourself. Maybe this is a sign of super efficiency and also a way of allowing beverage addicts leeway to make repeated cuppas for themselves though you have to overcome the hesitation in having tea uninvited. While in Mumbai, you followed the dictum “do in Rome as the Romans do” and gave up on the seemingly small pleasure of having tea in style till you returned to what was truly your City Beautiful, where ‘teacozy’ times are virtually a labour of love. As one tea aficionado put it, “a couple who can have their morning and evening tea together as a ritual with a silent not- to-be-interrupted message clearly given out to other family members, can never get out of love.”
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Home Decor And it is exactly with these principles in mind that Ms Stanley has given shape to her dream house, mainly by trying ‘use-what-you-have’ designs for each of the rooms. The fact that there is no garden overlooking the bay windows of the living room is duly compensated by the use of exotic potted plants in the courtyard. Terra cotta durbans and other figures have been placed between the plants for having elegant and stylised exteriors. The living room is an interesting mix of contemporary and traditional style of designing. The room is clutter-free with a three seater and four one seaters placed on three sides. The Plaster of Paris wall panel of Lord Ganesha in sunshine hues, and a well polished gramophone, exude the love for traditional. Sheer drapes separate the living room from the dining area, which is a perfect extension of the kitchen space, and not very elaborate. A basic table with a glass top and chairs with spiked backs add grace to the room. Food theme has been selected well for decoration- a replica of The Last Supper hangs dramatically on the wall and a fruit tray and candles grace the table. The bedrooms are simple in design and have a calming and restive domain. Colour is added to the room with the help of bed spreads and cushion covers. Maximum care has been taken to do the chapel on the first floor, with bonsais, durries and pictures of the Lord giving a soothing effect.
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‘Guns’ ready for Holi For youngsters getting ready to indulge in a riot of colours on Holi, the market is flooded with “hi-tech” water pistols. In case you haven’t picked up one, just drive down to the market. You will find “water launchers” and guns like the ones used by “Ghostbusters” in the famous Hollywood blockbuster. In fact, the “gun” is in great demand among young innocents putting up in the city and surrounding areas. Available in
fluorescent colours, the “tank” of the “equipment” is clasped to the reveller’s back with the help of straps. It has a capacity of storing as much as five litres. The nozzle is attached to a long rubber tube for facilitating free movement. Water gushes out with pressure at your “enemy” as soon as you press the trigger. You just have to aim and shoot. That is all. Geeta Kapur of Sector 10 has purchased one for her grandson after he threatened hunger strike. Ramneeta Dhiman of Sector 22 is, meanwhile, having a tough time as her son is insisting upon purchasing the gun. According to a Sector 35 shopkeeper, over 10 pieces are being sold everyday by almost all shops offering the stuff, even though the festival is still three days away. The gun, he asserts, is costing anywhere between Rs 300 and Rs 500, depending upon the size and tank capacity. The price varies with colours also. “Multicoloured guns are expensive,” he adds. For water launchers — shaped just like rocket launchers — you will have to pay something like Rs 400. The not-so-expensive ones are not that “simple” either. By pulling out Rs 150 from your wallet, you can take home plastic “pichkaris” with “Pokeman” characters nicely glued. “As children are simply obsessed about Pokeman characters, the manufacturers are just not missing the opportunity of encashing on their craze,” says Sector 35 shopkeeper Raman Sharma. “That is why you have pichkaris with Pikachu and other characters, along with Pokeman cards and tazoos.” The traditional metal “pichkaris” with long nozzles are costing anything between Rs 60 and Rs 80. If you do not plan to spend so much money on “pichkaris”, pay just Rs 5 for a simple water pistol.
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Eating out GO to Hot Millions II, Sector 17 (near Ghazal), this week, have your fill and come back armed to celebrate Holi. Or, to any
of their four other quick service outlets — HM I, Vatika (Panchkula) and the Sector 35 and Mohali units. The toy that comes with the Kiddie Meal burger is not some usual car or jeep but a water pistol. Fill it with coloured water and spray bullets of fun spray on your friends and relatives on Holi. For the elders, the lure of a complimentary rainbow pastry for each guest should lead them to the famous eatery chain. Savour the multi-hued, multi-flavoured creamy goodie fresh from proprietor Harvinder Mohini’s oven and get the feel-good-about-Holi factor. HMs has the distinction of introducing pizzas and burgers to City Beautiful in 1979. Then, going by the name of Yankee Doodle (YDs), it soon became a rage among the youth and set a new fast-food trend. The woman entrepreneurs started off with preparing the yummy stuff from her home kitchen. Today, with a chain of restaurants set up with the active support of her
husband, three sons wives, they have made a name for themselves in the industry. In fact, with a branch each in Ludhiana.
Mohali and Panchkula, the group’s fame has spread to Punjab. Their base kitchen was later established in the Industrial Area. Their delectables comprise a mind-boggling more than 200 items. Right from the Mughlai chowmein, you have a vast range of gongue-tickling treats to pick from. Complement your menu with outrageous sundaes, ice-cream scoops, thick shakes or coffee, hot soups and top with hot chocolate fudge or the souffle. Simply, they have something for everyone. Besides the food, the decor and ambience of the place is attractive. The video and other game for kids with wild toy takeaways, pool for their parents, a huge screen for general entertainment, it’s all there. The waiters and managers, too, are friendly. The some have been working here for over 15 years (a rarity in this field) shows that they are well looked after. HMs is also a favourite joint of children for celebrating birthdays. The package deal (Rs 100 to Rs 200 per plate) of their pet burgers, pizza, chips and Pepsi, games, return gifts and innovative cakes of their choice (a cricket pitch for example) organised by the management sends both the kids and host parents home happy. It is also the preferred destination for groups of friends and families on the lookout for spending time in a
happening place over a snack or meal. That celebrities like Sanjay Dutt, Chaudhary, ‘Funtoosh’ team etc have also snatched a bite here lends it an air of fun and funk. |
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Design exhibition by students ends An exhibition of children’s and women’s clothing, made by the students of Government Home Science College, Sector 10, concluded here today. It also included an exclusive and colourful collection of a variety of frocks, night wear for women and children, casual wear, wraparounds and shorts. The floor of the exhibition hall had been interestingly done up, in patterns of Chinese checkers and snakes and ladders. Students of the PG diploma in dress designing worked for this exhibition under the guidance of Ms Rita Kant, lecturer for the course. All the props for the exhibition had been prepared under the guidance of Ms Seema Jaitley, a lecturer in Arts. TNS
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Design has gradually, but definitely crept into our everyday lives. The Stanley house in Mani Majra encompasses design and grace in an innovative and cost effective way.
The duplex house in Mani Majra Housing Complex has the extra touch to make life at home more stylish and exciting. The house has no fancy façade or plush interiors, but the beauty lies in its minimalist structural design. Says Ms Asha Stanley, lady of the house, “Your own personal touch has to show in your dream home. Plus the house has to be fuss free and easier to maintain.”
The small passage at the entrance, too, is decorated with ornamental plants and Rajasthani figures. A hat stand has been put to full use , and gives the Victorian touch to the area. Rajasthani exotica in the form of crushed stone panels adorn the walls.