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CBSE-affiliated schools
under scanner Chandigarh, March 16 The modus
operandi of such schools was to enroll weak candidates as private
candidates and make them appear in examination of different state
boards. Officials feel that such schools were spoiling the name of the
CBSE by enrolling and coaching students of other boards. As per the
Chapter-II (norms of affiliation) of the CBSE, the institution
affiliated to the board would not be allowed to send candidates for
appearing in the examination of any other board or university. The
institution could prepare candidates for the secondary and senior
secondary examinations of the CBSE only. The general principle has to be
followed at that affiliation for classes higher than senior
secondary. The Chairman of the board in a recent interview with
Chandigarh Tribune had clearly stated that the board would not allow
schools affiliated with it to seek affiliation from another board or
institution. The board could disaffiliate those violating the norms.
The issue of the schools allowing its premises to provide education
has to come to light with the case of private candidate who could not
sit in the matriculation examination of the Punjab School Education
Board as Sanjay Public School did not allegedly issue the roll number.
While the school authorities have denied any violation, the CBSE has
sought an explanation from the school. |
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Seminar on
female foeticide Chandigarh, March 16 The seminar was organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad at Gandhi Bhavan, Panjab University. As many as 90 slogans were received in a contest organised during the seminar. Astha from a medical institute and Rajiv from DAV College were declared winners. Memorandum submitted: A demand to start Ph. D in
Defence Studies was made by a delegation of Panjab University Students’
Union (PUSU), Panjab University, here today. Mr Rajwinder Singh and
Joint Secretary of the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council,
submitted a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof K.N. Pathak. They
also urged the Dean University Instruction, Dr S.K. Sharma, and Dr R.C.
Sobti to shift the BSc-I English paper from April 11 to April 12 since
the date clashes with the All-India CBSE pre-medical test. With a few
students appearing for the CBSE exam, the authorities accepted this
demand as well.  |
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Mock interviews for IAS aspirants Chandigarh, March 16 According to the coordinator of the centre, Ms Belu Maheshwari, mock interviews for those who have cleared the written test will begin this week. The Union Public Service Commission has slated the interviews from April 5 onwards. She said the centre had invited serving and retired bureaucrats and other personalities from various disciplines to conduct mock interviews. She said a series of such exercises would equip candidates to handle real-time pressure better, besides sharpening their skills to face the seven-member UPSC board. The centre would charge minimum fee, she added. Ms Maheshwari said the centre would also be starting personality development and communication skill classes for PU students from April 7. These classes will also be run on no-profit-no-loss basis. She said that a number of top professionals from different areas of specialization have been sounded to be on the faculty and the Centre aims to create resources which will help in bringing about all round development in an aspirant’s personality. PU,
she said, had done well as far as its share in the IAS is concerned and
now the Centre plans to broadbase its activities by including other
competitive examinations in its fold. Mrs Maheshwari said that HCS (E)
coaching classes have already begun along with those for the judicial
services. |
High Court Chandigarh, March 16 Appearing before the
Bench, comprising Mr Justice N.K. Sud and Mr Justice Hemant Gupta, Mr
Mohan Jain argued on petitioner Sanjeev Bhandari’s behalf that a
document was prepared to regularise the auction proceedings. Refuting
state’s claim of acting in public interest, Mr Jain added that the
petitioner was willing to pay Rs 5 crore more than the successful
bidder. The auction, he added, was completely hijacked by liquor baron
Ponti Chadha’s group. In his petition, Mr Bhandari had alleged that
liquor vends in Nawanshahr were allotted to Mr Chadha’s firm for Rs 37
crore against available bid of Rs 40 crore. He had added that the
auction for vends in Hoshiarpur was closed at Rs 70 crore despite the
fact that the petitioner and his associates had offered Rs 72 crore. He
had further alleged that the entire process of auctioning liquor vends
of Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Jalandhar was completed within a few
minutes in violation of the licence rules, auction conditions and
directions issued by the high court. DSPs’ selection A bunch of
petitions challenging the process of selecting and appointing Deputy
Superintendents of Police (DSP) in Punjab will come up for hearing
before a three-Judge Bench of the high court on April 1. A direction to
this effect was issued by a Division Bench of the high court, comprising
Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy and Mr Justice Surya Kant Sharma,
after counsel for the state informed the court that similar petitions
were pending before different courts. In one such petition, Jaskaran
Singh Brar had submitted that the entire process of selection, right
from the issuance of advertisement, to the dispatch of appointment
letters, was completed in an extraordinary haste. Describing the process
as “tainted”, the petitioner had added that mala fide conduct of the
state was conspicuous from the circumstances. The petitioner had
asserted that the state and other respondents were likely to recruit the
“wards of influential people”.
Notice issued Challenging Election
Commission of India’s directions regarding the removal of hoardings and
advertisements, a social organisation on Tuesday claimed that the same
would put pressure on the public exchequer. In its petition against the
commission, the states of Punjab and Haryana, besides the Union
Territory of Chandigarh, city-based National Consumer Awareness Group
added that the party coming to power would again erect hoardings
spending public money in the process. Taking up the petition, a
Division Bench of the high court, comprising Chief Justice Mr Justice
B.K. Roy and Mr Justice Surya Kant Sharma, issued notice of motion for
March 31. |
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High Court tells PU to cooperate on Senator’s plea Chandigarh, March 16 The petitioner had claimed that he had questioned the election of Mr G.K. Chathrath and Ranvir Partap Asija by filing a petition on January 27. Acting on the petition, the Vice-President of India’s office had called for Panjab University’s comments. But despite a lapse of over 40 days the university was intentionally withholding comments thereby creating hindrance. He added that the university authorities were siding with the elected candidates. A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court,
comprising Mr Justice Swatantar Kumar and Mr Justice Amar Dutt, directed
Panjab University’s Chancellor to decide the petition filed under
Section 38 of the Panjab University Act, within a month. The university
was also directed to co-operate in the disposal of the petition without
any delay. |
Gandhi
‘frustrated’ in modern India Mohali, March 16 The festival was organised to celebrate World
Theatre Day, which falls on March 27. The festival started with the
Hindi play ‘Gandhi ki wapsi’, directed by Zulfikar Khan. It is a
political and social satire in which various scams like ‘gurda kand’ and
‘chara ghotala’ are highlighted. In the play, Narad Muni brings back
Mahatma Gandhi to the land for whose independence a long and hard battle
had been fought. But unfortunately, nobody recognises him. He has to
introduce himself to the people. At one point, he is arrested. Gandhiji
feels frustrated as he sees that the caste system and other social evils
still prevail. He does not want to stay in the land for whose freedom he
had played a big role. He laments that the freedom of the country has
not come in the form in which martyrs had dreamt of. Dr Sahib Singh of
the manch said 27 children from slums acted in the play. The aim was to
create confidence in them. He said a two-day festival in connection with
the celebrations of World Theatre Day would be organised at Beas from
March 26. |
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Bhangra exchange programmes planned After getting his foothold on the foreign soil as a bhangra artiste, Avtar Singh Chana, is all set to start bhangra exchange programmes for bhangra troupes between India and Canada. The programme aims at providing a platform to the university students to showcase their talent in front of the audience at the international level. “The idea came to me when I went as a judge for the World Bhangra and Dhol Competition organised by the Bhangra National Multicultural Association in Toronto this year,” says this city-based bhangra dancer who was honoured with “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the association. Avtar Chana who
learnt bhangra initially from Mohinder Singh and later Garib Singh and
Mali Ram, all outstanding bhangra dancers of the region, has been
performing bhangra since 1973. To popularise this folk dance on the
foreign soil, Chana has been conducing workshops in countries like the
Czech Republic and London. |
Yash Chopra to shoot in Ropar area
The father-son duo will camp here for a while, as they shoot for the
new, still-untitled film that will feature Shah Rukh Khan, Rani
Mukherjee and Preity Zinta in lead roles. While the director and
technicians are here, the lead cast of the film will start pouring in
from tomorrow. Busy organising things all this day, Yash Chopra
hardly made himself available for talks. Right from the airport where
he arrived at about 2 pm, the director began working things out for
the shooting that will commence from tomorrow. He, however, put to
rest all rumours about Shahrukh and Preity being in the city today.
“They will arrive tomorrow and day after, when the shooting begins.
Aditya has been here to set things right. He has scripted the film,
which will have a strong element of Punjabi culture. We have
specifically chosen Chandigarh and the surrounding locales because we
wish to reflect the nuances of Punjabiyat in our new film, which I am
directing. The film’s music will be released by September, while the
film itself will come by Divali. It is a romantic story but not the
mundane triangle.” Flanked by crew members, the director then made
his way to Hotel Mount View, where he remained unavailable for a long
time again. Interestingly, everyone in his camp is quite tight-lipped
about the film, which is already evoking interest because of the
element of mystery shrouding its title. It was only later that Yash
Chopra, who was earlier in Chandigarh to hunt for a suitable location,
spared time to speak about the purpose behind his visit. The shooting
of the film will take place around Ropar. TNS |
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Ashutosh Rana
rules out politician’s role U nfazed by the tide that has swept many Bollywood stars towards political parties, Ashutosh Rana is concentrating on his new role. For sometime now he is literally being chased around by political parties that would love to cash on his popularity, notwithstanding his “villainous” portrayals on the screen. But discerning as he is, Ashutosh knows how to keep “unwanted” elements at bay, lest his ideals suffer.As we catch up with the actor, who is here to shoot for Anil Sharma’s Indo-Pak tussle inspired film, “Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon”, he gives us interesting sound bites, some of them extremely pertinent in the wake of politics turning glamorous. “This trend could have been healthy had the new entrants to politics been convinced about their decision. It is not important what you are doing. More important is why you are doing it,” asserted Ashutosh while hinting that he was under pressure to join politics. Dismissing any such move, he added, “I am too much of an individualist to join politics. I love transparency and our system lacks it. So there is no match. I would rather float a party of voters and release their manifesto than buy the false promises of politicians. Issue-based politics is what we need and I don’t see this dream being realised in the near future.” Interestingly, if ever Ashutosh has his way, he would raise such questions in films. But he strongly feels that the Indians are not ready for such a product. He reasons, “Whenever significant issues are raised in films, people label the film as art cinema. Our audiences are forever seeking definitions for styles. They don’t realise that “classic” refers to something that caters to everyone, irrespective of class. Why talk of audiences, even those who give away awards make distinctions. That explains why the award for best actor never goes to the villain. Do judges imply that only heroes act, while the villains simply hang around on the sets?” Making references to the autobiography of Adolf Hitler which he is reading these days, Ashutosh says, “It is easy to dismiss people. We know Hitler as the hater of Jews. But we don’t know him as a reformist. I am fascinated by his personality. His power intrigues me. After this book, I will read about Mussolini. We should know what made dictators of plain men.” Ashutosh’s fascination for the negative is reflected in his portrayals on screen, be it ‘Dushman’ or ‘Sangharsh’, both of which fetched him the Filmfare awards for best actor in a negative role. He will again appear in a negative role in “Ab Tumhare...”, to be shot in Chandigarh from tomorrow. “I play Sikander Khan, who hates India for valid reasons. The storyline has been altered keeping in mind the peace moves between India and Pakistan. It should work, given the director’s commitment.” Another production in which Ashutosh claims to have “acted
brilliantly” is Navkumar Raju’s “Chot”. “After long I feel I have really
acted in “Chot” which is much like “Deewar”.” His next film “Shabnam
Mausi”, will feature him in the lead role — as Shabnam, the eunuch who
contested elections from Madhya Pradesh. TNS |
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Cashing in on
cricket frenzy Anything to cash in on the cricket frenzy. From renaming the dishes after ace cricket stars on both sides, to cancelling film shows for telecasting the Indo- Pak day and night match today, the city entrepreneurs are lapping up the opportunity to jack up their sales in the name of “cricket patriotism”. Never mind if Saurav’s boys beat Inzy’s eleven or the latter rout the army-in-blue at Rawalpindi today, make money while the cricket blitzkrieg lasts is the new mantra. Restaurants and bars in the city claim that the sales were double, with the pubs and restaurants bursting at their seams in the evening, as India began their innings. Most restaurants and bars have set up huge screens for the fans as they enjoy the match over a beer mug, with Dravidi drumsticks, Parthavi paneer tikka, or Irfani macchi. Other than the cricket crazy city fans, a number of youngsters from the nearby areas of Kharar, Morinda, and even the satellite townships of Panchkula and Mohali were also in the city to watch the match. Sparsh Vohra, a resident of Kharar, and his friends, had come all the way to a restaurant-cum-pub in Sector 35, to watch the match. “With a big screen to watch the match, showering abuses on the arch rivals and cheering the Indian team with beer and snacks flowing, we preferred to watch the match here,” he explains. Informs Mr D.S. Verma, manager at a hotel in Sector 35, “The number of customers pouring in increased after we announced the plan to telecast the live match by hiring a big screen for the series. As compared to our daily lunch sales of Rs 2000- Rs 2500, the sales during the lunch hours today have touched Rs 6000”. Agrees Mr Munish Vohra, marketing executive of another hotel, “Though the big screen in the restaurant has always been a crowd puller, but the rush has increased during the ongoing Indo-Pak series”. The restaurant is charging a Rs 200 per head from the cricket fans and a beer of mug (on-the-house) is immediately rushed to each table whenever an Indian player hits a six. The cricket carnival at a hotel in Sector 17 involved not just the play on the big screen, but hooters and tricolour bandanas were given to all those coming there for enjoying the match. “After all, it is for the first time in 15 years that arch rivals- India and Pakistan, fight it out on the Pak soil. More than who wins the match, the fact that it is a match between the two countries has caught on everybody’s imagination,” says Mr Rahul Kakkar, manager at the hotel. So other than renaming the dishes as Tendulkari tikka, II Indian Platter, Pakistan 11 Platter (with mutton dishes) or Laxman flick (a cocktail), the restaurant is telecasting the match on a screen, while three television sets too beam the scene at the Rawalpindi greens. And instead of today being a Tuesday, fans were just pouring in. In nearby
Panchkula, Suraj Theatre has cancelled its film show on all five days of
the match, and after having tied up with Ten Sports, are beaming the
telecast on a 1100 square feet screen. They have set up a 12-feet dish,
and received duplicate set of decoders to ensure a match free of any
technical goof ups. A DJ has been hired to play the “Hindustani” tunes,
in the break between the overs. Though the first match of the series on
March 13 failed to evoke a good response, a number of fans were found
enjoying the match with perfect picture quality and great acoustics,
says the proprietor of the cinema, Mr Vipin Jain. |
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Fitness Trail
Don’t reach for supplements. — Photo by
Manoj Mahajan Vitamins and minerals have become the buzzwords on the health
scenario. These promote health, prevent diseases and boost immunity.
Since these have so many life-sustaining qualities, we tend to think the
more we can take these the better our health will be. This is precisely
the reason why we are popping supplements so religiously.
According to Dr Neelu Malhotra, Diet
Consultant, these disease-fighting minerals and vitamins are absorbed
better if taken in form of natural foods rather than from pills or
supplements. While the benefits of vitamins are widely known, minerals
are the unsung heroes. According to Dr Malhotra, there are at least 19
minerals required by the body. But till now the researchers have been
able to provide information on 13 elements. According to their body
daily body requirement, these minerals have been classified into three
groups. Major minerals These are required in large amounts, at least
100mg or much more per day by our body e.g. calcium, phosphorus, sodium,
chlorine and potassium. Minor minerals
These are required in smaller
quantities by our body — less than 30 mg a day. These include iron,
sulphur and magnesium etc.
Micro minerals or trace elements These are
required by the body in miniscule quantities — from 0.5mg -2 mg per day
—like chromium, copper, fluorine, iodine, molybdenum, selenium and zinc.
Minerals are important for various functions of the body: These form
structural components of bones, teeth, soft tissue, muscles, blood and
nerve cells. Calcium Of all minerals, calcium
is the most important. A major part of calcium is found in the bones and
teeth. Calcium is needed for the clotting of blood, normal muscular
activity and development and maintenance of bones. The recommended
daily allowance (RDA) of calcium is 1200 mg, asserts Dr Malhotra. At
least 600-800ml of milk or milk products, besides 4-5 servings of fresh
vegetables veggies and fruits and cereals in a normal diet are
sufficient for the daily calcium RDA. Sources: Milk and its products,
green leafy vegetables, especially mustard leaves (sarson ka saag),
radish leaves, cauliflower leaves, green fenugreek leaves (methi),
spinach, betal leaves. Ragi (cereal) is an excellent source of calcium
and so are til seeds, kidney beens (rajmah), soyabean and gram. Fish and
oysters are also good sources of calcium. Deficiency or low intake of
calcium can weaken bones and teeth. It can also cause osteoporosis (in
both men and women). Rickets (softening of bones) is another fall-out.
Infantile rickets, especially in pre-mature babies, can cause bow-legged
formation of legs, walking is delayed and muscle development is
poor. Phosphorus Another mineral which works in tandem with calcium is
phosphorus, informs Dr Malhotra. Phosphorus is required for the normal
development and maintenance of bones and teeth. It maintains the
acid-base balance of the body. Deficiency of phosphorus or
hypophosphetmia can cause anorexia, weakness, pain in bones, retarded
growth and poor teeth and bone formation. The RDA for phosphorus is 800
to 1200 mg, adds Dr Malhotra but for post-menopausal women, it is 1500
mg. Sources: Milk and its products, meat, poultry products, chicken,
egg yolk and almonds . Absorption of calcium and phosphorus is affected
if there is excess dietary fat. Also in patients of liver disorder,
there is poor absorption of fat hence calcium absorption is also
affected. The absorption of calcium through green leafy vegetables is
hampered because of the presence of oxalic acid in these. Hence these
vegetables should always be taken in combination with vitamin C sources
like lemon, tomatoes or curd etc. These should also be cooked in mixed
form or with cereals as their constituency changes when cooked together.
Vitamin D is also required for calcium absorption. Between 9-18 years
calcium absorption is maximum in our bodies. While a normal balanced
diet can provide us with our daily RDA of calcium and phosphorus.
However, in certain cases supplements can be needed and prove
beneficial. Calcium supplements are required for pregnant and lactating
women, post-menopausal women, old people, persons suffering from rickets
etc. |
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‘Sikh models stand fair chance on the ramp’
This 21-year-old six-feet tall hunk from Patiala was recently selected as a finalist for the Mr Sikh India contest to be held in Delhi next month. He was picked up by Gurmeet Singh Gill of Launchers — The Modeler, the modelling agency for Sikh models, during the auditions held at Chandigarh last month, and after attending a training module by the agency, has been selected in the final list. A firm believer in destiny, he says that if Naomi Campbell with her ebony looks could bowl the fashionistas all over the world, Sikh models like him had a fair chance on the ramp. “In fact, I was so moved by the effort made by Launchers to establish Sikh models that I decided to embibe the principles of Khalsa and then try my luck at modelling. By wearing my turban again, I am getting my respect as a Sikh back,” he says. A Bachelors in Business Management from Australia and having done a course in hotel management, Harkaran says that he had never thought of modelling as a career. “ I returned back from Australia last year, and was planning to set up a business in hospitality. Being tall and blessed with good looks, and minus the turban, friends and relations would often joke and ask me to try my hand, or rather my feet on the ramp. I never gave it a thought, until last month when my uncle pestered and took me for the auditions last month. I was told to grow my hair and beard and be proud of my religion and its dictats. I obliged, not to gain entry into the glamour industry, but because it struck my consciousness that I have to be proud of what I am,” he says. Now,
Harkaran is trying to build his biceps and getting into shape. He says
he now plans to approach the country’s top modelling agencies and try
his luck. However, I am not going to lose my Sikh identity but hope that
my tall and broad Punjabi physique will get me work. TNS |
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Aditya Chopra was joined by father Yash Chopra in Chandigarh today.
Accompanied by his crew, the legendary film-maker landed in the city,
ready to explore its beauty to enhance the strength of his visuals.
A
However,
health experts warn that supplements cannot substitute a balanced diet
but can only supplement it.
It’s
a strange socio- religious paradox. It was to flaunt his good looks that
Harkaran Singh Sandhu shaved off his beard and got his hair cut. Now, to
be a part of the glitzy glamour world, he has adopted five principles of
the Khalsa.