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Proposal to ease workload of exam controller Mohali, March 23 Mrs Narinder Kaur, Controller of Examinations, had yesterday given up charge as Conductor of Examinations while retaining her powers as Controller. Such a step had been taken by her in the wake of the papers leak for Classes X and XII which had led to the cancellation and postponement of the examinations. The Chairman of the board, Dr Kehar Singh, the Vice-Chairman, Mrs Hardyal Kaur, and the Secretary, Mr Mohinder Bir Singh, considered the request made by Mrs Narinder Kaur and the matter of handing over the charge to other board officials was discussed. Mr Mohinder Bir Singh said all aspects of the duties of the Controller were being examined and since it was an important decision, nothing could be done in haste. He said a final decision would be taken by tomorrow. According to sources, Mrs Narinder Kaur would be asked to look only after the control room that received various complaints linked to examinations. The work of the secrecy branch would be transferred to two Deputy Secretaries of the board while the work of the conduct branch was likely to be looked after by the official in charge of the middle cell. In a request to the Secretary of the board yesterday, Mrs Narinder Kaur had said she wanted to step down keeping the interests of the board in mind. She had requested that some other senior officer should be given charge to ensure the smooth re-conduct of examinations which were scheduled to begin from April 1. |
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42 students’ career at stake Chandigarh, March 23 The university’s Department of Distance and Continuing Education under a tie-up with Edutech Informatics, an IT company, offers the bachelor’s degree at various franchise centres across the country. In the city, Edutech Informatics Computer Institute, Sector 17, which offered the course, has wound up its operations and changed the name of the centre to Jupiter Consultants, says Bandhan Preet Singh, one of the affected student. According to him, the franchise of the centre had expired. The director of the institute, Mr G.S.Gill, was not available for comment. Several students contacted by Chandigarh Tribune said they feared losing their jobs, as they had not been able to provide the detailed marks card (DMC) to their employers. Those who have enrolled for further studies are under the threat of losing the fees paid and a year. The DMCs were to be released in September last year. Three of the students, Mohit Gupta, Pankaj Negi and Manik Vohra, who have enrolled with Kurukshetra University for a post-graduate diploma in computer applications, lamented that they had been given provisional admissions on the condition that they would provide the DMC in time. But they had been waiting for the past seven months to get the DMC’s. The students had even deposited Rs 100 with the local centre for the purpose. Said Bandhan Preet Singh, a Technical Assistant in BSNL, “The result of the first year was delayed by six months and the second year by eleven. There is some problem between Edutech Informatics and the university.” They alleged that repeated calls to the office of Edutech Informatics in Delhi and the university had yielded no result. “The university officials say that they have not received the practical assessment marks from the Chandigarh centre and the director of the centre says the marks have already been despatched,” said Manik Vohra. |
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Girls outshine boys in copying Panchkula, March 23 The secretary of the Board of School Education Haryana, Mr Rakesh Gupta, told reporters here today that of the 42 cases in the district, girls were caught copying in 35 cases. In fact, at a centre in Government Senior
Secondary School, Rattewali, 17 of the 19 students caught copying by the flying squad were girls. |
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4 caught copying Chandigarh, March 23 |
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Lecture Chandigarh, March 23 A national Fellow of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, North-Western Regional Centre, Prof Mohan was speaking at a lecture on “Emotional intelligence at work” at the ICSSR Complex, Panjab University, here.
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Absence of injuries no indicator of rapist’s innocence Chandigarh, March 23 Dismissing an appeal filed by a Mohindergarh resident convicted by the trial court for raping a seven-year old, Mr Justice Gill asserted that the non-presence of the injuries would not show that the rape had not been committed by him. Giving details, the Judge added that there were no injuries on the appellant’s male organ, but the doctors stepping into the witness box had categorically stated that the possibility of his committing rape could not be ruled out. The convict, Surinder Singh, was earlier booked for rape and murder by the Haryana Police on the complaint of victim’s grandfather. The prosecution had claimed that the accused, accompanying the victim and the complainant to a fair, had raped the girl on March 19, 1992, instead of dropping her at home as promised. He had later strangulated her to death, the prosecution had added. The accused was working as a labourer. Surinder Singh, when confronted with the incriminating evidence against him, had denied the allegations of raping and murdering the girl. Claiming to be innocent, he had alleged false implication in the case and had claimed a trial. After going through the documents and hearing arguments in the case, the trial court had held him guilty of rape before sentencing him to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years in September 2003. He was, however, acquitted of the murder charge framed under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. Challenging the order of his conviction and sentence in the High Court, the accused had asserted that the absence of injuries proved his non-involvement in the incident. |
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High Court Chandigarh, March 23 After placing him under suspension in September last year, Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy had directed the registration of a criminal case against him under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. This was, perhaps, the first time that an action was initiated by the High Court against an officer of Registrar’s rank. A case was, subsequently, registered against him by the Chandigarh Police. Accordingly to the prosecution, Tara Chand was facing the allegations of amassing property disproportionate to his known sources of income. |
Bobby Deol gives choreographer tough time Chandigarh, March 23 The one thing that was most visible on the sets today was the difference in the size of the vans of Bobby Deol and Amitabh Bachchan. The former’s blue wagon surpassed the latter’s white one in size as well as appeal, inviting curious glances from onlookers who were disturbed by Bobby’s van being larger than Amitabh’s. Some young fans of Amitabh were overheard saying, “Why is Amitabh’s wagon smaller in size? Is Bobby’s vehicle better than Big B’s? I don’t understand this disparity.” There was also a talk about whether the wagons were made available locally or had actually been brought in from Mumbai for the stars. On the sets, Bobby Deol was the new hero even while Amitabh held the top slot among fans. Ganesh Acharya, dance director, directed Bobby Deol and Nagma, who plays his mother in the film. Sandali Sinha did justice to her act, standing next to Amitabh, who welcomes his grandson Bobby home. The song being shot at Forest Hill Resort is a welcome song in which Bobby comes home after a long spell at the front. While Bobby looked dashing in his new role, Nagma looked even better in her’s. Dressed gracefully, she lauded her son’s efforts as a soldier guarding the nation. All this while, Amitabh and Sandali occupied the slot allotted to them by the dance director. Bobby had a lot of problem matching his entry into the sequence with Ganesh’s demands. He would often enter earlier than expected. Ganesh kept taking retakes, telling Bobby to mind his entry. While the actors were busy dancing, film maker Anil Sharma took it easy today. Having briefed the dance director, he was seen relaxing in the bar, and catching up with him was not difficult. Asked if he liked the location, Anil said: “Had you asked me this question in the absence of Col B.S. Sandhu owner of the resort, I would have told you the truth,” adding that “This is the perfect location for us. Amitabh is much impressed with the locales of the resort which is greener than we expected.” The shooting will continue at the resort for two more days, after which the unit will shift base to Manali. |
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Himachali cultural fest on March 27 Chandigarh, March 23 Folk artistes from all over Himachal Pradesh will perform folk items in this |
Minerals are vital for health LAST
week we had talked about minerals — the unsung heroes — and how much they are needed to maintain the vital body functions. Minerals, found in all cells of our body, are essential for initiating and promoting all biochemical processes a body performs to maintain normal health. The food groups that are richest in minerals are grains, pulses, vegetables, nuts and seeds, fruits, meat and poultry products says Dr Neelu Malhotra, Silver Oaks, Mohali. This week we will discuss some more minerals in the major group which our body requires in large amounts at least over 100 mg (the other groups are minor minerals and micro minerals). Sodium Sources: Common or table salt, milk, egg white, meat, poultry products, fish, beet root, spinach, radish. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 2500mg or 2 to 4 gm. But as our Indian diet is full of sodium-rich foods like pickles, papads, chutneys etc, our normal intake is 15 to 20 gm, says Dr Malhotra. Hidden sources of sodium: Bakery items, including buns, breads, cakes, biscuits, sauces, chutneys, pickles, baking powder, baking soda and ajinomoto or MSG. Sodium deficiency: Addison’s disease, caused due to hormonal imbalance in the body, results in the loss of sodium. Deficiency can also happen due to vomiting and diarrhoea. Other possible suspects of sodium deficiency can be athletes, sportspersons, labourers or people who sweat a lot. Deficiency symptoms: Symptoms can include weakness, giddiness, nausea, lethargy, muscle cramps etc. Sodium excess: Excess of sodium causes water retention. It may also cause hypertension (if other factors like obesity, sedentary lifestyle, alcoholism etc are also there). Sodium retention in the body can happen in cardiac patients and renal (kidney) failure cases where sodium excretion is reduced. It can cause odema (swelling) due to water retention. Potassium Potassium is also an electrolyte necessary for all tissue cells. This mineral is important for metabolism of carbs and proteins. It regulates pH value of blood and water balance of body potassium is vital for brain function. Sources: Meat, poultry, fish, milk, curd, whole grains, cereals, pulses, bananas, water melon, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, oranges, grapes. The RDA is 2500 mg, according to Dr Malhotra. Potassium deficiency: Hypokalemia or deficiency of potassium may occur in severe malnutrition or severe dieting cases. Deficiency is also likely if there is insufficiency fresh food in the diet, in cases of severe alcoholism, after a surgery or prolonged fever, in burns cases and also if there is low intake carbs as in reducing diets. Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, listlessness, hypotension (low BP), techy cardia (palpitations or increase in heartbeats), muscle cramps etc. Potassium excess: Hyperkalemia or excess of potassium may occur in severe dehydration cases, renal failure patients. Also in some cases of hypokalemia if there is rapid administration of potassium excess can happen, says Dr Malhotra. hence careful monitoring is required, she adds. Symptoms of hyperkalemia: Muscle weakness, poor respiration, and changes in ECG. Tip: Banana is an excellent source of Potassium. Two large bananas can provide 176 mg of potassium. (To be concluded) |
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STUDENTS of Applied (final year) put up their annual exhibition of advertising campaigns, “Kala Sanchar ‘04”, which was inaugurated by Ms Navraj Sandhu, Managing Director, Haryana Tourism, here yesterday. Balancing skill and vision, the students carried out campaign series on Forest Hill Resort, Cramlin colour, dog food and Pizza Hut. Originality of vision came through the exhibits. A group of 15 students who took part in the exhibition acted as models, designers and copy writers. Reena Sabet in her series on “Indian Army” has come out with moving slogans like “Going beyond boundaries”, “Common faces uncommon tasks” while Avinash Kumar in his campaign for HSBC Bank, has brought out the positive features of the bank in an aesthetic manner. Navdeep Kaur has used vibrant colours for “Pizza Hut” while Gurpreet Dhiwan has linked up Nescafe with few precious moments of life. Others participating in the show are Surbhi Ummat, Ridhi Bhasin, Sapna Verma, Apurva Sondhi, Shikha Nalwa, Sanjam Singh, Sonali Garg, Chetan, Shabhi Singh, Shikha Anand and Rajni
Ajmera. OC |
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Bowled over by Pak hospitality
IT'S
a strange paradox. They went all the way to Pakistan to see their army-in-blue bash up the army-in-green, and saw Saurav’s boys beat Pakistan’s 11 at Lahore... yet they came back conquered. Taken in by Pakistanis’ hospitality; their putting aside the politically created Indo-Pak hostilities and play gracious hosts to the Indians who went to Lahore for the day and night match between archrivals India and Pakistan on March 21, many residents arrived back home last night, after rekindling friendships and hope of going back again. Completely bowled over, they say their three-day stay has been the experience of a lifetime, and erased many initial doubts. For one, they now insist that we are more hostile towards the Pakistanis than they are towards us. Most of the Pakistanis hugged and congratulated the Indian viewers after India won the match, they inform. Secondly, they come back with glimpses of Lahore’s social life and are convinced that the people there are as modern in their outlook as here. Women rarely wear burqas, young girls prefer jeans over salwar-kameez, and young men like to colour and streak their hair, and unlike their parents, would rather be lanky than healthy (read fat). The country, they add, was a chicken lover’s delight but a ‘shakahaaris’ harakiri, as there is no concept of vegetarian food in Pakistan. Former Mayor of Chandigarh, Mr Subhash Chawla, says that though they faced a lot of problems at the Indian side while crossing the border at Wagah, including greasing the palms of certain immigration officials here, the people on other side welcomed them with open arms. “The way India Pakistan hostilities have been highlighted, we had prepared ourselves for some tensions, but once in Lahore we knew no fear”. He says since his ancestors were from Dawar village in Jhang Maghyana, 100 km from Lahore, he wanted to go there, but because of visa restrictions could not do so. “But I felt the pull of my roots,” he says rather emotionally. Mr B.L. Sharma, another city resident also lamented that it was annoying wait at the Customs and Immigration office on the Indian side, while the Pakistani officials were more courteous and friendly. Adds his companion, Mr H.S. Lucky, president of Chandigarh unit of Indian Youth
Congress.” The hostility between the people on the two sides is politically created by the powers that be. In Lahore, people went out of their way to show their hospitality. We had gone to an ISD booth to make a call, and had only Indian currency. A passer by came from nowhere and paid the Rs 240 (in Pakistani currency) bill, refusing to take the money back. Even during the match, a group of young Indians got into a verbal duel with a group of Pakistani boys, but the security forces immediately intervened and told the Pakistani guys to behave, as the Indians were Pakistan’s guests. Not only good cricket ruled, but we were convinced that... ‘Jis Lahore Nahin dekhya uh jameya nahin.’ Their other three friends — Mr Madan Mohan Arora, Mr Vijay Kumar ( both
businessman in Sector 8 here), and Mr Amrit Sachdev from Delhi, too, narrate similar instances that touched their hearts. Mr. Vijay Kumar makes a special reference to the beautiful Pakistani women, and says that nowhere in India he has seen such beauty. They, however, expressed surprise that vegetarian food is a rarity in Pakistan, except for puri-chana. Gurpreet Singh, a city based lawyer, narrates how they went to a Chinese restaurant, and had to explain to the cook to add water instead of chicken broth to the soup. Friends Meghna Nalwa and Ashima Mohindroo, too, narrate their experience and say they are completely floored by the hospitality, the shopping arcades like Fortress Market, the beauty of Anarkali bazaar and the social scene in Lahore. “Pakistan is an Islamic nation, but it is not a closed society. Young boys and girls interact among themselves, girls dress up in jeans and short tops for socializing, if not to colleges or market places, and the boys like to ape Shah Rukh Khan in their dress and hair styles. People in all age groups are obsessed about the trendiest shades and sun glasses. We hardly saw any woman wearing a burqa, except in the interior parts of Lahore,” they say.
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Non-veg out, ‘vrat’ thali in EVERY six months, for nine days, the city sheds its leanings towards butter chicken and tandoori chicken to puris made of sanghara atta, fruit chaat and saboodana kheer. The social scene becomes a dampener with no liquor or non-veg delicacies being served. Even the veggie platter has to be without onion and garlic. Beginning Sunday, the city has been feasting on “vrat” food. “Kukkar”, dal makhani and paneer pasanda has been replaced with paneer/ potato dish, without onion and garlic, samak rice and cholai kheer. Restaurants have come up with a Navratra special menu. A lot of eateries stop cooking non-vegetarian food for nine days. One of the oldest dhabas in the city, Swaran dhaba, excludes non-veg dishes from the menu during the auspicious days. At Sindhi Sweets, a special Navratra menu of 15 dishes is being offered. From aloo chaat to tikki to raj bhog to rabri, and a wholesome meal, a Navratra special thali is on the offer. Says Mr Neeraj Bajaj, director of Sindhi Sweets, “ We have offered these delicacies at all our eight outlets in the city. Since we are a vegetarian restaurant chain, people flock here”. Similarly, at Sagar Ratna, a special Navratra thali consisting of singhara atta purees, samak rice, raw banana vegetable, jeera aloo, cholai or saboodana kheer is a huge hit. Says its manager, Mr Srinivas Bangera,” Above 50 per cent of the customers ask for the vrat thali, or for food without onion and garlic”. Liquor sales too have been affected. Col S.K. Sharma, General Manager, Chandigarh Club, said members continued to throng the club but liquor and non-veg sales were down by over 20 per cent.
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JUST when the music industry had written off Punjabi music from its chartbuster list, Punjabi pop singer Bhuppi aka Bhupinder Chawla is generating a lot of interest with his new album ‘Ishq di been’. The singer had a brief stopover in the town on Tuesday. He talked of his music, his future plans and how it was a constant struggle in the music world. His new album is a collection of nine songs with compositions being shared between Bhuppi Chawla and Bhuppinder. “This new team of music directors duo ‘B+B’ is all set to prove their mettle with this high-powered album. The lyrics have been penned jointly by Chann Gurayanwala, G.S. Chawla, S. Mukhtiar and Bhuppi,” he said. He added that the album was a collection of foot-tapping numbers with great lyrics. Himanshu Saini has directed the two beautiful videos “Ishq bi been” and “Poa jaffiyan.....”. Pony Verma and Mehal have choreographed the videos. After the success of ‘Jogia khalli balli”,“Wallah wallah”, “Naag ishq da ladiya”, Bhuppi had been working overtime on the new album. A great fan of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey, he says musicians like them are now rare and melodies of these great artistes cannot be matched. His debut album “Jogia khalli balli” had sold over two lakh units. “Wallah wallah” and “Naag ishq da ladya” also did well. He is among the best known Punjabi pop singers and touches the roots of Punjabi folk and brings it alive to make it more vibrant to suit the requirements of the younger generation. Bhuppi has spent many years in this profession. A versatile performer, Bhuppi easily changes his appeal from Punjabi bhangra to western music. He acknowledge that Punjabi pop has a good market at the moment, especially in India, West Asian countries and the Far East.
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SRL Ranbaxy, South East Asia’s largest pathology laboratory, has initiated a novel concept of community labs, with the objective of providing the general public with access to quality middle and lower end tests. The concept which has been put together is very significant since most of the local neighbourhood labs today, do not have quality protocols in place that are crucial towards ensuring accuracy of test results, according to a spokesman of the company. These community labs will be an example of how protocols and accuracy will be brought into all diagnostic tests. To begin with, SRL will be setting up 40 to 50 community labs across the country. The first two labs have already started functioning at Chandigarh and Gurgaon. With investments as low as Rs 10 to 15 lakh per lab, SRL’s community labs will be a boon for local doctors, whose entire diagnosis is dependent upon the accuracy of the tests. SRL will provide access to a range of low and middle end tests and will ensure a quick turn around time. All tests will be conducted by SRL’s highly trained staff at these community labs. These labs will allow technology to travel fast, thereby helping the industry establish minimum standards as well as update technology that can ensure efficient deliverance on test results.
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‘Dronacharya’ in Army fatigues SURINDER Pal is fascinated with television and he has the reasons to be. It was on television that he got his first big break, as Dronacharya in “Mahabharata”. Remembered for the legendary role, Surinder Pal has his hands full with scripts for serials. He is devoted to the medium and is not ready to let go of it even for roles on the big screen. On his arrival in Chandigarh to shoot for Anil Sharmas film, “Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon”, Surinder Pal talked about his role. “I play Bobby Deol’s boss. I am an Army officer who also features in the song sequence being shot at Forest Hill Resort. The song is being directed by Ganesh Acharya.” With many more film assignments, including “Bardasht”, in which he plays Bobby Deol’s father, at hand, he says he never feels obliged to work in Bollywood. “I am indebted to the small screen which made me worthy of what I am today. I am still known and recognised as Dronacharya. I have many serials on air, including “Sara Aakash”, “Shikva”, “Urmila”, “Kunti” and “Chandrakanta,”’ he says. Comparing the two mediums and their demands, Surinder Pal, says, “Both media belong to the category of celluloid. There is not much difference except the approach and scale. Films are larger than life. Television is life itself.”
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Sodium is an electrolyte. This mineral is required to maintain body-fluid balance. Sodium is required by the body for moving fluid in and out of cells. It is needed for the transmission of nerve impulse. Sodium is vital for normal functioning of heart and kidneys.