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Education Dept signs
MoU with Intel Chandigarh, April 27 Intel has already trained many teachers in the region in the use of information technology. From the last year, the Koshish Club had taken over the responsibility to implement the project of bringing information technology to classrooms. There were 24 such club across the country. As part of the conference, three local schools, DAV Public School, Sector 8, Sri Guru Harkrishan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 38, and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 33, were asked to showcase the use of information technology. Ms Sarita Manuja, chairperson of the club, said the participants included professionals, senior coordinators and representatives from universities. At DAV Public School, the delegates were told about the use of technology in the running of school and in teaching, said Ms Manuja. The students and staff of the school also interacted with the delegates. Ms Harpreet Kaur, vice-chairperson of the club and Principal of Sri Guru Harkrishan Model Senior Secondary School, said around 40 principals from different schools, visited the school. The case of Anjali Gulati, a spastic child, who joined the school in Class III and passed out in Class XII with 60 per cent marks, was discussed on the occasion. The need to accommodate special children in normal classroom and the role of technology in achieving the objective were highlighted. At Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 33, preparation of project banks on various subjects was showcased.
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PU council okays 2 courses Chandigarh, April 27 While passing the item on the agenda, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof K.N. Pathak, said the university would give “moral support” for running the course. He added that the coherence in the syllabi of various social science subjects should be ensured, a feasibility committee would look into the logistics of faculty, venue for holding classes and studying the content of the course. Professor Pathak maintained that the fee would be kept within reasonable limits and the number of seats would be decided by the Syndicate. Despite being a five-year course, students would be given the option of opting out of it at the end of three years, after which they would get a BA (Hons) degree in social sciences. On completing five years’ of study, they would be given the degree of MA (Hons) in social sciences. The faculty would be drawn from various social science departments on the campus to teach the programme comprising nine disciplines. Dr Rajiv Lochan, Dr Indu Banga and Dr S.P. Gautam pointed out that members of the faculty had already volunteered to take classes of the integrated course without taking a penny from the university. However, Prof P.P. Arya and Prof M.R. Aggarwal cautioned the university against beginning the course in haste and, eventually, not being able to sustain it. After a long discussion, the council gave its consent to Government College, Sector 11, for starting a four-year advanced diploma in physical education. While the name of the course was changed from Bachelor of Physical Education (B P Ed) to Advanced Diploma in physical education, the House was informed that it would be open to students after their Class XII examinations. An inspection of the college would be carried out by the National Council of Technical Education before the course can be started. Also, the one-year B P Ed course, being offered by the university, would become a two-year course from the academic session 2005 with the Academic Council in keeping with the directions of the UGC deciding to approve the same. However, the department would be required to manage with the faculty, labs and infrastructure available to them. The item pertaining to environment studies being made a compulsory 100-marks paper was deferred for the forthcoming academic session. However, it would be made a compulsory paper from the 2005 session. The members of the council, besides questioning the need for making it a compulsory subject, expressed apprehensions about the availability of faculty to teach the course, the fact that arts students would be required to study a lot of science in the subject and that the total marks in the score card would go up, leading to unnecessary burden on the students. The B. Sc (Hons) in bio-informatics and in biotechnology was also given the nod though the syllabi of the course would be prepared and approved by a panel of experts before it is started. The Vice-Chancellor, after getting approval from the council, observed that the procedure of framing the syllabi and getting the approval of experts would have to be followed even if it meant that the course could not begin in July. “It can easily be started by September. By then, we will have everything in place,” he said.
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PU may do away with linguistics Chandigarh, April 27 Going by past records, the popularity of the course is beyond doubt. However, in spite of its popularity, the BOS has recommended that the option should be done away with. “Since it has an element of grammar and phonetics the theoretical paper becomes very scoring. And anybody taking up theory usually takes up the practical paper as the fourth option. At one time there was even a talk of making the paper compulsory on account of the response of the students. However, it was not pursued seriously and continue as an optional subject,” says Dr Pushpinder Syal, a faculty member of the department. While the course may not be of relevance for the UGC-NET examination, she adds it has benefited former students of the university in pursuing M. Phil and similar courses being offered by other universities. “Linguistics is the backbone of English and perceived as the most relevant to its teaching. There is no justification for doing away with the courses or merging two options which just cannot be combined by any stretch of imagination,” she maintains. Interestingly, the decision has been passed not once, not twice but four times by the BOS and the Faculty of Languages. “We had been offering seven options in paper III of which theoretical linguistics is a part and six options for paper IV, including applied linguistics. Moreover, the syllabi had been revised five years ago and everybody agreed that a change was needed. So, we decided to cut down on the options. We have nothing against linguistics but when other options are being deleted this cannot be made an exception,” reasons the Chairperson of the department, Dr Manju Jaidka. Adding that linguistics was one of the many options dropped at the meeting of the BOS through consensus, she says that a couple of teachers being on leave had also made it necessary to reduce the burden of options. Besides, it served no purpose as far as the UGC-NET examination was concerned and was subsequently dropped by the board. To address the problem arising out of the confrontation between faculty members, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof K.N. Pathak, has decided to seek the opinion of experts before arriving at a final decision.
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Chandigarh, April 27 The Principal of the school, Ms Indu Bala, said Sandeep Kumar and Karan Kumar, who secured first positions in different categories, were gifted a bicycle each along with a set of books. The Parent Teachers Association (PTA) also gave Rs 500 each to the students. TNS
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Exquisite Chinese art on display Now you can own a set of hand-painted and hand crafted potteries in Hui Hua art, once exclusively reserved for members of Chinese royal families. The Indo-China Qiang Trade Company, organised an exhibition of exclusive Chinese potteries and artifacts at the exhibition hall in SCO 14, in Sector 17 of Chandigarh on Tuesday. Drawing inspiration from nature, both flora and fauna, the potteries and artifacts in porcelain are a treat for the eyes. The products vary from the ming, blue and white pottery to modern utility items. Porcelain vases, plates in various sizes and shapes and fish bowls from Jing de Zhen are on display. The jars and small accessories for homes like wind chimes, besides Feng Shui items like the Laughing Buddha, both patterns in porcelain vases, and painted, can add zing to your drawing room. The prices of the items range from Rs 20 to Rs 1.8 lakh. A vase for Rs 1.4 lakh is one of the most exquisitely crafted pieces.
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Keeping the family tradition intact
HE is a link between the two offshoots of Mayo School of Art, National College of Art, Lahore, and Government College of Art, Chandigarh. A third generation artist to be serving in the college, D.S. Kapoor, is now ready to unite the two branches together at a personal level. A teacher of applied art here, D.S. Kapoor is proud to be carrying forward the family tradition which was started by his grandfather Sunder Singh, an alumni of Mayo School of Art, who later taught in the school before Partition, and then his father Surjan Singh, who, after passing out from Mayo School, taught Government College of Art... first in Shimla and later in Chandigarh. Preparing to take part in an exhibition to be organised by the National College of Art in Lahore, D.S. Kapoor is all set to show the works by his father, the famous art of Copper Repusse, which is now almost extinct. “My grandfather’s works were lost during the Partition but I have a few unique pieces by my father which I would like to exhibit along with my works in Lahore,” he says. The invitation came from Prof Sajida Vandal, Principal of National College of Art, when she recently visited Chandigarh. “Ever since I saw a picture of my grandfather Sunder Singh along with other eminent artists of the undivided India on a website, I have been in touch with Lahore through e-mails. Since the National College of Art is making an archive, I was asked by the Principal to give input on my father and grandfather,” he says.
Eager to revive the tradition of Copper Repusse works in both the colleges, Kapoor says: “My father did a five-year diploma in repusse under the guidance of his father Sunder Singh as his guru and excelled in the field. Mayo School at that time was known for not just repusse works in copper, but jewelry designing, Meena work, lacquer turning, with painting and clay modeling playing a subordinate role.” Grown in such an environment, Kapoor’s inclination had always been towards art. “However, I was not allowed to study art. My father was going through a difficult time during 1978-79 when the college decided to close down the Crafts Department and he was out of work for a long time. I experimented with other subjects but my love for art pulled me to this college and after completing my course from here, finally I found a place in the faculty of Apllied Art in 1990,” he recalls. His dreams were fulfilled. But it is just the beginning for him. “I share a special bond with this college and I want to go on contributing towards the development of the college which has virtually been a home for the three generations of my family,” he says. To keep up family history going, D.S. Kapoor has introduced “Surjan Singh Memorial Award” consisting of a citation plate and Rs 1,100 to the best exhibit of the annual art exhibition of the college.
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Fitness Trail
Summer is here. With colourful flowers blooming and earthy fragrance filling the air when a lawn is watered, it feels good to be outdoors. After winter months, it is good to break free. Health experts recommend outdoor workouts as these are better than working out indoors. Outdoors offer a varied environment and we tend out work out harder, claim experts. In a gym, the level and intensity of an exercise remains constant, but outdoors, the speed and difficulty level of any activity varies, providing us with a better workout.
While working out on a treadmill or any other machine in the gym, you can get down or stop anytime you feel bored. When you work out outdoors, you know you have to keep going if you want to reach back home. Exercising in fresh air and natural light is a fabulous way to lift your spirits. While the fresh air is good for lungs, it increases blood circulation by pumping more oxygen into the blood. Natural light can balance the bio-rhythms of our body which get affected when we remain under artificial lights for too long. People suffering from season-affected disorders can benefit if they work out in natural light, say experts. Working out indoors carries a greater risk of picking up infections. Unclean shower stalls and towels, sweaty machines and other things inside a gym play host to a variety of bugs. Persons working out in gyms are prone to infections, including athlete’s foot and viral and bacterial infections of the skin and the stomach. Outdoors are cleaner despite all that dust and pollution. The best and most motivating reason to have an outdoor workout is that it is for free. Your workout begins the moment you take the first step. All that is required a sturdy pair of trainers and some comfortable cotton clothes. You do not need any equipment for a brisk walk. One can do some stretching or free-hand exercises while walking so as to give the body a complete workout without paying hefty charges at a gym. So what are you waiting for? Get off your couch, grab your shoes and rediscover the joy of all those simple yet invigorating activities like walking, swimming, cycling, trekking and roller skating.
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She turns out recipes faster than you can cook them
THINK of a cookery book to help you out with the spicy Mexican, cheesy Italian or the Mughlai delights, and the name Tarla Dalal comes to you instantly. The country’s most celebrated cookery book author churns out recipes of various cuisines faster than you could actually cook them. This foodie-turned- culinary critique and author was in town today as a judge for a live microwave cooking festival “Samsung Spice of Life”, being organised by Samsung India. Having tickled the taste buds of lakhs of Indians with her recipes of vegetarian delicacies of many Indian and foreign cuisines, she charmed the audience here with her simple and easy-to-cook recipes. She gave valuable tips on maintaining the nutritional content of food, and remedies for saving time while cooking in a microwave oven. From a simple housewife, who tried out different recipes only to keep her husband, Mr Nalin Dalal, away from non-vegetarian food, to the country’s best selling cookery book author, Mrs Dalal has come a long way. Healthy cooking is Tarla Dalal’s new mantra The lady has to her credit over 50 cookery books, and is busy trying out recipes for other books in the pipeline.”I have now moved to healthy cooking. With people getting more health conscious, I am now coming out with recipes that have less calories (fats) and carbohydrates, but have better nutritional value,” she says. And indeed, her recent publication, “A Teaspoon of Oil”, and the recipes that are featured in her quarterly magazine- “Tarla Dalal’s Cooking and More,” Show how the celebrated author has moved from the cream and cheese in her recipes to more- spices- and- minimal- fat delicacies. Her new style of cooking to keep pace with the health conscious Mrs Dalal’s face brightens up instantly as we tell her that her magazine is quite a rage. “I started the magazine because I wanted to do something different, and churn out quick-to-make recipes for today’s working women, who cannot afford to spend time in the kitchen. In this magazine I bring recipes that require a minimum of ingredients, and do not require much fat,” she says. Her USP is her research while dishing out the recipes “Iwork in my kitchen laboratory every day for four hours, from nine in the morning. Not only do we read about the different cuisines, but study their nutritional value, substitutes of certain foreign ingredients with local ones etc, before the perfect recipe is found. I was not born a good cook, so a lot of reading of different cultures and their cuisines is required before a recipe book can be compiled,” she says. Her recipe for a perfect meal “The perfect Indian meal is dal, roti, sabzi, chawal , while the perfect continental meal is fruit, salad and sandwiches. Eating good food is my weakness, but I love to cook as it makes me and the people I cook for, happy. My favourite cuisines are Mexican and Italian, though Punjabi food is a bit too heavy to digest,” she says. Samsung India had selected a total of nine contestants from among hundreds of people, who had sent in their recipes for participating in the “Spice of Life” microwave cooking contest. A total of three contestants each vied with one another to win the first prize (a microwave oven and an international holiday package). Ms Meenu Verma was the winner with her recipe of “Zayekedar Arbi” in the main dish category, Ms Moli Puri’s Vegetarian Quiche was the winner in the Starters Category, while Ms Ridhima Kapoor won the prize for her Coffee Walnut Cake.
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Simone not keen on career in films This city girl is going places. Simone Singh, who charmed Indian couch potatoes with her portrayal of a jilted wife in “Henna,” is out to sizzle the silver screen with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia in an English film. Simone, who was one of the celebrity judges at a cookery competition, was radiant in her Kimono- inspired crimson top and jeans. Enjoying the delicacies prepared by participants, Simone speaks about her future projects, her culinary skills and her foray into Bollywood. “I am looking forward to my new film, “Akoori”. I cannot reveal much about the film, except that it is an English film, and I will be sharing screen space with some of the most talented people in the industry — Naseeruddin Shah Dimple, Boman and Saif Ali Khan. The movie has been directed by Homi Adejania, and has a very interesting storyline,” she says. After having marked her presence in films like “Sur,” and “Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham”, Simone says she is not very keen on a career in films. “Only if the role is very interesting, I will accept it. Otherwise, I am content with my television career, which is going great guns,” she says. Starting her television career with “A Mouthful of Sky, “ and “ Hello Fiends”, Simone gained instant popularity in the pre-Saas Bahu era, playing the title role in Henna. She says she has a couple of TV projects lined up which will be aired shortly. In fact, she loves Italian, Goan, French, South Indian and of course, Punjabi delicacies, though her favourites are pastas and marinated fish: her hour- glass figure does not show her palette for food. She often goes on food binges and hate exercising Simone says. “ I guess that my beat being slim has more to do with the genes. But I have to admit that my binges are occasional and I generally avoid fatty foods, she adds.” Simone reveals that she is also a good cook herself and her that she has accrued culinary traits from her mother. TNS
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Working out in a gym can lower your spirits, with fit-looking persons working out effortlessly, while five minutes on the treadmill can drown you in sweat. Unforgiving mirrors blow up every imperfection in your body which you have been trying to hide under clothes.
