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Senate poll: PU to re-evaluate eligibility Chandigarh, May 16 Currently, the teaching and non-teaching categories have the same set of rules which lay down that a candidate has to have his workplace or residence within the jurisdiction of Panjab University. On the issue raised by Mr Dharender Tayal at a meeting of the Syndicate, where he pointed out that separate criterion was required for the two categories, the Vice-Chancellor has asked the Registrar to re-evaluate the eligibility conditions. The university had sought the approval of the Syndicate to reduce the number of booths for the Senate elections by increasing the number of voters. The proposal, tabled in the Syndicate, said one booth should cater to 500 voters instead of 200. However, this was turned down by the members. For conducting elections in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, PU will have booths only at the district headquarters. The idea is to reduce the total number of booths set up for conducting elections to the PU Senate. While accepting the item, the Syndicate agreed to set up a booth in areas where the number of voters was 200 on the suggestion of Mr Tayal, who said not having booths at such places would amount to depriving a voter of the right to vote. The university has also granted professors and lecturers aged between 60 and 62 years the right to vote. The university had earlier sought legal opinion on the matter in view of the ongoing case to fix the age of retirement of university teachers. Meanwhile, the process of finalising arrangements for the smooth conduct of elections to the 91-member Senate, slated for September, is already under way. While election to the Professor, Reader and Lecturer “constituency” will be held on September 13, that of Principals of professional and technical colleges will be held on September 6. Elections are to be held for choosing 15 registered graduates, eight principals drawn from Arts colleges affiliated to the university, eight lecturers from arts colleges, three principals and three lecturers from professional colleges. Six members, one from each faculty, will be elected from the faculties of arts, science, language, combined, medical and law, two professors of the university (one each from science and arts). Two lecturers and two readers from the university (one each from science and arts) and two MLAs from the Punjab Assembly, elected through the Speaker, will be chosen. |
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It’s the time for summer camps Chandigarh, May 16 No more does the vacation mean schools picnics. Some will get an opportunity to hone their skills in adventure activities like rock climbing and trekking. A host of summer camps are being offered in exotic locales like Beas Kund on the Manali-Soland-Nala circuit and in the Triund area on the Pathankot-Dharamsala-McLeodganj circuit. A number of schools and private centres in the city are offering opportunities to students to explore hidden talent, brush their skills and become more creative. It seems that the schedules of the students as well as teachers will be more hectic in holidays than during working days. At St Kabir Public School, Sector 26, a four-week summer camp is beginning from May 24. The main activities will be skating, aerobics and coaching in basketball, football and cricket. For children till 12 years of age, football, hockey and basketball will be taught in a different way altogether. Football will be called “rooball”, whose field will be smaller. Hockey will be called “minkey”. It will be played in the basketball court using a soft rubber ball. In addition to sports, yoga classes also will be conducted. Students will get an opportunity to hone their personality and reading habits at workshops by Amitji of Vedanta Academy, Mumbai, and Ms Pooja Kewlani , an educationist from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi, respectively. An NGO, Youth Technical Training Society, has asked for volunteers in the field of education, sports, music, dance, handicrafts, art, and drama. Students at Aanchal International School, Sector 35, are being offered activities such as music, dance, personality development, art and craft from May 24. The weekend has been reserved for picnics and excursions. At the Durga Dance Foundation, dance lovers will get a chance to learn the basics from Shaimak Dawar. The two-week dance workshop will be clubbed with a crafts workshop and its outcome will be presented at Tagore Theatre. Pracheen Kala Kendra is also not far behind as it is offering activities like classical dance, drama, music, painting, yoga and personality development. Valid for children between 5 and 18 years, the workshop will also conclude with a show at Tagore Theatre. The most interesting feature is the Kuala club, organised by a Class VIII girl, Tripti, and her friends in Sector 3. At the Chandigarh Press Club, summer workshops on theatre, dance, art and craft are being organised from June 1 for children between six and 15 years. |
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Brighton school ties up with
Austech Chandigarh, May 16 The course content designed by the BIBS would be a tutor-based programme. He said BIBS in accredited by
Edexcel, a UK-government accreditation agency, also offered courses of other universities. The higher national diploma at Austech would be offered in Business and Management, IT and computing at undergraduate level. Mr Clive said those who complete their qualification from the UK universities would possibly get work permits for two years. Col HIS Virk, director of
Austech, said the students would be awarded the diploma after assessment by BIBS. Another programme on Hospitality Management would also be offered.
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‘Prerna’ for kids, grandparents Chandigarh, May 16 Ms Sarita Manuja, Principal of the school, gave away prizes to the participants.
Results: (child and grandparent) — chess: Sushant and Sohan Lal Bansal 1, Tejasavi and S.C. Verma 2. Carrom: Navneet and Harbhajan Singh 1, Gauri Kapila and K.K. Kapila 2. Dart: Pushkar and R.K. Sood 1, Anant and V.S. Mahajan 2, Bharyata and Krishan Kanta Sood 3, Sarthala and O.P. Abrol 4, Gaurav and D.K. Jain 5. |
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Hamara School Anee’s School, since its inception in 2003, has grown at a markedly fast pace to make for itself in Mohali and the surrounding area. Spread over an area of 4,208 sq yards of PUDA allotted site, the building itself is an architectural marvel with child friendly environs. With classes from playway to Class V (being upgraded every year) the school has facilities for an exclusive toy room, multimedia room, library, activity room, a multipurpose hall, a splash pool, a mini zoo in the making, besides an atmosphere which emphatically stresses playway teaching technique engrained with alternative learning methods. The school curriculum has been designed with a lot of emphasis on extra-curricular activities thus focusing on personality development, which comes through a rightly structured academic and emotional growth. Various inter-class and inter-house activities, celebration of the important festivals and students’ birthdays and sports are given a lot of importance. There are facilities for karate, yoga, badminton, football too. Regular health check ups and educational trips are arranged. The aesthetically designed class-rooms with the teacher taught ratio of 1:18 or less ensures that personalized attention is given to each child. There is a provision of assistant teachers and maids in the pre-primary wing, where the children are nurtured in the most homely atmosphere. With commitment to the task at hand we endevour to take the responsibility entrusted to us with aplomb.
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‘Making children enjoy learning’ The word education has much wider connotations than the way it is understood in every day parlance. Keeping this in mind “we at ‘Anee’s’ are trying to inculcate the finer nuances of education in the nurturing we are giving to the precious souls entrusted in our care.” “We intend to assume responsibilities of ensuring that the child of today will grow up to be an asset for the nation tomorrow. For us textual knowledge is only one aspect of the learning process which should have skills for a lifelong personality growth.” “Parents have an understandable anxiety but misplaced enthusiasm for acceleration achievement in the formative years of child’s schooling. This only hinders rather than help the pace of natural development in a child.” “We believe in differing from a stereotyped pattern which only retards the child’s potential to flourish. Let us not deprive the child of his child’s potential to flourish.” Let us not deprive the child of his childhood in the name of education. The joy that comes from satisfying how’s, where’s, what’s, what’s and when’s in child’s curiosity is a task accomplished. The rate of intellectual development is most rapid in the first six years and let us strive to bring out the latent potential of a child through innovative strategies and not bog them down with pressures conceived by our misplaced enthusiasm. The parents, teachers and policy makers are together responsible for taking this task to its fruition.
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Housing board employee remanded in judicial custody Panchkula, May 16
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Opening young minds to creativity Mohali, May 16 The painting classes at the Sarang’s fine arts centre here had been on at Saranglok for the past one month and the culmination of the joint efforts of the students and the trainer was displayed. “It is not just about painting or colours or art. It is about opening young minds to imagination and creativity. Colours and canvas are just the media. These young minds are so open to new ideas and so it is even better that one lets them think freely and come up with the wildest of thoughts,” said Harshdeep. Harshdeep, who came back to Chandigarh after having spent 14 years in Russia, is bubbling with ideas to experiment with. “I have had a solo exhibition in Delhi which was very well received. Although at the Surikov Academy of Fine Arts, Moscow, we were focused only on realism, I term my work as neo-realism. It is something between abstract and realism,” she explained. Talking about another dimension of her work with children, Harshdeep said it was very important for people to learn to appreciate art. “Other than teaching them how to create, I also ask them to have that special eye to be able to recognise a good work of art. I get some paintings here and ask everyone to tell me what they see in it. This is an exercise in which even the adults
participate. I also teach painting to adults but with them it is a different experience,” she added. And the children, they loved every minute of it. And today Indu, Mehul, Agamjot, Ravneet, Prabhjot and Tript are proud of their creations being exhibited. “Today is a special day and we have also organised a bhangra dance to celebrate. The bhangra will be presented by students who have been taught this dance here by a renowned folk dancer Gurpreet,” said Ms Rama Rattan, the Director of Saranglok. “We have tried to incorporate some folk games within the dances. Jhumar, sammi, lehriya all forms of dance have been taught to the students here,” said Gurpreet. |
Grandmother inspired him to collect hukkahs Ever wondered at the phrase “Hukkah paani band....”, which signified the importance of the hukkah in the Indian culture. The phrase actually places hukkah before water, showing how hukkah was an important part of the culture. Now remembered only in such phrases, the hukkah is one of the many dwindling parts of our ancient culture. And saving bits and pieces of the culture and Indian history, through the hukkahs, is Mr Ashok Kataria. A jeweller by profession, this city resident claims that his collection of hukkahs can actually help rebuild the advent of Muslim craftsmanship in the Hindu culture. Mr Kataria has many as 250 hukkahs — all in different shapes, sizes, metals, and depicting the lifestyles of their owners. From the rotating panchayati hukkahs (used commonly by members of a panchayat by rotating the pipe in any direction) to the paisley-shaped pocket hukkahs used by Gaddis in Himachal Pradesh — the hukkahs are stacked away in Mr Kataria’s Sector 47 house here. Hukkahs in conical shape, round shape like a football, Hindu hukkahs with one pipe, Muslim hukkahs with two pipes, from two inches in size to two feet tall hukkahs — these are neatly stacked away in rows after rows in the Kataria house. His collection has some rare pieces with beautiful silver inlay work on the base, with wood or metal pipes, or the ones used by the royals of Nahan having the state’s emblem. Made of different metals like copper, zinc and alloys of these two, with different kinds of chilams and pipes, these hukkahs are a treat for the eyes. But is it not a rather strange collectors’ item, we ask? “Well, as a child I remember having seen my grandmother smoking a hukkah and somehow, the image always remained in my mind. Though I do not smoke a hukkah, nor does anybody else in our house, but I have been collecting these for the past 15 years,” he says. He narrates how his grandmother, the late Maya Devi, was so possessive of her hukkah that when she migrated to India from Rawalpindi in Pakistan after Partition, her hukkah was the only possession that she brought here. This hukkah, with its terracotta chilam, still stands tall among Kataria’s other hukkahs. “She started smoking the hukkah when she would prepare it with the tobacco for my grandfather. As she grew old, this hukkah became her permanent companion,” says a nostalgic, Mr Ashok, as he shows off his grandmother’s hukkah. “Hukkah smoking is not as injurious to health as a cigarette, because the tobacco is filtered through the water. Also the water left in the hukkah after the tobacco has been used, is a very good antiseptic,” he adds. “Now, I am so fond of collecting these hukkahs that every time I go out, either for a holiday or for work, I make it a point to check out on the old junk shops and utencil shops, and add hukkahs to my collection. Most of my collection comes through junk dealers in Kalka, from remote villages of Haryana, where hukkah smoking is still popular, Manali and Dharamsala,” he informs. |
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Meditation is the mantra for yuppies With increasing stress in day-to-day life, and living getting more mundane, a number of youth are turning to meditation. This is perhaps the reason for a large number of meditation centres coming up in the city and the peripheral areas. Gone are the days when youngsters would squirm and protest if their parents asked them to attend a congregation or visit the temple to seek the almighty’s blessings. Increasing number of youth, the yuppie brigade included, are turning to the lord and meditation “for solace and meaningful existence”. The capri and bermuda-clad temple/gurdwara crowd is surely on the rise in the city. Nitya Sareen, an 18-year-old self-confessed yuppie, who attends meditation camps organised by the Yoganda Dhyana Kendra, says: “I believe in living life to its full, and meditation, not religious practices, helps me lead a more meaningful life.” Lest you think that she is a stray case, visit temples on Tuesdays and gurdwaras in the evening and you will see how the “Gen Z” flocks to seek blessings from the almighty. Says Jaideep Johar (21), who is a bodybuilder and a member of the Dhyan Foundation: “There is nothing better than meditation to beat the stress of life. From young age, humans are put to stress to perform better, be it studies or later on in their professional lives. Thus, meditation offers the equilibrium between stress and tranquility,” he says. He has been in the foundation for the past three years. Simrita Jauhar, who has been practicing yoga to beautify her inner self and self-purification, since her late teens, shares similar views: “Meditation is the only way to help cope with stress of this over-industrialised and over-mechanised life. I am a disciple of Swami Ahwani ji, who after contemplating and studying the Oriental philosophies of ancient masters, has synthesised divine yoga.
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‘Pune Highway’ treads the dark road into mind This time round it's the stars from theatre who are shining in City Beautiful. As Rahul da Cunha brings his play, "Pune Highway", with Rajit Kapoor, Rehaan Engineer (of "Everybody Says I am Fine" fame), the city is all set to see the sparkle of a live performance by the Rage Theatre Group on Monday. The play, says Rahul, delves into the minds of three friends, who escape a trap laid by highway robbers while their companion is stabbed and left behind. Revolving around a series of happenings in the lives of these three young men, while they get held up in a seedy hotel room just off the Mumbai-Pune highway, the play throws up a plethora of emotions, undercurrents, sub-conscious dilemmas and the darker side of human nature. The other stars are Bugs Bhargava Krishna, Yamini Naamjoshi and Shankar Sachdeva. The play is being co-sponsored by the Durga Das Foundation and Spice Communications. In town on Sunday, writer and director of the play Rahul da Cunha and his star cast got talking about the play, the nuances of acting, the commercialisation of English theatre and the shift from high drama and angst of the common man to issues relating to the urbane guy. Asked about the finer points of his acting, Rajit rolls his eyes theatrically as he confesses, "I still get nervous about acting, though acting is what gives me extreme joy and fulfilment. I have no issues about playing today's heroines' father, or for that matter, their son. But the role has to be of substance." Asked if he likes theatre better or his roles on the 70 mm screen, Rajit, who had audiences asking for more after his performances in "Suraj Ka Saatvan Ghoda", "Mammo", "The Making of the Mahatma" and "Zubeida", says theatre remains his first love. "I cannot say which of the films I liked better. In each of these I put in my best and like them for different reasons. But theatre is a great medium; it's live and each time you enact a play, your style is likely to vary." TNS
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Glittering finale to Gold Fest It was a glitzy and glamorous grand finale to the Chandigarh Gold festival at the Sector 17 Plaza tonight. Amidst a cultural show, the organisers announced the winners of the month-long festival organised by the Chandigarh Gold Body. Ms Hiroo Mirchandani, vice-president of the World Gold Council, was the chief guest and announced the lucky winner of one kilogram gold. Mr MP Singh, Municipal Commissioner, Chandigarh, was also present on the occasion. The show began with a cultural programme in which Punjabi folk and pop songs and dance items by various dance troupes were presented. The artists enthralled the audience, as they waited patiently for the names of the winners to be announced. The numbers were drawn by people from amongst the audience and winning numbers for 100 grams gold, 250 grams gold, 500 grams gold and one kilogram gold were announced. The ticket numbers of winners of the Gold Festival are: I kg gold— A- 0316; 1/2 kg gold —A- 0931; 250 grams — F- 6771; 100 grams gold:- B-1457, A- 5803, D- 2437. The festival was organised by the Chandigarh Gold Body, from April 6 to May 15. Thirty eight jewelers of Chandigarh and Notified Area Committee, Mani Majra, had joined hands for the festival, which was co sponsored by World Gold Council. This was the first gold festival organised by the World Gold Council, north of Delhi. TNS
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Tikka, biryani with authentic touch If you've always looked down upon the biryanis and tikkas dished out by eateries for lacking in flavour, then Khansama, a new takeaway in Sector 8-B, Chandigarh, could change your opinion with its tikkas, biryanis and kebabs. A joint venture of sisters Sandeep and Navneet Dhillon, it was inaugurated by film and television personality Jaspal Bhatti on Sunday. Khansama promises to serve you authentic biryanis, tikkas and sweets like phirni by using family recipes passed down the generations. On offer are vegetarian and non-vegetarian kebabs, biryanis, Chinese delicacies, an array of chicken dishes and various vegetarian main course vegetables to be teamed with Indian breads. Mini meals like Amritsari kulcha, stuffed naan and garlic kulcha are also on offer. The promoters of the eatery say this is an outcome of almost a year of research on the recipes that have been passed down the generations in their family. Ms Sandeep, who is a qualified architect, says, "I am a connoisseur of food and love to cook. I just decided to turn my passion into a business." Chips in sister Navneet, "We researched on the recipes before we trained our cooks for three months. The food is priced competitively to suit every pocket." TNS
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Personality development programme launched Global Voice, a leading training organisation has launched "New U", a programme aimed at harnessing the full potential of one's self. The programme, designed in association with Credenz Systems, USA, is targeted at students, professionals, businessmen as well as housewives. The programme covers a wide spectrum of one's personality traits and aims to completely transform the way a person thinks, behaves and performs in life. According to Mr Aashiesh Naagrath, CEO, Global Voice, “The programme involves complete personality analysis of a person, builds upon the strengths and also helps in overcoming the weaknesses”. The programme includes a large number of important aspects like career counseling, communication skills, confidence building, overall grooming including manners and etiquette, body language, leadership skills, management and memory games etc.
TNS
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