Aayush in informatics Olympiad finals
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 17
Aayush Munjal, a student of Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, has done the city proud by reaching the final stage of Indian National Olympiad in Informatics (INOI-2004), a nationwide competition organised by the Indian Association for Research in Competing Science (IARCS) in association with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Aayush is one of the 22 students across the country who have qualified for the final 15-day training camp to be held in June 2004 in Bangalore. Of the 22 students, four will be chosen to represent India in International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI-2004) at Athens, Greece, in September 2004.

The first round of the Olympiad was a written analytical reasoning examination held in February in which 5,600 students had appeared. Nearly 204 had been screened in the test who then qualified for the second round which involved testing the contestants in programming in C/C++/Pascal which was held on May 1 at various centres set up in the country.

Congratulating Aayush Sister Helima, Principal, said he was a computer wizard of the school who was all set and looking forward to attend the prestigious camp in June.

Kids enjoy water games
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 17
Students of Chandamama Play School, Green Enclave, enjoyed water games at the school swimming pool here today. Teachers and the students participated in ‘ice pinch’. Other games like ‘shoot shoot’, ‘chef chef’, ‘fisherman’, ‘puddles’, ‘splash’, ‘fish fish’, ‘ship ship’, ‘snow ball’, ‘bubbles’ and ‘discover the treasure’ were enjoyed by all. Refreshments were also served to the students.

CULTURE

Tributes paid to martyr Sukhdev
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, May 17
Tributes were paid to Shaheed Sukhdev on the occasion of his birthday by the local chapter of the Inqalabi Kendra, Punjab, at his ancestral house in the Nau Ghara area last evening. Two plays on the life of martyrs, directed by Gursharan Singh, popularly known as Manna Bhai, were staged on the occasion.

Mr Jaswant Singh, president of the Inqalabi Kendra, addressing the audience, said the house of the martyr, which was being preserved by an NGO, would be completed soon.

He said it was sad that the house, which was to be preserved by the government, was left to the vagaries of nature. It had been lying in a dilapidated condition till some months ago when the NGO finally started preserving it.

The plays staged on the occasion were “Panj Kalyani” and “Inqalab Zindabad” depicting the condition of debt-ridden farmers in the state and the dreams of the martyrs for the nation.

Among those present were Dr Hardeep Singh of the Shaheed Sukhdev Yaadgar Committee, Mr Kamaljit Khanna of the Inqalabi Kendra, Mr Bhajan Singh of the BKU, Mr Dyal Singh, Mr Vijay Narayan, Mr Bhan Singh Chauhan and Prof A.K. Maleri.

‘Sangeet Nat Mela’ ends
Our Correspondent

Mandi Gobindgarh, May 17
The two-day-long 13th Sangeet Nat Mela organised by the Natak Kala Sangam, Mandi Gobindgarh, in collaboration with the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, sponsored by the local branch of the State Bank of Patiala, concluded here on Sunday night.

Mr S.K. Ahluwalia, Deputy Commissioner, Fatehgarh Sahib, was the chief guest. The Deputy Commissioner distributed mementos to the artists. He announced that the district administration would honour an artist on August 15 every year. A souvenir, which was brought out by Natak Kala Sangam was also released.

The function was presided over by Mr N.S. Deshpandey, DGM, State Bank of Patiala, Mr Sudesh Verma, theatre personality, was honoured on the occasion. A play “Dastan – E – Sirhind” directed by Sohan Dhariwal dedicated to the martyrdom of the four Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh. “Rani Koklan”, a musical play written by Punjabi playwriter Kapoor Singh Ghumman, directed by Rajesh Sharma was also presented. The play revolves around tragic love story of Raja Rasaloo. Koklan sacrificed her life for the freedom of women.

Mr Harmesh Jain, president of the Small-Scale Re-roller Association, was the chief guest on Saturday. Mr Vivek Sharda presented the welcome address. Rajiv Marwaha, theatre personality, was honoured.