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DAV College told to phase out plus two classes Chandigarh, June 2 In the first phase, the authorities have been asked to admit only 400 students in Class XI and from next year the senior secondary classes would be scrapped. There are around 700 such seats in the college. The students already admitted would be allowed to complete their senior secondary level education from the college, a senior officer in the Administration said. The Education Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, in a recent order said as plus two classes would be gradually closed, the appointments of government-aided posts would be made on a contractual basis wherein the teachers would be paid the basic DA. They would automatically be relieved on the closure of the classes. The Principal, Mr S. Marriya, was not available for comments. The phasing out of the classes has been ordered under the provisions of the National Policy of Education, 1986, wherein the 10+2+3 system of admission has to be followed. Under the policy, senior secondary classes have to be shifted from colleges to schools. Barring DAV College, other colleges had closed down the classes about 10 years ago. Instead, most of the college managements have opened schools to accommodate the students. The Punjab Government had also ordered phasing out senior secondary classes from around 176 colleges in the state. The move had led to a lot of protest, as government schools were not equipped to handle the students. A lot of resources had to be spent on adding infrastructure in the schools. Rough estimates show that after every 1,000 students there were around 300 students in the senior secondary classes in the colleges. Under the present circumstances, the students would be at the mercy of private schools. There is little control of the government when it comes to regulating fee and college strength in private schools as compared to colleges, governed by the rules and regulations of the university to which they were affiliated. Mr Charanjit Chawla, a Senator of Panjab University, said the decision to shift the classes to schools was against the interest of the students. The state government was running away from its responsibility, he added. |
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UGC-NET exam roll nos despatched Chandigarh, June 2 Those applicants who do not receive their roll nos by June 12 should contact Prof R.K.Pathak, Chairperson-cum-Coordinator UGC-NET Examination (June, 2004), Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, with an attested photograph between June 14 and June 19, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Decision welcomed: Mr Surinder Bhardwaj, president of the Chandigarh Territorial Janata Dal (U) has welcomed the people-friendly decision of the Chandigarh Administration to open shops on Sunday. He said it would benefit government employees, and visitors who throng the city on weekends He said the timings should be 11 am to 10 pm in summer and shops should be closed on Tuesday as under the shops Act and labour laws, the administration had made it mandatory to close the shops once a week. |
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PEC faculty on
contract allege exploitation Chandigarh, June 2 It has been pointed out that the contract staff was asked to teach some subjects they were not well conversant with. The procedure being followed was that teachers were asked to give their choice of subjects, either in a departmental meeting or through a prescribed proforma. The maximum teaching load to be assigned to a contractual faculty was 22 periods per week whereas they were often assigned more workload. |
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8 workshops at DAV-7 Chandigarh, June 2 Multi-media camp A multi-media summer camp is being organised by the Desh Bhagat Institute of Competitive Studies at its Sector 8 office. A group of theatre personalities will improve the skills of the participants in performing arts like dancing, acting, direction, make-up, set designing, voice modulation, speech work, personality development, improving, creative programmes, theatrical games and body language. |
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Poster contest
results Chandigarh, June 2 The results are: Poster competition (Group A) first — Ankita, second — Kshitij Bali, and third — Kishore Kumar. Poster competition (Group B); First — Parul, second — Rajesh Bhatia and third — Sanjeev Kumar. Quiz contest: first — Ankit Aggarwal, second — Rahul and third — Aaditi. Consolation prize went to Amit Kumar. Declamation contest: First — Surinder, second — Anita, and third — Shikha Gupta. Consolation prize
Aaditi. |
From theatre to cinema
Chandigarh, June 2 In Chandigarh on Wednesday as one of the judges for Zee TV’s Big Break, Gajendra talked about “Pandhar” at length, saying it was about a theme close to his heart. “The film is about the impact of globalisation. I have focused on the plight of poor farmers, who have nowhere to go in this increasingly competitive world. Medha Patkar plays herself in the film, which has won many accolades for its realistic elements,” he said. Gajendra has also worked with like Dr Sriram Lagoo, whom he admires as a playwright. “Vijaya Mehta and Dr Lagoo are a class apart. They talk reality and they talk with a lot of conviction.” Having scripted two Hindi serials, “Srimaan-Shrimati” and “Gharaunda”, Gajendra is now focusing on films. “Film, as a medium, is most challenging. Having done theatre for decades, I now feel the urge to stick to cinema. I will have the advantage of technical know-how, which I imbibed from theatre. Marathi theatre is very basic in the sense that it requires its followers to understand all about theatre. When we used to act, we would do the entire sets, right from fixing nails to dressing up backdrops,” said Gajendra, whose film “Motonly Mrs Raut” was one of the entries to the Asian Film Festival. — TNS |
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2 plays to be staged by academy Mohali, June 2 The script of the two plays — “Kudrati Noor Vase Khaddor” and “Jindan Nikian Sake Wade” — has been written by Charan Singh Sindhra. While the first play has been dedicated to the 500th birth anniversary of Guru Angad Dev, the latter has been dedicated to the 300th martyrdom of the sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh. Sindhra, who was addressing a press conference here yesterday, said the plays would be staged at the national level with the help of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and the Singh Sabha Federation. The plays would be staged at Vijay Nagar, Mukerjee Nagar, Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar, Geeta Colony and Gobind Puri in Delhi. On June 26, the plays would be staged at Talkatora Stadium. He said the music to the plays had been given by Sham Singh. He said efforts were being made to invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as the chief guest for the function. |
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Making films for multiplexes Chandigarh, June 2 Judging participants at the Zee Big Break auditions on Wednesday, Sunil talked about the changing sensibility of cine goers. “People do not want run of the-mill stuff any longer. They are looking for complete entertainment and intelligent scripts. Today’s audience is the audience of multiplexes. I am making films that cater to the classes, especially people who frequent multiplexes,” he said. |
Eating Out The fort, beautifully renovated into a plush hotel, has been keeping its premises free from liquor and non-veg. The Chandel family has chosen this way to keep the sanctity of the fort that has seen a number of battles around the Mutiny of 1857. The turrets, now covered with glass, lining the suites are testimony to the soldiers who stood guard with the nozzle of the guns pointed at the enemy. The first phase of expansion of the property saw the opening of a new restaurant and a modern health club on the premises on Sunday. Aptly named ‘Ravayat’, the eatery is a study in the opulence that a simple rustic setting can exude. The thatched sloping roof with wooden beams. The mud walls brought alive with colourful paintings. The niche in the curve of the wall that is not a side of the straight-jacket rectangular room. The antique pieces and artefacts impart richness to the ambience. As you make yourself comfortable in the low cane furniture, you get into the relaxing mood so associated with nawabs and the good old days that grannies never tire of raving about. It’s a completely different feeling from the comparatively modern sofa chair-table setting of their first restaurant, Dastarkhaan. The lounge type arrangement gives one the flexibility to sink in into a cosy group for that special feast of Rajasthani or Punjabi cuisine. The Rajasthani thali (Rs 140) is an appealing assortment masaledar papad subzi and khatti-meethi gutta curry, yellow panchmel dal made interestingly spicy with garlic and red chilli sauce. The onion and cucumber salad rounds up the fare served with jira rice and lachha paratha. Kesari kheer caters to your sweet tooth. Go for the typically traditional Punjabi thali if that’s what keeps your gastric juices flowing. It comprises portions of Peshawari panir, minty aloo chutneywala, bhindi masala and dal makhni along with matar pulao and missi roti. Royalty comes full circle with the shahi tukda (fried bread dipped in sugar syrup floating in tempting rabri). The conventional brass thalis, katoris and glasses impart a special flavour to the delectables. Before the main meal, you can work up your appetite with a range of a la carte tasty snacks. There is a choice of stuffed panir tikka and shimla mirch, aloo chatpati chat, rabri bhujia and cool kulfi. The drinks on offer are tall glasses of the ever-favourite chhachh, aam ka panna, thandai and badaam sherbet, informs the manager, Mr Sethi.
— TNS |
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Hundreds turn up for Zee TV’s audition If the response to “Big Break” is anything to go by Channel V Popstars has a strong contender in Zee. Soon after the Zee TV team descended upon GGDSD College in Sector 32 to announce auditions this morning, youngsters began pouring in. Many had queued up in the wee hours. Although the venue was Chandigarh, the show evoked response from places like Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The maximum participants were from Punjab. Of the total registration of about 6,500 on the internet and other sources, about 1,100 persons showed up for the auditions comprising a panel of judges, actor Sonu Sood, Marathi film-maker Gajendra Ahire and film producer Sunil Bohra. Only four will be selected in the finals to be held on June 4. The judges said: “Looks are foremost, then comes personality, and finally the level of performance. We are considering dance skills also, but dance is not such a significant part of the selection process because it is an art that can be picked up later also. Depth in presentation is important.” No wonder all participants were seen rehearsing in the waiting room. They were all given dialogues for delivery. In the audition, they were supposed to put their best foot forward in the allotted 10 seconds. When asked if 10 seconds were enough to judge a participant, Gajendra Ahire said, “If a person cannot impress in 10 minutes, he is not worth it.” There was an equal strength of girls and boys in the auditions. Many girls appeared smitten with Sonu Sood, the villian of “Yuva”. They admitted that they were forgetting their dialogues in his presence. Many boys who came from UP and Himachal turned out to be the best performers. The auditions will continue tomorrow also. — TNS |
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THE ever popular, “Tulsi”, continues to be the biggest attraction in all the categories. According to a press release issued here, Tulsi is leading in Dabur Anmol Shampoo Star Parivaar Awards. The release adds that “Kashish and Sujal” are leading in the “jodi category” with a very high margin. Last year also it was a clean sweep for Tulsi when she won the favourite patni and bahu awards. “This year too she is heading in the same direction. She is leading in all the four categories she has been nominated for, including favourite saas, favourite jethai, favourite maa and favourite `jodi’ with `Mihir’”, the release said. On the other hand, “Komolika” has got the maximum votes in the category of “saut”. She is leading across all 25 categories as of today with over 64,000 votes. “Karan” is also gaining popularity and leading in the favourite “beta” category. Residents who have not voted under different categories can SMS their choice to “7827”. — OC |
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‘Bull’
crystal launched Swarovski, a cut crystal brand, has introduced
“Bull”, a new numbered limited edition crystal object, of which
10,000 pieces will be produced. This is the fourth limited edition
following “Eagle” in 1995, “Peacock” in 1998 and “Wild
Horses” in 2001. Designed by Adi Stocker, the piece reflects a high
level of technical craftsmanship. Stocker has captured a
freeze-frame pose of a galloping wild ‘toro’. The artistically
faceted curved body and the position of the legs of this powerful,
spirited animal seem to indicate that it has only interrupted its
headlong gallop for a moment before turning with a snort and charging
off again. “The greatest challenge was to convey the wild, untamed
power and dynamic motion of the animal through the medium of crystal.
A slender-legged fighting bull is faster than any racehorse,” says
the designer. “I think it was only when I decided to give the piece
a strong, curved outline from every perspective that I really managed
to capture this freeze-frame pose — from the bull’s slim
hindquarters to its powerful neck muscles, from the horns to the
tail,” says Stocker. Talking about his trips to Spain, Stocker
says, “It is a wild, exciting part of the world. During my frequent
stays there, I had the opportunity to study the local flora and
fauna.” — TNS |
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Who would be better equipped to offer a meal in the traditional way than the royalty which has taken upon itself the task of preserving the values inculcated in the great Indian culture, the ravayat of our ancestors? Ever since Fort Ramgarh, Panchkula (a few kilometres ahead of Nadha Sahib Gurdwara), threw open its huge darwaza to the public last year, it has been striving not to let crass commercialisation overwhelm the ‘saaf and suthra’ path as advocated by revered saints and gurus, said a scion of the family.