NSUI to contest PU poll
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12
After a win by the National Students Union of India (NSUI) in Delhi and other universities, the front organization of the Congress party, has set its eyes on the elections in Panjab University.

And, just like the Delhi elections, here too, a students’ insurance scheme is going to be the NSUI poll-plank among other local issues. In the city to chalk out strategies for the forthcoming students’ poll, here today, the all-India president of NSUI, Mr Ashok Tanwar, said that their organization was in touch with the Human Resource and Development Ministry to work out its implementation in Central and state universities.

Addressing a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan, Sector 35, Mr Tanwar also stated that various rounds of talks with other students’ organizations, in tune with the ideology, were in progress. “There can be mergers or there can be alliances among the like-minded organizations for the coming elections. We are still open to the possibility of going it alone in this election and in the process of giving final shape to our panel,” he maintained.

While claiming that there was infighting over finalization of the panel for elections, he admitted that there were differences within the organization. “We are looking at the ways in which these can be redressed,” he said.

Replying to a question on whether two frontal organizations of the Congress, the NSUI and the Youth Congress, would both fight university elections, the local president of the Indian Youth Congress, Mr HS Lucky, said that the chairman of the Panjab University Students’ Union (PUSU), Mr Gurpreet Singh Gapi, had resigned as office-bearer of the Youth Congress.

“The NSUI was dormant in the university since the last few elections. So, the question of NSUI versus Youth Congress never arose when it came to supporting PUSU. Since this time the problem did crop up, Gapi resigned as an office-bearer of the Youth Congress. The matter is sorted out and we will support the NSUI candidates,” he said. 

Student bodies, college heads firm on exam issue
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12
The issue of holding internal assessment examinations in colleges of the city is becoming a bone of contention between students’ bodies and college managements. Adamant on their demand for direct elections to students’ councils, students’ bodies say the examinations should be postponed till their demand is met.

The Chandigarh Administration has intimated principals of colleges to conduct the examinations on schedule. The principals say the examinations will be conducted as scheduled. The students will get 10 per cent marks from the internal assessment examinations in the September and December examinations.

The National Students Union of India has said students will observe a bandh and all students will be asked to boycott the examinations. The Panjab University Students Union has given a 24-hour ultimatum to the authorities to withdraw the decision of indirect elections.

In a press note, Mr S. Marriya, Principal of DAV College, has said preparatory holiday will be given on September 13 and 14 and the examinations will be held from September 15 to 18. During the two-day holiday, the college office and library will be open.

The Principal of the Sri Guru Gobind Singh College for Men, Sector 26, Dr Kuldeep Singh, said the examinations would be held from September 17 to 23. The future course of action would be decided if the students went on strike, he added.

At the GGDSD College, Sector 32, the examinations were almost over and the award list would be displayed on September 23, said Dr A.C. Vaid, Principal of the college. He said he was in favour of direct elections.

At the Government College for Men, Sector 11, the examinations would be over by September 18. At Government College, Sector 46, the examinations would begin tomorrow and continue till September 18.

Students not associated with students’ bodies were apprehensive if they would allowed to sit in the examinations by students’ unions. Principals had sought police deployment to maintain law and order during the examinations.

Hostelers protest against canteen contractor
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12
Plagued by food problems and unsatisfactory living conditions in their hostel, residents of Hostel Number 7 staged a two-hour protest outside their hostel in Panjab University, late last night. Up in arms against the canteen contractor and complaining against the unpalatable food being served to the students in violation of the official menu on display, these students, led by the president of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Mr Gurparvez Sandhu, staged a dharna after dinner was served.

They claimed that a new water cooler had been bought for their hostel over a month back. However, it was still awaiting installation while the other cooler was placed near the bathroom and water was emanating a foul smell. They also claimed that the contractor was charging an extra Rs 2 for a spoonful of pickle, a lemon, and additional rice servings and was not maintaining a register for the same.

Later, the wardens of three university hostels were sent to Hostel number 7 to redress the grievances of the hostelers. They assured them that the quality of food would be improved and their other demands would be looked into.

LIFESTYLE

Onam celebrated

Onam is a festival which exudes aroma of a happy blend of myth and reality. Onam is the most important part of cultural repertoire of every Malayali. It brings back memories of a bygone era of prosperity, equality and righteousness, which was witnessed under the golden reign of King Mahabali. Year after year, the people of Kerala, irrespective of caste or creed, join together to welcome back the vanquished king.

Representing the Keralites residing in and around Panchkula, the Panchkula Malyali Association, a cultural organisation celebrated Onam at Yadav Sabha, Sector 12, Panchkula on Sunday.

Cultural programmes, including a traditional dance item of Kerela “Thiruvathirakali” were presented on the occasion. A dance performance by children was the other highlight of the function.

Another attraction was ‘Athapookalam’ or a flower mat. This flower mat is a welcome symbol of king Mahabali.

Then ‘Onasadhya’, a grand feast, part of the Onam celebrations, was served to everyone on banana leaves. More than 15 dishes were prepared on the occasion.

The president of Panchkula Malyali Association, Mr Vijayan T.K. said, “Because of its secular character Onam attracts participation from all the communities. People belonging to different castes are also coming today to be the part of the celebration”. OC

Load your bathroom with luxury 
Swarleen Kaur

Those longing to feel the magic of raindrops touching their body can have those playful moments within their homes now. Just slip into your bathrooms and turn on the shower. If you want to invigorate yourself with a message there are special showers to pump your blood circulation too.

The latest range of luxury showers available in the market are too alluring to resist . But the ultimate in bathroom luxury these days are glass cabin showers which have all accessories to give total relaxation.

R.K. Malhotra, who deals in bath fittings said, “There is a lot of variety in transparent glass cabin showers which one can install in home. The latest in this is a steam shower with transparent glass cabin with two seats and a door. It is equipped with an overhead shower and two bodyshowers. Other installation cabin includes a steam generator, thermostat temperature sensor, lighting and ventilation unit. An automatic fragrance unit is another temptation. You can relax a choice of fragrance of pine tree, lemon or eucalyptus. But of course such opulence comes for a price as these showers can set you back by lakhs of rupees”.

The idea of buying a shower worth Rs seven lakh may not find many takers.

Some say that in the same amount one can buy a luxury car but others may spend this much amount to have a luxurious bath as bathroom is a barometer of one’s social status. To make a real gem of a bathroom go for top spouts and bath showers in crystal. There are also hand showers available in chrome. Matt chrome and golden finish colors. These can be matched with bathroom interiors. One can also enjoy the luxury of sauna and jacuzzi.

A Panchkula resident, Mr Narayan, who has installed a sauna bath in his house says, “I have installed the system mainly for its therapeutic and healing value. However, while using this one has to remain watchful and proper guidance is a must.”

For livening up the bathroom interiors glass tiles are also available in a stunning range of colour and designs. These are light in weight and available in plain and textured colour series. For those with keen aesthetic sense, there are numerous beautiful patterns in glass mosaics and there are also the tempting border designs.

Glass mosaics lend a glamourous look to your bathroom. Marble mosaics available in vibrant orange blue, white colours are a delight.

If you want to add a punch to your bathroom then don’t ignore other, small accessories, including towel rings, soap dish, tumbler holder, toilet paper holder, corner shelves, roll hook and steel and glass wash basins.

Bathing in style is definitely in. Going to the office with a lingering feeling of opulence is the best way to start your day.

With love from Japan
Aditi Tandon

Tomio Mizokami has a problem with English. No wonder he takes a world of time organizing his thoughts when faced with questions in a language he considers alien. “Can we talk in Hindi, or Punjabi, or Bengali? I am not at home with English,” requests the Japanese taking unusual pride in his admission.

And as eyebrows stretch in surprise, he rushes to rescue. “I am in love with India. And I could not have justified my love without understanding India’s national tongue. So I thought of learning Hindi. Gradually I developed a fascination for Punjabi and Bangla. These two languages complement each other delightfully. I am teaching all three. BA Hindi is a four year course in Japan,” says Mizokami, in India to stage two Hindi plays, courtesy the Japan Foundation.

A professor of 35 years at Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Japan, Mizokami takes his lessons with passion. For him, instruction in Hindi is more an affair in joy than an exercise in profession. “I don’t believe in superficial work. I teach my students everything from grammar to classic Hindi literature. I also read out the Ramayana to them.”

For ensuring better comprehension of the epic, Miziokami has arranged recordings of Ramanand Sagar’s “Ramayan”, which he screens in classroom. As far as perfection in utterances is concerned, he is more than just confident. He offers a demonstration with, “ My students are mighty impressed with the personality of Maryada Purushottam Ram.”

Assured that he is a diehard Indophile, you proceed to ask Mizokami what inspired him to learn Hindi. “Pt Nehru was my role model. My visit to India only fired my passion. I decided to study Hindi. First I was a casual student at Allahbad University. Then I took MA and PhD from Delhi University.” Mizokami first came to Punjab for his PhD research on the “Impact of UP migrants in Jalandhar.” It was to facilitate this project that Mizokami learnt the nuances of Punjabi.

Back home in Japan, he keeps busy enriching the resource centre at the University. He explains, “When I was in school it was difficult to procure Hindi books which were very costly. One Indian rupee equalled 120 Japanese Yen. Today one Indian rupee is worth two and a half Yen. Now it’s easier to import books. I have also edited a dictionary from Japanese to Hindi and vice versa. We have a library with over 100 books.”

But more than anything else, it is theatre that helps serve Mizokami’s purpose. Till now he has visited India on eight occasions with purposeful productions in Hindi, including Balakram Nagar’s “Bure Fanse Mohabbat Mein”, Upendranath Ashq’s “Toliye”, Mastram kapur’s “Ab hum Azad hain”, and Rajendra Sharma’s “Kayakalp”. With students as actors, it’s easy for Mizokami to manage quality productions, but the dearth of male actors bothers him. Few boys in Japan are inclined towards Hindi.

This time Mizokami is here to present two plays “Saavdhan Saas ji” and “Kshudharahit Yudh.” He is excited about presenting these plays in Delhi on September 14, which happens to be the Hindi Diwas. In Chandigarh, he will stage the playsd at Pracheen Kala Kendra tomorrow. TNS

A grand party for grandparents

It was a grand party for the dada-dadis and nana-nanis of students of Bhupindra International Public School (BIPS), Patiala, as the school celebrated Grandparents Day today with fun and frolic.

The enthusiasm of the grandparents was evident by the excellent turnout. The fun factor was added by the game of musical chairs for grandparents. This was won by Ms Kartar Kaur, grandmother of Kuljeet Kaur a student of Class III.

There was a prize for the most elegant grandparents, it was won by Mr and Ms Cheema, grandparents of Kristy Cheema, a student of UKG. The prize for ideal grandparents was won by Mr and Ms Rajinder, grandparents of Monik Inderjeet of Nursery class. TNS