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PU non-teaching staff hold rally on campus
Chandigarh, October 7 The non-teaching staff held a rally on the campus and sat in dharna outside the office of the Vice-Chancellor to lodge their protest. The federation was critical of the move of the authorities to revise the existing qualifications for appointment on compassionate ground. The members said this was an attempt to close the door for compassionate appointments for those who had lost their bread-earners in harness. The unilateral and arbitrary decision taken by the committee in violation of the existing rules laid down for compassionate appointments, would not be accepted by the federation, the unions resolved. The federation condemned the Dean University Instruction who took the lead in this regard as also the authorities in general for resorting to dilly-dallying and delaying tactics in implementing the long-pending demands. The federation also took a serious note of the rampant out-of-turn allotment of different categories of houses on the campus by the Vice-Chancellor in violation of the rules. After a detailed discussion, the federation unanimously decided that the committee constituted to consider the appointments on compassionate grounds be scrapped with immediate effect and such appointments be made strictly as per the qualifications or criteria contained in the university calendar, as was the previous practice. They also sought that Class C employees, who have already fulfilled pre-requisite requirements, be appointed against the posts of clerks and all demands accepted by the JCM be implemented without further delay. It was also decided that protest rallies would be organised from October 11 to 13 in front of the Administrative Block which would be terminated after a dharna in front of the office of the vice-Chancellor later on. After a three-day mass-protest rally programme, a regular dharna by the executive members of the federation (two from each union) would be launched in front of the office of the Vice-Chancellor followed by a dharna by the members of the general house of each union till all the demands are accepted.
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Make schools learning-centric: Dr Murti
Chandigarh, October 7 In her paper, ‘Back to School’, Dr Sampurna Murti from the Pratham Resource Centre said schools should focus on quality education. There needs to balance acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills. She said the goal of the minimum quality guarantee programme in Maharashtra was that, all children up to Class IV, must learn age appropriate skills of 3 R’s and those who have completed four years of schooling should be proficient in Class IV level 3 R’s. The key is to provide children with ‘doing’ activities as they learn rapidly, she said while adding that the activities in schools also call for a cultural shift from ‘teacher centric’ to ‘learning centric’. Few other speakers stressed on the need to have campaigns to bridge the gap between the school and the home. They are of the view that voluntary participation of people at the village and block level through such campaigns will generate the energy required for such implementation, make systems productive and ensure results. Ms Nandini Shukla, Principal, Kerala Samaj Model School, dwelled on the perception of excellence in education. “Two defining characteristics of excellence are an organisation’s understanding of its imperfections and its dedication to effective continous improvement,” she said. However, the bane of the system has been restrained access and minimal levels of learning, in the context of a developing economy and a third world nation. Over the years it has been accepted that quality and excellence has a class divide and elitist objectives, said Mr Francis Fathome, Chief Executive Officer, ICSE, while presenting an overview of school education at the summit yesterday. The paradigms of education must cultivate the desire to excel, creating a culture of achievement, headed. Speaking on issues, concerns and new initiatives relating to higher education in India, Dr P. Prakash, Joint Secretary, University Grants Commission, said the 21st century demanded social access and equity, with a strong focus on quality and excellence to ensure that education ‘reached the unreached’. This required a blending of conventional and distance education modes, he said. Dr Prakash described the on going initiative of creating a nation-wide terrestrial fibre optic backbone connecting universities, 118 to begin with and colleges, offering free access to teachers and students. The UGC infonet, e-journals, e-content development, export of higher education, knowledgeincubators, etc were among the initiatives undertaken to create a new academic ambience, he added, expressing the hope that India, by 2020, would become a knowledge-powered nation through e-revolution. Efforts are underway to upload e-journals to facilitate research work and cut costs in maintaining referral libraries. Dr P.N. Razdan, Advisor, All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), focused on issues relating to approval and accreditation of institutes imparting technical education to promote quality and maintain norms and standards. The initiatives undertaken by AICTE encompass both monitoring of institutions and programmes as well as faculty development and infrastructure development, he said, giving details about the various schemes, grants and awards and projects available. The two- day summit was attended by principals, teachers, administrators and other educationists from the region.
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PEC organises musical event
Chandigarh, October 7 The event marks the starting of the club activities in college this year. The extra-curricular activity clubs in Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh have seen maximum response from the students this year. The Speaker’s Club “Litzkrieg” got good response, freshers. Around 200 students participated in the recruitment test of the Speakers’ Club of the college. The other clubs have been holding events to showcase the work and projects undertaken by them to the first year students. There are a total of six active clubs operating in the college, namely the Speakers’, Dramatics, Art and Photography, Envirovision, Music, and Projection Club. Pulse polio
Around 200 students of Government Model High School, Sector 36, today participated in pulse polio awareness rally. The students visited different areas in the sector and raised slogans on pulse polio campaign. The NSS unit of the Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 32 and Government High School, Sector 32 C took out a similar rally. As many as 250 students participated in the rally. Children’s festival
The last phase of the state-level children’s festival on the “ Use of waste material” was held yesterday. A total of 33 students participated in the rural category and 19 participated in the urban category. The results of the
competition are: Urban : Fifth class- Ekta 1, Pooja 2 and Sajjan 3 Rural: Fifth Class - Haseen 1, Shveta 2, Jagtar Singh 3 Urban : Fourth Class- Raj Rani 1, Sonu 2 and Harshdeep 3 Rural : Fourth class- Dimpy1, Iqbal Singh 2, Parveen Kumar 3 Eye check-up camp
The Servants of the People Society in collaboration with the Opthalmology Department of the GMCH, Sector 32, organised a free check-up camp at Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 15. Over 500 students were examined at the camp.
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Fast by PCCTU leaders
Chandigarh, October 7 The bills pertain to grant-in-aid for private colleges in Punjab. The office-bearers who sat on the fast were Prof SS Hundal, Prof RS Brar, Prof HS Walia, Dr Jagwant Singh, Dr Jaswant Singh, Dr Parminder Singh, and Prof Aminderpal Singh. Lecturers were protesting against the non-payment of salaries to private college teachers for the past over 10 months. They regretted that despite assurances by Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, government had failed to fulfil its commitment. The union has announced to give a call for “education bandh” in private colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh on October 19. On the given day, the private college teachers would proceed on casual leave and hold a demonstration at Matka chowk. The executive committee meeting of the PCCTU would be held on October 17.
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Man held for abandoning grandson, freed on bail
Chandigarh, October 7 Ram Gopal, an ironsmith, was arrested when the mother of the child revealed to the police that she was in the hospital for 15 days and the child was with her father during that period. The police had approached the woman as the child had been found abandoned at Mataur Chowk (the Sector 43, 44, 51 and 52 round about) on September 16. During investigation, the police traced the mother of the child but was suspecting her as she had not complained to the police about his disappearance. For tracing the family members of the child, the police had informed the beat staff. The beat staff got the information that the child of an ailing woman, who was in hospital, was missing. The police was examining if her mother also could have been involved in the abandonment. When questioned, she revealed to the police that her father had told her that he had given her child to a rich man to take care of him. The woman, who herself had been ailing for a year and has been in and out of hospital due to a skin disease, felt relieved as she feared her child might also be affected by her disease. The police refused to reveal the name of the woman. According to the police, the child had developed spots on his skin and is likely to have developed a skin disease. The maternal grandfather of the child feared that he would have to take care of the child and to spend money on his medicare. The father of the child is a migrant labourer in Punjab. The police said the woman was hospitalised for the past 15 days and the child was abandoned during this period. The police said poverty may not have been the reason for deserting the child as the ironsmith had a house of his own but the fear of the spread of the disease and a possible long treatment of the child and the mother might have been the reason behind the desertion. The police feels the issue of the safety of the child may have played upon the mind of the man. Ram Gopal was arrested after being booked under Section 317 of the IPC. He was later released on bail.
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New Releases After ‘Bend It Like Bekham’, all eyes are on Gurinder Chadha’s new film ‘Bride and Prejudice’ in English and ‘Balle Balle! Amritsar to L.A.’ dubbed in Hindi. This movie is based on Jane Austin’s classic ‘Pride and Prejudice’. It will be released at Batra, Chandigarh, and Fun Republic Mani Majra, tomorrow. The audience will find a bit of everything in this movie where the East meets the West in style. Aishwarya Rai play the role of Lalita Bakshi. Martin Henderson play a character dismissive of the Indian culture. The other stars are Anupam Kher, Nadira Babbar, Daniel Gillis, Navin Andrews, Namrata Shirodkar, Sonali Kulkarni and Marsh Mason. Saroj Khan has choreographed the film and blended it with a western influence. Deepak Nagar is the producer. The film is written by Paul Mayada Berges and Gurinder Chadha. Director of Photography is Santosh Sivan. Javed Akhtar has penned the lyrics. Anu Malik and music composer Craig Pruess (Golden Eye fame) has merged eastern and western music. * * * * Sri Adhikari Brothers and Lotus Films ‘Wajah — A Reason to Kill’ is a psychological thriller produced by Markand Adhikari and Anand Pandit. It is directed by Gautam Adhikari. The film stars are Arbaz Khan, Gracy Singh, Zulfi Syed, Shamita Shetty and Satish Kaushik. Praveen Bhardwaj has penned the lyrics for Anand Raaj Anand. Punjabi pop star Daler Mehndi has sung a song for the film and also make guest appearance’. This film will be released on Friday at K.C. Chandigarh. Life and death are two inseparable parts of one’s life. What happens when someone is informed about the time of his death ? The U.K. based company ‘Inspired Movies’ whose last release ‘ Kaun He Jo Sapno Mein Aaya ‘ could not do much in the box office. Once again try their luck with ‘Shukriya’. It is produced by Vibha-Ragini. This one is directed by debutant Anupam Sinha, brother of famous director Anubhav Sinha. Anupam Sinha has written the story and screenplay of ‘Shukriya’ that stars Aftab Shivdasani, Aarti Chhabria, Shriya Saran, Anupam Kher and Rati Agnihotri. It opens on Friday.
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Style i Geetu Vaid
Shabby hairdos or careless hairstyles can mar the effect of even the best designer outfit and expensive jewellery and yet hair is usually the last step in the ritual of dressing up. But not any more as colour, crystals and creativity have literally gone to pretty heads with a wide range of styling options available for lustrous locks now. Be it short palm-rolled twists, roller-set layered shags or shoulder-length crimps, trendy styles add that extra punch to any face and fashion. For that killing effect, pretty dames are crowning their glory with sparkling hair accessories. Hair tattoos, crystals, flowers, beads, weaving and temporary colours are the latest fad among fashionistas of all age groups in the city. ‘‘Hairstyle has always been the most versatile part of a woman’s look. But in the backdrop of today’s movement toward self-expression, we’re finding that women of all ages are experimenting with different hair accessories to create their own unique styles’’, says Rangoli Sodhi, a beauty and hair expert and owner of a Panchkula-based hair studio. ‘‘Hair accessories help people enhance and individualise their appearance and that is why it has become so popular. Whether it is a wedding, cocktails or a college function, hair accessories matching the dress is what most women are preferring these days to make fashion statement about themselves’’, says Anju, a hair and beauty expert. The stick-on and re-usable hair tattoos are very popular, says Ramandeep, manager of a city-based day spa. The hair tattoos come in different sizes and colours and range from simple to elaborate ones. These are very versatile and go well with Indo-western as well as ethnic outfits. Along with these crystals in different colours are also being used for those wanting a delicate and feminine touch. Crystals can either be stuck on the style or woven into the hair with a wire or invisible pins. Match your crystal accessory with a delicate diamond neck piece and ear-rings to dazzle everyone at a bash, says Rangoli. Temporary wash and clear colours are also very popular among the young brigade. These spray on shades in whacky copper, silver, gold, magenta, blue, and green hues. Sun-kissed hues like auburn or golden brown add dimension and depth. Shaleen, who sported a magenta highlight for freshers party in her college says,‘‘These are very convenient, quick and affordable and not like the permanent and semi-permanent colours and gave me a totally new look’’.
Flowers fresh, dry and even the ones in gota are another hair accessory that is a rage these days. Fresh flowers like glads, yellow and white lilies and even orchids, when used with imagination, have a mesmerising effect, says Anju. Many brides prefer these accessories for wedding functions, she adds. Beads, sequins and thread weaving are other options if you want to flaunt your mane and sport a different look. But to have the desired effect, hair has to look healthy, says Anju. She recommends nutritious diet and regular hair consultancy for this and use of specialised products to fight common problems of frizzy, limp and dry and dull hair. So it is time to accessorise your hair and sport the style best suited to highlight your facial features, the shape of your head, and overall look and unleash the mane magic.
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British Library to celebrate spirit behind Bookers
With a few days to go before the announcement of this year’s Booker Prize, the British Library in Chandigarh is celebrating the spirit behind the coveted honour. Mood on the library premises in Sector 9 is upbeat with the shortlist for this year’s prize adorning the centre space. Specially obtained from the UK, the six shortlisted titles have generated a near rage among city’s bibliophiles who now have another reason to devour each one of them.
This year the British Library has hit upon an ingenious way to celebrate 35 years of The Man Booker Prize (1969 to 2004). Besides procuring the shortlist, Library Manager Sushant Banerjee has also announced “Guess the Booker” contest for members of the library. The announcement has ensured that members remain constructively engaged at least till October 19, the day when the award will finally be declared in the UK. “We shall have a lottery to choose the winner of the contest which will go on simultaneously at all British Libraries in the country.” The purpose behind organising the celebration is the promotion of Bookers titles. One of the world’s most famous literary prizes, it continues to be the final recognition for anyone dabbling in English fiction. Although the British Library has been promoting the Award since its presence in Chandigarh in 2000, it is for the first time that it has decided to actively involve its members. The display of the titles is tantalising enough to entice anyone into a cursory reading. Members, however, have the advantage of getting to read them and then enter the fray for “Guess the Booker” contest. This year’s shortlist comprises Achmat Dangor’s “Bitter Fruit”; Sarah Hall’s “The Electric Michelangelo”; Alan Hollinghurst’s “The Line of Beauty”; David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas”; Colm Toibin’s “The Master” and Gerard Woodward’s “I’ll go to Bed at Noon”. The list for the Booker which was announced on August 26 can also be browsed in the local British Library. The longlist features — Matt, Thorne’s “Cherry”; Ronan Bennett’s “Havoc in its third year”; Justin Haythe’s “The Honeymoon”; Susanne Clarke’s “Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell”; James Hamilton-Paterson’s “Cooking with Frenet Branca”; Nadeem Aslam’s “Maps for Lost Lovers”; Gail Jones’s “Sixty Lights”; Lewis Desoto’s “A blade of Grass” and Shirley Hazard’s “The great fire”.
TNS
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Exploring human relationships through poetry
After graduating from the National School of Drama (NSD), Vimi Jaggi has gone places. Having acted in 50 plays and having directed at least 20, she is now back to the city of her belonging with a fresh offering titled “Parde”.
An experimental production based on the poetry of Vijay Kapoor and written by Irshaad Kamil, “Parde” brings out the inherent deficiencies in the mindsets of men who view women as mere objects of physical attention. Through a long-drawn characterisation (there are several male and several female characters in the play), the director seeks to underline the basic truth - that man and woman are two sides of the same coin. Like sun and shade they are two components of the natural cycle. Since they are critical to nature, they must learn to respect each other’s being. Speaking about her production at Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16, today, Jaggi said, “Poetry is an important part of this play, because poetry can simply lift a moment and throw it beyond the reach of time. It is so deep and intense, just as human relationships are.” Currently directing and producing advertisements in Mumbai under her own company called Fearless Productions, Vimi always makes strong points in her productions. Her latest play, produced under the aegis of Sandli Pairan Kala Kender, will be presented at Tagore Theatre on October 8 at 7 pm. Lead actors in the play will be Ateet Bhandari and Gagan
Pradeep. TNS
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Blending East and West in her creations
“I want my clothes to bring two cultures together” said city-based fashion designer Gunjan Virk. She strives to strike a synthesis between the East and the West in her creations.
But it is Phulkari in bridal clothes of Punjab in which she specialises. “ I have given a different look to the traditional Phulkari. With Sitara work and embroidery, they look very trendy and modern, she says. Her latest collection includes lehngas, designer suits and sarees. She has used vibrant red, green and orange in her creations. The fabric she has used includes georgette, crepe, linen and cotton. Experimenting with new designs and fabrics comes naturally to her. She did BA in fashion design from NIFT, Gandhinagar, Gujarat and MA in fashion design and management from Domus Academy, Milano, Italy. Her talent was recognised when she won a scholarship. At NIFT, she was given the best design collection award for graduating collection. After completing her studies at Domus, she did her internship with a British fashion designer in Milano. Besides, she bagged third prize in Swaorovski International design competition held in Milan in September 2003. She has participated in the Bridal Asia exhibition held in New Delhi at Hotel Taj Palace. She had tried her hand in making exclusive collection for bridegrooms. For grooms she has made multicoloured shirts in linen, cotton churidaars and pyjamas accessoried with phulakari stoles and bags. OC
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300 take part in audition for singing contest
Three hundred candidates took part in auditions for Singer No. 1 Muqabla, 2004, at Fun Republic, Manimajra, today. The participants were supposed to sing any Hindi film song of his or her choice.
Rajiv Gogia, a computer operator, said, “Singing is my passion and I want to take it as a profession. I keep on participating in such contests.” Atul Kumar, a student of Frankfinn Institute, said, “I have a good voice and can sing well. So I thought to take part in the contest and I think it will give a lot of exposure.” Another student of the Frankfinn said, “Singing is my hobby and I want to participate in the contest to gain confidence. But I don’t want to make singing my profession.” Interestingly three GCG Sector 11 students of MA (IInd year) Vocal, Aanchal Jalota, Rinkle Khanna and Amrita Mishra were confident and had come to gain experience in their life.” We hope that we will definitely get a chance to show our creative skills” they added.
OC
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