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2004: IN RETROSPECT
Chandigarh, December 26 A city girl, Aaina Jain, who was part of a team comprising students from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology and Budha Dal School, managed to beat seven finalists’ teams in the final round of a contest organised by the American Institute of Aeronautical and Astronautics Designing at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The students were supposed to design a futuristic human settlement in space. The services of teachers did not go unnoticed when the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, honoured Ms P. Cheema, Principal of St John’s School, and Mr Karan Singh, Principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 33, with the State-Level Computer Literacy Award. The city known as the Mecca of education saw some unsavory incidents. At least three cases of sexual harassment made it to the headlines in the local newspapers. A primary teacher of Guru Gobind Singh Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, had alleged sexual harassment at the hands of the principal. Then a teacher of Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 37, was charged with sexually harassing a student. The UT Education Department had to transfer the teacher after the police registered a case against him under Section 384 of the IPC. In another case of sexual harassment, the staff in the regional office of the CBSE, known for conducting Class X and XII examinations, also got embroiled in a case. Some employees levelled allegations of sexual harassment against the regional officer of the board. An employee of the board attempted suicide, demanding justice for his women colleagues. Tightening its rope around private schools running in the residential areas, the Chandigarh Administration gave an ultimatum to the schools to shut their operation by March, 2005. Demanding amendments in the bylaws, the school managements organised dharna and rallies throughout the year. Private schools, running from allotted sites, were also asked by the previous UT Administrator, Justice OP Verma (retd), to have 5 per cent quota for poor students. With land becoming scarce in the city, the Chandigarh Administration took up the issue of the established schools having surplus land. The issue died its own death. To encourage the meritorious students, the previous UT Administrator announced financial support to the students of non-government model schools who had scored the first three positions. The students, Sandeep Kumar, Bhavna Verma and Mandeep Kaur, were given a four-year education package by the administration. This year, the pass percentage of the local schools improved from 74.96 per cent in 2003 to 79.92 in 2004. Girls were ahead of boys as far as the overall pass percentage was concerned. The initiative taken by the UT Education Department to equip students with business acumen while pursuing vocational education in school caught the attention of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
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DAV school celebrates annual function
Tribune News Service
Panchkula, December 26 The patriotic spirit came to the fore in the dance performances on remixes and the theme of “unity in diversity” was visible when they presented a parody of Haryanavi, Rajasthani and Gujarati dances. A bhangra item marked the end of the programme and concluded with a grand finale which saw the staff and DAV fraternity take to the stage and present the national anthem. A solo dance item, presented by Kamya of lower kindergarten on “Satyam Shivam Sundaram”, earned her a cash prize of Rs 500. The Vice-President of ACC (Marketing), Mr Vivek Agnihotri, was the chief guest while Mr Subhash Marriya, Regional Director-cum-Manager, DAV Public School, was the guest of honour. The prize-winners were honoured on the occasion while the coordinator of the junior wing, Ms Sushma Khosla, welcomed the guests and presented the school report at the function. DPS high on X-mas spirits: Christmas was celebrated with the traditional fervour at the Delhi Public School, Panchkula and Pinjore, yesterday. Santa Claus distributed sweets and gifts to the children and mingled with the children in the brightly decorated classrooms.Contests in carol singing, designing cards and best-dressed classroom were held. All classes participated in the contests. A magic show was organised for the children and a bell-shaped cake was cut on the occasion.
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Gaurav Gaur wins elocution contest
Chandigarh, December 26 While Mr Gaurav Gaur of the Servants of People Society bagged first prize, Namasya Nirjhar of Srinagar, Garhwal, got second and Mr Shreshtha Nand of Solan third prize. The contest was held on “Bharat — The Golden Sparrow — myth or a reality” and “Addiction-free youth”. In the essay-writing contest — on “Importance of values in life” and “Role of youth in reconstruction of clean and healthy society” — Sunita of Srinagar, Garhwal University, came first, Bhisham Thakur of Solan came second, while Sushma Negi of DAV Uttaranchal finished third. In another session, the importance of holistic health was discussed by Dr R.P. Gaba and Dr Mukesh Gaba. The experts were of the opinion that holistic health comprised physical, mental, social and spiritual health and weakness of any of these faculties could create an imbalance. Brahma Kumari Kruti, zonal coordinator of the Youth Wing of Gujarat, spoke on concentration, which, she said, could be developed by creating continuous positive thoughts. Participants from various universities and youth organisations of six states — Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal and the city — took part in the contests.
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2004: IN RETROSPECT
Chandigarh, December 26 The year began with the Burail jailbreak case in January when three prime accused in the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh — Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jagtar Singh Tara and Paramjit Bheora — made a sensational escape from the high-security Burail Jail here. High drama was witnessed with the accused, allegedly connected to the jailbreak, being produced in different courts. As the year came to a close, trial in the case continued with hardly any end in sight. Human rights activists continued to be active, sometimes raising frivolous issues. However, the legal fight between Capt Amarinder Singh and Mr Parkash Singh Badal, former Chief Minister, continued unabated, eclipsing all legal battles. In one of the cases filed by Mr Sukhbir Singh, charges were framed against the Chief Minister by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Ms Paramvir Nijjar, kicking up a political storm in the state. However, the office of the Chief Minister denied reports saying that charges had “technically” not been framed. Another high-profile case involving charges of corruption against the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, which raised a lot of dust in the courts with allegations and counter-allegations flying high, was stayed by the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr Justice B.K. Roy, made his first visit to the court premises as the Inspecting Judge. He urged the legal fraternity to be above board in the wake of involvement of certain judges and lawyers in the infamous Forest Hill Resort case. Employees of the District Courts continued to be at the receiving end of the law enforcement agencies with three of them being arrested on corruption charges. Chinks in the court security were exposed with one undertrial escaping from a court and another accused jumping to death from the fourth floor. Even as various lok adalats were organised, the disposal of cases remained poor with over 60,000 cases reportedly pending in different courts. The District Bar Association (DBA) and various wings of the UT Administration came on the collision course more than once. While the DBA and the Estate Office crossed swords over the removal of canteen from the court premises, the lawyers gheraoed the Sector 17 police station after a DBA member was allegedly harassed by the police. And towards the end of the year, elections to the DBA were announced. As the courts adjourned for winter break on January 24, hectic lobbying for various posts of the DBA, elections to which are scheduled to be held on January 21, got under way.
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Police remand for company Director
Mohali, December 26 Surinderjeet Singh, resident of Chandigarh, was directed by Duty Magistrate Ranjan Khullar to be produced again before the court here on Monday. The prosecution sought a five-day police remand of the accused for recovering the money and ascertaining whether the accused had also defrauded any other persons. The prosecution informed the court that Parveen Kumar, resident of Yamunanagar in Haryana, and his two associates Amarnath and Satinder Kumar, were promised jobs by the accused after allegedly accepting Rs 36,000 from them but neither he fulfilled his promise nor returned the money. The prosecution informed that a case under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC was registered against the accused.
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5 remanded in shootout case
Mohali, December 26 Harjap Singh, his wife Harjinder Kaur and sons Jatinder Singh and Satinder Singh, residents of Daon village, besides one of their relatives Parminder Singh, were remanded in the custody by Duty Magistrate Ranjan Khullar. While Parminder Singh was arrested yesterday, the other four were arrested hours after the incident. Informing the court the prosecution said Raghubeer Singh (60) and his son Harmesh Singh (25) sustained minor injuries in the shootout, which was result of the dispute over the leadership of the Residents’ Welfare Association of the locality, in which both parties reside, and a piece of land. The prosecution told the court that an Indian Ordnance pistol, which Jatinder had reportedly purchased only a couple of days back and used in the crime was recovered. The accused have been booked under Sections 307, 148, 149 and 34 of the IPC and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act, on the statement of Raghubeer Singh.
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Embezzlement case: remand for clerk
Mohali, December 26 Bhupinder Singh was directed by Duty Magistrate Ranjan Khullar to be produced before the court here on Monday. The prosecution sought a 14-day remand of the accused for recovering the amount. The prosecution informed the court that some time back, the contract of carcasses in the limits of the Mohali Municipal Council was auctioned to a private party for Rs 16,000 and the accused allegedly accepted the contract amount from the contractor but had not deposited the same with the municipal council.
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Children have fun with theatre
Chandigarh, December 26 Hailing from Britain, she belongs to the school that attaches utmost importance to the power of speech and drama in shaping the mindsets of children. A trained and qualified teacher in speech and drama from Magic Moments, Institute of Creative Learning, United Kingdom, Suprita Gill has been using her training to help children identify their latent talents with the help of specially structured games and activities. She was in Chandigarh today to conduct one such training workshop which got a tremendous response. Organised by British Library in two sessions today, the workshop was not about theories of speech and drama. Instead it was woven around all the basic elements that appeal to most of children. Fun was the bottomline in the workshop held in two separate sessions at the British Library. Through a number of fun activities, the workshop helped in bringing children closer together and inspired them to work like a team. The initial exercise was aimed at helping the participants break ice. The ice breaker games were interesting and energetic, much to the liking of young participants. Also there were the usual theatre exercises like breathing, especially evolved to enhance concentration levels. Relaxation techniques were also taught but not in a manner that makes children feel that they are being tutored. Then came the real part of the workshop in which Suprita helped children understand the meaning of mini drama and the relevance of elements like music and movement to such a drama. Among the interesting things she shared with children were “a booklet on my best friend”, “tips on writing poetry using finger play” and much more. Aptly titled, “That’s what friends are for”, the workshop was meant for children between the age group four and seven years. Season of events Inspired by the festive season, the British Library has announced many new events, besides deciding to launch some new sections for its readers. Most of the launches will happen in the very first week of the New Year. While Readers Club is the latest one to make an entry to the Library’s list of special facilities, the Library is also ready to launch another section on “Teenage Collection” for young readers. Next in the series of workshops for members is the one called “I’m Lovin it”, another speech and drama workshop for teenagers in the age group 10 to 14 years. Not just that, the Library will also reopen its membership in the New Year. January 9 has been fixed for reopening of membership.
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Bhajan Sandhya at Tagore Theatre
Chandigarh, December 26 The programme was sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Haryana and Department of Public Relations, Chandigarh Administration. Divine fervour pervaded in Tagore Theatre as young amateur artistes of Sai Arts sang and danced to the tunes of holy musical compositions. After a welcome ‘arti’ by Surbhi Sood about 30 artistes participated in the two-hour bonanza of religious songs, mainly from films. Chandni Malhotra induced some thrills in the controlled dancing spell with invocation of Lord Jagannatha. Maintaining the pace Arzoo Upadhya gave a scintillating performance with technical perfection. Gurpreet Kaur completely submitted to the lordship of Shiva, projected her state of mind through a captivating dance. Drishti Choudhry and Shritshti Choudhry won applause enacting the ‘Vishvamitra — Menka episode. |
Santa fails to keep date with these kids
It was a dream come true for a city mom when she saw an advertisement in a local newspaper from a store that offered to have gifts delivered to children by Santa himself. Excited to see Santa at the doors step, her children preferred to remain indoors lest they missed Santa in person. But for four-year-old Parsha Bansal and her three-year-old brother Rashab, it was only disappointment in store. “Now they may just grow up thinking that Santa does not visit every child’s home”.
“My kids are a disappointed lot. They did not move out of the house the entire day and even refused an invitation from their grandpa to celebrate Christmas with him at Jagadhari because they were sure Santa would bring them gifts”, says Mrs Pooja Bansal, mother of Parsha and Rashab, in a complaint against the Sector 9 store that claims to be a “complete store for moms to be, new moms and kids”. Narrating her experience with the store, Mrs Bansal said she had seen an advertisement in the newspaper that read “get a gift delivered by Santa to your little heart throb!” after which she purchased a trouser for her daughter and a night suit for her son. For this she was issued a cash receipt of Rs 955 bearing number 01006425 on December 20. The store promised to send the Santa with gifts and also another surprise gift on behalf of the store. Mrs Bansal said till 9.30 pm on Christmas the children kept on sting at the door of the Sector 45-A house waiting for Santa. Finally past 10.30 pm after they fell asleep, a delivery man from the store, who was not dressed as Santa came in a Toyota Qualis (number CH02-9043) with one gift that the mother of the children refused to accept. “There was no point in taking one gift, especially when the children for whom it was meant to be had gone to sleep after a daylong wait. They cried like never before and passed each minute with their eyes glued to the gate”. The owner of store, Ms Tanu Mehtani, admitted that the lapse had taken place. She said on Christmas a child had got hurt and required stitches while in the store. To pacify the crying child, parents of the hurt child had insisted that the Santa remained besides him till the kid felt better. “I could not say no and in the process the delivery got delayed”. An employee of the store, Mr. Ranbir Singh too confirmed that he had taken the gifts to the Bansal kids around 10.30 pm, but Mrs. Bansal refused to accept them saying that the children were already asleep. He, however, blamed a fault in the delivery vehicle as the reason for the delay. But he did not mention the incident involving the hurt to the child. Mrs Bansal said she was pained at the attitude of those running the store, as she had so far not received any note of apology or call for the lapse. She said she was now determined to approach the consumer court and press charges of “deficiency in services” against the store and also explore the possibilities of legally proceeding against the store for causing agony to her
children. TNS
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An ode to woman
IN this male-dominated world, woman has always been portrayed as a mere shadow of her male partner since time immemorial. However, with the changing times, she too has undergone a change. From a “Frailty thy name is....” to a woman of substance persona, it is an odyssey of sort that she undertook to storm the citadel of male dominance.
However, much against her traditional portrayal, Baljit Singh, a city sculptor and painter, has resurrected the real woman — a doting mother, a devoted spouse, a dutiful daughter, a dedicated homemaker, an able administrator and, to top it all, the progenitor of this universe. Baljit, whose imposing stage backdrop at the Dev Samaj College of Education for Girls, Sector 36, has become the cynosure of all eyes and is busy giving finishing touches to this “dream-come-true” creation depicting woman in myriad shades. Baljit says, “He completed the theme project in a record time of one-and-a-half months, working day and night. It is my maiden soul-satisfying experiment in sand”. An inquisitive visitor is simply intrigued as he or she beholds in wonder Baljit’s earthy creations in sand forming the formidable backdrop — a woman holding a book in her hand reflecting her in-depth knowledge, helping a pigeon fly, portraying her as a votary of peace, patting a peacock depicting her legendary love for birds, crossing a dense wood portraying her as an epitome of courage, holding a “sitar” and her dancing posture exihibiting her enduring love for music. At the middle of the backdrop is the college insignia. The project envisioned by this affable artist, the first of its kind in the city’s educational institutions, with woman as the leitmotif, has inspired one and all on the college campus for whom “these are not mere statues in sand”. Baljit says he has used spray paint in different shades to heighten the visual impact of the figures. Greatly inspired by the works of master painters Sobha Singh and Mehar Singh, Baljit has offered to conduct free classes in city schools and colleges” for upcoming artists who are oblivious of their amazing artistic capabilities”. Says college Principal, Dr Satinder Dhillon: “I had cherished a dream in my heart of hearts to create something epoch-making for posterity. Baljit has indeed delved deep into my psyche and translated my dreams into reality.”
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City pulsed with celebrities, parties
The year 2004 saw quite a noticeable chunk of Chandigarhians leaving their inherited pattern of thought and behaviour behind. They adapted themselves to the winds of change sweeping the globe well. The city ably reflected a blend where traditions were obeyed and new values appreciated.
AMITABH BACHCHAN: The Shehanshah of Bollywood was the toast of all social gatherings who was in the city for almost a month.The ageing superstar was here for the shooting of “Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyon’. From meeting his long lost cousin to being at Kewal Dhillon’s bashes or catching up with old school friends from Nainital - Aby Baby wooed the city folks no end. BOTOX: The anti-ageing shots were the “haute” thing this year. The age-old quest of women to remain forever young was fully encashed. The concept got more popular as a number of women decided to “regain” the youth. CELEBRITIES: Even as the high-flying socialites vied with each other for getting that extra coverage on the Page 3, or rather the pull outs, it was the heavy stream of film stars, including King Khan- Shah Rukh Khan, theatre personalities, celebrity chefs and other Page 3 people from the metros, who had the city pulse going. DIAMONDS: Sleek diamond jewellery, set in platinum, was the accessory to flaunt at various social gatherings. Though the ‘rocks’ (solitaires) were still the favourites, it was the shapes and the cartage that mattered on the snob-o-meter. Pear-shaped, round, oval, one karat to 11 karats — hi-flying city women kept asking for more. EXHIBITIONS: Right from chocolates, designer clothes to electronic goods, exhibitions became the launching pad for many products. Exhibitions also became must to successfully sell the paintings, hand made products and other skills of city residents. FOREIGN BRANDS: Brand- conscious city people welcomed the entry of imported products with open arms. Be it exotic perfumes, juices, wine, shoes or electronic goods, these were enjoyed and flaunted endlessly. Many branded flagship stores made their entry in the city this year. GUZZLERS: Gulpers in the city swallowed loads of variety of imported wines and liquor for which they had been given easy access for the first time. City restaurants too tempted them with their luxury bars and lounges, which specially targeted women. Women drinkers, including college- going girls, increased in numbers. HIGH TEA: Evening parties caught people’s fancy this year. Rocking in the evening gave busy executives the much-needed breathing space and suited them healthwise. I-POD: The latest fad to catch the generation X’s imagination was this pocket-size gadget. Music maniacs in the city could carry up to 10,000 of their favourite songs anywhere they wanted to. ‘JASSI JAISI KOI NAHIN’: This serial left a deep impact on the people’s mindset. Now guys are falling for simple- looking girls and able to see beyond the glamour and physical beauty. Reading the change, other serials following the Jassi philosophy like ‘Ye Meri Life Hai’ followed. KITTY PARTIES: These parties no longer remained the domain of women. Men and children joined them making it a complete family affair. Displaying wardrobe, family heirlooms and jewellery remained its primary area of focus. However, gossiping as usual was the basic ingredient of entertainment at these parties. LOUNGES: The idea of couples snatching some moments together in relaxed ambience gained ground with the opening of many lounges in the city. Earlier, the city residents had to only Golf Club to look to. City restaurants could not have asked for more. These are becoming perfect places to let go of onesell. Coming years will see many more lounges in the city. MULTIPLEX: The city’s first multiplex brought many changes. The fun of shopping, eating and entertainment at one place caught on. The success of the first mall in Chandigarh, paved the way for the mall culture, with sites being sold in neighbouring Panchkula, and several cinema halls in the city trying to convert into multiplexes. (To be continued)
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Elements of space brought to life
Art almost always reflects elements of the space where it has been created. To that extent, organisers of regional the printmaking workshop, which concluded at Government Art College, Sector 10, this evening, did well to exhibit the art works in the studio where they were created over the past seven days.
A churning of ideas is palpable in each of the 10 works that resulted from the artistic collaboration among artists who practice at Garhi Studio, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi. The participants managed to rise beyond the restriction of mediums (etching and lithography) and create forms that pulsate with life, hence purpose. Most of the creations are figurative, with just about one standing out for a varied choice of theme. And this one is all about the play of silence across the canvas of life. Created by Monika Rana, a young printmaker, the work creates space for silence. Nirmal Prakash has played around with space and texture to bring to life all that is fugitive in any given form of nature. Focus on the infinite is the hallmark of his creation. Somnath, on the other hand, reflects joy in abandon as he uses the medium to create happy images, especially of human body and all that it is capable of. Anu Gupta uses the power of imagination to weave impressive patterns using negative and positive space. Jammu’s Yoginder Gupta is more social in his artistic pursuits as he uses lithography to share his own encounters with fellow human beings. The work has a strong tinge of purpose as it unconsciously celebrates the joy of togetherness. Vishwajit Mandal brings alive shadows better than forms. He creates illusions of space in which he plays around with forms and shadows, the latter being more visible than the former. Manikant Choudhary has drawn greatly from nature by creating a fantasy through a unique blend of humanity and nature. As man and nature merge in forms, environmental concerns move centre stage. Rakesh Bani’s works on the other hand are all about delightful expressions of rhythm, while Shweta Raina utilises the negative and positive space to create melody in art. The senior-most printmaker of the workshop, Uttam Basak, has created wonderful figurative patterns which reflect deep poetic sentiments.
TNS
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THE Chandigarh Institute of Performing Arts (CIPA) has been engaged in the promotion of theatre arts through performances and cultural exchange programmes to other countries.
In one of its annual events titled “Dancer of the year-2004” 46 artistes participated for the laurels in the dance competition based on folk, films and western numbers, held at the Government Polytechnic for Woman today. CIPA Director Shyam Juneja declared the results of the annual competition. Best female dancer — Ripudaman Kaur, best male dancer — Tanish, best dancing youth of the year — Mini Goyal and Yuvraj, best group dance team — Amolak dance group, Ambala.
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