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A spate of
kidnappings keeps parents on tenterhooks, security at schools
stepped up
Bollywood flicks inspire teenage hoax callers
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 Vasant Utsav at its melodious
bestSPRING , in its multi-hued splendour, found an equally impressive ally during the Vasant Utsav celebrations at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts here. Nature, its rejuvenation mode in full swing, was lent a mellifluous touch by the notes of sitar that floated all through the evening. Ustad Rais Khan with his son Farhan
Sant Hira Dass Kanya Maha Vidyalaya caters to education
Rain damages potato seed crop in Doaba region
Poor arrangements at recruitment rally leave candidates
Steroids leave 27-yr-old bedridden; hip replacement surgery cures him
FROM THE COLLEGES
FROM THE SCHOOLS
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A spate of
kidnappings keeps parents on tenterhooks, security at schools stepped up
Security
of children has all of a sudden become the core issue for most of the parents in the city. The spine-chilling incidents of kidnappings in the adjoining cities of Hoshiarpur and Amritsar have left the parents a worried lot. The parents have become more vigilant about their children now.
Most of the parents now drop their children to school and take them back home themselves. Some of them even accompany their children to the tuition centres and hobby classes. The children have been advised not to frolic around after the school is over. The parents have been holding counselling sessions for their little ones for hours at home daily. The children have been told about the kidnapping cases on television and through newspapers and have been advised to be wary about strangers approaching them. A long list of do’s and don’ts has been handed over to them. Says Mr Jatinder Pal Singh, father of two school-going children, “I have told my children not to talk to any strangers while on their way to school or back home. They have been told not to accept any eatables from any unknown person. I have also told them to be alert and raise an alarm if they see a car approaching them.” Mr Sanjeev Rattan, parent of a child studying in St Joseph Convent School, too believes that it is the parents who shoulder the maximum responsibility for their little ones. “We cannot simply blame it on the school authorities, for they are responsible for our wards only till they are inside their premises. We cannot also blame it on the police personnel, for there are so many schools in the city and they cannot patrol around all of them simultaneously.” He added, “My six-year-old son used to go to school in auto rickshaw. But now we have decided that I would get him back from the school myself. The school is far off from our home, but I manage to take out some time from my business. I have decided that I will continue to do so for two years till he grows up.” Even if the children are studying in two different schools having different timings, either of the two parents still manage to spare time to drop their children to schools and get them back home. Ms Rekha, who has two little children — one studying in Kidzee Play School and the other one at St Joseph Convent School — is one such parent. She said, “After hearing about the kidnapping cases, I decided to take it upon myself to drop my kids to school and take them back home.” While earlier the parents held the approach of making their kids ‘independent’ by sending them out for errands but not any more. Said Ms Deepa Gupta, “Even though our house is close to the school, I still drop my eight-year-old son to the school daily. Earlier, he was going for tuitions and to the market on his own. But now I accompany him.” Some parents, who cannot get their children on their own, have given special instructions to the buggey walas, auto drivers and bus drivers. Said Mr Edward, “My daughter comes back from school in a buggey as usual and I have told the buggey wala not to drop her outside the house till my wife comes to take her in.” Ms Shelly Gupta and Ms Monica Gupta, parents of children studying at St Francis School, said that their sons were coming home in school buses that could not enter the narrow lanes of their houses. They said that earlier their children used to come home from the bus stop on their own, now they accompanied them from the stop. “We stand at the stop at least 10 minutes before they are scheduled to come so that in case the bus comes a little early, they do not run around.” Mr James Sandhu, a parent and teacher, said “Since my kids are studying in the same school where I teach, they come and go along with me. As a teacher, I have advised my students to keep away from strangers. Since examinations are on these days, we also do not let them go out of the gates till the school is over.” While the police authorities claim that they have been patrolling outside the majority of the schools, particularly in morning and afternoon, the Tribune team that went around a number of schools in the city did not see any police personnel deployed there. The only effort that the district police had made was to hold a meeting with the school heads asking them to be more cautious. Mr S.K. Asthana, SSP, said he had deputed policemen outside all schools in morning and afternoon. “They have been told to remain on the vigil till all students leave the school. The antecedents of all such criminals, who are out on bail or have been released after completing their terms of punishment, are also being verified. A check is also being made in jails where inmates could be masterminding such incidents or training others lodged in the jails,” he said.
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Bollywood flicks inspire teenage hoax callers
The
district police has arrested two minors for their unsuccessful attempt to extort money by issuing a threat of kidnapping the son of a transporter here.
According to police, one Rajinder Verma of Qazian Mohalla received an anonymous call that his 14-year-old son, Jatin, had been kidnapped and the former should give Rs 2 crore to secure his son’s release. Subsequently, Mr Verma reached the police station concerned to lodge a formal complaint, even as Jatin reportedly returned home. The police registered a case under Section 385 of the IPC and started investigation. The call was traced and it was found that Rahul, a student of class VIII, and Mukesh, a student of class VII, had attempted to extort money by issuing the threat to kidnap Jatin. Both of them were arrested from their respective houses situated in Gopal Nagar locality here. They revealed that it was the sheer influence of some movies that motivated them to attempt extortion, even as they did not actually kidnap Jatin. The arrested minors were later released on bail. The district police would present their case in juvenile court.
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Vasant Utsav at its melodious
best
Spring,
in its multi-hued splendour, found an equally impressive ally during the Vasant
Utsav celebrations at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts here. Nature, its
rejuvenation mode in full swing, was lent a mellifluous touch by the notes of
sitar that floated all through the evening.
Renowned sitarist Ustad Rais Khan
played sitar, his uniquely mesmerising style evident throughout the performance.
Starting with Raaga Charukeshi, his sitar-vaadan touched the chords of audience’s
hearts. His son Farhan, an upcoming sitarist, and tabla player Tilakraj
accompanied him during the programme. Ustad Khan, whose father and guru Ustad
Mohammed Khan was sitar, surbahar and veena maestro, started his musical odyssey
at the young age of five. However, it’s not only sitar that is Ustad Khan’s
forte, he is a noted vocalist, too. He considers music to be his mainstay and
the raison d’etre of his life. During the early part of the Vasant Utsav, young vocalist Amardeep Singh from Patiala Gharana showed both maturity and grace in his performance. Already a veteran in musical presentations, this vocalist has participated in Shree Baba Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan also. According
to Mr S.S. Ajimal, Director, Shri Baba Harballabh Sangeet Mahasabha, the Vasant
Utsav is a part of the trilogy of utsavs that include Malhar Utsav and Hemant
Utsav. “Our sangeet mahasabha organises these three utsavs every year. The
Vasant Utsav is a musical tribute to spring season,” he added. — Photo by
SS Chopra
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Canadian charity launches rare medical mission
It
was a medical mission with a difference. A 24-member medical team from Canada which comprised plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses descended on Jalandhar and operated upon patient after patient with such missionary zeal and practical precision that left many a surgeon in the field in complete awe and admiration.
And if to match their zeal and approach, Dr Shangara Singh, a well-known surgeon from the region, rose to fufil the team’s medical needs by placing his hospital at the command of the visiting doctors. Swaying in the same stream flowed help from the Association of Surgeons of Jalandhar and Helpline Jalandhar. More help followed from Sant Dukohawale and Mrs General Sandhu who seemed to transform the whole occasion into a movement. Though surgery is not the end to a cleft patient’s problems and he may require further surgeries, speech therapy, orthodontic or prosthodontic care, yet the 10-day medical mission lauched by the Operation Rainbow, Canada, at Jalandhar recently went a long way in creating awareness among the masses about the cleft lip and palate deformity, which a few unfortunate suffer from birth. Operation Rainbow was founded in 1998 as a registered charity at the initiative of Dr Kimit Rai for the purpose of providing surgical help to patients. Dr Rai was born of parents of Indian descent in Malaysia where he did his schooling and medical graduation. During this period, he also visited Chennai on a fellowship. However, later he shifted to Canada where he did his postgraduation from the University of British Columbia. Having finished the studies, he began his career at the Simon Frazer Health Region in Vancouver. Though he set up Operation Rainbow in 1998, he had earlier volunteered to work with Rainbow USA in 1994. As member of the Rainbow USA, he went on medical missions to the Phillipines and Mexico. Having gained enough experience in four years, Dr Rai set up Operation Rainbow with skeleton volunteer crew. Since its inception in 1998, Operation Rainbow has conducted 12 medical missions across the globe. The Rainbow team comprises 24 members with surgeons, anaesthesiologists, paediatricians and nurses specialized in pre-operation and ICU care. Dr Rai and Dr Don Fitzpatric are plastic surgeons while Dr Bob Purdy, Dr Bill Abbot and Dr Natalie Buu are anaesthesiologists. Then there are two residents, plastic surgery, in Dr Sean Bristol and Dr Rod Chew. There are three members in the Canadian team who actually belong to Punjab but have now settled in Canada. Mandeep Kaur Gill, Amanpreet Minhas and Rani Mann, all fall in this category. Interestingly, the team also has Ralph Visscher who records the whole mission on video. It is not that only the Canadian doctors performed operations. Local surgeons Dr Shangara Singh, his son Dr J.P. Singh and plastic surgeon Dr Chanjeev Singh lent support in conducting operations which began as early as 8 am and ended as late as 8 pm. The rush for surgical help was so much that despite long hours during the 10-day mission, only about 70 operations could be performed though 190 patients had got themselves registered. The Canadian delegation had brought in some medicines with it. Those along with other medicines and consumer durables were all given free to patients and their attendants. A local philanthropist, who wanted his identity under veil, served food to all patients. Dr Kimit Rai and his team were so overwhelmed by the help provided, that they are contemplating visiting Jalandhar again for a similar medical mission. On the Indian side, Dr Shangara Singh, Dr J.P. Singh and Dr Chanjeev Singh maintained that they would continue operating the rest of the patients with similar zeal and in same spirit so that what has been gained is not lost in due course of time. Not only this, Dr Shangara Singh has decided to set up a trust to provide follow-up services and also operate patients requiring urgent cure and care. The surgeon insisted that proper guidance and education of the patients and parents will be the thrust area of the trust as and when it is formed. The camp organized at Jalandhar was the first of its kind in the private sector. As for Operation Rainbow, it organizes charity shows and makes auctions to generate funds for this noble cause. Team members do not believe in basking in the glory of their charitable work but also interact with local doctors and nurses and keep undating their knowledge through seminars during such medical trips.
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‘Informed consent of patients a must’
Medical
professionals have taken on the role of specialists in cosmetic care these days. However, the ethical aspects of cosmetology, particularly cosmetic surgery, must not be ignored. The informed consent of patients is imperative. Dr Anu Pal Goel, a city-based dermatologist who was appointed as visiting observer fellow in the National Skin Centre (NSC) Advanced Dermatology Fellowship Programme, said this while talking to Jalandhar Plus.
She said people world over were willing to get under scalpel at the drop of a hat. So, there was a need for strict legislation. "Indian laws are lax. It's time to modify the laws keeping in view the changing medical scenario. Cosmetology has come of age, finally. Today, if there are some patients who visit a dermatologist for treatment of eczema, there are also a good number of patients who go to a dermatologist to get their blotches cleared," she explained. In some places, however, quacks have a field day. They make tall promises, which are seldom fulfilled. Patients, instead of consulting dermatologists, fall into the trap of these quacks, said Dr Goel. "The quacks must be weeded out of the profession," she emphasised, adding that most skin diseases are curable, provided they are treated at the right time in the right manner. Dr Goel's fellowship would conclude on February 28. She said her experience at Singapore was educative and she had learnt a good deal about the latest techniques. Dermatology has quite a few unexplored facets and it is a growing field, she added. Explaining the goals and objectives of the NSC, she said it was incorporated as a subsidiary of the Health Corporation of Singapore Pte Ltd, a government-owned company, on June 9, 1988. "The NSC's objectives are to concentrate specialists into one institution, facilitate sub-specialisation and be the national focus for the treatment, research and training on all aspects of skin diseases," added Dr Goel.
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Sant Hira Dass Kanya Maha Vidyalaya caters to education of rural women
In
the absence of any state government initiative for years together, residents of Kala Sanghian village in Kapurthala led by a group of votaries for women empowerment — Mr Pritam Singh Sangha, Mr Jai Singh, Mr Jagtar Singh, Mr Narinder Singh and Mr Shingara Singh — joined hands in the year 1986 to set up a single faculty academy for girl students. This academy was initially operated from the four rooms of the village gurdwara.
With the passage of time, the academy acquired the status of multi-faculty Sant Hira Dass Kanya Maha Vidyalaya — a postgraduate institution — with strength of over 700 girl students. The college now caters to students of 131 villages of Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts. The multi-disciplinary college, affiliated with Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, offers courses in humanities, science, economics, non-medical and computer sciences. The college has recently introduced job-oriented diploma courses of one year duration. These courses include information technology and web designing, computer maintenance and networking, functional English, interior decoration, textile designing and tailoring and home management under the aegis of the UGC. Besides, the college is going to introduce B.Com from the coming academic session. Mr Pritam Singh Sangha, president of the management committee, recalls, "The first session of the college started in July 1986 with 56 students. We went door-to-door for motivating parents to send their wards for studies, as during those days parents considered it against their family traditions to send girl children to study in a college. But we prevailed upon them to change their mindset and slowly the people of the area realised the importance of women's education. Today, over 700 students hailing from 131 villages are studying here." In this era of spiritual and moral bankruptcy, the college strives hard to inculcate ethical values among the students to ensure latter's overall development, say college authorities. To encourage more and more students within a radius of 30 km of the college to continue with the higher studies, the college has its own fleet of 10 buses for the convenience of the students. Two computer labs, a dress design workshop, a music room, a well-catalogued computerised library having more than 2000 books on various subjects — all are used to ensure better and effective learning among the students. Besides, the college has its own yearly publication — "Oasis" and "Khoj Vichar". Holding seminars, debates, workshops and conferences is a regular feature here, reveal college authorities. The college has recently received a development grant of Rs 35.95 lakh from the UGC to upgrade women's hostel facilities and library extension, purchase of library books and other equipments. Besides, this is the only college in Doaba region selected for the UGC grant under the Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PUARA) Programme, Dr Surjit Kaur, Principal of the college, tells us. The NSS wing of the college has launched an aggressive awareness campaign against female foeticide and dowry system by holding "nukkad nataks" and rallies across the villages. Besides, it regularly conducts blood donation and tree plantation camps. A peer team of NAAC, which very recently conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the educational facilities at the college, too complimented the efforts of the college managing committee in imparting quality education to girl students without getting much monetary help either from the state or the Central government.
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Rain damages potato seed crop in Doaba region
The
potato seed crop of Doaba region of the state, which caters to the demand of seeds from all over the country, has been heavily damaged in the recent spell of heavy to moderate rains leaving farmers in acute financial crises.
According to agriculture experts, out of a total potato seed crop cultivated in an area of more than 35000 acres of Doaba region, more than 50 per cent has already been damaged. The state horticulture department officials maintained that only 40 per cent of the total crop could be harvested in the region so far, as rain spell proved disastrous for farmers, who were expecting a good output this time. The four state government owned potato farms at
Malsian, Dhogri, Kartarpur and Noormahal, which had 125 acres of land under potato seed crop, too suffered heavy losses as the entire crop got damaged. Mr Hardyal Singh, Assistant Director, horticulture department, maintains, "The damage is devastating, as 50 per cent of the crop has been damaged during the recent spell of rains. Apart from damage to the crop on production accounts, there is every possibility of adverse impact on quality of potato seed," he revealed. During a visit to the adjoining villages, including Chohank Kalan,
Hazara, Bolina, Patara, Johlan and Kangniwal, the Tribune team found that though the farmers were busy in harvesting the crop, they were facing storage problems, as customers were not coming forward to purchase the potato seed. "Due to reported adverse impact of rain on the quality of potato seed this time, the customers are not keen to purchase potato seed. I have invested my hard-earned money for better profits, but all is lost now," rues Paramjit Singh, a farmer at Chohank Kalan village. The wholesale price of potato seed has witnessed a steep downfall, as a 50 kg bag is now available for Rs 70 as compared to Rs 90 to Rs 100 before the rain spell. Usually harvesting of the crop starts in the first week of February, but before the potato growers of the area could have started the same, the fields were already logged with rain water, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sangha, a progressive farmer and general secretary of the Potato Growers' Association, tells us. Amarjit Singh of Patara village reveals, "I borrowed money to cultivate potato crop during this season, but the damage to the crop has put me in deep financial crises. The state government should announce a compensation package for the potato growers to save them." The farmers are also in quandary over charges they would have to bear for storage of potato seed, in case of less demand this time.
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Poor arrangements at recruitment rally leave candidates queued up in rain
Over
10,000 candidates participating in the recruitment rally here had to suffer inconvenience on the very first day of the rally, owing to inadequate arrangements made by the army. On the very first day of the rally last Friday, applicants from five neighbouring districts of Jalandhar braved heavy downpour and chill for over 12 hours as they stood in serpentine queues awaiting a token in the open Dogra Grounds of Jalandhar Cantonment.
Drenched from head to toe, the boys who had started queuing up at 3 am could not leave their queues till 3 pm, when they were told that the rally had been postponed. Even the local army officers who had been assigned the duty to check the certificates of the candidates and provide them a token were drenched, as the small tents provided to them were without any waterproof cover and had several perforations. The work of issuing tokens went on very slowly. They had to stop their work during the heavy downpour because the original certificates and other documents that the boys were to present were getting wet. Though as many as 10,000 candidates had come for the posts of Soldier General Duty and Soldier Technical Duty, only 2000 tokens were issued till 3 pm. The majority of the boys, who had come from different parts of the districts of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Moga and Nawanshahr, did not have any umbrellas, rain coats or caps. They stood in groups sharing shawls that they used to protect themselves from rain. Most of them were standing in ankle-deep waters with their trousers, socks and shoes all wet. Almost all boys said they had come to the cantonment last evening and spent their nights under sheds, as they did not want to risk getting late. They did not have breakfast or lunch, as they could not leave the queue. Besides, there were hundreds of boys who had passed through the rally held lately at Fazilka and were here for the medical test. These boys, too, had a tough time. The army officers, on the other hand, stood inside VIP tents that had waterproof covers and plastic mats. They were being served a variety of foods for luncheon. Talking to the Tribune, Col
S.PS. Singh, Director, Branch Recruitment Office, Srinagar, and overall in charge of the rally, agreed that the candidates had a bad day. But, he said, he had told them to pack off for homes so that they could come back on Monday when the weather would be clear and the grounds dry for running and physical exercises. He said the entire schedule had been postponed by two days, barring the written test that would be held as per the schedule on February 27.
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Steroids leave 27-yr-old bedridden; hip replacement surgery cures him
When Jagwinder Singh, a 27-year-old cable operator had started taking heavy dose of steroids inadvertently after being advised by a gym instructor a year back, he had not imagined that this would render his both hip joints non-functional. About six months ago, this bed- ridden man afflicted with avascular neurosis, had no hope of walking again.
It was nothing short of a miracle for this young man when he started walking again about two weeks back, thanks to his successful hip replacement through a comparatively rare six cm incision. Such operation is considered to be unusual for a young patient. "I remained bedridden for more than six months and had lost all my hopes of walking again in future. But after my operation, I can now go out for a walk like any normal person and without any support," said Jagwinder Singh, a Hoshiarpur-based cable
operator. Avascular neurosis afflicted Jagwinder Singh presumably after heavy intake of steroids. "He had started taking some bodybuilding substance, which contained steroids and its regular intake led to the blocking of blood supply to his both hip joints. He was unable to walk at this young age. This, in itself was a rare phenomenon," said Dr Jashneev Kapur, an Orthopaedic surgeon at Shri Devi Talaab Charitable Hospital, where hip-replacement of Jagwinder was claimed to have been done at one-third charges as compared to private hospitals. "Usually, such an operation is done through a six to eight inch long incision, but in this case, we tried a smaller six cm long incision, as we thought this not only could reduce the risk of post-operative infection, but would also enable the patient to go home the next day," said Dr Kapur, who claimed that such small incision-based hip replacement was the first of its kind in Punjab, so far.
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From the Colleges
The
annual athletic meet of Government College (co-education) was held on Thursday.
Students participated in various events, including 50 mt, 100 mt, 200 mt, 400 mt, 800 mt and 5000 mt races, which were held for girls as well as boys. The meet was inaugurated by Ms Gurpreet Kaur, Director Sports of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Prize distribution function was presided over by Col Harcharan Singh, Arjuna Award winner. Dr Om Kumari Patial, Principal, and Dr Ramnik Kaur, Head of Physical Education Department, were also present on the occasion.
Cultural carnival
An inter-college cultural carnival was organised in the open air theatre of Doaba College on Wednesday. Teams from 11 colleges participated in a variety of items, including mimicry, poetical symposium, geet and ghazal and folk singing. Ved Prakash of St Soldier College won the first prize in mimicry, Avtar Singh of Janta College won the first prize in poetical symposium and Gurpreet Singh of Apeejay College topped in geet and ghazal contest. Dr A.S. Dua, Dean, College Development Council, Guru Nanak Dev University, was the guest of honour.
Seminar on design industry
Under the aegis of the University Grants Commission, a two-day seminar on "Service marketing in design industry" concluded at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts on
Wednesday. The resource persons discussed various issues, dimensions and challenges before the design industry in the global marketing environment and its prospects. Ms Reetu Betala, Director of the Apeejay Institute of Design, talked about various techniques pertaining to presentation on surface ornamentation of fabric. Demonstration of tapestry-wearing was given by Mr Prasun Kanti Bhattacharya, Department of Textile Design, Kala Bhawan, Vishav Bharti University, West Bengal.
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From the Schools
Plus
One students of Police DAV Public School bid adieu to their seniors during a farewell party held on Thursday.
The students of Plus One made it memorable by organising a variety of games, dances, mimicry, modelling and bhangra. Gurkiran won the Mr Police DAV Public School title and Neha was declared Ms Police DAV Public School. Sameer Sharma was adjudged Mr Graceful, while Alka was crowned Ms Graceful. Divesh was chosen Mr Smart and Kavita was selected Ms Smart. Karan won the title of Mr Well-Dressed and Khadag was chosen Mr Handsome. Ms Beautiful, Ms Charming, Mr Charming, Mr Popular and Ms Popular titles went to Megha, Arushi, Sahil, Inderjeet and Vidushi, respectively. Inter-school contest An inter-school drawing competition was organised by IndusInd Bank Ltd at Lions Club, Lajpat Nagar, on Saturday. Over 6000 students up to class VII from seven schools of the district participated in the contest. The students were told to choose from any five topics of the contest — "Festivals of India", "Environment", "Pollution", "Social harmony" and "Tsunami". As many as 42 winners of the first round of drawing competition received prizes worth Rs 15,792. Annual day Tiny tots of the nursery wing of CT Public School participated in the seventh annual day function on Saturday. Ms Lakhwinder Kaur, Principal, read out the annual report. A play titled "Chia in CT Land" was presented by the little ones. Prize distribution Darshan Academy celebrated its third annual prize distribution function on Friday. The function started with Saraswati vandana, following which students entertained the audience with a variety of cultural items. Ms Harpreet Kaur Sahni, Principal, read the annual report. Scholarships were awarded to the students who stood first in their respective classes in the session 2003-04. The function came to an end with a vote of thanks from educational officer, Ms S.K. Windlas. UK team visits school Under a British Council sponsored International Teachers' Development Programme, a 28-member delegation from the UK visited Police DAV Public School, PAP Campus, on Friday. The programme was based on devising new strategies for improving teacher-taught process. Dr Rashmi Vij, Principal, gave a presentation on "Education system in India — Its development from traditional to modern".
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Security
Mr Sanjeev Rattan:
“It’s time for parents to shoulder their responsibility. No passing the buck.”
Mr Jatinder Pal Singh:
“I have told my kids not to talk to strangers and raise an alarm if a car approaches them.”
Ms Deepa Gupta: 
Ms Rekha:
Mr Edward:
Ms Shelly Gupta:
“I am very careful these days. I don’t let my child go out alone. I can’t take any risk.”
Ms Monica Gupta:
“Earlier, my son would come home alone from the bus stop. But now I cannot even think of it.”
Mr James Sandhu:
“The golden rule is to keep strangers at bay. Keep your children
well-informed.”