EDUCATION

PAU asked to pay arrears
K.S. Chawla

Ludhiana, March 10
Punjab Roadways has slapped a bill of more than Rs 65 lakh on Punjab Agricultural University as arrears of the free and concessional travel facilities availed by students of the university. The bills pertain to the period 1996 to 2003.

Disclosing this Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, said he was shocked to receive the bill as there was no such provision with the university to meet the expenses of free travel and concessional travel facilities for the students.

The Punjab Roadways authorities stated that the roadways had suffered losses and the payment of the arrears was required to meet the same.

The PAU authorities maintained that the state government had allowed free travel and concessional passes to the students in the state roadways buses and they were not supposed to pay the arrears.

The Vice Chancellor spoke to Mr D.S. Jaspal, Secretary, Transport, Punjab, in this regard and brought to his notice the bill sent by Punjab Roadways.

According to the Vice Chancellor, Mr Jaspal promised to look into the matter.

Solved CBSE maths paper on net
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 10
Students desirous of seeing how many marks they would secure in mathematics paper of X CBSE Board examination can see the solved paper on the net . Fear among the students was visible in almost all the board examinations centres when they appeared for Class X maths paper of CBSE. De facto, the students started solving the paper with their friends to judge how many marks they would get in the board examination.

“The paper was very easy, and students who have worked hard and focused on the important topics would secure 100 per cent result,” remarked Viji Raj, centre manger Steps, Astha Garg and Smridhi Gupta, students of Steps, claimed that their hard work would take them through.

To make the things lot easier for the Class X students who have appeared for the board exam today, Steps, organised to solve the paper within 4 hours and uploaded the same on their website www.stepsedu.com. The website also includes a query form which students could fill in case they need any personal help and guidance on questions. This assistance would be available for 24 hours.

The solution would help the students evaluate whether they have attempted the paper correctly or not, and also would give them a good estimate of their expected score in the test. Besides bringing down the post examination stress, these solutions would go a long way in helping students in taking decision like whether they should get their papers re-evaluated.

Ruckus at college council meeting
Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, March 10
Ruckus and unruly scenes marred the meeting of the College Development Council of Guru Nanak Girls College held to select the new heads of Punjabi and English departments. It was attended by faculty members as well as heads of various departments.

According to reliable sources, the meeting, chaired by the principal Ms Charanjit Mahal, was attended by about 30 lecturers. At the meeting, Ms Baldev Tiwana, Head of Punjabi department was reportedly asked by the Principal to put her signatures on the papers that said that another lecturer would head the department. A senior lecturer for more than 22 years, Ms Tiwana refused to do so, asking that specific orders of the governing body to this effect.

The sources said Ms Tiwana was asked to leave the meeting room by the principal when she refused to oblige after which she was reportedly asked to leave the meeting room. Ms Tiwana alleged that she was manhandled by the Principal.

The Principal, Ms Charanjit Mahal, however, counter-alleged that it was she who used abusive language and created indiscipline. She added that a warning letter had been issued to Ms Tiwana for the same.. She said that managing committee of the college had the right to bring changes in the department. When asked about manhandling, Ms Mahal said that incident of assault was fabricated by Ms Tiwana. ‘‘The president of the managing society, when came to know about whole incident, ordered disciplinary action against Ms Tiwana”, said Ms Mahal.

Meanwhile Mr Gurcharan Singh Tiwana, husband of Ms Tiwana said his wife was not in a state to answer any query. He alleged," My wife suffered because she dared to ask as to why she was being removed from the headship. She said she had served as the head of the department for 22 years. This decision came like a big jolt to her. Because she dared to challenge Principal, she was pushed away from the meeting room”.

He added that a formal complaint in this regard has been lodged with the SSP and Deputy Commissioner.

Class X physical education paper on March 19
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 10
The physical education paper of Class X will now be held on March 19 instead of March 12 as the question papers of physical education were inserted falsely in the packet of Punjabi papers. But that is not the fault of the Punjab School Education Board as the printing press had made that error, said Ms Sukhvinder Kaur, Controller Examinations PSEB.

She said since the secrecy has to be maintained, the printing press packs the papers and seals are broken in the examination halls. “Since letter ‘P’ was written on the envelope, the physical education paper was packed along with Punjabi paper. 

CULTURE

A tete-e-tete with Satinder Satti
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, March 10
“A stage anchor should be very versatile, intelligent person who possesses a good sense of humour , is youthful looking but has a mature mind to understand the tastes of the audience of varied ages and tastes present," said Ms Satinder Satti, a well-known Punjabi anchor. She was in the city to interact with the winners of a contest held by Shanti Amla. Out of many winners, five were short listed and Satinder Satti interacted with them at different times and places here today.

Talking to Ludhiana Tribune in Sarabha Nagar, She said: “This is the first time I am directly talking with people during this promotional tour being carried out by Marico Shanti Amla. Meeting people one to one has made me very happy as I found people are very excited to meet me. Infact, so excited that only after the meeting is over, they remember they had to present a bouquet to me.”

She said, “I have been anchoring shows for the past for years and during my travels, I have met some very famous people like Hema Malini, Yash Chopra, and my ideal anchor Tariq Aziz of Neelamghar fame of Pakistan television. I have received wonderful compliments from them for my compereing.”

She said she was co-hosting a show with Hema Malini in Toronto last year and she had told her that that she should be an actress since she was so versatile and she had answered her that since she was not a film-star’s daughter, she would have to struggle. Struggle she did, and fruits of labour have been sweet as she has signed in lead roles in two Punjabi films. One film is titled ‘Saanj di Ladi’ with Sudanshu Pandey as the hero opposite her. The second film is being made by an NRI from the UK .

She said: “It is very tough to be an anchor as the success or failure of a show depends to a large extent on an anchor. I had a problem as before me there was no anchor whom I could emulate. Only comedians hosted the shows. During the four years I had to make my own path. I admired Tariq Aziz as he is the best anchor, I feel in whole Asia. I was thrilled to meet him at World Punjabi Conference held at Patiala recently. He appreciated my versatility. Even Yash Chopra had complimented me when I had hosted a show on a TV channel. I hope one day I would be anchoring some award function at the national level. To become an anchor, one has always to be on one’s toes and gauge the reach a and the audiences. I think after my long experience, I can feel the pulse of the audience.

Since Satinder writes poetry herself, she feels that when she reads beautiful words of other writers, the words touch her soul and get deeply embedded in her mind. Hence she always has some verses, some couplets and anecdotes to relate during her every stage performance.

Aashnay — a dance prodigy
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, March 10
A dance performer, an actress, a home loving person and an avid TV buff is Aashnay Saraf, whose videos “Leena O Leena”, “Dil Tune Chhina” and “Lady Bichaua and Mr Papi” have catapulted her to the top. Her dance performance at the launch of a new car last evening pleased the audience.

Born of a South Indian mother and a Marwari father, Aashnay feels that dancing is in her genes as it is a gift from her mother. She honed her dancing skills by training under several dance teachers noted amongst them was dancing wizard Shiamak Davar.

In an interview with Ludhiana Tribune, Aashnay says,”I played a lead role in a movie called Pratha. As the name of the film suggests, it dealt with the old superstitious customs that bring untold damage to society. I was noticed in the film for my performance. I had to play the role of a young girl who gets married and whose husband had to leave her and go for work. During his absence her husband’s uncle sells her to someone and to escape them she finds shelter in a temple. The way she appears in the temple makes the superstitious priest believe that she is some ‘devi’. No amount of convincing by her husband makes people budge from their stand.”

She said her performance was noticed by Radhika Swami and Vinay Sapra, who featured her in their video “Leena O Leena”. it is a remix. Talking of remix songs that have become the craze of the day, she said,”The remixes are good if they are made aesthetically. They bring the great songs of the past to the present generation or else we would have missed out on them. Most of the old songs have been made into very happening videos.”

“Video making is a tough task though it is of an average length of four minutes. But we have to shoot for hours. Choice of right location, costumes all need a lot of effort. I have travelled to Kazhkstan, China and Dubai to perform and I found audience to be very receptive. I love travelling abroad as one gets to learn a lot of new things from foreign countries and its culture,” she said.

Presently she wants to get back to movies. She has signed a new film with Raj Sippy. She has acted in a telefilm made in Dubai and plans to make a film in Karachi.

She said that she found Punjabi people full of life and their receptiveness was so good that it made the performers give their hundred per cent.

HEALTH

50 dental carnivals in April
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 10
The Indian Dental Association (IDA) will hold dental carnivals all over the country as a part of its ambitious plans to create oral health awareness and the first of the series of 50 carnivals will be held in Ludhiana for three consecutive weekends in April 2005.

This was announced by Dr Bhagwant Singh, a city dental surgeon, who had taken over as the national president of the body in January this year, while addressing a news conference here today. He said the carnivals would focus on schoolchildren particularly those in semi-urban and rural areas. The children would be involved in interactive sessions on oral health and hygiene through mass check up and preventive care programmes.

Claiming that the IDA through its 23 state units and 192 district branches conducted dental check up of more than 50 lakh children every year, he said it was envisaged to impart training to the school teachers as well to achieve the desired level of prevention of oral diseases. “In the course of our oral health programmes, we shall focus on schools and colleges.”

The IDA president said that after launching its own web site in Mumbai in the beginning of this year the association had taken up the preparation of a database of skilled dental manpower. There were 190 dental colleges turning out over 12,000 dental surgeons every year in the country, but there was no authentic source of information on them.

Dr Bhagwant Singh, who is the second city dental surgeon to assume the post of national president of the IDA after Dr D.K. Sabharwal, said that the association intended to hold seminars for dental professionals as a continuing programme and first such seminar would be held in Chennai in June this year. In a bid to attract younger professionals in the mainstream of the IDA, a ‘youth forum’ of the association would be launched at Pune in October, 2005. The IDA was about to start a CDE accreditation programme, under which points would be awarded to dental surgeons for attending a specific number or more of CDEs to update their knowledge, he added.

Dr Vivek Saggar, president of the local branch of the association, said that a felicitation function was being organised here on March 13 for Dr Bhagwant Singh.

SPORTS

Indoor sports meet at DMCH
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, March 10
The exhibition matches between the teams, comprising faculty members and students of the host Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, was the main attraction of the three-day North Zone Inter-Medical Indoor Games Tournament- NOZIT 2005 which began at the Dumra Auditorium of the hospital, here today.

Mr Prem Gupta and Mr Satish Sanwalka, acting secretary and treasurer of the managing society of the DMCH, respectively, inaugurated the meet in which around 200 participants drawn from about 10 major medical colleges of the north zone were taking part. They released the mascot “Danny” to mark the occasion.

Dr G.S. Bajwa, convener of the Sports Council, DMCH read out the welcome address. Dr S.C. Chopra, Dean Academics, and Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina, Chairman, Sports Council, along with Dr P.S. Nain, secretary, and Dr Sandeep Puri, Medical Superintendent, were also present.

Namita of 2004 batch and dressed up as mascot Danny made a surprise appearance and added flavour to the event by playing with students and faculty members. Dr S.C. Chopra released NOZIT News-2005. Rishi Malhan, Abhinav Anand and Vidushi Sharma, undergraduate medical students, took oath on behalf of the participants.

Dr Chinna said competition in carrom, chess, badminton, table tennis and tennis ball cricket would be conducted during this three-day tournament. Milkha Singh, would be the chief guest on the concluding day. The noted Punjabi singer, Gursewak Mann would entertain the gathering on March 12, Dr Chinna said.