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Doaba decadence
Colours spread cheer in Cantt flower show
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It’s magic
From the Colleges
Pak visitors bask in Indian warmth
Market Buzz
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Doaba decadence
A young man allegedly morphing the pictures of a girl who has rejected his sexual advances. The sleazy pictures are made public;
the girl poisons herself to death.
* * * Three college-going girls renting out a farmhouse
to have ‘fun’ with their men friends. * * * A group of not-so-young men losing themselves in the dark alleys of alcoholism and drug abuse. *
* *
These
may seem snippets of sensationalism at its worst, but they are actually slices of reality of the Doabite society.
Flushed with dollar-power, and with ample leisure time at disposal, Doaba has become a hinterland of morality and values. Social observers say that easy availability of money coupled with diffuseness of social and familial responsibilities is impacting the society. “Our social fabric is being torn asunder. Relationships are losing their sanctity. The latitude of tolerance for aberrations like marital infidelity and neglect of the aged, has increased. Old cherished values have simply vanished,” says Dr Mandip Singh Sethi, a cardiologist, who has seen the city grow in the last more than five decades. It’s not that consumerism is alien to other societies, but the NRI factor has given consumerism a new meaning in Doaba. “Money is becoming a negative value. Consumerism rules the roost here. Unlike the Western societies where consumerism co-exists with a questioning bent of mind, here passivity calls the shots. Girls, particularly, are passive receptors, who take in selective messages about fashion and beauty pageants,” explains Dr V.K. Tiwari, a lecturer at DAV College here. For many Doabites, squandering time is the busiest pastime and they do it by boozing right from the break of the dawn to the dark of the night. “I know a good number of men who have big farms, yet they would not be able to tell the difference between wheat and paddy crops. It’s the labourers, in most cases migrant labourers, who run the show. And these landlords just booze away their day. Meet them in morning and they are sozzled. See them in evening and they are tipsy,” says an eminent professional, requesting anonymity.
Doabites may not actually pronounce hedonism to be their philosophy, but observers say pleasure is the modern-day deity that is revered by a cross-section of people here. “Bombardment of half-baked modern ideas couched in equally provocative language and visuals is making the younger generation confused. All this thanks to soaps being beamed on too-many-to-keep-count channels. With no sound values to fall back upon, it’s over to money, hard drinks, drugs and ‘fun’ (a euphemism for sexual escapades) for many youngsters here,” says Dr Sethi. Some educational institutions, too, seem to have lost their commitment to time-tested values. The accent, these days, is more on programmes that have a high glamour quotient. Intellectually-stimulating events have become just fillers to punctuate the more ‘interesting’ beauty contests and dance parties. “Some colleges have started organising their functions in ritzy hotels. The absence of planned kind of presentation during cultural events, too, is being noticed. In classrooms, teachers do not relate lessons to social themes. Interrogative discourse is frowned upon,” rues Dr Tiwari. Relationships, not surprisingly, have received a severe jolt. Marriage is no longer an enduring bond. It has become more like a floating relationship that can be dissolved at convenience and reworked keeping in view the feasibility, says Ms Amandeep Bambra, an advocate at the District Courts. “Divorces are worked out to go abroad. In most cases, these divorces have mutual consent. Unfortunately, women who come in for these divorces are totally ignorant and they just go by what is told to them. They only want the much in demand foreign tag,” she says, adding that marital infidelity cases have registered an increase in the past few years. As Dr Sukhdev Singh, Associate Professor, Department of Human Development and Sociology, PAU, says, “Doabite society is in a major flux. Old values are tottering and new ones have not yet found their place. The NRI money-power and the people’s craze to go abroad has compounded the things. And people are groping towards Westernisation rather than moving towards modernisation.” Well, this is surely not an enviable distinction for Doaba!
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Colours spread cheer in Cantt flower show
A heady mix of fragrance and
colours, the annual garden and flower show organised jointly by the Cantonment Board and the Sub-Area HQ, Jalandhar Cantt, was a treat for nature lovers. Dahlias, pansies, geraniums, sweet williams, carnations, asters, stocks, petunias — the potted plants with their flowers swaying to the light March breeze — presented a captivating sight at Jawahar Garden, where the entries for the foliage and the potted plants were displayed on Sunday.
During the show, succulents and cacti attracted much attention. "Cacti may be thorny. But they have their own beauty. A well-grown cactus plant is as much a garden-delight as a decorative plant bursting with flowers," said Ms Jyotsna, one of the visitors to the show. "Gardening is a hobby that reinvigorates you not only physically but also mentally. You feel refreshed after watering the plants. There is a sense of having yanked off the dross when you clear the plants of wilted leaves. And, of course, a garden in bloom is a joy forever," said Mr Puneet Mahajan, another garden buff. Among the various competition categories in the show were those of bonsai plants, artistic flower arrangements, potted flowers (private gardens), potted flowers (public gardens), open foliage plants, open potted foliage plants, kitchen gardens, private gardens (large, middle and small compounds), institution gardens, public gardens and roundabouts. In group 'A' public gardens, Military Hospital, Jalandhar Cantt, and Jawahar Garden, Jalandhar Cantt, bagged the first and the second prizes, respectively. In group 'A' roundabouts, Guru Amar Dass Chowk, Jalandhar city, stood first, while Station HO Cell, 91 Sub Area, bagged the second place. In group 'B' institution gardens, Officer Mess 7011 EME Bn Ajit Road, JRC, was given the first prize. In group 'B' public gardens, BSF Base Hospital bagged the first position, while Dak Bungalow, Jalandhar Cantt, stood second. Among the gardeners who received prizes on the occasion included Amar Bhadur, Rajinder Kumar, Ram Dayal Yadav and Bhola Nath.
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It’s magic
Magic. It still retains its charm, as was evident from the rather generous public response to Shankar Samrat's magic shows at Phagwara. "Whatever you don't understand is magic. It is a fine art. Tricks, sleight of hand and mass hypnotism play their part in magic," said Shankar, while talking to Jalandhar Plus.
Eager to emphasise that magic was neither a frivolous activity nor a playful pastime, the magician who has performed over 12000 charity shows in India and abroad, said the presentation of magic required a sustained practice and a focused approach. Ruing the lack of opportunities for formal training in the art of magic in our country, he said the ancient art of magic was dying a slow death. "It's not that there is no audience for magic shows. The point is that the government has a lackadaisical attitude. It is being callously indifferent to the art of magic. Why can't we have institutions where magic is taught as a subject? This art, at least, needs some kind of patronage," he explained, adding that he planned to start an academy where diploma in the fine art of magic would be offered to students, who would be 'screened' before being given admission. Charlatans and fake god men often took recourse to magic to cheat gullible people, he said. What was a mere play of tricks and hypnotism was passed off as something supernatural by these so-called god men, who had no qualms in cashing in on people's insecurities and troubles, he added. Interestingly, according to Shankar, magic could be put to altruistic use, too. "I have had extremely fruitful sessions with troubled youngsters who did not know what to do with their lives. My grounding in hypnotism helped me to bring these youngsters out of their gloomy state."
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From the Colleges
Saraansh, a cultural evening, was organised by the students and staff of Lovely Institutes to celebrate their annual day on Saturday.
Additional Director General Police, Mr A.P. Pandey, was the chief guest. Mr H.R. Singla, Director General of Lovely Institutes, welcomed the dignitaries. Dr Sanjay Modi, Director of the Lovely Institute of Management, read out the annual report. Students performed various items like mime depicting the plight of AIDS afflicted patients. Vaibhav, an engineering student, played guitar as Navraj Hans and Hemant Sharma sang classical tunes to create a harmony out of the fusion of the Western and the Indian traditional music. Girls from the Lovely Institute of Law, clad in colourful dresses, gave a scintillating dance performance on a song Mehndi, which is the theme song of a cassette launched by the students of Lovely Institutes. A fashion show was also held on the occasion. Farewell party Final year students from Hans Raj Mahila Mahavidyalaya held a farewell party here on Wednesday. A yajna was held to pray for the goodwill of the students appearing in their final examination. Ms Puran Prabha Sharma, Principal, wished all students good luck for the examination and their future prospects. Workshop on stress Kanya Maha Vidyalaya started a three-day workshop on "Coping with stress" that concluded last Saturday. Dr Beena Uppal, Professor from the Department of Microbiology, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, discussed the role of aerobics, stretching exercises, height-weight ratio, proper breathing patterns and target heart rate. She made the students do one-minute exercises so as to make them assess their own stress levels. She also demonstrated relaxation techniques, including body and muscle relaxation. Dr Rita Bawa, Principal, said the workshop gave the students a detailed insight into various strategies of stress management. Hospitality training Students of the CT Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology got a novel training experience when they participated as food and beverage service team along with outdoor catering unit of Hotel Radisson, Jalandhar, during opening cricket test match between India and Pakistan at Dharamshala recently. It was an opportunity for the students to gain hands-on experience in service strategies of hospitality industry. The students delivered services of international standards using skills learnt by them at the institute. The team of the institute received signed cricket bats as token of love from Inzamam-ul-Haq, captain of Pakistan's cricket team. The team was led by Mr Vikas Kumar, a faculty member of the institute.
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Pak visitors bask in Indian warmth
It was time to embrace the commonality of cultures — the commonality that was given a short shrift during the time of the Partition. For Pakistanis who visited Lovely Institutes, Chaheru, while returning to Pakistan after watching the Mohali Test, it was yet another reminder of the bond between the two Punjabs. Mr Rehan, a young businessman from Lahore, said he would never forget the warmth he had received in India. “Punjab is just like Lahore. The dresses people wear, the ambience and even the language is so similar,” he gushed. For him, the trip to India had a special significance, as it was for the first time that he met his grandma’s 95-year-old sister. “I will always remember the look on her face when she embraced me. Her eyes, dim with age, just would not lose sight of me,” he told us. Another visitor, Ms Shaista Tahir, had a rather interesting observation to share. She said, “What the Indian soaps show is a gross misrepresentation of women. We see over-dressed women wearing overt symbols of religion on the screen. But in reality it’s not so here.” Most of the Pakistanis were all praises for Punjabi hospitality. “When you go away from Punjab here, you can feel the difference, but in the cities of the Indian Punjab, you are at home,” sallied Ms Quratulain, a teacher from Lahore. “The love and warmth has been overwhelming. We could not have imagined it even in our dreams,” said a businessman, Mr Ahmed. He added, “It’s time to celebrate the commonalities. The bonhomie between the peoples of the two countries needs to be kept intact.”
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Market Buzz
The
construction of the Starcity — Punjab’s first shopping mall with four-screen multiplex and food court was started on Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, on last Wednesday.
The mall is conceived to encompass a gamut of shopping and entertainment activities. It is divided into four theme-based floors which would showcase specifically planned products and services. The ground floor would be dedicated to youth. The lower ground floor would cater to kids. The first floor would house everything related to bridal shopping. The exciting second floor would have four different cinema halls with a seating capacity of 1000 people. New bank branch The Oriental Bank of Commerce opened a new branch at Bhogpur in Kapurthala on Monday. The new complex was formally inaugurated by Mr Ashok Gupta, Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar. Mr R.M. Sharma, Deputy General Manager from Jalandhar region, said the branch was fully computerised with locker facility. He added that medical insurance and life insurance schemes could also be availed of through the branch. LG’s campaign A leading consumer durable brand, LG Electronics India Pvt Ltd, has launched an Indo-Pak cricket promotion campaign “LG challenge khelega kya”. Announcing the scheme, Mr Salil Kapoor, Head, Marketing, said the winners of the campaign would be a part of Sourav XI and Inzi XI, entitling them to play with the two titans of the cricketing fraternity.
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Doaba
Insiders also say that the labourers even manage the finances of the landlords, who hardly have time to spare from their packed-with-pleasure schedule. In fact, absentee landlordism has become one of the prominent features of Doabite society. 
