SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI


THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
D E L H I   A N D   N E I G H B O U R H O O D

5 contract killers held, weapons seized
Criminals on lookout for new base
New Delhi, April 3
With the arrest of five contract killers from Haryana, the New Delhi district police today claimed to have worked out a murder case of one Satpal Pahari, a close associate of the former Haryana Agriculture Minister, Mr Surender Singh, who was killed in a helicopter crash on March 31.

Pope remembered by the faithful
New Delhi, April 3
Christians in the Capital today paid homage to the departed Pope John Paul II offering special prayers to the pontiff who gave “tremendous spiritual leadership” to the Catholic Church for more than a quarter of a century.

Children lighting candles in memory of Pope John Paul II at Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Capital.

Children lighting candles in memory of Pope John Paul II at Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Capital. — Tribune photo by Rajeev Tyagi


 

EARLIER STORIES

 

Devotees of Lord Krishna participating in Jagannath Rath Yatra, organised by Narayna Vihar Social Welfare Society, at Narayna in the Capital.
Devotees of Lord Krishna participating in Jagannath Rath Yatra, organised by Narayna Vihar Social Welfare Society, at Narayna in the Capital. — Tribune photo

Vigilance notice issued in college land case
Ghaziabad, April 3
The Vigilance Department is understood to have issued notice to all concerned in the controversial allotment of land to the Santosh Medical College and Dental Hospital, Ghaziabad.

Sugata Mitra honoured with Dewang Mehta Award 
New Delhi, April 3
The Dewang Mehta Award for Innovation in Information Technology, instituted by the Department of Information Technology, has gone to distinguished computer expert and the NIIT’s chief scientist, Dr Sugata Mitra.

Corporate houses to take up civil works for NDMC 
New Delhi, April 3
The New Delhi Municipal Council has decided to invite corporate houses in various civil works like construction of parking lots, bus stops, maintenance of green strips and transportation of garbage.

SI acquitted in murder case filed during anti-Mandal agitation
New Delhi, April 3
After a gap of 15 years, a City court has acquitted a Delhi Police Sub-Inspector, who was accused of killing 14-year-old schoolboy Aditya during the anti-Mandal agitation at Sarojini Nagar in South Delhi in 1990.

Course for teachers in peace education
New Delhi, April 3
The National Council of Educational Research and Training has planned to provide an in-service course for teachers in peace education this summer.

Faridabad mining crisis resurfaces
Faridabad, April 3
The mining which has badly affected the topography of the Aravalli Hills and led to an ecological imbalance in the region over the years is again in the news.

No final plan for Mono Rail system yet: Yusuf
New Delhi, April 3
The Delhi Government has clarified that the idea to have a Mono Rail system in the Capital is only in the preliminary stage. Although such a proposal was being considered by the state government for the sake of providing better public transport and reducing traffic congestion in the city, it was still in the preliminary stage, the Transport Minister, Mr Haroon Yusuf, has informed the Assembly.

Good old doctor needs to take a dose of marketing skills!
New Delhi, April 3
The time has come for the medical professionals to learn subjects like marketing, advertising, PR, branding and acquiring leadership qualities, said Delhi Medical Association president, Dr K. K. Aggarwal.

Special drive to enforce discipline on roads
New Delhi, April 3
The Delhi Traffic Police will launch a special drive to enforce the directions of the Supreme Court that all owners of commercial vehicles, particularly buses, are driven by authorised persons certified by the RTA/STA.

57th Barsi Bhandara of Baba Sawan Singh held
New Delhi, April 3
Thousands of people from all over India gathered at Kirpal Bagh yesterday on the occasion of the 57th Barsi Bhandara of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj.

Artscape
V. P. Singh’s oeuvre captures life’s diversity
New Delhi, April 3
Former Prime Minister V. P. Singh’s penchant for painting is well known. But what is not known is that the politician-painter does not harbour any ambitions as an artist. He merely wields the brush as it “excites and inspires” him.

The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, paying floral tributes to eminent industrialist Om Prakash Jindal at a ‘Prarthana Sabha’ in the Capital.Prayer meeting in memory of Jindal
New Delhi, April 3
Rich tributes were paid to eminent industrialist and the Haryana Power Minster, Mr Om Prakash Jindal, who died in a helicopter crash on March 31.

The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, paying floral tributes to eminent industrialist Om Prakash Jindal at a ‘Prarthana Sabha’ in the Capital.

Thapar disburses pension
New Delhi, April 3
The All India General Secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), Mr Onkar Singh Thapar, today claimed to have distributed Rs 10.80 lakh among 600 old age pensioners.
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5 contract killers held, weapons seized
Criminals on lookout for new base
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
With the arrest of five contract killers from Haryana, the New Delhi district police today claimed to have worked out a murder case of one Satpal Pahari, a close associate of the former Haryana Agriculture Minister, Mr Surender Singh, who was killed in a helicopter crash on March 31.

Satpal Pahari was killed on March 8 in Bhiwani in Haryana by the prime accused, Anil, due to some political differences.

The police also claimed to have recovered two foreign pistols, two loaded country-made pistols along with four live cartridges and a sword from their possession.

Acting on a tip-off that the contract killers from Haryana were planning to set up base Delhi, the police laid a trap near Chelmsford Road and found the criminals moving in a white Maruti Zen car.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), Ms Anita Roy, said that Anil, along with his brother-in-law Subhash, Ramandeep (a student), Amit Sindhu (a rubber factory owner) and associate Praveen Kumar, were coming from their hideout in Dwarka and were on their way to Faridabad to set up a new base.

When the police tried to stop them, Anil whipped out a country-made pistol and tried to speed away. However, the car was stopped and the occupants were overpowered.

During interrogation, Anil confessed that he killed Satpal after the Congress Government came to power in Haryana, since Satpal threatened to eliminate him during this regime.

He also said Satpal had canvassed and helped the late Surender Singh during elections.

Involved in two cases of murder, Anil earlier worked with Satpal, who used to deal in liquor and smuggled it from Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, but latter left his company following a monetary dispute.

The animosity turned bitter after his sister started living with Satpal following the murder of his brother-in-law Jitender Pahal, a liquor dealer in Haryana. 

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Pope remembered by the faithful
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
Christians in the Capital today paid homage to the departed Pope John Paul II offering special prayers to the pontiff who gave “tremendous spiritual leadership” to the Catholic Church for more than a quarter of a century.

The Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, led the homage payers by offering floral tributes at a portrait of the Holy Father at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, as hundreds of faithful gathered there since early morning.

A special Mass was led by Archbishop Vincent Concessao in the morning.

“We will miss the charisma of the Pope who gave us tremendous leadership. He was committed to the cause of humanity and always respected other faiths,” Archbishop of Delhi Vincent Concessao told reporters here. He said the Pope led the church with “conviction” of what Jesus envisioned, but not remained an “exclusive” leader for the community alone.

Mahatma Gandhi inspired him a lot, Concessao said, recalling an incident when they had to remind the Pope, who was lost in prayers at the Rajghat, of other engagements he had to attend to during his visit to the Capital. “This shows the great love and respect Pope had for Gandhi. He had read a lot about Gandhi,” he said.

Pointing out that the Pope valued human freedom and dignity, he said, “the Pontiff always saw the negative aspects of both capitalism and communism.” 

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Vigilance notice issued in college land case
Our Correspondent

Ghaziabad, April 3
The Vigilance Department is understood to have issued notice to all concerned in the controversial allotment of land to the Santosh Medical College and Dental Hospital, Ghaziabad.

The Vigilance Department has sent notice to all those related to the case for making available the basic documents. The Vigilance Department has filed cases against four officers, including two IAS officers in Ghaziabad on February 14. The state government has issued instructions to the UP Vigilance Department to complete the probe without delay.

According to the well-established system, a preliminary probe is ordered after the case comes to light. A formal case is approved for filing after the government has approved the findings of the preliminary probe. The original documents are required only at the time of filing the case in the court.

According to sources, Inspector K. L. Sharma of the Vigilance Department has been assigned the investigations in the controversial allotment of land to the Santosh Medical College.

In a letter to the GDA and the management of the Santosh Medical College, he has called upon them to deposit all the original documents with him.

In the case filed by Inspector K.L. Sharma of the Vigilance Department in the Sihani Gate police station, GDA’s ex vice-chairman R.P. Singh, ex-secretary Padam Singh and Finance officer Naresh Dutt Tyagi and Dr. P. Mahalingam of the Maharaji Educational Trust have been named.

The Maharaji Education Trust had applied to the GDA for 150 acres of land in Pratap Vihar for the Santosh Medical College and Dental Hospital on April 14, 1995. Interestingly, the GDA had allotted the land on September 14, 1995.

Forty-five days after filing the case, the Vigilance Department has now been entrusted with the investigations into the allotment of land worth crores.

All relevant correspondence and documents having bearing on the case have been called for and legal advice has also been taken in the matter.

Incidentally, Dr Mahalingam, chairman of MET Santosh Hospital, was known to have close relations with the BSP supremo, Mr Kanshi Ram, and the then HUDCO chairman, Mr V. Suresh and some senior officials of Union Urban Development Ministry.

Relatives of injured workers get threats from contractor

Greater Noida, April 3
Even as the families and relatives of some 18 construction workers, injured in a building collapse yesterday, are yet to recover from the trauma, they have been receiving threats from the contractor and his henchmen, who want to bury the issue of ‘negligence’ on their part.

The construction workers were injured when the ceiling of an under-construction college building collapsed, leading to severe injuries.

The engineering college is in Knowledge Park-III, Greater Noida. The injured labourers were rushed to the different hospitals in the city. Some of the workers are said to be in a serious condition.

The Kasna police had reportedly reached the site some 3 hours after the accident. A criminal case has been registered against the contractor. According to reports, a number of workers had sustained injuries at this very building site some 20 days ago.

It was alleged that the contractors did not get the injured treated or sanction compensation for those seriously injured.

According to reports, lack of precautionary safety measures was one of the primary reasons for the injury to the workers.

The workers were found to be without helmets. At the site of the accident, the labourers had to pull out the workers trapped in the debris, it was alleged.

The contractors and engineers supervising the construction work had reportedly fled from the site immediately after the accident yesterday. — OC

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Sugata Mitra honoured with Dewang Mehta Award 
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
The Dewang Mehta Award for Innovation in Information Technology, instituted by the Department of Information Technology, has gone to distinguished computer expert and the NIIT’s chief scientist, Dr Sugata Mitra.

The award has been conferred on Dr Mitra in recognition of his pinnacle achievement, the discovery of the pedagogy, science and technology of minimally invasive education.

The award for ‘Innovation in Information Technology’ was instituted in 2001 by the Department of Information

Technology, Government of India, to honour individuals from technology-related sectors for their innovative work with the potential of making an impact on national development or bring fame to the country.

In 1999, in an experiment conducted by Sugata, a computer connected to the Internet was embedded in a slum wall and left for unsupervised use by children. The finding of the experiment suggested that groups of children could learn to use computers and the Internet on their own, irrespective of who or where they were. Dr Mitra and his team subsequently verified this unique discovery in intensive testing through a large-scale experiment across India and Cambodia.

The Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, and the Chief Secretary played an active role in promoting the project in its early stages in a resettlement colony of South Delhi.

Thereafter, in 2001, the World Bank though its affiliate, the International Finance Corporation, formed a joint venture with NIIT in the form of HIWEL to spread the research project to over 30 locations across India-from Leh in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, from Sunderbans in the east to Sindhudurg in the west.

Dr Mitra’s ‘Minimally Invasive Education Technology’ (popularly known as the Hole-in-the-Wall experiment) is a result of over fifteen years of intensive testing and research and is based on the premise of incidental learning with minimum human guidance.

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Corporate houses to take up civil works for NDMC 
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to invite corporate houses in various civil works like construction of parking lots, bus stops, maintenance of green strips and transportation of garbage. Having initiated a proposal for providing multi-level parking on BOT (Build Operate Transfer) basis, the civic body expects that the bid process for it will be completed by September this year.

It is also planning to construct world-class bus-Q-shelters on BOT basis, and 170 sites have been identified for the purpose, according to NDMC’s Budget document for 2005-06.

The project would take off during 2005-06 and is expected to be completed by 2006.

Meanwhile, based on various designs developed during the year, 11 sample bus-Q-shelters were taken up for construction and were nearing completion. The NDMC proposes to offer 50 roundabouts and green strips to corporate houses and public sector undertakings.

“We will encourage a healthy competition among the NDMC Horticulture Department, the corporate houses and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to come up with best practices in landscaping and maintenance of roundabouts and green strips,” it said. The maintenance of 190 urinals built by NDMC on various sites is proposed to be outsourced to private parties in return for advertising.

Also to be outsourced is transportation of garbage in 12 out of the 14 NDMC zones.

Enhancing public partnership, the civic body plans to take up market upgradation schemes in this fiscal with cooperation from the shopkeepers’ associations.

“We propose to continue to encourage all associations to come up with market-specific proposals for upgradation and their contributions,” the NDMC’s Budget document said. Under this scheme, the NDMC will create assets and incur capital expenditure and the market associations will be expected to ensure maintenance and upkeep. 

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SI acquitted in murder case filed during
anti-Mandal agitation

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
After a gap of 15 years, a City court has acquitted a Delhi Police Sub-Inspector, who was accused of killing 14-year-old schoolboy Aditya during the anti-Mandal agitation at Sarojini Nagar in South Delhi in 1990.

Additional Sessions Judge D S Paweriya acquitted D P Singh, now an Inspector with Delhi Police due to lack of evidence to prove that he deliberately fired at Aditya, who was walking on the footpath.

“I am of the opinion that the prosecution has not been able to prove its case against the accused and therefore, I acquit Singh of the charges framed against him,” said the Judge.

A Judge should not be emotional and has to decide matters on the basis of the legal evidence, he said in his statement while quashing the earlier order of the Metropolitan Magistrate.

While framing charges against the accused, Metropolitan Magistrate Dig Vinay Singh had said, “From the perusal of the chargesheet and the material on record, I am satisfied that there is sufficient material to proceed under Section 302 or at least under Section 304 of the IPC against the accused for firing at Aditya.”

Mr K. N. Sharma, father of victim Aditya, had lodged a complaint with the police on September 25, 1990 that his son was “deliberately shot in the forehead by accused D P Singh” even though he did not take part in the agitation.

According to the complaint, Aditya, a minor, was walking on the footpath when the bullet hit him. Aditya died on October 14, 1990 in a hospital.

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Course for teachers in peace education
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has planned to provide an in-service course for teachers in peace education this summer.

The Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations of Education will conduct the six-week course. It will commence in June. In a press release issued today, the NCERT said the last date of receiving applications from eligible candidates is May 2. The details are available on the NCERT website <ncert.nic.in>.

Eye camp in Lodhi Colony

A free-eye camp is being organised at the Indira Camp, Lodhi Colony, by the Tarun Mitra Parishad in association with the ‘Women’s Political Watch’. The president of the Tarun Mitra Parishad said that this 44th eye camp will be held on April 6 at 9 a.m. at the Indira Camp, Lodhi Colony (Near Sewa Nagar railway crossing)

The medical team from St Stephen’s Hospital will check the patients and select them for free cataract operations at their hospital. According to the general secretary of the organisation, Mr Manoj Jain, the patients will get free treatment, medicines, meals and lens. The president of Women’s Political Watch, Veena Nayyar, disclosed that the camp will be inaugurated by the chief guest, Swami Agnivesh. — TNS

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Faridabad mining crisis resurfaces
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, April 3
The mining which has badly affected the topography of the Aravalli Hills and led to an ecological imbalance in the region over the years is again in the news. The tussle between the lease holder of the mining area and the association of the crusher owners has intensified recently here.

About 160 crushers have gone on strike after the dispute over the payment of royalty and other charges by the lease holder. This has led to an increase in the rates of building material and unemployment to a large number of labourers. The reported intervention by the Chief Minister and the local MP has failed to solve the crisis. The striking crusher owners’ association has demanded cancellation of the lease contract of the mines in the district and wanted the government to take over the work under its supervision.

The district has over 200 crushers functioning at present, which include 165 crushers in the Pali-Mohabatabad area and about 50 in the Dhauj area, besides another 200 crushers in Gurgaon district. However, the majority of the crushers in the district went on strike on February 16 following a hike in the royalty and other charges by the lease holder, said

Mr Kamal Luthra, general secretary of the Pali-Mohabatabad Stone Crushers Owners Association. Claiming that while the royalty on the stone boulders was highest in Haryana, he alleged that the lease holder in the area had been hiking the charges from the crushers indiscriminately. He said a huge amount was being collected from the crushers and transporters in the name of ‘Goonda Tax’ daily.

While the charges of the royalty on each truck containing stones weighing about 20 tonnes come to Rs 1,100, the lease holder had been charging around Rs 1,600 and this charge was also hiked from Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,000 recently.

Stating that no receipt was given of the excess charges, he alleged that the previous state government had failed to protect the crushers from the illegal (Goonda Tax) charge, due to the ‘involvement’ of the senior officials.

It may be recalled that the mining in many areas falling under the five-km radius of Delhi had been stopped following the Supreme Court order, leaving only the mines of Khori-Jamalpur and Sirohi.

The government had leased out these mines to a single company for a seven-year contract in 2002, for an amount of Rs 2.10 crore per year.

Besides, the lease holder has to pay a royalty of about Rs 24 per tonne, which is much more than such charges in the neighbouring states like Rajasthan, UP, Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh where the royalty was only between Rs 5.70 and Rs 10 per tonne.

While the sources close to lease holder have denied the charges of the crushers’ owners association, the latter had met the Chief Minister recently, but the issue remains unresolved.

As over 4,000 trucks have come to a halt, affecting the employment, the rates of the building material have gone up by 40 to 60 per cent in the region.

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No final plan for Mono Rail system yet: Yusuf
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
The Delhi Government has clarified that the idea to have a Mono Rail system in the Capital is only in the preliminary stage. Although such a proposal was being considered by the state government for the sake of providing better public transport and reducing traffic congestion in the city, it was still in the preliminary stage, the Transport Minister, Mr Haroon Yusuf, has informed the Assembly.

“Feasibility study will have to be prepared and if it is found that it is possible and viable to run Mono Rail, then finances will be made available for it,” he said.

The idea was that Mono Rail should be made available to areas where Metro Rail would not be going but it was not a rule that both systems would not service the same area and much would depend on the number of passengers available per hour, he said.

The Barwala-Rithala segment of the Barwala-Shahdara line of Phase I had to be dropped because it was felt that critical figure of 25,000 passengers per hour would not be available on that stretch and instead Barakhamba Road to Indrapratha Estate segment was added to the Connaught Place-Dwarka Line, the minister said. “Tughlakabad-Faridabad link was not considered for the same reason,” he said.

However, Barwala-Rithala segment has not been ruled out and only shifted to Phase III (2011-2016), in which Rithala was also planned to be connected with Narela, he added.

‘’In Phase II (2006-2011) besides extending Delhi University-Central Secretariat to Jahangirpuri towards North and Qutab Minar South respectively, it is has also been decided to take a line from Kriti Nagar to Mundka through Nangloi in the West,” he said. On the Delhi-Nodia Metro Rail link, he said the financial plan had already been prepared and construction work was only awaiting approval of the Centre’s Ministerial Group on Metro. The Delhi Government had already approved it, he added.

The plan proposed to extend the Indrapratha Estate-New Ashok Nagar (Noida border) route, slated for execution by Metro in Phase II, to Noida, he said. 

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Good old doctor needs to take a dose of
marketing skills!

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
The time has come for the medical professionals to learn subjects like marketing, advertising, PR, branding and acquiring leadership qualities, said Delhi Medical Association president, Dr K. K. Aggarwal.

He was inaugurating the first conference on leadership qualities for medical professionals at DMA Hall in the city here yesterday.

Addressing a gathering of over 250 medical professionals from all over the city, Dr Aggarwal said a doctor needs to learn the principles of marketing, advertising and public relations as one of their basic jobs is to create public awareness which involves identification of health message and then advertise or communicate it by using PR methods.

It is unfortunate that in the medical curriculum, these subjects are not taught at all. Young doctors are often poor administrators as speaking, writing, communication and leadership skills are not taught to them at all. No wonder, many of them do not have good bedside manner.

Quoting the Bhagwad Gita, Dr Aggarwal said that a leader has a tranquility of mind. A doctor having leadership qualities listens to his patients patiently, reassures them repeatedly and gives reasoning at every level. A leader is attached to his action and detached to the result. A medical doctor is a perfect example of a detached attachment. Otherwise, he or she will not be able to handle deaths in medical emergency in their day-to-day life.

Addressing the doctors, Mr G Paul, a marketing expert, said that the all P’s of marketing like Price, Promotion, Product, Place and Packaging are required to be taught to the medical professionals the same way as it is done in the consumer industry.

Others who spoke on the occasion were Nitin Malekar, Manoj Nambiar, Dipti Naik and Arvind Nair.

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Special drive to enforce discipline on roads
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
The Delhi Traffic Police will launch a special drive to enforce the directions of the Supreme Court that all owners of commercial vehicles, particularly buses, are driven by authorised persons certified by the RTA/STA.

The court has also suggested that photographs of drivers certified by the STA be duly displayed in the vehicles to stop duplication.

The Delhi Traffic Police said that strict action would be taken against the owners of the buses if they were found violating the law.

Every holder of a permit issued by any of the road transport authorities in the NCR and NCT, Delhi, has to file a list of drivers, who were engaged along with their photographs and other particulars to establish the identity of such persons to the Regional Transport Authority.

The police also cautioned that action would be taken against the owner if the vehicle is found being driven by a person other than the authorised driver.

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57th Barsi Bhandara of Baba Sawan Singh held
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
Thousands of people from all over India gathered at Kirpal Bagh yesterday on the occasion of the 57th Barsi Bhandara of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj.

On this occasion, Mata Harbhajan Kaur sang a verse from the Gurbani.

People showered tributes for his contribution to the spiritual awakening in the world.

A film on his life and teachings was also screened. A seeker of truth from an early age, he spent much time with the evolved souls till he got spiritually initiated by his Master Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj in October 1894.

Later in 1903, he was entrusted with his Master’s work of initiating seekers after truth into Surat Shabad Yoga, meditation on the holy inner light and sound. He led the spiritual movement for peace, truth, and worldwide brotherhood.

He showered his grace in society to eliminate the differences in human minds due to caste creed and colour.

More than one lakh twenty-five thousand people from different religious traditions and faiths were initiated into Surat Shabd Yoga by Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj.

At the time of the general communal upheaval in the wake of the Partition of 1947, the great Master gave refuge to many oppressed people.

The Master taught the true spiritual meaning at the root of all religions scriptures.

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Artscape
V. P. Singh’s oeuvre captures life’s diversity
Ravi Bhatia
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
Former Prime Minister V. P. Singh’s penchant for painting is well known. But what is not known is that the politician-painter does not harbour any ambitions as an artist. He merely wields the brush as it “excites and inspires” him.

Capturing the diversity of life on canvas, the former Prime Minister showed up in his now-familiar avatar of a painter as he unveiled an exhibition of his recent works here on Tuesday evening.

Painted during the past one year, the 36 works on display depict topics ranging from loneliness to the devastation caused by tsunami recently. “It is the process of painting itself that excites and inspires me to paint. I take it as a kind of emotional commitment to myself,” Singh said after opening the exhibition.

While he had been at the peak as a politician, the former Prime Minister said he had no ambition as an artist. “I don’t have any aim as an artist. There is no precise yardstick to measure the success of an artist. I just want to continue painting and enjoy it,” he said.

Though there is perfect harmony between the politician and the artist in him, Singh admitted that time remained a constraint. “There is absolutely no conflict between the artist and the politician in me.

However, it becomes difficult to manage time. Still, I think I have been able to do justice to both,” he said.

‘Colours in Life’

Two popular artists, Buddhadev Mukherjee and Niyeti Chadha held a joint exhibition of their recent works at Gallery Number 7, Rabindra Bhawan, Lalit Kala Akademi here. The exhibition was inaugurated on March 28.

Also at Rabindra Bhawan, another artist Dhruva Mistry is holding an exhibition of his recent paintings from April 2 to 10. The exhibition is sponsored by Sakshi Gallery, Synergy Art Foundation Ltd.

Another young artist, Chitra Singh also showcased her recent works at an exhibition at Gallery Number 6, Rabindra Bhawan, Lalit Kala Akademi here.

Entitled, ‘Colours in Life’, her first solo exhibition was inaugurated on March 28.

Chitra, wife of an Air Force officer, has been interested in art and painting since her childhood. She postgraduated in drawing and painting from Meerut University in Uttar Pradesh and then seriously plunged into painting. Travelled all over the country, Chitra is known to infuse an element of tenderness in her paintings. She has been honing up her skills by holding regular drawing and painting classes in the institutes run by the Air Force Wives Welfare Organisation (AFWWA).

Exhibition by Jammu photographers

Three well-known photographers from Jammu, Chanden Sunder, Vijay Gupta and Dr Rajkumar Sharma are holding a joint exhibition of their photographs at Gallery Number 3, Rabindra Bhawan, Lalit Kala Akademi here from March 28 to April 5. The exhibition was inaugurated by the renowned photographer, S. Paul.

‘Ek Gadhe Ki Atma Katha’

The Shri Ram Centre Repertory is staging two productions, ‘Kaali Barf’ and ‘Ek Gadhe Ki Atma Katha’ at the Shri Ram Centre’s main auditorium here in the coming two weeks. While ‘Kaali Barf’, the saga of indomitable soul of Kashmir by Meera Kant, will be staged on April 6 and 7, ‘Ek Gadhe Ki Atma Katha’ will be presented on April 9 and 10 at the same auditorium.

Both the plays have been directed by Mr Mushtaq Kak.

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Prayer meeting in memory of Jindal
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
Rich tributes were paid to eminent industrialist and the Haryana Power Minster, Mr Om Prakash Jindal, who died in a helicopter crash on March 31.

A ‘Prarthana Sabha’ was organised at his Prithvi Raj road residence, which was attended by the Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, the Vice-President, Mr Bhairon Singh Shekawat, the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr B. S Hooda, the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, the former Prime Minister, Mr Deve Gowda, the BJP leader, Mr Madan Lal Khurana and other Congress leaders.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Chief Minister today expressed grief over the demise of 84-year-old Pope John Paul II.

In a condolence message, Mr Hooda said that Pope John Paul belonged to the people and would be remembered for his services for the mankind.

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Thapar disburses pension
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3
The All India General Secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), Mr Onkar Singh Thapar, today claimed to have distributed Rs 10.80 lakh among 600 old age pensioners.

Mr Thapar, who is also the Deputy Opposition Leader in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, claimed to have distributed Rs 3,300 each to new pensioners and Rs 1,500 each to those who were already on the list of the MCD.

He informed that 100 new pensioners have been added to the list of 500 senior citizens already on the list from last year.

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