 |
|
|
I had no inclination of pursuing
a modelling career |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Removal of roundabouts draws flak
‘Old age is not senility’
From the Colleges
From the Schools
Weekly Round-up
Good Samaritans serve water to passengers at Phagwara railway station
PTU to sign MoU
Poetry competition organised
|
|
I had no inclination of pursuing
a modelling career.
Your impression of the city. It’s a nice place. People here are simple and they have an endearing naiveté about them. They can relate to you easily. It’s my first-ever visit to the city and I feel that the warmth of the people here is alluring. How did you foray into modelling? I had a cosmopolitan upbringing, thanks to my Kashmiri father and British mother. My foray into modelling was just by chance. I had not given any previous thought to it. In fact, when I was nineteen, I had no inclination of pursuing any modelling career; I had even thought of getting married! Of course, now that phase is over. Your Bollywood experience has not been exactly rewarding so far. I am still very much a part of Bollywood. One of my movies with Akshay Kumar (I am unable to recall its name) is already complete. Another movie starring Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek is in the pipeline. But the much-hyped Boom bombed at the box office. Boom was just fun. We had a whale of time on the sets. I would not attach the tag of “wrong choice” to Boom. Even Amitabh Bachchan had said that Boom was a movie not meant to be taken seriously. Have you acted in non-Hindi flicks too? Yes, my experience in Telugu movies has been pretty good. I have done two Telugu films till date. Your comment on Bollywood. The industry gives a chance to all aspirants. Those having a flair for acting try their luck in Bollywood. And those who have the talent make it to the top. There’s one more interesting thing about Bollywood — it has an overwhelming influence on the masses. Why do models switch over to acting? Acting is a natural progression for models. To be frank, modelling, as a profession, is short-lived. There’s nothing unusual or strange about models shifting to acting. Any plans of quitting modelling. None at all. Why should I quit modelling? I am happy with my work. Right now, it’s acting as well as modelling for me. Often the personal life of actors and models comes under a scanner. I don’t give much credence to all this. I am interested only in my work and that’s all. The rest is all secondary, and may be superfluous, too. Apart from acting and modelling, what are your other interests? Horse riding fascinates me. But I guess modelling and acting are full-time jobs, and the schedules can be rather gruelling at times. Often girls from small towns dream of making big in modelling. Your word of advice. Right guidance is a must. Small-town beauty pageants that promise heaven are not the proper platforms for aspiring models and actors. Also, there’s loads of hard work behind all glitter. And, the acting and modelling aspirants should never forget this.
|
|
100-yr-old unsafe building houses Home Guard office
THE Bhoot Bangla at Kapurthala may not ring a familiar bell. But those interested in
history know that it used to be the army headquarters before Partition. Today this building houses the Home Guards office on its ground floor, though most part of the first floor of the building has been declared unsafe.
This elegant model of French architecture is situated on the Kanjli Road. "This building was surrounded by dense forest and no one other than the soldiers was allowed to enter it. Perhaps, that is why people started calling it the Bhoot Bangla," says 84-year-old Sardar Jaswant Singh, reminiscing the days of the year 1939 when he was recruited in army as Lance Naik. "There were two infantries stationed in this more than 100-year-old building. On ground floor, there used to be a big hall consisting of two rooms, one each on both sides of the hall housing the offices of Generals of Paramjeet Infantry and Jagatjeet Infantry. General Dyer had also a brief stint here. The roofs of four minarets built in the corners of the building were sentry pickets. Sometimes, underground rooms were used as jail," says Sardar Jaswant Singh. This historical building is now facing apathy of administration and government. The roof of the first floor has caved in from many places, the shades have started falling, and one of the minarets has already vanished due to the vagaries of weather and the roof of another has caved in. Plants have grown in the niches developed by peeling off plaster and bricks in the walls, resulting in seepage of water and cracks in the walls. "This old building can be used as a heritage hotel and also for other commercial purposes after renovating it without tampering with its basic structure. It has been built on a part of a seven-acre plot," says Mr S.L. Arora, founder member of the Kapurthala Heritage Society.
|
|
Removal of roundabouts draws flak
THE all-out efforts made by the Municipal Corporation Jalandhar (MCJ) to make city residents believe that replacement of two prominent roundabouts - BMC and Guru Nanak Mission chowks - would ease traffic congestion, have failed.
While the MCJ authorities have been going overboard to justify the seemingly exorbitant expenditure of "Rs 60 lakh" incurred on replacing the chowks, the residents are questioning the wisdom of the MCJ authorities in carrying out the exercise without proper homework. The leader of Opposition in MCJ, Mr Krishan Dev Bhandari, alleged that the replacement of the roundabouts was a mindlessly carried out activity on which the MCJ had spent Rs 60 lakh. This allegation, however, was rebutted by the Commissioner, Mr Satwant Singh Johl, according to whom only a sum of Rs 22 lakh was spent on installation of traffic lights and levelling of the once prominent landmarks of the city. But what haunts the residents is the malfunctioning of the traffic light system, absence of stop and zebra lines, failure of the MCJ authorities to level the vast open area of the chowks properly and the inability of the Traffic Police in regulating traffic properly. Another factor which compounds the problem is the large number of roads, which connect to the area where once the chowks stood. Jalandhar Plus found that the most harrowing experience for a vehicle driver was at the BMC Chowk. Here the traffic lights not only played truant, but also they had gone missing within about two months of their installation. Birds have made their nests where traffic lights had once been fitted. If one goes towards the Sanjay Gandhi Market from the Cool Road side, there is no traffic light at all at the entry point of the market. Not only this, the countdown at the 150-second timer installed along with the traffic lights on the Cool Road side jumps from 0 to 36 seconds, as a result of which drivers from the Cool Road side practically have just 114 seconds instead of 150 seconds to cross over to the other side. Above all, drivers coming from the Bus Stand and heading for the Namdev Chowk are greeted by both green and red lights simultaneously. Similarly, the Guru Nanak Mission Chowk traffic lights area has become an accident zone, for like the BMC Chowk, it is devoid of stop or zebra lines. This allows vehicle drivers to stop at a point of their own choice. Uneven spaces and potholes in the vast open spaces in between the traffic lights at the two places further add to the woes of the commuters. A number of accidents and head-on collisions that have occurred at the two places give ample proof of the shortsightedness of the MCJ authorities and the traffic police officials. Mr Bhandari has demanded a Vigilance Bureau probe to find where so much money (Rs 60 lakh according to him) has been spent by the MCJ authorities and why despite the spending of the money, the traffic problem still remained unsolved. "They ( the MCJ authorities) did not take anyone into confidence while deciding about the removal of the chowks. We fear there is a scope for bungling, as no one has been told as to where huge quantities of sand, marble and iron grills have gone. Moreover, the vast open spaces in the middle of the chowks have developed potholes within two months," he alleged. On the other hand, the commissioner defended the MCJ action and hoped that the traffic problem would be set right by the MCJ within a week's time. He also maintained that an amount of Rs 22 lakh had been spent on the replacement of the chowks with traffic lights. "If traffic lights are faulty we will get the fault rectified. Moreover, we are consulting a wing of the Indian Railways to suggest a new traffic plan, as we are not satisfied with their earlier plan. Traffic islands are being beautified by private parties at their cost and we have spent Rs 22 lakh so far," said Mr Johl.
|
|
Eating out
IT is one of the most happening places in Model Town Market. It is where most youngsters like to sit down and chat while they enjoy pastry, pizza slices or kathi rolls with glassfuls of juices.
Parkash Bakery that was started way back in early 1960s by late Partap Singh now makes an array of items, including different types sandwiches, cakes, pastries, pizzas, kathi rolls and burgers. For those desiring to make their own pizzas, burgers and pav bhajis at homes, pizza bases, burger buns and pavs are available in different sizes. The bakery makes cakes and pastries in different flavours, including those in butter scotch, mixed fruit, Cappuccino and Mocha cakes. The other routine flavours like rum cakes, pineapple cake and black forest cake are also available, though with lots of distinct patterns in icing as per the occasion, be it a birthday party for children, anniversary, Christmas or Valentine's Day. Even the dry cakes come with a wide range of flavours, including those with cinnamon and cardamom flavours. It is a bakery that caters to the needs of all kinds of customers, including vegetarians and non-vegetarians, children and even NRIs who make it a point to visit the shop during their stay in the city. The shop has separate shelves for serving vegetarian and non-vegetarian items. The segregation remains even in the frozen foods items, where there is a separate freezer for both non-vegetarian and vegetarian foods. Even the bakery unit is separate so that there is no chance of mixing of the two varieties, claims Mr Jaswant Singh, owner of the shop. Most children flock around the very first section of imported jellies from Candy Treat. The jellies, coming in a variety of at least 40 different shapes, colours and flavours, are favourite among the little ones. Kids also relish cake slices, lollipops, chips, and juice packs available in the shop. For those who just frequent the market for a geri, steamed corns and twin-flavour softies available at a counter just outside the shop are the hot favourites.
|
|
‘Old age is not senility’
Tribune News Service He adds that increase in the average lifespan has made common disorders like Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. "Unfortunately, ageism, too, has become more pronounced both in developed and developing countries these days," he says. Dr Sethi is presently the director of the National Parkinson Foundation Centre of Excellence, USA. He is on the editorial board of "Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports and Movement Disorders". He has received many awards, including the Outstanding Service Award AINA, Neurology and NS Clerkship Outstanding Teacher Award. His research interests include new drugs for Parkinson's disease and drug-induced movement disorders. His clinical interests are movement disorders, botulinum and toxin injections. "Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised clinically by slowly progressive syndrome that includes tremour, rigidity and postural reflex impairment. Because there is no biological marker of PD, the accurate diagnosis of PD during life relies exclusively on clinical signs," he says. "Better criteria for early PD diagnosis are needed and the role of functional neuroimaging should be explored further," adds this neurologist, who years ago had shifted to England to pursue his further studies at the Charing Cross Group of Hospitals and Medical School, London. According to Dr Sethi, exposure to pesticides is linked to higher risk of Parkinson's disease. Research has shown that genetic susceptibility and environmental factors predispose an individual to Parkinson's disease, he reveals. Stressing on the humanitarian approach, he says, "I like to get to know my patients as real people and not as people with diseases." Though he plans to share his research expertise with his Indian counterparts, yet, he says, he cannot even think of shifting to his native country. "The research facilities are very advanced in the United States," he adds.
|
|
Mehr Chand Polytechnic promotes developmental projects
THE aim is to produce successful technocrats, who can be instrumental in bringing about the transformation of society, particularly in the countryside. Mehr Chand Polytechnic here has made a mark for itself in the field of technical education by motivating budding technocrats to adopt developmental projects.
The polytechnic, situated on Jalandhar-Amritsar road near DAV College, was established by DAV College's Managing Committee in 1954 by introducing two-year diploma course under civil engineering programme. In December 1955, the All-India Council of Technical Education sanctioned a grant of Rs 11 lakh for raising infrastructure and other facilities, including building, equipment and a library. Besides, a sum of Rs 3.75 lakh as a loan was sanctioned for construction of a hostel for 150 students by the apex body. The polytechnic now offers a host of three-year diploma courses, including those in electronics and communication engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering. Besides, it runs a two-year diploma course in pharmacy. This multi-disciplinary polytechnic lays maximum emphasis on providing the latest practical training to its budding technocrats to make them capable and competitive in national as well as international industrial scenario, says Mr S.K. Sehdev, Principal of the polytechnic. This was the first polytechnic in the state to get ISO-9002 certificate about four years back. The National Institute of Technical Teachers' Training and Research, Chandigarh, conferred upon it the best polytechnic award for the year 2002-2003, say the polytechnic authorities. According to the institute's authorities, it has the distinction of having good record in academics. "Our students have been doing well in the board examinations. Gursharan Singh of electrical engineering and Vikas Sethi of Mechanical engineering have topped the board examination during the recent fifth semester examinations conducted by the board. Besides, 50 students have been placed in the first division," says Mr Sehdev, who believes in motivating the students to work for rural development. The polytechnic has upgraded its training workshops, which include foundry, electrical, sheet metal, welding, machine and fitting shops. A high-tech computer lab, a well-catalogued library, audio-visual teaching aids — all are used to facilitate effective learning among the students, Mr Sehdev maintains, adding that they were holding industrial-academic interaction on regular basis to make the students understand the problems of the industry. A career counselling and placement cell has been set up to train the final-year students to prepare their resumes and improve their communication skills in an effective manner. "The cell primarily coordinates with the national as well as international companies and placement agencies for recruitment of bright students. Besides, it maintains a complete record of the students and informs them regularly about the available job opportunities," maintain polytechnic authorities. The Community Polytechnic wing was set up on the premises of the polytechnic by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in April 1986. The main objective behind setting up this wing was to uplift the living standard of the rural people. The wing has set up extension centres to impart technical training at 15 villages, including Kishangarh, Patara, Ashahroor, Alawalpur, Dhanowali, Dosanjh Kalan, Kotli Than Singh, Kukar Pind, Daroli Kalan, Behram Sharista, Sansarpur, Gumtali, Dhina, Bhogpur and Koopur. These centres offer certificate courses in carpentry, refrigeration and air-conditioning, electrician, computer, radio and television, leather technology, motor mechanic, welder, plumber, dress-designing and tailoring, mason, cutting and tailoring and stenography. The polytechnic students have also excelled well in sports. "We bagged the runners-up trophy during the state-level inter-polytechnic sports championship held recently. Our students bagged the first prize in model and chart contest during the North Zone Technical Festival held here recently," claim polytechnic authorities.
|
|
From the Colleges
The Arya Pradeshik Pratinidhi Upsabha organised a Vedic Chetna Virat Arya Sammelan at DAV College on last Sunday.
Mr Gyan Prakash Chopra, president, DAV College Managing Committee, presided over the function. He stressed upon the value of ethics and morals while urging all to help in eliminating social evils such as dowry system and drug addiction. Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Minister for Local Bodies, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour and Employment, sanctioned a grant for Rs 4 lakh for the college. Earth Day held Students and staff of DAV College observed the World Earth Day in a programme organised by Pahal, an NGO, on last Friday. Prof Lakhbir Singh, President of the NGO, said that as many as three million children under the age of five were dying every year due to environmental hazards. Referring to the practice of child labour being followed in India, he said that the exposure to heavy metals in early childhood could produce life-long disabilities. On the occasion, a painting and poster competition was also organised in which the students painted on the themes — "Save Earth" and "Pollution — a threat to life and water". As many as 120 boys and girls participated in the event. Himani, Davinder Singh and Harpreet Kaur won the first, the second and the third prizes, respectively. The consolation prize went to Rameshwar and Harmandeep Singh. Rs 10 lakh donated Mr Tarlochan Singh Parihar, an NRI settled in Canada, has donated a sum of Rs 10 lakh to Sant Baba Bhag Singh Memorial Charitable Society for the uplift of the Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Engineering and Technology being run by it at Padhiana village. The NRI visited the college on last Monday and was surprised to note the fast development that had taken place in the institute and the villages around Adampur. More than 200-km stretch of the roads connecting villages with Hoshiarpur, Phagwara and Jalandhar had been constructed at a cost of Rs 6 crore, he noted. Placement week The Training and Placement Cell of Lovely Institutes, Phagwara, organised a "Placement Week" for the placements and training of its management and technology students. Companies from different sectors like telecom, financial services, brokerage firm, automobile, and textile visited Lovely Institutes. "Top companies like Dabur, J&K Cement, Vardhaman, Kotak Group, Nestle have already visited the campus," said Mr Ashok Mittal, president of the Lovely International Trust. Exhibition The Students and Nurses Association of the Mahatma Hans Raj DAV Institute of Nursing organised an exhibition on mother and child healthcare on last Tuesday. Through posters and charts, the students highlighted various facts and figures indicating the healthcare facilities available for mothers and children in India. Dr Jagir Singh, SMO, CHC, Kartarpur, was the chief guest. Ms Veena Williams, Principal, College of Nursing, said that there was a need to spread awareness on solutions pertaining to preventive interventions.
|
|
From the Schools
Dhilwan International Public School, Dhilwan, organised a seminar on "Role of Education in the rural areas" on Saturday. Mr Rajpal Singh Sandhu, SP, in his keynote address, said that there was a need to further strengthen the education system in the rural areas. "The overall development of the society solely depends on proper grooming of human resource," he said. Earlier, school students formally started the seminar with a welcome song. Gurdeep Singh presented a poem on social evils. Others present during the seminar included Mr Harjit Singh, president of Dhilwan Development Society and Ms P.K. Dhillon, Principal of the school. Dance contest The students clad in colourful dresses participated in talent finding dance competition organised by MGN Public School, Urban Estate-II, here on Saturday. In the girls section, Anmol of class VI bagged the first position, while Arshdeep and Mallika secured the second and the third positions, respectively. In the boys section, Gurkeerat of class VI won the first prize followed by Chiranjeev of class VII, who was adjudged the second best by the school management. Harinderpal and Yuvraj shared the third prize. Ms Jaspal Gill, Principal, gave away the prizes to the students. Lawrence School The students of Lawrence International School participated in the painting competition organised on the school campus here on Saturday. The themes were "Say no to drugs", "Make environment green" and "Save wildlife". The students of classes I and II used the tearing and pasting techniques for collage-making, while the students of class III and class V participated in landscaping. The students of classes VI and VIII depicted through their paintings different festivals of the country. Ms Sunita Mehta, Headmistress, appreciated the efforts of the students. Later, the traffic wing of the district police briefed the students about traffic rules through demonstration and written material. Investiture Apeejay School, Rama Mandi, held its investiture ceremony on Thursday. Mr R.K. Walia, Principal, initiated the oath of office to the head boy, the house captains, the vice-house-captains and the prefects. Mr Walia urged the students to be disciplined and to work hard. World Asthma Day MGN Public School organised a lecture on "Breaking myths — promising future of Asthma management" on the World Asthma Day on Tuesday. An allergy and asthma awareness cum free medical check-up camp was also organised to mark the occasion. Dr Sudhir Kumar, a chest physician, interacted with the students, their parents and the faculty members to make them aware about asthma-related problems and solutions. Mr R.S.Mehta, Principal, thanked the guest for his valuable suggestions.
|
|
Topper Deepika wants
to be like Kalam
Science students from the city have outshone in the Plus Two examination conducted by the Punjab School Education Board by securing top two ranks in the state this year.
Deepika Juneja, a Plus Two (non-medical) student of Kanya Maha Vidyalaya, has scored 400 marks out of the total 450. She shares the first position with Neetu, a student from A.S. Senior Secondary School, Mukerian. The duo is followed by Harjap Singh, a student from the local DAV College, who has stood second in the state. Simple and down-to-earth, Deepika revealed that she aimed high. She aspired to become a scientist of the calibre of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, President of India. She said that she felt that her first step towards the target had been achieved today, even as she disclosed that her next aim would be to get a high rank in the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) to be conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education so that she could "reserve" a seat for herself in the Department of Computer Engineering at Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh. The only daughter of a businessman engaged in pipe-fitting works, she had already been drawing a scholarship of Rs 500 per month from her college on the basis of her good performance in her previous examination. She had scored 90 per cent marks in matriculation which she completed from Shiv Devi Girls' High School here. Elated over her success, she said that she came to know about her result when her Principal, Ms Rita Bawa, gave her a call at her residence and informed her about her result. "For a minute, I was too shocked to understand what my Principal had been telling me. When I reached her office, she gave me a hearty welcome and offered me sweets," she said, while describing her "happiest day". Even as Deepika is yet to get her detailed marks sheet, she is optimistic about getting a good score in mathematics, her favourite subject. She is already a gold medal holder in her college for attaining highest marks in the subject in every examination conducted in her college. As the topper explained her mantra of success, she said that she had never taken any private tuition. "I have been attentive in classroom and my teachers have been a great help as they were always there to answer my queries," she said. Ask her about taking coaching for forthcoming entrance examination and her reply is a big "no". She said that she had been getting up at 4 am for the last many years and that too without any alarm. "I am so used to getting up at that time that I cannot sleep after that." Her parents, Mr Ashok Juneja and Ms Sushma Rani, were elated at her success. They said that they would do their best for their only daughter. Harjap, with the second highest score, aims at becoming an aeronautical engineering. He, too, is averse to taking any coaching class, as he believes that self-study is the best to achieve his target of securing a seat in an IIT. Son of a PWD employee from cantonment, he said that he owed his success to his parents.
|
|
The Field and Workshop Workers' Union, Punjab, has criticised the state government for its alleged failure to release, since March, the salaries of daily wagers working with the Water Supplies and Sanitation Department. Mr Ram Parkash, general secretary of the union, said that these daily wagers were facing great hardships on this count.
The union demanded that requisite funds be released on the seventh day of each month to pay the salaries. Pensioners' meet The non-official members of the Punjab State Advisory Committee for Pensioners have urged the state government to immediately convene the meeting of the committee to discuss long-pending demands of the pensioners. Mr Gurcharan Singh Garcha, press secretary, stated that no meeting had ever been convened by the authorities concerned since the formation of the 23-member committee in October 2004. It was mandatory to hold a meeting of the committee once in six months, he said, adding that the state government was not serious about redressing the problems of the pensioners. Labour Day The district committee of the Centre of Trade Unions (CITU) celebrated the Labour Day at Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall here on Sunday. The speakers demanded that the state government ensure Rs 5000 per month to the labourers. They demanded proper implementation of labour laws by the industrial and other commercial establishments in the state. Nirankari function Over one lakh devotees attended a function held by Sant Nirankari Mandal to mark the visit of the Nirankari Chief, Baba Hardev Singh, on Tuesday. Addressing the congregation, the Baba said that the objective of life could only be achieved after the realisation of eternal truth. He said that only the knowledge of the ultimate reality could help one lead life to its fullest. Foundation Stone Lieut Gen P.K. Singh, GOC, Vajra Corps, laid the foundation stone for the accommodation project for soldiers (Other than married) near here on Wednesday. Mr D.L. Mathur, chief engineer, Jalandhar Zone, explained that the project would provide much-needed permanent assets for living, training, recreation and accommodation for the troops. The project would be completed within a period of 18 months. (Compiled by J.S. Malhotra)
|
|
Good Samaritans serve water to passengers at Phagwara railway station
To serve water to the thirsty is a noble cause. And to serve it chilled is still nobler!
The Janata Seva Samiti Phagwara has been engaged in serving water to passengers for the last about two decades. An NGO of about one hundred shopkeepers and a few employees, this voluntary organisation has been serving chilled water to railway passengers at the railway station of Phagwara. It spends three to four lakh rupees every year on this project. It collects the amount through donations. Even NRIs contribute to this humanitarian cause. From May to October, these good Samaritans serve water to passengers. Believe it or not, on an average, about forty to fifty thousand glasses of water are served daily! Mr Vipin Khurana, president and Mr Surinderpal, cashier of the samiti, told Jalandhar Plus that though they did not have the exact figures, yet two thousand glasses of water were served on an average to passengers of one train. And the water was served in a minimum of twenty to twenty-five trains, they said. Besides, those waiting to board trains were also served water. "About twenty-five water-filled, fully covered rehris are placed on platforms. Ten thousand plastic glasses are in the stock. Glasses worth thirty-five to forty thousand rupees get broken, lost or taken away every year. Ten blocks of ice are used daily," informed the samiti members. Volunteers rush to the station from their shops just before the arrival of a train to serve water. After serving it, they return to their workplaces. Their shuttling between shops and station continues from morning till evening as does the chugging of trains. Employees like Jagjivan Lal Kailey (samiti's secretary) do the service in evening after getting free from work. A volunteer used to come from as far as Amritsar daily to serve water at Phagwara, disclosed Mr Khurana. The aged volunteers serve water on what is called "adda" (stationary water joints).The septuagenarian Madan Lal is one such old man engaged in this service. Mr Malkiat Singh Ragbotra, president, Nagar Council, Phagwara, is the moving force behind this act of philanthropy. Actually, a body called the Manav Seva Sangh had started this noble work long time back. When it discontinued it, the Janata Seva Samiti took over. The samiti members' dream is to start serving distilled water one day. "But packed water is a costly proposition," says Mr Khurana.
|
|
City kids splash about
in cool waters
Swimming seems to have become a fad among the city kids. Even as it has been less than a week that the swimming pools have been opened at different locations, these have already started getting a very good response. Wearing bright, colourful costumes with water-proof caps and water glasses, kids can be seen splashing water here and there every morning as well as evening.
Gymkhana Club has nearly 20 children already coming for taking coaching and so has been the response at the swimming pool of the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) where not only the students of Police DAV Public School but also the children of the employees can be seen taking coaching for swimming. At Gymkhana Club, kids of age five years and above are taking coaching in swimming. Beginning with learning to breathe in waters, they eventually learn leg action, floating and movement of arms. In a month's time, most children learn the basic art of swimming, said the coach, Mr Khushal Khanna. The coach said that children who are more active tend to learn even before a month. Most children visit the swimming pools with their moms, some of whom also jump into the water with their kids while the rest come just to accompany their little ones, see them move from one edge to another and take care of their clothing. Ms Simranjit Kaur, mother of Sehajdeep Singh, said that she was accompanying her son everyday to the club. "It is a very good exercise for him and he also gets excited as he simply loves water activities. But as soon as he reaches home, he gets hungry and asks for some refreshment immediately," she said Ms Seema Sachdeva, mother of Shivani, said that her daughter could come to the club only twice a week, as she was often overburdened with homework daily. She said that though her daughter's school offered coaching in swimming, it had not yet begun there till date. "But whenever she is able to spare some time, she makes it a point to swim for almost an hour. It sometimes becomes very difficult to take her out of water for she is not ready to come back," she added. A group of five girls, Ibadat Anmol Singh, Shreya, Tanvi, Kriti and Sikum, said that their house was close by and they all just were coming together on their own. The girls said that it was their second year of coaching at the club. Meanwhile, the swimming pool of the Improvement Trust has been lying closed for the last three years and the trust has mooted a proposal to invite private bidders for its upkeep. Besides, a few resorts, colleges and schools also have their own swimming pools that cater to the needs of their own members and students.
|
|
PTU to sign MoU
Having run a School of Excellence for Total Quality Management (TQM) and Entrepreneurship at Mohali for nearly two years, Punjab Technical University has now decided to start its second School of Excellence at Kapurthala soon.
A project with a cost of Rs 6 crore is likely to be taken up. Mr Swaraj Paul, a UK-based industrialist, is helping in setting up a "PTU-Swaraj Paul School of Excellence on Manufacturing and Material Sciences" at the site of Punjab Technical University near Wadala Kalan, close to Pushpa Gujral Science City. Giving details, Mr S.K. Salwan, PTU Vice-Chancellor, said that the project would be signed by next month whenever Mr Paul visited India. Originally hailing from Jalandhar, Mr Paul is the owner of a billion dollar steel-producing industry in London. Mr Salwan said that the course would be offered at three levels, including certificate, diploma and degree. He said that Mr Paul would be bringing top-notch faculty from the UK for setting up the required infrastructure for introducing the latest techniques, including laser construction, plasma building and inert gas welding. PTU was still on the lookout for getting a partner for setting up its third School of Excellence in Bio-technological applications and bio-informatics which is most likely to come up in Mohali. The VC said that talks were still on with three to four applicants but no final decision had been taken till date.
|
|
Poetry competition organised
An inter-class Hindi poem competition was organised by the pre-primary wing of Sanskriti KMV School here. The tiny tots participated in the competition with great enthusiasm. Hiten of pre-Nursery, Navya Sood and Yuvraj Sehgal of Nursery-A and Nursery-B, respectively, Anchal Chug, Sakshi and Naman Khanna of K.G-A, K.G-B and K.G-C sections, respectively, bagged the first position in different categories. The school also celebrated the Labour Day. Kanupriya of the Pawak House participated in a talk to highlight the significance of the May Day. The assembly in charge, Ms Gurmeet Kaur, emphasised the need to pay respect to people belonging to different professions, and explained the dignity of labour to the students.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
It was a glamour time for the city folks this week. Noted model Katrina Kaif, accompanied by models Indrani Dasgupta, Nayonika Chatterjee and Amanpreet Wahi, sizzled the stage at a city hotel this Sunday. Later, Katrina inaugurated a fashion store in the city.
It was a glamour time for the city folks this week. Noted model Katrina Kaif, accompanied by models Indrani Dasgupta, Nayonika Chatterjee and Amanpreet Wahi, sizzled the stage at a city hotel this Sunday. Later, Katrina inaugurated a fashion store in the city. To add to the glamour quotient of the fashion-smitten city folks, ace fashion designer J.J. Valaya drew attention to the fashion trends for the summer season during his visit to the city on Tuesday.
Minna Zutshi caught up with Katrina Kaif at a hotel here.