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Malls eat up farm land in Doaba
Uncovered sewage tank irks residents
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Abhinav tops ICSE with 96 per cent
From the Schools
‘Offence is the best defence’
Virsa Vihar, Kapurthala, short of funds
Weekly Round-up
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Malls eat up farm land in Doaba
In fact, a host of young farmers have started reaping benefits by initiating a new entrepreneurial trend. This they have done by selling or leasing out their agricultural land to a private builder or setting up a spacious multiplex, shopping mall, marriage palace, resort, restaurant, hotel, guest house, picnic spot or multi-storey apartments on a piece of land falling on either side of highways or a road connecting two townships. The Gen-Next farmers of this region want a quick buck and that too without much of toil. Agriculture no longer seems to be a profitable venture to them, as they now want to take a shot at schemes that ensure income to the tune of lakhs of rupees annually and that, too, with one-time investment and little maintenance expenses now and then. Their success is a beacon of hope for farmers across other parts of the state. Mr Surinder Singh has recently come up with a Badshah Palace at his fields in Badshahpur village on Jalandhar-Nakodar Road. The farmer said that he had tried all means of diversification, including fish farming and bee keeping, on his 8-acre land to increase his income, but he believed that no other venture had proved to be as profitable as his marriage palace. “My 8-acre farm gives me Rs 2 lakh every year, but my 4-kanal palace gives me a turnover of more than Rs 12 lakh annually. That is why I am planning to expand it and invest a little more on making it more aesthetic,” he said. “Since most villagers now prefer holding marriage ceremonies in marriage palaces instead of their homes, my business has been clicking well, especially from October to April. Besides, the multi-purpose hall can be used for various other functions and get-togethers round the year,” he added. “There is no need to worry about water and power situation. While profits remain erratic in farming due to variable output which is largely affected with untimely rainfall, hailstorm, drought and other weather-related calamities that often create havoc with crop, my palace gives me an assured income. In addition, I get sufficient time for my family and I even take them away for outings,” said Mr Surinder Singh. Not surprisingly, the fields on the stretch of land on either side of the Jalandhar-Phagwara GT Road are vanishing all of a sudden. Most of the farmlands have been taken over by huge multi-purpose complexes coming up in the region. While construction of Star City, a multiplex, and Ansal Plaza, a shopping mall, has just begun, various other theme resorts, restaurants, marriage palaces and fast food outlets dot the area. Mr Harbir Singh Dhillon, partner in the franchise of region’s busiest McDonald’s outlet, believes — “Selling French fries has been more profitable than growing potatoes”. The farmer has set up the outlet on one acre of his 75-acre farm on the highway and has collections worth Rs 2 lakh a day on every weekend. He now plans to build a multiplex by the year end. There are many such resorts and marriage palaces coming up on the Jalandhar-Jandiala Road. These include the yet-to-be-opened Manila Resorts that has a very eye-catching architecture. There are many others such as Maharaja Palace, Royal Palace and Pelia Palace on the Kartarpur-Bholath Road, and Drona’s Garden, Shagun Palace and Jalandhar Palace on the Jalandhar-Kapurthala Road. Realising the real-estate boom, many builders have started buying lands from farmers. Mr Anil Chopra of St Solider Properties has just bought a 10-acre land at a price of Rs 4 crore from a wheat-paddy cultivator for setting up Silver Heights, multi-storey apartments, on the Jalandhar-Nakodar Road. The land value has been appreciating even in the area just across Pushpa Gujral Science City where many farmers of Wadala Kalan village have leased out their lands for setting up petrol pumps, picnic spots and up-market fast food dhabas. But most agriculturists believe that the trend needs to be discouraged, as reduction of area under cultivation is leading to significant decrease in crop production. Dr Baldev Singh Kahlon, Chief Agricultural Officer, Jalandhar, pointed out that he had been holding camps in villages and convincing farmers not to resort to building resorts and marriage palaces on the farm lands. But, he said, since agriculture was no longer reaping significant profits, it was very difficult to persuade the agriculturists. Citing an example, he said, “We convinced farmers to take to diversification and sow new crops like turmeric. We told them that it could fetch them Rs 25 to Rs 30 per kg, even if it had high moisture content. Since most farmers resorted to this practice, prices slashed steeply and they could not get more than Rs 5 per kg.” The officer said that some highly-profitable schemes needed to be introduced to keep farmers away from utilising their land-holdings for non-farming pursuits.
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Uncovered sewage tank irks residents
Residents of Urban Estate, Phase I and II, are irked at the alleged pathetic attitude of the civic authorities. A huge sewage tank close to their houses remains uncovered, thereby posing a threat to their health.
The tank is placed near the posh residential area between Phase I and II. The sewage waste from various colonies, including Urban Estate, Jyoti Nagar and Mota Singh Nagar, is discharged into the tank. The residents said that the tank was a serious health hazard, as not only did it emanate foul stench, but also its black waters acted as breeding grounds for flies and mosquitoes that were in abundance in the area in summers. A few trees falling in its vicinity are dying a slow death, as their roots seem to have been choked due to the discharge of non-biodegradable waste. The residents said that they had approached Municipal Corporation Jalandhar authorities with their complaint a number of times, but to no avail. Mr G.S. Sohi, an ex-serviceman and resident of Phase I, said that the septic tank had proved to be a nuisance."I had recently planned to hold a get-together with my old pals on my rooftop in evening, but the idea proved to be disastrous. After I had made all arrangements for the purpose, I had to shift everything back to my drawing room, as by dusk the breeze started blowing from the tank's side towards my house, bringing pungent smell with it," he said. The retired army officer said that various poisonous gases, including methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide, coming from the tank were corroding his trophies, medals and mementos in silver, bronze and other alloys that he had displayed at his home. He said that these had to be polished after a few days, as they got tarnished every now and then. Mr Mohinder Singh, a resident of Phase I, said his brother lived in Phase II that was just across the tank.A child had died a few months back after he was drowned in the uncovered pond, he added. Mr A.K. Prabhakar, SE, Municipal Corporation Jalandhar, said the tank would soon be shifted to a new location about four km away from the area.
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From village boy to IIM Director
Reminiscing about his childhood days spent at Gadani village in Kapurthala, Dr S.P. Prashar, Director of Indian Institute of Management, Indore, turned nostalgic during his recent visit to his native place.
Interacting with The Tribune, Dr Prashar said, "Even as I had shifted to Delhi with my uncle for availing of better education facilities, my parents lived in the village located near Subhanpur town till 1981. I used to come here during every vacation and had lots of fun. The house is still there, but we have donated it to panchayat. Now when I go there, I park my car in front of the house, go around the place, enquire about my childhood friends and leave after reviving my memories all over again." "I can very well recollect that I was too eager to go to a school at the age of three, but unfortunately there was no government school in our village. The nearest school was in Lakhanke Padde village and older boys of the village who used to go to that school would carry me on their back," the director recalled. Interestingly, the director could not get enrolled in the village school as he was underage, but he used to attend classes and sit with students of class I. "Soon my parents shifted me to Delhi with my uncle. There I took admission in class I in a school in the month of March. On the basis of the knowledge I had gained in my village school, I was shifted to class II in a month's time," he said. Dr Prashar added, "I was very fond of making chhaj, ploughing fields and even transplanting rice. My father was a paddy grower from Sialkot and we had shifted to Kapurthala after Partition. He had a good say in the village, enjoyed respect and his opinion was taken in all village matters. But he did not come with me to Delhi, as he wanted to stay with my grandfather and other elders living in our house." Dr Prashar said his father had always believed that education was the best investment. "I completed
M.Com from the Delhi School of Economics and I was a lecturer at Atma Ram SD College at the age of 21. Later, I did PhD in finance from the University of France. I became a chair professor at the age of 45," he said. The director even served as head of the department in a UAE college for five years before he joined as director of IIM in April 2004. As an IIM director, he said that his thrust was to impart the best possible education in banking and finance services, including insurance, stock marketing, capital marketing and advisory services.
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Guru Nanak Dev University College
Total quality education is not just an empty promise for Guru Nanak Dev University College. The college swears by it, according to college authorities.
It was in the year 1962 that the college started functioning as Panjab University Evening College. At that time, it was housed in Sain Dass A.S. Senior Secondary School here. Six years later, it was shifted to the present building in Basti Nau across the Football Chowk. In 1973, it was renamed as Guru Nanak Dev University College. The college offers a variety of courses, including five-year integrated courses in computer applications and business administration. It also offers graduate and post-graduate courses in commerce. Focusing solely on academics - this is a big "No" for the college. What is stressed upon is the holistic approach. Academics and co-curricular activities both are given the due importance. And it's not just restricted-to-syllabi-studies that are encouraged, the students are also motivated to read books and magazines, and explore the wealth of knowledge, say the college authorities. The students of the college have been winning laurels not only in academics, but also in youth festivals and inter-college competitions. The NSS unit of the college has been taking up social tasks like adult education, road-repair and tree plantation. Modern teaching aids, a well-equipped computer lab with internet facility, educational trips and refresher courses for teachers, the college believes in the dictum that education must adapt to the changing social and economic needs. Dr Usha Kapoor, Principal, says, "The college aims at promoting education among the weaker sections of society." She adds, "We make special efforts to teach value-based education. Our stress is on character-building and not just delivering classroom lectures in impersonal manner. I think the students have been reciprocating our efforts very well. For instance, 'Thought for the day' that we display on the bulletin board daily is a huge draw among the students."
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Physics through oriental eyes
Seeing old things in new light is the essence of creativity. And ancient texts can very well be seen in a refreshingly fresh context if the perspective is given a slight shift, feels Mr S.D. Sharma, former Head of Chemistry Department at Lyallpur Khalsa College here. He has penned a book on evolution of physical laws.
Interestingly, he has given a different treatment to this 'very scientific' subject. He has taken Akashon (mass packet) and Prakashon (photon) as the realistic models of fundamental units of mass and energy. He traces the evolution of physical laws, right from transcendental First Cause to creative energy of maya. "I have taken a cue from our ancient texts. Starting with The First Principle as mentioned in the ancient scriptures, I have gravitated down to the gross creation associated with physical laws that govern the universe," he explains. Mr Sharma, whose book Evolution of Physical Laws (A Theory of General Physics) is his first foray into scientific writing, says that the oriental sages expressed their views about the nature of creation in seed form. "There is no further useful analytical elaboration of the thought. I have made an attempt to associate this thought with mathematical symbols to make it fit for quantitative studies," he explains, adding that the concepts of three gunas and maya can be interpreted in terms of the fundamental qualities of nature, force, inertia etc. The author claims that he has made an attempt to introduce concepts from varied fields in a unified manner. He has done away with the usual practice of dividing a book into chapters. Theories of relativity and quantum mechanics find a rather interesting interpretation in his book. "I have tried to dissolve the dichotomy between science and religion," he adds.
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Abhinav tops ICSE with 96 per cent
Abhinav Uppal, a student from St Joseph Boys School, has topped the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) class X examination in the city this year. He scored 96 per cent in the examination. The result was declared on the official website of the council on Wednesday evening.
As many as 14 students from the school have got above 90 per cent marks. Ankit Chapra and Abhinav Bansal have shared the second rank in the school with 93.2 per cent marks. Mohit Bhasin has stood third with 93 per cent marks. Hundred and eighteen students of the school appeared in the examination and 114 of them have got distinctions. From St Joseph Convent School, Cantonment Road, Sana Gumder has stood first with 93.6 per cent. Pallavi Khera follows her closely with 93.2 per cent. The third rank is shared by Manveet and Sonia Jain, both having scored 92.6 per cent. From SD Model School, Sudhamini Singh has emerged the topper with 89 per cent marks. Priya has stood second with 85 per cent. Sulabh Jain has come third with 78 per cent marks. While 89 students appeared from the school, 88 of them have passed, said the school principal.
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From the Schools
St Soldier Divine Public School, Kapurthala Road, organised a tree plantation drive on last Saturday. The drive was initiated by the chairman, Mr Anil Chopra, who planted the first sapling. He was followed by the teachers and students who planted trees all along the boundary of the school. Mother's Day
Ambika Modern School celebrated the Mother's Day by organising a party for mothers on the campus. Antakshri was played and a cultural show was held. At MGN School, Urban Estate, various games were organised for the moms invited to attend the Mother's Day party. A modelling show was held. A card-making contest was organised to mark the day at Apeejay School. Colourful fiesta
To help kids identify different colours, a colourful fiesta was arranged for pre-primary kids of Saffron Public School on Thursday. Kids came dressed up in colourful attire and coordinated accessories. A dance competition was also held in which the kids danced to the tunes of various Hindi numbers. Oath ceremony
Aims Public School, Basti Sheikh, held an oath taking ceremony for its students. Head boy, head girl, captains, vice-captains and prefects took an oath administered by Principal, Ms Renu Bhatia. An investiture ceremony was also held at Lawrence International School where Navjot Singh and Sheenum Uppal of class XI were appointed as head boy and head girl, respectively. Annual day
The annual day of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Ladowali Road, was held on last Saturday. Ms Gurkanwal Kaur, Minister for Social Welfare and Child Development, was the chief guest. Principal, Mr K.K. Aery, read out the achievements of the students. New principals
Mr B. Banerjee has taken over the charge of Principal at Delhi Public School (DPS). He replaced Ms G. Bindra, who had joined Mayor World School a month ago. Dr S.K. Khosla has taken over as Principal of Shriram Ambika Modern School, Kapurthala Road. He has replaced Mr V.K. Mehta, who had shifted to Lawrence International School. Dr Khosla had been the head of the department of mathematics at YPS, Mohali, for more than 20 years. Wg Cdr J.S. Bhalla, who has been the head of prominent schools across the country, has joined the school as advisor-cum-director. Dental check-up
Apeejay School, Rama Mandi, organised a dental check-up on last Friday. Dr Chetna Mohan of Apollo Dental Clinic, Rama Mandi, performed the check-up. Mr R.K. Walia, Principal, gave tips to students on dental hygiene. Lecture
The director of the Indian Institute of Management delivered a lecture on "Financial management-the continuing evolution" at the Lovely Institute of Management on Friday. Dr S.P. Prashar, IIM director, dwelt on emerging concepts such as risk adjusted performance measures and financial engineering. Dr S.K. Salwan, Vice-Chancellor of the university, was also present on the occasion. Toppers
Students of Bachelor of Design from the Apeejay College of Fine Arts have attained top positions in fifth semester examination conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University this year. Shivani Thakur has stood first in the university with 902 marks out of 1000. Ashima Mahajan has been declared second. Khushboo Chawla has stood fourth, while Anupinder Bakshi has bagged the fifth position. Science city
The CT institutions arranged the visit of their students from schools, engineering, hotel management, pharmacy and polytechnic institutions to Pushpa Gujral Science City from May 9 to May 13. The students of BTech programme gained an insight into the working of laser shows, simulators and dome theatres. Foreign delegation
A six-member delegation of educationists from China visited Police DAV Public School on Friday. The members discussed various strategies and modalities for enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation to explore the potential of education extension. The school management also celebrated its 10th Founder's Day on Monday. Mr Rajan Gupta, ADGP, Punjab Armed Police, was the chief guest. Poetry recitation
A poetry recitation contest was organised for the students of LKG at CT Public School. Diya bagged the first prize. The second position was shared by Nitish and Jaskaran. Jeevan was declared third. Mr Manbir Singh, managing director, gave prizes to the students. Seminar
To create awareness about meningococcemia, a seminar was held on the Maqsudan campus of CT institutions on last Monday. Dr Sunil Kumar from Sacred Heart Hospital discussed the symptoms, causes, prevention and cure of the disease that affects the brain.
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‘Offence is the best defence’
He started playing football by watching others play the game. A football ground happened to be near his home. As a child, he watched daily the players in the ground from the window of his house. And this opened a window for him into the world of football!
Sandeep Singh, who now studies in BA I in Guru Nanak College, Phagwara, and who is a daring defender in the college football team, took to the game when he was in class VI in school. He used to play in the PAP ground of Jalandhar at that time. And now, he has already played in the inter-varsity tournaments. This undergraduate student had graduated to this level of football via various junior level tournaments like under-14, under-16, under 17, under-19 inter-districts, North Zone and National Football tournaments. His team bagged the first position in the inter-district tournament at Muktsar in 2000. He has played under-19 Federation Football League at Kolkata and Goa. He represented Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, in the All-India Inter-University North Zone Tournament held in Jammu and
Kashmir last year. About his future plans, he said he wanted to join a football club. He is already being groomed by the JCT Football Academy. Good coaching, healthy diet and right spirit of competition through frequent tournaments were required for chiselling a player, he said. He practises daily from 5.30 am to 8 am and 5 pm to 8.30 pm. He speaks highly of his coach Jagir Singh, an international footballer, and his team in charge Sital Singh. His parents, especially father Amrik Singh, also encouraged him a lot, he said. When asked as to what made one a formidable defender, Sandeep calmly replied that offence was the best defence!
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Bhangra is in Inderjit’s blood
This man of 50 has been active in cultural and educational fields for the last 30 years. He has to his credit numerous awards in bhangra.
Mr Inderjit Singh is a self-learned educationist. Most of his service, over 30 years of it, has been in education, and cultural and social activities. A post graduate in Commerce with LL.B as an additional qualification, he has been Principal, Guru Nanak College, Sukhchainana Sahib, Phagwara, for the past seven years. He had earlier worked as a lecturer for 21 years in Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar. He started participating actively in bhangra and folk dances at the age of 14. He was captain of the school bhangra team from 1969 to 1971. He captained the DAV College Jalandhar team and was declared the best dancer of Guru Nanak Dev University from 1972 to 1975. He also represented Panjab University, Chandigarh, in inter-varsity festival at Jaipur in 1976-77. He directed Lyallpur Khalsa College bhangra team for 21 years. This team won laurels 19 times. He got a chance to visit Singapore, Australia and Fiji Island in 1973 to represent India in bhangra competitions under the leadership of the then Chief Minister, late Beant Singh. He led the North Zone Cultural Troupe to Italy, Germany, Sri Lanka, Dubai and Pakistan. He was the state coach (bhangra) for the opening ceremony of the Asiad 1982. He also choreographed New Year programme on Doordarshan Kendra, Jalandhar, for about seven years. Hundreds of students have learnt bhangra from him. He even taught bhangra to singers, including Malkiat Singh, Sarbjit Cheema, Roop Lal Maqbool, Kuldip Purewal, Davinder Dayallpuri and many others. "It saddens me when I see bhangra being performed on a stage rather than in the fields," he remarked. "I am addicted to bhangra, giddha and folk dances. I hardly miss any cultural programme," he said, adding that it hurt him to see a synthesiser being used in place of 'dhol'. "It is unfortunate that no one is keeping any check on the Westernisation of bhangra. I am very particular about the instruments used for bhangra," he emphasised. Presently, three scholars from Germany, the UK and the USA are doing PhD on world music under his guidance. He was nominated as a judge for the 14th Asian Song Contest in Birmingham. He has associated himself with many social organisations. He is the acting president of Rashtriya Andh Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, and a member trustee of the K.L. Saigal Memorial Trust, Jalandhar. He will be conferred "Lifetime Achievement Award" during the Bhangra Masti World Cup to be held at La Suhaag Banquet Hall in Toronto on May 27. "The secret of my active life is that I am very enthusiastic about my culture and I love simplicity," he explained.
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Virsa Vihar, Kapurthala, short of funds
Virsa Vihar, Kapurthala, has seen many ups and downs. Baba Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Museum and Auditorium and District Cultural Centre, popularly known as Virsa Vihar, was established to preserve Punjab's rich art and culture from the onslaught of Westernisation. The foundation stone of Virsa Vihar was laid by the then Governor of Punjab Surender Nath on February 10,1992. After the foundation stone laying ceremony, all was forgotten about Virsa Vihar. Last year, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Kapurthala, was invited to take the responsibility for managing the activities at Virsa Vihar. Today the kendra is imparting training in stitching, leather work, painting, beautician work. Folk dance and judo training is also being given to the people. Only a nominal fee of Rs 100 per month is charged from students. Various youth clubs in nearby villages are being guided and promoted by the kendra. The objective is to find talent in rural areas. In fact, District Youth Awards have been instituted and four youths will be selected on the basis of their contribution to social activities. The winner will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 500 and a certificate. Though the project of Virsa Vihar is gaining momentum slowly, the lack of funds is creating problems.
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The president of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers' Union (PCCTU), Mr S.S. Hundal, has condemned the alleged tampering of the delegates' list by some unit representatives. Mr Hundal also called upon the delegates to be united in their efforts for the implementation of Dr Johl's report, which would ensure100 per cent salary and retirement benefits to all lecturers. Office-bearers
The following have been elected as the office-bearers of the All-India MES Civilian Engineer Association: Mr Ravinder Sharma, patron; Mr Subil Kumar Sethi, president; Mr S.S Dhaliwal, Mr Bachan Singh, vice-presidents; Mr Paramjit Singh, secretary; Mr Sanjeev Soni, joint secretary; Mr Harminder Singh, cashier; Mr Sandeep Bhardwaj, organising secretary; Mr Kamaljit Singh Khurana, PRO; Gurdeep Singh, Sandeep Marwaha, Balwinder Singh, Sandeep and Baldev Singh, executive members. CM's intervention
The Punjab Civil Medical Services has demanded the intervention of Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and Health Minister, Mr R.C. Dogra, for immediate fixation of dearness pay at par with their counterparts at the Centre. They have alleged that 50 per cent Dearness Allowance has been delayed by one year. CAT seminar
"A date with TCY", a seminar for CAT aspirants, was organised on last Saturday at the TCY centre in Jalandhar by Top Careers and You, a test preparatory organisation for CAT entrance preparation. The city students got a chance to exercise their brain with interactive exercises and simulated group discussions. Mr Manjit Singh, centre head, spoke about the "out of the box" or lateral thinking required by the CAT aspirants. He said the preparation to crack CAT should begin with an integrated approach right from the second year of the college.
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Prosperity has once again started shining on the farmers of Doaba region. They have neither got a higher MSP for their yield this year nor have they been offered any subsidy or incentive under a government promoted diversification plan.