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Summer camps hot in city
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SEZ debate hot among
Phagwara industrialists
Despite ban, brisk sale of
cut fruits in Phagwara
Weekly Round-up
Anshita, Pamelpreet top
CBSE class X
From the Schools and Colleges
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Summer camps hot in city
Euro Kids, a playway school located on the Cool Road, is currently registering kids for its summer club in which there will be art and craft activities, story-telling sessions, cooking, table manners, dance, music and glass painting from June 1 to 30. The club members of the age three to 12 years will be split into three categories which will have toddlers, juniors and seniors. Ms Neha, centre head, said there would be GK and arithmetic clubs as well in which the kids will brush up their mental abilities.
Kidzee, another toddlers’ school, will be conducting classes for kids of age group four to 12 years in which they will be taught activities such as snack-making (without the use of LPG), making of fridge magnets, gift-wrapping, aerobics, gymnastics, personal grooming and improving of communication skills. Ms Harsimardeep, academic coordinator, said there would be theme parties as well. “While girls will make merry in a dance party, boys will rake their brain in a hunting party,” she said. Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg, also has a host of activities to offer to the children in summer fest opening for nearly 45 days from June 1. Ms Ranjana Sud, Principal, said there would be no age bar, as kids of all age groups would be trained in various activities as per their age. The festival will have kids taking part in making pottery items over the wheel, making soft toys and dolls, self-grooming, learning Western and classical dances. There will also be a quiz and science club for kids interested in widening their horizon of knowledge. Ms Sud said activities like horse-riding and golf might also be added. Various other private academies are also planning to conduct summer hobby classes. The GR Institute of Modelling and Theatres, situated on the Cool Road, is imparting training in modelling, acting, dialogue-delivery, modulations in dialogue, hairstyling and yoga. Mr Gagan Riar, running the centre, said classes would begin in June and the kids from five years onwards could get enrolled. Purnoor Dance School in Urban Estate will start dance classes for children of all age groups from the first week of June. Mr Kamal, owner of the academy, said children would be trained in dance, Western music as well as classical music. Running a Folk and Rock Academy of Arts on the Mall Road, Mr Surjit is training kids in various dance items. The kids are learning bhangra, gidha, Western couple, group and solo items, vocal music, tabla and harmonium. Minhas Creations in Preet Nagar, will be holding 15-day classes from June 6 onwards. The kids will explore new creative activities such as making show pieces out of moulded M-seal, crystal work on fabric and other items, greeting card making, glass painting, deco patch, pot painting and personality development. A summer camp is on at Cambridge International School for Girls, Urban Estate, where as many as 160 kids are taking training in sculpting, pottery and theatre. Kids are also being taught nuances of English language to help them improve their skills in reading, listening, speaking and writing. Ms Deepa Dogra, Principal, said the camp had begun on May 21 and would continue till June 4. Kids joining summer camp at MGN Public School, Urban Estate-II, will have lots of activities such as clay modelling, making aquariums and painting that will help them improve their motor skills. Ms J. Gill, Principal, said that as she did not want parents to spend much money on the activities, most of the activities would involve the use of waste material readily available at homes. She said that water pool activity was the one that most kids were looking forward to. A summer camp is also on at Delhi Public School where kids are having lots of fun skating, enjoying art and craft, dance and music activities.
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Fun time for kids
It's summer time. Hot languorous days. And no school. Kids could not have it better. But if you think that New Age Smart and Active (NASA) kids would while away their time licking mangoes and cursing sun, you are way off the mark.
Already the city kids have their itinerary chock-a-block with activities. If it’s story-skill-sharpening time for some, for others it’s time to spruce up their table manners. Most of them have registered for these courses, either with their schools or with summer clubs. In fact, the buzzwords among kids these days are “summer camp”. “Gone are the days when it used to be said that children could relax during the summer vacations and sit doing nothing. Now, everything has become well-organised. Even holidays are a package that you have to use in the best possible manner. Unless your child learns something constructive and worthwhile during the vacations, you feel that the holidays have gone waste,” says Ms Rekha Sharma, a teacher at a local school here. Interestingly, for parents, it’s not just the prospect of their children learning something new and useful that makes them cajole their kids to join the summer camps. The very idea that the children would be away from home during holidays sounds attractive to mothers, particularly working moms. “My six-year-old daughter would create a ruckus at home during her summer vacations. If she is away to school for her summer camp, at least I would be able to enjoy my holidays,” says a young mother. Kids, on their part, have their own reasons for joining summer camps. Peer pressure, fascination for new skills, desire to be with friends and the novelty factor make these camps alluring. “Summer camps are exciting. You learn so many things, and most of all, you enjoy a lot,” sallies Richa Sharma, a student of class IV, Police DAV Public School. Similar sentiments are echoed by Sushant of class VII of the same school. Well, the bottom line is that the NASA kids find it ‘cool’ to join summer camps!
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‘Big B best-dressed in Bollywood’
Indian fashion designers should look towards their home turf instead of eyeing foreign markets. Fashion designer Ashley Rebello, who had designed outfits for Bollywood starlet Mallika Sherawat’s recent Cannes visit, feels that there is a huge potential in “untapped” Indian market that needs to be explored. “Let us take a fresh look at the Indian market. It surely is teeming with possibilities for haute couture experts.”
The designer, while on a visit to NIFD here on Wednesday, shared style snippets with the institute’s students. “All designers have their own forte. I am basically a costume designer,” he said, adding that there was nothing wrong about designing “totally non-wearable” clothes. “It’s showbiz. You have to create the right hype. Unless models wear sizzling outfits during ramp shows, who would take notice?” he admitted candidly. As the talk veered around the tinsel town, he said, “In Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan is the most well-dressed man. Among women, I would rate Priety Zinta quite high, though I think Ash’s glamour quotient is the highest. Sonali Bendre may no longer be the top heroine, but her sartorial elegance is matchless.” There’s nothing glamorous about a woman trying to ape a model. What looks good on one person may seem downright vulgar on another. “You should wear what you can pull off. No point in making a spectacle of your self,” he remarked. “It’s attitude that’s more important. And your attitude cuts through your outfit. I mean your attitude shows even if you try to camouflage it with loads of make-up and trendy dresses,” he explained, adding that natural look was in these days. “Bright colours with minimal accessories is the right look for this summer. No elaborate designs, just a clean, chic look — that’s my summer forecast. Even dark make-up and caked look is passé,” he said.
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SEZ debate hot among
Phagwara industrialists
Special Economic Zone (SEZ) has become one of the most debatable topics for entrepreneurs and industrialists in Phagwara. Many of them are all for SEZ, arguing that SEZ would give a fillip to industries associated with diesel engines, pump sets, agricultural implements and agri-based food processing, apart from generating employment opportunities, attracting NRI investments and helping the local industry to measure up further to international market needs.
Most of the exporters that Jalandhar Plus interacted with supported SEZ. However, it did not find favour with some who felt that it would increase disparities. Mr A.K. Kohli, senior vice-president, Punjab Chamber of Small Exporters, turned out to be a diehard votary of SEZ. He opined that SEZ should be created somewhere between Phagwara and Phillaur, with industrial city Phagwara being its nodal hub. He considered the nascent Ranjit Garh township as the ideal site for it. It had connectivity with mainline rail, road and would have the air connectivity as well since the government had already declared that an airport would be built near Ladowal, he argued. Besides, the open, sprawling Sutlej River bank area would provide sylvan surroundings and eco-friendly environment, he said. He had himself done a comprehensive survey about it. Even a state body had done a survey about it, claimed Mr Kohli. In case SEZ came up there, it would benefit industrialists of Phagwara, Phillaur, Goraya, Nakodar,
Nawanshahr, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana, he said. The entire region was an NRI-rich belt and it would attract investments from North America, Middle East and Central Western countries having Punjabi population, he asserted. If SEZ was declared for Doaba as had been done for the border belt of Amritsar and Mohali, then direct and indirect employment opportunities for ten to fifteen thousand people would be generated. Ex-servicemen would be absorbed in supervisory and security jobs, while educated girls, who languish in unending wait for their NRI husbands who run away after “holiday marriages”, would lead here an honourable life with gainful employment in computer application programmes, argued Mr Kohli, also a member of the Central Working Committee of NRI Sabha, Punjab. Ancillaries would come up in surrounding villages, providing further employment, he added. Listing umpteen other benefits of SEZ, he said that inputs and raw material would be tax-free, industry would get riddance from “inspector raj”, goods produced would be free from excise and custom duties, and VAT. Mr S.P. Sethi, MD, Fine Switches, refers to the benefit of single window system that SEZ will provide. Mr Sethi, who has been on frequent business tours to China, recommends the China model of SEZ. Mr Paramjit Singh Sethi, MD, Indian Autos Industries, and president, Federation of Northern India Exporters, while favouring SEZ, stressed on the need for abolition of octroi and IT-exemption to exporters. Mr Sudesh Sharma, president, Federation of Phagwara Small Industries, supported the idea of SEZ, saying that SEZ would ensure a regular power supply. Similar views were expressed by Mr Mukhinder Singh, State Engineering Corporation, and Mr Surinder Chawla, Chawla Motors India. However, Mr K.K. Sardana, joint MD, Sukhjit Starch and Chemicals Ltd, had a diametrically opposite opinion. He maintained that SEZ would stall level-playing field and create disparities. It would not serve the interests of industry, he averred. Targeted items alone would be benefited by it, he said. Punjab was a small state. Just an economic package for it as a preferred state would go a long way in boosting industry and exports, he added.
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Despite ban, brisk sale of
cut fruits in Phagwara
Despite ban, the sale of cut fruits continues in Phagwara these days, with vendors doing a brisk business.
Also with the onset of summers, the roadside vendors selling chat, chana-kulcha and coloured drinks have mushroomed here. “The notification banning the sale of cut fruits in the subdivision is just a routine annual feature of the local administration in the wake of the threat of summer ailments,” says Mr Gurpreet Singh, a city resident. He adds that there is hardly any check on those who flout the ban. As per the notification, the sale of cut fruits and other eatables exposed to flies and dust is to be stopped with immediate effect. Despite the notification, the health department is yet to take any step. A vendor selling chana-kulcha, while pleading anonymity, said, “We have to pay a monthly fee to officials concerned for not disturbing our business,” he alleged. Though “checking and raids” may “happen”, it does not affect them, says a vendor, trying to shoo away flies from overripe watermelons that have been cut and displayed. “When things are brought to the media’s notice, the authorities concerned wake up and harass us, but after some days the situation becomes normal again,” he adds. A vendor Giriraj on the Gaushala Road, when asked by this reporter about the notification banning the sale of cut fruits, expressed his surprise. “ No, I don’t know of any such rule and no one has ever told me to stop selling cut fruits. I have been doing this business for the last several years,” he said proudly. A vendor selling cane juice near the bus stand here told this reporter, “We have a well-wired network in the city. Whenever (and this is not very often) a raid is conducted by the authorities, our friends from the area inform us on mobile and we make our exit hurriedly.” The local health authorities, when contacted, said that food inspectors of various areas would be directed to conduct raids from time to time. Mr Subhash Sharma, SMO, Phagwara, said, “We confiscate and destroy the foodstuff which is not fit to be consumed.”
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Residents rue closure of swimming pool
The first-ever swimming pool in the city, which happened to be one of the favourite fun spots for city residents, is now in a state of neglect. This is thanks to the alleged indifference of the local Improvement Trust authorities, who failed to maintain the swimming pool during the past four years, which eventually led to its closure.
City residents, particularly children, are unhappy over the manner in which the pool was closed about four years back. No reason was assigned for this decision. The local Improvement Trust authorities built the pool, situated near Bhagat Singh Chowk here in the heart of the city, about 30 years ago according to the master plan of the city. The 50-mt-long pool used to remain full of activity during summer season, as city residents came in large numbers to enjoy the swimming activity throughout the day to beat the heat. “I used to frequent the swimming pool in my childhood. But now the pool remains closed. This is sheer injustice to the people of the city. The pool should be reopened at the earliest,” says Mr Parveen Kakkar, a lecturer at the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology here. The pool spread over about 3000 square yards, according to the Improvement Trust authorities, was established as per the international norms to cater to the needs of the city residents. Besides, it houses six washrooms and two bathrooms. During a visit to the swimming pool by The Tribune team, it was found that bushes had appeared around the pool, while its floor had cracked badly. It looked more like a junkyard. “It used to be a fun spot for children during summers about two decades back. Most of the city residents would enjoy swimming late till evening. But now it is history and we are sad about it,” maintains Ms Monika Choudhary, a resident of Peer Bodla Bazaar. The authorities concerned, on the other hand, claimed that the shortage of employees had adversely hit the functioning and maintenance of the pool, which had been non-operational for the past four years. “During the past three decades, most of the employees deputed for pool duties retired and no fresh recruitment was made. This ultimately led to the pool’s closure. Besides, many high-rise buildings have come up around the pool making it difficult for womenfolk to take a swim there,” says an Improvement Trust official. The move of the authorities concerned to manage the pool with private participation on contract basis also failed to bear fruit, as the prospective bidders failed to participate in the auction process in the past four years. “No serious contender came forward to manage the pool on contract basis during the bidding for the same. We have no plans to reopen the pool,” say the trust authorities.
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The north region chapter of the All-India Central Government Pensioners’ Association has flayed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for its alleged failure to implement the orders of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) issued on July 17, 2002, with regard to the revision of pay scales and pension of IIS officers. BJP flays govt The Punjab unit of BJP has criticised the state government for its recent decision to hike sewerage charges for urban people. Mr Rajat Mahendru, state general secretary, alleged that the unprecedented hike in sewerage charges had put additional burden on urban residents, which was highly deplorable. He also maintained that the timings for release of drinking water in Jalandhar should be increased by two hours daily to meet the demand of city residents during summer season.
Union to hold rally The Unemployed Elementary Teachers’ Union, Punjab, has decided to burn effigies of Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and Deputy Chief Minister, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, at Jalandhar and Lehragaga, respectively, to protest against the proposed move of the state government to privatise the school education. The state president of the union, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sidhu, said that they would hold protest rallies at Jalandhar on May 28 and at Lehragaga on June 5. (Compiled by J.S. Malhotra)
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Anshita, Pamelpreet top
CBSE class X
Anshita Kumar from Apeejay School and Pamelpreet from MGN Public School have shared the top rank in matriculation examination in the district conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the results of which were declared on official website on Tuesday evening.
Both of them have secured 95.2 per cent marks. The second position has been shared by four students — Bharat Khanna and Chashamjot from Apeejay School, Apurva Beri from Innocent Hearts School and Atul Sehgal from MGN Public School. All four have obtained 94.8 per cent marks. Arshdeep Singh Sodhi has stood third with 94.6 per cent. Ramleen Kaur is fourth with 94.4 per cent. Both are students of MGN Public School. Angad Singh from MGN Public School, and Rajit Kumar and Garima Garsa, both from Apeejay School, have scored 94.2 per cent. Preet Kanwal Singh from MGN School has scored 93.6 per cent. Ripudhaman Singh from Army Public School, Jalandhar Cantonment, has obtained 93.4 per cent. Avijeet Kumar Singh and Shivansh Chaudhary from the same school have scored 93.2 per cent. Supaksh Mahendru from Dayanand Model School, Model Town, and Amanpreet Kaur from MGN have scored 93 per cent. Rajat Mark Grover, a student of Apeejay School, has topped the district in science stream with 93.6 per cent in the All-India Senior School Certificate Examination conducted by the CBSE, the result of which was declared on Monday. Mandeep Singh has stood second in the school with 91.8 per cent. In commerce group, Megha Jain has topped the list. Her score is 90.2 per cent. From MGN Public School, Ankur Verma (non-medical stream), has scored 92.6 per cent. Rubeena Gill of the same stream has obtained 90.2 per cent. In commerce stream, Ity Gupta has obtained 91 per cent. From Army Public School, Aemin Inder Singh has got cent per cent marks in mathematics. Manminder Kaur has got 98 per cent marks in geography and Chiragdeep Singh Dhillon has got 95 per cent in economics.
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From the Schools and Colleges
Guru Amar Dass Public School held an inter-school shabad singing contest to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Amar Dass at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Model Town, on Friday. Mr Kanwaljit Singh Lally, chairman, Sugarfed, and Mr Tejinder Singh Bittu, Chairman of Improvement Trust, presided over the function. Story contest Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Kapurthala, organised a story-telling contest on Tuesday. Varun, Gurleen and Inderveer of class I, Dayawan, Janrahmat and Gurminder of class II and Manpreet, Kamboj and Nishan Singh of class III were declared the winners. Karate contest Nearly 25 students of St Soldier Divine Public School who have been taking training in karate appeared for a test for yellow belt on Saturday. The test was conducted by Mr Sansei Sanjeev Nagpal and Mr Ranjeev Nagpal, both instructors. The trainees performed well and cleared the test. Gurjot Kaur was declared the best performer among girls, while Pawan Partap was declared the best player among boys. Talent hunt The literary club of MGN Public School organised a talent hunt singing contest on Saturday. Karanpreet of class II won the prize in junior category. In group I, Gurshah was declared first, Ishdeep won the second prize and Dakshita stood third. In group II, Harinder Singh, Anmol and Angad bagged the first, the second and the third prizes. Solo song contest The primary wing of Sanskriti KMV School held an inter-house solo song contest for its students on Friday. Pooja Yadav, Diksha Sharma, Navneet Kaur and Sahejdeep Singh were declared the winners. A drawing contest was also held in which Sejal, Subita, Harnoor, Ballavi, Tusharika and Mankirat were declared the winners. Workshop Mayor World School held a workshop for mothers of its students on Saturday. Former Miss India-America, Ms Pria Warrick, now running a finishing school, addressed a gathering of over 100 mothers on the subject "The forgotten me — A mother and a wife". She advised the audience to make a space for themselves in their lives and not to allow their identities to be defined only in terms of being a mother or a wife. Grandparents' Day The pre-primary students of Apeejay School celebrated Grandparents' Day on Saturday. A cultural show was organised on the occasion. Mr R.K Walia, Principal, said that there was a need to promote Indian joint family system so that the older people were looked after well and did not have to suffer from loneliness. Prize distribution Delhi Public School held its first prize distribution function on Wednesday. Students who had brought laurels in academics, sports and co-curricular activities were awarded prizes on the occasion. Students who had excelled in National Science Olympiad, National Cyber Olympiad and All-India Essay Writing Competition were honoured. Mr Narendra Kumar, chairman of DPS Society, Mr Ashok Chandra, co-chairman, and Mr B. Banerjee, Principal, were present on the occasion. University toppers Chhavi Gupta of the Apeejay College of Fine Arts has bagged the first position in BCA-III examination of Guru Nanak Dev University held this year, the result of which was declared this week. She has secured 81 per cent marks, while Niti Chowhan of the same college has secured the fourth position in the university. The topper Chhavi Gupta aspires to be a top IT professional. Pooja Bhagat of Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya has topped in BSc (IT) third year examination conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University. She has secured 1951 marks out of 2500. Vishal Dheer, B Tech first semester (electronics and communication engineering) student of Lovely Institute has got the first position in Punjab Technical University. Varinder Sharma has stood first in third semester. Gurpreet Singh Heer, fifth semester student of mechanical engineering, is also among the toppers. Seminar The Lovely Institute of Management will hold a national seminar on "Globalisation: Opportunities and threats" on May 28 on its campus. The seminar will be held with the support of the Confederation of Indian Industry and Technological Development Board. The seminar will be attended by acemadicians, industrialists and researchers from all over the country, and also delegates from reputed institutions like the Fore School of Management, Panjab University, Kurukshetra University, NIT Jammu and the V.M. Patel College of Management Studies, Gujarat. Dr Sanjay Modi, director, Lovely Institute of Management, said that various aspects of globalisation would be discussed in an interactive session during the seminar. New course The Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Education has decided to introduce B.Ed course of one-year duration in the coming academic session. The course will be affiliated to Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Initially, there will be100 seats for the course. Project on workers The University Grants Commission (UGC) has assigned a research project titled "Socio-economic conditions of migrant workers: A comparative study of textile brick kiln industry in Punjab" in social sciences to Prof Naresh Kumar Malhotra of the Department of Commerce and Business Management of Doaba College.
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A lesson in communal harmony
While communal differences sometimes trigger clashes, a 90-year-old Sikh baba who has been managing a dargah on the banks of Sutlej River at Gagar Dhagara village of Noormahal sub-division for the last more than 57 years, stands as a role model of communal harmony.
Not just the baba, even his great-grandchildren have been looking after the dargah of Pir Shah Ali Fatma whom they call "Khuda ka Sher". The baba not only makes daily prashad and organises its distribution, but also lights up the jot every evening. He even holds prayers for daily visitors and addresses large congregations every Thursday. An incident that took place during the time of Partition made Mr Bachan Singh, now popularly known as "babaji", develop deep faith in the holy shrine. His wife had developed some nervous problem and her limbs had almost stopped functioning while they had just come to India after Partition. She even complained of losing sensation in her arms and legs. Baba took her to a few doctors but it proved futile. On the advice of some relatives, the distraught couple visited the dargah. Both prayed there and took shelter in the then-desolate shrine. The dargah, which was looked after by some followers of the pir in the then Muslim-dominated village, had become deserted after Partition. The couple started serving there when a miracle took place. Baba's wife got rid of the illness and she became healthy. Since the baba had pledged that he would keep serving the place for life if his wife got cured, he kept his word and decided to live there forever. The couple started cultivating a piece of land acquired by them in the village to earn their living. The baba claims that his is not a lone case, as hundreds of people from all parts of the country visit the dargah to get their wishes fulfilled. The majority of them include issueless couples, who come to pray for a child. The baba said that people from far off lands, including those now settled in the US or Canada, also came to pay obeisance at the dargah. He said that people gathered in the hall every Thursday and offered whatever little they wished for the preparation of prashad, langar and maintenance of the shrine.
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