 |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
US teachers find city a blend of modernity, tradition
Chandigarh, July 7 Mary Ann along with 15 other teachers arrived in the city as part of the six-week seminar abroad programme designed to provide the US educators with a broader insight into the Indian cultural heritage. Interestingly, the impetus of this Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Programme funded by the US Department of Education lays a special focus on ‘Women in contemporary India’. Ms Manju Jaidka, Chairperson, Department of English, who has co-ordinated the Chandigarh tour, says: “The impetus of this seminar is to help visiting educators understand modern Indian women against the backdrop of Indian history and culture. Here we have taken care to see that some of the programmed be common to all and others have been divided into groups for specific encounters.” The specific sessions includes a meeting with women journalists at The Tribune office. Ms Sarina Paranjape, India Programme Officer with the US States Educational Foundation in India who is leading the troupe, says: “This group has 14 women and two male teachers and the plan is that whatever they learn here should be applied in their curricula back home.” The schedule includes a weeklong academic programme in Delhi and field visits to other cities. After the date with Chandigarh, the group will travel to Agra, Jaipur, Pune, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Varanasi. The first evening in the city found them bewitched by a very stimulating lecture-demonstration by well-known theatre director Neelam Man Singh. The video clips shown from her different productions were applauded. The teachers of the group will be meeting Ms Anu Chatrath, Mayor of Chandigarh, Central Reserve Police Officer, Ms. Amrit Brar and Kathak dancer Shobha Koser. Besides there will be visits to the women’s hostels in the universities, women’s wards in hospitals and a visit to Ramgarh village to see a women and child project being run there. A cultural programme has been planned for them at Kala Gram and some more song and dance at the Hijra Colony. The encounter with the city is not complete without a visit to the Rock Garden so that is a part of the schedule.
|
|
SGPC medical college must ‘cut’ fee
Mohali, July 7 The fee was far too high as compared to medical institutions run by other minority communities. He said it appeared that the seats in the medical college run by the SGPC were reserved for political leaders, those with big landholdings and Sikhs who “indulged in corruption”. He said the annual fee of Guru Ram Dass Medical College in the case of MBBS students in the reserved category was Rs 2.5 lakh per year while in the case of BDS students, it was Rs 1.5 lakh
annually. Giving a comparative figured he said Aligarh Muslim University charged only Rs 14,573 each year from MBBS students belonging to the minority community and those going in for BDS had to pay a sum of Rs 12,573
annually. In case of Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, MBBS as well as BDS students belonging to the minority community paid only Rs 70,000 per year. The sabha
appealed to the SGPC President, Bibi Jagir Kaur, to give directions for fee reduction in the medical college being run by the SGPC as the donations received from Sikhs were much more as compared to other minority communities. A separate account of the money to be spent on education could be maintained and by doing so the SGPC was likely to attract more donations from Sikhs abroad.
|
|
Admission in science stream closed in four schools
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 7 Admission closed to four schools in the science stream. These included GMSSS-40 (71.4%), GMSSS-21 (68.6%), GMSSS, Manimajra (66.6%) and MMSSS-46 (66%). In commerce, GMSSS-19 recorded a cut-off percentage of 66 per cent while the same was 67.5 per cent in GMSSS-40. Camp held: A special vaccination camp was inaugurated for mumps, measles and rubella at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Mani Majra, here today, under the Swaran Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojna for children living in the urban slums. Inaugurated by the Mayor, Ms Anu Chartrath, the camp carried out MMR vaccination of 400 children in the age group of 7 to 12 years. Ms Chatrath was accompanied by the Additional Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Mr O.P. Popli, the Director, Health services, Dr C.P. Bansal, the Senior Medical Officer, Dr M.S. Ahlawat, Principal Indu Bala and Dr Satbir Singh. Special vaccination camps for MMR will be held in all the urban slums on July 8 and 11 during which 5000 children would be vaccinated. Principal clarifies: The Principal of GSSSS-8, Ms Kuldevi Yadav, clarified that 15 students had been admitted to here school in two days of the ongoing centralised admissions to Class XI of all government schools. An official of the UT Education Department had inadvertently stated that the “school had failed to open an account” which was reported. Concluded: A summer workshop in vocal music, classical and folk dances concluded at Doon Valley Public School, Nalagarh, here today. Ms Pushpa Thakur, a vocalist, gave lessons in vocal music while sitar player Ramandeep taught instrumental music. A sports camp was also organised wherein specialised training in field events including shotput, discus throw, long jump and track events were held. The Executive Director of the school, Mr Rajeev Sharma, lauded the efforts of the Sports Department for imparting training to students. Vanamohatsva: The gulmohar Eco-Club of Maharishi Dayanand School, Daria, Chandigarh organised vanamohatsva week with collaboration of environment department of Chandigarh on the school campus. Different competitions related to environment activities were held. Principal Vinod Kumar was the chief guest on the occasion of the closing ceremony. He said the environment was affected due to regular cutting of trees. So today there was need to grow more trees to save environment for healthy living.
|
Notice issued to Centre on Indian prisoners in Pak jails
Chandigarh, July 7 Majority of these youth have long completed their prison terms but have still been languishing in jail due to lackadaisical attitude of the governments of India and Pakistan. The petitioner, the World Human Rights Protection Council through its chairman Ranjan Lakhanpal, has stated that despite recent bonhomie between the two countries, the politicians have not taken any steps to get these youth released. Most of these youth languishing in Pakistan prisons are from Punjab. He also submitted a list of 15 such prisoners, who are currently in Lahore jail. Referring to reports in the media, the petitioner has stated that many of these prisoners have gone mad due to prolonged prison terms. The petitioner has also alleged that in many cases the Government of India is not ready to take these youth back. Today, after hearing the petitioner's counsel, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Mr Justice D.K. Jain and Mr Justice Hemant Gupta issued notices to the Union of India and the Punjab Government for August 3. Appeal dismissed A Bench headed by Mr Justice Amar Dutt has dismissed the appeal filed by one Rajan Seth, who was awarded 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh for his involvement in a case under the NDPS Act. The CBI had nabbed Rajan from a Amritsar hotel on December 24, 1998, and recovered 3 kg heroine from him. Later, his accomplice was also arrested. On August 5, 2003, an Amritsar court had convicted Rajan and awarded 10 years' RI and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. In his appeal, Rajan had alleged that the case was false and that he was implicated in it. However, the court did not agree with his contentions and dismissed the appeal.
|
|
CAT directs govt not to fill post
Chandigarh, July 7 Though the original case was listed for July 11, the applicant today said he apprehended the special committee which comprises Cabinet Secretary, Principal Private Secretary to Prime Minister, Home Secretary, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training and Secretary, Revenue, was about to appoint Dr Krishna as the third member on the board. The Union Government was showing undue haste in appointing the third member. Earlier, the applicant had in his original application stated that he had been superseded while filing the post of Member in the Central Board of Excise and Customs. The Chief Commissioner had pleaded that despite being at position number one in the departmental seniority list, his name was not considered for any of the three posts which were filled at a meeting of the Special Committee of Secretaries, Government of India, held on June 22, 2005. He had stated that despite having an unblemished service record, he had been denied promotion on unjustifiable reasons to the post of Member, Central Board of Excise and Customs. Though the applicant was within the zone of consideration, his name was not considered for the post. The Central Board of Excise and Customs consists of a Chairman and five members. All these ex-cadre posts are filled from among the Chief Commissioner’s of Customs and Central Excise, subject to a clause the officer must have a balance service of one year as on date of vacancy. As per the seniority list, the applicant was first followed by Mr I.M.Soni. The names of Ms Chitra Saha, Mr A.P. Sudhir and Dr Krishna, who were at serial no 12, 15 and 16, respectively, on the seniority list had been inducted in to the board, superseding the applicant. The applicant at serial no 12 and 15 have already joined against two vacant posts in the board.
|
|
New Releases
Equally determined to forge his identity as director, Anubhav Sinha of ‘Tum Bin’ and ‘Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai’ fame, is all set to prove his worth with ‘Dus’ which is reportedly inspired from Hollywood film “24 Hours.” But Anubhav and producer Nitin Manmohan deny that ‘Dus’ is inspired from any Hollywood film.
The movie stars Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, and Abhishek Bachchan. ‘Dus’ is much slicker and technically a superior product from Nitin Manmohan’s banner. It is presented by Bala Entertainment International and a Karma Entertainment Production. The film also stars hot-and-happening Zayed Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Esha Deol and Raima Sen. ‘Javed Sheikh (Pakistani artiste), Pankaj Kapoor and Gulshan Grover supports the lead stars. Dia Mirza is 11th star who adds glamour to this promising thriller. ‘Dus’ will be released today at Neelam, Chandigarh, Fun Republic, Manimajra, K.C., Panchkula, Nigar, Ambala, and Rakhra, Patiala. Anubhav Sinha has changed the track this time and moves to thriller genre after directing romantic films. ‘Kaante’ and ‘Musafir’ fame music composers duo Vishal-Shekhar has come up with techno tracks. The promos and the title track “Dus bahane karke”... and “Deedar de deedar de...” have already caught the attention of people.” ‘Fareb’
‘Fareb’directed by Deepak Tijori whose last film ‘Khamosh - Khauff Ki Raat’ went unnoticed, is back with this emotional thriller. Dayal Creation’s ‘Fareb’ has been produced by Rajesh Singh and Sanjiv Jaiswal. The film stars Manoj Bajpai, Shilpa Shetty and Shamita Shetty. The film revolves around these three stars. It also stars Parmeet Sethi, Kelly Dorjee and Milind Gunaji. For the first time ‘Fareb’ brings Shilpa Shetty and Shamita Shetty together on the silver screen. Both sisters will be confronting each other in this movie. Successful musical combination of ‘Murder’ lyricist Sayeed Quadri and music director Anu Malik have come up with average tracks for ‘Fareb’. Only one song ‘Pehle Se” —- sung by Kunal Ganjawala is good. ‘Fareb’ opens today at Phul, Patiala.
— D.P. |
|
Romancing rural Punjab
Chandigarh, July 7 The artist is humble enough to admit that he is still learning. His only insistence is, “Please mention that the show was inaugurated by my parents. That is the most important detail as far as I go.” Like the artist, the show is earthy too. The most impressive of its sections is the one where portraits of important men rest. Sardar Sobha Singh is the tallest among them. And then there is a full section dedicated to the religious heads of sects. Ravinder has created impressive images of people like Thakur Maharaj, Sai Baba and the head of the Radhasoami sect. The show is further enriched by an imposing painting of Guru Gobind Singh on the horse. The strength of the artist lies in his ability to shuttle between themes with admirable ease. On the one hand he paints a formidable image like that of the Guru; on the other he reflects the serenity of Fragrance Garden in Sector 36. To Ravinder, both themes are equally demanding. “Both require imagination,” he wraps up. The exhibition will close day after. |
Fitness is not all brawn;
it is positive outlook
They
can make you look like divas or Greek gods but there are conditions, although simple ones — be regular, be patient and above all be committed. For the ‘joy ride’ to that perfectly toned body is not easy but fitness clubs and gymnasiums across the city are geared up to make the journey as smooth as possible!
Planet Fitness co-owner, Priya Garg believes, “People here travel and read a lot and they are well-informed. For Chandigarhians being fit is a serious business.” Undoubtedly two of the better-known gymnasiums in town are Ozone in Sector 9-C and Planet Fitness in Sector 8-C. Both boast of juice bars and a variety of exercise routines to keep monotony at bay, including the rejuvenating spa facilities. Mr Abraham Sachin, manager of Ozone, says their approach is based on the FITT mantra, — fitness. “Frequency, intensity, and type of exercise routine followed in the correct combination is the secret to being healthy.” Ozone’s USP, according to Mr Sachin is almost fanatical hygiene levels, strong brand image, trained certified personal trainers and their excellent exercise equipment besides innovative fitness regimes like spin cycling, new rage in the town, and a health café, which is on the cards. The rates at both Ozone and Planet Fitness are comparable but Planet Fitness approaches health in a more holistic way. They believe in natural therapy and amongst their various offerings are therapeutic treatments with a trained Ayurvedic doctor, a jacuzzi and a spa with Kerala massage facilities for men and women, yoga and aerobics in addition to weights and cardio. One of the oldest gymnasiums in the city is Pumping Iron in Sector 17, which is 15-year old. According to the owner- cum-trainer, Mr Avnish Thakur, their success can be attributed to one factor alone: “We are worth the money!” At rates beginning from Rs 280 per month for men and Rs 300 for women, Pumping Iron is a no frill place. The fancy bathing areas may be missing but the place has a reputation to preserve. Similarly, Bodyscapes in Sector 34, managed by Mr Ranveer Wadhawan, certified personal trainer, believes consistency is the key to a fit body and mind because, “years of disservice to the body in the form of unhealthy eating and almost no exercise cannot be remedied in 10 days.” Twentyfour-year-old Payal Kohli is all of 53 kilos at 5 feet 4 inches and believes she is overweight. “I plan to work out till I shed the six kilos that I want to lose.” Navneet studies at Panjab University and wants to build a sinewy body and works out for at least two hours everyday at a gymnasium in Sector 34. Most youngsters are influenced by movies and models and the beefy actors. With awareness rising, all gymnasiums reiterate that fitness is not about being thin or muscular; it is the route to a positive outlook intend because each individual is perfect in him or her own way.
TNS
|
|
Painting for a cause
Col Prashant Kumar Jena hardly talks like an artist. In fact, he comes closest to a well informed world citizen who knows more about its realities than he should perhaps know. This very consciousness influences his body of artworks, now on display at Art Folio in Sector 9.
Meant for charity, the works, Jena hopes, will yield monetary returns that would then be used to fund the education of poor students in rural pockets of Punjab. For four years now, Colonel Jena has been running an NGO in Jalandhar which ensures education and employment for those who come looking for help when all other options close down. Rueful, Jena says, “Corruption has entered the vitals of our nation. Why only our nation? It plagues the world in general. I have seen tribal NGOs in Koraput whose promoters drive BMWs in Delhi from the money which the NGO earns. One of the cruelest examples of voluntary service which I have witnessed is by the UN itself. In the 1984 Ethiopia famine when 1000 persons were dying every day, the UN refused to start their relief operations till such time Addis Ababa built a five star hotel to house the UP representatives. The cost of maintaining each representative was $ 5000 a day!” Bitter and dejected over the scenario, the sensitive Jena sought premature retirement from the Army and diverted his attention and energy towards humanitarian action in true sense of the word. With no funds to his name, he decided to get back to art — a hobby which he had neglected for long. “But now I paint to create the corpus I need to help students complete their basic education and get a job. We operate from Jalandhar and cater to students around the city. Many of our students are in secure positions — studying in Melbourne, Sydney, even working in the Army, the BSF and the police. Behind each one’s education is my passion for art,” says Jena whose daughter Neha also paints to help enhance her father’s collection. From storms to peace, the canvases make room for every event. Apart from the works of Jena and Neha, the exhibition which is being held on a discount, also features works of other painters who are supporting the father-daughter duo in their mission to educate as many poor students as possible. The exhibition will open at House Number 351, Sector 9 tomorrow and will be on till July 23. It can be viewed from 11 am to 7 pm.
|
Campaign against unhygienic food
Mohali, July 7 A two-member team comprising Dr Jaiwant Singh Cheema and Dr Jagdeep Kaur directed shopkeepers in Phase I to dispose off about 25 kg food which was not fit for consumption. They visited various other areas of the town and advised shopkeepers to dispose the left over food every day instead of using it the next day. Shopkeepers were also asked not to keep eatables exposed. The campaign was carried out on the directions of the Ropar Civil Surgeon, Dr Rana Harinder, and would go for the next few days. |
New ODI rules will be taxing for players: Prasad
Prasad is in the city along with former batsman Lal Chand Rajput, to conduct the level-1 course for the coaches of Punjab and neighboring cities. The purpose of the course is to educate the coaches in the basics of cricket as well as to standardise the training levels throughout the country. Favouring the adoption of ‘rotation policy’ for the Indian team, Prasad’s views were clear, “the policy would provide players adequate rest to vitalise their fitness and the standard of the game. It would also help the senior players to play for the country for a longer duration,” he opined. On the issue of foreign coaches for the team, he said, “The cricket board should think seriously about grooming Indian coaches along with foreign coaches as we can not rely on the foreign coaches for long”. Explaining about his role in the ongoing training course Prasad said, he was here to teach the basics of fast bowling. Prasad, who claimed 96 wickets playing 33 Test matches, asserted: “I appreciate the swing, movement and accurate bowling at a speed between 120 to 125 km per hour of speed more than the sheer pace of above 145 km.” Briefing about the training course Rajput, who is presently in charge of All-India Level 1 course, said, “In the course we add some high-tech techniques like video analysis and drills to make the coaches more efficient. We also teach them the right way of grooming the players”. “We have conducted the training course in around 15 states. The coaches, who are attending the course, would get certificates after the refresher course, which would be held after six months, said Rajput. As many as 25 coaches are attending the course which will conclude on Monday. |
|
Visually impaired players get raw deal
Chandigarh, July 7 Seeing their performance in the championship, the Para Olympic Committee of India has selected these four players, Vivek Monga, Balwinder Singh, Rajinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh, for the coming 2005 International Open German Athletics Championship, scheduled to start on August 12 in Berlin (Germany). Lamenting on the indifferent attitude of the Punjab Government, Mr Parminder Singh, President, Punjab Sports Association for the Blinds, said, “The Punjab Government has not kept its promise of bearing the expenses for the participation in the championship. Entire the expenditure was borne by sportspersons from their own pocket which they arranged by lending money and sponsorships”, said Mr Parminder Singh. Even no government official has turned up till date to congratulate the sportspersons. Now these players have to deposit Rs 75,000 each to the Para Olympic Committee by July 8 otherwise they could not participate in the Germany championship. The committee also showed its inability and asked these players to mobilise the funds on their own in its letter. These hapless players are now looking at some sponsors and institutions to come forward for their help so that they can participate in the international competitions only to bring good name to the country. |
|
Akhtar Ali to hold coaching camp from July 23
Chandigarh, July 7 According to Mr Rajan Kashyap, Chairman, CLTA, Akhtar Ali would fine tune the tennis skills of young boys and girls playing at the national and international tennis circuit. Mr Kashyap added that during his stay in Chandigarh, Ali would help upgrade the coaching skills of CLTA’s faculty of trainers. Mr S.M. Sharma, Secretary, CLTA, stated CLTA had invited the top-ranked players from the region to avail of the excellent opportunity of learning from a world class tennis coach. The coaching camp spread over sevenhours every day would integrate the advancement of tennis skills with the development of
athletic stamina and mental strength through physical training and yoga. Clarifying that the camp was open to young players from CLTA as well as outsiders, Mr Sharma invited interested players to register themselves. |
|
Tarundeep steals limelight
Panchkula, July 7 Tarundeep playing in class D had a round of 78. Stalwart Ashbeer Singh Saini has the best card of 77 in this category. In Class A and B, Rahul Bakshi of Chandigarh continued to lead with one shot advantage over promising Surya Jai Prakash of RCGC, Kolkata, who played the only sub par round of 71 for the day. Fatehbir Dhaliwal dropped to third place with an indifferent round of 75. Results: Cat A and B: Rahul Bakshi (70,75),-145, Surya J Prakash (75,761),-146, Fatehbir Dhaliwal (72,75)-147. Cat C and D: Tarundeep Chadha(82,78),-160, Ashbeer Singh Saini (88,77)-165, K Raghav Bhandari (84,81)-165, Ainesh Ahluwalia (82,90)-172 and Ankur Chadha (85,89)-174. |
|
Duggal in finals
Chandigarh, July 7 Duggal dominated from the beginning of the match and grabed an early lead of five racks to nil. Diya Sharma won the sixth rack to bring down the lead to four racks and showed little resistance by winning next three racks only to bring down the lead to two racks. But the decisive eleventh rack was won by Rakesh Duggal. In the next semifinal match, Sameer Bhalla continued his winning streak to nail down his opponent Ankur Nanda by seven racks to four (7-4). Ankur started well and took the lead of four racks to two, but Sameer, being an experienced player, soon toppled him and secured his place for the final round. The finals will be played between Sameer Bhalla and Rakesh Duggal at 3 pm tomorrow. |
HUDA removes 140 jhuggis
Panchkula, July 7 About 10 jhuggis were removed from near Sector 11 market. The team also removed kiosks of vegetable vendors from Sector 4 and about while encroachments by motor mechanics in the service lane of Sector 11 showrooms were also removed. Meanwhile, the Estate Office toady resumed a plot in Sector 7, as the allottee had not been paying his installments for the past couple of years. |
|
MC notices to 50 shopkeepers
Mohali, July 7
It is learnt that some important establishments have also been issued notices.
The civic body would be issuing such notices to about 500 establishments in the town.
|
| 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 | |
.jpg)
Mohali, July 7