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Panjab University set to enter
With several new courses and setting up of new departments, the university will meet the challenges in terms of producing manpower and research to keep pace with scientific advances. University Vice-Chancellor, Dr K.N Pathak, told The Tribune in an interview that the university was consciously focusing on specialised areas to provide valuable inputs in areas like genetics, biology, drug discovery and delivery. This, however, did not means that the focus of the university would shift from social sciences to bio-sciences. “The objective is to bring the university in tune with the needs of the times”. A direct outcome of this endeavour is the setting up of faculties like the Centre for Human Genomics and the five-year integrated course in economics on the pattern of IITs. For the past 40 years, the university has been surviving on its erstwhile glory. But the past five years have seen an overall development in terms of infrastructure, new buildings, and courses. The university has turned around its finances. From an income of around Rs 22 crore, the university generates nearly Rs 56 crore today, half of the Rs 110 crore annual budget. Having taken over at a time when the university was mired with controversies, Dr Pathak boasts of the results he has been able to produce with a team effort. PU boasts of the highest 5-star status it got from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2001. The University Grants Commission (UGC) granted PU the distinguished status of “University with the potential of excellence in Bio-Medical Science” that came with a Rs 5 crore annual grant till 2007. There are several new courses that PU boats of today. The postgraduate course in Defence and National Security Studies has been introduced with special focus on national concerns in light of the changing international power equations. One of the major areas of interest for Dr Pathak is making the functioning of the university in academics and administration absolutely transparent. “In the science departments, we are modifying the examination system, students are continuously assessed by the teachers. After examination the students will be shown their answer books to dispel all doubts and misgivings. Besides we are introducing internal assessment in all affiliated colleges. This will not only bring accountability into the examination system, but will also eliminate concepts like re-evaluation, saving both time and money. PU will soon introduce PUPIN (PU Personal Identification Number) for students that will link all academic history with one number”. Even as Dr Pathak is hopeful of getting an approval for the University Dental Institute in the near future, he has many more ideas that he rattles off to make Panjab University the “Harvard” of North India. Himself a Physicist of repute with over a dozen awards to his credit, Dr. Pathak says “it is the students who can lead us from darkness to light, but we have to provide them the right platform”.
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Air Force School to get new building
Chandigarh, September 18 According to sources, the school, which has about 3,000 students, was shifted from its earlier premises in Sector 31 about three years ago after the building became unsafe. Thereafter, the accommodation was made available by 3 BRD on its campus. About 6 acres under possession of the Air Force has been identified for the new school building. It is expected to be completed by December 2007. “A board of officers will be constituted shortly to work out the details in this regard,” a senior officer at 3 BRD said. Officers said running a large school from its campus had administrative implications and places certain restrictions on the functioning of the school. Moreover, the accommodation is required by the depot for its use. While part of the expenditure for the new premises will be met from the Air Force Welfare Fund, some monetary allocation for the project is also expected to be made by the Maintenance Command and Air Force Headquarters. The school, affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, will be up to class XII. Though meant primarily for wards of Air Force personnel, seats might be offered to civilian students, sources added.
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Engineering college gets nod to increase seats
Mohali, September 18 Addressing mediapersons here today, Mr Satnam Singh Sandhu chairman, and Mr Rashpal Singh Dhaliwal, general secretary, remarked that this had been done after teams of the AICTE during their inspections had expressed satisfaction with the infrastructural facilities and faculty of the college. “In view the world class facilities available in this college, that the college was first granted ISO 9001:2000 certificate last year and University of Wolver Hampton, U.K. had entered into a collaboration with this college recently,” said Mr Sandhu. The Principal, Dr. G.D.Bansal said this increase in the sanctioned seats of this college by the AICTE showed that standards maintained by this college. In his opinion “We are passing through a world of stiff competition these days. Parents and students are extremely choosy in selecting the appropriate college”, he said.
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Physics workshop at PU
Chandigarh, September 18 The workshop was attended by more than 150 teachers and students. Professor Verma stated that the main reason for the students not opting for pure science was that teaching of science in general and physics in particular at the school level was completely devoid of linkage with real life situations. That is why physics was perceived as a dry and difficult subject, he added. Earlier, Prof M.M. Gupta of the department inaugurated the workshop.
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New Zealand education fair on Sept 22
Chandigarh, September 18 According to Paul Vaughan, Trade Commissioner, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise: “New Zealand is increasingly gaining popularity as the marked destination in education since we began these fairs five years ago. We continuously aim to provide world-class education in a welcoming multicultural environment and at an affordable cost”. Universities in New Zealand offer various courses from business studies, engineering, IT and computing, food and dairy technology, plant science and horticulture, hospitality and hotel management, nursing, viticulture, forestry, sports management and many more. Counsellors will be resolving queries of students regarding visa, accommodation, fees, food, climate and support services. New Zealand universities, government-funded polytechnics, institutes of technology and a number of private technical education providers would be participating in the fair.
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Children enjoy ‘Wild Vaadi’
Chandigarh, September 18 The students staged a play titled “Save Us” showcasing the plight of the animals. They gave the message that man must work towards saving their habitat. Various nursery rhymes were presented and a projector show on the animal kingdom was also arranged for the children. Celebrated: Environment Week organised to create awareness about healthy surroundings concluded at Stepping Stones Secondary School, Sector 37, here on Sunday. During the week visits to the Fragrance Terrace and Rose Gardens were organised. Children observed different types of insects , birds and a variety of plants. A rally to save the environment was also taken out and slogan writing contests were also held.
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Workshop on voice culture concludes
Chandigarh, September 18 The workshop, conducted by well-known broadcaster Vijay Vashisht, was aimed at grooming potential singers. Employing his life-long expertise Vashisht demonstrated several techniques to improve the diction. The modulation of voice generated through better functioning of vocal chords, deep breathing and prayanam were the other areas wherein the participants were exposed. Akademy vice-chairman Kamal Arora said such free-of-cost workshops would be made a regular feature. |
Let’s go green
Go Green! Chandigarh’s organic food movement is growing and fast. Food grown simply, naturally, sans chemicals and pesticides sounds healthy for consumers and growers.
According to nutritionist Ishi Khosla, “Food grown with the use of chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides has a cumulative effect on the body. Toxin load builds up and manifests itself in the form of diseases.” Her outlet Whole Foods in Sector 22 is catering to an ever-growing clientele. From roasted namkeens to baked papris, whole grain flour of ragi and amaranth to whole wheat breakfast cereals, you get everything healthy. The outlet is also gearing up to sell naturally produced fruits and vegetables. For Virendra Kumar, a marketing engineer, and his wife Soundarya the food tastes different. “We have switched over to organically produced food six months back. We heard it was a healthier option and that made sense to us.” Jyoti Subramanium buys most of her organic produce from Fab India in Sector 9. She switched over to organically produced food seven years ago. “I am not a fanatic, but I try to buy and eat right. The food tastes different, especially vegetables and apples, and one cannot get away from the general sense of well-being.” Fab India has been stocking organically produced food since December last year, although according to their manager Diltaj Grewal, the sales have not been quite as expected. “This is a farmer dominated region so people do not want to buy produce they can make for themselves.” Although the prices are marked 50 per cent above the price of regular rations, their teas and coffees, conserves, pickles, peanut butter and pastas are considered to be top of the line. Darshan Singh, an organic farmer at Nurpur Bedi in Kangar village, Punjab, who has been into this for the past seven years believes that this is the only form of sustainable farming. “With the adverse impact of the Green Revolution now visible on the fertility and texture of soil and with the rapidly falling water table, the only way to go is green.” Farmers shy away from organic farming because of initial low yields. “This is bound to happen. The soil has been chemically treated, it will need time to recover,” says Darshan Singh. He adds, “The problem is with the marketing of these products. The government should help here. In the long run farmers will have to shift or diversify to sustain their farming.” He grows amrud, desi varga wheat, chilli, turmeric, rice and even jaggery made without any chemical additives. Farmers in Sector 34 stocks a wide variety of organically produced food. It sources its produce from various farmers and Grewal’s Organic Agricultural Farms and Manthan. Manthan, an NGO with over 85 farmers contributing from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, also has its own outlet at Kala Gram ’s Baithak on the Chandigarh- Panchkula road. So for that healthy pallor and a vigorous spring in the step, go green with organic food.
— TNS
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A doctor and a prolific writer
“Poetry is my pleasure, my dream, my desire;
After which I aspire- It’s my greatest treasure” (Dr Chetna Vaishnavi)
The medical microbiologist and a poet, Dr Vaishnavi is a humanist. A galaxy of honours like the prestigious National ICMR award, Dr TMA Pai Gold Medal, National Academy of Medical Sciences membership and Vijay Shree Award are a tribute to her academic and professional excellence. Her services to the leprosy mission have been lauded in India and during project seminars at Atlanta, New Orleans and Mississippi.
Sharing her literary passion, she recalls her tryst with fiction writing when as a child prodigy she won laurels competing with senior students and winning the first prize for a poem titled “Prize” at her school in Parel, Mumbai. Encouraged by her father, an engineer at an Atomic energy establishment, she never looked back and golden poetry and prose followed. Her works got rave reviews. Her writings encompass a mature observation of thought and emotion as she draws inspiration from the day to day happenings around, especially the suffering she sees amid patients. What distinguishes her is that she is at case in both English and Hindi. Her books of poetry like “Reflections”, “Ripples Rhymes and Reason” and “Better for Worse” bear philosophical significance, the play “Fragile Realm” and books on humour like “Hilarious Moments”, “Laughing Stock” and “Jokes Apart” are a curious mixture of fantasy and realism. The lyrics of her Hindi ventures “Dhadkan Gunjan” has a compelling charm as also “Guldasta”. Her prose style exudes free mingling of fact and fiction, poetry and reality and the perennial and the present.
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Chandigarh, September 18
