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The city of riverine roads
Phagwara resident on cleanliness mission
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Guided fasting can cure most diseases, says
naturopathy expert
Waiting for three years to complete a two-year course!
When melody reigned at Apeejay College
From Schools and Colleges
Weekly Round-up
Disinvestment
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The city of riverine roads
BROKEN patches cobbled together, sharp stones ready to spike tyres of vehicles, craters that shove stagnant water generously on commuters, potholes that give a bumpy ride and mosquito-infested garbage dumps that reek of smell. This sums up the “road story” of the city! And during monsoons, the situation worsens all the more.
“Life of ordinary Jalandharis cannot run smooth once they are on the city’s roads,” says Mr Sukhwinder Singh, a businessman. Monsoons simply give jitters to the residents here. The roads leading to the bus stand, the administrative complex and the district courts and the roads of Model Town are the worst affected during rains. At some places, the metalled surface virtually disappears without leaving a trace, while at other places roads are transformed into broken, muddy pathways. “Most of the roads that had been repaired in the past six months have vanished due to the downpour in July and August. Some roads have worn out badly due to heavy vehicular traffic,” rues a city resident. In fact, all roads leading to the bus stand have worn out almost completely. The road outside the exit point of the bus stand was repaired about three months back, but needs repair all over again. The Garha Road on which is situated the entry gate of the bus stand and the exit gate for local buses has mammoth-size potholes. Officialspeak Mr Dharam Singh, SE, (B &R), when contacted, claimed that the road repair work had been hampered due to frequent rain showers. He said that patch-repair work had been started on Maqsudan Road, GT Road, Model Town and Lajpat Nagar, and that it should be over by the next month. He added that the executive engineers of the areas had been told to get the work done properly. The SE said the road repair was also being taken up on Jhandian Wale Pir Road and Ravi Dass Chowk and that contractors had already been allotted the work. Road to inequality? Interestingly, while some very important roads are in bad condition, the roads leading to the residences of the city’s VVIPs are perfectly smooth. Check the road network near the residences of Mr Surinder Mahey, Mayor, Mr Avtar Henry, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Rana Gurjit Singh, Member Parliament, and even the top officers of the administration in the Old Baradari. It is in surprisingly good condition. The road leading to the Circuit House that is frequented by ministers and bureaucrats is also well maintained. Poor ‘road show’ Maximum damage to the roads is caused by faulty sewerage, digging of trenches, laying of underground lines, insertion of poles for the purpose of erection of gates and support of shamianas. Daily car washing also compounds the problem. Besides these, thinner crust of the roads, use of substandard material, hurriedly-laid-up roads, infrequent maintenance work — all add up to bad roads. Even the roads that have been repaired fare no better. The roads leading to the administrative complex and the district courts were given some ‘patch work’ about two months ago, but they are as bad as ever. The roads that go to the traffic police station, Punjab Technical University and those leading to railway station are equally in pathetic state. The same applies to the much- frequented Tanda Road and Ladowali Road. The roads of the majority of the posh residential localities, including Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Urban Estate, Rajinder Nagar, Dyal Nagar and Model House, too, need repair. Some newly-developed colonies, including Friends’ Colony, Friends’ Avenue and Baba Makhan Shah Nagar, are also ill-built. As Mr Atul Wassan, a marketing manager with a private firm, lamented, “The roads here are in a terrible condition and the municipal corporation officials have been doing nothing to get the roads re-laid.” All those places where roads are in a better shape are marred by scores of encroachments that extend up to 10-foot on both sides. What takes the cake is that encroachers cut across all sections of the society. It is not just the private bus operators, taxi stand owners and hawkers who have encroached upon the roads, even hundreds of nursing homes and hospitals that dot each and every road of the city are conveniently eating into the road space. The city’s top hoteliers are no less guilty. They have created unapproved parking lots outside their gates. The roads near Jyoti Chowk, Rainak Bazaar, Mai Hira Gate, Milap Chowk, Shastri Market, Central Jail and railway station are choc-a-bloc with encroachments of temporary and permanent structures. Shopkeepers have extended their counters almost till the middle of the roads, while hawkers selling varied assortment of items remain lined up on the roads all through the day, forcing commuters to negotiate their way through — Photos by Pawan Sharma
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Phagwara resident on cleanliness mission
Mr Madan Mohan Khattar is a man on a mission — to create awareness among masses to keep Phagwara pollution free and help the youth develop strong personalities.
The 36-year-old owner of a readymade garment shop on the Gaushala Road has been honoured by Rotarians many a time for holding seminars on cleanliness in the town. Besides his cleanliness drive, Mr Khattar also encourages youngsters to contribute to environmental causes. He has also been associated with blood donation camps and spreading of AIDS awareness. He says he got this idea of civic cleanliness when his shop used to get flooded during rains. In 2003, after he was made the convener of the Swachhta Abhiyan Manch, he says he started making visits to schools to give lectures on cleanliness to the youngsters. He enlisted the support of some charitable clubs also. “Till date, I have visited about 50 schools in this regard and distributed dustbins there. I have also spent Rs 16,000 from my own pocket in this regard.” He recalls the day the manch got a donation of Rs 25,000 by the state government for boosting the morale of the volunteers. He says he used the money to purchase a rehri to pick up garbage from residents’ doorsteps. Today, he has to his credit 10 rehris that pick garbage from about 10 localities of Phagwara, thereby giving employment to the poor. “The Phagwara Nagar Council has hardly any contribution in this cleanliness drive,” he regrets. “It once contributed Rs 2500 for a rehri and that too after our volunteers made many rounds of the council’s office.” Talking about youth awareness programmes, he said that with the efforts of his associates, he had organised a number of seminars on environment and AIDS. “Besides, a number of blood donation camps have also been held.” “Youth,” he says, “is the power that can make important contributions to society.”
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Guided fasting can cure most diseases, says
naturopathy expert
Food is thy medicine, medicine is thy food, says Dr Narayan Dutt, a specialist in naturopathy of the Dronacharya Yog Mandir, Gurgaon, affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Prakritik Chikitsa Parishad, New Delhi. Dr Dutt is holding a camp at Hindu Kanya College here to treat patients through naturopathy.
Claiming that excess intake of food reduces the immunity power in people, he says there is a negative correlation between food and immunity. He claims that as the amount of food intake increases, the immunity decreases. “Fasting under the guidance of an expert can treat most of the diseases.” According to him, naturopathy is a holistic treatment which works by eliminating the toxic elements from the body. “In naturopathy that got popular in India after Mahatma Gandhi started practicing it to cure the ailments, five therapies called mud therapy, hydro therapy, chromo therapy, yoga and fasting are applied to treat the patients.” Applying the paste of mud on the affected part of body treats the patient, he says. In hydro therapy, he adds, the patient is asked to vomit after drinking a lot of water so that the foreign matter deposited in the body comes out. Similarly, in the chromo therapy, the water charged under the sun in coloured bottles treats the patients, says Dr Dutt. Treating the patients by asking them to practise different asanas of yoga and pranayam, he says, is also a part of naturopathy, and keeping them on fast for long durations is also a treatment. “Both types of diseases — whether acute or chronic — could be treated by applying any therapy. Even cancer patients can be cured under the observation of a naturopath,” he claims.
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English fuel for Punjab’s foreign run
Paulo Coelho wrote, “When you really want something, the whole universe conspires to help you.”
Since most Punjabis want to go West, West too is conspiring to help these Punjabis. Hence, after a bright ‘Tony Blair September’ in New Delhi, it was an ‘English September’ in Punjab. The British Council calls it the Prime Minister’s Initiative (Not Mr Mamohan Singh’s but Tony Blair’s) and aims to “spread information/ dispel disinformation” about studying /working in the United Kingdom. Even the British High Commissioner is taking an active interest. With 16,000 Indians reportedly toiling for university degrees in Britain, you certainly can’t go wrong. When right things come at the right time, changes happen. The council says their ‘UK Exhibition’ has had over 10,000 responses from Chandigarh and Ludhiana alone. They were yet to count Jalandhar. Three of the 14 cities the Council is targeting are in Punjab alone. The exhibition here on Wednesday housed numerous cubicle-like stalls from numerous universities —some known, most unknown, with stacks of leaflets and eager young representatives from Delhi to cater to your every small foreign query. The seminars had lots converging too—from 20 to 50 year olds, all ears to stern speakers filling up the balloon to UK. How many are serious about studying in UK is hard to say, but most have a desire to leave India. Punjab, they say, is close to Britain’s heart, but the exhibition also makes perfect business sense. Is there a better way to promote English universities? From University of Sussex to University of Middlesex — each has an agent posted with a proper office in cities across India with addresses listed on the British Council website. The tuition fees start from a staggering 7,000 pounds (about Rs six lakh) and rise up to 20,000 pounds (Rs 16 lakh) annually, says a Council leaflet. This excludes the lodging expense and pocket money. Then there are tie-ups. “Our UK education vehicle is going to local schools and colleges, making them understand our distance learning programmes,” says Mr John K. Philip, managing e-learning for the British Council. The e-courses on offer are an MBA, an MA, a diploma, and one called English Edge: for polishing this language. The package includes ‘Flying faculty visits from the UK’ and ‘Job opportunities in the UK,’ reads another leaflet. Since Jalandhar is full of private English institutes teaching pronunciation and grammar with promises of making students scale ILETS or TOEFFL or both in one go, why not start giving such lessons at your neighbourhood school or college with inputs from the BBC, something in line with Alliance Française! “We expect the biggest response this particular course (English Edge),” Mr Philip predicts, for obvious reasons. Meanwhile, keeping the famous enterprising spirit of England alive, Ruchika Castelino, heading UK Education in India, says, “ This is an opportunity to find authentic and latest information about studying in UK virtually at your doorstep.” Just the right place! EduFrance is doing it in Chandigarh, though in a more sublime way. May be it’s the Chinese universities next.
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Danish pop star returns for lessons in Punjabi music
Hypnotised by the “immensely powerful and thrilling” rhythm of Punjabi music, popular Danish pop singer Anita Lerche, with albums in 13 international languages under her belt, has now formally descended on Punjab to get a formal training in the state’s pop and folk music. She earlier had made a trip to Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in July.
So strong is the resolve of Ms Lerche to get herself trained in the finer nuances of Punjabi music that she has cancelled all her shows across Europe and plans to stay in this city, where she has been learning traditional music along with some yoga for the past one week. The foreign singer has already recorded two songs in the Kulu dialect. But her real plans are to fuse Western and Punjabi music. “The rhythm of Punjabi music transports me into another realm and inspires me to dance. It has lots of energy and at the same time has so much of lightness — hardly found in any other musical genre, even though I am passionate about Indian classical music too,” she says. “Since I have been learning music from age of seven, I have heard a lot of music. But nothing makes me more ecstatic than the music of Punjab.” She returned to Denmark in July but came back again with a resolve to learn Punjabi music. Her solo charitable album “One Moment of Love”, which she brought out for African children, has already created ripples across Europe. Turning to her future plans, Ms Lerche who is being trained by Hoshiarpur-based music teacher Bakshinder and composer Lucky Apra, said, “I will be here for two to three months during which I will leave no stone unturned to gather as many gems of Punjabi music as I can.” She says she spends her day not only rehearsing and working on Punjabi music, but also reading Punjabi folklore. “I intend to create my very own style by blending the music of the West and Punjab. It is not that the Western music lacks emotion but the rhythm of Punjab is simple, powerful and unique.”
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Man(n) of politics, movies and songs
Music, movies and politics are a favourite concoction for many artistes. And Punjabi singer and actor Harbhajan Mann is no exception. But then, his politics has more to do with ‘friendship’ and less with ideology.
He’s candid enough to admit that he has been campaigning for “his friends”; there are no ideological conjectures to be drawn. “My association with politicians has opened my eyes to the hardships of life. The glamour world, in which we artistes live, shuts out the harsh realities. Political rallies are a sort of reality check,” he explains. So, he is not averse to sharing the stage with politicians. And he is ever willing to use his “singer’s charisma” to shore up the vote banks of his relatives and friends. Interestingly, he says that with no personal political ambitions, he finds it rather preposterous when he is asked if he is joining politics. “Singing is my first love, though I like to act in movies that I consider meaningful,” he adds. However, Punjabi movies’ scenario is dismal, and there’s not much to be happy about it, he feels. Most of the movies are highly unrealistic and shoddily made. But this does not prevent him from acting in movies that promote Punjabi culture, he tells us. A movie on the noted poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi is on the cards, he says. He would play the role of the sensitive Batalvi and also sing a few songs for this movie whose music is likely to be directed by Uttam Singh. Emphasising that his brother Gursevak Mann’s singing style and his own style are “really different”, he says both of them have never had any feeling of rivalry for each other. “We would come together in folk music album Satrangi Peeng II. Right now, my album Dil dol giya is my focus. It has been my first solo album since the past four years. And it has no semi-clad girls gyrating in Western outfits,” he signs off.
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Waiting for three years to complete a two-year course!
It’s the third year now, but the students enrolled at Punjab Technical University’s (PTU) two-year online M Tech course are yet to give their final examination.
It’s not that the students were unable to pass, but because the university authorities reportedly failed to hold the examinations on time. Students from all over the state, now in their fourth and the final semester, are waiting for the examination. No date has been announced till date. With the theory examinations over since the last semester, students say they simply have to appear for a few practical tests, besides submitting a project assigned by the university authorities. It’s just not happening. They say university authorities are telling them to enquire about the date sheet from Lovely Institutes, which, on the other hand, is sending them back to the PTU campus for information pertaining to the date sheet. Not being able to complete the two-year distance learning course has left many frustrated, even forcing majority of the students to drop the studies halfway. Students say most of them had taken the course with a view of getting better job opportunities. They were also apprehensive that their final examination earlier scheduled for September may now be scheduled for October or get delayed even further. They are meanwhile paying Rs 8000 per semester to the university. “Had we taken this course with some other university, we would have completed it by now,” one such student said. Even during the course, they faced problems in every semester, the students rue. The problems included the non-availability of syllabus, books or other reading materials, added the students. “We have been repeatedly sending reminders to the university and even have met higher authorities a number of times to urge them to hold the examination on time. We were told to wait for some more time.” When contacted, Dr M.S. Grewal, PTU Registrar, said since it was the university’s first and only online M Tech batch, there had been some teething troubles. He instead said that Dr Siby John, Dean (examinations) should be contacted for details of the examination schedule. Dr John, however, was not available for his comments.
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When melody reigned at Apeejay College
Music, it is said, lifts our spirit to sublime level. And this was what the students of the Apeejay College of Fine Arts here felt. For them it was a rare opportunity to listen to Pandit Vishaw Mohan Bhatt, the noted exponent of the Mohan Veena. The programme was organised under the auspices of SPICMACAY on Thursday.
The music maestro took a round of the painting and sculpture exhibition put up in the college. He expressed his appreciation of the exhibition. He explained to the students the intricacies of the veena. The audience listened to his music with rapt attention. It was indeed a treat to be a part of the audience, said Mr Anil Gupta, a faculty member. And his sentiments were shared by many. “Such opportunities are lifetime opportunities,” remarked a student. SPICMACAY, Jalandhar chapter, has been organising programmes to promote Indian culture at its best. The society’s members say that it is imperative for youngsters to be aware of the essence of Indian classical music and dance. That is the stepping stone to make the young people aware of the richness of the Indian culture. Earlier, the noted classical music exponent Prabha Atray had been in the city, courtesy SPIC MACAY.
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The Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, has accepted the research proposal of Dr Ranbeer Singh, a lecturer in physics at Doaba College, under the “SERC Fast Track Proposals for Young Scientist Scheme”. He will work on the “Study of small silicon clusters and their hydro-generated counterparts by using density functional-based molecular dynamics simulations”. Dr Ranbeer Singh will be also provided assistance in establishing a computer lab at the department. Gandhi Jayanti
Sri Guru Harkishan Public School celebrated the Gandhi Jayanti by organising a fancy dress competition. The function was presided over by school president, Ms Gurpreet Kaur. The senior division students dressed as freedom fighters and national leaders and spoke famous words of leaders like Mangal Pandey, Bhagat Singh, Mahatma Gandhi and others. Drawing Workshop
The departments of fine arts and home science of Kanya Mahavidyalaya organised a workshop on face and features drawing, inaugurated by school Principal, Dr Rita Bawa. Artist Amit gave demonstration of the same. Poetical recitation
A poetical recitation competition in Hindi was organized at Dayanand Model School. Tanisha from the Nursery section bagged the first prize, while Kavya and Anurag stood second and third, respectively. In the UKG section, Palak Tandon and Pranti jointly bagged the first prize, while Palak Chawla and Jyoti were given the joint second prize by the chief guest, Ms Tripta Khanna. Sports meet
Kendriya Vidyalaya No 1 emerged the winner at the 36th Regional Games and Sports Meet organised by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. The school won eleven medals in swimming and seven in boxing, while their basketball team was declared runner-up. Love and peace
Darshan Academy celebrated “Love and Peace” Week from September 13 to 20 to mark the birth anniversaries of Sant Rajinder Singh and Darshan Singh. The students presented songs, skits and took part in various activities in the weeklong celebrations. Parental education
Saffron Public School held an interactive session for parents of school children and discussed emotional, psychological and academic problems of the wards from the pre-primary wing. Slides depicting various issues were also shown on the occasion. Child psychologist, Ms Vandana Sondhi, interacted with the parents at a special seminar organised by the Phagwara Elite Jaycees to help parents deal with the day-to-day problems in bringing up children. The school also organised an essay writing competition for senior classes. Quiz competition
A student of the Guru Teg Bahadur Public School has won first prize in shabad gayan and declamation contest and the third prize in a quiz competition held at the SBMMP School in Daroli Kalan. Hindi recitation
Police DAV Public School organised Hindi recitation for its pre-primary and Nursery wing. Harnoor, Priyanshu, Manpreet and Arun bagged the first prize in the Nursery section. Raghav, Himanshu, Aditya and Kadam bagged the second prize, while Diksha, Paras, Prabhjit and Sahilpreet got the third position. From the LKG section, Adhiraj, Abhay, Muskan, Shruti and Kusum bagged the first prize. Rajat, Prabhjot, Bhavesh, Sahildeep, Parika and Yashika were at the second spot, followed by Abhimanyu, Jasmine, Anurag, Rohini and Harmohit who stood third. From the UKG section, Abhijay, Rahul Arora, Arushi and Gurseerat bagged the first prize, while Mayank, Divanshi, Puneet, Armani and Harnoor, Manjot Anjali and Raghav bagged the second prize. Priyanka, Ashima, Manasi, Tarun and Shivani stood third. Hindi Saptah
Students celebrated Hindi Saptah at Sanskriti KMV School. Stress was laid on increasing the use of the language in day-to-day life. Students spoke on the diversity and glory of Hindi and also recited poems, dohas and even jokes to entertain the audience. Students from Class III to Class V took part in the “Hindi Sahitya Sammelan” in where they threw light on the background of Hindi poets and poetesses and their literary works. Medical seminar
Prem Chand Markanda SD College organised a lecture by medical expert, Dr Sumail Bath, on health issues being faced by women. She advised the women to take a good diet to be able to face problems related to menopause. Colour contest
Seth Hukum Chand SD Public Senior Secondary School held a paper tearing and pasting competition. (Compiled by Anuradha Shukla)
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Punjab’s new sports director is ‘game’
for excellence
His name is synonymous with hockey and his commitment to sports unmatched.
Mr Pargat Singh, the new sports director of Punjab, is sheer dynamism hidden behind a calm exterior. Our very own Jalandhari, he is raring to take sports in the state to newer highs. Born in Mithpur village on March 5, 1965, Mr Pargat Singh first studied at the village school and then at Layalpur Khalsa College. He got a hat-trick of breakthroughs in hockey: first at the state level, then national and finally in the international level, all in one go. The firmly grounded sports director is ready to strengthen basics of the field — the work he has been given to handle. “My first priority will be gearing up the coaches and the sports infrastructure to bring out the best in the game,” he says. “But funds too are important along with coaches.” He said he would soon issue appointments for the 23 SAI coaches yet to be given their new postings. But any neglect on part of coaches would invite wrath, he adds. “But there is little I can do by the way of interchanging coaches, as half of the season has already passed.” An outspoken opponent of high fees for holding tournaments at the Surjeet Hockey Stadium, he says that as the director, he is thinking about scrapping the fees for the sub-junior and junior level competitions. “Also, the new sports indoor hall and stadium will be constructed in such a way that these can be properly handled and taken care of.” For the future, he says he only wants results from the 200-odd coaches that are in the state. About the resumption of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Awards, he says he would look into the details.
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Cultural programmes, courtesy Vajra Corps
It has been a busy fortnight for the Vajra Corps, Jalandhar Cantt. On September 25, a group of senior citizens (civilians) from Kargil sector visited the cantt and interacted with the army personnel. For most of these visitors it was a maiden visit to Punjab. They were welcomed by Brig S.M.S. Rathaur, Commander, 11Corps Artillery Brigade, on behalf of General Officer Commanding, Vajra Corps, Lt Gen Mandhata Singh, YSM.
The tour aimed at giving a feel of the country’s cultural diversity to the people from the remote areas of Dras, Kargil and Batalik. The objective was to foster a bond of friendship and spread the message — “The Earlier, on September 18, Katoch Stadium here became alive with a gala musical show. Ms Neeharika Naidu, along with her musical group, regaled the audience with her Bhojpuri, Dogri, Punjabi and Hindi songs. The best part was that the audience jived merrily to the pulsating numbers. Lt Gen Mandhata Singh gave away prizes to the artistes who had performed on the occasion. The evening was a tribute to the “never-say-die” spirit of faujis.
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Pahal, an NGO, in collaboration with Tagore Hospital and Heart Care Centre and Cipla Ltd, organised a cardiac check-up camp on the campus of Sri Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Nandan Pur Road, Maqsudan, on the eve of the World Heart Day. Free consultation and investigation, including ECG and blood sugar estimation, and free medicine were provided to residents. “The slogan of WHO is — Healthy weight, healthy shape,” said Mr Lakhbir Singh, president, Pahal. He added that the WHO World Health Report, 2002-03, had identified six risk factors in cardiovascular diseases in developing countries. These included high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, tobacco use, alcohol use, low fruit and vegetable intake and obesity. Protest
Members of Shiv Sena (Hindustan) met on Thursday and condemned the alleged absence of relief to more than 3000 families affected by terrorism in the state. The party has decided to hold demonstrations all over Punjab on October 19.
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Disinvestment
Work was paralysed as the BSNL Employees’ Union comprising Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr area observed a daylong strike on Thursday. The union was protesting against the Centre’s ongoing disinvestments move in “profit making” PSUs as well as the Supreme Court’s ruling against arbitrary strikes. Elections
In the recently held elections of the Bar Association Labour Court, Mr Ravi Wadhawan was elected as the president of the Bar, while Mr S. L. Devgan and Mr J. S. Parhar were elected as the secretary and the cashier, respectively. Mr Lalaji Bhardwaj and Mr H. M. Singh were elected as the vice-presidents.
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