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City’s lungs on verge of collapse
A brush with art of colours |
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Terracotta tones on Banga Road There is something about age-old crafts that makes one feel nostalgic. It also enlivens any corner of the house. Amongst these, terracotta artifacts have been most popular. Over the years, these have modified into pieces of art that epitomise the traditional in modern settings. From Schools and Colleges
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City’s lungs on verge of collapse The city is being shorn off its green spaces, thanks to the indifference of authorities and the lackadaisical attitude of public. Unplanned growth has marred the cityscape, turning it into a veritable concrete jungle. Most newly-developed colonies and almost all interior areas of the city are devoid of green spaces. If at all there are parks, they are used for a host of purposes, most of them having little to do with greenery or ecology. While some parks are used for parking private buses, others have become havens for stray animals. “It seems the authorities don’t believe in having any boundary walls for parks. Stray animals frolic around and defecate in most parks, so much so that children are often frightened to visit these parks,” says Ms Rekha Sharma, a teacher, adding, “Tall grass, weeds of all shapes and sizes and mosquitoes make parks a strict ‘no entry zone’ for children.” As one goes towards the old city, parks become a rarity. Residents of the old part of the city such as Mai Hira Gate and Basti Nau have to walk down as much as three kilometre to find a space that can pass off as a park. If at all they manage to find this space, it is overgrown with grass, the benches and swings lie broken and rusted, the pathways are rutted, and the park looks more like a junkyard than a place to have leisurely walks. For many in the city, a park (rather the absence of a park) is a reminder of broken promises. Buta Mandi residents say that a proposed park in their colony has remained a part of the unfulfilled promises, even years after Mr I.K. Gujral, former Prime Minister, had laid its foundation stone and released a grant of Rs 10 lakh. Interestingly, encroachers have a field day in most parks here. The park in Mota Singh Nagar on the Garha Road just opposite the entry gate of the bus stand is an open invitation to encroachers. The boundary walls are missing conveniently. The park, if it can be called so, is bereft of any vegetation, and private transport companies park their buses, tempos and even auto-rickshaws without any compunction. Not to be left behind, hawkers throw away rotten fruits and vegetables and plastic waste near the boundary of the park. Yet another park in Urban Estate, Phase I, adjoining Tallianwali village, is being used by residents for drying cow dung cakes. The boundary wall of the park is broken at many points and the residents use the park for parking their tractor-trolleys. A public park at the GT Road near the railway crossing of DAV College is also in shambles. It seems to have been ravaged by Nature’s fury. Wild grass can be seen erupting through the crevices of the pathway along its boundary. Swings lie broken and the boundary wall badly needs repair. Mr Bharat Sharma, a resident of Kabir Nagar, says, “For the last many years, the park has been in bad shape. The corporation must do something for its beautification. Otherwise, what is the use of the park?” A children’s amusement park leased out to a local trust by the Municipal Corporation Jalandhar (MCJ) in Model Town is also awaiting repair work. In fact, joyrides in the very popular Niku Park have long ceased to be the joyrides, as swings have fallen off their shafts and slides hardly slide. “No doubt, the entry ticket charges are nominal. But this does not mean that the park should be ill-maintained. It becomes so muddy in rains that children need a thorough wash after their visit to the park,” rues Dr Anjana Thatai, a parent. Nehru Garden, popularly known as Company Bagh, is also in a state of neglect. There are hardly any signs of landscaping. Fountains remain dry most of the time. Stray animals move around freely. Residents of the area complain that lights installed in the park are mostly non-functional. The façade of the park has been blocked ever since the MCJ started the construction of a multi-storey parking complex in front of it. The other sides of the park have been blocked by public and private buildings and encroachments. Public apathy is equally glaring. Only in a few residential colonies do the welfare societies take the initiative of keeping their localities green. At most places, residents themselves pile up garbage in the space earmarked for a park (that is if the space has been earmarked at all!). In one of the parks in Urban Estate, Phase II, residents have stacked a heap of construction material just outside the boundary of the park. Mr Gursharan Singh, Executive Engineer, Horticulture, MCJ, when contacted, said that due to congested interior areas of the city, there was hardly any base available for developing parks. In rest of the residential areas, the corporation was giving a matching grant to the welfare societies for the maintenance of the parks, he added. He claimed that the MCJ was planning to expand the green belt in all directions. He said the central verges were being improved all along the GT Road, especially from BSF Chowk to the Sadar Police Station railway crossing. “The PAP Chowk is being beautified by planting shrubs. The next major project is to develop a green belt near Maqsudan. A plantation drive has been launched in Burlton Park where 3000 saplings of perennial trees have been planted,” he added.
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Barking up the wrong tree?
Exotic trees may have the novelty value. But they are hardly suitable for the local conditions. “Planting these trees here is akin to taking up Western customs blindly. Unless these customs are grounded in the social reality of the place, they stick out like a sore thumb. Similar is the case with trees,” says Mr Lakhbir Singh, president, Pahal, an NGO working on environmental issues. According to Pahal president, since the last decade or so, exotic trees have been hot favourite with authorities associated with tree plantation drives. He says that native trees like neem are a better bet as compared to exotic trees like alstonia (also known as the “Scholar’s Tree”). “Neem has a proven medicinal value. So, why plant trees to which our local populace cannot relate?”
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A brush with art of colours
Colours hold a special fascination for those young at heart. The fascination becomes all the more multi-hued if the youngsters are aspiring artists interacting with an already-established artist. No wonder, at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts here, the interaction between the artist Prem Singh and the fine arts students had many hues to it. “An artist is a person who speaks the truth. And this truth is not a prerogative of the select few. Those who are open to experiences have a bit of artist in them. Art is not just learned in studios; it can be imbibed from Nature,” Prem Singh, former Principal of the College of Art, Chandigarh, and Trienalle Award winner, told the students during the workshop organised in the college. But what about the overload of impressions that impinge on an individual? How is an artist supposed to sift through the experiences? The students had these queries for the artist. Interestingly, it was ‘angled-answer’ they received. “Art is basically about sensitising. Usually, we see things at wide angles. We have to reduce the angle to focus on the things and get them right on our canvas,” said the artist. He explained that it was not easy to use colours. A red dot might bring a host of images with it and these images could fill the canvas with myriad hues. According to this artist, the market-oriented economy may have made art a money-spinning business, but art would always have a sacred side to it. “Never give up until you are satisfied with your creative expression,” Prem Singh advised the students, his perfectionist attitude shining through his advice.
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Terracotta tones on Banga Road There is something about age-old crafts that makes one feel nostalgic. It also enlivens any corner of the house. Amongst these, terracotta artifacts have been most popular. Over the years, these have modified into pieces of art that epitomise the traditional in modern settings. "Terracotta artifacts are used to add a traditional touch and an ethnic flair to the living room, drawing room, garden and bedroom," said Dulki, a craftswoman from Rajasthan, selling her wares at the Banga Road here. "We offer a wide variety to choose from." Her offerings for gar-dens range from little bells that can be hung on swings or doors, flower pots, bird huts to delicate water bowls in various shapes and sizes. Sauta Ram, another artisan here, says that one can also pick wall hangings, show-pieces, Economical and easily available, terracotta comes in raw or enamel finish - both looking equally classy. "If you want to add a splash of colour , all you need to do is paint the piece," says Masri, the wife of Sauta Ram. "Travelling craft bazaars that regularly come to the city also bring along lots of ware that stand out," says a young girl from a potters' family.
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Pre-primary wing of Apeejay School at Tanda Road organised a puppet show for children based on the theme of “water conservation”. Gandhi Jayanti Lawrence International School here marked Gandhi Jayanti with a special programme highlighting various facets of the international leader. Saparajit, Ishaan, Karan, Jhum, Inderpreet got the first prizes. Blood donation NCC cadets of the Prem Chand Markanda SD College for Women donated blood to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at Military Attachment Hospital. National seminar A national seminar on vocational guidance is being held at the Government In Service Training Centre. District Employment Officer, Balbir Singh, Joint Director, RUDSET, Neelam Mahey, and District Guidance Counsellor, Mr Darshan Singh, spoke on the latest developments in field of career counselling. Poetry recitation Hindi poetry recitation competition was organised for Classes I and II at Delhi Public School. Among the Class I students, Uday Dadwal, Agamdeep Cheema, Nandini Desiraju, Mannpriya Kohli, Aayush Mahajan were declared the winners. In Class II, Aditi Prabhakar, Anupreet Kaur, Tejas Jhamb, Kritvi Chhabra, Gurleen Dhindsa were declared the winners. Drawing contest Inter-school declamation and drawing contests were held at Sanskriti KMV School. The overall trophy went to Dayanand Model Senior Secondary School. Founder’s Day Apeejay School recently celebrated the Founder’s Day. The school was established in 1968. Apeejay School, Rama Mandi, also celebrated the Founder’s Day to mark the birth anniversary of its founder Satya Paul on October 4. Tournament The All India Mahatma Hans Raj Aryan Tournament for Punjab Zone has started at the PAP Stadium. The event is being hosted by Police DAV Public School. Fortyfive DAV schools from all over the state are taking part in various events like hockey, cricket, basketball, kabaddi, football, gymnastics, kho-kho and athletics. The Education Advisor, DAV College Managing Committee, Mr Raj Pal Seth was the guest of honour on the occasion.
(Compiled by Anuradha Shukla)
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