Quake shattered us, say Pak students
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 13
“We are all shattered to see the disaster following an earthquake on October 8. Schools in Pakistan are closed on Saturdays otherwise several others could have lost their lives.

People had a close encounter with death. We thank God for being kind to us and pray for early recovery of those in trauma,” said Ms Faryada Fayz-ur-Rehman, senior head of a delegation from Froebel’s International School, Islamabad. Ms Rehman along with seven students are in the city these days to take part in “Fusion — 2005”, an inter-school cultural competition to be organised by BCM Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, on October 14 and 15.

The delegation includes two girls — Kamila Jafri and Wardah Inam — and five boys — Omer Waseem, Salman Asif, Hassan Tariq, Nauroze Muhammad Anees and Abbas Zaidi. Many other students had to accompany the delegation but their parents did not allow them because of the earthquake, said Ms Rehman. She said: “We have lost one of our students Salman Rahat in this tragedy.”

About their experience with Indians, she said culture and traditions in both the countries were same. Indians were as warm-hearted as Pakistanis. “Last time I came to India in 1969 and visited Kolkata. The hospitality is same even after 36 years,” she said.

The Pakistani students were impressed to see the discipline among students here. They said the method of teaching maths was very different from that of Pakistan.

“Students in Pakistan are interested in learning Urdu, English and French languages as these opened gates for them to go abroad,” said a senior secondary student Wardah Inam.

About the popularity of Indian soap operas, Ms Rehman said in every household women would always watch two serials — “Kyonki Saas Bhi...” and “Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki” regularly. She said many Pakistan TV channels, including GEO and ARY, were also getting popular, but reading good newspapers was not everybody’s cup of tea. “The newspaper costs around Rs 12 to Rs 15 per day”, she said.

The delegation will leave for Pakistan on October 16 via Wagah.

SIFT students on strike
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 13
The students of the Sportking Institute of Fashion and Technology (SIFT) observed a strike today to protest against the sudden removal of its registrar, Mr Arun Benjamin. The students alleged that Mr Benjamin was not allowed to enter his office and was removed from the post without his fault.

The students, on condition of anonymity, said they had filed a complaint against one of the female faculty members for “threatening” the students regarding grades and ranks. “We are not satisfied with the way she teaches. She has been rude to us and speaks wrong against other faculty members. Now she feels that Mr Benjamin had instigated us to file complaint against her,” said one of the students.

The students felt that Mr Benjamin was innocent and should be taken back by the management. Mr Benjamin, when contacted, said he was not allowed to enter his office in the morning. “I do not know the reason for my removal. I will go and meet the management tomorrow,” he said.

RIMT Institute to hold seminar
Our Correspondent

Mandi Gobindgarh, October 13
The RIMT Institute of Management and Computer Technology, Mandi Gobindgarh, is organising a seminar on “Emerging trends in IT sector and related HR issues” on its campus tomorrow.

The organising secretary of the seminar, Prof Gurvinder Bakshi, said the seminar would be attended by top executives of more than 35 companies of the region.

The seminar will be inaugurated by Mr Nitin Nanda, Director (R&D), Quark India, Mohali. The keynote address will be delivered by Mr Rajan, CEO, Safaltek Softwares, while Mr V.M. Trehan, Chairman, Mekaster Group, will preside over the seminar. Dr M.S. Grewal, Registrar, Punjab Technical University, will be the guest of honour. Other participants included Mr Anil Khanna, CEO, SeAsia; Mr Kultar Nat, President, Coveda Technologies; Mr Rajiv Kondal, Programme Manager, Sebiz; Mr Sandeep Vig, CEO, Spectra; and Mr Anil Seth, CEO, NCNL Infomedia.

GNGC to host national seminar
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 13
The computer department of Guru Nanak Girls College will organise a national seminar on “Open Source in Education and Industry” on October 14 and 15. The University Grants Commission (UGC) will sponsor the seminar. Three speakers will present papers on the first day while other three will present on the second day of the seminar. The seminar will focus on open source software under which industry and institutions come together.

Programme: A faculty development programme was held at the Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Model Town under the aegis of the ISTE Chapter. The programme was part of the faculty development programme series - II. Dr H.S. Singha Col director, GNIMT, made a presentation on a book titled “Who moved my cheese”, authored by Dr Spencer Johnson.

Dr Singha emphasised that one should always keep analyzings his / her surroundings to sense the changes and react accordingly. Monitoring and analyzing the environment enable us to cope up with changes comfortably and keeps us motivated for the achievement of higher goals.

HEALTH

Doctors’ body to send relief
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 13
The Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) while expressing shock at the devastation caused by the earthquake in several parts of India and Pakistan, has mobilised its units for extending a helping hand to the injured and those who had suffered massive loss of property.

In a statement here today, the IDPD president, Dr L.S. Chawla, and the general secretary, Dr Arun Mitra, said the J and K unit had sent medical teams to quake-affected areas. At the same time, the central body of the IDPD was raising aid in cash and kind for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims. Over 1,000 blankets and a large number of woolen garments would soon be sent to the state unit for distribution among affected people in the Uri sector.

They said in a message sent to Dr Tipu Sultan, president of the Pakistan Doctors for Peace and Development, they had offered heartfelt sympathy for the quake-hit people and also volunteered to send a team of doctors for providing medical assistance.