Landran college girls win trophy in youth fest
Tribune News Service

Mohali, November 3
Students of Chandigarh College of Education for Women, Landran, won the running trophy in Punjabi University Youth Festival held at Lincoln College of Law, Sirhind. According to a press note issued by the Principal of the college, Dr Harpreet Kaur, the students had participated in giddha, rangoli, shabd gayan, geet (ghazal), cartoon making, collage making, poster making, elocution, debate and quiz contests.

The students bagged the trophy in literary contests. She said college students bagged first position in debate, collage making and cartoon making and these positions were bagged by Manmeet Kaur, Reena Tyagi and Neeru Sharma, respectively, and second positions were bagged by Nishu Sharma, in rangoli making, Pawandeep Kaur in debate and Manmeet Kaur in elocution.

The Chairman of the college, Mr Satnam Singh Sandhu, and the general secretary, Mr R.S. Dhaliwal of Chandigarh Group of Colleges congratulated the students on winning the trophy.

Manmeet Kaur, a student of Chandigarh College of Education, Landran, who won the first prize in debate at Punjabi University Youth Festival held the Lincoln College of Law, Sirhind.

Vivek school founder’s day celebrations
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 3
Vivek High School will celebrate its 21st founder’s day with a three-day-long celebrations starting from November 4. Students will present “Tons of Money”, the annual play directed by UK-famed thespian Nick Pillow on the evening of November 4. An exhibition will be held on November 5. From Gaiety Theatre to psychology walkways to science laboratories to computer designs and even cartoon making, painting and tie and dye are all part of the exhibition.

A gala fete will be held on November 6 with camel rides, stalls and games planned by the children to entertain the visitors.

“We at Vivek High have always believed in building a young mind’s foundation, to enable it to lead the world of tomorrow. We encourage them to be their best and that has always reflected in their work. The founder’s is a celebration of that spirit,” says the Principal, Ms P.K. Singh. 

COURTS

Tribunal’s communique to Benches
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 3
The Principal Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in a communiqué to all the Seven Benches, including the Chandigarh Bench, has said the notices in case of the Union of India and the Railways, should be sent directly to the department concerned, instead of serving it to the Senior Standing Counsel of the Union of India and the Standing Counsel of the Railways.

Acting on the directives, the Chandigarh Bench has already begun sending notices to the concerned department of the Union of India and the Railways. In the communication, the Registrar of the Principal Bench has said, the notice could only be served to the Senior Standing Counsel, in case of any extreme urgency as and when the Bench felt.

The issue came to light when certain Additional Standing Counsel at the Allahabad Bench complained to the Chairman of the Principal Bench that the Senior Standing Counsel was not equally distributing the cases among the Additional Standing counsels. This resulted in concentration of work in the hands of certain individuals.

The Chairman of the Principal Bench, whose note has been attached along with the communiqué of the Registrar, has observed that the practice of serving notices to the Senior Standing Counsels was not prevalent. The practise of proxy counsel accepting notices on behalf of the Standing Counsel has also been deplored.

CULTURE

‘Dayan’ focuses on rural maladies
S.D. Sharma

Chandigarh, November 3
The Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), Punjab, and the Kaifi Azmi Foundation teamed up to present a cultural programme titled ‘Lok hitaishi sabhyachark shaam’ at the Tagore Theatre today in which three plays were staged.

The programme commenced with staging of excerpts from a play based on the life and poetry of Kaifi Azmi “Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam.”. It was a literary tribute to the legendary poet, Kaifi Azmi, a man of myriad colours. Designed and directed by the noted thespian Rani Balbir Kaur, the presentation brought alive the soul of Kaifi’s potent poetic creations which so closely shared the anguish, sentiments and concerns of the common man.

Both the Punjabi plays were dedicated to the cause of ‘Women empowerment’. The IPTA branch of Khanna city presented a play “Jhanaa da paani..”. Jagdish Khanna directed the play written by the acclaimed theatre person, professor Ajmer Aulakh which projects the plight of a woman, purchased from Bihar by a “needy” bachelor of Punjab. Highlighting the fact that the woman is a commodity in a country where ‘they’ are also adored as a goddess, the play progresses to witness her resale in the same village. Structured in the rural ambience, the play recounts an explosive truth about the status of a woman in the male-dominated society. The soulful musical renditions deserve special mention. Ranbir Singh, Gurpreet, Sona, Sangeerta Verma, Balbir Singh Sukhwinder played lead roles.

Targeting the orthodox superstitions, the concluding drama “Dayan” was based on a story by the Sahitya Akademy Award winning writer Santokh Singh Dhir and adapted for theatrical presentation by Sanjeevan Singh. The play, staged under the aegis of the Sajri Saver Kala Kender Morinda, brought to focus the fatalistic beliefs in the illogical rituals which is an age-old malady in the rural society under the direction of Rabinder Singh Rabbi.

Unable to conceive a child , the protagonist, Muhtyaro (Sukhjit Sukhi) is termed as a bad omen to the family. She is maltreated, and condemned to hell-like life and cursed to be a “Dayan”. She faces ostracism from society and in desperation falls a prey to a superstition.

She abducts a child to sacrifice him for receiving blessing of a son. The play ends on a didactic note that it is the society who drives many a women to the life of a “Dayan”.