Chandigarh, December 10
Fun and frolic marked the annual day celebrations of St Anne's Convent School, Sector 32, here, today.

A bonanza of foot-tapping dances enthralled the audience as the “Winter Pageant-2005” set rolling. Presided over by Mr I.S. Sandhu, Additional Deputy Commissioner, SDM, Chandigarh, as the chief guest, the cultural extravaganza consisted of a variety of dances and the display of martial arts by the students of the senior and kindergarten sections.

Panchkula, December 10
For the inmates of Ashiana, an orphanage, the weekend was a special one as 56 of them were treated to a cultural and fun-filled afternoon at Mango Grove School, Sector 20. At least 24 boys and 41 girls enthusiastically participated in the third Fun Day Workshop organised specially for them.

With a gamut of activities to participate in, the children enjoyed painting while they also participated in the ‘antakshri’. The volunteers and the staff of the Mango Grove School also actively participated in various events.

The other activities for the children included free style painting. A dance show was also presented, which was joined by Mr Vijay Aggarwal, vice-president of Ashiana. Supported by Modern Steels, the chairman of the school Col K.S. Thandi informed that several other workshops like this were being planned. He added that earlier the school had organised special workshops for the residents of the Bal Niketan and the cancer afflicted children.

During the workshop, younger children also had a chance to try their hands on various crafts and interact with Mr Olinda Gill, who is studying marine chartering and is working with them.

Chandigarh, December 10
As part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association honoured 23 of its lawyers for successfully having completed 50 years at a simple and short ceremony in the Rock Garden here today.

Among those honoured were Mr H.L. Sibal, Mr Mohinderjit Singh Sethi, Mr Naubat Singh Panwar, Mr Gurbaksh Singh Gyani, Mr Raj Kumar Aggarwal, Mr H.N. Mehtani, Mr Harbhagwan Singh, Mr U.D. Gaur, Mr Joginder Singh Wasu, Mr Harbhajan Singh Sandhu, Mr Balbir Singh Wasu, Mr Subash Chander Khunger, Mr Shanti Sagar Mahajan, Mr Hari Mittal, Mr Daljit Singh Chahal, Mr Prem Nath Aggarwal, Mr Kaliram, Mr H.S. Gill, Mr D.S. Nehra and Mr P.N. Aggarwal.

All of them continue to practice till date. They were all presented with a shawl and a memento, which is an insignia of the Chandigarh Open Hand.

The Chief Justice of India, Mr Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, congratulated the Bar on the high court’s golden jubilee and wished all senior lawyers who had put in 50 years good health and a very long life. “I would like to be selfish and would like to continue having their blessings for years to come.” Sharing his memories of his association with the city, he informed of his association with three of the lawyers who he had the opportunity to meet and work with.

He assured them that there would always be cooperation between the “Bench and the Bar.” He further added that the lawyers of Punjab and Haryana were leaders and their “actions should show to the nation that you can provide speedy justice.”

Two cultural items — ghumar by the Haryana Cultural Society, and a bhangra item by a high court employee, Hussan Lal and his group — were also organised for the guests.

A few Ghazal maestros have elicited as much adulation from music lovers the world over as Ghulam Ali, the great ghazal king. The stardom came to the humble and God-fearing Ghulam Ali only after decades of extensive training and strenuous “riyaz”. One of the most accomplished ghazal exponents Ghulam Ali was in the city to perform at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Talking to the Tribune at the Punjab Bhavan, the ghazal king shared his views on dynamics of fast emerging musical trends, especially the western influence promoted mostly by TV channels.

“The emotionless virtuosity of western music has never fascinated me and I never wanted to enslave myself to its charm for monetary benefits.

Besides, our rich musical traditions have bequeathed a treasure trove sublime music, fine arts and ethical values” opined the maestro, reiterating his commitment to the promotion and propagation of the ghazal, thumri and the classical arts.

‘Ever since my memorable submission to the great music wizard, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan when, at the age of 15, I was trained under his tutelage after the rendition of a thumri before the Ustad, I had been religiously devoted to the promotion of classical music, particularly ‘ghazal’ and my foremost disciples, including my sons Mazhar Ghulam Ali, and Amir Ghulam Ali, will carry forward our legacy’, says Ghulam Ali.

A proponent of learning under the ustad-shagird tradition Ghulam Ali lamented the promotion of half-baked singers through various talent-hunt contests based on SMS verdicts.’ Though I have no fascination for playback singing in films but I would certainly love to record if a soul-stirring song of my choice is offered to me. I have just recorded an album “Layian Ranjhe Naal” with the versatile Bollywood playback singer, Kavita Krishnamurti,’ disclosed Ghulam Ali with a promise to continue singing as long as the blessings of Allah and good wishes of my admirers are with me.