The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

Hyderabad school students win space design competition
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 15
School students from Hyderabad won the second Annual Asian Regional Space Settlement Design Competition, which required participating teams to give a detailed presentation on their perception of launching a space colony for humans to orbit around Mars.

A total of eight teams comprising 12 students each had participated in the Asian finals. The wining team will proceed to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) base in Florida to take part in the global finals later this year.

The eight teams had been clubbed to form four space companies for the purpose of the competition. While other teams, including one from Malaysia had students from a single school, the Hyderabad team, christened Space Architects, had students from 12 different schools from that city. They were clubbed with the team from Arcane Quest, Patiala.

Dick Edwards and Anita Gale, both engineers with Boeing who have been holding the competition for NASA in the USA for the past 18 years, said the Hyderabad team won on account of several innovative and unique ideas presented by them. This included ideas on disaster management, food procurement and internal transport.

Also they envisioned a shorter time frame of 10 years for the colony to be a reality as compared to 25-30 years suggested by other teams. They justified this on the grounds that research is proceeding at a progressively faster pace.

Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Technical University, Dr S K Salwan, was the chief guest on the occasion and gave away the prizes. Appreciating the idea of the competition, he said such events gave great exposure to Indian students and they were able to get in tune with the thinking and ability of organisations abroad.

The Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Mr K P Puri, who presided over the presentations, gave an overview of HAL and listed out its achievements and ongoing projects.

The judges for the event included Anita Gale, Dick Edwards, Prof B N Raghunandan, Chairman of the Department of Aerospace, Indian Institute of Bangalore, Dr Vijay Gupta, Director, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, and Dr V.Rao Aiyagiri Head, SERC, Department of Science and Technology.

It’s tuition time for class X, XII students
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 15
With Class X and XII board examinations drawing near, students in the city are busy putting in their best efforts to ensure good result. At most of the coaching and tutorial centres in the city, syllabus has been almost wound up or is nearing completion. Students are engaged in revision, making fullest use of the extra time. These centres have also unveiled special packages for students appearing in the board examinations.

Rahul, a Class X student at Darbara Physics in Sector 20, says it is the time to rush for tuitions every day. February will be the time to give finishing touches to the preparations of one’s own, he adds.

According to Ms Ragini Sharma, mother of Sneha, a Class X student, the cable connection has been disconnected so that the children don’t get distracted.

Various coaching centres have also come out with special packages. The Chitkara Coaching Centre organised a mock pre-board examination for Class X students in the subjects of mathematics and science recently.

At Ozone Chemistry Classes, director W. Javed, IIT from Roorkee, has started giving weekly tests. Special “doubt sessions” are also being held.

The teachers are leaving nothing to chance. S. Behl, teacher at DAV Model School, Sector 15, said “Some students are good in a particular subject, but weak in others. We help them iron out their flaws in those subjects by paying specific attention.”

CULTURE

Mangal Dhillon launches drive against drug abuse
Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

Mangal Dhillon

Chandigarh, January 15
With a view to tackle drug menace, celebrated film personality Mangal Dhillon is on a unique mission these days. He plans to screen his much-acclaimed films, including “Khalsa”, “A Day at the Golden Temple”, “Prakash Sri Guru Granth Sahib” and “The inseparable — A Sikh and his Turban” at prominent gurdwaras in the region.

In fact, he kicked off a campaign today at the Kendri Singh Sabha, Sector 28, with the screening of the film “Prakash Sri Guru Granth Sahib”.

Talking about his new initiative, he said the religion had been a guiding force for humanity since time immemorial. “In the first phase, we are targeting Punjab as over 70 per cent of state’s youth is in the grip of drugs,” the actor said.

“The modern generation is drifting away from religion, leading to confusion and frustration. This, coupled with unemployment problem, leads the youth to drug abuse. We wish to treat the root cause of drug abuse by trying to connect the drug victims to their guiding sources — their religion and faith — through films,” he said.

Dhillon called upon people to come forward and fund the screening of the films in the public interest.

Sagars to carry forward legacy of Ramanand
S.D. Sharma

“In the best of the times and in the worst, humanity has consistently turned to art to understand what is beyond comprehension,” says producer Subhash Sagar who was here to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award conferred by the Punjab Government on his father, Ramanand Sagar, an illustrious legendary film and television icon.

“Surely his loss has cast a shadow of gloom on us but a touch of his cosmic intellectualism, wisdom and rationality, which we attempted to inherit, prompts us to carry forward the legacy of his spiritual ideology,” he says.

In an interaction with Chandigarh Tribune at Panchkula, he said from the stratum of a poor truck cleaner, Ramanand Sagar rose to establish an empire. “We have all along maintained the sanctity of rich Indian cultural ethos in all our productions be it films or TV serials like Ramayan, Krishna, Alif Laila, Bikram aur Betaal, Dada Dadi, Hatim, Hello Dolly etc,” reiterated Subhash Sagar.

“Some producers in the West and Bollywood made mega productions based on sex themes, but none could compete films like “Sound of Music” which was a testimony to our contention and belief that films based on potent social themes can survive,” he said.

Shiv Sagar, who represents the third generation of the Sagars, while revering the spiritual content has endeavored to give an innovative treatment to the Sagar Productions to meet contemporary challenges.

Besides the forthcoming feature film on “1971 war”, a TV serial on Prithviraj Chauhan and Lucky, the Sagars are making “Hightech Spiritual Theme parks”.

Shiv Sagar said these projects would be taken up on the lines of “Disneyland” and be worlds biggest ever mythological theme parks. Alice Coltrane, widow of Jazz great John Coltrane, has inspired Shiv to establish a theme park in Los Angles too as lakhs of Americans practising yoga were more inquisitive to know about the rich Indian civilization.

Spread in 25 acres, the first hitech spiritual theme park, Gangadham — an infotainment destination, to come up at Hardwar would have a mythological museum, audio-visual theatre, amphitheatre, simulator ride, food courts and special service for NRIs.

Similar projects would come up at four religious places. The spirit behind the projects was to impart knowledge about Indian cultural heritage to the young generation through the medium of their choice, said Shiv Sagar.

South African dancers present kathak
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 15
“East or west home is the best” veritably applies to these Durban-based artistes who preferred to pursue the traditional Indian classical dance and music despite being the fifth generation of families that had migrated to South Africa long ago.

The Chandigarh chapter of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations organised an evening of Indian classical and light dances by artistes from the Nateshwar Academy, Durban, South Africa, at Diwan Atmaram Auditorium, Law Bhavan, Chandigarh, here today.

The programme commenced with Ganesh Vandana by all eight artistes. It was followed by a dance spell by Varsha Sharma on a Meera bhajan “Payo ji maine”.

Setting the mood in spiritual contemplation, Deepa Jagjeevan, Kymmona Maharajh and Renra Govind presented kathak recital before presenting a choreography on a “Tarana” composition of Pandit Ravi Shanker.

Varsha Sharma also performed kathak on another recorded “Tarana” before all artistes joined her to present a group dance on a bhajan “Thumak chalat Ramchandra”.

However, they were at their best when they presented a vibrant dance on two film songs “Silsila ye” and “Dola re” from Devdas. The concluding ballet “Sanghrash” with a potent theme brought alive the struggle of their forefathers who migrated to South Africa long ago.

Kajol Batchu, Samantha Devi Misra, Lokesh Rampal, Sameetha Singh, Deepa, Varsha, Kymmona and Renira featured in group dances.

Smeetha Singh had composed all dance items. The artistes displayed excellent footwork and facial gestures to embellish the performance.

Mr M.M. Sharma, Regional Director, ICCR, honoured the artistes.

Folk singers enthral
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 15
Punjabi folk singers brought alive the grandeur of rich Punjabi folklore at a musical extravaganza at Leisure Valley here this evening. The event, organised by the ETC Punjabi and Zee Punjabi on the occasion of Punjabi Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2006, turned out to be a big draw. Even the organisers had to struggle to secure seats in the VIP enclosure reserved for NRI guests.

After a warm up dance and rendition of crisp poetry couplets by compere Satinder Satti, young upcoming Deepak Dhillon commenced the programme with her hit song “Manke tutde”. But it was the vibrant Jassi Sidhu to cast a spell with songs “Rahe rahe” and “Mar gaye”. He won a lofty applause for hit number “Chandigarh kare ashqi ”.

England-based Sukhshinder Shinda was in his usual best with all his balle and Punjabi clap from his latest album.‘Boliyan and a song by popular folk proponent Pammi Bai from his album “Nachde Punjabi” was well received.

Deepal Shaw’s dance on “Kabhi aar kabhi paar”, “Dheere dheere and rangeela re” brought warmth in the crowd. Pop star Jazzy B doled out his hit numbers from his film “Teesri Ankh” and later “Gidhe wich nachdi”.

Earlier, Rabindera Narayan and Rajie M. Shinde welcomed the chief guest A.R. Kohli, Governor, Mizoram who honoured the artistes.

Rodrigues regales audience at Plaza Carnival
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 15
The plaza carnival at Sector 17 was yesterday attended by a large number of people as music group ‘The Rodrigues’ (Errol, Edwin and Ashok) regaled the audience with various Hindi, Punjabi and English numbers. Errol Rodrigues took up the lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica and whistling. Edwin Rodrigues played the keyboard and drum machine while Ashok played the lead guitar and sang Punjabi songs besides giving back-up vocals.

At the artists corner, Prof Ravinder Sharma painted landscapes while arts college students sketched portraits of visitors, sweets were also distributed to visitors.