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Goodbye to govt jobs
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DC transferred, ‘shram daan’ abandoned
Punjabi attracts foreigners
Exotic trees line up Doaba roads
Costlier saplings likely to hit tree plantation drive
For men size matters
Campus Life
Market Buzz
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Goodbye to govt jobs
Odd, ‘undesired’ and ‘forced postings’ in rural areas, tension emanating from an increasing degree of political interference in medico-legal cases coupled with VIP duties, ‘meagre’ carry-home salaries and, above all, lure of heavy perks in private sector is driving government doctors of Doaba region of Punjab to desert the once much-cherished government service. Smitten by the new-found exodus bug and to make the most in the private sector, a large number of doctors have either deserted or are planning to say a goodbye to their long-held government jobs. The defiant mood of a big section of the otherwise peace-loving medical fraternity could well be assessed when two doctors of the local Civil Hospitals gave the mandatory three-month notices to the Punjab Health authorities about three months back, specifying their intention to leave their 20-year-old jobs. When these two doctors, including, Dr Gurpartap Singh, an orthopaedic specialist, gave notices to their senior authorities, the development hardly created any flutter in the medical fraternity. Reason — they were just following the path shown by about more than twelve government doctors of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala districts of Doaba region, who have already quit their jobs during the past two years with an intention to either be their own masters by setting up their own hospitals and clinics or to join highly-remunerative jobs in well-known private hospitals of the northern region. “Odd duties, particularly for the oft-cancelled VIP visits and fast-eroding work culture forced me to take the very difficult, yet very important decision of my life. I thought a lot on the issue, but finally my inner-self prevailed upon me to leave my job. Moreover, proper work ambience is missing. For an instance, there is no requisite number of paramedics to assist doctors in government hospitals. Medical services is a sort of chain reaction and you can hardly do anything by yourself,” observed Dr Gurpartap Singh, an orthopaedic surgeon at the local Civil Hospital, whose three-month notice to quit his job comes to an end on April 30. Another government doctor, who has also slapped a notice on the health authorities, and intended not to be quoted, said doing medico-legal work in the prevailing gloomy scenario, dominated by extraneous interference at varied levels, was not his cup of tea. “I, however, have decided to leave for some very personal reasons,” he said. Investigations conducted by The Tribune revealed that apart from increased lust for money offered by the private sector, an upsurge in political interference, particularly with respect to the medico-legal cases, was a major irritating factor for the doctors. “The other day I was stunned when a local level leader tried to coerce me and said he wanted to get a medico-legal case registered according to his wishes. It is a different matter that I refused to budge, but such things do cause tensions, especially if these become a routine,” said another doctor of the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar. Frequent transfers, particularly to rural areas, were a dominating factor for doctors to decide against continuing with the government service. Two Kapurthala and Phagwara-based eye-surgeons said
goodbye to their government jobs last year, when they were ‘discomforted’ by the Punjab Health Department that transferred them to dispensaries in rural areas. Monetary aspect contributed a lot to the new-found heavy-tilt in favour of private jobs or practice. Investigation revealed that if the average monthly carry-home salary of a government doctor with 10 years of service at his back was around Rs 20,000, in private or charitable hospitals the monthly pay packets for even a doctor with five-year service ranged anywhere between Rs 50,000 and Rs 100000. Though fixed monthly salary in charitable hospitals was less, the doctors were benefiting a lot from the ‘share or commission-based’ jobs in such institutions. “In case of orthopaedic surgeons serving in charitable hospitals, the monthly salary coupled with commission could touch the mark of Rs 1 lakh. See the difference,” said a government doctor, who was planning to be part of the exodus shortly. Young doctors, it was learnt, were staying away from government job for another interesting reason. It, according to a recent government survey, was that in most of the government hospitals there was a monopoly of senior doctors and they hardly allowed junior doctors to work properly. “It (exodus) is more of a race for money as pay and perks in government service are not encouraging at all. Even after putting in a service of 20 years, a government doctor can hardly think about building his own home. Moreover, odd postings do a lot of harm and result in a huge pressure on minds of doctors. Tension is part of our profession. A couple of doctors have even died at a young age due to what could be called the job-related tension,” said Dr M.S. Randhawa, the patron of the PCMS Association, Punjab. Many of these doctors had even decided against joining the government service at a very early stage when they were just out of medical college after doing their graduation. “My decision to go to the private sector was made when I was still in the medical college. I was discouraged over the drawbacks of government hospitals. There are so many bottlenecks in the government hospitals. For instance, if there a good equipment, then there is hardly any maintenance of it. I think that even today if anyone wants to progress in life, the private sector can be the best bet as it requires high efficiency at all levels,” says Dr C.S. Pruthi, the Managing Director of the local BBC Heart Care Centre.
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DC transferred, ‘shram daan’ abandoned
The week-long ‘shram daan’ programme organised by the district administration to clear the Kanjli Wetland of hyacinth and wild grass concluded on Wednesday without even reaching no where near the target.
It was proposed that the three-km-stretch of Kali Bein, which passes through the wetland, would be cleared of the hyacinth and wild grass during the programme. Mr Samir Kumar, former Deputy Commissioner, had started a ‘shram daan’ on the wetland on the pattern of Sukhna lake in Chandigarh last year after he took over the office. On Friday last, when ‘shram daan’ was to be started, Mr Kumar got transferred. So in his absence, the officers did not take interest in the programme. Kali Bein, which originates from Wadhya village in Hoshiarpur district, joins the Beas near Hari Ke Lake after traversing through 170 km. Guru Nanak Dev is said to have got enlightenment after taking a dip in the Bein at Sultanpur Lodhi. Inquiries revealed that though the school children were quite enthusiastic in putting up their efforts to clean the Bein in the six-day drive, the vigour among the villagers from the nearby area and the government officials, who participated in the drive last year in large number, was found missing. This happened due to the absence of any motivation from the district administration. At one time, the Kanjli picnic spot of Kapurthala was not the favourite of locals alone, but also of the people from Jalandhar and other nearby areas. The wetland attracts several species of migratory birds. The scene at the wetland, which otherwise was a tourist point for tourists and the people of Kapurthala for boating and holidaying, has completely changed over the years. There is hardly any tourist, who visits Kanjli. In the absence of sufficient discharge of water from Tarkiana Barrage into the Bein, the problem of accumulation of hyacinth has become acute. According to Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, who is involved in the cleaning of the Bein for the past more than five years, at least 250 cusecs of water should be released from the Tarkiana Barrage into the rivulet to overcome the hyacinth problem. The district administration had prepared a master plan to develop the wetland. However, nothing concrete step in this regard has been undertaken, except for installing a conveyer belt that is driven with the help of a tractor -trailer at a cost of Rs 11 lakh. The conveyer belt could not be put on its optimum use due to insufficient funds for its operational costs.
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Punjabi attracts foreigners
Punjabi is one of those 6000 languages of the world that has been recognised by the United Nations (UN) and it is a matter of pride for Punjabis that their mother tongue has been rated the 10th from the top by the UN. “It is heartening to observe that everyone and almost every non-Indo-Canadian person — be it French or Polish or Chinese — is keen to learn Punjabi nowadays. In fact, globalisation has contributed to rising popularity of Punjabi in a big way, at least in Canada,” says Mr Balwant Singh Sanghera, a Richmond-based retired school psychologist and president of the Punjabi Language Association, British Columbia. “Almost all those business houses, which have some business links with India or Punjab, want to recruit those employees, who know Punjabi so that they can easily interact with people in India and Punjab from business point of view. In Surrey alone, nearly 2000 government jobs are awaiting Punjabi-knowing people,” he adds. Mr Sanghera migrated to Canada about 40 years back and hails from Farwala village near Bilga. The Punjabi Language Association, he says, has been striving to get the status of a national language in Canada for long. “We hope we will succeed. Punjabi has already attained the second official language status in the BC. It has become a rage among young and old Canadians to learn Punjabi,” he observed. “Two-three English professors of Kwantlen University College, Surrey, have enrolled themselves for learning Punjabi language. Since India is the second fastest-growing economy after China, Canadian firms want to have business ties with it and in their endeavour they want their employees to learn Punjabi. So, globalisation and its impact on India and Canada have helped Punjabi in a big way,” Mr Sanghera adds. “Another biggest factor is that Canadians, especially the non-Indo-Canadians, treat any third language as a big asset. So, they are opting for Punjabi, he says. “I think that Punjabi has a very bright future ahead at the global level,” predicted Mr Sanghera, a recipient of the Order of British Columbia and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for his community services.
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Ghadar monument in neglect
The residents of Nimana village, now known as Jagpalpur, near here are oblivious of the history behind the ancient building housing a government school for decades. For them the major centre of Ghadari activity is merely an old structure. Even the authorities running the school do not know the importance of the building in turning the tide against British rule.
The school built by freedom fighters associated with the Ghadar Movement lies neglected and unattended. Mr Chiranji Lal Kangniwal, a librarian in the Desh Bagat Yaadgaari Hall, discovered the building and now wants it to be preserved as a national monument. The building was constructed by freedom fighter, Piara Singh Langeri, who thought of setting up schools, especially in the rural areas, to educate as well as motivate the people there. Other such schools, like the Doaba Senior Secondary School on the Ladowali Road, Khalsa College in Mahalpur, Khalsa School in Wadala Manjari, village, Girls’ High School in Khurdpur, Adampur, and Dosanjh Kalan village school were the centre of educating the people during the Ghadari movement. But the major centre of Ghadari activity, the building from where the Government Elementary School Jagpalpur used to be run, was the hub of the meetings of freedom fighters and was the place where plans were given final shape by freedom fighters. A reference of the building is found in the British Intelligence reports as well as in papers of the trial judgments of freedom fighters of the area. “My father, Mr Jwala Ram, who was raised in the village, used to mention time and again of a building in Nimana from where the Ghadaris began a school,” Mr Kangniwal said. “He said there was a gurdwara on the first floor of the building. But finding the village itself was difficult because its name was changed to Jagpalpur. The people still call it Jagpalpur-Nimana leading me to the elders of the village who told me about the building., They said the gurdwara had been shifted somewhere else and the old building lay unattended.” The librarian said that after searching the archives, he found the information on the building. “A report on the Ghadar movement by British Intelligence Officers, Ismongar and Slattery, titled “Ghadar Conspiracy”, gives several references to the building. The Punjab government of 1919 had published the report. The building also finds mention in the book, “An Account of Ghadar” by Professor Ved Pathak. The Ghadar leaders, operating from the area, Banta Singh Sangwal, Arur Singh Sangwal, Buta Singh Akalgarh (Ludhiana), Jawand Singh of Nangal Kalan, Ishar Singh Dhudike (Ferozepore) and Ranga Singh alias Roda Singh, were all sent to the gallows while the elder brother of Jwand Singh, had turned an approver in the case that led to the hanging of the other six including his younger brother. Piara Singh of Langeri was captured by the British with the help of Chanda Singh, a zaildar in Nangal Kalan but the revolutionaries killed the zaildar leading them to the gallows. Hira Singh turned approver to hand the six into the hands of the British. “All I wish is that the building, which the government authorities were thinking of demolishing, be saved and turned into a national monument,” Mr Kangniwal said.
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Exotic trees line up Doaba roads
A drive through the Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road, when a little benevolent traffic allows you the luxury of looking around, you realise that the bounty of nature is not limited to the 700 known colours human mind has recognised so far. Fortunately, the eye is not limited by lexicon. It can absorb and enjoy the hues, even without naming them. And so is the case with the exotic trees whose foliage offers all these hues from the palette of the biggest artist on the planet. After a brief shower last week, the azure sky added a glistening effect to the soft-greenish gold tint of the first spring leaves and infused the fallen foliage of a khaki shade with a yellow hue. Since the change in foliage is symbolic of death of the old guard and the springing up of the new, the extreme variation of hues can be seen in the extreme ends of the journey of a leaf from those fallen to those just budding. An entire Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road is flanked with lime-green foliage, as if preparing for the onset of summers. The trees, lined along some other roads, with almost all hues of the red, ruby, ruddy and rust, seem to be fighting shyness before making a public appearance. If gulal is the colour of a woman’s cheeks flushed with rage, the crimsons and scarlet of the foliage on the roads match with a person’s, almost livid. In this resplendence, don’t miss the subtle shades in pastel between the rage of vermillion and lush green. A few trees lined along Palahi village road are adorned with peach, beige and orange-pink foliage. Some of the colours surprise with their richness and unusual pigmentation. No wonder, there are 4,800 unnamed colours, only greys have about 120 shades. Then, there are trees with variety of shades and colours, emerging from single stem, with foliage at different stages of growth. One particular tree, thick with foliage on the Phagwara-Nakodar road has a rich aesthetic combination of maroon, emerald and tangerine. Apart from this, a few trees in blossom in lavender, pink and poisonous purple evoke nose-tingling effect, reminding the flavours of purple and kesar of Holi. The colours of “phagun” may not necessarily be brewed here in the city, they grow on the trees. And, the way you need not be a trained musician to appreciate melody, you need not know the names of the trees to enjoy the colours of their foliage. You simply have to be a lover of colours.
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Costlier saplings likely to hit tree plantation drive
Voluntary efforts to make the environment clean and green may get turned down as the forest department has recently hiked the prices of saplings of all fruit bearing, timber and ornamental trees available in its state-run nurseries.
While the prices of non-fruit bearing or timber tree saplings, including those of eucalyptus, poplar, sheesham, dek and neem have risen five times higher from 50 paisa to Rs 2.50 per sapling, the cost of fruit-bearing trees like guava, mango and jamun, too, has shot up to Rs 8 per sapling from the previous rate of Rs 1.5 per sapling. The NGOs and other organisations engaged in ecological upgrading are much surprised at the approach of the government, as they said that the tree plantations drive that they had been carrying on for the past few years were now bound to get affected. They have alleged that the spurt in prices of saplings would discourage the organisations, including schools and colleges from getting involved in such activities. Mr Lakhbir Singh, president of Pehal, an NGO engaged in tree plantations, said that he was surprised to note the jump in the rates. He said that while he usually bought as many as 10,000 saplings in one go; he purchased just 600 saplings this time. The Pehal president said that he raised the issue during a recently organised workshop for wood manufacturers, sports traders and NGOs at Van Chetna Kendra in Maqsudan. He said that during the workshop he met the Deputy Conservator Officer, Forests, Mr Mewa Singh Chhiber, and asked him to consider revision of rates of saplings. Mr Ram Singh Dhesi, an NRI associated with Savi Dharti, another NGO engaged in tree plantations in the city, said the saplings that he had been procuring from the forest department had become too expensive. He said that he had been sparing money out of his pension for tree plantation activities. He said that financial aid from philanthropists, too, was pouring in. He added that he had already planted 90,000 saplings at 150 places that included government schools in majority. However, he now feels that the pace at which his NGO has been functioning could get affected. He added that he had recently started developing saplings on his own on a small scale so as to avoid any purchase from government or private nurseries. Mr Sanjeev Kumar, Forest Range Officer, Phillaur, when contacted, said that the rates might have gone up due to higher demand of saplings.
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Ever wondered why men like their cars outsized, while women go for functionality? The answer is that most “hormonally-driven” men think of power when they see something bigger and better, something the aesthetic-obsessed fairer sex couldn’t be bothered about.
For them, it’s the sheer beauty of design that comes up trumps. According to a recent survey conducted by a market research firm, these differences between the sexes are just as pronounced when it comes to other consumer electronics like cell phones, digital cameras and big screen televisions. “It’s an undisputable fact that we men tend to put hefty gadgets at the very heart of our lives,” 26-year-old Manpreet, owner of an electronic shop in Phagwara, said. “I love feeling the power of my ‘70s vintage 1000cc bike. And it does not have anything to do (at least in my case) with the so-called patriarchal societal oppression,” he added. In fact, surging hormones contribute much to this super-sized fixation, say psychologists. “It’s a simple case of power-play. Men use gadgets as a tool to up their market value,” Dr Raghu Bhasin, a psychologist, said. “It also has a lot to do with the vicarious thrill and power men get from having the biggest and most coveted gizmo in their possession. Wives and girlfriends have to compete with gadgets and gizmos for their partner’s attention.” But with an increasing number of women becoming more tech-savvy, it’s not hard to imagine the “gizmo gender gap” closing in. “The fascination with gadgets and the interaction with cool little things has been a basic part of my life,” 28-year-old Rajan Gupta, marketing manager with a electronics MNC, said. Jagriti, who admits to being passionate about all things techie, however says, “I like cute gizmos — most of which can fit in the palm of my hand. But for my boyfriend, size is a major issue. Even his iPod is twice the normal size.”
—TNS
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Campus Life
Students of the city schools have brought laurels by clearing the state-level round of prestigious National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) conducted by the National Council of Education, Research and Training (NCERT) this year. Twelve students from Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg, two from Innocent Hearts School, and one from Police DAV Public School have made it to reach the final round.
Lovish Behl and Jaisandeep from Innocent Hearts School, Ashish Uppal from Police DAV Public School and Sahil Sareen, Dhananjay Gupta, Anmol Singh, Nimanyu Sharma, Rishab Gupta, Anurag Arora, Karanvir Kohli, Tanveer Kaur, Karandeep Nagpal, Aarish Sareen, Sahil Chawla and Lakshay Berry from Apeejay School are among the 105 students of the state who will now sit for the final examination scheduled to be held in May 14. The students who have now taken admission in Plus One had appeared for the test, while they were Class X students. The candidates have qualified a written test that was conducted by the council at the state level in November last year. Having finally made through it, the students are now preparing for a final round. On qualifying the round, the students will be entitled to a scholarship scheme under which they will get some financial assistance in the form of a monthly scholarship and an annual book grant. These candidates will be given financial assistance up to Ph.D level in social sciences, basic sciences and commerce. Among them, those candidates who will pursue professional courses like engineering, medicine, management and law will receive financial assistance up to Master’s degree from the council. The students have said that they did not acquire any special coaching for the purpose, though they were imparted an informal training in the school. But the students have said that it was not an easy ride for them to make it to the finals and be among the India’s top 1,000 students so as to be declared scholarship holder of the council. The students said that they were now preparing for a final round of the national level test that was likely to be held in May. “We are gearing up for the mental ability and scholastic aptitude tests with topics from sciences, social sciences and mathematics of the level of Class IX and X.” Ms Ranjana Sood, Principal of Apeejay School, Ms S. Bowry, Principal of Innocent Hearts School, and Ms Rashmi Vij, Principal of Police DAV Public School, have congratulated the students on their achievement. They said that the selected students would now be prepared for a tougher challenge ahead. Baisakhi celebrated Students of Innocent Hearts School celebrated Baisakhi with much fevour on Wednesday. Students participated in a cultural show based on the heritage of Punjab. Sonali Sharma, a student, anchored the show. Tejaswini Nanda presented speech defining the significance of the festival. A quiz contests were also organised for students of Classes LKG to V. To mark the birth anniversary Dr B.R. Ambedkar, a small function was held on the campus. Jaspreet Kaur read out some excerpts from the biography of the architect of the Indian constitution during the function. Ms S. Bowry, principal, was present on the occasion. Baisakhi was also celebrated in Dayanand Model School, Model Town, on Wednesday. The students of the junior wing presented a group song featuring happiness and excitement associated with the festival. Vibhuti and Vidisha recited poem ‘Jatta aayi Baisakhi’. Celebrations concluded with a speech by Ms Shashi Bala, teacher, about the significance of the festival. Merit positions Anjali Sharma, Tanu Sharma, Rohit Talwar and Jaspreet Kaur, all MCA students of Guru Nanak Dev University College, Basti Nau, have secured second, fifth, eighth and tenth positions, respectively, in the fifth semester examination conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University this year. In the seventh semester MCA examination, Saranjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Rajni Bhalla and Aminder Raj Kaur secured second, fourth, eighth and tenth positions, respectively. In the third semester examination, Vikas Shandilya and Sumit Gupta have stood third and seventh. Dr Usha Kapoor, principal, has congratulated the students on their achievement. Guest lecture Dr Gagandeep Singh, working as a senior lecturer in the CT institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been invited for a guest lecture at University of Miguel Hernandez, Spain, on April 21. He will give presentation on salvation behaviour of amino acids, peptides and proteins in aqueous solution. His papers have also been accepted for presentation during a conference on chemical thermodynamics to be held at Colorado, USA, from July 30 to August 4. Education fair The Australian Trade Commission will hold an educational fair at Hotel Radisson on April 17. In a press note, Mr Tony Burchill, Trade Commissioner, said that it would be a free of cost initiative to provide the students and their parents an opportunity to meet and interact with the representatives of 14 Australian institutions. Brochures, catalogues and admission forms for several Australian TAFE (technical and further education) providers would also be made available for courses in hospitality management, culinary arts, business management, accounting, communication studies, art and design, aviation and biotechnology.
—TNS
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Market Buzz
Money Gram, money transfer services, is organising a road show ‘Money Gram Yatra’ that would cover 65 villages spread across the interiors of Punjab. The road show aims at spreading awareness among people about receiving money from the US, Canada, UK, Greece and the UAE in a safe, fast and easy manner through its strategic partners, including Thomas Cook, Indus ind Bank, UAE Exchange, Trade Wings, Catholic Syrian Bank and Supreme Securities. Kabab festival Hotel President is organising a kabab and biryani festival from April 13 to 25. Mr Sunil Khera, general manager, said that the customers would be offered unlimited meal packages, including snacks, soups, main course, and desserts. A meal package will be pegged at Rs 199 for vegetarians and Rs 249 for non-vegetarians. Meanwhile, Hotel Regent Park, too, is organising a kabab festival from April 13 to 30. Jewellery Tanishq, a jewellery store, has offered its customers a wide range of exclusive jewellery designs for Baisakhi. The regional business manager said that the showroom was now showcasing designs that were contemporary interpretation of the rich designs of the past. Baisakhi carnival The Pizza Hut has organised a two-day Baisakhi carnival to mark the festival of Baisakhi. The celebrations will be held in its outlets all over Punjab. The customers will be given special packages, which include fun games, music treats and prizes.
— TNS
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As a language, Punjabi is not only dear to about one million Punjabis settled in Canada, but it is also catching fancy of thousands of Canada-based English, French, Chinese and Polish people, who are making all-out efforts to learn it as their second or third language.
The colours of Holi are not limited to “kesar” and “gulal”. When nature decides to open its treasure trove of hues in Phagwara, it begs up gradation of words in the directory of colours.