1352 appear for entrance test
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 14
The entrance test for the admission to MD/ MS/ PG diploma MDS and DM/ M Ch courses was held at six centres in the city today. As many as 1352 candidates appeared in the test. The test for the super speciality courses was held at Faridkot in which 26 candidates appeared. 

Ateev wins gold medal in cyber olympiad
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 14
Ateev Goyal, a Class VII student of Kailash Bahl DAV Senior Secondary Public School, Sector 7-B, has won the gold medal in the fifth National Cyber Olympiad conducted by the Science Olympiad Foundation, New Delhi. While he has stood first in the school, city and the state, his all India rank is 325. The exam was conducted in August 1 by the school. 

Date fixed for judge, Bar meetings
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 14
The District and Sessions Judge will meet members of the District Bar Association on the 10th of every month. This was decided at the first vigilance meeting held yesterday.

The District and Sessions Judge, Chief Judicial Magistrate, president and secretary of the District Bar Association were present at the meeting. It was held after a gap of two years. Various issues relating to problems faced by lawyers and suggestions were highlighted at the meeting.

The issue of streamlining of parking outside the district courts was also discussed.

CULTURE

The grand old man of Punjabi theatre remembered
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 14
Dr Harcharan Singh came alive in the recollections of those whose life he had touched in some way of the other. During the assembly of his loved ones, who gathered at the Sector 9 residence of Rani Balbir Kaur this evening, the Punjabi litterateur's life was also reconstructed bit by bit.

The informal get together was organised by the Kaifi Azmi Foundation. The highlight of the get together was the documentary which Dr Harcharan's son Harbux Latta had made on the life and times of his father. Although not released until now, the documentary was played out before a few selected persons who made it worthwhile to share the times they shared with Dr Harcharan Singh.

Known for his candid approach towards sensitive social issues and his rich historical knowledge of Sikhism, Dr Harcharan Singh is renowned as the darling of historical Punjabi theatre. To his credit rest productions like Rani Jindan (in which Rani Balbir played the lead role), Bole So Nihal, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, among others.

Dr Harcharan Singh's historical leanings and his deep commitment to socialism were well reflected in the documentary which captured the thespian's moods and matters as diversely as possible. It is a very valuable documentation of Dr Harcharan Singh's life, his works and associates, said Rani Balbir, while reminiscing his relationship with the grand old man of Punjab theatre.

Though well endowed in all senses of the word, the documentary did not capture the last few days of Dr Harcharan Singh's life. It, however, portrayed him in his days of struggle, and then his hey days when the best brains in Punjabi theatre woke up to his genius.

The genius breathes no more but his legacy lingers on.

Tributes paid to Noorpuri
S.D. Sharma

Chandigarh, May 14
The Punjab Arts Council and Swar Lehar musical group in association with the Fashion Technology Park organised a programme at the Punjab Kala Bhavan open-air theatre to pay tributes to Punjabi poet Nand Lal Noorpuri today.

This was the first ever function organised to commemorate the death anniversary of the poet who enriched the Punjabi literature by living in adversity and ended his life by jumping into a well in 1966 on this day.

Proclaiming Nand Lal Noorpuri as a bridge between the era of mystic poet Waris Shah and the invincible Shiv Kumar Batalvi , the secretary-general of the Punjab Arts Council, Prof Rajpal Singh termed Noorpuri as the poet of the masses who had generously translated the soul of Punjab into his verses, woven in the pastoral idiom.

Noted film-makers Harjit Singh and Dr Tejinder Kaur, who had made a documentary on the poet, highlighted the achievements of the poet.

The artistes of the Swar Lehar group, under the music direction of Virender Bachan, presented songs of Noorpuri, in which the vibrant culture of Punjab found the purest expression.

They presented “Kalgi Jhujar di,” “Gori diyan jhanjran,” “Chann ve,” “Kahnu ve pipla” and “Main vatan da shaheed”.

Poonam, Poornima, Tejasvini, Kuljit, Neena Parmjit, Rajan and Nishi brought alive the emotional essence as perceived by the poet in his five published classics.

Dr Sahib Singh compered the programme. Sat Kartar Singh, son of the poet now residing in Switzerland, attended the function with his family and shared memories of his father with the audience. Mr Brij Lal Chawla, MD, Punjab TV, was the chief guest.