From Colleges
Students throng govt colleges for admission forms 
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6
Students seeking admission to four government colleges in the city made a beeline for the colleges after the sale of admission forms opened today. The Education Department of Chandigarh Administration will conduct joint admission to Government College, Sector 11, Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Government College for Girls, Sector 42 and Government College, Sector 46, all affiliated with Panjab University.

Other than the routine gradation courses, most of these colleges are offering certain master’s courses and job-oriented graduation courses.

Government College, Sector 11, offers 30 seats in MSc Information Technology, 60 in MA English and has introduced 35 seats in MA History.

The college also offers 140 seats for boys in BCom, 700 for boys in BA, 30 in Functional English as elective subject in BA, 160 in BSc Non-Medical, 80 in BSc Medical and 60 in BSc Computer Science and 30 seats in BSc Biotechnology (Honours).

Further, the college offers 40 seats for boys in BCA and another 40 seats in BBA.

Another 30 seats for boys are being offered by the college in the four-year Bachelor in Physical Education (BPEd) course.

This year, the college has introduced another 25 seats for both boys and girls in the course.

Three one-year add-on courses in journalism, video reporting and video editing for boys are also being offered by the college’s Department of English.

The college has a total of 330 seats for boys in various hostels, while girl students will be allotted 15 seats in Government Home Science College, Sector 10.

The last date for receipt of admission forms for this college is June 23.

Government College for Girls, Sector 11, offers 20 seats in MA Music (Instrumental) and another 20 seats in MA Music (vocal), 14 in MA Dance and 30 each in MA Economics and Public Administration.

The college also offers 140 seats in BCom, 850 in BA, 30 in Functional English as elective subject in BA, 160 in BSc Non-Medical, 160 in BSc Medical and 60 seats in BSc Computer Science.

In addition, it offers 40 seats in BCA. The college has a total of 600 seats for girls in various hostels. The last date for receipt of admission forms for this college is June 29.

Government College for Girls, Sector 42, offers 140 seats in BCom, 850 in BA, 30 in Functional English as elective subject in BA, 30 in Functional Hindi as elective subject in BA, 30 in Principles and Practices of Insurance as elective subject, 160 in BSc Non-Medical, 120 in BSc Medical, 40 in BSc Computer Science, 30 in BSc Biotechnology (Honours) and another 40 seats in BSc Biotechnology as elective subject.

The college also offers 40 seats in BCA. Another 30 seats have been offered by the college for a one-year part-time Postgraduate Diploma in Translation (English to Hindi).

The college has a total of 260 seats for girls in various hostels. The last date for receipt of admission forms for this college is June 23.

Government College, Sector 46, offers 30 seats in MCom. The college also offers 140 seats in BCom, 750 in BA, 80 in Advertising, Sales Promotion and Sales Management as elective subject.

Further, the college offers 40 seats in BCA. The college has allotted 15-20 seats in the general hostel for boys in Sector 15 managed by Government College, Sector 11, and girls have been allotted another 10 seats in Government Home Science College, Sector 10.

The last date for receipt of admission forms for this college is June 26.

The cost of the prospectus is Rs 50 and contains two forms. A candidate can therefore apply in two colleges with a single prospectus.

Other than government colleges, the prospectus is available at some book shops in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

Students seeking re-admission to their colleges can buy a single form at Rs 5 each. The forms can be downloaded from the Government College, Sector 11, website also.

UT police restrained from arresting Harneet
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6
A vacation bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today restrained Chandigarh police from arresting Ms Harneet Singh, wife of Deputy Mayor, H.S. Lucky, till June 8. However, the Bench directed her to join investigations at 4 pm today. Thereafter the bail plea was adjourned.

Meanwhile, Ms Harneet Singh joined investigation in the crime branch in Sector 11 here today.

Bail plea: The main accused in gruesome triple-murder of a retired Group Captain of Indian Air Force, his wife and his sister in their Sector 34 residence on February 7, Pawandeep, today moved a bail application in the local courts here.

The application will come up for hearing on June 12.

Non bailable warrants: The CBI Special Judge today issued non bailable warrants against Kapil Kumar Pasricha, a complainant in a case of corruption against a Head Constable of Chandigarh police, Satya Narayan. The warrants were issued after the complainant failed to turn up in the court.

CULTURE

Amir Khusrau brought alive through verses
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6
Some melodies are timeless. Subtle yet strong, tender yet rough, and eternally flowing, they stop by the shores of time only once in a while just so the world can feel the warmth they exude.

Some such melodies returned to the shores of time today, and brought with them the memory of a great Sufi who gave the world a gift of love. As the muse of Amir Khusrau came alive in the vocal rendition of Ustad Iqbal Ahmad Khan, an otherwise mundane seminar on the life of the celebrated saint got a much-needed slant. From there on, the event held at a Panchkula resort flowered into a perfect evening - one that saw delightful reconstruction of the life of Khusrau, the range of his poetry, the power of his music and the depth of his message. While this happened, Khusrau watched over in silence; his portrait quietly resting on a wall in the backdrop.

The soul of the evening organised by the Haryana Urdu Akademi was the presentation by Ustad Iqbal Ahmad Khan of Delhi gharana, who wove a necklace of pearls with Khusrau’s tears of joy and sorrow. One after the other, he unleashed before a gathering of intellectuals and litterateurs the choicest verses from Khusrau’s oeuvre. He showed how Khusrau was a proponent of peace and unity of languages, how he had mastered the craft of words and musical composition, and how he had raised a nursery of ragas never heard before.

The musician’s recital featured various dimensions of Khusrau’s music - from khayal of which he remains the undisputed master and tarana to the delightful improvisations of musical notes as in “Kalbanas” “ghazals” and “qawwalis”. He made some presentation in Khusrau’s ragas, including “Bahaar” and “Bagru”, among others.

Once the tone for the two-day event was set, it was time to formally introduce its purpose which stems from the need to recall Sufism and its legacy in these times torn by communal strife. Haryana Governor Dr A.R. Kidwai made a passionate appeal for peace and harmony in his small speech which duly recognised the contributions made by Khusrau, while also touching upon Urdu as the language of culture. His address was mainly focused on emphasising the universality of Urdu, as also on explaining the fact that languages cannot be kept alive artificially.

Among the many inspiring observations made by guests this evening was one which the Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune, Mr H. K. Dua, made on the range and relevance of Sufism. Taking off from where Haryana Urdu Akademi’s Secretary Dr K. L. Zakir had left, Mr Dua said, “Although Dr Zakir has said that Sufism was born in Kashmir, I would like to mention that there is no LoC for Sufism. Like Khusrau, Sufism is very much a part of our tradition and inheritance.” Mr Dua also dwelt on Khusrau’s priceless contribution to the realm of Sufism, which preaches oneness of God. “Khusrau was a forward looking man who could open the minds of people in any age. He was a true believer in pluralism, and advocated one man’s love for another — something our politicians don’t quite believe in and promote. They use religion for their ends” Mr Dua added.

Other interesting remarks came from Haryana Education Minister Phool Chand Mullana and Haryana Finance Minister Birender Singh, who honoured the memory of Khusrau in their own way. Mr Birender Singh called for the establishment of a cultural centre in Haryana - a place to promote Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi on an equal footing.

Sufi poet’s legacy