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Punjab’s growth rate the slowest, claims Sidhu
Students use Swastika in NASA contest
Paper on Punni’s poetic genius
Father Mark returns to original resting place
Expert discovers new way to counter
fodder shortage
New hope for heart patients
Seminar held on Sikh perspective
Jail inmates to exhibit talent
Rotary Club gets new president
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The ancient village where followers of Prithviraj Chauhan settled and that nurtured brave soldiers and numerous militants too, moves towards development, albeit slowly. Varinder Walia and P. K. Jaiswar trace the history and passage of time for the village How could anyone ever turn the clock back in Sultanwind? How could members of main communities living in a 800-year old village ever go back to being nails and flesh — of the same finger? Drive through Sultanwind now and see how. That dark phase is not even a blip on anybody’s mind.
Named after “Pir” Sakhi Sultan, Sultanwind is four centuries older than the city of Amritsar. Situated on the old Golden Temple road, Sultanwind was once a Muslim-dominated village before Partition. The ancestors of the villagers, who were followers of king Prithviraj Chauhan, fought valiantly Mohammad Ghori before settling down here. A number of mazars in the village periphery show that a large number of Muslims who lived there left for the newly-created Pakistan after the bloodshed of the Partition. Guru Arjan Dev visited Sultanwind to rescue his follower Bhai Manjh after he had tumbled down a well while bringing wood from a forest. Guru Hargobind stayed here during his marriage. Other prominent religious figures who visited the place included Baba Budda Ji, Bhai Gurdas Ji, Bhai Bahlo Ji, Bhai Salo Ji and Bhai Bidhi Chand. An old tree of “Karir”, where the sixth Guru tied his horse, still exists in the gurdwara. But the gurdwara, now under the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), is not properly maintained. Maharaja Ranjit Singh had constructed two “burjis” (minarets), on the old Golden Temple road. This was how the adjoining village Doburji was named. However, both the ‘burjis’ – the grand landmarks, have been demolished. Long ago the present city of Amritsar was a dense forest. Several villages fringed the forest. Many legendary and mythological references are attached to this land owned by adjoining villages of Tung, Sultanwind, Gumtala and Gilwali. Dr Guravtar Singh, who belongs to this village, claimed that the land of Sultanwind started from Gurdwara Dukh Bhanjni Beri (in the Golden Temple premises). The location of the Golden Temple was a low-lying area with a big pond surrounded by dense jungle. It was next to the city of Lahore, then the capital of Punjab. A highway connecting India to some central Asian countries also ran through this piece of land. The price of real estate here has, of late, increased manifold. The price of land, which had crashed during the peak of militancy, is once again picking up. A PUDA approved Kanwar Enclave, named after slain Khalistan Commando Force Chief, Kanwarjit Singh Sultanwind, is fast coming up. The upward swing of land prices is mind-boggling. At present, it is between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,000 per yard.
Interestingly, there was hardly any takers for the land when the gun-totting Kanwarjit Singh was alive. Following the restoration of normalcy, real estate business has seen an unexpected swing. The village that provided a sanctuary to the terrorists has become much sought after by the colonisers these days. A number of terrorists belonged to this village. Militancy became the reason for the non-development of the region. The village is divided into 12 “patties” (zones). These include Patti Mansoor, Patti Balol, Dadujalla, Bhainiwal, Malka, Sau, Sultan, Pandora and Shaho Ki. The area was recently brought under the Amritsar South constituency. Earlier it was under the Jandiala constituency. According to a rough estimate, the village has a population of about 40,000, and has 25,000 registered voters. Sultanwind came under the Municipal Corporation in 1972. However, there is nothing to show in the name of development. Interestingly, immediately after World War I, the British government made the labyrinthine lanes of the area “pacca”, as a reward for the bravery shown by the villagers during the war. The Chitti Gali was completely marbled. It is in a bad shape now. The four-km long stretch was never repaired. It is marked by large potholes. Since the village is located across the Sultanwind canal, it got deprived of development.
Recently, the Punjab government decided to construct a gate and repair the road in the memory of late Lance Naik Gurmit Singh, killed during the Kargil War. The authorities started the construction with much fanfare on April 14 this year. However, the work progressed further than the platform for the gate. According to information, the corporation passed a grant of Rs 26 lakh for the purpose. But the completion of work still seems to be a distant dream. The area is now marred by water seepage that has clogged the village damaging residences and important building like Gurdwara Atari Sahib where the sixth Guru is believed to have stayed. Waiting for development
The literacy rate of the village is low. However, few educated persons who have brought laurels to Amritsar feel concerned about the lack of development of their ancestral village. Mr Sum Dutt Vasudeva, Additional Advocate General, Himachal Pradesh, and Dr Guravtar Singh, a government veterinary officer, who belongs to this village said there had been no development worth its name since Sultanwind village was included in the Amritsar Municipal Corporation. The road connecting the village to the city as also with Daburji village on the main GT Road (Amritsar-Jalandhar Road) is full of potholes. Neither is there any water supply scheme nor any sewerage system. Dr Guravtar Singh said heaps of domestic waste could be seen littered in the main bazaar and drains remained full of filth. “There is neither a dispensary nor any library. The corporation as well as the state government has completely overlooked this village since it ahs no godfather,” he rued. Dr Guravtar Singh was one of the two doctors from the country to have participated in the regional training of meat inspection in Asia held at Veterinary Management Institute in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. When Chauhan fought Ghori Prithviraj Chauhan (1178-1192 AD), the ruler of Ajmer and Delhi, was one of most powerful rulers of India. He succeeded to the throne in 1179, while still a minor, and ruled from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. The Chauhan succession had been rather confused since the death of Vigraha-raja in 1165; Prithviraj reconsolidated control of the Chauhan kingdom and conquered several neighboring kingdoms, which made his state the leading Hindu kingdom in northern India. Delhi was captured from the Tomara Rajputs during the early years of his reign, and was renamed Qila Rai Pithora. He campaigned against the Chandela Rajputs of Bundelkhand. His kingdom included much of the present-day Indian states of Rajasthan and Haryana, and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. In 1191 AD, Muhammad Ghori proceeded towards India and captured Bathinda. Prithviraj Chauhan too advanced towards Bathinda to check the enemy’s advance. Both the armies faced each other at Tarain. In the first battle of Tarain, Mohammed Ghori was defeated. Mohammed Ghori, after the defeat at Tarain, was on the look out for an opportunity to strike back. In 1192 AD, he again invaded India with an army of 1,20, 000 soldiers. Both the armies faced each other again at Tarain. Prithviraj realised that the enemy was in an advantageous position and proposed a peace treaty. But Muhammad Ghori kept Prithviraj Chauhan engaged in peace talks and suddenly attacked him, inflicted on him a crushing defeat. Prithviraj was caught and killed. This was the turning point in the history of India. Thus, Delhi and gradually the rest of India fell into the hands of the Muslim rulers and many of the followers of Chauhan settled in Sultanwind. The Chouhans and Mahal Jats who dominate the village trace their origin to Rajputs, Dr Guravtar Singh who himself is a Chouhan, claimed.
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Punjab’s growth rate the slowest, claims Sidhu
Strongly criticising the state and the Central government for its alleged apathy towards the economic development of Punjab, Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu, the BJP MP from the city, said the economic growth in the state had been on the decline making it one of the slowest growing states in India.
Giving data, Mr Sidhu said that according to 2002-03 figures, Punjab had recorded 2.6 percent of growth, while it was 7.4 per cent in 1960. On the other hand, industrial growth had declined to 4.60 per cent, he said. It was recorded 6.80 per cent in 1960, he added. The MP said the magnitude of fiscal imbalance in Punjab was far greater than other states and was worsening with each passing year. He said the per capita state government debt in Punjab was Rs 13029 (highest in the country). In Uttar Pradesh, it was Rs 4509, Bihar Rs 4592 and Maharashtra Rs 5272, he added. Mr Sidhu said despite these startling figures, loans to farmers in Maharastra had been waived while claims of the hard-working farmers had been ignored in Punjab. The MP blamed the state and Central governments for this dismal situation of the state. He also criticised the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, for his failure to fulfill promises made to the people of Punjab during this visit here three years ago. He said the state government had given huge land to Reliance within three months at throwaway prices but it had no land for establishing SEZ in the Holy City. He said the government claimed that the MoU has been signed. “But what is the transparency of the MOU, what is the time frame and what is the reality on the ground? Has even a inch of land given for the SEZ?” he questioned. The power sector in Punjab, he claimed, too depicted a dismal picture. “The demand has increased manifold whereas no initiative has been taken to increase the capacity. The entire state reels under power cuts with the industry being the worst-hit. In spite of the alarming reports by various agencies, the government is sleeping on the issue and ignoring the recommendations of the Planning Board. It is not willing to take responsibility and accountability,” Mr Sidhu alleged. |
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Students use Swastika in NASA contest
Shri Ram Ashram Public School students here participated in a contest organised by the NASA. The school’s name recently figured in the NASA’s official website along with 26 other schools form across the world. Ms Preeti Sharad, principal of the school, said an eight-member team of students and teachers took part in the “Space Settlement Design Contest” in category of ‘Plans for inhabitants of earth —-a perfect place to enjoy their holidays’. She said the school in its design proposed to build a large tourist spot in space “Near Earth’s Orbit” (NEO) in an interesting design using “Swastika”— the symbol of eternity, happiness and prosperity— with four spots indicating four eco-systems like Icelands, Terrestrial, Desert and Aquatic. Ms Sharad said as per the design, the settlement would have a view of space, galaxies and planets like Saturn and would be free of dreaded diseases. She said as many as 29 schools from all over the world participated in the contest. The others who participated in the contest include teachers Parveen Gautam, Mankiran, Harinder Nanda and students Saurabh Thakur, Abhimanyu Sood, Rajat Grover and Shashank Srivastav. The event was in the grade 6 to 12 category, she added.
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Paper on Punni’s poetic genius
Dr Darshandeep Arora of the DAV College recently presented a paper on noted immigrant poet Kirpal Singh Punni’s book “Khaba Di Sargam” at a seminar organised by the Punjabi Writers Association in the UK. He also expressed his views on “Mohabbat Da Geet”, a poetic composition by the same writer. According to Dr Arora, the poet had successfully resisted the impact of materialistic society from seeping into his poetry despite residing in the West for long. Punni constantly strove to attain literary values through his writings. He found his first poetic creation, Khaban Di Sargam, a convincing specimen of his poetic genius and sensitivity. He blended human values with experiences of life to make a deep impact on readers. His second book of poetry offered liberal views of an immigrant and sets off a discussion on contemporary human values. He vocalised his keen feeling to liberate his motherland from all evils but at the same time did not overlook the entire humanity at large. He came out as a conscious human being who kept an eye on happenings around him and the world. The later part of the book unfolds a new fact of the personality of the poet showing that his horizon had expanded to new heights, which he included in his verses liberally. He advocated that all communities must shun fundamental approach and be receptive to accept light of various thoughts in order to understand the real meaning behind the world. He felt that only by following this approach, hate, ego and other negative feelings could be effaced from the face of world and human beings could develop idealistic traits.
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Father Mark returns to original resting place
The mortal remains of Christian missionary and an English national Father Mark Barnes’s were finally laid to rest at its original burial place at St Mary School here recently.
Father Mark used to live here for last four decades amidst protest by some of his supporters. The burial was made possible after warring Christian factions reached an agreement. Ms Anne Wakeling, sister of Father Mark had specially come from England to attend the formal funeral held with proper religious rites. It may be recalled that Father Mark, who was died of accidental gun shot wounds on February 17 at his residence last year, was buried according to his wishes at St Mary School. However, the Diocese of Jalandhar had strongly objected to it. The controversy took an ugly turn when the grave of Father Mark was vandalised by some unscrupulous elements and his coffin was dug out from the grave and was buried at Secluded Cemetery at Loharka Road here. As per the agreement reached between the diocese of Jalandhar, Ms Wakeling, the state of Punjab and the representatives of Christian Welfare Council on July 17, the mortal remains of Father Mark were allowed to be buried at the original place near Gumtala. There was also a proposal to built a memorial at the site within three months and allow the construction of the church on same premises. Meanwhile, the state government, wide its notification (No 8/79/05-2LGII) dated June 26th 2006 exempted the missionary’s native place from acquisition by the Improvement Trust. All the parties agreed to withdraw various legal cases pending in the High Court as well as in the local courts to pave way for the honourable burial of Father Mark’s mortal remains. Ms Wakeling told The Tribune that it was satisfying that her brother’s mortal remains was finally resting in peace at the place desired by him with proper religious ceremony in the presence of his supporters and admirers. She said Father Mark had lived among the poor and downtrodden for last 40 years and dedicated his entire life for their welfare. She added that the whole family was being represented by her to pay their last respects. She said a suitable memorial would also be built to perpetuate his memory. However, a section of his supporters led by local missionary Hans Raj demanded a CBI probe into the vandalisation of Father Mark’s coffin by the unscrupulous elements after he was buried at St Mary School premises. Another section of his followers rued that the residential quarters of Father Mark where he spent major portion of his life were also demolished. |
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Principal of dental college resigns
Dr Amarjit Singh Gill, Principal, Punjab Government Dental College and Hospital, has resigned from his post after putting in about 33 years of service as professor and principal of the college. He has been the principal of the institute for more than six years.
Dr Gill said it was his own decision to take voluntary retirement. He expressed full satisfaction with his service and achievements as principal of the college. He said it was a hard decision to take and was taking retirement solely due to personal reasons. Interestingly, Dr Gill also did his graduation and post graduation from the same institute. He joined the college in 1969 and rose to the post of principal. He played a pivotal role in the overall development and maintenance of the college. During his stint as principal of the institute, he fought many legal battles for releasing the precious land of the college which had been encroached upon. Dr Gill said he would always support indirectly for the cause and benefit of the college with which he has 37 years long association. However, about his future plans, he added that he was approached by certain private institutions, but he had not taken any decision so far. Dr Gill had participated in many national and international seminars and programmes. He was instrumental in adding new specialties focusing on areas like community dentistry, dental medicine and dental pharmacology in the institute. Recently, the government sanctioned more that Rs 8 crore for the development and construction of a new block to equip the college with latest facilities. He was also instrumental in creating new posts of lecturers for the new specialties in the college. |
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Ishbir sets new benchmark
Setting a new benchmark, Ishbir Singh become the youngest Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) 2003 at a tender age of just 10 years. Ranked first in Punjab he was overall ranked 34th in India, securing 919 marks out of 1000.
Ishbir’s mother is understandably proud. Mrs Jaspreet Kaur said Ishbir completed all the seven exams as
required by the MCSE 2003 and became the youngest person on July 11 to do so. Ishbir had earlier cleared the Microsoft Certified Profession (MCP) on March 16. Ishbir had joined the MCSE 2003 programme two years back and a tutor was arranged for him. The tutor was reluctant to teach Ishbir due to his age but after the initial interaction readily agreed to the proposal. However, Ishbir only got a month’s practical training at the ATS Amritsar as his tutor had to move to Hyderabad. Ishbir’s parents then got him the ‘Microsoft Self Paced Training Kit’ books in January as the boy was determined to complete his MCSE 2003. Then there was no looking back as he read the books, practiced and solved the questions at the back of the books, read sample papers and appeared in the exams. About 2 per cent of the MCSE students go for MCSE 2003 as the exams are tough. Mrs Jaspreet Kaur revealed that Ishbir started fiddling with computer when he was only three-year-old. He would sit in front of computer for hours and learnt English, Math and Science through interactive. By nine years of age he had already become proficient in MS Word, Adobe Photoshop, HTML, Java script, Dreamweaver and Flash, besides other smaller programmes. |
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Expert discovers new way to counter
fodder shortage
Dr Hazara Singh Cheema, feed and fodder development expert, Department of Animal Husbandry, has developed a novel way to counter shortage of green fodder during the lean periods of September and October.
During these months green fodder decreases considerably and the other option is to feed the animal on oil cakes, which is expensive and out of reach of medium and poor dairy owners. According to Dr Cheema, an economical way is to feed cattle preserved green fodder by making silage and hay. Non-leguminous fodders such as maize, jowar, bajra, teoninte, guinea grass, rye grass and oats can be used to make silage while surplus leguminous fodders such as coupeas and barseem can be used for hay. After cutting the crop at appropriate stage, the green fodder is chaffed at two to three inches length to make silage. Then it is put into a silopit (specially made for this purpose) and pressed thoroughly, either manually or with tractor. By pressing, anaerobic condition is created for proper fermentation. Then the pit is covered with a polythene sheet and mud for a period between 40 to 45 days. After the fermentation is complete, the fodder is ready for feeding. Good quality silage is yellowish green in colour and has a special smell. According to Dr Cheema, silage meets the daily nutrient requirements of the animals in the lean period, helping farmers obtain maximum milk yield during the period. It also helps farmers to plant an additional crop as land becomes available one to one and a half months earlier for the next crop. In terms of food value, maximum nutrients are harvested as the fodder is cut at a stage when it has optimum level of nutrients. Moreover, in the absence of male members, even housewives can feed animals Dr Cheema said farmers in the Bhikhiwind area had adopted the technique during the kharif season. |
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New hope for heart patients
A noted city cardiologist has said that elderly people suffering from heart disease can have some respite with the introduction of drug eluting stents, which have the potential to enhance the durability of interventional procedures. “Till now, it was considered a risky option because of the fear of complications attached to it,” Dr Puneet Verma from the local Escorts Hospital said.
He added that elderly patients in the country would be in the age bracket of 65 years and above. “With age, the heart becomes less elastic; its unable to relax completely between the beats, the walls get thick and enlarge. These physiologic changes lessen the heart’s efficiency and makes it prone to diseases.’ Dr Verma said there has been a three-fold increase in cases of coronary artery disease in India. An estimated 12 out of 100 people in cities; and seven out of 100 in rural areas suffer from heart disease. By 2010, 60 per cent of the coronary heart patients would be in India. According to the American Heart Association’s Scientific Session in 2004, elderly patients treated with Cypher’s Sirolimus-eluting coronary stents should expect the same benefit in repeat coronary procedures as seen with younger patients, he added. |
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Seminar held on Sikh perspective
To impart proper education and give direction to the youth a secretariat should be set up consisting of retired personnel of the Indian Administrative Services and the Indian Police Service. Baba Sewa Singh of Kar Sewa Wale, said they could give their valuable advice to the community on various issues, particularly in the educational field. The youth of the community were disillusioned with the present day conflicts going on in the community.
He presented these views during a seminar on the ‘Community Understanding and the Sikh perspective in Public Forums’, organised by the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE), Washington, the USA. He said the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee had the financial resources to take up this gigantic task. The SGPC would do a great service to the community. Dr Inderjeet Kaur, president, Pingalwara Society, said there was race to attain power and materialistic goals in the country. She said the philosophy of simple life was not being followed, as directed by the Sikh Gurus. Dr Rajwant Singh, Chairman SCORE, and a resident of Washington (the USA) said the pandemonium at
Harmandar Sahib was unfortunate. He said it had damaged the image of Sikhs, who were already facing an identity crisis in the USA. |
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Jail inmates to exhibit talent
The inmates of Tihar and Amritsar jails who would be vying with top fashion houses, clothing, jewellery handicrafts and other items to show case their products in two-day exhibition fashion forecast will be organised here from August 4 at Hotel Mohan International.
Promoter of the exhibition Taniya Chatha said it would provide a great opportunity for the artisans and other inmates of the jail to display and sell their products competing with the best in the business. She said the exhibition would have participants from all over the country bringing in their items ranging from fashion designing clothings, textile fabrics, jewellery, accessories, art pieces and furniture. Ms Chatha said this was the second exhibition of these items in the series of such shows in the Holy City. She added that their organisation have received tremendous response from the participants and the public.
— OC
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Rotary Club gets new president
Dr H.S. Gill was elected as the 25th president of the Rotary Club, Amritsar Midtown. He replaces Professor Baldev Sachdeva. The club was created in 1982.
Dr Gill said the club would donate 100 free intraocular eye lenses to the needy and donate medicines worth Rs 10,000 to the Ganesh Das Chadha Rotary Centre. The vocational/medical services at the Rotary Centre would be
strengthened. In addition to computer education, dress designing and needle craft, a course in textile designing would also be started.
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