The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

EDUCATION

From Schools
Sacred heart alumni meet
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 18
Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, organised an alumni meet here yesterday to mark the silver jubilee of the school. The main focus was to share the experiences of former students of the school. Rev Sr Sobel, Principal of the school, addressed the old students on the occasion.

The following students were appointed as office-bearers: president — Mr Karamvir Singh Kalsi; vice-president — Dr Omesh Goyal; secretary — Gaurav Kalia; joint secretary — Anurag Soi; finance secretaries — Rajat Khanna and Mahavir Goyal; student coordinator — Varun Garg; cultural head (boys) — Dr Puneet Kamal Singh; cultural head (girls) — Neha Dawar; assistant cultural heads — Amol Sachdeva and Deepali Arora.

Budding star student

Mohika Bansal of class II of BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, Ludhiana, is the only child from Ludhiana selected for a star hunt by a company. The auditions were held at DAV Public School on August 11. She left for Mumbai on August 16. All her expenses would be borne by Star Plus.

Janamashtami celebrations

Lily Buds Pre-Nursery and Nursery School, Ludhiana, celebrated Janamashtami here on Thursday with great enthusiasm. The best dressed Krishna and Radha were awarded on the occasion.

IAS officers’ training at PAU
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 18
Addressing three IAS officers and a PCS officer who came to attend a training course in the PAU, Vice-Chancellor K.S.Aulakh said the agricultural economy could not be strengthened unless duty was imposed on imported goods in order to stop their sale in the country.

He said land had been fragmented into smaller holdings due to the growing population.

Using biotechnological methods, the PAU was trying to develop new varieties resistant to diseases. Farmers should shift to oilseed crops, pulses, medicinal plants/herbs and jetropha.

Incentives for students
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 18
Bharti Foundation and Punjab Agricultural University have signed an MoU to institute one Bharti scholarship for the undergraduate students of College of Agricultural Engineering.

As per the MoU signed by Dr S.K. Sondhi, Dean, College of Agricultural Engineering, PAU, and Ms Mamta Saikia, secretary, Bharti Foundation, New Delhi, they will support one student on merit-cum-mean basis for completing B.Tech. in agricultural engineering.

The scholarship will cover actual expenditure on account of tuition fee and hostel charges up to a maximum of Rs 50,000 per annum. This scholarship is for entire course duration of four years.

Shiksha receives Rs 1.43 crore donation
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 18
Shiksha, a programme launched to lead underprivileged children across India on the path of education launched in April this year jointly by Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Child Rights and You (CRY), received overwhelming response.

The contributions lead 33,052 children in 435 villages on the path of education, said a press note.

P and G contributed Rs 1.43 crore towards Shiksha and the amount would be utilised by CRY. "This is a 13 per cent increase in comparison to contributions in year 2005," the company said.

It stated that the money would be allocated to 9 projects across India with a focus on children's rights to holistic development, including education, in addition to working on issues faced by children and their communities like access to education, healthcare services, right to livelihood and overall sustainable development of the villages.

The project, said the company, is being supported by celebrities from various fields like actors Kajol, Mandira Bedi, Rahul Bose, Sanjana Kapoor, Rang de Basanti team of Rakeysh Mehra, Siddharth, Kunal Kapur and Soha Ali Khan, Tabu, Shabana Azmi.

CULTURE

Rakesh Syal wins photography award
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 18
Photographer Rakesh Syal of Ludhiana has won the second place for both May and June in the prestigious photography contest sponsored by BetterPhoto.com, the site's founder, Jim Miotke, announced this yesterday.

More than 25,600 entries were submitted to the online photography contest, which attracted contestants from around the world and featured 10 separate categories.

Syal's stunning image, "FLAMEZ", garnered top honours after being submitted in the "special effects" category.

All winning images can be viewed at BetterPhoto.com's contest page: http://www.betterphoto.com/contest/winners/0605.asp

The contest is conducted each month. Categories include nature and landscapes, animals, people, elements of design, digital darkroom, travel and place, flowers, details and macro, special effects, and monthly theme. Judging is performed by a panel of professional photographers.