EDUCATION

Spending vacation among disabled children
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, August 27
A 17-year-old student of Grade XII from Toronto, Nancy Sharma, who came to India on a vacation, hit upon a noble idea to spend his vacation teaching the students of Nirdosh, a school for mentally challenged children. It is being run by the Inner Wheel club.

In a talk with Ludhiana Tribune, Nancy said: “I found interacting with these children difficult in the beginning, but during one-and-a-half-month time I spent with them I found it was a good personal learning experience. I have started appreciating the God given gifts more than ever before.

“I found out that those children had to be taught with a great deal of patience and I devised ways and means according to their needs. The methods I used were from simple to complex ones. The results were amazing. I never expected the kind of love and affection that I got. A child would bring candy for me every day and this devotion of his touched me.”

Nancy said she attended the school every day from July 20 till today from 9am to 1.30 pm. Now that she had to go back to Canada, she had quit the school and was carrying back fond memories of hours spent with the students of Nirdosh.

Nancy says: “Perhaps in Canada, too, I will go and work with mentally challenged children. My work here has given me an insight into a different world altogether. What I find so simple like calculations, and other physical movements are quite an arduous task for these children. I have developed more patience working with these children and I think I have learnt a very important lesson about the frailties of human beings and I am returning a much wiser person back to Canada.”

Stress laid on rural women’s education
Our Correspondent

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 27
Mr Swatanter Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Gurukul Kangri University, Hardwar, called upon leaders of social and educational organisations to focus on the education of women, particularly from rural areas.

He was addressing a gathering at Swami Gaga Giri College for Women at nearby Raikot town after inaugurating a yajnashala on the college premises yesterday. Mr Devinder Nath Sharma, registrar, Arya Vidya Parishad, was the chief guest.

“As mother was the natural teacher of a child, she should be educated enough to handle the things in the best method,” said Mr Swantanter Kumar.

He said rural families had been hesitating in sending their girls to institutes established in towns and cities. “Had the private organisations not opened colleges at villages, thousands of rural girls would have remained illiterate,” he claimed.

He asked the students to stick to social values and norms.

Students of the college presented a cultural program on the occasion. A havana was also held. Besides, felicitating meritorious students, the Vice-Chancellor released the college magazine, “The Kanya Sandesh”.

Mr Ramesh Kumar Kaura, general secretary of the managing committee, Ms Savita Uppal, Principal, and Mr S.M. Sharma, Principal, Arya College, Ludhiana, also spoke on the occasion.

CULTURE

‘Ek Jind Ek Jaan’ music released
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 27
Aroon Bakshi’s song “Ishq di balle balle” sung and composed by him for the movie, “Ek Jind Ek Jaan”, created ripples among the audience last night at GRD Academy. Aroon endeared himself to the audience by telling them that he was born and brought up in Ludhiana and how he loved coming back to the city after he shifted to Mumbai.

A huge stage had been erected for the programme. Zee Punjabi and ETC Punjabi had arranged the release of the music of the movie, which has been made under the banner of Maa Chinnamastika, produced by Deepak Maini and directed by Chitraath. The music of the film has been composed by Uttam Singh and a host of well-known singers — Sonu Nigam, Aroon Bakshi, Hans Raj Hans, Udbhav, Kunal Ganjawala, Daler Mehndi, Bali Brahmdatt, Preeti Uttam, Jaspinder Nirula and Pawani Pandey have lent their voice in the film.

Mr Rabindra Narayan , president, ETC Punjabi and Zee Punjabi, said, “We are trying to revive the interest of audience in Punjabi cinema. After successful music release show of “Dil Apna Punjabi”, this is the second effort by the channel.”

The show included almost the entire cast of the movie, which also has actors Nagma and Aroon Bakshi.

Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans sang “heer” of Waris Shah and other songs in his inimitable style, which were enjoyed by the audience despite the humid weather. Bali Brahmdatt also entertained the crowds with his songs, including the one from his latest album “Gypsy”.

The anchor of the show was comedy artiste Sudesh Lahiri. His dialogues and his take off on many a popular singer had the audience in splits.

Book on religious poems released
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 27
“Gurbani Ton Kurbani Tak,” a collection of religious poems by Gurnam Singh Komal, was released at a function organised by the Sirjan Dhara at Punjabi Bhavan here yesterday.

Mr Karamjit Singh Aujla and Prof Balwinder Singh presided. Prof Kulwant Jagraaon and Mr Joginder Singh Kang presented papers on the book. They said the language of the book was simple and the poems gave moral lessons against corruption and hypocrisy. Mr Kirpal Singh Kalra, Dr Harminder Kaur, Prof Gurjinder Kaur, Ms Gurdish Kaur Ms Gurcaran Kaur, Kochar, among others, participated. Ms Amarjit Kaur and Ms Noorie sang a few poems from the book.