Mandi Gobindgarh, November 22
A seminar on ‘Role of Science and Technology in Rural Development’ was organized at the RIMT-Institute of Management and Computer Technology. The seminar was organized in collaboration with the Patiala Regional Chapter of the Indian Science Congress and the Punjab Academy of Science at the RIMT-IMCT campus.

Prominent scientists, technologist and academicians of the region attended the seminar apart from the faculty members and students of various prominent educational institutions.

In his welcome speech, Mr. Hukam Chand Bansal, chairman of the RIMT Group of Educational Institutes, said that science and technology had become an effective instrument for growth and change. The rural economy had been the cynosure of not only the Planning Commission but also of the Indian and foreign MNCs. Therefore, it had become all the more important that the benefits of science and technology must percolate to the rural areas so that the downtrodden and people living in the remote areas could also make progress.

While introducing the topic among the participants, Dr. B.S. Bhatia, director of the institute, said India in the past five decades had traversed an uphill task from converting itself from food-deficient to food- surplus country. In India, many initiatives for science and technology development like one (ASTRA) by the Indian Institute of Sciences had been started but much had to be done in the present scenario when the eyes of the world were on rural India which presented a huge market and huge resources also.

The seminar was inaugurated by Prof R.C. Sobti, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, Chandigarh, by lighting a lamp. In his inaugural speech, Prof. Sobti said we should go for developing indigenous technology suitable for the Indian conditions. He gave numerous examples from Indian culture explaining how even the daily religious rituals and food had scientific base. He said India having rich flora and fauna, had immense potential to develop technologies.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr O.P. Bajpayee, Director, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kurukshetra, and Haryana Rattan awardee. In his speech, Dr Bajpayee called upon the participants for development of technologies in sustainable manner. It required unbiased identification of the requirements of the beneficiaries first. He also highlighted the problems of wide gap, which existed between the labs and the market.

Mr. P.S. Sodhi, National Coordinator, UNDP, New Delhi, shared his experience based on the Global Environment Facility and called upon the participants of the seminar to develop technology adaptable to the local environment

Prof Surendar Singh from the Department of Business Management, RIMT-IMCT, formerly from Punjabi University, Patiala, spoke on water conservation technologies for the rural areas. He rued that there was lack of institutions like the Panchayati Raj Institute, village-level committees to look after the implementation of appropriate and low-cost technologies for the betterment of the rural masses and blamed bureaucrats and politicians for the mess.

Dr R.C. Chauhan, former Director, SLIET, Longowal and presently Director, Lovely Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jalandhar, encouraged the students and the faculty members that they should adopt a village and do some concrete work for its development with the application of science and technology.

Ludhiana, November 22
The Department of Political Science of Khalsa College for Women organised a 'Mock-Parliament' test here yesterday in which stress was laid on the working of Parliament. Discussion was held on different issues like domestic violence, corruption, sealing etc. The ruling party stressed on the achievements whereas the Opposition criticised the working of the ruling party.

Ludhiana, November 22
Alleging the behaviour of President of the District Bar Association to be autocratic, the lawyers headed by the Secretary of the District Bar Association, Mr Rajneesh Gupta, have decided to stage a dharna against the President in the District Courts Complex on November 27.

It may be recalled that the last emergent meeting of general house of the DBA had witnessed rowdy scenes and scuffles after the controversy over the alleged inclusion of the name of non-practising lawyers and deposit of annual subscription of lawyers after the date fixed for such purpose, which entitles them to cast vote in the annual elections.

At that time, the meeting was adjourned for today. The Secretary of the DBA, Mr Rajneesh Gupta, claimed in the press note issued here today that the President of the DBA, Mr Naval Kishore Chhibber, had left the meeting with his four or five supporters from the meeting and the members present in the house condemned his autocratic behaviour.

It was also claimed that former Bar Presidents, Mr Hemant Kalia and Mr Balwinder Goel, senior advocate Piyush Kant Jain and several other lawyers had given their views and suggestions for upholding the sanctity of the constitution of the DBA. The speakers stressed that in the constitution there was proper mechanism for scrutinising the voters list.

The president was requested to refer the whole controversy over the proposed voters list to the committee constituted under the provison(H) of Clause 10 of the constitution.

Even, Mr Hemant Kalia, a contender for the post of President, who was already a member of the said committee today withdrew his name from the committee for fair decision of the committee, said the press note.

Ludhiana, November 22
Gurbhajan Gill is a versatile poet. Whatever concerns his motherland, concerns him the most. Be it the desertion of Punjabi daughters by their non-resident Indian husbands or female foeticide, terrorism or the erosion of social values, he gives expression to everything with masterly ease, mixing pain with beauty and reminding us of Shelley's famous couplet, "Our sweetest songs are those that tell our saddest thought".

Though his subjects are common place but they are too touching to be overlooked or forgotten. That probably explains the reason why his song like 'sun pardesi dhola, ve vagan watna nu mode', sung by popular singer Jassi continues to haunt everybody even a decade after it was composed. In fact, the issue has come into focus now with many non-governmental and social organisations taking up the cases of women deserted by their husbands. Gill dealt with the subject with poetic premonition more than a decade ago.

Another song of his on female foeticide has moved many people, with one hospital even deciding not to charge anything for the delivery of a female child and yet another hospital announcing free insurance and monetary assistance for every female child born there. This song is about an unborn girl urging her mother to sing her a lori: 'maai ni anjammi dhee noo, apne nalon vichde jee noo, jaandi vari maae ni, ik lori de de, babul to bhanwe chori, ik lori de...'.

His songs have been sung by eminent singers, including Hans Raj Hans, Jassi, Surinder Chhinda, Pritam Sohi, late Jagmohan Kaur, late Narinder Beeba and others. Some of his songs like 'sun pardesi dhola...' have been incorporated into Bollywood movies as well.

Born at Basant Kot, near Batala in 1953, he received his graduate and postgraduate degrees at GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana and Govt College (Boys) Ludhiana respectively. He served for sometime as a lecturer in Punjabi at Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, and LRM College (now DAV College) Jagraon. Since 1983, he has been working as Editor (Punjabi) at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. He is senior vice-president of the Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana.

His poetry has been included in collections like Sheesha Jhuth Bolda Hai (1978), Har Dhukhda Pind Mera Hai (1985), Bol Mitti dia Bawea (1992), Agan Katha (2002). Mann De Buhe Barian (2003), Dharti Naad (2005) and Phullan Di Jhanjar (2006).

He has received a number of honours and awards, which include Bhai Vir Singh Award (1979), Shiv Kumar Batalvi Award (1992), Bawa Balwant Award (1998), Prof. Puran Singh Award (2002), Giani Sunder Singh Award (2002), S.S. Misha Award (2002), Safdar Hashmi Literary Award (2003), Principal Sant Singh Sekhon Memorial Gold Medal (2003), Surjit Rampuri Award (2005) and Balvinder Rishi Memorial Ghazal Award (2005).