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Young World Tribune News Service Kidzee Model Town launched “Kaun Banega Krishna”, a talent hunt contest for the children of age group five to 15 years. The selected kids will play the role of Krishna, Radha, Sakhis and Gualas in the film “Bhagwan Shree Krishna”. Ms Samriti Bhardwaj, coordinator, said that two kids selected as Krishna will also win a cash prize of Rs 5 lakhs each. Radha will get Rs 3 lakhs. The 10 Sakhis and 10 Gualas will get Rs 25,000 each, she added. Kala Utsav
Kala Utsav-2006, an inter-school district level youth festival was organised by the Citizen’s Welfare and Protection Council at DK Jain Model School. Police DAV Public School bagged the overall trophy. In poster making, Poonam bagged the first prize. In landscape making, Deepak Bala stood first. Students from various schools participated in another Kala Utsav, hosted by Apeejay School, Rama Mandi, on Tuesday. The themes of the painting contest were “Peace”, “Save environment” and “World of entertainment”. They also presented their ideas on “There is no shortcut to success”, “It is better to light a candle than to curse darkness” and “Changing face of human values” as they took part in events related to oration. Aryan meets
The All-India Mahatma Hans Raj Youth Festival began at Dayanand Model Senior Secondary School on Tuesday. On the first day of the three-day festival, contests for qawwali, light vocal solo, poster making, classical dance and greeting card making were held in which teams from various schools participated. Punjab zone won the overall trophy in Mahatma Hans Raj Aryan Inter-Zonal Tournament held at Police DAV Public School. The Punjab zone also clinched the overall trophy for athletics. The best athlete award also went to a sportsperson of Punjab zone, Bhupinder Kaur who scored 11 points. In basketball final, Punjab zone defeated Ranchi zone by 39 to 11 points. In handball final too, Punjab zone beat Haryana-Panchkula zone.Anjali of Punjab zone was declared the best gymnast. The Punjab zone, however, lost to Delhi in the table tennis final. Trip
Students of Delhi Public School visited the railway station. They were shown tracks. They were explained rules and regulations. They bought platform tickets. They were taken inside a stationary coach. They saw a goods train and a passenger train. They were also shown parcel office. Food stalls and newspaper stands. They met guards and saw his red and green flags. They shook hands with ticket collector and station master. Cultural show
A cultural show of Classes II was held at primary section of Apeejay School on Saturday. The theme of the show was “Seasons”. A Hindi play “Indradhanush Prithvi par utra” and an English play “The Selfish Giant” were presented. Various dance-based items on seasons were presented .Students acted as peacocks, penguins and frogs. A cultural show by the tiny tots was also organised at St Joseph’s Convent School on Saturday. The kids presented a variety of items ,including songs, dance and plays. The little ones of LKG danced on the beats of “Mein pariyon ki shehzadi”. Workshop
A workshop “Know yourself as parents” was organised for the parents of nursery wing. The important issues such as “TV watching by children”, “Is spanking important to discipline your child?” were discussed. The counselor said that TV was affecting sleep, studies, meal times of children which should be checked. She suggested that TV should not be kept in child’s bed room and that the child should be given choice of porgrammes and timings before hand. The parents were advised against beating children as they said that it lowered their self-esteem and caused depression. Seminars
A seminar on “Ways to enhance teaching skills” was held at CT Institutions. The resource person was Dr Irfan A. Rizvi, professor and Dean, Faculty of Management, Delhi University. He stressed on the role of teacher as a spiritual guru and suggested measures to tackle behavioural problems of the students in class and to understand their psychology. He said that the aim of all teachers should be to “leave the world better than we inherited”. To help the students and staff improve their soft skills for communication, speech enhancement and technical know-how, a seminar was organised at St Soldier Divine Public School. They were told to take help from a variety of gadgets now available in the market including language learning software and student courseware kits. A lecture on spectroscopic techniques was organised by Mendleev Society of Chemistry, Lyallpur Khalsa College on Monday. Dr T.S. Lobana and Dr Subodh Kumar from Department of Chemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, were the resource persons. Free counselling
The budding counselors of the Department of Counselling from Kanya Maha Vidyalaya organised two-day free counseling session for the students on November 17 and 18. Through interaction, the students attempted to solve various behavioural and emotional problems.
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Aiding lives
Knowledge uplifts and service ennobles. Ashu, an HIV positive patient, has been feeling that way ever since he took it upon himself to talk about the condition to others like him — helping, counselling, empathising. Nails polished and arms waxed, Ankit could be mistaken for a woman. In fact, he thinks he is a woman trapped in a man’s body. Eyelids aflutter, he is all self-confident and assured, no more hiding behind his illness. Now a counsellor for homosexuals in the State AIDS Control Society (SACS), he says: “I have gained respectability in my social circle. I walk with my head held high. This is all thanks to my new role. It has changed my life for ever.” But as he goes back in the dark alleys of his past, the smile vanishes and the triumphant youth suddenly turns into a whimpering child. “I was raped at the age of 10 by my cousin, but I couldn’t confide into anyone as my family was already troubled by poverty. And there was my stepmother to handle. It went on like this, one exploitation after the other. First it was the tenant at home, then a lawyer’s son who abducted me and sexually assaulted me for more than a week.” As tears roll down Ankit’s cheek, Rohit, another HIV positive man, offers him solace. A school dropout, Rohit’s tale is as tragic. A recent medical report showed him with the deadly virus and his life went haywire. “After I came to know of my status in one of the tests, I was aghast. But the role as a counsellor for HIV positive people has come as a silver lining in my bleak life.” Bashir, a shopkeeper, also feels both empowered and ennobled in his role as counsellor. “I not only know the importance of safety in such relations but also disseminate urgently required information to others in our community,” he says. SACS, which stood like a rock and instilled self-esteem in all three men, has transformed their lives in more ways than one. Through a project, “Targeted Intervention”, funded by SACS and implemented by the Servants of People’s Society, such embattled groups have been made self-reliant. Project coordinator Gaurav Awasthi said: “The plan to allocate them a place where they can make and sell their products is in the final stages. We also are moving towards creating self help groups amongst them, something that will aid in the empowerment, Soon, they will be allocated free ‘poor card’, where they will be paid for transportation and counselling.”
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New light on first Hindi novel
It was believed by now that Lala Sri Niwas was first novelist of modern Hindi period but the research conducted by the Dean Languages, Guru Nanak Dev University, Prof Harmahendra Singh Bedi, has established that it was not Niwas but Pandit Shradha Ram Phillauri who had written first novel in modern Hindi period. Not many people are aware of the fact that it was Pandit Phillauri who had created Aarti (prayer) “Om Jai Jagdish Hare”. Prof Bedi’s research work about the creations and life of Pandit Phillauri has been published in three volumes as “Shradha Ram Granthawali”. While one volume deals with his prose, the other with poetry, whereas the third volume deals with different aspects of Pandit Phillauri’s life. “Pandit Phillauri had written ‘Bhagyawati’ novel in 1878, however, it was published 10 years later in 1888.” Prof Bedi says: “Whereas Lala Sri Niwas wrote ‘Priksha Guru’, which was earlier considered as first novel of modern Hindi period, in 1902.” In other words, the Granthawali by Prof Bedi revealed that “Bhagyawati”, which advocates education to women and supports widow-marriage and raise voice against child marriage, was written 14 years before Priksha Guru. Interestingly, the Bhartiya Sahitya Akademi has now also accepted him as the first Hindi novelist, following the publication of “Shradha Ram Granthawali”. The study of Prof Bedi that Pandit Phillauri’s creation, “Bhagyawati”, was the first Hindi novel, have compelled the rewriting of the history of Hindi novel. Bhagyawati, the main character in the novel, makes her husband understand on the birth of a daughter that there is no difference between the male and the female child. At that time, as per Hindu customs a widow’s status as an unwanted burden was also a result of the taboos that prevented a widow from participating in the household work as her touch, her very presence was considered “unholy” and “impure”. Thus, without her husband a woman’s existence was not tolerated and an extreme but logical outcome of this was immolation by widows. In the same way, during those dark days child-marriage was common. Newly-born girls used to be killed by drowning them in a tub of milk. But through “Bhagyawati”, Pandit Shradha Ram made earnest efforts to create awareness about women’s liberation. Prof Bedi says that the book used to be given to daughters at the time of their marriage as a part of the dowry. Coincidently, the first Punjabi novel “Sundri” was written by Bhai Vir Singh in 1899 a decade after the publication of “Bhagyawati”. The main character of both novels is a woman. It was a revolutionary step on the part of Pandit Phillauri to advocate widow marriage and condemn child marriage in “Bhagyawati”. Prof Bedi says that Pandit Phillauri knew five languages, Sanskrit, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Persian. He also wrote two books in Punjabi “Sikhan De Raj Di Vithia” (story of Sikh rule) and Punjabi “Baat Cheet” that earned him the title of “Father of modern Punjabi prose”. Prof Bedi says, he also wrote “Mahabharat” in verses. Interestingly, Pandit Phillauri also wrote “Murkha Shatkam”, hundred verses on fools. Talking about his life, Prof Bedi says that Pandit Phillauri was married to a Sikh woman Mehtab Kaur. He was born in a Brahmin family at a small town Phillaur in the year 1837. Interestingly, he learnt Gurmukhi script in 1844 at the age of seven. Later, he learnt Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian, astrology and music in 1850. Prof Bedi further says he met Christian priest Neutan in 1858 and translated one part of Bible in Gurmukhi for the first time in 1868. He died on June 24, 1881, at Lahore. His father, Jai Dyalu, was an astrologer by profession. Pandit Phillauri himself was a great astrologer. Interestingly, he was charged with conducting propaganda against the British government through his forceful lectures on the Mahabharata and was exiled for some time from his home town, Phillaur. He played a significant role in freedom struggle and opposed forced conversion, Prof Bedi adds.
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Tradition asserts
It was a treat for the students of DAV College, Jalandhar, to attend a five-century-old Rajasthani music and dance show put up by members of Magnian clan in a programme organised by SPIC MACAY on Thursday. The 10-member troupe based near Jaisalmer presented an energetic performance using some of the rare and ancient instruments that are no longer available now. The music involved the use of a peculiar, 12-string Kamaija, a non-percussion instrument made out of mango wood, original skin of goat and hair from the horse’s tail. The group leader, Roze Khan, revealed that the instrument was last available in one “Nathu ki dukan” at Ahmedabad from where too it was off the shelf now. “We are left with one instrument of the sort which we have been repairing and preserving for quite long as it signifies the peculiarity of our clan,” he explained. Yet another distinct instrument played by the group was a pair of Khadtaal, made out of single-piece Sheesham without any joints and holes. Dilawar Khan, who stood up on his knees, clamped these in his either hands to synchronise with the music played on high notes through harmonium and dholak. The group performed a welcome song, “Kesariya balma, aavo, padharo mare des mein”, presented in Raag Mand. Then came Hichki, a performance that denoted an old myth associated with their tribe as per which a woman waiting for her husband believed that he would be back the same day if a crow sitting on a wall hopped onto another wall. The song went “Kawan chun chun khayiyo”. The troupe also sang a Bollywood hit number, “Nimbuda nimbuda”, which is said to have shone them into popularity. Shah Rukh Khan, a troupe member, played Algoza, unique to the Langha tribe closely linked with Maghnians. Aanchi, a dancer, bedazzled everyone by showing a rare balancing act in Bhawai Nritya. She lifted a set of seven earthern pots on her head as she danced on a high edged plate, then two glasses and finally bent down forward to pick up a currency note from a glass. Her breathtaking performance was when she danced on three sharp-edged swords. Anchi along with an accompanist Rekha, both hailing from Jodhpur, gave another scintillating dance performance.
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DD Punjabi in UK from
January 26
Punjabis in the UK will be able to watch DD-Punjabi from January 26.
Though the signal of the channel was available in the USA, but Doordarshan was trying to improve the reach of the channel there. DD-Punjabi, according to Mr. Leeladhar Mandloi and Mr. Ashok Jailkhani, the Director General and the Deputy Director -General of the Doordarshan, were already available in nearly 144 countries. “We have crossed almost all the hurdles now and we are ready for beaming of the DD-Punjabi in the UK from January 26, 2007. We have already finalized tie-ups over there. Efforts are afoot to do a lot more things about DD-Punjabi signal in the USA,” said Mr. Mandloi, Mr. Jailkhani, and Mr. S.S. Rahman, the Director of the Jalandhar Doordarshan.
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Sainik School alumni reunion
It was a nostalgic moment at the 45th reunion of the Sainik School alumni on November 11. Former students from across the country and abroad with their families gathered to relive their good old days.
The meet began with the wreath-laying ceremony at the War Martyrs’ Memorial. The ceremony was inaugurated by the parents of Maj Yogesh Gupta, a student of the school who died during the Kargil war. They also contributed Rs 21,000 for the newly constructed memorial. The school organised a band show for the OBA. The band has the honour of participating in the Republic Day parade for three consecutive years. The OBA also contributed Rs 50,000 for the band. Col K.J. Singh, an ex-student, made elaborate arrangements for the meet. The Principal, Col A.K. Tyagi, applauded the role played by Col K.J. Singh, CO Seven Sikh Light, who helped in the organisation of the event. Incidentally, Col K.J. Singh is the third consecutive CO of Seven Sikh Light who is the product of the school. Also present on the occasion were Maj Jagmohan Nagpal (retd), Brig M.P.S. Bajwa (retd), Air Vice-Marshal Anil Chopra, Mr H.S. Mattewal, a former Advocate-General, Punjab, and Mr Rajpal Sandhu, SP. Brigadier Bajwa was the first student of the school with roll no. 001. He is presently heading the Punjab Energy Development Agency. “Even after serving almost 34 years in the Army, I could never forget the five years I spent in the school. Whenever I come to know about the reunion I always make it a point to reach here. I think those five years actually laid the foundation of our personality and helped us become better humans in life,” said the Brigadier.
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PTU youth festival Management and engineering students from 34 colleges affiliated to Punjab Technical University participated in literary, fine arts and cultural events organised at the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology during an inter-zonal festival held on the second day here on Thursday. Following are the results: Classical dance: Tarangini: DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (1) and Gaganjot of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur College of Engineering and Technology (BBSBCET) 2; Light vocal Indian: Shivalik College of Pharmacy (1) and DAVIET (2); Group song Indian: Lovely Institute of Management (1) and BBSBCET (2); Play: BBSBCET (1) and DAVIET and Lovely Institute of Technology (2); Classical Instrumental Solo (percussion): Malout Institute of Management and Information Technology, Malout, (1) and DAVIET (2); Classical Instrumental Solo (non-percussion): Lala Lajpat Rai Institute of Engineering and Technology (LLRIET), Moga, (1) and BBSBCET (2); Elocution: DAVIET (1) and LLRIET (2); Rangoli: BBSBCET (1) and Lovely Institute of Management (2); Clay modeling: DAVIET (1) and BBSBCET (2); and Cartooning: DAVIET (1) and LLRIET (2).
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Spellbound performance
The Kamla Nehru College for Women, Phagwara, organised a variety show in the college on Wednesday. Mr Joginder Singh Mann, the local MLA and Chairman, Punjab Agro Foods Limited, presided over the function.
The programme began with Ganesh Vandana and included most of the prize-winning performances in the recently held Zonal Youth Festival of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Songs, dances as well as theatrical performances — both Indian and Western — were included in the programme. The major highlights of the show were exquisite presentations by well-known professional artistes like Balwinder Vicky
(Chacha Raunki Ram), Teji Sandhu, a popular singer, and Surinder
Farishta, known as Ghulle Shah. Their performances kept the audience spellbound.
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B. N. Overseas conducted a seminar on education and work opportunities in Canada, the UK and the USA at their head office hereon Wednesday. It was attended by more than 150 persons. A team of experts answered people’s queries. — TNS
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