The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

Ex-Panjab varsity prof Luthar dead
Tribune News Service

Prof I. S. Luthar

Chandigarh, December 7
Prof I. S. Luthar, an eminent mathematician and former Professor, Panjab University, breathed his last at the PGI here this morning after a brief illness. He was 74. He had been admitted to the PGI for the past few days.

Born on March 31, 1932 Prof Luthar did his Ph.D. in 1957 from Illinois University, USA. He was a member of the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton in 1957-58. He joined Panjab University in 1958 and was one of the founder members of the department. He was appointed Professor in the Department of Mathematics of this University in 1966. Professor Luthar was the Dean, Foreign Students, from 1979 to 1980 and the Dean University Instruction from 1982 to 1984.

Professor Luthar was an eminent mathematician and worked in several areas of mathematics. He had written several research papers and seven books.

He retired as Professor from the Department of Mathematics in 1992. He is survived by his wife Mrs Jyoti Luthar, a son and a daughter.

A condolence meeting of the faculty, non-teaching staff and students was held at the Department of Mathematics here to mourn his sad demise.

Fellowship for PU lecturer

Chandigarh, December 7
Dr Tapan Kumar Sau, Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh has been awarded the prestigious Humanboldt Research Fellowship by Alexander von Humanboldt (AvH) Foundation, Germany.

Dr Sau will carry out research at the Department of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat (LMU), Munich, with Prof J. Feldmann in nanoscience and nanotechnology. TNS

Panjab University students during a candle march at the university on Thursday

Support for Gurnam's kin
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 7
Students of Panjab University organised a candle march at the university's Student Centre to show solidarity with the family of Gurnam Singh who had died following a fight with former Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu. Stating that the family had got justice after much delay, Mr Dalbir Singh Goldy said the compensation granted to the family was too little.
Panjab University students during a candle march at the university on Thursday. — A Tribune photograph

COURTS

District courts to go online
Rajmeet Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 7
Information about old and new cases being heard at the Chandigarh district courts, including their latest date of hearing, will soon be available at the click of a mouse. The district courts are all set to go online. With the assistance of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), all preparations have been made for the launch of a website of the district courts by the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

A court official said with complete computerisation of the 19 subordinate courts, including the District and Sessions Court, the launching of the website had become significant.

Although the exact information about various facilities being offered on the website was not known, sources said it would contain the cause list, basic information about the courts, judicial officers, information about lok adalats, legal aid and the complaint redressal system. It was also expected to contain the old and new judgments.

On an average 1,000 cases are listed every day in the 19 courts in the district courts complex here. Hundreds of advocates and litigants have to face problems to go through the old files manually to know the exact status of their cases.

In 1997, the NIC took up the computerisation of all 430 district courts in the country on the lines of the High Courts Computerisation Project. The objective was to provide information to the litigants and advocates, help the judicial administration in streamlining its activities and provide judicial and legal database to the judges.

Officials have been trained to handle computers. They have been trained on the “District Court Information System” (DCIS). The software is a general purpose package developed for the computerisation of courts. It takes care of all need of the district courts.

CMO, 2 shops get notice Unhygienic food
Our Correspondent

Mohali, December 7
A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the court of the Additional Civil Judge, Senior Division, Mohali, alleging that food was being prepared by certain eating joints and sweetmeat shops in an unhygienic manner and the authorities concerned had failed to take disciplinary action in this regard.

Mr Arvind Thakur, an advocate and human rights lawyer, along with Mr Arvinder Singh Rana, human rights activist, had filed the PIL in which they alleged that they had observed during the past six months that certain hotels and dhabas in the town had very dirty kitchens and food was being prepared in an unhygienic way.

It was also pointed out that certain ingredients used in the preparation of “dals”were not fit for human consumption. Dairies were also selling adulterated milk and milk products.

Mr Thakur alleged that the offices of the Chief Medical Officer and District Health Officer were not taking any action in this regard. Food inspectors rarely visit eating joints to collect samples. The matter had been brought to the notice of authorities concerned many a time, but to no avail.

He further stated that most of the dhabas and rehriwallas did not have the required licence. Mr Thakur requested the court to issue directions to the authorities concerned to adopt some preventive measures.

The court served a notice on the Chief Medical Officer, District Health Officer, Guru Nanak Sweets, Phase X, and Kamal Dhaba and Sweets, Phase VII, to file a reply in this regard by March 22.

CULTURE

New hope for budding actors
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Meeting new challenges : Director Umesh Kant announces the opening of his acting academy. — A Tribune photograph

Chandigarh, December 7
Faced with the dearth of acting talent in the region, theatre director Umesh Kant has decided to set up his own institute to impart training in acting. The institute, the first professional acting academy in the city, will teach all relevant disciplines including stage setting, lights, music composition, make up and other technical aspects.

The institute will be different from other such existing infrastructures in more ways than one. "To begin with, it will be a professional platform where talent will be respected. Whoever takes the three-month certificate course with us will be absorbed in our productions. For long now, I have been repeating my actors in different plays. But I am fed up of casting old faces. It is time to infuse newness in the theatre stream of this region," Umesh Kant told Chandigarh Tribune today.

An acclaimed theatre artiste and a reputed director, Kant is a pass out from the first batch of the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University. He is also a very well-rewarded thespian, who has in his kitty awards like the Punjab government's Natya Shiromani award, 1989 and the Balraj Sahni Memorial Award, 2002.

But more important than his awards is his reputation in the field. A regular in theatre festival circuits, Kant has opened his productions at coveted stages across India. Some of his legendary works include Balwant Gargi's "Baldey Tibbey", Vijay Tendulkar's "Sakharam Binder" and several adaptations from western theatrical texts.

With a background sound as this, Kant can well make a difference to the state of affairs in the region, which has no professional acting schools worth the name. He says, "The directors of existing institutes have no idea of the history of Indian theatre. We often hear of Indians going abroad to learn acting skills and coming back to open acting academies. My only reservation to such practice is why run after western theatre traditions when your own country is so rich in that very tradition. The trouble lies in the sincerity of those who project themselves as acting teachers. The acting training business has become a money making machine and lakhs are being charged for simple courses."

Kant has priced his course as nominally as possible. For Rs 5000, you could engrain yourself in the nuances of acting and also land yourself a job as an actor in Kant's production house Theatre Lab. The heartening part of the story is that several of Kant's regular actors have made it to the National School of Drama in one go; others have got plum acting assignments in Mumbai.

That apart, the Theatre Lab Acting School, as Kant calls it, will concentrate on quality rather than quantity. "I plan to enroll 15 to 20 students per session. Anyone with a plus two and a graduation degree can enroll, but sifting will happen at my level. Training will be hands on and personalized. We will groom actors for all situations and all challenges," says the director, who has two productions lined up, including "Ek Aur Durghatna" - a Hindi adaptation of Italian playwright Dario Foe's work and "American Pilot" based on David Gray's novel by the same name.

HEALTH

Inquiry marked into death of girl

Chandigarh, December 7
The Director PGI has marked an inquiry into the death of a teenaged girl due to the alleged negligence of doctors at the hospital. The inquiry has been marked to the Deputy Medical Superintendent following a complaint by the father of the girl. TNS

SPORTS

Monika wins gold in shot put
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 7
Monika Bansal of the PCDA (WC) won a gold medal in the shot put event on the second day of the All-India Defence Accounts Athletic Meet at Sports Complex, Sector 7, here today.

In the 100-m race (up to 45 yrs), Vijay secured the first position, while Sandeep and J.K. Dhar won the second and third positions, respectively.

As many as 180 sportspersons of 32 contingents of the Defence Accounts Department from all over the country are participating in the three-day event.

Today’s results:

Men’s section: 100 m race (up to 45 yrs): Vijay 1, Sandeep 2, J.K. Dhar 3; 100 m race (above 45 yrs): L.R. Tyagi 1, S.C. Tikhe 2, Rajendera 3.

Shot put (up to 45 yrs): S.P. Singh 1, Bhagwan 2, Abhitosh 3; Shot put (above 45 yrs): B.D. Tyagi 1, Santosh Kumar 2, Mukesh Verma 3.

Long jump (up to 45 yrs): Vijay 1, Gulab 2, K. Ramkrishna 3; Long jump (above 45 yrs): L.R. Tyagi 1, Rajendera 2, S.C. Tikhe 3.

Women’s section: 400 m race: Radhika 1, R. Phaneshwari 2, Linnet Rodrigues 3; 100m race (up to 45 yrs): R. Radhika 1, Linnet Rodrigues 2, V. Vijayalasmi 3; 100 m race (above 45 yrs): S.S. Phadtare 1, Vijaylakshmi 2, Geeta 3.

Long jump (up to 45 yrs): R. Radhika 1, Linnet Rodrigues 2, Nangkoi 3.

Total tennis title for Chandam
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 7
The Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) product unseeded Chandam Shaolin clinched the title in men’s singles after thrashing the second seed Mandeep Gill also of the CLTA in straight sets at 6-1, 6-3 in The Fort Ramgarh YMCA Total Tennis Championship at the YMCA, Sector 11 here today.

In the girls’ section (under-12), the title went to Parminder of the CLTA. She defeated Bhavika in straight sets 6-2, 7-5.

In the men’s doubles Tushar and Mandeep defeated the unseeded pair of Karan and Mansimarat in a one-sided affair by 9-2.

The results: Boys u-10 (final): Fatehdeep b Utkarsh 6-3, 6-3; u-12 (final): Ajay b Pankaj 6-2, 6-2; u-14 (finals): Digvijay b Ajay 6-2, 6-3.

Men’s singles (final): Chandam b Mandeep 6-1, 6-3; Doubles (final): Tushar and Mandeep b Karan and Mansimrat 9-2.

Girls u-12 (final): Parminder b Bhavika 6-2, 7-5; u-14 (final): Shilpa b Parminder 6-3, 6-0.

Seniors 35+ (final): Harish b Anil 9-6.

Wrestling title for SD College boys
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 7
GGSD College, Sec-32, emerged winner by securing 38 points in the Panjab University Wrestling (Men) Championship for 2006-07 which concluded at the PU premises here yesterday.

The second place was secured by DAV College, Sector 10 while MRS College, Malout was third in the championship.

The results:

Wt. Category 50 Kg: Jajwinder (DAV College, Chandigarh) 1, Sandeep (GGSD College, Chandigarh) 2, Sushil (Govt. College, Muktsar) 3; (55 Kg: Sunil (GGD SD College, Chandigarh) 1, Harbhajan (MRS College, Malout) 2, Madan (DAV College, Chandigarh) and Parvinder MGKM SS College of Phy. Edu., Jhakroudi) 3; (60 Kg: Narinder (GGD SD College, Chandigarh) 1, Rajesh Kumar (Govt. College, Chandigarh) 2, Gurvinder (MBG Govt. College, Pojewaol) and Manjeet (DAV College, Chandigarh) 3; 66 Kg: Parveen (GGD SD College, Chandigarh) 1, Mandeep (MRS College, Malout) 2, Gurtej (Govt. College, Chandigarh) and Harjinder (Govt. College, Muktsar) 3; (74 Kg: Parvesh (GGD SD College, Chandigarh) 1, Anil (DAV College, Chandigarh) 2, Virender (Govt. College, Chandigarh) and Parvinder (DM College, Moga) 3; (84 Kg: Jaspal (GGD SD College, Chandigarh) 1, Rajbir (DAV College, Chandigarh) 2, Hardeep (MGKM SS College of Phy. Edu., Jhakroudi) and Ajaib (Kh. College, Gardhiwala) 3; (96 Kg: Monu (GGD SD College, Chandigarh) 1, Harshdeep (DAV College, Chandigarh) 2, Davinder (GPC, Alour) and Jagsir (GN Khalsa College, Abohar) 3; (120 Kg: Satnam (GGD SD College, Chandigarh) 1, Harpreet (Arya College, Ludhiana) 2, Jaspreet (Malwa College, Bondali Samrala) and Kirpal (MRS College, Malout) 3.