Jalandhar, August 21
There has been a decreasing trend in the takers for the courses in biomedical, engineering, architecture and pharmacy offered by Punjab Technical University in its affiliated colleges. This was revealed during the CET counselling, which concluded in the city recently.

The colleges affiliated to the PTU now seem to be busy filling seats on their own by admitting even those candidates who have not appeared or have failed to pass the tests conducted by the PTU.

Going by the “vacant seat status” mentioned on the PTU’s official website, not even a single seat out of 40 was filled in the biomedical engineering courses offered at the Rayat and Bahra Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kharar.

However, the colleges managed to fill all the seats in other streams.

Even the architecture course offered in almost all colleges did not get a good response. Not even a single seat was filled in the four campuses where the course was offered. All the 27 seats in the course at the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Bhaddal, 23 at the RIMT, Mandi Gobindgarh, 25 at the Lovely Institute of Technology, and 27 at the Indo-Global College of Architecture, Abipur, which were to be filled by centralised counselling, went vacant.

Only two colleges could fill a couple of seats in the architecture course. These were the Chitkara School of Planning and Architecture, Rajpura, and the Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology where 11 of 24 seats and five of the total 26 seats were filled, respectively. The similar pattern could be observed in the pharmacy course with not even a single student seeking registration. Around 10 colleges, which offer the course, are the Adesh Institute of Pharmacy (Bathinda), the Baba Isher Singh College of Pharmacy (Ferozepore), the Doaba College of Pharmacy (Kharar), the Guru Nanak Institute of Pharmacy (Hariana), Lala Lajpat Rai Institute (Moga), the Malwa College of Pharmacy (Bathinda), Shaheed Bhagat Singh Pharmacy College (Patti), the Sachdeva College of Pharmacy (Kharar), the SD College of Pharmacy (Barnala), and the VMS College of Pharmacy (Batala).

Among the engineering colleges, the Kapurthala College of Engineering and Management was the worst affected as it could not fill even a single seat in any streams, including electronics and communication, electrical, mechanical, information technology and civil engineering.

The opening of the PTU’s Caparao School of Excellence in the district this year is being considered as a reason for the discouraging response. The response for engineering courses at the KC College of Engineering and Information Technology, Nawanshahr, was also poor as only two seats out of 29 were filled in electronics.

Even the branches of computer science and mechanical engineering could not draw good crowd and only one seat each was filled. However, the college had no takers for the courses in electrical and IT engineering.

Meanwhile, PTU dean V.K. Arora said, “The colleges have now been asked to fill seats on their own. To encourage more students, the university has already allowed students securing pass marks at the plus two level in the non-medical stream as eligibility criterion. In respect of the poor response to the biomedical engineering, architecture and pharmacy courses, it was the students’ discretion which course and college they want to join.”

Jalandhar, August 21
After Chak De India, the sports effect now seems to flow in the form of “rakhis” as the city markets are thronged with “rakhis” displaying players of hockey and football. Small toys attached to soft net as background seem to be the flavour for the festival this year. Though the “rakhis” with “Superman” and “Spiderman” were already available, the sports “rakhis” have made them a little outdated.

A class V student of Kendriya Vidyalaya- 4 Bhawna said, “I am going to buy a ‘rakhi’ with hockey or football for my brother this year because he would love it.” The reason for her choice is the impact of movie “Chak De”. “After watching the movie my brother constantly talks about hockey. Tying a “rakhi” with hockey would be something he would love,” she added.

Even Komal Anand feels the same way who has a younger brother. Talking about “rakhi”, she would be buying for her younger brother, Komal said,

“There are so many ‘rakhis’ in the market that it is very tough to choose one. As my brother is younger to me and is fond of sports, I am going to have a sports rakhi for him this time.”

Talking about the brothers, even they are too happy with these sports “rakhis.” Mayank who was shopping with his mother and sister, said, “I will only wear a ‘rakhi’ with football. If my sister gets it for me than I’ll tie it otherwise I won’t tie it.”

“Every year something new is introduced as far as ‘rakhi’ is concerned. This time the ‘rakhi’ with players is something new. The price range for these rakhis vary from Rs 10 to Rs 25,” said B.M. Kohli, owner of a shop at Sheikhan Bazaar.

Another trend for the “rakhi” festival, which is slowly picking up pace, is introduction of “rakhis” by brands like “Agni.” Rajinder Kumar of High Class Jewellers said, “We took up the agency of ‘Agni’ this year and the brand has special ‘Agni rakhi’ creations. The price range for these rakhis vary from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000.” Talking about sales, he said, “These gold ‘rakhis’ are expensive so the sale is not much. However, we do have takers for these ‘rakhis’.” 

Jalandhar, August 21
The mass communication students of Jalandhar-based Doaba College have got an ultra-modern hi-tech media studio and a media block.

The professional studio and the media block were inaugurated by Doaba College Management Committee president Chander Mohan.

Mohan said the studio would definitely help the students of print and electronic media in carving a niche for themselves in the ever growing media market. “The studio is equipped with the latest digital technology and state-of-the-art equipment like an ultra-modern audio mixer, 12 channel audio console, online editing facility, techno editing rooms, high efficiency cameras and editing tables. The studio would provide world class training facilities to the media students of the institution,” said Chander Mohan.

Doaba College principal Dr R.P. Bharadwaj said the studio was the first of its kind in North India. “The studio would not only cater to the needs of the students of the region but would also prove helpful for various private TV channels as these would be able to shoot their programmes at the place.”

Head of department of journalism Dr Ranbir Singh said the college had scaled new heights in media education in North India as it had already three degree-level mass communication courses and the masters’ in journalism. College management committee secretary Alok Sondhi and treasurer Rajinder Mayor lauded the efforts of the college administration in promoting media education in the northern part of the country.

Jalandhar, August 21
The district police recovered the body of a five-year-old abducted girl from the fields of a farmer, Dhalwant Singh, in Randhawa Mansanda village this evening.

Alleged kidnapper Bhagwan Dass, living in MES quarters in Suranussi, reportedly threw the body in the fields after strangulating the girl to death after committing rape on her, said sub-inspector Roor Singh posted at Maqsoodan police station while talking to The Tribune.

At the same time, he said that the exact cause of the death and whether rape had been committed or not would be clear after the post-mortem report.

The farmer noticed the body when he was ploughing the fields. Subsequently, the police was informed. The police sent the body to the civil hospital for a post-mortem examination.

The girl had been abducted by Bhagwan Dass from her house on Sunday afternoon, her mother Mala, residing in Janata Colony, alleged in her statement to the Maqsoodan police.

Mala alleged that Bhagwan Dass came to her house when her husband Sanjay Sharma had gone to work on Sunday afternoon. She started preparing tea for him. Meanwhile, he took her daughter with him on the pretext of brining some eatables, but he never returned, she added.

An FIR of kidnapping under section 365, IPC, was registered against him on Mala’s statement on Monday. Now section 302, IPC, would also be added in the FIR, said SI Roor Singh. The sub-inspector said the accused had absconded. He hoped that he would soon be arrested.

Which method will you opt for when you have to check the divisibility of any number by “9”? Will you go in for the traditional division method or will you follow some other method? If you don’t know the other easier method, let us learn how the divisibility of any number by “9” can be checked with the help of the addition operation.

When you have to check whether any given number is divisible by “9”, simply add all the digits of that number. If the sum of all the digits of the given number is equal to “9”, that number is divisible by “9”, otherwise it is not so.

Let us take some examples to understand this method:

In case you want to find out whether any number, say 715661325, can be divided by “9”, add all the digits of the number i.e. 7+1+5+6+6+1+3+2+5 = 36

Its answer is 36 which is a two digit number. So add all of its digits again i.e. 3+6 = 9. The answer is “9”. Because the final sum of all the digits of the given number is “9”, so this number 715661325 is divisible by “9”.

To check whether the number 153632 can be divided by “9” or not, add all the digits of the number as 1+5+3+6+3+2 = 20

= 2+0 = 2

Since the answer is not “9”, this number 153632 is not divisible by “9”. Similarly, divisibility of another large number, say 32459887611, by “9” can be tested by adding all of its digits like

3+2+4+5+9+8+8+7+6+1+1 = 54

= 5+4 = 9

The final answer “9” helps us in concluding that this number 32459887611 is divisible by “9”.

In the same way, the number 2526412 is not divisible by “9” as the sum of digits is not “9”.

i.e. 2+5+2+6+4+1+2 = 22

= 2+2 = 4

By adopting this easy addition operation method, you are in a position to decide whether any given number can be divided by “9” or not. The speciality of this method is that by using only addition you can find an answer to a problem which otherwise needs division operation. Isn’t it really amazing?

(bansalvandana@yahoo.com)

Since you have started reading this article, I assume that you must have some curiosity in your mind to know something about numbers. No doubt, most of the people have horror in their minds that numbers are very difficult to understand and to know about numbers we have to go through long multiplications and divisions.

Here I want to make one thing clear that numbers rule our lives. From the very beginning of our lives, numbers play a very important role in the form of birth time, day, month and year and these numbers remain with us till death. We use numbers all the time throughout the day. All our earnings and expenditures are also counted in numbers.

Then why not to make friendship with numbers? I assure you that knowing more about numbers and being acquainted with them will not only enrich our lives but also contribute toward managing our day-to-day affairs in a much better way.

To take away the scare of numbers out of your mind and to make you more friendly with numbers, I disclose to you some thrilling relations between the numbers. To look at “37” appears to be a very dull and isolated number. It seems as if it has no symmetrical relation with other numbers.

But if we peep into it deeply we will find a treasure of hidden beauty in it. If we multiply “37” by “3” and its multiples, see how beautiful pattern this number forms.

37 x 3 = 111
37 x 6 = 222
37 x 9 = 333
37 x 12 = 444
37 x 15 = 555
37 x 18 = 666
37 x 21 = 777
37 x 24 = 888
37 x 27 = 999

“37” is also a magical number. You can do magic with it. What you have to do is like this:

1. Write “37” on a piece of paper and keep in your pocket.

2. Ask anyone in the public to assume any number consisting of three identical digits.

3. Ask him to sum up these digits and divide the assumed number by this sum and get the answer.

4. Ask the person, “should I tell you what answer you have got?”

5. Then take the paper out of your pocket and show him that his answer is “37”.

Doesn’t it appear to be magical?

But actually there is no magic in it. It is the property of “37” that when any three identical-digit number is divided by their sum, it always gives the answer “37”.

For example:

Let the assumed numbers be 666

Sum of the digits 6+6+6 = 18

Divide 666 by 18

Answer is 666/18 = 37.

paulusha.1@gmail.com

Jalandhar, August 21
Inspector-General of Police Gurdev Singh Sahota and DIG Parampal Singh Sidhu, both posted at PAP, Jalandhar cantonment, were awarded the police medals for meritorious services on Independence Day.

Selected to the IPS in 1987, Sahota remained on various posts, including DIG (border range), Amritsar, and SSP of Mansa, Fatehgarh Sahib, Khanna, Majitha and Amritsar.

Similarly, IPS officer of the 1991 batch, Sidhu also served as SSP of Patiala, Amritsar and Fatehgarh Sahib before his present posting.

Both IG Sahota and DIG Sidhu are law graduates.