Jalandhar, November 1
The book business has become a great money spinner these days. At the time when there’s a mad race to make profits, there are very few organisations which believe in upholding the very purpose for which the books are penned: Education and creating awareness. With the aim of bringing good literature to the people, Janchetna, a Lucknow-based non-commercial organisation brought its mobile van to Gadhri Babeyan Da Mela being held in the city.

Giving details, Punjab coordinator of the body, Sukhwinder said, “Janchetna is a campaign aiming at giving people a dose of inspiring literature. We have been sending our van to different areas in the northern region to distribute unique literature among people.”

Sukhwinder said, “We don’t pay anything to our volunteers. People with sheer will to do something useful for the society join us.” Initiated with the help of some intellectuals, journalists and students, Janchetna was born in 1986 at Gorakhpur.

The van houses nearly 500 books on martyrs, great authors, revolutionaries and Marxists. “The works available here are the ones which have been forgotten by the people or is limited to old libraries. Such literature instills a social awakening and should not be missed by readers,” says volunteer Ajay Pal, a postgraduate in economics from Amritsar DAV College.

“This van was brought for Rs 15 lakh few years ago. It travels to distant places during fairs and would be in the city till November 2,” says Katyayani, one of the members of the committee, which runs Janchetna. “We don’t seek donations from political parties, governments or NGOs. Our funds are collected from individuals by volunteers,” she adds. 

Jalandhar, November 1
Flag hoisting, flag song and musical events marked the final day celebrations of Gadhri Babeyan da Mela organised at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall here today.

Over 100 artistes from four participating teams jointly came up on the stage for the “Jhande da geet” ceremony. They presented a dance drama, giddha and bhangra to enliven the atmosphere. The event was followed by performances by activists of the Kuka movement.

Nivedita Uppal from Punjabi University, Patiala, presented devotional classical music renditions on the occasion.

Noted economist Harbans Singh Sidhu talked about the deteriorating financial position of the state giving facts on farmers’ suicides. There were performances by lok sangeet mandalis and hek groups of Lehragaga and Bhadaur.

Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall committee member Mangat Ram Pasla talked about various forces bringing back imperialism and communalism in the state. Committee president Baba Bhagat Singh Bilga asked the younger generation to join in to fight for the cause. 

Jalandhar, November 1
Fascinated by the advertisements published in newspapers, a Kapurthala resident bought a 29-inch Samsung TV set for Rs 20,150 from a dealer near Namdev Chowk here in 2005, but, to his astonishment, when measured the display screen size turned out to be just 27 inch.

Complainant Anil Walia has filed a complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum against the company and the local dealer.

For evidence, Walia’s counsel has presented a copy of the invoice to the forum with TV set model number 29T11 Samsung-CTV 29” (plano). He has also presented a copy of the reply that he had received to his complaint from Samsung India Electronics Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.

The company official has pointed out, “In case the screen size is greater than 25 inch picture, the standard practice is to measure the complete tube size diagonally between the extreme corners, including the hidden area.”

“I have become a victim of unfair and deceptive trade practice,” Walia said, adding had he known that the TV screen size was lesser than it was advertised, he would not have purchased it. Even the dealer sold the 27 inch set by misrepresenting it as 29 inch.

Further, the complainant has said that the TV set was defective and was not giving satisfactory performance. He said he visited the showroom on November 10, 2005, and brought the defects to the notice of the proprietor there. After a persistent follow-up, however, the defect was removed. The plaintiff has demanded that the company and its dealers must stop false and misleading advertisements, displaying of signboards and other publicity material as these call for stern and deterrent action in the larger public interest.

He has also asked for refund of Rs 20,150 for which he had bought the set with 18 % interest from the date of purchase till the date of actual payment or replacement of the TV set with screen size displaying 29 inch. He has further demanded Rs 75,000 as damages and Rs 5,000 as cost of litigation.

Jalandhar, November 1
Class XII student of CT Public School here Sahil Kumar had always been an aggressive boy, difficult to manage at home. As he grew up, he himself realised his problem and wanted to channelise his energy in a positive manner. He started taking training in kickboxing and in two years’ time, he has achieved good results. Not only has he made a mark in the sport but it has also helped him manage his temper.

Sahil has won the gold medal in the under-19 heavyweight category at the district level. He represented Jalandhar recently at a state-level tournament held at Sangrur and won a silver medal there. He has been selected for the national-level tournament to be held in Orissa this December.

However, achieving all this in quick succession has not been an easy task. Sahil follows a very difficult schedule. His day begins at 4 am. He goes for a two-and-a-half-hour practice session at the Government Arts and Sports College. He comes back home and gets ready to go to school. Back at 12.30 pm, he takes his brunch and gets down to his home work. At 4 pm, he makes it to Government Model Senior Secondary School, Ladowali Road, for another practice session with coach Vikas. Again, it’s time to take to tuition. At 830 pm, he reaches home and soon he goes to bed.

“Getting up early is not at all a problem for me. I am used to it now. My father leaves for his business at that time and wakes me up. He is my mentor. I really get inspired when I see him leaving at that time,” Sahil explains. His father Parvesh Kumar is a trader of fruits and vegetables and has been a black belt winner in judo. His mother Niti Papneja is a housewife.

Sahil says he also derives motivation from Sohail Khan’s movie “Aryan” and Sunny Deol’s “Apne”.

“It is not an easy game. There is a lot of bloodshed and injuries that take days and weeks to heal. One does not have time to even feel the pain during the game as every second counts. A look at my competitor’s gloves tells me how much I have bled,” he said.

Jalandhar, November 1
Getting decked up in the best of apparels, exchanging gifts and playing crackers is all that the basic Indian expects at Divali. The people of India celebrate the festival for their respective reasons but the basic thread that binds us all to the festival is the flood of lights that it brings with it.

With stalls of crackers put up in the grounds, the bakeries and sweet shops brimming over with “mithai” and dry fruits in ornamental encasings. A very new feature that has been introduced this year is the multitude of designs in which the traders plan to present the stringed lights, popularly known as “laris”. Scattered like little twinkling stars in the markets, these lights are a rage with the people of the city.

At rates which are pretty affordable the stringed lights are available in many shapes and sizes. Gurmeet Singh of Lovely Electricals says, “A medium which had not been paid as much attention in the preceding years, the stringed lights are available in lots of creative designs this year.” Showing a 15-foot chandelier on display in his shop, his salesman tells us, “Items such as this, which are very costly, are a favourite among the NRIs who visit the city for Divali.”

Amit from Arora Electricals asserted, “Stringed crystal lights are the flavour of the season.” Bharat from Indya Electricals, a bit dissatisfied with the way sales have been going, says, “Though the sales have not been much till now, we are expecting a rush by Monday.”

Ashvini, a resident of Sheikhan Bazaar, says, “Stringed lights are always a very good option because they come in hoards of varieties and you do not have to be restricted to a particular option.”

Dinesh Chander of Harbans Nagar says, “The blinking lights are very good to look at.”

Kapurthala, November 1
Adding another feather to its cap, the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) has manufactured the coaches for the science express exhibition train, inaugurated jointly by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the chancellor of Germany on Tuesday in New Delhi.

According to RCF sources, the train comprises 13 exhibition coaches with different thematic modules like “big bang,” “cosmos,” “creation of life,” “from gene to life,” “working of mind,” “world of senses,” “technologies of the future,” “from statistics to knowledge,” “sustainable development,” “earth - the space traveller,” “our home in the cosmos” and “the universe - how and when it was created.” The train has been set up by the Max Planck Society of Germany along with Archimedes (a specialist in science exhibitions). This is an attempt to kindle scientific temper among the youth, said the RCF authorities.

This train will travel across India and will propagate scientific temper. — TNS

Jalandhar, November 1
Youngsters dance to their tunes and their music is life of dancing floors. These two young Punjabi singers have made their identities known within a short span of their existence in the Punjabi music industry. “Dildariyan” fame Amarinder Gill and multi-faceted Sukshinder Shinda were in the city on Wednesday for the music release of their new album “Ishq” at Big 92.7 FM studio.

Talking about their album, the duo said the music was given by Shinda, while the songs were sung by Amarinder. Calling their album different from their previous ventures, they said the album had nine songs and one remix.

Talking to The Tribune, Amarinder said, “I always wanted to be a versatile singer with creativity in music and I have succeeded in it.” A postgraduate in agriculture from Khalsa College, Amritsar, Amarinder is working as a manager in Punjab State Cooperative Bank.

Thronged with various film offers, both in Hindi and Punjabi, Amarinder doesn’t want to rush with offers. “I did join an acting academy in Mumbai to brush up my skills, but I’ll take time to join movies as I am busy doing stage shows,” he revealed. Describing the videos of his albums, Amarinder said, “We generally try to maintain a balance when it comes to videos. Our attempt is to see that the album can be viewed with the family.” He said a blend of music, lyrics and singer’s style were the real reasons behind the success of music.

Agreeing to his counterpart, Shinda said, “I love to experiment with music and that is the reason for the success of my music. Making music is hard and needs a lot of time.” Born and brought up in the UK, Shinda has been close to Punjabi music since his childhood.

Trying to maintain a conservative look among his video album models, Shinda said, “I use music as USP for my albums and not models in my videos.”

Shot to fame with his album “Collaborations”, Shinda said his latest album “Living the Dreams” was the story of his life and he was happy with his fans’ response. 

Phagwara, November 1
Dal Khalsa has termed the SAD-BJP government as anti-Punjab and accused the Shiromani Akali Dal to be playing in the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Speaking during “Punjab jagao march” here today, party state general secretary and spokesman Kanwarpaul Singh alleged that the Akalis were supporting the BJP which was the main culprit of Gujarat riots as exposed by the media. He advised the SAD to break the alliance. Kanwarpaul demanded immediate dismissal of the Modi government in Gujarat and arrest of Narendra Modi. “By patronising the rioters, the BJP committed the same sin in Gujarat as was committed by the Congress in 1984.”

Describing the migratory labour force a threat to Punjab’s traditions, culture and language, he said due to their arrival in huge flow, Punjabi youths had been adopting the path of intoxicants or running abroad.

He said Punjabis were becoming more dependent upon this community and moreover Punjabi farmers were being seen speaking in Hindi instead of Punjabi.

He stressed the need for a law for migratory labour so that Punjabis could be preferred in jobs. He demanded a ban on the purchase of land by migratory labourers and they could not be able to cast their votes in Punjab.

The leader said the Akalis had even failed to initiate any action against the Congress and its leaders who were responsible for the 1984 riots.

Jalandhar, November 1
When a ray of hope, a bond of love and passion of romance come together in a single flower, it makes everyone feel cosier. And to pamper you with all such feelings, the city florists have not only come up with lots of varieties but also added several other items, including candles, divas and greeting cards in their kitty.

“This perfect gift starts at Rs 100 and goes up to the need of the customer,” says city’s oldest Meera Nursery’s owner S. Harinder Singh. Running his flower shop since 1992, Harinder has at least 60 varieties, including orchids, lily, carnation, gladiolus and bird of paradise. Besides several rose species, including grandgala which is one of the costliest variety of rose are also available.

“The younger generation prefers natural flowers over artificial,” quips Celebrations owner Rupinder Uppal, who has been running her shop for the last eight years. “With the passage of time, people have broadened their horizon. Along with rose, they prefer some other varieties too,” says Raghav Sharma, owner of Kalpa Florists.

Floral arrangement for occasions like marriages, anniversaries, valentines enables their fragrance to reach every heart, he adds. In order to reach the consumers, florists have provided bridal planners on the internet. In addition, they also take orders from across the world, and do home delivery.

“So when a season needs a change; a poet needs a pen; a plant needs water; so an expression needs a flower,” concludes Rupinder. 

Jalandhar, November 1
Scientific presentations and demonstrations, followed by an entertaining evening, marked the annual technical festival of Lovely Institute of Technology, “Gyan Manthan 07”. The chief guest of the day was Dr Pawan Kapoor, director, Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh. He delivered a guest lecture on the topic ‘convergence and synergy - a mantra to modern education’. “The future lies not in isolated pursuance of a field of science but in having a holistic approach towards technology oriented learning”, he said.

In the competition module, the participants demonstrated the best of their skills in various fields of engineering and technology. The major events in which the students participated, included micro developer, bug the bug, reincarnation, fast and furious, treasure hunt, core impact, mock parliament, mute vocals and lock horns. Project presentation was held throughout the day and working robots were put on display.

A major attraction of the day was road show was a spectacular stunt display by the Racing Rebel. The daredevils had the crowd up on their feet with their great precision and control. The slogan of the program was “domination of machine by man.”

Jalandhar, November 1
Theme for a dream, an exhibition showcasing a new dimension to the lifestyle industry, will be held on November 3 and 4 at Hotel Radisson. Brainchild of two women entrepreneurs, Reeti Singh and Nikku Sehgal, the event will bring together the group of designers and industry leaders to promote the lifestyle industry.

At the two-day event, there will be images of high-octane opulence and grandeur with the unique collections of designers from Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, UP, Amritsar and Chandigarh. The event will display trendy designer-wear, traditional arts and crafts items, elegant home accessories, distinctive paintings and furnishings along with some delicious bakery products. — TNS

The Jalandhar municipal corporation has not made any arrangements for collection of garbage from the houses by safai karamcharis in Model Town and other colonies, though there is a manned garbage collection point near Nikko Park. Safai karamcharis sweep roads and put the garbage, including leaves and garden garbage to fire, causing smoke and damage to roadside trees and bushes. Karamcharis collect Rs 15 to Rs 20 per month for collection from each house. It is suggested that the corporation should make arrangements for the collection of garbage.

— Col M.S. Pelia, 89-l, Model Town, Jalandhar