Jalandhar, November 8
Becoming parents and having someone to call them mom and dad was their last wish before they die. They had to wait for 37 years to get their dream fulfilled. Blessed with a daughter last year, Sri Loku Ram (65) and Sheila Devi (55), this elderly couple were in the city last week. Married on Janmashtami in 1969, Sri Loku Ram and Sheila Devi of Alika village in Sirsa are among those few fortunate couples in the country who have been blessed with child at this age.

The couple said, "Our daughter Mishthi has given us a new lease of life. She had added more years to our age and we feel as if we have started a new life now." Enjoying parenthood, Loku Ram said having a child was our priority and not a son or daughter. "I cannot explain how it feels when you have a child," added Loku with tears in his eyes.

Describing their tale, the couple said, "We always wanted to have a child of our own, but our wish remained unfulfilled. We went to temples and tried what everybody suggested, but we came back empty handed." They came to know about IVF treatment through advertisements on TV. When they approached doctors, the medical team told them that at this age it was complete gamble to become a parent. But the couple were determined to get their last wish come true and invests whatever they had. "We agreed to the doctors and by God's grace the doctors succeeded in their attempts. Our aim is now to educate Mishthi and make her a doctor, just like the one who blessed us with her," said Sheila.

Talking about the complications in the case, Dr Lakhwinder Singh of Vardaan Medical Centre said, "Sheila Devi was post-menopausal, diabetic and her cardiac status was not up to the mark when they came. We told the couple that it was tough as the uterus was unused for pretty long time and Sheila's body was not fit to bear the stress of a child, but the couple were determined." Describing the treatment, Dr Lakhwinder said, "The treatment took about one year starting from laboratory work to delivery of the child. It was in the third attempt that Sheila conceived. For initial about three months the couple rented an accommodation near the hospital and for the later six months Sheila was in the hospital under our observation."

Dr Lakhwinder said according to the medical sciences age is never a bar for the treatment.

Jalandhar, November 8
When we will be busy performing pooja and bursting firecrackers with our family members at our home on Friday, the policemen will have to remain away from their families to ensure a safe Divali for us. Not only the policemen, but the firemen as well as the doctors will be ready to meet any eventuality.

Talking about the security arrangements in the city, superintendent of police (SP) SK Kalia told The Tribune that special nakas had been laid in and around the city especially on Thursday and Friday at sensitive places to check the movement of anti-social elements.

He further added that special attention would be paid to ensure the smooth flow of vehicles in the areas where usually traffic remained jammed; he said adding that the movement of the persons having a criminal background was also being closely watched.

Kalia said the entire police force would remain on road to ensure safe Divali for the citizens and all the officers would make special rounds of different parts of the city during peak hours from seven to ten pm on Divali.

Answering a query he said there was no specific intelligence report about a possible militant attack during Divali, however there were general reports that the militants might carry out any attack during festival season. For that, the police was taking every precaution to maintain law and order, he added.

Similarly assistant divisional fire officer Kashmir Singh told The Tribune that all the 63 firefighters equipped with 16 fire engines would remain alert to meet any eventuality. Giving details, he said two fire engines each would be ready at Burton Park, Chowk Sudan, Pratap Bagh and one each at Dada Colony and at Focal Point. Besides, the other fire engines would be kept at the fire brigade’s head quarters near Central Jail.

Kashmir Singh said that the fire brigade might be contacted at phone numbers 2280344, 2280355 and 101 in case of any fire.

In a reply to a query, he said about 25 incidents of fire had occurred during last year. He advised the citizens to keep precautions to avoid any fire.

Kashmir Singh said they should not keep any waste material on their roofs which might catch fire and children should be not be allowed to burst firecrackers in the absence of 
their parents.

“Citizens should park their vehicles in such a way that fire engines might reach the places of fire without any hindrance so that fire could be put out at the earliest,” he added.

Jalandhar, November 8
Environmentalists have finally had a bit of their way, it seems. The amount of cracks and booms of the beloved firecrackers have visibly decreased. In the previous years the crack -bam-boom-tadak rituals started way before Divali but this year they have just been restricted to the days when India won a cricket tournament or just a few days before Divali.

A conversation with cracker traders in the city proved that these thoughts were not something of an illusion. The cracker shops in the Burlton Park area did not seem to be brimming with the usual activity that one would expect them to be full of on the eve of Divali.

Talking to shopkeeper Amarjit Singh about how the sales had been, the answer I receive is, "The sales have been good so far and we are satisfied with the amount of customers." But a colleague of his came up and cleared the little doubt I had in my mind when I had received the initial reply to my question.

Cracker trader Baldev Raj said, "The sales have been pretty less this year, we are not getting customers and are in a financial spot. What the government has thought of is undoubtedly for the greater common good but it almost seems like an exile for us. We are not getting customers here and cannot take proper care of our shops at the Attari Bazaar either."

"When we come here during the season it takes 10 days to set up the shops and five days waiting for the customers. Properties worth lakhs have to remain closed in the bazaars while we come here and wait for customers. We have almost been reduced to rehriwalas," he added.

More shopkeepers gather to share their woes. We have to pay Rs 26 per square foot per month, they say. A shopkeeper says, "There are no water and toilet facilities. Water is available, but there are 80 shops and about 400 people, but no toilet facility," Baldev Raj corrects him.

Talking about the other problems, Raj says, "In 2004 we were moved to this area. According to the document issued by the government, people from only some particular localities (Attari, Bhairon, Rainak and Sheikhan Bazaar to name a few) were supposed to set up shops here but people from other areas (which are not on the list of the government document) have also moved here and that is going unchecked. In 2005 there were only 57 shops but now there are 80."

Raju Sharma says, "There is a slump in the market this year. We have not seen much of customers as yet. We just get 30 days from the government and these are all for us to earn the money that we can."

Jalandhar, November 8
Mechanical engineering students of the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology have designed a two-wheel drive bike, a deviation from the normal rear-wheel drive bike.

Devised out of a 1982 model of Yamaha-350 bike, it uses the traction of both the wheels to go uphill on a rugged surface comfortably. The students, Sanchan Modi, Ramandeep Singh, Sohreet Singh Rehal, Saurav Bawa, Sandeep Singh and Prabhjot Singh, have designed the bike under the guidance of Prof Ramandeep Singh Johal, their faculty member.

Speaking on the project, the students say it was fairly common for at least one set of tyres to be in a low-traction situation such as when crossing a stream or mud puddle. With two-wheel drive, the other set of tyres still has traction and is able to pull one out.

“We have evolved the system using a flexible shaft which can transfer power to the front wheel at some arc. It is the same shaft which is also used in the grinders used for sharpening tools,” they say outlining the basic concept.

Ramandeep Singh, a student, say the bike is helpful in driving around a curve on a wet road. “Let’s say you have a fairly powerful rear-wheel-drive bike. Your tyres have plenty of traction to apply lateral force which is needed to keep your bike on the road as it goes around the curve. Suppose you press the accelerator in the middle of the turn. Your engine sends a lot more torque to the wheels, producing a large amount of force and you could just slip off. It is in such situation that one could use this new concept of all-wheel drive that divided the power in both the wheels and prevented any slippage,” he adds.

Ramandeep says he and his friends applied the concept of four-wheel drive as used in SUVs or four-wheel jeeps. His team has got the first recognition at the state-level technical festival, Techkrieg, held on their college campus last week when they won the first prize, he adds.

Jalandhar, November 8
"Who are you worshipping with your eyes shut?", it was this line from Rabindra Nath Tagore's 'Geetanjali' which led him to open his eyes and try and see the good and the bad that he was surrounded with, to make the world a better place. 'Love thy neighbour as thou love thyself', says the Bible and Father Thomas K.J. is one of those few people who does it in the real sense of the word.

In a function held at the Sacred Heart Church here on Wednesday, Fr. Thomas, the founder of Roshni, a society for special children, arranged a drive to “say no to crackers”. Students from A.P.J School, Jalandhar, held placards which said “say no to crackers”, brought gifts and candies for their  special friends and enthusiastically participated in the homely Divali celebrations. Bishop Anil Kutto while inspiring children  in his address, said,  "Don't curse the darkness, light a candle."

Roshni which was set up in 1987 has come a long way since then. Augustine,who was called "the first fruit of Roshni" by Fr. Thomas, was honoured on the occasion.

He was handicapped in the hand but has been treated by the society and also completed his BA in 1987. Now cured, he said, "I don't take it as a handicap, I was allotted a petrol pump only because I was special. Now I live in Urban estate and support an entire family."

Fr. Thomas said, "Ours is a community based  rehabilitation (CBR)  system. We do not believe in separating children from their parents."

Some of the people who have been healed due to Fr. Thomas's efforts are Suman Rani who had a problem in the leg but was operated upon. Now she teaches sewing and embroidery. Ritu had a  tip-toe problem but is now running a beauty parlour on her own.

Mansarina a Muslim girl from Jagadhari, especially had a lot of problem  initially because her  parents did not let her  get out of house fearing she would be converted  to Christianity.

Talking about his future plans Fr. Said, "till now we have been getting people with orthopaedic problems cured but we would now be looking forward to get people with visual, audio and mental diseases involved with Roshni too.”