The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Delhi and neighbourhood

	UP lawyers, a worried lot after terror attacks Parmindar Singh Ghaziabad/Noida, November 25 Advocates have become worried about their safety after terror attacks in three UP cities. Bar associations of Ghaziabad and Noida have discussed threat to its members in specially called meetings. Ghaziabad Bar Association has decided to issue identity cards to its members. Bomb blasts on court premises have sent a frightening message to the advocates, who had refused to take up the cases of the terrorists. An E-Mail threatening to blow up the district has made the administration and police authorities sit up and launch operation Kovej, sealing the borders with Delhi, and strengthening vigil in sprawling illegal colonies adjacent to Delhi. Special surveillance has been mounted on houses and centres of Bangladesh nationals in the two districts. Besides, strict vigil is being kept on all busy public places like railway stations, bus stands, multiplexes, malls, busy markets, hotels, guest houses, etc. Pradeep Tyagi, secretary, Ghaziabad Bar Association, said the security of Mahanagar advocates has suddenly become a matter of concern. All the members should immediately get their photo identity cards made, Tyagi added. In Noida, police launched checking operations in markets of Sector-18, Sector-27 and Atta Market. About 150 cops had been deployed to check the shops and malls in various sectors. High alert was sounded in Noida after several blasts in Faizabad, Lucknow and Varanasi on Friday. Apart from the special alert in court complexes, metal detectors are also being stationed at the entrance of court premises. The E-mail sent by terrorists has threatened to blow up various towns in western UP. Some of the terrorists known to be holed up in western UP seem to have disappeared suddenly. All that the police and CBI have of Abdul Karm, alias Tunda, of Pilkhuwa is an old photograph in which he is seen with a cap and beard. Over 20 per cent of the terrorists are said to have gone underground and the police have no idea of their hideouts. Karim, an active agent of ISI, is also believed to be in west UP. A leading intelligence agency had recently said that 34 ISI agents have either absconded or gone underground. In a bomb blast in a bus at Modi Nagar in 1996, a terrorist of Harkut-ul-Ansar was linked with it. Abdul Matin had provided some tips to police about Mohd Yusuf, alias Zuber, alias Marajjudin, a resident of Meerut. According to police, Yusuf was engaged in supplying RDX but nothing is known about him now.
	Trade Fair means business for Chinese exhibitors Nayanima Basu New Delhi, November 25 India International Trade Fair (IITF), pitted as one of Asia’s largest trade shows, is becoming a coveted platform for Chinese and South Korean traders for doing business as well as understanding the consumer’s mind. Compared to 36 last year, this time the IITF has attracted foreign exhibitors from as many as 44 countries, representing over 100 companies. “We have been participating since 2001 and every year we are experiencing good business. I think it has lot to do with such a booming economy. People now have more money in hand to spend—which is good for us!” laughs Xie Dabin, a Chinese exhibitor. Unlike other years, the 14-day event this year had only the first two days exclusively for business and the other 12 days for the general public. Even though the fair is open till November 27, all the South Korean exhibitors and almost half of the Chinese participants have already wrapped up their business and left. China and South Korea have put up stalls showcasing mainly consumer durable, electronic goods and engineering products. Luke Jing, another Chinese participant who had been coming since 2004, told IANS: “Yes, it’s true that some of the Chinese exhibitors have gone back but it is not because they did not do good business. “They bring limited goods and when that gets all sold it makes no sense to stay for all the days.” Luke also lauded the new rule of having the first two days exclusively for business devoid of any general crowd. He said that IITF helps them understand the changing preferences of Indian consumers. Sheela Bhide, chairman and managing director, India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), reiterated what Luke said. “This is the normal practice of the South Korean and Chinese participants. They set a specific target for themselves in terms of sales and revenues. Once they meet that they leave, but they have paid for the stalls for the 14 days,” Bhide told IANS. “This way we are able to manage the crowds properly and business people too don’t face any problems. They had two exclusive days to them, and moreover this year we have made special arrangements for one-on-one interactions, special business lounges for important meetings to take place,” Bhide said. Countries that have participated in this year’s IITF are Britain, the US, Australia, Singapore, Germany, China, Afghanistan, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, South Korea, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Egypt, Taiwan, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, the UAE, Holland, Iran, Indonesia, Kuwait, Vietnam, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Spain, Turkey and Thailand. The fair is attracting over 120,000 visitors daily, of which more than 1,200 are business visitors discussing deals and large scale transactions. Apart from the Chinese and South Korean stalls, stealing the show this year is Afghanistan, coordinated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with lip-smacking dry fruits, watermelons, besides carpets and fabrics. “Every year, I come to this place with my whole family. The best part is, one gets everything under one roof. Sometimes the crowd is too much but then it’s worth coming here,” said Parkash Singh Sodhi, a visitor from Punjab. — IANS
	Multiplexes gobble up single hall theatres Shweta Thakur New Delhi, November 25 A decade after the first multiplex opened in India, the magic of its comfort-viewing and Dolby digital sound effects has got most cinema goers hooked and many don’t even remember the last time they visited a standalone movie hall. From one multiplex in Saket, south Delhi, in 1997 their number today has crossed 400 across the country with about 20,000 screens, redefining the way films are viewed. PVR Ltd, which brought this concept to India, has a total of 95 screens in 22 multiplexes across India, Fun Cinemas has 50 screens in 11 cities, Inox Leisure Ltd. has 19 multiplexes with 65 screens and Adlabs Cinemas has no less than 100 screens in 22 cities. “Up to 97 per cent of urban youth prefer to watch movies in multiplexes,” says a report recently released by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). “I can’t even recall which was the last film I saw in single screen movie hall. The experience of watching a film in a multiplex compared to a stand-alone cinema hall is beyond comparison,” Smriti Singh, a college student, told IANS. “Why only youngsters?” asked Ashutosh Singh Silhatia, a call centre employee, adding, “I think anyone who has once enjoyed a film in a multiplex would always want to go there only. For instance, my father is a movie buff but he found watching films in a cinema hall so uncomfortable that he stopped going to them. Since multiplexes provide so much comfort, he has again become a regular.” The single theatre halls are far cheaper, with tickets ranging from Rs 20 to Rs 90. But cinemagoers don’t seem to mind shelling out extra money for the multiplexes. The PVR rates begin at Rs 90 and go up to Rs 225 on weekends. Its new luxury multiplex has tickets priced at Rs 750, with fully reclining seats and personalised menu to boot. These multiplexes are not only a refreshing change for cinema goers looking for better ambience and comfort, but have given a new life to the Indian film industry. “Before the multiplexes came to existence (1997), the film industry was producing just 300 films a year while now it is churning out over 1,000 films. Last year, the industry came out with 1,192 films in 26 different languages,” said Deepak Taluja, vice-president operations, Fun Cinemas. “Multiple screen cinema halls provide choice to the customers and more visibility to films, acting just like oxygen for the film industry,” he added. The multiplex boom has also given new life to alternate cinema, which had gone into a decline earlier. In the last 10 months, about 90 films have been released. Of them only two commercial big budget films - “Chak De! India” and “Om Shanti Om” - could ring the box office collections. The rest fared poorly, or were moderate hits. Offbeat offerings like Anurag Kashyap’s “Black Friday”, Rahul Dholakia’s “Parzania” and Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Traffic Signal” and Sagar Bellary’s “Bheja Fry” did fairly well, thanks largely to the multiplexes. — IANS
	Power cuts hit life Our Correspondent Noida, November 25 Power cuts have once again made people’s life miserable in this area. Power cuts in towns, for nearly 10 hours, seem to have become a norm in different sectors of Noida and Greater Noida. In villages the situation is worse where due to power cuts, farmers cannot operate their tubewells. There have been frequent cuts on Friday and Saturday even during nights. On Saturday, power was switched off in Greater Noida at 2 a.m. and it was not resorted till daybreak. Lack of streetlights makes the work of police patrol harder. Already incidents of loots and thefts are rampant in Noida as well as Greater Noida. In village houses where electric metres have been installed, there is power cut from 12 to 22 hours. Farmers’ crop is wilting for want of irrigation.
	Fire in two places, two children killed New Delhi, November 25 Two children were killed in a fire that broke out in a slum in south Delhi Sunday. With 20-25 tiny houses huddled together, the slum behind the Shalimar theatre near Ashram caught fire at around 3 pm. Fire department sources said that two charred bodies of children were recovered but according to eyewitnesses, bodies of at least four children were found after the fire was doused. Delhi fire department’s chief R. C. Sharma said, “We sent around eight to nine fire tenders to douse the fire in the slum. It was a minor fire and things are under control,” Sharma told IANS. “While most of the older people managed to escape the fire, children were trapped in the burning houses. The fire tenders came a good half an hour after the fire started...and now that they have finally managed to control things, the people have recovered four charred bodies of children,” said Animesh Sharma, an eyewitness. In another incident, the third floor of Paryavaran Bhavan in Lodhi Road also caught fire.“It was a minor fire which was soon under control. We sent eight to nine fire tenders there as well,” an official of the fire department said. No causalities were reported there as well, according to the fire department.— IANS
	Power company fined for inflated tariffs Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 25 The Delhi consumer commission has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on a power distribution company for asking a consumer to pay inflated tariffs. A bill of over Rs 1.39 lakh for such a small premises shows that the officers of the power company did not apply their common sense, the commission presided over by Justice J D Kapoor said in a recent order. It asked M/s Central-East Delhi Electricity Distribution Ltd (erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board) to pay the sum to Damyanti Gupta. The commission observed that no consumer could be charged for the electricity that he/she has not consumed and that the meter does not show, unless the meter is found to be defective or non-existent. For the acts of omission and commission on part of the service provider, the consumer cannot be put in jeopardy. Moreover, he cannot be treated in a manner as in the present case, it said. The commission refused the power company’s argument that it was merely a technical error and it termed its act as “grossest kind of deficiency in service.” Gupta, a resident of Yamuna Vihar here, had approached the commission, assailing a district forum order which had awarded her a compensation of just Rs 1,500 for the mental agony and harassment of being asked to pay the astronomical sum in her electricity bill without consumption.The commission found that there was no logic behind raising such an inflated bill and raised the compensation amount to Rs 25,000.
	Court to assess impact of plastic bags on environment New Delhi, November 25 The Delhi High Court has constituted an expert committee headed by a retired judge to study the extent of damage plastic bags can cause to environment. A division bench Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Veena Birbal on Friday directed formation of the committee headed by Justice (retd) R.C. Chopra for the study with the help of experts and environmentalists and to submit the report in three months. The chairmen of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) would be the other members of the committee, which would have the help of the experts in the field. Directing the CPCB and the DPCC to provide infrastructure and secretarial staff, the court said the committee would meet twice every month to take stock of the situation. During the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Tapas, an NGO, to ban plastic bags—widely used for packing goods bought at shops—in the Capital, the court said the committee could take the opinion and expertise of the experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and other institutes. The High Court in September 2006 had directed the Delhi government to give effect to the Delhi Plastic Bags (Manufacture, Sale and Usage) and Non-biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act immediately banning non-biodegradable plastic bags in the Capital. The court had asked the government to consider the suggestion of the CPCB to recycle the used plastic bags as material in road construction. The CPCB had asked Jadavpur University and Thyagaraj Engineering College of Madurai to study the re-usability of the plastic bags. The study had suggested that the used plastic bags could be used for constructing the top layer of the road. The amendment in the Delhi Plastic Bags (Manufacture, Sale and Usage) and Non-biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 2003, had made it mandatory for five-star hotels, restaurants with 100 seats and hospitals with 100 beds in Delhi to use only biodegradable plastic bags. But the law is not yet implemented in the Capital, said Vinod Jain of Tapas in the petition.—IANS
	Police memorial to be relocated Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 25 The police memorial being built at Chanakyapuri in the Capital at a cost of Rs 13 crore, will be dismantled and relocated in the special services bureau (SSB) camp in Ghatroni near Mehrauli in South Delhi. The 45-metre memorial was subject to much controversy. The heritage activists have filed a suit, claiming that the structure violated the Lutyen’s bungalow zone regulation, which lays down that no building could exceed the height of 70 ft. “The dismantling of the memorial has begun and we are shifting the material to the SSB camp. It is likely to be constructed at the camp site in Ghatroni,” said a senior urban development ministry official. The home ministry would soon take the final decision regarding its height at the new site and other details, said the official. Earlier, the memorial was to be shifted to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) camp in Greater Noida, but things did not materialise. We have been told by the home ministry to make arrangements to shift it to the Ghatroni camp, he said. In July 2004, the High court had stayed the memorial’s construction, when its work had almost been completed. The four pillars of the memorial had been erected and only a huge sphere of 14 ft diametre, imported from Japan, was to be perched on it. Though the structure’s design was passed by the Delhi Urban Art Commission, the MCD and the civil aviation ministry and the norms were also adhered to, construction conservationists complained that it was blocking the Rashtrapati Bhawan’s view from Shantipath, the site of the memorial. The huge structure was conceptualised following the demands by police forces for a national police memorial to raise awareness about the sacrifices made by its personnel. The structure was designed to be 30-metre tall when the project commenced in 2003. The height was later raised by another 15 metre, as the home ministry wanted the memorial to be gigantic. Subsequently, the expenditure of the project was raised from Rs 8 crores to Rs 13 crores, the official said.
	Security at Nizamuddin station ‘not enough’ ‘Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 25 The Delhi Police has blamed the railway authorities for inadequate security measures at Nizamuddin railway station here, saying that the latter had declined its request to increase the number of police personnel deployed there. The railway ministry has not sanctioned our request, Delhi Police stated in its affidavit placed before the High Court. The affidavit stated that the railway board had taken note of the creation of the GRP post and the state government could not increase the strength of the post without the board’s approval. The police had filed the affidavit in response to a PIL filed by advocate Purnima Sethi, who alleged that there was lack of security along the railway track near Nizamuddin railway station, leading to the uncertain death of two persons per day on average. The police described the space provided to it at the railway station as “grossly inadequate” and the railways has failed to provide proper space despite repeated requests. The request to allot land for the construction of a police station building was made to the DRM, Delhi division but it has been declined. We have funds and the railway ministry knows about it. Despite this, there has been no response from railways, the police said. A bench comprising justices T S Thakur and Veena Birbal on November 12 had directed the government and the police to file their replies. The Nizamuddin police station has got the largest jurisdiction of around 66 kms but, it does not have sufficient personnel and there is no hospital in area.
	India to renovate Cambodian temple Devirupa Mitra New Delhi, November 25 An 11th century temple in Cambodia, located near Thailand and the subject of lingering tension between the two Southeast Asian countries, will be renovated by India. The Preah Vihear temple has been in the limelight this year, over Cambodia’s bid to get a UNESCO world heritage status for it, but was objected to by Thailand. A senior official in the external affairs ministry said that Cambodia had approached India to take up the conservation of the Preah Vihear temple about six months ago. “The request had been routed through our ambassador,” the official, who could not be identified, as per service rules, told IANS. The government has already asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to start work on a conservation plan for the temple. It is expected that an announcement would be made to coincide with the visit of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to India next month. India has been conducting temple diplomacy across Southeast Asia, harnessing the ASI to renovate important medieval temples in the region built by dynasties that had links with India. An ASI team has been conserving the Ta Phrom temple in Cambodia’s world-famous Angkor Wat complex since 2004, with the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai conducting the structural study. Similarly, the ASI had also been asked to draw a conservation plan for the ruins of Wat Phou temple in Southern Laos. In Indonesia, Indian archaeologists are helping to renovate the Hindu temples at Prambanan, Yogyakarta, that were damaged in the 2006 Java earthquake. Indian diplomats said that the strategy is to stress the common cultural links between India and Southeast Asia, as medieval trade links with south Indian kingdoms led to the spread of Indian religion, language and culture in the region. The Preah Vihear temple, built during the Khmer empire, is perched on a cliff in Dangrek Mountains, just across the Thai border. In fact, the easiest access to the temple is from the Thai side, while the Cambodian way is a ride through a mountain dirt road.With its grand causeway climbing up the hill, the temple is supposed to be a stylised representation of Mount Meru, the habitat of gods according to the Hindu mythology. Among the sculptures carved on the walls is a depiction of the Hindu mythological story of “churning of the ocean”. In 1962, the International Court of Justice had ruled that the temple was firmly in Cambodia. But, with the country plunging into civil war soon after, the temple witnessed pitched battles between the Khmer rouge and the Cambodian army, with the former using it as a military camp. Since 1998, the temple has remained open, with the only access being from Thailand. Six years later, the temple’s importance in bilateral relations again came to the fore, when a section of Cambodian media quoted a Thai professor as saying that Preah Vihear temple should be handed over to Thailand as compensation for the 2003 anti-Thai riots. Even now, while a majority of visitors come from Thailand to the temple, a large Cambodian flag atop the temple and a signboard greets them, “I have pride to be born as a Khmer.” — IANS

365 accidents take place daily

New Delhi, November 25
India accounts for about 10 per cent of the total 1.2 million fatal accidents in the world.

— An average of 365 accidents a day and more than 100,000 fatalities a year take place on Indian highways.

— 129,994 cases of road accidents were reported from the national highways in 2005.

— 78 per cent of highway accidents occur due to the behaviour of the people using the road.

— 35 per cent accidents occur due to inadequate traffic guidance devices at intersections.

— It has been found that there was negligence and over-speeding in over 90 per cent of accidents.

— Pedestrians are one of the main causes of accidents and also the most vulnerable from them.

— Insufficient pedestrian facilities and poor knowledge about traffic rules are the main reasons for accidents involving them.

— Up to Rs 150 million have been provided to hospitals located on national highways for strengthening of emergency facilities.

— In the year 2000, the Planning Commission and the World Bank had assessed the social cost of road accidents in the country to be Rs 550 billion.—IANS

Sanitation to be privatised in govt schools
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 25
The Delhi government has adopted a privatisation policy in the sanitation work at schools. This information was given out by state education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely on Saturday.

Lovely said that the private participation in the sanitation work in government-aided schools is to provide better facilities to students studying there. He also informed that there was a shortage of ‘safai karamcharis’ due to a ban on their recruitment.

The government realized the need for effective sanitation in schools and hence called for private participation in the process.

Privatisation in this area is a cost-effective way to maintain proper hygiene in schools.

The education minister further informed that an internal mechanism would be in place to provide a forum to those safai karamcharis, who felt aggrieved with posting or decisions of the directorate.

62 DU colleges can’t recruit teaching staff
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 25
Sixty-two of 80 colleges of Delhi University will not be able to recruit teaching staff for the time being, as the High Court has refused to vacate a stay imposed on their failure to fill posts under the quota for the physically challenged.

The court said this while hearing a PIL filed by the Sambhavana Trust, a registered society of physically challenged persons.

The trust had demanded the implementation of the Disability Act in the recruitment of teaching staff.

The petitioner said that it was 15 years that the Act was not being implemented.

A bench comprising Justices T S Thakur and Veena Birbal allowed 18 colleges to go ahead with their recruitment process, as they had inducted three per cent physically challenged persons in their faculties.

On April 4, this year, the court in its interim order had restrained those DU colleges from recruiting faculty members, which failed to comply with the reservation for disabled persons in the teaching department.

Hanuman to hit theatres in Dec

Come December and India’s original mythological hero—Hanuman—would soon be available on mobile handsets. Mobile games developer Jump Games has tied up with entertainment company Percept Picture Co (PCC) to launch mobile games based on forthcoming animated sequel “Hanuman Returns”.

Hanuman’s human avatar will be zipping past meteors and demons with his mighty weapon both on the silver screen and mobile handsets.

Jump Games has signed a two-year exclusive worldwide contract with PCC to create and distribute mobile game titles based on “Hanuman Returns”, rumoured to be budgeted around Rs 250 million and slated to hit the theatres in December.

“The first game of the Hanuman series is titled ‘Hanuman Returns’ and features Hanuman in his human avatar who is reborn on earth with the blessings of Lord Brahma. This game will be released in December 2007 in India,” said Salil Bhargava, CEO, Jump Games told reporters here on Friday.

“If Hanuman was a mythological character-based animation film, ‘Hanuman Returns’ goes a step forward—it shows the character as a mythological super hero.”

Fast-paced and packed with smashing animation, “Hanuman Returns” takes the player on Hanuman’s exotic journey across jungles, outer space and far-fetched cities.

Speaking on the tie-up, Bhargava said: “Hanuman Returns is a brilliant game that will appeal to audiences globally. The games recreate the experience of the animated film ‘Hanuman Returns’ on to the mobile platform.”

“We are in the process of creating a series of games based on the animated film in coming months in association with Percept Pictures.”

“Hanuman was a movie that achieved dizzying heights of success; and with ‘Hanuman Returns’ Percept Picture vies at delighting audiences furthermore,” said Preet Bedi, CEO, PCC.

“Hanuman has the potential to be a globally recognized brand and thus we intend to release it not only on a national scale but also in various international languages to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to view this visual treat.”— IANS

Artscape
“Terrains of Spirit”, recent creations of Saroj Kumar
Ravi Bhatia
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 25
The Gallery Espace here is running three concurrent exhibitions of creations of some of the known artists from November 21 to December 10. “Terrains of Spirit” is an exhibition of the recent creations of Saroj Kumar Singh. The “In Between” is an exhibition of the works of artist Rooshika Patel while “Samasthiti” displays the creations of artist Sheetal Ghatani.

Radha with pen and ink on paper.

The works of Romanian artist

The National Gallery of Modern Art here and the Embassy of Romania are hosting “Archetypes: A Tribute to Brancusi”, an exhibition of the works of the Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi who spent years painting the colours of India. The exhibition is on till December 2.

Austro-Hungarian Film Week

As a part the ongoing 3rd European Union Cultural Weeks, the Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre in cooperation with the Austrian Embassy here are presenting the Austro-Hungarian Film Week beginning November 24. Some of the finest Hungarian and Austrian films are being screened for the benefit of the film buffs.

On November 26, the centre will present a folk music concert by the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble Orchestra, “Hungarian Folk Music Collected by Zoltan Kodaly” at the India International Centre auditorium. The concert is dedicated to the great Hungarian composer, Zoltan Kodaly on his 125th birth anniversary.

Gandhi, pen and ink on paper.

“Lines From an Artistic Life”

The Mint here is presenting “Lines From an Artistic Life”, a solo exhibition-cum-book launch of paintings by eminent artist, KM Adimoolam from November 24 to December 24. The exhibits on view are the result of three decades of painting by the artist and on subjects varying from Mahatama Gandhi, to holy men to kings and warriors.4

“Collective Intent”

Gallerie Alternatives here is holding an exhibition “Collective Intent–III” consisting of paintings, drawings, graphics and sculptures by some of the known artists at the Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre from November 28 to November 30. The exhibition will then move on to the Gallerie premises in Gurgaon from December 1 to December 15.

Mixed mediaworks

The Anant Art Centre is presenting “CE”, and exhibition of mixed media works by artist Samit Das from November 24 to December 20 at its gallery in Noida.

Spreading Sufism

Saregama India Ltd launched its new album ‘Sada-e-Sufi’ by artiste Anita Singhvi at the Vice-President House here earlier this week.

The album was launched by the Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari. Janab Muzaffar Ali was the guest of honor and Janab Farooque Shaikh and Sanjiv Goenka, vice-chairman, RPG Group, graced the occasion.

‘Sada-e-Sufi’, the second album by Anita Singhvi, is a step by the artiste in the cause of spreading the message of Sufism.

Anita Singhvi is an exceptionally gifted, multifaceted and a highly versatile personality.

She seems to have been destined for music creation.

Her expressive singing reflects effulgence of mind and matter.

Her vivacity and flair for rhyme and rhythm has impressed connoisseurs and laymen alike.

Singhvi’s passionate belief in the strength of traditional music makes her a crusader for her scintillating repertoire of music ranging from Ghazals to Dadra to Sufiana Kalam, Thumri and Rajasthani folk music.

Old World Theatre festival

Matrix here is organising an Old World Theatre festival at the Habitat World, India Habitat Centre from December 2 to December 12.

The Old World Theatre festival, now in its sixth year, is regarded as one of the foremost theatre festivals with a distinct identity of its own.

Like in the previous years, the festival is expected to bring original, dynamic and critically acclaimed Indian and International theatre productions.

Exhibition by Shrotiya

Dreams of Nature, an exhibition of paintings and drawings by the well-known Delhi artist, Dr S. D. Shrotiya is being held at the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society here from December 1 to December7. The second exhibition is being held at the Domain of Art on GT Karnal Road, from December 9 to December 23.

Dr Shrotiya is a former head of the department of drawing and painting at the SD College in Muzaffarnagar.