The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sister Act
Siblings crack PCS in first attempt
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 4
City girls, Chohan sisters, Sucheta Chohan (26) and Monika Chohan (23) are overjoyed and rightfully so as the sisters have cleared PCS (judicial) in their maiden attempt.

The results of PCS judiciary examination were declared last Sunday.

The two sisters are all set to follow the footsteps of their father, Roshan Lal Chohan, posted as a judge at Rampura Phull in Bathinda. Monika is the youngest of the 42 candidates to have cleared the examination. She has secured 14th rank while Sucheta is yet to know about her rank.

The girls give the credit for their success to their father. “It was he who inspired us to pursue LLB and prepare for the examination. He had set up a studying regime for us which we strictly followed. He gave us topics to study each day. Then he took our tests, checked these and gave us suggestions to improve,” Sucheta and Monika say.

The duo said they prepared rigorously and studied non-stop for 15 hours each day. “Since both of us were studying for the same examination, we also drew inspiration from each other. There was no disturbance at home since our father was posted out and our mother is working at the BSNL office here.

“As soon as the examination date was announced on March 5 last, we switched off our mobile phones. We neither watched any television programme nor did we freak out. We cut ourselves off from any source of entertainment. It was study and only study from 7:30 am to 10:30 pm,” the sisters reveal.

Monika is a pass out of School of Legal Studies, Ladhewali, while Sucheta did her BA and then LLB from Guru Nanak Dev University College, Basti Nau. Both also give credit to Dr G. S. Bajwa, director of the newly set-up Centre for Competitive Examination at Lovely Professional University (LPU), who they said really helped them clear the interview.

The duo has always enjoyed each other’s company but is preparing to part ways now. “We are expecting our postings by January and we cannot expect to get our hometown as station. Our father too had to remain away from home. Wherever we get posted, we will certainly miss each other’s company,” say the loving sisters.

The sisters consider themselves lucky to have been among the only nine girls who have cleared the examination. “Our friend Amandeep Kaur Chauhan too has got selected. Surprisingly, there are four Chauhans in the final list, including one Ashok Kumar Chauhan who too took training with us at LPU,” the sisters laugh.

Fifteen of the 18 candidates who took training at the university centre have got selected. The others include Harsimranjit Singh, Japinder Singh, Prashant Verma, Kapil Dev Sharma, Monika Sharma, Parinder Singh, Amandeep Kaur Chauhan, Gurmeet Tiwana, Amit Malhan, Baljinder Singh, Rajwant Kaur, Parminder Kaur and Ashok Kumar Chauhan. Harsimranjit Singh, Jaapinder Singh and Prashant Verma brought laurels by securing second, third and fourth positions in the state.

Dr Bajwa of the centre said he was now working on expanding the centre by introducing training classes for IAS, PCS (executive), BDPO, DSP, PO,, NDA-CDS, IES, IFS and HCS (judicial) examination.

They don’t let anything go waste
Jyotika Sood
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 4
This movement has been started to turn wastage into a resource and help the needy. Run by an NGO, “Reach”, the movement may not be familiar to you, but may make you think that waste material at your home may aid deprived ones.Started in January this year by wives of the members of the Sports Goods Foundation of India (SGFI), the organisation has a very few people associated with it. But the organisation members and volunteers are motivated enough to manage their resources.

The organisation is presently being inspired and funded by Delhi-based NGO “Goonj” and the SGFI. Presently working with a manpower of five members and 25 volunteers, “Reach” has tried its best to help underprivileged, says NGO’s coordinator Daljeet.

“We collect material through residential and educational institute drives. Under residential drives we choose a house, generally of a member or volunteer, and collect material from there. The waste material is collected either through door-to-door campaigns or by people themselves reaching us,” says NGO coordinator.

She adds, “In school campaigns we talk about our NGO during morning assemblies and ask students to get or donate whatever they want.”

Describing the working, she said the collected material was then categorised whether it was fit for distribution, needed repair or could be sold as waste. For the purpose the organisation had employed a tailor and helpers.

The NGO has only one room in the name of infrastructure and that too lent by Mayor World School where the organisation keeps the collected material.

Describing how the waste material is used, Daljeet said, “We make one-sided used notebooks, sanitary napkins, school bags from torn jeans, school mats, etc. Due to shortage of volunteers, infrastructure and funds, we take help of ‘Goonj’ for recycling waste material into mats, etc.” The prepared material is then distributed among slum schools and remote villages.

Requesting helping hand from city residents, Daljeet said, “People can donate in kind or cash either at the Mayor World School gate, saying it is for ‘Reach’ or can contact me at 9855023391. A collection camp would be organised at 669, Model Town, Mall Road, on December 9 from 10.30 am to 2 pm.”

Winter means business for these Tibetans
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 4
Come winters and it is time for nearly 100 Tibetans in the city to get back to business.

Men and women along with children line up along the boundary wall of Lal Rattan Cinema, on a lane bifurcating from Nakodar Road that forms the Tibetan Refugee Market. Ranging from jackets, pullovers, shawls, gloves and caps, they sell all kinds of woollen stuff in this market.

There are numerous buyers, though most of them from lower middle class sections, who believe that the stuff being sold is Tibetan and will protect them from the cold weather. But Tseten, who owns a stall, says, “No, this certainly is not Tibetan stuff. We are getting the material from the Ludhiana market and selling it off here to earn our livelihood in winters”.

The market has been a peculiar feature in Jalandhar for over a decade. Tenzin, dressed up in her traditional Chapa, says, “We started coming here more than 14 years ago. We spend four to five months here and get back as soon as it starts getting warm. In summers, we put up at Dharamshala and engage ourselves in different occupations.”

The Tibetans live here in rented accommodations in areas surrounding Nakodar Road. Many of them have even been putting up at Makhdoompura. “Jalandhar is like a second home for us”, they say. “We know the city well. We can understand Punjabi and can even speak a few words”, they add.They have their own associations in the city, which help them stand united in times of need.

Together, they even hold celebrations and host meals so that they can rejoice amongst themselves.

At times when a political statement concerning their native place is issued, the members even hold candle light marches to voice their opinion.

Young World
Responsible riding: Tiny tots get on track
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 4
CT kindergarten tiny-tots were taken for a visit to the Jalandhar railway station and a journey then on from Jalandhar to Adampur. All the children were taken for a train ride to give them a practical lesson on how to use public transport system responsibly.

Kids were given chocolates on board and then asked to put the wrappers into dustbins only. Prior to the journey, the students were shown the railway station including the ticket counter, platform, waiting room and schedule board.

Kids were excited to meet the railway officials in their uniforms. They had fun reciting poems like ‘Piggy on the railways’ right on railway station.

Performance bonus

Nine students of CT Group of Institutions have been rewarded for their good show in the Punjab Technical University conducted examinations. The students, from pharmacy, engineering and polytechnic courses, have bagged scholarships worth Rs 65,000.

Pardeep Arora (4th semester pharmacy), Urvinder Singh (6th sem pharmacy), Prince Sharma (6th sem electronics engineering) and Tekbir Singh (6th sem electrical engineering) received scholarship of Rs 10,000 each.

Five CT Polytechnic students, Amritpal Singh and Jatin Kashyap from mechanical engineering, Amanjot Singh from computer science engineering, and Ajay Kumar and Ashutosh Kanwar from automobile engineering received Rs 5,000 scholarship each.

Science exhib

Eklavya School Jalandhar organised Sahodaya inter-school science and mathematics exhibition where students from 13 schools affiliated with the CBSE participated.

There were two categories for both mathematics and science projects, for classes VI toVIII and classes IX to XII.

The various topics under mathematics were geometry, fractions, algebraic identities, mensuration, tangrams, probability and perimeter, area and volume.

For science projects, the topics were air and water, sources of energy, thermodynamics, disaster management, biotechnology, electricity and magnetism, clocks and wheels and science in everyday life.

Amritpal Singh and Mohak Khillan from Police DAV Public School stood first in science exhibition in category for classes VI to VIII.

Vinita Singh and Sagardeep also from the same school won the first prize in science exhibition for classes IX to XII.

Swami Sant Dass students Ruhani Mehkjot and Alisha Kakkar won the top prize for mathematics exhibition for classes VI to VIII. Jasmine Kaur Verma and Yatisha Kalia from CT Public School won the prize for mathematics exhibition for classes IX to XII.

World Disabled Day

World Disabled Day was organised by St Soldier Educational Society at Pingla Ghar with special children. Chairman Anil Chopra and vice-chairman Sangeeta Chopra distributed tricycles among these children and spent time with them. Children from St Soldier schools also went along to distribute sweets.

Dr Anwar joins Pruthi hospital
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 4
The services of heart specialist Dr Anwar Khan would be now available at BBC Heart Care- Pruthi hospital. This was revealed by the hospital chairman Dr C.S. Pruthi.

A post doctorate from Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr Anwar Khan has researched on echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricle and family study in hypertrophic cariomyopathy.

Besides, he has worked with famous hospitals like SPS Apollo Hospital, Ludhiana, CIIMS, Nagpur and Wanless hospital, Miraj.