Jalandhar, June 24
What makes tea time snacks special? Well it is a good range of breads, light snacks, pastries and cakes. What another place can offer a better variety than “Prakash Bakery”, one of the most famous bakery and confectionery shops in the city. A name synonymous with quality, the shop has takers not only in Jalandhar but in the surrounding areas as well.

Right from mouth-watering fruit cakes, dry cakes, pastries, puddings, cookies, biscuits and imported chocolates to day-to-day confectionery items, the bakery, situated in the busy Model Town market has a lot to offer.

When it comes to the huge fan following of the bakery, the workers at the place maintain that it is due to the sumptuous variety in the cakes and the varied products at the bakery that people prefer coming here.

Easily the most sought-after option among the city residents, the bakery was started in 1954 by late Pratap Singh, father of the present managing director of the bakery, Jaswant Singh. Talking about their conventional system of baking cakes, Jaswant said the delightful cakes are a result of their special in-house bakery where 35 workers are always on the job to provide better services.

Talking about its present system of baking cakes, Jaswant said, “A lot has changed over the past some years.

Earlier cakes were simply considered a party delicacy but these days people prefer buying cakes, breads and pastries as tea time snacks as well. Moreover, the art of baking cakes has witnessed a major change with the introduction of various types of varieties.”

Further talking about future plans, he said, “Very soon we would be introducing a new range of quick bites under which the city residents would get to eat delicious crispy patties, stuffed buns and pizzas. Not only this, we are also coming up with an online service of cake delivery and combos available on our website, www.prakashbakery.com”, he said, adding that as this is an NRI belt, we expect a good response from the people.

Jalandhar, June 24
In today’s fast paced life where it is difficult to spare even a single minute for daily chores, here is a man who has managed to develop his various hobbies into passion.

His profound love for art and culture has inspired him to collect various things, including old coins, currency, books, pens and artefacts, dating back to many years. Meet R.P. Sharma who is always ready to share his precious treasure.

“I started collecting coins in 1953 when my father gifted me some old coins as a token of love. It was the beginning of my passion,” said Sharma while talking to The Tribune.

Till date, he has a collection of 500 old coins representing different years, religions, dynasties, cultures and much more. Some of the rarest coins in his collection are from the era of Guru Hargobind Singh, King George V Mary (released in 1911), Queen Victoria Empress (released in 1862), Mughal period, Purshottam Vivah (released in 1642), East India Company (released in 1835) and Napolean Bonapart (released in 1804).

Extremely passionate about his hobby, Sharma said, “I have dedicated my whole life collecting these unique things from different places. At times people do approach me with an intention to buy these but I prefer gifting them because I believe art is meant to be loved and shared.”

His book bank which has over 100 rare books in varied subjects dating back to a century is something one can be proud of. The rarest book among his collection is “Japuji Sahib - a masterpiece of Guru Nanak Dev” with Hindi text, English translation and a copious commentary written by the chief judge of the then Bhawalpur state, Mehta Udhodas. Besides, he has some very old encyclopaedias, including “Collins Ideal Gem - Encyclopaedia” and “Sayings of the Ayatollah Khomeini”.

Well his love for collecting diverse things does not end here as he has collected old Parker pens some especially bought from America and Germany. Sharma also owns a small kettle which, according to him, was extensively used in World War I for making tea with the help of a candle.

Kapurthala, June 24
The Loomba Trust organised the fourth International Widow Day at senior secondary school in Dhilwan in Kapurthala district. Speaking on the occasion, ADC (development) Kanwal Sher Singh Dhanju said the Loomba Trust had been helping the children of 4,000 widows in different parts of India by providing each of them Rs 500 per month for helping them in study.

The ADC said his mother Pushwati’s struggling life during 38 years of her widowhood inspired NRI Raj Loomba to repay India generously in the shape of regular donations of over Rs 2 crore per annum to as many as 4,000 fatherless students in the country.

Five years after his mother Pushpawati’s death in 1992, they set up in 1997 Loomba Trust after the selfless lady’s name to honour her.

Now trust is donating regularly to at least 100 fatherless students of each Indian state, including 500 tsunami victims of Tamil Nadu.

The donation is being given to those students whose widow mothers’ income is below a dollar per day (Rs 1,500 per month), a parameter of poverty set by the UNO. — TNS

Jalandhar, June 24
Lovely Professional University (LPU) would be participating in the AIEEE-2008 counselling to be conducted by the Central Counselling Board of the ministry for human resource development, government of India.

The 660 seats for regular B.Tech programmes, which include biotechnology, civil engineering, computer science engineering, electronics and mechanical engineering, would be filled through AIEEE counselling.

Holiday period is on full swing. It is not a doodle to make the best use of this vacant period. A vacation has drastically implored novel meanings for people nowadays. Gone are the days when kids used to plan a couple of months earlier to make a long visit to their ancestral home. The allurement of grandpa’s implausible fairy tales was a big temptation for the kids. The repeated saga of kings and demons never derailed their interest in the magical feast.

Now with the fast changing scenario kids have explored neophyte areas to satisfy their inquisitive quest. At nonce they are passing the time either with their favorite cartoon characters or in summer camps. The mushroom growth of cartoon channels has barricaded other sources of entertainment for a child. In an iota of second, a child witnesses a series of ultra-fast heroic activities being accomplished by his toon heroes. No moral is ferreted out of these thrillers. The subconscious mind of the child is overcrowded with these useless picture images which try to make the impossible rather feasible by a magic wand.

Children alone are not to be blamed for this. Parents are equally responsible for monitoring and disturbing the cycle of their child’s life. The concept of super kid is thronging heavily on the mindset of parents today. Everything is pre-ordained for a child. Even in vacation he has to join a summer camp where he is to groom his dancing skills, administer his singing talent and prepare multiple questions for quiz competitions and what not.

It is time to stop a little and think big. This is totally unfair on our part to impose our super dreams on the tiny, tender shoulders of our kids. Give them a little space for their own petite ventures. Nobody has any right to infringe upon the territory of their own specific arena of interest and modulate it as they wish. So elders, do not mar the ingenuous juvenile pleasures of childhood with your oddballs. Let your kids bloom beautifully with perfect ease and aplomb. And get sure that the wonder will all be yours. 

Corruption has spread its roots so deep into the present set-up that many people take it as part of their routine life. It prevails on the premise of an understanding between the giver and the receiver of bribe. The person who gives a bribe is generally impelled by circumstances created by the persons who occupy seats of power. Most senior officials use their subordinates for this purpose and, in return, get their own share. It is futile to hold the lower staff guilty of corruption as it cannot flourish without the patronage of their bosses. In fact, stringent and inflexible laws open new doors of corruption. Since the legal implications for booking a corrupt person are complicated, one prefers to go along with the demands of such persons.