Amritsar, April 14
Even as the Galliara project around the Golden Temple complex, initiated by the Union Government to provide green surroundings and beautify the area around the holy shrine, has enhanced the looks of the nearby areas, but it had its fallout on the traditional bazaars, including Chuda (bridal bangles) Bazaar, selling several items like artificial jewellery, cosmetics, toys, etc, generally thronged by women.

The owners of the traditional shops were evicted from the area to create the galliara around the Golden Temple. The area had several “chuda” shops selling bangles in various hues, colours and designs for brides. The shop owners and general public were disappointed because of this and hoped that conditions would improve in future.

Situated on the back of the Golden Temple, the bazaar has been cut off from the city due to the parking lot constructed by the authorities. It is very difficult for the visitors to imagine that there is another market selling “chudas” after crossing the parking. Shopkeepers of the market could be seen sitting idle as the market sans the customers who earlier thronged the market in large numbers during the marriage season.

An owner of one of the oldest shop, Surjeet Singh, said even during the militancy period they were doing the routine business even as the customers thronged the bazaar which remained opened for only two hours in a day. He rued that now in view of the parking lot made by the administration near the bazaar they were able to do only 10 per cent of the business. He said they had never imagined that this could happen to them. He said the 50-year-old market and other markets located near it were selling the products being used in the marriages and the markets always remained abuzz with people.

The markets used to start with Baba Atal Market and went up to Guru Bazaar, all interconnected, but now these markets have been separated.

Another shopkeeper MS Kala said they had made repeated representations to the authorities for allotting them shops in the Galliara market and were even ready to purchase the shops at the market rate, but no one seemed to be bothered about their plight and the day was not far when they would have to close their establishments or shift elsewhere.

Amritsar, April 14
Jallianwala Bagh had an amusing visitor on the 90th anniversary of the massacre which stained its land 90 years ago.

Jagdish Bhagat Singh came to the bagh to observe the day.

A staunch follower of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, he paid more of an obeisance than a tribute at the national memorial. A resident of Panchkula, he collected the soil of the bagh in a bottle. “I will place it in my temple and will daily perform puja,” said Jagdish.

He has set up a temple dedicated to Shaheed Bhagat Singh in his house.

An ardent follower of Bhagat Singh, he wears a tilted hat and the martyr-styled moustaches.

Lanky Jagdish was a hit with children who had come to pay respects to the martyrs at the bagh. They together raised slogans in the memory of the martyrs and prayed for the bright future of the country.

Jagdish, an employee with the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), is the president of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Jagriti Manch, which he floated some years ago to perpetuate the memory of the great martyr.

Born in a Jat family at Bahmniwala village, near Kaithal, in Haryana, he feels proud when people address him as Jagdish Bhagat Singh.

He also organises light-and--sound shows on the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh on September 28.

Unlike, youngsters who idolise cine stars, the Haryanvi Jat has found an exquisite archetype figure in martyr Bhagat Singh.

Amritsar, April 14
Noted Punjabi poet and secretary of the Sahit Vichat Kendra Gurbachan Singh Parwana, who enthralled his readers/audience with his power of expression, is battling cancer these days.

The author of “Peeran Jaag Payian”, a collection of Punjabi poems, has been battling the disease all alone and hardly any writer visit him. A casual visit to his house inside Gate Hakima (Gali Hatamtai) by Dr R.P.Singh and Prof H.S. Bhatia of Guru Nanak Dev University revealed that the famous Punjabi poet is unable to speak.

Known as poet of agony, Parwana has been sufferer of circumstances for the past more than a decade. Belonging to poor strata of society, Parwana used to make Punjabi juttis in the traditional Mochi Bazzar, near Golden Temple. However, the traditional bazaar was demolished to complete the Gallaira Yojna (The Central Government’s plan to beautify surroundings of the Golden Temple) and he was rendered without any job.

His shop in Mochi Bazaar used to be hub of literary activities, which also served as a sub-office of Sahit Vichar Kendra, a society of Punjabi writers, for more than two decades. Veteran writers, including Opinder Nath Ashk, late Dr Kulbir Singh Kang, Dr Manmohan, Waryam Assar and other celebrity poets used to visit his small shop.

After the demolition of his business establishment, Nanak Singh, Principal Guru Teg Bahadur College (for women), offered him a part-time job that made his last days easy. However, despite the best efforts made by the family members, neither the state government nor the district administration agreed to bear the medical expenses of the poet.

During a visit to his house, family members said the cancer of Parwana was in last stage. They said Parwana had been diagnosed as suffering from cancer for the past more than three years but Parwana continued to pen down poems.

Amritsar, April 14
After being asked by the Government Medical College authorities to vacate the land, the Civil Surgeon office running in the old building of the college for last several decades is ready to be shifted to its newer place.

The office would be shifted to the building of Health and Family Welfare Training Center. All the arrangements have been completed in this regard, said the Civil Surgeon adding that the department was waiting for the green signal from three-member committee constituted for this purpose.

A senior official of the Civil Surgeon office said the building of Health and Family Welfare Training Center situated near Dr Vidhya Sagar Mental Hospital is ideal location for the shifting of office.

He said the building was having sufficient space, which could accommodate all the offices of the department.

He said this not only saved the funds of the state government and but also gave the department to have vigil on the working of its employees.

He said if the office had to shift to some other place the government had to spend huge funds for the construction of the building besides creating infrastructure.

The Civil Surgeon Office also has an office at Tailor road where the department is planning to use it as store. It is pertinent to mention here that the present building belongs to the GMC which had been asking the Civil Surgeon to vacate the land for last about 10 years.

The neighboring building of the Orthopedic Department (that comes under GMC) has already been shifted to building of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

Civil Surgeon Dr Lehmbar Singh said the department was waiting for permission as proposal and detailed plan of the department has already been sent. He said the decision would be taken during a meeting of the committee constituted by the government to look into the matter led by Deputy Director Malaria, Dr Mohi.

Amritsar, April 14
Traditional physiotherapy and massage treatment centres continue to thrive despite abundance of allopathic clinics run by qualified orthopaedicians in the city.

That these centres offering indigenous treatment for healing are well received by people could be noticed from the number of patients attending them.

Anil Mrwaha says his left arm got fractured when he tried to save himself from a fall on the wet floor. One of his relatives took him to a traditional physiotherapist who massaged his arm with an ointment and then tied it with a bandage after placing small pieces of wooden scales around. He said his arm got cured after a couple of weeks of treatment.

Centres of traditional massage healers galore in the city. However, some of them are so reputed that queues of patients could be seen at their doorsteps.

A resident of Police Lines, Balbir Kapoor, 82, distributes oil for healing body aches free of cost. He also massages persons. He got initiated to the profession following his personal experience.

It was in 1975 when he was battling with a severe disc pain and doctors advised operation. Since the advance medical operation was available at Mumbai only, so he went there.

However, one of his relatives there made him meet a traditional massage healer who cured him. Back home he started distributing oil and massaging people in pain after learning its technique.

Traditional massage clinics cure spasms, backache, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, arthritis and are trusted by people.

Another famous shop of massage healer is located near Hall Bazaar. It has been run by the Sharma family for the past about 52 years. Purshottem Kumar, who treats patients, says he learnt the art from his father late Baldev Raj Sharma. Baldev had got trained under Pandit Chandu Ram, who had established the shop.

Another reason of their success may pertain to the availability of their treatment at a nominal cost. Majority of the massage clinics offer their own oil, which they claim to prepare with medicinal herbs.

Civil Surgeon Dr Lahmbar Singh said medical science did not recognise these treatments. Since they have been serving society from ages there was nothing wrong in it. He said people involved in such treatments must not accept patients with serious injuries like fracture as it sometimes contributed to wrong alignment.

Amritsar, April 14
In order to regulate the high volume of traffic on roads in the city, several stretches were earmarked for one-way traffic. Alas! hardly any thought was spared for pedestrians.

Pedestrians find themselves at the receiving end, while attempting to cross these roads. With footpaths encroached upon and whizzing past riders reluctant to stop their vehicles, pedestrians cope with tough circumstances while trying to cross one-way roads.

Hardly any thought was given for the convenience of pedestrians. The problem was found severe at upscale commercial markets, including Bhai Veer Singh Road, commonly known as Lawrence Road, Queen’s Road, Hall Bazaar and from Town Hall intersection to Pink Plaza crossing.

Pedestrian Naresh Johar said walkers of all the age groups felt it tough to find way to cross the road because of the high volume of traffic, while the aged and children were incapable to cross the roads without assistance.

Joshi Colony resident Anjana Malhotra said she had to often cross Bhai Veer Singh Road to bring her children from school. “Traffic tests our patience and courage to cross the road,” she added.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda said after the completion of laying of roads spots would be identified to draw zebra lines. He said the corporation had chalked out a comprehensive plan to address the problem in this year’s budget.

He said it was decided to construct a number of subways at various places in the city to provide a smooth and safe passage to pedestrians. He added that there was a proposal for escalators in these subways for aged people. He said nearly Rs 20 crore had been earmarked for the project.

Amritsar, April 14
For her theatre is the best way to develop personality of children.

Famous theatre and television personality Sulbha Deshpandey describes every child as an artiste. “The only thing you need to do is to identify and nurture that art,” said Deshpandey, who was here to participate in an awareness programme “Stand on your feet again” on arthritis.

This she realised after teaching for about 15 years, after which she decided to start a theatre for children and began taking the little wonder to see this form of art.

However, the life of this theatre artist, who also had several movies to her credit, was never easy, as she had to struggle hard. Belonging to a mediocre family, she joined theatre only to earn for making both ends meet. But she did not know how and when it became a passion for her, she added.

Awarded with various awards by the central government, Maharashtra government and Sangeet Natak Academy for her performing art, Deshpandey said when she joined the theatre, it was almost a taboo for women to work on stage. However, she did not lose heart and continue to struggle to establish herself in the theatre world.

After performing in Marathi theatre and state competitions, she started working in the films and television serials. She said working in the TV serials was very difficult as compared to the films.

She said she had accepted only those roles in the films, which gave a message to the society. She said it was television, which made her more popular among the masses.

Amritsar, April 14
“Stand on your feet again”, an awareness programme on arthritis and its management, was organised here on Sunday to make people aware about the advanced techniques available in fighting the disease.

Punjab Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla extended her support to increase awareness among the general public and also stressed on the importance of increasing consciousness on arthritis, which was one of the most debilitating disease world over and is very prominent in India especially among women.

She said unfortunately most of the people suffer due to ignorance and lack of awareness.

Sulabha Deshpande, a Bollywood actress and theatre artiste, who underwent knee replacement surgery in 2002 briefed the audience about her painful journey through arthritis and how her life changed after getting the surgery done.

She said she was supporting the awareness programme, as she did not want the other people afflicted with the disease to suffer anymore.

A noted orthopedic surgeon, Dr Manuj Wadhwa spoke about the latest techniques, technologies and medication that were now available to manage arthritis.

He said with the new techniques, the patient can easily sit cross legged, squat and get involved in active sport.

Amritsar, April 14
Due to a shortage of space, the Citizens Forum Vidya Mandir School in Maqboolpura is now contemplating to run an evening shift as the total strength of students has risen to 925. Started with just 20 kids several years ago, the school, which is providing free education to the kin of drug victims in Maqboolpura, also known as the “locality of widows”, has virtually become an institution for children of the downtrodden of the area. It is being run on donations by philanthropists from India and abroad.

Besides school uniform, it also provides day meals to about 100 poor students daily. The school is also training girls in the locality in stitching and embroidery to make them self-reliant. Master Ajit Singh, founder member of the school, said as more and more people were now coming forward to get their wards admitted to the school it was becoming difficult for them to adjust the kids in the new building constructed about two years back.

Brij Bedi, another founder member and social activist, said they had already hired the services of an architect so that new rooms could be constructed in the vacant space in the complex.

He said as they would require more funds for the purpose they were hopeful that NGOs and other social organisations would come forward to help them in this noble cause.

The students of the school yesterday paid tributes to late Manveen Sandhu, an eminent educationist who died recently in Rajasthan in a road mishap. Sandhu had been part of the school for providing them with quality education, besides training the teachers.

Meanwhile, Jarnail Singh, a journalist, who came into limelight after the shoe-throwing episode, also visited the school.

Lauding the works being done by masterji and Bedi, he said he had come here to show his solidarity and support to these students who need proper care and attention.

Amritsar, April 14
A two-day personality development workshop was organised by the Global Institute on the Batala road for the faculty and MBA and B.Tech students to give them insight into the various aspects for facing the international and local educational challenges in view of the economic slowdown.

Amritsar, April 14
The Rotary Governor district 3070 Dr Vinod Sharma presented ultra-modern Phaco emulsion machine to Ganesh Dass Chadha Memorial Rotary centre for treating patients suffering from cataract. Presenting the machine, Dr. Sharma said the Rotary Centre being run by the Midtown Club of Amritsar was rendering exceptional services to the poor patients of the city.

Project director Sunil Kapoor said the centre was providing policlinic facilities to hundreds of patients from the walled city as it was also running vocational and computer training centre for the residents to make them self-reliant.

Amritsar, April 14
The Amritsar police, in two separate cases, arrested three persons and recovered two stolen motor cycles and one stolen scooter from their possession. The arrested persons were identified as Paramjit Singh of Gali Hatim Tai, Pawan Kumar of Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar and Sukhdev Singh of Rasoolpur Kalar.

The police, in a press note issued here today, said after specific information, a party of Gate Hakima police chowki laid a naka near Guja Peer and arrested Paramjit Singh and Pawan Kumar with a stolen motorcycle without a number plate and one scooter Bajaj Chetak (PB-02-B-1024).

During questioning the accused were unable to produce the registration certificates of the vehicles. A case under sections 379/411 of the IPC has been registered at police station C-Division. Similarly, the Vijay Nagar police team laid a naka in the area of Vijay Nagar police station and arrested Sukhdev Singh and recovered one stolen Hero Honda CD-Deluxe motorcycle (PB-02-AN-7739) from his possession. A case under sections 379/411 of the IPC has been registered at police station Sadar.