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GND varsity spares a thought for city’s mental health
MC takes serious notice of traffic hazard, litter
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Tonga ride tops tourists’ priority list
Politics not my cup of tea: Aryan Babbar
Knotty Comedy
No 1 fetches Rs 2.5 lakh
CDS, NDA
Biz Buzz
Biz Buzz
Uniqueness Of Mother
Farewell function
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GND varsity spares a thought for city’s mental health
Amritsar, May 7 Sparing a thought for the needs of the mentally disturbed, the Guru Nanak Dev University has mooted a proposal to engage professional mental health experts. With the initiation of Dr. Daya Singh Sandhu, the Senior Fulbright-Nehru Research Scholar from the United States, this concept would be started in collaboration with the psychological wing of the university. Prof. AS Brar, Vice-Chancellor of the university, said this historic step, to launch the Indian Association of Mental Health Counsellors at the university, was conceptualised to redress a host of emotional problems relating to anxiety, stress, mental depression, marital discords, addictions and suicidal tendencies etc. of the general masses. This concept would be started under the Department of Psychology of the university, under the chairmanship of Dr. Navdeep Singh Tung, Head of the Psychology Department, and in collaboration with the United States-Indian Educational Foundation (USIEF) and Fulbright House, New Delhi. A separate association would be formed which would look after the working of this concept. Dr. Navdeep Singh Tung said it would also help establish mental health counselling as a recognised and a distinct profession by virtue of its own educational preparation and professional training. He said this association would also establish a network of collaboration and professional partnership of Indian mental health counsellors with other helping professionals. He said this would also prepare and approve national curriculum for the education and training of mental health professionals and encourage government and non-government agencies to set up counseling centers within the reach of people who seek psychological or mental help. Plans would also be there to start the Indian Journal of Mental Health Counselling and Indian Newsletter of Mental Health Counselling and encourage universities to start degrees or diploma courses in mental health counseling. While talking about stress among people, Prof. Tung said as part of the rapid economic and social changes, people are now experiencing significant multiple stresses in their lives, he added. “Some of the serious mental health concerns included clinical depression, anxiety, mental stress, marital discords, domestic violence, and serious alcoholism and substance-abuse problems. Naturally, several psychosomatic and physical health problems develop such as hypertension, heart problems,
psycho-social phobias, etc. Prof. Tung said another very serious issue plaguing our society is the issue of suicide. “On an average, 1.25 lakh people in India commit suicide every year. As suicide is an ultimate indicator of psychological distress and psychopathology, it sends a stunning warning that something is seriously wrong with the psychological health of India”, he added. Dr. Daya Singh Sandhu shall be the Executive Director of this association, Dr Suninder Tung of the university is the President, while Dr Ashum Gupta, University of Delhi, Delhi and Dr JPS Bhatia (MD), psychiatrist, Amritsar are the Vice Presidents. Similarly, Dr Anup Sud, Himachal Pradesh University, Simla, HP, is the Secretary, Dr Showkat Ahmad Shah, Kashmir University, Srinagar, is the Joint Secretary and Dr Rajinder Kaur of the University is the treasurer. Dr. Arpana Inman, Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, NIMHANS Bangalore from Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA is the Special Constant. |
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MC takes serious notice of traffic hazard, litter
Amritsar, May 7 However, these persons have to take extra care to keep the area clean and free from litter, garbage and refuse as the Municipal Corporation (MC) has issued strict directions to take certain steps before organising any such event. On almost all Gurpurbs, especially the birth anniversaries of Guru Nanak Dev, Guru Ramdas, Guru Gobind Singh and martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, langars and chhabeels were installed in each nook and corner of the city. Besides, free food is distributed on Shivratri, Janamashtami and Nimani Kasti. It is generally noticed that the stalls offering food and water are installed on the road itself. Thus, they hamper movement of traffic, which creates traffic jams. “Once entire langar has been distributed the organisers leave the road littered with refuse, wastage and leftovers,” said a senior citizen, Hira Singh. Safai karamcharis of the MC have to do the huge task of cleaning tonnes of litter and disposing it of. Many times it has been seen that leftovers are struck in the drains clogging them. Eventually, dirty and waste water being released by the houses overflows from the drains on the roads and offer numerous problems to commuters. Commissioner, MC, D.P.S. Kharbanda said several guidelines were issued to the organisers to keep the city clean. These directions were mandatory permission from the MC before organising langar or chhabeel, installing stalls about 10 to 15 feet away from pucca road and organisers must ensure that the flow of traffic does not get hampered. Besides, they must
ensure that refuse, leftovers and garbage are thrown into dustbins and not on roads and clean potable water and hygienic food are served. They have also been made responsible for ensuring that the area is properly cleaned after the conclusion of langar and chhabeel. The Commissioner said the flouters of these guidelines would be punished as per the law. |
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Tonga ride tops tourists’ priority list
Amritsar, May 7 Besides, they also offer a package of Rs 20 per head for taking pilgrims to the Durgiana Temple after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple and offer tributes at Jallianwala Bagh. A tourist, TMK Pandurang, from Aurangabad said he, along with his family, friends and neighbours, came here after visiting Kurukshetra. After parking their bus at Akali Phula Singh Burj, they had to choose between a rickshaw, an autorickshaw and a tonga for going to Harmandar Sahib. Finally, it was the tonga which caught their fancy. Balwinder Singh, a tongawala of Sultanwind village, said about eight persons could be accommodated in a tonga at a time. He said the thriving tourism lasted only for four to six months in the summer. But there’s a caveat. The rising cost of fodder, high cost of horses and carriages make a complete horse cart cost about Rs 1 lakh. So no matter how many takers are there for the tonga among tourists. A healthy horse costs between Rs 60,000 and Rs 70,000, while a carriage costs about Rs 25,000 and “saaj” (accessories of a horse) costs Rs 3,000. Fodder and occasional illness are the other two significant factors which drain out the major earnings. Green fodder is available at Rs 50 per kg, a kg
of chokhar at Rs 12, husk at Rs 7 per kg and chana ki daal at Rs 32 per kg. It takes a daily expenditure of Rs 50 to Rs 70 to feed a horse. A majority of the tongawalas come from surrounding towns like Vallah, Sultanwind and Chattiwind. Leader of the tongawalas Tara Singh said they were not allowed to go beyond the open space adjoining the Shivala. Many a time, tourists felt cheated because the tongawalas did not take them near the Golden Temple. “A ride on a tonga could be one of the attractive features of the city if the government so wished. It could offer us soft loans to give carriages a better look to attract more tourists. Besides, a lane could be earmarked for its ride,” he added. Tongawalas are pained by the fact that the tongas are not really a favourite with the locals. A local entrepreneur, Sharanjit Singh, said the tonga had lost preference to the faster means of transport. Though a tonga and an autorickshaw carry almost the same number of passengers, the former occupied more space on the congested roads of the city. |
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Politics not my cup of tea: Aryan Babbar
Amritsar, May 7 “I want on concentrate films besides theatre. But I may give a second thought to politics if my father insists,” adds Aryan. In Amristar for the promotion of his first Punjabi movie ‘Virsa’ also starring Pakistani heroin Mehreen Rahil, he says, “I’m happy doing films rather than joining politics as I feel more comfortable in this profession.” The film released in India and Pakistan today while it will be released in Canada, Singapore and Australia soon. Earlier, he paid obeisance at the Golden Temple. Talking to the media in chaste Punjabi, Babbar says he will like to do more Punjabi movies and promote rich Punjabi culture and tradition. Babbar remained associated with theatre since his childhood along with his mother Nadira and sister Juhi Babbar. Aryan first stepped in Bollywood with ‘Ab Ke Baras’. However, the film bit the dust at the box office. But the critic appreciated his performance in recently released Madhur Bhandarkar’s movie ‘Jail’ also starring Neil Nitin Mukesh and Manoj Bajpai. His upcoming movies included “Tees Mar Kha” while he is also working the Bollywood top guns Shahrukh and Salman Khan. Meanwhile, Pankaj Batra, director of the movie ‘Virsa’ says majority of the film was shot at Australia besides India. The film was an attempt to reconnect with the Punjabi youth living in foreign lands with their Punjabi culture, he concludes. |
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Knotty Comedy
Amritsar, May 7 While the film already released in London on April 20, but it was scheduled to be released in India today with his Hindi and Punjab version titled
‘Hai Marjawan’. Nevertheless, Amritsar was her first choice to seek blessings at Harmandar Sahib before releasing the film. “I am here for seeking blessings for my twin children too, besides it was craving for Amritsari papad and wadian famous globally”, she expressed. She shared with The Tribune about the film, her next ventures and the state of affairs with the Indians settled overseas. “As Indians, we live and breathe marriage. As soon as a girl is born, the first and foremost thought comes to mind is about her wedding. This hasn’t changed. Almost every Indian girl faces pressure situation over their marriages. It’s same even in the UK. But this thought has immense potential to get associated with the true Indian culture and values and it works wonders,” she said. The storyline of the film revolves around a mother played by Shabana Azmi who after finding hard to find suitable groom for her overweight daughter Roopi (Goldy Notey), goes on a killing spree murdering all those suitors, who reject her daughter. What follows next is rib-tickling humour. The ghosts of these suitors want to be free of this world and that can happen only once Mrs Sethna dies. Mrs Sethna is in no hurry to die till she sees Roopi happily married. With the presence of ghosts throughout the film in a more comical than scary fashion, the movie is also a tribute to the classic “Ealing Comedies” of London. It was filmed primarily in English, with some Hindi and Punjabi dialogues. The title is a reference to Gurinder Chadha's inspiration from Frank Capra's film “It’s a wonderful Life”. “The Hindi and Punjabi food terms like Paranthas have been incorporated in the original script to bring out the Punjabiyat and Indian touch”, she said. This film would have 150 print units in English and an equal number of prints for Hindi and Punjabi. Gurinder also revealed her upcoming projects which included an “innocent” children’s film and a historical epic about India’s Independence. “My next venture would be quite different from my earlier creations. “It would be a children's movie featuring elephants in Kerala. “It would basically be projecting an ecological problems with the killing of elephants for vested interests, the children’s innocent association with the animal, their adventures etc. This script has been planned because I believe that in today’s times, children grow too quickly and their vision needs to be understood attentively”, she said. About another plot, she said, “ I'm working on a big historical epic about India's independence with [Lord] Mountbatten, [Jawaharlal] Nehru and [Mahatma] Gandhi and a whole host of other characters, which played significant role in India Independence. The History of Punjab and 1947 Partition would be the part of the script”, she said. Showing concern about the racial discrimination, still prominent in European countries, Gurinder, the recipient of honorary Queen’s award OBE in 2006, told that the scenario has witnessed a slight change. |
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No 1 fetches Rs 2.5 lakh
Amritsar, May 7 The number “0001” in current series PB-02-BG has been sought for whopping Rs 2.5 lakh. The same number in last series
PB-02-BA went for Rs 1.6 lakh. District Transport Officer Jasbir Singh admitted that the revenue collected this time was almost double the amount collected during last auction. “The new series brought in over Rs 14 lakh, whereas last time the revenue generated was about Rs 8 lakh. Even No 0013, supposed to be unlucky by many, fetched us Rs 51,000,” he said. Another interesting fact which came to light during the auction was that No 7 caught the fancy of aspirants the most. “It is true this number fetched us good amount. Maximum aspirants were for 7s. No 0007 was sold for Rs 52,000; No 0077 for Rs 50,000; No 0777 for
Rs 25,000 and 7777 for Rs 95,000,” confirmed the DTO. “Nevertheless, No 0002 was sold for Rs 1 lakh. This was followed by No 0009, which went for Rs 95,000 and No 1000 was purchased for Rs 91,000. No 0008 and No 0006 were sold for the least amounts of Rs 12,500 and Rs 13,000, respectively,” the DTO said. Meanwhile, No 0002 went for Rs 1 lakh; No 0003 for Rs 26,000; No 0004 for
Rs 55,000; No 0005 for Rs 57,000; No 0010 for Rs 50,000 and No 11 for Rs 15,000. The office of DTO has kept a reserve price for as many as 60 numbers of different digits and an equal number of applications were received for seeking these choicest numbers. |
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CDS, NDA
Amritsar, May 7 Dr. Jagrup Singh Sekhon, Director of the
Centre, said Rs 5,000 would be charged as fees from the general category students while Rs 2,500 would be charged from the reserved category students. These reserved categories includes SC/STs and minority communities like Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Jains. The application form is available at the Centre and the last date for the submission of complete application form is May 17, 2010. For further information, candidates could contact authorities at 0183-2258802-09. |
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Biz Buzz
Amritsar, May 7 National Head of Sales and Marketing, AIPL Ambuja, Himanshu Pant claimed that it was the first project of its kind not only in the city but also in the state. Spread over 500 sq yards, with five bed rooms and separate staff room, Waterford Villa features Neo-Victorian architecture with generous interiors of high ceilings and spacious rooms. It has a dedicated space for puja, parking space for three cars and a separate pantry. The township has been designed in a way that more than 50 per cent of the area is left open; landscaping has been done by architects from India and Singapore. |
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Biz Buzz
Amritsar: Lotto Sport Italia, Italian sports company, opened its first outlet here on Friday. It becomes the seventh store in Punjab. The local store has a collection from pure performance sports (football and tennis) to leisure activities, with a complete assortment of men and women footwear, apparel and accessories.
The footwear collection has top-of-the-line tennis and soccer performance products along with a substantial offering in the running and lifestyle category with a price range of Rs 1,099 to
Rs 3,999. — TNS Himalaya Opticals
Amritsar: Himalaya Opticals opened its second outlet here. A range of sunglasses was offered to customers in the shop situated at Alpha Mall. Kultar Singh, manager, Himalaya Optical, said it also offered eye-wear products like spectacle frames, lens, contact lens, designer sunglasses and state-of-the-art eye testing lab. — TNS |
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Uniqueness Of Mother
A baby asked God, “They say you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?” God said: “Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.”
The child further inquired: “But tell me, here in heaven I don’t have to do anything, but sing and smile to be happy.” God: “Your angel will sing and smile for you. And you will feel your angel’s love and be very happy.” Child: “And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don’t know the
language?” God: “Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.” Child: “And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?” God: “Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.” Child: “Who will protect me?” God: “Your angel will defend you even if it means risking it’s life.” Child: “But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.” God: “Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.” Te child asked, “O God! If I am to leave now, please tell me my angel’s name.” God: “You will simply call her Mom.” Our loving mom is an angel sent by God to take care of us. She has taken pain for nine months to bear us in her womb. She then nurtures us with her divine love and care. To every child, the mother is the most beautiful creature in this universe. The mother means the world to her child. There is nothing greater than mother’s love. “The future destiny of a child is the work of a mother,” rightly said by Napoleon. The future of a child begins at home. The mother nurses her child in her arms and continues to mould and love him at the very young age. It is the mother’s responsibility to instill the best values in her child and make him a good human being. There is nothing greater than mother’s love. At times she may be impatient and may use harsh words but they are meant only to correct the child and not to hurt him. The mother has got loads of patience to deal with the child, his tantrums and meet his unending demands. The role of the mother is quite demanding. Mothers are homemakers. They may work outside but still can be great moms. The most important part of mothering is being there for the child. It is harder to be a parent today, especially a mother. The biggest challenge in raising the child is dealing with outside influences. Among the top specific concerns are drugs and alcohol, peer pressure and the impact of television and other media. The other challenges include teaching moral values, maintaining discipline and dealing with the educational system. Through love and sincerity, a mother puts the child on the right path. Most people share flowers on Mother’s Day but the mother deserves much more. Love your mom always and keep her smiling. |
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The holy city is known for magnanimity of its people which is reflected in organising langars (free community kitchen) and chhabeels (distribution of free sweet water) to commemorate religious functions and pious days.
Gurinder Chadha gets talking on her new film “It’s A Wonderful Afterlife”
Amritsar, May 7
The tongas are run between Akali Phula Singh Burj to Veer Bhan Da Shivala, close to Jallianwala Bagh and the Golden Temple. They carry tourists on this nearly 1-km stretch at Rs 5 per head. 