Panipat, January 6
The chill that has gripped the region for the past couple of days has forced the organisers of the 5th Panipat Festival to postpone the event till the weather improves.

The festival, which is held annually to motivate enthusiasts to commemorate the past glories of Maratha bravery, was scheduled to be held at Kala Amb on January 7. However, in view of the dipping mercury, the artistes, who were to perform, have decided not to come here.

The festival, which is organised by the Panipat Foundation and the district administration, was started five years ago to pay tributes to the gallantry Maratha soldiers who had laid down their lives while fighting the Afghan aggression led by Ahmad Shah Durrani, also known as Ahmad Shah Abdali during the Third Battle of Panipat that started on January 14, 1761, here.

The festival was the brainchild of Ajit Joshi, president of the Panipat Foundation and incumbent deputy commissioner of Sonepat. Some of the celebrated Haryanavi and Maratha artistes were to perform during the event. These included contemporary singer Abhijit Bhattacharya and renowned tabla player Vijay Ghate. Besides, the event was also to showcase a fusion dance performance by both Haryanavi and Maratha artistes.

Ajit Joshi said the festival was being organised with active participation of Panipat deputy commissioner JS Ahlawat, who had expended all logistic support to convert the idea into a reality. Having completed the preparations for the upcoming event, the organisers were hoping to attract a large number audience this year.

Another major attraction of this year’s festival was the participation of a large number of Marathas, who were to march down to the historical spot with water from their native places, and pour it over the historical monument at Kala Amb as a tribute to the soldiers. Various government dignitaries, including Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia and union power minister Sushilkumar Shinde were also expected to participate in the event.

It is the 250th anniversary of the battle, in which the Maratha army had fought under the command of Sadashivrao Bhau. Considered to be the biggest and the bloodiest battles fought in the 18th century, it had lasted for several days in which over 1,25,000 men had fought and 60,000 to 70,000 from both sides were killed.

Joshi said preparations for the event had been made, but as the artists backed out, it was decided to postpone it. He said fresh dates for the event would be worked out in coordination with the artistes and would be made public soon.

Hisar, January 6
Non-Jat communities in Haryana are wary of the pro-reservation rallies planned by the Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti beginning January 9.

The samiti has announced a series of rallies to be organised in different parts of the state. The rallies will culminate in a state-level rally here on March 6.

Non-Jat communities fear that given the recent statements made by the samiti leaders, the pro-reservation stir may not become violent as had happened in Mayyar village in September which led to one death and loss of public and private property worth several crores.

The fear also stems from the fact that the top leadership of the samiti comprises second-rung Jat leaders from UP who have absolutely no following in Haryana. Even the local leaders they have roped in command little influence. Should the situation so warrant, these leaders cannot be expected to control mobs.

That is exactly what had happened in Mayyar village where an altercation between the crowd and the police officers led to widespread violence. The samiti leaders had not only failed to mollify the crowd, they were even roughed up at places like Barwala, near here, by young men belonging to non-Jat communities.

Social activists and mature political leaders from both Jat and non-Jat communities say that while a peaceful agitation by the samiti would be perfectly in order, but it could create a crisis should the agitation turn violent at any stage.

“Haryana’s social milieu will come under severe strain just as it had in the wake of Mayyar violence if the leaders allow their agitation to get out of their control. The isolation of any one community or polarisation of society on caste lines is always dangerous”, a senior CPM leader said.

A Congress leader from Bhiwani district said: “Any stir on the issue of reservation is bound to raise passions. Though the Gujjars of Rajasthan were led by mature leaders like Col KS. Bainsla, it turned violent. Besides, Gujjars in Rajasthan are not a dominant community. So, the opposition to their demand was minimal. However, this is not the case with Jats in Haryana, who are a very dominant community”.

Samiti leaders, on their part, have expressed confidence that the stir will be peaceful. However, their track record does not support that contention. Besides, their heavily loaded recent statements on the stir do not exactly reassure other communities.

Rewari, January 6
While several murder cases in a row rocked the Rewari region recently, unabated incidents of robberies and other such crimes seem to have turned the region into a safe haven for criminals.

Amidst the prevalence of such insecure conditions, while residents are worried and panicky, it is keeping the police administration on the tenterhooks as well.

While following an altercation over alleged bungling in the distribution of LPG cylinders, a customer, Anil Kumar, was shot dead by a gas agency owner and his son at Bawal on December 23, the successive recovery of bodies of two unidentified persons from an isolated place, near Nainsukhpura village on December 29, has caused panic in the region.

The police was still busy in identifying the victims and looking out for killers when the gruesome murder of Rakesh Yadav (32), elder son of the District Bar Association chief Raghuvir Singh Yadav, by three armed miscreants, near Dharuhera, on December 31, dealt a blow to the low and order situation.

Besides these grisly murders, a spurt in the cases of robbery, chain snatching and other such crimes has created a sense of panic and insecurity among the residents to such an extent that while shopkeepers consider it advisable to down their shutters at the fall of the dusk whereas women, mainly residing in the outer colonies, prefer to remain indoors during evening time.

Expressing concern at the deteriorating law and order situation in the region, district INLD chief Sunil Chaudhary and Satish Yadav, an invitee to the state executive of the party, recalled when the Congress was in the opposition during the Bansi Lal as well as Chautala regimes, its Rewari MLA frequently spearheaded protests and flayed the administration even for minor lapses.

They warned that if the situation did not improve, the INLD would launch an agitation against the officers lacking in the discharge of their responsibilities towards the citizens.

Meanwhile, expressing concern over a spurt in crime in the National Capital Region, HPCC spokesman Ved Prakash Vidrohi said it had put a question mark on the functioning of the police.

While stressing the need for a stern approach on the part of the police, Vidrohi urged the Chief Minister to appoint only highly professional police officers in the NCR to check the high rate of crime.

Fatehabad, January 6
Agitating farmers of Gorakhpur, who have been sitting on a dharna for the past more than four months to save their lands from acquisition for a nuclear power plant, got a shot in the arm when INLD supremo Om Parkash Chautala visited them to express his support.

The former chief minister, while expressing grief at the death of a farmer, Bhagu Ram, during the dharna, assured them that his party would provide all support in their fight.

Bhagu Ram’s death had sparked angry protests by the farmers, who blocked the national highway for over 28 hours by placing his dead body on the highway on the New Year’s Eve.

Addressing the farmers, Chautala alleged that the state government had adopted an insensitive attitude towards Gorakhpur farmers who had been protesting in the open despite inclement weather and ill health. He said it was sad that one farmer had already died and the health of some others was causing concern.

Chautala said not only in Gorakhpur, farmers were today agitating in all corners of the state to save their land from acquisition.

Lashing out at the Congress government, the INLD chief alleged that the government had been working for the interests of corporate houses and property developers. He alleged that fertile agriculture land of poor farmers was being acquired throughout the state in the name of industrial model townships to provide benefits to the chosen few.

He also alleged that 76,500 acres of agriculture land had been given to various companies in the name of special economic zones (SEZs), 94 of which had been sanctioned by the government so far. The land, he said, was given to the companies on the condition that they would install industries that generate employment opportunities for state youth.

“But all conditions have been waived and the companies have been functioning as property dealers by selling the land purchased for Rs 20 lakh an acre for more than Rs 1.25 crore per acre,” he alleged.

Chautala wondered that if a chief minister could be shown the door for Adarsh Housing Society scam in Maharashtra then why UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was favouring Hooda, who, Chauatala alleged, had indulged in much bigger land scams.

Faridabad, January 6
A relative of a state minister along with his accomplice allegedly beat up a local resident on the New Year day. The incident occurred near the market of Sainik Colony here.

According to the victim, RMS Kundu, when he approached the concerned SGM Nagar Police Station, he was not entertained. Later, he met the Commissioner of Police, Faridabad, PK Aggarwal, the same day.

Kundu said the commissioner marked his complaint to the concerned police station and also issued verbal instructions, but even then no case was registered. The victim also alleged that the SHO concerned misbehaved with him. Finally, the case was registered when Kundu took up the matter with a senior police officer with whom he spoke on telephone in Chandigarh.

Kundu said the accused called on his mobile phone to inform him that the eldest son of the minister wanted to see him at the site of the new house of the minister under construction in Sainik Colony. As soon as he reached there, he was attacked by the nephew of the minister. Later, he was beaten up with sticks, he alleged.

Incidentally, the victim is a neigbour of the minister in Sainik Colony. Kundu, who is nursing his injuries, alleged that the youngest son of the minister was behind the attack.

Sonepat, January 6
With the arrest of four persons and the recovery of eight motorcycles from their possession, the Sonepat police claimed to have busted a gang of motorcycle thieves, which has been active in the district and adjoining areas.

The arrested persons have been identified as Dheeraj and Naresh of Fatehpur village, Sandeep of local Bhim Nagar and Pradeep of Majri village. According to police spokesman, Ramesh Kumar, Dheeraj and Naresh were arrested on January 4 by a CIA team, which recovered two motorcycles from their possession. The team also arrested Sandeep the same day and recovered a motorcycle stolen about a year ago.

Further investigations led to the arrest of Pradeep by the SIT and his interrogation helped in the recovery of five motorcycles stolen from Sonepat, Gannaur and Samalkha in Panipat district. Interestingly, Pradeep was released on bail by the court on November 25 in a case of motorcycle theft.

Meanwhile, the police has also arrested three proclaimed offenders (POs), Deepak, Vinod and Manjit of Lath village, who were wanted in a case of demanding extortion money from representatives and workers of a construction company.

Yamunanagar,January 6
Dr Ajay Kumar Gupta, a local biotechnologist and environmentalist, is the lone candidate from Haryana, who received "Environmentalist of The Year Award 2010" at the 23rd annual conference held at Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi, on December 29.

According to sources, the Rastriya Paryavaran Vigyan Academy, New Delhi, awarded "Environmentalist of The Year Award, 2010' awards to 15 environmental scientists across the country. Dr Gupta, who has done research on cancer in the USA, received this award for his valuable contribution in the field of "nature conservation".

He has been working in the field of environment for the past 13 years. While working on the national agriculture technology project, a World Bank-funded project, he contributed a lot for the conservation of medicinal plants in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Padma Bhushan S Z Qasim, famous for India's first Antarctica mission, graced the conference as its chief guest. More than 150 delegates, scientists and guests from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were present at the award ceremony.

Sirsa, January 6
Despite being a food grains surplus state, Haryana lags behind in the matter of child nutrition.

As per the National Family Health Survey III (NFHS III), 46 per cent of children suffer from stunting (height per age), 43 per cent suffer from underweight (weight per age) and 19 per cent from wasting (weight per height).

This is sharp contrast to Kerela where only 24 per cent children suffer from stunting, 22 per cent from underweight and 15 per cent from wasting. Child malnutrition is more pronounced in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand where over 55 per cent children are stunted and underweight.

Dr Rajeshwari, an associate professor in the geography department of Kurukshetra University, who conducted a study “Spatial Pattern of Child Nutrition in Rural Haryana: A Socio-Economic Analysis” to look into this problem, says it is puzzling to find that in food grains surplus state of Haryana, the NFHS III has revealed shocking proportion of child malnutrition. The figures are higher than the average of sub-Saharan Africa, she adds.

The study brings out that there is a serious mismatch in what is projected as growing economy and the prevailing actual social situation.

Dr Rajeshwari based her study on the primary data collected from 1,440 households spread over 16 villages in eight districts of the state. The nutritional status of boys and girls under five years of age were discussed.

“Child malnutrition was measured in terms of long-term nutritional intake i.e. height for age and a comprehensive indicator of long and short-term dietary and illness episodes i.e. weight for age,” she says. The spatial pattern in child nutrition was analysed vis-à-vis socio-economic characteristics (caste affiliations, education and economic or wealth status).

“An attempt was also made to reflect upon the food basket and nutritional intake of population vis-a-vis consumer expenditure classes,” adds Dr Rajeshwari.

The analysis reveals that child malnutrition is all pervasive irrespective of the spatial and social status.

The study shows that whether under nutrition is measured as prevalence of underweight, stunting or wasting, the nutritional status of children in Haryana is shockingly poor.

Dr Rajeshwari says the high prevalence of stunted children (a long-term measure) and of underweight children, (a composite of both long-term and short-term nutritional intake) pointed towards the fact that there is a serious mismatch in what is perceived for the state, which is economically developed and the prevailing social situation in rural Haryana society.

The study concludes that the prevailing situation is perhaps due to two reasons. The all-pervasive spatial pattern of undernutrition among children points to unbalanced dietary practices prevalent in the state.

People here are largely vegetarian and their diet lacks diversification in terms of intake of fruits, vegetables and pulses.

Further, there is lack of awareness regarding balanced diet or importance of nutritious food. This is also associated with low women status in the region.

The study shows that though the state has managed to have large stock of food grain production, which is largely wheat and rice, there is a neglect of pulses, millets and vegetables.

“Diets exclusively based on rice or wheat will be deficient in arrange of micro-nutrients, apart from being relatively poor in protein quality. Though milk intake is above national average in the state, intake of pulses is lower,” the study points out.

The study also points towards some serious and urgent need to take short and long-term measures to achieve nutritional security in the state.

Among short-term measures, it suggested the need for awareness campaign for healthy dietary practices as well as special attention towards maternal health as more than 60 per cent of expectant mothers were found anemic, who gave birth to low weight babies.

Among long-term measures, Dr Rajeshwari suggests that there is a need to seriously think over the fact that the diversification of food production is necessary not just because of the play of market forces but more importantly due to nutritional considerations of people.

Jhajjar, January 6
Students must take part in the National Service Scheme (NSS) as it not only inculcates the spirit of social service and nationalism among volunteers but also make them self-reliant so that they can do their work on their own.

This was stated by V Kamaraja, IGP, Rohtak Range, while addressing a gathering of students, teachers and NSS volunteers at the inaugural ceremony of a seven-day NSS camp at Government Senior Secondary School, Dujana village, here, recently.

The IGP said it was the responsibility of teachers to instill moral values among students by extending them higher education and ensuring their contribution in the field of social service as well.

“In fact, these activities not only help students become good and responsible citizens of the country but also motivate them to work for society and the nation,” he said, adding that the NSS also gave volunteers a message to maintain cleanness around them.

Calling upon the students to preserve environment for better living keeping in view global warming in the changed scenario, Kamaraja said the volunteers could play a vital role in making the people aware of conserving the environment and they must come forward to this social cause. He said the NSS was also supportive in maintaining brotherhood and discipline among the people.

A blood camp was also organised on the occasion where Dr Parveen Khurana, a teacher of the school, donated blood for the 25th time. Later, the IGP gave away certificates and mementoes to the donors.

Chander Prakash, deputy commissioner, Jhajjar, said apart from regular teaching, teachers must also concentrate on the overall development of students so that they could contribute significantly in the social service. A cultural programme was also organised by the NSS volunteers.

Jhajjar SSP Sourabh Singh, DEO Suman Arora, school principal MS Kadian, NSS programme coordinator Manoj Ahlawat, DDPO Ram Karan Sharma, tehsildar (Beri) Prem Prakash, Mahesh Gupta, Shyam Sunder Sharma, Sumitra Devi, Roshani Phoghat were among those present on the occasion.

Yamunanagar, January 6
Tibetan Spiritual Leader the Dalai Lama has appreciated a documentary on Buddhist sites in Haryana.

“The documentary film throws interesting light on stupas and monastic remains in the state of Haryana. This work is admirable. It not only reveals part of India's heritage but also brings to public attention the far reaching contribution that Buddha and his followers have made to it,” he said in a message to Sidhartha, director and producer of the documentary film “Dhammachhetra - The Lost Land of Buddha”.

Earlier, the film was screened at Tibetan parliament-in-exile, Kurukshetra University, Tibetan University (Sarnath), Kagyu College (Dehradun) and other educational institutions.

Talking to The Tribune, Sidhartha said the crew involved in the making of the film was in high spirit after the words of appreciation by the Dalai Lama. He said they would soon organise the screening of the film in different Asian countries to create global awareness about the outstanding history of Buddhism in Haryana.

Sidhartha said many people knew that Buddha attained enlightenment and taught in India more than 2500 years ago, but not many were aware about how widely the practice and study of his teachings flourished in India, he said, adding that its evidence could be found in the remains of Buddhist monuments that dot the Indian landscape.

The Buddhist Forum, a non-profit organidation based in Yamunanagar, has begun to take interest in the preservation of Buddhist monuments all over the country.

“I am often asked whether Buddha’s teachings are relevant in the present day. Like all religions, Buddhism deals with basic human problems. As long as we continue to experience the basic human sufferings of birth, diseases, old age and death, no question can be raised on its relevance. The key is inner peace,” he said.

“If we have inner peace, we can face difficulties with calm and reason. The undisturbed teachings of love, kindness and tolerance, the conduct of non-violence and especially, the Buddhist theory of interdependence are a source of that inner peace. This is what I hope people will remember when they view this film or when they visit the monuments it depicts,” Sidhartha added.

Panchkula, January 6
“Providing education to children of economically weaker sections living in city slums is a passion for us no matter any aid from the government or other sources comes our way or not,” states Maneesha Chaudhary, a social activist.

She says, “The main aspect of life is good education, which we want to provide to the underprivileged ones. For me, education means more than just to get a good job and earn money. It is about having knowledge of the world around you”.

Maneesha and her parents are providing education to children of migrant labourers living localities like Azad colony, Ambedkar colony, Madrasi colony and Maheshpur village. She says they started a school in 2003-04 so that these children, instead of indulging in antisocial activities, could gain knowledge that would be fruitful for their future.

“I could not control my emotions when an illiterate women from Ambedkar colony came to me and asked me to read a letter for her sent by her married daughter whom I had taught earlier. That was truly rewarding for me.”

Besides taking classes in an open space belonging to a church, the Chaudhary family has been providing books, notebooks and stationery items to poor children. They also celebrate festivals like Holi, Divali and Christmas and give school bags, lunch boxes etc to the children as gifts. “Some local residents also donate exercise books etc for the children,” says Maneesha.

GS Chaudhary, Maneesha’s father, a retired government employees, says after these students become regular, they get them admitted to Government Primary School, Sector 21, as they do not have proper infrastructure in the absence of sufficient funds. He says they started with 45 children and now the student strength is 188, including 97 girls.

He says some of the students have reached class XII level and are doing well in their respective classes. “These students are still coming to us for tuitions as they we are providing coaching to them with individual attention”.

He says now labourers are sending their wards on their own for study before going to work. Besides teaching them Hindi, English and Mathematics, they are also imparted moral education to make them responsible citizens, he adds.