Following in his grandfather’s footsteps: Five-year-old Uma Shankar strikes a pose in his Bal Hanuman avatar. Photo: Sameer Sehgal

Amritsar, October 6
So the good finally triumphs over evil, once again. The festival that reminds us of a significant message, Dasehra was celebrated with pomp and fervour wrapped in faith and festivity. The class-conscious might feel that the festival is losing its fans but they need to come out and see the surging crowds for themselves. People turned up in large numbers and were high on enthusiasm as the the effigy of Ravana was burnt. We caught the mood on lens as well as on paper.

The spirit of Dasehra endures

Thankfully, recession had not taken a toll on this festival. Three colourful and magnificent effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkaran towered at the Kila Parade Ground and occupied the attention of onlookers for quite a while. If somebody enjoys this festival to its core, it is the children. Dressed up as langoors, wearing traditional and interesting outfits, their arms in place, they not only enjoyed but understood the spirit of killing Ravana. With their bow and arrows, their only aim was the huge effigy of the demon king erected in the middle of the ground. For adults the sight of a burning Ravana was reason enough to instil a feeling of personal victory and refuel their devotion.

After the Dasehra celebrations, the trail of waste accumulates and Kila Parade Ground turns into a garbage dump. Photo: Sameer Sehgal

For several religious organisations functioning in city, it was an occasion to do some community service and earn brownie points. Langar sevas were organised at the premises, where one could enjoy the spiritual feat over a feast.

No kidding

Amidst the crowd, chanting “Jai Shri Rama”, Uma Shankar became the immediate centre of attraction. The five-year-old, dressed as Lord Hanuman takes his role very seriously. Words didn’t flow out of his mouth smoothly for this kid but the chants of Lord Rama did. “He has been playing the role of Lord Hanuman since the age of two”, informs his grandfather Sat Raghunath, who is associated with Shankar Dramatic Club and plays the role of the grown up Lord Hanuman. For the grandfather-grandson team, Dasehra holds a different kind of significance. “Lord Hanuman is Uma’s inspiration. His dedication and devotion has impressed many. People now recognise him as Bal Hanuman,” said Raghunath.

Evil sidelined

The venue for celebrating the religious feat, sadly, also turned into a garbage dump, with the huge crowd gathered to celebrate Dasehra hardly noticing the litter that they themselves had spread. Discarded paper plates, wrappers, muck, and it all increased just as the crowd did. One look around the parade ground was enough to determine the filth that came with a reminder- the evil of littering. We wish we could destroy this evil!

Another sight that qualified under the category of negligent evils was that of children involved in the process of putting crackers on the effigies. Exposed to some dangerous crackers, the children looked quite slack about the whole thing and so did the grown-ups who employed them. Now, we understand the sentiments involved in burning the symbolic evil but the practice could prove to be the real evil as it puts children in danger. Anybody listening?

Amritsar, October 6
Reacting to the recent directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding maintaining a status quo on the 143-year-old Town Hall building, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu today clarified that no alteration would be made to take away the historic significance of the heritage site to execute the proposal of transforming it into a mega tourist destination.

These directions came after an Amritsar-based NGO, National Welfare Society, had filed a PIL in the court while alleging that “the structure is being demolished and tampered with to facilitate the establishment of a hotel and thereby handing over this public heritage into private hands.”

He said the whole plan of converting the Town Hall complex into a mega tourist destination was being misrepresented. The proposal to built a hotel here has been scrapped. No part of the building would be tampered with or demolished, rather, around Rs 9 crore would be spent only on the preservation of this historic site. It would be our first priority to observe that the historic value of this site should prosper. It has been planned to house a well-stocked library with rare books, a museum pertaining to Amritsar’s history, Punjab’s art and craft exhibition centre, besides a foodcourt and café later on this prime spot which is close to the holy shrine Golden Temple.

Elaborating further, the City Mayor Shwait Malik said that this concept has been designed on the PPP mode and the maintenance part would be looked after by the private players who would be incorporated in the plan. “Instead, it would be a win-win situation for us. The income generated from it would in turn come back into the account of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC). This amount would be ploughed back for the development of holy city only”, he said.

Meanwhile, a multi-storey building in a 2.5 acre land, comes under the Improvement Trust, is likely to be constructed for the AMC at Ranjit Avenue. “We already had Rs 30 crore with us, but in the absence of any initiative, it was not being utilised. Now, when all the hurdles have been cleared, we are looking forward to execute it on the ground”, he said

Amritsar, October 6
The City Police today nabbed the remaining three members of the looters’ gang who had managed to escape from a hotel during a raid recently.

The gang had allegedly snatched Rs 4 lakh from Rigo Bridge from a collection agent of a dry fruit trading company after throwing red chilli powder in his eyes on September 25.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, City-I, Satpal Joshi said that the CIA staff had specific information that the arrested accused Surinder Singh, alias Shinda of Navi Abadi Rattan Singh Chowk, Ramesh Kumar alias Rinku of Gillwali gate and Vijay Kumar of Gujjaranwali gali, were going towards the city from village Dhapai for committing some crime.

They were caught during naka at Dhapai railway phatak, said Joshi while adding that the police recovered two country-made pistols, two stolen motorcycle and two live cartridges and 250 gm of narcotic powder besides three mobile phones from them.

The accused were wanted in many looting and snatching cases registered in various police stations.

A case under Section 379, 379-B, 411 of the IPC, 25,54,59 Arms Act and 21, 61, 85, of the NDPS act has been registered against them at the Chheharta police station in this connection.

While giving details, the ADCP city said that Vijay Kumar used to work in the Majith Mandi area due to which he had enormous knowledge about the traders and their employees and their movements. Vijay used to provide information regarding the movement of the suspected target to Ramesh who further asked Surinder Singh, the kingpin of the gang to execute the crime.

It is evident to mention here that the police had already arrested three members of their gang, including Kabir Singh, Karam Singh and William Masih on October 3, during the raid conducted at Ashirwad Hotel situated on Batala road here. The same gang was involved in snatching Rs 7.50 lakh from a trader from near Khanna paper mill.

Joshi said further interrogations were under progress and more cases were likely to be solved during investigations.

Amritsar, October 6
A family that sings together, stays together, that’s what Chaturvedi family from Amritsar seems to believe in. By becoming finalists at the family talent reality show Vaar Parivaar on Sony and finishing second was a proof of what this family of four has been doing over the past few years, singing together. The head of the family and the husband-wife duo of Anuj and Meenu Chaturvedi have made sure that their family is in sync.

“We are both professional singers and have been singing all our lives. Our talent was something we wanted to pass on to our kids. Call it genes, they too joined in without us having to initiate them into music,” says Anuj. Their reality television experience made them grow stronger and deepen their bond with their music. “On the show, we bonded together as a family as well as singers. Each family member has his or her own own identity and yet performs as a group,” says Anuj. Their kids, Rishabh (14) and Shivam (12) too have taken up studying music after the show. Anuj is ready with their latest album, which has a mix of Punjabi folk, and devotional songs. Meenu, on the other hand, is busy doing playback singing. “She has done playback for the film Heer Ranjha along with Harbhajan Mann and several other Punjabi films. I stick to my musical style,” says Anuj. Doing stage shows and live shows all over India, Anuj believes is good exposure for their kids. “We want them to become playback singers. We don’t want to restrict them to a single genre, but make them versatile.”

Shifting base to Delhi, the family does miss their hometown. “There is no place better than Amritsar. It has given us our start and the warmth and love we find here is hard to match,” says Meenu. The family will perform at the Dandiya Nights organised by Alpha One.

Amritsar, October 6
Even as the government makes tall claims of providing healthcare facilities to the people at their doorsteps, the pathetic state of affairs at dispensaries and health centres in the old city area belie these claims.

A visit to the various medical institutions in the old city area revealed that two of these units are functioning from buildings constructed during the colonial era. One of them, presently named Urban Training Health Centre, was opened in 1942 as Rai Bahadur Lala Rattan Chand Anti-Tuberclosis Clinic at Phawara Chowk near the historic Jallianwala Bagh. The building is totally in a shambles and the gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that the health employees working there feel threatened. “We are using only two rooms. A part of the roof of other rooms has collapsed,” said an employee, adding that during the rains water starts seeping from the roofs.

Perhaps the oldest in the city is the Princess of Wales Jenana Hospital named Municipality Hospital, Dhab Khatika which dates back to 1917. The building too has worn out with time and needs urgent repair. A big hole in the wall at the place where the RMO sits is a clear testimony to the condition of the building. Even the boards written about the services provided at the child centre of the hospital are hardly readable and need to be painted afresh. “The board on which the schedule of the immunization for children is written has faded,” said a visitor.

Similarly, the Family Planning Unit at Ram Bagh, popularly known as Chitta Gumbad (white arc), was winded up by the health authorities. The shopkeepers near the unit said it opens only when the health department organizes a medical camp or during pulse polio campaign.

The government Slum Area Dispensary (SAD) at Lohgarh, SAD at Gate Khazana, and SAD at Bhagtan Wala are no better when it comes to free medicines for patients. A doctor on the condition of anonymity said, “Mostly the poor come to government hospitals expecting that they would be provided free medicine. In absence of ample supply of medicines, the doctors have to ask them to buy these from market.”

The patients also rued that health workers are often not available on their seats. “The health department officials need to visit these centres more frequently to ensure presence of health employees,” said Raj Kumar, a visitor at Bhagtan wala SAD. The doctors admitted that often they have to face an awkward situation because of the patient demanding medicine while it is not available.

In view of the poor state of affairs at these dispensaries and clinics, the old city residents bank upon the Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, both of which are already burdened and short-staffed, for their healthcare needs.

When contacted, Civil Surgeon Dr Avtar Singh Jarewal said, “The medicines are supplied to each and every centre as demanded by them.” Talking about the condition of old buildings, he said Dhab Khatika building is owned by Municipal Corporation and Phawara Chowk centre is managed by the Government Medical College. “The buildings of both these centers have nothing to do with district health department,” he said.

Amritsar, October 6
The patients at the Out Patient Department (OPD) in four out of five satellite hospitals are facing a problem in getting free medicines because of the scarcity with the hospitals.

As per information, these satellite hospitals are provided with ample medicine kits for woman who have delivered child at the hospitals but the patients at OPDs are often asked to buy medicine from the market.

A pharmacist at one of these satellite hospitals disclosed, “We are provided around half a dozen different kinds of medicines which include PCM, CPM and few pain killers. But the stocks are not enough for all the patients.” He added that district authorities have been intimated about the problem.

Sumitri Devi, mother of a patient at the satellite hospital in Kale Ghanupur, said, “People in our locality informed us that hospital also gives medicines free of cost. But we have always bought these from medical stores. May be we always come at the wrong time.” She added free medicine means a lot to them as they cannot afford to buy these from market.

When contacted, Civil Surgeon, Dr Avtar Singh Jarewal said, “The shortage of medicines at satellite hospitals has not been reported to me. Only few days ago, the workers from Satellite Hospital in Ranjit Avenue had come and they were issued whatever they demanded.”

Bhai Dharam Singh Satellite Hospital at Ranjit Avenue is the only one which is located in a posh locality. The other four satellite hospitals situated on the outskirts of the city are Bhai Daya Singh Satellite Hospital, Mustfabad, Bhai Mohkam Singh Satellite Hospital, Sakatri Bagh, Bhai Himmat Singh Satellite Hospital, Kale Ghanupur, Bhai Sahib Singh Satellite Hospital, Fatahpur.

Amritsar, October 6
The Department of Guru Nanak Studies of the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, organised a special lecturer in the memory of Principal Iqbal Singh here in the conference hall of the university.

Prof Devinder Singh from Mumbai delivered this lecture on ‘Indian Education policy and Guru Nanak Dev ji’. He described the demerits of today’s educational system. He said, “We do not need ‘white collar’ clerks but we need good humans. Our education should produce man for the betterment of society. That is why we need to learn from the teachings of our great Gurus.” Dr Jaswinder Singh Dhillon, Principal, Khalsa College of Education, Amritsar, said, “We can find a complete education system for modern man from the Gurbani of Guru Nanak Dev ji.” He added, “It is unfortunate that we have opened educational institutions in the name of Guru Nanak Dev ji, but none of us have ever tried to implement his teachings for making an education policy.”

Dr Gursharanjit Singh, the Head of Guru Nanak Studies, described the contribution of the university in Sikh Studies. “Guru Nanak Dev ji was the only original thinker, who guided the humanity in all spheres of life. His views are more relevant today,” he said.

Dr Mandeep Kaur Dhillon of Sidava College of Education also presented her paper on the occasion.

Amritsar, October 6
The deadlock between the Guru Nanak Dev University authorities and the protesting teachers over the controversy sparked off by the dismissal of a senior professor and the promotion policy of the university finally broke today, with the two sides holding talks for the first time. However, there are no indications that the teachers would end their strike.

Today, a panel consisting of three senior university faculty members-Dr AK Thukral, Director of Research, Dr MS Hundal, Dean, Colleges and Dr MPS Ishar, Dean Students’ Welfare conveyed the Vice Chancellor’s message to the teachers that no arbitrary decisions would be made by the authorities and that the cases over which the teachers harbour resentment can be “reviewed”.

Confirming the development, Dr Thukral said that the talks were held in a cordial atmosphere. “We listened to their grievances. Accordingly, it would be conveyed to the Vice Chancellor AS Brar. We have apprised them that no discrimination would be meted out to any teacher and all the steps would be taken by the authorities as per norms”, he said.

On the other hand, Dr Balwinder Singh president of the Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers Association said that after the talks, the teachers have unanimously decided not to end the issue until and unless the message of the VC comes to them in “black and white”.

“Our agitation would continue till the time, we meet the Vice Chancellor personally and get his commitment in writing. Thereafter, it will be put up before the general house which would decide about the next course of action accordingly. We want that in all the cases, legal sanctity must be maintained and no discrimination should be done with the teachers when it comes to the promotional policy. Though the authorities have assured us that legal procedures would be followed in the case of Dr GS Bhalla, it should all be in writing”, he said. Meanwhile, reacting to the authorities’ recent decision of handing over the additional charge of headship of Business and Commerce Management Department, the faculty has jointly submitted a letter to the VC saying that no person except Dr Balwinder Singh would be acceptable to them as the Head of the Department.

Amritsar, October 6
A budding Khalsa College athlete, Jagdeep Singh has brought laurels to the college and the holy city by coming third in the High Jump event of the National Open Athletics Meet, held at Kolkata (West Bengal) recently.

The Principal of the College, Dr Daljit Singh, said that Jagdeep is a role model for other students as he cleared the height of 2.13 meters.