Amritsar, October 31
A controversy started during the Guru Nanak Dev (GND) University Inter-Zonal University Youth Festival 2011-2012 held here with allegations of outsiders and professionals participating in the bhangra event levelled against DAV College, Amritsar.

Some hours before the prize distribution function, the GND University authorities today declared the final results placing the bhangra team of DAV College, Amritsar, on the runners-up position. Many fingers were raised at the team with allegations that its two members were outsiders and not the students of the college. On the other hand, the DAV team members pointed out that the team had engaged professional folk singers for assisting them from the backstage.

The final of the event was held on October 28, but the GND University authorities were compelled to withhold the result for over two days due to the controversy. Already the Khalsa College was barred from participating in the current season’s bhangra event on account of a similar controversy surfacing last year.

Nevertheless, the incident has also raised a question mark over the new “mechanism” adopted by the GND University authorities, which has fixed an age bar of 25 years for participating in the youth festival and made matriculation certificate the only valid document to prove eligibility regarding age.

The DAV College authorities maintained that all members of its bhangra team were bona fide students of the college and had submitted the original matriculation certificates of two of its members - Gagandeep Singh and Pankaj Nayyar - in this regard, but had alleged that the team No 46 had included some “professional” member in it.

Dr Jagjit Singh, Director, Students Welfare, under whose supervision the festival was held, said an inquiry was conducted in the matter, following which the results were declared today.

“We had to detain the results of the bhangra event because we had to inquire into the eligibility of some team members. The matter has been sorted out,” she said.

Gurdas Singh Sekhon, in charge of DAV bhangra team, claimed that Gagandeep was a student of BA-I, while Pankaj a student of MA (history).

“Both are our bona fide students and as per GND University’s demand, we had submitted their matriculation certificates too. Those who raised objections did it just out of jealousy. Rather, some colleges had included ‘professionals’ who sang ‘boliyan’ backstage,” he said.

“Our team had given outstanding performance in the preliminary rounds and had cemented its place in the final by defeating the opponents with a huge margin,” he added. There were five teams which vied for the trophy in the final title in the bhangra event. Besides DAV, Amritsar, the other teams were GND University campus team, DAV College, Jalandhar, Lyallpur Khalsa College and Government College, Gurdaspur.

Amritsar, October 31
The inability to develop scientific temper among students in their formative stage, inadequate infrastructure at schools and insufficient number of teachers are major reasons behind the decline in interest towards science among students.

If the science scenario is bad in some government schools, then it is worse in many of the government-aided schools. There are over 414 government schools in the district, while nearly 40 government-aided schools.

Many of these government-aided schools located in the walled city are finding it tough to generate interest among students in science and accommodate a large number of students in obsolete labs.

Nearly a century-old DAV Senior Secondary School, inside Hathi Gate, has four science labs to cater to the needs of students of Class IX, X, XI and XII. General labs meant for Class IX an X students are non-existent. Senior academicians are of the view that interest in a subject among the students could only be generated at their formative stage.

A similar situation is prevalent at another over a century-old Hindu Sabha School. Only 30 students are studying in Class XI and 45 in Class XII.

Talks with students of these schools revealed that they were offered limited time to attend the labs. The students of Class IX and X, who needed more exposure to practicals, were offered limited time in laboratories on the basis of sections. They were divided in sections on the basis of marks earned in the previous class. Less number of marks meant limited exposure to labs.

DAV Senior Secondary School Principal SK Luthra said new subjects like environment, physical education and computer had been incorporated in the curriculum, forcing the school to add more rooms to run these courses. He said with the limited infrastructure they were providing education to the students at minimum cost. He accepted that the exposure of students to science labs was limited, but there was no dearth of funds and teachers.

Hindu Sabha School Principal Gurparshad said the school was not able to generate interest towards science among its students as majority of them join it in Class IX from various schools being run in the city. He said propensity of these students toward a stream and subject was already developed and it was extremely tough to change them.

Meanwhile, uncertainty is staring at many government secondary schools for girls, so far being run efficiently, following change in the government’s policy. The government recently announced that girls would be provided free of cost education up to Class XII.

Vice-Principal of Government Girls School, Mall Road, Sukhraj Kaur said the decision came into force in July as per which they were no longer charging any kind of fee, including science fund. She said they had not been informed how to get the grants for operating the science labs in future.

She said many of the equipment in her school belonged to the 1950s but chemicals were required frequently to continue practical tests. She informed that there were 150 students in Class XI and 80 in Class XII, both medical and non-medical. She added that in commerce stream there were 57 students in Class XI and 55 Class XII.

There were separate labs for chemistry, physics and biology, but these cannot accommodate more than 20 students at a time. Hence, the schoolteachers had made groups of 20 students each and each student attended the lab at least once or twice a week.

Amritsar, October 31
The Municipal Town Planning (MTP) department has served notices on 24 hotels, lodges and sarais (inn) near the Golden Temple for violating building bylaws. Municipal Town Planner Shakti Bhatia said he had informed the owners of these buildings to stop using these properties.

The Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC) would seal these buildings if the owners fail to reply to the notice within seven days.

Many of these hotels, especially inns, constructed by spiritual heads have illegally raised the height of buildings to over 50 feet as against the norms of 38.5 feet, which mar the skyline around the Golden Temple.

Surinder Singh, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association, said there were over 150 hotels in the walled city and a majority of them were constructed on less than 150 square yards area.

He said they had been regularly paying annual commercial house tax, conservancy tax, water supply and sewerage taxes to the AMC. Besides, they pay luxury tax to the state government through its sale and excise tax department. He said yet they were being branded as violators of norms.

Bhatia said in the initial phase, notices were served on 24 buildings. Gradually more buildings would be brought under its ambit.

The MTP served notices under Section 343 (1) (b), Sections 345 and 340 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation (PMC) Act, 1976.

He said it was brought to the notice that these commercial complexes had no parking space within these building premises in accordance with norms of building bylaws, as a result of which the visitors of these buildings park their vehicles on the road causing nuisance to the general public and hindering smooth traffic flow.

The MTP acted against these hotels, lodges and inns after the Punjab and Haryana High Court took serious notice of the matter while deciding on a civil writ petition filed by Sarbjit Singh.

Amritsar, October 31
How distinctly we remember the poster of classic Gone with the Wind, with Clark Gable and Vivien Liegh striking an intimate pose. The memory just lingers on. But the poster exhibition that opened at KT Kala Art Gallery might be able to bring the memory back. The exhibition displays a collection of classic, collector’s item posters from across the world.

From promotional to art, these posters are a part of personal collection of Ravi Rozdon, chairman of the Kausa Trust, over the past 50 years. Landscapes, museum posters, publicity posters, film posters, commemorative posters, the variety of over 80 posters displayed is at large. Some of these are dated back to the fifties and the latest ones are from the nineties. The exhibition was inaugurated by senior artist Baldev Gambhir. “This exhibition is a unique one and useful for the art lovers as well as the followers. Some of these are hand printed, some digitally printed while some are just typos. It’s a mix of traditional and modern art form at one place,” said Brijesh Jolly, director, KT Kala.

The posters are collected from across 10 to 15 countries and depict the art forms of respective countries. The exhibition is open to all and the timings are from 10 am to 5.00 pm on all working days. There is no entry fee.

Amritsar, October 31
Serving the best of the nawabi flavours from Lucknow the HK Clarks Inn’s Kebab and Biryani festival brings a variety of non-vegetarian and vegetarian delicacies to suit everybody’s palate. The festival is nothing short of a delectable buffet.

The elaborate menu includes kebabs, biryanis, kormas, roomali rotis and warqui paranthas. “The richness of Awadhi cuisine lies not only in the preparations but also in the ingredients used, especially the spices like cardamom, saffron and garam masala, also called Dum,” said Mani Shankar Jha, executive chef, HK Clarks Inn. Jha has spent six years specialising in Awadhi cuisine and is currently responsible for all the delicacies being prepared in the festival.

“The aroma comes from the spices and herbs and the traditional flavour is accentuated by the technique of slow cooking,” he shares. Awadhi cuisine is proud of its kebabs and with a variety like Kakori and Galouti kebabs, Tunde ke kebab, seekh kebab the pride just doubles, he said. But what makes it a different experience for an already experienced Punjabi appetite? “The Luchnowi kebabs are different from Punjabi kebabs as these are prepared slowly over a chula rather than being grilled over a tandoor. Preparation of pulao or vegetable rice here is also different than biryanis.” The chef special includes stuffed mushrooms with cheese and aatish-e-aaloo for the vegetarians and Dumba or barbecued lamb with spices and herbs for the non-vegetarians.

Amritsar, October 31
The State Information Commission has summoned Amritsar Deputy Commissioner and Public Information Officer, Cultural Department, Punjab, in connection with denial of information to communist leader Balwinder Singh Dudhala under the Right to Information Act.

Dudhala in an application to the Deputy Commissioner has sought information under the RTI Act regarding expenditure incurred on Amritsar Heritage Festival conducted by Virsa Vihar Society in February this year. The Deputy Commissioner is the honorary chairman of the society.

The Commissioner has forwarded the application to society for action. But the society denied him any information claiming that it was a private institution and does not come under the purview of the RTI Act.

Following this Dudhala put the case before the State Information Commission which fixed November 18 as next date of hearing. The commission has sternly asked them that it was their last chance to answer back as they had failed to give written reply on earlier occasions.

Amritsar, October 31
The Guru Nanak Dev University has constituted a 22-member high-powered committee to examine and review the present status of teaching of Punjabi language. The committee would give its recommendations to raise the level of teaching of Punjabi at the undergraduate level in the colleges affiliated to the university.

A noted linguist Prof. Joginder Singh Puar, former Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala, has been made the chairman of this committee, while Dr. Rajinderjit Kaur Pawar, Dean, Academic Affairs, would act as a convener.

The VC said the committee would submit its report within two months and the recommendations will be routed through the respective bodies for taking necessary action well before the beginning of the next academic session.