|
|
|
|
women’s day
Not enough blood in veins
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
No shield against sexual harassment
Amritsar, March 7 Several local educational institutes are yet to comply with the instructions of the Social Security department to set up committees to curb sexual harassment incidents at workplaces. A majority of government, CBSE-affiliated, government-aided private colleges and schools do not have these committees.
hola mohalla
113 pigeons rescued
Two of robbers’ gang arrested
Now, select theme for your child’s birthday bash
|
|
Living it 'n loving it beyond the gender divide
Neha Saini Tribune News Service
Amritsar, March 7 On a high
Also known as Monika, at 27, Manveet Kaur is one of the very few women in the city who love to live life on the edge. By that we mean adventure sports. Pursuing adventure sports for the past five years, Monika has defied geographical and gender barriers and become a successful adventure sportswoman. "I love the risk and the sense of achievement after you are done that I got hooked to it," she says. Trekking through Parvati valley, Gangotri and Dhauladhar range, white water rafting in Rishikesh and Manali and mountain biking every weekend, Monika keeps getting better. “Since I began, I had people telling me that girls are not made for adventure. Even my parents objected at first. But I wanted to prove otherwise and I am glad that I have." She plans to go ahead and take up sky diving. "I want to try everything that I am told, girls can't do. It is fun proving people wrong." Winning spirit
Janak Rani Khanna sure believes in the policy of living life Queen size. The 90-year-old doctor by profession has spent her entire life in the city and celebrated each day of it. "I was born in Benaras but got married in Amritsar. My first impression of Amritsar was of a vibrant city that had a strong sense of culture and traditions," says the lady, who has stuck to her fierce sense of independence throughout her life. “I was probably the first woman to drive in the city, in the early fifties. Women were supposed to be chaperoned by the male members of the family, but I never thought I needed one," says the woman whose husband, Lt Swaroop Nayar Khanna was the first mayor of the city. She refused to live the quiet life of a housewife and has been serving people through medicine. A homeopathic doctor, she runs a dispensary at the All India Women Conference hall, giving free of cost medicine to the needy. "I don't believe in living with regrets, so I always did what I thought interested me." From hosting Jawaharlal Nehru to writing Bhagwad Geeta and Ramayana in Hindi, Janak has lived and enjoyed every moment of her
life. Even today, she refuses to mellow down. Everyday, she entertains her group of friends over a card party, and you can see the light in her eyes shimmer even more every time she wins a game. She also follows exercise and diet routine to stay fit and her glowing face tells you that. In power
An actor, theatre personality, teacher and above all a complete woman, Dr Nita Mohindra loves playing different roles in her life with élan. This noted artist from the city is no new name, but her firm ground has been the fact that she celebrates being a woman everyday. Her inspiration, "The fact that women need to prove themselves everyday of their lives just to belong," says Nita. Calling herself, not just a working woman, she says she doesn't believe in the concept. "Working women is not just about going to the office everyday, it is about adding something new to your life." Busy with her research on important women in Sikh history, she says, "Bibi Kheewi, the wife of the second Guru Angad Dev, became probably the first ever working woman when she began the Langar pratha." “Women need to understand that power or success is never offered on a platter. If you want it, you have got to take it. I have don't like that even after holding a position of power in the society, women are treated as objects. I hate it when in the middle of a serious discussion; someone just breaks your argument with a 'you are looking good in this sari' remark,” she says. As to what she will to change things around, "I will like to see how a man reacts to a cheeky, sarcastic remark made on him?" A woman of words she is, mind it! Recipe of success
Ever since she was seen on Masterchef Season 2, she has been loved. Yummy recipes and a smiling face, Jyoti Arora became a darling on the show. But this true blue Amritsari woman was able to achieve much more than that. She transformed herself from a housewife into a professional Michelin star chef. “I wanted to make cooking appear fun, just as it has always been to me," says the lady who first cooked up a meal at the age of eight, for her ailing mother. “The competition, pressure of winning made Masterchef entirely different from my kitchen. I did not know about cooking, global cuisines but was able to adapt and innovate, which I learnt from my mother. Cooking with the heart and not hands," says the chef.
|
|
Not enough blood in veins
Amritsar, March 7 District Family Welfare Officer Dr Ranjit Singh Buttar said, "The most worrying health issue concerning women these days is anaemia. Most of the pregnant women coming to the hospitals had merely nine gram of haemoglobin. In some cases the anaemia is severe and women have only seven to eight grams of haemoglobin." As per the international standards, haemoglobin level lower than 12 gram is considered anaemic. While the size zero craze among the urban youth is a cause of anaemia, women from the economically weaker sections of the society fail to get a balanced nutritional diet. "Even in the educated and economically well off societies, people do not know what a balanced diet means. Growing girls should seriously consider their food habits to avoid anaemia," said Buttar. Anaemia gives rise to many other complexities at the time of child birth, she added. The district has a Mother Mortality Rate (MMR) of 126. Though it is better than the state average of 172 and the national average of 212, but it still does not come close to the National Rural Health Missions goal of curtailing the MMR at 100. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) as surveyed at the end of year 2011 in the district is 29 per one lakh live births. The lack of timely hospitalisation and the absence of required health facilities in the rural areas is the reason why women tend to ignore their problems at the preliminary stage. Dr Buttar said a major section of women is growing deficient in calcium. “The problem is more severe in the women belonging to the BPL families,” said Buttar.
|
|
No shield against sexual harassment
Amritsar, March 7 The Department of Social Security and Women and Child Development, in its guidelines to be observed in the matter of sexual harassment of women at their workplaces had recommended its formation in 2002. District Education Officer (Secondary), Sukhwinder Singh, said such a committee was present at the district level but these are not formed at the school level. He said he will look into the present status of these committees and ensure that the same are formed. Said many times these committees became non-functional following the transfer of the officials and teachers. Dharamveer Singh, chairman, Sahodya Schools, an organisation of 38 schools affiliated to the CBSE in Amritsar, said no such committee exists in the CBSE-affiliated schools in the city. He, however, said they had received a communiqué with performa from the CBSE headquarters once in a year to report the cases, if any. Dean Academic Affairs, GNDU, Rajinder Kaur Pawar said the university had constituted a similar committee as soon as the authorities received instructions in this regard.
|
|
Panghura, the cradle of life
Amritsar, March 7 A visit to the District Red Cross Society office, where the district administration has set up 'Panghura', a cradle, to save baby girls who are abandoned is proof of what we are talking about. The city will rise up to honour its daughters like Kiran Bedi and Niki Haley, when they come visiting but still abandon and dump their new born girls. The reason why 'Panghura', a unique initiative came into existence. Amritsar has a very bad record as far as female feoticide is concerned. Incidents of abandoning unwanted children, especially the girl child at public places are rampant and most of the times, newborns are left on roadsides, garbage bins and at places of worship. In a majority of cases, the infants breathe their last before being found by someone. Disturbed by such recurring instances, the district administration came up with the concept of the cradle scheme, says Dr Randhir, additional secretary, District Red Cross Society, which takes care of the initiative. The brainchild of former Deputy Commissioner KS Pannu, 'Panghura' was launched in 2008. A foster care-cum-cradle for abandoned infants, it's the Red Cross Society that is responsible for the kids once they are dropped in the cradle outside their office. “Over the years we received 51 infants out of which 48 were girls," says Dr Randhir. “Social orphan-hood is a concern, especially with the girl child. Even the urban couples disregard the female born and in a shocking incident we recovered an infant when she was left to die on the railway track. The birth of a boy is celebrated like a festival and the count of the girl child left abandoned is increasing day by day.” The Red Cross Society also takes care of any health emergencies that these infants suffer from once taken under their care. With Panghura, the damage done to them is thankfully controlled. "Unlike any foster care home, we work just as the postman. Recovering these children and then putting them up for adoption in the process is our ultimate goal," says Randhir. "We have tie ups with legal adoption and placement agencies across Jalandhar and other cities in Punjab and also call for volunteers and corporate citizens to aid the cause." The adoption procedure too is done according to the norms that settle any doubts or concerns raised. “Anyone who wants to adopt these children has to get clear notifications from the child welfare council and is investigated thoroughly by the court to come clear of all doubts. We have an impressive response from the couples who want to adopt these girls, some have been waiting for years.”
|
|
‘Have an organic, tilak Holi’
Amritsar, March 7 Dr ML Gambhir, a skin specialist and Assistant Professor at Government Medical College and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here said people should never use colours using chemicals or water colours on Holi. “Cheap chemical and water colours could lead to skin allergies and irritants," said Dr Gambhir. ‘People must celebrate Tilak Holi instead of colouring the whole face or body," he added. He said people should use natural home-made colours or at good quality colours at least. “People should encourage their wards to save and conserve water and play Holi without water or using natural colour. Instead, we should motivate people to celebrate the festival by applying Tilak only," said Deepak Babbar, convener Mission Aagaaz, an NGO.
|
|
Pilgrims risk lives, travel in overloaded vehicles
GS Paul Tribune News Service
Amritsar, March 7 At least the scene at the main Amrtisar-Jalandhar GT road near Pingalwara testifies it. Right under the nose of traffic police, several over-loaded bus and truck ferry devotees bound for Anandpur Sahib and Dera Baba Wadhbagh Singh Sahib. Truck operators fix wooden planks on the cargo to double the capacity of the trucks. Even the bus operators do not hesitate to carry passengers on bus roofs to maximise their profit. Cost for a seat in bus is something between Rs 110 and Rs 120 per seat but for the rooftop the price comes down to half. About the police or the high patrolling squad midway one of the operators said: “Don’t worry, it is our responsibility to take you to your destination.” The Motor Vehicle Rules prohibit any kind of modification of the vehicle before putting it on the road and also cautions about carrying load more than the prescribed capacity. Vehicle owners justified their act said, “We are caring passengers like this for many years and no mishap has ever occurred. Our drivers know what speed to be maintained; when and where to stop.” Brij Bedi, a social activist said the authorities seem to be waiting for some accident to happen before taking any action. “Even animals are treated in a better way. When animals are carried in trucks basic measures are taken such as to give them breathing space. The authorities just do not care,” said Brij Bedi. A resident, Naresh Johar, said passengers themselves should be blamed for it. “People prefer to put their lives at risk rather than paying little extra for government transport. The administration cannot shed overlook such a gross violation of traffic norms. I wonder what the highway police do because these vehicles pass through the GT road. It seems that the operators have taken the police into confidence well in advance,” he said.
|
|
Easy shortcuts take a toll on dividers
Amritsar, March 7 Lawrence road and main road leading to Batala, both have broken dividers that are causing accidents. Sources said shopkeepers of Lawrence road are apparently involved in breaking these dividers. They do it so that people can stop at their shop at first instance. The shopkeepers of the area were against the construction of dividers as they feared it would hamper their business, said police. “We do not have power to challan these offenders. It is the shopkeepers as well as the general public who destroy the dividers to facilitate their way. Everybody here has ‘top’ connections,” police said. Residents here also have destroyed the dividers so that they can get home soon. They do not realise that how fatal it could be. Some months ago, the police department in collaboration with the Amritsar Municipal Corporation constructed these dividers following repeated accidents on this stretch. These dividers helped in solving the traffic problems to a great extent. At Hussain Pura chowk, where the police has diverted traffic towards Batala road, the dividers have been broken at many places and the authorities never bothered to re-construct it or to depute guards to man the traffic flow. At present, the broken concrete slabs are spread over the road that is leading to more accidents, specially during night. Jagdish Singh, a daily commuter on this stretch said a biker smashed his car recently while attempting to jump over the broken divider. “The bikers are not even afraid of police who are present there,” he said. Near the MC office complex at Town Hall (just opposite to Bharawan da Dhaba), the police has placed barricades to divide the road temporarily. The commuters conveniently put these aside to make a short cut on this one-way route.
|
|
113 pigeons rescued
Amritsar, March 7 SPCA’s Sehej Gulati said as soon as the team reached the spot and inquired about the pigeons, all three accused fled. She said it was learnt that they were trying to smuggle these pigeons to Jammu and Kashmir. She said three of these pigeons died overnight.
|
|
Two of robbers’ gang arrested
Amritsar, March 7 The police seized a country-made pistol, 25 mobile phones, two motorcycles and 500 grams of narcotic powder from their possession. The accused have been identified as Vikramjit Singh, a resident of Kittiya opposite the B Division police station and Harwinder Singh of Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar. The police seized a .12-bore country-made pistol, two live cartridges, 260 grams of narcotic powder and 15 mobile phones, besides a motorcycle stolen from Kot Baba Deep Singh area and a camera from the possession of Vikramjit while it seized a sharp-edged weapon, 240 grams of narcotic powder, 10 mobile phones and a motorcycle (stolen from Chatiwind chowk) from the possession of Harwinder.
|
|
Now, select theme for your child’s birthday bash
Themed birthday parties for kids are in vogue. The trend is catching up fast as birthday’s no more are about surprise gifts, going for pizza and play stations. It’s about invitations sent in two weeks advance, elaborate planned themes and getting the job done professionally. Here’s how city kids are celebrating their birthdays. “The latest in trend are cartoon characters, sci-fi themes and fairytale themed parties for girls,” said Parvez, from Chic Chocolate, a professional event and wedding planning company. “These parties are well thought out right from the venue to decorations and activities. This year we have done popular theme parties on Smurfs, Mc Donald’s farm and Snowman,” he said. A farm party will have lot of greenery around, with large animal cut-outs as decorations. “It all depends on the child’s liking. Some love games so we arrange venues like Orama Playzone in Alpha One where children can enjoy video games and other activities,” said Parvez. Balloons and ribbons as décor accessories are a passé; here we have chocolate and graphically designed art work as decorations. “We recently did a birthday party where everything right from banners and props had real chocolate prints,” he said. Planning a birthday theme party is no child’s play. “Themed parties for kids are more expensive than cocktails or even private parties for adults. There is a lot of work and research that goes into planning and developing a theme for a child. A team of professionals work hard to make it look authentic as kids are very sensitive about their parties,” said Pulkit Arora from Lemon Leaf events and promos. Some of the hottest themes are cartoons characters like Doremon, Ben Ten 10 and Chota Bheem, fantasyland parties with fairytale characters like Cinderella and Snow White, and the side show includes play stations, magic shows, Karaoke, puppet shows and live sketching done by professionals. “Kids just love personalised touches and so we have to plan everything in advance,” said Pulkit. Not only kids but teenagers too refer themed celebrations. “We did a fashion-themed party for teenager with life-size cuts-outs of ramp models, creating an actual ramp for her and her friends. Another teenager referred Bollywood awards night theme, where we created trophies out of coconuts. Then there are beach themed parties and the list just goes on,” said Parvez. And the cost, no matter how much unreasonable it might sound, comes out to be anything between Rs 30,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
How about having Spiderman or a Cinderella drop in with a birthday cake at your child’s birthday party? On second thought, how about bringing the entire Hogwarts as guests?
Amritsar, March 7