Jalandhar, October 10
As far as artistic exposure is concerned, Jalandhar is a small city where the light of avant garde contemporary and/or abstract cinema and art seldom strays.

As the majority does not care, Jalandhar’s enlightened art appreciators, sit seething with envy, as many meaningful films, art or theatre festivals give Jalandhar a convenient miss, while touring other parts of the state.

For a city thirsting for class and a peek into cinematic and artistic works from the world over, the perfect opportunity is on the horizon.

In a poignant combination of cinema and poetry, the city will be a witness to a film festival that introduces it to the finest poetry-films from six continents.

The 3rd Sadho Poetry Film Fest (2011-12), the first and the only film festival of its kind in Asia, shall be held at the Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya here on October 15.

The delightful festival, which has been wowing art lovers and intellectuals across India and the world since 2007, has partnerships with other important festivals that focus on the poetry genre of films in Europe, the US, Latin America and South Africa.

There will be films from countries including the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Norway, the US, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and India.

Often, aptly upheld as ‘Poetry in motion’ by the media, the festival shall showcase films bringing the literary genius of famous poets like Victor Hugo, William Blake and Sylvia Plath; Nobel Laureates Pablo Nerdua and Tomas Transtromer; Japanese Haiku masters Issa, Basho and Busson; Kashmiri saint poets Lad Ded and Nund Rishi, and modern Indian poets like Kunwar Narain, Sarweshwar Dayal Saxena and Nissim Ezikel – to the city.

The films at the festival will range from range from 28 seconds to 55 minutes in duration.

The mediums in which the films will be presented include works with conventional film, animation, puppets, and mixed media.

While the festival has two versions, in Jalandhar, the 90-minute version of the festival will delight city cinema lovers.

A two-day main event of the festival is held in New Delhi, once every two years. The next year Sadho takes select films to various other cities in its travel festival. These screenings are abridged versions of about 90 minutes each. The screenings comprise about nine or more short films with introductions by the festival curator and Indian poetry filmmakers.

This event is being organised in the city jointly by English Literary Society 'The Budding Brontes' and 'Creative Lens Society' of Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, informed Ramnita Sharda, in-charge of both the societies.

The festival, which has 177 select poetry-films from 41 countries and six continents, also has rare archival poetry-films made by filmmakers and poets like Allen Ginsberg about 25 years ago, whose original copies have probably been lost.

It also has a special section for poetry films made by students of prominent international film schools and also films made by directors as young as thirteen-years-old.

Films by Indian poetry-filmmakers, including those made as a part of the 'Sadho Poetry Films Project', would feature at the festival. 

Jalandhar, October 10
In the wake of upcoming festival season, the District Health Department has chalked out a comprehensive plan to curb supply of synthetic milk and milk products across the district.

Taking a cue from the recovery of seven quintals of “spurious” desi ghee from an illegal ghee manufacturing unit in Ladhewali village, the district health officials have decided to launch an operation from October 15 onwards.

The department that is operating with a limited staff has sought police help and had even held a meeting with the officials of the concerned departments and certain members of the Civil-Defence Society over the issue last Saturday.

Talking to The Tribune, District Health Officer (DHO) Jasbir Singh claimed that the operation would be launched with the assistance the Civil-Defence Society by roping in over 500 volunteers in the city.

Surprise raids would be conducted on big, medium and small houses preparing sweets.

Apart from this, the department has also decided to launch a drive against the sale of gutka and tobacco across the district after the state government issued prohibitory orders banning their sale, the DHO claimed.

He, whoever, claimed that shortage of staff in the department might hamper the drive launched to curb the menace.

The department has appealed to the general public to keep an eye on the preparation and sale of adulterated eatables and inform the nearby police station, members of the Civil-Defence Society or health officials in this regard. 

Jalandhar, October 10
After a prolonged season of downslide, markets this week saw some increase in prices. Almost an equal number of vegetables saw an increase in prices as some did a decrease in prices. Most of the vegetables, however, stayed priced the same as last week.

The prices of potatoes, onions, tomatoes and okra remained the same as last week at Rs 15, Rs 10, Rs 15 and Rs 20 per kg this week too.

While capsicum, ginger, cauliflower, eggplant and French beans witnessed an increase in prices; peas, bitter gourd and radish witnessed a decrease in prices this week.

Going by the present standards, capsicum witnessed the most dramatic increase in prices being priced at Rs 40 this week from Rs 25 last week.

Ginger, cauliflower and French beans saw Rs 5 increase in prices each going up to Rs 35, Rs 25 and Rs 25 per kg this week from Rs 30, Rs 20 and Rs 20 per kg last week, respectively.

Eggplant saw a marginal increase of Rs 12 this week from Rs 10 last week.

The prices of peas, bitter gourd and radish saw a decline to Rs 75, Rs 20 and Rs 8 per kg this week from Rs 80, Rs 30, Rs 10, per kg last week.

Peas, which were pretty costly a few weeks ago, have seen the most dramatic and consistent decrease in prices for the past some weeks.

Jalandhar, October 10
The police has not registered an FIR in a Dalit youth’s thrashing case even after a month of the incident.

A Dalit youth, identified as Pungi, was allegedly thrashed by some persons when he was feeding his horse near a vacant plot at Basti Danishmanda locality. He sustained injuries on several parts of his body. His right leg also got fractured in the attack.

His mother Jinder said he underwent treatment at the Civil Hospital for about a fortnight after the incident occurred on September 6.

A medico legal report (MLR) was also prepared by the doctors, but no FIR was registered at the police division number 5.

Jinder said she along with Lachman Singh Gill, district president of the Dalit Dasta Virodhi Andolan, also met the SHO Rajendra Kumar several times requesting him to take appropriate action against the assailants Raghu and his associates, but to no avail.

Fed up with by dilly-dallying tactics of the police division concerned, Jinder and Gill submitted a complaint a few days ago to Police Commissioner Gaurav Yadav requesting him to take strict action against the assailants. The CP marked their application to Assistant Commissioner of Police, West, Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu.

Sandhu said he had already called the parties concerned to look into the case. Appropriate action would be taken on the merit of the case, he added. 

Jalandhar, October 10
For a district which abounds with frequent reports of people being abandoned on the streets or being victimised, the presence of a legal body, which might fight for their rights, is very important.

On World Mental Health Day, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) held an awareness campaign on the legal aid options available with the ‘special’ people at Prayas School.

Apprising the school staff, students and their parents about the free legal services and Mental Health Act provisions, Tejinder Bir Singh, Civil Judge (senior division) and member secretary, DLSA, Jalandhar, today said, “A person suffering from any kind of disability – blindness, leprosy, hearing or mental disorder – is entitled to free legal services.”

Apprising the school management as to how they could directly lend a helping hand in the situation, he said, whenever the administration received any complaint regarding an abandoned or victimised child or adult with disabilities, the SHO concerned is supposed to be informed regarding it, from where the next of course of action will be followed (health or legal service).

The Civil Judge also said the health treatment of such patients is also supposed to be provided free of cost.

Apart from free legal aid for people, including members of SC or STs; victims of human trafficking; beggars; women; children; victims of mass disasters, ethnic violence, caste atrocities, droughts, earthquakes or industrial disasters; undertrials; industrial workmen and persons with an annual income below Rs 1 lakh, were also entitled to legal aid by the DLSA, said Tejinder Bir Singh.

He said the DLSA, Jalandhar, has been trying to aid the victims of such situations in the district and there is a need for citizens to actively report such incidents happening in the city. “We shall be looking to provide active legal assistance and hold such sensitisation campaigns in the future too,” he added. 

Jalandhar, October 10
A teacher and a student of a private air hostess training institute have levelled charges of molestation and sexual harassment against the institute owner.

Amisha (name changed) of Ludhiana, a student, and Sonika (name changed), a spoken English teacher of the Basti Peer Dad locality, have approached Jalandhar Police Commissioner Gaurav Yadav, who has asked the ADCP, Traffic, Sukhdev Singh to look into the case.

The duo has given a written complaint against institute owner AP Singh in this regard to the Commissioner.

Talking to mediapersons, Amisha said, “A few days after joining the institute, AP Singh forced me to sign 10 blank cheques. Besides, he also got signatures of mine and several other girls on blank papers, but he did not tell the reason why he was doing that.”

“I and my friend later started living at the PG, offered by the institute owner. He lived in the same apartment,” she said.

During their stay at the PG, he mistreated them and made sexual advances towards them, they alleged.

Amisha further alleged that in September and August, he took students of the institute to a tour in Himachal Pradesh, where he took her objectionable pictures, which he had also reportedly uploaded on some social networking site. She apprehended that the owner could blackmail her with those pictures in the future.

“Breaking the silence, I informed our spoken English teacher about the indecent incidents. We two are not the only victims, there are several other girls who do not want to come in the open,” she said.

They alleged that the owner had also installed secret online cameras in their room and bathroom and this was also confirmed to them by one of the institute’s employee.

Father of one of the girls said they were also trying to convince parents of other girl students to raise their voice against the institute owner.

Terming the allegations baseless, institute owner AP Singh said it’s a mere game plan of girls.

AP Singh claimed he had recently suspended the said spoken English teacher and following which she along with the student has been levelling baseless allegations against him.

“I know I am innocent and have not molested the girls. You can ask any other student or employee of my institute about the truth. I will fight the allegations and will apprise the police about the truth,” he said.

ADCP Sukhdev has asked the complainants to record their statement tomorrow at his office.

Jalandhar, October 10
Students of Mayor World School participated in an inter-house debate, which focused on the side effects of fast food.

Based on topic “fast food restaurants should be closed”, the students also highlighted the plus and minus points of the habit and service by such restaurants.

Two participants from each house spoke on the topic. An interactive debate with audience also stole the show on the occasion.

School principal JS Hundal said Saina Tiwari and Gautam Rajput (Keats House), clinched the title, while Sanchi and Ansh (Shakespeare House) bagged the second position, which was followed by Rachel and Anushruti (Wordsworth House).

Sanchi Gupta was adjudged the best speaker.

Jalandhar, October 10
In two separate raids last night, the Bhargav Camp police nabbed 17 persons for gambling and seized Rs 40,000 from the spot.

Somnath, Inspector, said the police got a tip-off that people were gambling at two different locations. Acting on the information, two police teams were formed to conduct the raids.

The first raid was conducted on a bungalow in New Deol Nagar, from where Naveen Kumar of Rameshwar colony, Anil Kumar of Basti Sheikh, Manish Kumar, Raj Kumar, Sudir, Rakesh Kumar, (all residents of Basti Gujan locality), Kapil Kumar (Mochian mohalla), Ramesh Kumar, Pardeep Kumar, Ashi (residents of Basti Gujan), Shah Nawab (Rishi Nagar), Ashi and Bittu (Dabbi Mar mohalla) were nabbed. The police seized Rs 35,000 cash from the two groups.

The second raid on the house in the Abadpura locality led to the arrest of Rajinder Kumar, Jagmohan Raj, Raj Kumar (residents of Abadpura), Chandarmohan of Nijatam Nagar and Ashok Kumar of Chandan Nagar. The police seized Rs 4,670 from the spot.

A case under sections of the Gambling Act has been registered.