Bathinda, December 1
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra seemed to have failed to satiate the craving of her fans during the inaugural ceremony of the fourth World Cup Kabaddi wherein the Punjab government spent a whopping Rs 6.5 crore. Out of this amount, the actress pocketed more than Rs 1 crore for her 12-minute performance.

City residents, who attended the ceremony, said though the lights, music, songs and the arrangement were gratifying yet Priyanka failed to perform up to the expectations. People opined that instead of roping in a Bollywood actor, the Punjab government could have roped in some veteran sportspersons who could be a great motivation for participating players as well as for the general public. A cross- section of people, talking to The Tribune, lamented that they went to the sports stadium despite all odds expecting to watch Priyanka dancing on Punjabi beats.

“Though the Punjabi singers struck the right chord with the audience, Priyanka's dance failed to fall in sync with the audience,” said Garima, a resident of Patel Nagar.

Shashi Bhushan, a businessman from Rampura, said he had witnessed many functions like this in Canada, Australia and other countries and it was indeed an international level programme. "But Priyanka's performance was just like that of an ordinary performer.

“It seems that she had not rehearsed for the show. Even the clothes she wore were not flattering enough,” said an advocate, Gurwinder Mann, a resident of Ajit road. Gippy Grewal, Satinder Satti and Sherry Mann got maximum points from the audience for their speech, dance and acting on the stage, Mann added. He pointed out that last time, Shahrukh Khan too had failed to evoke a positive response from the crowd in lieu of Rs 1 crore.

Dr Vandana: It was indeed a great show but as Priyanka’s fan, I expected more from her. We had crossed several security barriers to catch a glimpse of her, but in vain. The organisers should have roped in some Punjabi singer or Bollywood actor with a Punjabi background.

Amandeep: The organisers should have kept the Punjabi audience in mind before making any arrangements. They took away a huge amount of the tax-payers’ money, which was not worth. Such wastage should be stopped. The money could have been pumped into kabaddi itself to make the game better.

Garima: The government failed to gain anything by spending a huge amount on Priyanka. Had it been spent on strengthening sports infrastructure or education, the government would have surely won plaudits. Instead of actors, the players of kabaddi teams could have shaken a leg or two dancing to the beats of bhangra.

Karan Singh: The government spent Rs 6.5 crore on hosting the event, which could have been better with less expense. There could have been a documentary tracing the roots of kabaddi and the way this game has kept our fathers and forefathers healthy.

Harman: Priyanka failed to make a connect with the Punjabi culture either through her speech, dance or wardrobe. Had it been some Punjabi celebrity like Sunny Deol, people would have enjoyed more and money too could have been saved.

Bathinda, December 1
Till November 30 afternoon, the state government must have patted its backs for handing out the contract for the opening and closing ceremonies of the fourth World Cup Kabaddi for less to a new company. And then, the evening rolled on and the decision proved a rather expensive one.

While the last two years the ceremonies were organised by Wizcraft International Entertainment, this year the reins were handed over to Ferriswheel, probably for quoting a lower price-Rs 6.5 crore-for organising the ceremonies. As per reports, Wizcraft had taken away Rs 8 crores from the state coffers. The company was also short-changed after actress Katrina Kaif performed for time lesser than scheduled.

However, on Saturday, it was evident that the changing of the guard cost the state government dear. As the much-awaited ceremony began with an act by two stand-up comedians, the audience couldn't help but call it a lacklustre performance. No point mentioning the stale joke that the two blokes cracked on the stage. The two were also badly betrayed by the JBL audio systems installed all around the stadium.

The hopelessly haphazard placement of school children all over the ground also added to spoiling the broth. While a few sat, others walked, stood still and a few kept trying to switch on the LED lights that lined the hems of the umbrellas they were holding. The well-guarded surprise element of a troupe of dancers from the US also fell flat as the LED lights played spoilsport once again.

As artistes presented a folk dance to the song, "Kade Kade Rabb Paida Karda Badal Jehe Insan" which aimed at praising the chief minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal to the skies, it drew just the opposite reaction from the crowd.

Bragging about laying your hands on a VVIP pass is one thing and watching the whole show standing on the aisle is just the other. While more passes than seats marked for VVIPs were sent out, the administration must have sat with its fingers crossed hoping the audience wouldn't fight in the VVIP gallery.

The crowd which has seen Shah Rukh Khan's (second world cup) and Akshay Kumar and Asin's (third world cup) buoyant performances during the opening ceremonies previous years, was probably expecting a little more than a demure sari-clad Priyanka, not to miss the big bindi.

Priyanka could certainly take a lesson or two from Katrina who had made the audience sweat on a winter night during the closing ceremony of the third World Cup Kabaddi, organised in Ludhiana.

Bathinda, December 1
If things fall in place, kabaddi might well be included as a recognised sport in the 12th All African Games 2015. President of the Kenya Kabaddi Federation, Matthuw, stated that the federation was trying hard to get the sports department of the country introduce kabaddi in the 2015 sports carnival in the country.

"We are in talks with the Sports Department of the Government of Kenya and want to demonstrate the sport to the officials of the department so that we get a chance to go to the provinces of the country and prepare teams to participate in the games," said James, a representative of the sports department of the country.

James also added that the only handicap that the federation was facing was the fact that due to the economic crisis in the country, the government was unable to financially support the players. "We are being sponsored by private companies. The CEO of one of the companies is expected to come and see our matches to see how the team is faring in the sport," said Matthuw.

Both the years, the team was prepared by Manjinder Singh Brar and sent to Kenya by the Punjab Sports Department. Singh, a former kabaddi player and a post-graduate in physical education, taught at Government Girls School in Bagha Purana before working as a coach at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala.

Last year, the Kenyan team did not win any of the matches that it played, Singh is confident about the team's progress. "Last year, I was sent to Kenya only two weeks before the tournament. I demonstrated the sport, held trials, selected team probables and trained them before choosing the final team. The time was short for me to train the team," Singh said.

"This year too, I went there two weeks back but by then, the team had already been selected by the Kenya Kabaddi Federation. Since some of the players were new to the team, I showed them clips of kabaddi matches before training them. Most of them are either rugby or football players or athletes and hence, are physically fit," he added.

Captain of the team, 27-year-old Haron Onguso, is also hopeful that the team will make its mark this time. "In February, we started meeting sportspersons in various provinces and called them for the trials and selected the team in August and began training. The sport is getting popular in the country because of the World Cup Kabaddi in Punjab," he said.

hyderabad, December 1
A woman doctor from Bathinda who was pursuing a postgraduate course here allegedly committed suicide by injecting herself with unidentified poisonous liquid, police said today. Dr Sailaja Sharma (31), hailing from Bathinda, lived in a rented house in Mahindra Hills area here.

She commited suicide yesterday, and her servant noticed it this morning and alerted the neighbours. The Tukaramgate police said a suicide note found in the house said she was ending her life as she was under depression. — PTI

Bathinda, December 1
Members of the Computer Teachers’ Union, Punjab, and other computer teachers held a protest march here today. They assembled at the Rose Garden chowk and marched to Teenkoni and then returned back to the Rose Garden where they staged a dharna against the state government.

The teachers’ union accused the state SAD-BJP alliance of making fake promises to win the assembly elections. The teachers stated that the government had promised them that their services would be regularised but had failed to abide by the clauses.

They also accused the state government of making the then Director General School Education (DGSE), Kahan Singh Pannu, change the words ‘regular services’ to regular pay scale’ in the regularisation letters given to the teachers on or after 30-8-2012.

They also accused the present DGSE, Kumar Rahul, of removing certain important lines from the clauses mentioned on the regularisation letters given to the computer teachers on or after November 28, 2013.

The union argued that although the state government was fulfilling its promise of regularisation of jobs, it was ignoring and removing the earlier clauses while incorporating changes.

Bathinda, December 1
The health department today observed World AIDS Day by holding an awareness rally. Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Sonali Giri, flagged off the rally from fire brigade chowk, Mall Road, to spread the message of awareness as tool to fight against AIDS.

Speaking during the event, Sonali motivated the youngsters to know AIDS for no AIDS. She said that information was the main weapon in the fight against AIDS and in ensuring that people do not fall victim to the deadly disease that breaks down immune system leaving a patient an easy victim to a plethora of diseases. She also released a bunch of balloons that carried messages on AIDS awareness.

The participating students in event carried placards and banners spreading message on AIDS. Civil Surgeon, Dr Ajay Sahni, District Health Officer, Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa, District Family Welfare Officer, Dr Ravanjit Kaur, and other doctors were also present at the event.

Starting from Fire Brigade chowk, the rally passed through Dhobi Bazar, Hospital Bazaar, Gole Digggi, Mall Road and culminated at the Hanuman chowk.

A seminar was also organised at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda. Civil Surgeon, Dr Ajay Sahni, presided over the event.

Speaking on the occasion, blood transfusion officer, Dr Inderdeep Sra, said blood donated during voluntary blood donation camps undergoes various tests to ensure that only safe blood is transfused. Dr Preet Maninder talked about the passing of infection from mother to her unborn child. She said pre-natal tests conducted during pregnancy easily provide status of the AIDS.

Dr Ajay Sahni laid emphasis on ensuring safe sex, not sharing needles and taking other steps to ensure that no one falls prey to AIDS.

Bathinda Vikas Manch (BVM) today held an AIDS awareness programme in Beant Nagar area, Dhobiana Basti. President of the BVM, Rakesh Narula, said it was more important to hold awareness in the slum areas as due to lack of education people were largely unaware of the ill-effects of AIDS.

Bathinda, December 1
Coping with blindness due to diabetes in India presents a dismal picture. More eye surgeons are needed in the country to cope with the increase in cases of blindness due to diabetes. In India, in 2007, an estimated 40 million were diabetics. The number is expected to rise to 70 million by the year 2025.

Dr Rajbir Singh of Sardar Bahadur Sohan Singh Eye Hospital of Amritsar said this while delivering a lecture at the continuing medical education (CME) programme held by the Bathinda Ophthalmological Society here.

Dr Rajbir Singh added there were only 700 vitreo-retinal (VR) surgeons in India to deal with the mammoth load of diabetes that caused blindness.

Tracing the history of the management of diabetic retina, he spoke about the strict medical control of metabolic parameters and the treatment options. Dr Ajay Kapoor from Delhi highlighted the role of surgical measures in restoring vision in diabetic blinds. Dr Harpreet Singh Miglani, from Amritsar, talked about the latest treatment options in managing lazy eye - an avoidable childhood disability of vision, where one eye becomes lazy while the other eye has normal vision.

President of the society, Dr Amrit Sethi, highlighted the role of Vitamin D in the control of diabetic retinopathy and regular vision check of schoolchildren to prevent the development of lazy eye. Dr Shveta Grover of Bathinda moderated the session.

Prof SP Singh from Government Medical College, Faridkot, president of Punjab Opthalmological Society and president-elect of North Zone Ophthalmological Society, was the chief guest.

Bathinda, December 1
Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University (GZS PTU) Campus, Bathinda, has been awarded the Best Punjab Government Technical Institute at the National Punjab Education Summit and Awards 2013 recently.

The award has been constituted by the Communication Multimedia and Infrastructure (CMAI) with the objective of promoting education in the country. The award recognises the achievement of the institutions who have contributed significantly towards the overall quality of education in making their students more employable so that they can make meaningful contribution towards making India a true superpower in the coming years.

The recent academic achievements like academic autonomy from Punjab Technical University, establishment of QIP centre for post-graduate and doctoral studies, Rs 10 crore grant under the TEQIP-II project and being the first choice of students seeking admission to under-graduate and post-graduate programmes leading to the selection of GZS PTU Campus for the award.

Campus director Dr Jasbir Singh Hundal dedicated the award to the hard work and sincerity of the faculty, staff and students of the campus who have contributed significantly in making the campus a world class institute.

He said the growth in technical education has brought to fore the compelling issue of effective management of educational programmes to prepare youngsters for competitive environment.

Bathinda, December 1
The fried fish at Makkar Chicken Corner on Ajit Road is mouthwatering for the non-vegetarians during the winters as he has a perfect recipe to keep you warm even as the chill catches on.

Narender Singh prepares fish pakoras at his outlet on Ajit Road in Bathinda. Photo: Bhupinder Dhillon

Run by 45-year-old Narender Singh, the small makeshift kitchen near Ghorewala Chowk offers tasty fried Basa fish topped with two kinds of chutneys.

Covered with a layer of bread crumbs, which add zing to Basa pieces,

tailor-made for your palate, the dish is prepared in soyabean oil. "Any other edible oil does not give the kind of flavour and health, which soyabean oil gives," says Narender.

Narender has been in food business for the last 30 years but he started out by working as a delivery boy. He used to work on delivering parcels of food from cooks to the consumers. In the process, he often came across cooks who devised different ways of cooking by making their recipes perfect. "I picked nuances of cooking from different cooks. Three years ago, I decided to cook on my own and sell directly to the people. The non-vegetarian food offers a greater spectrum of adding spices and experimenting with the taste," he adds.

The Basa fish is procured from Mohali at the rate of Rs 250 per kg. This includes 400 grams of ice and 600 grams of fish. A kg of fish lasts for only two to three days.

Interestingly, Narender has a large clientele of cops, who "pay" him for the fish pakoras. "Though cops are known not to pay, but my policemen customers pay me. The policemen are my frequent consumers as they have to be on duty even in the shivering nights and the fish offers them the much needed warmth with taste," he says.

Narender also has family members who run similar shops on Goniana road and at Bhatti road. However, the family prefers to guard its secret recipe and does not share it with anyone.

It's the usual garlic, ginger, green chilli and spices that make the taste. The two accompanying sauces include white cream and green sauce. It is topped with grated radish.

Narender sells fish for Rs 600 per kg and 250 grams for Rs 150 is the most sought after quantity for the visitors who relish the food by the roadside. Apart from on the spot eating, people also get the fish delicacy packed.

Bathinda, December 1
Punjab today beat Delhi 54-24 to reach the final of the under-19 kabaddi competition for boys as part of the ongoing 59th National School Games. Punjab. The team won under the guidance of its coach Rajesh Kumar and will face Haryana in the final which today beat Chandigarh 30-15 in the semi-final.

In the earlier matches, Chandigarh beat Madhya Pradesh 44-18, Gujarat beat Madhya Pradesh 47-30, Delhi beat Vidya Bharti Sangathan 40-22 and Punjab beat Chandigarh 36-10.

In the under-17 hockey competition for girls, Punjab beat Uttarakhand 14-0, Maharashtra beat J&K 8-0, Chandigarh beat Tamil Nadu 15-0, Himachal Pradesh beat CBSE 12-0, Haryana beat Andhra Pradesh 18-0, Uttar Pradesh beat Karnataka 6-2, Chhattisgarh beat CBSE 5-0, Maharashtra beat Bihar 3-0, Kerala beat Andhra Pradesh 4-0, Orissa beat Rajasthan 12-0 while Gujarat beat ICSC 1-0. In the under-17 hockey competition for boys, Uttarakhand beat Bihar 3-0, Tamil Nadu beat CBSE 10-2, Haryana beat Pondicherry 5-2, IPSC beat Chhattisgarh 4-2, Chandigarh beat Maharashtra 12-1, Haryana beat Himachal Pradesh 5-0, Andhra Pradesh beat Madhya Pradesh 5-2 while Gujarat and West Bengal tied at 2-2. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka match also ended in a tie at 2-2 while Rajasthan and Kerala tied the match 1-1.

In the girls' under-19 netball competitions, CBSE beat Jharkhand 12-3, Delhi beat Haryana 25-18, Chandigarh beat Uttar Pradesh 22-9, Chhattisgarh beat Maharashtra 27-17, Tamil Nadu beat IPSC 20-12, Karnataka beat CBSE 30-10 and Gujarat beat Jharkhand 20-12.

In the boys' under-19 netball competitions, UP beat Karnataka 30-29, Haryana beat Vidya Bharti 25-6, Delhi beat CBSE 26-8, Maharashtra beat J&K 27-3, Punjab beat Andhra Pradesh 48-14, IPSC beat Madhya Pradesh 24-19, Chhattisgarh beat Chandigarh 31-20, Gujarat beat Jharkhand 21-11, Haryana beat Tamil Nadu 31-16 and UP beat Vidya Bharti 26-6.

In the Under-19 girls' basketball league matches, Haryana beat Rajasthan 67-17, Delhi beat Gujarat 70-34, Chandigarh beat Haryana 53-48, Uttarakhand beat Tamil Nadu 39-18, IPSC beat Uttarakhand 29-14, Chhattisgarh beat CBSE 45-26, IPSC beat MP 40-33 and HP beat NVS 30-18.

In the Under-19 girls' basketball knockout matches, NVS beat Haryana 46-20, Maharashtra beat Tamil Nadu 59-30, Chhattisgarh beat IPSC 54-34 and Karnataka beat HP 54-31.

In the Under-19 boys' basketball league matches, Chandigarh beat NVS 54-18, J&K beat UP 56-42, Karnataka beat Uttarakhand 48-18, Chhattisgarh beat HP 63-31, Punjab beat Haryana 59-40, Kerela beat CBSE 37-8, Madhya Pradesh beat Chandigarh 48-45, Delhi beat Tamil Nadu 83-29 and Maharashtra beat Haryana 52-42.

In the knockout matches in the Under-19 boys' basketball competition, Rajasthan beat Jammu and kashmir 60-39, Chhattisgarh beat Andhra Pradesh 53-32, Karnataka beat Tamil Nadu 47-28 and Chandigarh beat KVS 56-48.

Bathinda, December 1
To promote health through regular fitness exercises and to bring out the advantages of jogging, running and walking, the Army personnel of Bathinda Cantonment undertook an innovative and energetic 'Run For Fun' involving Army personnel and their families and children on Sunday at the Bathinda Military Station.

Soldiers and their families undertook an organised run on the Cantonment premises displaying awareness banners on good health and on the importance of regular exercise.

The Indian Army promotes such events to educate and to bring out awareness amongst people of all ages on the need to exercise the body and mind through yoga, running, jogging and walking for better health and to eradicate stress.