Gurdaspur Diary: Batala school showcases talent

Batala: Kindergarten junior and senior section students showcased their talent on the big stage on the big occasion in the Cambridge International School annual concert. Ex-Batala MLA Ashwani Sekhri, earlier with the Congress, at present with the BJP and nobody knows where he will land in the future, is a proud founder-member of this school. He surely must have heard of that famous quote: “Future generations are not going to ask you which political party you were in. They are going to ask what you did about your people when you knew the glaciers were melting.” A three-time legislator, Mr Sekhri, known for his political astuteness and sagacity, should know the reply because he is, after all, answerable to the future generations. A full-stop must be put to Mr Sekhri’s story here because it was not a political rally that the school held but a sombre annual function. Vice-principal Sanjukta Majumdar welcomed the guests and conducted the proceedings with aplomb. The school’s motto seems to be: It is good to teach students to count, but it is better to teach them what counts. The proceedings kicked off with the traditional ‘Shabad Gayan’ and the lighting of the lamp. The teachers seemed to have drilled into the impressionable minds of tiny tots that be so good that they can't ignore you. Reason enough why kindergarten students charmed the audience with a performance on the theme of ‘Bachpan’. The show celebrated the innocence and joy of childhood. There is a Hindi song that says, “Bachpan jhoot na bole.” Yes, children, never tell lies, even if they know how to tell one! Actually, nobody wants to but sometimes a person is trapped in such situations and circumstances that he is virtually forced to lie. Later in life, lies give birth to hypocrisy. Childhood slips into youth and that is the time when we get to know that big or small, a lie is a lie. Back to the concert! After the kindergarten students’ performance, came the musical drama called ‘Panchtattava’ based on the five elements: earth, water, fire, air and spirit or ether. They are often used to describe the natural world and its processes. Children must know that from the smallest atom to the giant whale floating in the ocean to the solar system upstairs, all things are said to be composed of some combination of these elements. The evening climaxed with the traditional Punjabi dances, Bhangra and Giddha. Prominent among those who were present were Ashwani Sekhri, co-chairperson Anuja Sekhri, CEO Abhinav Sekhri, co-CEO Deepanka Sekhri, Principal (Mrs) Vijay Handa and vice-principal Sanjukta Majumdar. The performers went back to their homes with a smile on their faces, so did their parents. The school staff could do well if they paste Ron Wild’s quote on the notice board: Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child.

                                              Vigilance sleuths apprehend lower rank employees

When it comes to curbing the menace of corruption, the Vigilance Bureau (VB) sleuths often apprehend lower rank government employees while letting the high and might off the hook. Logically, this means officers occupying top posts are always as clean as a whistle while only the lowly placed officials are corrupt. Last week, the VB created a lot of hype and hoopla by arresting a Batala-based Patwari, Balbir Singh, for accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000. The VB directed its achievement through the DPRO to ensure maximum publicity, Interestingly, the photo they released had Balbir Singh wearing a piece of cloth on his face while the sleuths were smartly dressed in civvies. Can somebody ask the VB whether a Patwari’s immediate senior officers, including the Tehsildar, are not corrupt? Why hang a Patwari and let go of his seniors? Does anybody know when ministers come calling from Chandigarh, who foots the bill? The top bureaucrat asks his juniors, particularly those working in the revenue department, to pay. The hard fact is, like it or lump it, sometimes wives of senior bureaucrats visit malls on shopping spree with tehsildars in tow. Now, the tehsildar is not going to pay from his pocket. It is obvious that he will be paying for the lady’s scarfs and sarees, purses and perfumes from his deep well of ill-gotten money. Is the VB oblivious of this fact? Here comes into play Alfred Einstein’s quote: The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by those who watch them without doing anything. Give enough protection to whistle-blowers and then see how the skeletons fall out of the cupboards. Because inadequate protection can deter individuals from reporting corrupt practices. The fear of retaliation can silence the potential whistle-blowers and hence allow corruption to thrive. Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal