EDUCATION

Dev Samaj College wins giddha contest
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 31
Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, won the giddha contest of the Panjab University (Zone-A) Youth Festival at Tagore theatre on the last day here today.

Government College for Girls, Sector 42 won the second place, while the third place was bagged by Government College for Girls, Sector 11. The festival was organised by Dev Samaj, Sector 45.

Individual prizes were won by Avnish Sandhu of the host college, Sumela of GCG, Sector 42 and Meena of GCG, Sector 11. Payal Rathore, of GCG Sector 11, won the classical dance contest, while the second place was bagged by Pooja Rana of GCG, Sector 42.

The group dance contest was won by Government Home Science College, Sector 10. The second and third prizes were won by GCG, Sector 11, and the host college, respectively.

Individual prizes in the group dance contests were won by Kanu Priya of GCG Sector 11, Ragini of GGS, Sector 26, and the third prize as won jointly by Meetu of Government Home Science College, Sector 10, and Ashu Virdi of GCG.

Prof Anjala Maharishi presided over the morning session, while Mrs Santosh Shailja presided over the afternoon session.

STATE OF THE HOSTELS
A hostel sans canteen
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 31
The Young Men Christians Association (YMCA), Sector 11, was established in 1955. Till a few years back, it basically used to provide hostel facilities to its members, students and working men in the city.

But now the association is an activity-oriented place with hostel facilities limited to only eight large rooms. Children, students become activity members of the association for various summer activities. It also has a lawn tennis court where a number of members and non-members practise the sport everyday.

Earlier, the hostel facility was available to students and working men who needed to stay for more than two years in the city. But now the facility is available only for the members of the YMCA. A member of any of the YMCA branches in 90 countries around the world can avail himself of the facility.

The YMCA has a capacity of accommodating about 30 persons in eight large rooms with attached bathrooms. The only problem for those who are staying here is of food since this place neither has a mess nor a canteen.

‘‘Food can be provided if there is a group that intends to stay here for some time. But otherwise it is simply not economical to have a mess or a canteen, as there are occasions when none of the rooms is occupied,’’ says Mr Arvind Noel, general secretary of the YMCA.

“The rental for the rooms is Rs 50 per day for students and Rs 350 a day for others. The rates might sound exorbitant, but the rooms are very comfortable and such rooms will cost anything between Rs 500 to Rs 600 per day at any other place,” he says.

The YMCA is also running an economical computer literacy course for those who are interested in learning computer basics. Those interested bring a recommendation from other social welfare organisations and are admitted for a session here almost free of cost,’’ informs Mr Noel.

Librarians’ body to hold competitions
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 31
The Competition Master library-related competitions will commence here from November 11 onwards. This was stated in a press note of the Chandigarh Librarians’ Association, the organisers of the show, here today.

Prof K.N. Pathak, the Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University, will inaugurate the competitions at St Johns High School, Sector 26.

The motive of the competitions is to, ‘focus attention of school and college students, their parents and teachers on declining reading habits among masses. The main reasons being television, cable and computers,’ according to the press note.

Major events include quiz, debate, extempore speech, best reader, best school library, best librarian, slogan-writing, cartoon-making, handwriting and poster-making besides other contests.

Sankalp Divas observed
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, October 31
Staff and students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, observed the martyrdom day of Indira Gandhi as Sankalp Divas here today.

Students of senior classes participated in a rally. Speakers laid emphasis on the five-point programme relating to population explosion, eradication of illiteracy, empowerment of women, curbing of environmental pollution and national integration. Patriotic songs were played before and after the morning assembly.

The school Principal, Mrs Khushinder Sharma, focussed on the importance of the day and stressed the need to implement the five-point programme. Besides Dr Vishnu Pandey and Ms Parvinder Kaur, both lecturers, students also spoke on the occasion.

Rudy to visit PU on Nov 3
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 31
Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, will visit Panjab University on November 3 to attend a function where he will be felicitated, an official press note said here today.

An alumnus of the university, Mr Rudy was the president of the students union in Government College, Sector 11, and a former general secretary of the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council in 1984.

Mr Rudy is known to have special interests in contemporary economic issues, environment, wild life, tourism, aviation and rural development.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
HAU researchers’ plea on DA allowed
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 31
Allowing writ petitions filed by 32 research associates working in Haryana Agriculture University at Hisar, Mr Justice Mehtab Singh Gill of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today quashed an order passed by the university depriving the petitioners of dearness allowance at par with that of the teaching staff. Pronouncing the orders, Mr Justice Gill also directed the university and another respondent to give all the benefits to the petitioners and also to formulate a scheme as per a Supreme Court judgement delivered on September 16, 1992. As per the petitioners, the Supreme Court had left it to the authorities concerned to consider the feasibility of preparing a scheme in which the research associates could be absorbed in the regular cadre of Research Assistants as and when the vacancies arose.

Notice to Rohtak PGIMS

On a petition filed by a Sonepat district resident seeking admission to three-year general nursing and midwifery course, Mr Justice Amar Bir Singh Gill and Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar of the High Court have issued notice of motion to Medical Superintendent of Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences at Rohtak and other respondents for November 19.

In her petition, Ms Arti had alleged that her name was placed at No. 7 in the list of candidates eligible for the interview, but was denied admission on the ground that Bihar Intermediate Education Council from where she had passed her class 12 examination was no longer recognised by Haryana’s Board of School Education.

Ex-servicemen’s plea admitted

The High Court admitted a petition filed by 20 retired Major-Generals seeking directions to the Chief of the Army Staff, along with the Union of India, to restrain the anomaly in fixing the pension of the petitioners. In their petition, the ex-servicemen had claimed that they were getting less pension than the officers who had retired as Brigadiers even though the rank of Brigadier was lower to the post last held by them.

Pre-arrest bail for PWC manager

Issuing notice of motion to the Punjab Advocate-General on a petition filed by Sukhdev Raj Kaushal, district manager with Punjab Warehousing Corporation, Mr Justice M.L. Singhal of the High Court today ordered that the petitioner should not be arrested in a cheating and a forgery case.

The petitioner was earlier booked by the Punjab Police under Sections 408, 409, 465, 467, 471, 468 and 120-B, IPC, after a letter was written to Moga’s Senior Superintendent of Police for the registration of a case against him, along with certain other accused, for the alleged defalcation of wheat, paddy and rice, amounting to Rs 3.80 crore.

DISTRICT COURTS
Anticipatory bail granted
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, October 31
A local court today granted an anticipatory bail to an accused in a forgery case. The case against the accused, Raghubir Singh, was registered under Sections 120,467, 468 and 471 of the IPC at Sector 36, police station.

The accused had allegedly forged title documents of a car for getting it transferred in the name of another person.

Judicial remand

Three residents of Kumhar Colony, Sector 25, who were arrested by the city police for allegedly robbing a Panjab University, student, were today sent to judicial remand till November 8 by a local court.

The accused, Pardeep, Sunil and Pardeep alias Lalu, were sent to juvenile home as they are minor. The accused had allegedly threatened a PU student, Arvind, with a knife and had taken away his purse containing Rs 170 and his ID card on the road separating Sectors 24 and 25.

Police remand

An accused, Gurdeep Kaur, was sent to one-day police remand today by a local court, in a case of kidnapping and criminal intimidation.

The case against the accused was registered under Section 363, 506, 328 of the IPC.

PANCHKULA

7-year RI

An accused in a dowry death case was convicted of the charge by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Dr S.K. Kapoor.

Niranjan Singh, a resident of Koti village was sentenced to seven-year rigorous imprisonment and also directed to pay a fine of Rs 10,000. He had been accused by his father-in-law, Heera Singh, of causing dowry death in March, 1998, along with his mother, father and sister. He had alleged that they were to harass his daughter for dowry, which led to her death.

Seven remanded

Seven accused in the gruesome murder of Pala Ram at his Bir Ghaggar colony residence yesterday were sent to 14-day judicial remand today.

All seven accused, Kewal Ram, his wife, Shakuntala, sons, Raju and Sonu, and daughters, Meenu and Monu, who were arrested by the Chandimandir police yesterday, were sent to judicial remand.

It may be recalled that they had done 48-year-old Pala Ram to death following a minor altercation. The wife of the deceased, Preetama, was also injured in the clash.

Pinky produced in court
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, October 31
Gurmeet Singh, “Pinky” an Inspector of the Punjab, who was arrested on the charge of killing a youth, Avtar Singh, of Ludhiana along with an accomplice was produced before the UT Additional and Sessions Judge, Mr Lakhbir Singh, this afternoon. The Judge directed the accused to appear before the District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S. Bhalla, on November 7.

It may be recalled that the accused had been booked for murder and other offences under Section 302, 307 and 336 of the Indian Penal Code on January 7.

CULTURE

Dynamism of the abstract unravelled
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 31
The dynamism of art and its gradual shift towards abstract forms has been beautifully showcased in “Fusion”, the group exhibition of prints, which opened at the art gallery of the Government College of Art, Sector 10, today. Structured and finished by students and teachers of Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, the display is powerful in all aspects — theme, technique, blending and effects.

The show, which was opened for the public by the UT Home Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, unravels the mysterious world of printmaking. Where on the one hand it comes across as a celebration of creativity, on the other it acquires a mature dimension by reflecting the tremendous status which print-making has now achieved.

Prints are no longer just a branch of visual arts. They have, in fact, transcended the set perimeters of tradition and have acquired a place of significance among different forms of art. A powerful medium of expression as they are, the 35 participating artists have amply used them to further personal, social, political and even environmental concerns in their works.

The works have been shaped in various techniques. Many colour etching works form a part of the exhibition, which follows a seven-day print-making workshop held in the College of Art some time back. This one was conducted by Pinaki Barua, eminent print-maker and member, Faculty of Graphics Department, Santiniketan. In fact, four of the participating artists, Preeti Sood, Dalvinder Singh, Akshaye Agarwal and Arpan Sidhu are products of the city’s College of Art. They are now pursuing their masters in fine arts at Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan. Talking about the various artistic concerns and techniques which inspired them to work on the current show, Arpan Sidhu said, “The idea here was to expose city students to some of the finest forms being taught at Santiniketan.”

Akshaye Agarwal added, “Being at Kala Bhavan has helped us relate better with the technique thus enriching our works of art. We have come a long way and learnt how a simple line can be made more sublime, complicated or visually more appealing through means of artistic reproduction.”

On display at the gallery are works set in lithography, serigraphy, wood cut, lino cut, engraving, dry point, aquatint, viscosity and embossing. Computer graphic prints are also on display.

Many seasoned artists, who are also on the faculty of Santiniketan, are participating in the show. These include Nirmalendu Das, Sanat Kar, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Santanu Bhattacharya, Suranjan Basu and Salil Sahani. Student participants from Kala Bhavan include Annaray Hangargi, Ananya Nath, Chhathakur Kabil Singh, Gouri Shanker, Jayanta Naskar, Jatuporn, Nagarbasi Barman, Maushmi Ganguly, Ponna Balaji, Ratha Hazra, Sabita Pegu, Sayan Choudhry, Shabari Smitha Guha, Shanta Roy, Shivaji, Sonal Shukla, Sonali Kamat, Subhash Dhayal, Subhadip Nath, Ujwal Banerjee, Vasant, Yathee, and Maneshwar Brahma.

Interestingly, apart from the prints, the show also has photographs of the entire Kala Bhavan complex. The pictures of sculptures and murals created by reputed alumni of Kala Bhavan have added zing to the ensemble which in itself is a confirmation of the fact that once set into motion, a work of art survives apart from its physical body. It becomes an expression, a feeling or a gesture.

When the pen talks of the sword
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 31
Poets have, since times immemorial, used words as weapons to safeguard social conscience. No wonder then, that poets have been called the consciences-keepers of society. This day saw a gathering of seven poets at Lala Lajpat Rai Bhavan, who joined hands in dissection of the social conscience. As one couplet followed another, the bitter-sweet truth of existence was laid bare. The poems talked of life, red in tooth and claw; of fast eroding sensitivity, and of the flames of hope which are still flickering.

Madhav Kaushik (extreme right) recites a poem at a kavi darbar held in Lala Lajpat Rai Bhavan, Sector 15, Chandigarh, on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

As K.K. Nanda Ashq put it, ‘Kya khoob cheez di hai is zindagi ke badle aaraam kaise paate jo maut hi na hoti’. His couplets came straight from the heart as he added, ‘Duriye manzil ki na socha karo faasla kitna hua dekha karo.’

After Ashq, Sultan Anjum, in his patent satirical style, denounced USA’s and UK’s policy against global terrorism. His poem has a strong historical context. He narrated how the British made slaves, of nations and have now joined America in the fight against injustice. This contradiction was evident in Sultan’s verses, ‘Usi ke zulmo ke mare hain vietnami, filistini hava di hai usi ne hamesha fitno ko.’

Madhav Kaushik’s poetry was laced with hope. He began, ‘Khuli kitaab se shamo sehar bhi aayenge bhari dopeher mein tare nazar bhi aayenge abhi to haath hi kaate gaye hain sapno ke zamin pe toot kar khwabon ke sar bhi aayenge.’

Yet another couplet by him aroused applause, ‘dekhte dekhte hi hata deiye sabke chehron se nakaab aisa lagta hai sheher mein sarfira koi nahi.’

Among other renowned poets present were Amrik Singh Pooni, R.D. Sharma Taseer, S.D. Agnish, Gurdial Singh Arif, and Jigar Jullundri.

Music, revelry mark Halloween spirit
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 31
It was a day of bliss and celebration at a discotheque in Sector 9 which played a host to the revelers, who gathered there for the Halloween bash. As the couples walked into the disc, they were provided with special masks to mark the occasion. With masked faces the youth joined the festivity, trying to match the flying beat with the rhythm of their steps.

Today’s bash is the third in the line of Halloween fests which have recently become a part of city’s social circuit. The West celebrates this day to pay homage to the people who have passed away. The belief goes that on the night of October 31, the souls of the dead come back to the earth in order to confirm the well being of their kin. The celebration on this day is meant to further this confirmation.

Dance, party and music is very much a part of Halloween celebrations and it was found in plenty at the venue today. The entire decoration of the venue was also done to match the Halloween spirit. So there were pumpkins, skeletons, witches, bats, spiders and webs. The revelry went on till well past midnight.

Variety programme
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 31
The Song and Drama Division of the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry held a cultural programme on the Air Force Wives Welfare Association Day at the 12 Wing Air Force Station here. The function was also attended by wives of senior retired Air Force Officers.

On this occasion the association took account of all its activities from November, 2000 year to October 2001.

During this year the association raised funds for the Gujarat earthquake victims, organised pulse polio immunisation camp, donated biomedical equipments to Air Force Family Welfare Centre gave sholarships to financially weak students at the Air Force School, held workshop on stress, and donated clothes to the poor and needy.

Geetha Govindarajan, president of the association, gave away medals prizes to all participants. Geeta Rani, secretary of the association, proposed a vote of thanks.