PU panel for fruitful budget debates
Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18
Panjab University has constituted a high-level committee to recommend a procedure for discussion on budget to ensure that the discussions are adequate and fruitful.

This decision of Prof K.N. Pathak, Vice-Chancellor of the PU, is being considered a positive development in view of the hours that are wasted on discussions on useless aspects of the budget in the Senate meeting. The meeting would be held next week, sources said.

The committee comprises Mr R.S. Verma, a former bureaucrat, Prof Ramesh Pandey, Prof Charanjit Chawla, Mr Gopal Krishan Chatrath, Prof S.C. Vaidya and the Registrar.

The office note says, “Every year, when the budget estimates are presented before the Syndicate and the Senate gives its suggestions, the suggestions overlap existing provisions.”

The university says, “Though the office had made efforts to incorporate some of these suggestions in the budget estimates, the other members still had complaints of non-compliance.”

“When the budget estimates were prepared for the year 2000-2001, a committee led by the Dean University Instructions and comprising Prof Ram Prakash, Prof I.M. Govil and several other members of the Senate had suggested changes that were included in the estimates.”

The university budget for the year 2001-2002 saw another long debate, where several mistakes in the budget were pointed out.

Mr Satya Pal Dang, a fellow, moved a resolution in the house on May 27, 2001: “The VC is authorised to appoint a committee of not more than five members to recommend procedure for discussion on budget — to ensure that it is adequate and fruitful.”

The resolution was accepted by the House and the VC constituted a committee for making suggestions in this regard.

The Senate has seen heated deliberations on the issue in the past two years. One of the budgets was not cleared in the first meeting, which was unprecedented. Even when the budget was cleared in the second meeting, the House seemed to be more in a hurry to clear the budget that included salaries of hundreds of employees than to evolve a clear plan for future discussions.

A fellow said, “The budget figures and papers seem to be more confusing than illuminating. There should be a short lists of important income and expenditure heads, besides figures of the university reserves.”

CAMPUS ROUND-UP
Vandals ruin classroom decor
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh
An effort of Punjab University’s English Department to beautify the classrooms with literary adornments, has been spoiled by vandals. The attempt to create a better classroom environment has failed and posters carrying literary messages and various aspects of the language, lie torn, breaking the hearts of the students and faculty members who had worked hard to create them.

It had taken the students more than a week to create this matchless work. But only a couple of days later, torn shreds of their pieces of art greeted them. Says a heart-broken student of the English Department: “It is pointless to name any particular section or group. What has hurt us is that the vandals could have left the good work alone if they themselves could not do anything like that.

The tragedy does not end here. The students had contributed money to install small dustbins in their classrooms. Within a day, the bins vanished. The ceiling fans in the classrooms have been knocked out of shape.

A teacher said:“ I am sorry not just because the posters have been torn. These can be made again. I am shocked at the mentality of those who have such a destructive bent of mind. They cannot tolerate a beautiful creation if it is not theirs.”

One classroom was full of pieces of broken glass. The splinters were spread not only on the floor but also on the benches. The windows were intact. The pieces of broken glass had obviously been brought from outside.

The students of the Evening classes which are held in the same rooms have their own tale of woe. “ We are adjusted in classrooms meant for others. A separate campus should be raised to give us an identity. We are not treated on a par with other students even in other matters. We work during the day and come here in the evening to study. We also need respect,” the president of the Students Council of Evening Studies says.

A senior student leader says: “The English Department should not lose heart because of this incident. Another attempt should be made to promote an academic ambience. This gives a sense of identity to the students with their department. A similar exercise by other departments will create a sense of belonging to the institution.”

Another student said: “Any case of hooliganism should not be ignored. The students should make a representation to the university and efforts should be made to trace the culprits. Office-bearers of the Students Council of Evening Studies should be taken into confidence and the effort will yield positive results.”

Message on wheels: save environment
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18
A bicycle rally was organised here today by students of 12 foreign countries to promote environment protection and the use of bicycles on the Panjab University campus.

Students of Ethiopia, Kirgystan, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, Australia, Kenya, Uganda, Nepal, Tibet, Nigeria and Thailand participated in the rally where the ICCR Director, Mr Vinod Kumar, flagged off the riders.

The riders were carrying placards with messages like “Think Green and Eat Green” and “Use Environment Friendly Bicycles”. The rally was organised by the Yuvsatta and the Dean Foreign Students of the PU.

The winners of the event are as follows: Girls — Puspita of Nepal (1), Lusia of Kirgystan (2), Dawa Dolma of Tibet (3); boys — Kinley Doji of Bhutan (1), Jamnag of Bhutan (2), Chhawang of Tibet (3).

The chief guest, Mr G.K. Chatrath, Fellow of Panjab University, gave away the prizes to the winners. The Yuvsatta chief, Mr Pramod Sharma, presented a vote of thanks and urged students to work for the protection of nature and conservation of natural resources.

‘Sakharam Binder’ holds audience spellbound
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 18
There is no easy way to anything. Rules of life are simple — one thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast withers away soon, that which grows slowly...invariably endures. Playwrights have often had their way with words in voicing this philosophy of life.

But the style with which Vijay Tendulkar has juxtaposed the good and the bad element in the protagonist of Sakharam Binder is no less than “crudely factual”.

Director Umesh Kant scored his points by a skillfully handling of a fluid subject called man.

The play, which was staged for the 12th time today (third time in the city) at Tagore Theatre grew on three characters — the protagonist, Sakharam (played by Yogesh Arora), who denigrates women in his life so that his hatred towards the community continues to be fed; the humble Lakshmi (played by Jaspal Deol), who, despite standing crude physical tests of Sakharam, swears by him every moment; and Champa (played by Neetu Sharma), a woman from the sordid slums, who practises rashness like religion.

The story is free from the fetters of complication. It is about plain truths of life. Sakharam, a binder in the press, is weary of the hypocrite world.

He lives a life of dirt, practises prostitution, tortures women, lives on intoxicants.

But there is one strength in his character — that which honesty begets. He uses them and discards them when he wants, but he is always honest about his escapades. Lakshmi, the eighth woman in his house, pricks his conscience.

His guilt weighs heavily upon him and he finally turns her out, only to settle for a rash and rustic Champa. The latter cheats on him and gets killed in return. The murder changes the course of events. An obdurate Sakharam surrenders to an enduring Lakshmi.

The use of ‘mridamgam’ in the play revealed a lot of concealed rhetoric. It was highly suggestive. The script was powerful enough to engross the audience for two hours. Its dramatic quality was further enhanced by crisp dialogues, delivered by the actors with great confidence.

The director had done his research well, so had the actors. Each one fitted well into the story line, with no character appearing or sounding out-of-place.

Yogesh Arora embodied the pain of those who wish for goodness, but plunge into frustration when they find none.

Jaspal Deol truly lived Lakshmi, so did Neetu Sharma in the role of Champa.

A student of Department of Indian Theatre, Neetu showed promise. Surinder Vicky in the role of Faujdar Shinde and Rahul Joshi in the role of Muslim boy were convincing.

As for the director, his involvement was reflected in every stage sequence. So well-packed and presented was the entire effort that every act generated applause. Umesh Kant said towards the end, “My faith that the woman alone has the power to change the man pushed me through this production.”