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A day of joy for DAV alumni Chandigarh, December 13 Most alumni honoured at today’s function were accompanied by their families, some even with their grandchildren, and basked in the glory of the honours their institution bestowed on them. Much awaited at the function, Kapil Dev and Yuvraj, however, could not make it. The most moving sight was that of the parents of Major Navneet Vats. They came to the function with the Major’s mentally challenged younger brother and accepted the award from the Vice-President, Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, with moist eyes. He assured the parents of all help they needed. Prof Harbans Lal, father of Major Sandeep Sagar, along with parents of other martyrs, stayed together during the function, exchanging memories of deeds of their children’s valour and holding on to their awards with utmost care. The mother of Kapil Dev, Ms Ram Lal Nikhanj, and Yuvraj’s mother, Ms Shabnam Singh, accepted the awards on behalf of their sons to a thunderous round of applause. “The DAV institutions strength lies in their motivated teachers and dedicated management, “ said Mr Rajan Gupta, Transport Commissioner, Haryana, a passout of the 1977 batch from Amritsar. “While high standard in education is DAV’s hallmark, today college education is not enough and necessitates tuition. I agree it is an aberration in the system, but colleges no longer provide social and academic skills,” he added. It was a pleasant meeting for a Rajya Sabha MP, Mr R.K. Anand, who had come from Delhi to be part of the function, and a former Editor of Dainik Tribune, Mr Vijay Sehgal. “It is good to be back though things have changed drastically since I left. We exchanged visiting cards and tried recalling our roll numbers and sections during college days,” he said. The Managing Director, Air-India and Indian Airlines, Mr Sunil Arora, was a lecturer in a DAV college before he was selected in the Civil Services. “I have all regard for the DAV system of education where teachers, principals and managements strive for holistic development of the child,” he explained. Students of various DAV schools in the city presented a colourful cultural programme marked by songs and dances to entertain the old students. Those honoured include Mr Justice Arun Kumar Goel, Mr Justice Hemant Gupta, Mr Bharat Puri, Mr P.K. Nanda, Mr R.K. Anand, Col R.D. Singh, Mr Parminder Rai, Mr Rajan Gupta, Mr Shashi Kapur, Mr Sandeep Goyal, Mr Vineet Garg, Mr Satyendra Kumar, Mr Ravinder Kumar Kaushik, Mr Rattan Keswani, Mr Rakesh Mittal, Mr K.S. Bhullar, Mr Vijay Sehgal, Mr Munish Handa, Mr R.K. Handa, Mr Yograj Singh, Mr Charanjit Singh Bajwa, Mr Krishan Kumar, Capt Vikram Batra, 2nd Lieutenant Rajeev Sandhu, Capt Vijyant Thapar, Capt Atul Sharma and Major Sandeep Sagar.  |
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Testing times for geology lab MOHALI: For a majority of the residents of the township, the existence of a hi-tech geology laboratory in the township’s Industrial Area might come as news. Tucked away in a corner of the Phase VII Industrial Area here, the laboratory is as good as non-existent. The laboratory, which came into being in the sixties, is virtually non-functional now, especially when compared to the kind and amount of work it used to do in the beginning. Besides, the plot which houses the laboratory badly needs maintenance. The laboratory, working as part of the mining wing of the Department of Industries and Commerce, Punjab, is highly specialised and caters to mining, geo-technical and chemical analysis works of the government and private industries in the state. However, sources pointed out that with better services and direct competition from private laboratories, the government laboratory in Mohali had become virtually defunct and other than a few of its own departmental projects, there was nothing much being done here. ‘‘The last big project which we undertook was the one at Bathinda Refinery in 1997,’’said a source. Those working in the laboratory said lack of funds to upgrade the equipment and non-competitive rates being offered by the laboratory had led to its present condition. ‘‘This laboratory has been functioning satisfactorily and provides credible results. Last year, over 150 tests were carried out here,” said Mr S.K. Sandhu, Director, Industries, Punjab. ‘‘I know there is a need for its upgradation, but at present funds are not available,’’ he added. The sources pointed out that till the laboratory offered competitive rates, it could not compete with private laboratories, which were offering similar tests. The condition of the laboratory is abysmal. The plot is replete with congress grass and the building needs repairs. An old dilapidated jeep has been rotting behind the building for decades but no one has taken notice of it. Employees said the jeep was at least 50 years old and had been lying here ever since the laboratory was set up. |
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Agreement on IT training Chandigarh, December 13 The agreement was signed at the SPIC Centre of Excellence in Sector 12. Mr Vivek Atray, Director, IT, and the Director, NITTTR, Mr O.P. Bajpai signed the agreement. The Technical Teachers Training Institute has recently attained the national status and is now called
NITTR. |
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PU Reader advocates spread of Hindi Chandigarh, December 13 Dr Ahluwalia presented a letter in this regard to Mr Shekhawat who was here today for the university’s convocation. He pointed out in the letter that geology books in Hindi prepared under the expert advisory board of geologists, including himself, and published by the Government of India’s Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (Ministry of Education & HRD), were important and useful contributions to spreading knowledge of the subject in the country. |
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DAV to open primary school in city Chandigarh, December 13 The new school will be spread over 2.2 acres in Sector 39 and will have kindergarten along with class I to V. “After class V students of the Sector 39 branch would be absorbed into the main school in Sector 8,” she said, at a press conference. Adding that the classes in the new school would be theme-based, she explained that instead of teachers going from class to class the students would change classrooms based on various activities. “We will do up every classroom in such a way that if the students are learning numbers then they will have pictures, toys and games dealing with numbers. Shifting such kits from one class to another would be tedious. This led us to think of a school on different lines and we came up with the idea of having theme-based classrooms,” she added. Giving details of the stone-laying ceremony for the primary school to be held tomorrow, she said the school would take the opportunity to honour educationists and school achievers. A multi-media presentation on the completion of 25 years of the school would also be shown on the occasion. The president of the DAV College managing committee, Mr GP Chopra, will be the chief guest. |
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Two-day career fair opens Chandigarh, December 13 The organisers added that details were available on over a hundred careers. These included conventional careers, including medicine and engineering, besides offbeat ones, including tarot reading,
veejaying, bio-informatics. About 18 career zones have been created. Careers have been grouped together keeping in mind the aptitude, interest and personality traits required to pursue them. Art and design, besides finance, government services, healthcare, hospitality, information technology and management zones were visited by a large number of students. |
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Object of arbitration ‘fair
resolution of disputes’ Chandigarh, December 13 The seminar was organised by the Indian Council of Arbitration(ICA) in collaboration with the Bar Association of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Mr Justice S. Rajendra Babu said that as a means of resolving disputes arbitration had been employed all over the world for centuries. Arbitration was understood as a reference to one or more persons in dispute between the parties. Talking about the benefits of arbitration, Mr Justice Rajendra Babu said that as arbitration was heard in private whereas court action was heard in public. Many of the commercial transactions needed that kind of privacy. |
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Laughter rocks theatre Chandigarh, December 13 The sammelan that had the audience in splits, was opened with “Saraswati vandana” by Dr Manju Dixit, a poetess from Uttar Pradesh. Comments by Arvind from Delhi on the political uncertainty and the evil of corruption had the jampacked venue rocked by laughter. An explanation given by Sardar Rattan Singh on why no member of the Sikh community could become the President after late Giani Zail Singh made the audience jump out of their seats. Remarks on the political scene in Uttar Pradesh by Rattan Singh summed up the situation in few lines. Of course, the inimitable Surender Sharma, with his manner of presentation, had the audience in peels of laughter. The show continued till late in the evening. |
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Film Review IT is high time that violence and hatred across the borders stops otherwise film viewers like us will continue to bear the brunt of patriotism-romance masala like ‘Dil Pardesi ho Gaya’. The romantic angle portrayed by the new pair, Kapil Jhaveri and Saloni Asawani, flounders while the patriotic fervour imparted by Amrish Puri and Ashutosh Rana does not help much in keeping the narrative afloat. The hero sneaks into the Pakistani territory in search of his brother, an Indian Army officer, who has been kidnapped by jehadis. He becomes a waiter in a dhaba where he fancies to see Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib playing in one team. Most of the time this soft-looking fellow is in trance and a song erupts after almost every 10 minutes in the first half to celebrate his love with the sweet daughter of a Pakistani Brigadier. So the onus to provide the realistic and aggressive touch falls on Ashutosh Rana, who plays his elder brother. Prem Chopra’s performance as a Muslim cleric is quite impressive but Usha Khanna has failed to deliver any hit song with only “Sohna Sajan” hummable. Go with a steel determination to sit through the three-hour tale. Allah hafiz. |
Professional attitude sets her apart HER face exudes innocence which is enhanced by a smile. Monika Pokharia, has the kind of looks that photographers eagerly look for. She is still very young, but this class XI-girl from KV-31 knows her mind. When we were discussing the shoot, she said, “I want to look different, and not just that, you must make me look the best.” It is this zeal to do the best, which sets Monika apart from many others in the field. Before she comes for a shoot, she does a lot of homework on posing, clothes, and accessories. Once in front of the camera, she goes on improvicing till the best shot is taken. And it is this professional attitude that has made her popular with choreographers, photographers and directors. Daughter of an Intelligence Bureau officer, Monika was interested in modelling since childhood. She says she is lucky to have supportive parents. “If they are on your side, a lot of problems are taken care of. The probability of making wrong decisions is considerably reduced.” Monika started off by taking part in Mango Mela Show organised by Haryana Tourism, Flying Machine Jeans show, and Funky Show in Delhi. Then she appeared in Sukhvinder Sukhi’s album “Chand Mukhda” and this was followed by “Tera Nakhra”, “Chchad Ke Jaavin Na”, “Patialey Shahar Di Kudian”. She has at least 15 albums to her credit now. She has also done a course in modelling from JC Modeling Institute, Chandigarh. This city beauty (5’-6”/32-24-32) who turned 16 on November 25, loves to take life as it comes. A great fan of Sri Devi, Monika has been approached by film producers, but she will wait till she gets a really good role. — Text and photo: KD |
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Malkit sings a different song As he descended from a car at the Chandigarh Press Club in orange poloneck T-shirt over black trousers and deep blue turban for addressing a press conference, Punjabi pop star Malkit Singh waved at the waiting crowd. He looked more like a young student fresh out of college with shining eyes full of hope and enthusiasm, rather than a singer so used to croon hit numbers one after the other. Soon he started singing a different song. Background music was not required as he blasted some channels and music companies for their involvement in encouraging vulgarity in videos. Adjusting the microphone, he asserted, “Vulgarity in music videos is a matter of great concern. The phenomena is limited not just to music videos of the western world, but is invading the Indian culture. Punjabi albums are also fast succumbing to the new trend”. Giving details, he said, “Even Punjabi albums have damsels, wearing clothes which do not mingle with the Indian culture, dancing to modern tunes”. Malkit Singh did not say it in clear terms, but the message was clear — commercialisation of music has encouraged vulgarity and led to the deterioration of standards. Explaining the reasons, the pop star declared, “Cassettes with vulgarity have maximum sales as they are demanded by a section of society. The labels, too, are also responsible for the deterioration in Indian music”. This was not all. The singer added that channels also preferred “sensuous” video albums instead of the ones depicting Punjabi tradition and were showing stuff “you just cannot view with your family”. “Indians staying abroad switch over to Indian channels only to find they are no less,” he insisted. Some of the singers from abroad are also responsible for this. With a wave of his hand, he said channels should appreciate genuine albums in which Indian women are respected. Artistes should also have confidence in themselves and their music. If both these things are there, then the album will surely be a hit”. The prime motive, he announced, should be the promotion of art and not the sales of the cassette. The public should also protest against vulgarity by not buying such albums. He claimed that his album depicted Punjabi culture and the video could be viewed by the entire family. After crooning a few lines from his latest album, Malkit Singh said most Punjabi youngsters took to singing as it “is the water of Punjab”. Every teenager in college tries writing a couplet. They should be encouraged to adopt the profession, but promote Indian culture. Malkit Singh’s new album ‘’Chal Hun’’ has 12 “foot-tapping” numbers that will “make you sway to the thumping beats of reverberating music. But there is something else that makes the album special. His four-year-old son has also crooned a song along with him. The title song has been written by Malkit Singh himself. Another number “Maa” is a sentimental song that reminds people staying away from home about “motherly love and warmth”. |
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Keep wrestling tradition alive: Dara Singh SCORES of wrestlers and sportspersons have been forced to live in penury without any medicare. The state and Central governments have compelled the elderly wrestlers and sportsmen to virtually live the life of a beggar. These are the bitter views expressed by world famous wrestler-turned-actor Dara Singh over the financial condition of the youth inclined towards sports nowadays. He was in Dera Bassi to shoot a TV commercial advertisement for an imported pesticide in Pragpur village. A large number of villagers and especially children thronged the venue after the news of the advertisement shooting spread in the area. The actor, while talking to The Tribune, expressed his concern over the changing old tradition of ‘Akharas’ and wrestling competitions at village and block levels. To keep alive the old tradition and boost the morale of upcoming wrestlers and sportsmen, the government should introduce new policies. This would benefit the aged and known wrestlers financially. Moreover, insurance policies cover the elderly ones, too, he added. He expressed his sympathy with noted wrestler Mehardin who is struggling for survival because of leukemia and penury in his old age in his native village in Shahkot near Jalandhar. Dara Singh was shocked that the government has chosen to turn a blind eye to this ‘son of the soil’ who earned fame for the country. Dara Singh said though Indian wrestlers and sportsmen have shown their interest in Olympic Games but willingness for wrestling among the new generation has witnessed a sharp decline. “The children (of school and college level) with inclination towards wrestling and sports should be provided extra facilities of their interest so that they could have a bright future,” asserts Dara Singh. He asked the villagers that panchayats of three to four villages should start ‘akharas’ so that the youth instead of being drug addicts and indulging in criminal activities should work for the betterment of the nation. |
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Punjabi pop’s new contender, Mona RiDING the Punjabi pop wave, Mona, a
daughter of London-based music composer Channi Singh, is trying to make a mark as a Punjabi pop singer with her second album, “Kankaan de Ohle”. Tips Music as recently released her album. Young and enthusiastic, Mona is all set to join the pop clan on way to glory. She is the latest singer from London looking for fame in India after Biddu, Kamaal Khan, Shahin Badar, Malkiat Singh and Vikrant, to name a few. She says popularity is the sole guiding force for the influx. “To make it big, an artiste has to release an album in India”, says Mona. “The exposure in India is definitely more than in the west,” she adds. The album has nine songs penned by Channi Singh, who has also given the music. Arrangements have been made by Sunil Kalyan. Songs ‘Kankaan de Ohle’ and “Boliyan” have been remixed by Surinder Rattan. “I would like to thank my family and friends for all their support. I would also like to thank Mauro Caccialanza, who has brilliantly engineered and programmed the album and, above all, I would like to thank God for giving me the strength to complete this album,” says Mona. Keeping her fingers crossed, she says: “I hope it does well and my work is appreciated right now”. —D.P.
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It’s my life Faith in God and persistent hard labour has placed me where I am today. When I started my career as a model in Patiala after winning the Mr Super Model — 1999 contest, I had only Punjabi albums to look forward to. Soon, I realised that I could not bank upon modelling alone to establish a name for myself as there is little scope for it in Patiala. Gradually, I branched out into choreography and till date I have showcased nearly 50 contests and fashion shows all over Punjab. My shows have proved to be a major hit, mostly because the theme for my choreography is always Indian culture. I use marriage customs and other rituals as interludes in the shows before ushering in a fresh round of activities. Though I am proud to have been chosen as choreographer for Kaifi Azmi’s Indian People Theatre in Punjab, my brightest moment came when I was the choreographer and model coordinator for a fashion show organised by the National Institute of fashion Designing (NIFD), Featuring Femina Miss India-2003 Nikita Anand. I derive tremendous satisfaction from all my assignments. I faced, stiff competition before being selected as model for Pakistani singer Naseebo`s latest album. However, determination and sincerity saw me through. —As told to
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SPARKLING stars did not twinkle on his turban for he was not wearing “pagri” with “gota” lining the border. The bold pendants, too, were missing. The ones you had seen him wearing so many times on the small screen in music video albums. But one look was enough to tell you that the “tutak-tutak” man was here. The demeanor, and the style, made it clear.