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Advisory panels for govt schools Mohali, August 12 This was stated by Mr Bir Devinder Singh, Kharar MLA, at the monthly meeting of the Municipal Council held here today. He said one such committee for Government High School, Phase XI, was constituted today. The MLA, the SDM, the president of the council, and the five municipal councillors living in the area have been made members of the advisory committee. Mr Bir Devinder Singh said the Phase XI school was in a neglected state before he made efforts to improve it. The institution was without any power connection and there were no fans and other facilities in the school. The institution was cold shoulders even by municipal councillors of the area. He said the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) had earmarked eight sites for government schools. Since the authorities concerned made no efforts to carry out any construction activity on these site, they were resumed by PUDA. He said there was a proposal to have three senior secondary schools in the town. He wanted the construction of the building of one school to be done by the council and the second by PUDA. He suggested that the civic body could use that money on construction of the building which the government was not paying to it otherwise. The House cleared the proposal to hand over the work of running the municipal library in the Phase X Silvi Park to a private party. The council would provide the building, furniture, book racks, ACs, computers and power supply while the party concerned would be providing staff, books free of cost, and required software for making the library functional. The council also cleared the proposal of giving incentives to the contractor, who would be allotted the work of constructing the office building of the council, before the specified time of 10 months. He could be paid a sum of Rs 4 lakh if he completed the work in eight months time and less than that if he took more than eight months but less than 10 months. Mr Manjit Singh Sethi said the council would be saving only Rs 2 lakh as rent if the work was completed in eight months and as such the incentive amount should be reduced to 2 lakh. The council decided to give Rs 5 lakh towards the Chief Minister’s Fund to providing relief to those who were hit by floods. An amount of Rs 15,000 was cleared for making arrangements for celebrating Independence Day at Government Senior Secondary School, Phase III B 1. Estimated of over Rs 15 lakh, providing by the Public Health Department for repair of storm water drains, was also cleared at the meeting. |
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Dr Raunki Ram is PUTA president Chandigarh, August 12 Coming from the group of the outgoing PUTA team, Dr Sudip Minhas from the Department of English, contesting for secretaryship, lost to Dr Chiranjiv Singh of the Department of Public Administration. Dr Chiranjiv Singh polled 247 votes against 234 of Dr Minhas. Prof Shankarji Jha polled 240 votes to be elected vice-president. He defeated Dr J.P. Sharma by just one vote. Interestingly, the two were locked in a tie and recounting took place thrice before Professor Jha was declared elected by Dr Bhajan Kaur, Returning Officer for the poll. An invalid vote clinched the position for Prof Jha in the third round. Dr Romilla Pathak, with 270 votes, romped home to victory. Dr Kuldip Puri pitted against her for the post of joint secretary, polled 167 votes. Dr Rajat Sandhir from Dr Raunki Ram’s panel, was elected treasurer. He polled 263 votes against 186 of Dr V.K. Singh. |
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Students intensify stir against PU Chandigarh, August 12 On a chain fast since August 9, SOPU activists intensified their agitation after the authorities had failed to consider their demands favourably. They are demanding more rooms to house classes of the UIET, lowering of rent in hostels for students sharing rooms, over hauling of the placement cell in the BE Food Technology course and conducting a re-examination for students of Chemical Engineering Department who got an out-of-syllabus question paper. “We had a meeting with the university authorities. We are not satisfied with the reasoning they are giving to us. We will convene a meeting of our office-bearers at 11 am tomorrow before arriving at a final decision. As of now, the indefinite fast is on,” the president of SOPU, Ranjeet Raju, said. Earlier, referring to the memorandum submitted by the Students Organisation of Panjab University, the Dean, University Instruction, Prof J.K. Gupta, at a press conference, said rooms in the University Institute of Engineering and Technology were sufficient to meet the requirements of the students. “There is no logic in this particular demand,” the Director of the UIET, Dr Sohi said. Replying to charges of over-charging for hostel accommodation, especially from students sharing rooms, the Dean, Student welfare, Dr Nirmal Singh, said the room rent was very nominal. “The students are actually paying for the other expenses and facilities being provided in the hostels,” he added. Referring to the out-of-syllabus question paper in the case of students of the Chemical Engineering Department, the authorities said the process was under way and that it primarily pertained to some re-appear candidates. “The case is being processed under the prescribed rules of the university and justice will be given if the complaint was found to be genuine. In case 140 marks worth of questions out of 160 are out of syllabus as has been alleged, we are open to conducting a re-examination,” Prof Gupta stated. Regarding placements in B.E. (Food Tech.), Dr Gupta clarified that five students had been absorbed in various prestigious concerns. “The response to the invitation extended to more than 50 companies for conducting a placement drive had not been very encouraging because this course was a new one as far as the university was concerned. It will certainly pick up with time,” Dr Gupta explained. |
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Students stage dharna Chandigarh, August 12 Police had to be called to control the agitators. The dharna continued for over an hour.
The problem started when the authorities, at about 1.45 pm announced that the seats in nine colleges had been filled. Mr Balwant Singh, who had come from Pathankot, along with his daughter, lamented that in the morning the authorities announced that the seats in three colleges had been filled and then after a gap of three hours it was announced that seats in nine colleges had been filled, despite no counselling being held during the three hour period. “Last evening the authorities announced that tomorrow the counselling would be held for students with below 50 per cent marks. The counselling would be held between 8.30 am and 11 am”, said another parent, Shamsher Singh. The candidates kept on waiting till 1.45 pm when an announcement was made that seats in nine colleges had been filled. When the parents stepped up their pressure on the officials present, it was announced that the counselling for the remaining 125 seats would be held on August 18. The students and their parents lamented that had the authorities told them the status of admission last evening or this morning, they would have returned to their homes. Many had to stay in local hotels for the night in the hope that there counselling would be held today. |
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Face-painting competition Mohali, August 12 She advised the students to follow the right path and keep the nation’s integrity intact. Among those who won prizes were Tejbir, Parush, Ishank, Anshuman, Gurpreet and Ankur. Stress management:
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PEC Principal made Director Chandigarh, August 12 As per the orders of the Chairman of the Board of Governors of PEC Society, Dr Kapoor will continue to hold additional charge of the post of Principal of Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology. |
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Patriotic song contest Chandigarh, August 12 I-Day celebrations:
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High Court Chandigarh, August 12 He has stated that since the FIR was registered without taking prior permission of the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the FIR is illegal and hence should be quashed. He has also prayed for staying of all proceedings in the case before Special Judge, Chandigarh.
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New Releases
BONEY Kapoor has given land-mark films like ‘Mr India’ and ‘Company’ (screened at Berlin Film Festival). This week he is ready to take centre stage with ‘Kyun — Ho Gaya Na’, a Rs 15-crore romantic situational comedy where a boy shares house with a girl. The off-screen romantic pair of Vivek Oberoi and Aishwarya Rai will be seen in this director Samir Karnik’s debut film co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film will be released today at Nirman, Chandigarh, Fun Republic, Mani Majra and Suraj, Panchkula. The Aishwarya-Vivek combo ensures that ‘Kyun — Ho Gaya Na’ is hot. Amitabh Bachchan has every chance to showcase his histrionics. He is the master of the love game in this film. It is a simple story about love and life. A girl meets a boy under unusual circumstances and it proves to be a perfect beginning of a memorable relationship that is spiced up with their opposing views on love and marriage. Cinematography is done by Sudeep Chatterjee, editing by Sanjay Sankla and Sanjib Dutta. It is written and directed by Samir Karnik. Javed Akhtar has penned the lyrics. Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorrani and Loy Mendonca have composed the music. Om Puri, Rati Agnithotri, Tinu Anand, Gaurav Gera, Ajit Ahuja and Rahul Singh also stars in the film. * * * The UK-based banner Inspired Movies has come up wtih their debut Hindi feature film titled ‘Kaun Hai Jo Sapno Mein Aaye’, jointly produced by Vibha and Ragini. This one is directed by Rajesh Bhatt. The film opens today at Fun Republic, Mani Majra. Richa Pallod and Rakesh Bapat play lead roles along with Rana Jung Bahadur, Sheila Sharma, Suraj Thapar, Vinita Malik, Manisha Jain, Saeed Jafferey and Zohra Sehgal. The debut UK stars, Resh Spencer, Derby and Deep Gidar are in supporting roles. * * * Vijay Lakshmi Art Movies ‘Shart’ starring Tushar Kapoor, Gracy Singh, Amisha Patel and Amrita Arora will also be released today at Batra, Chandigarh. It is directed by T. Trivikram Rao and Puri Jagan Nath. After a tepid response to his earlier releases ‘Kuch to Hai, ‘Yeh Dil’ and ‘Gayab’, Tusshar Kapoor is hoping that ‘Shart’ will turn his fortunes.... Tusshar plays a mature guy. It is romantic triangle. The story is about how simple relationship becomes complicated in day-to-day life. Saroj Khan is choreographer. Sameer has penned the lyrics for Anu Malik. — DP |
Young ‘idols’ chant rock music mantra for
success Shimla eves in command
Shelz, the school music band of Auckland House, Shimla, held everyone’s attention at the venue today. This five-member band was the sole all-girls band to participate in the contest. Having frequented the rock circuit earlier (these girls bagged second slot in MTV’s Celesta contest held two years ago; they won Symphony competition for rock bands held last year.), the glamorous five-some was virtually raring to go today also. They had one original to offer, besides other legendary rock compositions which they took three years to master. Band manager Michael John, also a teacher at Auckland House, swears by his team of music makers. “Messiah” rocks the venue
Well-known Delhi-based band Messiah gave the main performance for the regional event in Chandigarh this evening. Known in the Delhi music circuit as a “punk” and “alternative” band, Messiah has been a regular performer at all IITs, IIMs and even the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi. In 2000, the band was adjudged one among the six best bands from the country at shows held in the IITs, Delhi and Kanpur. Chandigarh, August 12 This temptation had everything to do with the sounds of music that emanated from the Leisure Valley today, as self-styled rock idols vied with each other to secure their place under the sun. The occasion was the first ever collegiate music band contest, “Rock Idols”, and the stakes involved a lifetime chance to perform alongside international rock icons like Bryan Adams, Duran Duran and Dire Straits. Winners will also get to see performances by main line bands and spend time at the exclusive “Campus Adda”, a market square that will offer a multitude of entertainment experiences. After intense scrutiny by organisers, six college bands made it to the semi-finals which were all about presenting melodies that created a lasting impact. Of the selected bands, five were local while one hailed from Shimla. Among judges for the event were Rajat Kakkar, the high profile drummer of bands like Mrigya and Parikrama; Anshuman, the man who manages concerts of famous bands like Moksha; and Chandigarh’s own Geoffery Aranha, 25-year-long music practitioner, who also teaches music at St Stephen’s, Sector 45. For once, the participants were relieved to know that the judges had fair idea of the task they were invited to execute. Coming to the spirit of the contest and the youngsters who embodied it - six music bands took to the stage one after the other, singing original compositions, apart from those of their idols like Duran Duran, Nirvana, and Bryan Adams. The most striking aspect of each band was the name that signified it. For example we had ‘Wasted Souls’, the youngest of all music bands to participate in today’s show. This four-member band from the Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA) and PEC barely managed to get in as it formalised few days ago into a professional college band. The band was placed second. Among other more familiar college bands were Amusiac that features talented musicians from PEC and DAV, Stoned on Salt, the funky DAV boys’ band and XS that boasts the best of GCM, Sector 11’s musical talent. The first to get the stage today were ‘The Innovatives’ from the Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology, Sector 26. This group was declared the winner.
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Style i
Love may be blind, but women with glasses were never considered attractive and loveable. Glasses were, for long, considered a ticket to ignominy and many hid their weak eyesight as if it was a dreaded disease, even getting surgical assistance to get rid of glasses. But not any longer as now, fabulous frames are in fashion and are available in the city. Filmstars from Nicole Kidman, Elton John and Liv Tyler to Priety Zinta, Karisma Kapoor and Kajol can be seen sporting smart lenses with elan. They have played a major role in making these a hot fashion accessories among the young brigade. "Glasses make a bigger fashion statement than shoes or bag. It is the first thing that people see when they look at you", says Dr Rajan Chugh, a city-based eye surgeon. The humble frames have gone designer in a big way. Designers have been putting their logos on sunglasses for a while, but now almost every big name has an eye on eyewear. These designer frames come with a heavy price tag. It takes a lot of design and style to make a tiny amount of plastic or wire look sexy and flattering. The eyewear bill is divided between frames and lenses. Good-quality materials is expensive. While buying lenses, one is paying for either laminated plastic (or zyl, short for zylonite), from Italy or France, or high performance metals like titanium, which is superlightweight, or flexon, which is bendable. Optical frames are characterised by clean, polished designs that favour rectangular and oval shapes. Made of optyl or steel and beta-titanium, these are characterised by their lightness. “There is a lot of choice in lenses. These can cost more than frames, depending on vision needs”, says Mr Ranpreet, an optician in Chandigarh. Lenses with ultraviolet protection, Photochromatic lenses, anti-reflective lenses, scratch resistance lenses, bi/trifocals with scratch resistance and superthin lenses with scratch resistance — there is a wide range to choose from. The price ranges from 300 to Rs 1,200 for a pair. Square-shaped, butterfly ovals and rectangle-shaped lenses that are rimless wires are the latest trend. The trend is glasses that are so light that they almost disappear on the face. Most clients ask for frames that suit the shape of their face. Sexy design details on the sides are also in vogue. The temples come with distinctive, curved designs with flex temples on some models. Slender metal temples on models with large shapes are the trend. Along with this are the two-timing frames that have a surprise colour inside for the wearer. Translucent plastics in crystal clear pinks and reds are favoured. Gree is also having its moment. Acetate models are available in shades of cyclamen blue, white-pink, beige-red, classic brown and black, and delicate pastel shades of white, dove, beige and ivory. With all these choices, the biggest mistake one can make is choosing something boring. Take your pick and make a style statement with your frame. TNS
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Sisters weave classical magic at Malhar festival Chandigarh, August 12 The discussions on raag Malhar were held in the presence of a huge gathering, mostly comprising students from colleges and Panjab University. Pandit L.K. Pandit of the Gwalior tradition and the Chandigarh-based educationist and vocalist, Dr Saubhagya Vardhan, were also present. L.K. Pandit gave an insight into the strong roots of raag Malhar, which is well suited for all compositions, from folk and light classical to classical. He stressed the richness of the Indian culture which, unlike most other cultures, gave credence to six seasons and further to ragas pertaining to each season. “Malhar is synonymous with the rainy season. There have been beliefs that the music maestros in the past could unleash rains by striking melodies in raag Malhar. Tansen was the greatest exponent of the raag. He was the composer of the legendary Mian Malhar, which continues to be the most loved of all ragas,” said L.K. Pandit, adding that India was the only country which not only had musical traditions to suit seasons, but also had traditions to honour time cycles. Among various folk forms which often use raag Malhar for compositions are Kajri of Banaras and Saawan, Sohni and Hindola of Meerut. Later, Dr Saubhagya Vardhan explained the meaning of Malhar saying that it implied “clearance of dirt from the face of earth”. “Since rains wash away all muck and restore the earth in its beautiful form, Malhar sounds relevant. It means ridding (haar) the earth of its dirt (mal),” he said. The seminar was followed by a vocal recital by the sister duo of Sulochana Brahaspati and Sharayu Kalekar of the Rampur Sadarang tradition. They started the recital with raag Kedar Malhar, exhibiting complete control over the structure of the raag. Then came a delightful rendering in raag Gaud Malhar, “Ghanak rang chunri ranga more balma”, being the composition. One after the other, the sisters wove a classical web by baring the rich core of raga Malhar. After Kedar and Gaud Malhar, they presented a traditional composition in raag Surdasi Malhar. The sisters concluded their recital with Kajri, the folk presentation which turned out to be the most enthralling of all. They were accompanied by Mahendra Prasad on the tabla and Bharat Bhushan Goswami on the
sarangi. |
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From modelling to training aspirants
Modelling is a highly alluring, but short-lived profession. A large number of boys and girls enter this glamorous world, but leave it after a couple of assignments either due to lack of opportunities or to join some other profession. A few of them enter into some modelling related profession like choreography, model coordination or model grooming. One such former model is Prince Kukreja of Flash Media. After doing a few assignment in Mumbai, he did modelling in Delhi for five years. Then one day he came to Chandigarh on a modelling assignment. The pristine beauty and serene environment of this city impressed him so much that he decided to settle here. That was five years ago. During this period, he left modelling and switched over to grooming aspiring boys for the Grasim Mr India contest. Model grooming institutes are mushrooming in the city. They charge high fees and sell dreams. “Everybody has his own style of training. Each model has strong points and weaknesses. One has to elevate strong points and try to improve upon weaknesses. My trainees have done well in competitions and have got print ads and assignments for music videos”, he says. With known names from Mumbai and Delhi vying to open fashion training institutes in Chandigarh, aspiring models feel confused as to which institute to join. Cross-check facts and investigate their claims and you will get the worth of your money.
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