Technology weds religion
“Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki fateh. May I help you?” asks a “metalled” sewadar. The sewadar is not a human but a robot supporting a siropa. Then it asks your preference for language of conversation. After that it takes you around the museum. In the 16-minute trip, it stops near every painting and narrates you the history of the event like “Bhai Lehna listening Gurbani from Bhai Jodh in the ambrosial hours”. Most of the paintings are based on the epitomes expressed in the Janamsakhi written by Guru Angad Dev.

Sehar, Sania win junior b’minton titles Sehar of BBK DAV College for women won the Open Punjab Junior Badminton Championship held at Patiala. Saniya of the same college finished runner-up. Sehar and Saniya teamed up to win the doubles title while in the mixed doubles event Saniya and her partner took the title while Sehar finished second with her partner.

Sehar

Saniya

School sans building

The Government Elementary School No 3, Tarn Taran, established in 1973 has been running without a building since. The school started in a gurdwara in Mastaran Wali street by the Education Department with an assurance that arrangements would be made for the building. The plan has not materialized till now due to reasons know only to the department concerned. Without Building: Students of Government Elementary School, Tarn Taran, study in the gurdwara courtyard. — Photo by writer

Research throws new light on first Hindi novel

It was believed by now that Lala Sri Niwas was first novelist of modern Hindi period but the research conducted by the Dean Languages, Guru Nanak Dev University, Prof Harmahendra Singh Bedi, has established that it was not Niwas but Pandit Shradha Ram Phillauri who had written first novel in modern Hindi period. Not many people are aware of the fact that it was Pandit Phillauri who had created Aarti (prayer) “Om Jai Jagdish Hare”.                                                       Prof Harmahendra Singh Bedi

Fishing diversification

The government may have been motivating the farmers in the state to diversify from the paddy-wheat cycle but some farmers in Amritsar district have successfully taken strides in diversification on their own and set an example for others to follow. On such farmer is Mr Sukhdeep Singh Bajwa, a resident of Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar, and a former wildlife warden. Fishing Income: Mr Sukhdeep Singh Bajwa catching fish at his farm in Qadian. — Photo by Jangi

Bio-diversity decreases in Punjab

The Post Graduate Department of Zoology, Khalsa College, Amritsar, celebrated the National Science Day in collaboration with Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, Chandigarh. Dr Malkit Singh Saini, Head, Department of Zoology, Punjabi University, Patiala, delivered a lecture on “Changes in Environment of Punjab - a Retrospect”. The faculty of the Department of Zoology, Khalsa College, Amritsar, honouring Dr Malkit Singh Saini of Punjabi University, Patiala. A Tribune photograph

Laddi adds more medals to athletics kitty
Surinder Pal Singh, alias Laddi, (44) of Tarn Taran won a silver medal and a bronze medal at the recently concluded 14th Asian Masters Athletics Championship held at Bangalore, adding another feather to his cap.

Krishna’s latest avatar Lord Krishna arrived in the city today with a heady mix of Sanskrit-Hindi and long spiritual messages. And by the time we stripped him off his Krishna avatar, we got to know about his new one, this time as a narrator of Sony Entertainment Television’s Man Mein Hai Visshwas. No we are not talking of the real Lord Krishna instead we are talking of reel-life Krishna aka Nitish Bharadwaj straight from B. R. Chopra’s epic Mahabharata. In the city to talk about his serial it seemed that Nitish couldn’t forget his dialogues from the epic which made him a household name.

Goldsmiths allege harassment by Railway cops
Madhukar Ganpati Chachar, president of the All-India Swarnkar Sangh has alleged that the government was unconcerned about them and did not pay any attention for the development of the goldsmiths. This has increased the unemployment rate in the swarnkar community.

Members of the All-India Swarankar Sangh at a meeting in Amritsar. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Rural mela rejuvenates traditional kabaddi Effort to rejuvenate traditional sports like ‘kabaddi’, are proving to be success in Umranangal village in Amritsar district. Sports mela organised by Jathedar Jivan Singh Umranangal Sport Club this week attracted over 20 kabaddi teams from villages and 25 teams from sports academies across the state. Catch me if you can: A kabaddi match in progress at the sport mela at Umranangal village. — Photo by writer