The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

AGRICULTURE

PAU warns against ignoring late blight in potatoes
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana December 16
Field reports reaching PAU indicate that farmers whose potato crop has been affected by late blight continue to ignore recommendations on spray of fungicides.

The late blight has affected crop in Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Ropar, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala. Last year too, the late blight had appeared in February and affected potato tubers thereby infecting the seed potato.

Those farmers, who used the affected seed potato particularly in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar and sowed these in November this year due to favourable weather are the worst affected. Since the crop was ready for table purpose, these farmers did not spray the crop with recommended fungicides, hence the incidence of late blight.

Head, Department of Plant Pathology, Dr (Ms.) S.K. Mann, in a message for the control of late blight of potato yesterday said farmers were not spraying fungicides on early sown crop as they intended to dig out potatoes and sell them for table purposes.

Since these fields are heavily infested and are a cause of the spread of the disease to the adjoining late sown crop, the farmers are advised to dig out such potatoes immediately, destroy the diseased debris and spray the adjoining crop with recommended fungicides. She said the farmers were spraying various combinations of fungicides which the university had not recommended. In such cases, farmers not only intend to use higher quantity of fungicide but also mix water in wrong ratio.

Field visits by plant pathologists to several villages in the affected districts, where farmers had used spray technology as per the university recommendation, were successful in getting the desired disease control.

EDUCATION

From Schools
Inter-class painting competition
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana December 16
An Inter-class painting contest was held for the students of Primary Section at Kundan Vidya Mandir here today to bring out the hidden creativity in them. Students prepared colourful and expressive paintings on the topic 'My Dream,' 'My favourite festival,' 'Garden scene' etc. In the KG section a get-together was arranged for the tiny tots and the special guests were December- born kids.

English literary week

Spring Dale Public School celebrated English Literary Week from December 9 to December 15 to enhance English Language skills among students. Students were segregated in two categories i.e. Juniors and seniors. There were various competitions like declamation, debate, story writing, extempore for seniors and poem recitation, paper reading etc for juniors. Result of various competition are as follows: Declamation contest (seniors)-Rajat Aggarwal -Lotus House-Ist, Amandeep Kaur -Rose House-2nd, Baljit -Jasmine House-3rd, Jitender- Lily House-3rd. Story writing (seniors)- Akashdeep Kaur - Ist, Archit -2nd, Renuka-3rd. Extempore (Seniors)- Vivek Azad-Ist, Jaspreet Singh -2nd, Rajat -3rd.

In paper reading (juniors)- Harber Singh-Ist, Rukmani-2nd, Arti and Akanksha-3rd. The prizes were given away by the Director and Founder Principal Avinash Kaur Walia along with Principal Sandeep Raikhi. Ms Walia congratulated the winners and encouraged other students to come forward for such competitions.

Three-day yoga camp concludes
Our Correspondent

Mandi Gobindgarh, December 16
The local unit of the Rashtriya Anuvart Shikha Samsad organised a three-day camp which concluded here today.Eighty teachers from middle, high and secondary schools of the district participated.

The inaugural function was addressed by Mr. Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Parliamentary Secretary (Home, Justice and Sainik Welfare) and Mr. Jagmeet Singh Sahota, president, municipal council, Mandi Gobindgarh.

Mr. Ram Niwas Jain, media in charge of the camp attributed the success of the camp to the local unit.

Mr Lakshmi Mittal Jain Shevtamber Tera Panth Mahila Mandal and Sangrakshika Akhil Bhartiya Mahila Mandal said that a local unit Ahinsha Parikshan Kendra has been established here about 6 months ago to follow up the guidelines of such camps to provide training in sewing and other trades of soap making etc. to the needy persons. Mr. Lal and Mr. Lalit from Bihar gave training in yoga to the campers.

Dr. Mirza Niaz Beg delivered daily lectures on the transformation of heart, non-violent life style, moderate employment and training in employment and non-violence which is necessary for the well being of the world.

He said service to humanity is above all religions. Another six- camp will be held here in the coming months, he added. Literature was distributed among the trainees free of cost.

Training in Yoga was imparted to the teachers to adopt it in their respective schools to keep the young generation strong and healthy.

CME on arthritis
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana December 16
SPS Apollo Hospital conducted a CME on arthritis here yesterday. The meeting was attended by eminent physicians and orthopaedicians from Ludhiana and adjoining areas. During the CME Professor Paul Dieppe, an eminent rheumatologist and an authority on osteoarthritis delivered a talk on medical management of osteoarthritis while Dr Parshant Aggarwal DM, rheumatologist and immunologist, SPS Apollo Hospital, delivered a talk on the recent advances in management of rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a very common ailment affecting more than 70 per cent of population beyond the age of 65 years and could be managed with very simple measures.

CULTURE

Bridal Asia — platform for designers
Shivani Bhakoo
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 16
Divya Gurwara, who has been organising Bridal Asia (a bridal and lifestyle exhibition) for the past 10 years, says she never missed to invite Punjabis to the exhibition as designers and other exhibitors got a fabulous response from them.

Talking to TNS here yesterday, Divya said 120 stalls would be put up at Bridal Asia-2007 being held from January 13 to 15 at Ashoka Hotel, Delhi.

"We are getting a lot of people from Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Patiala. I want to make it clear that it is not only Delhi which is associated with Bridal Asia. Delhi, being a convenient venue, always attracts visitors; so we prefer holding the event there", said Divya.

The exhibition connected with the latest trends in the wedding industry will focus on designers' forecast wedding fashions, including jewellery, gift-packing, stationery designs, designer clothes and accessories.

Divya added that Bridal Asia had become a platform for topline designers from the subcontinent.

"I believe India is a strong market for us and the designers associated with us for many years appreciate the value that we bring forth to their brands. It has been a deliberate decision to rope in the correct blend of participants, a mix of established as well as upcoming designers", she said.

Apart from Indian designers, collections from Pakistan by renowned designers like Zara Sahjahan, Karma, Tazeen Hasan, Saima Yousaf, Sobia Nazir and brands like Zen-Ami will also be showcased at Bridal Asia-2007. Divya believes in "fashion sans boundaries". She also took Bridal Asia to Pakistan.

"It has been the first of its kind to travel to Karachi in 2002 and introduce Indian designers to a select Pakistani audience. Overseas participants were overjoyed as this provided a perfect foray into a country where weddings are led by opulence and grandeur and for them to reach out singularly would have been next to impossible", said Divya.