The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Tree saplings planted at GCG-42
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 5
World Environment Day was celebrated by the environment society of Government College for Girls, Sector 42, on the college premises today.

Staff members and students of the college planted around 25 saplings of trees of day-to-day importance.

Inderjit Kaur, principal of the college, highlighted the importance of the day, both at the national and international levels. She said, “The World Environment Day slogan for 2007 is ‘Melting Ice’ to focus on climate change”.

Exhibition at State Library
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 5
An exhibition of more than 200 books on environment began at the State Library, Sector 34, to mark World Environment Day here today.

Anju Gupta, in- charge of the circulation section of the library, said the books exhibited dealt with various aspects of environment.

“Works on air and water pollution, women participation in saving the environment, nature and cultural imperialism, environmental heroes, environment laws, environmental geography, environmental sociology and environmental sports have been exhibited,” she said.

Special facility for Mauli Jagran kids
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 5
It was a big day for the children of Mauli Jagran, where Jean Rodrigues today inaugurated a full-day facility set up by the Youth Technical Training Society (YTTS).

Rodrigues also launched a new programme of the YTTS, called "Kumari", aimed at providing education exclusively to the girlchild. P.H Vaishnav, president of the society, said that an accelerated survey will shortly be carried out with the help of the principal of government school in the locality, to determine the current educational status of girls aged 10 to 18. The aim of the programme is to declare Mauli Jagran an illiteracy-free colony, the volunteers vowed.

Rodrigues also gave a green signal to "VAMA", a project to empower women in the city slums and rehabilitation colonies. Bonny Sodhi, vice-president of the society and chairperson of the VAMA Rehabilitation Centre at Vineet-17, said that women will be encouraged to produce items for sale at Kala Darpan at Panchayat Bhavan.

Summer camp for kids

THE annual summer camp of Small Wonders School, Mohali, started on the school campus on Tuesday.

During the camp, students in different age groups will undertake various activities to hone their skills.

Participants from various schools will learn activities ranging from aerobics, yoga, arts and craft, splash pool, cake baking, computers and swimming during the
next 10 days.

Principal Anu Mahajan said students between two and four years will learn exercise, aerobics, art and craft activities, poem recitation, story telling, splash pool and lessons in etiquette and table manners while students between four and six years will be exposed to computers, indoor games and excursions.

Participants between six and eight years will learn swimming and skating apart from being taken out on tours. — TNS

Understanding ‘special children’

Chandigarh, June 5
As many as 34 mentally challenged children are displaying their skills with 20 other government school children at a summer camp being organised at the Government Institute for Mentally Retarded Children-32, here.

According to Prof B.S. Chavan, joint director of the institute, this is the institute’s first attempt to make the ‘special children’ and normal children interact. — TNS

CULTURE

Kher’s Actor Prepares launched in city
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 5
Anupam Kher could not have thought of a better gift for his mother, on her birthday, than the opening of his acting institute in the city today. In fact, his parents Pushkar Nath and Dulari Kher had specially stopped over on their way to Shimla for the occasion. Interestingly, Kher did not know it was his mother’s birthday, but this gift, perhaps, made up for several lost decades.

Today was a big day for the city as well. For, after months of hype and hoopla, Kher’s acting school, Actor Prepares, in collaboration with the Chandigarh administration, was launched today at the Central Crafts Institute for Women, Sector 11.

The campus was abuzz with activity since early this morning and amidst tight security, enthusiastic parents, officials and guests, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd) cut the ribbon.

Set up jointly by the Society for Tourism and Entertainment Promotion (STEPS) and Kher’s Actor Prepares Organisation (AP), the institute will offer a specialised six months course in acting by professional teachers, two of whom are from the city.

As for Kher, it is a time to test his mettle once again (he already has an institute in Mumbai) to teach acting, a process, which he says is completely diverse from acting itself. “Teaching is about taking the craft a step further and you never know when we will see one of these students acting with leading heroes and top directors”.