No implementation of scheme for artist
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 4 — It was in April that the Governor, Punjab, and the Administrator of UT, Lt-Gen BKN Chibber (retd), had announced the appointment of old masters of folk traditions as ‘gurus’ or ‘masters’ in certain schools, in order to revive the lost and the forgotten arts of Punjab. Following the announcement, ‘Dhadi’ performer Sharif Idu was identified as one such artist. But even after about four months, the scheme is yet to be implemented by the Chandigarh Administration.

Under the scheme, it was decided by the then Home Secretary, Chandigarh, Ms Anuradha Gupta, that Sharif would be paid a stipend of Rs 5,000 a month, by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Chandigarh, for teaching his art to school children. This ‘Dhadi’ singer was reportedly also “promised” a place to stay, after his appointment as a guru in schools.

According to sources, since Sharif had to be appointed as a ‘master’ in schools, his case was sent to the Education Department, Chandigarh. But the authorities said the Department did not have any provision to accommodate him, primarily because of his lack of educational qualifications.

“How do you expect us to appoint Idu as a ‘master’ to train students, when he has no educational background to talk of? Also this whole scheme has financial implications that need to be looked into before appointing somebody as a teacher, even if it is as a music teacher,” said an official.

The scheme had apparently not laid down any guidelines regarding the formal qualifications of the folk artists but had stated that the presence of folk artists in schools would enable the school students to be introduced to the dying arts of the region. Sharif Idu is a self-taught singer, who hails from the lineage of Bhai Mardana, the companion of the first Sikh Guru Nanak Dev.

The Chandigarh Administration has reportedly sent this case now to the Song and Drama Division, UT, which they hope will be able to accommodate Sharif Idu and also pay the promised stipend. Sharif, who sings along with his three sons, manages to earn money through whatever private shows that he can get. His wife works as a mid-wife at the Indira Colony dispensary for Rs 50 per month.

Paradoxically, Sharif, who was with this division for two years as its registered performing artist, has failed to pass its screening test this year.

According to the officials, the artists are registered only on the basis of their “stage presentability”, and this year Sharif failed to perform as per their standards. The Song and Drama Division also does not take into account whether a performer is a folk artist or a popular artist, and registers an artist for a period of two years only on the basis of “fitness” of the artist. “And this year Sharif did not sing as a very fit singer,” informed an official.

Sharif Idu is a busy man today, running from pillar to post to make the officials fulfil their promises.

Fairyland for tiny tots
By Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 4 — It will be a walk into fairyland for the tiny tots who enter the "model nurseries'' in the governments schools of Sectors 33 and 46 in about a week's time after these are inaugurated by the Home and Education Secretary, Mr N.K. Jain.

A riot of colours, tastefully decorated and equipped with the latest in the toy world, the nurseries have been designed after a visit to six schools which boast of the best nurseries in town. The two principals, Mr Karan Singh and Mr R.S. Goraya, have tried to adapt the high points of the nurseries of the six schools in their own to make the "perfect nursery''.

A hall separated from the main school building, with an exclusive garden-cum-playground to its credit, the nursery of Sector 33 is a splash of bright colours depicting different seasons and places. The sea with its rainbow couloured fish and the sky dotted with different kinds of birds are a pretty picture. One corner of the room has the scenic beauty of the hills with the Tricolour flying atop one of them and a battalion of army personnel ready for any eventuality.

There is a village scene captured in all its glory with little children playing on the terrace but the depiction of the spring season with the bright sun, ripe strawberries and girls skipping about in the garden with a rainbow to lend charm to the pretty picture is what the nursery is all about. Stocked with all kinds of games, the portable basket-ball court especially included to build up stamina of the children is a favourite with the teachers—the children are yet to try their hand at basketball.

This gateway to fun and frolic has been named "Piyush Nursery Complex'' and is about passing time constructively. Hence, the walls display cutouts of the English alphabet and numbers while the tree in the village has leaves with the Hindi alphabet. Also, there are painted pictures of the various modes of transportation and traffic lights to acquaint the children with road manners. This school is one of the very few to have put up two magnetic boards which will fasten the learning process.

A stage being painted by Mohammad Tehsim, a student of Class XI, has been made to encourage participation in co-curricular activities. The student will be given an award on the day of the inauguration.

The Principal, Mr Karan Singh, informs that the work of the nursery was started on June 1 and completed by July 31. The paintings and thermocol cuttings in the nursery have been done by Mr Sanjiv Arora, Mr Surjit Singh, Mrs Harveen and Mrs Virender, all art teachers in different government schools.

In Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 46, the picture perfect nursery is quite the same, done up in style for the tiny-tots of the school. Decorated with drawings on chart paper about everyday life, the walls have thermocol cutting of scenes from fairy tales, children taking joy rides in trains, playing on swings and just having a good time. The garden scene has been beautifully captured in the paintings by Mrs Meena and Mr Surjit Singh, art teachers in government schools.

The nursery is also equipped with an audio-video system. The Principal, Mr R.S. Goraya, says, "We have bought many cassettes of nursery rhymes for the children. These will be turned on during the playtime of the children to keep them occupied during their stay in school.'' There are quite a few videos of fairy tales and cartoons for children in the video library specially made for the purpose. A sand pit for them to play in has specially been prepared. The flooring of the nursery is the only work which is delaying the inauguration of the nursery.

The two nurseries are a part of the plan of the Education Department to replace the drab nurseries of government schools and infuse new life into them by adopting the latest in the children's world, adding colour and bring them on a par with those of the public schools of the city.

Parthenium growth defies MCC claim
By Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 4 — It is the congress grass all the way in the City Beautiful. In the absence of any coordinated action by the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) and the Chandigarh Administration, the vacant parts of the city seem to have been overwhelmed by the growth of the deadly weed which has become a serious health hazard.

A quick survey revealed here that in the absence of any detailed programme to remove the weed it had virtually overtaken the open spaces despite the claims by the civic body that a major part of the city had been "cleared" of the congress grass.

Corporation sources said that the congress grass menace was here to stay since the administration had been slow to remove it from areas under its jurisdiction, including reserve areas, institutions and main roads. Since the seed of the plant gets disseminated immediately after being cut, it grows again making it difficult for the MCC staff to destroy it.

What makes the job difficult is the fact that spraying of chemicals for the destruction of the plant had not shown the desired results. Last year, the civic body had awarded a contract for the removal of the plant to Markfed on a trail basis in certain parts of the city but it grew again since the chemical did not destroy the roots of the plants.

Meanwhile, medical institutions, including the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, and the PGI, continue to receive skin allergy cases caused by the congress grass. The GMCH alone gets about five cases per week, says a doctor.

Doctors say that there is no permanent cure for the allergies as they recur, particularly during the monsoon when the plant is in full bloom. The most-affected parts are the upper neck, eyelids and hands.

A senior civic body official informed that though no formal campaign had been launched, yet the fourth cutting of the grass had been completed. The grass from about 70 per cent of the total 1,800 acres under the jurisdiction of the MCC had been cut and the entire operation was likely to be completed by August 31.

Saying that uprooting was not the best way to get rid of the congress grass menace, he said eight teams comprising over 200 employees with the help of 16 tractors had been pressed into service to undertake the job. The campaign, however, would only be successful if it was launched in SAS Nagar and Panchkula simultaneously since it was disseminated by air and water and could even by transported.

What is solar eclipse?
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 4 — It was on October 24,1995, that millions of people across the globe observed and enjoyed one of the most spectacular phenomena of nature - total solar eclipse. We have yet another opportunity to observe the same phenomena again on August 11, which will be the last of the millennium, and will be visible from certain parts of the country.

What is a solar eclipse ?

An eclipse of the sun takes place when the moon comes between the earth and the sun so that the moon's shadow sweeps over the face of the earth. This shadow consists of two parts : the umbra, or total shadow, a cone into which no direct sunlight penetrates; and the penumbra, or half shadow, which is reached by light from only a part of the sun's disc.

To an observer within the umbra, the sun's disc appears completely covered by the disc of the moon; such an eclipse is called total. To an observer within the penumbra, the moon's disc appears projected against the sun's disc so as to overlap it partly; the eclipse is called partial.

A solar eclipse, especially a total one, can be seen from only a limited part of the earth, while the eclipsed moon can be seen at the time of the eclipse whenever the moon is above the horizon.

In most calendar years, there are two lunar eclipses ; in some years one or three or none occur. Solar eclipses occur two to five times a year, five being exceptional; there were five in 1935 and again in 2206. However, a minimum of two solar eclipses in a calendar year must take place. It is, however, interesting to note that the total number of eclipses in a calendar year — solar plus lunar — cannot exceed seven. The average number of total solar eclipses in a century is 66 for the earth as a whole.

Any point on earth may, on the average, experience no more than one total solar eclipse in three to four centuries. The situation is quite different for lunar eclipses. An observer remaining at the same place can see 19 or 20 lunar eclipses in 18 years; three to four total eclipses and six or seven partial eclipses may be visible from the beginning to end, and a total of five eclipses and four or five partial eclipses at least partially visible.

A total lunar eclipse can last as long as an hour and three quarters, but for a total solar eclipse the maximum duration of totality is only 7.5 minutes.