'Pak intruders deserve no mercy'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 4 — The line of action being pursued by the government in dealing with the situation in Dras- Kargil has found favour with city residents but many strongly feel that the need of the hour is not to put the government on the mat but boost the morale of the armed forces.

That the intruders deserve no mercy and there should be no compromises at the cost of the nation's security, was the common refrain of a cross-section of people interviewed here today.

Although the harsh terrain coupled with the well entrenched enemy are a formidable combination, the bravery and valour of our soldiers has never been doubted by anyone for a moment.

Group Captain J.S. Chimni (retd), who has served in the affected sector in the 60s, said the forces are doing the right thing. The intruders are like a well-armed dacoity gang in our house and no measure is too tough or drastic to throw them out.

The Army has been tackling skirmishes on the LoC for a long time but this time the enemy has gone too far. It is easy to comment while sitting hundreds of miles away that the enemy took advantage of the abandoned positions, but the truth could be otherwise.

He said the morale of the forces was very high. Senior functionaries from the Ministry of Defence, including the Defence Minister, have visited the trouble spots and have seen things for themselves. We should rally round our forces and support them, he added.

Mr Baljit Singh, a lecturer in a local school, whose elder brother is in the Army, advocates a more hardline approach and said no quarter should be given or asked. We have been on the receiving end for a long time now. The low intensity insurgency supported by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir is because of our policy of non-interference. We prefer to bleed slowly than take things and deal with the matter once and for all.

While the Army is doing a commendable job, what are our politicians and leaders doing? Indulging in rhetoric and running down the government at this juncture sends wrong signals not only to the troops but to the people as well. Who is responsible for the huge loss of lives, mounting bills for internal security duties and infrastructure? he questioned.

Blaming the entire thing on Intelligence failure was too plausible an explanation, there is more to the present flare-up than meets the eye, he opined.

Mrs Suman Malhotra, a school teacher, says that the soldiers demand more respect from a "generally ungrateful nation". The past has shown that in times of exigencies like the present one, we praise the armed forces no end, but when it is all over, we try to paint a different picture of the faujis having a ball (during peacetime).

She said it may have been an Intelligence failure but our politicians are more worried about the ballooning defence bill. The top brass is told to curb expenditure and I think they are also told to abandon such areas. This is what happens when we try to cut corners.

Since we know that Pakistan has always been up to mischief, leaving vital posts was fraught with danger and this is what has happened, she added.

Major D.P. Singh, Principal of the Government College for Boys, Sector 46, said the jawans are fighting against all odds, facing the vagaries of the weather, but one must also spare a thought for the innocent civilians displaced by the firing. They have been caught in the crossfire.

At times like this, the nation should unitedly boost the morale of the armed forces. It is not only that lip service is to be paid (which we always do), but something is done for our soldiers. If a soldier is certain that his family will be looked after even if he makes the supreme sacrifice in line of his duty, he would die a happy man.

We should forget all political compulsions and stand like a rock at a time like this.

There is, however, no doubt that we have been caught napping like this in the past. After the intruders are thrown out, a soul-searching exercise seems to be in order so that this scenario is not repeated on other borders.

Mr M.L. Batra, a businessman, feels that such situations have an adverse impact on the economy of the country. To be forced into a corner by a country like Pakistan, which has been fomenting trouble for the past many decades, is indeed shameful.

"I firmly belief that the government is passing the buck on to the Army for the fiasco. In reality, our political leaders, as usual, would have dithered in taking the hard decisions. Valuable time was lost in deliberating on what other countries would think, when an all-out strike was called for.

He condemned the offer of safe passage to mercenaries and said that it would set a wrong precedent for others to emulate. There should be no compromise at the cost of the security and dignity of the nation and its people, he added.

Giving children ‘winning edge’
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, June 4 — Shalini (not her real name), on the threshold of teenage, was a shy girl till she joined the Winning Edge, a personality development programme for girls in the age group of 12 to 15 years, being organised as part of “Headstart”, the second summer camp at Hans Raj Public School here.

After attending the camp for 11 days Shalini today finds it easier to relate to strangers as she has shed her inhibitions.

Somewhat on the lines of formal finishing schools, the Winning Edge trained the participants in how to introduce themselves at a party, how to make small but meaningful talk, the right way of presenting others and importance of diet and fitness.

The participants were taught table decor, colour corrdination, planning menus, using the right table crockery and cutlery by Mr Vishal Kalia, faculty member of the Food Craft Institute, at the institute yesterday. They were also given lessons in how to order food in a restaurant, what different menus entalied, numerous styles of napkin folding and the usage of different kinds of knives, forks and glasses.

Mrs Rekha, whose daughter, Shwetika, is a participant, says: “We as adults are not too sure about the right way of holding a knife or how to present a younger woman to an older person. The practical tips given to the girls has been a revelation.”

The Adventure Group was a fun experience where 40 children were left shouting: “Ye Dil Manage More”. The trip to a farmhouse in Khanpur was the highlight where children refused to get out of a tubewell. The Morni experience was also fun where the children undertook trekking, pitching up tents and playing theatre games. An unarmed combat by commandos of the Punjab Police was specially organised for the children.

Visits to Verka milk plant and a Dabur unit at Baddi were fascinating. Guest talks included an interesting aeroplane slide show by Air Marshal M.M. Singh (retd) and a motivational talk by India’s ace amateur golfer Harmeet Kahlon.Sessions on art and cartooning were part of the programme.

For the younger children there was the theatre workshop where over 70 children participated in face painting, story telling, theatre games and exercises.

According to Mrs Taru Bahl, Coordinator of the workshop, well-known Bharatnatyam dancer Suchitra Mitra will specially perform for the children on the concluding day on June 5.

Exposition on careers begins
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 4 — Students looking for career options in various fields of education were today made aware of the emerging opportunities in the fields of public relations and hospitality industry along with the requisites of personality development for a successful career on the first day of "Alternatives", the three-day exposition on education and careers which began at the CII here today.

The day began with a session on career in public relations. Mr S.K. Mitra, Director, Client Services and Branch Manager, HTA, emphasised that public relations and advertising which go hand in glove, are becoming critically must for all marketers. With the help of a presentation and few case studies he highlighted the role of PR agencies in various fields.A mass communication degree, basic knowledge of computers , an under-graduate degree and interaction with people from various walks of life are some of the basic pre-requisites for pursuing a career in public relations. Answering a question, he observed that Chandigarh does not offer sufficient opportunities in PR as compared to metros like Mumbai and Delhi.

Mr I.S Paul, Chairman, Chandigarh Council said that a mind set has to be made to excel in whatever field you choose.

A presentation on "Careers in the hotel industry'' was given by Mr Stephen Head, Principal, Oberoi Centre of Training and Development in the afternoon. He said that travel and tourism industry is the world's largest industry, which contributes 11 per cent of the global economy, employs 10 per cent of the global work force and its growth is faster than the overall GDP. He also told them of the opportunities available at the graduate level in the Indian Institute of Hotel Management and post graduate courses in Oberoi Centre, besides throwing light on structure of a hotel and its hierarchy. While emphasising that hospitality industry still has tremendous growth potential, he asked the students to contact him in case of any queries.

Later, Mr Dinesh Kumar, Director, Master Mind, conducted an interactive session on personality development for a successful career. Personality, according to him, cannot be gauged by mere peripherals like dress, behaviour and speech but is the core of an individual reflecting his knowledge. The concept of personality development is all about making a conscious effort to upgrade learning through reading, writing and taking time to think. A confident personality would have a well-developed spiritual, mental and emotional strength. He also pointed out that the power to effect changes in the personality lies within us and the core of an individual can be changed by continually renewing one's skills.

Summing up the session, Mr S.K. Bijlani said that correct attitude and values, skills and vision are the basics for the development of a good personality.

Concurrently, an exhibition where as many as 20 stalls offer a variety of information about courses from information technology to fashion technology and from interior design to architecture have been set up. The advent of computer education and its importance in today's scenario was evident from the number of stalls which were providing the students information about various software computer courses and the advanced ones.

The rush at stalls put up by various foreign institutes and foreign universities offering guidance about the opportunities available, pre-requisites and procedure of applying brought out the craze for education abroad. A few immigration and education consultants were offering career guidance in UK, Australia and USA and immigration.