ASI to construct ‘Theme Park’
By Rupesh Kumar

CHANDIGARH, June 21 — If you want to visit Taj Mahal, Khajuraho temples, Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta caves, Buddhist monuments of Sanchi, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutab Minar and the Sun Temple of Modhera and Konark, in one day and at one spot, you will not have to wait for long. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has visualised to construct a “Theme Park”, one of its kind in India, on the country’s archaelogical and architectural heritage at Leisure Valley in Sector 62, SAS Nagar.

The park will have models of all the 16 Indian monuments identified by UNESCO as World Heritage Monuments. These will include cultural sites of Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, Sanchi, Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Sun Temple of Konark and Modhera. The monuments of Hampi, Pattakadal, at Mahabalipuram and Khajuraho will add glamour to the park. The replicas of Humanyun’s Tomb, Qutab Minar and its monuments in Delhi and churches and convents of Goa, the Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri and Brihadisvara Temple of Thanjavur will reflect the history and traditions of this multicultural land.

On the request of the ASI, the Punjab Government has agreed to allot 6 acres free of cost for the proposed “Theme Park” in SAS Nagar. Earlier, Ropar was selected for the proposed park, but this idea was dropped, said an official. He added that the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) had asked for the project report of the park. The Additional Chief Administrator of PUDA, Mr Deepinder Singh also confirmed the decision regarding the proposal to allot a site to the proposed park in SAS Nagar.

The idea of the “Theme Park” was mooted by ASI’s Superintending Archaeologist of the Chandigarh region, Dr P.K. Mishra, at a seminar in Ropar, a couple of years back, which was seconded by Director-General of the ASI, Mr Ajay Shankar. It was then suggested by Dr P.K.Mishra that Nek Chand, creator-director of the Rock Garden, be consulted to accomplish the task. Subsequently, the concept was evolved in consultation with Nek Chand, who agreed to undertake the project.

The officials of the ASI said, “Earlier we had consulted Nek Chand for his technical know-how but due to the gigantic nature of the proposed park, we have hired an architect of Delhi, Mr Joejo, for the tentative layout plan.” When asked about any correspondence with ASI officials, Nek Chand said, “A couple of years back, the then Superintending Archaeologist, Dr P.K. Mishra, had consulted me and I agreed to give my assistance free of cost. But after the transfer of Dr Mishra, no one consulted me”.

He said if theASI wanted help, he would volunteer. He opined, “If the park is made, the local people, who do not go outside to see the monuments of national importance, would be able to see them virtually at their footsteps”. He added that from the tourism point of view, the park would enhance the importance of Chandigarh and SAS Nagar.

The park will educate people, and they can learn the history of all the 16monuments. Although these belong to different periods in history and have specific cultural identities, their architectural language will present a magical wonderland of visual experience.

According to the ‘ASI, the terrain will be contoured in three distinct layers, where water bodies, hilly terrain and valleys will present a stunning contrast to the manicured gardens of the plains and in the second phase, eight more monuments of national importance will be added if the proposal, which has been sent to the UNESCO, gets approval.

The decision regarding allotment of 6 acres was taken in July last year and PUDA’s Town Planning Wing had asked for the project report of the proposed “Theme Park”. The report has not been submitted by the “ASI’. Had the report been submitted in time, the construction work of the park would have been started by now.

Colourful rain gear flood market
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 21 — With the much-awaited monsoon showers hitting the city to beat the summer heat of June, it is time to open umbrellas and don raincoats to venture out in the rains.

The market is already flooded with rain gear in all shapes, sizes and colours.

Women now not only have a whole range of coloured printed umbrellas to choose from, but also triple-fold umbrellas are also available, priced in the range of Rs 200 onwards, which can be neatly put into a handbag. There are rain-suits, which are aptly called ‘safari suits for rains’, that consist of a coat, a pant and a cap. “This is useful for those driving motor bikes, and are once again in fashion. And for a price of Rs 400 onwards are not too expensive either”, said Mr Ajay Sarna, manager of a store in Sector 22, that houses rainwear. Definitely useful for an office executive on his two-wheeler.

“Fashion or no fashion, umbrellas and raincoats are obviously bought by everybody in this weather. And even if the number of cars has gone up on the roads, it does not mean the people would stop buying this stuff. They would still need to get out of the car and during that the protect themselves from rain”, said Mr Bakshi, in the Sector 22 rehri-market.

In fact, most store-owners contended that when it came to rain-wear for children, few parents want to buy brand-names. “What is the use of buying expensive rain-coats for my 12-year old? I know that she wants to buy bright yellow colour and this I can get from anywhere, and either she would not like to wear the same next monsoons or she would tear it from somewhere”, said Mrs Sudha. Her 12-year-old Neha added, “I like to have new sets of raincoats and umbrellas after every two years, because I either loose them in the school or cannot wear them because they become old and faded”.

For kids this year, the resplendent colours this season are almost the same what they were last year — sunflower yellow, bright red, flashing green and ultra-violet. But their moms this year can boast of “different coloured” umbrellas to match their lipsticks, like the shades of deep maroon, copper and brown. In fact, umbrellas now even come with a double lining in silver to make them “totally waterproof”.

Mr Jain, a shop-owner in Sector 19, added, “Umbrellas now also come with fancy heads, which look very attractive. Not simple black heads, but colourful and appealing, which would look pretty even when the umbrella has been hanged”.

And for those wearing turbans, days of simple polythene bags or ladies’ shower caps to cover the turbans is an outdated thing. “We now have a modified version of the shower cap, which is slightly elevated to make it easier to fit on top of turbans. And all at a cost of Rs 10”, said Mr Mohan Lal, whose shop in Sector 19 stores rain-gear.

The tip given by shop-owners to make umbrellas last long is not to open them on a windy day. “Even on scooters one can see pillion riders with umbrellas. Obviously with the kind of speed and wind, many joints of umbrellas tend to crack, and make your umbrella useless. “Also a traffic hazard”, said Mr Ajay Sarna.

And rain-coats? Well that depends on the quality of your raincoat, said most shop-owners. Now with questions being raised about wearing rubber over your clothes, which restricts air-flow while your body sweats inside, wearing the same rain-coats over and over again is also being considered a kind of a health hazard.

“Teach students to think”
By Poonam Batth
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 21 — "The focus on the child should stay even in the changing educational scenario. The schools ought to lay more emphasis on developing curriculum which is more suited to the needs of the child and not just in keeping with the board's requirement,'' says Mrs Lata Vaidyanathan, Principal of Eicher School, Parwanoo.

According to her, learning should be seen as an experience resulting in behavioural change and not just based on text books. The teachers in their attempt to prepare the child for the future should prompt them to think rather than being told what to think. She is of the view that in the changing scenario, right from setting objectives to taking decisions in terms of text-books, methodology and evaluation patterns the educationists should be guided from the child's point of view. This will facilitate learning in a child-friendly atmosphere.

For Mrs Vaidyanathan, who has been a principal for over 16 years now, education is a passion. A post graduate in botany and education, she was the Principal of Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, for 10 years from 1983 onwards before she joined as Principal in Eicher School. She began her teaching career as a PGT teacher in biology in Kendriya Vidyalaya.

Since children attending school in most cases are a heterogeneous group, they have different calibre and ways of learning and hence the approaches used to educate them must address the varied intelligence levels, she suggests. Here the creative nature of the teacher will come into play , which will also reflect the institution's policy.

However, while deciding on the methodology, the institutions need to continuously and periodically upgrade their own learning on the basis of the recent knowledge available in the field of education. `` The in-house training of teachers for upgrading their skills and designing alternative approaches should be treated as an investment and not an expenditure, '' maintains Mrs Vaidyanathan.

Looking at education from three different stages; early childhood and primary, middle level, secondary and senior secondary, she advocates a `developmental-curriculum' with its singular focus on taking away the burden of non-comprehension. She laments that most of the educational institutions use the word "playway" very loosely. The focus of the pre-school and primary levels should be to devise innovative methods of teaching , which helps them comprehend what is being taught without being formally taught.

Talking about the evaluation system, Mrs Vaidyanathan does not advocate any formal examinations up to Class V. The focus should shift away from rating of children to treating marks and grades as evaluation of realisation of the teachers' objectives. Any low achievement must be seen as a poor or inaccurate objective in the planning process, she says.

In her opinion, attitude is the key word in the recruitment of a teacher. One should not just be guided by mere academic excellence, because knowledge and skills without the right attitude to impart them is meaningless. Gandhiji's quote is relevant in this context: : `` A teacher is one who teaches children and not just subjects.'' An ideal teacher is one who is involved, dedicated, has love for children and is willing to draw the best out of a child. Moreover,a teacher should not be a know all ; he should always believe in learning more and growing.

The head of an institution should exercise his power in bringing out the best in his teachers and should walk with them and not ahead of them. His/her strength lies in noticing a change and implementing the same with the help of the team.

Defining the role of parents in the overall development of a child, she stresses that parents ought to spend quality time with their children as an intellectual resource person. Parental responsibility did not stop at providing financial resources. The core values inculcated in the child find their origins in the parenting process. The quality of time is not to be measured in terms of the financial resources made available to the children but the values which make a difference to their lives.

Theatre workshops and creative activities should be an integrated part of a regular school curriculum to bring out the hidden talent of children and not just during summer workshops. The schools should ensure active participation of parents and teachers. During one such literary workshop, the Eicher School students and teachers produced a volume of poetry entitled `` Pratham Prayas" ( first effort), which consists of a collection of Hindi and English poems composed by them.

Mrs Vaidyanathan feels it is indeed sad that tiny tots are made to take tuitions right at the outset of their educational careers due to peer pressure and high expectation level of schools. The concept of interviews for admission is also alien to her and she opines that if at all any criterion must be followed than it should be draw of lots followed by a general interaction with parents to select students for kindergarten.

The CBSE as a system of examination is closer to all entrance tests for various professional degrees and meets the requirements of the parents in planning a career to a large extent, she says. Further the graded syllabus of various subjects results in effective quality of the teaching-learning process.

For Mrs Vaidyanathan, the founder principal of the school, setting up a school with a new vision was no exception. She now wants to see the school grow up as a `learning organisation'. She is in favour of having a common platform for principals and educationists to ensure a positive improvement in the quality of education and where principals would emerge as academic directors rather than `super managers.'

‘Lantana’ weed eats into plant vitals
By A Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, June 21 — “Lantana camara ” — a noxious perennial weed, commonly known as “phul buti”, or ‘churail buti’ , has endangered the life of very costly species — “Acaciacatechu”, popularly known as “Khair plant” and “Eulaliopsis binata” commonly called “Bhabbar grass” of the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute’s regional research farm house at Mansa Devi Complex here.

The weed, which was brought by the Britishers about 200 years ago as an ornamental plant and for hedging, has created havoc in the forests of Himachal Pradesh and now it is the turn of forests in Chandigarh and its periphery .

It has endangered the life of “Khair plant” also called “green gold”. As a result, the central government has to incur heavy losses. A mature “Khair plant” is sold at a price of Rs 3000 per quintal and each tree of this species of the age of 30 years is priced at Rs 7000. But due to its wild growth, several plants in the farm house of the institute have vanished.

The weed , due to its aggressive nature, climbs over trees and affects their growth. The roots of this weed compete with that of “Khair plants” for nutrients and moisture, as a result the plants do not get proper food, resulting in their untimely death. It completely overshadows the trees, making it difficult for them to survive .

The noxious weed has severe impact on the ecology. It is poisonous in nature and has no predator. It is so toxic in nature that even after its decomposition it does not leave its toxicity . Its aggressive nature does not let other plants grow. It can also spread in agricultural lands, waste lands and orchards whereas its seeds are disseminated by birds , storms and rainfall .

Similarly, ‘Bhabbar grass’, which is a boon for good quality papers, ropes and cattle, has nearly met its end as a result of infestation by ‘Lantana’. The weed, due to its dominant and aggressive nature, covers grass and prevents it to absorb sunlight which is necessary for its survival.

Its infestation has compelled paper industry and rope manufacturers to face the hardships due to the shortage of the ‘Bhabbar grass’. To rope manufacturers, a quintal of ‘Bhabbar grass’ is sold at Rs 400, whereas paper industry buys this grass at the rate of Rs 250 per quintal. In addition to this, when no other grass is available in the summer season, the ‘bhabbar grass’ is the only solution for the cattle. Due to its fibrous root system, it can act as a best grass for soil conservation.

Prof S. P. Mittal, an agronomist, said, “Lantana virtually strangulates the standing ‘Khair plant”. He added that because of near elimination of ‘Bhabbar grass’, the landless people, who were earning their livelihood by selling ropes made of this grass, have become jobless.

Prof Mittal further pointed, “Lantana is a very good soil binder and prevents soil erosion and out of it chip boards and baskets are made. It can be used as a fuel for poor people and its interference is more in the closed areas.”

The head of the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, Dr R.K. Aggarwal, said a herbicide called “Glyphosate”, commonly known as “Glycel”, to control ‘Lantana’ did not show the desired result.

Dr Pawan Sharma, a senior scientist, suggested, “Only manual and mechanical methods can be successful for the control or eradication of the deadly weed.” She further added there should be continuous bulldozing of the infested area and seeds of the weed should be burnt to prevent its spread.

Dr R.K.Kohli of the Botany Department of Panjab University said the weed catches fire very quickly. Therefore, any forest infested with this weed is likely to catch fire. It decreases the productivity of trees, as a result the plant and animal diversity depletes. He further added, “Any forest it invades , it makes its so called kingdom and as it releases strong chemicals in the soil, other plants are not able to grow near it.” Dr Kohli disclosed that in Africa, 13 children were reported dead after consuming berries of ‘Lantana’, and due to its thick density the forest operation became difficult.

Some experts cautioned that the berries of ‘Lantana’ could have poisonous effect on the health of the children who unknowingly eat it. They further warned that those who use the weed for cleaning their teeth may become vulnerable to dental diseases .