Few use ISBT subway
By Kshiti Nijhawan and Sourav Sanyal

CHANDIGARH, Oct 3 — Pedestrians jumping over road dividers in front of the Inter-State Bus Terminus in Sector 17 is a common sight here. Rather than using the subway which was inaugurated on May 18, 1996, people prefer to cross over iron railings which divide the road. This not only poses a threat to their lives but also is a major traffic hazard.

Chandigarh Tribune team saw about 70 persons risking their lives in this manner in an hour. Autorickshaw drivers near the Sector 22 shops on the opposite side of the terminus said about 1,500 to 2,000 persons jumped over these dividers everyday. Accidents, fatal in some cases, are a common occurence. In spite of it, people seem undeterred from indulging in this reckless act.

Raksha Devi, an elderly woman of Chandigarh, who was seen crossing the road in this manner, said she did not know any subway existed. She attributed her ignorance to the lack of prominent markers pointing towards the subway. Raju, an employee in the Sector 22 market, had no valid reason for his action.

Meena Arora, an entrepreneur, seemed indifferent to the fact that her life could be endangered by her thoughtless action. She said everyone had to die some day, so, it was useless to worry and think unnecessarily. Vishal, a student of Class IX, said that he was too lazy to climb the stairs of the subway. Persons who had come to the city for medical check-ups from villages said it was too much of an effort for them to take the subway route.

Autorickshaw drivers and shopkeepers said iron railings were of no use and had increased the traffic hazard. They are in favour of immediate removal of the dividers and suggest that overbridges should be constructed in place of subways. This they feel will be of great help to those persons who are unable to read pointers leading to the subway.

They add that traffic lights should be installed in the area and zebra crossing for pedestrians should be made. People generally believed that the subway was unsafe, especially at night. College girls complained that eve-teasing was rampant. They did not rule out the possibility of chain-snatching incidents.

On the other hand, regular subway users are happy with its existence which according to them, has brought about a decline in the accident rate. Pankaj Vidyarthi, a student of Panjab University, said that it was better to reach late than never. Mr Hirendra Parashar, an employee of the HSLD, prefers to use the subway because he believes in obeying traffic rules. Mr Ramesh Sedha, a retired driver, says that stern action should be taken against those who flout the law. Meanwhile, some policemen and home guards seen outside the ISBT looked indifferent to these violations and did not take any step to put a stop to these.

In mother's famous shadow
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 3 — It was a daughter speaking straight from the heart, when singer Dolly Guleria today interacted with the audience in a Ru-Ba-Ru session organised by the Sahit Chintan at the Punjab Arts Council, Sector 16, today. Dolly talked about the limitations of being daughter of Surinder Kaur, the nightingale of Punjab, the grooming she got from her father, Prof Joginder Singh Sodhi, and the support she got from her husband, Colonel Guleria, to take up singing as a profession.

This Punjabi singer appeared to be more her father's daughter, when she related how she spent the first seven years of her life as a single child in the company of "Daarji, since Mamma was already quite high in the singing circuit at that time". Dolly said that she is very proud of her father who is the one man behind Surinder Kaur's success, and who actually honed her skill as a singer, "since gayaki was either ways running in my blood".

Dolly said that her mother always wanted her to do well in studies, which she did, and become a doctor and not a singer. "My mother knew how the circuit and the film industry treated women, and she thought that I was too mild to deal with such things", she said.

"But there has always been this competition sort-of-a-thing that I had, since Mamma always overshadowed me. The tonal quality of my voice is quite like hers, but I was fond of singing sad and ruhani songs. But wherever I went, people would ask me to sing Kaley rang da paranda or Shaunkan mele di, songs which have that buoyancy that I don't really relate to", she added.

She talked about the popular nostalgic number Maawan tey dheeyan sung by the mother-daughter duo in scha way that one "could not distinguish between the two voices, since even the breath pattern while singing seemed to synchronise".

Having come out with a couple of her own cassettes of Punjabi songs and Gurbani, Dolly's next is a cassette of Punjabi songs based on the poetry of Shiv Batalvi.

Votary of people's involvement
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 3 — Using new human resource development techniques that are usually applied in corporate houses, for the betterment of a school and its functioning, is the forte of Ms Anne Stadler, a human resource development person from Seattle, USA.

She uses the 'open space technology' to involve students, parents, teachers and school administrators to know their opinion on subjects that can help the school or organisation evolve better and grow collectively. Each participant has something to contribute.

The latest experiment has been at the Eicher School in Parwanoo. Explaining the system, Ms Stadler says, "We use two things. Both stem from similar assumptions that all systems are growing towards wholeness."

The first way is to conduct an appreciative enquiry from an individual, seeking his opinion as to what he remembers as his personal best for the organisation and how the organisation helps him achieve it. Certain themes come directly out of people's thoughts, Ms Stadler says. The key thing is to ascertain what makes the organisation special and how the organisation can propel forward. The need is also to identify areas in which we need to grow in.

Complaints are indicator of a problem. The individual is asked to suggest ways to improve the functioning. People often come up with suggestions, Ms Stadler opines. The most important intervention is to bring about students, parents, teachers and school administrative authorities together.

Any person can get up and initiate a conversation on any subject. Those wishing to join a conversation on that subject can form a small group. Others can also form groups. The outcome of the discussions are compiled and copies are distributed among participants.

The idea is to create liveliness through people, who take responsibility to do something. The need is to create an environment where we recognise the most teachable moment in students. The teacher intervenes and the student is ready to accept the learning process.

Ms Lata Vaidyanathan, Principal of Eicher School, says schools should see that training is an investment. The school has adopted some schools in the rural areas around Parwanoo for quality intervention.

1 teacher, 5 classes, 2 leaking rooms
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Oct 3 — Students of Government Primary School in Gaudan village have become used to sitting under a leaking roof when it rains.

The building of this school, about 8 km from the PGI, is on the verge of collapse. Grass and wild vegetation have grown on the roof. Plaster is peeling off from the walls, ceiling and the floor, as testimony to years of neglect.

It has 40 students on its rolls and only two rooms. Often, a holiday is declared when it rains.

There is one teacher for five classes, and that reflects the quality of education being imparted to the students. He has to handle all five classes. One of the rooms is used as a store where broken chairs, mats, and boxes have been dumped.

The other room is used for holding all classes together. The students roam about till the teacher turns up and they are not sure whether the teacher would come, particularly in the rainy season as the village is surrounded by several chos. The school has no electricity.

The local panchayat approached the authorities for getting the building repaired. It got a development grant of Rs 1 lakh and wanted to spend it on the school building but the authorities did not allow this because the funds could be utilised only for the purpose these were sanctioned, said Krishan, a panch.