The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

On the road to self-sufficiency
Tribune News Service

Students of vocational courses run by the All-India Women’s Conference at Indira Bhavan, Sector 11, after receiving their certificates.
— A Tribune photograph

Chandigarh, May 10
As many as 57 needy women were given away certificates for having successfully completed vocational courses at Indira Bhavan, Sector 11, run by the Chandigarh branch of the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) here today.

The chief guest at the occasion was Ms Madhvi Kataria, Director, Social Welfare, who gave away some of the certificates to these girls belonging to the low income group, who had been trained at the Bhavan free of cost, to help them earn a living on their own.

Ms Kamla Sharma, first mayor of the city, presided over the function and also gave away some of the certificates. Talking to the guests, she later said that it had been a matter of great pride to have given certificates to all those needy persons who could now be self-sufficient. Mrs Randhawa, president of the Chandigarh branch of the AIWC, also gave away some of the certificates. Ms Azad, wife of the famous freedom fighter, was also present on the occasion and presented a vote of thanks to the guests and audience.

Earlier, Ms Prithpal Kaur Vasu, honorary general secretary of the AIWC, Chandigarh branch, welcomed the guests and narrated a brief history of the AIWC. She said that more than 500 centres of the AIWC were running all over the nation and the AIWC was one of the earliest women organisations to have started functioning in 1926. The Chandigarh branch opened in 1956 and the Indira Bhavan started its activities of training and providing hostel accommodation to needy working women in 1986. Ms Kalsi, introduced the guests to the audience.

The vocational courses included one in computers, one in home nursing and first aid and another in stitching and fashion designing.

National workshop
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
Forest management and community participation featured significantly in the list of deliberations on the concluding day of the three-day national workshop on “community participation in micro-watershed management” at Panjab University here today. The workshop was organised by the Department of Sociology.

Embroidery contest
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
About 35 students of Dev Samaj Senior Secondary School, Sector 21, today participated in the first phase of an all-India Vardhaman embroidery contest held in the school. In its first phase the contest will cover over 100 schools in Punjab and Haryana.

The two-hour contest ended with the judges selecting 12 best entries. Certificates of participation were, however, awarded to all students who took part. The 12 best students will be presented with Vardhaman embroidery kits tomorrow.

The contest began on May 8 and will be completed by May 29. It is being conducted in four categories — classes VII, VIII, IX and X in schools of Ambala, Karnal, Chandigarh, Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur.

COURTS

Remand for car thief
Our Correspondent

Panchkula, May 10
The main accused in the car stolen racket, Rajesh Gautam, was remanded to three-day police custody by Ms Aradhana Sahani, Judicial Magistrate (first Class), after he was produced before the court by the police here on Wednesday.

Rajesh Gautam, the prime accused, was arrested from Delhi by a Panchkula police team after producing arrest warrants against him. The police team was sent to arrest the accused from Delhi for the second time. Meanwhile, Ms Sahani today issued production warrants against the other two co-accused in this case till May 17.

CULTURE

The crusaders against female foeticide
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 10
“Mujhe mujh se bachao,” a play that symbolises the crusade against female foeticide, initiated by members of various mahila mandals, spread the message of gender equality among the audience, who attended the annual function of Samaj Sewa Kendra at Catholic Church in Sector 19 here today.

The play, which portrayed the Indian woman’s obsession for bearing a male child, unfolded with a tyrant mother-in-law forcing her daughter-in-law to go through an abortion once its realised that the child she was carrying was a female. However, she has a change of heart when she comes to know that her daughter, who could also not produce a male heir, was sent back to her from her in-laws’ house.

The play was conceived and directed by Neelam Vaid and has Chanchal in the role of a doctor, who did a convincing job in spreading the message of gender equality. The role of the daughter-in-law was played by Saroj and the mother- in-law’s role was played by Neelam herself.

The gathering was later addressed by Rt. Rev. Bishop Gerald John Mathias, who urged the viewers as to participate in a rally against female foeticide which is being organised by samaj Sewa Kendra in the last week of June.

Encouraging women to demand their rights and the work towards removing the disparity between men and women by sharing economic responsibilities, Mr Mathias stressed the importance of educating the girl child. He also distributed certificates to 114 Balwadi children of different centres of both Chandigarh and Mohali, which are required for admission of children dwelling in slums.