FROM SCHOOLS
Inter-school science exhibition
Tribune Reporters

Panchkula, November 30
An inter-school science exhibition-cum-competition and art exhibition for DAV schools in Ambala zone was organised at DAV Senior Secondary Model School, Sector 8, here today.

Hundreds of students of Classes V to XII from over 15 schools participated in the competition. Models ranging from different forms of pollution, ozone depletion and pollution and remedies to those on biological warfare by Anthrax, nutritional deficiencies and disorders and hydro- electric power stations were put on display.

An art and craft exhibition was also held in which rangoli, paintings in water ink, water colour, sketches, oil and glass were on display. An inter-school poster making competition was held under three different categories — Cleanliness, etiquette and punctuality.

The function was earlier inaugurated by Justice Amarjeet Chaudhary and Mr R.K. Chauhan, regional director of Ambala zone of DAV schools, and Mr V.P. Paul, Principal of Chaman Lal DAV School, were also present.

The results:

Science exhibition — Chemistry: Group A (V to VIII) — Hansraj Public School; Group B ( IX , X) — Major R.N. Kapoor School, Ambala; Group C (XI, XII) — DAV School, Sector 8.

Physics: Group A — Hansraj Public School; Group B — Maj R.N. Kapoor School, Ambala; Group C — DAV, Surajpur.

Biology: Group A — DAV, Ambala city, Model Town; Group B— Hansraj Public School; Group C — DAV School, Sector 8.

Poster making competition — Cleanliness: First — Sapna Pavesar of DAV Senior Public School, Surajpur; second — Akshat Gai — DAV Model School, Sector 15, Chandigarh. Punctuality: First: Lovejot of Police DAV Public School, Ambala; second: Deepak Nanda of DAV School, Surajpur. Etiquette: First: Puja Tripathi of DAV, Surajpur; second: Neha Sharma of DAV, Sector 8, Panchkula.

Annual Day function: Various schools in and around the township today celebrated their annual day with enthusiasm.

Nav Bal Niketan Public School organised its annual function here in which it presented a variety cultural show. The Deputy Commissioner, Ms Satwanti Ahlawat was the chief guest, while Mr V.P. Madhwa, Manager of Karnataka Bank, presided over the function.

The show began with group songs and action poems by tiny tots. This was followed by a skit based on morality, a kathak dance and a comedy skit. Around 50 academic and sports prizes were given by chief guest.

At DAV Senior Public School, Surajpur, a workshop on psychology was organised for students. The workshop aimed at understanding the psychology of child, his interests and hobbies.

In Dera Bassi, the annual day function of Sukhmani International School was held with fanfare. Mr J.S. Kesar, Principal Secretary, Planning, was the chief guest. Students presented a colourful cultural programme.

SAS NAGAR
Exhibition: A colourful variety programme marked the annual day celebrations at the Gian Jyoti Public School, Phase II, here today. Mr Gurbinder Singh Atwal, Minister for Cooperative and Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab Government, was the chief guest, while Mr Bir Devinder Singh, MLA Kharar, presided over the function. The chief guest started the celebrations by lighting traditional lamp. He then took a round of the science and craft exhibition where live projects based on bio-technology were displayed by the science students.

The programme started with a recital of Gurbani shabad followed by regional dances ending in bhangra. The main attraction of the show was colourful modelling by the tiny tots of the school. Mr J.S. Bedi, secretary of the school, presented the annual report. The chief guest presented the prizes to the toppers in academics. The prizes were given to participants of the cultural show by the MLA. The Principal, Ms Ranjeet Bedi, presented a vote of thanks.

Students honoured
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 30
Three students, who have topped in their respective engineering streams, were honoured by the Institution of Engineers India (Punjab and Chandigarh centre) at a function held here today.

The Mrs Kala Devi Awards were presented to Atul Toky, Monisha and Vijay Kumar Malik, toppers of Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, PTU, Jalandhar, and the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, respectively.

COURTS

DISTRICT COURTS
Banker’s bail plea dismissed
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, November 30
The UT Additional and Sessions Judge, Mr Balbir Singh, today dismissed a bail plea moved by the General Manager of the State Cooperative Bank, Chandigarh, Vinod Sharma, who had been arrested by the CBI for his alleged involvement in Rs 11 crore scam.

The accused is presently lodged in Burail jail after being remanded in judicial custody by a local court. The accused, a resident of Sector 45-B, was arrested by the CBI on November 12.

The CBI alleged in the FIR that Vinod Sharma along with others — then General Manager Jagtar Singh and officials of Punwire — had entered into a criminal conspiracy and caused lose of crores of rupees to the bank. The CBI also alleged that the GM had granted a loan of Rs 11 crore to Punwire without obtaining tangible security. The accused had accepted a bribe of Rs 5 lakh for sanctioning a short term loan. Then the amount was shared by directors of Punwire and other officials of the bank.

Rape case: After a lapse of three-and-a-half months, the rape case of Shimla-based girl today committed in the court of the UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S Bhalla, by the prosecution. The prosecution while filing a challan in the case had levelled the charge of gang rape against four persons — Ram Lal, Surinder Sharma, Baldev Kumar and Narveer — who are at present lodged in Burail jail. The case will come up for hearing on December 9.

Meanwhile, acting on the bail plea moved by one of the accused, Baldev Kumar, the UT Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Balbir Singh, issued a notice to the UT state to file a reply in the case on December 5. Claiming that the term “rape” in simplest language means the ravishment of a woman, without her consent, by force, fear or fraud or as the carnal knowledge of a woman by force or against her will, the applicant stated in the bail plea that here the police had made a mockery of the term and gave it the meaning of having sexual intercourse with the conspirator to frame some one else in the case. Not only this, even the prosecutrix branch had allowed the challan to be submitted with this definition of rape.

Bail granted: A proclaimed offender, Khushak Chander Shukla, was today granted bail by a local court in a case of causing grievous injuries. The complainant, Simranjit Singh, had alleged that the accused had hit him with a sharp-edged weapon and demanded Rs 4,000 from him in 1996. A case under Section 387 of the IPC was registered against him.

BAR COUNCIL POLL
Sidhu, Munjal lead
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, November 30
Dr Anmol Rattan Sidhu, Mr C.M Munjal, Mr Bhupinder Singh Rathore, Mr Brij Mohan Vinayak and Mr Jai Vir Yadav were today leading on the fifth day of counting of votes polled in elections to the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana held on November 22 and 23. Employees of the Punjab Government and members of the Bar council were involved in the counting of the votes, informed the Returning Officer of the Bar Council, Mr Nirmal Singh Dhillon.

Dr Sidhu has scored 619 votes, Mr Munjal 619, Mr Rathore 580 votes, Mr Vinayak 570 votes while Mr Yadav has scored 504 votes so far.

It may mentioned that 60 per cent of the polling was recorded in the first phase of the elections held on November 22 in Chandigarh as 2,915 of a total of 5,142 advocates were registered with the Bar council in Chandigarh. There were 117 contestants in the fray for the 25 posts of the members of the Bar Council.

HIGH COURT
Acquitted

Chandigarh, November 30
In a complete reversal of events, an accused, sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment under the Opium Act, has been acquitted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court after holding that it was unclear from the prosecution evidence whether the sealed sample of the recovered item was kept in safe custody.

Setting aside the orders of the courts below, Mr Justice Viney Mittal of the High Court ruled: “It is not clear from the evidence on record that the seal with which the sample was sealed was put in safe custody and that at no stage the same was unavailable to the police. Under these circumstances, it cannot be suggested that there was no scope of tampering with the sample of the recovered item”.

CULTURE

FILM REVIEW
Novel comedy on cross-cultural bonds
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

‘The Guru’ (Piccadily and Suraj, Panchkula) is a hilarious story of Indians in search of the great American dream. Cross-cultural bonds explore the worlds of their counterparts. The moneyed need a ‘guru’ and the ‘guru’ needs money.

The story idea, however, is not one for the masses. This film belongs to the genre of movies like ‘Bend It Like Beckham’, ‘Monsoon Wedding’ and ‘American Desi’. It needed greater crafting for adaptation to Bollywood requirements.

The humour is more dependent on the appeal to baser instincts. The editing is slick. However, the dialogues needed more care.

Jimi Mistry is a Young Indian dance teacher allured to American to fulfil the desire for prosperity. He finds himself in a restaurant, finding that life is not as easy as he thought. He is forced to act as a sex ‘guru’ under circumstances, but soon finds himself shooting to fame.

Heather Graham guides the ‘guru’ to adapt his discourse content in accordance with his immediate environs. The presentation is a good experiment in taking up the issue of cross-culture baniels. The ‘guru’ belongs to a place where spiritualism seems to be the last on the average man’s agenda in sole pursuit of money. The American, on the other hand, is looking for a medium to transcend the world of riches to achieve ‘spiritual bliss’.

The releases in the city and Panchkula are in Hindi. However, the film is also available in English, Tamil and Telugu versions. It is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Feliner and Michael London. Daisy Von Scheler Mayer is the film’s director.

Tracey Jackson has scripted the story. The film also stars Marisa Tomei, Michael McKlean, Dash Mihok and Emil Marwa. Shekhar Kapoor and Lisa Chasin Dera are executive producers.

Wedding show
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 30
City Beautiful will play host to a unique event early next year —”Vivah 2003.”

Billed as a wedding show with a class, the four-day event will be held at Hotel Shivalikview from January 9 to 13. It is a total wedding solution show – anything and everything required in arranging a wedding is being showcased here in the exhibition, says Mr Rahul Beri who is organising the event.

Vivah encases wedding arrangement categories like designer outfits, jewellery, silverware, invitation cards, flowers and designer candles, giftwares, cosmetics, honeymoon packages, bridal and groom accessories, beauty saloons, wedding writers and publications, wedding portals, wedding coordinators, wedding photographers, fitness counsellers, furniture and furnishings.