Chandigarh gets National Golf Academy

"The city from where the country's top international golfer Jeev Milkha Singh hails got a boost for its golfing tradition with the National Golf Academy of India inaugurated here Wednesday.

The new academy set up by the Indian Golf Union (IGU) at the Chandigarh Golf Range was inaugurated by Punjab Governor S.F. Rodrigues.

"This national project, aiming to promote and develop golf, will meet the long felt need and demand for teaching professionals in this sport in the country. The demand for teaching professionals was rising every year and the IGU had to find a home for the academy which was conveniently located," IGU president T.T. Jagannathan said.

Chandigarh Golf Association (CGA) president C.S.R. Reddy said that golfing facilities available at the golf course were the best in the country.

"With the setting up of this academy, many caddies will be able to get the opportunity of becoming teaching professionals," Reddy said.

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Chandigarh gets National Golf Academy

The city from where the country's top international golfer Jeev Milkha Singh hails got a boost for its golfing tradition with the National Golf Academy of India inaugurated here Wednesday.

The new academy set up by the Indian Golf Union (IGU) at the Chandigarh Golf Range was inaugurated by Punjab Governor S.F. Rodrigues.

"This national project, aiming to promote and develop golf, will meet the long felt need and demand for teaching professionals in this sport in the country. The demand for teaching professionals was rising every year and the IGU had to find a home for the academy which was conveniently located," IGU president T.T. Jagannathan said.

Chandigarh Golf Association (CGA) president C.S.R. Reddy said that golfing facilities available at the golf course were the best in the country.

"With the setting up of this academy, many caddies will be able to get the opportunity of becoming teaching professionals," Reddy said.

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Girls driven out of hostel at SD College, Chandigarh

One noted the irony of a high court observation - coming only a day earlier - insisting on a child-parent like relationship between an institution and its students when scores of SD College hostel girls found themselves displaced on Wednesday because of a personal function of principal AC Vaid.

"We were told that the principal's daughter was getting married on November 27 and his relatives would be adjusted in our rooms," said a girl who naturally didn't want to be named.

According to sources, some 55 girls staying on the hostel's ground floor - with 15 rooms and housing 230 students - were asked to leave the hostel by college authorities until Sunday. "We have been asked either to adjust with girls staying on the first and second floors or with local guardians. With exams beginning on Monday, things have become very difficult," added another girl.

High-handedness of college officials did not end there. "A three-day holiday has also been announced because of the wedding which is on Saturday," said a BA-II year student.

Asking students to be in attendance for the entertainment of guests, they have reportedly been told to prepare gidha, jago and other dance items for the sangeet to be held on November 28 within the college premises.

Parents were naturally a worried lot when they came to know of their daughter's plight. "We are worried about the security of our girls as they will now be sharing the hostel mess with unknown visitors," said an anxious parent.

However, Vaid denied holding a family function on the hostel premises. "Students have been asked to vacate their rooms as we will be provide them with a recreational centre on the ground floor. There is no plan to accommodate my relatives in the hostel."

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Panjab University to do away with 7% OBC quota

In a move which is bound to cause ripples in the student community at large, the Panjab University (PU) has decided to do away with its 7% Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota from the next academic session.

The decision has come in the wake of a recent affidavit by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) in the Punjab and Haryana high court, stating that PU is neither a central university nor centrally-funded.

The university had set aside the OBC quota rather late in the session, October 31, 2008, being the last date for applications, following Supreme Court orders that it be introduced in central or centrally-funded universities. It planned to implement 27% reservation for OBC candidates in three phases, which would eventually have led to an overall increase of 54% seats.

"Since the ministry has not declared PU either a central or centrally-funded university, we thought it fit to do away with the OBC quota from the next session. It has already implemented in the current batches," PU vice-chancellor R C Sobti told TOI on Wednesday. The university has already received a Rs 5-crore MHA grant for implementing the quota and is required to give money utilization certificate to the ministry. "We will not be returning the money (already used) and will instead submit money utilization certificate," Sobti added.

Reactions to the PU decision came fast and furious. Ronki Ram, president, Panjab University Teachers' Union, said, "The university has already implemented the quota, thereby raising the expectations of students. I think the Union ministry should reconsider its decision and grant funds so that we can at least maintain the status quo on OBC quota."

Expressing similar views, Panjab University campus Students' Council president Sahil Nanda added, "OBC students are going to suffer because of contradictory letters sent out by MHA."

At present, the university receives 60% grant from the Chandigarh administration and 40% from the Punjab government. However, it has time and again raised the issue of financial crunch since it has not been getting its share from Punjab. In fact, it is one reason why PUTA has been demanding a central status for the institute. The state government, for obvious reasons, has been turning down the demand.

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Two- day Chandigarh carnival starting Nov 22

Chandigarh is all set to let its hair down and party, as it prepares to host its annual two- day carnival starting Nov 22. The spoiler: the route for this year's parade has been cut short to avoid traffic congestion.

Hundreds of people participate every year in the Chandigarh Carnival. Life-size floats of various designs and tableaux carried on cycle-rickshaws and tractor-trolleys move at a languid pace throughout the city as the crowd dances to the beat of drums.

This year, however, the administration has decided to shorten the parade, citing reasons of increasing traffic snarls on the city roads.

"The number of vehicles on the city roads has increased manifold. Earlier we had to divert the traffic or stop it for some time to make way for the parade. This led to chaos and traffic pile-ups on the city roads," Vinod Kalia, assistant director, Chandigarh Tourism.

"To avoid all this and keeping various parameters in mind we have made some changes in the parade's route. We have already finalised the route and the parade will pass through only those areas where we normally have little traffic and will not touch any residential quarters," Kalia said.

The two-day carnival will start Nov 22 and the parade will move from Matka roundabout to the roundabout at the Sector 16 cricket stadium, then end at the Rose Garden facing the Chandigarh Carnival site.

"This is a platform to showcase our rich heritage, art and culture to the world. Every year it attracts a large number of foreign tourists to the city," Archana Shastri, principal, Government College of Art (GCA), Chandigarh.

Every year many students of GCA participate in the carnival, clearly outnumbering students from any other college.

Apart from other activities, this year students of GCA are preparing the entrance gate based on the theme of the carnival 'Fun and Games'.

Shastri added: "This carnival also gives an opportunity to the students of our college to showcase their talent. This year over 120 students of our college are involved in preparing floats, slides for joy rides and figures of cartoon characters Noddy and Mowgli and of Hindu god Ganesha."

There will be two Bollywood musical nites, a laughter show, an amusement park for children, food courts and various cultural events going on simultaneously during the carnival.

Artistes from the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, the Sahitya Akademi and the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi will participate in the carnival.

"We are also expecting the participation of foreign artistes from Poland,Germany, France, Japan and Hungary. We have also written to the (Indian) Air Force Station, Chandigarh, to provide us their helicopter to shower flower petals at the inauguration event," Kalia said.

He added: "There will be 40 huts made of bamboo at the carnival village that will be the stalls. For corporate and business houses, there will be a separate section."

In the carnival village, a mini Rock Garden will be created by Nek Chand, creator of the Rock Garden, one of the major tourist destinations in the city.

A hanging bridge, children's traffic park, and a chaupal (community area) of Haryana Tourism where visitors can taste the cuisines from Haryana, pyramid of flowers and colourful fountains will be the attractions for visitors coming to the carnival.

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Broken teeth - Smile and dial helpline

If you happen to break your teeth, don't fret. Just put them in some milk or coconut water and scuttle off to a dentist - so advises a newly launched helpline here.

The oral health sciences department at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has started the unique 24-hour emergency helpline - 9914208717 - dedicated to saving broken or fractured teeth.

"A helpline to attend trauma cases related to teeth was the need of the hour. We have observed here in our department that cases of dentofacial trauma that affect patients' teeth and facial structure has increased manifold in the last few years," Ashima, senior faculty member, paediatric dentistry, PGIMER.

The helpline will be managed by a four-member team of senior doctors.

"Broken and fractured teeth are the most common cases. Earlier, we used to hardly get one or two such cases in a month but now we are getting two cases of broken teeth and three to four cases of fractured teeth every week," said Ashima.

Alarmingly, most of these cases involve children or teenagers who incur injury because of some scuffle, fall or accident, she pointed out.

The helpline number, 9914208717, was flashed on the PGIMER's website three weeks ago on a trial basis. After getting a remarkable response from the public, it was launched formally Monday.

The oral health sciences department at the institute is one of the most ultra modern and well-equipped departments, with over 40 physicians attending to hundreds of patients everyday.

"Damaged teeth can be successfully re-implanted if they are preserved well and are cautiously taken to the physician in a short time," said Ashima.

"We give easy and quick tips on the phone as to how to protect broken teeth. Generally, people wrap broken teeth in paper to save them, but that is entirely wrong as they should be kept in milk, coconut water or even in the mouth so that they do not lose moisture."

PGIMER, one of the leading medical institutes of northern India, was started in 1962, caters to patients from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

"Normally, people tend to ignore teeth problems, causing more trouble a few years later. Many times, patients come to us two or three days after a tooth injury and at that time, the doctors cannot do much to help them," Mishthu, a senior resident doctor and one of the attendants at the helpline.

"Although in the initial days, the response was lukewarm, now the response is overwhelming as we are getting continuous calls from patients. It is indeed very satisfying for us that we are able to help a patient in time," stated Mishthu.

People in the city and surrounding areas are also very happy with the helpline.

"This helpline was like a godsend for us when last week my 16-year-old son broke two of his front teeth after he was badly hit by a cricket ball while playing," said Radhika Jain, a government school teacher.

"His coach immediately dialled the helpline and on their instructions carried the broken teeth to a nearby dental clinic by immersing them in milk. The teeth were successfully fixed back," said Jain.

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Animal protection group goes Bollywood way to raise funds

A non-profit animal protection organisation is holding an exhibition cum sale here of Bollywood posters of films ranging from the classic "Aawara" to the recent hit "Chak De! India" to raise funds for their movement.

People for Animals (PFA) has organised the three-day exhibition cum sale of Bollywood posters named 'Divas Unveiled' here at the Government Museum and Art Gallery from Nov 1 to 3.

There is an exceptional incorporation of posters of both old and new movies, ranging from Hindi films made in 1930s to recent blockbusters.

"PFA conducts various fund raising exhibitions, auctions and competitions throughout the country but this is for the first time that we have organised such an exhibition," Payal Sodhi, founder trustee of the Chandigarh unit of PFA told IANS.

"Initially it was a difficult task for us to collect these rare posters but after a long hunt, we were able to get these posters from two production houses based in Mumbai. Now, whatever money we collect from this sale will be directly utilized for the activities of PFA," Sodhi said.

Sodhi added: "The remaining posters will be sent back to Mumbai. These posters are priced between Rs.2,000 and Rs.7,500."

There are over 120 posters of yesteryears' blockbusters like "Barsaat", "Aawara", "Boot Polish", "Azaad", "Kati Patang", "Gambler" and recent hits like "Om Shanti Om", "Devdas", "Lagaan", "Chak De! India" and "Don".

"PFA has become the voice for the speechless animals. We are in full support for this fund raiser," said Ram Niwas, home secretary, Chandigarh after visiting the exhibition.

"A visit to this exhibition is a treat for Hindi movie lovers. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and consider this exhibition an effective way to stimulate people to help in a noble cause," said Akanksha Sethi, a visitor to the exhibition.

PFA, Chandigarh was adjudged the best PFA unit for the year 2007 for its outstanding work from among 165 PFA units functioning across the country.

PFA here treats around 6,000 animals from the region every year.

"We have two ambulances to cater to Chandigarh and its adjoining areas and these are operational 24x7. Our services are totally free," Sodhi said.

"We have a well-equipped animal hospital with full time doctors and helpers where we treat animals like monkeys, cats, dogs, snakes, birds, horses, cows and others. We are also running an animal birth control centre and organise animal treatments camps at various places at regular intervals," Sodhi said.

About their animal birth control centre, Sodhi said: "We are against the killing of street dogs and at our animal birth control centre, we run a sterilization programme for them. Street dogs are caught, operated, tagged, vaccinated, and finally returned to their respective original areas."

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Multi-level parking for Mohali on cards

Mohali, cited as the future IT city, will soon have an ultra-modern multi-level parking. In the wake of increasing parking problems, the municipal council has decided to come up with a multi-level parking near Phase VII market, where work will start soon. The site has been finalized under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

MC officials confirmed that the site has been finalized under the scheme and its estimated budget would be prepared by a private company.

The proposal for the multi-level parking was earlier given to the government. In it, parkings at phases 3B1, V, VII, X, XI and Sector 70 were proposed. The officials said the company selected by Greater Mohali Area Development Authority would prepare the design for the multi-level parking.

"It will certainly provide relief to Mohali residents, as with an increase in the number of vehicles, a need for a multi-level parking was felt. Moreover, it will solve problems people face when they visit markets due to inadequate parking space," said Pargat Singh Deol, a resident of Phase 3B1.

With more than 12,000 vehicles registered in Mohali in the last seven months, more parking space was required, said an MC official. They also plan to come up with multi-level parkings at different city markets, he added.

"With multi-level parking, business will increase, as people will not bother much about parking problem before visiting markets," said Jaswinder Singh, a showroom owner in Phase VII market.

The parking will cater to the people visiting Phase VII market as well its residents.

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Chandigarh carnival to be held Nov 22-23

The city's annual event 'Chandigarh Carnival' will be held Nov 22-23, a spokesman of the city administration said here Friday.

Chandigarh's home and tourism secretary Ram Niwas said the theme of the carnival this year will be "fun and games".

The main attraction though will be the Carnival Parade that will start from the Leisure Valley and pass through various city sectors with vehicles colourfully decorated.

Students of the Chandigarh College of Arts will design the main entrance gate of the carnival at Leisure Valley as per the theme.

Musical nites, fireworks display, laughter shows and other events will be held during the carnival.

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