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A Nihang on the Khalsa land Sri Anandpur Sahib Punjab Advance October-2014 My Word Ajay Bhardwaj Editor -in-Chief [email protected] I magine every household producing its own electricity on the roof-top with an independent solar power plant. No power cuts. No worry of electricity bills shooting up. Punjab has kicked up a dream of this sort by taking quite a few big strides recently in the solar power generation sector. The nation's first satellite solar power plant. The nation's largest roof-top solar power plant. All happening in Punjab. Almost 30 projects are on stream and 24 more in the pipeline. Harnessing non-conventional energy is a new buzz in the state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi patted New and Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia for making Punjab the `best performing state` in the country". In the private sector , people like Dilbar Singh in Bahadurpur village in Ropar district, have been performing exceptional feet in this sector for others to emulate elsewhere in the state.. Running his own dairy farm in the village, Dilbar has laid a network of gobar gas supply line to each household in the village that caters to the cooking needs of each house. As a result many villagers have not needed an LPG cylinderin their kitchen In the last four years. In this issue, we carry a special report on Punjab spreading its wings in the non-conventional energy sector. We also carry a special report on how the state has made some concerted efforts to tide over cancer that has been taking a silent toll in the hinterland. In the sports section, we salute 15-year-old Mandeep Kaur Sandhu of Chakkar village in Ludhiana, who clinched the gold medal in the World Junior Boxing Championship held at Taipei and brought laurels to Punjab. Looking forward to your word on [email protected] June 2015 Punjab Advance 3 Punjab Contents Advance www.punjabadvance.com L JUNE-2015 LVOL-2 L ISSUE-6 CEO N Rahul Tewari Editor-in-Chief N Ajay Bhardwaj Editor N Donald Banerjee Designer N Kumar Jiv Chumber Publisher N Information and Public Solar Vaults 12 Relations Department, Punjab Contact address N PUNJAB ADVANCE, Room No. 1, 5th Floor, Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh-160001 Ph. : 0172-2740668 Punjab’s Mary Kom [email protected] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors in the articles published in PUNJAB ADVANCE are their own. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Punjab Government or the organization they work for. Editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or expand the articles submitted. In case of any dispute, legal jurisdiction will lie in Chandigarh based courts. Printed, Published and Edited by Rahul Tewari on behalf of the Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab. Printed at New Printindia Pvt. Ltd., 8/4B, Industrial Area, Site IV, Sahibabad-201010 Gaziabad, (UP) and published at Room No. 1, 5th Floor, Civil Sectt., Chandigarh. 4 30 Hat-trick by Kapoors Page-36 Punjab Advance June 2015 Your Word Taming Cancer Well Done ! 18 Congrats, I liked the front cover of May issue of Punjab Advance. It was a well-thought out presentation of the Governance Reforms. Later, reports on governance reforms were also informative. I never knew Punjab was doing much in the governance reforms. Keep it up. Rohit Saxena, Chandigarh Passing the baton It was interesting running through "Passing the baton, Fletcher Style " by R.K. Kaushik and You are Fired (Last Word). They made fairly good light readings. Wish you could run a regular column on literary pieces contributed by the Punjabi writers. Much work is taking place in Punjabi which needs to be told in English as well. Ashuthosh Sharma, Mohali. Biopic on Neerja Reforming drug addicts 34 A teen-aged girl’s crusade to reform drug addicts needed a better picture presentation. I find that your magazine lacks picture backup. Yes, I think you need a good cameraman to back up the articles. Daljeet Kaur, Ludhiana Health page We are an elderly couple and we always look forward to the health column by Dr Ravinder Chadha, former physio-therapist of the Indian cricket team.His writeups are good, as he speaks like a friend and not a doctor. Super Sikh Hero Page-40 Jagtar Singh, Mohali June 2015 Punjab Advance 5 Glimpses of “Darshan Didar Yatra” A n unusual religious fervour has seized Punjab as relics of three Gurus, Guru Hargobind Singh, Guru Teg Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, traverse through various parts of the state. Enshrined in a specially-manufactured bus the holy relics were given a rousing send-off amid chanting of prayers from Gurdwara Dukhnivaran Sahib in Patiala. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal joined the prayers and paid obeisance to the relics. Devotees have been lining up in thousands as "darshan yatra" passed through various towns and suburbs to pay their respect to the relics that include attire and weapons of the Gurus. Display of gatka, horses, elephants has been an added charm to the journey. 6 Punjab Advance June 2015 The Relics June 2015 Punjab Advance 7 8 Punjab Advance June 2015 June 2015 Punjab Advance 9 10 Punjab Advance June 2015 June 2015 Punjab Advance 11 Cover Solar heights PUNJAB TAKES A BIG LEAP IN GREEN AND CLEAN ENERGY projects conceived in last two years · 48105newsolarsolarwaterpower pumps installed · 698 villages provided with solar street lights · I Ajay Bhardwaj ndia’s first satellite-controlled solar power plant comes up in Lalpur village in Hoshiarpur district. India's single largest roof-top solar plant is set up in Beas in Amritsar district. Punjab has indeed been taking rapid strides in solar energy generation lately, ushering in a new era of "green and clean energy". In February 2012, the state had installed capacity of just 9 MW which has reached 225 MW with an investment of Rs. 1500 crore. While 12 24 projects (Rs. 1300 Crore) of 184 MW have already been commissioned and four projects of 38 MW are under implementation. Besides, 24 new projects of 229 MW capacity plus 65 MW rooftop with an investment of Rs. 2100 crore are in the pipeline. Punjab Advance June 2015 Cover In the last three years, 105 solar water pumps have been installed in the state and 698 villages have been provided with solar street lights. Lauding the efforts of Punjab in this field the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has already declared it as the "best performing state" in the country for capacity-addition to renewable energy. Coupled with it has been a pat given by the Union Power Ministry to PEDA, declaring it as the best performing state nodal agency for two consecutive years in 2012 and 2013 in the energy conservation programme. " The state is all set to become a " solar state " by promoting clean and green energy. We have set a target of 4200 MW generation of solar power by 2022, " said Minister for Renewable Energy Bikram Singh Majithia.. He said the latest big leap in the field had been the commissioning of the satellite-based solar plant in Hoshiarpur district in March this year.. June 2015 New and Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia has a view of India’s first satellite solar plant at Lalpur village inHoshiarpur district The first-of-its-kind satelite-based solar plant operates on "Single Axis Tracking East West Tilt Technology" with a capacity of 4.2 MW. Set up by a Mumbai-based company, Aditya Medi Sales Pvt. Ltd., the plant would generate 21,000 to 22,000 units of power daily. Earlier, the minister had inaugurated a solar power project of 4.20 MW capacity in Nangla village of Bathinda district set up at a cost of Rs 32.7 crore. This was the fourth solar plant in Bathinda district which jacked up the total solar power generation in the state to 202 MW. The minister announced that land lease policy for farmers for setting up renewable energy projects has evoked an overwhelming response. Under the scheme, PEDA would safeguard the interests of farmers and ensure they got more lease value for the land as compared to the market rates with a yearly increment of 6 per cent. Punjab Advance 13 Cover The minister said: " Corporation Ltd (PSPCL). Item February 2013 Total It’s a matter of pride for Principal secretary 2012 to 2015 March 2015 the state that companies Anirudh Tiwari said under Solar Water Pump 1850 105 1955 are investing in Punjab the Roof-Top Solar Power and finding the state as a Generation and Net MeterSize Biogas 133295 31705 165000 land of opportunities for Family Plant ing policy the state governtheir successful ment had notified its Net Solar Street Light 3825 (324) 7737 (374) 11562 (698) endeavours. " Metering Policy for (Villages) Elaborating on the installation of Grid interacfuture plans of the de- Solar Water Heating 25.24 Lac 6.53 lac 31.77 lac tive Roof Top Solar Power System LPD LPD LPD partment, the minister projects in homes, (Liter Per Day) said: “We plan to deinstitutions, Commercial/velop a capacity to generate 5400 MW of non- private/governmental buildings, warehouses and conventional power by 2022 with 300 MW industries in the state. generation from biomass, 680 MW from Under this policy, a solar power plant could be cogeneration power, 4,200 MW from solar, 200 set up on the Roof Top of the building. During the MW from hydel and 20 MW by converting waste day time the power generated would be used there into energy”. or in case of excess or no usage it would be fed in In order to give a renewed boost to solar power the grid. During the night it could be drawn. He generation the state government notified the net said a Bi-directional meter would be installed in metering policy in 2014. The policy envisages in- the supply line for registering of import and exstallation of solar power projects on roof-tops or port of power. He added that under this ambitious other open spaces. The power generated thereby policy Solar power projects of capacity ranging would be first used by the building itself and the from 1KW to 1000 KW could be installed and the rest fed to the grid of the Punjab State Power maximum capacity of solar power project to be A farmer stands by his solar power plant 14 Punjab Advance June 2015 Cover Big rush for solar power scheme The state government’s ‘Land on lease for solar power projects scheme’ is turning out to be a big success, with applications pouring in offering land on lease for setting up solar power plants. More than 4,580 acres of land has already been offered for the project on BOO (build, operate and own) basis. The minimum lease rate will be Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000 per acre depending on the condition and location of the land. Giving this information, an elated Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia said the minimum requirement of land was 25 acres, but any landowner having less than 25 acres can also join hands with his neighbour for this purpose. “The landowners will have an assured increase in their lease amount by 5 per cent per annum basis”, he added. installed in a building would be 80 per cent of the sanctioned electricity load of that building. Punjab is among the eight states in the country to have notified the policy. The policy aims at covering about one lakh buildings in the next three years which should have a combined power generation capacity of upto 200 MW. A dedicated website giving details about the policy was also floated last year to help people understand about net metering and join hands with the state government for the project. Embarking on its expansion plans the state government has invited bids for canalbased solar power projects. There is a special effort to promote renewable energy projects as they help generation of environment-friendly, green and clean energy and reduce burden on the regular power grids. Consumers that way become generators of their own electricity requirements, besides ensuring regular power supply during power cuts. June 2015 ``I suggest, PM should make clean energy part of Swach Bharat campaign`` New and Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia Q. How do you view the impressive spread of "green and clean energy" in Punjab ? A. Punjab is endowed with a vast potential of solar energy with over 300 days of sunshine in a year with insolation level varying between 4-7 Kw/sq.mtr. Our endeavour is to harness this and I am happy the way Punjab has undertaken the projects in the recent times it has become a leading state for the initiatives. Q. You think in the long run it can help take off the burden on traditional sources of electriicity ? A. Of course, yes. We plan to develop a capacity to generate 5400 MW of non-conventional power by 2022 with 300 MW generation from biomass, 680 MW from cogeneration power, 4,200 MW from solar, 200 MW from hydel and 20 MW by converting waste into energy” Q. What new initiatives you propose to take to achieve the targets? A. Well, we have asked banks to give easy loans. We are going to bring about awareness as well among the people about it. As for example, last month we launched a programme to involve school children in conserving energy. Our success has been remarkable in many ways so far. For instance, the satellite-based solar plant in Hoshiaprpur and the single roof-top solar plant in Beas are the first of its kind in the country. Q. Are you looking for any assistance from the Centre ? A. In fact, at a function recently I had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make clean energy an integral part of the Swacchh Bharat Mission to save our future generation from long-term adverse effects of pollution from traditional sources of energy. It was imperative to give to give a big boost to clean energy, including solar, hydel, wind and bio-mass etc. that could be achieved only by mission mode. He said as the Prime Minister had made Swacchh Bharat Pan India mission, making clean energy as part this mission would serve twin purposes of making India power surplus without polluting our environment. The Centre should also ensure availability of low interest rate loans and give income tax incentives for setting up new renewable energy projects to make these more economically viable. Punjab Advance 15 Cover Biogas wonder I n Bahadurpur vil- plying gas for six hours a day lage of Ropar dis- to all the 75 houses in the viltrict a private entrepreneur lage free of cost for over a Dilbar Singh is a proud man year. and a pivotal man as well. He Consequently, many houses controls the supply of bio-gas in the village have not bought to the entire village, which an LPG cylinder for the last has about 100 houses, and takes no money for it. Running a moderately large dairy with 120-odd cows in the village, Dalbir pools the cow dung at a place and Dilbar Singh stands by his gobar gas plant the biogas at Bahadurpur village in Ropar plant supplies it to each household. He four years. laid down a network of sup- “Initially, I had proposed that ply lines, for which, he did anyone, who wished to get a not take any donations either. gas connection, deposit cow In this day and age when en- dung at the plant. ergy is scarce and costly, peo- “But, it was difficult to imple in Bahadurpur village are plement this idea so I set up supplied free gas in abun- a dairy farm with over 120 dance! Entrepreneur Dalbir cows and decided to use their Singh, who deals in scrap dung in the plant. It generates metal in Dubai, runs the bio- enough gas to fill 10 LPG gas plant and has been sup- cylinders daily,” he said. 16 For farmers it could go a long way in providing an alternate source of income at a time when farming itself has reached a saturation point. Students to be energy ambassadors In Jalandhar last month Punjab launched a firstof-its kind campaign to sensitise the younger generation about the need to save energy and bring about awareness about importance of renewable energy for smart living. The ‘State Energy Conservation & Efficiency Campaign’ launched jointly by New and Renewable Energy Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema, targets at achieving energy saving of 20 per cent in domestic sector in the coming five years. A unique initiative is to rope in 40 lakh school students in the next three years to make them not only the ambassadors for energy saving but also for promoting the renewable energy in a big way thereby making this clean energy a significant part of their lives. The launching of the ‘Punjab State Energy Conservation & Efficiency Campaign’ was followed by a special workshop for more than 1200 school Principals and Science Teachers/Eco club coordinators of Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Majithia said overdependence on thermal power and hydro-electric power was resulting in global warming, climate change and contamination because of which health hazards were multiplying. He said as a result of this we were compelled to incur high costs for creating infrastructure like hospitals, disaster prevention/management and rehabilitation infrastructure etc. He said keeping in view this precarious situation, Punjab Advance June 2015 Cover Incentives for solar units “Punjab ready for revolution in renewable energy sector” • 25 yrs PPA with PSPCL which has B+ rating • Provisions of LC and Escrow accounts in PPA • 33 yrs lease of village panchayat land (6% escalation/yr) • Registration & Stamp duty charges exempted on purchase/lease of land • CLU charges exempted • Pollution clearance exemption to solar projects • State Entry Tax exempted on NRSE equipment • No parallel operation charges • 100% VAT exemption • 100% Electricity Duty exemption. -Sukhbir Singh Badal, Dy. CM it becomes imperative for us to produce energy but not by burning fossil fuels rather by saving energy as well as generating energy from renewable sources like solar, wind, biomass and small scale hydroelectric. He said the purpose of starting this campaign was to create energy auditors amongst school students, principals and teachers. The target was to cover all government and private High and Senior Secondary schools involving 40 lakh students in the next three years. He said under this initiative students will be trained to understand the energy bill, conduct energy audit of school/home at their own level & also spread the message among the parents, relatives & friends. He also suggested the Education Minister to include energy conservation & efficiency as an important part of syllabus. Mr. Majithia said that as targeted Punjab with 20 per cent energy saving can spare 1900 MW of thermal capacity avoiding cost on infrastructure development to the tune of Rs.12,500 cr. In domestic sector alone, Punjab can spare 530 MW thermal capacity avoiding cost on infrastructure development to the tune of 3,500 crore. Mr. Majithia informed that the best schools in every district will be recognized every year. A state level function will be organized and the best top schools will be awarded with cash prizes. Dr. Cheema appreciated the unique joint initiative of PEDA and Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, GOI and said that the state education department was fully committed to making this campaign a grand success. He said: “Children are powerful agents of change; they may adopt a lifestyle which ensures efficient use of energy.” June 2015 Deputy Chief Minister offers a sweet to the new PEDA chief Upkar Singh Sandhu D eputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has said that the State is all set for major revolution in renewable energy sector with path breaking initiatives in the form of large scale investment in solar power projects, unique net metering policy and farm level solar power projects thereby ensuring the wider participation of investors, common people and farmers. Speaking at the installation ceremony of Mr. Upkar Singh Sandhu as Chairman Punjab Energy Development Agency and Mr. Jagtar Singh Rajeana and Mr. Kulwant Singh Bath as Chairman and Vice Chairman of Punjab Genco Limited, Mr. Badal appreciated the efforts of Mr. Majithia and his team for outstanding achievements on Renewable energy front as in February 2012, the state had installed capacity of just 9 MW which has reached now 225 MW with an investment of Rs. 1500 crore. He said that he was informed that 24 new Projects of 229 MW Capacity plus 65 MW rooftop projects with an investment of Rs. 2100 crore were all set to be started soon. Underlining the need for promotion of clean energy in a big way, Mr. Badal said that the time has come to harness the big potential available in solar energy and bio-mass energy and it could be possible only through wider participation of various sections of the society. Punjab Advance 17 Cancer Taming Cancer Punjab launches all-out fight against cancer · 16 fully-equipped hospitals to come up · Rs 274 cr given to 23,000 patients BUREAU REPORT H owsoever insurmountable it might have seemed, but Punjab has staged a determined war on cancer in the right earnest. Under the watchful eyes of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani a team of dedicated officials has been diligently scurrying around in the state to detect the cases of cancer and provide them requisite assistance. In fact, so far financial assistance to the tune of Rs 274 crore has been disbursed among 21,780 cancer patients under the Mukh Mantri Punjab Rahat scheme. 18 Punjab Advance June 2015 Cancer Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal (third from left) is flanked by Principal Secretary Health Vini Mahajan (left) and Punjab’s anti-cancer brand ambassador Yuvraj Singh Sixteen hospitals, seven of Amritsar, Patiala, Faridkot, Bikaner. them in the government sector AIIMS, New Delhi, PGI The nine private hospitals and nine in the private, have Chandigarh, G.M.C.H. Sector identified for the purpose are : been identified under the 32, Chandigarh, Acharya Tulsi CMC, Ludhiana, DMC, Ludhischeme all over the state to pro- Regional Cancer Hospital, ana, Oswal Cancer Hospital, vide treatment to cancer Ludhiana, Max Super patients with a provision Specialty & Cardiac HosCancer Amount of Rs 1.50 lakh for each pital, Sahibzada Ajit Year Patients Sanctioned patient. Singh Nagar (Mohali), All cancer patients Indus Super Speciality who are residents of PunHospital, Sahibzada Ajit 6027 64,93,85,163/jab State are eligible to July 11 to Dec. 12 Singh Nagar (Mohali), the financial assistance Jan 13 to Dec. 13 Patel Hospital, Jalandhar 5565 61,32,51,364/under this scheme. and Sri Guru Ramdass Jan 14 to Dec. 2014 8121 109,48,20,009/Government hospiCharitable Hospital, Amtals where this faciltiy ritsar. Jan 25 to 18-05-2015 2841 38,43,09,180/has been accorded inUnder a special drive clude the Govt. Medical to make cancer Total 22554 274,17,65,716/Colleges and Hospital in medicines available, the June 2015 Punjab Advance 19 Cancer Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani (third from left) is flanked by Principal Secretary Health Vini Mahajan (left) and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dr (Mrs) Navjot Sidhu. On the extreme left is Punjab State Health Corporation MD Husan Lal state government entered into a rate contract of 118 anti cancer drugs with the Tata Memorial Cancer Research Centre, (TMCRC), Mumbai. These medicines are also available at Jan Aushadhi Generic Drug Centres set up under the drive at the district-level. Anti-cancer drugs are available at the centres at highly concessional rates. Besides , a number of initiatives have been undertaken by the state government to provide treatment facility to the patients in different parts of the state. If a 300-bed cancer hospital is proposed to be set up in Mullanpur in New Chandigarh with the collaboration of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the Tata 20 National Programme · Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Mansa & Gurdaspur districts are identified under Cancer Components · Tertiary Cancer Centre at Govt. Medical College Faridkot allotted Rs 4.8 crore against total of Rs. 6 crore · Tertiary Cancer Care Centres (TCCCs) are going to be established in District Fazilka and Hoshiarpur with Rs.45 crore each in the ratio 75:25 by Union Ministery of Health · State Cancer Institute (Rs 150 crore) is going to be established at Govt. Medical College, Amritsar in collaboration with Central Govt Punjab Advance June 2015 Cancer Memorial Cancer Research Centre, Mumbai, in Bathinda a 100- bed Advanced Cancer Diagnostic Treatment and Research Centre would be coming up soon. In addition, the cancer-care facility in the civil hospital, Sangrur, would be established in collaboration with the TMCRC, Mumbai. Talking about various initiatives taken in the medical colleges in the state, Husan Lal, IAS, Managing Director of the Punjab Health Services Corporation, said all medical colleges in the state have been provided with state-of-theart equipment in the Department of Radiotherapy whereas a Brachytherapy machine has been installed at Guru Gobind Singh Medical Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has College, Faridkot. vowed to make Punjab one of the best The cobalt units for the treatment of cancer cancer treatment destinations in the patients have been installed at Guru Gobind country and set up world-class facilities to Singh Medical College, Faridkot and Sri Guru Ramdass Institute of Health Sciences & Recombat the disease at an affordable cost. search Sciences Amritsar. The Govt Medical College, Amritsar, has been equipped with two Cobalt machine units more than 20,000 patients were examined, out of whereas another one is under installation, the . which 299 patients were confirmed to have canGovt Medical College, Patiala would shortly get cer. one. A population-based Recently, the state cancer registry has government had been set up in the Govt. organised mass cancer Medical College, Pascreening and treatment tiala to ascertain the camps to bring about number of cancer paawareness among the tients in the state. general masses regardWhile this exercise is ing cancer. As many as Punjab's being done with the 87403 patients were anti-cancer help of the Union detected as symptoBrand Ambassador Health ministry, the matic in the 1st Phase of state government the state-wide camcancer registry centres paign. have been established "Even I have fought against cancer, and In 2013 Mass Cancer in Mansa, Sangrur, therefore, I request the people of Punjab to Screening and TreatMohali ad Chandigarh come and get themselves tested, before it's ment camps were orin collaboration with too late. One will have to fight on one’s own ganised all over the the Tata Memorial way against cancer," state covering 22 disCancer Research - Yuvraj Singh trcits during which centre, Mumbai. June 2015 Punjab Advance 21 PUNJAB DIARY Amjad Ali Khan invited to set up music academy S arod Maestro of UK fame and the Ustad Amjad music composed by Ali Khan has accepted Ustad Amjad Ali Chief Minister Parkash Khan, the Chief Singh Badal’s offer to Minister felicitated set up a state-of-the-art both of them for this Indian classical music unique initiative and academy in Punjab to hoped this collection revive the glory of of Shabads would ancient classical school prove to be a ‘food of music, which had for soul’ to sooth the roots of its origin in tormented minds of Punjab---- the land of millions of people in five rivers. this materialistic Chief Minister’s AdChief Minister Parkash Singh Badal honours sarod maestro viser on National Afworld. Besides, the Ustad Amjad Ali Khan fairs and Media soothing effect of Harcharan Bains said the Academy could come up Gurbani through this album would also help the either at Mohali or Mullanpur (New Chandigarh). people to tread on the path of divinity. The Album The Chief Minister’s hour-long meeting with one of the tallest international icons from the world of contains six divine Shabads set to sublime music arts coincided with the release of an album of based on Indian Classical lore. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan made an extremely shabads from Gurbani set to the spiritual uplifting music and drawing liberally on the rich cultural, significant and revealing observation about the unparalleled contribution of Punjab to the art, religious and musical heritage of Punjab. On the release of the Gurbani Album of Shabads literature and musical richness of the Indian culture recited by eminent raagi Harbhajan Singh Namdhari and civilization. Cabinet clears steel silos T he Punjab Cabinet okays creation of steel silos with storing capacity of 15 lakh metric tones. - 125 posts created in police department for sportspersons winning medals in Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth Games and other international and national competitions. - Entry tax of 11 per cent levied on sugar imported from out- 22 side Punjab. - Land allotment policy-2014 amended to allow foreign institutions/hospitals to invest at medicity in New Chandigarh - Stamp duty on registration of power of attorney slashed from existing 2 per cent to 5 per cent. - Resource Mobilisation measures to mop up Rs 1400 cr annually. Punjab Advance June 2015 PUNJAB DIARY Dial 1905 and share your grievance with Dy CM D success of Punjab Police ial 1905 and helpline 181 and excise share your grievdepartment helpline numance directly with Deputy ber 1800-258-2580 for Chief Minister Sukhbir business community. Singh Badal. This is the A dedicated mobile no. latest toll free help-line 7696-181-181 for number introduced by the WhatsApp users has also Punjab Government which would function been launched to facilitate the needy persons where from Monday to Saturday people can upload photos, between 8 am and 8 pm. videos or audio clips This online contact regarding any violation of service has been introlaw/rules besides duced in the wake of the Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal providing feedback on grand success achieved by police working / behavior the redressal mechanism "[email protected]".To make it a more / conduct. Accordig to a spokesman this helpline will effective tool to resolve the grievances, the Deputy CM will personally review the functioning and ensure the full reddressal of grievances. “No public response of this helpline on a fortnightly complaint will be disposed off till the pursuer is basis. Besides, he will randomly call the com- satisfied with redressal of his/her grievance”, he plainants to enquire about their satisfaction and added. Each complainant would be given a unique ID number for future reference which would be feedback. This helpline number has been launched by the forwarded to the department concerned Governance reforms department after the grand immediately for further necessary action. CM seeks interest waiver for milk sector loans C hief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting for interest subvention on loans taken by milk federations, comprising small and marginal farmers. Badal requested for a viable interest subvention scheme similar to the one floated last year to help the sugar mills. Mr. Badal said India was the largest milk producing country in the world. State Dairy Cooperative Federations, with the support of dairy cooperatives consisting mainly of small and marJune 2015 ginal milk producers, were playing a proactive role in the overall development of milk production in the country. The State Milk Federations had to avail cash credit limits or short term loans to make timely payments to the milk producers, but due to very less market rates of SMP in comparison to its cost of production, the federations were unable to sell the stock. He feared in such a situation the State Federations may fall in a debt trap, which will hit the dairy sector adversely, resulting in loss of livelihood to so many small and marginal milk producers, added Mr. Badal. Punjab Advance 23 PUNJABIS OVERSEAS Sikh removes turban to help bleeding child A Zealand Herald reSikh man's ported. decision to "I wasn't thinking break religious protoabout the turban. I was col and remove his turthinking about the acban to help a profusely cident and I just bleeding child in New thought that he needs Zealand made headsomething on his head lines around the world because he's bleeding. after a photograph of That's my job to help," the act went viral on soSingh said cial media. The injured boy Harman Singh was was rushed to a nearby at his home in Auckhospital where his inland on Saturday when juries were initially a boy, who was walkthought to be lifeing to school with his threatening. Later, his elder sister, was hit by Harnam Singh places his turban under the child’s bleeding head condition was said to a car. Twentytwo-yearbe stable. old Harman Singh An eyewitness to the episode, Gagan Dhillon, clicked a rushed to the spot after hearing the screeching of car wheels picture of Singh with the child and posted it on Facebook and the ensuing commotion. "Harman Singh did not think twice about removing his with the caption, "So proud of this young Sikh man who turban to cradle the bleeding head of a 5-year-old who had helped at a crash this morning where a child was hit by a just been hit by a vehicle on his way to school," the New car." Sikhs explain meaning of turban to US lawmakers A Sikh rights group has commended a US Congress-established panel for recognising "violations against Sikhs" in its annual report on religious freedom. "Sikhs are often harassed and pressured to reject religious practices and beliefs that are distinct to Sikhism, such as dress, unshorn hair, and the carrying of religious items, including the kirpan," says the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its report for 2015. "India's Sikh community has long pursued a change to Article 25 of India's constitution which states, Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jain or Buddhist religion, and the reference to Hindu 24 religious institutions shall be construed accordingly," the report said. The lack of recognition of Sikhism as a distinct religion denies Sikhs' access to social services or employment and educational preferences that are available to other religious minority communities and to scheduled caste Hindus," it added. Calling panel's report a "landmark" for recognising the labeling of "Sikhs" as "Hindus" in Indian Constitution, attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to Sikh For Justice (SFJ) said "recognition of Sikh with separate identity issue by US will shore up the support for Sikh community's demand for right to self-determination". Punjab Advance June 2015 PUNJABIS OVERSEAS Harbhajan Kaur is mayor of Ealing Council A n Indian-origin work very hard to establish herself and raise two children. councillor woman has became the first She studied Social Sciences at Kingston University and obtained Asian woman elected mayor of Ealing Council in London. a degree in 1995. She worked as Harbhajan Kaur Dheer, an Approved Mental Health Professional in Surrey County Coun62, at a ceremony at the Victoria Hall at Ealing Council cil until 2003. After joining Labour Party in on Tuesday became the Mayor of Ealing Council the Eighties, she began to develop after succeeding councillor her public role within the Party Tej Ram Bagha. and outside in the community. She has served the borough as "It is a great privilege and a governor of a number of challenge to be the Mayor of Ealing Council in London. I schools. In the Nineties, she worked as a volunteer Home have no illusions about the task ahead. But if I can cope Visitor helping home bound Harbhajan Kaur women with learning English. up with Ranjit at home I can She is a passionate advocate of rights of children and climb even the Everest," Kaur said. Her husband councillor Ranjit Dheer is a former Mayor elderly including those with mental health issues. A mother of two children - a son and a daughter - she beof Ealing. Born in Punjab in 1953, Harbhajan Kaur came to Britain in 1975. came a grandmother in January this year. The early years in Britain were difficult and she had to Her husband held the post of Mayor of Ealing in 2001-2002. Punjabi wins prestigious police award in US A very worthy of this award. 44-year-old Punjabi Houston police department is origin policeman proud of Saini," said Muzaffar has been awarded the prestiSiddiqi, senior police officer of gious "Top Civilian Supervisor city Police department. of the Year" award for his effiVarious community leaders cient services to the Houston including Gurdip Singh Buttar,S Police department in the US Gurnam Singh Sandhar, Ajinder state of Texas. Singh Dhatt were present during Harkeerat Singh Saini rethe occasion and congratulated ceived the award from Police Saini for his achievement. Chief Charles A McClelland And Houston Mayor Anise Saini, a graduate from DeshHarkeerat Singh Parker during a function held at bandu College in New Delhi, the Hyatt Regency Hotel here earlier this week. hails from Hoshiarpur in Punjab. He came to the city in Saini, a police records supervisor has been working for 1998,joined Houston Police Department in March 2000 and the Houston Police department for the last 15 years. was subsequently promoted as an office supervisor in the "Harkeerat Singh Saini is a very efficient officer and following years. June 2015 Punjab Advance 25 · PM, President to lead galaxy of luminaries · Special trains for Foundation Day celebrations A ll the buildings in Anandpur Sahib will stand out in a fresh coat of white paint with LED bulbs adding to the luster of the ambience, when President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi lead a galaxy of luminaries to the 350th Foundation Day celebrations of Sri Anandpur Sahib starting June 17. The state government is leaving no stone unturned in making the three-day celebrations a mega event. Draped in white the city stands out all the more with the green kikars and the almost-always blue sky providing the painterly contrast for a perfect silhouette. Also on the cards are special trains which will connect Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo), Bathinda, Sri Harmandar Sahib, Amritsar, and Delhi to Sri Anandpur Sahib to enable devotees from other places to participate in the celebrations. The highly revered religious leader of Tibetans the Dalai Lama, the Shankracharya of Dwarka Peeth, Swami Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar besides the key leaders of the Muslim and Christian community are also being invited for the function Sri Anandpur Sahib will probably be among the first few cities to be covered under the ambitious Central scheme to be fitted with LED bulbs. DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK said 80 lakh square feet area would be painted in white using almost 115 lakh litres of paint. "For the purpose, we have divided the city into 13 parts and would be using Snocem (cement paint) on walls and enamel paint on doors with spray guns in consultation with engineers of the Anandpur Sahib municipal council," he said. Manjit Singh GK. said the DSGMC had painted Anandpur Sahib white during the Khalsa birth tercentenary celebrations in 1999. "This time also, we have been given the task of painting the town white, which we will try to complete in the stipulated time," he said. An artist’s s view of Foundation laying of Sri Anandpur Sahib Jail reforms Fighting drugs in jails Preet Kanwal Singh T wenty-seven thousand drug addicts languishing in eight central jails of Punjab have come out clean. This is the result of the crusade launched by the state government against the scourge of drugs. To start with the Punjab police cracked the whip against the drug peddlers. Hundreds of drug peddlers were nabbed and put behind bars. Then followed the positive angle to the drive with drug de-addiction centres coming up in jails. These centres played an exemplary role in not only treating the drug-addicts, but also rehabilitating them back to the mainstream society. As per the data from the jail department, till date more than 27,000 drug addicts have been successfully treated in the de-addiction centres set up in the eight jails of the state. These inmates are undergoing a multipronged de-addiction therapy that includes medical treatment, psychological and sociological counselling besides religious sermons. The credit for the success of these de-addiction centres goes to Jail Minister Sohan Singh Thandal, who is personally supervising the deaddiction drive in the jails. Under a deaddiction campaign launched by the Jail department 461 inmates are at present undergoing treatment in different jails. Spiritual and moral education is also being imparted through counselling, religious 28 Jail birds await their turn for de-addiction treatment sermons and yoga whereas sports kits are being provided regularly to encourage them to play games. The state government has been incurring Rs. 1.78 crore on making these drug deaddiction centres ultra modern to help the addicted jail inmates to get rid of drug use. The jail superintendents have been made accountable for monitoring the working of these deaddiction centres on a daily basis and reporting directly to the Jail Minister every week. Mr. Thandal said most of the meditation programmes were being conducted in collaboration with the Art of Living. In this financial year Rs. 8.20 lakh had been incurred on organising religious Punjab Advance preaching, yoga and meditation programmes. The Jail Minister clarified that at present these drug deaddiction centres had been established in eight central jails of Punjab located at Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Faridkot and Ferozpur. He said Rs. 1.78 crore had been spent on medicines, laboratory equipments, ECG machines, urine/blood testing kits at these drug deaddiction centres. -------The writer is a PRO with the Punjab Government June 2015 Unsung hero He saved hundreds BUREAU REPORT T here were no official words of condolence nor were any wreaths laid as the body of "Chacha Bomb Squad" was consigned to the flames. The exploits of unsung hero , Kishan Lal , or "Chacha Bomb Squad" as he was popularly known among his former colleagues in the Punjab police, will not find mention either in history books or in the numerous books written on terrorism in Punjab. However,those who worked with Chacha still carry vivid memories of this lean man bending over a live bomb and studying for some time before snapping at the circuit of the device in order to defuse it. When bomb explosions by Pakistan-backed terrorists were a comman occurrence in this holy city ,the onemember bomb squad of Chacha helped save hundreds of lives by defusing the devices . Kishan Lal must have defused at least a dozen bombs hidden by terrorists in the busy lanes and by-lanes, in vehicles and in trains. But he received no laurels for these acts except for the occasional letter of appreciation . The services of Chacha, Who retired as a subhedar from the army, were sought by the Punjab police in the late 1980s as the department was hampered by the lack of a bomb disposal expert here . He rejoined the police in 1989 as a June 2015 special police offer (SPO) and left the organization after three years ,let down by the attitude of his superiors who bomb in pouring rain, Kishan Lal himself sustained injuries which led to his arm being partially disabled . File photo of an expert demonstrating how to defuse a bomb were always on the look for an opportunity to berate him. At the height of terrorism when unidentified objects were detected , the wireless sets would frequently blare "Chacha Bomb Squad lab ke edhar aa" (Chacha Bomb Squad come here quickly). Shopkeepers of the busy Katra Ahluwalia area cannot forget that fateful day in 1991 ,when disposing a Punjab Advance Due to his army background ,Chacha could handle complex bomb circuits as he proved in 1992 when he defused a bomb planted in a compartment of the Frontier Mail minutes before it was to explode. But recognition eluded him .For all his acts of courage , Chacha's name was never considered for any bravery award, neither was he compensated for his medical bills. 29 Sports Punjab’s Mary Kom 15-yr Ludhiana girl is world boxing champion Mandeep Kaur Sandhu BUREAU REPORT M andeep Kaur Sandhu is barely 15 years old, but this bubbly girl of Chakkar village in Ludhiana, is a new Mary Kom in the making. She demonstrated the punch she carries in her fist, when she battered Niamh Earley of Irelad to clinch 30 the gold in the 52 kg category of the Junior World Boxing Championship in Taipei, Taiwan last month The judges gave a unanimous 3-0 verdict in her favour. According to boxing critics they see a Mary Kom in the making in this Punjab Advance teenage pugilist of Punjab. Her gold medal triumph spread like wildfire. The media made a beeline for the little hamlet of the golden girl in Chakkar village. She was the toast of the internet with her fans competing with each June 2015 Sports other to reach out to her. While the village panchayat decked up the village awaiting the return of the golden girl, Punjab’s Education Minister Daljeet Singh Cheema honoured the pugilist at the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh the moment she landed in Chandigarh on her way back to her village. He announced a cash prize of Rs one lakh and honoured the entire family of the boxer, besides her coach. This rags to riches script began eight years back, when her poor father failed to provide her a pair of gloves or even shoes for the boxing training. Then, as if in a fairy tale, it all fell into place: the village panchayat chipped in, a local academy run by two NRI brothers took her in, even Mary Kom made an appearance. What more could a little girl of seven have asked for. Mary Kom’s appearance made a lot of difference. Mandeep who studies humanities (Class 12) at the Government Senior Secondary School, Chakkar, started playing the sport at the age of 7. Her inspiration was her elder brother (an amateur boxer), who Mandeep used to accompany at the Sher-e-Punjab Sports Academy in Chakkar. The young girl learnt the tricks of the trade watching her brother practice and followed his footsteps in the sport. Balwant Singh (the academy incharge) also praised Mandeep for her achievement and touted her as one to June 2015 MC Mary Kom watch out for in the near future. Mandeep’s father Jagdev Singh said he would never forget the day his daughter told him she wanted to box. “At the time, we owned one acre of land and a buffalo and earned about Rs 20,000 a year. She got her first pair of shoes from the academy where she trained,” he said. Her rigorous practice in the ring paid dividends. She won her first national medal and the village panchayat gave her a cash award of Rs 1100. The family stood by her. “With her brother Jagwinder also taking up boxing, we stopped selling milk from our buffalo, so that the two could have a good milk diet,” said Jagdev Singh. Her parents gave full credit to the Sher-e-Punjab boxing academy run by NRI brothers Ajmer Singh and the later Baldev Singh, where she trained under coach Balwant Singh Sandhu. She defended her national crown for two years and then struck a gold in her first international debut winning the 50 kg event in the Nations Cup in Serbia. Punjab Advance “Once she attended the national camp, her confidence grew a lot. She would tell us about her meetings with boxers like Mary Kom or Sarita Devi,” coach Sandhu said. On Saturday though, hours after Mandeep beat Ireland’s Niamh Earley 30 to claim glory, Jagdev Singh confessed that he had another reason to be happy. “Perhaps, she will get new shoes now,” he said. "The final had got us all very excited," said Harpreet Kaur, cousin of Mandeep Kaur, adding: "Some of us were following it on YouTube. Her coach was sending us videos of the bout constantly. When her hand was raised, it was a proud moment for us." The boxer's mother, Daljeet Kaur, couldn't watch these videos because of pending chores, but her ears were glued to the news coming in from Taipei. "I knew my daughter would make it," she said. "Mandeep called us later and said: 'I have won.' Congratulating Mandeep Kaur Sandhu for her spectacular performance in the World Junior Boxing Championship at Taipei, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said that the state government would extend all possible help to the girl and her family besides duly felicitating her. Mr. Badal said he would soon contact the girl to offer full help to her. “Well done Mandeep Kaur Sandhu. We are proud of you,” , said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. 31 Fiction ‘Masterji' A short story by Ruskin Bond Ruskin Bond I was strolling along the platform, waiting for the arrival of the Amritsar Express, when I saw Mr Khushal, handcuffed to a policeman. I hadn't recognized him at first—a paunchy gentleman with a lot of grey in his beard and a certain arrogant amusement in his manner. It was only when I came closer, and we were almost face to face, that I recognized my old Hindi teacher. Startled, I stopped and stared. And 32 he stared back at me, a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. It was over 20 years since I'd last seen him, standing jauntily before the classroom blackboard, and now here he was tethered to a policeman and looking as jaunty as ever . 'Good—good evening, sir,' I stammered, in my best public school manner. (You must always respect your teacher, no matter what the circumstances.) Mr Khushal's face lit up with Punjab Advance pleasure. 'So you remember me! It's nice to see you again, my boy.' Forgetting that his right hand was shackled to the policeman's left, I made as if to shake hands. Mr Khushal thoughtfully took my right hand in his left and gave it a rough squeeze. A faint odour of cloves and cinnamon reached me, and I remembered how he had always been redolent of spices when standing beside my desk, watching me agonize over my Hindi-English translation. He had joined the school in 1948, not long after the Partition. Until then there had been no Hindi teacher; we'd been taught Urdu and French. Then came a ruling that Hindi was to be a compulsory subject, and at the age of 16 I found myself struggling with a new script. When Mr Khushal joined the staff (on the recommendation of a local official), there was no one else in the school who knew Hindi, or who could assess Mr Khushal's abilities as a teacher . And now once again he stood before me, only this time he was in the custody of the law. I was still recovering from the shock when the train drew in, and everyone on the platform began making a rush for the compartment doors. As the policeman elbowed his way through the crowd, I kept close behind him and his charge, and as a result I managed to get into the same third- June 2015 Fiction class compartment. I found a seat right opposite Mr Khushal. He did not seem to be the least bit embarrassed by the handcuffs, or by the stares of his fellow-passengers. Rather, it was the policeman who looked unhappy and ill-at-ease. As the train got under way, I offered Mr Khushal one of the parathas made for me by my Ferozepur landlady. He accepted it with alacrity. I offered one to the constable as well, but although he looked at it with undisguised longing, he felt duty-bound to decline. 'Why have they arrested you, sir?' I asked. 'Is it very serious?' 'A trivial matter,' said Mr Khushal. 'Nothing to worry about. I shall be at liberty soon.' 'But what did you do?' Mr Khushal leant forward. 'Nothing to be ashamed of/ he said in a confiding tone. 'Even a great teacher like Socrates fell foul of the law.' 'You mean—one of your pupil's—made a complaint?' 'And why should one of my pupils make a complaint?' Mr Khushal looked offended. 'They were the beneficiaries—it was for them.' He noticed that I looked mystified, and decided to come straight to the point: 'It was simply a question of false certificates.'---'Oh,' I said, feeling deflated. Public school boys are always prone to jump to the wrong conclusions . . . 'Your certificates, sir?' 'Of course not. Nothing wrong with my certificates—I had them printed in Lahore, in 1946.' 'With age comes respectability/ I remarked. 'In that case, whose . . .?' 'Why, the matriculation certificates I've been providing all these years to the poor idiots who would never have got through on their own!' 'You mean you gave them your own certificates?' 'That's right. And if it hadn't been June 2015 for so many printing mistakes, no one would have been any wiser. You can't find a good press these days, that's the trouble .... It was a public service, my boy, I hope you appreciate that .... It isn't fair to hold a boy back in life simply because he can't get through some puny exam .... Mind you, I don't give my certificates to anyone. They come to me only after they have failed two or three times.' 'And I suppose you charge something?' 'Only if they can pay. There's no fixed sum. Whatever they like to give me. I've never been greedy in these It was only when I came closer, and we were almost face to face, that I recognized my old Hindi teacher.Startled, I stopped and stared. And he stared back at me, a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. It was over 20 years since I'd last seen him, standing jauntily before the classroom blackboard, and now here he was tethered to a policeman and looking as jaunty as ever matters, and you know I am not unkind . . . .' Which is true enough, I thought, looking out of the carriage window at the green fields of Moga and remembering the half-yearly Hindi exam when I had stared blankly at the question paper, knowing that I was totally incapable of answering any of it. Mr Khushal had come walking down the line of desks and stopped at mine, breathing cloves all over me. 'Come on, boy, why haven't you started?' 'Can't do it sir,' I'd said. 'It's too difficult.' 'Never mind,' he'd urged in a whisper. 'Do something. Copy it out, Punjab Advance copy it out!' And so, to pass the time, I'd copied out the entire paper, word for word. And a fortnight later, when the results were out, I found I had passed! 'But, sir,' I had stammered, approaching Mr Khushal when I found him alone, 'I never answered the paper. I couldn't translate the passage. All I did was copy it out!' 'That's why I gave you pass-marks,' he'd answered imperturbably. 'You have such neat handwriting. If ever you do learn Hindi, my boy, you'll write a beautiful script!' And remembering that moment, I was now filled with compassion for my old teacher; and leaning across, I placed my hand on his knee and said: 'Sir, if they convict you, I hope it won't be for long. And when you come out, if you happen to be in Delhi or Ferozepur, please look me up. You see, I'm still rather hopeless at Hindi, and perhaps you could give me tuition. I'd be glad to pay . . . .' Mr Khushal threw back his head and laughed, and the entire compartment shook with his laughter. 'Teach you Hindi!' he cried. 'My dear boy, what gave you the idea that I ever knew any Hindi?' 'But, sir—if not Hindi what were you teaching us all the time at school?' 'Punjabi!' he shouted, and everyone jumped in their seats. 'Pure Punjabi! But how were you to know the difference? About the author: Ruskin Bond has been writing for over 60 years, and has now over 120 titles in print— novels, collections of stories, poetry, essays, anthologies and books for children. Born on May 19, 1934, in Kasauli, Ruskin Bond grew up in Jamnagar, Shimla, New Delhi and Dehradun. Apart from three years in the UK, he has spent all his life in India, and now lives in Mussoorie with his adopted family. 33 Films Biopic on Neerja’s valour and sacrifice Sonam Kapoor to play the lead role DONALD BANERJEE A lmost 29 years after Chandigarh’s Neerja Bhanot sacrificed her life while saving children from a hail of bullets fired by four hijackers aboard the hijacked Pan Am flight in Karachi in 1986, Bollywood producer Atul Kasbekar and director Ram Madhvani have roped in Sonam Kapoor for a biopic on Neerja. I was a Chief Sub-Editor with The Tribune, when the entire hijack drama unfolded. I remember the entire day the office phone kept ringing wanting to know the latest on the hijack drama. Among the callers were a number of Neerja’s Sacred Heart friends, who wanted to know about her welfare. Before we go into the biopic casting details, it would be appropriate to share those moments when a 22-year-old girl kept seasoned heavily armed terrorists at bay for more than 15 hours. Neerja was then two days short of her 23rd birthday. Barely a year after her recruitment with Pan Am airlines, this young alumna of Chandigarh’s Sacred Heart Secondary School was on 34 board that fateful flight. She displayed her nerves of steel as she shielded three children from a hail of bullets and sacrificed her life aboard the hijacked plane in Karachi on September 5, 1986. This braveheart Virgoan was a senior flight purser of the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73 which was hijacked by four terrorists soon after it landed in Karachi at 5 a.m. from Mumbai on September 5, 1986. Neerja kept her cool. She alerted the cockpit crew about the hijack and, as the plane was still on the tarmac, the three-member American cockpit crew of pilot, co-pilot and the flight engineer left the aircraft. With all the senior Punjab Advance crew members abandoning her the 22year-old braveheart took over as the commander.This is when her valour, responsibility and compassion came into play. After 17 hours of being trapped the hijackers opened fire and set off explosives, Neerja opened the emergency door and helped a number of passengers escape. She could have been the first to jump out when she opened the door, but she decided not to and was shot while shielding three children from a hail of bullets. Neerja was recognised internationally as the heroine of the hijack and became the youngest recipient of the Ashok Chakra Award, India’s highest award for bravery during peace time. Sonam, who is playing Neerja in the biopic, has clipped her long tresses for the role. Saying she is humbled to be a part of the biopic, Sonam Kapoor shared a picture of herself on Twitter wearing the name-tag that reads ‘N Bhanot purser’ June 2015 Films Titled Neerja, the film is directed by Ram Madhvani and also stars veteran actress Shabana Azmi. Interestingly, Shabana Azmi gave away the 2013 Neerja Bhanot Award to Rashmi Anand, a victim of domestic violence. While giving away the award, Shabana said: “What must Neerja have been thinking of when she opened the emergency door of the plane and, in spite of the bullets flying all round her, she bore the brunt of the bullets shielding four children, who slid down the emergency door.” Neerja’s two brothers, Akhil and Aneesh, live in Chadigarh with their mother Rama. The braveheart’s father Harish Bhanot was a journalist with the Hindustan Times for over 30 years and passed away in 2008. The family is happy that a movie is being made on Neerja’s life. Aneesh said: “The producers had approached us sometime ago about the project and we gave them our nod. My family and I were extremely happy when we heard that a movie was being made on her life. While Milkha Singh was involved in his biopic, the Bhanots are not involved creatively in the project. They have left it to producer Atul Kasbekar to do justice to their loved one’s memory. Says Aneesh, “I totally trust Atul June 2015 and his sensibilities. I am sure he will handle the project with great care.” The family is far away from the film world and decided to ‘leave it to the experts’, “We don’t know much about the tech- happen.” While most people know little about her except how brave she was, this brother recalls how she was also a toughie, “She was the youngest among us siblings, but she kept us under her thumb. It was her word that was followed in our house.” When asked what aspect of her personality he hopes gets translated on celluloid, Aneesh is quick to say, “Her sense of discipline and compassion. The fact that she stayed back to look after the passengers. She was the one who opened the emergency door, if she wanted, she could’ve been the first person to jump out and escape. But she didn’t. That sense of responsibility and compassion that she had, is something I hope the world gets to see.” Neerja Bhanot Today, it is easy to talk about nicalities of movie-making, so we Neerja but when it was fresh, it was aren’t really getting into it. difficult for them to cope with the Aneesh reveals that they are grief. Specially given the media focus pleased that Sonam has been selected on the case and curiosity about his to play Neerja on the big screen, “She sister. Aneesh recalls, “It was is the right choice. I have seen her extremely difficult. I went back to work and I really liked her in Raan- work three days after the incident, so jhanaa.” When asked if the family be- did the other people in my family. It lieves that the film should have been was our way of dealing with our made sooner, he says, “I have no com- emotions. When you are at work, you plaints. I am happy that the movie is keep busy. But it was more difficult for being made now. My father wanted to my mother. She used to be at home and write a book on her, but that didn’t it was very tough on her.” Punjab Advance 35 Films Kapoors enact a hat-trick · Shashi Kapoor gets Dadasaheb Phalke Award · He brought Hollywood and Hindi cinema closer BUREAU REPORT “I was the initial choice of Hrishikesh Mukherjee to perform the character of Anand (in the film “Anand”). When I went to shoot on the first day, I was informed that Rajesh Khanna had been signed in my place. I returned them the amount they'd paid me. I have no grievances against Hrishikesh. There have been similar cases in my life, and like I said, I have no regrets.”, said Shashi Kapoor holding the Dada Sahib Phalke award in his hands. Take two : Shashi refused the national award of best actor for his role in Dharamputra, because he did not consider his performance up to the mark. The chubby effervescent Punjabi, Shashi Kapoor, is the 46th winner of the award and the third from the Kapoor family to be honoured with the prestigious award. Shashi Kapoor, an actor par excellence, who brought Hollywood and Hindi cinema closer, a director who was always affable on the sets and yet 36 a stickler for discipline, finally made it to the cherished group of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award winners. The muli-faceted Shashi Kapoor wore many hats in his five-decade long career. He was the most versatile among the Kapoors with roles on stage, in mainstream and parallel cinema, Hollywood productions and forays into producing and directing. Due to ill-health Shashi Kapoor could not attend the official ceremony in Delhi. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley came to Mumbai to honour the 77year-old actor who arrived in a wheelchair, draped in an orange scarf. The venue couldn't have been better, as it was in the cozy confines of Prithvi Theatre where Shashi Kapoor was presented with the honour ---a place he lovingly built in 1978 in the memory of his father, the late Prithviraj Kapoor who himself was a recipient of the illustrious Phalke award. Raj Kapoor was the second winner of the award from this Punjabi family that has been ruling Bollywood for Punjab Advance decades. Conferring the award Arun Jaitley said:”You represent the great legacy, it is the third award being conferred on your family. The way your family produces talent, I am sure it (Dadasaheb Phalke Award) is not the last one.” Amitabh Bachchan could not hide his feelings for his co-star of three mega hits:”Thanks Shashiji for being just who you are. A compassionate person, a wonderful colleague and a generous friend.” Shashi Kapoor who turned 77 on March 18 this year, says he has no regrets in life.A competent actor, he is remembered for his subtle performances in “Dharmputra”, “Jab Jab Phool Khile”, “Kalyug” and “New Delhi Times”. “I refused the National Award for Best Actor as I felt my performance in ‘Dharmputra' was not up to the mark. I, however, received one for ‘New Delhi Times'. I always concentrated on natural performances. While his performances have been memorable, his dance moves remain inimitable. “I was not a trained dancer. June 2015 Films Shashi Kapoor receives the Dada Saheb Phalke Award from Union Minister Arun Jaitley in Mumbai When the situation demanded, I rehearsed with my choreographer and performed my dance numbers. Shammi Kapoor was a better romantic actor and dancer,” he says. To a question why did his productions flop in spite of being critically acclaimed?, he said: “‘Junoon', ‘36 Chowringhee Lane', ‘Kalyug' were all memorable films. He is optimistic about today's cinema. “There are bold and better experiments in films today. Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan have showed a lot of promise. But, I agree with Dilip Kumar saab that there is no emotional involvement with cinema from the audience as it used to be in the 1950s and 1960s,” the yesteryear actor says. Shashi Kapoor married actress Jennifer Kendal in 1958, after a romance that might have been scripted for Bollywood. They met while each was on tour with their respective theJune 2015 atre companies in Kolkata - Shashi with his father's Prithvi troupe and Jennifer as part of her father Geoffrey Kendal's Shakespeare group. Born as Balbir Raj Kapoor, Shashi was the youngest of Prithvi Raj Kapoor’s three sons, the elder siblings being Ranbir Raj Kapoor and Shamsher Raj Kapoor (Shammi Kapoor). He was one of the minds behind the establishment of Prithvi Theatre in 1978. Shashi appeared in several films with Nanda, who he considered his favourite heroine, including the 1965 blockbuster Jab Jab Phool Khile. Over a career spanning 175 films, he appeared in hits such as Waqt (1964), Pyar Kiye Jaa (1966), Sharmilee(1971) and Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974). With colleague Amitabh Bachchan, he formed a hit jodi in films like Deewar (1975), Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Trishul (1978), Silsila Punjab Advance (1981) and Namak Halaal (1982). At the same time, he was appearing in several English films, mostly produced by Merchant Ivory - 1963's The Householder, 1965's Shakespearewallah and 1982's Heat and Dust. He also appeared in the eponymous role in a controversial 1972 adaptation of the Herman Hesse novel Siddhartha, costarring Simi Garewal. With wife Jennifer, he appeared in films like 1970's Bombay Talkie and the acclaimed Junoon, which he also produced. Other films he produced included Utsav, 36 Chowringhee Lane and Kalyug. He directed former co-star Amitabh Bachchan and Dimple Kapadia in 1991's Ajooba. Shashi won the National Award thrice for Junoon, New Delhi Times and 1993's Muhafiz or In Custody, which was his last proper film appearance. He received the Padma Bhushan in 2011. 37 Sports Harsimran Bhullar scripts basketball history in US · Towering hoopster needs everything king size DONALD BANERJEE Harsimran Bhullar H arsimran (Sim) Bhullar, who stands a towering 7 ft 5 in in his socks, scripted history in America’s National Basketball League on April 7, when he became the first player of Indian descent to make it to the world’s biggest league playing for Sacramento 38 Kings. Thereafter the Toronto-born Bhullar featured in a couple of more games, thus creating a niche for himself among Indian fans. The tall hoopster was on a tour of India from May 2 to 7 to promote the growth of basket- Punjab Advance ball and was in Chandigarh interacting with students of a school. The 22-year-old player said there had been tremendous response from India after his historic NBA debut on April 7 when he played towards the fag end of the Kings' game against June 2015 Sports Minnesota Timberwolves. "I have got a phenomenal response all over my social network and most of them have been from India. It feels truly grateful with the kind of support I have been getting and its encouraging for me to perform even better," said the Toronto-born player whose brother Tanveer is also a gifted hoopster. Talking about the performance of hoopsters in India, he said some good work is being done to promote the game by Reliance Foundation, who have been requisitioned by the NBA to tap talent in India. The excitement in India has been tremendous. Parallels have already been drawn with Yao Ming, the Chinese hoopster whose performance for the Houston Rockets played a huge role in popularizing basketball. “I believe over a million kids are playing basketball in India. You need to keep the focus and hopefully we will see a couple of Indians in the NBA in the coming years,” said Bhullar. He talked highly about 19-year-old Satnam Singh Bhambra, who has become the first Indian to enter the NBA draft. The seven-footer recently played for the IMG Academy. “I am really excited that he has made it to the NBA draft. He is a very good player and hopefully he will be picked up by a team. We do talk occasionally and discuss our game,” said Harsimran Bhullar. Hailing from Barnala (Punjab), Satnam Singh, then 16-year-old, became the youngest player to represent India at the 26th Asian Basketball Championship at Wuhan in China in 2011. Satnam has been training in Florida for the last five years along with youth of 39 countries on an initiative of the US-based IMG Reliance Academy. Bhullar said: "My parents have been extremely supportive. I have had a very modest upbringing and my father used to be driving the cab. But there was immense support from him towards me and my brother to pursue June 2015 Satnam Singh Bhambra my career." The 7'5 ft tall center player will help train top 140 youth from across India, who participated in the Reliance Foundation Junior NBA programme, the NBA's premier grassroot event. "I am very excited to travel to India to see firsthand how basketball's popularity has grown and to meet young basketball players across the country," said Bhullar. "Hopefully sharing my story will help inspire young Indians to pursue their dreams on and off the court, just as I have." Bhullar interacted with his fans in Mumbai on May 2. After an appearance in IPL Extra Innings on May 3, he travelled to Noida where he inaugurated the Reliance Foundation Junior NBA Elite National Camp on May 4. He paid obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on May 5 and fol- Punjab Advance lowed it up with a visit to the Pingalwara. On May 6 he coducted a Reliance Foundation Junior NBA clinic for 150 children at New Public School in Chandigarh and returned to Noida on May 7 for the concluding function of the the Reliance Foundation Junior NBA Elite National Camp. The camp is the culmination of the Reliance Foundation Junior NBA program that promotes health, fitness and an active lifestyle through basketball, and teaches the values of the game such as teamwork, sacrifice, discipline, dedication and sportsmanship. Since 2013, the Reliance Foundation Junior NBA Programme has reached more than one million youths in 1,000 schools in eight cities. The NBA has also trained more than 1,000 PE teachers, and donated more than 15,000 basketballs and 300 rims to partner schools. As part of the programme, NBA legends Bruce Bowen and Muggsy Bogues, and WNBA players Swin Cash and Tamika Catchings have visited Chandigarh, Kolkata, Kochi, Ludhiana and Mumbai to conduct basketball clinics for players and coaches. Bhullar's parents migrated to Canada from Punjab. His father, Avtar, is 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) and his mother, Varinder, is 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm). Neither parent had exposure to basketball until enrolling their sons into local youth basketball programmes. Avtar himself grew up only playing kabaddi, Bhullar has an elder sister, Avneet, and a younger brother, Tanveer, who stands at 7 feet 3 inches (221 cm) and plays college basketball for New Mexico State as a redshirted freshman. The towering Bhullar needs everything kingsize and admits it is not easy to meet his demands and needs. “It is not easy to get clothes my size. Finding big shoes is also not easy,” he says and claims that the bed he sleeps in California is also king size. 39 Comic hero Super Sikh is new turbaned hero BUREAU REPORT A Sikh super hero in a new co-creator and Silicon Valley executive tually came up with the idea for Super comic series is all set to Supreet Singh Manchanda, the new Sikh and I wrote the screenplay in hit the stands a la Superman, superhero is Secret Agent Deep Singh. 2012.”The creators of Deep have now Spiderman or Batman. But, unlike “It started as a screenplay idea. decided to make it a four-part comic them, he’s a bearded, turbaned super- Supreet and I were friends and he sug- series, which is being designed by hero, who like them fights villains and gested I write about a Sikh protagonist comic-con India award winner Amit is a protector of justice and equality. in one of my screenplays. I thought it Tayal. The brainchild of California-based sounded like a cool thing. We started “Our hero is Secret Agent Deep screenplay writer Eileen Alden and her swapping some crazy ideas and even- Singh aka Super Sikh. At night, he’s on 40 Punjab Advance June 2015 Comic hero undercover missions destroying the in a modern world.,” said Eileen. plans of evil villains. By day, he’s working a mundane technology job as actions. Sikhs also value equality and so the villains you see in the comic are Huge fan following a cover. Quite frankly, he’s exhausted. of all different types, to reflect the fact that it’s not the caste, race or creed that Deep decides it’s time to take his Super Sikh has generated a huge makes a person good or bad – it’s his dream vacation to see Elvis Presley’s fan following. Eileen and Supreet had actions. Deep is a modern guardian of Graceland in Tennessee (he is a big posted about their project on Kick- values,” Eileen said. fan). However, one particularly crazy starter, the world’s largest funding plat- gang of Taliban terrorists decides to form for creative projects, and the make it their mission to follow him to response it generated had over- the United States and get rid of him whelmed them.“The response was far once and for all. We picked them after beyond our expectations. We targeted the attacks on Malala and the school in $5,000 to create the first issue in our Pakistan,” said an elated Supreet. series, but we actually raised $22,511, “While Supreet and I created Deep, which funded the cost to create all four his look is inspired by many people, issues and start on our next series as not just any one person, but we wanted well,” said an elated Eileen. “It has affected me deeply. When I started research for the story years ago, I knew very little about Sikhism. But now I have learned Gurmukhi, I read Sikh scripture and have fallen in love with it. I have embraced Sikhism as my personal spiritual path. So this project has become much more meaningful than I had dreamed of,” said Eileen. him to be a blend of modern and tradi- “Super Sikh was a natural choice For Supreet, it’s about educating peo- tional (like many of us). When you when you consider Sikh history and ple about Sikhs who are often stereo- read the comic, you will see Deep is values. Sikhs value the idea of a war- typed and have become victims of hate the kind of hero that’s like a mix of rior-saint and we combine the idea of crimes “And for our children Super Batman and the skills of Jason Bourne. spirituality with ethical living in the Sikh will fill a void by creating a new And his personality shows his tradi- real world. So it seems natural to think positive narrative and a modern role tional Sikh values but he applies them of a Sikh hero who fights against evil model,” Supreet said. June 2015 Punjab Advance 41 Health Dry mouth— causes & remedy DR. SHUBHRA SHUKTIKA SHARMA W e often get the feeling of a dry mouth, but most of us do not know what it is and how it occurs ? In this write-up we shall discuss about the dry mouth, its reasons, the necessary preventions and the treatment measures to overcome it. Dry mouth is basically a feeling that there is not enough saliva in the mouth. Saliva not only keeps the mouth moist but also helps in digestion, protects the teeth from decay, prevents infection by controlling bacteria and fungi in the mouth. Chewing and swallowing becomes a common problem in such cases. Dry mouth is medically known as XEROSTOMIA. Basically dry mouth is a condition during which the mouth becomes very dry due to reduced saliva flow. Saliva is necessarily required to moisten the mouth, neutralize acids produced by plaque, wash away dead cells that accumulate on the tongue, gums and cheeks. If not removed these cells decompose and cause bad breath; a condition medically known as HALITOSIS. A dry mouth often inhibits taste buds from distinguishing sour, salty, sweet and bitter flavours. Dry mouth may be due to side effects of various medications e.g. antihistamines, painkillers, diuretics, antidepressants, muscle relaxants and sedatives. 42 Stress could also be a prominent reason for dry mouth. Certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure, acne, allergy, epilepsy etc can also lead to dry mouth. Dry mouth provides the perfect environment for anerobic bacteria reproduction. Longer duration of speaking, smoking, large quantity of alcohol and snoring are a few common reasons for dry mouth. For normal healthy individuals, food odours are temporary and normal salivary flow will eliminate it in a few minutes. However, for those who suffer from dry mouth that is i.e. lack of saliva, minor food odours may end up becoming long-term bad-breath problems. People who suffer from dry mouth disease often feel difficulty in swallowing, have problems in speech and a burning sensation in the mouth besides a sticky, dry feeling in the mouth and frequent thirst sores in the mouth. They also face problems of sores or split skin at the corners of the mouth, cracked lips, dryness in the throat, a burning or tingling sensation in the mouth especially on the tongue, dry, red , raw tongue, problems in the taste sensation, hoarseness of voice, dry nasal passages, sore throat, bad breath. Dry mouth may increase the risk of Gingivitis, tooth decay and mouth infections such as Thrush. Punjab Advance Dry mouth is also a problem for the elderly and for those who use dentures. It is very hard for the denture wearers to use denture if they suffer from dry mouth. People suffering from disease like Parkinson's or Alzhimer's or those who have suffered a stroke may not feel wetness or may experience dryness in the mouth. HOW DO YOU THINK DRY MOUTH IS CAUSED? 1 Dehydration 2 Medicines like antihypertensives, antidepressants, often cause dry mouth 3 Some diseases which affect salivary gland: Sjogren's Syndrome ( a condition where dry eyes and dry mouth occurs), HIV/ AIDS and diabetes also cause dry mouth. 4 Radiation therapy 5 Chemotherapy 6 Nerve damage 7 Conditions such as fever, excessive sweating, vomitting, diarrhea, blood loss, burns can cause dry mouth. 8 Surgical removal of salivary glands. 9 Smoking and chewing tobacco can affect the production of saliva and aggravate dry mouth. 10 Breathing with open mouth can also contribute to the same problem. TREATMENT 1 Drink lots of water - This will keep the mouth moist. June 2015 Health 2 Avoid drinks with caffeine such as coffee, tea and some soda as they cause dehydration. 3 Chewing gum (sugarless) or sucking on candy (preferably sugarless) also stimulates the production of saliva, which helps to wash away food particles and bacteria. 4 Brush with fluoride toothpaste, use a fluoride rinse. 5 Breath through your nose instead of your mouth. 6 Floss your teeth everyday. 7 Do not use tobacco or alcohol, dry out mouth. 8 Be aware that spicy or salty foods may cause pain in a dry mouth. 9 Use a humidifier at night. 10 Since dehydration is a major cause of dry mouth, it is vital to restore electrolytes to the body. Mix 1 teaspoon salt , half teaspoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon sugar into a cup of water. Mix in a dash of lemon , lime or orange for added flavour. Drink to avoid dehydration. 11 Must increase the intake of Vitamin A as it enhances saliva production. 12 Parsley- Dry mouth also leads to bad breath. This herb is a natural breath sweetener, it provides ample amount of vitamin A and C , Calcium and Iron. 13 Aniseed- It helps combat bad breath that accompanies dry mouth. Mix a few teaspoons of aniseeds and fennel, place in a covered bowl and keep it on the dining table and make it a habit to eat after meal. 14 Cayenne pepper- It stimulates saliva production. 15 Fennel- It helps to combat dry mouth and bad breath. Munch a few seeds several times a day to treat dry mouth. Fennel herbs can be combined with other herbs such as rosemary to make a mouthwash. Mix together equal amounts of fenugreek and fennel seeds. Dry June 2015 roast them. Grind thoroughly. Add salt. Eat half tablespoon after every meal. 16 Rosemary- Rosemary helps fight germs, mint and aniseeds combined with rosemary freshen breath. Mix 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried mint and 1 teaspoon aniseeds with two and a half cup of boiling water. Cover and steep for fifteen to twenty min- utes. Strain and refrigerate. Use as a gargle. 17 Oil Pulling- An ancient Ayurvedic practice that keeps mouth moist, also eliminates bad breath.Oil pulling can be done with Coconut oil, Sesame oil or any other edible vegetable oil. Mix 1 tablespoon of extra virgin Coconut oil in your mouth. Swish the oil around your mouth thoroughly for fifteen seconds. Spit it out and rinse your mouth with warm water. Brush as usual. Repeat the process every morning before eating anything. (please do not gargle or swallow the oil) 18 Aloe Vera- It protects the sensitive tissues in the mouth and enhances the taste buds. Drink one forth cup of aloe vera juice to cure dry mouth. Rinse mouth with aloe vera a few times a day. Apply aloe vera gel around the mouth using cotton swab. Leave it for several minutes Punjab Advance and then rinse mouth with cold water. Do it two to three times a day. 19 Lemon- Lemon stimulates saliva production and relieves dry mouth. Being acidic in nature it helps cleanse mouth and also eliminates bad breath. Add the juice of half a lemon and a little honey to a glass of water. Sip this water throughout the day to stay hydrated. You can also drink homemade lemonade to treat the same. Make sure it does not contain sugar. Also, sprinkle a little salt on a small piece of lemon. Rub it on your tongue to enhance the taste buds. 20 Cardamom- An Ayurvedic remedy to fight dry mouth and eliminate bad breath. Chew a pod of Cardamom thoroughly after every meal or whenever the mouth is dry. Alternatively, add one teaspoon of cardamom powder to a glass of hot water. Let it steep for ten minutes and then drink. Do this twice a day.Rinse your mouth with lukewarm cardamom tea twice daily. 21 Ginger is effective in stimulating saliva and makes you feel fresh for a longer period. Chew a small piece of fresh ginger slowly. Do this several times a day to fight dry mouth. Drink two to three cups of ginger tea mixed with honey daily to stimulate salivary glands. 22 Eat more of soft and liquid foods like soups and stews. 23 Drink one to two glasses of Coconut water daily. 24 Drink herbal tea like Green Tea. 25 Eat partly frozen chunks of water based fruits and vegetables like pineapple, watermelon, cucumber and muskmelon. 26 Last but not the least one must pay a visit to a dentist once in six months. Eat Healthy. Stay Healthy. Spread a Healthy Oral Hygiene. 43 Health Flat feet---cause of many diseases Dr.Ravinder Chadha O ne common finding amongst scores of people suffering from knee pain, foot pain, ankle discomfort etc. is the presence of flat feet. Unfortunately this so-called minor problem is not dealt with at an appropriate age due to lack of awareness. This in fact leads to complications later in life. Causative factors are hereditary, flattening of arch due to obesity and lack of elasticity of ligaments, muscles and tendons. Normally a child till the age of two years has flat feet due to the presence of pad of fat and incomplete 44 union of bones. With age fat pad decreases and a child develops a perfect arch by the age of 10 years. Parents generally fail in detecting flat feet. The usual complaint is child falling frequently while running and getting tired after activity. The ideal way to detect flat feet is to place wet feet on the floor. In a normal individual, a central strip that joins the heel and toe is about half of the width of the front of foot. In individuals having flat feet the strip almost of the same width as Punjab Advance the front of the foot. Shoe examination of an individual with flat feet reveals worn out inner side of toes and outer side of heels. Flat feet in the normal course may not cause any problem but in instances where physical activity is accelerated one may experience pain and discomfort in the foot, ankle, knee etc. Apart from carrying the weight of the body foot also acts as a shock absorber and helps in propelling the leg and body parts. Hence flat feet problem if not addressed well in time can lead to June 2015 Health abnormalities like shin pain, heel pain (Plantar Fascists), Tendoachilles, knee pain, ankle pain, leg pain, low back pain etc. thereby limiting physical activities and obstructing the performance of daily chores. Flat feet are classified as follows: Structural flat feet and flexible flat feet In structural flat feet the feet is flat all the times vis-à-vis running, walking, standing, lying down etc. This is due to abnormal bone structure. In Flexible flat feet there is an arch till the time there is no weight bearing but the arch disappears when the patient stands up. Treatment If there is pain even after wearing well-fitted shoes and there is difficulty in walking, running and the shoes start wearing out fast then Conservative June 2015 treatment is undertaken 1) Orthotics or Corrective devices placed in shoes treat most of the patients with flat feet. 2) Shoes having a high arch on the inner side should be preferred. 3) Certain exercises are also advocated. Exercises Stand on a towel and grab it with your toes. Return to original position and repeat it 10 times. Stand on one leg, increase and decrease the arch of the foot, which is on the ground 10 times. foot. -Weight Bearing Exercise—Duck Walk In case of structural flat foot and in cases not responding to conservative treatment, surgical intervention is the answer. Surgical treatment may be in the form of repair of muscle, tendon or bony correction. To conclude flat feet is an entity, which if treated early in childhood, can prevent lot of discomfort and handicap later in life. Watchful and observant parents can indeed prevent their children from a lot of suffering and pain. This also reduces the burden on the health infrastructure. Sitting -Draw ‘O’ with great toe. -Picking up duster / marbles. -Threraband exercises to strengthen muscles and ligaments of ankle and feet. -Increase and decrease arch – on one Punjab Advance ----Dr Ravinder Chadha is a former physio-therapist of the Indian cricket team E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 2702929, mobile 9814088327 45 Children’s world Hi kids, S ome of my fondest memories are of the summer vacations: no school, playing in the sprinklers at the playground, going to my Nani’s house in Allahabad where we mingled with our cousins and had a gala time. How time passed we never realized. That was real fun time with no teaching involved. Is it the same today. I have my doubts. Gone are those days. The competitive world has put a spoke in the wheel of the fun element. The parents are more eager to shunt their little imps and angels to serious summer camps which are more of teaching and less of fun. You cant blame your working parents. After all summer is more of a scramble than time off for them. Summers are that time of the year when you can just fling your books, bag and uniform and be happy. But this excitement does not last for too long. You belong to the new era and you are an eager learner. As soon as the first week gets over the boredom begins. No wonder parents are busy looking for good recreational workshops for their children. Keeping up with the demand for hobby classes during vacations, many institutes and clubs must be organising workshops and summer camps in your city to explore your creative and adventurous side. But I am sure there must be some of you fortunate enough to have your parents taking you out on a summer vacation to the hills. What better place to learn about nature and the hills than Shimla, Manali, Dalhousie or Kasauli. That could be the ultimate. But such family outings with working parents is a rarity. Ok kids hope you have a nice summer vacation, Would you like to share your experiences ? I would love to hear from you. Till then, keep smiling. The boy who cried wolf Did you Thanks and all the best -----Uncle Don know N There once was a boy who kept sheep not far from the village. He would often become bored and to amuse himself he would call out, "Wolf! Wolf," although there was no wolf about. The villagers would stop what they were doing and run to save the sheep from the wolf's jaw. Once they arrived at the pasture, the boy just laughed. The naughty boy played this joke over and over until the villagers tired of him. One day while the boy was watching the sheep, a wolf did come into the fold. The boy cried and cried, "Wolf! Wolf!" No one came. The wolf had a feast of sheep that day. Moral of the story: No one will believe a habitual liar even when he is telling the truth. 46 inety seven per cent of all the water on Earth is salty. Only 3 per cent is fresh water. Of that 3 per cent, over 2 per cent is frozen in ice sheets and glaciers. And that means that less than 1 per cent of that 3 per cent fresh water is found in lakes, rivers and underground. T he deeper under the sea you go, the greater the pressure, that is the weight of the water above you. At a depth of 9,100 m (30,000 ft), the pressure is equivalent to a one tonne weight balanced on a postage stamp. T here is enough water in the atmosphere, that if it all fell as rain at the same time, it would cover the entire surface of the Earth with 2.5 cm (1 in) of water Punjab Advance June 2015 Children’s world The best story teller MADHU GURUNG “B ajai,” as we called grandmother, was the best storyteller in the world. Her tales of jewelled ladies and brave warriors, of civilisations that ended due to famine, floods, war or volcanic eruptions, filled our young lives with fantasy. Nestling in the foothills of Mussoorie is a tiny village called Johri Gaun (Johri village) where we spent part of our summer and winter vacations. They were fun-filled days of sunkissed air and raucous laughter, when we cousins met and had a great time. By the time I really discovered Bajai, she was a very old woman, with countless wrinkles on her face. My mother was her youngest daughter. I never got to meet Bajee (Grandfather). He was a prisoner of war in Italy, during the Second World War (19391945). He returned home alive but riddled with asthma, to which he succumbed. Bajai never remarried. Nor did she let her maternal relatives pitch in to help a young widow and her seven children survive. Instead, she started tilling her land and growing her own foodgrains and vegetables She always started her stories with a saying, “To the listener a garland of gold, to the story teller a garland of all forest flowers and this tale that I tell you today will be heard in heaven.” When she told her stories, we always crowded around her. She would clear her throat looking at our eager faces. The kitchen fire would throw our dark shadows on the mud-washed walls. Our eagerly nodding heads would appear large and distorted in the lantern light. And so would start a magical journey of words creating images larger than life. Even now, 30 year later, I just need to close my eyes to get that smell of a wood fire and dung cakes and Bajai’s voice lilting as she imitated the sound of hooves on which the handsome prince rode… Looking back, I think Bajai loved telling us stories. We would often fight amongst ourselves on whom Bajai loved the most. When we asked her she would laugh and say, I love you all. If we insisted, she would spin out a long story of how she would love us till the red necked parrot came home or the rains came home to make the tiny rice seedling grow big and strong. We would laugh Punjab Advance June 2015 loudly, jump up and down, stick out our tongues at each other or thumb our noses. In our hearts each of us felt that Bajai loved her or him the most. Bajai’s stories were so much a part of our lives that even her last day was like a story she had once told. It wasn’t yet dawn, when a sound woke me up. All of us slept in the attic, but no one else stirred. Everyone was sound asleep. I opened the window. There was a little rain and mist. I gaped in open-mouthed wonder at a beautiful chariot which stood in the courtyard. It was drawn by two white horses and a pretty woman in white was helping Bajai up the chariot. “Wait for me Bajai,” I yelled. Bajai looked up and smiled. She looked beautiful. There were no wrinkles on her face. Her gray hair was open and a few tendrils lifted in the wind. Bajai waved and smiled, and the soft wind carried her message. It was what she always said to me, “I love you till the rains come home…” I do not know if it was a dream or Bajai’s final farewell, but I woke up and my pillow was wet. 47 Forecast Your stars this month Dr. Prem Kumar Sharma email: [email protected] Aries: You are likely to grasp a situation on the work front quickly and turn it to your advantage. You may be forced to plan a trip with someone you don’t particularly like. An old ailment is likely to play up if you are not careful. Socialise more. A lucrative deal that brings in good returns is likely to be seized. Some of you will have to call a spade a spade on the romantic front. Leo: Your suggestion on the professional front may elicit lukewarm response, but don’t press things. If you are planning to visit another city or town, this is a favourable period. Property owners can expect good returns from a property deal. Those romancing on the sly can face an embarrassing situation, if not careful. Sagittarius: Bad financial planning can make you leave out something important, so be deliberate. Friends can force you into something that may affect your health adversely. Professional front brightens up for some as new projects come your way. You will get the opportunity to get a burden you have been carrying off your chest on the romantic front. Taurus: Become a perfect ‘yes-man’ if you want to remain on a safe wicket. Much love is showered upon you by a few family elders. You are likely to win someone’s heart by your genuineness. Perfect health is yours for the asking. House hunting trip may lead some to places they had never seen before! But the effort will be worth it. Virgo: You may plan to thwart the designs of a rival on the family front. Your heart may not be in matters romantic, but it is best if you play along. Some of you may have to resort to cutting corners to repay a loan. You are likely to achieve total physical fitness by sheer self-control. Putting across your point most effectively at work will help you gain respect and recognition. Capricorn: Those organising an event or a function will have to plan things out to the minutest details to prevent any fiascos. An added skill on the professional front is likely to strengthen your career. A family elder may require your presence for something he or she wants done. There are encouraging signs on the romantic front as the one you secretly love begins to feel attracted to you. Gemini: There is a very thin line between true love and infatuation, so don’t get swayed at the slightest hint of romance. Some of you can go in for an image makeover. Company of health-conscious people will automatically help you achieve perfect health. A family youngster can become a source of worry and may need the right guidance. Libra: You will find things moving in conformation with your plans at work. Your power of motivation will help in putting together an efficient team on the professional front. Someone on the family front may despise you due to your incorrigible ways. Someone can provoke you into doing something and may even offer assistance for it, so take your own call. Aquarius: You know very well where your interest lies and you will spare no efforts in achieving that. Someone who is not quite happy with you will be won over by the sheer strength of your personality. A flurry of activity is likely to mark a successful matchmaking exercise. Savings will come in handy for organising an event at short notice. You will be able to take good care of your health. Cancer: Some ideas implemented on the professional front will start showing results. Financial front remains healthy as wealth comes to you steadily. Chances of getting romantically linked with someone cannot be ruled out. The power of love may make you move to another city! A pending task is likely to be completed successfully at work. Scorpio: Your lackadaisical attitude on the professional front threatens to bring you into senior’s notice. Envy can get the better of you and compel you to avoid someone who is more prosperous. You may be intolerant towards the one you love and spoil the relationship. Those indulging in speculation will have reasons to cheer. Excesses may need to be avoided for good health. Pisces: Something that you deliver on the professional front may not satisfy superiors. A mistake committed in a financial transaction can cost you dearly. A family youngster may have to be made aware of the misdeeds committed. Love life can suffer from lack of interest and over-familiarity. A skin problem may take some more time to heal. 48 Punjab Advance June 2015 Humour A n Indian chief is driving his Cadillac somewhere at Nevada. Suddenly his car breaks down. He examines it, and reveals that a technician must be called. But the chief has only $4, and no credit card. So he gathers some wood, makes a fire and signals his tribe with its smoke: "Hey, send somebody to my location with $500!" The tribe accepts this signal, but to make sure in its meaning, signals back - once again, with the smoke: "OK, chief, but why so much ?" At this moment a ground test of nuclear bomb is being held on the test field nearby. A huge mushroom-like cloud of smoke rises into the sky... The tribe signals: "Ok, Ok, chief, we just wondered, why to be so angry? A lady arrived at the Madras airport after spending 36 hours in transit.She was fully exhausted after such a long trip with her 6 young kids. Collecting many suitcases, the family entered the cramped customs area.A young customs official watched our entourage in disbelief, "Ma'am," he said, "do all these children and this luggage belong to you?""Yes, sir," the lady said with a sigh. "They're all mine."The customs agent began his interrogation "Ma'am, do you have any weapons, contraband or illegal drugs in your possession?""Sir," she calmly answered, "if I'd had any of those items, I would have used them by now. Subscription for Punjab Advance You can send the subscription amount by money order or by crossed cheque, DD, payable in Chandigarh, to CEO, PUNMEDIA , Room No. 10, 5th Floor, Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh-160001 June 2015 Punjab Advance 49 Last Word ‘Wo kahan hai?’ DONALD BANERJEE I t was the summer of 1974, my brother, then a flight lieutenant with the Indian Air Force, had just been transferred to Chandigarh. Pending allotment of a house in the Air Force colony in Sector 31, they landed bag and baggage in my two-room bachelor’s apartment in the Tribune Colony. On the second day of their arrival, I was on late night duty. I locked the side-door so that I could slip into my room on my return at 2 a.m, without disturbing anyone. Tired after my night duty, I dozed off the moment I hit the bed. But barely four hours later I woke up with a start as Ronny started his Jawa mobike. I covered my head with the pillow as the din continued for three minutes. With my five late nights over for the month, thereafter the morning din turned into a welcome wake-up call. My bachelor kitchen soon turned into a chef’s haven and I savoured one of the best Goan dishes in the first week of their arrival. There was an increase in my appetite and it started showing. I used to come home for lunch. One afternoon I got a message that I should have my lunch in the office canteen. Something must have gone wrong, I thought. I was right. Soon after I had left for office at 10 am Deanne spotted a slimy creature, let out a shriek and ran down the colony with her twoyear-old daughter in arms. She barged into my elder brother Sam’s house and shouted: “There is a big lizard in the drawing room. I am not going 50 back till it is shunted out.” Sam mustered courage and with a cricket bat in hand he walked down slowly towards my house, with Deanne in tow. He halted for a brief moment in front of the door. He peeped inside, his eyes surveying the ceiling. ‘Eek’, he had spotted the big slippery creature. Virtually pushed inside, Sam moved to the other end of the room sounding the bat on the wall. The disturbance was enough for the lizard to creep across to the side wall. With Deanne shouting from one side and Sam standing motionless at the other end, the lizard moved back and sought shelter behind a framed picture. What to do now ? This question was still being debated when Mrs Sam arrived on the spot. She picked up a broom from the kitchen and asked: “Chipkli kahaan hai”. Deanne pointed towards the framed picture. Mrs Sam lilfted the frame with her left hand and waived her broom. The lizard fell down on the floor. Deanne darted out of the room with her little daughter, Sam virtually climbed on to the table. Mrs Sam swept the broom sending the lizard crashing out of the room and into the courtyard. A couple of crows swooped down and soon made a meal of the liazard. Operation lizard was over. Punjab Advance June 2015 Postal Registration No.CHD/0161/2013-2015 Actual date of posting 10 to 15 -6-15 RNI No. CHAENG/2013/53324 A Monthly Magazine MBU Chd. If undelivered please return to Director Information & Public Relations Office Punjab, SCO 107-109, Sector 34-A, Chandigarh-160022