2 Punjab Advance August 2016

Sri Guru Granth SahibParkash Utsav (August 22)

3Punjab Advance

C apt Amarinder Singh has set a target of attracting an investment of Rs 5 lakh

crore in five years. By no means an easy target, but the people's Chief Minis-

ter is going about it in a systematic manner. He has spelt out the seven strate-

gic pillars of growth which include infrastructure, power, start-ups and entreneurship, skill

development, ease of doing business and investment promotion with fiscal incentives.

His directive to government officials is "Stop treating business partners with suspicion.

This will be the first step to enhance the ease of doing business. But to achieve this a

change of mindset is required towards industrial and business houses: Treat them as part-

ners"

Identifying the services sector as a key priority in the new industrial policy, he said it

should focus on revival of industry, with preference to existing industries. All possible

help should be extended to help industries and business to develop and expand, underly-

ing his 'business first' philosophy.

Environment-friendly electric vehicles on Punjab roads is the next item on the CM's

agenda to propagate green energy and generate employment in the state.

The Chief Minister did not let his personal moment of grief, the loss of his mother,

come in the way of a public interest initiative when he gave the go ahead to the launch of

his 'Apni Gaddi, Apna Rozgar' programme to Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, who

flagged of 100 Uber bike taxis.

Rajmata Mohinder Kaur, who was the last Maharani of the Patiala Kingdom and the

mother of Capt Amarinder Singh, passed away on July 24, she would have turned 95 on

September 14. A sea of humanity gave her a tearful farewell. We pay a homage to her on

pages 6 and 7.

Editorial

August - 2017

4 Punjab Advance August - 2017

Conten ts

08

Jobsfor Youth

Punjab

Advance

LAUGUST - 2017

LVOL-4 L ISSUE-5

www.diprpunjab.gov.in

16

Green energy on roads

Four-seaterflying car soon

Page-42

C.E.O. N Gurkirat Kirpal Singh (IAS)

Editor N Donald Banerjee

Designer N Kumar Jiv Chumber

Publisher N Information & Public Relations

Department, Punjab

Contact address N

PUNJAB ADVANCE,

Room No. 1, 5th Floor,

Punjab Civil Secretariat,

Chandigarh-160001Ph. : 0172-2740668punmedia2011@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors in the articles published in PUNJAB ADVANCE are their own. They donot necessarily reflect the opinion of Punjab Government or the organization theywork for. Editor reserves the right to edit,abridge or expand the articles submitted. In case of any dispute, legal jurisdiction will lie in Chandigarh basedcourts.

Published and Edited by Gurkirat KirpalSingh (IAS) on behalf of the Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab.

Printed by Controller printing and stationeryDeptt., Punjab from MP Printers, B-220, In-dustrial Area, Phase-II, NOIDA-201305(UP)and published at Room No. 1, 5th Floor, CivilSectt., Chandigarh.

5Punjab Advance August - 2017

18

The new poster girlof cricket

Leg crampscauses and prevention

Page-44

14

Change of mindsetkey to growth:CM

28

The grand dame ofPunjabi literature

32

Career and skillmust match

40

When Sikhs foughtas Australian soldiers

6 Punjab Advance

Homage

sea of humanitywith moist eyes

converged on the royal city ofPatiala to bid a tearful adieuto the ‘Rajmata’ MohinderKaur, mother of Punjab ChiefMinister Capt AmarinderSingh, who breathed her laston July 24 at the age of 95.The mortal remains were con-

signed to the flames as CaptAmarinder Singh lit the pyre at theShahi Samadhan, the royal family’sancestral cremation ground. The vastgathering included royals, politicians,bureaucrats, Army personnel, policeofficers and the who’s who of the state and the country.Capt Amarinder Singh was joined by younger brother

Malwinder Singh and son Raninder Singh in lighting thepyre amid tight security.Besides the immediate family, the Chief Minister’s

brothers-in-law, former Union Minister Kanwar NatwarSingh and Major Kanwaljit Singh Dhillon, were also pres-ent along with their sons.Capt Amarinder’s grandsons — Nirvan Singh, Angad

Singh and Yaduinder Singh — also joined in performing thelast rites. Political, religious and administrative leaders rubbed

shoulders with ordinary citizens from all walks of life forthe cremation. People had started gathering at Moti Bagh palace in the

morning itself for a last glimpse (antim darshan) of theirbeloved ‘Rajmata’. The mortal remains were taken to the cremation ground

in a specially designed vehicle that passed through variousparts of the city, with people jostling for a vantage place topay their respects to the departed soul.Capt Amarinder, joined by his brother and other family

members and relatives, shouldered the bier to the cremation

site where Sikh and Hindu priestsrecited hymns.Among those who paid their last

respects to the Rajmata were Pun-jab Governor VP Singh Badnore,former Haryana Chief MinisterBhupinder Singh Hooda, VidhanSabha Speaker Rana KP Singh,Deputy Speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti,Cabinet ministers Brahm Mohindra,Navjot Singh Sidhu, ManpreetSingh Badal, Rana Gurjit Singh,Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, MP San-tokh Chaudhary, former Chief Min-ister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal andPPCC president Sunil Jakhar. Delhi’s Sarna brothers also paid

homage, along with top civil andpolice officials of Punjab, including DGP Suresh Arora.Later, former Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and SADchief Sukhbir Singh Badal offered condolences to the CM atMoti Bagh.Wife of Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, the Rajmata was

the last designated queen of the Patiala kingdom.The erstwhile Patiala royal remained active in politics

in 1960s and 1970s as a Congress leader. She headed the district Congress committee in Patiala and was involved ina number of social and welfare activities.The Rajmata was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1967 from

Patiala seat. She was also a member of the Rajya Sabha..Captain Amarinder’s authorised biography ‘The Peo-

ple’s Maharaja’ by Khuswant Singh, quotes the Late Raj-mata as saying: “It was the Maharaja’s and my desire thatour children obtain the best possible education.” She furthersays, referring to Captain Amarinder Singh, “I felt it wasimportant for the yuvraj to go to a boarding school at theearliest. With his sisters already in the boarding, he wouldhave felt lonely at home. In fact, my younger son Malvinderwent at a younger age than Amarinder. He couldn’t adjust athome once all the children had left.”With her philanthropic bent of mind, Rajmata was in-

A

August - 2017

Tearful adieu tolast Queen

Rajmata Mohinder Kaur

7Punjab Advance

Homage

August - 2017

volved in several social works. Soon after independence sheworked for PEPSU – an organisation that offered food andmedical help to refugees following the partition of the coun-try. She entered politics in 1964 and got elected to Parlia-ment for the first time in 1967.

The family shifted to the Netherlands in 1971 when herhusband was appointed India’s ambassador in that country.She returned to Patiala after her husband’s death and wassince living at their New Moti Bagh Palace residence. Shelater dedicated her life to social causes.

and (below) a sea of humanity bids farewell to Patiala's last Maharani

Capt Amarinder Singh lights the pyre of the Rajmata at the Shahi Samadhan in Patiala

8 Punjab Advance

Cover

· CM opening windows of opportunity· Focus on skill development & entrepreneurship

August - 2017

unjab took the firstmajor stride at gener-

ating jobs for the state’s unem-

ployed youth when Chief Min-ister Amarinder Singh’s brain-child ‘Apni Gaddi, Apna Rozgar

programme was formallylaunched by Finance MinisterManpreet Badal as he flagged of

P BUREAU REPORT

Jobs for

The Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh with Uber's South Asia Policy Director Shweta Rajpal Kohli

Youth

9Punjab Advance

Cover

100 Uber bike taxis which willply in Mohali, Kharar, Ludhianaand Zirakpur.Soon, bike taxis of Ola may

also be seen zooming on State’sroads.Interestingly, two women

bikers have also opted under thescheme aimed at generating jobs

for the State’s unemployedyouth - one each in Mohali andZirakpur.Capt Amarinder Singh could

not make it to the launch cere-mony because of his mother Ra-jmata Mohinder Kaur’s demise.But he did not let his personalmoment of grief come in theway of a public interest initia-tive.The Chief Minister had

clinched the deal in May aftertalks with Uber India and South

Asia Head Shweta Rajpal Kohli.With the job market high on

the agenda, the Punjab ChiefMinister is aware of thedilemma that many youth inPunjab, in fact across the coun-try, are facing. And he is deter-mined to resolve their problemsand dilemmas.

Sharing in brief some of theways in which the government istrying to create windows of op-portunity for the unemployed,the captain said: The entrepre-neurial schemes we havelaunched — Apni Gaddi ApnaRozgar, Hara Tractor, Yaari En-terprises etc--- are excellent re-sources to make our youthgainfully employed. And to mycolleagues in the oppositionwho have accused me of tryingto convert the state's youth into

taxi drivers, I can only say —isn't it better than making themdrug addicts and criminals? Inany case, some of the most suc-cessful youth in the world todayare not those in white-collaredjobs but those who have takenthe entrepreneurial route. Whatwe are doing through these

schemes is to promote self-em-ployment, which I am sure willgo a long way in helping the un-employed youth.”While flagging of the bikes

on behalf of the CM, ManpreetBadal said: “Bike-sharing serv-ices like uberMOTO will notonly contribute greatly to im-proving last-mile connectivity inPunjab and cutting congestion,but also be instrumental in cre-ating thousands of entrepreneur-ship and economic opportunities

August - 2017

10 Punjab Advance

Cover

August - 2017

for the youth in the state.”UberMOTO is already avail-

able in Faridabad, Gurgaon,Noida, Ghaziabad, Hyderabad,Jaipur and Ahmedabad, saidShweta Rajpal Kohli.Uber’s Delhi NCR and North

India’s general manager Prabh-jeet Singh said: “We aim to gen-erate another 10,000entrepreneurial opportunities inPunjab in the next one year anda total of 45,000 opportunities inthe next five years.”Under the pol-

icy, currently in theprocess of finalisa-tion by the PunjabTransport Depart-ment, existing andnew motorcycleowners will be ableto get commercialpermits and li-cences to run two-wheelers aspillion taxis.The Apni Gaddi, Apna Roz-

gar scheme envisages one lakhtaxis, commercial LCVs andother vehicles to be provided tounemployed youth every year atsubsidised rates, without collat-eral and with the governmentstanding guaranteeShweta Kohli said two

women driver partners havesigned up in Punjab so far andcan operate at the hours theywant. One is 52-year-old grand-mother Paramjeet Kaur fromMohali’s Phase XI, and the otheris the mother of an 11-year-old,Madhu Bala from Zirakpur.

Madhu is already a part-timeaccountant and an LIC agent,while her husband is in a privatejob. “It’s a mistaken belief thatwomen are only meant to do do-mestic work. I think women areno way less than men,” sheadded. Struggling all her life after

losing her husband in her youth,Paramjeet believed that workingas bike taxi driver would sup-plement the family income.

Uber was also consideringstarting seven-seater vans inPunjab. Uber has been present inthe state for the past three yearsand has already created 10,000jobs, Kohli said, adding that itsnew bike sharing product—UberMoto—was in line with thecompany’s commitment to pro-vide affordable mobility optionsfor riders and low entry barriermicro entrepreneurship opportu-nities for drivers.Besides job creation, the ini-

tiative will encourage youth toengage in entrepreneurial busi-ness, while facilitating last-mileconnectivity for commuters inareas not accessible by regular

four-wheeler taxis. Under thepolicy, currently in the processof finalisation by the transportdepartment, existing and newmotorcycle owners will be ableto get commercial permits andlicences to run two-wheelers aspillion taxis.Requiring minimal invest-

ment, the scheme is expected tocreate a major avenue for the un-employed youth to start theirown business, the spokesperson

explained. As anadditional advan-tage, the scheme,which is runningsuccessfully inother states as Ra-jasthan, Gujarat,Karnataka, WestBengal, andHaryana, will alsohelp reduce traffic

on roads, besides controllingpollution.The government proposes to

tie up with major taxi operators,such as Ola and Uber, to ensurethe success of the scheme, underwhich the youth will be ex-pected to repay their loan in fiveyears. Some of the otherschemes which the governmentis working on include Yaari En-terprises and Harra Tractor.Under the Hara Tractor scheme,at least 25,000 tractors and otheragricultural implements will begiven to unemployed youth atsubsidised rates to enable themstart their own agriculture serv-ice ventures.

11Punjab Advance

Cover

August - 2017

Yaari Enterprises will beaimed at promoting small enter-prises started by two or more en-trepreneurs, through subsidy of30 per cent up to a maximum in-vestment of R 5 lakh. Thescheme envisages setting up ofone lakh such enterprises everyyear from 2017 to 2022, thespokesperson said.The underemployed and un-

employed urban poor will beable to set up small enterprisesrelated to manufacturing, servic-ing and business for which thereis considerable local demand.The government will also

support self help groups (SHG)of urban poor to access easycredit from bank and avail inter-est subsidy on loans.SCs and STs will be bene-

fited at least to the extent of theproportion of their strength inthe city/town population of thepoor.Community organisers (COs)

and professionals from theurban local body (ULB) willidentify the prospective benefi-ciaries among the urban poor.The beneficiaries can also di-

rectly approach the ULB or itsrepresentatives for assistance.Even the banks can identify

prospective beneficiaries at theirend and send such cases to theULB.The eligibility criteria for the

beneficiaries are — the group ofenterprise should have mini-mum five members with a mini-mum of 70 per cent membersfrom urban poor families.

All members of the groupshould have attained an age of18 years at the time of applyingfor bank loan.The maximum unit project

cost for a group enterprise is Rs10 lakh.The Captain’s focus on skill

development in the educationsystem, which is being re-vamped in order to make it moregoal-oriented, is in line with ourthrust on stimulating the jobmarket, which had become to-tally stagnant over the pastdecade. The results of this re-vamp will start becoming visibleon the ground soon, helpinglakhs of youngsters become job-ready and fully prepared to takeon the new opportunities that areopening up for skilled profes-

Uber bike taxi drivers all set to ply on Punjab roads

12 Punjab Advance

Cover

August - 2017

T o give aboost to the

real estate sector, thePunjab Cabinet gaveits nod to rationalis-ing collector ratesand reducing stampduty on registrationof property from 9per cent to 6 per centtill March 31, 2018.The government, in its Budget last month,

had announced a cut in the stamp duty. FinanceMinister Manpreet Badal called it an importantstep to revive the realty sector.For a property worth Rs 2 crore, a 3 per cent cut

in stamp duty would mean a saving of Rs 6 lakh. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh di-

rected the Revenue Department to place a for-mal proposal on reducing the circle/collectoraterates before the Cabinet when it meets next. The

Cabinet discussed atlength the sluggishsale/purchase of resi-dential and commercialproperty, which is af-fecting revenue collec-tions. The cut in stamp

duty is expected topush up sale and pur-chase.

The Council of Ministers also decided to putoff the proposed 10 per cent increase in Changeof Land Use (CLU) charges, External Develop-ment Charges (EDC) and licence fee (LF) tillMarch 31, 2020, for all real estate projects.A new policy for granting approval to unau-

thorised marriage palaces and for building newones was approved too, replacing the one framedby the earlier dispensation, regularising all suchpalaces raised before November 16, 2012.

sionals not just in India butacross the world.While skill development and

entrepreneurship are the coreareas of the state government'sfocus, we are, at the same time,cognizant of the need to createregular job openings for thosewho are not skillfully empoweredin any way. We will soon notifyvacancies in PCS to fill adminis-trative posts in the government.Horticulture, health, educationand agriculture are some of theother areas in which we are look-ing to create more job opportuni-ties, in addition to industrialestablishments such as Bathinda

Refinery and power projects inthe state. Industrial developmentto boost employment generationis, in fact, a key solution we arepursuing aggressively to addressthe problem of large-scale unem-ployment. The next few monthswill see a host of big and small in-dustries setting up business in thestate, thus opening up new jobprospects for the job-seekingyouth.The private sector is coming

out aggressively to support ourinitiatives. Only yesterday,Quark City Infrastructure as-sured me that their companywill generate 500 new jobs, with

5,000 more likely to be added byIT and other companies seekingto enter the Mohali Quark Cityat Mohali.Finally, a small word of ad-

vice for those who belong to theso-called General class of soci-ety. It is no more a curse thanbelonging to some special classis. It is all a matter of finding theright opportunity at the righttime and the right place. And Ican promise that my govern-ment is committed to give yousuch opportunities, now and forthe next five years, irrespectiveof the so-called class, creed orreligion you belong to.

Cabinet okays 3 % cut in stamp duty

13Punjab Advance

Cover

August - 2017

A52-year-old grandmother from Mohali’sPhase 11 is among the 100 bike taxi rid-

ers who started operating in Mohali, Kharar andZirakpur as part of the Punjab government’s‘Apni Gaddi, Apna Rozgar’ programme.Paramjeet Kaur, who rides a scooter, is all

smiles as she tells you about the rousing re-sponse she is getting from her clients.She is mother of three children. His elder son

has a three-year-old daughter. Her daughter,married in Shimla, is also expecting a baby soon.Her youngest son is studying.Life hasn’t been a bed of roses for Paramjeet,

who lost her husband in her youth. But she al-ways remained a fighter even as she had a toughtime raising her children.Asked how she got to know about the bike

taxi service, she says her car is already associ-

ated with Uber. “Some time ago, I got a messageflashed on my mobile about the company’s newbike taxi service in Punjab. A little hesitant ini-tially, I accepted the offer later.”Asked if she has any apprehensions about her

new role as she will have to deal with all kind ofclients, Paramjeet says life is always full of chal-lenges. “I am quite sure that people will be niceto me and appreciate my hard work.”Regarding her driving skills, she says she has

been riding scooter for the past 10 years and thecompany experts trained her thoroughly beforeshe hit the road as bike taxi driver.Paramjeet, who will be paid on hourly basis,

says she is happy with the terms and conditions ofthe company. “They have given me a target of sixrides a day. But in case, my target is not met tilllate night, it can be transferred to another driver.”

Granny opts for bike taxi

14 Punjab Advance

Cover

August - 2017

· Treat traders as partners· Focus on 1000 start-ups

Change of mindsetkey to growth:CM

ase of doing business in Pun-

jab is what every industrial

house looks forward to. This is what

the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder

Singh had in mind when he asked gov-

ernment officials for a mindset change

towards trade and industry as he spelt

out his priorities on the new industrial

policy.

“The government must treat indus-

try and business houses as partners and

not subject them to suspicion,” he added.

The Chief Minister underlined the

importance of revival of existing in-

dustries in the new industrial policy,

which should focus on promoting a

`business first’ philosophy.

The state should extend all possible

EBUREAU REPORT

Punjab Advance 15

Cover

August - 2017

help to industries and businesses, es-

pecially to MSMEs, to develop and ex-

pand.

The discussion on the new policy

also centred on the need for infrastruc-

ture development to facilitate business

and it was proposed to set up a Punjab

State Industrial Infrastructure Corpo-

ration for this purpose, according to a

spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s

Office (CMO).

Besides upgradation of the power

sector, the policy would look at the de-

velopment of four indus-

trial parks and 10

industrial estates as part of

the policy, which will be

focused on enhancing ease

of doing business in Pun-

jab.

Identifying the serv-

ices sector as a key prior-

ity in the proposed policy,

the Chief Minister said his

government was targeting

a total investment of Rs 5

lakh crore in five years

around the seven core

strategic pillars of growth.

These pillars have been identified

as Infrastructure, Power, MSME,

Startup and Entrepreneurship, Skill

Development, Ease Of Doing Business

and Investment Promotion, and Fiscal

Incentive. The policy, being prepared

to synergise with the central govern-

ment industrial policy, would envisage

one anchor unit for all the priority sec-

tors.

Promotion of entrepreneurial busi-

ness would be a key focus area of the

policy, said the Chief Minister, adding

that the thrust should be on facilitating

the development of 1000 start-ups to

enable economic growth and employ-

ment generation in the state. It is pro-

posed to set up 50 entrepreneurship

skill development centres in colleges to

encourage and motivate youth to go in

for self-employment.

According to the spokesperson, es-

tablishment of common facility centres

and seamless online services, backed

by re-engineering of processes, were

discussed in detail at the meeting. In

response to a query from the Chief

Minister regarding seamless integra-

tion of the core services required to fa-

cilitate business, officials suggested

that a single technology platform be

developed for listing of the require-

ments of all the departments, which

should have a common look and feel. It

was pointed out that with two lakh

services capable of being handled on

one portal, the integration of the serv-

ices could be easily achieved.

As per the discussion, the state is

keen to focus on manufacturing in Tex-

tile and Apparel, Cycle and Cycle

Parts, Automobiles and Auto compo-

nents, Light Engineering, Leather and

Sports Goods, Petro-Chemicals, Sec-

ondary Steel, NRSE Equipment, Agri

and Food Processing, Electronics,

Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals,

Aerospace and Defence. In the serv-

ices sector, the focus will be on IT and

ITES, Life Sciences, Logistics,

Tourism and Hospitality, Entertain-

ment and Film Industry, Healthcare,

Education Services, Retail and Reality.

The meeting was at-

tended, among others, by

Cabinet Ministers Brahm

Mohindra, Manpreet

Badal, Rana Gurjit Singh

and Charanjit Singh

Channi, besides Media

Advisor to CM, Raveen

Thukral, Chief Principal

Secretary to CM Suresh

Kumar, Chief Secretary

Karan Avtar Singh, Prin-

cipal Secretary to CM

Tejveer Singh, Principal

Secretary Finance

Anirudh Tewari, Principal Secretary

Housing and Urban Development

Vinni Mahajan, Financial Commis-

sioner Taxation Anurag Aggarwal, Fi-

nancial Commissioner Development

MP Singh, Principal Secretary Power

A Venu Prasad, Principal Secretary

Technical Education G Vajralingam,

Principal Secretary Local Government

Satish Chandra, Principal Secretary

Labour Sanjay Kumar, Secretary In-

dustries and Commerce Rakesh Verma

and Director Industries DPS Khar-

banda.

Promotion of entrepreneurial businesswould be a key focus area of the policy,said the Chief Minister, adding that thethrust should be on facilitating the development of 1000 start-ups to enableeconomic growth and employment gener-ation in the state. It is proposed to set up50 entrepreneurship skill developmentcentres in colleges to encourage and motivate youth to go in for self- employment.

16 Punjab Advance

Cover

unjab plans to shift to the

environment-friendly

electric vehicles in a big way, with the

new industrial policy to be signifi-

cantly focused on the same.

This was disclosed by Chief Min-

ister Captain Amarinder Singh at a

meeting here on Monday with Mahin-

dra & Mahindra Managing Director

Pawan Goenka.

Goenka said his company was

keenly interested in investing in pro-

moting electric vehicles in Punjab. He

suggested a scheme to bring in electric

taxis to propagate green energy and

generate employment in the state.

The Chief Minister pointed out that

Chinese energy major Yinlong also re-

cently discussed with him the possibil-

ity of launching electric cars & buses

in state. The government was also in

P

Mahindra keen to invest in electric vehicles

Green energy on roads

BUREAU REPORT

August - 2017

Pawan Goenka with Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh

17Punjab Advance

Cover

talks with Ola for electric taxis, he

added. His government, said Captain

Amarinder, was keen to explore elec-

tric vehicles as a replacement for the

traditional, more polluting petrol and

diesel run vehicles in the state.

An official spokesperson said after

the meeting that a proposal to launch

an Uber-like app for tractors, called

Tringo, was also discussed at the meet-

ing. The app would enable owners to

rent out their tractors, said the

spokesperson. The chief minister re-

sponded favourably to Goenka’s re-

quest for expansion of their tractor

units in Punjab and asked the company

to submit a proposal.

Urging the company to support the

state’s efforts to provide employment

to youth, the chief minister offered

help to Tech Mahindra in setting up a

BPO in Mohali after Goenka said there

was huge potential in the IT sector for

job creation. Terming employment

generation as the state’s biggest chal-

lenge, the chief minister urged Goenka

to ensure that the company has an ef-

fective presence in the upcoming job

fair in Mohali.

Mahindra & Mahindra was also in-

August - 2017

terested in potato seed development for

exports, according to Goenka. The

chief minister reiterated his stand on

promoting crop diversification in Pun-

jab through horticulture and floricul-

ture, stressing the need to change the

crop patterns to save the distressed

farmers from their cycle of debt.

The chief minister also reminded

Goenka of his suggestion, made to

Anand Mahindra in Mumbai, for set-

ting up a defence project in Abhor.

Goenka said the company was explor-

ing the same. The chief minister said

the government was also considering

the company’s proposal to develop the

Ranjit Sagar dam resort.

Taking forward from their Mumbai

talks, the two sides also discussed an

Uttar Pradesh-like Dial 100 emergency

response system for Punjab to provide

prompt integrated emergency services

to ensure public safety for all, includ-

ing those with special needs. The chief

minister said the Home and Police de-

partments were studying the proposal.

The company is further interested

in setting up training institutes for in-

dustrial workers, to which the chief

minister suggested either establish-

ment of a new one or tying up with the

existing state ITIs. The company’s

plans to set up Mahindra world univer-

sity in Ludhiana also came up for dis-

cussion.

Earlier, Goenka thanked the chief

minister for enabling the company to

set up business in the state during his

previous tenure as chief minister. The

company, which employs about 6000

people directly and another 30000 in-

directly in Punjab, currently earns Rs.

6000 crore in revenue from the state.

18 Punjab Advance

Donald Banerjee

Cover

August - 2017

he bats like Virender Sehwag, butshows the aggression of Virat Kohli.

This is how Harmanpreet Kaur’s sister sums upthe new poster girl of Indian cricket. Harmanpreet scored a blitzkrieg 171 runs from

just 115 balls to record the second highest knockby an Indian woman in a World Cup match. Shewas instrumental in the elimination of the de-fending champions, Australia, from the WorldCup, and earned a place for India in the final clashwith England at Lord’s, considered the Mecca ofcricket.She set the pace in the final also hitting a half

century. But the young Indian team members, intheir teens and early 20s, failed to control theirnerves before the attack of the much experiencedand bigger built English girls and lost the WorldCup final by a slender margin.Harmanpreet’s knock in the semi-finals could

well be termed as the best ever played by an In-dian woman in the limited overs cricket. This isalso the second highest individual score in ODIs

S

The newposter girlof cricket

Harmanpreet Kaur - From Moga to Lord’s

19Punjab Advance

Cover

August - 2017

for India behind DeeptiSharma's 188 not outagainst South Africa earlierthis year.The Moga girl has made

the world sit up and take no-tice of her match-winningrecord innings. The Twittererupted with joy as wishespoured in from all quarters. Cricket superstars Kapil

Dev, Sachin Tendulkar,Virender Sehwag, RaviShastri, Harbhajan Singh,Virat Kohli, Suresh Rainaand many others hailedHarmanpreet’s knock andwished more luck to thewomen in blue. Ace commentator Har-

sha Bhogle compared Har-manpreet’s knock to thatplayed by Kapil Dev againstZimbabwe in the 1983World CupHarmanpreet showcased

her incredible talent to thefullest. Walking out to bat ata time when India werelooking shaky against theAustralians, against whomthey had suffered a seven-wicket thrashing in thegroup stage, Harmanpreetopted for a steady approachat first.With India going past the

halfway mark in their in-nings with the run-rate stillhovering around the four-per-over mark, Harman-preet decided to boost the

Lauding Moga girl Harmanpreet Kaur for her scintillating per-formance in ICC Women World Cup tournament, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has offered the

job of a DSP in the Punjab Police to Moga girl Harmanpreet Kur forher scintillating performance in the ICC Women’s World Cup inEngland.The young girl had done Punjab proud with her superb perform-

ance that had steered Team India to a semi-final victory and given atight fight to England in the final match to emerge a close second.Captain Amarinder Singh said the young girl had done Punjab

proud with her superb performance and deserved all the adulationand recognition that was coming her way.Taking cognizance of media reports that Harmanpreet had had

wanted to join the Punjab Police some years ago, the chief ministersaid his government was keen to correct the wrong perpetrated on theyoung cricketer by the Badal government, which had refused to ac-commodate the national player in Punjab Police.The chief minister earlier promised to review the state’s sports

policy to provide government jobs to young sportspersons like Har-manpreet, and also announced a Rs 5 lakh cash award for the crick-eting marvel.The Chief Minister called up Harmanpreet’s father Harmandar

Singh to convey his greetings and said his government would initi-ate steps to change the sports policy to accommodate buddingsportspersons in government jobs, which the erstwhile Badal gov-ernment had denied to the young lady.

CM offers DSP post

Harmanpreet Kaur receives the DSP appointment letterfrom Capt Amarinder Singh

20 Punjab Advance

Cover

August - 2017

scoring rate, and in the process ripped apart theAustralian attack. The innings saw her lose hercool at non-striker Deepti Sharma, who nearlycaused a run-out when her partner was comingback for a second run to bring up her century.While she patched up with Deepti later, she didn'tat any stage spare the Australian attack, smashing20 fours and seven sixes to remain unbeaten on171 off 115 balls at the end the rain-curtailed in-nings, with the Indians posting a competitive281/4.Following her scintillating innings against Aus-

tralia, let us take a quick look at Harmanpreet'scricketing journey. Born in Moga, Punjab on 8 March, 1989, Har-

manpreet made her entry into international cricketin the 2009 edition of the Women's World Cup. Itwas against Australia later in that tournament thatshe first caught the attention of the cricket frater-nity with an unbeaten 19 off eight balls.

It was in the 2013 World Cup that Harmanpreetchanneled her talent into mincing the oppositionattacks, smashing a hundred against England toearn herself respect from the leading names of the

game. She received a shot in her arm shortly afterthat knock when she was named captain in the ab-sence of regular leader, Mithali Raj, for the team'slimited-overs fixtures against Bangladesh. It wasin 2014 during the tour of England when shemade her Test debut, five years after making herfirst limited-overs international appearance.

Now that Harmanpreet is a shining star inIndian cricket, it is time to dig into the strugglesacrifice, despair and rejection she wentthrough to achieve triumph. Growing up in the dusty bylanes of Moga,

in a typical lower-middle class family, Har-manpreet Kaur always wanted to play cricket.And in spite of her parents, father HarmanderSingh Bhullar and mother Satvinder SinghBhullar, putting in everything for their daugh-ter, it still fell shortHarmanpreet Kaur, who hails from Duneke

village in Moga, started playing cricket in thestreets, and that too with boys.“Harman had started playing cricket when

we (family) didn’t even know its scope for girls,but her passion towards the game took her tothe international level,” said Harmanpreet’syounger sister Hemjeet Kaur.Hemjeet added that as a child her only de-

mands were related to cricket. She would oftenask her father Harmander Singh Bhullar for batand balls.“As there were no girls to play cricket with

her, she used to play with the boys in the streetand adjoining ground, where our father oftentook us to play. Scoring fifties and centurieswas normal for Harman. My father, who him-self is a sportsperson, never discouraged Har-man from playing cricket,” she said.

Struggle, rejection and triumph

Harmanpreet Kaur with cricket captain Virat Kohli

21Punjab Advance

Cover

August - 2017

While wishes have pouredfrom all corners of the world tocongratulate the 28-year-oldHarmanpreet Kaur, many pun-dits reckon that probably the ex-perience that Kaur earned fromplaying in the Women's BigBash League (WBBL) in Aus-tralia, worked in favour of her.In fact, Harmanpreet became

a game-changer of sorts whenshe became the first Indiancricketer to play in a foreignleague. The moment cameabout when she signed up forWomen's Big Bash League,with Indian opener SmritiMandhana following her footsteps shortly after. In the six weeks that she spent Down Under,

she accumulated nearly 300 runs playing for Syd-ney Thunder. It was her experience in those con-ditions that helped elevate her game to anotherlevel, and one might even assume her latest knockto be a product of that experience !She sure did make the nation proud with few

ravishing innings, one of which even left leg-

endary gloveman AdamGilchrist stunned.In her very first BBL

match, back in December2016, Kaur had struck a 28-ball 47 for her side SydneyThunder against MelbourneStars at the North Sydney Ovalground. Although, her knockwasn't quite enough as the de-fending champions lost theiropening game by mere sixruns, but few of her boundariesleft the spectators, along withthe commentators, speechless.One such hit was witnessed

in the 19th over of the game.Harmanpreet had struck a delightful lofted coverdrive that had left the bowler Gemma Triscarilaughing in absolute astonishment.Indian skipper Mithali Raj while addressing

the post-match press conference, pointed to Harmanpreet's knowledge of Australia's bowlers,courtesy her stint at the Women's Big BashLeague (WBBL), which ultimately helped theWomen in Blue plan for the semi-final.

Harmanpreet Kaur may be the toast of the nation

today with awards and rewards pouring in for this Moga

girl, but imagine her plight in 2010-11, when she was in

dire need of a job. The Punjab government snubbed her

application for a job in the Punjab Police. She had already

played for two years for the national team by that time.

"We had approached the Punjab Police and requested

them to employ her. She had already represented India

and was a regular member of the national team. We were

told that there is no provision for employment in Punjab

Police for female cricketers.

"That time a senior official in Punjab Police had told

us that she isn't a Harbhajan Singh that we will give her

a DSP post. She wasn't even granted the post of an in-

spector. We even met the chief minister, but to no avail,"

said her coach Yadwinder Sodhi.

After this she got a job in the Western Railway four

years ago on the recommendation of Sachin Tendulkar.

One of the members of Supreme Court-appointed

Committee of Administrators (CoA), Diana Eduljee had

advocated Harmanpreet's cause to Tendulkar.

Sachin, who is a member of Parliament, had written to

the then Railway Minister endorsing Harmanpreet's case.

“Sorry”, she is not Bhajji !

The Big Bash stint

22 Punjab Advance

PUNJAB DIARY

he State government has decided to give em-ployment letters to 857 canal department pat-

waris purely on merit, just as it had recently revoked theappointments of several anganwadi workers for lacking intransparency.Both decisions are part of the review process undertaken

by the Captain Amarinder Singh government on all ap-pointments/decisions taken by the erstwhile Badal govern-ment in the last few months of its misrule.

The spokesperson ridiculed the Akali leadership for seek-ing to give a nonsensical interpretation to the government’sdecision to give the long-pending letters to the patwaris.

While prima facie, the appointments of the patwariswere found to be in order, those of many of the anganwadiworkers appointed by the previous government were, as a

result of a departmental inquiry, found to be suffering fromserious irregularities. It had been decided, therefore, to scrapthose, said the spokesperson.The Chief Minister had directed the Department of So-

cial Security and Child & Women Development to thor-oughly examine the dubious appointments and take suitableaction accordingly, he added. Captain Amarinder had askedthe department to ensure that total transparency is main-tained in the fresh recruitment process.The Captain Amarinder government, said the spokesper-

son, was committed to ensuring jobs in the state, which wassuffering from a huge unemployment problem and wouldnot take away jobs from the deserving candidates unlesstheir appointments were found to be violating the law oragainst public probity

TJobs for canal patwaris

n a major mile-stone, Jalandhar

has become the first city inthe country to launch ‘e-challan’ machine, wherethe traffic police wouldnow issue challan to the vi-olators through online con-nected system on the spot.The launch of the e-challanmachine system would fi-nally do away with the oldpractice of issuing manualchallan to the traffic viola-tors, hence saving time and making the process transparent.Initially, the a selected group of traffic police staff have

been imparted training in issuing challan and five E-Challanmachines have been given to them. Later, the number of ma-chines would be increased. ADGP (Law and Order) RohitChaudhary accompanied by Police Commissioner ParveenKumar Sinha launched the ‘E-Challan’ machine during afunction held at KMV Sanskriti School, Jalandhar.ADGP Chaudhary said the e-challan system would en-

sure fair and transparent issuance of challan to the traffic vi-olators. “Around one month ago, the NIC, which washandling this project has held video conferencing to informabout e-challan to 29 cities of different states of the coun-try”, he said. The ADGP said that during video conferenc-ing, two cities from Punjab namely Jalandhar and Ludhiana,had taken part. Police Commissioner Sinha said the Jaland-

har Commissionerate Po-lice had put in extra effortsto make the e-challan proj-ect a success. “Today, Ja-landhar has become thefirst city in the country tolaunch this project”, headded.Sinha said that after

providing e-challan ma-chines, the employees of allthe police stations would begiven training regarding theusage this machine. “We

would provide e-challan machines to all the police stationsin the coming days”, he said. It is pertinent to mention herethat the e-challan machine was connected to software con-trolled by NIC. The machine includes data base, violatorhistory and on the spot issuance of challan mechanism. Ear-lier State NIC Officer cum Senior Technical Director NICPunjab Satinder Kumar gave a presentation on the softwarethrough which the e-challan machine would function andits usage by the traffic police.Under the e-challan system, transactions will be cash-

less and violators will receive challan notification on theirmobiles. The challan will be recovered on the spot. Themajor component of the system is that no documents willbe impounded from the violators. The traffic police willmaintain its own database of fines imposed.The databasewill also help the traffic authorities to cancel driving license

IJalandhar is first e-challan city

August - 2017

23Punjab Advance

PUNJAB DIARY

K-based Indianorigin business-

man Lord Diljit Rana hasshown keen interest in in-vesting in various sectors,particularly education andsports, in Punjab, withfocus on setting up a Cen-tre of Excellence for Edu-cation and Sports in hisnative village of Sanghol,Fatehgarh Sahib, for thebenefit of rural children.A leading property de-

veloper and hotelier, LordDiljit proposed the Centre of Excellence in Sports and Ed-ucation to enable the holistic personality development ofyouth in the state.Lord Diljit, who called on Chief Minister Capt

Amarinder Singh, apprised him about the football academyof international standards set up in collaboration withSouthall Football Club at Sanghol, to groom the buddingplayers for national as well as international football cham-pionships. International coaches would be drawn from othercountries for training of local coaches, and the youth wouldbe provided international exposure through matches withforeign teams, he said.

Lord Diljit alsostressed the need to pre-serve the heritage sitesacross the state, to whichthe Chief Minister said hisgovernment had alreadyinitiated a massive restora-tion plan to preserve suchsites, especially the QillaMubarak in Patiala and theGobindgarh Fort at Amrit-sar, besides the PunjabState War Heroes Memo-rial and Museum, whichhad already been dedi-

cated to nation at the holy city.The Chief Minister told the visiting delegate that his

government planned to restore all old forts across the stateand convert these into destination properties and heritagehotels in collaboration with the private sector. Heritagetourism would be promoted in a big way by his government,said Captain Amarinder.Lord Diljit proposed the establishment of a university in

the state. He also raised the issue of unpaid SC studentscholarships pending for the last two years under the previ-ous regime, which the Chief Minister assured would be ex-peditiously released by his government.

ULord Diljit keen on Centre of Excellence

fter gaining power surplus status, Punjab Gov-ernment is focusing on adopting innovative

technologies to ensure cheapest power tariffs for its differ-ent categories of power consumers. Power Minister Rana Gurjeet Singh has coined an idea

of converting every farmer from power consumer to powerproducer. According to his innovative plan, each farmer'stubewell motor will be replaced with a power saving five-star motor powered with a solar power unit. Farmers willnot only use solar power to run the tubewell but he will alsosell this power during idle period. The Power Minister has asked PSPCL and PSTCL to

study the feasibility of this project.“This project will not only provide an additional source

of income to every son of soil but government would alsosave Rs 7000 crores it used to pay on power subsidy”, saidRana Gurjeet Singh while discussing this innovative ideawith the engineers and financial professionals of the de-

partment.Stressing on the fact that even a 1 per cent fall in power

losses and theft in the state will save Rs 1800 crore, the Min-ister has asked the department to adopt innovative ideas inthe work style also. He asked Mr. A. Venu Prasad, Chair-man-cum-Managing Director PSPCL to fix responsibilitiesand powers of all the employees of the department to in-crease their accountability. “We can bring a drastic cut inthe power losses and thefts by ensuring regular monitoring,using quality products and brining transparency and effi-ciency in all financial transactions including billingprocess”, said Rana Gurjeet.The Power and Irrigation Minister has also sought in-

novative ideas and suggestions from the engineers and offi-cials of the department to realize the commitment of ChiefMinister Captain Amarinder Singh that his government willprovide quality power at the cheapest tariffs.

ASolar power to run tubewell motors

August - 2017

CM with Lord Diljit Rana

24 Punjab Advance

PUNJABIS OVERSEAS

urmukh Singh Sohal, who mi-grated to Britain as a teenager in1966 and went on to establish a

major Indian foods company in Derby inthe East Midlands, has died aged 65.Known in the region as a humble and

hardworking businessman, tributes havebeen paid to his many achievements andcontributions, including to activities re-lated to Sikhism. He leaves behind hiswife, Debo Kaur Sohal, 63, motherChanan Kaur, 100, two sons and a daughter.Son Bhupinder Sohal told the Derby

Telegraph that his father was a “hard-working, generous, selfless, loyal and humble person witha simple outlook on life”.He said: “Over the years he helped many communities

of Derby. From working with the Sikh temple as their treas-urer, to supporting many local restaurants and takeaways

when they first set up with extendedcredit facilities and additional supportwherever he could offer to help get thesebusinesses off the ground.”Many recalled his mission from 2008

to improve conditions in his village, San-gal Sohal in Jalandhar district, by creat-ing a fund to modernise the drainage andsewerage system in the village, installstreet lighting, construct roads, create apark area and plant trees.Reports from Derby said he donated

his lorries to transport the elderly for theannual Sikh Vaisakhi parade every yea.

He also supported the Derby Caribbean Carnival by sup-plying stock and lending them a lorry each year.A funeral service for Sohal was held on July 19 at the

Guru Arjun Dev Gurdwara in Derby and the Marketon Cre-matorium.

G

Gurmukh Singh Sohal

anada's Mar-itime Bhangra

Group recently posted avideo on their Facebookpage and YouTubechannel that the Internetabsolutely adores. Itfeatures two incrediblyenthusiastic bhangradancers, dancing to aremixed version of EdSheeran's massivelypopular number "Shapeof You."The video features

two black tracksuit andtrainers clad membersof the MaritimeBhangra Group, sporting bright yellow turbans. If the groupseems familiar, it's because one of their videos went viral inDecember last year. That video featured the men taking abreak from shoveling mounds of snow to do a little bhangra.There is plenty of snow in this video as well, but just in thebackground.The 1 minute 15 second video ends with a request for a

donation to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. Peo-

ple online are lovingthe unique fundraisingidea. "Thanks for yoursupport," writesDonelle Potyondi-El-liott. "It's great to seeyou have comethrough. Multiple scle-rosis needs more expo-sure so that we can finda cure for this horribledisease from a MSWarrior!"Multiple Sclerosis

(often abbreviated toMS) causes the body'sown immune system toattack the lining of

nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The cause for the debil-itating disease is unknown and there is no cure for it."Donation made," writes Sara Pellerin on Facebook. "It's

the least I can do for all the joy your videos have broughtme. Great fundraising idea.""Somebody send this to Ed Sheeran," writes Alice Rob-

bins. "He will love it as much as we all do! Thanks for an-other big smile to end my day...

C

August - 2017

Bhangra on ‘Shape of You’

Britons pay tribute to Gurmukh Singh

25Punjab Advance

PUNJABIS OVERSEAS

axi driver Atambeer Singhaka ‘Ruby Kalra’ has been

showered with praise as he returned alost bag containing important docu-ments, $6,000 and an iPadOn Thursday the 8th of June 2017,

Singh noticed that the driver of a blackRange Rover had left a bag on top of his car..He tried to follow the Range Rover

but lost it amongst the busy city traffic.“The bag contained an Apple iPad,

a folder filled with bank statements anddocuments and an envelope containinga bundle of $50 notes, totalling $6,000,”says Mr Singh.The bank documents and statements

all had the same name on them, “Daniel”.Singh used this name, phone numbers and email ad-

dresses on the bank documents to try and track down Daniel,but all his correspondence received no response.He even went to the address on the documents, only to

find that Daniel had recently moved out.Facebook was his last resort, and after a few messages

and voice mails left on Daniel’s Face-book, finally Singh received a call fromDaniel.When Singh finally met with Daniel

to return his bag, Daniel explained thatthe money wasn’t important and that theiPad and bank documents had morevalue to him and his business.“Daniel was very happy after re-

ceiving his bag. He tried to give mecash reward, but I refused as I was justdoing my duty,” Singh told SBS Pun-jabi.Singh had his daughter by his side

and Daniel grabbed some cash andhanded it to her.

“This is a reward for your dad because of the good thinghe did for me. Give it to him when you get home,” he said.When Singh and his daughter arrived home, they were

surprised to learn that Daniel had given a $3,000 reward. While crediting his effort to Sikh principles, Mr Singh

mentioned that it was his duty that he "fulfilled with Guru’sgrace."

T

Atambeer Singh

separate Punjab pavilion was launched atCarabram --Canada's oldest cultural festival in

Brampton --for the first time, despite opposition from cer-tain quarters. The pavilion also included the traditions ofEast and West Punjab.The Punjab pavilion showcased different shades of cul-

ture, having stalls named after different cities of East andWest Punjab. The three-day festival, in which 12 countriesparticipated, ended on July 16.The pavilion had triggered a controversy when some In-

dian officials in Canada and a few organizers of the Indianpavilion, objected to a separate pavilion on Punjab. Theywanted it to be a part of Indian pavilion like before. SanjeevMalik, who heads UPICA (Uttar Pradeshis In Canada),Bhavesh Kothari and Harveena Sandhu were of the viewthat more space could be set aside for Punjab.However, Brampton May or Linda Jaf fery and

Carabram Board president Angela Johnson did not agree.Jeffrey in a Facebook post said, "Suggestions that the Pun-jab pavilion "is in bad taste", I think, crosses the line. I wantto make it known that I wholeheartedly welcome the Punjabpavilion and support the Carabram Board's decision."Jeffrey also said, "Every year there is lively debate about

the pavilions, but this year I have been told that there hasbeen unwarranted interference in the decisions of theCarabram Board that I find concerning."Prithpal Singh Chaggar, chair of Punjab pavilion, while

speaking to media persons, said they used to get a very smallspace in the Indian festival. So, when discussions on havinga Punjab pavilion began, he advocated transcending geo-graphical boundaries and showcasing the entire Punjab aswell as its culture. "Punjab can't be complete without show-casing the land of five rivers. Moreover, the festival is or-ganized to show different cultures and there is nothingwrong in displaying Punjabi culture in a separate pavilion,"he said.He said ,"Two top Indian consulate officials met me on

different occasions and argued that there should be no sep-arate Punjab pavilion ...but I told them we are Indians, butour identity is Punjabi, and it's a cultural festival." Chaggaris related to Bardish Chaggar, minister of small business andtourism in Canada's federal government.Referring to the participation of Punjabis of Pakistani

origin, he said, "Punjab pavilion has rather added to this cel-ebration and brought people together."

A

August - 2017

Honest Sikh cabbie returns cash

Punjab pavilion in Canada fest

Independence Day( Aug 15)

28 Punjab Advance

Luminaries

mrita Pritam, the pioneer ofmodern Punjabi poetry and

literature, had once confided in a sen-ior journalist that old age was un-doubtedly the best period,” because lifewas like having tea, with the last sipsusually being the sweetest.”Amrita, whose 98th birthday falls

on August 31 this year, shot to fame in1947 when she wrote the poignantpoem ‘ Ajj Aakhan Waris Shah Nuu’,in which she expressed her anguish onthe massacre of lakhs of people in Pun-jab during the Partition.

The poem was addressed to the18th century Punjabi Sufi Poet WarisShah, author of the tragic saga of Heer-Ranjha. The following is the Englishtranslation of two opening verses of thepoem: (a) Today, I call Waris Shah,“Speak from inside your grave”, andturn today, the book of love’s next af-fectionate page, (b) Once, one daugh-ter of Punjab cried; you wrote awailing saga, today, a million daugh-ters cry to you, Waris Shah”.Equally loved on both sides of the

Pakistan-India border, Amrita was the

trendsetter for poets who wrote qualitylyrics for Punjabi films produced inPakistan in the earlier days. They in-clude Baba Siah Alam Posh, HazeenQuadri and Tufail Hoshiarpuri. Thesepoets also shared the same culture andsurroundings with Amrita.Born at Gujranwala in 1919, Am-

rita Kaur was the only child of school-teacher Kartar Singh Hitkari, who wasa poet and scholar of Brij Bhasha andalso edited a literary journal. Amrita’smother died when she was 11 and soonthereafter she and her father moved to

A

Remembering Amrita Pritam on her 98th birth anniversary

BUREAU REPORT

The grand dame of

Punjabi literature

August - 2017

29Punjab Advance

Luminaries

Lahore, where she lived till her migra-tion to India in 1947.Besieged by loneliness following

her mother’s death, she began to writeat an early age. Her first anthology ofpoems, Amrit Lehran (ImmortalWaves) was published in 1936, at theage 16. She married Pritam Singh, aneditor to whom she was engaged inearly childhood, and changed her nameto Amrita Pritam.In a career spanning about six

decades, Amrita authored over 100books of poetry, fiction, biographies,essays, a collection of Punjabi folksongs and autobiography. These weretranslated into several Indian and for-eign languages.As a novelist, her most noted work

Pinjar (The Skeleton) came out in1950, in which she created her memo-rable character Puro, an epitome of vi-olence against women, loss ofhumanity and ultimate surrender to ex-istential fate.The novel was made into an award-

winning film ‘Pinjar’ in 2003.Amrita died on October 31, 2005.

Known as the most important voice forthe women in Punjabi literature, the In-dian government bestowed upon herseveral high-ranking awards during herlifetime. M.S. Sathyu, a renowned the-atre person and director of the movieon partition, ‘Garam Hawa’, paid a the-atrical tribute to Amrita in ‘Ek TheeAmrita’.In a tribute to Amrita Pritam sea-

soned journalist and Punjabi novelistGulzar Singh Sandhu wrote in TheTribune: “She put Punjabi literature onthe world map. No other writer is assynonymous with Punjabi literature asAmrita Pritam (1919-2005), a familiarname even for those not acquaintedwith Punjabi. She cocked a snook atconvention and defied social norms.There was no split between life and lit-erature for Amrita because literaturewas her life.”The novelist in Amrita Pritam was

at her best in Pinjar (The Skeleton).The younger generation was intro-

duced to Amrita’s work through thisnovel which was made into a filmsometime back. It is the story of aHindu girl, Pooro, abducted by a Mus-lim boy Rashid. Her parents refuse torecover a ‘defiled’ woman. Unable toresist the circumstances she wasthrown into, Pooro settles down as abride and bears Rashid a son. In 1947,nostalgia for the life missed by Pooromakes the couple save Hindu and Sikhwomen from their Muslim abductorsand send them to the security of evac-uee camps meant to take them to theirkith and kin.Born in a traditional Sikh family of

undivided Punjab in 1919, in Gujran-wala and brought up in Lahore, Amritawas the product of the other side of

Punjab and she religiously remained sotill her end. It was from there that shehad been drawing her strength andsymbols with all the sublimity embod-ied in the works of great Sufi poets andsaints. It is no wonder she was knownin the present-day Pakistan much morethan her contemporaries i.e. MohanSingh and Shiv Kumar Batalavi.Her attitude to worn out social

norms and traditions was so candidthat she earned the wrath of many anestablished institution but never fal-tered from the path she chose. She roseto be the voice of the entire Indianwomanhood and sowed the seeds of re-bellion in the minds of her readersagainst values that were wrong and un-just, according to her.

She started writing poetry in herteens under the influence of her fatherKartar Singh Hitkari and became theproud author of a collection of poemsAmrit Lehran in 1936. Such was thegrip of the muse in her soul that shechurned out half a dozen collections ofpoems in as many years between 1936and 1943. The tone of her poetry wasethical, didactic and romantic, cloudedin platonic overtones, with a degree ofelasticity in form and diction.It did not take her long to jump on

to the band-wagon of the ProgressiveMovement and her very next collectiontitled Lok Peed and published in 1944spoke of the war-torn economy bornout of Great Famine of Bengal of 1943which threw out millions yearning forloaves and love.This was the time that she took to

attack the old social fabric questioningthe morality of traditional love andeven that of conjugal rights and duties.She did not hesitate to term the hus-band as a mere bread-winner whowanted nothing but physical pleasure.Amrita Pritam was at her best in

Sunehe(Messages) published in 1955in which she mixes the romantic andthe sentimental within with the pro-gressive callings outside. It was alsothe time when she was moving awayfrom conjugal bindings. This collec-tion won her the Sahitya AkademiAward, followed by invitations from ahost of literary societies. She was alsoawarded honorary doctorates frommore than one university. Her nationaland international acclamation soared tothe skies. At this point, her prose writ-ings, especially fiction, got the betterof her mainly because of the instantpopularity of this genre amongst theHindi-reading public.With her seasoned craft of weaving

a plot and creating motivated charac-ters, her acceptance as a novelist wasall-pervasive among the women. Thelustre of her poetic expression in prosewas a boost to her receptivity amongstreaders of all ages, irrespective of thecaste and creed they belonged to.

August - 2017

Punjabi novelistGulzar Singh Sandhuwrote in The Tribune:“She put Punjabi liter-ature on the worldmap. No other writer isas synonymous withPunjabi literature asAmrita Pritam (1919-2005)

30 Punjab Advance

Luminaries

August - 2017

In her very first novelette, Jai Shri,she made the heroine of the same namereject all young men offering her con-ventional proposals of marriage to pickup a bridgegroom of her choice inSuresh who turns out to be a sincereand true lover.Good people becoming the vic-

tims of violence and misery is thetheme of Alhna (The Nest) and otherworks of fiction by her. Amrita was asensitive writer who highlighted the

problem of Indian womanhood bothin her poetry and fiction.She has been in the forefront when

it came to defying all that was out-worn and obsolete in society. Onemay not agree with her solutions butone has to accept that her writings didset the ball rolling in so far as challenging wrongs in society wasconcerned.Amrita brought out a monthly

literary magazine Nagmani that was

profusely illustrated by Imroz, herartist friend and companion in the second half of her life. The magazinemade her accessible to the newest ofPunjabi writers who flocked to herresidence in Hauz Khas in New Delhi,with or without their spouses carryingsuitable gifts and souvenirs to be presented to her. She was quick in in-troducing ever-fresh themes as newcolumns on such varied subjects asreadings from palmistry and star talk.

Amrita Pritam during her stintwith Lahore Radio Station

31Punjab Advance

Luminaries

August - 2017

Pinjar in EnglishOf the 100-odd books penned by

Amrita, more than a dozen are avail-able in English today. She has beenlucky in her translations as well.Khushwant Singh had picked up hernovelette Pinjar for translation whilehe was to travel to London by sea for achange.He was interested in a shorter work

that could be translated in the threeweeks that he was aboard the ship. Ihad suggested one out of Doctor Devand Pinjar and he had chosen the lat-ter. This was her first introduction toEnglish readers when not many ofthem were aware that she wrote fictiontoo. The Indian film industry and Do-ordarshan did not lag behind in pre-senting her works on the screen, big

and small.Amrita was a person of many parts.

She was an extremely good conversa-tionalist and could hold audiences ofall shades. Whether she acquired thisart from the stint she had with the AllIndia Radio or she was picked up bythem because of this talent in her is amatter of debate.Amrita felt more at home with the

mazars of Mian Meer Waris Shah andBulleh Shah which were as dear to heras the Taj and Roza of Ajmer Sharif.This did not apply to the places of wor-ship of other religions in her case.With all her honours and acclaim, the

heights she reached in her lifetime, includ-ing the membership of the Rajya Sabha,she carved out a niche for herself amongstthe immortals of Punjabi literature.Shy of meeting people and visiting

different places, Amrita was fond ofcooking at home. Hundreds of visitorsfrom other parts of the country andabroad would remember the lime teaserved by her. Those interested in artis-tic calligraphy may continue to visither Hauz Khas residence which is fullof her writings calligraphed by Imrozon all possible corners.Four decades of her companionship

with Imroz has enabled him to masterthe art of tea-making and one can besure of Amrita’s legacy being carriedon by him.Amrita Pritam did not confine her-

self to the limits and boundaries of thisPunjab. She did not belong to either sideof the Wagah border or even both sidesput together. She was the voice of Pun-jabis all over the world and hence thevoice of humanity.

Ajj Akhan Waris Shah Nu(Punjabi poem by Amrita Pritam

with English translation)

Ajj akhan Waris Shah nuKitte kabran vichon bolTe ajj kitab-e-ishq daKoi agla varka pholIk royi si dhi Punjab diTu likh-likh mare venAjj lakhan dhian rondiyanTainu Waris Shah nu kehan

(I call out to Waris Shah todayTo speak out from the graveAnd open another leafFrom the book of loveWhen one daughter of Punjab had weptYou wrote a million dirgesToday a million daughters are weepingAnd they are looking up to you, WarisShah, for solace)

Maein Tainu Phir MilaangiBy Amrita Pritam

I will meet you yet again, How and where I know notPerhaps I will become a Figment of your imagination

And maybe spreading myself In a mysterious lineOn your canvas, I will keep gazing at you.

Perhaps I will become a ray, Of sunshine to beEmbraced by your colours, I will paint myself on yourcanvasI know not how and where – But I will meet you for sure.

Maybe I will turn into a spring And rub foaming, Dropsof water on your body And rest my coolness on Yourburning chest

I know nothing, But that this life Will walk along withme.When the body perishes, All perishes

But the threads of memory, Are woven of enduring atomsI will pick these particles, Weave the threads And I willmeet you yet again.(English translation by Nirupama Dutt)

32 Punjab Advance

Career n Competition

ach of us inherently posses cer-tain skill sets which should be

matched to the career we choose.Here's how we can do this:For long, intelligence has been con-

fused for aptitude, and has been con-sidered an apt parameter for makingcareer decisions. However, aptitudeand intelligence differ in nature.Though intelligence and aptitude areboth important for success in a partic-ular career, it's aptitude that takesprecedence, due to its inherent nature.In recent times, people have started

realizing the need to find the perfectaptitude-career fitment, which in-creases your chances for professionalsuccess. The question now, is how to

know if a career falls in sync with one'saptitude(s). Here are five easy ways todo that.

Career and skill setsThe first step is to do your own re-

search to gain some perspective intothe kind of activities a professionaldoes in his/her career. Find out whichskill sets are used in which professions.Information like this is freely availableon the web, or you may speak to dif-ferent people about it. Once you haveidentified some key skills that relatewith a career, ask yourself two ques-tions--• How much do you like suing these

skills?• How good are you at using theseskills?For example, a career in engineer-

ing would go best with a person who isgood with numbers, and possesses ananalytical mindset. You will know ifyou are suited to a career in engineer-ing if you ask yourself the above twoquestions. The trick is to identifywhich skills go hand-in-hand withwhich careers and understanding if youyourself possess the required skills.

Past performancesPast performance is the best judge

of future potential. Go through your re-

E

Career and skillmust match

BUREAU REPORT

August - 2017

33Punjab Advance

Career n Competition

port cards and scores and consider ifthere is any subject that you have con-sistently fared better in. Look at yourco-curricular and extra-curricular ac-tivities - is there a trend? Maybe you'vealways been into debates and MUNs,you are an avid reader, or you're neverafraid to take a stand and voice youropinion in the strongest manner possi-ble. A profile like this indicates a goodaptitude for a career in law, or mediaand communication, or journalism.Those consistent 90 per cent marks inEnglish surely imply a certain skill ofyours.

Study pattern andgeneral routine

Do you find yourself always doingartsy things at school, and picking upyour drawing copy the moment you getback home? That's your inherent apti-tude pointing out towards a possiblecareer. People may point out that suchskills are just a hobby, but in actuality,that's your innate aptitude encouragingyou to get better at it. Some children,as young as eight years of age, are pas-sionate about literature, technology,music, or art. Identify the patterns here,retrospect on your life and daily sched-

ule, and identify those similarities.Once you do, repeat point one.Internships hold the keyNothing gives a more realistic ex-

perience of a career than engaging inone. Students today, often engage inshort-duration internships that providegreat insights into the careers they'relooking at. By interning, you willknow what key activities are carriedout in a particular career, and whatskills are required in doing so. Afteryour short stint, you will be sure,whether or not your aptitude matchesthe required standard in a particular ca-reer.

Career assessmentWith the advent of technology,

there has been nothing short of a revo-lution in the space of career-planningand psychometrics. Assessing a perfectaptitude-career fit is now possiblethrough a smart assessment. Career as-sessments not only judge a student'smany aptitudes in the real-time sce-nario, but also map them according tothe required industry standards, to giveyou your report. The insights you getthrough such an assessment will comein handy when making a career deci-sion. Getting a career-decision right is

imperative for professional successtoday, and an on-spot aptitude assess-ment is a helpful element not to be ig-nored. While dire interest may pushyou to pursue a certain career, purelybased on how much you're fascinatedby it, it's your aptitude that will sustainyou there and keep your progressionsoaring.

Aptitude mappingIn today's era, it is also imperative

to understand that aptitude mapping isnow becoming an essential factorwhen it comes to choosing a careerpath. The emerging trend of multi-di-mensional mapping encompasses ele-ments such as emotional intelligence,social quotient, motivators, work values, career trends, preferences, andunique personality traits among others.The coming generation will have tolook towards acquiring skills in linewith what they wish to become, ratherthan finding careers that fit their skillsperfectly! Thus, a more holistic multi-dimensional aptitude mapping is theneed of the hour, which can map a student's aptitude and skill sets andmatch them to careers that can be asuitable fit.

August - 2017

Punjab Advance 34

Kovind takes oath as 14th President

Ram Nath Kovind was sworn in asIndia's 14th President, the first BJPleader and the second Dalit in Rashtrap-ati Bhavan.Kovind was administered theoath of office to "preserve, protect anddefend the constitution and law" byChief Justice of India JS Khehar at animpressive ceremony in the Central Hallof Parliament. He won the presidentialelection by defeating the opposition can-didate Meira Kumari by 1086 votesThe 71-year-old took oath in Hindi to

thunderous applause and thumping of

desks by the gathering, including VicePresident Hamid Ansari, Lok SabhaSpeaker Sumitra Mahajan, Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi, outgoing PresidentPranab Mukherjee and former presidentPratibha Patil.

Joti is new CECAchal Kumar Joti who took charge as

the 21st Chief Election Commissionersaid the poll panel will vigorously pur-sue its commitment to hold free, fair, in-clusive and credible elections. He alsosaid that the mission of ‘no voter is leftbehind’ will continue to be his priorityeven as focus area will be to actively pro-mote e-governance for holding state andLok Sabha elections. The 64-year-oldJoti, who was the Chief Secretary of Gu-jarat when Prime Minister NarendraModi was the Chief Minister, took overas the head of the Election Commissionafter Nasim Zaidi demitted office on July6.

RBI amends orderThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has

amended its earlier order asking banks toinitiate bankruptcy proceedings against12 companies which have outstandingloans amounting to over Rs 5,000 croreas on March 2016.The amendmentcomes after the Gujarat High Courtasked the RBI to remove the stipulationon its order last month that the 12 non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans,would be granted priority at the NationalCompany Law Tribunal. “The third lineof paragraph No. 5 of the press releaseon June 13, 2017, titled RBI identifiesAccounts for Reference by Banks underthe Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code(IBC), which reads as follows: ‘5.…Such cases will be accorded priorityby the National Company Law Tribunal(NCLT)…. stands deleted,” an RBI re-lease said.

Current NATIONAL

Moga girl sets world recordTwenty-eight-year-old Harmanpreet

Kaur from Moga hit 171 runs off 115 de-liveries to record the highest score by anIndian girl in the Women's World Cup.

She fell four runs short of Kapil Dev's175 runs scored in the 1983 World Cup.She hit 20 fours and seven sixes as Indiadefeated the defending champions, Aus-tralia in the semi-final match at Derby.

Rs 806 cr for healthThe Government of India has ap-

proved the Nation Health Mission Pun-jab’s state programme in implementationplan for 2017-18 amounting to Rs.806.28 crores. This was disclosed byPunjab’s Health and Family WelfareMinister Brahm Mohindra. Among thenew initiatives approved by GoI, themajor initiatives included the setting upof Health and Wellness centres. Underthis initiative 200 sub-centres of the statewill be strengthened as health and well-ness centres, where promotive, preven-tive and primary curative health andhealth care services will be provided tothe citizens. Special courses for staffnurses in order to train them for primaryhealth care have also been approved.These staff nurses will be posted at sub

centres as community health officers anda budget of Rs. 12.65 crore have been ap-proved for this task.

GPF interest rateInterest rates for the General Provi-

dent Fund (GPF), Contributory Provi-dent Fund and other such funds for thesecond quarter of 2017-18 (July 1 toSeptember 30, 2017) will be 7.8 percent.Giving this information, a spokesman ofthe Finance Department, Punjab said thatthe amount deposited by governmentemployees under General ProvidentFund (GPF), Contributory ProvidentFund and other such funds, the interestrate would be 7.8 percent for the secondquarter of 2017-18 i.e. July 1 to Septem-ber 30, 2017.

PUNJAB

Career n Competition

August - 2017

Punjab Advance 35

First Laser Weapons SystemThe United States Navy has success-

fully tested the world’s first-ever activeLaser Weapons System (LaWS), whichis now deployed, all ready for any sort of

attack on the Persian Gulf.The LaWShas been deployed aboard the USSPonce amphibious transport ship. In thetest, the system was able to destroy adrone in flight and moving targets in thePersian Gulf. With its addition, USSPonce becomes the first ship in the worldto be deployed with such an advancedweapons system. The weapon is capableof moving at the speed of light, around

50,000 times faster than an incoming in-tercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).•It operates in an invisible part of the elec-tromagnetic spectrum so the beam is notvisible.• The weapon is also completelysilent and remarkably precise, whichcould help limit collateral damage duringwartime.• The total cost of building theweapon is about $40 million.• All it re-quires to operate is a supply of electricity,which is derived from its own small gen-erator and a three-member crew.Indian to head White House panelThe US Senate has voted to confirm

Indian American lawyer Neomi Rao asthe head of Office of Information andRegulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Officeof Management and Budget (OMB).The44-year-old Rao was confirmed by a voteof 54-41 and she would lead the WhiteHouse office overseeing regulation, ac-cording to Senate’s official website.“Inselecting Professor Neomi Rao… the

President has made an inspired choice.Since first working on my staff manyyears ago, Director Rao has proven her-self to be a sharp and principled publicservant,” said Senator Orrin Hatch, sen-ior member and former Chairman of theSenate Judiciary Committee. “She pos-sesses a keen sense for our duty in Wash-ington to help small businesses grow andmake lives of Americans easier,” he said.

1st power plant in West BankPalestinian Prime Minister Rami

Hamdallah and Israeli Energy MinisterYuval Steinitz launched the first powerplant in the West Bank that transformshigh to medium voltage in Jenin, northof the West Bank.The official ceremony,attended by senior Palestinian and Israeliofficials, included signing a commercialagreement between Israeli Electric Cor-poration (IEC) and the Palestinian Na-tional Authority (PNA) to increase powersupply through operating a new substa-

Shastri is chief cricket coachThe BCCI on 11 July 2017 named

Ravi Shastri as the new chief coach ofthe Indian cricket team. He will be with

the team as its head coach till ICC WorldCup 2019.Ravi Shastri to be head coachof Indian cricket team=In addition to it,former fast bowler Zaheer Khan was alsoappointed as bowling coach for a periodof two years.Former Indian CaptainRahul Dravid has appointed as batting

consultant for specific overseas tours.Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team hasbeen without a head coach after AnilKumble resigned from the post after theICC Champions Trophy 2017.England win ICC Women’s World CupEngland on 23 July 2017 defeated

India by nine runs to clinch the 2017 ICCWomen's World Cup. The final matchwas played at Lord's Cricket Ground inLondon. The win is England’s 4thtitle.The 2017 Women's Cricket WorldCup was the eleventh edition of theWomen's Cricket World Cup, and thethird to be held in England after the 1973and 1993 tournaments. England’sTammy Beaumont was awarded thePlayer of the Series title. She also mademost runs (410) in the tournament.

Federer wins 8th Wimbledon titleRoger Federer won a record eighth

Wimbledon title with a straight-sets vic-tory over Marin Cilic. With this win, 36-year old Federer also became thetournament’s oldest champion. In the fi-nals played in Wimbledon, London, Fed-erer defeated Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1,6-4.Federer is Wimbledon's oldest men'swinner of the modern era, succeedingArthur Ashe, who was almost 32 whenhe won in 1976.This was his 19th GrandSlam title.Besides, the women’s singles title of the

Wimbledon went to Garbine Muguruza. Towin the title, Muguruza defeated VenusWilliams 7-5 6-0 in the finals, ending herhopes of becoming the oldest women’sWimbledon champion in the open era.

EventsINTERNATIONAL

SPORTS

Career n Competition

August - 2017

36 Punjab Advance

Ramesh K. Srivastava

henever Sundari came toour house to give well-

ironed clothes, my wife Mona and Ioften commented that she was un-doubtedly a beautiful girl and herparents must have given this nameappropriately after seeing her prettyface. Normally listing and giving the

machine-washed clothes to Sundariand then collecting the ironed onescame to Mona’s share, but whenevershe was in the neighbourhood or inthe temple, I performed the job. Sun-dari was so meticulous in her workthat no error ever occurred in it.“Sundari,” I said to her, “when we

were in Rewa, our washerman al-most never delivered our ironedclothes in time, whereas you are al-ways punctual. Ever since we havecome jto Gwalior, you have eased outtension in this respect. Your have alsobeen arranging maid-servants for us.We are so thankful to you. Once you

W

Sundari,the untold story

Literature

August - 2017

37Punjab Advance

get married, we might have problemshaving our clothes delivered so well-pressed and in time.”“Sahib that’s never going to hap-

pen,” Sundari laughingly replied.“You mean you will no longer de-

liver clothes punctually?”“I did not mean that. I meant that

no one is going to marry me.”“Why do you say so? you are so

beautiful.”“I have a limp in my polio-af-

fected leg, no one wants tomarry a lame girl,” she con-cluded.I had not noticed till

then that she had a limp inher leg. When she wentback, I found the limp sominor that unless one no-ticed carefully, it was noteasily visible to the com-mon eye.After some years, I was

transferred from Gwaliorto Ganj Basoda in MadhyaPradesh. In a couple ofyears, we forgot about Sun-dari altogether. Monaarranged a new washer-woman to get our clothesironed. Although the newhand was not very reliable,we were by and large satis-fied. Ten years passed by.

One day Mona announced the arrivalof Sundari from Gwalior. I said Sun-dari how did she happen to come tothis small city. It was Mona who responded:

“Udai, she is married and has aneight-year-old son. Our washer-woman here is related and hasbrought her here. Sundari has comefor a marriage.”“One thing is there,” I said to

Sundari, “you look as cheerful nowin your married life as you used tobe in your father’s place and that isvery reassuring.”

“Sahib,” Sundari said, pulling herslipping saree over her head, “I am alame woman. It is the generosity ofmy father-in-law that he has acceptedme. God has blessed me with a son.Why should I blame anyone whenfate has been so good to me.”“Isn’t your father-in-law happy

that you are so beautiful ?”She laughed again, flashing her

shining teeth and said: “You knowvery well—and I need not tell you—

that in the in-laws house, it is not themoon’s beauty, but its dark spotswhich strike the eyes of the beholder.But I don’t mind what people say.What is there to mind, somethingthat is there and cannot change.”After a little pause she continued:

“My father-in-law died two yearsago. Now we are only three membersin the family, including my husband.I have projected my clear aim beforehim, Sahib, I will do anything, sufferany humiliation, any pain to makemy son something worthwhile in life.Besides, through him, I want to make

our old age secure. Even now mypolio-affected leg occasionally startsgiving pin. Only God knows whatwill happen in my old age.”Promising to come again before

returning to Gwalior, Sundari left ourplace. Meanwhile Mona found outfrom our washerwoman that Sun-dari’s husband was a boozer and agambler, who thrashed her and eventortured her with lighted cigarettebuts. Many times the people of the

area came to her rescue.As Sundari came to say

goodbye to us, I did noticesome marks of burns on herforehead and wrists whichshe tried to conceal. Wereshe to hint at her husband’sbrutal acts, I could not havedone much, beyond utteringa few words of sympathy,but she kept mum.“How is your husband,

Sundari ?” I asked.“He is fine,” said said,

and added “I collect thewashed clothes and he ironsthem which I give back tothe customers and takemoney. It is because of thehard work of both of us thatthe family is moving for-ward.”To extract some infor-

mation from her about herhusband’s cruelties, I prodded heragain: “Usually in your community,male members have the bad habit ofdrinking, I hope your husbanddosen’t drink.”She smiled and coolly said:

“When a man works so hard, heneeds some moments of his own di-version from work. Hence I do notconsider anything wrong as long asit is taken moderately.”Sundari was still tactfully con-

cealing her miseries. Even thoughher devotion to the husband was ex-emplary, to me her excessive toler-

Literature

August - 2017

“One thing is there,” I said toSundari, “you look as cheerfulnow in your married life as youused to be in your father’s placeand that is very reassuring.”“Sahib,” Sundari said, pulling

her slipping saree over her head, “Iam a lame woman. It is the gen-erosity of my father-in-law that hehas accepted me. God has blessedme with a son. Why should I blameanyone when fate has been so goodto me.”

38 Punjab Advance

Literature

August - 2017

ance bordered on weakness whichencouraged the exploiter. Not to be defeated so easily, I

made one last effort: “I agree Sundariabout your point on moderation. Butwhen it becomes excessive, it couldlead to physical violence.”“Sahib, a family is a pair of oxen,

yoked together and it is in the inter-est of both that they move together.In some cases minor irritations can-not altogether be ruled out,” was heranswer.How great her head and heart are,

I thought. I sometimes blame Godhow the cursed limpness has beenimposed on such a beautiful and in-herently good human being ! May beit is to keep the human beings mod-erately balanced in their biologicalendowments. Mona too praised Sun-dari’s equanimity and commendedhow the latter was sacrificing every-thing for the sake of her son.After spending a little over 25

years in Ganj Basoda, I was trans-ferred back to Gwalior. The city hadchanged a great deal and so had we.We were in our fifties now.One day a young man came with

an elderly lady in a white saree.Mona asked them what they wanted.The woman flashed a smile andasked: “Don’t you recognize me?”“No, but your face looks famil-

iar,” Mona said.“Bhabhiji, I am Sundari, your old

washerwoman,” said the elderlywoman.Meanwhile, I too came out of my

study. Sundari looked slightly old,but beauty was still intact. Obviously,her husband must have died. I did nothave the heart to ask her about hisdeath, but Mona did ask her tactfully:“What happened to him ?”It happed 10 years ago, when you

were in Ganj Basoda. There was anaccident which was fatal. “It was not an accident,” the

young man disputed, “it was the

liquor that killed him.”I did not like the uncharitable

comment of the young man, disput-ing Sundari’s reason about her hus-band’s death, but quiet. Mona asked Sundari who the

young man was. Her reply was: “Heis my son Jaya Pal, and I have cometo invite you for his wedding. He isnow a doctor and has been posted inthe Government Medical College,here in Gwalior itself.”“Congratulations, Sundari,” I

said, “you have done a great sacrificebut God has paid you well. Your en-tire life should be a model for others.

By leading a very hard life, you havedone for your son with all your limi-tations what none else could havedone Now you will have happiness,at least in your last stage of life.”Turning to the son, I said: “Jaya

Pal, you are like a son to us, youknow you are what you are becauseof your mother. In the absence ofyour father, you are all she has now.You have achieved a position whichmany rich men’s children aspire forand attempt in vain. Your mother is aliving goddess. If I were you, I’dwash her feet and worship her everyday. She must not suffer hardshipsnow.”Mona looked at me in surprise

over my spontaneous panegyric onSundari, but said nothing. Jaya Palsaid: “Sir, who knows better than I? Iwill attend to every sneeze and cough

of hers. I would rather shed my bloodthan allow her tears to flow. Thismuch I can assure you. “After their departure we talked

about Sundari’s sense of devotion to-wards her son, and that too with allher cheerfulness. We heard from var-ious sources that after her husband’sdeath she struggled hard washingand ironing clothes, scrubbing uten-sils and many times going hungry inorder to materialize her dream of giv-ing education to her son. All this wasdone when her polio-affected leg oc-casionally caused pain because of thehard work. We felt happy that shewould have all the happiness now Iher old age.After a few years I retired from

government service and shifted toRewa. It was here that my govern-ment job had begun. Now Mona andI led nearly a lonely life, dependinglargely on the cooperation of theneighbours. We always wanted tohave good servants and maids whocould take care of our utensils, ourclothes and occasionally our cook-ing. Some maids performed thesechores well. But before a couple ofmonths were over one of them hadmade us poorer by borrowing 500 ru-pees and stealing a mobile phone be-fore disappearing for good. Then ourneighbour recommended Neelimawho had a relatively better reputa-tion. We remembered Sundari who inGwalior used to arrange good maidservants for us. Now she must beleading a happy life with her son anddaughter-in-law—both physicians.Since our sons with their familieswere living abroad, we felt enviousof Sundari, who now in her old agemust be leading a happier life thanus.We called Neelima who said: “I

heard you people are quite nice, but Icannot handle more work than I al-ready have. If you want I have afriend of mine who is new to the ciy.”

It happed 10 yearsago, when you were inGanj Basoda. There wasan accident which wasfatal.“It was not an acci-

dent,” the young mandisputed, “it was theliquor that killed him.”

39Punjab Advance

Literature

August - 2017

proper. When we insisted on an exactamount, she said: “You people areour old well wishers.”We were surprised and asked her:

“Do you know us? e have returned toRewa after 25 years.”“Your did not recognize me

sahib,” as she raised her head. “I amyour old Sundari.”“Sundari !” Mona and I ex-

claimed simultaneously. “But youwere living in Gwalior with yourson,” I added. Before we could say anything,

Sundari put a finger on her lips, re-

minding us of our commitment ofnot asking anything about her past.After Sundari had gone, we dis-

cussed what could have been the un-told story of hers after our lastmeeting at the wedding of her son. Itis possible that maintaining the spiritof sacrifice, Sundari might have qui-etly withdrawn herself to let the sonlive happily with his wife. Since bothher son and daughter-in-law werephysicians, maybe she did not wantto remain among them as an odd fish.But keeping in mind the moderntimes, we thought, it could also have

their ill-behaviour, their taunts ortheir downright expulsion of herwhich made Sundari leave the house,the city and even her entire past andthen to begin a new life in a new city.Thinking of her old age—and evenours—we felt how heartless are ouryouth.

---The author is a former Pro-fessor of English of Guru NanakDev University, Amritsar, and is atpresent working as Professor ofEnglish at the S.R. Group of Insti-tutions, Ambabai, Jhansi (UP)

Looking at me, Mona said to her:“How does it matter whether some-one is old or new. We are concernedwith getting our work done.” “But she has one strange condi-

tion before she agrees to join. Shedoes not want any one pestering herabout her past as most people do. Ifany one does so, she is very touchyand might leave the job.”We hesitated in saying anything.

It was a strange condition. The maidservants are kept after checking theirantecedents. We had fears that shemight be a thief, a murderer or evenan absconder from jail and we didnot want any such person who in ourold age would make us run to the po-lice station, lawyers and courts.Mona and I looked at each other

and were about to shake our heads inthe negative. But probably guessingour suspension, Neelima reassuredus with the words: “Have no fear, sir,on any count of deception and cheat-ing. If you ever find anything other-wise, you can send both of us to jail.”Meanwhile on a hint from Neel-

ima, the woman with a bent headcame inside. After she was told aboutour consent to her condition, thequestion of monthly charges arose.The woman went on gazing at thefloor with a bent head, saying thatwe could pay her what we thought

40 Punjab Advance

War Heroes

August - 2017

ikhs always had a dispro-portionately huge role to

play in the Indian army, the British In-dian army and in the Allied Forces du-ritng both the World Wars. But whowould have thought that there wereSikhs in the Australian army way backin the early 1900's and that some ofthem actually fought in the First WorldWar as Australian soldiers!According to the National War

Memorial in Australia's capital, Can-berra, seven Sikhs were part of theAustralian armed forces during theFirst World War. Their names and the battalions

they were part of, are as follows: DavySingh (33rd Battalion), Desanda Singh(3rd Light Horse), Ganessa Singh(10th Battalion), Gurbachan Singh(54th Battalion), Hazara Singh (13thBattalion), Sarn Singh (43rd Battalion)and Sirdar Singh (3rd Light Horse).Six of these soldiers returned

safely after the War ended in 1918, butone of them (Sarn Singh) died in action.

S

When Sikhs fought asAustralian soldiersANZAC honours World War I heroes

A Sikh contingent takes part in the ANZAC Day march in Perth, Australia

41Punjab Advance

War Heroes

August - 2017

But this is just the proverbial tip ofthe iceberg. According to one estimate,"In the last two world wars, 83,005

turban-wearing Sikh soldiers werekilled and 109,045 were wounded forthe freedom of Britain and the worldduring shell fire, with no other protec-tion but the turban, the symbol of theirfaith."

According to another source, "In1914, there were 35,000 Sikhs fightingin the War. By the end of the War,100,000 volunteers had joined the var-ious sections of the British ArmedForces. It is 'estimated thatthe contribution of the SikhCommunity in men andmaterial was ten times thatof any community of India.Of the 22 Military Crossesawarded for conspicuousgallantry to Indians, theSikhs won 14.' " So, it is really hearten-

ing to see Sikhs in Aus-tralia waking up to thesefacts and partaking in spe-cial services that honourwar veterans. One such occasion is

Anzac Day, celebratedthroughout the country on April 25,marking the landing of Australia andNew Zealand Armed Corps (ANZAC)at Gallipoli (Turkey) in 1915. Everyyear, there are ceremonial marches andparades in most Australian cities tomark the sacrifice of those who losttheir lives in the line of duty. The Sikh community of Western

Australia has proudly joined in this tra-dition of paying homage to their fore-fathers too, because they foughtalongside the Australians during boththe World Wars. Since 2005, there has been a Sikh

contingent in the Anzac Day march inPerth, comprised of direct descendants

of those who fell in Gallipoli and othercampaigns. Says Kuljit Kaur Jassal, an ex-

Royal Australian Air Force officer,who is one of the organisers of the Sikhcomplement: " We also want the Aus-tralian public to know that our grand-fathers fought alongside theirgrandfathers in Gallipoli. Not just that,more than 80,000 Sikhs died in the twoWorld Wars as part of the Allied forces.These brave young men fought for ourfreedom, and we must honour theirmemory."

In previous years, a Malaysian Pipeand Drum troupe called the "DasmeshBand" led the Sikh contingent in themarch. This year, however, for the firsttime, there was a Western AustralianSikh Band leading them. The Drum Band was comprised of

ten members, seven of them aged be-tween 10 and 15 years. The DrumMajor in the WA Sikh Band was DrTejinderpal Singh whose great- grand-father, Nanak Singh, fought in Gal-lipoli. Nanak Singh's son Shiv Singhalso fought in World War II. Dr. Singh wore his great-grandfa-

ther's medals when he marched onAnzac Day 2007, as did many others

in the contingent. Other band members included

young Amarvir Singh (whose great-grandfather fought in Mesopotamia,and grandfather was in the Indianarmy), and the only female member ofthe band, Husveena Kaur, (whose ma-ternal grandfather was in theMalaysian Army Reserves and pater-nal great-grandfather fought inMesopotamia). The band members practiced dili-

gently with trainers and stole the showat the Perth march, looking resplendent

in their white kurtas andsaffron dastaars, completewith kalgis.In another first, there

was a Sikh contingent inthe Sydney Anzac Day pa-rade this year as well.Apart from that, there werespecial commemorations atsome RSL (Returned Serv-ices League) Clubs in sub-urban Sydney too.Nineteen-year-old Jas-

meen Kaur Malhotra gavea speech on behalf of theSikh community inRevesby and outlined the

proud history of Sikhs in the WorldWars. The most heartening thing aboutboth the Perth and the Sydney serviceswas the inclusion of youth and children- the youngsters led from the front,which is a promising thing for anycommunity. Let's hope that that others around

the world continue to find the time toparticipate in memorials and marcheslike these. It has been eloquently saidthat those who forget their history arecondemned to repeat it. So let's allmake an extra effort in each of our re-spective communities to honour thememory of those on whose proverbialshoulders we stand today.

42 Punjab Advance

Nextgen

S scientists have designed agen-next flying car capable

of taking off vertically and flying com-pletely on its own - and it could be onthe roads within a decade. An ambitious US engineering com-

pany has released images of the flyingcar, the four-passenger TF-X, and itwon't require a pilot's license to oper-

ate.The Terrafugia TF-X flying car can

take off vertically and has a flyingrange of 805 km. Once airborne, thetwo propellers fold back and propul-sion is handled by an engine mountedbehind the cockpit, 'New York DailyNews' reported.Everything from take-off, to flying,

and eventual touch-down at the chosendestination will be handled automati-cally by the Terrafugia.The manufacturers claim the TF-X

is a plug-in hybrid. Electric motorshandle road driving, and assist duringtakeoff and landing.Terrafugia claims its road-legal and

highly automated flying car could be

U

Four-seaterf lying car soon

BUREAU REPORT

August - 2017

Vertical take-off and landingUS, German firms conduct test flights

Stuck in traffic jam? Use your car's flying button. Seriously!

43Punjab Advance

Nextgen

on the road (and in the air) within 8-12 years. The TF-X's vastarray of sensors and GPS monitors make flying to a destina-tion as simple as punching in an address in current satellite-navigation devices.The TF-X calculates the total distance, and determines

whether there is suitable fuel range.Factors such as current weather conditions, to restricted air-

space and a suitable first-alternate landing location are calcu-lated into the trip, the report said. Terrafugia, based outside the US city of Boston and founded

11 years ago by MIT graduates, estimates it takes just fivehours of practise to learn to drive and fly a TF-X. The Transi-tion flying car has already undergone a number of test flights.According to The Guardian a German company has com-

pleted successful test flights of a “flying taxi”.Munich-based Lilium, backed by investors who include

Skype co-founder Niklas Zennström, said the planned five-seater jet, which will be capable of vertical take-off and land-ing, could be used for urban air-taxi and ride-sharing services.In flight tests, a two-seat prototype executed manoeuvres

that included a mid-air transition from hover mode – like adrone – to wing-borne flight - like a conventional aircraft, Lil-ium said.Potential competitors to Lilium Jet include much bigger

players such as Airbus, the maker of commercial airliners andhelicopters that aims to test a prototype self-piloted, single-seat“flying car” later in 2017.The Slovakian firm AeroMobil said at a car show in

Monaco on Thursday it would start taking orders for a hybridflying car that can drive on roads. It said it planned productionfrom 2020.But makers of “flying cars” still face hurdles, including con-

vincing regulators and the public that their products can be usedsafely. Governments are still grappling with regulations fordrones and driverless cars.Lilium said its jet, with a range of 190 miles and cruising

speed of 186mph, is the only electric aircraft capable of bothvertical take-off and jet-powered flight.The jet, whose power consumption is comparable to an

electric car, could offer passenger flights at prices comparableto normal taxis but with speeds five times faster, Lilium said.Other potential rivals include the crowd-funded e-volo, a

firm based near Mannheim that has said it expects to receivespecial regulatory approval for its two-seat “multicopter” with18 rotors to be used as flying taxis in pilot projects by 2018.Another US-Israeli firm Joby Aviation has said it is work-

ing on a four-seater drone.Google, Tesla and Uber have also reportedly shown interest

in the new technology.

August - 2017

44 Punjab Advance

Health

uscle cramps are ex-tremely common and

almost everyone experiences them,especially after crossing the age of60 years. Muscle cramps arecaused due to sudden uncontrolledcontraction of a muscle. The con-tracted muscle does not relax,thereby leading to symptoms vary-ing from mild discomfort to ago-nizing pain. Typically an individualsuffers from a sudden sensation inthe leg while sleeping, which awak-ens him. The duration of the cramp

varies from a few seconds to 10minutes, or even longer. Com-monly the effected muscles arecalf, hamstring (back of thigh) andmuscles of feet, hands etc. The exact cause of muscle

cramps is not known, but it is be-lieved that muscle fatigue due todehydradion, poor circulation dueto certain diseases leads to abnor-malities in the mechanism that con-trols muscle contraction. Thefollowing are other factors leadingto muscle cramps:

Exercising in intense heat, de-hydration and depletion of salt andminerals. Muscle exhaustion de-pletes a muscle’s oxygen supplyleading to accumulation of wasteproducts and spasm’Leg cramps can be due to Lum-

bar Nerve root involvement, meta-bolic disturbances as is DiabetesMellitus thyroid disease etc.Certain medicines too can cause

muscle cramps like Salbutamolused for asthma, Statins used forlowering blood cholesterol and Di-

MDr.Ravinder Chadha

Legcramps

August - 2017

causes andprevention

45Punjab Advance

Health

uretics (Lasix) used forvigorous removal of bodyfluid. Patients on dialysisoften complain of legcramps due to depletion ofelectrolytes. Poor circulation to mus-

cles due to peripheral ar-tery disease can also causecramps, especially in calfmuscles. Poor circulationresults in decreased oxygensupply to the muscles lead-ing to severe pain.Leg cramps are com-

mon during pregnancy, es-pecially after the secondtrimester. The likely reasonleg muscles being fatiguedfrom carrying extra weightof pregnancy. Cramps canalso occur due to circula-tion problems in the legswhen enlarged uterus putspressure on the blood ves-sels that return blood fromlegs to heart.Try the following

when cramping occurs:Apply ice pack to thecramped muscleTake a hot shower bathThe most important aspect ofdealing with the muscle crampdisorder is prevention. The fol-lowing are the important preven-tive measures:Persons undertaking vigorous physical activities must do ade-quate warm-up, stretching be-fore the event;Cramps are very common in

people who suddenly increase theirexercise. Therefore one should in-crease the training intensity gradu-ally. The best way to increaseexercise is by 10 per cent of theprevious week’s regimen.

Cramps associated with dehy-dration due to vigorous physical ac-tivities, especially in summers, canbe treated with fluid and electrolytereplacement. Therefore drinkingwater before, during and after ac-tivities is very important.Doing calf stretching two to

three times just before going to bedcan prevent night cramps. Alsostretch calf muscles regularlythroughout the day.Sleeping with toes pointing

downwards shortens the calf mus-cle leading to cramp. Thereforeplace blanket loose at the food-endto prevent toes and feet pointing

downward while sleeping.Persistent and severe

cramps can be treated withquinine sulfate, vitamin Emuscle relaxants, sodiumchloride, calcium and mag-nesium supplements.Massage of the muscles

is very useful in treatingcramps as it increases thecirculation to the muscles,which helps in its relax-ation.The following exercises

can prevent musclecramps:Calf muscle stretch:

Stand about two to two anda half feet away from thewall. Lean with the fore-arms against the wall withone leg behind the otherleg. Bend the front kneewithout raising heel of theback foot,. Hold thestretched position for acount of 15,. Repeat threetimes.Hamstring muscle

stretch: Lie with one legfolded and the other

straight out. Hold from the back ofknee and raise the leg till a stretchis felt at the back of the thigh. Holdthe stretch for a count of 20. Repeatthree times.Most of the cramps are benign

in nature with no serious complica-tions. Cramps which are severe,frequent and not responding to theusual modes of treatment must beinvestigated properly.

Dr Ravinder Chadha is a former physio-therapist ofthe Indian cricket team

E-mail: chadhar587@gmail.com(Tel—0172 2702929)

August - 2017

46 Punjab Advance August - 2017

s we come close to celebrating 70 years of In-dependence on August 15, many of you must be

part of your school exercise for the Independence Day func-tion being held in your district or the much-bigger state-level celebrations. This is a routine exercise held every year.The preparations for the big parade and other performancesare in full swing in the schools. Every child wants to put hisor her best foot forward. This tiring spell of rehearsals drainsout a lot of energy. The selected children go through thedaily grind. Soon after the I-Day function the chief guestusually declares a holiday the following day as a reward forthe pain-staking rehearsals you have gone through for thebig-day function.Some schools organize painting competitions highlight-

ing the Independence Day heroes. But a few days back I wasintroduced to a new type of exposure that the children arebeing given on celebrating the big day. The other day we were at a family friend’s place.

Twelve-year-old Rajeev was pestering his maternal uncle tohelp him write a short speech on Independence Day whichhe had promised to deliver in school. But he was layingstress on the point that the speech should stand out from theusual and make an impact as it would be heard by the Prin-cipal and other teachersThe maternal uncle said you can write a great speech in

your own words that will be rich in content and will remainfocused on the topic.Remember, this is a speech celebrating India’s Inde-

pendence Day and the audience is your school principal,teachers and fellow students. Therefore, while preparing thedraft you need to broadly define your content flow withinthe time you set for yourself.Once you have prepared the sub-headlines, you need to

start writing the content under each sub-heading based onthe time you plan to allocate on each.But Rajeev was very particular about the quotes of the

great personalities who were an inspiration. What followedwas a list of quotes by the uncle which was lapped up bythe nephew.I give below those quotes which I found an inspiration

and worth sharing with you kids:

Quotes that inspired people:Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru: His ‘Tryst with Destiny’

speech was made at midnight of August 14-15 in 1947. Thisfamous speech was been recorded in Indian history as one

of the greatest speeches. You may want to mention this aspart of the your speech as you recall that magical momentwhen India finally won its freedom from British Rule.Mahatma Gandhi: Be the change that you want to see

in the world.This quote can be used by you when you are speaking of

current times and what we need to learn from Mahatma’swise words.Subhash Chandra Bose: Tum Mujhe Khoon do, mein

tumhe aazadi doonga (Give me your blood and I will getyou your freedom) This was part of his famous speech whenhe called upon people to join the INA. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhya: Vande Maataram

(hail to the motherland)This was the inspirational call forall freedom fighters and made famous in his famous literarywork – Anandamath. This is our national song, which is dif-ferent from our national anthem – Jana Gana Mana.Bhagat Singh: Inquilab Zindabad (long live the revolu-

tion) First written by Hasrat Mohani, it was made famous byrevolutionary and martyr, Bhagat Singh.Madan Mohan Malaviya: Satyameva Jayate (truth

alone will prevail)Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Swaraj Mera Janmasiddha Ad-

hikar hai, aur main ise la kar rahoonga (Swaraj is mybirthright and I shall have it)Famous quotes by International leaders JF Kennedy, former President of the United States of

America“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what

you can do for your country…”These famous words were part of his stirring speech

when he called upon young Americans to join in makingAmerica great.Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United

States of America“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.

This expresses my idea of democracy”This famous quote is very relevant today as it echoes the

values of ‘equality’ and ‘democracy’ that we in India, socherish.Do let us know how you celebrated Independence Day.

All the best and keep smiling…

Uncle Don

AHi kids,

Children’s world

47Punjab Advance August - 2017

mother and a father had adaughter who grew from a

baby into a beautiful girl. The motherand father werevery proud oftheir daughter,and one day thefather said, ‘It istime you weremarried, mybeautiful daugh-ter.’And so it was

agreed that themother and fatherwould travel tothe next village tomake arrange-ments with the family of the boy whomshe would marry.When her parents were away, the

honest girl began to daydream aboutwhat her life was going to be like withher new husband. She decided that shewould have four children: three boysand one girl. She would call themMulak, Jahaan, Dhesh, and Lutdi.She imagined what it would be like

to call out to her children when it wastime for them to come in for dinner.The girl was so absorbed in her beau-tiful daydream that she climbed uponto the roof of her parents’ house andcalled out... ‘Mulak, Jahaan, Dhesh,Lutdi!’ And as the honest girl calledout these names, the people of the vil-lage all stopped what they were doingand ran towards the house where thehonest girl because they thought thatthe girl was in trouble.You see, in Punjabi, the names

Mulak and Jahaan also mean ‘people’.And the name Dhesh means ‘land’.And, although Lutdi is a name onemight give to a daughter, it can also

mean ‘I am being attacked!’ And soyou might understand why all of thevillagers began to run towards the

house.But even stranger, at that very mo-

ment there was indeed a group ofthieves who were trying to sneak intothe house where the honest girl lived.But when the thieves noticed that all ofthe people from the village were ap-proaching the house, they got scaredand ran away into the surroundingwoods never to be seen again.As the villagers arrived at the

house, they called up to the honest girl.‘What is wrong, my child, who is at-tacking you?’And the honest girl replied, ‘There

is nobody attacking me. I was just call-ing out to my children.’‘But you are not yet married!’ said

one villager.‘And you do not yet have children!’

protested another.The girl had great difficulty ex-

plaining to the villagers that she wassimply dreaming about what her lifewas going to be like after she was mar-ried and had children. The villagerswere not impressed at all. They ac-

cused the honest girl of daydreamingand causing trouble and not thinkingbefore she spoke.

But then awise man ap-peared from be-hind the houseand explained tothe assembledcrowd how he hadseen a group ofthieves runningfrom the house,and how the vil-lagers had scaredthem away andsaved the honestgirl from a terrible

fate.He said, ‘Mulak and Jahaan are the

names we give to our people. Dhesh isthe name we give to our land. Andwhen this honest girl called out to thepeople of her land, you all came. Whenshe called out “Lutdi” you were allhere to help her in her time of need.Does this not prove that you are allgood people?’The villagers had to agree with the

wise man, and they were all very proudthat they had saved the honest girl fromthe thieves.Soon after, the mother and father

returned to the village and the honestgirl was married to her handsome hus-band. The years passed, and the girl did

indeed become the mother of fourbeautiful children. She never forgotabout what the wise man had said toher on that day, and she often remindedher children that is was a good thingfor a young person to dream from timeto time because amazing things comefrom dreams.

A

The honest girlRam Thaper and Kamleish Ram

Children’s world

Punjabi story by

48 Punjab Advance

Your stars this monthDr. Prem Kumar Sharmaemail: psharma@premastrologer.com

Aries: Personal relations with some-one on the social front may blossominto romance. A lucrative deal appearsto come your way. Regular workoutswill help you in keeping fit. You arelikely to get a lucky break on the jobfront. Those in a professional field arelikely to make some celebrity clients.Good earning and previous invest-ments promise to keep your bank bal-ance brimming over!

Leo: An opportunity to clear the back-log at work may come to you thismonth. Enhancement in monetarypowers may be expected by some. Achange in lifestyle promises to bringyou back on the road to perfect health.Things are happening fast around you,so get into the stride. You will need tobe tactful in handling lover. Someguests may arrive and brighten up thehome front.

Sagittarius: You are likely to work onthat facet of your relationship thatgives you a sense of immense fulfill-ment. Misunderstandings floating onthe social front regarding someone arelikely to be cleared through your ini-tiative. This is a good month to com-plete everything that is pending. Youmay keep up the pace at work. Apromised increment may materializefor some.

Taurus: This turns out to be afavourable month for you. Whateveris happening around you will keep youin a happy state of mind. Love lifepromises immense fulfillment. Youmay enjoy a good rapport with a newsenior at work. You can expect a goodbargain price on a property that youare interested in. You will be able tokeep in touch with almost everyoneon the social front.

Virgo: You get the opportunity to setyour plan in motion on the profes-sional front. Positive approach will en-able you to achieve business targets.Your mental and physical state will beimproved by following some spiritualand philosophical lectures. Monetaryposition improves as all pending pay-ments get cleared. Avoid making falsepromises that would come in way ofestablishing cordial relations.

Capricorn: Tying loose ends both atwork and home may be your prioritythis month. A competition may loomon the horizon on the academic front,but you will be able to give your all.Chances of friendship taking the shapeof romance are high. This is the bestmonth for you to enjoy social gather-ings. A word of praise is the only thingthat someone may need from you, sodo not disappoint.

Gemini: : You are likely to excel inyour current endeavours. Support ofsomeone close will keep your moodbuoyant. Many ups and downs arelikely to be encountered by those play-ing the stocks. Your desires are likelyto get fulfilled on the romantic front.Those worried about their health canlay their fears to rest as they will re-main perfectly fit.

Libra: : Excellent prospects in a newbusiness venture are foreseen. Yourstrong personality finds it easier to at-tract the attention of opposite sex. In-vested money may start givinghandsome returns. Worries regardingsomeone in the family are likely to dis-appear soon. You are likely to turnyour attention to your health. Travelplans if any might get postponed dueto changes in schedule.

Aquarius: A friend or relative cantake you out for shopping. An out-standing amount is likely to be re-ceived. Much enjoyment is foreseenon the social front, as you get to meetall your near and dear ones. Sharingthoughts with lover will prove thera-peutic. Delay in delivering somethingmay cause you unnecessary tension atwork, but everything will turn outright at the end.

Cancer: This is the best month to in-vest in property. Romantic prospectshave never looked brighter, so go forthand pair up as soon as you can! A va-cation is on the cards and promisesmuch excitement. Those in the servicesector will find the month productive.You may be made responsible forsomething additional at work that maywork in your favour.

Scorpio: Earning remains steady andwill help build up adequate savings. Abusiness proposal presented by some-one may seem exciting. On the aca-demic front, you will be able to handlethe competition well. Health will gen-erally remain normal. Positive devel-opments in acquiring property areindicated for some. Someone may tryto dominate you on the home front,but you will be able to tackle it easily.

Pisces: Those in government servicecan expect a promotion. A tough com-petition is likely to be cleared by thosepursuing academics. Good showing bya family youngster may make youproud. You will be able to raise a loanfor something important. Nothing canstop you from expressing your love forsomeone you have a soft corner for. Sogo for it without hesitating!

Forecast

August - 2017

49Punjab Advance

You can send the subscription amount by money order or by crossedcheque, DD, payable at Chandigarh, to CEO, PUNMEDIA , Room No. 10, 5th Floor,Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh-160001

Your

Feedback

Matters

- How do you like the magazine?

- Do you get the magazine regularly?

- What do you like about the magazine?

- What are your suggestions to make it more readable?

Suggestion:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Please post your reply to the following address:

Punmedia, Room No. 1, 5th Floor, Punjab Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh-160001

or you can email: punmedia2011@gmail.com

August - 2017

Last Word

50 Punjab Advance

t was the summer of 1988 when The TribunePhoto Editor Yog Joy (now no more in our midst)

and I set out from Chandigarh on the trail of a man-eatingleopard, who had killed a young cyclist in Morni Hills.We made the uphill drive to this Haryana hill resort,

making our way through the narrow and dusty windingroad. A not-so-happy Haryana Chief Conservator of Forestswarned us about the non-motorable 2 km trek through theforests to reach the spot where the spotted big cat had madeits kill.I was reluctant as my senior colleague had suspected

angina problem. But who could stop that great cameraman,whatever the odds. Before I could say Jack Robinson, Yogjihad already marched 10 steps ahead. A forest guard offeredto give a lift on his motor-cycle. With Yogji occupying thepillion seat, we began our journey. After a bumpy 10-minuteride, with me doing some brisk walking and jogging, webarely covered 500 metres.Another 10 minutes and we came across a slope. In the

bushes we spotted one of the slippers of the boy. The cyclecould be seen a little ahead in the khud. We were in the man-eater’s territory. I could feel goose pimples all over imagin-ing the big cat sizing me up as the next meal.The forest guard broke my nightmarish imagination with

the words: “The villagers have taken the half-eaten body tothe village for cremation.” He then pointed towards thesmoke billowing out from a cluster of houses in the valleyahead, indicating our destination another 1 km ahead (as thecrow flies).It seemed to be an endless journey as we made our way

towards the village. The receding sunrays were a clear in-dication that it was well past afternoon.We finally trudged into the village and were greeted by

villagers who were living under the fear of the big cat at-tacking their cattle.“The ‘tendua’ killed a dog two days back. But now it has

started killing humans. The cyclist was the second victimof the leopard, which the villagers said had now tastedhuman blood, and would not spare anyone.Taking quotes from the villagers and with Yogji adding

more pictures of the cremation to his snaps of the slipperand the cycle lying in the khud, we took leave of the vil-lagers.“Don’t go. It is too late. You can go tomorrow,” sug-

gested a couple of village elders, who warned us about thedangerous trek back through leopard territory. As we talked,a patch of cloud blocked the sunrays. A couple of ‘bhotia’dogs started barking with intermittent growls. The childrenwere told to go indoors.I did not show it, but the talk of the beast having tasted

human blood was enough to stir my imagination about thedangers lurking on the return trek through leopard territory.But then, a couple of youngsters from the Morni side of thevillage agreed to accompany us. We grabbed the opportunityand began our return trek. As we walked back, three morejoined us on the way. They clapped their hands and madeloud noises with cymbals. Seeing the young men marchingwith confidence, the fear of the man-eater evaporated. Yes,I had read that even after becoming a man-eater a leoparddoes not lose fear of humans, unlike the tiger, who becomesbolder. We passed the khud where the boys had been at-tacked and were back at the Morni rest house before sunset.Mission accomplished, we drove back, forgetting those

moments when I imagined the big cat sizing me up as itsnext meal.

I

August - 2017

Donald Banerjee

On the trail ofa man-eater

he Government of Punjab has made forays into the world of social media inan endeavour to facelift to facilitate a vibrant two-way communication between the StateGovernment and the people of Punjab.

Join our online community on Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress and YouTube for regularreal-time updates on latest events, news, policies, schemes and initiatives for a factualaccount on ‘Everything Punjab’.

Connect with #PunjabGovtIndia and like/comment/share on the official pages at:

You can also e-mail us at pbgovt.socialmedia@gmail.comfor any queries and/or suggestions.

For a detailed account on State Development Initiatives/Schemes,you can also download the monthly e-magazines for

Punjab Advance (English), Vikas Jagriti (Punjabi), Vikas Jagriti (Hindi)at

www.diprpunjab.gov.in and www.punjababvanceonline.com

your insights are valuable to us. You can revert with your comments on the magazines atfeedbackpunmedia@gmail.com

we look forward to hearing from you.

T

Facebook.com/PunjabGovtIndia

Twitter.com/PunjabGovtIndia

Punjabgovtindia.wordpress.com

Youtube.com/c/PunjabGovtIndia

People’s participation for effective governance

The Government of Punjabis now on

Social media

If undelivered please return to Director Information & Public Relations Office Punjab, SCO 107-109, Sector 34-A, Chandigarh-160022

RNI No. CHAENG/2013/53324Postal Registration No.CHD/0161/2013-2015 Actual date of posting 10 to 15-08-2017 MBU Chd.A Monthly Magazine

( Aug 7)

Raksha Bandhan