Around Town

Professors’ meet on education held at PU

CHANDIGARH: The Academic Staff College,Panjab University,organized a “professors meet” on the theme “Education at the crossroads: A debate between liberal arts and science” at the PU campus on Wednesday. Prof Yash Pal,former UGC Chairman,spoke strongly against the “cubicalisation of the existing knowledge,the hide bound and strait jacketed” way of functioning of the higher education institutes. He motivated the audience to define knowledge in a broader perspective and not to confine it in a narrow,rigid boundary. Prof B N Goswamy,Professor Emeritus,Panjab University,related several incidents where liberal arts and science touch and intersect each other and in the process enrich and compliment each other. Prof Shelley Walia,Director,Academic Staff College,Panjab University,focused on the need to have more debates,dialogues and discussions across disciplines in order to strengthen the academic pillars of the university. About 50 professors and more than 50 lecturers and research scholars attended the meet. Most of them appreciated the first such effort to provide a forum for interdisciplinary discussion,according to Prof. Shelley Walia,Honorary Director,Academic Staff College,P.U.

PU don gets Haryana literary journalism award

CHANDIGARH: Dr Gurmeet Singh,Assistant Professor,Department of Hindi,Panjab University,has been awarded the Haryana State Award for Literary Journalism for 2008-2009. The award was presented by Education Minister of Haryana,Geeta Bhukkal,at a function held at Haryana Niwas on September 14 to mark the Hindi Diwas. The award comprises one lakh in cash and a citation. This award is instituted by Haryana Sahitya Academy,Panchkula in the name of late Lala Deshbandhu Gupta,a renowned freedom fighter and a journalist. Before joining the PU,Dr Gurmeet Singh has worked in the field of Hindi journalism for over a decade. He also covered Kargil war and Gujarat earthquake besides many other major events. He has also written a book on Dr Dharamveer Bharti. Dr Gurmeet Singh is a member of PU Senate.

Engineers’ Day celebrated at Gian Jyoti

CHANDIGARH: Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology today celebrated the 43th Engineers’ Day in the memory of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. Dr Maneek Kumar,Professor and Head,Department of Civil Engineering,Thapar University,graced the occasion as the chief guest. To commemorate the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya,J S Bedi,Chairman of Gian Jyoti Group of Institutes,said Sir Visvesvarya was called a wizard of engineering and precursor of economic planning in India. On the occasion,Bedi announced a scholarship for economically weaker students for taking admission in BTech at GJ-IET campus at Shambu Kalian,Banur. He announced this offer is for those students who want to be Engineer but due to lack of money they are not capable to take admission in BTech. He also announced to help those students in study material through book bank of college library.

Seminar on gender in South Asia held

CHANDIGARH: A talk on ‘Interrogating Gender in South Asia: Experiences and Reflections’ by Dr Swarnjit Mehta,former professor of Geography,Panjab University,was held today in the Department of Sociology here today. She began her presentation by conceptualizing gender in South Asia through the prism of studying only issues related to gender or through the gender perspective. She questioned why Social Sciences have remained gender blind. She linked this issue to the question of who is producing knowledge.

The paradigm in which this knowledge is used and the purpose for which this knowledge is produced. “Here the dissemination of knowledge for the ruling classes become significant. The purpose of knowledge for social advancement has been week and gender differences have not been handled appropriately. This leads to the question whether gender is only a data ordering device,” she added. What is required is to go beyond these issues and focus on differences seen in wider cultural context,according to Dr. Kumool Abbi,Seminar Incharge,Department of Sociology.

MCM DAV holds quiz

CHANDIGARH: The Commerce Department of MCM DAV College for Women,Chandigarh conducted a commerce quiz to promote,encourage and sustain interest of students in the theory methodology and application of the subject. Through various sounds the students were posed with diverse questions from commerce,business,industry etc. and the quiz generated a lot of interest in students to enhance their knowledge. Grappling with questions from economics,management,business,law and other related subjects,students showcased their talent in this intra-college event. The first prize was bagged by students of BCom-III,the second and third prize were bagged by BCom I and II year students respectively. The Principal of the college,Dr Puneet Bedi appreciated the event as a way of making education a fun-filled and competitive exercise. Dr Bedi said that such innovative methods not only instill a healthy spirit of competitiveness but also encourage co-operative learning in students.