CN & heard: ‘Important’ announcements

To begin with,timing and venue for “high tea” was announced. Then,the timing and hall where lunch was to be served followed by dinner to be served at Pinjore Gardens,for judges of the subordinate judiciary,was announced.

The announcements brought smiles on the faces of all judges who had gathered to attend the conference presided over by Supreme Court and High Court Judges.

Mutual admiration

In a rare sight,Governor of Punjab and UT Administrator Shivraj V Patil and former Railways minister Pawan Kumar Bansal came together to flag off the new train for Amritsar. Full of admiration,the duo showered praises at each other.

While Patil gave the entire credit for the new train to Bansal,the former Railways minister thanked Patil for accepting the “request” to inaugurate the train.

(Im)potent Argument

Notwithstanding the rise in number of cases wherein wives are demanding legal separation accusing their husbands of impotency,a senior urologist employed with the tertiary care institute opines that all such cases will fall flat in the Court. Reason: according to his wisdom,no man can be impotent and there is no such thing called impotency. When later asked,another doctor clarified that with medical advancements the ailment can be cured.

Left behind

Many VIPs reaching at one place at the same time creates a space problem for the general public. Last week the occasion of the inauguration of the Chandigarh Book Fair lent some moments of awkwardness and discomfort for one of the highest ranking officers in the city.

As the first row,which was meant for VIPs,was quickly occupied by senior bureaucrats who followed the Governor,Mohammed Shayin,Deputy Commissioner,Chandigarh,who could not find a seat for himself was left looking for space.

In pursuit

It perhaps is easier to pursue a chat on a topic of one’s choice than to be pursued by a volley of questions. At a recent seminar on National Education Day held at Government College,Professor Emeritus,PU gave a lengthy presentation on “Pursuit of Excellence in Education” but when the students put forth their queries with regard to the presentation,the professor asked the students to come up with relevant questions rather than asking “complicated” queries.

In a soup!

Despite the authorities’ assurance that the decision regarding the fee hike will be taken on Monday,which is the next working day,the students of Panjab University decided to continue their protest even over the weekend. So “determined” and enthusiastic were the students that they had even announced the name of the person who will proceed on the hunger-strike if their demands are not met. And,that too,a first year student! Poor boy!

Loyal advisor

When questioned about the reports of terror alert on BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s Punjab rally,Shiv Shankar Menon,the National Security Advisor (NSA) to the Prime Minister said,“I am paid by the Government of India to keep my mouth shut”.

To each his own

The Patiala police kept a Mohali judge waiting till 5 pm before producing drug lord Jagdish Bhola. Returning the favour,when Bhola was finally produced,the judge kept the police waiting for almost two hours before turning up to announce the days of police remand allowed for Bhola’s interrogation.

To the point

Rajya Sabha member Smriti Irani,while interacting with students at a college in Mohali,got irked by a few questions and asked the students to ask “specific” questions. Later in the evening,while speaking at the ‘Conference of Intellectuals’,she remarked how she had met some bright students in the morning who asked her very interesting and “pointed” questions. Little did she disclose that she dismissed majority of the questions as they were not “to the point”,according to her.

A new race

On the opening day of the Chandigarh Book Fair,Flying Sikh Milkha Singh was the cynosure of all eyes. Singh,who had come to discuss his autobiography “The race of my life” was approached by young children as well as people in their 30’s to get a copy of the book signed. Some of the youngsters even got Singh’s picture and got autographs on it. The former athlete obliged every fan and spent some moments with the youngsters as well.

Left Out

The reconstitution of the Administrator’s Advisory Council has left many in the city fuming about their non-inclusion. The BSP is crying foul at being the only political party in the city that did not get any representation in the committee. The industrialists are upset over not being made part of the committee. Representatives of the resident welfare associations who are present in several committees have been given a miss,making them rue that the Advisory Council has not solved any purpose in the past and hopefully better results would be yielded this time round.

Flashback

When Sachin Tendulkar played his 200th – his last Test – match,against the West Indies at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai,thousands of kilometres way – in Chandigarh – the officials at Sector 16 Cricket Stadium became teary-eyed. Almost 23 years ago,in 1990,the Master Blaster had played his first test match at the home soil at this very stadium. Sachin,all of 17,was still a teenager when he played against Sri Lanka in November in 1990 in the company of Kapil Dev,Manoj Prabhakar,Navjot Singh Sidhu and Ravi Shastri among others.

Even though he failed with the bat,scoring just 11 runs,the trainees and the officials of the stadium cheered for Sachin.