Foot loose

Star appeal
Students from Satya Bharti schools who had participated in a literacy drive and taught their own parents and community members to sign their names got an opportunity to meet Shahrukh Khan on the sidelines of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon,2009 held on Monday. The Satya Bharti schools aim to provide quality education to underprivileged children in rural India,especially the girl child. From Punjab,the students included Mamta,Sumanjit,Anjali,Komal,Sahana,Karamjeet Kaur,Shanti and Veerpal. All of them were in the age group of 10 to 13 years and studied in class five of the Satya Bharti schools. The primary occupation of most of families of these students was of daily wage labourers. The average income of each their families is between Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per month. The interaction with Shahrukh Khan not only provided exposure to these children but went a long way in giving wings to their dreams. A visibly excited Mamta of Ladhowal Village near Ludhiana said,“We were so happy to meet Shah Rukh and found him very friendly. We invited him to our village and he has promised to come to our school with his children once they have grown up.”

Walk in the woods
The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi is displaying in an exclusive exhibition,first in this region,eminent artist and legendary landscape painter Paramjit Singh’s original art works. The exhibition is part of the ongoing efforts of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi to bring the best to the city and a rare opportunity to discerning art viewers of the region to try fathom the streams of thought which give substance to the mystical landscapes that Singh is renowned for. In Paramjit Singh’s resplendent landscapes there is always an air of mystery which haunts and beckons,making the viewer’s experience spiritual and full of magic at the same time. The artist’s own journey through such magical pathways began in the ‘50s when he first started painting. With time,landscape elements which had made an appearance early on began to dominate his art,till the ideal landscape seen with mind’s eye was evoked to perfection in canvas after canvas. With titles like Monsoon Light,Red in the Woods,Evening Light and Lakes,these canvases throw open to the viewer and collector an exquisite mélange of colour,light and the fragrance of the vibrant countryside. In this exhibition,viewers will be able to see 19 oil paintings,12 drawings in crayons,7 Etchings and 4 Pastels.

The exhibition is opening on November 6 at 5.30 pm at Gallery of Punjab Arts Council,Sector 16,Chandigarh. It will be on view from November 7 to 10 daily between 1.00 and 8.00 pm.

Guru’s Gyan
Guru Nanak Dev’s message is universal,and as various man-made boundaries crumble,the world needs to understand and adopt the Guru’s message of oneness of mankind. The youth and the world at large is seeking Guru Nanak’s message and we have to provide it to them through every means possible,” believes Roopinder Singh,as he unveiled a page on the popular website Twitter,which is devoted to the teachings of the founder of Sikhism. The Twitter page (http://twitter.com/gurunanaksays) is an attempt to reach beyond what the book “Guru Nanak: His Life and Teachings” had achieved,mentioned the author at the Rupa Book Exhibition currently running at Punjab Kala Bhavan. The page would be updated daily with a new message. Emphasising that the original experience of being in a Gurdwara and listening to Gurbani recitation had no substitute,he pointed out that it was not possible for many people to be in a Gurdwara,and for others to understand Gurbani in its original language. That would be ideal,but they could still get the Guru’s word through other languages and in various mediums. Today,there is a cyber sangat that extends the reach of the message beyond geographical limitations. Websites such as SikhWiki.com,Sikhnet.com and SikhChic.com have brought out various aspects of the Gurus,and Sikh religion,art and culture for the world to see.