City Scape

By this time the Ghazal King was crooning on "Baat nikalegi to door talak jaayegi …" Ironic under the circumstances.

The bomb squad went about their business so discretely that few in the audience noticed them at all. But Jagjit Singh notice and was overheard remarking to the tabla-player: "Perhaps someone who could not get a pass devised this way to get in.

Books released
A Tale of Two Economics: "Development Dynamics Of India And Malaysia" is the name of the book just released by Prof B.N. Ghosh, formerly of Punjab University s Economics Department, presently in the Department of Economics at the University of Science Malaysia where he is on an assignment. His book examines resource mobilisation and resource generation.

Local astrologer P. Khurrana has brought out a book of nearly 200 pages called Moon, Sun and Astrology. He goes into minute details about how these two heavenly bodies affect us and provides examples from specific horoscopes. He records his interpretations in detail, going into such things as trines, oppositions, sextiles, conjunctions, eclipses and many other phenomena.

Awards for scientists
The Punjab State Council for Science and Technology is offering six awards, each carrying a citation along with a cash prize of Rs 5,000, scientists 35 years of age or younger. The winners of the "Young Scientists Award" will be selected on the basis of work done during the past three calender years.

Those interested in the award can contact the Principal Scientific Officer, Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, SCO 2935-36, Sector 22 C. The last date for submission of applications is December 30, 1998.

Dear Uncle …
As part of the Gaon Sangharsh Samiti’s protest against the UT demolition policy, some kids sent a letter to the UT Administrator. The letter, which Samiti leaders say, was written by the kids themselves, is worth reading. Here are extracts: "Today, we along with hundreds of friends bunked the school. Do you know why? Because of your cruel enforcement staff who demolished 49 built-up houses in Raipur Kalan village…Now we fear your bulldozers will move towards our houses at Daria village and thousands of village houses of Chandigarh which are built outside the red line…"The last line was the best: "Uncle, please tell us jab aap (government) pyaaz aur aalu ke rates bada sakte ho to Lal Dora kyon nahin bada sakte.

Meal-ticket
The Mohali Rotary Club hosted a dinner in honour of its district governor, G.K. Thukral and in the process came up with a novel procedure. The people who came for the dinner were handed coupons to eat at a popular restaurant in Phase V. "Just go and enjoy," the hosts said, handing over the parchi.

But how come this rather unceremonious system? As one of the hosts explained, the club had a limited budget and it contracted with the restaurant for a specified number of meals worth Rs 150 each. The coupons kept out the self-invited and hence no cost over-runs.

Better bazaars
Lots of people regard Panchkula as even more ritzy than Chandigarh and seeing the mansions coming up there, each one more lavish than the other, one is inclined to agree. Until recently, however, Panchkula markets were poor cousins of the Sector 17 (Chandigarh) shops.

No more. The past couple years have seen the emergence of "shopping complexes" in Panchkula. One can see some very swanky joints in Sector 7, Sector 5, Sector 11 and a few other localities. With elaborate decor, these places now outshine all but the very best Chandigarh shops. Many of them are congeries of shops, rather like a shopping mall. And what accommodation! Artificial waterfalls, chandeliers, panelling in teak or stained glass.

And there’s another kind of market coming up in Sector 10 — this one courtesy of the enterprising Tibetans (Nobody spots shoppers quicker than these folks). A huge Tibetan market is coming up offering jackets, carpets, shawls, sweaters, decoration pieces. It’s a rehri market now, but who knows what it will be in another couple years. You can’t miss it — it’s very near the Sector 10 police station. If Tibetan woollies arrive, will Tibetan chang and momos be far behind.

Vanishing round abouts
Thanks to the increasing flow of traffic in the city, another roundabout bites the dust. This time the one adjoining the motor markets of Sectors 27 and 28. Chandigarh’s roundabouts, modelled on the rotundes of Paris, are slowly giving into the less elegant but more orderly automatic traffic lights.

Tea and sympathy
The cafe atop the City Museum is an ideal place for a cup of tea or coffee with the green charm of the city in full view. But start talking to the two men behind the counter and you’ll feel like the wedding guest in The Ancient Mariner. It’s a long purana, full of suffering and privation. "Please make the headline for your report, Cafe employees worse off than Kalapani prisoners’, the twosome suggest, helpfully.

In truth, they really are in a bad state. The snack bar is open on all sides and roofed with a concrete slab. Under the summer sun, the slab radiates scorching heat; during the monsoon months the rain sluices over them and in winter, they are exposed to chill winds from all directions. "Even a peon in an office gets a place to sit; here we are on our legs all the time." But perhaps better times are coming. The CITCO management has taken note of their problems and promised to provide the workers with winter uniforms immediately and look into the other problems.

Carmel flavour
The annual Carmel Convent fete held on Sunday was thronged as usual … as seen from the photograph accompanying this edition of Cityscape.

Most of the parents on the scene had the air of those who present as a matter of duty but the same couldn’t be said of the lads from St John’s High School and DAV College, Sector 10. They were clearly more interested.

The most popular stalls were the request corner, where one could have a song of one’s choice played, and Planet Carmel, a dance floor put up by the Carmel Ex-Student Association. The remixes of DJ Bijan of Jailhouse Rock had the crowds dancing all afternoon. Computerised horoscopes and tombola also got an enthusiastic response.