Pune Citygritty

The merit-holders who apply are invited along with the parents for a friendly gathering with him, so that they get to know each other well. On the first day at the junior college, the students are taken on a picnic and the children are encouraged to become friends. 8220;We make it compulsory for the parents and teachers to attend,8221; affirms Chavan.

At the very outset, the two-year plan is thoroughly charted out 8211; the study schedules, disciplines and even recreation programmes 8211; such that the student wastes no time in waiting and has time for everything. 8220;The triangle of the student-teacher-parent, once established, serves very well for the student. We insist that the parents exert no pressure on the children and Sunday is a no-study day,8221; says Chavan earnestly.

The school8217;s curriculum stresses on self-study, not resorting to dictation or any kind of spoon-feeding whatsoever. Tuition is not encouraged either. Mock exams four times a year, with papers and corrections taken outside school, provides Chavan with a fair idea about the students who are most likely to top. No wonder he seems such a content man.

A small gesture
India8217;s nuclear tests have not only triggered off diverse reactions but have also demonstrated that the whole country, including the old and the very young, have been affected by them. Rachita and Aditi Sancheti, two sisters studying in Std IV and III respectively, of the Rewachand Bhojwani Academy, Pune, recently wrote a very heart-warming letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The letter goes as follows: 8220;We are proud of you, Prime Minister, for your determination of building India into a strong, strong nation in the world. We heard from our daddy that America, Japan, Germany had stopped financial aid to our country. We request you not to worry about these decisions. We have enough money to help ourselves. We have our own savings and chocolate money to overcome the present movement. Please accept our small saving.8221;A demand draft of Rs 1177 has been despatched to the esteemed Prime Minister with the help of father Sukhalal Sancheti. We sincerely hope the former takes note of the little girls8217; contribution. And although Rs 1177 may not be enough to repay our international debts, it8217;s the thought that counts.

Mad 8217;bout you
The Madhuri Special8217; comes to town again. And this ain8217;t no train on which you can have a tete-a-tete with MD, but it does promise to get you acquainted with the cinestar. Born out of young Amol Bhat8217;s fascination for Madhuri Dixit, it has assumed the status of a unique collection that has found entry into The Limca Book of Records.

This hoard of about 3,500 Madhuri pictures, photographs, posters, clippings will be on display for Puneites at the Balgandharva Kala Dalan from June 14 to 17. Exhibited in the city for the second time, Amol is confident that it shall be received as enthusiastically as last year. If not for anything else, at least for Amol8217;s perseverance, it8217;s worth a dekko.

Oh, hell!
What the hell does hell actually mean? Writers, poets and philosophers down the ages have visualised situations where they through their protagonists encounter hell and almost all have come to the conclusion that the commonly-held notion of it being a furnace with raging fires is too simplistic. Jean-Paul Sartre perceives it as a claustrophobic state of mind, from which there is no release. The Marathi adaptation of his original French play, Huis Clos, by Meera Guneri, was staged at the Tilak Smarak Mandir on Wednesday, June 10.

The gripping and imaginative one-hour play was directed by Ajit Satbhai, with only four lead characters, who turned out sterling performances, beautifully portraying the pathos of being trapped in a situation which comes about as a result of their own misdeeds and sins. Three main characters, one man and two women, are introduced to hell after their death on earth, which consists of a dungeon-like cell. Although they confess their sins and pledge to remain friends, they are not able to strike a balanced relationship, since each is concerned with selfish motives. In the end, they discover what hell means8230;trapped in space and time with other people!

Sold out on Surat
A slice of Surat, the land of exquisite craftsmanship, is now available in Pune. Zeenisha8217;s Talent Window, an art gallery at Saifee Street in Camp, has organised a two-day exhibition-cum-sale of clothes and food items exclusively from Surat which begins on Friday. On display will be daintily-embroidered salwar kameezes, odhanas, ghagris among other ethnic wear.

And for those with a taste for Surati food, the fare includes a variety of sherbets, surati khakra, bohri kari masala and traditional sweets. Put together by Fatima Tyabji and Mehra Shipchandler, the exhibition-cum-sale will be open between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.