Pavagadh :: 15 lakh visitors likely this year in Champaner Festival Wednesday, October 17, 2001
BY SACHIN SHARMA, TIMES NEWS NETWORK
VADODARA: The Champaner Festival, held at the foothills of Pavagadh, will return after a period of two years. For the first time since its inception, the authorities are making conscious attempts to make it a major tourist attraction by making the dates of the festival convenient for visitors from outside the state.
Organised by the district administration in association with the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited and local self-government bodies, the fair is likely to be visited by 15 lakh people this year. In an attempt to popularise the event, the dates on which the fair is organised have been changed. The fair begins on Wednesday will be on till October 25.
In the past the fair was held during the period of 'Chaitri Navratri', which falls in the peak of the summer season. This time around, the fair will be held during the 'Aso Navratri', which falls in the much pleasant season of October.
Besides, an increasing number of tourists visit Pavagadh during the 'Aso Navratri'. Tourists from neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra as well as from far off places in Karnataka frequent the religiously important spot during this period.
Said Panchmahal district collector Jayanti Ravi, "The decision to change the dates was a conscious effort as we wanted to make the event a grand one. During the period as many as 15 lakh people visit Pavagadh. We have noted that as many as three lakh persons visited the place on a Sunday falling in the Navratri period."
Besides, Ravi said the change would take care of other difficulties like arrangement for water which is scarce in summer. Also, several people would like to enjoy the festival in a pleasant atmosphere instead of the scorching summer heat.
To popularise the festival, television advertising has been used for the first time by the district administration. Capsules prepared by the information department are being shown on Doordarshan's Gujarati channel during prime hours. Local television channels in the district have also been roped-in for the purpose.
The district administration has also roped-in non-government organisations and other government departments to give the festival a distinct touch. Besides the cultural events, the festival will have several stalls where artisans will sell their products. Tourists visiting the place can not only purchase the items, but will have the opportunity to see artisans working on their products.
The administration is also planning to rope-in adventure sports groups for the period to demonstrate paragliding and other similar events. "Pavagadh can be developed as a major spot for such activities. We have had two groups visiting the place for paragliding. More are likely to join in the near future," Ravi said.
In an attempt to make the tourist spot more safe for visitors, the administration has decided to ban private vehicles from plying on the Pavagadh mountain roads. Officials said the decision was taken as there were major disturbances due to unruly jeep operators. Also, the presence of a large number of vehicles on the road often resulted in accidents. The state transport department will, however, give additional buses for the convenience of those visiting the festival.
The cultural events to be held on the occasion will include performances by noted artistes like Padmashree Divaliben Bhil. Garbas, tribal dances and other cultural programmes will also be a part of the programme. Another major attraction will be performances by the West Zone Cultural Centre from Udaipur and the Dhamal dance performances by the Sidhi community. Cultural groups from across the state will participate in the festival, which will also include competitions.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
Cong embarks on Narmada Jal yatra Wednesday, October 17, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
VADODARA: The state Congress on Tuesday began a massive awareness campaign to highlight the "state government's failure to increase the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam despite.
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amarsinh Chaudhary and other top Congress leaders kicked off the rally at Kevadiya by filling five "kumbhs" with Narmada water. Chaudhary informed that rallies carrying these "kumbhs" will make their way from five points in the state and converge at the Kevadiya dam site on October 31. The water from these "kumbhs" will then be emptied into the main canal.
"The work on increasing the height of the dam, which was re-started on October 31 last year with much fanfare in the presence of Union home minister LK Advani, has not made any progress, depriving the people of Gujarat their right to drinking water. This is criminal negligence on the part of the Gujarat government. The people of the state are also being burdened with the interest from the loan taken for the dam, which amounts to Rs 3.5 crore daily," said Chaudhary.
Termed the Narmada Jal Yatra, the rallies will start from five zones _ from Mehsana in north, two zones in Saurashtra, Vadodara in central zone and from Surat in south zone. Meetings will also be held in Porbander, Bhuj, near Santrampur's Kadana dam and in Umargaon. The rallyists will cover 210 of the state's 230 talukas.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
Meet on carbon at SPU Wednesday, October 17, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
AHMEDABAD: The department of materials science of Sardar Patel University is organising a two-day 'National conference on carbon' at the university premises between October 19 and 20.
This conference is held once in two years and this is the first time that it is being held in Gujarat. Carbon is the only element which forms the backbone of all chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, materials and metallurgical industries as well as a strategic material for advanced space and defence programmes.
About 200 scientists from within the country and abroad are expected to participate in the conference and will deliberate on the latest scientific and technological developments in the field of carbon. These include top ranking scientists from BARC, defence labs., leading industries, national laboratories, IITs, IISc and a host of prominent institutions.
The important feature of the conference is the honouring of two leading scientists for their R&D work in the area of carbon by presentation of the prestigious B D Bengur Award. To encourage young researchers, awards will be given for the best paper presentation in a competition to be held during the conference.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
Court recalls bail order in kidnap case Wednesday, October 17, 2001
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
SURAT: The High Court on Monday, passed an order nullifying the bail of five youths accused of kidnapping a girl below 18 years of age and forcibly injecting her with sedatives. According to sources, the girl was being harassed for quite some time by one of the accused as a co-student. She was then abducted by the youths in a car on April 20, 2001, and was forcibly injected with sedatives.
The car was intercepted at a check-post in Madhya Pradesh and a case was registered on the basis of the girl's complaint. There was also an injury on the girl, found to be caused by someone not qualified to deliver an injection. An empty ampoule of sedatives was also found by the Madhya Pradesh police in the car.
During the course of investigations by Surat police it was ruled that the girl was kidnapped with her own consent as she had a relationship with one of the accused. They were subsequently released on bail. But in a recent hearing of the case, it was proved that the picture of the girl along with the accused youths was altered to suit the theory of a kidnapping by consent. Consequently, the bail order of the accused has been recalled and they have been told to report to custody latest by November 1, 2001.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
Research journal with readable articles Wednesday, October 17, 2001
By V J TRIVEDI, Times News Network
NGU is the only university in the state which publishes fairly regularly its research journal Anarta which has articles on English, Sanskrit and Gujarat-literatures, on philosophy, on management and ethics, on psychology and physical sciences.
These articles have a deeper understanding of the topics treated and are written usually in a style which is neither turgid nor flamboyant. Whether it is Dr Adesh Pal or Dr Nagar or Dr Gosai or Dr Sayad or Dr B A Prajapati or Mahesh Sidhpuria or A N Prajapati or K S Parmar or N R Patel to name only a few of the contributors _ it was a pleasure to read them. For want of space, a detailed review of these articles is not possible.
Sufficient it is to say that every university should take a leaf out of the NGU book and see to it that the teaching community also develops communicative skills on the themes they are interested in. It is not enough for teachers to teach; they should also make their contributions, critically and appreciably on what they teach.
In this context, it should be mentioned that the NGU has published a very learned and well researched work on the Gujarati language as spoken in North Gujarat, by Dr Shantilal Acharya, an experienced linguist of Gujarat. The book not only covers the varied linguistic features of the language spoken in the North Gujarat area but it also deals with its social custom, religious festivals and cultural modules. Every library in Gujarat should have a copy of this book for it is a valuable reference work.
M Phil viva: It is surprising that an ordinance in force at the moment permits the viva for the M Phil degree to be taken by internal reference and the department concerned. This practice should be discarded immediately. The viva should be conducted by external reference as only that would ensure greater objectivity in the evaluation of the dissertation and the candidate's ability to support the viewpoint presented in it.
The UGC grant for remedial teaching for the backward and scheduled tribes candidates is welcome thanks to the proposal made by the Talod Arts and Commerce College. The grants of Rs 1 lakh as recurring grant and Rs 2 lakh as non-recurring for three yeas should go a long way in helping these disadvantaged students to improve their chances for a better educational career.
Test schedule: The 1st October issue of Udhichya carries the details of the state level tests to be conducted by the MSU for eligibility for law college appointment. The test is scheduled for 20th January 2002 and will cover 22 subjects. The medium for these tests is English or Gujarati. Aspirants for college job should take this tests as soon as possible so as to avoid any difficulty in their selection as college lecturers.
Attention of the readers of this column was drawn to Dr Dawoodbhai Ghanchi's articles on Canadian education system. The September and October issues of this bulletin carry further instalments which are very informative. These articles will also allow us how to mobilise resources for education keeping in mind the way the Canadian system of education is provided.
It was good to find that the principals union had a detailed discussion on various aspects of university education, which, one hopes, will lead to a sustained effort to achieve excellence in every field of university education _ teaching, learning or researches a sports.
News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]
