Fazilka Kanya Lohri Mela-Sarhad

Lohri for the girl child: Fazilka’s novel, noble tradition

Indian Express, 11th January 2010, Page 4, Punjab Pulse

Fazilka's sacred Gurudwara Nanaksar Tobha

Situated on Abohar road in Punjab's Fazilka town is Gurudwara Nanaksar
Tobha that stands in testimony to a visit by Guru Nanak, the first
Sikh Guru. While travelling to Multan, now in Pakistan, the Sikh Guru
came here with Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana and rested under a Beri Tree
near Tobha or a pond for nine days. Since then the frail and sick have
been coming here to take a holy dip in the pond that is believed to
have the power to cure.

"Dhan Dhan Guru Guru Nanak Dev ji stayed here for sometime on his way
to Multanpur. He took rest with his followers under a beri tree near a
tobha (pond) and since then the gurudwara was named as Gurudwara Shri
Nanaksar Tobha. His visit here made this land sacred," said Hardeep
Singh, head Granthi.

Hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib captivate the visitors, who come to
the Sanctum . There is a feeling of humility and submission to the
great Guru, and everyone recalls the times when the first Guru of the
Sikhs had walked in this very place. The experience of immersing
oneself in devotion and prayer here, away from the hustle and bustle
of life and daily routine, lifts the soul and the spirit.

"People have great belief in this gurudwara. All wishes get fulfilled
here. The sangat comes with great faith. This gurudwara gives peace of
mind. We get our wishes fulfilled," a visitor said.The wholehearted
spirit of humanity lives on- true picture of Sikhism- the spirit of
selfless service to mankind. People have an ardent belief in all holy
places visited by the ten Sikh gurus, and the calm and serene
Gurudwara Nanaksar Tobha welcomes every passerby.

By Avtar Singh (ANI)

Sarhad Kesri Kanya Sanman Samaroh 2010 - Kanya Lohri

Road to disaster-The Tribune, Chandigarh

Despite the dubious distinction of having the highest road crash fatalities in the world, little has been done to check this menace in our country, writes Rupinder Singh

GLOBALLY, 1.3 million people are killed and at least 50 million injured in road accidents. India holds the dubious distinction of having the highest road crash fatalities in the world. With 1 per cent of the world's vehicular population, the country accounts for 10 per cent of the fatalities. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, as many as 1,15,000 Indians died in road crashes in 2007. This means every 13 Indian is lost to road crash every hour.

According to the Planning Commission of India, for every fatality there are 15 serious life-altering injuries. More than 1.5 million Indians and their families suffered due to road traffic injuries in 2007 alone. Statistically, 2008 was an exceptional year when accident rates fell but this was attributed to high fuel prices, because of which people made fewer trips and were less exposed to traffic. Research says that with an increase of 10 per cent in fuel prices, fatalities are reduced by 2.3 per cent. In 2008, Chandigarh had 146 fatalities and till November 23, 2009, there were 147 fatalities. With about 300 Indians dying everyday on roads, it is like a 26/11 happening every 15 hours. The annual human loss is like that of a medium scale war and still nothing much is being done. An army officer, in a conversation, regretted that in the last two years, we lost more jawans to road crashes than to terrorism. Why is that headlines about terror attack, H1N1, etc. shock us more than that of road accidents?

Stalin once said "One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic". It's high time we moved beyond the statistics and focussed on the tragedies that hits families. I and my family could have been a statistic on October 31 when on our way to Delhi to attend a wedding we met with an accident. I was driving a Safari when I saw a calf crossing the median on the highway. I slowed down. After crossing half the way, it turned back. I had no choice but to slow down further. As I was slowing down, I saw in the rear view mirror a bus approaching us. I alerted my family as I wasn't sure if the driver would manage to stop. Not unexpectedly, the bus banged into our vehicle. Luckily, we all survived. I got down and realised that the bus that was following us had almost managed to stop but, another one following it couldn't, and hit it. The bus behind us hit our vehicle due to the impact. All three vehicles got damaged and some bus passengers got bruises. A major tragedy was averted but all attempts to convince the second bus driver about over-speeding got negated by his experience of more than two decades and this being the very first incident.

Similarly, the traffic in Delhi was maddening as ever. Beginning from a traffic point, we got the scare of our life when we realised that the truck next to us was laden with big boulders and the road was uneven. One boulder would have been enough to convert all of us into statistics.

On our journey back to Chandigarh on December 1, right after the toll plaza of Panipat, there was a traffic jam up till Karnal. All along we were moved in the left lane as the right lane had been occupied by buses and trucks. Motorists were meandering left, right and every inch of the road space was being fought for. The sight was so intimidating for my daughter that for the first time she said "Papa, let's move to New Zealand". I'm a resident of New Zealand and have made a conscious decision to be here and work on road safety.

We came back traumatised but safe and sound. A Panchkula family wasn't lucky enough that very day. Madhavi, a class 12 student lost her parents, brother (Dhruv) and a cousin (Archit) to recklessness of a truck driver. Madhavi's life and dreams changed forever. Later, media reported attending of kirya ceremony by three beneficiaries of Dhruv and Archit's eyes. Did a family that can be so benevolent even during the worst of a trauma deserve to suffer at the hands of an indifferent driver and callous emergency evacuation system (they were attended after two hours)? Would it have been anymore traumatic for Aggarwals if they had suffered at the hands of somebody driven by ideology rather than somebody driven by ignorance, arrogance and indifference? This indifference terrorises us all, on all roads and at all times.

Over the past five years, the annual increase in road traffic fatalities has been around 8 per cent as compared to 5 per cent earlier. During this same era, India witnessed the highest rate of urbanisation and motorisation. This raises a very pertinent question here: Can India be a developed nation and have such high road crash fatalities? The answer is 'No' as all developed nations have substantially reduced road crash fatalities by designing safe road systems for all road users and inculcating and enforcing sensible driving behaviour. India cannot be an exception — developed yet chaotic. Urbansiation is unavoidable for 21st century India and it poses a Herculean challenge to check this chaos on roads.

Since, road crashes are causative in nature and are preventable thus all deaths and injuries are unacceptable. The pandemic warrants a holistic approach and a comprehensive road safety strategy must have 4E's — Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Emergency.

Enforcement by police is an integral component but in India we regard it as the panacea. Drunken driving needs to be tackled through zero tolerance but it would be unfair to expect the police to ensure it, when faced by mushrooming of temporary liquor vends and aahtas as a consequence of the liberal excise policy along roads and highways. Few years back Chandigarh permitted temporary vends and aahtas on V3 (main road dividing sectors) in pursuance of revenue. This was a shocking deviation as the administration otherwise doesn't allow any direct excess to V3 road from any property nor lets any vendor be on these roads. Also, it's too much for a city that prides itself in being the first no smoking city of India. It takes years of being a passive smoker to suffer the ill-effects of smoking but one could suffer any moment due to a drunk driver on the road.

Chandigarh, which defines urban planning, has equally neglected the needs of vulnerable road users (VRU's) — cyclists, pedestrians, rickshaw puller and passengers. Though it has compulsory cycle and rickshaw tracks, the non-provision of lighting has made these unworthy of use during night. Also, they are confined to a few roads and have not been provided at high cycle rider density areas like Industrial Area 1, Ram Darbar, colony number 4 and 5. Non-existence of footpaths on V2, V3 and V5 roads compromise pedestrian safety. The footpaths too have been encroached upon by car owners or not maintained thus, leaving pedestrians no choice but to share the road with motorised traffic. In case of a collision, impact is almost always borne by VRU's and out of the current 147 fatality in Chandigarh, almost 50 per cent are VRU's — 46 pedestrians, 22 cyclists and 3 rickshawpullers or passengers. Thus, engineering has the potential to reduce fatalities by designing structure that segregates the VRU's from motorised traffic. The Central Government, through its National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM), has given priority to the setting up of cycle tracks and pedestrian paths, but, if a city like Chandigarh that also aspires to be environment friendly-solar city lacks them, where else can they be expected?

Chandigarh's wide roads have two or three lanes, but the lanes vanish near roundabouts. This shows engineering deficiency. Further, traffic lights negate the 'Right of way' of those negotiating the roundabout. Most city roads don't have signs and markings to enforce "Give Way" — making it 'Might of Way' rather than 'Right of way'. All this calls for immediate attention.

Education is the key as the best of the roads and the safest of cars won't reduce fatalities if we continue to have skill-deficient drivers. Developed nations have moved to a graduated licencing system and it takes at least two years for drivers to drive independently. We need to ensure that drivers with certain acceptable skill level are only allowed on the road. Driving should be a citizen's privilege not a right. Emotive and appealing communication rather than ineffective slogans should be undertaken on a sustained basis, and traffic safety education should be introduced in schools not only to prepare the next generation road users but also reverse-train their parents. Similarly, a certification system that ascertains vehicular health over and above the pollution checks should be introduced at the earliest for all the vehicles.

Death of political leaders like Capt. Kanwaljit Singh, Sahib Singh Verma, Rajesh Pilot and others convey the vulnerability of us all. The challenge is to change the mindset. Sooner or later, we will have to if we want India to be counted as a developed nation. For our own good, let us begin by realising that challan is not the only consequence of speeding, drunken driving, mobile usage, non-usage of seat belts or helmet, driving skill deficiency.

In this war on roads, let us wish none of us becomes a killer or an innocent victim. Wishing you a safe journey called life.

Fazilka Ecocab at Urban Mobility India 2009 Exhibition, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Dated: December 3, 2009

Centre for Active Transport (CAT) with the generous support of DIMTS, iTRANS and TI Cycles facilitated a community dialog on "Status of Non-Motorised Transport in India" at the Urban Mobility India 2009 Conference and Exhibition at the India Habitat Centre during December 3-5, 2009. This event was organized by The Institute of Urban Transport, India, and sponsored by Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD) as envisaged in the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006.

Centre for Active Transport created a coalition with multiple agencies representing the government, business and civil societies for the Urban Mobility India 2009. These include Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi Integrated Multi- Modal Transit System Ltd (DIMTS), EcoMove Solutions, Goa Cycle Club (GCC), Graduates Welfare Association Fazilka (GWAF), Innovative Transport Solutions Pvt. Ltd (iTrans), Interface for Cycling Expertise (I-CE), Institute of Democracy and Sustainability (IDS), Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), I-Initiate, Khar Bandra Santa Cruz Foundation (KBSF), MOZAIC Design, Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates (PSDA), Pune Traffic and Transportation Forum (PTTF), Ride A Cycle Foundation (RACF), Sandeep Gandhi Architects (SGA), TI Cycles, Transport Research and Injury Prevention Programme (TRIPP) and United Traffic and Transport Infrastructure Planning and Engineering Centre (UTTIPEC).CAT coordinated a community voice on non-motorized transport in India at the common exposition space where all friends of non-motorized transport were invited to contribute their message in the form of posters and audio visuals or by just being in the space and engaging the conference participants in a dialogue on the importance of non-motorized transport

The focus of iTrans is NMV inclusive planning and design and believe a good plan can be created only with community engagement" said Dr. Anvita Arora, Director, iTrans, Resident Representative, I-CE. Ti Cycles believes in selling "cycling" before selling cycle and we pleased to support this community dialog" said Vikas Jain, Marketing Manager, TI Cycles.India's National Urban Transport Policy (2006) vision is to move people and not vehicles. According to a study by TRIPP, IIT Delhi, Bicycle ownership by households in medium and large Indian cities ranges between 35-60%. The policy still remains on paper, therefore, the coalition of friends of active transport have gathered here to create a critical mass of voices for on the ground change. CAT is grateful to iTrans, Ti Cycles and DIMTS for sponsoring this initiative" said Seema Tiwari, Managing Trustee, CAT.

Fazilka Value Education Lecture Series-Physics by Nitin Setia, Samsung Electronics India Limited

Lecture on Electronics and Physics by Nitin Setia, Samsung Electronics India Limited on 26th December 2009 at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Park Library, Fazilka

Vijay Diwas 16th December- Asafwala War Memorial Fazilka

On the occasion of Vijay Diwas-1971 India Pakistan War
A 1971 Indo-Pak War's Martyrs Memorial

By Ashwini Ahuja (Graduates Welfare Association Fazilka)

Just seven kilometers away from Fazilka town, Aasafwala Shaheedon Ki Samadh- a sacred memorial in the remembrance of the martyrs of 1971 war between Indo-Pak is managed by "War Memorial Committee", Aasafwala (Fazilka) with the co-operation of civil and army administration. It is an historical place to visit if you come to Fazilka. You can pay reverence towards all those martyrs who had sacrificed their lives to defend Fazilka from Pakistan aggression.

Way back in 1971 during Indo-Pak war, several valiant Jat soldiers of 67 Infantry Brigade had sacrificed his precious life while fighting with Pakistan military near Gurmi Khera village. Before the enemies entered the village, the soldiers on India's side geared themselves up to hit back the enemies. They were equipped with high quality guns, tanks & ammunitions etc.

Needless to say the inhabitants of every house in the village and the surrounding areas had attached themselves through secret tunnels strategically to encounter the Pakistan army. Brave soldiers of "67 Infantry Brigade" regularly pray to Lord Hanumana to earn His blessing. They have the immense desire to sacrifice their life for the country particularly to defend the Fazilka city.

December 3rd 1971 was the beginning of doom days coming ahead. In a macabre evening that day, Pakistan Army attacked on Beri Wala Bridge and began to rush towards Fazilka. The skirmishes continued till 17th of December 1971. Our soldiers fought with bravery and succeeded in retaining back the areas which we had lost earlier except Beri Wala. Their strenuous and indefatigable efforts resulted in the protection of Fazilka but unfortunately, they couldn't save their lives.

On 17th December, 1971 exactly at 8 pm, the war stopped until then several brave soldiers had sacrificed their lives in their efforts to save the city. On 18th December 1971, the all dead bodies were collected in the nearby area. Mass funeral was arranged in a 90 feet long huge pyre. It is proudly said that all those who serve the country and bow their heads at Shaheedon ki Samadh are blessed ones. Every year, a function is organized in the memories of martyrs at that place. Dignitaries from different walks of life, politicians, highly government & Army officials, civilians and even students from professional colleges to offer floral tribute to the martyrs.

Regards,
--
Navdeep Asija
http://navdeepasija.blogspot.com
Fazilka - 152123

Picture Courtesy : Mr Pardeep, Unique Studio Fazilka

Gazal Maestro Mehandi Hasan and Fazilka

Mehdi Hassan was born in the village of Luna in Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, India in 1927 into a Shia Muslim family of traditional musicians. He claims to be the 16th generation of hereditary musicians hailing from the Kalawant.

He received his musical training under his father, Ustad Azeem Khan and his uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were classical musicians, well-versed in the dhrupad style of singing. They instructed him in classical music and voice production within the framework of classical forms of thumri, dhrupad, khayal and dadra, from the age of eight.

Hassan started to perform at a young age and the first concert of dhrupad and kheyal with his elder brother is reported to have been held in Fazilka Bungla, near present SDM Court (1935) district Ferozepur of Undivided Punjab. After the Partition of India, 20-year-old Hassan and his family migrated to Pakistan and suffered severe financial hardships. To make ends meet, Hassan began working in a bicycle shop and later became a car and diesel tractor mechanic.
The struggle ended when Mehdi Hassan was given the opportunity to sing on Radio Pakistan in 1952, primarily as a thumri singer, which earned him recognition within the musical fraternity. At the time, Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar and Mukhtar Begum were considered the stalwarts of ghazal gayaki.

He also had a passion for Urdu poetry and began to experiment by singing ghazals on a part-time basis. He cites radio officers Z.A. Bukhari and Rafiq Anwar as additional influences in his progression as a ghazal singer.

Following a severe illness in the late 80s, Mehdi Hassan stepped down from playback singing. Later due to severity of his illness he completely departed from music. He now lives a secluded life in Karachi which he has made his permanent residence. Nevertheless he often visits Lahore where he spends most of his time with his children and other family members.
While he was singing in the Court of Nepal's King Shah Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, he forgot the lines of his song "Zindagi mein to sabhii pyar kya kerte hain". Shah, then stood from his seat and start singing the next line.

He has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions: the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz granted to him by Gen Ayub Khan; the Pride of Performance bestowed on him by Gen Ziaul Haq; and the Hilal-i-Imtiaz conferred by Gen Pervez Musharraf. Besides the Nigar Film and Graduate Awards from Pakistan, he was presented the Saigal Award in Jalandhar, India, in 1979, whereas the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu Award was given to him in Nepal in 1983. Recently, he travelled to Dubai to receive yet another award.

(Source: Wikipedia)
http://whoiswhoinkarachi.blogspot.com/2009/12/mehdi-hassan.html

Fazilka residents donate for face-lifting of war memorial

Fazilka residents donate for face-lifting of war memorial
SP Sharma
Tribune News Service

Fazilka, December 8
The war memorial set up by residents of this town in the memory of 82 soldiers of the Indian Army, who laid their lives while protecting the area during the India-Pakistan war of 1971, is being renovated these days. It is being done with the donations from residents of the town that has the distinction of having established the country's only war memorial built out of funds raised from public.

Mohan Lal Paruthi, a prominent person of the area, who was among those who collected the mutilated bodies of the 82 soldiers of the 4 JAT and cremated them at the site of the war memorial in village Asafwala, is supervising the renovation work.

The war memorial committee has also set up a high school, a primary school, a dispensary and a community centre on the five-acre complex. A war museum is also under construction. The pillar on which the names of martyrs have been inscribed is also being renovated.

Paruthi recalled that the 82 soldiers laid their lives at Grumikhera while preventing the Pakistani troops from advancing towards the Fazilka town. A couple of residents on December 18 collected the mutilated remains of the soldiers from 7 in the morning till 3 pm and thereafter, performed the last rites on a mass pyre.

The war memorial was initially established on one acre land and was later expanded to five acres. The state government was approached for setting up a school that has now been upgraded to high school.

Paruthi said the war memorial had become an attraction for not only residents of the surrounding towns but also for visitors from outside who visit Fazilka to pay respect to the martyrs. He said portraits of the martyrs and pictures of the war would be displayed in the museum.

Shashi Kant, also involved in the renovation work, has published a booklet on the heroic deeds of the soldiers.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20091209/bathinda.htm#2

Abohar Fazilka Area Association honored Ex. CBI Director Joginder Singh

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh based Abohar fazilka Area Association (AFAA)
recently honored Ex. CBI Director, Retd. IPS  Joginder Singh for his
outstanding social service.

He was honored by giving momentum, Shawl & citation by Prof
.J.C.Nagpal, President; Dr.Anshu Kataria, Covenor; Bhupinder Nagpal,
B. L. Chawla and P. D. Wadhera.

Joginder Singh belongs from a very small town Jalalabad (West), which
is located at the border of Punjab, near Pakistan. Considering his
services to the society, AFAA honored him. Recently AFAA also, honored
Fazilka born Dr. Rajneesh Arora Vice-Chancellor (VC) Punjab Technical
University (PTU), Jalandhar. It is to be mentioned that The Abohar
fazilka Area Association (AFAA) (Regd.), an around 30 year old
association for the residents of Abohar Fazilka area.

It is worth mentioning that Sh. Joginder Singh has already been
awarded with "Panth Rattan", "Delhi Rattan" and "Punjabian DI Shan".
He has also been conferred the Millennium Sikh Gold Award. He has also
been conferred Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sadbhavana Award.

http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/21653/143/

जो बीत गई सो बात गई-Harivansh Rai Bacchan

जीवन में एक सितारा था
माना वह बेहद प्यारा था
वह डूब गया तो डूब गया
अंबर के आंगन को देखो
कितने इसके तारे टूटे
कितने इसके प्यारे छूटे
जो छूट गये फ़िर कहां मिले
पर बोलो टूटे तारों पर
कब अंबर शोक मनाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में वह था एक कुसुम
थे उस पर नित्य निछावर तुम
वह सूख गया तो सूख गया
मधुबन की छाती को देखो
सूखी कितनी इसकी कलियां
मुरझाईं कितनी वल्लरियां
जो मुरझाईं फ़िर कहां खिली
पर बोलो सूखे फ़ूलों पर
कब मधुबन शोर मचाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में मधु का प्याला था
तुमने तन मन दे डाला था
वह टूट गया तो टूट गया
मदिरालय का आंगन देखो
कितने प्याले हिल जाते हैं
गिर मिट्टी में मिल जाते हैं
जो गिरते हैं कब उठते हैं
पर बोलो टूटे प्यालों पर
कब मदिरालय पछताता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

मृदु मिट्टी के बने हुए हैं
मधु घट फ़ूटा ही करते हैं
लघु जीवन ले कर आए हैं
प्याले टूटा ही करते हैं
फ़िर भी मदिरालय के अन्दर
मधु के घट हैं मधु प्याले हैं
जो मादकता के मारे हैं
वे मधु लूटा ही करते हैं
वह कच्चा पीने वाला है
जिसकी ममता घट प्यालों पर
जो सच्चे मधु से जला हुआ
कब रोता है चिल्लाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई 

लहरों से डर कर नौका पार नहीं होती-Harivansh Rai Bacchan

लहरों से डर कर नौका पार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

नन्हीं चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है,
चढ़ती दीवारों पर, सौ बार फिसलती है।
मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है,
चढ़कर गिरना, गिरकर चढ़ना न अखरता है।
आख़िर उसकी मेहनत बेकार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

डुबकियां सिंधु में गोताखोर लगाता है,
जा जा कर खाली हाथ लौटकर आता है।
मिलते नहीं सहज ही मोती गहरे पानी में,
बढ़ता दुगना उत्साह इसी हैरानी में।
मुट्ठी उसकी खाली हर बार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

असफलता एक चुनौती है, स्वीकार करो,
क्या कमी रह गई, देखो और सुधार करो।
जब तक न सफल हो, नींद चैन को त्यागो तुम,
संघर्ष का मैदान छोड़ मत भागो तुम।
कुछ किये बिना ही जय जय कार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

Leading Fazilka Writer-Ashwini Ahuja Interview over his New Book- ARTIST IN CONFUSION

Fazilka Map