DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2018 (PAGE 7)

Artists during 'Mata ki Kahani' show at Katra on Thursday.

All India Devotional Song Competition begins

Sushmita, Khushi, Sumit, Mohinderemerge winners in preliminary round

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 11: As a partof Navratra festival, All IndiaDevotional SongCompetition wasinaugurated todayat Yog AshramComplex Katra.

The competi-tion was inaugu-rated by Chairmanand CEO J&KBank ParvezAhmed in pres-ence of DirectorJ&K Bank DKPandoh, ChairmanDevotional SongCommittee andPresident HotelAssociation Katra,Rakesh Wazir,Former Director ofJ&K Bank andChairman PHDC-CI Vikrant Kuthiala, YogAcharya Swami Yoga Nand Ji

Maharaj, celebrity singerDiljaan, SDM Katra AshokSharma, CRPF Commandant

Jitender Gupta, CEO KatraDevelopment Authority JagdishMehra, Additional SP NareshSingh, DySP Katra VivekShekher, Shyam Lal Kesar,Virender Kesar and many oth-ers.

On the first day of the pre-liminary round of the competi-tion, Sushmita from Jammutook first position, whileKhushi Shubh from ChambaHimachal Pradesh got secondposition and third position wasshared by Sumit Bhalla fromJammu and Mohinder Sonifrom Jammu. Among the 10auditioned participants, 4 par-ticipants were from outsideJ&K and 6 participants werefrom within State and were pro-vided with the cash prizes of Rs10,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 3,000respectively by the CEO J&K.

CEO additionallyannounced the cash reward ofRs 11,000 to each participantsinger, who qualified today'saudition and performed on thestage.

The competition was

adjudged by the panels ofexperts in music including DrUsha Bhagati Ex-HOD Music

PG MAM College Jammu, ProfParveen Sabharwal ProfessorMusic Department in many col-leges, Dr Surinder SharmaHead of the Department GDCSanjoli Himachal Pradesh andcelebrity singer Diljaan.

On the occasion, celebritysinger Diljaan enthralled theaudience with his melodioussongs.

The proceeding of competi-tion was conducted by RakeshWazir, who is also theChairman of the said competi-tion.

The All India DevotionalSong Competition is beingorganized by SMVD ShrineBoard, Department of J&KTourism, J&K Bank, ShraddhaMh One with active support ofShri Mata Vaishno DeviNarayana Super SpecialityHospital, Surya Milk, PureRoots Herbal, Nidesh BuildersPrivate Limited Jammu,Divinity, Radio Mirchi 98.3FM, PHDCCI, Yog AshramTrust, District Administrationand the local host community.

Winners of preliminary round of All India Devotional Song Competitionand dignitaries posing for group photograph.

Farooq expresses dissatisfactionover tardy pace of de-silting

* Urges public to avoid raising structures along water bodiesExcelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Oct 11:Secretary PHE, Irrigation, FloodControl & DMRRR, FarooqAhmad Shah, today reviewedthe progress of work on de-silt-ing of Flood Spill Channel(FSC) in Srinagar.

The meeting was attendedby Chief Engineer PHE, I&FC,Abdul Wahid, SuperintendingEngineers and ExecutiveEngineers. Other officers of theallied departments were alsopresent at the meeting.

Taking serious note of slowprogress of work at some spotsof FSC, Shah directed the offi-cers to deploy additional menand machinery to improve thepace of work so that the same iscompleted within the givendeadline.

During the meeting, it wasobserved that fencing along theFSC has been damaged at manyplaces, to which Shah directedthe officials to restore the sameat the earliest.

He also said that all the floodprotection related works shall betaken on priority at every placeand shall be completed as earlyas possible. He said theGovernment is committed totackle any flood-like situation

and is working on measures toprevent such scenarios in thefuture.

The Secretary also called forzero tolerance to any encroach-ment along water bodies andpassed strict directions to theofficers to ensure that noencroachment takes place intheir respective areas. He saidthe officers concerned will beresponsible to any encroach-ment taking place in theirrespective areas and action willbe taken against the officials asper rules.

The meeting was informedthat de-silting and related floodprotection works are goingapace at Shariefabad, Naidkhai,Padshahi Bagh, Rambagh andBemina.

The meeting was informedthat at Shariefabad stretch,about 8.00 lakh cubic metreshave been de-silted out of thetotal target of 11.50 lakh cubicmetres while at Tengpora-Mehjoor Nagar stretch, 2.37lakh cubic metres have been de-silted out of the target of 2.81lakh cubic metres. The meetingwas assured that the target ofdesilting at these places will beachieved within one month.

With regard to the desilting

of Hokersar, the meeting wasinformed that the desilting workhas been started and will becompleted within the stipulatedtime.

During the meeting,Executive Engineers andSuperintending Engineersapprised the Secretary about theprogress of flood protectionworks in their respective dis-tricts and assured that the workwill be completed within thegiven timeframe.

Later, the Secretary visitedMehjoor Nagar and Rambagh toinspect the progress of floodprotection work on the spot. Heinteracted with the locals andthe workers to get the feedbackabout the quality of work andassured the public that the floodprotection works will be com-pleted in set time frame. He alsodirected the officers to beautifythe bunds along the FSC for theattraction of the locals.

In order to achieve the fixedtargets of the department, hestressed upon all the concernedto put in extra efforts and workwith proper coordination. Shahappealed the general public toavoid raising structures on thebanks of Jhelum and its flood-channel.

BJP leaders Yudhvir Sethi & Priya Sethi releasing a VCD atPress Club, Jammu on Thursday.

Priya, Yudhvir release VCDof Mata’s Bheints, book

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 11: The VCDof two Bheint Tracks titled"MataTu Machilen Aali" and"Tera Sare Kolan Sohna DarbarDatiye" prepared by H. N. MusicStudio and a Book titled "ARendezvous with Education"penned by Dr. Raj Shree Dhar,Principal, Higher EducationDepartment were released todayat Press Club, Jammu.

Former Minister and BJPspokesperson, Priya Sethi andYudhvir Sethi B J P, State gener-al secretary were the chief guestson the occasion. Anjali Sharma.Station Director, Radio Kashmir,Jammu, presided over the func-tion. S. Arvinder Singh Amn-Additional Secretary, JKAACLwas the guest of honour, and Dr.Hemla Aggarwal-Principal,Government College for Women,Parade, Jammu was the SpecialInvitee. Pritpal Singh Betab-retired IAS Officer was theSpecial Guest.

All the dignitaries unveiledand released the VCD of twoBheint Tracks and the Book. Thesinger was Prof. Jasmeet Kour,music by Sahil (Lucky), songwas composed by Suraj Singh,lyrics was given by SanjayVidorhi, choreographer wasRadhika Manhas and video byKuldeep Raaj, and it was directedand edited by Sonu.

Priya Sethi- congratulatedProf. Jasmeet Kour and Dr. RajShree Dhar and entire team forthe great achievement and saidthat may the Goddess ChandiMaa bless all of us and the VCDof Bheint and the Book may bethe most popular. She also con-gratulated H. N. Music Studio.

Dr. Raj Shree Dhar in herspeech said that book "ARendezvous with Education" haseverything under the sun in itsambit. It is a guide book for thelayman, so to say. One can rest atease while reading this book,which has sections on mathemat-ics, and get to know about theuniverse, Vedic, Maths, educa-tional needs of the country, J&K'seducation sector, solar energy,astronomy and astrology, recentdevelopments which the readermay not find in other books ofsimilar nature.

Yudhvir Sethi in his addresssought blessings of the ChandiMata for one and all. Dr. ArvinderSingh Amn also complimented allthe artists of the VCD and thebook and said that being an artisthe knows the pressure and workload of performing to bring outthe final work. Ms. Anjali Sharmaprayed to Maa Chandi for successand blessings of one and all.

Dr. Hemla Aggarwal alsospoke on the occasion whilePritpal Singh Betab read thewelcome address.Vijay Attripresented vote of thanks andKusumTickoo compared theprogramme.

Most befitting show ‘Mataki Kahani’ opens at Katra

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 11: The mostbefitting show and the ultimateattraction of Navratra Festival'Mata ki Kahani' opened thisevening at the open-air theatre,Railway Station Katra.

Conceptualized, devised,designed and directed byPadamshree Balwant Thakur,this mega-musical theatre pres-entation of Natrang Jammumesmerized the jam-packedaudiences which largely includ-ed the devotee of Shri MataVaishno Devi.

Prasanna Ramaswamy G,Deputy Commissioner Reasiwas the chief guest on the occa-sion whereas Nisha Nathyal,Senior Superintendent of Police(SSP) Reasi was the specialguest.

'Mata ki Kahani'--a uniquetheatrical experience for theaudience, beautifully showcasedthe popular legend of MataVaishno Devi. Magically ittransported the entire audienceto a mesmerizing journeyunfolding the story of MataVaishno Devi which is a classicnarrative that echoes everyHindu household and is a part ofevery grandma's midnight tale.As per the legend, during theperiod when the Goddess wasbusy in annihilating the Asuras,Her three main manifestationsviz. Mata Maha Kali, Mata

Maha Lakshmi and Mata MahaSaraswati got together one dayand pooled their collective Tejasor spiritual strength. TodayMata Vaishno Devi is worshipedby millions and trillions of peo-ple across the world. MataVaishno Devi has surfaced as anembodiment of will, strengthand peace. In the present times,when the atrocities against themankind is prevailing, the leg-end of Mata Vaishnodevi gives aguiding light to her followers tohelp her devotees to upholdinner confidence and faith with-in themselves and on thestrength of her healing and cos-mic powers.

The most striking feature oftoday's performance was thedemonstration of perfection inevery creative department be itthe stage action, design, light-ing, scenic imagery and visualpoetry which left a life-timeimpact of a highly vibrant pres-entation.

Prominent amongst thoseseventy contributors of creatingthis historical presentationinclude Anil Tickoo, NeerajKant, Surinder Manhas, VirjiSumbly, Mohammad Yaseen,Shivam Singh, Suraj Ganjoo,Deepali Sharma, VrindaSharma, Vanshika Gupta, GauriThakur, Manoj Kumar, AjayKumar, Adesh Dhar, AkashBhat, Sheetal Jadhan, Diya

Sharma, Zeeshan Haider,Mohammad Umar, DeepikaBala, Rahul Gupta, KuldeepAngral, Menu Kumari, EvaMahajan, Shivam Sharma,Sushant Singh, Natasha Jamwal,Aarti Devi, Nisha Mehra,Rakshit Arora, Kanan PreetKaur, Udit Sagar, DanishBargotra, Jatin Sharma, ShaistaMir, Preeti Malhotra, AvinashBhagat, Saanvi Anant, RohitSharma, Naresh Kumar,Abhinav Sharma, UjhwalBandral, Priya Thakur, SumitRaina and Sahil Kumar.

VC SKUAST-J lays foundation stone of residential quartersExcelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 11: In order tostrengthen the infrastructure facil-ities in SKUAST-Jammu, the

Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST-J, DrPradeep K Sharma today laid thefoundation stones of 3 BHK (12sets) residential quarters forAssistant Professors at ChathaCampus and Dean’s Residence atRS Pura campus.

Estates Officer of theUniversity, Iqbal Singh informedthat the 3 BHK (12 sets) forAssistant Professors is being con-structed at a cost of Rs 3.59 crorein an area of 6700 sq ft while con-struction of Dean’s residence isbeing constructed at a cost of Rs1.11 crore in an area of 2650 sq ft.Both the projects will be complet-ed within 15 and 12 months oftime, respectively. The projectshave been funded by the State

Government under Capex Budget. The Vice-Chancellor asked Dr

Deepak Kher, Director Planning& Monitoring cum Chairman,Standing Works Committee,

Estates Officer and his team thattime and quality of work shouldbe essence of the project. Heemphasized that the work be com-pleted within the stipulated timeso that facility is provided to thefaculty members. He impressedupon the executing agencies andthe University engineers to main-tain quality of work.

Besides, HoDs of all the threefaculties and executive membersof teaching and non-teachingassociations, Director Education,Dr TAS Ganai, Comptroller cumRegistrar, Rajesh Talwar, DeanFVSc & AH RS Pura, Dr MMSZama, Dean, FoA, Dr DP Abrol,Dean FBSc, Dr S Rizvi werepresent in both the functions.

JKMEF president, Sushil Sudan, addressing a press confer-ence at Jammu.

JKMEF to observe half day strike in all health institutions on Oct 17

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 11: JammuKashmir Medical EmployeesFederation (JKMEF), Jammuwill observe strike in first half ofthe day on October 17 to pressthe Government to fulfill thegenuine demands of the femalemultipurpose health workers.

Disclosing this whileaddressing a press conference atFederation Office, DirectorHealth Services Complex,Jammu, Sushil Sudan, Statepresident of the Federation, saidthat on October 15, theFederation will dispatch postalcards to J&K Governor SP Malikand Prime Minister, NarendraModi, urging them to redress thedemands of the female multipur-pose health workers who are onstrike for last 45 days demandingrelease of their pending wages.

Sudan said following this onOctober 17, all the medicalemployees under the banner ofJKMEF will observe strike in allthe health institutions of theJammu province in first half of the

day. However, the emergencyservices will be kept out of thepurview of the strike, he added.

The JKMEF president said ifthe Government still does notwake up from the slumber andredress the demands of thefemale multipurpose healthworkers, all leaders of associa-tion and employee affiliated withJKMEF will proceed towardsKashmir for Secretariat gheraoon October 24.

Those present in the confer-

ence were Ch Jarnail Singh(president JKGPA), RP Singh,Jugal Bakshi, Harpal Singh(president, X-ray TechEmployee Association), PawanSingh (president, JK BasicHealth Employees Association,Mohd Saleem (president,Clerical EmployeesAssociation), Sanjay Khajuria(president, Dental TechEmployees Association andJatinder Singh (president, DriverCleaner Union SHTO, Jammu).

Wheelocity Motors unveils Rapid ONYXExcelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 11: WheelocityMotors unveiled the RapidONYX here today.

In a grand ceremony, the vehi-cle was unveiled by RohitMahajan, Branch Manager J&KBank in presence of the Directorsof Wheelocity Motors Atul Abrol,Gurminder Soodan and MudasirNabi Sheikh.

SKODA Auto India unveiledthe Rapid ONYX at an attractiveex-showroom price of Rs 9.75lakh nationwide taking forwardthe 'One Nation One Price' philos-ophy. The Rapid ONYX will beavailable in manual and automat-ic variants with both petrol anddiesel options. It will be availablein two colours--Lapiz Blue andCandy White at WheelocityMotors.

Adhering to its emotionallyappealing design philosophy, theRapid ONYX comes in a moderncrystalline appearance. Thedynamic appearance is furtheraccentuated by its black designelements. The black facade of theŠKODA Signature Grill comeswith a chrome surround and it aglossy black 16" Clubber alloy

wheels with identical bolt covers,glossy black exterior mirrors,glossy black décor on the B pil-lars, as well as black body sidemoulding and trunk lip garnish.With such meticulous design theRapid ONYX is sure to turn manyheads while on the road.

The interiors of the car aretruly captivating. Coming in con-trasting dual-tone Ebony-Sandinteriors, the Rapid ONYX fea-tures a premium perforated beige

with wood design leatheretteupholstery. The SuperSport FlatBottom leather-wrapped steeringwheel comes with black stitching.Reminding you that you're nevertoo far from luxury is theAbundant Chrome decor.

As a premium offering fromSKODA, the Rapid ONYX alsocomes with highly advanced tech-nical features that will give yourdrive the experience that itdeserves. The car comes with

'Drive'-the Colour TouchscreenCentral Infotainment System thatcomes equipped with SmartLinktechnology which will help youcontrol selected apps like navi-gation straight on the infotain-ment screen and ensure seamlessconnectivity with your smart-phone to keep you connected onthe go, while also supportingUSB/Aux-in/ /Bluetoothoptions.

The car further comes withthe revolutionary Climatronictechnology along withadjustable dual rear AC vents,12 V power socket in front andrear centre console, a blackwaste bin for the front doorpocket, scuff plates with rapidinscription and rear windscreensunblind, making the car evenmore compelling. To add to theoverall convenience are featureslike the height and lengthadjustable multifunction steer-ing wheel, adjustable headrests,foldable armrests, central lock-ing system with remote control,multi-functional display, heightadjustable driver and front pas-senger seats and storage pocketson the back of the front seats.

Officials of Wheelocity Motors unveiling Rapid ONYX atJammu on Thursday.

Artists, who performed in ‘Dak Ghar’ posing for group pho-tograph.

Samooh Theatre performs ‘Dak Ghar’in 8th Natyam National Theatre Festival

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 11: SamoohTheatre performed Dogri adap-tation of Gurudev RabindernathTagore's "Dak Ghar" Directedby Ravinder Sharma in 8thNatyam National TheatreFestival, Bathinda, Punjab.Adaptation of the play is doneby Dr. Sudhir Mahajan. Themusic of play was composed byBrij Mohan and SurinderManhas.

A dying boy namely Amalwho is the main character of theplay, is confined to his roombecause of an incurable disease.He looks out his side-room win-dow at milk man from the vil-lage near the hills, a little girlwith a basket of flowers, awatchman ringing the bells, thecruel Lamberdar and the post-man who brings letters from theking. He talks and makes friendwith them all despite their ages

and backgrounds, taking in sto-ries and their perceptions of theworld.

With the forwarding pace ofthe play Amal's life ebbs out andhe pines for the far-away, 'Amal'awaits a letter from the kingwhich comes at last, at least sohe believes, Carried by theking's own messenger, the RoyalPhysician. He put the boybeyond the touch of all earthlypain. The moment of death ofAmal is the moment of his unionwith the king.

The team includes SandeepManhas, Ravinder Sharma,Sakshav Raina, Ajay Tamangh,Kushal, Vinay Sharma, RohitBains, Yeshvinder Bali, RajatGupta, Chetan Charak, JuhiSingh, Kousar Chandpuri,Rohan Singh, Ayushi Bhat,Suraj Ganjoo, Pooja Sharma,Anita Chandpuri, Princy Bhatand Dr. Sudhir Mahajan.

VC SKUAST-J, Dr Pradeep K Sharma, laying foundationstone of 3BHK for Assistant Professors at Chatha Campus.

* Watch video on www.excelsiornews.com