IT Chandigarh

Profiling Nehru through his metaphors

Chandigarh: Effective art is one that sustains the inquisition of truth. Rakesh Gupta’s visual portraits of dark social realities do just that.

In quest of harmony, the writer-painter broaches issues of domestic and social violence in a manner that they anguish and agitate. “They are meant to,” says the academician, whose primary occupation is to teach political science at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). On the sidelines, he writes poetry and also paints, each painting presenting itself as text.

Only this time Gupta’s texts are located in unusual spaces — spaces that only a political scientist who is aware of the dynamics of violence can see and share. Called “Cuisines of the other Kind”, his art show that opened today at the Government Museum Gallery, Sector 10, deals with the pains and pleasures of being in matrimony and in society, where violence is imperative and ravenous forces abound. Put together in Gupta’s artworks is the philosophy of life and love; each works a mirror to the hurts and aches people cause to those within their families and within larger social spaces.
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Chandigarh: The finance and contract committee meeting today cleared the budget estimate ( Rs 15 lakh) for the controversial mayors’ conference scheduled for December at a meeting held today.

The meeting yesterday had cleared all items on the agenda except that of the conference. Today, it was argued that the F and CC had no authority to take a decision if such conferences could be held.

It only had powers to clear the budget. Eventually, despite opposition from the MC commissioner, the budget of Rs 15 lakh was cleared.

It is learnt that no aid will be forthcoming from the Centre for the conference. Sources say aid is provided only in case of 70 per cent attendance.

Source: TNS

CHANDIGARH: Punjab faces serious financial crisis and it’s deepening each day. Tax collection this fiscal year has shown a mere increase of less than 1%, while the bill of freebies and subsidies is long. And of the proposed additional resource mobilisation (ARM) of Rs 1000 crore in the budget, the government has managed to generate only Rs 18 crore in the first sixth months.

A look at tax receipts during this period reflects a grim situation. Against the expected increase of 25% in VAT, the actual increase in just 6.81%. Collections from stamp and registration are dismal as against the expected growth of 27%, and has shown a fall of 21.24%. Both VAT and stamp duty amount to two-thirds of tax collections.

There are apprehensions that the current fiscal plan of Rs 5,111 crore may be short by Rs 1,500 crore and the government will be able to release money for various centrally-sponsored or externally-aided schemes where the state government share is mostly 10 to 30%.

Source: The Times of India News Service

CHANDIGARH: Controversy begot controversy in D5 — a movie based on the serial killings in Nithari village on the outskirts of Noida that hit the headlines in 2006.

Karan Pandher, son of Moninder Pandher, an accused in the incident, moved a civil suit in UT’s district court on Tuesday against eight parties, including film director Yogendra Konkar, lead actor Raza Murad, apparently playing the role of Moninder, other actors and chairman, Central Board of Film Certification.

The court of civil judge Atul Marya issued notices to all the parties and fixed December 5 for filing of reply. It had been recently reported in newspapers that D-5 would hit cinema screens in January.

Source: The Times of India News Service