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Real Estate Major Gives Rs 5 Cr To Haryana Fund, Feeds 1 Lakh Migrant Workers

Real estate major DLF on Monday contributed Rs 5 crore to Haryana Corona Relief Fund. A cheque of the amount was handed over on behalf of the company to Chief Minister Manohar Lal by Rohit Sharma, Director, DLF Estate Developers Ltd.

The company is also feeding thousands of migrant labourers, who have been worst affected by the current lockdown, across geographies where it is operating, including Manesar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Delhi, Noida and Panchkula.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

A company release said that DLF is feeding over 1 lakh stranded migrant labourers. Cooked meals are being served to 85,000 persons and 15,000 family ration bags, each containing 5 kg atta, 2 kgs rice, pulses, spices, salt and cooking oil, have been distributed among migrant labourers. DLF Foundation has roped in Akshay Patra for delivering hot cooked meals prepared from their own kitchen. 

Besides, the company has also donated 75,000 masks and 3,00,000 gloves to the district administrations in Gurugram and Manesar.

Says DLF Group chairman KP Singh, “We are grateful to all stakeholders who are working tirelessly and selflessly for the welfare and safety of our citizens in this hour of crisis. We in DLF also feel that each Indian entity must whole-heartedly contribute in this national movement and challenge for India to emerge victorious, faced as we are with new hardships on the people of India and businesses together. DLF is fully committed to working with administrations in all the geographies that we operate in.” 

About DLF Foundation

DLF Foundation was established in 2008 as the philanthropic arm of DLF Limited under the direct patronage of DLF Group Chairman KP Singh. The Foundation’s mission is to empower communities and create opportunities for the underprivileged by promoting inclusive growth which is holistic, sustainable and socially uplifting. The Foundation believes in ‘Building India’ from the grass roots by fostering innovative strategies in the fields of Education, Skill Development, Healthcare, Infrastructure Development, Community Development, Labour Welfare and Environmental Sustainability.

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

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Now Even A Layman Will Be Able To Get A Hang Of Real Estate Laws

Here comes a book on Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) which claims to demystify real estate laws from the point of view of all stake-holders – real estate buyers, sellers and brokers/consultants.

Authored by Jagdish Singh Khushdil, a legal luminary for over three decades and currently Member, Rera Punjab, the book, My Experiments With Rera, also incorporates relevant provisions of associated acts like Consumer Act, local laws like Punjab Apartment & Property Regulations Act (Papra) and Town & Country Act for ease of comprehensive understanding of issues without having to refer to other books.  

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

The book was unveiled in Chandigarh recently at an event organised by Punjab chapter of Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (Credai). Besides the author, among others present were Credai Punjab office bearers Jagjit Singh Majha (President), Harish Gupta (Vice President), Arun Jindal (General Secretary), Umang Jindal (Joint Secretary) and Tarninder Singh, President, New Chandigarh, Credai.

The book is available for sale in paper-back at Shriram Law House, Sec 17 Chandigarh and can also be ordered online on Amazon.

Speaking at the book launch, Khushdil, a former District & Sessions Judge, Adjudicating Officer, Rera and also President, District Consumer Forum, said, “I believe that large sections of people are still grossly unaware of the implications of a new era ushered in by Rera. My attempt in the book has been to simplify details about Rera, and various laws associated with real estate sector, so that these are easy to comprehend even by a layman.

“I am sure that by going through the book, any aggrieved or interested person can find answers to all questions and doubts which come to mind. Since Rera is a central Act, all states have adopted it and created their own authorities with minor variations here and there. So, this book will be of help to people across the country, and not just in Punjab,” the Member, Rera Punjab, added.

When the tu came for the Credai Punjab office bearers to get some of their concerns addressed, the obvious first question, coming from President Majha, was ‘how does Rera restrain the police from making unjustifiable intervention in matters related to real estate.”

In his reply, Khushdil was clear that all issues concerning buyers, sellers and brokers are covered under the jurisdiction of Rera, and that the police have no power to take cognizance of offences in the real estate sector. In fact, Rera also has jurisdiction of civil courts in matters related to real estate. Even a judicial magistrate can take up a real estate matter only on receiving a complaint from Rera, he explained.

Credai Punjab Vice President Gupta raised many other issues like buyers not paying maintenance charges despite getting possession, not getting the agreement to sell registered by paying stamp duty, and defaulting on paying instalments, etc to which Khushdil replied that in all such cases, where a consumer indulges in unfair and illegal practice, promoters can approach Rera for redressal.

Giving an example from his personal experience, Gupta also raised the issue of Consumer courts superseding Rera in matters concerning the real estate sector. But Majha intervened to assert that there have been a lot of positive outcomes in the 3 years of Rera’s existence in Punjab. 800 developers as well as 9000 consultants have registered with Rera in Punjab. Things take time to stabilise, he emphasised and informed that in the coming times it is expected that Rera will be the sole authority adjudicating on real estate issues.

Khushdil appealed to all buyers and real estate developers to honestly state the selling price in all agreements to sell. It is in the interest of buyers also since in an eventuality of refund they will be entitled to get back only the understated amount. Promoters can approach Rera in case buyers insist on understating the sale price to save on payable stamp duty, he added

 Giving an overview of the real estate sector, Majha said, “The real estate industry provides employment to over 40 million people and work to 269 different industries. What’s more, real estate accounts for 8 per cent of the country’s GDP which is slated to touch 13 per cent by 2025, as per latest report of the National Productivity Council. Rera is a boon for this industry as it will set the bar for quality and even make the industry completely organized.”

Majha informed the media that Credai Punjab has also created its own Grievances Redressal Forum where aggrieved consumers can file complaints against any of its members. The idea is that for minor issues, consumers need not rush to Rera, he claimed.

He said Credai Punjab has requested the state government to provide it land for construction of a Credai Bhawan, where it proposes to start a skill development centre for construction workers as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, besides showcasing various projects and holding seminars, etc.

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :
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Promise Of Changing Your Life!

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He is a multi-tasker and is omnipresent. You just can’t miss him in any circle, whether sports, administration, literature, business. You name it and he is there! The bureaucrat turned writer-columnist and motivational speaker, Vivek Atray, just released his third book Finding Success Within – 52 Life Skills for Young Indians. An amalgamation of 52 career and life skills, the book promises to change your life and steer you towards success and happiness.

To do the honours on Sunday evening at the packed basement hall of CII Northern Region headquarters were former Army chief Gen VP Malik (retd) and Advisor to the UT Administrator Manoj Parida.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

The book, running into 211 pages, which makes an effort to guide the youth in improving their career prospects and enhance the quality of life, is published by Invincible Publishers and Marketeers and is available for purchase online.

Among the career skills Vivek Atray has dwelled upon are remaining enthusiastic forever, choosing a career you love, knowing what really matters, communicating effectively, being a team player, being organised, maintaining inter-personal relations, handling difficult bosses, adapting to changing times and having a winning habit.

The life skills include positivity in blood, being fearless, time management, managing personal finances, emotional intelligence, building leadership qualities, social and conversation skills, choosing life partner with care, integrity and values and seeing the bigger picture.

In his foreword to the book, Shiv Khera, a renowned author, educator, business consultant and much sought-after speaker, has said, in this effort Vivek Atray takes a look at some of the recipes of success. He has covered entrepreneurship and The Winning Habit in a manner that readers would feel motivated to adopt his ideas.

“I have always believed that in life, true champions never give up. True leaders do not have any regrets, since they have always given their best to everything they do!

“I am certain this book will spread his message of positivity, calmness and balance, which are the real ingredients for success and happiness,” Khera has observed.  

Providing a sneak-peak into the book, author Vivek Atray shared, “The true meaning of success is lost somewhere in the quagmire of expectations and desires that all human beings experience regularly, especially in the current times. Success cannot be measured by materialistic parameters but by a true sense of inner peace and joy.

“The young people of India need to be assured by the parents and teachers that life is not about the ‘marks’ but about ‘making a mark’ in the long run!” he added.

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :
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Women Better Placed, Must Not Use Law As Weapon To Settle Scores: Dr Nishtha Jaswal

MCM DAV College for Women celebrated International Women’s Day 2020 on Saturday in association with the Chandigarh State Branch of Indian Dental Association (IDA) and International College of Dentists (ICD), both celebrating 100 years of their existence.

Lectures by eminent speakers, a play and a self defence display by Chandigarh Police and a quiz organised by the IDA, with gifts being distributed among the winners, marked the occasion.  Senior faculty members of the college, who had put in two to three decades of service, and who were praised as pillars of the institution, were also felicitated.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest for the occasion Dr Nishtha Jaswal, Vice Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh National Law University, and an alumnus of the college, said women have every right to live with dignity and honour in this world and they cannot give right to men, or anybody for that matter, to dictate their lives.

Noting with satisfaction that the status of women is now much better than it was when laws and practices were slanted heavily against them, and many of which were later struck down by the courts from time to time, she said women are not only born equal, but they have shown that they can share responsibilities equally with men.

At the same time she said, while women have every right to lodge complaints in genuine case of harassment or discrimination, and fight tooth and nail to take it to its logical conclusion, it should not be used as a tool or weapon to settle scores. Recollecting her four-year tenure as chairperson of the Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) at Panjab University Chandigarh, she said she came across many cases where false complaints were lodged by women out of revenge on petty issues against men.

She signed off with a beautiful self written poem, highlighting the inherent power of women.

Dr Ashima Goyal, Prof in the Department of Oral Health Sciences, PGI Chandigarh, who was the guest of honour, pointed to the list of 100 most powerful women in the world to press home the point that an equal world is an enabled world.

College Principal Dr Nisha Bhargava, while presenting a report card of the institution, said girls from the college have excelled in every sphere, including studies, sports and innovation.

Dr RP Gupta, President of the Chandigarh State Branch of IDA, while giving an overview of the activities of the association in public service, said it has organised oral and general health awareness sessions for women patients at PGI and GMCH-32 in connection with International Women’s day. After today’s programme, the association is also going to organise an awareness camp at the Sector 16 Multi Speciality Hospital the next day, he added.  

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

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Nikhil Sawhney & Abhimanyu Munjal To Take Charge

Nikhil Sawhney, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Triveni Turbines Ltd, and Abhimanyu Munjal, Jt. Managing Director and CEO, Hero FinCorp Ltd, have been elected Chairman and Deputy Chairman, respectively of the CII Northern Region.

The election took place during the first meeting of the newly elected Regional Council members on Friday. Sawhney will head the CII Northern Region comprising Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Nikhil Sawhney is Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Triveni Turbines Ltd and a Director with Triveni Engineering and Industries Ltd. The companies occupy leadership positions in their respective businesses, viz., sugar manufacturing and engineered-to-order mechanical equipment, spanning across14 manufacturing locations in India.

Sawhney follows the principle of responsible corporate citizenry and has initiated several community oriented initiativesHe has helped found the CII-Triveni Water Institute and is an active trustee of the Tirath Ram Shah Charitable Hospital and the Emmanuel College India Trust. He is also a fellow of the Aspen Institute of India & the Aspen Global Leadership Network. 

He has contributed to CII in the capacity of Co-Chairman, CII National Committee on Capital Goods and Engineering; and was a member of CII Manufacturing Council for the year 2015-16.

Abhimanyu Munjal, Joint Managing Director and CEO, Hero FinCorp Limited, is a third generation entrepreneur from the illustrious Munjal family. He has over 15 years of experience in strategic leadership and people management, and has held various executive positions in Hero Group companies.

Since 2013, he has been leading the Group’s diversification into financial services through Hero FinCorp.  A firm believer in innovation and technology, he has also set up a VC fund, called AdvantEdge Partners that helps budding entrepreneurs become innovation leaders, by providing access to thought leaders, capital, and up-scaling opportunities.

As a staunch supporter of strong ties between industry and policy makers, Munjal is a regular participant and contributor to various forums and has also held offices in the capacity of Co-Chairman, CII National Committee for NBFCs (2019-20 & 2018-19) and also as Chairman, CII Delhi State (2019-20).

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

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Replica Of Oxford Street London Offers Promising Investment Opportunities

A replica of Europe’s busiest 1.5 miles long shopping street, the Oxford Street, in city of Westminster on the west end of London, coming up on 4.5 acres at a prime location in Zirakpur, is promising a lucrative business investment. The promoters of Oxford Street Zirakpur – Royale Estate Group, jointly with JLPL – are confident of delivering the property, an experiential upscale retail and business address inspired by British architecture, on schedule by June 2021.

Neeraj Kansal, Managing Director of Royale Estate Group, announced at a media conference in Chandigarh on Thursday a tie-up with Hotel Episode, Leamington Spa town, in Shakespeare’s country, Warwickshire – England, to operate and manage, with the help of a team of British professionals, a 64-room medium-sized hotel being developed on Oxford Street Zirakpur property. Hotel Episode is one of the boutique luxury hotels located on Oxford Street, London, known for providing extraordinary experiences to its customers.

Emma Davidson, General Manager of Hotel Episode, in which Royale Estate Group is already invested, also interacted with the media.

Overall the Oxford Street Zirakpur property, featuring water bodies, pedestrian boulevards and stone-cobbled colonnade walkways, British inspired lighting and landscaping, and central sculpture step sit-out, will be maintained and managed by JLL India, part of the leading global real estate services company.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Besides high-end retail, the property will offer private and co-working spaces, buzzing food networks, wellness and entertainment facilities, hotel and sky lounge, courtyard and social arena. “The naturally ventilated open plaza or courtyard, which will consume 2.5 acres of the total space, surrounded by retail showrooms and food counters, will allow visitors to shop and eat under the open sky. The green spaces and water bodies will keep the temperature cool during peak summers,” Kansal shared.

He said the property will house 250-300 top brands in six blocks. More than 50 letters of intent (LoIs) or agreements had already been signed with the brands. The company is investing Rs 200-250 crore in the Oxford Street Zirakpur project. Construction of the project began in October last year, and is slated for delivery by June 2021, he added.

Concept pictures

Explaining the investment opportunities in Hotel Episode Zirakpur, Kansal said by investing Rs 32 lakh in buying a room, the investor gets Rs 21,000 permanent monthly income with a lease of 9+9+9 years. Those booking before March, 2020 also get seven nights stay per year for 10 years in Hotel Episode either in London or Zirakpur. The medium to high class hotel has different categories of rooms with 400-plus sq ft area and are the rental per night is expected to start from around Rs 3,000, he informed.

Other investment options in Oxford Street Zirakpur range in price from Rs 25 lakh, going up to Rs 1.75 crore. In these too, the company promises to facilitate lease deeds with top brands on permanent monthly income or revenue sharing basis.

Royale Estate Group, which began its journey in real estate business in 2010, claims to have delivered 4,000-plus possessions in about a dozen projects in Zirakpur and other parts of Punjab, all within promised time schedules.

Among these projects are Royale Estate, Aggarwal Shopping Complex, Wind Cross, Royale Estate 2 and Royale Ambience in Zirakpur, and Aero Arcade on Airport Road in Mohali. The group has also executed projects in Rampura Phul, Tapa Mandi, Barnala and Banur, besides owning three projects in Peterborough and Bedford, United Kingdom.

“We have invested between Rs 2,500-3,000 crore in projects executed so far, and the beauty is that we don’t have a single rupee as loans on us from banks or other financial institutions. We would rather sell assets at a lower price to overcome financial constraints from time to time, than be pushed into a debt trap,” the group MD emphasised.

He shared that right now the company is focussing on affordable housing with 1-3 bedroom residential units priced in the region of Rs 13 lakh, Rs 17 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, respectively. He expressed his conviction that even a person with a family income of Rs 20,000 per month can afford to buy a residential unit. He or she gets Rs 2.7 lakh government subsidy on loan interest in a staggered time frame, which effectively reduces the loanee’s interest rate to 4-4.5% , he maintained.

Construction in progress at site

Speaking about ways the Royale Estate Group is plying back to society, Kansal said “We have a scheme wherein if a property is bought, and registered, in the name of a woman, the company presents the woman a fixed deposit of Rs 2.5 lakh. So far 100-plus such FDs have been presented.”

The company has in the past also absorbed the entire amount of external development charge (EDC) imposed by the authorities on projects and also paid the registration charges for the sold properties, giving substantial relief to buyers, he said, adding that despite not promising concrete roads, the company has provided these on arterial roads in its projects at no extra cost, despite such roads costing more than double of bitumen-gravel roads.

He signed off saying that the company’s commitment towards its customers reflects in the faith the buyers have reposed in it. “More than 25% of the investors in our new projects are repeat investors,” he asserted.

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :
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No Excessive Laad-Pyaar, Enforce Some Discipline & Strictness: Babita Phogat To Parents

Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur has said that initial feedback from various sectors of the economy does not point towards any significant adverse impact of the coronavirus epidemic in China on the Indian trade and industry so far. The government is, however, serious about preparing a contingency plan to protect Indian interests in any eventuality.

“Though we used to hate our gruelling, almost cruel, training regimen, without any breaks whatsoever, in hindsight, I feel every parent should desist from showering excessive ‘laad-pyaar’ (love and care) on their children, and exert certain amount of strictness and discipline, if they want to raise confident citizens ready to face the vagaries of life.”

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

These were the words, apparently coming straight from the heart, of the age wise second of the famous Phogat wrestling sisters Babita Kumari Phogat, spoken during the inaugural session on ‘Olympic Dreams’ at the Playwrite sports literature fest, organised by The Playwrite Foundation, in Chandigarh, recently.

A gold medallist in Commonwealth Games and bronze medallist in World Wrestling Championships, Babita was in conversation with co-founder of the foundation Vivek Atray, himself a well known sports personality.

She was accompanied at the programme by her wrestler husband Vivek Suhag. The session was inaugurated by OP Singh, Haryana Principal Secretary – Sports, who held the attention of the audience with his insightful address, interspersed with humorous anecdotes.

Commenting on how difficult it is for girls to shine in sports, especially in conservative societies, she asserted “Girls can do what boys can, they just need opportunities. If parents stand by their daughters there’s no stopping them.”  

While motivating aspiring sportspersons (there were a whole lot of football trainees of Roundglass Foundation present), she said “There is no substitute to hard work. Injuries and defeats should not deter you. I have had serious injuries from head to toe during my career, and invariably close to major competitions, but that did not deter me from giving my 100%.”

Her dietary advisory for sportsperson was “Eat protein rich diet, and stay away from ghee, salt and sugar close to major competitions to remain lean and strong. Drink lots of water, that too while sitting, not standing.”

On psychologically making oneself strong, Babita said, “If you are not getting there, just ask yourself why? Objectively identify your weaknesses, and work to improve on them. Try, try and try again, unless you succeed, should be the mantra for a competitive and passionate sportsperson. Back your abilities, and your preparation, when doubts begin to appear. And enjoy what you do best.”

Reminiscing the time when former world weightlifting champion Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, a bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she said, “My father vowed then that if she can, why not my girls. And, he took up their training with a ‘junoon’.

“What people have seen in the movie ‘Dangal’, based on our lives, is no exaggeration. The strict training regimen was very rigorous and demanding, almost cruel to a child. There was no escape from it, no breaks even for weddings within family and friends. We had no option because it was a home production, and our father was our coach. Had it been any other coach or ‘akharah’ (wrestling centre) we would have run away,” Babita related.

“I did stop practising at times, but each time was weaned back by my father and mother with some or the other inducements like ‘do saal ki hi to baat hai’, but those two years were never ending,” she recalled.

“A lot of our own relatives opposed our wearing shorts, and practising with boys, because there were hardly any sports girls in these parts those days, but my father stuck to his ‘zid’ (guns) and ignored all their protestations,” Babita recollected, apparently with a sense of pride and admiration for her father.

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :
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We Had To Make Do With A Shaved Hockey Field, Plastered With Cow Dung: Ashok Kumar

The main reason for decline of Indian hockey from the 1970s onwards was undoubted the inability of our players for decades to adjust to the new synthetic grass surface. It was clearly more suited to physical standards and style of play of players from Western nations. But, now that the new generation of Indian players are in tune with the surface, the future of Indian hockey looks bright.

These were the words of wisdom shared by veterans of India’s only Hockey World Cup title victory thus far, at Kuala Lumpur in 1975 – captain of the team Ajit Pal Singh and the man who scored the winning goal against Pakistan in the final, ace forward Ashok Kumar – in a session titled ‘Hockey: That 70s Show!’ at the 3rd edition of Playwrite sports literature fest, organised by The Playwrite Foundation, in Chandigarh, recently.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

The way the current Indian team has been playing, beating the top three teams in this year’s FIH Pro League, it can hopefully make a podium finish at the Tokyo Olympics, Ashok Kumar said, while exuding confidence that the boys are getting fitter and stronger, and playing technically better hockey, which are good traits to have while taking on the more robust teams of the world.

The two Indian hockey veterans were in conversation with senior journalist Prabhjot Paul Singh. The engrossing session was further bolstered as an ailing three time Olympic gold medallist and Chief Manager of the World Cup winning Indian team Balbir Singh Senior surprised everyone by making a brief appearance. It was picture perfect, as the three greats of the game met. A mad rush for selfies, group photographs and autographs followed, disrupting proceedings for quite a while.

When the session resumed, the more vocal of the two, Ashok Kumar, son of the legendry ‘hockey wizard’ Maj Dhyan Chand, while reminiscing those days of the great Indian win of 1975, and Indian hockey’s subsequent decline, shared that trials of the synthetic grass surface started in 1971-72, and FIH asked all hockey-playing nations to get the turfs. It was first officially used in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, but India got its first synthetic grass surface only in 1981, in preparation for the 1982 Asian Games, in New Delhi, he said.

“I remember that the preparatory camp for the Montreal Olympics was held at NIS Patiala, and since we did not have a synthetic grass surface in the country, the authorities plastered a field, from which grass was shaved off, with cow dunk, in a clumsy effort to replicate the conditions likely to confront them on the fast-paced synthetic grass surface in the Olympics,” Ashok Kumar related.

Ajit Pal Singh also blamed controversies that continued to dog the IHF in those times, and some weird changes made in team selections before important world events, for the decline in Indian hockey.

In fact, he said, the 1975 World Cup title was made all the more sweet, considering the uncertainty over the very participation of the team in the tournament. An ultimatum had been given to the Indian team management that the team will be sent back if the tussle within IHF was not resolved. We were saved the ignominy after the IOA stepped in and took responsibility to sponsor the team, he added.

Ashok Kumar remembered the one-and-a-half months training camp organised at Panjab University Chandigarh grounds, sponsored by the Punjab government, in preparation for the 1975 World Cup. He recalled the tremendous support they received from the huge crowds, which gathered each day to watch them practice, and being housed in an incomplete boys’ hostel right next to a girls’ hostel, which kicked up a controversy of sorts.

Asked about their preference between Indian and foreign coaches, Ajit Pal Singh, while appreciating the contribution of foreign coaches in fine-tuning the physical traits and technical skills of Indian hockey players in line with the requirement of artificial surfaces, felt that with the new generation of players having achieved that comfort level on such surfaces, Indian coaches could now take charge of training aspects.

Commenting on Major Dhyan Chand being overlooked for the Bharat Ratna award, while conferring it on cricket great Sachin Tendulkar, he said it was baffling why the government could not confer the country’s highest civilian honour on the ‘hockey wizard’, and three time Olympic gold medallist Balbir Singh Senior, for that matter. Their contribution to the game, and the honour they brought to the country, is unparalleled, he asserted.

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :
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Hundreds Of Lesser Heroes Make One Big Sporting Hero: Bhattacharjya

The business of sports is as important as sports itself. It is a crucial factor deciding how big a sport is going to be in the long run. So when a big name in the business of sports in India, Joy Bhattacharjya came calling, to participate in the 3rd edition of Playwrite sports literature fest, organised by The Playwrite Foundation in Chandigarh recently, we were all ears.

Besides being a celebrated quiz master, Bhattacharjya, who has been Team Director of IPL franchisee Kolkatta Knight Riders (KKR) for nearly seven years; Project Director, Local Organising Committee, 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India; and currently is CEO, Professional Volleyball League, explained that sport is a pyramid, the base of which naturally needs to be very strong.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

“People virtually worship their sporting icons, but what most of them do not realise is that it takes hundreds of lesser heroes at the lower levels to create one big hero at the highest level,” he remarked.

Sports need to be imbibed as a culture, he said while giving the example of Latin American countries Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, which between themselves have won nine Football World Cups. “Most of the greats of the game these countries have produced started learning to play on the streets. That’s sports culture for you!”

He was in conversation with Chitranjan Agarwal, co-founder of The Playwrite Foundation and a big time sports enthusiast, in the session on ‘The Business of Sports’. The theme of Playwrite in this Tokyo Olympics year was ‘Living The Olympic Dream’.

Emphasising that parents need to get more proactive in encouraging and motivating their children to indulge and excel in professional sports of their choice, Bhattacharjya said the parents should be out there in the field with them, egging them on in their pursuit of excellence.

Pointing out that the good old PT or sports teachers in schools are not given their due, he said it is high time we start giving them the respect they deserve, just like we do to Maths, Science or English teachers, so that they get motivated to bring out the best in their trainees. “This is extremely important if we want to bring a sports revolution in this country. The school is where we need to start,” he asserted.

Tracing the initial journey of IPL, the sports administrator said India’s memorable victory in the first T20 World Cup final in 2007, with Pakistan’s dream ending after Misba-ul-Haq cooped up a catch, was the trigger for the IPL. “Initially no one knew how big or small the league would be. But, the memorable innings of 158 by Brendon McCullum for KKR vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008 killed all speculation regarding the success of the league, and it went from strength to strength thereafter.”

Regarding the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, he shared that there were initial doubts in people’s mind about hosting such a big tournament in a country considered not a good enough football-playing nation. “After the success of FIFA U-17 World Cup, which got 11 million school children playing football under ‘Mission Eleven Million’, a transformational school outreach programme, every sport wants to come to India, which is the largest untapped market for any sport. It is only we who are holding ourselves back,” he stressed.

Maintaining that football is a very important game for India, considering that it is among the simplest games to play, he expressed confidence that the game has a bright future in the country. “Football is on its way.”

While striking a note of optimism regarding the future of all sports in the country, he observed that there are enough people in the country wanting to indulge professionally in a lot of sports, and parents ready to support them, but the biggest impediment is the inability of people at the helm in many federations to think big regarding their sport. “But, they won’t let go of their positions either,” he rued.

Bhattacharjya strongly advocated putting sports in the concurrent list to bring the central government in the forefront of sports. Being a state subject, different states have their own sports policies because of which there is no cohesion of thought and action, he said.

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

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Shailesh & Shailesh Inc. In CII Hill Council

Lt Col Shailesh Pathak (retd) and Shailesh Aggarwal have been elected as the Chairman and Vice Chairman of CII Himachal Pradesh State Council respectively for the year 2020-21.

Lt Col Pathak is the CEO of Art-N-Glass Inc., a leading glass processing company, and Partner with Green Fenestration Technologies (GFT), a high technology doors and windows manufacturing company. A science graduate from Delhi University, and now a fenestration (the arrangement of windows in a building) professional, Col Pathak is also an adventure enthusiast and motivational speaker.

Lt Col Shailesh Pathak (retd)

Shailesh Aggarwal is Managing Director of Nalagarh-based JB Conductors and Cables,  manufacturers of insulated copper and aluminium conductors. A mechanical engineer from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, Aggarwal has been associated with CII for many years and also served on the CII HP Panel on Power.

Shailesh Aggarwal

LifeInChandigarh.com  by APR Media House is an enjoyable digital reading startup, which keeps you abreast of the latest meaningful happenings of interest to large sections of folks in Chandigarh tricity, and expats from the region. It has been promoted by a public spirited senior journalist and media consultant with a view to encourage good quality and healthy journalism, a dire need of the times.

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :
kochhar.apr@gmail.com
9815617676