Everyone has heard of langars in gurdwaras, have you ever heard of a ‘langar of woollens’? This is true. A langar of wollen clothes is going to be held at the Sector 34 gurdwara, Chandigarh, by the tera hi tera mission from Dec 13-Dec 25.
To ensure that one item goes to one person and maximum people can benefit, one item will be issued against one Aadhar card. “A computer software will detect if someone tries to issue a second item,” says H S Sabharwal, Secretary of the ‘tera hi tera mission’ Trust.

If a person does not have an Aadhar card, any other identity card will be accepted.
Another catch is those people who wish to donate clothes can wash/ dryclean/ iron and pack woolen clothes which are in wearable condition in packets and deposit them with the Trust. The collection of clothes from donors will begin from Dec 5.
“70-80 pc of the woollens have been bought from Ludhiana, Ambala and Panipat, rest of the 20-30 pc will be covered by donated clothes,” says Sabharwal.
A similar langar was held last year as well when about 6,000 needy people had availed the benefit of the woollens langar. “People from labour colony, rickshaw wallahs, workers had taken clothes from us then, 15-20 pc were also people from middle class families who were hit by Covid financially,” he says.
So, if you have maids, workers, or anybody in sight who is poor and needy, inform and spread the message.

Date: Dec 13-Dec 25

Timings: 10 am – 5 pm
Place:  Sector 34 gurdwara
Contact N0: 9814300113
98887001133
NGO: Tera hi tera mission

Tera Hi Tera Mission
The mission runs 3 charitable hospitals in the Tricity and a medical shop in GMCH, Sector 32, where medicines are available at lesser prices.

Tera Hi Tera Mission Hospital
SCO 138, Opp Sampark center, Sector 45, Chandigarh
Contact: 9814300013, 9254124143

Guru ka langar eye hospital
536, Madhya marg, sector 18B,Chandigarh
01725020113

Homeopathic medical college and hospital
Sector 26, Chandigarh
9888700113

On the birth anniversary of Flying Sikh late Milkha Singh, his grandson Har Jai Milkha Singh, and blade runner Major DP Singh flagged off the 2nd edition of Hero Electric ONE RACE Half Marathon in Chandigarh.

Called ONE RACE – ‘Bhaag Chandigarh Bhaag’ Half marathon was a befitting tribute to Padma Shri Milkha Singh where thousands of runners ran 5 km, 10 km, and half marathon distances on Sunday.

The Chandigarh edition of this popular multi-city event was a stupendous success as thousands of runners paid a running tribute to athletics legend Milkha Singh, India’s most prolific runner, the only Indian athlete to win gold at 400 meters at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

India’s first para-athlete from J&K Chandeep Singh and legendary long-distance runner from the Tricity 80-yr-old Amar Chauhan also participated in the run.

The Chandigarh run was flagged off from Chandigarh Club on Sunday, November 20, 2022, by late Milkha Singh’s grandson Har Jai Milkha Singh who is an emerging golf star. Major DP Singh, Kargil war veteran, India’s first Blade runner, and Asia’s first disabled solo skydiver flagged off the HeroEcoMed SAHAS Ability Run where more than 75 runners with disabilities competed along with able-bodied runners.

The first prize of the Hero Electric ONE RACE Half Marathon, best-selling scooter, Hero Optima was won by Sahil and Manisha Rawat from Punjab Police.

About One Race: A leading half marathon

Hero Electric ONE RACE Half Marathon is a ‘Sewa’ inspired run that promotes inclusivity of all participants.

Hero Electric ONE RACE lives up to its motto ‘Running bhi, Sewa bhi’. The run raises aid for leading charities including Khalsa Aid, Chandigarh Spinal Rehab, Pingalwara Foundation, Serve Humanity, Serve God Foundation and encourages year-round volunteerism amongst the running community.

Other than Chandigarh, ONE RACE Half Marathon has a footprint in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Jalandhar, Sri Anandpur Sahib and Taran Taran.

With the advent of app-based cab services and the convenience they provide, we are a hassle-free lot. We do face problems sometimes at the hands of the service providers like Ola, Uber, InDriver, but not any longer. Chandigarh administration has issued directions to immediately implement Motor Vehicle Aggregators Guidelines 2020, which will regulate fare calculation, price hike, and ride cancellation charges, which will significantly bring down the total fare. Let us take an overview of how these guidelines will help passengers and what responsibility has been fixed on the cab app companies:ow

How do passengers benefit?

1. At present, passengers are charged upto twice the base price during surge pricing in peak hours, but the new guidelines limits surge pricing to 1.5 times the base fare.
2. The cancellation charges for both the driver and the rider have been capped at 10% of the total fare. Currently, cab aggregators charge arbitrarily, sometimes as high as ₹50, for a cancellation.
3. No sudden rise in fare hike:

Consumers will be saved from a sudden increase in taxi fares as WPI (Wholesale Price Index) is revised only once, i.e when WPI figures are declared.

According to guidelines issued by the Union ministry of road transport and highways, the fare indexed with WPI is ₹18 for the current year. It will be the base fare for a minimum of 3 km in Chandigarh as well. In case of inter-city rides to cities where the guidelines have not been put in place yet, the base fare shall be ₹25 to 30.

It will benefit the aggregators as well because during inflation period, the WPI will ensure that real income of operators doesn’t fall.

4. Pool ride facility for women
   
   

Moreover, women who want to avail ride pooling will be provided the option to pool only with other female passengers.

According to the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines – 2020, implemented in the UT, aggregators (cab service providers  like Ola, Uber) may provide pooling facilities to riders whose details and KYC are available and who will be travelling along the same route but with varied stoppages from one point to another under a virtual contract through the app. The UT Administration may relax the detour specifications in order to provide accessibility in urban agglomerations and areas beyond the limits of the Municipal Corporation.

5. The app shall be accessible in English and Hindi as the primary languages for the rider along with one official language of the relevant state where the official language is not Hindi. Additionally, the app shall be accessible in such language that is understandable by the driver.

Fixing Company (cab provider)’s responsibility

1. For the safety of passengers, aggregators (cab provider) will ensure appropriate functioning of the GPS installed in the vehicle and provide efficient resolution for any issues that may develop in its functioning.

They will also have to ensure that the driver plies the vehicle on the route assigned on the app and in non-compliance of the same, develop a mechanism wherein the app device indicates the fault to the driver and the control room of the aggregator immediately communicates with the driver with regard to the same.

2.  The aggregator will have to enforce a mechanism on the app to ensure that the identity of the driver undertaking a trip is same as the one enlisted with the aggregator requiring verification every time a trip is accepted.

3. Aggregator will have to ensure that the data generated on the app is stored on a server in India and that such stored data will be for a minimum of three months and a maximum of 24 months from the date on which such data is generated. This data shall be made available to the government as per the due process of law. Any data related to customers shall not be disclosed without the written consent of the customer.

The perfect ambience for music, story-telling, dining, sharing anecdotes, socialising with like-minded people. Such a musical storytelling event was held by the Baithak Commune, an independent group of like-minded artists, storytellers and poets, at Social in Sector 7, Chandigarh. Three artists, Jaipur-based Satvik Sakar, Danny Ke Dose from Delhi and Tricity-based Simit Ahuja, came together for the one-of-a-kind event.

Their performances were original compositions depicting their own stories that revolved around first loves, heartbreaks and life in general. The musicians had the audience hooked to their verses and storytelling as they performed their heart out. The musical evening was hosted by poet Rishab Prashar who introduced the artists – singers and composers.

Satvik Sakar, who is also one of the founders of Baithak Commune, elucidated to the audience how the event came about.

Speaking about his journey, he said, “My experience in Mumbai and its culture gave me a glimpse of how well artists are treated in the city”. In 2018, as Sakar went back home to Jaipur he wished to create a similar culture. While open mics had become extremely popular back then in metros, in tier two cities these kinds of events usually meant that artists were shelling out money to be able to perform at spaces which hosted these events.

“Where artists should be getting paid, they were the ones paying instead,” says Sakar, adding that he and his partner started doing house gigs and that eventually led to Baithak Commune, a way to promote artists and local talent and get like-minded people together. He further adds, “People started falling in love with the idea because it wasn’t just about the gig, it was about how strangers can feel vulnerable at the same time and can express their emotions without the fear of being judged.”

The evening kicked off with Danny Ke Dose’s performance with him telling the story behind his name and beginning with a song about crushes.

This was followed by Simit Ahuja’s soulful act which also had audience participation. The final act of the evening was by Satvik Sakar who kept the audience regaled with narratives on love and desire. The event which centred on the idea of bringing back the human connection through storytelling was brought to a close by Sakar’s heartfelt performance.

Dr Navreet Kaur, who is the Punjab head of Baithak Commune, said that a similar event in Ludhiana will take place on Sunday. It was during her travels across India that Dr Navreet came across musical events which inspired her to bring the same to Punjab where such events were a rarity. The Chandigarh event was the first event of Baithak Commune in Punjab which will be followed by the Ludhiana gig.

With the aim to make students understand the parliamentary procedure and consider public issues and form their opinion on them, over 40 students from different schools participated in a Mock Parliament competition  held in Chandigarh.

The Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) in collaboration with Delhi Public School, Chandigarh, hosted the Mock Parliament extempore: A rights-based approach, as part of the CCPCR’s weeklong celebration to mark the ‘World Children’s Day’.

The Mock Parliament was a part of an array of activities like toy making workshop, creative writing and declamation competition among other activities organised to celebrate World Children’s Day.

CCPCR is working to empower young women and bring them to the forefront through the GIRL INDIA PROJECT under the able guidance of Bibi Harjinder Kaur, the Chairperson, CCPCR.

Surender Kumar, Member Secretary of the State Legal Services Authority Chandigarh,  who was the chief guest, has been an active supporter of the cause of CCPCR, particularly the GIRL INDIA project.

Bibi Harjinder Kaur asserted that government schools and private schools need to collaborate more to achieve their goals. She appreciated the efforts put in by Reema Dewan, Principal, Delhi Public School, Chandigarh in collaborating with CCPCR for spreading awareness about the protection of child rights.

Reema Dewan emphasised that protection of child rights was the cornerstone of all teaching at DPS, Chandigarh.

Praising the efforts made by the children in the Mock Parliament session, Surender Kumar stressed on the need to disseminate knowledge about child rights in view of the increase in crime rate against children.

A 8-yr-old girl cycles 100 km each day. She started her journey from Lal Chowk in Srinagar and her destination is Kanyakumari. She will cover 4,500 km journey in about two months.

May sound unbelievable, but it’s true. A Patiala girl Raavi Kaur Badesha is cycling alongside her cycling enthusiast father Simranjit Singh Badesha who is a constable in Punjab Police.

She began her journey from J&K on Nov 10. Then she reached Jammu and later entered Punjab. On November 16, she reached Hoshiarpur via Mukerian, Dasuan, Garhshankar, and Balachaur.

On November 18, she reached Chandigarh, paid obeisance at the Sohana Gurdwara in Mohali and stayed the night at a friend’s place in Sector 80, Mohali.

CityWoofer spoke to the father-daughter duo during their stopover at Mohali.

How are you arranging for your food and stay during the journey?

We are in contact with our friends, well-wishers and acquaintances, there is somebody or the other somewhere. We have our own YouTube channel ‘Himalayan cycling’, so people are themselves coming forward to help us.

Is there any particular diet that Raavi eats to get energy?

No, she eats the normal food whatever is available, little bit of eggs and chicken, but yes she does not eat any junk food.

How is she catching up with her studies during this journey?

Before we begin our day, Raavi has to be on a video call without fail with her mother who helps her study. She has been granted a two-month leave by the school.

Does she have a special cycle or is it the ordinary one?

I got a special cycle imported from Canada for her from my relatives settled at Surrey in Canada.

Have you thought of cycling as a prospective sport for her where she can win medals for the country?

These expeditions are just training her for bigger events, Once she is 12, then she’ ll be able to participate in cycling competitions.

What is the child’s response to such a humongous journey for her?

She is positive till now, let’s see!

Have you participated in any cycling marathons and competitions before?

I got into cycling in 2015. Later, I introduced my daughter to cycling at the age of four. Ever since she has been at it. This is not the first time she has undertaken such an arduous journey. Her first cycling trip was of 50 km when she was four and a half years old. Then, she did a round trip with me from Patiala to Kasauli which is about 400 km. In June, 2022 we undertook another trip from Shimla to Ladakh which was a total of 800 km.

For all the book lovers in Tricity, there is some good news. Bookchor is in Chandigarh with its unique ‘Lock the Box’ book fair. With an amazing collection boasting of more than two million books, the book fair has a different concept than others like it.

There are three different-sized boxes available at the venue where you can choose the box on the basis of the number of books you wish to buy. Akshay Jangra from the Bookchor team explains that the three different boxes come with three different prices. The smallest box which is green in colour is for Rs 1,200, the mid-sized box which is orange in colour is for Rs 1,800 and the biggest one which is pink is for Rs 3,000. You can buy as many books as could fit into the box that you choose to pick, but your box must close fully.

So if anyone wishes to purchase books without going for the boxes? “It is possible but would end up costing the buyer more whereas the flat price of each of the boxes ensures you get more than your money’s worth,” says Jangra.

Weekends are busier and this time Bookchor has made sure that it is in Chandigarh for an entire month. “Since there was a good response last time around, therefore we have booked the place for the entire month,” says Jangra. This is the third edition of the fair and there are many genres to choose from. They have something for every reader, from a great collection of romance reads to thrillers, there is an interesting poetry collection, books on history and politics in addition to the classics. Bookchor merchandise is also available for purchase at the venue. They have a quirky collection of tote bags, diaries and a host of different bookworm-friendly merchandise on display at the fair.

About Bookchor

Bookchor.com is a startup that was founded six years ago. The aim of the enterprise is to promote reading and its mission is to provide readers with their favourite books at pocket-friendly prices. The ‘Lock the Box’ book fair started in 2018 in the national capital. This year will mark the third edition of ‘Lock The Box’ book fair in Chandigarh.

You can buy and sell books online as well on their website bookchor.com . It is an e-commerce platform where they offer good quality second hand books at affordable prices,  available on Android, iOS and the web. Not only this, they also have the option which allows their users to donate books for the benefit of underprivileged children in India in collaboration with their NGO partners. The organisation not only sells books, their users can also use the platform provided by Bookchor to sell their own books to interested buyers directly.

Date: On till December 4

Venue: Lajpat Rai Bhawan, Sector 15, Chandigarh

website: bookchor.com

First, Ayushman Khurana, then came actor Sargun Mehta, and now comes the new achiever from Panchkula,  the twin town of Chandigarh Tricity : Sambhav Khetarpal and his Goan wife Aditi Powar.

Khetarpal recently won the television-best screenplay and television-best story for Wagle ki duniya –nayee peedhi, naye kisse at the third edition of SWA Awards (Screenwriters Association of India). It is the first and only award for screenwriters and lyricists of Hindi films, TV serials and web series. The best story award was shared with three others — Jayesh Patil  (script head)  and Aatish Kapadia and JD  Majethia (producers).

 His episodes on subjects like ‘good touch bad touch’, menstruation and respect for the specially-abled have regularly trended on Twitter and other social media platforms. More so, Mumbai schools showed these episodes in their schools to spread social awareness on these important yet subtle issues.

His journey

With roots in Hisar, Haryana, he was brought up in Panchkula. He studied at Hansraj Public School, Sector 5, Panchkula, and did his engineering at Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran. While his parents live in Sector 8, Panchkula, he went on to do his MBA from Mumbai and worked in a well-known FMCG brand there. He was posted in Benaras for six months where he got ample time to write.

A screenwriter, journalist and author, Sambhav has followed his instincts throughout. The seeds were actually sown when he would scribble something on his notebooks out of sheer disinterest in engineering classes. Sports was his calling, especially cricket, so he started writing for a sports website sportskeeda.com. Sambhav also authored two books in the meanwhile, one of which, “I too had an MBA”, a satire on business school life in India, was among top-25 humour books on Amazon in 2017.

Then, he was selected for a nationwide television screenwriting talent hunt by Star TV, among 15 others. After a rigorous and eye-opening six-month training with big names in screenplay writing and an LA-based screenwriting expert, David Freeman, he was on a roll.

Since then, Sambhav has scripted stories, screenplays, and dialogues for over 10 TV and OTT shows for platforms like Star, Sab TV, Sony, and MX player.

Currently, he is part of the writer’s room of the iconic, ITA-award-winning TV show, Wagle ki Duniya which airs on Sab TV.

Let us know more about him in his interview with citywoofer.com

 What is special about Wagle ki duniya –nayee peedhi, naye kisse?

Wagle ki duniya is a legacy – the earlier series was aired on DD National way back from 1988 to 1990. It was based on characters created by noted cartoonist RK Laxman depicting the issues of the middle-class Indian man. In the new form which started in 2021, the serial touches real issues, and bold topics like good touch, bad touch, menstruation, etc.

What led you to take up meaningful issues?

I personally care for a lot of things. I have suffered myself as a child at the hands of a family relative. My wife chipped in with issues pertaining to menstruation, etc. It is kind of cathartic, we tell our own stories and these are the same stories people face across the board.

Did you also pick up issues from people’s lives and incidents which happen in society?

I always do. One story I picked up from my cousin sister who is wheelchair-bound but super-talented, so we made an episode on how the physically challenged do not require sympathy but the acknowledgment of their talent.

What lies ahead after the recognition of your work for Wagle ki duniya?  

Picking and choosing from different projects that we get, we need to do justice to the projects at hand and make content that can help a lot of people across the country.

How is Wagle… different from message-oriented TV serials like Tarak Mehta ka oolta chasma?

Tarak Mehta..  is a comedy serial, it has a different audience, and it is for the masses while Wagle ki duniya … is more subtle but reflects real issues.

How do you work in liaison with your wife on screenplays, do you always agree on everything?

We both convince each other keeping our egos aside, our main focus is on the quality of work.

Do you think OTT has lessened TV audience?

The TV serials are being watched on Sony Liv app, the penetration of TV serials is more in rural areas and tier 2 cities where they can identify with the issues. OTT also has not  been able to figure out yet what works and what doesn’t, there is a wide range and it is a mixed bag. I still believe TV has more penetration as 70 per cent of India lives by the day, earning a square meal a day. People in small towns are sometimes not aware of issues like bad touch, good touch and even if they know they do not know how to talk about it with their children. And, this is where serials like Wagle Ki Duniya educate them in a subtle way.

The Gurukul School, Panchkula, has come up with an innovative technology to get water from air. The school is the first in the Tricity to use this technology in their campus. The machine has been named ‘magic drop’.

The school has installed the ‘Meghdoot’ machine which extracts water from outdoor air, purifies it and re-mineralises it, making it absolutely safe and fit for drinking.

It is , of course, a novelty for the children who have been educated by their teachers about the science behind the working of the intriguing machine.

The technology utilizes the science of condensation to extract water vapour from the surrounding atmosphere.

The technology allows operation in a wide variety of temperatures (18°C- 45°C) and relative humidity conditions (25 per cent – 100 per cent).

It produces water within hours of being switched on, hence it can be used as an instant solution for potable water.

As part of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Chandigarh Municipal Corporation organized the second round of street play competition under Swachh Survekshan 2023.

The first round of the competition was conducted in the month of October, 2022. Swachh Sarvekshan is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation in cities and towns across India. The competition was organized at the school level as another major step towards making swachhta a  responsibility of students as well.

“Generating students’ involvement in Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and related issues like Waste Segregation at source level, Safe Disposal of Sanitary Waste, Home Composting, 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), Say No to Plastic, Impact of Swachh Bharat Mission on Citizen’s Life and different categories of wastes are the core objectives of the competitions,” says Anindita Mitra IAS, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Chandigarh.

“Working in this direction, Chandigarh MC has organized movie making, jingle, poster making, mural/ wall painting competitions in the past few days,” she said.

A live jury round was also held to review all the entries of street play competition. The competition was open for all age groups and individuals submitted their entries through a Google form. Appreciation certificates were given to all the participants..

The cash prizes declared under Street play competition for the best three entries are Rs 11,000/- for first winner, Rs 9,100/- for second winner and Rs 7,100/- for the third winner. Prizes will be given to the winners of the competition by organizing a special event in December, 2022.