It was a riot of rhythm and colours at a World Dance Day programme at Rabindra Sadan on April 29. The event was organised by West Bengal Dance Group Federation, World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific Chapter, Rajya Sangeet Academy and Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre. The evening?s performances included items choreographed by representatives from Taiwan and Malaysia. In the morning, there was a symposium on contemporary dance and a film show. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Finance and business degrees are top on the course list these days, so job security is becoming an ever-increasing concern. One institution has set up a scheme that it claims will guarantee a job at the end of the course. The Institute of Computer Accountants (ICA) has contractually given all its students the Any Time Job Card.

When the card is produced at any of ICA?s 200 centres across the country, the owner is entitled to a job in that city, with a minimum salary of Rs 4,000 per month.

If this sounds too good to be true, the company insisted that not only are they pioneering the job entitlement scheme, but that students are given a practice computer to take home after an initial Rs 5,000 fee.

In addition, a loan from the State Bank Of India is available to those students who struggle to make ends meet, with the loan being repayable over three years. What?s more, the loan is interest-free, so the impoverished graduate employee has less to worry about.

?We believe that at the moment there is not a lack of jobs, but a lack of quality manpower, and we want to encourage good students to come to ICA. Most of our students are middle-class and lower middle-class, which means that sometimes families may struggle with the fees. The State Bank of India loan is there to help them. We are totally unique with the job guarantee scheme, which is a genuine first in the country,? said an ICA spokesperson.

The Calcutta branch of ICA has been chosen to pioneer a new course that is designed to effectively teach the mechanics of shares and the stock market. An ICA spokesperson also confirmed that ?there is a lot of untapped talent in Bengal, and by initiating the course here first we can encourage interest in this field?.

ICA claims that its established courses are evolving very rapidly. In existence for the past seven years, the institute currently has 25,000 students on its rolls across India, with the majority of its graduates going into banking.

Patrick Pringle

Football fever

The world is once again gearing up for yet another thrilling FIFA World Cup, to be held in Germany in June this year. Thirty-two teams will fight for the right to be called the world champions of a game that is almost worshipped, a game that has seen so many violent and emotional moments.

The earliest form of football was a military exercise in China called Tsu Chu, dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. Another form of the game was the Japanese Kemari. The Greek Episkyros and the Roman Harpastum were also ancestors of football.

These games developed into modern-day football. France played Belgium at the first official international match in Brussels on May 1, 1904. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in Paris on May 21, 1904. The first major tournament where football was launched was the 1908 London Olympics with England winning the inaugural meet.

Jules Rimet became the third president of FIFA on March 1, 1921. Under his leadership, the idea of a World Cup was evolved. The first World Cup was opened at the Centenary Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, on July 18, 1930. A new era had begun for the game. At that time, the World Cup was called the Jules Rimet Cup.

World War II put a temporary stop to it. The fourth event was held in Brazil in 1950. India refused to participate as they were not allowed to play barefoot. India has since fought to qualify for the cup. Since 1930, the 17 World Cups have seen only seven different winners.

(Source: www.fifa.com)

Shahid Pervez,
Class XII, Saifee Hall

whatsup

Music mania

• Tarang, a school for contemporary western music and dance, has organised its 11th annual concert on May 4 at Gyan Manch (Pretoria Street), 6 pm. The show will include performances by student bands of four to six-year-olds on guitar, keyboard, percussion and vocals. There will also be English and Hindi rock songs by older students. The star attraction will be two drummers, aged six and seven years.

• A Latin American music workshop will be conducted by Monojit Dutta with Orient Express at Tarang (178/B, Block G, New Alipore), on May 7, 5 pm onwards.

Honour roll

• On May 6, 10.30 am, Society for National Awareness and The Heritage School have organised the awards ceremony of an all-India essay-writing competition conducted last year on ?What does pride in being an Indian mean to you?. The competition received a response from 26 schools in India, with students from classes IX and XI. The event coincides with the senior school prize day of The Heritage School, and will be held in the auditorium on campus. Devi Kar, principal of Modern High School, will be the chief guest.

Fun ?n? frolic

• A Kids? Day Out programme will be held at Calcutta Swimming Club on May 6, 3 pm-7 pm, Bengal Rowing Club, May 7, 4 pm-8 pm, RCGC, May 14, 4 pm-8 pm, and Calcutta Punjab Club, May 21, 4 pm-8 pm. There will be on and off-stage events ? a performance by a kids? dance troupe, food and game stalls, puppet show, spot games on stage, a tattoo corner, quiz, a skit by children, DJ Akash & child DJ Riya, a kiddie fashion show, lucky dip, rides and more. Every child will get a gift.