It is, perhaps, unthinkable in today’s internet age to visualise bringing out a newspaper in the early 60s from a place without any connectivity –no roads and no telephones.

The newspaper not only came out, it flourished and is running into its 60^th year now. Dandakaranya Samachar, often referred to as the spokesman of Dandakaranya, was started by a young journalist Tushar Kanti Bose whose family had migrated to India following Partition.

Given land in the Dandakaranya to settlea, Mr Bose was a journalist who had worked with several newspapers such as Jugantar and Amrit Bazaar Patrika before he started his own publication on January 12, 1959.

At that point Dandakaranya was a tribal populated areas comprising of , undivided Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh, Koraput and Kalahandi districts of Orissa and Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh as well as Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. It was spread over 80,000sq miles with Jagdalpur the district headquarter of Bastar in then Madhya Pradesh. Bastar is now in Chhattisgarh.  

“We started as a multi-lingual weekly newspaper in Hindi, English and Halbi (local dialect of Bastar) making it a unique production of its type. It was particularly popular among the people working in different projects under the erstwhile Dandakaranya Development Authority and Dandakaranya-Bolangir-Kirandul (DBK) Railways and people in the adjoining areas,’’ explains Mr Bose, who is now the Editor-in-Chief. His wife, Manikuntala Bose is now the Editor.     

“It was the first newspaper of the region started amidst the lack and shortage of fundamental amenities needed for a newspaper such as infrastructure, skilled manpower, raw materials and many other things. Inspite of all these hurdles, we have managed to sustain the newspaper for 60 glorious years,’’ the couple point out while recalling the difficulties they encountered while bringing out the publication as there were no telephones, electricity and other infrastructure. 

“But we have brought out the newspaper for 60 years without a break,’’ they say. 

What started as a bi-weekly in 1980 and then to a daily on 12^th January, 1985. “We had to discontinue the Halbi and English editions because of lack of readership and even writers were difficult to find. So we stuck to Hindi which became very popular as it was the only newspaper of the region at that time,’’ Mr Bose says. 

On 15^th August 1994 Dandakaranya Samachar became the first daily to be printed in Web Offset Machine in any tribal district of the country and Manikuntala Bose who took over as the Editor of the newspaper became the first lady Editor of any daily newspaper in the country. Mr.Tushar Kanti Bose became the Editor in Chief from the day. 

On 12th January 2015 after playing various roles at various levels, the couple’s son Bishwaroop Bose assumed the role of Executive Editor of the newspaper. Today Dandakaranya Samachar is being published simultaneously from Jagdalpur (Bastar) and Raipur with multi colour supplements covering whole of Chhattisgarh and Orissa, and competes with many other publications in and outside of Bastar. The publication has brought out special numbers to commemorate the history of the newspaper.  

“Dandakaranya Samachar has followed the motto “Independent Thought, Impartial Expression” ever since it came into existence. We have kept ourselves free from political influence though most Chief Ministers – of undivided Madhya Pradesh and now Chhattisgarh—do call on me and take my advice. But all this has never influenced my brand of journalism,’’ says Mr Bose.

Dealing with the Left Wing Extremists was not easy for the newspaper. “There were pulls and pressures from the naxalites with threats to life also, but we have always tried to strike a balance and stand with the truth,’’ the couple explain. 

Dandakaranya Samachar has never limited itself to news articles only but has always highlighted and encouraged the educative and social awakening programmes to enlighten the people of the region. It has also encouraged the literary beginners by providing space for their writings etc. and thus paving a way for many of them to earn state and country wide fame. 

A teacher at heart, Mrs Bose became the Principal of a girl’s school in Jagdalpur when she came here after marriage, but gradually started her own school in the town. “I had nothing to do with journalism when I came here. I learnt writing from my husband. I began with writing articles and then tried my hand at editorials,’’ she says while recalling how the couple had sold the newspaper themselves outside their office on the morning following former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s death.

“I used to cycle several kilometres to gather news and it was a struggle to get the telephone line through,’’ Mr Bose says. “Lots of things have changed since the time we came here. There were no colonies, no infrastructure worth its name and people were so simple,’’ he says while narrating an incident when his car broke down on the roadside. Since it was late, he could not arrange for a mechanic, so he asked a local to keep an eye on the vehicle in the night. When the couple went to the spot with the mechanic, he saw the person at the same spot where he was the previous night. He the person took just Rs 20! Such was the sincerity. 

Now, the next wave of change will happen when the Nagarnar Steel Plant becomes functional in a couple of months from now as it is likely to bring jobs and would result in development. “However, I hope it doesn’t kill the traditional art and craft of Bastar.’’

Muthuvel Karunanidhi was one of the last links to the Dravidian movement that ushered in the rise of backward classes in politics and the end of Congress rule in Tamil Nadu five decades ago on the plank of social justice.

A five-time Chief Minister, the 94-year-old Karunanidhi, who strode the public life of Tamil Nadu like a colossus, also played a key role in national politics when he aligned with Indira Gandhi in 1971 and reaped rich rewards in elections. 

But he staunchly opposed the Emergency of 1975-77 during which his government was dismissed on corruption charges. He was banished to the opposition ranks till the death of his friend-turned-foe and iconic film hero M.G. Ramachandran or MGR in December 1987.

Under Karunanidhi, the DMK occupied a prime position in the UPA governments at the Centre in 2004 and 2009 and earlier in the NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpyee, an alignment that surprised many given the party’s Dravidian moorings.

He was a wily politician who succeeded his mentor C.N. Annadurai or ‘Anna’ as Chief Minister in 1969 and kept a stranglehold on the party and government. He remained the President of the DMK for nearly 50 years, a rare feat in any democratic country. 

Always sporting dark glasses, which became his trademark identity, and in later years a yellow stole, which critics said was against the atheism he preached.

With the death of his arch rival J. Jayalalithaa in 2016 and his departure now, Tamil Nadu is left with a void.

Born in Tirukkuvalai in the erstwhile Thanjavur district on June 3, 1924, Karunanidhi was a multifaceted personality — journalist, playwright, script writer — whose fiery dialogues as an iconoclast in films unleashed changes in Tamil Nadu’s social scene.

He joined the Dravidian movement as a teenager under the tutelage of the late social reformer ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy and Anna. 

‘Kalaignar’, as Karunanidhi was called for his proficiency in arts and literature, fashioned theatre and cinema in a way that gave a fillip to the Dravidian movement and the rise of DMK as a major pole in Tamil Nadu. 

Karunanidhi’s political fortunes rose when Anna broke away from the DK to float the DMK in 1949. The box office hit of Tamil movie ‘Parasakthi’ for which he wrote the script and a ‘rail roko’ agitation in Kallakudi near Tiruchirapalli made him known throughout the state.

He ascended to the DMK throne and the Chief Ministership following the death of party founder Annadurai in 1969.

Karunanidhi had the party in his strong grip till the end despite presiding over two major splits and being out of power continuously between 1977 and 1989.

Born in a poor Isai Vellalar (a backward caste) family, he was named Dakshinamurthy by his god-fearing parents Muthuvel and Anjugam. He later changed that to Karunanidhi, a Tamil name shorn of any Brahminical or Sanskrit tinge.

He also took part in the anti-Hindi agitations of 1937-40 and published a handwritten newspaper ‘Manavar Nesan’ (Friend of Students) and later formed the first student wing of the Dravidian movement, Tamil Nadu Manavar Mandram.

The anti-Hindi agitation was revived by the DMK in 1965, leading to massive anti-Congress sentiments amid much violence. 

Karunanidhi also published ‘Murasoli’, a monthly which grew to become a weekly and the DMK’s official daily. Last year it celebrated its platinum jubilee. 

He contested his first Assembly election in 1957 from Kulithalai successfully and since then has not lost any of the 13 elections he contested.

His fortunes gained further strength when the DMK won the 1967 elections and Annadurai made Karunanidhi the Minister of Public Works.

After Anna’s death in 1969, Karunanidhi became the Chief Minister. He led the DMK to a landslide win in 1971. 

Bad times started soon after. Perceiving the popularity of movie hero and party leader MGR as a future threat to him, Karunanidhi began sidelining him and ousted him in 1972.

MGR floated the AIADMK that took power in 1977. He cultivated the Congress well — sharing liberally the Lok Sabha seats while retaining his hold on the Assembly — to effectively consign the DMK to the opposition benches.

DMK’s fortunes revived in 1989 when it won handsomely assisted by a split in AIADMK, with one faction led by its founder’s widow Janaki Ramachandran and the other by Jayalalithaa.

However, in 1991, the DMK government was dismissed in the wake of heightened activities in Tamil Nadu of Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers whose vocal supporter he was. After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination by a LTTE suicide bomber in May 1991, the AIADMK under Jayalalithaa swept to power.

The DMK suffered a second split in 1993 when Karunanidhi saw fiery speaker Vaiko as a threat to his son M.K. Stalin’s ascendancy in the party and expelled him.

After that it was a see-saw battle with people choosing DMK and AIADMK alternatively. In 2006, the DMK was voted back to power for its populist promises.

In 2011 Karunanidhi promised more, but the DMK lost the battle. In 2016 too, it suffered the same fate.

A staunch opponent of Congress and its dynastic rule during earlier days, Karunanidhi later changed tact and paved the way for his progenies’ progress within and outside the party.

He brought his sons — through his second wife Dayalu – M.K. Alagiri and M.K.Stalin — into the party. Alagiri became Union Minister while Stalin was declared the political heir. However Alagiri was dismissed from the party later for anti-party activities.

Karunanidhi made Kanimozhi, his daughter by his third wife Rajathi, a Rajya Sabha member.

After the death of Murasoli Maran, his nephew, conscience keeper and the party’s face in Delhi, Karunanidhi got the former’s second son Dayanidhi Maran a Cabinet post in the central ministry in 2004 and 2009.

With coalitions becoming the norm at the Centre, the DMK started siding with BJP and Congress to get cabinet berths.

It was the Sarkaria Commission which first stamped Karunanidhi as corrupt in the matter of allotting tenders for the old Veeranam water project. 

Though Karunanidhi was jailed several times during his long political innings, what shocked many was his midnight arrest by the Jayalalithaa regime in 2001 on corruption charges.

His wife Dayalu and daughter Kaimozhi were questioned by the CBI over corruption charges. 

When the Sethusamudram Canal Project got mired in controversy, Karunanidhi shocked the nation by wondering aloud whether Lord Rama was an engineer to build bridge across the sea. 

Karunanidhi donated his home at Gopalapuram to a trust to convert it into a hospital for poor after his and his wife Dayalu’s lifetime.

Karunanidhi is survived by his two wives Dayalu and Rajathi, sons M.K. Muthu, Alagiri, Stalin and M.K. Tamilarasu and daughters S. Selvi and Kanimozhi and grandchildren.

(Agency)

Meghna Jain’s father drives the car of the District Collector. But he has bigger dreams for Meghna. He wants her to be a Collector one day. 

“I am here to fulfil my father’s dream,’’ says Meghna who is studying in the Prayas Residential School for Girls at Kanker.  A Class X student, she wants to make it big in life. She got admission here after clearing an entrance test. “I want to change the things in my village.’’

Another student, Muskaan is from Sukma. She also left her village to enrol herself here as there was no good school back home.  A topper in school, Muskaan wanted to study further so when she heard about the Prayas Schools from someone in the village, she lost no time in applying. 

“I have always wanted to do something for my village. There are no good schools and when I grow up I really want to bring in development in my village,’’ she says with steely resolve. 

Like Meghna and Muskaan, there are many more academically bright students here who have left their homes to shape their lives. They want to become engineers, doctors, crack civil services and some even want to become journalists. 

“We ensure physical and emotional well-being of the students here. Each one of them is brilliant who has cleared entrance to get into Prayas. Here, we not only help them do well in their Board exams but also groom them to crack entrance exams,’’ says Ashalata Sharma, Superintendent of this school in Kanker. 

Prayas schools were started by the Chhattisgarh government in 2010 for the students from the Left-Wing Extremist affected areas where there were no or little possibilities for higher education. Run by the Tribal Affairs Department, the schools provide free boarding, lodging, education and health facilities. 

“We love it here. I have made lots of friends and we enjoy studying, sports, dancing and singing,’’ says Varsha Patel, also from Sukma. 

The first such school was opened in Raipur in 2010 under the Mukhyamantri Bal Bhavishya Suraksha Yojana. In 2017-18, the scheme was allotted a budget of Rs 1510.90 lakh. `The scheme is proving to be a blessing for the students, both boys and girls, from the LWE-affected regions.

The initial schools were meant for Class 11 and 12 students but over the years, students from Class 9 and 10^th were also included. The students are coached for cracking all-India entrance exams. At present, there are 6 Prayas schools one each in Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Ambikapur, Jagdalpur, and Kanker.

The first school in Raipur had a capacity for 300 students but there are 1,700 students enrolled at present. In 2017, as many as 8 students cracked the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), 8 went to medical colleges and 40 to NIIT. Since 2010, as many as 23 Prayas students have made it to IITs, 117 to NITs, 27 to various medical colleges and 52 to other engineering colleges. 

Just a few months away from the Assembly elections, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Dr Raman Singh says his effort now would be to ensure maximum utilisation of infrastructure and to take the benefits of social development to the last person. 
“We have made major investments in the health and education sectors. Our effort now would be to ensure maximum utilisation of the infrastructure created over the years and to ensure that its benefits of social development reach all,’’ he says. 
All set to contest the elections for the fourth successive term, Dr Singh firmly believes that people would appreciate the welfare work done by his government over the years, and vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming elections. 
“The kind of development that has been done in tribal-dominated Bastar and Surguja will certainly have a positive impact on the outcome. People are now clear that development is the only way forward,’’ he says in response to the measures taken by his government to reverse the losses suffered by his party in the Bastar region in the 2013 elections. He goes on to explain that Darbha ghati attack near Sukma (that had wiped out the entire Congress leadership in May 2013) did result in people kind of losing faith in the party. Another factor was anti-incumbency since most of the candidates had been MLAs for over 10 years.
Admitting that the new party floated by the former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi has a presence in the central Chhattisgarh, Dr Singh said it could not be ignored and that it had been taken cognisance of though traditionally the fight has been the BJP and Congress. 
“But look at the kind of work we have done in the past years.  Naxalism is now confined to the hilly regions of Sukma and Bijapur. Even there, they do not have the courage to fight face-to-face with the security forces. They indulge in occasional attacks which makes national news. Otherwise, you will find young girls moving around on their scooty’s in the night in Sukma. The region has become so safe, and the credit for this goes to development and the will of the people who have realised the futility of the movement,’’ the Chief Minister says.
Road connectivity, telecommunication, power, education and health have pushed the naxal supporters back. “You will be surprised to know that the percentage of institutional deliveries in Dantewada district has crossed 90% which is much more than the state average. Over 60,000 students are being taught in porta-cabins which in itself is new model of education launched by the Chhattisgarh government when the naxals started blowing up schools. This was backed by Livelihood Colleges which skills students to earn a livelihood. We are now opening the region to tourism, local agriculture and industry which would give immense job opportunities to the educated local youth,’’ Dr Singh says adding that the government had received local support for all. 
One major source of employment would be the NMDC Steel Plant at Naagarnar in Dantewada that should become functional in another 3-4 months. “The 3 MT Steel Plant will change the face of Bastar region. It will do what the Bhilai Steel Plant did to Chhattisgarh and the Bokaro Steel Plant did to Bokaro.’’
Bastar region is now being connected through a rail network from Durg to Jagdalpur via Raoghat. Forty kilometres of the track is already complete. Air service between Raipur and Jagdalpur has also been launched though it is yet to be opened for public.  
Dr Singh goes on to say that Chhattisgarh is the only State where the government helps farmers in production by offering free loans; procurement by giving a bonus of Rs 300 and distribution by milling and distributing rice to 55 lakh families. And, now with the new MSP announced by the Prime Minister, farmers stand to gain more, he goes on to explain. All payments are made online and there is complete transparency in the entire process.Similarly, the State government is all set to launch the Ayushman Bharat Health Protection Scheme on August 15 that would cover 37 lakh poor families. This would be in addition to the State’s Universal Health Scheme which covers the entire population. “Every family has a Smart Card for health and they can get themselves treated even at designated private hospitals. ‘’
The State has also focused on women empowerment. Ration cards and houses are registered in the names of the women who also have 50% reservation in the Panchayati Raj Institutions. The latest scheme of distributing 50 lakh smart phones to the people has also focused on women as the beneficiaries are 40 lakh women. “We have not confined women’s empowerment to slogans only. It is a reality in Chhattisgarh.’’
The next big thing in connectivity would be an efficient rail network in Chhattisgarh that would connect Bemetara, Durg, Bhilai and Raipur. “The State has good roads now but we do not think Metro is a good idea at the moment as the population density is low. Metro should have high density as is in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore. For Chhattisgarh, an efficient traditional rail network would be more beneficial. We are also keeping in mind the environmental concerns. 

[Produced Directed & Edited: Raj Kapoor/ Story &Screenplay: K. A. Abbas / Cinematography: Radhu Karmakar/ Lyrics: Neeraj,Shailendra, Shaily Shailendra & Hasrat Jaipuri /Music: Shankar Jaikishan/ Playback: Manna Dey, Mukesh, Mohd.Rafi and Asha Bhosle/ Starring: Raj Kapoor, Simi Garewal, Manoj Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Dara Singh, Kseniya Ryabinkina, Padmini and Rajendra Kumar/Release date: 18th December, 1970]
           Raj Kapoor was one of the biggest international stars from the early 50s till early 70s. In 1967, while in London he and Krishna Kapoor attended the evening show of Fiddler on the Roof featuring Chaim Topol at West End. Chaim Topol, an ardent Raj Kapoor motioned for silence after the play was over and requested Raj Kapoor to come on to the stage saying that there was a misconception that he was Israel’s most popular actor, in actuality he was the second most popular man after Raj Kapoor! Raj Kapoor was hailed by a standing ovation. 
It was sometime then in 1964 that he had begin pondering on his pet project that turned in to an obsession bringing near ruination and calumny. Mera Naam Joker was six years in the making, with Raj Kapoor investing much of his own personal fortune and himself. It was distributed under the RK Films banner, marked the debut of Rishi Kapoor and was shot on location in India and Russia. The film sank at the box office brought Raj Kapoor close to total bankruptcy and the famed RK studios faced the peril of auctioneer’s hammer in order to pay off the debts.  The film however has garnered critical praise in later years, and film experts now label it a ‘misunderstood masterpiece’! At the Filmfare it gathered trophies for  Best Music Director( Shankar Jaikishan),  Best Cinematographer(Radhu Karmakar),  Best Male Playback Award (Manna Dey; Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo),  Best Director Award (Raj Kapoor) and Best Sound Recordist ( Allauddin Khan Qureshi).
Raj Kapoor exposed four and a half lakh feet of film for Mera Naam Joker. Many different cuts of the film are known to exist, the movie’s censor certificate certifies the film’s length as being 6989.50 metres or 255 minutes. At four hours and fifteen minutes Mera Naam Joker was the second Hindi film to have two intervals, the first one being also another Raj Kapoor production, Sangam (1964). 
Simi’s big break came with Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker where she was the object of desire of the young Rishi Kapoor, the Anglo-Indian teacher Miss Mary,.  The role was powerful but it created a furore as Simi dare to bare her derriere in a conservative India. It has been rumoured that Simi and Raj Kapoor were more than director and muse during the making of Mera Naam Joker. Simi was hesitant about Conrad Rook’s Siddhartha because of the bold scenes but it was Raj Kapoor who convinced her to accept the role. Satyajit Ray met her at Raj Kapoor’s house during the preview of Mera Naam Joker and cast her in his Aranyer Din Ratri (1969). 
Raj Kapoor liked his sagas long was not a secret lost to anyone, the showman of Bollywood outdid himself with this melodramatic story of a circus clown whose brief unspoken love with the three women was full of shy smiles and coy glances. It was for all to see that after Sangam, the actor engrossed in his magnificent obsession never gave two hoots to his looks and the cardinal truth that as lead he should have been eating and drinking less. To compensate for his rotundness and do justice to a marathon like script Raj Kapoor packed dollops of oomph to titillate the audiences of 70s! Besides the so called ‘bold scenes’ of Simi he locked lips with the Russian actress Ksiena Rambiankina. 
Sharmila Tagore was the original choice for the role of Marina in Raju’s life. But later this role went to the Russian beauty Kseniya Ryabinkina, a 21 year old professional ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Kseniya Ryabinkina admits that she got thousands of letters as fan mail for years for the movie and despite 15 to 16 films to her credit she’s still remembered as the Marina of Raj Kapoor.
The third actress that co-starred with Raj Kapoor in the film was the buxom south Indian beauty Padmini, with whom he was allegedly involved since their sojourn in Moscow in 1957 right till the making of Jis desh main Ganga Behti hai (1960). Raj Kapoor made the screen sizzle in the song Ang Lag ja Balma, Padmini shed the male disguise for a flesh colored saree without a blouse and went searching for Raj Kapoor in the middle of the night drenched to the bone in the torrential rain! Raj Kapoor’s songbird Lata unhappy with the lyrics of Ang lag ja balma refused to sing for Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker (1970) and after the film flopped, he had no choice but to go back to her to sing for Dimple Kapadia in Bobby (1973).
Shailendra had written three songs of Mera Naam Joker plus the opening verse of its theme song- Jeena yahan, marna yahan. Raj Kapoor had been given the first line by Shailendra years ago but the lyricist just would not sit down and finish the song. After Teesri Kasam bombed and an ailing Shailendra just before being hospitalized went to Raj Kapoor’s “Cottage” and wrote the entire song and signed at the bottom of the page, which meant that it was final and unchangeable. 
The song, Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo by Neeraj which fetched Manna Dey his second Film-fare award, was six-minute-long song and one of the most poignant numbers in Indian movie history. Manna Dey later said that he thought that the song was not challenging enough as it was more like a talking song and had to imagine very hard how Raj Kapoor would enact it on screen and make his singing attuned for the great actor! However it is a tribute to Neeraj that the Song remains evergreen due to the lyrics rather than singing style! Neeraj and  Hasrat Jaipuri also contributed three songs each. 
Raj Kapoor was an icon in USSR on account of his bubbly optimism his characters brought, a soothing balm that the people needed after the Second World War. In the mid-1960s while in London during negotiations with a Russian circus to be part of the film he realized that he had to be in Moscow to seal the deal. Raj Kapoor landed in Moscow comfortable in thought that he had the visa. And despite the valid documents Raj Kapoor was welcomed. He waited outside the airport unannounced for a taxi! But by then Muscovites had realized that Raj Kapoor was in their midst. He boarded his taxi which did not seem to start, a befuddled Raj Kapoor to his pleasant surprise found that the Muscovites had lifted the car on their shoulders!
A special sweet box called the ‘Joker Assortment was made by famous confectionery JB Mangharam & Co in Gwalior for the Russian release of Mera Naam Joker with the markings in Hindi, English and Russia. Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker and Sangam were the last two movies to be shown at Delhi’s 85-year-old Regal cinema hall that closed down in 2017. Raj Kapoor used to visit the theatre regularly and host premieres of several films released under the banner of RK films. And six months later ironically the iconic Mera Naam Joker mask and costumes worn by Nargis to Aishwarya were among the memorabilia lost in a fire at R K Studios.
The clown lives with an inherent certain dichotomy; on the outside he is funny, gregarious and happy, a consummate performer. But just scratch him a bit and we find on the inside he lives with definite sadness, departing only temporarily, when he is on stage making audiences laugh. Mera Naam Joker was the most earnest ode of Raj Kapoor to this dichotomy, the lifeline of any entertainer!
(The famous poet Gopaldas Neeraj (1925-2018) wrote three songs in this film. The most famous ditty that got Manna Dey the Filmfare- Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo- was written by Neeraj)

It has rightly been named after Nalanda—India’s ancient centre of learning that existed long before the world’s best universities came into being. 

The Nalanda Parisar in the heart of Raipur is Chhattisgarh’s latest innovation in the education sector that has taken the city by storm.  This 24×7 library, opened to the public in June, already has 600 members with 900 applications in the waiting.  

That such a unique concept emerged from Chhattisgarh – which is only 18 years old—is not surprising for the State has come up with out-of-the-box innovations in the education sector including an Education City in the Left-Wing Affected Dantewada district. 

Spread over 6 acres of land, the Nalanda Parisar is a green education hub for youth with indoor and outdoor reading facilities. The fully air-conditioned double-storeyed building, also known as the Youth Tower, has a huge landscaped open space where students can study. It has a capacity to accommodate 1000 students at a given point. 

On the ground floor are stacked 50,000 books many of which were collected during a donation drive. The first floor is a well-equipped virtual library with 112 computers. The roof-top is also being developed to accommodate the members. 

According to Mr Kedar Patel , Nodal and Employment Officer at the Nalanda Parisar, the focus is on preparing the students for cracking competitive examinations. The Youth Tower not only provides books and other facilities for the aspirants to prepare themselves but also an enabling environment, he adds. 

The library has books in Hindi and English published by NCERT, Chhattisgarh Board and those for cracking competitive examinations for civil services, railways, GATE, IIT, banking, and PMT among others. It has a collection of biographies of well known personalities including Prime Ministers and Presidents of India. A small section has been dedicated to Chhattisgarhi books as well. 

Brainchild of Mr O.P.Choudhury, District Collector of Raipur, the library has come up in a record time of 10 months at a cost of Rs 18 crore, of which Rs 15.21 crore came from the District Mineral Foundation and Rs 2.44 crore from Raipur Smart City Limited. The project is financially self sustaining as some portion of the complex will be run commercially that would generate enough funds to run the library.

Having lost his father at a very early age, Mr Choudhury remembers the struggles his mother had to face even to get a basic entitlement like family pension. He studied in a government school in village in Raigarh district with limited resources. Even when he was preparing for his civil services examinations between 2000 and 2002, Mr Choudhury had to struggle to find reference books even in Raipur and Bhilai. Of the 50 reference books he needed, he could find only 5 to 7. He also recalls his days in the Delhi University where preferred to study in the open air on the roof-top.

All these real life situations have made him resolve that things must change. The library is run by the Nalanda Parisar Prabandhan Society chaired by the District Collector and the CEO Zila Panchayat as its vice chairperson. 

The open space has 18 gazebos and canopies, and LED lights while the entire complex is free wi-fi enabled. Adequate security arrangement has been put in place. At present, outdoor reading is allowed only until 10 p.m. The open area is being developed as a biodiversity park with a artificially created water body as well. The Youth Tower is made of glass so that those inside can see the outside. 

There is a one-time fee of Rs 2,500 for the members and a monthly fee of Rs 500. But the monthly charge is only Rs 250 for the members from the disadvantaged sections. The library subscribes to 19 newspapers daily and 34 magazines every month, and allows senior citizens inside the premises. Members of the library include 20 MBBS and some IIT students. Proximity to Ravi Shankar Shukla University, Indian Institute of Technology, Government Science College and National Institute of Technology has made Nalanda Parisar a popular destination for the youth.

“The idea is to provide an enabling environment to the students and develop a knowledge society,’’ says Mr Choudhury. “If we have to reap the demographic dividend, then we must provide them with opportunities and environment, and India has had a culture of Gurukuls and knowledge hub as Nalanda. Hence, we have named the library as Nalanda Parisar,’’ he explains. 

Similar projects are being planned elsewhere in the city so that students do not have to travel far to access libraries. In fact, the Chief Secretary has directed all District Collectors to identify spaces for replicating similar models. 

The World Health Orgnaisation (WHO) has lauded India’s commitment to accelerated coverage of safe sanitation services which, assuming 100% coverage is achieved by October 2019, could avert up to 300 000 deaths due to diarrheal disease and protein-energy malnutrition (PEM).The country launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014. 
As the initial results of a WHO modelling study on the health impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) outline, India’s accelerated coverage of safe sanitation services, and its determination to end open defecation, will have a substantial effect on the burden of diarrheal disease and PEM by reducing mortality and accumulative Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) – the sum of the years of life lost due to premature mortality and years lost due to disability or ill-health.
According to calculations, if all sanitation services are used, the initiative could result in over 14 million more years of healthy life in the period measured, with the benefits accruing yearly thereafter. That is especially remarkable given that before 2014 unsafe sanitation caused an estimated 199 million cases of diarrhea annually, with modelling showing the problem will almost be eliminated when universal use of safe sanitation facilities is achieved, a statement issued by WHO has said.
India’s commitment and progress towards these outcomes is reflected in the fact that household sanitation coverage has dramatically increased from an estimated 2% per year before the initiative to more than 13% annually between 2016 and 2018. The recent allocation of up to INR 15 000 crore as Extra Budgetary Resources for the SBM-G during the present financial year holds-out the potential for further gains, not only for India, but also the WHO South-East Asia Region and the world (globally, diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of under-five mortality, while lack of clean water and sanitation is also a major contributor to malnutrition).
Notably, the broader health impact of India’s commitment to accelerated sanitation coverage (which the present study does not consider) are likely to be significant. This includes improved overall nutritional status and reduced incidence of infectious diseases such as neglected tropical diseases and acute respiratory infections, as well as vector-borne diseases. Moreover, the estimations apply to the health impacts from improvements in sanitation coverage only, meaning it is possible that the broader Mission has produced additional health gains through changes in personal hygiene and the consumption of safe drinking water.
WHO has worked closely with the Government of India to scale up access to sanitation services, including by providing technical assistance via India’s 2017 participation in the Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water Survey (a tool to provide policymakers actionable data to help inform sound policy), as well as working with partners to support the government implement WHO’s guidelines for safe water and sanitation planning. WHO has also supported the piloting of TrackFin (Tracking financing to sanitation, hygiene and drinking-water) in Rajasthan and West Bengal to utilize resources more efficiently to reach those under threat of being left behind, the statement added.

That is especially important as India pursues WHO South-East Asia’s Flagship Priorities and strives to fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals, including Sustainable Development Goal 6, which obliges countries to ensure access to safe water and sanitation for all, and Sustainable Development Goal 3, which obliges them to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages. WHO commends India’s continued commitment and high-level resolve to these ends, and to achieving 100% safe sanitation coverage country-wide.

Breastfeeding has reached its new low in the 21^st century. According to WHO, the majority of countries have an exclusive breastfeeding rate of below 50% in the first 6 months, which is the 2025 target of the World Health Assembly.  The gravity of the situation could be estimated by the fact that now we celebrate breastfeeding week from 1^st August to 8^th August every year to increase awareness. The evidence-based research has highlighted the importance of breastfeeding time and again. “The nutrition supply in the first thousand days of life, starting from conception to 2nd birthday, lays the foundation of the long-term health. Breastfeeding is an essential part of this initial nutrition as breast milk is a multi-facet combination of nutrients and bioactive markers that are essential for a newborn in the initial 6 months of life. Nutritional deficiencies early in life can result in long-lasting effects that can pass on to generations,” said Dr. Manjari Chandra, Senior Nutrition Advisor at IVH SeniorCare.

Why exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months?

Breast milk is a combination of macronutrients, micronutrients, bioactive components, growth factors, and immunological factors. The combination is a biological fluid that helps in ideal physical and mental growth and diminishes the infant programming of late metabolic disease.

Children who are not breastfed exclusively are believed to be prone to infections and have a low IQ. They have a diminished capacity to learn and perform poorly in school in comparison to their peers who are breastfed exclusively in the first six months of life. According to WHO data, more than 20 million infants are born weighing less than 2.5kg per year, sadly over 96% of them in developing countries. These infants are at increased risk of early growth retardation, infectious disease, developmental delay and death during infancy and childhood. There is enough evidence that highlight the importance of breastfeeding in the first 24 hours of life in these infants. The infants who are breastfed in the first 24 hours show a lower neonatal mortality than the infants who are breastfed after 24 hours. According to Dr Arun Gupta a senior paediatrician and coordinator of Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), “Breastfeeding is essential to child health, survival and development, yet in India 3 out 5 women are not able to initiate breastfeeding within an hour of birth. Only 1 out 2 women can practice exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. This happens because women continue to face multiple barriers to breastfeeding at home, work place and hospitals. Success lies in removing the barriers which can be done by governments and private health care providers” 

Nutrition requirements of a lactating mother

A lactating mother requires an additional 500 kcal/day. When mothers do not maintain the extra requirements in their diet, body stores are used to produce milk resulting in post-partum weight loss. Dr Chandra said, “Lactating mothers are advised to continue with the prenatal vitamin supplements daily. Vitamins are secreted in the breast milk and maternal deficiency affects the breast milk directly.  Vegetarian mothers also require the supplementation of vitamin D, B12, and calcium due to decreased intake from a vegan diet.”

Benefits of breastfeeding to mothers

Breastfeeding has always seen as a boon to the newborns and maternal benefits were not realized until recently. Dr. Manjari Chandra added Â“New evidence has suggested that breastfeeding is equally important to mothers and provides many short-term and long-term benefits. Immediate and early benefits for mothers include postpartum weight loss and mother-infant bonding. Pregnancy results in many physiological changes to support the new life in the womb. During pregnancy, the body goes in a hyperlipidemic and insulin resistant state, which increases the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes later in the life. Breastfeeding has shown to decrease the risk of long-term metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and is associated with 4–12% reduction in the risk of type-2 diabetes”.

Encouraging breastfeeding is the need of the hour to ensure a healthy future for the next generations. World Breastfeeding Week is a remarkable initiative; however, just one week will not solve the problem for India who ranks lowest among Southeast nations in breastfeeding practices with only 44% infants having access to breastfeeding in the initial hour of the life. A collective effort by the government and society is required to improve the breastfeeding practices. To provide a propitious environment to nursing mothers, the government has to show commitment to building nursing rooms in the public places and society needs to stop treating public nursing as taboo.

(The Author is Dr Arun Gupta a senior paediatrician and coordinator of Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI))

NEW DELHI: A petition under Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Central and State governments to formulate a policy for Cesarean deliveries.

The PIL, filed by advocate Dr. Ashutosh Garg, is scheduled to come up for hearing before the apex court on August 3.

The petition also sought a direction to the Central and State government to constitute a Medical Board for monitoring the activities of the private health institution with regard to Cesarean section also known as C-section. It sought appropriate direction to the Central government to make it mandatory for all doctors and hospitals to declare the percentage of Caesarean delivery rates to patients and post-cesarean health hazards.  

The petition said the apex Court  may also frame guidelines for conducting Caesarean to safeguard the health and rights of women and children because Article 21 of the Constitution recognizes every individual’s right to life and liberty, which the Supreme Court has held includes the right to health.

It said Article 47 of the Constitution provides that the State shall regard raising the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties. It also pointed out that there was no national plan or state plan in India for dealing with unnecessary cesarean deliveries.

It said it is the duty of the Central and State governments to provide affordable quality health care to people. It said the C-section surgeries have a serious impact not only on the health of the mother but also on her ability to continue work after delivery.

The petition stated that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that Caesarean section could be performed only when it is medical necessity and WHO norms prescribe that C-section deliveries should be ideally 10-15 per cent of the total number of deliveries whereas as per data maintained by government authority and news reports in India in private hospitals that rate is more than 50 per cent.

It pointed out that C-sections lead to a higher risk of post-partum depression and lower breastfeeding rate in women and diseases like obesity and diabetes in children.

NEW DELHI:  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called upon the people to effect a change in 2019 general elections for the betterment of the people.  

Addressing a conference on “Love Your Neighbour” at the Capital’s  Constitution Club, the Trinamool Congress supremo said: “India needs a change and that change must come in 2019 for the betterment of the world.”

Hitting out at the ruling party at the Centre without naming it, Mamata Banerjee sharply criticized the publication of the first draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam which has left out nearly 40 lakh people in the State who have to file their claims for proving their citizenship.

Sounding a note of caution, she said the situation developing in Assam was alarming and could envelope other States and unleash civil war in the country as the ruling party leaders were threatening to have NRC in Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan U.P, Chhattisgarh and other States.

“Only to win polls people cannot be victimised. Don’t you think people whose  name is not in the list will lose a part of their identity? Please understand India-Pakistan-Bangladesh were one before partition. Whoever came from Bangladesh to India till March 1971 is an Indian citizen,’’ she said.

West Bengal Chief Minister who is on a visit here further said: “If  Bengalis say Biharis cannot stay in Bengal, South Indian people say North Indians cannot  stay there and North Indians say South Indians cannot stay here. What will be state of this country? Because we are together, our country is a family,’’ Mamata Banerjee said.

She said that she was surprised to see that the names of family members of former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed were not on the NRC. “What else can I say? There are so many people whose names are not there. We will not allow this to happen in Bengal because we are there. Today, these people cannot vote. What will happen to children, they will not be able to go to school and get education, get health facilities.’’

Directing her criticism to the NRC in Assam, she said it is not only the Bengalis, it is the minorities, Hindus, Biharis. “More than 40 lakh people voted for the ruling party only yesterday and suddenly today they have been made refugees in their own country,’’ the West Bengal Chief Minister said.

She said the people have a right to live with dignity and respect and everybody should uphold the Constitution.  She appealed to the people to love their neighbours at every level from local to district to State to the national and international levels.