NEW DELHI: The two-week long  “Harimau Shakti” joint military exercise with Indian and Malaysian troops testing their preparedness in jungle warfare, culminated in the rainforests of Malaysia on Friday.

The second phase of the exercise gained momentum with both Army units getting together in gathering intelligence on the enemy and then planning and executing the final assault.

The exercise between Indian and Malaysian Armies concluded with a closing ceremony at the tropical rainforests of Hulu Langat. The grand finale was a tactical operation on conduct of attack on enemy camp.

“The information collected over the past five days through various operations had resulted in the contingents identifying the movement, routes and activities of Malaysian Revolutionary Army and develop a coherent intelligence picture. The joint command post established by the two contingents went on overdrive in collating and synthesising the available information and disseminating the orders to sub units,’’ Indian Army spokesperson Col Aman Anand said here.

The field craft, and battle craft drills practiced during the cross training phase were put to great use and the contingents were able to achieve their aim while maintaining surprise, the spokesperson said. The entire planning process was a true reflection of the joint operational capabilities that the contingents have achieved in a short span of time.

The exercise involved movement of troops to their locations at night under respective party commanders and deployment their locations with no loss of surprise. The final blow on enemy was swift, well-coordinated and violent to ensure that the target was decimated in no time.

The final attack on the enemy target was witnessed by Brigadier General Abdul Malik Bin Jiran, Colonel Anirudh Chauhan, Defence Attache  Malaysia and Colonel Aman Anand, PRO Army.

In his closing address, the Commander complimented the troops from both the contingents for their exemplary conduct, high morale and tactical acumen throughout the exercise. He also remarked that the Contingents would have learned by sharing their knowledge and experiences. He also complimented the Indian contingent for assimilating and understanding the nuances of jungle operations as per Malaysian doctrine and fighting shoulder to shoulder with their Malaysian Counterparts.

Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia Mridul Kumar also visited the exercise area and complimented the troops on successful completion of the joint training exercise. He was highly appreciative of the high spirits and exemplary drills shown by the Contingents under challenging conditions and inclement weather. The rain gods poured but could not dampen the spirit of the brave soldiers from India and Malaysia.

The professional acumen, operational abilities, battle drills and physical endurance displayed by the contingents over the last fortnight were of extremely high std and was an apt reflection of the level of interoperability achieved during the exercise. The contingents from Indian and Malaysian Armies have been able to share their experiences in counter insurgency operations and learn from each other.

The future editions of Exercise Harimau Shakti will surely take this legacy forward and will ensure that the two nations continue to maintain close defence ties in ensuring peace and security in the region.

While Malaysian Army showcased its strength in the emphasis on tactical operations and basic soldiering skills, expertise in jungle survival and ability to live off the land and an eye for ground and ability to use natural resources for operational requirements, the Indian Army’s strength lay in its ability to quickly absorb the battle drills and procedures of jungle operations as per Malaysian doctrine, exceptional firing skills exhibited during cross training phase and displayed physical and mental endurance.

The exercise also played a key role in enhancing defence relations between the two nations as well as strengthening interoperability and joint operational capabilities in conducting jungle operations.

NEW DELHI: Education is one of the most pressing problems that various stakeholders such as the government, non-profits, policy-makers, and entrepreneurs are trying to tackle. Entrepreneurs must focus on solving one challenge in a scalable way and that would be enough to drive growth for startups in the education sector.

Coaching classes still hold an iron grip on exam preparations, but this is another industry that could soon get ‘disrupted’. Traditionally, preparation has been associated with a classroom where a group of students is tutored by a teacher. New startups want to break the group study model, which they say doesn’t work for most students. Seeing the potential of edtech and using it for the exam preparation model, many startups have emerged which claim to prepare students competitively for such exams. 

Currently, the test preparation market size stands at over 18 Mn students, with an annual growth rate of 20-25%. At an average ticket size of INR 10000, the market value currently stands at around INR 18,000 crore.

The test preparation market is currently dominated by classroom coaching which is highly unorganized and students are often deprived of best resources due to geographical constraints. Online preparation is an answer to this. The market opportunity in this sector is huge and the ecosystem is conducive to cater to online consumption of content and resources.

India has one of the largest education systems in the world with a network of more than 1 million schools and 18,000 higher education institutions. Added to that, more than 15 million students prepare for competitive exams (IIT JEE, CAT, Banking, etc) every year. With that number, test Preparation indeed is one of the most lucrative business models and today, there is a sizeable number of students and parents who’re willing to make that effort to go beyond traditional methods of doing it.

Securing government jobs is the best option considered by most of the students in India. And it has been continuing for ages. Students in tier II and III cities and rural areas tend to prioritize public sector job as it gives a sense of security, dignified social life and enhances the chances of getting desired life partner along with hefty dowry.

Ever since the government-service exams have gone online, the selection of students from Tier 2 and 3 cities has dropped down. It is not because of lack of knowledge of the candidates but due to the teething issues related to shift to computers. The efficiency of students fell from 65/100 to 35/100 when they shifted to digital mode, due to lack of exposure to computers. Many college graduates in these areas find it hard to operate a computer. The strategy to attempt exam changes as the mode shifts from offline to online. In an offline exam, all the questions are available at once, while in the online pattern you can see only one question at a time.

To gauge the craze of government job, just look at the number of aspirants for positions opened for railways. Of 90,000 vacancies, about 25 million (2.5 crores) have applied for vacant positions. It essentially means that 277 candidates competing for a single post. 

While this craze must die to get rid of unemployment and prosperity of the nation, it’s an opportunity for tech-oriented education startups to thrive. Scope for companies who are helping students in preparing government jobs is phenomenal.

Online learning cannot replace the traditional classroom, it will definitely complement it with better reach, analysis, personalization and will increase the competitiveness of examinations by providing a level playing field for aspirants of small towns who were earlier deprived of best resources. Also, since Indian students are much used to self-study, a learning platform in India has to integrate well with the traditional classroom rather than being an alternate.

As many as 251 Gross Polluting Industries (GPI) have been closed under Namami Gange Programme and closure directions have been issued to non complying polluting industries.

Addressing a press conference, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari said the government hopes to clean 70 to 80 percent Ganga by March 2019.

The Minister said, real time monitoring of pollutions is being done in 938 industries. 211 main ‘nallas’ have been identified which are causing pollution in Ganga and 20 modular STPs are being deployed to treat nalla water. Regular review meetings with all the states government officials, contractors, consultants are being done and obstacles regarding DPR’s, Tendering Process, finalisation of design, Payment to contractors are being removed for speedy completion of Projects. 

Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti said that almost all the 4470 villages on the bank of Ganga are now Open Defecation  Free (ODF) and the government was working on the strategy of ODF plus.

She said measures like Solid-Liquid waste management, tree plantation, making villages and towns plastic free and awareness programmes are being adopted.

Namami Gange, an integrated Ganga Conservation Mission, is an umbrella programme with the aim to integrate previous, currently ongoing and new projects planned as part of the programme at an indicative cost of Rs. 20,000 crore. The programme is to be implemented over a period of five years ending on December 2020. ‘Namami Gange’ approaches Ganga Rejuvenation by consolidating the existing and ongoing efforts and planning for a comprehensive action plan for future.

Under the Namami Gange programme, a total of 195 projects have been sanctioned for various activities such as sewage infrastructure, ghats and crematoria development, river front development, river surface cleaning, institutional development, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, rural sanitation, and public participation.

As many as 102 projects, of 195 were sanctioned for creation of 2369 MLD new sewage treatment plants (STPs), rehabilitation of 887 MLD of existing STPs and laying/rehabilitation of 4722 km sewer network for abatement of pollution in river Ganga and Yamuna. Till date 24 projects have been completed which has created 217 MLD STP capacity, rehabilitated 62 MLD STP capacity and 1879.5 km of sewer network has been laid.

Presently, 45 sewage infrastructure projects are under execution. These projects envisage creating 841 MLD sewage treatment capacities. Another 33 projects are under various stages of tendering. In a paradigm shift in sewage sector in the past one year, works on two STP projects (50 MLD in Varanasi and 82 MLD in Haridwar) have been started under Hybrid Annuity PPP mode (HAM). Other projects sanctioned under HAM are Naini, Jhusi, Phaphamau, Unnao, Shuklaganj, Mathura, Kanpur, Mirzapur, Gazipur and Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh; Digha, Kankarbagh and Bhagalpur in Bihar; Howrah, Bally and Tolly’s Nalla (Kolkata), Kamarhati and Baranagar in West Bengal. These sewage management projects will take care of the current gap in sewage treatment and will also sustain the sewage treatment for future.

Among some of the new initiatives that have been taken by National Mission for Clean Ganga are “One City One Operator” as part of which STPs in 7 towns (Kanpur, Allahabad, Mathura, Patna, Kolkata, Howrah-Bally, Bhagalpur) are being integrated and tendered with Hybrid Annuity based projects. Four have already been tendered (Kanpur, Allahabad, Mathura and Kolkata. The focus under Namami Gange programme has been on 10 major towns contributing almost 64% of total sewage discharge. Apart from that performance evaluation of existing STPs have been completed in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and project engineers for Haridwar and Varanasi projects have been appointed. Besides, annual inspection of GPIs through technical institutions in a time bound manner along with close monitoring of milestones is being done. New projects are being taken up on tributaries.

For River Front Development, works at 152 ghats and 54 crematoria are in progress and expected to be completed by 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs. 683.32 crore. Patna River Front Development project worth Rs 254.52 crore is at advanced stage of completion (more than 85% work done). Under this, 20 ghats and 6.6 km of promenade are being developed among other services that include toilets, bathrooms, changing rooms etc. Pathri ghat in Patna which was developed under Namami Gange programme won 2A Asia Architecture Award 2016. One project of RFD at Chandi ghat in Haridwar involving a cost of about Rs. 50 crore is 68% complete.  

As many as 44 Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Station (RTWQMS) are operational under Namami Gange programme to keep water quality check. As abatement of industrial pollution which has been a prime focus of National Mission for Clean Ganga, survey of all 938 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) was conducted. Out of 938 GPIs, 251 were closed and closure notices were given to non-complying GPIs.

Eleven trash skimmers have been deployed at Haridwar, Garh Mukhteshwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna, Sahibganj, Nabadwip, Howrah, Delhi and Mathura-Vrindavan.

On rural sanitation front, all 4465 villages on the bank of river Ganga have been made Open Defecation Free (ODF) and 10,83,688 Individual Household Toilets have been constructed. Five State Ganga Committees and 48 District Ganga Committees on main stem of River Ganga, constituted for effective monitoring of projects and activities.

Five crore plants are being planted along Ganga basin as part of the afforestation drive involving an amount of Rs. 112 crores intended for preventing erosion of soil and groundwater recharge in the Ganga basin. A comprehensive bio-diversity conservation programme is being undertaken through Wildlife Institute of India involving a cost of Rs. 25 crore. Afforestation campaign with public participation has been taken up.

A Composite Ecological Task Force with headquarters at Allahabad and three companies of 100 men each is being raised with Territorial Army. They would be taking up plantation, public awareness, patrolling of river fronts and monitoring of river pollution. 

In Uttarakhand, 31 projects have been sanctioned out of which 13 have been completed and in 18 work is under progress. The projects in Kirtinagar, Tapovan, Uttarkashi, Rishikesh are likely to be completed by June 2018, projects in Joshimath, Srinagar, Haridwar network by Nov 2018 and projects in Badrinath, Chamoli, Nandprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnprayag, Haridwar (Interception and Diversion work) by December 2018.

In Uttar Pradesh, 30 projects have been sanctioned out of which eight have been completed and work is under progress on nine projects. Three tenders are under evaluation and 10 under tendering. The completed projects include  projects in Allahabad (completed in year four 2015, 2016) and four projects (Garhmukteshwar, Kannauj, Anupshahar and Narora) in April 2018. The projects which are likely to be completed are  [Allahabad Dist C and Dist E (Additional) by May 2018, Moradabad by June 2018, Varanasi (JICA- Dinapur) by July 2018, Kanpur (Sismau nala), Allahabad Dist A by October 2018 Allahabad Dist B and Varanasi (Ramana) by December 2019. Tenders are under evaluation for Chunar and Mathura. The projects under tendering are Bithoor, Ramnagar, Unnao, Shuklaganj, Kanpur (Pankha), Allahabad (Jhusi, Naini, and Phaphamau), Farrukhabad.Mirzapur, Ghazipur, rehabilitation of existing STPs in Allahabad

In Bihar 20 projects have been sanctioned out of which work is under progress on 10 projects while four are under evaluation and six under tendering. The locations where work is under progress are Buxar and in various zones of Patna. In Barh, Sultanganj, Mokama,

Naugachia tenders have been received and evaluation is in process whereas tenders are to be floated for Bhagalpur, Digha and Kankarbagh zones of Patna.

In Jharkhand, two projects are under progress in Sahibganj where a 12 MLD STP, 55 km Sewer are being constructed. The project is likely to be completed by December 2018. Another project in Rajmahal of creation of 3.5 MLD STP, 34 km sewer has recently been awarded and likely to be completed by June 2019.

There are 15 projects in West Bengal that have been sanctioned out of which two have been completed; work is under progress on four projects while four others are under tendering. For five projects tenders have to be floated.

NEW DELHI : Union Minister of Electronics & IT and Law & Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad said today that for the Indian Government, freedom of media is integral to polity, duly recognized by the Constitution and reinforced by Judiciary in series of judgements. Addressing the 15th Asia Media Summit here today, the Minister said that the media has full right to inform, circulate, criticize, advice and counsel. The rights of Media under the Constitution are also subject to reasonable restrictions.

Dwelling upon the issue of Ethical Journalism, the Law Minister said that it must be fair, true, properly presented highlighting sights and counter sights and empowering the consumers of news in a decent and independent fashion. The Minister wondered whether the media today, under the garb of sensationalism, paid news, fake news, too much of other insidious practices is addressing to this large issue. This is a matter of debate, the Minister added.

Supporting the principle of self-regulation by the media, Mr. Prasad said that the IT act mandates that the content going through the intermediary is not dangerous, libellous and does not impinge upon the security and integrity of the country nor should it encroach upon the copyrights. On sanctity of privacy, the Minister noted that the Supreme Court had upheld privacy as part of the Fundamental Rights. But, he added that the plea of privacy cannot become a shield for the corrupt and the terrorists. The Minister elaborated that on the issues of terrorism, propagation of hatred and communalization and on the issue of promoting extremism, there has to be a global consensus that needs to be properly enforced.

Dwelling on the challenges of social media, He said that the Government is committed to the freedom of press but there is a need to segregate the real from the dangerous. He said many in the Government today had fought against the emergency where freedom was trampled upon. The Minister said that the Government respects social media as it empowers the common man but the language used sometimes in this medium is a cause of concern.

Mr. Prasad further said that the internet cannot become a tool of neo-imperialism. Referring to internet as one of the finest creations of human mind, he said that it cannot remain the monopoly of a few. He said that if Internet has to be global, it must have linkages with local ideas and culture.

[Directed : Raj Khosla/ Produced: Lekhraj Khosla & Bolu Khosla/ Written: Akhtar Romani/Screenplay: G. R. Kamat/ Cinematography: Pratap Sinha/ Edited:Waman Bhonsle/ lyrics: Anand Bakshi/ Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal/Playback: Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd.Rafi/ Starring: Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Asha Parekh, Laxmi Chhaya and Jayant]

On 3^rd May, I was fortunate to be doing live commentary on Radio in English for the 65^th National Film Awards at the Vigyan Bhavan, I was fortunate because one of the symbols of my childhood- Vinod Khanna being awarded the 49^th Dadasaheb Phalke award, albeit posthumously. He was to me and my buddies while growing up at Karol Bagh in the seventies the most menacing dacoit Jabbar Singh, the inspiring lecturer Pramod Sharma and the stern and yet affable inspector Amar all rolled into one!

Late Vinod Khanna (1946-2017) was an enigma. There have been very few like him who started as a detestable villain and ended up as one of the most successful heroes, with a track record which could have upstaged the hit machine called Amitabh Bacchan in the 70s, had he not become a gardener as Swami Vinod Bharti in Rajneeshpuram, Oregon, USA. Vinod Khanna’s menacing act as Jabbar Singh still has the same recall value as Gabbar or Mogambo and in pantheon of Bollywood villains, Jabbar Singh ranks in the A-list along with luminaries like Lion (Kalicharan), Sir Juda (Karz), Shakaal (Shaan) and Dr. Dang (Karma) as one of the few unforgettable scoundrels who have gone on to become even more iconic than their heroic counterparts in the same movies

Sholay and Mera Gaon Mera Desh shared the very basic DNA strand in common. The unwilling vigilante heroes or hero who goes on his journey thanks to a crippled mentor- Havildar Major Jaswant Singh with one arm in Mera Gaon Mera Desh and Thakur Baldev Singh, a retired police inspector without any arms in Sholay. The villain in both films is a dacoit with similar names, the decisive coin toss and showdown at noon. 

These striking similarities have led many to assert and believe that Sholay was a remake of Raj Khosla’s Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971) and also borrowed heavily from Narinder Bedi’s Khotay Sikkay (1974). Interestingly, even Khosla and Bedi had lifted the story from Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai (1954). Sippy did not buy the remake rights from any of the three movies, he even lifted the title of his movie from the film Shole (1953) starring Ashok Kumar and Bina Rai.  

Vinod Khanna did 40 films from 1968-74, the films in which he was cast as a hero, second lead or supporting actor did lukewarm business. As a villain however his films were super-hits- Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), Aan Milo Sajana (1970), Rakhwala (1971),  Anokhi Ada (1973) and  Pathar Aur Payal (1974) to name a few.

Raj Khosla went to Ajmer, and sat with the crowd between the third and the first class in Rajasthan’s oldest cinema theatre Majestic Talkies in Ajmer. A heady Khosla after hearing cinegoers’ comments about Mera Gaon Mera Desh, who did not recognize Khosla, later said that he had never had an experience like this in his life. Amazingly Ramesh Sippy also visited Ajmer and saw Sholay in Majestic Talkies, he was introduced to a fan who had seen the film 62 times till then! Ramesh Sippy overwhelmed by this fan sponsored the screening for free till the time it was screened in the theatre.

Asha Parekh began 1971 with two super hits – Mera Gaon Mera Desh, and Caravan which were the second and sixth biggest hits of the year. These were back to back hits from her mega hits Aan milo sajna and Kati Patang in 1970.Raj Khosla first helmed Asha Parekh in mega hitDo Badan (1966), whereas their second outing was a luke warm Chirag (1969). Their next two films together were blockbusters- Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971) and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978). In fact her powerhouse title-role in Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978) was going to be her last histrionic and commercial hurrah before she was relegated to largely-insignificant mother or bhabhi roles except Kaalia (1981) that again made people sit up and notice her.

Asha was embroiled in major controversies with her female co-stars in her two super hits helmed by Raj Khosla. It was Simi Garewal who first alleged that Asha tried to trim her part down in Do Badan (1969), but it was Simi who bagged the Filmfare Award as Best Supporting Actress. During the making of mega hit, Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), late Laxmi Chayya claimed that Asha parekh had tried cut her part, despite the fact that Laxmi Chayya got twice the number of songs than Asha did in the film. Laxmi Chhaya as the moll with vengeance in her heart got to sing more songs than the leading lady, including Aaya aaya atariya pe, Apni prem kahaniyaan and Maar diya jaye, which is one of the tautest situational numbers in the history of Bollywood.

In Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Dharmendra the macho man was upstaged by the passion and intensity of Vinod Khanna who in one of the action packed scenes literally bled to infuse realism into the role! Dharmendra beats him with the belt in their showdown and the young actor never flinched for a minute.  Dharmendra met him in the evening and saw injury marks on his back but when he asked Vinod Khanna about them he shrugged them of as occupational hazard! Asha Parekh remembered late Vinod Khanna as her friend who always met with a smile on his face. He was a macho man but also someone with whom one could converse on a variety of topics.

Vinod Khanna would come on the sets of Mera Gaon Mera Desh in a small stylish yellow car and as third assistant it was Mahesh Bhatt’s job to usher the actor to his make-up room. Both were boys from English schools, although Vinod Khanna was uptown Malabar Hill and Mahesh Bhatt was middle class Shivaji Park. The first shot of Vinod Khanna was of him riding into the village with his fellow henchmen. He was to dismount the horse menacingly, kick open the door of the house of the village headman and draw his gun out. The shot had Raj Khosla turn around to his crew and utter what would be prophetic words, ‘This boy is going to be a star. He will set the nation ablaze!’

Mera Gaon Mera Desh was filmed in verdant locales of Udaipur district replete with the natural lakes, the luxuriant fields, the green hills and the colourful villages. Vinod Khanna was so etched in public memory as the deadly dacoit Jabbar Singh Mera Gaon Mera Desh, that Khosla mounted Kachhe Dhaage (1973) with Khanna as the anti-hero on a white steed locking horns with Kabir Bedi on a black stallion shooting again in Udaipur! Vinod Khanna and Raj Khosla again returned to Udaipur for a third time in Main tulsi tere aangan ki (1978). 

Vinod Khanna was the Chairman of the prestigious FTII twice from 2001-2002 for three months and then for three years from 2002-2005. He was elected as four times from the Gurdaspur in Punjab between 1998–2009 and 2014–2017. In July 2002, Khanna became the minister for Culture and Tourism and six months later, he the minister of state for external affairs. After losing his seat in 2009 while campaigning in 2014 there was always a demand for the dialogue from Mera Gaon Mera Desh where Jabbar Singh snarls-‘Jabbar Singh ne do baatein seekhi hain, ek, mauke ka fayda uthaana, do, dushmano ka nash karna (Jabbar Singh has learnt two things in life. One, to take advantage of the situation, and two, to destroy all enemies). 

Pran in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Dilip Kumar in Ganga Jamuna (1961), Sunil Dutt in Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Amjad Khan in Sholay (1975), Seema Biswas in Bandit Queen (1994) and Irfan Khan in Pan Singh Tomar (2012) are some of the most memorable portrayals of the dacoit on Hindi film industry.  Vinod Khanna was barely five movies old and this film was released in the same year that sent his stock soaring with Gulzar’s Mere Apne.Vinod Khanna was villain to Dharmendra in this film but it made Khanna a marquee star with a twirled-up moustache, cleft chin like Kirk Douglas, donning white dhoti and black shirt, his own lawgiver a double-barrel slung on his shoulders, profanity never leaving his lips; few have portrayed the dacoit on screen as faultlessly and majestically as Vinod Khanna did in MGMD. The film became the second hit of the 1971 and 18^th biggest hit of the decade.

In the sweltering hot weather, just drinking some refreshing drinks and slapping on some sun screen is just not enough. Along with the soaring high temperatures, we hear more and more cases of dehydration, health issues, sunstrokes and even death in extreme cases. 

There are many factors that are responsible for the increase in our body heat and environmental heat plays an important role in it. During the summers the temperatures rise and our body getting exposed to these heat episodes causing it to heat up. Another important factor that is responsible for body heat is the foods that we eat. 

So, how I can cool down in the hot weather?

Perhaps, cooling down in summers is all about how your body adapt to the seasons heat and how much can you adapt to. Here are some cool tips that you can resort to this summer to stay cool:

• Keep hydrated always: summer causes sweats, and sweating can cause dehydration, making you more exposed to heat strokes and exhaustions. Just drinking some cool water regularly throughout the day can keep your body cool and hydrated.
• Choose cotton over any other fabric: when it’s scorching outside, opting for lightweight cotton is the best option. Wear lighter colour like white and creamy as it reflects away sun’s radiation. Avoid black and other darker colour clothing’s.
• Eat small and regularly: larger meals warms up the body as it works more to process larger meals. Metabolic energy is required to break down food, hence it is advised to eat smaller meal at regular intervals.
• Lay low: hot air is lighter and rise high. Try to stay as low as possible to keep surrounded by cooler air. If you are so intrigued to stay cool, lie down on the floor.
• Rinse your hands and keep feet cool:  Washing the hands and wrists and feet with cold water before stepping out in the open heat helps drift off and cool down. Dunking the feet into an ice cold bucket of water can help take your temperature down. 
• Keep the moisturizers and lotions in the refrigerator: applying cold moisturizers on the body can provide you with the much needed rejuvenation. By keeping all your essential in the refrigerator can create this cooling effect without much effort.  

Simple foods to eat in summers to stay naturally cool 

Drinking water helps maintain body temperatures and water levels, but what about the vital nutrients that are lost through sweating. Here are some foods that will not only helps keeping cool but also will ensure that you don’t lose out on the nutrients and stay healthy, fit and fresh.

• Watermelons: 

A fruit that has more richness and benefits that could be imagined. Watermelons are amazingly delicious and healthy – full of water and nourish with you from within as it is packed with healthy nutrients, vitamins and minerals. They are a good source of antioxidants like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and potassium, magnesium, and dietary fiber.

• Coconut Water: 

Full of richness and nutrients, it definitely is a must-have for summers. Packed with the goodness of nutrients, it is a perfect for summers as it replenishes all the nutrients your body loses after sweating. It is the best ever natural energy drink packed with nutrients, as it replenishes all the nutrients our body loses from sweating. It has been used since ages for its numerous health benefits as it promotes cardiovascular health, improves metabolism, aids in digestion, prevents and treats dehydration, helps in weight loss, treats cases of diarrhea, works as a detoxifier and many more.

• Buttermilk: 

Aided with the goddesses of curd is better to have fresh. Added with some other cooling spices like coriander leaves, some cumin powder and salt for some taste makes for a perfect cooling agent in summers. Butter milk have been rated high even in Ayurveda and is known for its  many health benefits like cooling down body temperature, helps in digestion, it helps the stomach smoothen after spicy meals, it washes out fats after meals, fulfils calcium deficiency and it blessed with richness of proteins, vitamin B and potassium. All of these minerals and vitamins work wonders for our overall health.

• Cucumbers:

A storehouse of water and vital nutrients and a must in almost every salad, cucumbers entices everyone in the summer heat. A nutritionally dense vegetable that is packed with nutrients like Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Riboflavin, B-6, Folate, Pantothenic acid, Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Zinc and Silica and is naturally low in calories, fat and cholesterol. Out of its many health benefits, some impressive ones are – Alkaline producing effect on the body, are the best cosmetic for your skin, contributes to that strength of our connective tissues, aids hair growth, works as a diuretic, helps to lose weight and improves heart health. 

(The article is authored by Dietitian Sheela Seharawat. She is an entrepreneur and founder & chief mentor of Diet Clinic Health Care)

Mumbai: Thalassemia is the most common genetic based condition globally. The condition may be classified as a hemoglobinopathy which refers to genetic alteration causing structural abnormality in the hemoglobin molecule. Such defects lead to abnormal hemoglobin production and subsequent anemia. Symptom include tiredness, pale skin, bone problems, enlargement of spleen along with delayed growth and complications such as iron overload leading to cardiac, liver and immune system abnormalities.

Thalassemia is monogenic which means that a single causative factor is implicated in pathogenesis of the condition. Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asian regions as well as the Indian subcontinent have reported high incidence of thalassemia as well as carriers of the condition. According to WHO statistics, globally, there are approximately 9 million pregnant carriers annually. About 56,000 new born children have a major thalassemia, including at least 30,000 who need regular transfusions to survive and close to 5500 affected die perinatally. Increasing rates of migration have also led to introduction of such genetic hemoglobinopathies into newer populations. Such new cases represent additional challenge to health services on a global scale.

Thalassemia exists in 2 major forms: namely alpha and beta thalassemia based on the hemoglobin chain that is affected. Other forms include delta and combination/compound heterozygosity variants. Beta thalassemia is further sub classified as beta-thalassemia major, intermediate and minor. Due to high frequency and severity, beta-thalassemia major is considered a major public health problem. This variant causes profound anemia that kills untreated affected children before the age of 3 years.

There is no effective treatment for thalassemia and the only way to prevent the condition is by detection of carriers and spreading awareness among the people about this emerging epidemic. Conventional treatments rely on regular blood transfusion and iron chelation therapy, or bone-marrow transplantation. Nonetheless, the financial burden and adverse effects associated with such therapies outweigh the benefits. Moreover, bone marrow transplantation calls for completely matched donors in order to minimize chance of rejection which is possible in only 25-30% cases. The need of the hour is newer therapeutic modalities that are safe and more effective which will enable affected individuals lead a normal life.

Regenerative medicine and cell based therapy have been studied in management of thalassemia with promising results. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are present in the bone marrow (along with hematopoietic-blood forming cells) and provide a supportive niche microenvironment to the affected hematopoietic cells. Additionally, MSCs are capable of self renewal and differentiation into various cell types thus have been implicated in maintenance of hematopoietic cells. Another interesting observation pertains to adipose tissue which has been described as an extra-medullary pool of functional hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Adipose derived cells may thus be researched as an additional possible source of hematopoietic cells.

A novel approach to hematopoietic stem cell transplant has been made possible by CliniMacs Prodigy System, which proposes un-matched/partially matched (haploidentical) transplants. Studies using this technology have shown that unrelated-donor stem cell transplantation is an acceptable therapeutic approach in severe thalassemia, especially for patients who are not fully compliant with conventional treatment and do not yet show irreversible severe complications of iron overload. This technology has already benefitted more than 5000 patients worldwide suffering from various hematological conditions.

“We have recently launched the first CliniMacs Prodigy System in India at our center with the hope of being able to effectively treat thalassemic individuals and also those suffering from other hematological disorders, malignancy etc. The aim is to reduce the waiting period for transplants and bring down the rate of mortality among affected individuals”, says Dr. Pradeep Mahajan of StemRx Bioscience Solutions “With a combination of mesenchymal cells for restoration of the bone marrow microenvironment and the CliniMacs Prodigy System, individuals suffering from thalassemia will be able to lead a normal life, free from major side effects associated with conventional modalities of treatment”, concludes Dr. Mahajan.

Rabies causes 59 000 agonizing and painful deaths globally every year with one person dying every nine minute, mostly children and the poor.

Rabies is a viral disease that occurs in more than 150 countries and territories – is usually fatal once symptoms appear. Dog-transmitted rabies accounts for about 99% of human rabies cases with 40% of the victims bitten by suspect rabid animals are children under 15 years of age.

The world’s poorest are the most affected as they cannot afford treatment or transport for care. People’s livelihoods are also affected when livestock get rabies, a loss estimated at over US$ 500 million per year globally.

However, rabies is 100% preventable by ensuring access vaccines and to life-saving treatment following dog bites; and by vaccinating dogs to reduce risks and ultimately to eliminate the disease.

At a high level meeting held in Kathmandu recently, the World Health Organization called upon Member States and partners to accelerate efforts to end rabies.

Eight of the 11 Member countries of WHO South-East Asia Region account for nearly 26 000 rabies deaths, 45% of the global rabies toll, as over 1.5 million people in the Region remain at risk of rabies.

“Human rabies is caused mostly by dogs and can be eliminated by increasing awareness about the disease, vaccinating dogs and most importantly by making the already available life-saving rabies vaccines, medicines, tools and technologies affordable and available to all. We can, and must break the disease cycle and save lives,” Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, told the global meeting ‘Driving progress towards rabies elimination’ here.

At the meeting, the global rabies partners comprising of WHO, OIE, FAO and UNICEF and rabies endemic countries from Asia-Pacific and Africa, shared and deliberated on measures to fast-track elimination of dog transmitted rabies by 2030.

Countries from Africa and Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Kenya, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, who have assessed access, delivery and distribution of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, shared outcomes of their studies. These studies were conducted with WHO support to enable GAVI take an informed decision to support rabies vaccines. The rabies endemic countries are seeking GAVI support to improve affordability and access to rabies vaccines for vulnerable populations, of which many are children.

WHO has been advocating for a shift from intramuscular to intradermal rabies vaccination, which is not only 60 to 80% cheaper, but is of shorter treatment regimen of just one week. Most countries in WHO South-East Asia Region are now using intradermal route for anti-rabies vaccines.

At the meeting, Member countries shared initiatives being rolled out as part of the new ‘Zero by 30: The Strategic Plan’, to be launched by WHO and partners to end dog transmitted rabies. The plan centers on One Health approach and addresses the disease in a holistic and cross-sectoral manner.  It aims at preventing and responding to dog-transmitted rabies by improving awareness and education, reducing human rabies risk through expanded dog vaccinations, and improving access to healthcare, medicines and vaccines for populations at risk. The plan calls for generating and measuring impact by implementing proven effective guidelines for rabies control, and encouraging the use of innovative surveillance technologies to monitor progress towards “Zero by 30”.  It also aims at continued stakeholder engagement at all levels to sustain financing for achieving “Zero by 30”.

A social enterprise ‘INKLUDE’ has come up with inclusive education products like books and games for visually impaired children and adults. INKLUDE, which aims to change the way Braille and geometrical shapes are taught to the visually impaired, has launched a wide range of educational and recreational aids which can be used by both non-sighted and sighted children together. 

Children who are visually impaired are more reliant on touch or their tactile sense to experience the world. Unfortunately, braille books and aids available are not inclusive which means it is very difficult for a sighted teacher, parent or even a friend to teach a non-sighted child to read . And when it comes to making them understand shapes and geometry, there are no books available which have proper tactile images. The books being introduced by INKLUDE are integrated with special embossing technique which does not disturb the readability of a sighted reader and at the same time can be read by a visually impaired person by sensing the tactile braille and images through their fingers.

Explaining more on this Puneet Arora, Co-Founder at INKLUDE says “Children with Visual impairement are separated from the mainstream for the simple reason that there are no books or games available for them which can be played with their sighted peers together. A normal braille book is not understood by a sighted person because it appears like a punched dots on a plain sheet of paper has no supporting text printed on them. With INKLUDE’s innovative publication ideas, we can include the non-sighted with sighted. INKLUDE products are truly inclusive which means that the same book or games can be read and played jointly by both, sighted and non-sighted.”

INKLUDE is a brand owned by Chanakya Mudrak, an award winning Delhi based printing company which has invested last five years in R&D in this domain and has worked on some of country’s prestigious inclusive projects like the development of NCERT’s inclusive Children’s exemplar books, Audio-Braille Accesible Menus, Tactile alphabet books and many more such inclusive products which are unique and unprecedented not only in India, but world over. 

INKLUDE is working indefatigably in this direction to encourage and empower visually challenged population of our country and the world, thus enabling them to lead a life of dignity and productivity. INKLUDE lays special emphasis on education and skill development. It aims to send each and every visually challenged child into mainstream school and highly advocates the concept of integrated education for social fulfilment. It ardently focuses on qualitative education and skill development.

New Delhi : Time to clear the stage once again for the house of talent Ms. Runki Goswami, known for her Telegu compositions such as Â“Ni andelasandarilo” and Â“Teen maar beatulakki” and Hindi compositions Â“kabhieajnabithi” and “Ab naahichanda” and also bringing that nostalgia alive by singing Farida Khanum, Salil Choudhury, Geeta Dutt and various others.

Taking the talent baton forward and making India proud,theGurugram-based Music Director and singer will now dazzle the music lover with her spell binding performance but this time on international stage.

With her controlled and mastered vocals, Runki, will set up a majestic mood with her journey from north to south through a myriad of rustic folk songs of India in its original form; thus engaging the international audience in musical expression with multiple language. 

In the upcoming concert in Nehru Centre, India High Commission, London, Runki will celebrate Indian Folk in its original form. This is on the same lines of for her folk performance in India International Centre New Delhi, which garnered huge applause leaving people asking for more. Given that a different dialect is spoken, a new belief and story told in every bend of a kilometre in India, Runki will try and relive some of those which are now either lying latent in the memories of the older generation or left un-nurtured by the new.

Runki has studied folk carefully and believes that folk is primarily author-less and is not about an individual, but people, their culture, lifestyle and belief system which is running through generations and prevalent till date. Moreover folk is not Bollywood which people need to know Therefore this concert is a reflection of her effort to revive and keep true Indian folk music alive not only in India but also on the international platform. The recitals will be the mirror image of the unchanging legacy of different states, their culture, customs, beliefs and faith. Runki will make sure that her music concert is just not about singing, but narrating the history and interpretation of every pastoral folk rendition accompanied by authentic instrumentals.

The upcoming live performance at India High Commission – Nehru Centre London on 30^th May 2018, will surely be enchanting for all music lovers as Runki will musically hop in and out of Indian States with almost 20 folk songs in over 10 different languages.