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Do Patients Still Have A Reason To Hold Themselves Back!

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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0

Government medical facilities failing to inspire confidence in people during the heightened fear of contracting Covid-19 is understandable, but why patients are still hesitant in physically visiting professionally-run private hospitals and clinics, stringently following laid down safety protocols, goes beyond reasoning. A large percentage of people are learnt to still prefer tele-consulting for routine medical issues, when doctors across the board feel it leaves a significant margin for error of judgement on their part.

(With Inputs From Student Correspondent Sumeir Bhatia)

A large number of clinics across specialities and multi-speciality hospitals contacted by LifeInChandigarh.com over the past week reported a massive decline in footfalls from pre-pandemic times, though an odd ENT clinic claimed that it was routinely refusing appointments beyond a certain restricted number for the day necessitated by stringent safety protocols and truncated morning-only OPDs.

Hospitals are piling on the losses with the problem of low footfalls being compounded by a dramatic increase in overhead costs because of the additional protective measures mandated by protocols issues by the central and state governments from time to time. Most doctors are not carrying home even 50% of the earnings they had in pre-Covid times. Some specialities are hit even worse with zero to negligible footfalls.

In such a scenario bare survival has become an uphill task. Some hospitals are also learnt to be on the verge of closure if the pandemic lasts much longer or the footfalls do not increase substantially in the coming weeks.

Says Dr Mohinder Kaushal, Chairman & Medical Director, Trinity Hospital, Zirakpur, a non-Covid hospital, “As of now we are catering to only those patients who are in dire need of medical services, including emergencies. Only semi-emergent and emergency surgeries are being performed by strictly adhering to laid down protocols. As such, footfalls are down to less than 50% and financial losses are piling up.”

Dr Mukul Kaushal in his OPD at Trinity Hospital Zirakpur

“Every corner of the hospital is being sanitised multiple times during the day, all patients visiting the hospital are being thermal screened and hand sanitized. Wearing of mask or shield by the staff as well as visitors and physical distancing are being strictly followed. All these additional expenses are being absorbed by the hospital and not a single penny is being passed on to patient charges,” he emphasises.

Dr Kaushal adds, “Staff is working in shifts and each member of the staff is being assigned alternate day duties for their safety. There have not effected salary cuts for in-house doctors and visiting doctors are being paid on per visit basis.”

Sharing his experiences during the lockdown, well known cardiac surgeon Dr Virendar Sarwal, who besides running his own practice is also providing his services at Ojus Hospital Panchkula and Shalby Hospital Mohali, says, “initial days of lockdown were very tough on the patients as they could not approach hospitals. In fact, patients already admitted for heart surgeries had to be discharged and put on medicines. Initial non-availability of PPE kits also became a big issue with even urgent cases remaining unattended.

Well known cardiac surgeon Dr Virendar Sarwal

“Getting online consultation was a difficult task especially among patients in semi-urban and rural areas, they not being digitally savvy enough. People are still afraid to visit hospitals. Footfall in OPD is less than 50%, and planned heart surgeries are down to 40% of normal times. Being tested for Covid before performing surgery is still taboo for many patients,” he adds.

Dr Sandeep Chhatwal, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Omni Clinics & Diognostics, is very articulate about his experiences and has many a tale to share.  

“After the initial lockdown was announced, and OPDs remained completely shut for three weeks, a couple landed up outside my residence, seeking consultation for the husband who was running fever along with cough, and was showing other pneumonia like symptoms. Since I did not have protective gear at home, and also had to consider safety of my aged mother, I felt bad about it, but then I had to politely decline examining the patient. I guided them to a government setup, which they did not appreciate, and perhaps did not visit.”

He says, “In mid April during the second lockdown we did start OPD services, providing for seeing 8-10 patients every alternate day. But out of 8-10 appointments on a given day, only around six could manage to reach the clinics on account of various issues like not being able to secure curfew passes, etc.

“When medical stores opened, there were issues with chemists refusing to provide medicines without prescription especially to epileptic and psychiatric patients who had taken online consultation. We had to call concerned medical stores to reassure them that these medicines were indeed prescribed by us.”

Dr Chhatwal shares, “There were also issues with people needing hospitalisation not being able to do so because they could not afford admission to big hospitals, which were functional.

All protected: Dr Sandeep Chhatwal, Omni Clinics & Diagnostics

“Patients were reluctant to visit the doctors in their clinics for fear of contracting Covid.  In such cases we managed with tele-consultation. We had to trust our judgement knowing fully well that there could always be an element of error, which we duly placed on the record in writing to safeguard ourselves in any eventuality.”

The internal medicine specialist also recollects non-availability of quality protective gear and overcharging by sellers. “We also had to keep our staff well protected and motivated as they were fearful of their personal safety.

“Even now, footfall is not more than 60% of normal times in any speciality. Reasonable time gaps between consultations to follow proper sanitisation protocols is definitely one of the reasons for it. In some specialities like gynaecology, dermatology, dentistry and physiotherapy, etc, however, the footfall is negligible.

“It’s however heartening to see that though most people are staying away from OPDs because of the fear factor, the ones who pay a visit are more than convinced with the safety protocols and thus do not hesitate to come on repeat visits.”

Dr Chhatwal asserts, “In our clinics we are taking the highest degree of care to ensure personal safety of patients and their attendants. While the entire staff wears different levels of PPEs, and the premises and equipments are repeatedly sanitised throughout the duration of the OPDs, the patients are thoroughly screened for Covid symptoms and no one is allowed in without wearing masks and paper gloves, which we provide each visitor.”

He rues, “all these measures have resulted in a dramatic increase in our overhead costs, but we have not increased the rates of our services beyond the normal annual revision we undertake at the end of every financial year to defray increased rental, running expenses, salaries, etc.”

Despite taking a stinging financial hit, and overexposing himself by coming in very close proximity with patients because of the very nature of his practice, well known eye surgeon and Director, Grover Eye Laser & ENT Hospital, Dr Rohit Grover has taken a few positives from the Covid times.

One, being a NABH accredited hospital the doctors and staff were already on the path of stringent protective measures. “It wasn’t, therefore, very difficult for us to adjust to the new guidelines and protocols. Maybe we had to make various processes 15-20% more stringent,” he shares and adds that “patients, who earlier used to just walk in, have now got into the habit of taking prior appointments, making life that much easier for us.”

Up Close: Well known eye surgeon Dr Rohit Grover

Sharing some interesting insights, Dr Grover informs, “though overall, OPD footfalls are down to 55-60% percent of pre-Covid times, and surgeries which can wait a few months are also not happening, we are getting a lot of new patients who are falling prey to digital strain or computer syndrome because of excessive exposure to screens on account of the new normal of work, study and teach from home. I would guess one-third of all patients these days fall in this category – company executives, school students and even school teachers.

“The pandemic has also given a further thrust to the trend towards getting laser vision correction done. Among the new people opting for this procedure are either those who wear contact lenses, and are now avoiding wearing them for fear of contracting Covid, or bespectacled people repeatedly getting their glasses foggy while breathing under the face mask.

“Economics have become tough no doubt, with revenues having plummeted to all time lows and running costs rising dramatically. Apart from the footfalls, the ticket size of patient has also dropped because the incomes of many of them have also dwindled in the wake of the lockdown. We, doctors have taken salary cuts, but remunerations of other staff have remained unaffected. These are tough times, but these too will pass,” he signs off.

A busy ENT specialist in Mohali, Dr Pankaj Arora says he gave free telephonic consultation to any number of patients who called during the complete lockdown days when OPDs were closed, though frankly, he stresses, he does not believe in online consultation as in ENT field clinical examination is of utmost importance before any treatment.

“I am doing half day morning-only OPD, no walk-in patient, only by prior appointment to avoid rush. Only patient or at max along with a single attendant is allowed in. Daily autoclaving of instruments twice a day for sterilisation and all other sanitisation measures as per laid down protocols are being strictly followed.”

Straight out of a Sci Fi movie: ENT specialist Dr Pankaj Arora

Dr Arora says he is seeing 20-25 patients every day in his morning-only OPD. “Requests from many patients are declined on any given day to stick to the daily limit of patients and offered appointments on subsequent days.” 

The ENT specialist is not doing routine surgeries and is referring emergency cases to hospitals. No, he has not revised his consultation fee despite incurring heavy additional overhead costs.

Dr RK Batra, Senior Consultant, General & Laproscopic Surgery, Alchemist Hospital Panchkula, feels that the biggest challenge posed to them in the initial phase of lockdown was rapidly changing guidelines and protocols forwarded by the Government of India and ICMR and non-availability of PPE kits. Getting quality kits is still a challenge, he says.

Senior General & Laproscopic surgeon Dr RK Batra

Online consultations were also a big challenge as several patients were not savvy enough to upload scans of prescriptions and investigation reports, which at times become absolutely necessary for arriving at any conclusion, he says, adding that planned surgeries have by and large been put on hold. Though RT-PCR test for Covid was made mandatory for patients before undergoing any surgery, some surgeries of urgent nature had to be performed without waiting for the test results as these took a couple of days, he shares.

Well known dental surgeon and current President of the Chandigarh branch of Indian Dental Association, Dr RP Gupta informs that after remaining closed for nearly 45 days, when his OPD opened in June he would attend to only urgent cases like dental bleeding, pain and crown having come off.

Well known dental surgeon & IDA Chd President Dr RP Gupta

“In the initial two-three weeks we did not do any procedures which involved generation of AEROSOL (air filled bubbles), though AIMMS Delhi continued to perform such procedures as well. The result was negligible revenue generation which did not even defray costs.

“Now we are running daily OPD for five hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., maintaining high standards of protective measures. The footfall has slowly but steadily increased. Mondays and Saturdays are busier days for us. About 40% of our normal footfall has been restored, and we are hopeful that this trend will hasten as more patients shed their inhibitions of physically visiting a clinic,” Dr Gupta asserts.

For another well known Dental Surgeon & Oral Implantologist, Dr Jasbrinder Singh Teja,

Future Workspaces Need To Be Super Agile & Flexible: Pelli

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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0

A world renowned architect has suggested that the workplaces of the future will need to be super agile and flexible, science based and health guided. Delivering the keynote address in a webinar titled “Re-imagine Workspace”, organised by India’s leading furniture solutions brand Godrej Interio, on Friday, Rafael Pelli, Design Partner, New York-based Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, said though the workplace as we know today will never be the same again in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, we should be careful not to over-react to the prevailing situation in the short term and damage the buildings for long term use.

The webinar was first of a series launched in collaboration with Design Dekko, the Godrej Group owned media platform for architecture and design professionals. The session was moderated by Sameer Joshi, Head of Marketing (B2B) & Workspace Research, Godrej Interio.

Delivering The Keynote Address: World Renowned Architect Rafael Pelli

Pelli was of the view that the ongoing discussions on design aspects, necessitated by the pandemic, have to be focussed differently on what we need to do in the short term and in the long term.

In the short term, we have to see how we can manage our way during the time there is no vaccine and no effective treatments available to fight the pandemic and how we can adapt our workplaces to the changed environment. And in the long term, we have to deliberate on what considerations we have to keep in mind in environments which could be different even when we would have found a solution to this immediate problem, he emphasised.

Explaining that in the short term, we are clearly facing a very abrupt and profound change in our workplace, he shared, “I am working in Connecticut. Our New York office has been functioning fully remotely. Only recently we have started letting a few people in. This is a worldwide phenomenon with a lot of people working remotely.”

Stressing that intrinsic to modern knowledge-based workplaces, there are clear disadvantages and advantages, he elaborated that the disadvantages pertain to very dense, open plan environment with a lot of people in close contact. “This is not a good condition for Covid-19 times. It is a good condition for normal work collaboration.

“There are also buildings that are much better sealed than they were historically. So we can keep the inside areas cool, filtered and humidified, but it also means that we are not allowing enough mixing of air, dispersing and defusing it to address the health issues of the air we breathe. In the last couple of months there have been issues with the surfaces we touch. In the end all these are issues for consideration in designing future workplaces.”

However, he cautioned that we have to be careful not to overreact to the situation in the short term so that we do not cause damage to the buildings for long term use.

On the positive side, he said modern workplaces offer a huge advantage in terms of infrastructure that supports remote working as never available before. And there is a large diversity of spaces available like atrium space, outside turf, cafeteria space and other joint spaces. In modern workplaces we try to create an environment with a small amount of personal space and a large amount of shared space. In times like this, these can be used flexibly and to our advantage, he added.

Pelli said in the long term, clients are clearly feeling the need for having a central office to maintain a collaborative work environment that has intensity, and at the same time to enable greater remote working, have a slew of satellite workplaces and more people working from home. So while we do all this, there can be no compromise on the basic the bsic requirements of workplaces – they need to be enabling, inviting and rich for people’s use.

Moderator And Panellists

One of the panellists, John Alok Decruz, Director – Projects, of design firm Morphogenesis, while agreeing with Pelli’s concept of super agile and flexible workplaces, emphasised that the agility needs to transcend the space from outdoors to indoors.

Giving the example of his own company while stressing the need to constantly make efforts to reduce densification of cities and large offices, Decruz said using the hub and spoke model it had split a large central office of the company housing 200 employees to four smaller studies of about 50 people each to ensure that employees work from workplaces closer to their homes and hence their daily commute gets crunched.

Giving another example of a typical 1.5 million square feet commercial building spread over 12 floors and housing around 15,000-20,000 employees, he said the entrance and exit of such buildings come under heavy load. To reduce this load the building could be divided into four sections of three floors each and separate entrances and exits as also vertical transportation like elevators could be created for each to lessen congestion.

Another concept being tried out is 100% dependence on natural daylight for purpose of lighting a commercial building during daytime, while at the same time allowing entry of natural UV rays to destroy the viruses, but taking equal care to cut out glare coming on the screens.

Col. Praveen Kumar, Head – IPD (Infrastructure Planning & Development), Tata Consultancy Services, emphasised that agile workplaces are the future for all spheres of activity going forward since more than speed the world agile represents a way of collaborative working, which is essential for optimum results in any organisation.

Organisational culture, employee engagement and experience expert Ajith Nair pointed out that what everyone has been grappling with during the pandemic is a sense of anxiety, for not being sure of what lies ahead.

“When we talk about workplace safety we are not just talking about physical safety, which entails sanitisation, maintaining social distances, etc, but very important part of the whole conversation is also psychological safety. That is what we need to bring into play and HR needs to champion that. Essentially what we are talking about is an acronym called HOPE with H standing for health, O for Optimism, P for purpose and E for enablement. That is what an employee needs in these times of uncertainty,” he added.

Pointing out that there have been a lot of kneejerk reactions from organisations in the form of communications which are not necessarily aligned with an employee’s idea of what the organisation stands for, Nair said this is causing a lot of dissonance in the minds of the employees and adding to their anxiety. So, organisations need to align their actions with their purpose to give that sense of psychological safety to employees, he stressed.

Nair noted with satisfaction that increasingly companies are becoming more communicative with their employees. Various teams within organisations are seen to be meeting more often. What started as a crisis management has stuck on. This trend needs to sustain as it is beneficial for both the organisation and employees because resilience building happens when collaboration happens.

Anil S Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, Godrej Interio, felt that work from home concept was here to stay and expressed confidence that productivity will not be adversely impacted on account of this. What is needed is to train employees to be more digitally savvy and facilitate them in adjusting to the new work environment. He saw a bright future for multi-tiered approach to working with work from home, satellite offices and a central office.

He said a recent survey conducted by his company had brought out that 90% of the employees preferred a mix of work from home and work from office. Being social animals human beings need to feel the spirit of camaraderie with colleagues.

Revealing that design teams of the company were already working on multi-functional and multi-utility furniture and equipment to make optimum use of space and ensure comfortable experience of working while sitting on a bed, dining table, sofa, etc., he offered to collaborate  with design firms towards this end.

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

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

Long Pedal, Pump-At-Home & Soul Food Keep Folks Motivated

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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0

The extended lockdown on account of the Covid-19 pandemic stretched the resilience of mind and body of all of us mortal souls to the limits. Those of us who habitually and consciously have been nursing ourselves appeared to sail through while others were seen struggling to keep their equilibrium with every passing week of remaining shackled at home. This makes one wonder whether we have learnt a lesson from all this!

(With Inputs From Student Correspondent Sumeir Bhatia)

The hundreds of cheerful young and not so young bicycle riders that morning and evening walkers see around them are reminiscent of times when the city used to be swarmed with the eco friendly pedal machines. Most students cycled to school, college and university, and so did many office goers. Many even walked down. The cycle rickshaw and good old CTU bus were largely the only means of public transport. Owning a private scooter, motorcycle or car was an exception, and not a norm as it is today.

So, seeing so many bicycles on the road, even if for brief periods in the morning and evening hours, definitely gives us a good feeling. But then apprehensions also begin to appear in the mind whether this sight is too good to last. Quality bicycles have no doubt vanished from the racks at all reputed dealerships, but then the reason could be that educational institutions are closed and a large number of office goers are working from home, hence they have more time to themselves and less burden on their minds. It is also being described in some quarters a temporary fad, more of a lifestyle statement by new entrants rather than a firm commitment to cycling as a way of life.

On the other hand, with gymnasiums continuing to remain locked down, frustrated regulars have cleaned up the limited stocks of basic muscle toning equipment like dumbbells, weights and bars, benches, resistance bands, etc available with fitness equipment dealers.

LifeInChandigarh.com talked to a wide cross section of residents in the tricity to know what they have been up to these past few weeks to keep themselves bodily and mentally agile. Not surprisingly, a large number of respondents have either bought themselves bicycles after long years of layoff, or indulged themselves by upgrading to hi-end lifestyle offerings from international brands like Scott Scale and BMW. Many, including some doctors, have purchased basic gym equipments to work out at home. Yoga is the time tested nirvana for others, especially among the ladies.

Breezy Ride: Chitranjan Agarwal On One Of His Bikes

Among our friends who have bought snazzy pedal machines is an avid and breezy cyclist Chitranjan Agarwal, who has been pedalling away to glory since 2006 when on medical advice he shifted from running to cycling. The experienced chartered accountant, already had two good bicycles, but indulged himself more by buying a dream bicycle from the stable of Swiss maker Scott Scale. He considers himself lucky to have been able to buy the bicycle of his choice in early June a week before hi-end bikes started flying off the racks.

The bicycle mania did not remain confined to him alone. Several of his friends, inspired by him, bought themselves hi-end bikes as well.

Chatty to his friends, Chitranjan estimates that about 30% of the people who have bought new bikes for themselves during this period are new to the fun and fitness activity, which, he feels, is a good sign. He is hopeful that the trend will continue.

Riding Light: BMW Graphite Bike Owned By Apurva Goswamy

Microbiologist by training and a highly successful entrepreneur, the suave Apurva Goswamy, has always loved the good things in life. Already maintaining a well-equipped gym in his residence, he was inspired to broaden the means for remaining fit and fine and include cycling in his daily routine. He scouted around offline and online for a good but light weight bike and his search after much effort (whatever he liked was sold out) ended when a BMW graphite bike which impressed him was available.

First Bike After Teens: Ravibir S Grewal

Entrepreneur-Agriculturist and former Chandigarh Golf Club President Ravibir Singh Grewal, who besides playing golf used to indulge in light exercises at home to keep fit, has also brought himself a nice bike. He and his golfer friends have in fact formed a whatsapp group. Depending on each group member’s availability and convenience they go out cycling together in the morning and evening. “I have brought a bicycle after ages ever since I was very young,” says Ravibir adding, “I am feeling great regularly going out cycling with my friends.”

Cycling Is Way Of Life: Manpreet Grewal With One Of His Carbon Fiber Bikes

One of the members of the group and an avid enthusiast who has cycled across many countries, Manpreet Grewal, adds, “the group was started by prominent builder IS Dhillon with the intent to participate in a sport for exercise where we could maintain physical distancing while meeting friends. The 15-odd active members in the group come from all walks of life like chartered accountants, lawyers, businessmen, etc. There are a few NRIs in the group as well.

“We ride early morning or late evening to avoid the heat. A ride could be anywhere between 18 to 40 kms, and could take around 45 minutes to 2 hours. Usually the rides on the weekends are longer,” Manpreet, President & CEO of tax, accounting and consulting firm GFI, explains. 

Ram Parkash Singh, And Family Bikes Lined Up

Another member of the group, businessman Ram Parkash Singh says their family of four has recently invested in four bicycles and the family goes for cycling daily.

Bonding Together: Aman Bambah, Raman Gill & IS Dhillon

Doctors Sachin Mittal, a well known endocrinologist, and Ravi Kumar Garg, a paediatric surgeon, also say they cycle regularly to keep fit in mind and body. Both have also bought basic muscle-toning gym equipments like dumbbells, weights and benches to add punch to their fitness regimes.  

Biking & Gymming For Fitness: Dr Ravi K Garg 

Family Workout Time: Dr Sachin Mittal

Shares Dr Mittal, “I have purchased dumbbells of all weight categories up to 10 kgs, two pairs of gym gloves, a bench for doing exercises like bench press, etc., yoga mats, some plates for doing weights, resistance bands and a rod. I have realised that working out at home is much better than going to the gym if one can ensure regularity and discipline in following a complete exercise schedule. Make it a habit. It saves time spent in travelling to a gym.”

Making Do Till Gyms Open: Ikrabdeep Singh

Young Ikrabdeep Singh Ghai, direly missing his regular workout in the gym, has been taking regular workout classes from his personal trainer on whatsapp after it became clear that tackling the pandemic will be a long haul. “I was not feeling good at all not being able to work out in the gym. It was impacting not only my body but also having a bearing on the state of my mind. I am feeling much better, but still eager to return to the gym as soon as it is permitted to open,” he says.

Fitness Can’t Wait: AP Singh

Rotarian AP Singh, former President of Rotary Club Chandigarh who runs a customised furniture manufacturing business in Mohali, is finding it difficult to stay away from a gym, which he and his wife have patronised without a break for five long years.

“Closing of gyms has created problems. I and my wife used to go regularly to the gym at PCA Mohali, in fact for the last five years without break. It was an essential part of our lives. During the lockdown we used to walk on the terrace and climb up and down the stairs for cardio exercises. In addition, we used to do body squats, crunches, stretches, push ups, etc. But if you ask me, we miss working out on the machines and weights in the gym. We miss the gym environment and meeting gym buddies.

“However, since it is going to be a long haul, we have constructed an area for home gym and spa on the top floor of our house in Mohali. We have kept provision for a treadmill, cross trainer, multi gym, bench, etc., plus a steam cabinet cum shower and a jacuzzi. We are in the process of identifying equipment for the new area,” Singh informs.

Has Brought The Gym Home: Sukhmani Cheema

Sukhmani Cheema, a local fitness enthusiast who has borrowed some gym equipment from a friend who runs a gym to continue with her workouts, is emphatic in saying, “I actually prefer the gym for motivation the trainer and people around me provide. At home you can give up in 10 minutes or on days not work out at all. In the gym you are pushed and motivated to try and reach your peak,” She is more than eager to hit the gym again.

Nothing Like A Gym: Karanbir Singh

Prominent student leader Karanbir Singh Kanu, who maintains a well equipped gym at home, also feels that there can be no substitute for working out in a gym environment because of the energetic vibes it provides. Also, there are too many distractions at home which hinder a vigorous workout. 

Soul Food: Dr Jatinder Kaur Arora

Dr Jatinder Kaur Arora, Executive Director, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology, and Dr Saloni Mehta, a well known radiologist, are wedded to practising yoga as a means to cleanse their mind, body and soul. They vouch for it helping them in keeping calm, composed and in high spirits even during the most difficult phase of the lockdown on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sharing her experience during the pandemic, Dr Arora, says, “I have been doing yoga for years. In lockdown period, I truly experienced yoga as soul food.  As the option of stepping out of the house was not available, the usual rush of doing works in a certain sequence vanished during this period. In the absence of such distractions, every morning, there was a childlike pull from within to spread my yoga mat, sit on it and like a mystic, wait for the signals of body.

“I would allow my body to go into any yoga asana that came from within. Thus, my greatest discovery during lockdown was a unique yoga form (a combination of pranayams i.e. breathing right till diaphragm and shaaririk mudras i.e. body postures) that evolved as ‘my own signature style’. This, without fail, completely dissipated the negative energy, confusion or fears that arose about Covid or any other situation on daily basis. I think my love for yoga,  and daily practice of it, without any pressure to do it, kept me absolutely joyous . I experienced myself as ‘Infinite Being’ that I truly am,” she gushes.

Picture Perfect: Dr Saloni Mehta

Dr Mehta adds, “So, basically I had to maintain a balance between my hospital duties amongst all the risk of contracting Covid and at the same time managing home without any house help. Maintaining my sanity and immunity in these times undoubtedly attained importance like never before.

“An early morning yoga schedule at least 5-6 days a week helped me sail smoothly through all my duties towards society, family and myself. I was absolutely convinced that I may not be able to control the whole world, but I can learn to control my inner self through the practice of yoga. Yoga taught me that the body benefits from movement and the mind benefits from stillness.”

Earlier accustomed to running and training on the crossfit as a means to keep fit, Dr Saloni Mehta has been zealously practising yoga for the last nine months and has mastered the most difficult of the asanas.

For fitness tips, readers can follow Chandigarh’s very own and highly sought after fitness, nutrition and body sculpting expert Nidhi Mohan Kamal, currently based out of New Delhi, on Instagram and YouTube.

Following are some links:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCf9H-UpTHA/?igshid=o6bizk28dnwv

https://youtu.be/6brk0ZHYqm8

https://youtu.be/CVzrFLjSSlQ

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

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

 

 

 

Living Fearlessly™ In New Normal Is The Catchline

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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0

People in India have been becoming increasingly conscious about maintaining high levels of personal hygiene and in their surroundings this past decade. But the fear instilled in their minds by Covid-19 pandemic has taken that consciousness sky high. So it does not come as a surprise that manufacturers of protection products, sensing a great opportunity, have been massively ramping themselves up during the three month lockdown to meet the phenomenal increase in demand for a variety of personal protection, home protection and kitchen protection products.

Not to be left behind in this race, Godrej Protekt, hygiene brand from Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), which till recently had offerings only in the hand hygiene segment – a hand sanitiser and a hand wash, on Thursday announced a massive expansion in its portfolio of protection products and claimed to have become the only single brand in India to offer a complete range of 14 products in personal protection, home protection and kitchen protection.

Under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, the brand also announced a long term partnership with the Mumbai Division of Central Railway Zone to promote travel hygiene amongst passengers and railway employees.

Under this initiative, as part of its ‘Potekt India Movement’, 2,00,000 products of the brand’s new range like hand sanitiser  sachets, on the go disinfectant sprays and air and surface disinfectant sprays will be made available to the Mumbai Railway Division free of cost to ensure a safe travel experience on the Mumbai local trains and long distance Covid-19 special trains originating for various destinations across the country from the country’s financial capital.

Interacting with media persons during a virtual press conference, Sunil Kataria, CEO – India and SAARC, GCPL, said the new range of 12 products offers 99.9% protection against germs, bacteria and viruses and has been launched to empower people to “live fearlessly” in the “new normal”.

The range includes Godrej Protekt Health Soap, Body Wash, Germ Protection Fruit & Veggie Wash, Germ Protection Dish Wash Liquid, One Rupee Hand Sanitiser Sachet, Air & Surface Disinfectant Spray, On the Go Disinfectant Spray, Surface & Skin Anti-Bacterial Wipes, Washable PW95 Face Masks and Multipurpose Disinfectant Solution (all claimed to be competitively priced). With this, Godrej Protekt aims to grow 7-8 times and become an INR 500 crore brand in next just three years, he added.

Commenting on the joint program with Godrej Potekt as part of the brand’s CSR activities, Gaurav Jha, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM), Mumbai Division, Central Railway, said it will cover close to 400 Mumbai local and long-distance COVID-19 special trains, in which currently close to 2,00,000 passengers are commuting daily.

The following activities will be undertaken as part of the joint program:  

·         Safe travel awareness-raising activities will be conducted at railway stations under Central Railways

·         Godrej Protekt Health Soap will be given to railway employees to boost their hand hygiene

·         Godrej Protekt Hand Sanitiser sachets to be distributed amongst passengers on Central Railway local trains as well as long-distance trains originating from Mumbai for cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Patna, Lucknow, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Gorakhpur, Darbhanga, and Gadag

·         Godrej Protekt’s On the Go Disinfectant Spray, with 99.9% germ protection and anti-bacterial capabilities, will be used in the these long-distance trains to disinfect hard surfaces like passenger’s luggage along with handles, seats, armrests, door handles

·         Surroundings and surfaces of ticket booking counters of Central Railway stations in Mumbai will be disinfected with Godrej Protekt Air and Surface Disinfectant Spray, an aerosol spray which kills 99.9% germs and bacteria. As many as 87 ticket booking counters of 53 stations between CST upto Karjat, Panvel and Kasara, will be covered

·         Both entities will co-create digital content around hygiene practices necessary for rail travel during COVID-19 times. This will be to build awareness amongst 4.12 lac combined followers of Central Railways on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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

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

Life Is Not A Competition, Life Is You

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

Every child is a bundle of talent, but not every child or parent is able to identify and hone it for his or her wholesome development. Here comes a self-help book ‘W.O.W. Child’, a maiden one by a Chandigarh-based life coach, motivational speaker and business consultant that promises to give every child a fair understanding of being the best version of himself or herself.

Published by White Falcon Publishing and launched recently, the 67 page fun-learning book by Vaneet Sodhi is an amalgamation of the author’s own experiences and inspiring real life stories, through which she has sought to give children in the age group 5 years and above knowledge and understanding of basic life skills like anger management, problem-solving, etc, and how to apply them. Though a comprehensive programme, involving inspirational real-life accounts and fun-filled activities, the book encourages children to think out of the box.

In a foreword to the book, now available for reading on Amazon Kindle (paperback can be ordered on Flipkart and Amazon), educator Sonu Mehrotra has said “In this book, the author, Vaneet Sodhi has tried to explore various traits like love, affection, care, patience and empathy, through which a child can bring a difference to his life and become a W.O.W. individual.

“What I loved the most was the real-life stories that she has tried to weave with a positive outcome. She has attempted to convey that certain traits that may be considered negative by us can be manoeuvred to the child’s benefit. For example, anger, which is a socially-disapproved trait, was used by a nine-year-old boy as a tool to become a famous wrestler.”

She says, “The best part is that in every chapter Vaneet has given some real-time tips which can be easily implemented in our lives. The author has been working with children as a transformational coach, guiding them at different phases of their lives and mentoring them. Therefore, the kind of understanding she has about children is reflected in the book. I am sure parents, children and educators will enjoy reading this book and imbibe the learnings given.”

The message author Vaneet Sodhi wants to give out is: “Life is not a competition, Life is you.” She shares, “This book will help you hone the skills and smart techniques that should naturally help you understand your hidden talent. Keeping in mind the different learning styles, I have incorporated illustrations and images along with the stories. 

“In addition, there are some fun-learning activities that can help children identify their personality traits and build confidence. This is an amazing book for kids who want to identify the wow factor in their life. Here ‘wow’ represents “worthy, outstanding, winner which each one of us deserves to be as these qualities already exist in each one of us right from childhood!”

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

To keep in touch, drop an email or call :
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5 Challaned In Distt Administrative Complex, Rs 2500 Fine Collected

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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0

Given the alarming pace at which Covid-19 disease is spreading in the country people should have been forced into exercising greater caution and the local administrations into greater vigil especially in crowded places. But the stark reality amidst rising temperatures is that an increasing number of people are flouting safety guidelines and apparently exhausted authorities are turning a blind eye.

LifeInChandigarh.com was on Wednesday witness to dozens of people going about their business without wearing a mask in the lawyers’ kiosks area within the District Administrative Complex in Mohali, which houses the offices of the entire top district level bureaucracy. Packed with a couple of hundred people, including lawyers, their staff and visitors, the congested area, served a perfect recipe for adding another Covid hotspot.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Right from parking attendants, to lawyers and their staff, to visitors, dozens of them were seen without a mask or a mask lowered to their chin or neck. This included a newly-wed woman wearing a ‘churah’ with her facial makeup in full public view. All this was apparently happening in full knowledge of the authorities.

A lawyer, Baljinder Singh Saran, who and his staff had their face masks properly strapped on, when asked why he was allowing visitors not wearing face masks to approach him for their work and endangering his personal safety, appeared unwilling to pick a quarrel with clients and thereby lose business.

Later on lodging a verbal complaint with the personal staff of Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan and bringing it to the notice of District Public Relations Officer Ruchi Kalra, the district authorities reportedly swung into action and challaned five people, from whom a fine of Rs 2500 was collected.

Hopefully, we will see better compliance in not only the District Administrative Complex, but also at other crowded places in the district from tomorrow. Heat or no heat this is an absolute must for the safety of hundreds of lives.

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

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

Catering To Emerging Covid-19 Enforced Compulsions Of Consumers

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

Leading indigenous home appliances company Godrej Appliances, witnessing a remarkable return to near normal level of sales in refrigerators in June during Lockdown 1.5/Unlock 1.0, has launched two new models of refrigerators in the 190 litres segment and a new age semi-automatic washing machine in the 8 kg category, targeting the changed compulsions of consumers enforced by Covid-19 pandemic.

Launching the new refrigerator ranges – Godrej Edge Rio and Godrej Edge Neo – and semi-automatic washing machine range Godrej Edge Ultima in a virtual press conference on Friday, Kamal Nandi, Business Head and Executive Vice President, Godrej Appliances, and his team mates said they were bullish that the new models being ideally suited to changed requirements of post pandemic consumers will receive an overwhelming response from the market.

“After a washout of sales in April, and an average 30-35% of sales across all segments in May in comparison to corresponding period last year, there has been a very encouraging response for cooling products from the consumers in June. Till 25th June we have already logged 95% sales in refrigerators as compared to the corresponding period last year, thanks to the heat wave in the North, and we are confident that the trend will continue and we might end June with sales 20-25% higher than last year’s corresponding sales,” Kamal Nandi and Sanjeev Jain, National Sales Head of the company, shared with media persons.  

The company made full use of these last three-and-a-half months of lockdown to upgrade features and technologies best suited to the changed environment post the pandemic in its products and become a front runner in creating a unique digital selling experience for its 5,000-plus business partners and customers.

“We have been successfully in quickly creating a comprehensive platform to enable our network of trade partners to reach customers digitally. We have been breaking barriers across all fronts – from product cataloging and showcasing, multiple cashless online payment facilities and digital financing to initiation of video-assisted remote selling initiative. By exploring alternative ways to communicate and engage, we were able to offer fantastic opportunities to our trade partners and they are very excited about it,” Jain informed.

The company has plans to keep launching new range of products across all existing segments in its portfolio and also foray into new segments, the demand for which has been kicked up owning to the fact that households are increasingly indulging in daily chores themselves for which earlier they were dependent completely on outside help.  However, for the time being the company is keeping its cards close to its chest.

Admitting that the current dangerous standoff between India and China on the borders, and the resultant national sentiment against Chinese goods, has thrown up an ocean of opportunities for indigenous brands like Godrej, which manufacture 90-95% of their appliances indigenously, he however felt that it will take at least two years of concerted efforts to create an ecosystem within the country for manufacture of key components, which are still being imported from China.

Godrej Edge Rio & Edge Neo

According to Anup Bhargava, Product Group Head – Refrigerators, Godrej Edge Rio and Edge Neo have been designed to cater to the underlying need for more storage for the discerning Indian consumers. These are the tallest refrigerators in the 192 litres single door category, standing at 1192 mm, with maximum space utilisation. It offers the largest freezer in the category of 16.3 litres capacity, and the largest bottle space of 13.5 litres, making it a perfect companion for the harsh summers. It also comes with a large vegetable tray of 16.4 litres which gives consumers enough space to store all veggies and also keeps them farm fresh for longer.

The 5-star rating as per the 2020 energy rating norms, coupled with the advantages of the advanced inverter technology, makes Godrej Edge Rio and Edge Neo refrigerators highly energy-efficient and power-saving. With the PUF thickness of 54 mm, the refrigerator models provide best-in-class cooling retention, even during power cuts.

The refrigerators are equipped with ‘turbo cooling technology’ that ensures up to 20% faster ice making and bootle cooling. Its gygiene+ inverter technology’ ensures no defrost water spillage, convenient cleaning and no germ and insect breeding. In line with Godrej’s commitment to environment and sustainability, the refrigerator uses the most eco-friendly refrigerant, R600a, with zero ozone depletion potential and thus helps in reducing its carbon footprint.

With a curved door design, alluring transparent interiors and an array of attractive and fresh floral facial/pre-coats, the refrigerators are a treat. Available in 192L capacity with 5-star, 4-star, 3-star and 2-star variants, the new Godrej Edge Rio and Edge Neo refrigerators are priced starting INR 14,000. A 5-star rated variant comes for INR 20,500.

The 190-195 litres capacity segment is 50% of the single door refrigerators, which in turn forms 77% of the refrigerator industry.

Godrej Edge Ultima

Ashish Sasidharan, Product Group Head – Washing Machine, says Godrej Edge Ultima ushers in new-age high performing semi-automatic washing machines, with mesmerizing looks thanks to its borderless design, generally associated with fully automatic machines. The 5 Star rated washing machine optimizes electricity consumption and provides higher savings.

Redefining the concept of cleaning, the range of Godrej Edge Ultima semi-automatic washing machines are designed to deliver a thorough and better wash with the 460W Power Max Motor, making it easy to wash heavy laundry as well as everyday clothes, while its 1440 RPM Spin Motor ensures faster drying, making it a must-have for your homes, especially during monsoons. 

A superior wash experience is assured with many distinct useful features built into these machines.

··         Unique Active Soak feature to create turbulence in the drum during soak time, which helps in loosening tough stains.

·         Spin Shower program to rinse clothes with a rainfall mechanism for better detergent removal

·         Tri-Roto Scrub Pulsator that combines 3 ridges and 3 mini-pulsators to generate turbulence and scrubbing for a better wash every time.

·         In-built Cartridge Lint Filter that collects lint, fluff, and particles even at low water levels, so that clothes come out clean and fresh after every wash.

·         Soft-shut lid of Edge Ultima lifts and shuts gently to prevent any injury to the user. 

The Edge Ultima keeps you worry-free with a 5-year warranty on wash motor, and a 2-year warranty on the entire washing machine.

Godrej Edge Ultima is available in 3 colours – Crystal Red, Crystal Black and Crystal Blue – in 8 kg and 8.5 kg variants. The washing machines are priced at Rs. 16,400 onwards.

Currently, the 8-8.5 kg washing machine variant contributes to 23% of the semi-automatic washing machine segment and this segment is growing at the rate of 11% for the industry. Godrej Appliances is the largest player in this segment in the country.

Surprisingly, of all the Indian households, 70% own  television sets, 33% have refrigerators and only 13% have washing machines.

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

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

Rural Sector Holds Key To Speedy Recovery, Says Nikhil Sawhney

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

The central and state governments along with the industry need to invest heavily in revitalising the rural sector if the Indian economy, shattered by the lockdown to control the Covid-19 pandemic, is to be nursed back to health in quick time. Sharing this conviction during an interaction with journalists in a virtual press conference recently, CII Northern Region Chairman Nikhil Sawhney said states especially should convert this disruptive phase into an opportunity to give a new thrust to their economies.

“We have recommended to the seven states and three Union territories in the region to spend 10% of their Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) as a stimulus package to give a big push to economic revival. For this, states need to monetise their assets, which could include divesting in some state PSUs, to improve their precarious fiscal health,” he said, while also advising states to shed their inhibitions and undertake bold and wide ranging reforms to mark a paradigm shift from ‘babu’ centric to market centric focus.

Elaborating on the rural sector, Sawhney, who is Managing Director, Triveni Engineering Ltd, said investment in rural health and infrastructure along with strengthening rural digital programmes and platforms could pave the way for a robust rural ecosystem. Industries along with state governments can be encouraged to set up facilities in rural areas, which in turn will generate jobs and strengthen the rural sector’s share in the country’s GDP.

In this context, he pointed out that the extended lockdown of the country had exposed the vulnerability of the agricultural and allied sector and its supply chains, which need to be strengthened without delay.

Emphasising that for an inclusive and sustained economic recovery, the government and bigger companies will have to play a greater role in protecting the MSMEs, which are a crucial supply chain for a robust economy, and enabling them to invest in research, innovation and technology, he said “whereas we would have wished that the stimulus announced by the government for the MSME sector was in the form of an outright grant, but given the fiscal constraints, the stimulus provided, for example in the form of 100% credit guarantee to MSMEs and various other measures, is commendable.

“More such measures will be needed in the future, but at the same time, the balance between fiscal spending and financial stability will have to be ensured,” he added.

He also forcefully advocated a similar stimulus for startups, which had also suffered a body blow on account of the lockdown.

Commenting on the growing countrywide chorus for boycotting China and Chinese goods following the bloody faceoff between troops from both sides on Ladhakh border triggered by unprovoked brutal assault by Chinese soldiers, Sawhney said through CII as an organisation stood committed to abide by the Indian government directives on the issue, in a globalised economy expecting individual private enterprises to toe this line may not be sustainable.

At the same time, he said CII will work closely with the government to privide incentives and facilitation to companies wanting to voluntarily shirt their manufacturing operations out of China as part of their de-risking strategy.

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

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

The Proactive Start Virtual Classrooms, Others Praying For Early Reopening Of Schools

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

Work from home and study from home may well have become the new normal in a world paralysed as never before by a deadly novel coronavirus, of which the scientific and research community has little clue months after it was first detected, and which experts believe is here to stay. An unprepared/underprepared education and learning field, which along with other sectors worldwide, was completely overwhelmed by the severity of the disruptions that accompanied it, is painfully trying to find its way around the grave challenge to its very survival.

The task is daunting, especially in a developing country like India, where widespread use of technology and penetration of internet is still a far cry. The educational institutions, especially the schools, where the bulk of young and aspirational Indians are on a journey of formal education and learning, are trying out various online methods as per their capacity and feasibility to restart whatever little teaching and learning can be possible under the circumstances.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

But it is easier said than done. Besides challenges of technology and internet, and the inherent limitations of online teaching, schools are encountering difficulties with the pace of adaptability by teachers and students to the new method of teaching and learning. So used to face-to-face interactions and eyeball contact, they are finding it extremely tough to adjust and focus in the diametrically changed environment.

Most independent schools have not been able to provide a digital and online interface with students and are making do with sending study materials and worksheets on class specific WhatsApp groups on school apps, wherever existing. They are banking on early resumption of classroom teaching in schools, which may be a distant possibility under the prevailing conditions. The more proactive schools are, however, making concerted efforts to quickly adapt to what is being anticipated as a new normal in the future. They have already launched virtual classrooms with a view to keep learning and improving as they progress along this new path.

LifeInChandigarh.com student correspondent Sumeir Bhatia spoke to principals/promoters, teachers and students of a few independent schools in and around Chandigarh tricity to gain insights into their respective experiments thus far on the road to change. 

Here are some of his observations and what those interviewed have to say:

Strawberry Fields High School (SFHS) principal Mrs. Sangeeta Sekhon says, “Finding a suitable platform for students to use was the main concern from the perspective of the school’s administration.” The platforms being used by SFHS include Microsoft Teams for middle and junior classes, and Google Meets for high school.

Other schools, including some DAV schools in the tricity and around and Lawrence Public School Mohali are relying on platforms such as Zoom and the CBSE digital platform known as Diksha.

Not just finding the right digital platform, schools are facing several other challenges as they take baby steps in the exploration of this hitherto largely alien space for them. Schools are realising that their teachers are ill-prepared to be able to quickly adapt to the new way of teaching. Hence the needs for skilling them in this new art – its functionality, security aspects, special communication skills and educational tools required, etc. The teachers, having to work out of their comfort zone of classroom teaching, are slowly but surely learning the nuts and bolts of effective virtual classroom teaching and managing the students.

Besides the inherent shortcomings of virtual classrooms, like inability of teachers to gauge the attentiveness and receptivity of students in the absence of eyeball contact, a big question mark also hangs on how assessments are to be done in an honest and transparent manner.

Students are concerned that teachers have not been able to elaborately dwell on topics and their doubts have also either not been addressed at all or not adequately so. In such a scenario grades could suffer. On the other hand some schools are preparing to start conducting regular tests, at least for high school students. However, maintaining academic honesty and integrity by students in this online process is a cause for worry. 

Mrs. Harneet Singh, who runs a couple of DAV schools in Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh, and is currently coordinating the online re-training of faculty members of DAV institutions in this region in Covid times, feels, “There is a need to create a culture of academic honesty before conducting assessments; the students should ask themselves whether it is in their best interest to cheat during an assessment.”

Though most students are adjusting to the new way of teaching, they would still rather prefer physical classroom teaching, as echoed by Ananya Kapoor, a Class 8 student of SFHS. “Some teachers are very good at classroom teaching, but many among them are struggling to adapt to the changed setting,” she observes.

Class 9 student Hameed Mohamad’s school Guru Gobind Public is not yet providing an online interface with the teachers. He receives his work on WhatsApp group of his class. Teachers provide them with worksheets and other educational assignments to complete and post back on the group for checking. Tests are also being conducted in a similar manner. He is anxiously awaiting the school to reopen so that he can resume his regular studies. He is apprehensive about his grades going down.

Mrs. Veena Malhotra, who runs Lawrence Public School in Mohali, does not anticipate schools opening any time soon. “I do not think that schools will be able to open by July or even August considering the massive spike in Covid-19 positive cases across the country in the past few weeks.” 

She believes that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed many cracks and flaws in the Indian education system. “For most schools, it is a challenge to familiarise their teachers with the online teaching methodology and getting students accustomed to self-study. This is a time of reflection and an opportunity to further modernize our education system.”

Giving a teacher’s perspective, Ms. Lavisha Singh, a French educator in Banyan Tree School, says “Many teachers, having to come out of their comfort zone, are finding it difficult to effectively communicate with their students in online and virtual mode. The erratic speed of network connections is another big hindrance.” She feels that considering the disruptions in normal teaching either the syllabuses need to be curtailed for the September examinations or these be postponed because of the students’ concerns over their grades.

Many schools are also trying to provide continuity in imparting quality education to their students from the economically weaker sections as well. Educational materials such as detailed modules or worksheets are being posted on WhatsApp groups or on school apps. Mrs. Sangeeta Sekhon shares, “We are making sure that every student through his or her parents has access to the school’s portal and receives the modules and worksheets provided by the school.”

However, these students still stand at a disadvantage. Many areas they live in may not have reliable internet, hindering their ability to use the online platforms and learn effectively.

Eventually, everyone is hoping against hope that conditions become conducive soon for early reopening of schools and parents are eager to see smiles back on the faces of their children.

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

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

Country Needs To Apply A Balm On Their Scarred Psyche

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0

Let’s face it, the governments and authorities at all levels, despite their avowed commitment to the welfare of migrant labourers, have once again failed this most vulnerable section of society whose contribution towards keeping the wheels of the economy turning is indispensable. Through their apparent apathy, lack of foresight and mismanagement during the extended lockdown imposed to control the Covid-19 pandemic, they have left the hard-working community shattered and humiliated as perhaps never before.

After being rendered jobless, penny less, without a shelter, staring at hunger  and fearful of contacting the deadly disease in what suddenly appeared to turn alien lands for them, the lakhs on lakhs of labourers, forced to migrate hundreds of miles from their homelands to bigger and more prosperous cities in search of livelihoods because of failure of state governments to provide them avenues of employment closer home, found themselves forsaken and helpless as their pleadings to be sent back home fell on deaf ears for weeks on end.

In fact their outcry, in the form of public protests, were met with disdain and quelled with a heavy hand by the local administrations, even as other more privileged sections of society like students from different states preparing for their competitive examinations at elitist coaching centres in Kota and other places and stranded pilgrims and tourists were given priority in evacuation to their respective states.

Television and social media visuals of dozens of groups of migrant workers with their families, including pregnant women and small children, and bag and baggage setting out on hundreds of kms of torturous journeys back home on foot or on bicycles to states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh shook the conscience of the nation.   

Too Little Too Late

When eventually states stepped in to arrange buses for evacuation of migrant labourers from their respective states, and later persuaded the central government to run special shramik trains, it proved too little too late. The inadequacy of the curtailed capacity on the special trains and the mismanagement of the registration process further added to the pain and frustrations of the migrants, who were consequently forced to resort to whatever means of transport available to them in desperation. The resultant scores of tragic deaths in road/rail accidents were clearly avoidable.

This brings us to debate what was the right time for arrangements to have been made for evacuation of these migrants to their respective states. Whatever arguments decision makers might have in support of the delayed government response, considering the fact that migrant labourers are largely uneducated and unskilled, and their herd mentality and propensity to trust in and act on mere hearsay/rumours often leads to chaotic situations and even large scale violence, there should have been no doubt in their minds that under the circumstances setting in of panic was a certainty with further aggravation over passage of time.

Sadly, the authorities have apparently failed to learn lessons in minimising the devastating impact of uncertain times and crisis situations on this highly vulnerable and volatile community, as happened in the aftermath of demonetisation and imposition of GST. Despite an outpouring of compassion from concerned citizens, even students, and various NGOs in support of the relief efforts, the authorities at local, state and national level miserably failed in reassuring the shelter less and penny less stranded migrant labourers of a reasonable existence with much needed financial and material support.

Failure Of Timely Relief

The implementation of the promised transfer of a meagre amount directly to the bank accounts of affected families through DBT and free shelter, besides regular distribution of additional free dry rations to ration card holders and cooked food packets to the stranded migrants was always going to be a daunting task given the gaping loopholes in the system. And expectedly the relief failed to reach where and when it was required the most, leading to panic. This was perhaps the time, when the first indications of extreme stress among the community became visible, that the authorities should have begun planning the safe passage home of the migrant labourers.

Sending these people home in the midst of a massive escalation in the number of Covid-19 cases across the country defies all logic and has exposed the receiving states to the danger of a sudden spurt in the spread of the disease with an imminent possibility of a high percentage of these returnees being carriers. This has already happened at a few places, forcing the authorities to declare new containment zones.

The returnees, pained by the bitter experience of being forsaken and left to their fate for long weeks by their employers and local authorities at their work places, now may not have the intent and the will to return any time soon.

Had the authorities been adequately sensitive to the gravity of the distress among the migrant labourers, and taken timely action to ensure their safe passage home, which they eventually did, these migrants would have had enough time to overcome their trauma in the safe and secure confines of their homes and family and favourably considered returning to work when the wheels of the economy began to move again following easing of lockdown restrictions.

Employment Closer Home

The respective governments in their parent states would be under pressure to provide them work nearer their homes. Only those who do not find work to their satisfaction are likely to consider returning to mega business hubs for a livelihood in due course of time. Till then, along with lack of demand, labour shortages are sure to retard the pace of return to normalcy of businesses and industry.

The central and state governments would be well advised to take corrective steps in an effort to erase the lingering memories of the nightmarish experiences of the migrant labourers. Timely provision of adequate financial and material support to the families of returnees at their doorstep to make life comfortable for them appears to be the key in such an endeavour by the authorities.

Governments in states which account for the largest chuck of these migrants, like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, need to redouble their efforts to provide more gainful employment opportunities to their own people by strengthening their economies and re-skilling people with skill sets most suitable for their states. The central government, on its part, also needs to support these states adequately. At the same time, the traditional host states for these migrants need to lessen their dependence on migrant labour by massively reinforcing their own domestic blue collar force.          

Meanwhile, a massive nationwide exercise needs to be undertaken to plug the gaping loopholes in dissemination of various welfare and relief measures for these and other vulnerable sections of the society. This exercise should include ensuring that all remaining members of this, and other vulnerable communities, get ration cards, aadhaar cards and Jan Dhan accounts for purposes of DBT.

Rewarding Employers

It would certainly be a good idea for the central and state governments and local authorities to reward those employers who stood by their employees and supported them with direly needed physical and emotional help to weather this storm. 

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

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

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