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Addicted, And Wanting To Come Clean, Dial NA Helpline 092177-06222

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Addicted, And Wanting To Come Clean, Dial NA Helpline 092177-06222

You are an addict, a substance abuser, even an alcoholic, and are willing to give up then local helpline number 092177-06222 is just the life support you need to help you swim across the turbulent river. Narcotics Anonymous (you must have heard the name), an offshoot of the other worldwide non-profit fellowship or brotherhood, Alcoholics Anonymous, but operating independently since 1953, has announced publically that if anybody is willing, and needs their help, he or she can ring their bell.

‘Recovering Addicts’, as they call themselves even after having given up all forms of substance abuse for years, a group of them in a recent public interaction with media persons, under promise of their identities being kept anonymous because of the very principle of their fellowship, said theirs’ is a 12-step programme of spiritual self healing in the company of people whom addicts can relate with and together help each other ‘stay clean’. There are no medicines, just a process of realisation of self belief that they can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use and find a new way to live.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh (Intentially Blurred)

Relating their personal experiences of transformation from aimless individuals lost to the world to responsible and productive members of society, the group of four, coming from varied backgrounds and places, said “Our intent is to share this message broadly so that those who might benefit from our programme of recovery can reach us. The primary purpose of NA is that no addict seeking recovery need ever suffer or die from the horrors of addiction without a chance to know that there is a way out; the NA way.”

Calling themselves by their first names, Amitabh, Gaurav, Vikas and Sushant, the NA volunteers said, “The primary service provided by NA is their group meetings. Each group runs itself based on principles common to the entire worldwide organisation, following a 12-step programme to help the addict. NA’s primary approach to recovery is its belief in the therapeutic value of one addict helping another. Anyone who wants to stop using drugs may become a member of NA.”

Elaborating the philosophy of NA further, they said “The basic premise of anonymity allows addicts to attend meetings without fear of legal or social repercussions. Anonymity also supports an atmosphere of equality in meetings. No attendance records are maintained to ensure the privacy of members. Funding is purely from voluntary contributions from members and sale of recovery literature, which is available in several languages, including Hindi and Punjabi. We also have kitty groups, where we contribute,” they informed.

Explaining why they called themselves ‘recovering addicts’, Amitabh said we firmly believe and acknowledge that addiction is a permanent disease, but can be kept under control. The treatment has to be life-long, so that there is no relapse, he added.

Sharing more insights into the functioning of NA in the states of Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh, he said NA has held dozens of meeting in various towns and cities to spread its recovery from addiction message. As a result of these interactions, they have so far been able to help 1500-odd addicts across the region.

“I know the numbers are less, but now we are gearing up to scale up our operations, one of the reasons why we are seeking the help of the mass media to spread our message. We are working closely with the STF on drugs in Punjab. We have pasted our bills at police stations and are going around jails to distribute recovery literature in local languages. We are also trying that more women addicts come to our meetings. Their participation has improved from a mere 2 % to about 6 % lately and our effort is to raise that further,” he added.

Other than the helpline number, NA can be reached by visiting their website http://naindia.in or through email at rd@naindia.in.  

Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan In Elite Club Of 10 Transplant Surgeons Worldwide

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan In Elite Club Of 10 Transplant Surgeons Worldwide

He has a rich experience of performing more than 1,000 traditional organ transplants and has now joined the elite club of 10 surgeons in the world successfully performing robotic kidney transplant, which is touted to be the future of transplant surgery in the next decade. The affable Dr. Priyadarshi Ranjan, noted urologist and transplant surgeon, has already performed eight robotic kidney transplant surgeries with “excellent results” during the last six months, and the patients are up and running within no time without any post operative complications. More patients are queuing up at his doorstep encouraged by the results.

Apart from Fortis Hospital, Mohali, where Dr. Ranjan is Chairman & Executive Director of the TransCare Programme and Director of Urology, Robotics and Kidney Transplantation, only two other centres in the country – Medanta, NCR Delhi in the private sector and Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC), Asarwa, Ahmedabad in the government sector – and half a dozen others in USA and France are currently performing robotic kidney transplants. The Da Vinci robot has been in use previously for other ablative surgeries, such as kidney and prostrate cancer, but has now started being used  for kidney transplant as well.

 Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

In an interaction with Lifeinchandigarh.com Dr. Ranjan said, “robotic kidney transplant surgery requires high level of skill and precision and is Rs. 1 lakh-1.5 lakh costlier than traditional transplant surgery, which costs Rs 5-6 lakh. But its advantages over traditional transplant surgery are overwhelming. The biggest advantage is that in the robotic method, the kidney is placed in the body of the recipient through a small 5 cm incision in the belly button, without cutting any muscle, unlike in the traditional method in which the patient receives the kidney though a large muscle-cutting incision (approx. 25-30 cms).

“Therefore, in robotic surgery blood loss is significantly less, incidence of infection and other adverse medical events and complications are reduced to one-fifth to one-tenth of traditional kidney transplant, there is hardly any pain and the patient’s recovery is quick with his or her normal daily life not altered after the transplant.”

Dialysis Not Advised

Clarifying on the issue of patients of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) going for regular dialysis, Dr. Ranjan said, “Usually, more than 5 creatinine in the blood signifies setting in of ESKD in a patient. If he resorts to regular dialysis, the patient is exposing himself to greater risk of heart attack, gangrene, stroke, electrolyte abnormalities, etc. and the death rate in such cases is high.”

Explaining this further, the transplant surgeon said, “repeated dialysis triggers a process called ‘atherosclerosis’, resulting from clogging of arteries all over the body with greater deposition of calcium, phosphorus, and other salts. Hence, in case of ESRD, the best recourse is to straightaway go for kidney transplant, instead of playing a wait and watch game with dialysis and spoiling your chances of survival.”

The life of transplanted kidneys ranges from 12 years to 25 years depending on the quality of the donated kidney, patient taking regular medicines and going for follow-ups and keeping conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc under control, Dr Ranjan said, adding that donation of a live kidney from within the family or a close relation, for instance, is far superior to that from a cadaver (brain dead) donor.

Protein Powder Ruining Youth

 Coming to the incidence of ESRD, he said though it can set in at any age, his own practice and general studies point to 50-60 % incidence among diabetics in the age group 40-60 years with another 20-30 % being patients of hypertension. There are many other causes like stones, tumours, excess use of analgesics and painkillers, high intake of protein powder by gym-goers for muscle-building, etc. “I have myself come across more than a dozen cases of handsome, muscular models in the 20-22 years age group suffering from ESRD because of excess intake of protein powder, which is alarming” he shared.

As a precaution, to avoid ESRD, people are advised to keep medical conditions they might have like diabetes and high blood pressure strictly under control, ensure a regular intake of water right through the day (not just one or two times a day) and consume less salt and non-vegetarian diet, Dr. Ranjan signed off.

 

Grace & Style Rule The Ramp For Budding Student Designers

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Grace & Style Rule The Ramp For Budding Student Designers

It was a glittering evening, with three power-packed back to back fashion shows, elegantly and professionally crafted to enhance the creativity, beauty and vibrancy of varied collections by passing out young talent. The ‘INIFD Fashion Day Out’ at The Lalit on Sunday was a slick and chic affair with professional models, showcasing the creations of student designers, hi-tech audio visual effects and a highly appreciative audience, comprising mostly parents of students, adding to the glamour and entertainment quotient. Well known presenter, game show host and actor Aman Verma, branded the ‘Krishna’ of the evening because of his magnetic presence, electrified the audience by invoking the Punjabi spirit.

The smartly crafted ramp, varying patterns of entry of models, and the high decibel music and triple LED displays in perfect sync with the themes of the awe-inspiring collections left the audience spell-bound right through the more than an hour-and-a-half long shows.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

The batch of 49 passing out INIFD budding designers presented 29 design collections at Fashion Day Out ranging from Ethnic to Western to Indo Western, Street Look, Funky to very wearable garments. The collections were variously titled as Reminiscence, Bridal Brigade, The Heritage Legacy, Majestic Mithila, The City Beautiful, The Coronation, Magic of Dandelion, Dastaan-E-Noor, etc. Their themes among other things were inspired by Kalidasa’s story ‘Meghdoot’, Persian art, marvel of inlay work at The Taj, traditional art of ‘Madhubani Paintings’, drama of playing cards and elegance of British Royalty of Tudor Dynasty. 

Some of the student designers

The passing out INIFD student designers created silhouettes in impressive fabrics and exciting colours with exquisite embroidery details and different painting techniques by giving their flight of imagination a distinct vision.

Among the collections showcased were those by INIFD Chandigarh passing out student designers Sonam Aggarwal, Shobhnas Bajaj and Pooja Vikram Singh which also adorned the ramp at London recently.

Official Show Director and Fashion Choreographer of Lakme Fashion Week Vahbiz Mehta was the choreographer for the show. Her entire Lakme Fashion Week team travelled with her from Mumbai.

Top international and national fashion week models, including Anjali Lama, Shruti Chauhan, Roma, Rewati Chetri, Printi Jana, Akanksha Maurya, Meher Chahal, Amardeep Kaur Syan, Satvika Goyal, Preet Singh, Kimmi Kukreti, Kaanan Kumar walked the ramp to showcase the creativity of INIFD students.

To Commemorate INIFD’s participation in London Fashion Week and upcoming New York Fashion Week, the first edition of the magazine INIFD Verve was unveiled on the occasion.

The fashion week was produced by JLPL Real Estate Developers, pioneers in setting up and promoting world class infrastructure in the region.

IMA Prepares For Long Struggle Ahead; To Intensify Agitation

Sanjeev Kochhar
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IMA Prepares For Long Struggle Ahead; To Intensify Agitation

M for Media and M for Medical, both equally important for safeguarding the health of the nation, albeit in different ways, and both target of central government attempts to regulate them. While a united Media has so far been able to thwart all attempts to impose government regulations on it, the latest effort to penalise it for “fake news” resulting in the ouster of then Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani, the not-so-united medical fraternity appears to have a grim battle on its hands to ward off attempts to snatch its autonomy of regulation. The central government is making a second attempt next week to bulldoze though Parliament the National Medical Commission Bill, aimed at replacing the self regulating Medical Council of India Act, accepting just a few of the many amendments suggested by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health, to which the Bill had been referred following protests.

For the second time this year private doctors and hospitals across the country protested against the Bill by not running non-emergency services, including outpatient departments (OPDs), for a day on Saturday and threatened to intensify their campaign should the government not relent and push ahead with the Bill.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Senior functionaries of the Chandigarh branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) told media persons, after a meeting of 40-odd doctors deliberated on the issues at the IMA House, that passage of the Bill in its present form will not only spell disaster for medical education but also ruin the already stressed healthcare delivery system in the country.

Current President Dr. Neeraj Kumar and past presidents Dr. RS Bedi (who also remained National vice president) and Dr. Neeraj Nagpal said the government’s avowed motive of improving primary health services in the rural areas through the National Medical Commission Bill was just a ruse and the real intention was to give unbridled powers to the private medical colleges, a majority of which were run by politicians or their cronies, to indulge in profiteering by giving 50 percent of the seats to the highest bidders. A trailer of things to come had already been witnessed in Uttarakhand and Maharashtra where managements of private medical colleges had massively hiked students’ fee for MBBS course to as high as Rs 25 lakh per annum, they added.

They felt that the marginalisation of the state governments, state medical councils, state health universities and state medical graduates under the Bill was a direct threat to the federal nature of the Constitution. With most members to be nominated by the central government, the commission was likely to function as an extended arm of the government, they said, adding that the centralised final year exit exam for MBBS students across the country, and for those with foreign qualifications to be permitted to practice in India, was also conceptually flawed and violated the Universities Act.

IMA Honorary Secretary General Dr. RN Tandon speaking in Delhi has enjoined the medical fraternity to prepare itself for a long struggle. He informed that their protests will be intensified in the next phase by actively involving all speciality organisations, resident doctors’ organisations, service doctors’ organisations and medical students in the movement.

Manufacturing Units Leapfrogging To Industry 4.0 Level Will Be Incentivised : Rakesh Verma

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Manufacturing Units Leapfrogging To Industry 4.0 Level Will Be Incentivised : Rakesh Verma

In the inaugural session of the 2nd Edition of ‘Conference On Achieving Excellence in Manufacturing – Making Industry Future Ready’ held at the CII Northern Region, Chandigarh campus on Friday, Punjab Industries & Commerce Director DPS Kharbanda, during his address, casually asked how many among the elite gathering had gone through Punjab Industrial & Business Development Policy, 2017. The response – just two, including Sachit Jain, Chairman, CII Northern Region and Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Vardhman Special Steels Limited, sitting on the dais – failed to create an expected flutter. Whether the episode was indicative of the general sense of despondency among the industrialists in the state or not, it definitely was food for thought for the state government, readying to release a final draft of a revised and futuristic policy, complete with modalities, any time next week.

State Principal Secretary, Industries, Commerce and IT Rakesh Verma, while expressing confidence that manufacturing was there to stay in Punjab, said among the most important focus areas of the revised Industrial & Business Policy will be according special treatment and providing higher incentives, like electricity duty and GST benefits, to Industry 4.0 level and hi-tech industrial units. He hoped that Punjab will lead the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies, and the new industrial units to come up in the state will leapfrog to the Industry 4.0 level for increased efficiency and profitability.

 Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Verma said manufacturing has to be the mainstay of the economy as trade and services are dependent on it. A flourishing manufacturing sector will also provide much needed boost to gainful employment in the state, he said, adding that Industry 4.0 level and hi-tech industries are best suited to Punjab, a state heavily dependent for its workforce on migrants from other states.

The Industries Secretary said the state government has also decided to extend electricity duty and GST benefits for modernisation and expansion to existing industrial units at par with new industrial units. But the incentives will come with a rider that all beneficiary industrial units will have to take Zero Defect, Zero Effect (ZED) certification from the Government of India within three years. The ZED fee will also be fully compensated to the industrial units, with the state government undertaking to reimburse the remaining portion of the fee not covered by GOI under the scheme, he added.

Infrastructure Support

Turning to infrastructure required to support this level of manufacturing, Verma said the state government is conscious of the “pathetic condition” of various focal points and defunct R&D centres in the government sector, and hence the revised policy will spell out a roadmap for ramping up the infrastructure by involving the industry bodies like CII, private sector and institutions of higher learning. He said the state government is keen on offering the buildings of the defunct R&D centres to private players to run hi-tech labs and training centres on PPP model. Process has been started for hiring a consultant in this regard, he said.

The Industries Secretary informed that the state government is also in talks with the CII to strike a Technology & Innovation Alliance with a view to give fillip to industry ready R&D and encourage investment in the state.

Industry 4.0 level and hi-tech industries will also require a highly skilled workforce, for which the state government is focussing on encouraging advanced skilling courses to be started in government and private technical education institutions, he added.

DPS Kharbanda, Director of Industries and Commerce, Punjab, in his address, urged CII to share real life success stories from across the country of industrial units reaping big time benefits from infusion of modern thought and technologies to fire up the imagination of the Punjab industry, lagging behind in the modernisation race. Informing the gathering that an exclusive ZED branch has specially been opened in the department, he called upon the industry in Punjab to lap up the ZED certification scheme of the GOI to reap handsome benefits.

Referring to another highly beneficial GOI scheme for aiding setting up of Common Facility Centres (CFCs) under Micro & Small Enterprises – Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP), he said more and more clusters of same or similar industries should resolve to grow together and avail of 90% government contribution under the scheme. Till recently only one cluster had received GOI approval in Punjab, and two more have received the nod just two days ago. “We have recommended another case of a Phagwara cluster recently and four more cases are in the process of being sent,” he added.

Sharing the nitty-gritty of best practices in manufacturing from his vast experience in the automobile industry, MM Singh, Chairman, Regional Committee on Advanced Manufacturing, & Executive Advisor, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. said for optimising growth, which meant capturing more market, and making more money, meaning increasing  profits, owners need to follow the basics of manufacturing, which currently most are not following. “We need to look at small-small things associated with our production lines to improve efficiencies – workplace comfort of workers, maintenance of machines, meticulous organisation of tool kits, etc.,” he said.

Relating a personal experience, he said by forcefully persuading his company management to increase the comfort level of a supervisor at his workplace, his productivity increased by 80 percent. Similarly, output optimisation of machines, which on an average do not perform at more than 60-70 percent efficiencies, is equally critical and regular maintenance cannot be compromised at any cost.

Assuring that such measures can reduce manufacturing costs by 20-30 percent, he said mindsets need to change on such issues, which we tend to ignore. Giving example of his own organisation Maruti Suzuki, he said why the company is going from strength to strength is because it has the correct mindset towards manufacturing.

Coming to quality issues, Singh said 90% of the times the fault is detected at the level of a machine operator. Most times standards are either not properly understood or they are not properly enforced. To remove this anomaly, simple and accurate communication needs to percolate down to the workforce level, he added.

He said, a continuous process of upgradation of the skills of workforce is also critical to optimum results and automation, which is critical to all processes and quality issues, needs to be introduced wherever necessary to support the workforce after critically analysing every tiny issue.

Viren Popli, Conference Chairman & Chief Operating Officer, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (Swaraj Division), in his opening remarks urged the manufacturing units to keep an open mind towards infusion of digitalisation, automation and robotics in their processes. Conceding that there are several challenges before the industry, including enhanced customer expectations regarding quality and competitive pricing, he said the decision on modernisation and the costs involved, in the ultimate analysis makes or mars the prospects of an industrial unit. Referring to modernisation of the banking industry as a perfect example of this double-minded thought process being resolved in a yes for computerisation, Popli said today we say “thank God it happened” because of the phenomenal incremental gain achieved in terms of ease of doing business for banks and their customers alike.

Explaining the purpose of the conference, he said it was aimed at introducing local manufacturing SMEs to concepts and conversations that are happening in this space to enable them to make appropriate choices. “This is important because the growth of the manufacturing sector is key to the growth of the Indian economy, and thus to growth of employment opportunities.”

In his address, Sachit Jain, Chairman, CII Northern Region and Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Vardhman Special Steels Limited, felt that excellence has to flow from the mind of the owner or MD of any industrial unit or house, otherwise it does not percolate down to the workers at the grassroots level. Describing excellence as not so much about automation and robotics as of a mindset, he said another aspect of it was putting in place a systematic method of continuous improvement. He gave a personal example of achieving 80 percent reduction in breakage of yarn in his textile business by just creating charts and graphs and carefully analysing the data on the advice of their Japanese collaborators.

Observing that manufacturing in the country is currently performing well below potential, he said concerted efforts need to be made to take manufacturing sector’s contribution towards GDP to 25 percent. Then only can India become a trillion dollar economy and generate adequate employment opportunities for our youth, he added.

Jain cautioned the industrialists that trends are changing fact, especially after the trade war between US and China, and US and others, and they do not have the luxury of time. A sense of urgency has to set in fast before they face irreparable harm to their business prospects. Selective and systematic infusion of automation has become imperative to support the manpower, which itself has to be gradually reduced to bring about greater efficiency and profitability, he said.

AAP MLAs Vent Ire At Party High Command, Call Volunteers’ Convention On Aug 2

Sanjeev Kochhar
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AAP MLAs Vent Ire At Party High Command, Call Volunteers’ Convention On Aug 2

The crisis in the Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party over the sudden replacement of the party’s firebrand Leader of the Opposition (LOP) Sukhpal Singh Khaira by the party high command has deepened with half the 20 party MLAs in the state raising a banner of revolt, demanding a review of the “undemocratic” decision. At a press conference here on Friday, these MLAs, including Khaira, also announced their decision to take the issue to the people’s court by organising a volunteers’ convention at Bathinda on August 2.

One of the MLAs and state party spokesman Kanwar Sandhu told media persons that a letter signed by eight MLAs has been sent to party convenor Arvind Kejriwal demanding a review of the “undemocratic” decision of the party high command, made without consulting the state MLAs of the party, and intervene to resolve the crisis. The party high command had failed to issue a prior show cause notice, neither did it ascribe any reason for the sudden decision, he added.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Declining to share copies of the letter or its contents with the media, claiming that it was an internal matter of the party, he said even calling the press conference was not a pleasant decision to make but was necessitated to communicate with the grassroots volunteers their feelings over the latest development. He said they remained loyal to the party and would not indulge in any activity which will weaken it.

MLA from Mansa, Nazar Singh Manshahia said it was unfortunate that such an undemocratic decision had been taken so close to the panchayat elections to be held in the state.

Jagdev Singh, MLA from Maur, said due process of consulting MLAs was followed in all previous cases of appointment of LOP and state party president, but unfortunately this time it was bypassed. Maintaining that the party high command should have consulted the MLAs before taking a decision, even if it was to go against the wishes of the party legislators, he said the pride of the MLAs had been hurt.

Khaira said he was not saddened by his replacement as LOP, but he was concerned that the party command, in taking the decision had played into the hands of the Badal family and Capt. Amarinder Singh lobbies which had been conspiring against him by trying to implicate him in false cases because of his virulent campaign against mafias being supported by them.

Refuting an observation, he said the August 2 convention did not amount to anti-party activity. In fact, it will help strengthen the party at the grassroots level as in a democracy, the ultimate verdict lies with the masses, he asserted.

Now Buy Quality & Affordable LED Appliances At Your Nearest Post Office

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Now Buy Quality & Affordable LED Appliances At Your Nearest Post Office

With 31 crore highly energy efficient LED bulbs already sold across the country at half the price of the prevailing market rate, leading to more than 8,000 MW reduction in peak demand for power, the UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All) programme, launched by the country in 2015, is shifting into top gear to meet its target of distributing 77 crore LEDs by March 2019, in pursuit of its quest to become the largest LED distribution programme in the world. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of all public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Power, which is executing the programme, has tied up with India Post to sell its 9w LED bulbs, 20w LED tube lights and BEE 5 star rated 48 inch wing span LED fans through its vast network of post offices in urban and rural areas to increase its penetration into every nook and corner. On Wednesday, Punjab and Chandigarh became the fourth circle of India Post after Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to join the movement.

Anil Kumar, Chief Postmaster General (Punjab & Chandigarh), India Post, formally launched the sale of the LED appliances from the Grand Post Office (GPO) in Sector 17, in the presence of P.M. Lal, Postmaster General, and Nitin Bhatt, Regional Manager, EESL.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Interacting with media persons, Anil Kumar said that the sale and replacement of EESL appliances will be rolled out in phases to cover all the 770 post offices under the circle, a plan for which is being worked out. While India Post will be getting a reasonable commission from EESL, it is also fulfilling a social responsibility by carrying a message to the masses of saving power, generation of which costs the government a huge investment, apart from contributing to the carbon footprint, he added.

Bhatt said buying EESL’s LED appliances makes sense for all categories of consumers as they match up to the highest quality standards, come with an assured replacement guarantee within the prescribed period and cost less than half of the prevailing market rates. A 9w EESL LED bulb costs a standard Rs 70, a 20w LED tube light Rs 220 and a BEE 5-star rated ceiling fan of 50w and a wing span of 48 inches costs Rs 1110 across the country, he added.

Asked why EESL was offering only a fixed wattage LED bulb, tube light and ceiling fan, Bhatt said they were a replacement for the most commonly used conventional appliances – 100w incandescent bulb, 40w tube light and 80w ceiling fan. Under the first phase of the programme the focus is on these, but later more variety will be introduced and new appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners will be added as and when LED technology becomes available in these.

He said EESL through its fleet of mobile vans can reach out to communities at short notice on special request for awareness and sale of its energy efficient LED appliances and appealed to all groupings of people to avail of the facility.

Lifeinchandigarh.com wishes EESL-India Post tie-up all success, and urges consumers to join the UJALA movement for a better future for all.

Fitness Doesn’t Have To Come At A Heavy Price; Get Back To Basics

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Fitness Doesn’t Have To Come At A Heavy Price; Get Back To Basics

Let’s be clear in our minds — living healthy and fit does not mean completely leaving a certain group or class of foods, like fats, oils and sugar, out of our daily diets. On the contrary, we need all of them, also including fats, protein-rich foods, fruits and vegetables and cereals, rice and pastas, but in varying measures, to keep in good shape and exude vitality and vibrancy. These are words of wisdom coming from an international authority on wellness, Dr Namita Jain, who was in the city recently to promote her newest book on the shelf ‘Low Fat Low Guilt – Recipes & Lifestyle’ aimed at showing us how to enjoy our food in a healthy, sensible and practical way, without feeling a sense of guilt.

Challenging the most commonly held fitness and wellness myths that crash diets are the most effective remedy to lose weight, she told lifeinchandigarh.com in an interaction that no wonder such diets can result in massive weight loss, but it is muscle mass and water that is lost, and not excess body fat. Problems associated with crash diets are electrolyte imbalances, anaemia, and calcium and iron deficiency. “It is important to follow a sensible diet to safeguard our well-being and ensure that the lost pounds do not come back on,” she explained.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Sharing the contents of the book, Namita Jain, a leading health columnist, said “The recipes which have been featured in the book are given healthy twists, while keeping the calorific elements to a minimum. So we have low-cal recipes of delicious soups, salads, wraps, toasts, rice dishes, pastas and dips, making healthy eating a pleasurable experience.

“The recipes in the book use olive oil instead of butter, yogurt instead of mayonnaise, egg whites instead of whole eggs and whole grain instead of refined.  It highlights the cooking methods which promote healthy eating – steam, broil and lightly sauté instead of frying or over-cooking. As we flip through the pages we will also come across dietary myths which we often take as facts in our daily lives,” she added.

Sharing her thoughts about a balanced diet, she said “today, many diets eliminate certain food groups, or focus primarily on one or two food groups, which is a highly unhealthy trend. Our body needs a balanced diet with diverse nutrients to keep us fit and energised – a diet that includes fruits, vegetables,  grains, nuts, sprouts, seeds and low-fat dairy products.”

The Food Pyramid

Explaining the concept of the food pyramid to help us eat better every day, she said each of the food groups in the pyramid provides some, but not all, of the nutrients a body needs. No one food group is more important than the other – for good health we need them all. However, we need to go easy on fats, oils and sweets – the foods on top of the pyramid, which our body requires in small quantities.

The base of the pyramid is taken up by cereal, rice and pasta group. These foods contain carbohydrates, which our body needs in the greatest amount. To get adequate fibre, choose high-fibre foods such as wholegrain bread or brown rice.

The next level of the pyramid is occupied by fruits and vegetables. All carbohydrate-rich, these foods contain essential nutrients like vitamins A and C, folate, iron, magnesium and potassium.

At the third level of the pyramid are protein-rich foods. The body requires fewer servings of proteins than carbohydrates. Legumes, milk, nuts, meats provide the body with amino acids which are essential for growth and muscular repair. 

Back To Basics

Stressing on the need to de-complicate our fitness regimes, Namita Jain said “we have to go back to the basics. Fitness does not have to come at a heavy price. Beware of marketing gimmicks some of the companies indulge in to create hype over their fancy machines and foods. If we do not want to get tied down to a gym routine, it’s fine. Indulge in any form of exercise which we are comfortable with and love doing, like brisk walking, dancing, sports or yoga. Avoid excess frying and eating. Drink three litres of water every day. We have to be mindful, though, that every fitness regime demands a certain level of discipline, which we have to follow religiously.”

For Namita, “A healthy and fit person is one who is full of energy, is in control of his ailments, follows a sensible and balanced diet, maintains a regular exercise schedule, has a relaxed mind and remains positive towards life.”      

The wellness diva feels that eating out and late nights, modern day fads, should not be a barrier to fitness. “Today we have a choice of what to eat out – non-fried foods or less oil foods. We can also cut down on potions, even cut down on desserts. Once we firm up our minds, we can get around these hurdles. The need is to make wiser choices. Before stepping out we can also take salad and/or soup and indulge in frugal-eating outside.”

About Namita Jain

Namita Jain has been felicitated with a Post Graduate degree in wellness from Young Scientist University, America. Honouring her rich knowledge and expertise in the field of health and wellness, she has been certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Council of Exercise, The Aerobic and Fitness Association of America, Pilates UK Institute, Reebok and Yoga Institute.

Namita has authored more than a dozen books and is a leading health columnist in various newspapers and magazines, including Elle, GQ, The Hindu, Mumbai Mirror and Economic Times. A formidable array of celebrities, including Deepika Padukone, Saina Nehwal and Hema Malini, have endorsed her books. Currently, she is practising as a wellness specialist at Bombay Hospital and is a consultant to the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).

Her latest book is available at all leading stores pan India.

Play To Your Hearts Fill All Morning, Afternoon Or Evening

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Play To Your Hearts Fill All Morning, Afternoon Or Evening

Here comes another bar, cafe and lounge in the tricity, adding yet one more hue to the kaleidoscope of luxuriously buoyant new age hangouts wowing the party crowds converging on this melting pot of fun and ‘masti’. This one gives us the look and feel of a virtual playground with a lot of green and wood, and offering varied options to play to every taste with a restaurants-within-a-restaurant concept. Aptly called ‘Playground’, because of its young promoter Ayush Singla’s passion to provide an unmatched young, fresh and energetic vibe around the place to the guests, this place in the hospitality cluster of Sector 26, is the second playground offering to the fun-seekers by the ‘munda’ from Samana Mandi in Patiala district, after making a statement in Elante Mall.

Designed by Suvrita Bhardwaj and Nikhil Pratap Singh of city-based Loop Design Studio, who also remodelled the Elante outlet of Playground after MOCHA pulled down the curtains and was rebranded, the two entrances to the Sector 26 restaurant are unique and major focal points in terms of design.  The messages splashed across the front entrance to the hangout facing the Madhya Marg “Alchohol You Later” and “There is More Than Light At the End of the Tunnel” prepare us for what awaits inside.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Indeed a 50 feet long, three feet wide and 20 feet high tunnel like passage, lined with 2,000-odd empty liquor bottles of top brands on either side in front of illuminated mirrored shelves and roof, mesmerised us. At first glance we could not figure out the back entrance. A 90s style Music Shop stacked with empty cassette labels of music of the era, complete with music system and speakers, television set, etc hit us. Just a plate with PUSH written on it indicated a concealed door in one of the racks leading us to a vibrant expanse with discrete and tastefully decorated levels taken up by a well stocked bar, a cafe, lounge, a pizzeria with a wood-fired oven, stage, etc.

Large-sized portraits of the poster boys of world politics – Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un – ado the central wall with velvet-upholster sofas making the seating slightly more formal.

Says Ayush, a first generation restaurateur who did his schooling from Lawrence School, Sanawar and BBA from Symbiosis, Pune, “a spacious courtyard, Playground is a cafe-bar with food and ambience worth spending an entire morning, afternoon or evening. The intent behind creating Playground 26 was to break the conventional setup and outlook of a typical Sector 26 restaurant. The inside-outside concept was dropped and the restaurant has been treated as a single translucently-roofed envelope that flows from one end to the other. The expansive single surface has been divided into multiple levels and sections with their own peculiar vibe and spatial characteristics.     

“Whether you’re looking for an after work drinking place, a great sit-down dinner or that perfect date, Playground is the answer to all your plans. From a drool-worthy menu to some outrageous cocktails, great live music and live sports screening this cafe-bar has its all. The restaurant is submerged in a thick cover of ‘greens’ that have been carefully engrained as a part of the design.”

“We have tried not to go over the top as far as food and decor is concerned. We have not experimented with the food too much. We feel that the food should be simple, just as it should be – cooked in a healthy medium, tasty and served smartly and with warmth. But we have a huge variety – 200-odd items on our cuisine, the best of Indian, Chinese, Middle East, Asian, Continental and European,” asserts Ayush.

Open 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.

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