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Veterans Recount Bittersweet Memories Of War

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Veterans Recount Bittersweet Memories Of War

There is very little happening in the country which instantly makes us feel pride in ourselves as a nation, except perhaps the exploits of our national team on the cricket field and the strides taken by our scientists involved in our famed space and missile programmes. But enter a hall where ‘fauji’ veterans are discussing India’s military history and your pride touches a high point.

School students listening into several such stories of grit and valour against all adversities, of the spirit of do or die for the country, of sacrifices, of victory, defeat and reverses, left them in awe of the brave hearts on the first day of the two-day Military Parley organised at the Sector 10 Government Museum and Art Galley auditorium on Tuesday. The parley is part of a series of activities being organised in the run up to the first ever Military Literature Festival to be held from December 7-9.

Photos By: Life in Chandigarh

The topics touched by war veterans, including Army generals, brigadiers, colonels, a squadron leader and a wing commander of the Air Force, ranged from the relevance and status of the armed forces in society, man or machine who matters most, successful operations like Operation Cactus and Battle of Haji Pir, lessons from Kargil War, military humour, bomber operations deep inside Pakistan in the 1971 war, operations in Siachen, and the Trishna expedition in which an army adventure team sailed across the world in a relatively small yacht amidst the treacherous seas.

Among the other topics were Battle of Chawinda in 1965 in which the Indian Army suffered serious reverses, operations of 1st Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in the Bangladesh war, the Battle of Bumla during the 1962 India-China war in which the ill-equipped and ill-prepared Indian forces were vanquished despite displaying exemplary bravery on the battlefield, experiences of the 50 Para (independent) brigade during the 1965 war in the Kutch area of Gujarat and Lahore. There were also talks on the impregnable Ambala air base during the 1965 war, the Hazratbal operations and training of the Indian infantry.

Setting the stage for the parley, Lt Gen. Bhopinder Singh (retd), former Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar and Puducherry, said with new dimensions being added to warfare like nuclear, space and cyber, countries were forced to expand their armed forces depending upon their threat perception. Maintaining that India’s large standing Army commanded high respect in the eyes of the common man ever since Independence, he rued the gradual degradation and devaluation of the armed forces under successive governments.

Sharing an instance of the spirit of love displayed by common citizens for the Army during the 1965 war, he said people thronged railway stations to give us food. When our forces advanced on the borders, farmers marched behind us insisting that when the Indian forces capture Lahore they would bring back buffaloes as souvenirs.

Lt. Gen. VK Dhir (retd) stressed the need to think beyond the clichéd dictum that the man behind the machine is more important than the machine, because the pace at which technological advancements were overtaking battlefield scenarios was mind-blowing and no country could afford to be a laggard in adopting the latest warfare technology. The time is not far when a B.Tech.  degree could become mandatory for joining the armed forces, he added.

Strongly advocating scrapping of the ordnance factories, which he claimed had failed to deliver quality military hardware, he called for establishing military industrial complexes with the help of the private sector, asserting that the country could trust in it to deliver cutting edge technologies as per requirements of India armed forces. How long can we remain dependent on other countries for our own security requirements, he asked.

Rooting for greater allocation of funds for the defence forces for rapid modernisation, Gen. Dhir suggested that the government could also consider pruning the large standing army of the country, which consumed 85 percent of the defence allocation, to make it lean and mean.

Squadron Leader PPS Gill (retd) shared graphic details of two successful daring bombing operations during the 1971 war in which Canberra bombers of the Indian Air Force inflicted considerable damage upon the heavily defended Karachi airbase and naval base.

Brigadier RJS Dhillon (retd) spoke about Operation Cactus carried out by the Indian Army in the Maldives to save that country from a coup bid, and said the operation gave the Army the confidence to launch operations at short notice. He described the operation as an example of perfect sync between political and military leadership.

Colonel J S Bindra (retd) reminiscenced about the capture of Haji Pir Pass prior to the 1965 war by 1 PARA led by Major Ranjit Singh Dyal.

Throwing light on the lessons of the Kargil war, Brigadier MPS Bajwa (retd)  batted for keeping intelligence apparatus intact along with proper utilisation of  resources. Brigadier Kiran Krishan dwelt on humour and described it as the companion of an army man, while relating some lighter moments from his army days.
Colonel MS Dahiya (retd) spoke about the Siachen Operation in 1984-85 and recalled the difficulties involved in operating on inhospitable terrain.

The parley will continue on Wednesday.

DG Tourism Wants Hospitality Sector To Adopt Heritage Sites, Monuments, Tourist Spots

Sanjeev Kochhar
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DG Tourism Wants Hospitality Sector To Adopt Heritage Sites, Monuments, Tourist Spots

India finds itself lagging way behind its cherished desire of becoming one of the top tourist destinations of the world considering its vast potential. Nonetheless, going by government figures, the graph of international tourist arrivals in the country is continuing to witness a steep gradient since 2003, barring a two-year window in 2008-2009 when worldwide recession pulled it down a few notches. Surprisingly, the outbound Indian tourists to foreign destinations have outstripped the inbound international tourists by more than two-and-a-half times.

These observations were made by Satyajeet Rajan, Director General (Tourism) in the Union Ministry of Tourism, while interacting with participants in a Special Plenary Session and later talking exclusively to Lifeinchandigarh.com on the concluding day of the two-day CII Hospitality Summit 2017 : Hospitality Sector in the North – New Trends & Technologies, Alliances & Partnerships, Innovations and Practices, organised at the CII Northern India campus in Chandigarh on Saturday.

Photos By: Life in Chandigarh

During another session,  the Thought Leadership Session : ‘Partnerships for Growth – Expanding the Business Footprint’, captains of the hospitality industry, including top executives from resort and hotel chains like IntelliStay Hotels, Tree of Life Resorts and Hotels, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and Keys Hotels, interacted with other representatives of the industry, including hotels, restaurants, resorts and spas, institutes of hospitality management and tour operators, to explore business opportunities for their respective international and national hotel and food and beverages chains in their expansion push in the North.

The Director General (Tourism) invited the hospitality industry from North India to take up heritage sites for basic maintenance and upkeep under the Tourism Ministry’s ‘Adopt a Heritage Site’ campaign, recently rolled out by President Ram Nath Kovind at a function organized to mark World Tourism Day on September 27.

Yatra.com Adopts Hampi

He informed that online tour and travel company Yatra.com had adopted Hampi in Karnataka for basic maintenance and upkeep of the world heritage site of UNESCO. Yatra had also adopted other historical sites – Ajanta Ellora caves in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, Qutab Minar in Delhi and the iconic Leh Palace.

Similarly, TK International Limited, which manages many hotels and resorts, has adopted Konark Sun Temple, Rajarani Temple in Bhubaneshwar and Ratnagiri monument in Madhya Pradesh. The SBI Foundation has adopted Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

Satyajeet Rajan said, “We have listed out some monuments to be offered to the private sector for adoption, but are not limiting ourselves to those. Offers to take up other monuments and tourist spots can also be considered.”

Large Format Food Festivals

He also suggested that organising large format food festivals, which have a universal appeal, should be considered by the hospitality sector both in the country and abroad to attract tourists.

Observing that highways had improved tremendously in India over the years, he felt that the roadside amenities along highways and in monuments were woefully lacking. “We are in touch with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and petroleum companies to improve the roadside amenities along highways. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which maintains some of the heritage sites, is also being roped in to improve public amenities, he added

Security of Foreign Tourists

Reacting to observations on security concerns among foreign tourists, while claiming that such stray incidents took place in other countries as well, including advanced countries, he admitted that this perception of insecurity among foreign tourists needed to be tackled seriously. In this regard, he informed the tourism ministry was going to approach the Union Home Minister to push for expeditious implementation of the concept of tourism police across the country and consider deploying Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to guard the ASI-managed heritage sites.

The Director General (Tourism) also agreed to take up with the state governments and concerned central agencies some other concerns of the hospitality industry, like putting online the entire process of taking 30-odd approvals required before start of business operations, putting timelines to the approvals and improving infrastructure and internet facilities at tourist places. He promised to write to the state governments on the issue of earmarking hospitality zones in cities and towns so that the industry could get land at economically viable rates.

Complex Industry

Submitting that the tourism and hospitality was a complex industry, dependent, like some other industries, on a number of agencies for approvals and support and it was not always easy to get things moving at a brisk pace, he admitted that lack of knowledge among officials and corrupt practices at some levels often compounded the problems.

He informed that one example of efforts being made to cut red tape at the level of the central government, and put approvals online, was the classification of hotels, where the cumbersome and time-consuming process of postal requests had been done away with.

Spending By Foreign Tourists

While agreeing that India had a vast tourism potential and the country was still a long way away from reaching anywhere near the full potential, he asserted that the tourism sector was making good progress. Though India ranks 25th in the world in terms of number of international tourist arrivals and 8th in the Asia-Pacific, but in terms of foreign exchange earnings (FEE) it is 13th in the world and 7th in the Asia-Pacific. “So you see, per capita spending by international tourists coming to India is pretty high”, he added.

Disfavouring a comparison between India and any other country in terms of strategies to attract tourists, Satyajeet Rajan said “ours is a unique culture and we would like to showcase it in all its glory. We would be happy if the tourists come to India to enjoy the rich cultural and geographical diversities (mountains, deserts, beaches), ancient heritage and monuments, and bask in the heavenly experience of centuries old practices of yoga, ayurveda and spiritualism, and not tourists immersed in casino culture. Medical tourism is another area where we are doing exceedingly well, and we are keen on building on our positives.”

Wondering why Ayurveda tourism is thriving in South India, when the biodiversity is in much greater abundance in the Himalayas, he stressed the need to promote ayurveda tourism in a big way in the North.

Interacting with the gathering, Prashanth Rao Aroor, CEO, MD & Co-founder of IntelliStay Hotels, had this advice to give to students of hospitality management institutes wanting to make a choice between beginning a career with a five star chain of hotels or upcoming chains of new branded hotels : “This the right time to ride the wave when at least five chains of new brands in the country are growing exponentially, throwing up immense opportunities for talented and trained professionals to grow their careers at a faster clip than in five star chains, where career growth is slow and limited.” Giving example from his personal experience he said his own restaurant manager from managing a single restaurant had grown to become COO of their entire chain of 20-odd hotels in less than 10 years.

http://intellistayhotels.com/

Among others who shared their expertise with the gathering was Amanjit Singh, Head Marketing & Business Development of boutique resorts and hotels chain Tree of Life Resorts & Hotels, which also owns the Tree Leaf brand.

http://www.treeofliferesorts.com/

Keys Hotels, which runs a chain of hotels in 19 cities under three brands Keys Prima, Keys Select and Keys Lite, was represented by Gurpreet Walia, Director Strategy & Partnerships.

https://www.keyshotels.com/

Zubin Saxena, Vice President Development – South Asia, Carlson Razidor Hotel Group, talked about opportunities of doing business with his group, which owns several popular brands – Quorvus Collection,  Radisson BLU, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Country Inn & Suites and Club Carlson

http://carlsonrezidor.com/
 
Man Mohan S Kohli, Chairman, CII Hospitality Summit 2017 & CEO of Aroma Group, and Manu Kochhar, Past Chairman, CII Uttarakhand State Council, and Joint Managing Director of Hotel Madhuban, moderated the Special Plenary Session and the Thought Leadership Session, respectively.
 

Opportunities Beckon Women Startups; Punjab Unveils Draft Policy

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Opportunities Beckon Women Startups; Punjab Unveils Draft Policy

Excitement is building up in the country over the 8th Annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit being hosted for the first time in South Asia at Hyderabad from November 28-30. One of the interactive entrepreneurial events, being held as part of the “Road to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) Series” at six places in the country, was organised at the Mohali campus of Indian School of Business (ISB) on Wednesday in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Niti Ayog, focused on ‘Celebrating and Empowering Women in Entrepreneurship’. Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, who was the chief guest, used this opportune occasion to unveil the draft of the Punjab Startup and Entrepreneurship Development Policy 2017, which is claimed to underline his government’s strong commitment to aggressively supporting startups, especially women.

The Punjab government also launched “Startup Punjab”, a hub to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and startups. The hub is proposed to be housed in Software Technology Parks of India’s (STPI) newly constructed infrastructure at Mohali with a mandate to launch and promote the flagship program of Startup and Entrepreneurship in Punjab. A Letter of Intent (LoI) in this regard was signed and exchanged between STPI, the Punjab Secretary (Industries & Commerce) and ISB in the presence of the chief minister.

Photos By: Life in Chandigarh

The hub is expected to ensure necessary convergence and synergy in various central and state programs promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and startups. The startup hub will promote networking of various reputed academic institutions carrying out research and innovation and other organizations running incubators and accelerators.

So get ready enterprising women because the all important big push – knowhow, financial or otherwise – is coming your way both from the central government and the state government. And FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), which finds itself at the vanguard of the thrust towards women entrepreneurship, is readying itself to play a very important role in the startup arena. With members comprising entrepreneurs, professionals and corporate executives, FLO has created a consultancy and mentorship cell, SWAYAM, in all its more than a dozen chapters Pan India to provide support to new and existing women entrepreneurs, as also aspiring student entrepreneurs, in establishing new businesses and enhancing existing ones.

Incidentally, Punjab is hosting more than 200 delegates from across the country at the 3-day annual inter-state conference of FLO from November 27-29 in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.

Disclosing this in a conversation with Lifeinchandigarh.com on the sidelines of the ISB event, FLO’s Ludhiana chapter chairperson Monika Choudhary said, “We have also opened membership to homemakers who are curious and creative and help them update their knowledge and skills to be in sync with global business practices and trends.”

Sharing figures to drive home the point that women still had a long way to go to achieve some kind of parity with men in entrepreneurship and holding leadership positions in corporate, felt that nothing could hold back women who had grit and drive and the fire to excel professionally, while admitting that the social imbalances thrust on their minds “in the way we have lived and been brought up” cannot be wished away. “It’s a reality we have to accept, but at the same time we should not be constrained by these challenges and strike a winning balance between our professional and personal lives, without losing the sweet experience of womanhood and motherhood.”

Admitting to the existence of a class divide in opportunities for entrepreneurship between women belonging to the effluent families and those belonging to the less privileged, she said, “it is just that the women in the effluent class tend to take to entrepreneurship more than others because it involves, by its very definition, ‘the capacity and willingness to develop, organize and manage a business venture along with any of its risks in order to make a profit.’ But that does not in any way put the others at a disadvantage. Can we say that daughters of all the business and industry bigwigs are necessarily good entrepreneurs? No. Nothing stops a woman from attaining success in entrepreneurship provided she has the fire, drive and gumption to do it, whatever the odds,” she asserted.

Capt. Amarinder Singh in his address to the gathering said with a forward looking and pragmatic industrial policy, and now the proposed startup policy, Punjab would be attempting to make up for the lost time when its growth slipped far below the national average of about 7.2-7.3 percent. For decades Punjab concentrated too heavily on the primary sector to become the food basket of the nation, at the expense of other sectors, and now with the primary sector also stagnating, we need to look for a major thrust to the industrial sector to boost growth and generate employment opportunities for our youth, he added.

In a major step we are offering electricity at a flat rate of Rs 5 per unit to the industry and hope this along with other proactive steps to further improve the investors’ ease of doing business in the state will go a long way in hastening the process of industrialisation.

He said within one month of taking over reins of the state government he had undertaken a tour of Mumbai to convince the captains of the industry to invest in the state. During a meeting with ICCI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar he had impressed on her to help the state encourage the women in the farming communities to supplement their family incomes by engaging in activities related to animal husbandry, including cattle breeding, and she had responded positively to his suggestion. He pointed out that this was essential since currently 70 percent of the farmers in the state had land holding of less than five acres, which rendered the farming practice insufficient to make two ends meet, leading to the spate of suicides.

Assuring all possible help to women entrepreneurs and startups in the state, the chief minister said even banks and financial institutions would be far more willing to extend them loans as women were more committed towards their businesses than men and zealously paid back their loan dues within timelines.

FICCI Deputy Secretary General Vinay Mathur in his thanks-giving speech, while noting that Indian women entrepreneurs of today were chartering unknown territories with bravado, be it ecommerce, education, investment, travel, fashion, retail, fitness, hiring or anything else, felt they still needed a supportive ecosystem to get started and stabilise their businesses. Advising the state not to move away from agriculture, but from the water-guzzling paddy, he said moving forward horticulture, animal husbandry, chemicals and petrochemicals could be good focus areas for Punjab. He also wanted the state to focus on plastic waste management for profit and saving the soil from further degradation.

Come, Live A Few Moments Of Pride !!

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Come, Live A Few Moments Of Pride !!

This is a must watch exhibition which is sure to rekindle the patriotic spark in you – the journey of the Indian Army and its role in securing and building the nation has been brought alive through rare photographs and artefacts on display at the Government Museum Art Gallery in Sector 10 Chandigarh. The two-day exhibition, the likes of which has perhaps never been seen in the tricity, opened to public viewing on Saturday and will remain open on Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm.

The Military Art and Photography Exhibition, being held as part of the build-up to the inaugural Military Literature Festival, slated for December 7-9, captures the evolution of the Indian Army through the major operations in which it has participated since World War I.

Photos By: Life in Chandigarh

A total of 200 exhibits, including pictures, artefacts, medals, army ammunition of Sikh era, personal belongings of officers and captured flags of Pakistan Army during 1971 operations, are on display.

A highlight of the exhibition is the bust of Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, PVC (Posthumously). Other rare exhibits include Japanese swords of World Wars and personal photographs of Maj Gen G Nagra, who was GOC 101 Area during 1971 operations.

Also evoking a deep sense of pride are the section-wise displays of various operations, 1947-48, 1962, 1965, 1971, 1999, which include rare pictures of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri visiting troops and former President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan with soldiers in Patton Nagar, a destroyed Pakistan Patton tank and Gen. J. Choudhary congratulating soldiers just before ceasefire.

Rare pictures of the moments captured during the signing of the visitor book by Lt. Gen. Niazi after the Pakistani surrender in the 1971 war and the captured flag of East Pakistan Army further adds to the feeling of patriotism. The flag has been preserved by the family of Maj. Gen. Nagra.

The Sikh Military Heritage Section, courtesy Punjab Digital Library, encapsulates the history of battles fought by Sikhs before the British Era. It also traces the journey of battles fought during the British Era and after independence.

The exhibition has been carefully designed to showcase the various landmarks achieved by the Indian soldiers around the world in historical sequence for the discerning visitors.

A special wall has been dedicated to the Saragarhi Battle Warriors, exemplifying the grit and determination of brave Sikh warriors who attained martyrdom living up to the Army motto of ‘Last Man Last Round.’ A handful of courage-laden Sikh soldiers defeated more than 10,000 Afghan Kabilais in this war.

Go see the exhibition on Sunday with your families and live a few moments of pride !!

Large Crowds Bid Adieu To Octogenarian Kailash Chand Talwar

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Large Crowds Bid Adieu To Octogenarian Kailash Chand Talwar

People gathered in large numbers at the cremation ground in Sector 25 Chandigarh on Monday to pay their last respects to octogenarian Kailash Chand Talwar, member of the city’s famous jewellers’ family of Talwars in Sector 22, who breathed his last on Sunday.

His son Sandeep Talwar and his grandson lit the pyre as priests performed the last rites.

Sharing his memories of the Talwar family, which originally belonged to Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, one of the mourners, Arvind Jain of Cloth Palace, said the Talwars were among the first family to set up shop in Sector 22 in 1954 after them (Jains).

Photos By: Life in Chandigarh

Originally it was a joint family business, with Kailash Chand, his father and his two elder brothers Tarsem and Satpal in it together. “It was my grandfather and father who helped the Talwar family get a showroom on a monthly rental of Rs 240 per months, which in those times was considered quite high. Like others, business for Talwars was also lukewarm to start with and breaking even appeared a distant dream. Business had started picking up when the gold control hit the trade hard. But then as years went by the business flourished and Talwars became the biggest name in the jewellery business in the city,” Arvind Jain recalled.

As the family grew the business was split among the three brothers with the eldest brother Tarsem Lal retaining Talwar Jewellers and the younger brothers Satpal and Kailash Chand opening Talwar Diamonds and Talwar Jewellery House in adjoining showrooms, becoming the most dominant businesses in the Sector 22-D market.

A prayer meeting is being held for the departed soul at the Sanatan Dharam Mandir in Sector 27 on Wednesday.

Welcome To Karma Café

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Welcome To Karma Café

In the age of internet, more and more young impressionistic minds are getting motivated to write books. But, alas, there are very few avid readers, and a sea of social media geeks. The tricity too is sure churning out writers. There has been a flurry of book launches by young, and not so young first time writers in the city since September. Beginning with Part One of ‘The Time Traveler’ by a serving ‘fauji’ Tej Pratap Singh, followed by an anthology of poems named ‘Idiosyncrasy’ by young Twesha Dikshit and then a book on creativity ‘Off The Corporate Bus And Into the Creativity Boat’ by Ashoo Khosla. Adding to the variety on Friday was Nipun Nakra who launched his maiden book

In Nipun’s own words, the book relates the “story of friends, penned by a friend, for the friends”. It is dedicated to all the free-spirited, adventure-seeking and fun-loving souls.
 

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Photos By: Life In Chandigarh
 
Says the writer, who is deeply into media marketing, “If you are an avid reader of suspense thrillers, this one is a must read for you. Karma Café, published by Fly High Publications, is a fun filled, hilarious and action-packed suspense thriller that takes you on a roller coaster ride through the peppy college life, dating dilemmas, peer pressures and notorious pranks.”
 

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Ambitious Nitin, talented Shanky, dashing Jeff and prankster Harry meet each other in college and form an inseparable group ‘V-4’. The vivacious and carefree nature of the gang lands them into many comical situations as well as serious trouble that tests their friendship. The group dynamics change when Preeti and Amie enter their group and love comes knocking. The settings and expressions used to narrate the two innocent and beautiful love stories is what the youth will be looking for.
 
The first half of the story is set in Chandigarh and the second in Delhi. All the surroundings of Chandigarh are used elaborately. So, the characters visit Sukhna Lake, Elante Mall, Rock garden and they romp on the Gedi route.
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 
Author Nipun Nakra was born and brought up in Chandigarh. Schooled in St. Xavier’s and Bhavan Vidyalaya, he did his bachelor’s in commerce from DAV College and MBA from Panjab University. He started his career with 92.7 Big FM and moved on to Star Plus TV Channel. 
 
His journey of writing started when he was preparing for his MBA entrance exam. He has always been an avid reader, having read William Shakespeare, Sydney Sheldon, Robin Sharma, Jeffrey Archer, Stephen Covey, Malcolm Gladwell among others. During his Media career he got to learn about the creative writing process which really helped to shape his writing dream. Most of his maiden book was written while sitting in cafes and libraries. Other than writing he is passionate about adventure sports and music.

STRIKE Out Stroke : Exercise, Reduce Stress, Eat Healthy

Sanjeev Kochhar
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STRIKE Out Stroke : Exercise, Reduce Stress, Eat Healthy

Sudden loss of balance, sudden loss of vision in one eye or both eyes, sudden unevenness in facial features, sudden hanging down of one arm, sudden slurring of speech – in any of such case don’t take it lightly, rush the patient to a hospital. All these are symptoms of a stroke, which, if not treated immediately, can lead to long term disability, or even death.

Emphasising, and reemphasising the need for awareness about this medical condition, which is the second largest killer of humanity in the world, senior doctors at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI, for short) told media persons on the occasion of World Stroke Day that while stroke is preventable by taking certain simple steps in our daily lives, in case of a stroke also modern medical science has made it possible that disability and death can be prevented by immediately rushing a patient to a stroke clinic.

 

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

 

Dr Vivek Lal, Prof. and Head of Department of Neurology, and Dr. Dheeraj Khurana, Prof. and in charge of the stroke control programme at PGI, said the biggest development in the past couple of years has been physical removal of a large blood clot, called an endovascular procedure, or a mechanical thrombectomy, which is being employed successfully to save lives and reduce the long-term effects of stroke. Thrombectomy allows trained doctors to use a wire-cage device, called a stent retriever, to remove a large blood clot.

For this a patient, on suffering a stroke, has to be immediately rushed to a stroke clinic where this procedure is performed after conducting a CT Scan to ascertain whether the cause of the stroke is a clot, blocking a vessel supplying blood to the brain, or rupturing of a vessel in the brain itself. The former is the most common cause of stroke, the neurologists added.

Dr Khurana said dissolving of the clot through intravenous technique (tissue plasminogen activator, or Alteplase IV r-tPA) is another excellent option, but it has been seen that this method sometimes is not very effective if the clot is blocking a larger vessel supplying blood to the brain.  

Dr Lal emphasised that the seeds of stroke are sown in childhood itself, and increased physical activity is the best antidote to the condition. Physical activity also helps keep stress, which is another cause of stroke, at bay, he added.

The neurologists, as well as Dr. JS Thakur, professor of Community Medicine, School of Public Health at PGI, expressed their concern that the physical activity period, which till a few years ago was mandatory  in schools, is no longer in prevalence. They advocated that the period should be reintroduced in schools and it should not be utilised for any other purpose but physical activity.

It was also stressed during the media interaction that consistent and determined efforts at rehabilitation of the patients, who have suffered long term disability due to stroke, had also shown good results. On the occasion, launch of a Neuro Rehabilitation and Spasticity Clinic by the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, PGI, in association with the National Institute of Nursing Education and Department of Neurology, was also announced along with a Stroke Patient Support Group.

The PGI is also collaborating with the Government Multispeciality Hospital in Sector 16 to soon open a stroke service centre in the hospital, run by the Chandigarh UT Administration.

Good news : Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar ‘Stroke Ambassador for India’

His message : “The best stroke in cricket is the straight drive. The best STROKE off the field is not to have one at all. Stay healthy !”

Let Us Strive to STRIKE out Stroke

•    S – Say no to smoking & alcohol
•    T – timely check-ups for cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar
•    R – reduce intake of salt
•    I – include healthy food / diet (fruits and raw vegetables).
•    K – keep yourself stress-free
•    E – Exercise regularly.

Some glaring facts

•    116 million years of life lived with disability (YLD) worldwide in 2016
•    Estimated 17 million strokes occur worldwide each year, of which 1.6 Million occur in India alone!!

Govt Balm Must To Ease Stress & Trauma Of Child Diabetics

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Govt Balm Must To Ease Stress & Trauma Of Child Diabetics

With the medical fraternity still clueless about its cause, let alone cure, and the Indian government indifferent to the enormity of the problem, the future of child patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), whose numbers are increasing by the day, appears to be in the dark. On the eve of World Diabetes Day, and Children’s Day in the country, doctors from the department of Paediatric Medicine in the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI, for short) Chandigarh warn that though diabetes occurs far less commonly in children when compared to adults, its standard treatment regimen is very rogorous and stressful on the child as well as the family and a lifelong unaffordable financial burden on them.

Dr Rakesh Kumar, additional professor, and Dr Jaivinder, assistant professor, told media persons during an interaction on Monday that the disorder poses a significant public health burden considering the number of children below 15 years with T1DM. It accounts for about 5%–10% of all cases of diabetes. As per International Diabetes Federation 2015 estimates, out of 5.42 lakh children with type 1 diabetes worldwide, 70,200 (13%) are in India alone.

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Further, it is estimated that another 86,000 children below 15 years develop T1DM every year. India is second only to USA in the number of children having T1DM. Exact incidence and prevalence data of the country is lacking as there is no type 1 diabetes registry in India. Some small population-based studies in India suggest incidence of T1DM varying from 0.5 to 10 per lakh per year in children below 15 years, the doctors informed.

Dr Rakesh Kumar said as many as 1120 children with type 1 diabetes have been registered till date in the Paediatric Diabetes Clinic which has been running in the Advanced Paediatric Centre of PGI for the last 12 years. On an average, 4-5 new patients of the disorder report to the clinic every week.

“A study from our clinic showed that nearly 20-25% of children with type 1 diabetes have some form of psychological problem. Commonest problems observed were conduct disorders (24.5%), special symptoms (24%), physical illness (23%), anxiety (10%) and depression (7%). It was seen that poor sugar control and more number of hospitalisations were the two important factors associated with psychological problems.

“In another recently conducted study at our centre it was observed that use of continuous glucose monitoring systems may improve glucose control and another study showed that poor glucose control for three years severely affects growth of children with type 1 diabetes,” Dr Rakesh Kumar added.

The doctors said more than anything else, diagnosis of the disorder in their child comes as a major shock to parents, especially when they learn that their child will require lifelong insulin injections 3-4 times per day and the same number of finger pricks per day for checking sugar with a glucose meter. Parents and guardians go through a phase of shock, refusal, anger, anxiety, guilt, etc. all at the same time.

One of the most difficult problems these families face is a lifelong  financial burden as the average cost for treating a child with T1DM is around Rs 3000-4000 per month which badly affects the budget of a family with average income in India. In the developed countries, most of these children are treated with insulin pumps which have a one time cost of around 2.5 lakh rupees (cheaper model) with a running cost of nearly Rs 8000-9000 per month.

A group of patients of type 1 diabetes in Chandigarh have recently launched a registered organisation by the name Association for Children With Type 1 Diabetes to help raise funds for families who cannot afford the expensive therapy for the disorder. They have demanded that the central and state governments consider providing treatment for the disorder free of cost on the lines available to patients of haemophilia, thalassemia, HIV and TB to mitigate the sufferings of the affected families.

Causes

Researchers worldwide have been trying to pinpoint the exact cause of type 1 diabetes, but success has eluded them so far. But it is known that in most people with type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system — which normally fights harmful bacteria and viruses — mistakenly destroys insulin-producing (islet) cells in the pancreas. Genetics and environmental factors appear to play a role in this process.

Symptoms
•    Increased thirst and frequent urination
•    Extreme hunger
•    Weight loss
•    Fatigue
•    Irritability or behaviour changes
•    Foul smelling breath
•    Blurred vision

Complications
•    Heart and blood vessel disease
•    Nerve damage
•    Kidney damage
•    Eye damage
•    Skin conditions
•    Osteoporosis

Moms & Babies Have A Romp, Dads Show Their Love

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Moms & Babies Have A Romp, Dads Show Their Love

Short of a lip-lock, dads-to-be and moms-to-be displayed a range of gestures to express their love towards each other, and towards their expected baby, in a gala pageant for the ‘Maternity Queen’ title organised by Bedi Hospital and Fertility Centre in the lawns of the Chandigarh Club on Sunday night. The cold conditions did not deter the expectant mothers from turning up in their fineries for a once in a lifetime opportunity (at least for most) to sashay down the ramp in style.

Though winners were formally announced in all three categories – moms with babies in arms, moms with 1-3 year babies by their sides and the maternity queen (expectant mothers) – all the 100 odd participants were winners in their own right, the kind of grace and imagination they put into their respective performances.

PHOTOS BY: LIFE IN CHANDIGARH

Dr. G.K. Bedi, a well known and respected gynaecologist, speaking on behalf of Bedi Hospital, said, the annual event, into its third season, was designed to showcase women empowerment, promote family culture (three generations of families were invited) and importance of motherhood. Among its other motives were creating awareness for infertility and cancer prevention in women, especially for career conscience women.

Another message came out loud and clear during the pageant. Apparently taking a leaf our of actress Deepika Padukone’s ad, promoting a popular paints brand, the participants wore masks to press home the message “We, and our unborn babies, have a right to breathe clean air".

Dr. R.S. Bedi, paediatrician & Director Bedi Hospital, on the occasion of completion of 18 years of the hospital’s existence, announced the opening of Grace Bedi IVF centres at seven locations in the region – Solan, Nalagarh-Baddi, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Kaithal and Yamunanagar – in association with respective local hospitals, the premises of which will be used to run these centres.

The evening started with the mom with baby in arm contest. It was a wonderful and touching experience for the gathering as some of the little ones appeared  buoyant about facing the cameras and the gaze of hundreds of eyeballs and others cuddled up to the warmth of their mothers.

The second section – the moms with 1-3 year children in tow – had its mirthful moments. Some children walked with elan while holding their mother’s finger, but the moody among them dragged their feet, and one odd just refused to budge from his position, necessitating the lady MC (master of ceremonies) for the day to intervene and egg the child on.

The ‘Maternity Queen’ contest was split into two sections, one in which the moms-to-be walked the ramp alone, and the other in which their hubbies accompanied them. The dads-to-be did not disappoint. They gave vent to their emotions through a variety of gestures like hugs, peck on the cheek or forehead, going down on one knee and offering a flower, one even going to the extent of lifting his lady love in his arms. There, however, was one odd gentleman too shy to express his emotions publicly. A bold lip-lock could have been expected in the atmosphere that was building up, but alas it was not to be.

Sheetal Saransh Sharma won the ‘Maternity Queen’ title, followed by Sanita Chawla as 1st runner-up and Tanvi Puri as 2nd runner-up. 
 
The chief guest for the night, Dr G. Dewan, Director General, Health Services, UT Chandigarh, and J.S. Lamba, president, Rotary Club Chandigarh Central, joined Dr Vikram Bedi, neonatologist, and Dr Rubeena from Bedi Hospital in supporting the participants in the campaign for clean air.

Lifeinchandigarh.com wishes the Bedi family and Bedi Hospital many more such successful events

Fortis Mohali Performs Robotic Surgeries To Remove Kidney & Adrenal Tumours

Sanjeev Kochhar
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Fortis Mohali Performs Robotic Surgeries To Remove Kidney & Adrenal Tumours

First it was the conventional open (long incision) surgery, then came minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery and now it is robotic surgery, which allows surgeons the ability to operate even in very tight spaces in the body that would otherwise only be accessible through open surgery. The high precision surgery allows a patient to walk away in 24 to 48 hours. The results are great – shorter hospitalization, reduced pain and discomfort, faster recovery time and return to normal activities, smaller incisions, resulting in reduced risk of infection, reduced blood loss and transfusions and minimal scarring. After the Post Graduate Institute for Medical Education & Training (PGI, for short), Fortis Hospital Mohali has become the first corporate hospital in the region to start using the four-arm 3-D da Vinci robotic surgery system and the first beneficiaries have given the system a thumbs up !

The system has proved particularly beneficial to patients of kidney cancer/tumour. For 50-year-old Krishan Kumar Behl from Ambala, diagnosed with a huge malignant tumour in the right kidney, the system proved to be a boon. The operation went off smoothly and the tumour extracted was 22 cm in size, much bigger than the kidney itself (see pictures), and weighing more than 1 kg. He walked out of the hospital in three days.

PHOTOS BY: LIFE IN CHANDIGARH

Another patient, 62-year-old Savitri Devi from Karnal, had an adrenal tumour removed using the robotic surgical system and happily admits she is back to near normal with very little discomfort.

Says Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan, robotic surgery specialist and senior consultant, Urology and Transplant Surgery, at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, who performed both the surgeries with his team, apart from the benefits to the patients, the da Vinci robotic surgery system’s 3-D magnification screen allows the surgeon to view the operative area with the clarity of high resolution. The high level of manoeuvrability of the arms also improves a surgeon’s ability to operate accurately and precisely even in tight spaces in the body that would otherwise be accessible only through open (long incision) surgery. The robotic system shields the patients against possibilities of hand tremors during surgeries, thus increasing the surgeon’s confidence, he added.

Dr Ranjan says he has more than half a dozen other patients lined up for undergoing robotic surgery in the coming days. He sees the new generation technology revolutionising the field of surgery in the coming years.

The system is increasingly also being used worldwide for prostate removal, cardiac surgeries and gynaecological surgical procedures.


 

How does a da Vinci surgical system function?
 
* The surgeon works from a computer console in the operating room, controlling miniaturized instruments mounted on three robotic arms to make tiny incisions in the patient.

* The surgeon looks through a 3-D camera attached to a fourth robotic arm, which magnifies the surgical site.

* The surgeon’s hand, wrist and finger movements are transmitted through the computer console to the instruments attached to the robot’s arms. The mimicked movements have the same range of motion as the surgeon allowing maximum control.

* The assistant surgical team supervises the robot at the patient’s bedside.

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