All posts by wellnmed@gmail.com
07th
06th
IIT Kanpur students develop kit to fight child sexual abuse
A team of five students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have developed a workshop kit to spread awareness about sexual abuse of children.
Sexual abuse among children, though rampant, remains a taboo subject in India. At least 46% children are subjected to sexual abuse, but most don’t report the assaults to anyone.
Jhumkee Iyengar, who is guiding the team, said the workshop kit is self-sufficient and can be used by anyone with basic communication skills, affinity towards children and an interest in educating kids – teachers, NGO volunteers and school counsellors.
Iyengar is a faculty in the Design Program at IIT Kanpur where she teaches post-graduate design students a course that she conceptualised and created on Human Centered Design.
“Children in the age group of 8-12 years and in a group of 30-35 can be benefitted in a single session,” Iyengar said.
“The central message to kids is that being abused is not their fault and that they should freely discuss their problems with parents or teachers. Our underlying vision is to save a child’s innocence through knowledge,” the professor added.
The team developed the kit after extensive research and field studies, which included talking to psychologists, counsellors, teachers, parents and doctors along with holding focus group interviews in Kanpur slums. The initiative was a part of a year-long project that culminated in April 2015.
The workshop includes lessons on personal safety, respecting one’s body and overcoming guilt. It has been designed in a way such that it’s playful, educative and interactive, and also helps the teacher tackle the embarrassment that’s likely to accompany the subject.
“The content has been approved by subject experts and psychologists,” Iyengar said.
“We tested the product internally and iteratively as it was being defined and refined. It was also tested by the staff of an NGO on the children they serve. Pilot testing is being done in schools and the product is being further refined,” shared Prof Iyengar.
The team comprising of Apoorva Aggarwal, Mitali Bhasin, Sneha Parhi, Sachin NP and Swayamsiddha Panigrahi said it was difficult for them to read about child sexual abuse and understanding the current situation was an emotionally draining process.
“Sexual abuse has so many wrong notions attached to it. So, spreading awareness about this issue is definitely of paramount importance. For instance, the middle, upper middle class societies are quick to dismiss child sexual abuse as a problem of the lower classes,” Bhasin said.
Aggarwal said she too had gone through one such harrowing experience when she was a child.
“As a child, there were instances when I was subjected to uncomfortable scenarios that disturbed me for weeks but I was unable to react to the situation at the time. In retrospect, my parents always did everything in my best interests but something was missing,” Aggarwal said.
“While they spared no efforts to send me to the best school of the city, my mom, dad, sister – no one – ever told me how to guard myself from the world. Somewhere they hesitated in giving me that one important life lesson,” she added.
Currently available in English, the kit can be translated into different Indian languages.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / HindustanTimes.com / Home> Lucknow / by Rajeev Mullick, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / April 07th, 2016
For 32 years, Agra’s ‘waterman’ offers summer respite to people
Agra:
For more than 32 years now, a group of good samaritans religiously sit every summer at busiest crossings across the city and offer cool water to commuters sweating buckets under the searing weather.
Seventy seven-year-old Bankey Lal Maheshwari, chief of Sri Nath ji Nishulk Jal Sewa, who has been spearheading the initiative, said, “The service was first started in early 1980s, but was expanded in 1987 after a tragic train accident drove city residents to help the injured and offer them water at Raja ki Mandi railway station.”
At present, there are more than 42 such kiosks around the city, which are run by volunteers. Interestingly, Jal Sewa is not a registered body and primarily depends on people’s contribution. Besides water kiosks, Mahehwari has also installed 101 ice boxes in front of many business establishments.
“Many business houses and residents come to me and promise to provide daily requirement of water. We open kiosks at such places. Generally, it is the older people who volunteer for work. The elderly brave the heat but sit at kiosks all day to offer water to people,” Maheshwari added.
A little amount of Kewra (pandanus flower) water is mixed to give it a distinct, pleasant smell.
However, the work of providing water to people is not as straight forward as it seems. Maheshwari has to keep a tab on the inventory. “Every year, we lose around 55 drums each costing Rs 400 and 1,200 mugs priced at Rs 10 each. There is no help from the administration, but we continue to provide our services,” he added.
However, Maheshwari and his team’s effort does not go in vain – what they get in return for their endeavor is public appreciation. “What Jal Sewa is doing is great. The Jal Sewa maintains a high standard of hygiene at every kiosk,” said Sandeep Sharma, who works at Sanjay Place.
Surendra Sharma, 70, said, “Agra faces problem of water scarcity. So there could not be a better way to serve the society. Every day hundreds of people benefit from this service.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Aditya Dev / TNN / May 03rd, 2016
IIT-K boy develops kettle that uses app to brew tea
If you are still brewing tea in a kettle then it’s time for you to switch to a tea maker that will make your brewing experience tech savvy.
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur’s (IIT-K) Sachin Np has designed Ocha 2.0, a customisable tea maker which uses a mobile application to brew tea to suit the user’s taste buds and can be scheduled to keep a cup ready.
“Not everyone prefers the same tea that we get from a vending machine. Now, this is not a problem anymore. Brewing tea is now an art. In the case of Ocha 2.0, I have redefined the rules as art follows technology,” Sachin said.
His kettle is loaded with options such as customising and scheduling the tea as and when the user wants it to be ready. So, one can boil the water at the particular temperature they want and set an alarm the night before to keep the tea ready.
“It can be operated by the user in two different ways. Either with the help of the mobile application that comes along with the product or with the help of the user interface embedded onto the product. The kettle comes with a central display console comprising a display button placed right at the centre of the console that helps in selecting the various options in the menu,” he says.
It also has a control dial along with two push buttons that are embedded on its either side. The application also makes it possible to operate Ocha remotely with the help of Internet of things.
According to Sachin, brewing tea is a play between tea dust, infusion rate, the quantity of milk and the amount of sugar to give a cup of perfect tea. The existing tea makers are totally void of customisation, as even sugar and strength of tea is difficult to manipulate, he says.
“It also kills the spice up factor called aroma. Ocha 2.0 is a jack of all trades. It doesn’t miss out on any of these and is a cocktail of all the conventional brewing experiences. Opinion differs from one person to the other and so is the taste,” he says.
His prototype of the kettle, which he developed within a year, helped him win A’ Design Award and Competition, the world’s largest design competition recognising the best designs, concepts, products and services.
“I believe design lies in everything that makes a user not to let think of its design. The design should be always like a fluid for a user that just flows flawlessly,” he said.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Lucknow / Rajeev Mullick, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / May 02nd, 2016
Urja Club organises a Hindi New Year event in Varanasi
Varanasi :
The members of Urja Club recently organised a Hindi New Year event. The venue buzzed with activity as the ladies geared to enjoy every moment of the do.
The event started with a group dance on medley of songs like Lal Meri in which Neha Ahuja , Geetu Kundanani, Neha Gangwani and Bhumika Ahuja participated. Taking further the fun mood was the enactment of a wedding scene, in which the charming ladies performed on Bollywood numbers like Lo Chali Main and London Thumakda.
Later, a skit was staged with a message but without being preachy. A message of remaining connected with one’s roots was given through the play in which Seema H Lakhmani enacted the role of a TV actor.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Varanasi / TNN / April 14th, 2016
In UP’s parched Bundelkhand, one farmer scripts a success story, sets example
district in Madhya Pradesh (AFP Photo)
Banda :
In Uttar Pradesh’s parched Bundelkhand region, one farmer is scripting a success story, and has set an example in a region ravaged by farmers’ suicide and drought. Locals and activists are now approaching Prem Singh to find out how his practices have transformed his farm into a lush area.
Bundelkhand, according to the estimates of NGO Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan, has seen 113 farmers’ suicides since January 2016. In the past 10 years, the region has seen drought for four times, and 70% farmers suffer from the ravages of crop failure.
Singh, 53, is among the very few farmers in a land with plummeting water tables to have an orchard, processing units and flourishing livestock across his 32-acre farm. What Singh has been practicing since 1989 was recommended by National Institute of Disaster Management in 2014, “Emphasis should be on diversification – minor crops and animal husbandry.”
Bundelkhand, which comprises 13 districts — seven in Uttar Pradesh (Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda and Chitrakut) and six in Madhya Pradesh (Datia, Tikamgarh, Chattarpur, Damoh, Sagar and Panna) — suffers from meteorological (rainfall much below average), hydrological (below average water availability) and agricultural drought.
In this scenario, Banda activist Sanjay Singh said Prem Singh’s model of diversification can be replicated by small farmers in times of drought. “He has come across as a model farmer in the current agricultural and rural scenario, and now he should make it extensive,” said Sanjay, talking to TOI.
Prem Singh has processing units and has diversified into organic farming, orchards and animal husbandry in order to sustain his farm. Today 22% of the people in his village have an orchard on their farms. “Their earnings have increased and so has their yield,” he said.
On his farm one can see full water bodies, fruit-laden trees — which have improved the risk-taking capacity of the farmer — and healthy cattle, which in turn provide manure for organic farming. The quality of the soil continues to be good as he has access to natural fertiliser.
Prem works on the land with three of his brothers, and the distinctive features of his model are crop rotation, animal husbandry, organic farming and food processing. “I have units so that dal can be used for daliya, mustard seeds for oil, fruits can be processed into pickle and murabba and milk can be processed into ghee,” said the farmer, who also authored a book on his system, titled ‘Avaratansheel kheti’.
It has been an eventful journey for him, involving learning from his mistakes. “I maintained a notebook on farming, and realized that 70% of my money was going into paying interests, chemical fertilisers, electricity bill and diesel. Then I thought of doing something that would bring me out of this vicious cycle and of the risk of crop failure.”
Right now, Prem is busy with German activist Ulrike Reinhard, who works in Panna on ways to solve the water scarcity problem of that MP region. Prem said, “This May I will be visiting Panna to meet the villagers and guide them on revitalization of natural springs.”
Reinhard said, “For villagers it is easy to take notes from one among them. He will be talking in their language.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Eram Agha / TNN / May 01st, 2016
Agra set to host first national crossbow championship from tomorrow
Agra:
The first national “desi dhanush”, crossbow, championship will be held in the city from April 29 to 30. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had inaugurated the logo for the Indian Crossbow Shooting Association in March and said the state government would extend all support to promote the sport. He had also given the sport the name of “desi dhanush”. As many 30 crossbow shooters from five states will participate in the event which will be held at the Prelude Public School grounds later this week.
The crossbow event is the brainchild of Agra-resident and national player Rajat Vij, who is also the president of the Indian Crossbow Shooting Association.
Vij told TOI, “After the inaugural of desi dhanush by the state government, we are going ahead with the first national championship in Agra. Sportspersons from West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, besides Uttar Pradesh will participate in the two-day event.”
While the inaugural session will be held on April 29, the main sporting competition will take place the following day between 8am and 11.30am.
Vij said the sport is not very popular and only a handful of people know about it. The chief minister’s presence at the inauguration of the logo on March 17, has helped bring the sport to mainstream audience. He added that depending on the success of the first event, it would be held on much larger scale in the near future.
On March 17, a 18-member delegations of crossbow athletes from Japan, US, Sweden and Portugal had given a live demonstration of the crossbow event before an audience that included the CM.
Interestingly, during his address, Yadav had exhorted people to promote crossbow or “desi dhanush more than the bicycle”, referring to his party’s election symbol.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Aditya Dev / TNN / April 27th, 2016
This 4-yr-old girl plays 8 instruments
Agra:
She can play twice as many instruments as the candles on her birthday cake, pronounces Sanskrit words flawlessly and has the voice to become a singing sensation.
Meet Aarohi Agrawal of Mathura, all of four years old and already a tabla, harmonium, keyboards and bongo prodigy.
On Sunday, Avantika Foundation, a senior citizens’ group, awarded Aarohi the Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Samman 2016 for her talent in music. She was the youngest among the 108 awardees at the event.
Sanjay Agarwal, a member of the organisation, said, “Aarohi is extremely talented. I visited Mathura and spent two hours at her residence listening to her playing, and I was astonished”.
Besides playing eight instruments with ease, Aarohi sings the National Anthem and devotional songs movingly, reflecting her musical inheritance.
Her grandfather, Dr Rajendra Krishna, is a renowned musician who runs a music school in Mathura.
Avantika Foundation chose 108 people from all walks of life, out of 600 names on its longlist. Agarwal said the organisation aims to promote and motivate talented people.
“We awarded her grandfather to motivate him to further help Aarohi, but if he does not do so, we will take back his award.”
BJP’s national vice president Purushottam Rupala was the chief guest at the function and presented the awards.
source: http;//www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / TNN / April 25th, 2016