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Gold medal winners show heart of gold that beats for poor
Lucknow :
A number of graduates who received gold medal at the 12th convocation of King George’s Medical University on Sunday would prefer to work in government sector-academics or practice to help the under privileged.
“Millions die every year for lack of proper treatment of neurological disorders, so I look forward to help those in need,” said Imran Rizvi, who bagged the Dr A M Kar centenary Gold Medal for best performance in DM (Neurology).
Recipient of the highest honour, Mohammad Tabish too wants to work in his home district comprising villages of Muzaffarnagar. Resident of Basti, BDS topper Abhishek Kumar Gupta said he ultimately wanted to open a clinic in Basti and serve in his home town. Similarly, Chancellor’s gold and university honours medal winner Avinash D Gautam too wants to serve the poor.
Sharing the dream of going abroad, Harsha A H and Shiva Rajan wish to work for the welfare of the society. “I wish to make discoveries and invent technologies that would help treat patients,” said Harsha, who received the ‘Sursari Dayal Memorial Gold Medal’.
The gold medal in the name of Vice Chancellor Prof Ravi Kant was conferred on Himanshu Yadav who believes in healing patients, rather than treating them. “I want to put in whatever I have learnt till date in serving impecunious,” added Yadav.
One of the gold medallists said she took up medical studies only to relieve the poverty-stricken. Vikram Holla, who will soon be joining as an assistant professor in a government medical college, said, “I am ready to work with any organisation that works ethically, and prioritises needs of the under- privileged.”
There was a good number of passouts who wanted to work in the government sector but Madhusudan Patodia, recipient of Prof T C Goel Gold medal said he would like to work in a private hospital since they are technologically more advanced. Patodia’s field of specialisation is kidney transplant.
source: http://www.timesofindia.inditimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / January 30th, 2017
The village of wrestlers with Olympic dreams
Lucknow:
“Geeta Phogat wala ‘ulta’ le le… Shabhash. Ab Sushil Kumar wala daanv le le… Olympic jeetega tu,” he says in a firm but encouraging voice. Only 24 years old, Daya Yadav, a muscular young man, is instructing his “students” in his akhara — a patch of soft mud in village Samogar, barely 20 km off the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Agra district.
In this village and the neighbouring one, Etmadpur Madra, wrestling has not only been a sport for generations but also a tradition.
Daya says his grandfather and other elders were active wrestlers and even claims that Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav used to come here to wrestle with his friends in his heydays.
Over the years, however, wrestling took a backseat. Until, of course, Daya realized he had a passion for it.
“I now have a batch of about 30 students who practice here every morning. They have shown extreme dedication and spark. If we continue practise like this, I can assure an Olympic medal or two from this village,” he says proudly.
Daya has just got done with tending to his buffaloes and evening time is for his akhara and wrestling lessons.
Once that is wrapped up, he heads to a gym in Kheria — a bigger village with more city-like facilities and aspirations.
“Before the expressway came up, I would only go to the local gym we had set up here. Now, thanks to the ring road that was developed for the expressway link, I can go to Kheria in 15 minutes,” says the affable Daya, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Olympc mediallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt.
Several roads in the vicinity of the village have been concretised, thanks to the expressway, he adds.
Becoming a gym trainer has added to Daya’s fan following in the village but what triggered a crazy passion in the young men for wrestling was the movie ‘Sultan’.
“We watched it last year at Panna Palace theatre in Agra soon after it released. I took 20 boys with me. All of them are now actively practising wrestling under me.”
A few minutes of conversation and this shy teacher comes up with another revelation.
‘Sultan’ was the first movie any of us had ever seen. ‘Dangal’ this year was the second. The only reason we could watch it was the expressway road,” he beams.
On way to Lucknow from Agra, Etmadpur Madra would be the first village by the expressway. Before the ring road came up, going to Agra from their village could take 1.5 hours or more, if there was traffic. With the ring road, all it takes these men is 30 minutes.
Daya’s friend Umesh Yadav, whom Daya calls Bhaiya, says they are thankful that both films on wrestling came after the expressway was built.
Earlier, the only exposure and practice Day’s wrestling team got was in neighbouring villages. There were no new challenge and any major competition seemed a distant dream.
“Since the expressway has come up, we have been scores of times to Saifai, Etawah city and Lucknow for tournaments. Our boys have proved their mettle and know where they stand,” says Umesh as Daya tells his students that it’s time to practice a rope exercise now.
One of the youngest students in the team, 15-year-old Ravindra Yadav has just got a pat on the back from his teacher.
“Looking at Daya Bhaiya, initially we just wanted to build a body like his. After we saw Sultan, our aspirations grew. On participating in competitions in other cities, we realized that we could actually do well. The expressway right next to our village has taught us to think big. Now, I am sure that we can earn medals like Sushil Kumar,” says Ravindra.
Brajesh Kumar, another budding wrestler, has just returned from his carrot farm. Munching on a carrot, he offers some to his friends too.
“Films on wrestling earn more than wrestlers themselves. Sports is not given the attention it deserves. If we get proper training, I am sure we can represent India internationally, he says.
“We are not only practising physically but also paying attention to our diet and overall health. Daya Bhaiya tells us to eat dry fruits and have milk every day,” says 18-year-old Jeetu Yadav, as he advances to touch Daya’s feet before going home. The other students follow.
Every week, a band of boys goes to Agra and gets dry fruits for the team, zipping on the highway on their motorbike.
With the cinema hall coming closer to them because of the e-way, do the boys also plan to catch more movies?
“No way. Our elders allowed us to go for these films because they were related to ‘kushti’. We do not intend watching any other film,” says Umesh determinedly.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Rashi Lal, TNN / February 01st, 2017
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Lucknow girl’s trip to highest lake fetches her a national record
Lucknow :
It was her passion and the desire to make a name for herself while pursuing it that 27-year-old Vartika Jain Srivastava put her motorbike in full throttle, felt the wind in her hair, meandered through rough roads and became the ‘first woman biker’ to reach the highest lake in the country, Tsa Lhamo, also called the Cholamu lake, in North Sikkim.
For her feat, the young woman has booked herself a place in the Limca Book of Records. While she made the trip between May 3-13, 2016, it was on Friday that the Limca book certified her national record.
As she covered over 2,616 kilometre from Lucknow to the lake situated at a height of 5,330 metre (17,490 feet) in less than 10 days, Vartika was accompanied by three close companions. Her husband Ambar, their friend Atul Ghosh and Vartika’s younger brother Pratyaksh, all of whom were also featured as the first group to reach the highest lake on a continuous bike journey in Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records. Additionally Pratyaksh, at 20, became the youngest male rider for the same in the two books.
“It took me three months to get permission for the lake which is under the Army and cannot be accessed by civilians otherwise. Once I made it to the lake, the view was mesmerising. The water is in shades of green, blue and even purple with frozen edges, ice-capped mountains on one end and clean sand spread over acres on the other. The oxygen levels are low so we had to be quick,” she said.
Recalling the most difficult part of the journey, Vartika said, “Lachen is about 55 kilometre from the lake but it took us almost five to six hours to get there because of the bad roads. The end made it worth it all.” Starting as a rider only in 2007 when her husband, who was a friend back then, pushed her to learn riding, Vartika hasn’t looked back. She was the winner in the women’s open motocross category in Lucknow first motorsports contest held in April, 2016. She has also been featured in the Asia as well as India books of record.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News> Lucknow Girl / by Yusra Husain, TNN / January 28th, 2017