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| SPORTS TRIBUNE |
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Riding high Euphoria@tennis Man of
goals Fitness Mantra
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The thrill of riding
combined with love for nature and landscape makes horse safari a unique experience for youngsters,
HORSE riding has always been a part of the Indian culture. And horse safaris remind one of our great royal tradition. A horse safari was an age-old way of travelling and a time pass for the maharajas and their nobles. Many tour operators in Rajasthan offer horse or camel safaris — the best way to travel through the sand dunes of the state and get a first hand experience of the local customs and rituals. However, in Punjab and Haryana, there are very few takers for horse safaris despite the fact it can be a tremendous boost to tourism in these states, particularly in the foothills of the Shivaliks that have many historical places like Anandpur Sahib and Paonta Sahib, which offer an excellent terrain for the purpose. Riding through riverbeds, nullahs and thick forests is a unique and pleasurable experience, in addition, it can also inculcate awareness and concern about preservation of flora and fauna, needed for the sustenance of environment. The area adjoining Chandigarh has almost 1,200 horses, which can be hired for a safari. Also most of the good public schools in Punjab and Haryana have their own riding schools with large number of horses. So a large number of students, too, can enjoy this adventurous sport, which is also good for overall development of a child’s personality. With these advantages in mind recently Sant Nischal Singh Public School organised a horse safari for its students and staff. The general area of Paonta Sahib was selected because of the ruggedness of the terrain. A base camp was established on the pattern of American movies. Horse feed, including haystacks, and other necessary things like saddlary, shoe-fitting equipment and other allied gear were transported to the camp by the school authorities. A motivated group of students, who were trained in riding, braved the heat and dust and successfully rode about 100 km through the Yamuna riverbed, hill slopes and forested areas. The students not only rode horses but also maintained and looked after the animals round the clock. The whole camp looked like a scene straight from the Wild West movies. After the tremendous response from the young riders, the school has planned another safari in early December for which students from other schools of Punjab and Haryana will be invited. The school authorities also plan to invite students from foreign countries for such safaris on a reciprocal basis. Since planning, organising and conducting such horse safaris, particularly for the young school children, is a highly specialised task, the organisers must have extensive experience for such events. This unique outdoor adventure has a great scope as a sport and can also promote tourism in the northern states. Moreover, horse riding can
be helpful in character building. Perhaps that is why our first Prime
Minister, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, made riding compulsory for the IAS
trainees. When somebody commented that means had improved not to warrant
continued use of the horses as a means of transport, he is reported to
have said, "You don’t ride horses as a means of transportation,
you do so to build courage and character. Anyone who can control a horse
will be able to control and run a district better." |
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After India’s sensational 4-1 win against South Africa in Johannesburg recently, Krishnan tipped Somdev Devvarman for greater things. "It is very exciting to be back in the World Group. Somdev Devvarman has shown excellent temperament for Davis Cup by winning two crucial singles matches and he is definitely a big prospect for the future," said Krishnan. Krishnan also heaped praise on Rohan Bopanna who won the crucial singles match on the first day and 17-year old World No1 junior Yuki Bhambri, who made a successful Davis Cup debut by clinching the second reverse singles. "I wouldn’t like to jump the gun, but we need to appreciate the performances of even Mahesh Bhupathi in the doubles. Overall, a fantastic performance," said Krishnan. "Somdev definitely has the potential and the fitness level and is mentally very strong. He needs to get himself another 40-50 positions in the rankings, so that he can get direct entries into the main draw of the big tournaments," he said. On Bhambri, Krishnan said, "He is just 17 and has the potential, but we need to wait and see how he develops from here on." Bangalore-based CGK Bhupathi, father of Mahesh, was equally ecstatic over the victory. "The most significant point is that India made it to the World Group without contribution from Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. I believe that the future looks very exciting for Indian tennis," he said. Bhupathi pointed out that in the past, Mahesh and Leander were the key components in the Davis Cup team, but the victory against South Africa showed that the next generation of players is fast surfacing and Indian tennis has a lot to look forward to. Bhupathi, who runs a
tennis academy in Bangalore, however felt that the achievements of
Indian tennis players this year was still to be highlighted. — IANS |
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Man of
goals
He also has a keen eye for talent in his role as the honorary secretary of the Punjab Football Association and also his presence on the All India Football Federation’s executive council. Sitting at the grounds of Guru Nanak College, Phagwara, Inder Singh talks in mixed doses of nostalgia and vision for the future. "I am optimistic about the growth of the game in India, but am realistic, too. We still have a long way to go in terms of matching the world standards, but changes are surely coming in. The I-League, for that matter, has helped in adding a tinge of professionalism to the setup. The players are getting more exposure, and that always helps to bring out the best in them," says Inder Singh. The man, who started his career with Leader Club, Jalandhar, went on to captain JCT FC and India, and has also played for the Asian All Stars team, finds today’s stars different from those of his time. "We were a little different from the guys today. We didn’t have so much to look at in terms of facilities, there were lesser distractions, too. The money also was not like today. Now the guys are paid for just the promise that they show, nobody is ready to wait for real talent to show up," he adds. Inder Singh, who still holds the record for maximum goals in Santosh Trophy (46) feels there are too many mediocre players now, with very few having the caliber to set the field on fire. He still remembers the 1974 Santosh Trophy final at Jalandhar, which Punjab won 6-0 with Singh scoring a hat-trick. Memories are too many for a man who is still "eulogised in footballing circles, but he has his own dream, to see India on top. He knows the enormity of the task and although he doesn’t see it happening anytime soon, the man who never gave up is not giving into pessimism just yet. "I hope to see India
respected as a footballing nation, if not exactly become the next
Brazil. It is tough, especially the current rudderless approach that we
have towards the sport. The AIFF can improve the game only in certain
aspects and the level of play is the most important thing that needs to
change. It has to excite the crowd, make them want to come back for
more, every week, every season. I know it is a lot to ask for, looking
at where we stand today, but that is what sports teaches you ‘fight
till the end, till the whistle blows’, and well, in life that happens
just once you know." |
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Fitness Mantra
The other name for sedentary lifestyle can be the amount of convenience factors on which we are dependent (for eg. Sitting in the car and driving to workplace, sitting in the office and working on computers, again sitting in the car and going back, sitting in front of the TV, changing channels with remote, ordering a meal from outside or making a ready-to-eat dish and sleeping. So the only exercise is sitting because we are surrounded with so many convenience gadgets. This way actually we are making our environment diabetes friendly. This disease can also be said to be sitting on the borderline of hereditary and environment. If parents or grandparents suffered from this disease, it can strike the next generation if one gives a favourable environment to this disease to occur, but if the environment is not friendly for this disease to flourish, then it won’t strike. So, one can steer clear of high blood sugar even if it runs in the family if one is careful enough to follow a healthy lifestyle. If we inculcate good lifestyle habits in kids, then they won’t need any changes in their style of living ever and would remain healthy and fit throughout. A little planning, forming of a routine and will power to remain healthy is what is required to fit in all these things. Here are a few tips for a healthy diet for diabetics as well for those who are at a risk of it due to obesity, hereditary factor, stress or any other underlying medical problem: Eat small frequent meals. Divide the meals into six meals a day because eating larger meals will leave too much of sugar for the body to handle at one time. When you eat smaller meals, your body will be able to handle the sugar and some of it will be utilised in the physical activity you do. Now what you eat is the most important part.
Finish off your salad bowl before commencing the main meal as this will act as a barrier and will slow down the absorption of sugar from the meal you eat or have vegetable soup (home made without any starch or fat) before a meal. Prefer having whole dals (sabut dals, rajmah, channa etc) instead of washed ones to add more fiber in your diet. Add at least one green leafy vegetable once a day. It’s healthy to make pudina/dhania chutneys a part of your daily meal intake. Along with fibre, these add to vitamins and minerals and have other therapeutic properties. But make sure, no sugar is added while making them. For in between snacks, prefer having vegetable poha, vegetable idli, sprouts or a stuffed vegetable sandwich along with a cup of sugar free tea/ coffee or a glass of lemon water/ buttermilk. You can also have fruits such as orange, mausambi, jamun, pears, guava, apple, papaya, muskmelon, watermelon etc in an amount of 150-200 g but avoid having fruit juice. Total amount of fat/oil in the diet should preferably be 15-2 ml in the ratio of 1:1:1 for refined oil: mustard oil: desi ghee i.e. approximately 1 tsp each. Avoid refined sugar at any cost. Make your tea palatable by adding cinnamon powder (dalchini) as it imparts a sweet flavor and is also good for diabetics. You can also add grated apple in sugar free custard along with some cinnamon powder. Avoid deep-fried, fatty and processed foods. Prefer roasted, grilled, baked foods or meals cooked in minimal oil. Make use of the ‘medicines’, which nature has provided us with. Make liberal use of ‘curry leaves’ in vegetables, dals and whatever you cook. It is an excellent source of fibre and helps in combating blood sugar and cholesterol. Eat tender neem leaves to cleanse your system of toxins. Add methi seeds and amla powder mixture in the garam masala so that it gets used automatically in your daily meals. In addition to giving fibre, amla powder will also add vitamin C to the diet. Brisk walk of 45 minutes to 1 hour daily for at least five days a week will take care of the physical inactivity which our sedentary jobs and lifestyle offer us. It’s beneficial to add yoga and meditation in our lifestyle to remain healthy physically and mentally. After all health is everything. If we lose it, we cannot enjoy the wealth, which we have acquired and it will be used up in paying hospital bills. The writer is a dietitian,
Department of dietetics,
PGI, Chandigarh |
INDIA’S qualification to
the Davis Cup World Group after 11 years shows that tennis is going
through an exciting phase and there is more to follow, says former Davis
Cup captain Ramesh Krishnan.
HIS
feet get into motion
as soon as he sees green fields as if to prove that the man has still
not lost touch with his first love — football. For former India
Captain Inder Singh, life has always been about "goals" —
both on and off the field. He has done everything a footballer can
probably do in a country like India.
Lifestyle
Make sure to add fibre
to each of your day’s meal, whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner or
in between meals. Fibre can be added in the form of salads, soups,
fruits, sprouts, bran etc. For e.g. a stuffed gobhi/ muli/ methi roti in
breakfast.