No room for complacency
K. Datta

Sandeep Singh impressed with his drag flicks in the series

Welcome as it is, there is a danger that the six-wins-one-draw record of the Indian hockey team in the seven-match series against Canada may breed a false sense of well-being in a country which failed for the first time since 1928 to qualify for the Olympic hockey tournament in Beijing last year.

After the humiliation of returning empty-handed from the 2006 Doha Asian Games, the absence of an Indian team in the Beijing Olympics was a catastrophe waiting to happen. The hopes raised by the Asia Cup victory at Chennai under coach Joaquim Carvalho were dashed because of one bad day in office in the final of Olympic qualifier against Great Britain at Santiago. Let’s hope the team maintains the upward graph after Canada. The Canadian tour success has come under Spanish coach Jose Braca. This is the first time that the Indian hockey team has been put under a foreign coach.

But not even Braca should be reading too much in the team’s unbeaten run there. It was, after all, only a training tour by a team trying to claw its way back into the world’s hockey elite. One can hear some players and fans crowing about the team’s unbeaten record. True enough. But playing Canada is not the toughest of tests, although that country has made some strides to improve its world standing. Let’s wait and see how the team fares in the Champions Challenge in Argentina in December.

However, there are some positives that one noticed in the Canadian series. Sandeep Singh was on the mark quite often with his drag flicks, for one. Sardar Singh’s nomination as the player of the series was another.

Sardar is the team’s most complete player. Some would also point to the fact that the Indian team, which in the past had a tendency of succumbing to pressure in the dying stages of the play, showed no such frailty during the Canadian tour. It may well be so. But the Canadians do not have the calibre to exert the kind of pressure that is really testing. For the first time an Indian hockey team was seen playing under rotating captains.

This is yet another positive of the tour. Obviously, it has been done at the instance of Brasa. Frankly, in games and soccer there is nothing very special about being a captain, except that he is the man who wears a distinguishing armband and is spoken to when umpires have to read the riot act. Otherwise, he is like any other player and should not be burdened by responsibilities of leadership. All tactical decisions are taken by the coach. Several European coaches don’t care too much about the single captain idea about which we in India are so fond of.

Many years ago Milovan Ciric, an east European coach of India’s soccer team, on seeing the tension generated by club politics over the choice of captain, decided against such an appointment. He had a simple solution: a different captain for every match. One is not sure how much Hindi coach Brasa has thus far learnt to establish a better rapport with his players.

He, however, can’t change individual playing styles overnight, styles that are unique to Indian players, for that matter also Pakistanis. No doubt about Sandeep Singh’s special skill with his drag flicks. But there are other things a defence player has to be good at to be a true asset to his team. These are days of all round skills. Has Brasa been able to bring about any improvements that previous coaches, all of them Indians, had failed to do? Early days for him, but still there are questions hockey fans are entitled to ask.

What about tested veterans like Dilip Tirkey who were left out of the tour. Well into his 30s, are his days coming to an end? It was gratifying to note that the All India Football Federation had honoured Baichung Bhutia on earning 100 India caps. Dilip has a world record of 412 international caps, a landmark that Hockey India has not cared to suitably honour.

Fitness Mantra
Cereal sense
Nancy Sahni

Cereals have been the staple human diet from prehistoric times because of their wide cultivation, long shelf life, flavor and a great variety. Cereals are seeds of plants. Like all seeds, cereals are very nutritious because they contain all nutrients that an embryo plant needs to start growing.

Cereals consist of four essential parts, namely — the husk, hull or chaff, which is the outer covering loosely attached to the grain; the bran or the outer coat of the grain itself; the germ or embryo; and the endosperm, which contains nutrients comprising a considerable volume of starch, a small amount of protein and a little fat.

The whole grains of all cereals have a similar chemical composition and nutritive value. They are classified as carbohydrate-rich foods as their average carbohydrate content is 70 per cent per 100 grams. They provide energy and also some protein, which is usually of good quality. The protein content of grains varies from 11.8 per cent for wheat to 8.5 per cent for rice per 100 gm. Whole cereals are good sources of calcium (ragi is the richest in calcium) and iron. Yellow maize contains appreciable amounts of carotene, which gets converted into vitamin A in our body. Whole grain cereals also contain significant amounts of B group of vitamins.

In prehistoric days, flour was used when fresh food was scarce, even then it was only used immediately and was freshly ground so that it contained most of the original nourishment of the grain. The modern day use of steel mills has resulted in a very fine grade of flour, but the vital nutrients gets lost in the process. Thus the modern grain, loses so much nourishment when hulled, refined, ground, sterilised and bleached that the result is a grossly undernourished powder.

All too often, cereal products are thought of as nothing more than starchy fillers, and indeed, when you consider how some commercial products like cakes and biscuits and breakfast cereals are made from over-refined grains with nearly all the nutrients except the starch extracted, and then loaded with fat, sugar, artificial flavourings etc, you might be forgiven for thinking that’s true.

Wheat is by far the most popular flour, but there is significant difference between whole-meal wheat and plain white wheat flour. In the refining process of whole wheat, the precious wheat germ, which is the very life of grain and which contains the all-important vitamin E, is removed. A refined cereal strips approximately 65 per cent of fibre, 60 per cent of folate, 90 per cent selenium and almost 100 per cent of phytochemicals, which are important for healthy living. Phytoestrogens (ligans), that prevent heart diseases and certain cancers, are also lost in the refining process. B vitamins, which are mostly present in the outer layers of cereals like rice, wheat and millets; are also lost in the refining process. Lack of these vitamins can cause tingling numbness in the hands and legs, palpitation, breathlessness, cracking of angles of the mouth, soreness of tongue and weakness of heart muscles. The refined products made after the removal of germ and bran, lack sufficient bulk and their use leads to numerous degenerative diseases and even cancer. So go back to the original, unrefined grains and you have a wealth of nutrients in a small package.

You will be a “serial killer” of all the vital functions of your body if you ignore the importance of cereals in your diet!

Number of servings of cereals per day

As many as 55 to 60 per cent of our daily intake of calories should be contributed by cereal group and maximum of which should come from unrefined cereals. For example for an 1800 calorie diet, approximately 1000 cal should come from cereals. Cereals contribute to more than 50 per cent of our daily essential fatty acid requirement.

It is recommended that one should have six to 11 servings of cereals each day. One slice of bread or one roti (25-30g atta) or an ounce of dry cereal like cornflakes, wheatflakes etc or half cup of cooked cereal like dalia, upma, poha, pasta, rice etc (I ounce= 28g; 1 cup= 240 ml) can be considered as one serving. Have you heard models or film actresses talking about their super duper diets of fruits and orange juice with just one roti in a day and swear that these keep them looking fabulous! Believe me, all this is crap. They end up looking up famished and are fainting here and there and 10 years down the line, they are going to be looking 10 years older than their original age with all the other health problems if they continue with their so called fabulous diets as makeup won’t be able to hide their malnourished skin.

How to eat cereals

Fermenting (idli, dhokla, uttapam, fermented roti etc) and sprouting cereals increases the nutritional value to many folds. Sprouts are good if eaten alone, but can also be added to salads, sandwiches, or soups. They can also be blended for baby food, sauces, and dressings. They can be stored in the refrigerator in a jar or plastic bag for up to two weeks. It is preferable, however, to make small amounts at frequent intervals since seeds and sprouts tend to become rancid when kept for a long time.

How to sprout

Soak the desired amount of seeds, about two tablespoonfuls, in a bowl by filling the bowl with tepid water and cover it with muslin cloth. Place the bowl in a dark area, at about room temperature, for about five hours. After five hours, drain, rinse, and let the seeds stand without water for about eight to 12 hours. Rinse again and drain well to prevent rotting. For the next six days, the seeds should be rinsed and drained twice a day using lukewarm water. They should be kept at room temperature in a dark place. After four-five days, the seeds will expand about eight times the original amount.

These sprouts contain vitamins C, E, B complex, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, sodium, potassium, protein, enzymes and chlorophyll. If at all you are in such a helpless situation that you don’t have any source around you to reach a whole grain flour, then what you can do is; add a portion of wheat bran and wheat germ which is freely available at any good grocery store, in your regular atta, which you get at your home.

For a healthy living and to gain maximum nutritional benefits, include whole-wheat cereals, brown rice, par boiled rice, oats, bulgur wheat, wheat germ, whole grain cereals, maize and millets. Start your day with a bowl of healthy breakfast cereal /stuffed muli, gobhi, methi roti, missi roti/ vegetable dalia , poha, uttapam or sprouted dhal and vegetable idli for energy that would keep you going for hours!

The writer is a dietician, Department of dietetics,PGI, Chandigarh

Remembering Samarvir
Donald Banerjee

THE Samarvir Sahi Golf Tournament that concluded at the Chandigarh Golf Club last week attracted the cream of amateur golfers from all over the country.

Eighteen-year-old Abhijeet Chadha of Chandigarh led the field on the first two days. Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan took lead on the third day. But Noida’s Rahul Bajaj came back from a three-stroke deficit to clinch the trophy.

The IGU-recognised tournament is a major national tournament on the amateur circuit and is keenly watched by golfers all over the country.

The tournament is played in memory of Samarvir Sahi, a promising golfer who died of cancer at the age of 25 in 1994. Samarvir completed the quartet

along with Chiranjeev Milkha Singh, Amandeep Johl and Harmeet Kahlon who ruled the greens in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Samarvir, who was the longest driver in the foursome, is no more. But the other three went on to carve a niche for themselves in international golf.

Samarvir’s father, Mr Gurpratap Singh, had said in an interview : “I am better known as Monty's father than as the former Principal Secretary to the Punjab Government.

Samarvir’s long drives earned him the runners-up position in the sub-junior event in 1981. He also finished runners-up in the national junior golf event while studying in Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, Delhi.

He got admission to the Albright College,Pennsylvania, in 1989, where he clinched the most Outstanding Men’s Golf Trophy in 1992.

Everything seemed to be shaping well for the Chandigarh lad. He was selected as apprentice consultant in the World Bank and was to get the contract on September 1, 1992. But on August 10 he felt a nagging lump in the throat. Dr Inderjeet Singh of the Washington Hospital put him through some tests. The results were disastrous. He was found to be suffering from Hodgkins lymphoma, cancer of the lymphnodes.

Monty gave this shocking news to his father who was attending a Raj Bhavan Independence Day function. That night, the family decided to call him back to Chandigarh. They wanted to be with him as the doctors fought a losing battle.

He underwent radiotherapy at the PGI from September to November, 1992.

Signs of recovery were noticed. He went back to the golf course and clinched the pro-am trophy in 1993. But a month later, his condition deteriorated again and he was put on chemotherapy.

The parents knew they were fighting a losing battle. But there was always a glimmer of hope. They flew with Monty to London where treatment began at the Hammersmith Hospital.

His condition worsened despite a bone marrow transplant. The end came on November 20, 1994. A golf icon had been snatched by death.

His playing colleagues led by Harmeet Kahlon announced the start of the Samarvir Sahi memorial tournament in 1996. But the Indian Golf Union recognition came four years later.

Today, the tournament is one of the leading tournaments on the Indian golf circuit.

Cardio tennis
The new rage

Health enthusiasts in Chennai have taken to cardio tennis as a fun way of keeping in shape. Cardio tennis is a group activity featuring various drills, equivalent to a high-energy workout.

It is the desire to burn some fat while learning a sport that is attracting people of all ages to the tennis courts.

Rishi, a coach at the cardio tennis classes in Anna Salai in Chennai, said that the exercise being a novel concept in the city is attracting many people.

“We have started something called cardio tennis where people come in and they learn the sport and as it revolves around exercising, so they are constantly running. So, it is fun. They also learn the sport properly,” he said.

The hour-long class usually begins with a 10-minute warm-up that includes stretches, shuffling and other movements designed to get the heart pumping faster.

Participants are in constant motion for almost an hour, performing fast-paced agility drills to improve footwork, and doing various strengthening exercises apart from playing the game. The participants in these classes believe cardio tennis is much more fun than running on a treadmill.

“Cardio is significantly important. But then the whole point is doing something that’s exciting and not something boring. It is extremely exciting. At the same time, you are working your heart, and you are working your body,” said Aditya, a participant.

It also includes fast-paced point play, which involves playing an opponent or doubles for one point, and then quickly moving on to more drills. — ANI