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J&K needs help Affording an MBBS |
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Balance
of power in Asia
Remembering mother — once in a year
The science and art of ageing
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J&K needs help A valley known for its beauty is now under water. Lakhs of people have been forced out of their homes by the overflowing rivers. The southern part of the state was devastated as it faced the worst floods in recent times. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit boosted the morale of the people in the state, but on the ground the situation remains grim, even as flood waters recede. The Army and security forces have done a yeoman's service in rescuing people. Air Force helicopters have flown endless sorties to rescue those stranded at places where boats could not reach in time. Helicopters have also air-lifted relief supplies and delivered them at difficult-to-reach places. Yet, people are suffering, and there is no doubt that there are pockets in which they are stranded and unable to communicate with others. For many it has been days since the floods wrecked their lives. There is shortage of food and drinking water. Power links to various parts of the state are yet to be restored and the mobile phone services have been snapped. It is difficult to understand why restoring mobile communication links has not been given top priority. The inability of people to reach out to their relatives is adding to their general anxiety. The absence of regular briefings by the Central and state governments, as well as various agencies involved with the operations is inexplicable. People expect definitive answers about what happened, the extent of damage in various towns and villages, and the measures being taken to restore normalcy in the state. More information, especially from the government and other authoritative sources, would go a long way in involving the people of India with the tragedy that has struck the valley. Many relief funds and collection efforts that have spontaneously sprung up to help the flood-affected people of Jammu and Kashmir have shown how the tragedy has affected the nation. The people of India deserve a clearer picture of the extent of the damage, which can be provided by a better dissemination of information, which is the right of all citizens in this day and age.
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Affording an MBBS Medical
education in Punjab is plagued by a unique combination of shortage and waste. At 1,070, the number of seats available for the MBBS course is far short of the requirement in terms of both doctors needed and students seeking admission. Yet, such is the reservation and division of seats under various categories in private colleges that many seats are going unutilised. There is a 'management quota' in the seats that private colleges are allowed. The fee allowed by the government for this quota is so high that as many as 41 seats have not been taken. The idea of this quota is to enable private colleges to cross-subsidise the education of students taken under the 50 per cent government quota. Obviously, between the colleges and the government, they have failed in assessing the paying capacity of students in the state. The solution is simple. The private colleges can lower the fee to fill the seats; otherwise they stand to lose the most. It is a business principle. The high demand vis-a-vis the MBBS seats available in Punjab, however, also points to lack of investment by the government in medical education. The capital investment in this field is high. Private investors will look at it only if returns are assured. Both education and health are fundamental duties of the government. Lack of affordable facilities is leading to a lot of exploitation in both MBBS and BDS courses. An irony of the medical profession is that while it takes up some of the brightest young minds, who have to also work about the hardest to get their degrees compared to other qualifications, they get paid among the least at the beginning of the careers. Even subsequently, it is only a few doctors who have the much resented 'astronomical' incomes; most either just get by or resort to unethical practices. Under such circumstances, it is not hard to understand parents' reluctance to invest in an MBBS course, even if cheap education loans are available.
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Thought for the Day
A lean compromise is better than a fat lawsuit. —
George Herbert, a Welsh-born English poet
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Cruelty and vandalism in war THOSE who think that might is right and go on displaying their material strength in their career of Empire-building have always been rudely shaken in their aims and pursuits. The latest instance is the German practice of cruelty and vandalism which has already served the purpose of strengthening the Allies and arousing all their indignation against the enemy. Moral power is undoubtedly the winning factor and mere physical power is bound to break before it. Mr. Asquith's condemnation of the German barbarity at Louvain has had the effect of rousing the English nation to the highest pitch of indignation. Had the Germans known this they would probably have resisted their hands at the perpetration of excesses. From accounts published we see they believe in the strength of arms. But what about the weakness of their ethics which is the basis of all power?
Industrial labour in India IT is an admitted fact that the wages of industrial and agricultural labourers in India have not risen in proportion to the rise in the retail price of commodities. In his report on the trade of India during 1913-14 the Director of Statistics calls attention to the fact that the cotton industry in Bombay, the woollen in Cawnpore, the jute, paper and mining in Bengal, rice in Burma and brewing in the Punjab-indicate an increase of about 3 per cent in wages. Cotton and other mills in Upper India indicate an increase of 9 per cent. But the statistics for the last three years show that the wages of industrial labour have not risen so much as those of agricultural labour. One effect of this has been that working men have gone back to agriculture or other professions and industrial profits have decreased.
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Balance of power in
Asia The
21st century is often described as “Asia’s century”, primarily because of the sustained and rapid economic growth across the continent. While the US can no longer unilaterally decide the course of events in Asia, it will remain a key player in moulding the balance of power within Asia. This balance of power will primarily be determined by the interplay between a rapidly growing, militaristic and jingoistic China, an aging but technologically innovative Japan and India, still uncertain about how to manage this triangular relationship to its best advantage. India and Japan have no territorial or maritime boundary issues which can escalate bilateral tensions. China, however, has adopted policies on land and maritime boundaries, which could lead to escalating tensions with India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Narendra Modi's high-profile visit to Japan and the forthcoming visit of President Xi Jinping to India, together with his visits to Pakistan (since postponed) and Sri Lanka, should be seen in this context of emerging power equations in Asia. It has long been Beijing’s effort to “contain” India within South Asia. Nothing else can explain its policies of equipping Pakistan not merely with tanks, warships and fighter aircraft, but also by promoting the development of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and missile production capabilities. This has been accompanied by China’s untiring efforts to undermine Indian influence in Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. China took note of Mr. Modi’s comment in Japan: “Everywhere around us, we see an 18th century expansionist mindset; encroaching on another country, intruding on other's waters, invading other countries and capturing territory”. While noting that Mr. Modi had not named any country, China’s official mouthpiece, the “Global Times”, observed: “Japan is located faraway from India. Abe’s harangue on the Indo-Pacific concept makes Indians comfortable. It is South Asia, where New Delhi has to make its presence felt. However, China is a neighbour it cannot move away from. Sino-Indian ties can in no way be counter-balanced by the Japan-India friendship”. Beijing’s message to New Delhi thus was: “You are merely a South Asian power, bordering a strong China. We will move across the Indian Ocean at will. You should, however, not dare use your relationship with Japan to transgress into what you and Japan describe as the Indo-Pacific”. China has no intention of changing its policy of “strategic containment” of India, even if India is useful in promoting its interests in BRICS and G-20. The visit of Mr. Modi to Japan has yielded substantial progress in industrial collaboration with a target of $35 billion of FDI in the coming five years together with a projected increase of Japanese ODI. Defence industry collaboration and joint exercises between the two navies, both in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, are to be expanded. Japan will be playing a key role in the development of industrial corridors in India. It is removing restrictions on collaboration in space and defence industries. Indo-Japanese collaboration in exploration of rare earths will erode the Chinese monopoly in this sector. We should welcome growing cooperation in industry and infrastructure with China, if it can match the transfer of technology and development of work skills that Japan is ready to provide. There is much we can learn from the speed and efficiency that characterises the construction of infrastructure projects in China. India's trade deficit with China in 2012 was $39.1 billion. A recent RIS study commissioned by the RBI has noted that such a deficit is "unsustainable". This trade deficit is unsustainable largely because of Chinese non-tariff barriers on key industries like pharmaceuticals, steel and auto components. Moreover, India receives discriminatory treatment in the registration of its products and services like banking, insurance, warehousing and freight forwarding. Some 41 products have been identified, which India exports significantly worldwide, which are prevented from entering the Chinese market by non-tariff barriers. These products include plastics, manmade filaments, electrical and optical machinery, and vehicles. The registration of Indian companies in China is deliberately made difficult. It takes three-five years to secure registration in China — a process that normally takes six months in India for Chinese companies. Some reciprocal measures are called for, including the imposition of higher tariffs on the import of power equipment manufactured in India. China is no hurry to resolve the border issue. It steadfastly avoids clearly defining where the Line of Actual Control lies in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. Better logistics across the Tibetan Plateau give its armed forces the advantage of far easier access to disputed areas. While contacts between military commanders have increased, face-offs along the LoC continue. Spelling out “guiding principles” for resolving the border issue, India and China agreed in April 2005 that the Sino-Indian boundary “should be along well defined and easily identifiable natural geographical features, to be mutually agreed upon” (Article VI). They also agreed that “The two sides shall safeguard due interests of their settled populations in the border areas” (Article VII). In accordance with this agreement, the border in Arunachal Pradesh should logically be an extension of China’s delineated border with Myanmar. In Ladakh the Karakoram mountains are the most prominent “identifiable natural geographical features” separating India and China. While India is strengthening its defences along the Sino Indian border, by raising new strike formations, improving communications and deploying frontline SU 30 Squadrons, our negotiators sometimes appear excessively defensive in dealing with their Chinese counterparts. India should join partners like Vietnam and Japan to build a stable balance of power in Asia. Given China’s intimidation of its neighbours on its maritime boundary claims, India should, at least, supply Brahmos anti-ship cruise missiles to friendly countries in the Indo-Pacific region like Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia to secure their maritime frontiers. At the same time, cooperation with China in multilateral forums like G20, the East Asia Summit and BRICS should be expanded and bilateral cooperation in areas like infrastructure, industry, communications and energy pursued vigorously.
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Remembering mother — once in a year I came across an interesting case-interesting because the situation was quite different from the one in our country. A situation I could never imagine or think of. It was a dispute between a son and a mother. The boy and the mother lived in the same house. The boy was of about 15 years. He mowed the lawn of the house for which the lady paid him one dollar per day. One day the boy said to his mother, "Mom, you should increase my remuneration as the minimum wages have been hiked in the whole country." The mother thought for a moment and then reacted, "Son, I have no problem but then you will have to pay me more for the food that I give you. You have now grown up and your food intake has increased. Moreover, the cost of food articles has also increased considerably."What a fair and equitable deal between a son and a mother! On another day, I saw a lot of hustle and bustle in the market in the early hours of the morning. The florists had displayed colourful bouquets and flowers on the footpath and pavements up to the edge of the road on both sides. People were running about to purchase flowers. I could not make out as to what was the occasion. I thought it might be one of their national days. The next day I asked my guide the significance of what I saw the previous day. She told me that it was their Mother's Day. People bought flowers on this day to present them to their mothers as a token of their love and gratitude. It hardly mattered whether the mother lived in the annexe of the house belonging to the son or in an old-age home. She then asked me, “Don’t you have something like this in your country?”I paused for a minute and then said, “We have profound regard for our mothers but it is expressed in a different way. She is no less than a goddess to us. She is remembered not on a particular day in the year but daily”. Now I could see dame curiosity dancing in her eyes. She sat attentively to listen to me. I told her that “in our country the son touches the feet of his mother every day as the first thing in the morning on getting up from the bed and seeks her blessings. The mother puts her hand on his head affectionately and says ‘jeete raho’. It is a very quiet, informal and sacrosanct affair which is carried on throughout life”. For us, every day is the mother’s day.
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The science and art of ageing Most of us would like to live a long life, but not many would like to become old. We often associate old age with physical problems, mental slowness and social invisibility. Of course, there is some truth to all those facts about ageing. Living a long life necessarily brings in old age, because that is how our bodies are built. Preparing ourselves for this phase of life is much better than approaching it with fear, hatred and anti-ageing feelings. With scientific knowledge, we can learn, adopt, nurture and practise reliable methods towards healthy ageing and longevity. Science behind ageing The scientific study of ageing is called gerontology, whereas geriatrics is the term for the clinical care and treatment of age-related diseases. Biogerontology is the study of the biological basis of ageing as to why and how we become old in the first place. The past 50 years of extensive ageing research on the biology of ageing have clarified and resolved numerous issues, misunderstandings and myths about ageing and old age. For example, the most common notion that our lifespan is predetermined and is fixed by either some supernatural powers or by specific ageing-genes in our cells, is scientifically incorrect. Biogerontology teaches that there are no ageing genes or gerontogenes that cause ageing. There is no enemy within. Genes are essential for our survival and genes do determine our ability to live and to maintain health. Our bodies, like all living systems, have evolved to survive and to reproduce. Evolution has developed numerous complex biochemical processes in each and every cell of the body for this. But these processes work efficiently for a limited period depending on the overall life history of a species. For example, animals, such as worms, insects, rats and mice, which are small in size, mature fast and reproduce in large numbers, generally have a short lifespan of a few days or weeks. On the other hand, larger animals, such as cows, horses, monkeys, and elephants, are slow-maturing, late reproducing and longer living. In scientific terms, the naturally required lifespan of a species is known as the essential lifespan (ELS). In natural conditions, it is rare that an animal survives beyond ELS because death occurs much earlier by chance owing to predation, infections and starvation. There is no need for any special genes to kill the organism. But in highly protected conditions, such as zoos and laboratories, animals can live much longer. For example, rats and mice survive in nature for less than a year, but in the protected laboratory conditions they can live for three to four years, a lifespan much longer than their natural ELS. Signs of ageing appear and all problems of old age occur during this period of life beyond ELS. A similar situation exists for human beings. As a species, our ELS is about 45 years only. In ancient times, very few people survived beyond, and becoming old was a privilege. In modern times, however, it is the greatest success story of mankind's innovations that most of us can expect to live much longer than our species’ ELS. And that is when we also face ageing and old age.
Paradox of life If there are no genes or other biochemical processes with a specific function of causing ageing, then why do we become old? The answer to this paradox lies in the processes of life itself. The very act of living causes damage in our cells. There are three major sources of damage within a cell. The first is the oxygen, which is essential for our survival, but it is also the source of chemically very reactive free radicals of many types. These chemicals are also produced inside the cell by the sun's UV-rays and by other chemicals in the environment. Free radicals have both a good and a bad side. On the good side, these are necessary for the normal functioning of the cells in cell-to-cell communication and in the immune system. On the bad side, if free radicals are in excess and are uncontrolled, these cause significant damage to DNA, proteins and other molecules, and can kill the cell. The second source of molecular damage is the food components, such as sugars and fats. We cannot live without them, but during their normal course of action, sugars and fats also damage each other and proteins and DNA in the cell. This can cause serious problems in the functioning of the organs and tissues such as the brain, muscles, eyes, bones, hormones, and the immune system. The third source of damage is the errors and mistakes happening in the normal biochemical processes of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis. These mistakes, occurring by chance, then cause mutations and other harmful effects, including cancers, cell death and other diseases. The paradox of life is balanced by the presence of complex networks of molecular, cellular and physiological systems for the maintenance, repair and defence. These defences generate “buffering capacity” or what is also called the “homeodynamic space”, in the body. Homeodynamic space gives us the ability to tolerate stress, to control the amount of damage, and to be able to change and adapt. These physiological signs of a healthy body are also the psychological measures of health. Ageing is mainly a shrinkage and loss of this homeodynamic space, which happens not due to any “enemy within”, but owing to the insufficiency of the friendly processes of maintenance and repair.
Achieving healthy ageing
Ageing happens individually. No two persons become old in exactly the same way. No two parts of the body become old in exactly the same way. No two cells in the body become old in exactly the same way. Therefore the methods to maintain health in old age, and to extend healthspan, are also going to be person-specific; and no single miracle pill is going to completely stop or reverse ageing. Although a variety of cosmetic, nutritional and other lifestyle interventions are being promoted as "anti-ageing", none of them is more than a wishful thinking at present. However, a promising scientific approach towards healthy ageing being tested and developed is that of hormesis for maintaining health and homeodynamics. Hormesis is the positive relationship between low-level stress and health. Whereas uncontrolled and unwanted stress is negative and harmful, low level “stress of choice” is health beneficial. Moderate exercise is the best example of hormesis. Exercise initially increases the production of free radicals, acids and other harmful biochemicals in the body. In response, the repair and defence systems of the body protect and strengthen the homeodynamics. Hormesis has the potential to maintain health during ageing. Conditions that induce hormesis are called hormetins, and are categorised as nutritional, physical and mental hormetins. Several types of foods and food components, such as spices, flavonoids, polyphenols and micronutrients are nutritional hormetins. Sauna, breath control, and mental challenge, including meditation, are examples of physical and mental hormetins. Novel combinations of multi-hormetins are under scientific investigation; and within the next few years, a range of scientifically tested and reliable hormetins will become available. We surely need lifestyle adjustments, and biomedical, aesthetic and psycho-social means for maintaining health, beauty and identity in old age. Adopting an anti-ageing stance to old age is no solution to its physical, psychological and social realities. Spices, physical activity and mental engagement are very effective hormetic tools for maintaining health and for extending the
healthspan.
The writer is an internationally renowned biogerontologist, based at Aarhus University, Denmark.
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