HEALTH

100 examined at camp
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 28
A two-day physiotherapy awareness camp, organised by the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, was inaugurated today by Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, in the Dumra Auditorium.

The camp, first of its kind in Punjab, got good response as nearly 100 persons visited the camp. All patients will be given special incentive in treatment at the Physiotherapy Department of the DMCH.

Dr S.C. Ahuja, Principal, DMCH, delivered the welcome address and said the concept of physiotherapy was quite popular in the developed nations and considered as a very important aspect of physical rehabilitation of patients after recovery from a disease. Mr Prem Nath Gupta, secretary, Managing Society, said physiotherapy along with yoga and meditation can be of great help for people suffering from cardiac problems. The DMCH is already running a yoga and meditation clinic.

Dr Kalra highlighted the achievements and main features of the department through a slide projector show. She said shortwave diathermy, ultrasonic, laser, IFT, suspension therapy etc are available in the DMCH. Dr Sunil also educated the audience about the importance of occupational therapy. Mr Balraj, vice-president of the society, Dr Sandeep Puri, Medical Superintendent, Dr G.S. Wander, Chief Cardiologist, Hero DMC Heart Institute, also present on the occasion. 

SPORT

A promising cager 
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 28
For national player Amit Prashar (17), Ludhiana is the Mecca of basketball. Six years ago, before coming to this city, he was an unknown figure for the sports world.

He took to basketball as a pastime, but when his parents observed that he could excel in the game, he was encouraged and sent to Ludhiana as some of his relatives told his parents that the city was a good centre for the game. He left Kurukshetra in 1995. Here he met K.K. Jaggi, coach of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), who spotted the hidden talent in him and motivated the lad to give his best. Although there were many players in the camp, but he always gave special attention to Amit and worked very hard on him.

After an year of grooming, in 1996, Amit was selected to represent the district team in the state championship which was held at Ludhiana and the team bagged a gold. After this he got selected in the state team and represented Punjab in the National Basketball Championship held at Pondicherry where the team bagged a silver.

In 1997, he was again selected in the district team which won the gold medal in the state championship held at Nawanshahr. After that he was selected in the state team, but once again his team could bag only the silver medal in the national championship held at Guwhati. But this time everybody appreciated his game and people started recognising him.

In 1998, Punjab team was defeated by Tamil Nadu in the final of the Youth National Basketball Championship held at Surat by a margin of just one point and the team had to return with a silver medal. In 2000, he was selected as the captain of the Punjab team for the Youth National Basketball Championship which was held at Mumbai. Though his team bagged a silver in the tourney, but he scored 192 points in the championship which was the highest score.

These days, Amit practises for about five hours daily under the guidance of Devinder Singh Dhindsa, district basketball coach. He wants to represent India in various international championships. He is not ignoring education either. He is of the view that education plays an important role in the growth of a sportsman. He has appeared in the plus two examination this year and is presently concentrating on the game till he gets admission in the next class. Amit is of the view that the sportsmen are not getting proper facilities. He said, ‘‘The performance of a player depends upon his foot work. He has to buy special shoes for playing basketball which cost between Rs 2,000 and 6,000. The government must provide all necessary equipment to the players free of cost and give incentives for good performance.’’