The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

‘Urbanisation main cause of asthma’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 4
The biggest cause of asthma among children around the world remains over urbanisation and the resulting lifestyle changes. This was stated by Prof. Paul Jones, Medical Director, St. George’s Hospital and Medical School, London, while talking to Chandigarh Tribune at the international workshop-cum-national update on evidence-based management of paediatric respiratory disorders which was inaugurated at the Advanced Paediatric Centre, PGI.

The two day workshop was inaugurated by Prof Lata Kumar, Head of the Department of Paediatrics, PGI, in which important disorders such as acute respiratory infections, tuberculosis, HIV and bronchial asthma were covered.

Prof. Paul Jones talked about evidence-based management of respiratory disorders while Prof R.K. Chandra from Canada talked about creating evidence through RCTs in the prevention of asthma. Prof Lata Kumar, talked about quality control in bronchial asthma and its long team management. Prof. G.R. Sethi spoke on acute severe asthma while Dr Jugnu Mahajan from Rotherham, UK, talked about disease monitoring. Prof. P Emanuele from World Health Organisation, Dr S.K. Kabra and Dr Varender Singh spoke on the occasion.

Dr Meenu Singh, organising secretary of the meeting, spoke about the tuberculosis in the city and the use of directly-observed therapy short course (DOTS) in children. A city-based study has shown that the non-governmental agencies involved in providing DOTS are as effective as government-sponsored DOTS providers.

Need to control stress emphasised
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 4
“We are placed precariously at a point between a past which has collapsed and a future which refuses to be born. If we do not shed this moral and spiritual vacuum we have around us, human life will not survive beyond this century,” warned Dr R.K. Chandra, University, Research Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, while delivering a lecture on ‘Whole health: a prescription for the new millennium’ at the PGI here.

Recent studies had proved that the body started to age at 28 years and if one were to follow the three cardinal principles of balance, variety and moderation in every aspect of one’s life, a big difference could be made to the quality of life, suggested Dr Chandra. He talked about the need to have balanced diet and the kind of food, oils and vegetables that should be had.

Dr Chandra also suggested that there was need to control stress in our daily life by starting yoga or meditation. “Deadlines if met all the time can become literal in their sense,” he said. He added that with age the body had to be supplemented with certain nutrients which included zinc and Vitamin-E, which even a balanced diet could not provide.

SPORTS

School that has come a long way in sports
Arvind Katyal

Chandigarh, February 4
Few years back, it was believed that convent schools did not lay much emphasis on sports, but of lately, the story has reversed with convent schools achieving excellence in sports, leaving behind government and other related schools. One such school in the city which has produced magnificent result in sports among a boys is St John’s School, Sector 26.

Ms Pushpinder Cheema who only last year took over as the principal, said they always wanted to see their boys excel in sports. And believe it, almost all good sportsmen of the school have proved to be good in studies as well. Brother C Abreu’, the former principal and currently in the management of the school, was the person who gave initial thrust to sport activities in the school. The tradition which is being now carried forward by Ms Cheema.

She opine that the boys have excelled in tennis, cricket, golf, badminton, basketball, table tennis, skating and squash. The school has exclusive indoor hall for squash and badminton and a cricket ground with a water sprinkler system. She says the school played host to Edmund Rice Cricket Meet and Challenger. Meet, which was a big success. Ms Cheema feels that the inter-house sports meet in football, cricket, basketball and athletics in different age groups is another step to boost sports in the school.

Tushar Liberhan, a student of Class IX, is the current national under-16 tennis champion and has played in various ITF tournaments and won the Macintosh AITA ranking meet in Under-16 section held in Bangalore in November. Sanam K. Singh of Class VIII played in the North Zone Lawn Tennis Tournament (u-14). He won the title thrice and remained first-runner-up in three tournaments. He won All-India Open Championship (u-14) in November and secured second place. He was selected in (u-14) Indian team. Harneet Singh and Kinshuk Sharma also brought laurels to the school in tennis.

In skating, Anant Vidur Puri and Gulsagar Singh, both of Class VI, performed exceedingly well in various skating activities held in the city last year.

Gauhar Pruthi, a Class X student, was declared best batsman in the Blessed Edmund Rice Cricket Tournament organised by the school. He took part in the nationals in Madhya Pradesh. Harneet Arora, also of Class X, was awarded best all rounder in the Challenger Trophy and also in the recently-concluded Blessed Edmund Rice Cricket Tournament

Adhiraj Neogi of Class VII also excelled in badminton and won various titles in the recent past.

Vikas Kaul of Class IX proved his supremacy in badminton . He secured first place in doubles in the State-Level Badminton Championship in November. He was the captain of badminton team and also bagged first place in the state-level matches and played in the sub-junior nationals in held at Ooty November. Bhavesh Malik of Class VII secured first place in the District Badminton Championship.

In swimming, Abhimanyu Tewari and Kanav Mittal, both of Class IX, did well in State Swimming Championship held in Chandigarh in October. Mehar Pratap of Class X was another swimmer who achieved supremacy.

Young golfers of the school proved their supremacy with Ajeetesh Sandhu clinching first place in four tournaments held in Canada and also in the ninth Asia Pacific Golf Meet. Adhiraj Singh of Class VI secured first place in the Chandigarh Golf Club and CGA Golf Championship. Fatehbir Dhaliwal of Class VI came third in Golf national Tournament held in Gurgaon.

Gurjeet S. Cheema of Class IX represented Chandigarh in the National Basketball Championship, while Maninder Pal of Class IX represented Chandigarh in the National Korfball meet.

Jaideep of Class VI and Amardeep of Class IX represented Chandigarh in the u-14 National Table Tennis Meet and Dhruv Chaudhry of Class IX too brought honours in the game. Kanav Mittal of class IX secured third place in Inter-state TT. Jaysurya of Class VII secured third place in the Manav Mangal open TT Championship.

In squash, Karan Brar of Class V, Gobind of class IX and Prabhjot Singh participated in the Maharashtra Open Squash Championship and Western India Open Championship. Gobind reached the quarter-finals.

ADMINISTRATION

Pension disbursement from today
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, February 4
The district administration will disburse Tau Devi Lal old-age pension, widow pension and handicapped pension and financial assistance to destitute children for January 2002 from February 5 to 10.

Stating this here today, the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jyoti Arora said Rs 26, 48,800 would be disbursed to 13,244 beneficiaries as old-age pension, Rs 7, 26000 to 3630 widows as Rs 200 per month and Rs 1,17, 400 to 587 handicapped pensioners as Rs 200 per month. A sum of Rs 5910 would be distributed to 197 beneficiaries under the financial assistance to destitute children scheme.

She said pension distribution would be done by the respective patwaris, Child Development and Project Officers, tehsildar and Tehsil Welfare Officers in presence of sarpanch and nambardar. Those who had not been paid pension for December 2001 would be given pension on February 11.