HEALTH

Educating teenagers about the mire of AIDS 
Smriti Kak
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 12
The Indian teenagers are no longer perplexed by the stories of the birds and the bees and, contrary to what their parents might think, they are no longer ignorant about sex and sexual behaviour, points out the Director of the Centre for Social Research (CSR), Dr Ranjana Kumari.

“The teens are the most sensitive and the most vulnerable section, by virtue of the fact that they have easy access to pornographic material as well as sex workers,” says Kumari, adding: “They are the ones who should be the target of sex education and the AIDS awareness programmes.” In its 20th year, the CSR has launched a programme on AIDS awareness among the teenagers living in the Capital’s slums, wherein theatre is being used to educate, without limiting the lessons to a classroom.

“We are targeting the teens with the aid of theatre. Together with the Sambhawana Natya Manch, we will travel to various slums in the Capital and from each area, we will select either a boy or a girl for formal training in AIDS awareness. And these teenagers would then act as agents of change in their community,” adds Dr Kumari.

The lessons in AIDS awareness, claims Kumari, need to be “held in normal societal environs and not in classrooms”. The play titled, ‘Jago Ab to Jago’, is a manifestation of the problems faced by the AIDS patients and through it communicates the message that AIDS can afflict anyone.

The play, to be staged at Trilokpuri tomorrow, will then travel to Yamuna Pushta, Sangam Vihar and Chattarpur. Teenagers in these slums will be part of the workshop and an outstanding performer from each area will be sponsored for a formal AIDS awareness training programme in IGNOU.

The 45-minute play will include a cast of 12 members who will, through easy-to-relate-to dialogues and songs, focus on the perils of drug addiction and prostitution that can lead to AIDS.

“Our plays are very simple and their titles are catchy to generate interest in every section of the community. As we have been conducting plays in the slums for very long, we understand the problems and know how to bring them out through our plays,” points out Anurag David, Director of the Sambhavna Nayta Manch. To allow the audience to relate to the theme of the play the story line as well as the storytellers have been thoughtfully chosen. “The theatre group members are from the community itself, so it is easier for them to understand and communicate the issue more effectively in those areas,” points out Dr Kumari. 

SPORTS

Hindustan edge past Raisina Sporting
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, September 12
Last year’s runners-up Hindustan Club scraped past Raisina Sporting Union 1-0 in a Group A Super League match of the Delhi Soccer Association Senior Division Football League Championship at the Ambedkar Stadium on Friday.

After a goalless first half, Hindustan, consisting of many outstation players, failed to impressed, but still managed to score a goal, which held them good till the end.

Inside-left Pramod Mishra scored the match-winner in the 42nd minute.

In another match, five-time champions Shastri Club were held to a goalless draw by Tarun Sangha in a Group A match. Shastri have four points from three matches while Tarun Sangha logged four points from two matches. Friday’s fixtures: IAF, New Delhi vs City Club (2 p m); Shahdara vs N D Heroes (4 p m)—Ambedkar Stadium.

Meanwhile, the disciplinary committee of the DSA has debarred two officials of Raisina Sporting Union—Mohd. Arif and Asit Maity—from sitting on the players’ benchch during matches of the Super League as they had played a negative role during the clash that occurred in the match between Raisina Sporting and Tarun Sangha on September 8.

Asish Dass of Raisina Sporting has also been suspended from the remaining matches of the league as he had been found guilty of “threatening” the match referee. A Rs 10,000 fine has also been imposed on Raisina. The abandoned match has been awarded to Tarun Sangha who were leading 2-1 at that time.

Rahul Ganapathy emerges leader at Hindu Open
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, September 12
Rahul Ganapathy emerged as the sole leader at the end of the third round in the Hindu Open, the sixth leg of the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour at the cosmo-TNGF Golf Course. The Bangalore lad scored a three-under 69 for a three-day total of four-under 212.

However, breathing on his neck were four others-Feroz Ali, Sanjay Kumar, C. Muniyappa and Vijay Kumar who were just a stroke away from the leader, Uttam Singh Mundy with a total of 215 and Rafiq Ali with 216 were in the sixth and 7th position.

Rahul Ganapathy, who began the day at 1-under par 143, played with renewed confidence as he made a birdie on the second. Thanks to his driving and putting, Rahul did not have to break much sweat on the greens. However, hitting it in the left-bunker on the par-3 fourth, he failed to chip out and had to settle for a bogey. Making consecutive birdies on the sixth and seventh, Rahul was back in focus again. Hitting it short of the par-3 eighth, he missed a four-feet par putt to be one-under after nine.

Parring his way, the 24-year-old sunk a 14-footer for a birdie on the 14th and birdied the 16th to be three-under for the day and returned to club not realising that he was the leader. “I am playing pretty well this week. Especially my putting has been solid, thanks to my caddy who has been a great help,” said Rahul who holds the record for the lowest total in India. “It is difficult to predict a victory but the way I am playing, I am confident of my first title,” he added.

Meanwhile, Vijay Kumar played a superb round keeping his card free of bogeys. The stocky golfer from Lucknow began with a birdie and sank two more on the sixth and 16th to finish the day with three-under 69.The Cosmo Films-sponsored pro who is ready to play the Asian PGA Championship in China, missed a number of easy birdie opportunities. “But for my putting, I would have led the tournament,” said Vijay who had 33 putts.

C.Munjyappa, the 24-year-old pro from Bangalore, however, made a bogey on the par-3 after being in the left bunker.

A birdie on the 16th put the KGA-sponsored pro in contention. “I had some problems with my swing earlier but it seems it getting better for I never felt this good in four weeks,” said the genial Muniyappa.

Feroz Ali made four birdies on the sixth, ninth, 11th and 12th with the birdie on the ninth being the best where he holed it from 15 feet. The Kolkata pro committed two errors on the fifth and 13th, ending up in bogeys.

Ramjas No 2 storm into semi-final
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, September 12
A fine half century by Rohit Sharma and deadly bowling by Ravindar Pawar (3 for 3) helped Ramjas School No 2 beat St. Marks School by 111 runs to enter the semi-final of the second Ramjas Inter-School Under-17 Cricket Tournament at the Ramjas Sports Complex ground. Ramjas will take on DAV Shalimarbagh in the semi-final.

Scores: Ramjas School No 2: 155 for 4 in 25 overs (Rohit Sharma 58, Naveen Gahlot 38, Rahul Yadav 23, Angad Singh 3 for 29). St. Marks School: 44 all out in 24.5 overs (Nikhil Mahajan 23, Ravindra Pawar 3 for 3, Abhishek Sinha 3 for 6).

North, West post wins

Hosts North Zone and West Zone posted victories in the J K Bose Cricket Tournament at the National Stadium and Cambridge Foundation School grounds respectively on Friday.

North Zone beat South by eight wickets while West beat East by 18 runs. Scores: South: 48 for 9 in 15 overs (K Moses 19, Rakesh 3 for 6). North: 49for 2 in 3.2 overs (Sunil

Narula 29, Anil 2 for 21). West: 166 for 7 in 20 overs (Vikas Khot 33, Anand Naik 26 n o, Sudhir Tripathi 26, Deabrata Chakrabarty 2 for 34). East: 148 for 6 in 20 overs

(Rakesh Dubey 55, Rajeev 22, Sudhir Tripathi 3 for 16).

M M Public School win

An all-round display by Ramit Gill (36 and 3 for 33) enabled M M Public School defeat Paschim Vihar Sports

Complex by six runs in the Jayanti Devi Under-17 Cricket Tournament at the Paschim Vihar Sports Complex ground. In another match, Mohali Cricket Association beat Vaishya Public School by 72 runs.

Scores: M M Public School: 157 for 8 in 30 overs (Ramit Gill 36, Mohit Singh 27, Dinesh Bindal 3 for 19, Vipin Kumar 2 for 15).

Paschim Vihar: 151 all out in 29.5 overs (Dinesh Bindal 36, Madan Singh 34, Deepak Shaukeen 29, Ramit Gill 3 for 33). Mohali: 168 for 7 in 30 overs (Virender Singh 42, Nikhil Diwedi 26, Harpreet Singh 25, Amit Dahia 3 for 29, Satish Gill 2 for 38). Vaishya School: 96 all out in 21.2 overs (Vivek Kumar 24, Nikhil Kumar Sharma 5 for 22, Sukhmeen Singh 3 for 9).

Chitralekha wins a double crown

New Delhi: Chitralekha annexed a double crown when she bagged the women’s singles and girls under-19 singles titles in the J D Tytler Memorial Badminton Championship at the Indira Gandhi indoor stadium on Friday. Chitralekha beat Meenakshi 11-2, 11-2 in the women’s singles final while she disposed of Vanshika 11-2, 11-7 to lift the under-19 title.