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Nutrition off fast track |
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When he orates, they listen
City students fare poorly in CET Counselling session organised
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The fad of fast foods plays havoc with health. Increasing obesity
levels in children, triggered by consumption of fast food, are a cause of concern. Obesity is the precursor of many life-threatening
diseases.
Varinder Singh talks how promotion of fast food by
schools in the city can be harmful for young children
At a time when the rest of the world is going back to natural and nutritious food, the scenario in the city, in the heart of Doaba, is vastly different. In the land of fast food, the USA, Bill Clinton’s foundation may have been successful after a long struggle in making soft drink companies agree to replace their soft drink vending machines with juice dispensing units in the schools from year 2009, but, some self-styled modern schools in the city are doing a reverse act, encouraging intake of unhealthy fast foods in children. Burgeoning obesity levels among young children is proving to be a serious health hazard today. Intake of fast food, also appropriately called junk food, has been directly linked to obesity, which, could in turn triggers onset of lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, by various studies conducted over the years. Certain top-end private schools seem to be oblivious to this issue laden with serious health implications. So much so, the managements and teachers of some prominent private schools of Jalandhar and surrounding areas have flagrantly been ignoring the health of their students with a clear-cut dual motive of providing lullabies to existing students and throwing bait for others so as to attract maximum number of students with minimum fuss. The blame does not rest only with the school. Parents are also playing a role in this issue, may be inadvertently. Busy parents are happy with such arrangements as they don’t have to make an effort to prepare home-made food for the children. Some schools have treaded this easy please-all path to such a length that they either boast that they are providing their students with meals based on fast foods like noodles, pizzas and burgers or they are instructing parents to send potato chips, finger chips, ‘pakoras’, patties, stuffed ‘paranthas’ and even chocolates in lunch boxes of their children. Interestingly, managements of certain schools have even fixed days for different junk foods, like, ‘pakora day’ and ‘puri aaloo day’. Though, healthy foods, like juices, were also made a part of the weekly menu, but, their overall consumption percentage and quantum of use is often so less that it hardly has a good effect on the health of poor gullible children. Ironically, the flag-bearers of this newly introduced ‘fast-food movement’ of its kind in the Doaba region are certain middle or primary-level private schools, with a high degree of prestige with their tags. Not all schools are treading the hazardous path to obesity. The good news is that there are a few top-end private schools, who, have realised the utility of healthy food and have introduced concepts like, ‘salad day’, ‘fruit day’ or ‘Khidi Day’ in children’s menu. This may have been affected as a business
gimmick, but is a big and worthwhile start towards a healthy future. “We have no other alternative, but, to bow to wishes of the school staff. If they want our children to eat potato chips, we will have to pack their lunch boxes with the stuff in any case, no matter what harm is caused to precious health of our wards,” is the usual comment of worried lot of parents. Hapless parents might not have any solution in sight, but, doctors, particularly, paediatricians, have expressed their worry over the newly introduced trend and they feel that it would adversely affect the overall health of the children. Experts and nutritionists also feel that even certain Chinese eatables, such as, noodles, are not good for children as they generally contain ‘monosodium glutamate’, a taste enhancing flavouring agent, which, is not recommended for children. The chemical, they say, could be harmful for the brain and could also lead to maladies like hypertension and obesity. “Most fast foods might be tasty, but, it is a fact that these are less nutritious as compared to conventional or natural foods. Their excessive use can lead to obesity, which, in turn can trigger grade-II diabetes. If all this happens, a child could turn out to be anaemic and his physical activities may get reduced. Children, who don’t consume good nutritious food also get tired easily,” says Dr Anil Sood, a Jalandhar based prominent child specialist. “Protective foods, especially, fruits, green and yellow vegetables not only cut calorie intake, but, they also keep lifestyle diseases away. So, the consumption of these foods must be encouraged. Children need milk and pulses as these are a good source of protein. Proteins are the essential building blocks of the body and children need them for proper growth and development along with vitamins and carbohydrates. Since children prefer to drink something cool, they should be encouraged to rely more on conventional drinks like ‘lassi’ and soy milk and a combination of this kind of vegetarian food is not only tasty, but, also effects development of children in a positive manner,” opines Dr Pooja Kapoor, a child specialist.
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Veer Nari Sixtyfive women whose husbands had served the country in the Indo-China War, Indo-Pak War 1965, 1971, Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Operation Rakshak and the Kargil Operation and other recent operations were honoured by the Vajra Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) at a special function held today. The highlight of the event was the presence of Ms Raminder Prakash Kaur, widow of Major Prakash, a soldier who won the Victoria Cross. The wives of the soldiers, addressed as Veer Naris, were
also apprised of the special health services offered by the Army. Lieut-Gen Noble Thamburaj, General Officer Commanding, Vajra Corps, addressed the function and assured the full commitment of the Vajra Corps towards the welfare of the Veer Naris. President of Vajra AWWA, Ms Anita Thamburaj, was also present. A cultural programme was organised on the occasion. Senior Army officers and attendants of the Veer Naris attended the function. Vajra ladies and NCC cadets presented folk songs and dance. The Veer Naris honoured on the occasion included Ms Mohan Kaur, the widow of Major H.S. Grewal, Ms Ranjit Kaur, the widow of Major Surinder Singh, Ms Jasjeet Kaur Sandhu, the widow of Maj Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, Ms Rajwinder Kaur, the widow of Captain Mandeep Singh and Ms Nirmal Kaur, the widow of Captain Ajit Singh.
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Games children
play Summer vacations are on and ask any pre-teen (or teen) how they love to spend their spare time, and chances are you will get an earful about video games. Playstation, Xbox and Gameboy— the list never finishes. But why do they love them so much? Are they addictive? Apparently yes, because according to some studies, the excitement of video games causes the brain to release a chemical that is addictive. For any parent who has seen the fervour by which some kids play videogames, this news is no surprise. Jalandhar Plus explores the situation in Phagwara. Seven out of 10 children drag their parents to the stores for a new video game. “Both handheld and computer games are popular. And while we have the cheaper ranges (Rs 250- Rs 500), many parents even buy the expensive ones (Rs 500-Rs 1,500),” Parveen Bedi, the owner of one such shop on the Banga Road, says. Obviously, parents are a harried lot. “My nine-year-old son can go on for more than four hours on his Gameboy. He’s like a zombie whose eyes keep darting around the small screen and fingers move on the application buttons, as the game carries on,” a worried father says. He’s not the only one. “It’s like killing your own brain cells with all this unnecessary video-gaming. It stunts the growth of a child,” Ravi Bhatia, an IT professional, says. Till five years ago, videogames were reserved for children of around 12 or 13. Today, the children who play these games are getting younger and younger, and it is not unusual to see a seven-year-old glued to the screen with a joystick clamped in his hands. “Moreover, advanced technology means that there is a wider choice in games and consoles, and companies have billions to spend on advertising and marketing. So when your child sees a console or game advertisement blare out of the TV for the tenth time in a day, and the next thing you know he is nagging you for one,” homemaker Neerja Rastogi says. With many children happily spending hours playing these games, it doesn’t take long for them to become addicted. “These games are so compelling, so engrossing, and so thrilling that they are robbing children of their imagination. And they are doing this by taking children away from books, interaction with their peers and affecting their ability to write creatively,” psychologist Dr R.N. Sharma says. According to media literacy specialist Dr Vijender Parbhakar, the videogames compel with increasing complexity, so a child becomes more facile, yet wants to know more and apply new skills. “While wanting to improve their game is not a problem in itself, it becomes one if the videogames are taking a youngster away too much from other activities,” Mr Parbhakar adds. “Then parents have to intervene and limit the amount of time the youngster spends with the videogame.” “Most kids will play videogames all day if given half the chance, and it’s up to you as a parent to both limit this time and provide alternatives that your child will enjoy and look forward to,” he added. “Remember, don’t let your child dictate how long he plays, you set the limits and stick to them,” professor G.S. Bajwa says. “And though half an hour to an hour of games will not harm your child, you should ensure that his leisure time is a balanced mix of physical play and interaction with friends and family as well as screen time.”
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When he orates, they listen Having won prizes at the inter-zonal level declamation contests twice and having competed at the national level, Bir Prakash, a B. Com (professional) pass out from DAV College here, has already established himself as an orator of some repute. Oozing with confidence and perfect in voice modulation and command over the language, this bright boy has set high goals for himself. The son of a businessman, Bir Prakash, aims at doing Masters in Financial Management from a foreign university and eventually become a financial manager. “To achieve the same in India, one can opt for a CA course and continue the studies for four more years. Few colleges offer a good financial management course. In the present institutes, one has to complete the course in three years followed by training”, he says, trying to validate his decision. Bir Prakash was a student of Swami Sant Dass School. He said he started participating in shabad singing contests right from Class III. “In fact, I began much earlier. My parents have been regular visitors to the dera of Maharaj Bir across Sutlej. My first performance was at one of the gatherings there where I sang a bhajan in front of 1,500 people. The opportunity boosted my confidence”, he recalls. “I continued to perform in school. I participated in a number of English plays and debates. Twice I took part in inter-school contests and won prizes”, he adds. As a student of the DAV College, Bir Prakash did not get that many opportunities in the first year. “The seniors dominated every field. In second year, I took part in a talent hunt contest for singing, debate and acting. I was selected in all the three categories. But then a teacher told me to focus and choose one. I focused on elocution.” He remained in limelight for the next two years. “By the end of 2004, I participated in an inter-college event and stood first. Then I represented my college at an inter-zonal contest and was again declared first. I represented Guru Nanak Dev University at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi,” he said. In the recently-concluded session, success came to him again. Bir Prakash stood first inter-college and inter-zonal. He again participated at a national-level contest at Jammu University.
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Young World Vivek Bhardwaj, a student of the DAV College and a cadet with the NCC’s Army Wing, has been awarded a scholarship of Rs 12,000 by the Sahara Group of Companies. The group rewards cadets who have won laurels at academic level also. Lieut-Col K.P.S. Atwal, the officiating Commanding Officer, 2 Pb Bn NCC, presented the cheque to the cadet. Captain S.K. Tuli, in-charge of the NCC’s Army Wing, DAV College, and Mr M.L. Aeri, Principal, also felicitated the cadet. Topper
Kirandeep Kaur Virdi, a student of B.Sc. (biotechnology)-III from HMV College, has topped the examination conducted by the Guru Nanak Dev University this year scoring 1622 marks out of 1800. She had also stood first in the university in the second year with 1021 marks out of 1250. Aiming to become a research scientist, Kirandeep said she was planning to do M. Tech (biotechnology) from Panjab University or Guru Nanak Dev University. Grooming classes
Various personality grooming and training sessions for Classes VIII to XII concluded here on June 10. The session helped the students know about various career options available for them and take a decision about their professional goal on the basis of their capabilities. The students interacted with experts from different fields to know about opportunities and scope of different courses. Mr Rajiv Ahir, the SSP, Kapurthala, said civil services examination was not the toughest test as it was perceived to be. Ms Raj Kumar, Principal, DAV Institute of Physiotherapy, provided information on a career in paramedical sciences. Ms Gauri Chhabra, faculty member, gave tips on managing time. During the session, Mr Gautam, the DSP, Traffic, apprised the students about traffic rules. Mr P.K. Uppal, the SP, Training, PAP, held a laughing session for the students. Placement
Sudesh Bhalla, a final year student of B. Tech, Electronics and Communication Engineering, the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology, has earned laurels by getting placed in ST Microelectronics Ltd, Noida, with a starting annual package of Rs 4.31 lakh. The Noida-based company is a leading supplier of semiconductors for set-top boxes, smart cards and power management devices with net revenues of US $ 8.88 billion last year. Professor C.L. Kochher, Director and Principal, has congratulated him. Selection
Gagandeep Singh, a Plus Two (medical) passout from CT Public School has been selected in PMT examination conducted by KLE Academy of Higher Education of Research, Belgaum, Karnataka. He got the 100th rank in the examination.
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City students fare poorly in CET Jalandhar students have not performed too well in CET conducted by Punjab Technical University this year. None of the students have scored any of the top 35 ranks. The city topper is Neha Sood of the Dayanand Model School, Model Town, who got the 36th rank with 95 marks out of 120. Rohit Sahni stood 38th. A student of St Joseph Convent School, Phagwara, Naveen Aggarwal, got a higher rank than the two students. He was 33rd.
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Counselling session organised A counselling session was organised at the Police DAV Public School on “Whole Life Holiday” for its faculty members. The resource person was Mr S. Sehgal, head of the commerce department, Barring Christian College, Batala. He gave tips on how priorities could be redesigned and reorganised. He said stress was the main demotivating factor and root cause of various ailments.
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