OPERATION SUCCESS: Prize-winning garden owner Dr Arunanshu Behera finds solace in spade work after wielding surgical tools during the day; Photos by the writer

Meet Dr Arunanshu Behera, a general and vascular surgeon at the PGI who correcting the arteries of legs, hands and abdomen etceteras and a record 10- time winner of the coveted Best Garden award in the Chandigarh Rose Festival. A visit to his garden is a feast for the eyes. The beds are made neat with surgical precision with no plant treading into another's territory. The demarcation between the beds is marked by erecting a dwarf fence of kanas, giving the beds an aesthetic touch. "The aesthetics, the artistic touch and precision reflect my own professional requirements, as a good surgeon has to have these qualities. Other traits like patience are also common both to a gardener and a surgeon". "As we do before any surgery," says Dr Behera, "we have to study what is the status and what exactly is to be done. Similarly, the garden conditions are studied first, the location, soil type availability of water and, above all, the sun. It is only after this that the plan is made on paper and executed on ground. Another major requirement and one of the most important is the availability of good quality seeds and seedlings. You can only proceed with it with confidence if you know what you have planned, the height, colour contrast etc and these would be truly met quality wise. When asked why gardening, there comes out the connection: "After a day's gory sights of flesh and blood, what I cherish the most is the moment in my garden when I am near nature, can see bright colours that soothe my nerves." He also validates the observation that many of his medical colleagues take to gardening, even if they are only raising a kitchen garden. He gets equal participation from his wife Surria Rajpoot, a staff nurse in the Microbilogy Department at the PGI, and his two daughters Aanchita and Aafreen. In fact, his wife has taken up the challenge of beating him in his category and asserts that she would have complete control of the garden the next year, right from planning to execution. And if she wins, the legacy will be passed on to their daughters who also take keen interest.

Root & canals

Another prominent gardener from the medical fraternity is Dr Sanjay Kalra, a dentist, and his wife Dr Reeta, an emergency medicines specialist in the Sector 6 Hospital at Panchkula. They also have the distinction of winning the Best Garden Award for 10 years in a row in the Spring Fest held by HUDA. Whereas Sanjay finds gardening operations akin to his dentistry requirements, in terms of aesthetics and artistry, his wife finds solace in the aromas of her garden, where she can shed the days' hospital smell. Their gardening is more challenging as their garden is up in the air, on the open terrace of their three-storeyed house. He too echoes Dr Behera's philosophical assertion in his own words: 'The love for life is reflected in the love for plants.' When asked about the connection, he also points to neatness, precision and aesthetics as traits common to both surgery and spade work. As every case is a challenge in the medical profession, so is gardening on the rooftop as there are many odds: water stress, strong winds and above all, leakage problems. However, over the years, the Kalras have been able to overcome all these and are in the stage of experimenting now. Their daughter, Aarushi is an equal partner, ready to take over. Nothing illustrates this bond better than the case is late Dr J. S. Sarkaria, who was a surgeon by profession and well-known name in the field of horticulture as the creator of the National Cactus Garden at Panchkula. His unusual love for thorny beauties resulted in the finding of a few new cactus species that were named after him!

Now, that's one contrast capable of withstanding even decimal accuracy! The Panjab University campus last Thursday was host to two events belonging to totally separate school of thoughts, originating from opposite shores of the same sea, suggesting the twain shall never meet. Alas!

Scene one: A group of students taking part in a signature campaign at Student's Centre, joining hands to educate the youth on their voting rights. God's in His heaven and everything's right with the world…hardly a hundred yards away, act two is in progress. Student's rivalry, perhaps triggered by loyalty to political affiliations, which leads to yet another brawl at the campus for the…nth time. High time to interchange the myopic approach of who the culprits are, what happened that day, how it started? With the bigger picture, larger frame and greater perspective in mind, we analyse; what went wrong? Where? How do we fix it? Or can we?

The suggestions and solutions came flying from practically every direction, as did the reasons for such perverted acts. Says Harpreet Kanwal Chhabra, chairperson, Department of Psychology, "It's more to do with the social networking profile of the people involved. Just because the act of aggression was displayed on the campus doesn't necessarily mean it originated from the same place." She adds, "University is the place where they come in contact with each other the most in normal course of activities. So, if there's bottled up agitation inside, there's obviously some struggle." While Puneeta Singh, counselor at a city school, nails it bang on the spot, "I would say lack of strict rules and regulations are the real culprits. Bad politics too adds to it." She adds, "There's nothing wrong with the students as such. If they are being given the liberty anybody would misuse it." Placing it into a broader perspective, B. S. Chavan, head, Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College-32, says, "There can be various factors for this but basically the rising levels of stress and frustration coupled with receding levels of tolerance play a major role."

Too young to handle politics and energetic by nature, a sure shot recipe for explosion! Would venting anger the right way help? Opines Chhabra, "There can be various ways to channelize the aggression. It depends on the platform at which it's being tackled. At the family level, there should be smooth functioning and among peers, less pressure and more control." The department has a seminar lined up this Thursday on Aggression Outside Homes. They got the timing right!

If not the ways, some agrees that there is a need for intervention. Amandeep Puri, lecturer, Department of Sociology, DAV-10, tosses an altogether accurate observation, "Over the years there's been a significant decline in classroom culture. They just enroll in the course, bunk classes and thus have all the free time in the world to create issues, where the real ones are ignored." Apart from back to basics? Answers Chavan, "Energy should be utilised by engaging them in social welfare activity or clubs." Does the resolution lie in resolution? He adds, "Yes, they need to be taught how to resolve conflict since early age." For sure, it does.

manpriya@tribunemail.com

It’s time for the biggest blast of them all. The official campus fest, the one that belongs to one and all, is here. Jhankaar is one tradition that refuses to leave the campus grounds, and is style staple of Panjab University. With four full days of inexhaustible activities and cultural events, it is very lively, very own.

Starting March 5 to March 8, it will see participation from over 20 colleges and universities, including Kashmir University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University apart from city colleges. The theme of the fest is HYMN — Harmony of Youth Melodies and Noble strings. The day will see youth literary activities, dramatics and musical competitions. But the evenings are high on entertainment with fashion shows, DJ nites and a hi-tech laser show that will add the required spark. If you want more then we groove it out with the master of Punjabi spunk, Mika. The star nite on cards with Mika definitely means some mauja hi mauja. So, get ready for the Jhankaar, which is a campus exclusive, your ticket for a perfect weekend.—TNS

Shikha Sharma won’t mind preparing her lectures a little more extensively. For, she feels her hard work will get reflected in the results. In this profession from the past couple of years, she has been witnessing a gradual change at the madrasa Eizah-Ul-Uloom Mujaddiddi in Manimajra. But now, she anticipates a big leap and a new beginning to replace the pre-conceived notions of people about this madrassas.

And it’s not just her but the entire teaching staff and some 150 students studying in madrassas across the city are upbeat about the latest progressive step the government has taken in favour of madrassas. As per the official notification issued by the Human Resource and Development Ministry ‘Matriculation and Higher Secondary from madrasas will now be considered equivalent to that from the CBSE Board’. In response, prominent members of the Muslim community have set up a 21-member panel to look into the setting up of a madrasa board out of which seven members will be office bearers. Once the board becomes operational, it will empower madrasas to conduct Class X and XII exams on the basis of which students can directly seek admission in any college.

The much-awaited development is expected to change the face of the entire institution. Shikha further tells us know how. “The effect will trickle down to students studying in the Class VIII in a madrasa,” she adds. Agreeing with her teacher is Mohammed Shamim, an eighth standard student, who says, “I will not have to leave my madrasa for higher education or seek admission in schools affiliated to the CBSE Board. Also, I will be eligible to take admission in any college offering graduation courses.”

Not to forget the far-reaching positive psychological affects the development will have on students and teachers. “At times we used to take academics a bit lightly here, since the education wasn’t formalised,” says Maulana Shakeel Ahmed Quasmi. “But now, the scenario will change for sure. Students as well as teachers will now take studies more seriously. Other than the basic course, the focus will also be on the overall personality development of the students. Upgrading the syllabus to the level of CBSE pattern will be our priority,”

Certainly girls studying in madrasas will benefit the most if the desired happens. “Girls need not have to then get out of their comfort level to pursue further studies. So, we hope it will boost our female literacy rate,” opines Veena Sheikh, a junior classes teacher in the madrasa.

Students opting to study further in madrasas will now be able to study theology, Urdu and Arabic. Reena Sheikh, who teaches English, geography and science, defines that the initiative as a win-win situation for the students. “Besides having access to the mainstream education which will be is at par with the CBSE curriculum, the students will be able to study these languages and theology further.”

ashima@tribunemail.com

No promises. No one-touch solution to problems. Not even a single false assurance that things will be fine. Just a sincere effort to bring some difference to troubled lives. At times, that works too. We don't need a magic wand to turn around the lives of people, nor do we aim for the impossible; all that is required is empathy. And that is what some RJs have been doing all this while. But that too isn't easy. In a call lasting maximum up to five minutes, they have to develop a rapport with the caller, listen patiently to their woes and suggest the apposite tentative solution. Quite a lot of work to do indeed! Here we ask our very own RJs from the city how it feels to counsel strangers and become friends with them.

Shveta Sharma's day begins at 9 in the night when she receives her first call of the show she hosts, Nau Baje Ki Setting. With her customary opening sentence, "Main hoon aapki nai dost Shaveta," she kind of pledges to give the best possible suggestion to her listeners. "Mine is a relationship based show and so people often discuss their personal problems. They seek suggestions from me and in such a case, one wrong advice can aggravate their problems." For her, counseling people on her show isn't a mere job. "It is a huge responsibility. People trust me and I just can't do away with run off the mill advices." And how does she decide on what is apt to suggest? "I do a lot of homework daily before setting off for the show. I have been reading quite some books on relationships, psychology and even self help ones help me understand better what people are going through." She adds that the best way she develops intimacy with her listeners is by talking about her problems as well.

Anubhav Kalra prefers to be more pragmatic. Anchor of Chak De Chandigarh, morning show at Big FM says, "I am not a professional counselor and can't offer guaranteed solutions to people's problems. I cannot change their lives or provide them any better options." But still he manages to make enough difference. "People who call don't expect miracles from us but just five minutes of patient listening and assurance that we can relate to their problems also helps." A parameter of his successful informal counseling is when his audience call back to say thanks. "I have become friends with so many people after talking to them on the show and that's an achievement for me."

Meenakshi Bhojwani, an RJ with My FM, who hosts Oye Hoye Meenakshi show, says talking to people over radio is nothing less that a therapy for stress. "Even if I have brought about an iota of change in people's life I am proud of it." She further cites a mind-boggling example and we realise her contribution in making somebody's life better. "Once a young lady called me on the show to tell that her father in law was physically abusing her and that she does not have the guts to tell it to her husband or mother in law. I then suggested her to sternly warn her father in law that if next time he does it, then she would tell it to everybody". She adds that it was that instance that made her grasp the power of counseling people on radio. And we got it too!

ashima@tribunemail.com

Café Coffee Day has launched a whole new range of healthy foods. The new menu consists of multigrain and whole wheat, veg and non-veg sandwiches.

The veg multigrain sandwich is filled with the goodness of pulses and spinach with additional raw carrots and cabbage. For added flavour roasted garlic and onions—high in iron, proteins and fiber give the sandwiches a taste to savor. While the chicken multigrain sandwich contains boiled chicken in addition to all the vegetables, the whole wheat veg sandwich is made of crushed corn, spinach and mint chutney; in addition to the pulses paste raw cabbage and carrot cooked with garlic and onion on dry heat.

The whole-wheat chicken sandwich is packed with steamed chicken (steaming chicken helps it to keep the protein content intact without breaking the fat which normally becomes indigestible if fried or grilled), in addition to all the vegetables. All this makes for a well-balanced snack.

The new menu also includes roasted onion and garlic penne and macaroni—snacks that can be used to satisfy the small hunger pangs with the marvels of roasted garlic that cuts down bad cholesterol and is good for the heart. —TNS

We all agree that healthy hair is basic to beauty. Yet, we see too much hair damage. Damaged hair is usually brittle and tends to break off easily, or acquire split ends. In fact, it weakens the hair and triggers off hair loss. It is therefore important to avoid hair damage as far as possible and also treat damaged hair.

If your hair does not look as good as it used to, you can easily identify the signs. They lack lusture, become rough, have split ends and brittle.

In case of hair damage, the basic structure of the hair is usually affected. The scales may be ruffled, or even stripped off in an uneven manner, giving the hair a rough texture and a dry, dull, unmanageable look.

We tend to forget that the hair is actually like a delicate fabric and should be treated as such. Instead, we follow styling techniques can spell disaster. Indeed, procedures like dyeing, waving, straightening, bleaching, contribute to most of the hair damage that we see. They also weaken the hair by destroying its natural elasticity and resilience, leading to hair breakage and even hair loss.

Some amount of damage is also caused by excessive use of hair dryers, wire brushes and the habitual tying back of the hair tightly. Nylon and wire brushes, wire rollers and tight tying of the hair with rubber bands can all cause enough trauma over a period of time, to lead to hair damage. Other causes of hair damage are excessive exposure to the sun and the use of harsh shampoos.

Though the cause of damage in individual cases is not difficult to establish. The first thing to do is to discontinue the procedure till health is restored to the hair. As damaged hair is in a fragile condition, it should be treated gently. Discontinue the use of brushes and use a wide toothed comb that has smooth edges. This is more so in the case of wet hair. The best way is to start at the ends and work upwards. Avoid pulling or stretching the hair.

To some extent, the treatment of damaged hair is dependent on the hair type. In cases of excessive dryness, mix one part of castor oil with two parts coconut oil. Heat and apply. Remember to apply on the ends too. Then dip a towel in hot water, squeeze out the water and wrap the hot towel around the head, like a turban. Keep it on for 5 minutes. Repeat the hot towel wrap 3 or 4 times. This helps the hair and scalp absorb the oil better.

Avoid vigorous massage and rubbing when you apply oil. Massage the scalp gently, using only the fingertips. Actually move the scalp in small circular movements. This helps to stimulate blood circulation to the follicles. Keep the oil on overnight and wash the hair the next day.

Use a mild herbal shampoo to wash the hair. Shampoos containing herbal extracts of amla, reetha, shikakai, brahmi, bhringaraj, bael help to improve the health and texture of the hair. Wash the hair with luke warm or cool water. Avoid very hot water.

It is important to dry the hair the right way to prevent further damage. Do not rub the hair with your towel. Wrap it around the head and allow it to absorb excess water. Comb out the tangles with a wide toothed comb, starting from the ends and working upwards. Allow the hair to dry naturally.

While on one hand, the lukewarm response to her film Victory has been disappointing, getting the Best Actress award at the Stardust awards for her role in Shyam Benegal’s Welcome to Sajjanpur has caused a feeling of exhilaration for the actor. ‘’I cannot believe that I have won the Best actress award and that too for a Shyam Benegal film,’’ Amrita says on getting the Stardus Searchlight awards for Best actress. Further heartening for this petite actress has been the fact that she got the award in a category where Superstar Amitabh Bachchan was also given the Best Actor award for his power packed performance in Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear.

‘’What was heartening was the fact that the category in the Stardust awards where I won the Best actor award was the same category in which Amitji won the Best actor award. That is something I will always remember fondly, Amrita said. The joy of winning the award is, however, tinged with a feeling of disappointment over the lukewarm response that her last film Victory has generated. ‘’Whenever you are associated with a movie, you always get emotionally attached to the film. So when it does not do well, obviously one is disappointed. At the same time, I feel that the success or failure of a film should not be considered parallel or a similar to the fate of an actor. It is just not fair. I think these are two different things,” Amrita said. At the same time, she is happy that her performance in the film has been appreciated despite it revolving around cricket. ‘’I was fortunate that I got a very prominent role in a cricket film. On our part, all of us put in our best but sometimes despite one’s best efforts a film does not get the response one had expected it to get,’’ she says.

Presently, Amrita is also looking forward to her next film Shortcut-The Con Is On. ‘’I play a girl from the glamour world. It is my first out and out glamorous role and I am eagerly looking forward to the film’s release,’’ she says. — UNI