Hamirpur dental clinic installs inter-oral camera
Hamirpur, July 19
Dental clinic at regional hospital in Hamirpur is the first clinic in the state to install inter-oral camera for better diagnosis of dental problems and patient’s participation in co-diagnosis.


Doctors show an image of a patient’s teeth at the Regional Hospital in Hamirpur. Tribune photo

vignettes
Umbrella’s arrival in Shimla
The earliest recorded history of umbrella in Shimla is available for the year 1836 when Lord Auckland started living in Auckland House: “a one-storied building, with a flat roof composed of a thick coating of earth well beaten down to render it impervious to rain. Notwithstanding this, on the occasion of downpour, water settled on the ceiling of one of the principal rooms, which fell in and caused considerable damage. It is recorded of Lord Auckland’s staff and Captain M, after moving into every corner of his house, used to write under an umbrella, and Captain B and his companion Dr S dined everyday in their house with umbrellas held over their heads and dinners.”

Himachal diary
Fruit growers have a reason to cheer
It has been a bad year for the fruit growers of the state, whose crops have been affected due to adverse weather conditions. However, they have finally something to cheer about with market looking up and promising good returns, which will compensate for the poor output to some extent. Interestingly, the market is also witnessing an unusual phenomenon of pear fetching higher returns than apple (see photo). Grown only over 7,382 hectare as compared to about 96,000 hectare area under apple, pear is a highly perishable fruit. Last year the production was 32,075 tonne, which is likely to come down to about 18,000 tonne this season. However, with a standard box of pear fetching Rs 2,800 and apple selling at Rs 2,500 per box in the Delhi, the pear growers are a happy lot.

Need to increase milk production: Ex-CM
Palampur, July 19
There is a need to increase milk production as milk worth Rs 50 crore is brought to Kangra district from neighbouring states annually. Shanta Kumar, a Rajya Sabha member and a former Chief Minister, said this while taking part as the chief guest in the oath-taking ceremony of passing-out veterinary graduates at Dr GC Negi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, CSK HP Agriculture University.
Former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar poses with graduates of the Dr GC Negi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Palampur. Photo: Ravinder Sood

Raminder Bawa who has been elected the president of the Lion’s Club, Solan, in the elections held recently to form a new team of office-bearers for 2011-2012

Ex-CM’s dream project in nightmarish state
Miscreants take away foundation stone
Ashok Raina

Kangra, July 19
A dream project of former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar for constructing a bachat bhawan, a shopping complex, a coffee house and an auditorium at the Tehsil Chowk in the heart of the town remains unaccomplished even after two decades since its foundation stone was laid in 1992.

Now, even the foundation stone is nowhere to be found. Surprisingly, neither the authorities nor BJP leaders seem concerned about it.

With an aim of developing this temple town, Shanta Kumar, the then Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, laid the foundation stone of a complex to house the Bachat Bhawan, a shopping complex, a coffee house and an auditorium under one roof at a prime location on November 28, 1992. The same day, he laid the foundation stone of the Kangra bus stand amid protest, although the bus stand later proved a boon for the people of the town.

However, after the Shanta Kumar-led BJP government was sacked by the Central government on December 15, 1992, the project failed to move on.

The project site has turned into a parking lot and a garbage dumping ground. Though the authorities provided protection of the barbed wire to the foundation stone, it failed in its purpose. Now, the foundation stone itself is missing from the site.

Following the dismissal of the Shanta Kumar government, the Congress came to power and later the BJP government, headed by PK Dhumal, was elected to power in 1998 and then 2008, but the project remained unattended till date.

Neither the local authorities nor the BJP leaders have bothered to do something in this regard. The BJP leadership here is fighting for its own existence following the induction of BSP MLA Sanjay Choudary into the party, says a BJP leader on the condition of anonymity.

Vinay Kumar Singh, Kangra SDM, has stated that the tehsildar who visited the site had confirmed that the foundation stone had been dismantled and removed. The authorities have lodged a complaint with the police against unknown persons.

Rajan Sushant, MP, Kangra-Chamba Lok Sabha seat, described the incident as “serious and unfortunate”. Shanta Kumar, who was New Delhi, refused to comment.

The monk who is out to transform young lives
Dhara Katoch
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, July 19
Jamyang, a Buddhist monk, has adopted 40 slum children from the Charan slum area here and has been successful in bringing them into mainstream.

It has been seven years since the cause of educating the underprivileged was started by Jamyang. A trust has also been established and registered in India and in the UK by the name of Tong-Lem Charitable Trust. Initially, in 2002-03 he used to go to the slum area and teach children in tents where children would come and take education, learn about personal hygiene etc. The project was launched officially in 2004.

“In 2005, we managed to take hostels on rent and shifted some of the children to these hostels separately for boys and girls. Today, there are 20 girls and an equal number of boys who live in these hostels and are associated with the trust,” says Jamyang. The trust has managed to get them admitted to a private school, Dyanand Model School, and most of them are toppers in there respective classes, the monk says.

“They started from KG with us and now the senior ones are studying in class X,” says the warden of the hostel for girls. Soon, the children would be shifted to a monastery which is presently under construction and would accommodate many more children.

The staff and volunteers working with the project share, “Initially, it was difficult to convince the parents of these children as the latter had been involved in works like begging, rag picking etc and families didn’t want to lose earning hands. Gradually, we won their confidence and brought the children to the hostels only to bring them to the mainstream and then to send them back to serve and help children like them”.

“Besides, at least 3,500 underprivileged children are getting health benefits with the help of the trust. Mobile health vans regularly visit the slum areas and give the required medical help to them. Various

minor and major operations are also performed during the health programmes of the trust,” informs Jamyang. “I want the locals to come forward and take the responsibility of carrying forward the work of the trust and help those which belong to them and their society,” feels the monk.

Every child has its own personality. They are very happy and feel lucky to be adopted by Jamyang whom they call “guru ji”. They have won a number of prizes in competitions and even got an opportunity to perform before the Dalai Lama on his birthday recently.

Mamta, one such child who aims to be a doctor, says, “I am happy to be at the hostel. Whenever I go home I teach my younger siblings and educate my family about hygiene”.

Hamirpur dental clinic installs inter-oral camera
Dharam Prakash Gupta/TNS

Hamirpur, July 19
Dental clinic at regional hospital in Hamirpur is the first clinic in the state to install inter-oral camera for better diagnosis of dental problems and patient’s participation in co-diagnosis.

The inter-oral camera will be placed in the patient’s mouth through which a projected picture of the tooth, denture or area under diagnosis will appear on the screen installed in the clinic.

Besides helping dentists in focusing on a particular area of mouth, the camera will also allow the patient to see the dental problem on the screen.

The camera is painless and does not have any harmful effects of radiation. Besides, in some cases it can eliminate the need for X-ray as it can magnify an image up to 40 times.

Dr Rajan Bhardwaj, head of the dental clinic at regional hospital, Hamirpur, who is instrumental in getting this camera installed here, acquired information regarding the inter-oral camera from foreign countries, where dental clinics are making use of this camera.

Informing about the efficacy of the equipment, Dr Bhardwaj said, “The camera will act as an invaluable tool for a dentist as it will help him see open margins, fractures and other dental problems in a better manner besides monitoring the progress of the patient’s treatment.”

“Another important feature of the inter-oral camera is educating a patient by making his diagnosis and treatment transparent. It will also help in educating children about dental problems, dental hygiene and establishing a better rapport with a patient and a doctor,” he added.

vignettes
Umbrella’s arrival in Shimla
by Shriniwas Joshi

The earliest recorded history of umbrella in Shimla is available for the year 1836 when Lord Auckland started living in Auckland House: “a one-storied building, with a flat roof composed of a thick coating of earth well beaten down to render it impervious to rain. Notwithstanding this, on the occasion of downpour, water settled on the ceiling of one of the principal rooms, which fell in and caused considerable damage. It is recorded of Lord Auckland’s staff and Captain M, after moving into every corner of his house, used to write under an umbrella, and Captain B and his companion Dr S dined everyday in their house with umbrellas held over their heads and dinners.”

The word “umbrella” comes from the Latin “umbra”, meaning shade or shadow. In the 16th century, umbrella, in England, was used by only women. Men rejected it on the moral ground that the heavenly rain was meant to get them wet. A writer, Jonas Hanway, however, used umbrella thus popularising it among men too. Umbrella was called “hanway” then. One witnesses a medley of gamp, brolly, and parasol - all synonyms for umbrella - on a rainy day in the Lower Bazaar, the Mall or the Ridge (See photo). Gamp has been driven from the character Sairy Gamp, who carried an unwieldy umbrella in Dicken’s Martin Chuzzlewit. Despite a flood of umbrellas during the monsoon, Manmohan of Jairam Bhawani Chand, a period shop in the Lower Bazaar, tells me that the sale of umbrellas during the rainy season is only 30 to 35 per cent of the total, but umbrella is a sacred item and offered as daan to the pandit in every religious ceremony. He says, “A pandit, at the time of birth of a child, or at death and chowbarkhas (fourth-year observation after death) is offered an umbrella besides other oblations.” There is also a custom that a bridegroom is escorted to the mandap under the cover of a new coloured umbrella. Umbrella, therefore, is an item selling all round the year. Is umbrella used as protection from rain or sun only and was invented in the 16th century? No. It was used as an item of religious and ceremonial regalia much earlier. The hill deities were and are brought under stately umbrella-like covers. A senior citizen says, “The oldest pahari umbrella was non-collapsible made of bamboo stick with canopy made of broad leaves, especially taur-patta”.

The government of India started shifting annually from Kolkata to Shimla in 1864. The people knew PK Sen brand of umbrella there and so they demanded the same here too. It carried the cotton-canopy fixed on a collapsible metallic frame mounted on a wooden stick with a U-shaped handle. When the government started to and fro movement between Shimla and Delhi, GR Shantiswaroop of Delhi made forays into the umbrella market of the town. The knob type of handles was then introduced and the multi-coloured umbrellas along with black became popular. Vishwa Nath Sood of Lehnumall Ramkrishen recollects that in the fifties they at the Lower Bazaar and Janki Das on the Mall were the two reputed shops selling umbrellas and the sale price of the top class umbrella from PK Sen or Wooma Charan Sen of Kolkata was Rs 22 and this price pinched the customers who cursed the sellers. Shimla’s market could afford nine such pieces in a year.

Amarnath Duggal of Jagsons, a shop opposite The Gaiety on The Mall, tells me that Sun brand of umbrellas is about 130 year old and has been in great demand because of their colours and designs. Sun got bifurcated and the new brand, equally popular in Shimla, is Penguin or Capital. May I inform you that India imports five lakh dozen umbrellas from China and manufactures 60-70 lakh dozens annually at home and the sale of umbrellas in Shimla town is estimated to be about 1.50 lakh pieces per annum. Shreya Sharma of Shimla made history with “The Blue Umbrella”, a film based on the novella of Ruskin Bond, when she won accolades for her role as little Biniya.

Himachal diary
Fruit growers have a reason to cheer

The weather god has been unhappy with the growers all through as temperatures were very low during flowering stage and frequent rains affected fruit setting. Severe hailstorms added to their miseries. As a result, the production is likely to take a deep plunge, more so because the state had a record output of over 10.28 lakh tonne. The figure may come down to just 4.5 or 5 lakh tonne if the estimates for apple, the main contributor, are any indication. As against last year’s record turnout of 4.46 crore boxes, the state is likely to produce only 1.50 crore to 1.80 crore boxes. A low output invariably ensures higher prices, but the growers will be able to take advantage of the upswing in market only if roads are not blocked by landslides.

Hamirpur prof on Ukrainian journal board

Dr Rajeev K Puri, presently working as associate professor of nuclear physics with Panjab University, Chandigarh, has been inducted in the International Advisory Board of Ukrainian Journal of Physics.

Dr Puri, who hails from Nadaun in Hamirpur district, is the only scientist from India on the panel. He did his post doctoral work in Germany and France and bagged the national award twice. He has published more than 300 research papers in reputed international journals and presented papers in several international conferences.

As many as 20 students obtained the Ph D degree under Dr Puri’s guidance and he had been a referee to more than two dozen journals of international repute, including the journal of American Physical Society.

Free medical camp

The free medical camp organised at Ganagughat, Arki in district Solan by the Shimla-based NGO Ashadeep provided some useful information about health status of the local people.

“Around 80 per cent of females are suffering from weakness, loss of appetite and body ache,” said Dr Shabnam Minhas of Fortis Hospital, Mohali. “However, no particular reason could be attributed to this phenomenon of middle age syndrome,” she added.

The male population was found to be suffering from chest congestion. Eminent cardiologist Dr. Nav Kiran cited rampant smoking habit to be the cause of the problem. More than 300 patients benefited by the free medical camp.

The Fortis Hospital, Mohali, provided a 10-member team for conducting the medical camp, during which the villagers were provided facilities, including ECG, tests of blood pressure and sugar levels along with gynae check up, besides free medicines. Camp co-ordinator Sumit Kumar said Fortis promises to bring facilities to the remote areas of HP as a part of corporate social sector responsibility.

Inaugurating the medical camp, SS Chandel, Head of Energy and Environment, NIT, Hamirpur, appreciated the efforts of Ashadeep and the Fortis Hospital in providing advanced medical services to the rural masses the at their doorstep.

Jaineb Chandel, panchyat pradhan, Ganagughat, expressed her gratitude to the organisers for holding the free medical camp. Ashadeep volunteers Jitender Sharma, Jaya Sharma, Shyam Singh Kashiv and many other locals provided services at the camp.

(Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi and DP Gupta)

Need to increase milk production: Ex-CM
Our Correspondent