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Unmanned
cadres Back in
reckoning |
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He
walked on the moon
The
‘mantra’ for faster growth
Mahatma
on Mars
Young
under brain attack
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Back in reckoning
Left
with no viable alternative, the Congress leadership has appointed Virbhadra Singh the party chief in Himachal Pradesh. The former chief minister had talked tough, paraded his MLAs in Shimla and Delhi, and threatened to quit the party after he was excluded from the Congress screening committee. It was a miscalculation on the part of the party leadership to deny the five times chief minister a position matching his stature and a say in the selection of candidates for the coming elections. The party could not afford to go to the polls with an unhappy Virbhadra Singh or without him. The leadership might have mollified Virbhadra Singh for the time being, but troubles would resurface once the issue of the party’s candidate for the post of Chief Minister comes up. Of all the probable candidates, Virbhadra Singh is the only one with a mass base. But he is 78 and faces graft charges. Virbhadra Singh had to resign as a Union minister after a Shimla court framed corruption charges against him. Unless the court clears him, it would be improper to hand over the reins of administration to him in case the Congress regains power. But given the Congress’s lower-than-expected performance in Punjab and Uttarakhand, the leadership does not want to take any chances in Himachal. Besides, the party would be taking a grave risk by backing an untested horse. None of the other leaders — Anand Sharma, Kaul Singh Thakur and Vidya Stokes – has a mass appeal matching Virbhadra Singh. The party should have groomed a Virbhadra successor well in time. That the Congress muddles along is clear from its functioning. It has proposed a no-confidence motion in the last session of the outgoing House. The party that is blamed for major scams at the Centre plans to take on the Dhumal government with a list of corruption charges. The BJP regime has faced a lot of flak on various counts but it is united. Though people have voted out every government in recent years, the Congress knows its turn for power cannot be taken for granted.
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He walked on the moon
So
what if the image was grainy, if the picture was jerky and in black and white? It was a sight that galvanised millions of people all over the world as they watched the first man to take the first step on the surface of the moon. A triumph of man over space, a technological marvel, an uplifting moment that united the world, even if for a brief instance. For those who did not see him, through their radio sets they heard the mission commander, Neil Armstrong, utter the immortal sentence on July 21, 1969: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Newspapers the next day were full of the exploits of the crew of Apollo 11 that included Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Michael Collins, who did not land on the moon but remained in the lunar orbit. The Apollo programme was seen as the pinnacle of NASA’s glory, an unparallelled American achievement. Armstrong and Aldrin became the most famous people on the planet. They represented mankind’s triumph over space and were seen as pioneers who would usher in a new era of space travel. In the course of time, a change in priorities reduced NASA’s funding and goals, and while the Apollo programme continued with subsequent missions, carrying more astronauts to the moon, it did not really capture the imagination of the world to the extent that the moon missions had. Neil Armstrong, who died at the age of 82, shunned the spotlight, even as he was recognised and feted worldwide. He was awarded various medals, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal. He took up the position of Professor at the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Aerospace Engineering, and taught for eight years. In recent years, he became a supporter of the idea of a manned mission to the Mars. He aggressively prevented the misuse of his name for any commercial activity, and thus retained his iconic status as the first man on the moon and a reluctant hero.
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To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness. — John Dewey
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The ‘mantra’ for faster growth China
has about three times India’s geographical area. The US with less than a third of India’s population has almost three times its territory. India with 17 per cent of the world’s population has 3 per cent of the world’s area, 10 per cent of coal and only 0.5 per cent of oil and gas. Thus, with the world getting more integrated and where being competitive is the key to survival, there is a need for effective and efficient use of scarce resources. We have built sophisticated missiles, but not a decent bus. We buy the best submarines but not a mass water purification system. We are proud of producing enough foodgrains to feed everybody but allow rodents, the climate and poor storage facilities to destroy a large part of it. The list is unending. The obsession is with image, prestige and recognition. The completion time for 760-km Konkan railway track was between seven and 10 years. The Delhi Metro project was initiated in 1950, and till 1990 some 30 feasibility studies were carried out by various agencies to evaluate an alternative transportation system for Delhi. The final go-ahead came in 1990 with the decision for the establishment of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in 1995, and the first phase of 11 KM was completed in 2004. In China, Chouqqing city’s 300 flyovers and over 1000 km of freeways were built in just three years. The message is clear: We have to increase productivity and reduce wastage to make proper utilisation of our resources. There is a need for appropriate growth and timely policies, delivery mechanisms to enhance investment, and rapid progress in building infrastructure for sustained, robust and inclusive growth. In India, the loss of time of the people is immense because of poor infrastructure. Take, for instance, the case of a motorist who is stuck in a traffic jam, a regular feature. Imagine the amount of petrol and diesel wasted due to this problem. Also, in summer, high temperature leads to frequent cases of road rage, resulting in the wastage of our productive time. Thus, it is essential to develop highways and expressways to improve productivity and avoid unnecessary wastages of petrol/ diesel. To improve public services such as public transport systems, we must make it more affordable, convenient, safe and frequent to avoid traffic snarls. Also, there is a need to introduce a system that checks how fast a customer is served at government offices so that we have a deep sense of respect for others’ time. One-third of the foodgrains procured in India is stored in the open, vulnerable to damage from rain. It would be perverse, indeed, if the government of a country with a large population of the poor corners a third or so of the annual grains output, hoards it without distributing it to the needy and allows it to rot in the open. Also, India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, and it accounts for around 10 per cent of the world’s production of fruits, but around 35 per cent of the production is wasted because of poor storage and transportation facilities. Mahatma Gandhi said that India lives in its villages. The reality is that India is born, grown up, works, lives and grows old in its villages. And it is in these villages that we need to make investment on infrastructure development. Food processing units must be established on a priority basis. The government needs to increase the share of non-renewable energy, ensure effective water resource management, safeguard the ecosystem, enhance the green cover and make agriculture more resilient to climate change. Further, the real challenge is to integrate the farmers into the market by improving the internal marketing of foodgrains. Moreover, we must coordinate the supply chains and distribution networks with precision and efficiency. The Japanese as a nation are highly cost conscious; during lunch time in their offices they switch off lights and save every drop of water. In India, the situation is contrary to this —- inefficient use of space, huge rooms of up to 1000 sq ft for officials, no efforts to save energy and allowing wastage of resources. Today, unavailability of water has emerged as a formidable business risk, and climate change and poor management of water resources are expected to exacerbate the problem of scarcity in India. Water has already triggered wars between nations in Africa and West Asia. Adel Darnish, a British journalist, stated, “Most borders have been set and fields mapped and accurately estimated, while water resources still remain unknown.” Water is emerging as a major cause for conflicts. The Centre and the states, in collaboration with the private sector, need to pursue rigorous structural reforms in managing water resources. Today power cuts, water shortages, poor storage facilities, ill-equipped ports and inadequate infrastructure are responsible for holding back our GDP growth rate. Therefore, it becomes the nation’s responsibility to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to fulfil their requirement. Good governance is one of the key factors for a country’s growth. It leads to a more efficient, free and democratic economy and provides an environment that would reduce wastages and improve the quality of life. We have to give priority to the nation’s interests and not to our personal interests. We have to make short-term sacrifices for long-term glory. Let teachers reach their school on time and spend their maximum time on teaching. Let our doctors go to hospitals on time and attend to patients with care. Let government officers be in their offices promptly at the fixed time and take decisions quickly. Let the media reserve the prime time and the front page to highlight the success of this hard-working majority rather than focus on the misdeeds of a few. Let us start today by just doing the best what we are expected to do without worrying about whether our neighbours are doing it or not. There is no better solution to this country’s ills. As Lal Bahadur Shastri stated, “Let us build a strong foundation on which a prosperous and united India can stand; even if the structure falls, the foundation will remain.” The “mantra” is: Just do
it. The writer is a senior professor, University Business School, Panjab
University,
Chandigarh
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Mahatma on Mars While
curiosity killed the cat, this “Curiosity” rover on the Mars is setting people’s imagination on fire. By now it has sent hundreds of pictures of Mars surface and people are reading and imagining all manners of forms. For centuries human beings have imagined and built legends of existence of various animals on planets. Legends related to the moon describe the shadows as a rabbit or hare hunched over a shady form while some others have interpreted the form as that of a boy and a girl which, according to the Encyclopaedia of Religion, entry for the moon says that the inspiration for the story of the “Jack and Jill” nursery rhyme may have its genesis in these shadows. However, Indian mothers have been telling their children that the shadow on the moon is that of a mother spinning a wheel while her son is leaning on her back. Now science has brought us closer to the reality and yet lore and legends persist. The “MarsViking” orbiter, which circled the Mars and later Mars Global Surveyor, which orbited the planet for a decade and sent pictures of what came to be known as “Face of Mars”, became a subject of intense debate. However, Professor Horace W Crater of the Society of Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SIT) termed the face as a “ natural geological formation” and not of artificial origin. Yet in 2002, Wilmer Faust claimed to have spotted a parrot formation on the Mars. Haas dwells on the subject of “face” and “parrot” and goes on to conclude that whoever did the construction on the Mars probably also introduced ancient Mayans societies to their creation of mythological structures on the earth. He is the former President of the Sculptors Association of New Jersey and claims to know what he tells. In the pictures, sent by “Mars Orbiter,” M Espinoza and his team claim to have spotted rock formation, which is a replica of fleur-de-lis, a symbol used by New Orleans saints. The pictures currently being sent by “Curiosity” rover from the Mars surface are being accessed by most computer buffs and their interpretation varies according to the imagination of the viewer. The image of an elephant head, eyes and a truck have excited many. The “Curiosity” fans have been creating their “Photoshopped” versions of images being captured by it. One such image shows a dirty “Starbucks” cup, half buried in the red sand. Another picture shows “Looney Tunes” character Marvin the Martian, peeking around the ‘Curiosity’ camera. Finally, last summer an Italian visitor to the Google Mars website claimed to have clearly seen Mahatma Gandhi’s face on Mars! He posted his unique discovery on You-Tube. Since in India we no longer follow his teachings, could it be that the Mahatma has moved to the
Mars!
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Young under brain attack
Globally, stroke is the third common cause of mortality and the fourth leading cause of disease burden. It makes an important contribution to morbidity, mortality, and disability in developed as well as developing countries. Rajiv (35) is one among those million young professionals, who belong to the work force of multinational companies. One morning, when he woke up he was feeling restless and confused. His speech was slurred and his face and arms felt very weak. His wife immediately took him to the hospital. He was diagnosed with symptoms and signs of acute stroke and immediate treatment saved his brain. Brain attack (stroke) occurs when blood vessels supplying blood to a specific part of the brain suddenly become blocked by a clot or get ruptured. In order to function well, brain cells must have a continuous supply of oxygen and other nutrients from the blood. To meet this demand of the millions of cells of the brain, blood is pumped continuously from the heart to the brain via several blood vessels. When this continuous blood supply is disrupted, brain cells begin to die and a brain attack occurs. WHO defined stroke as “rapidly developed clinical signs of focal disturbance of cerebral function, lasting more than 24 hours or leading to death, with no apparent cause other than vascular origin.” Causes The disturbance of cerebral function is caused by three morphological abnormalities, i.e. stenosis (abnormal narrowing of a blood vessel), occlusion (closure or blockage of a blodd vessel) or rupture of the arteries. Dysfunction of the brain (neurological deficit) manifests itself by various neurological signs and symptoms that are related to the extent and site of the area involved and to the underlying causes. These causes include coma, hemiplegia (total paralysis of the arm, leg trunk), paraplegia, monoplegia, multiple paralysis, speech disturbances-cranial nerve paresis, nerve paresis sensory impairment, etc. Hemiplegia constitutes the main somato-neurological disorder in about 90 per cent of the patients.
Signs of attack
It is important that everyone should familiarise themselves with the following important RESCUE signs of brain attack. Whenever these symptoms or signs present, rush to nearby hospital and consult neurologist for possible brain attack. It is best to visit a doctor within six hours, which is also called ‘Golden period’ of brain attack after that permanent damage occurs in brain nerves. Therefore, there is one pneumonic used FAST Usually the best possible treatment is given to the people who come to doctors within six hours. The patient is given an injection to dissolve the clot this is known as Recombinant Tissue plasminogen activator (rTPA), which act wonders in many patients with complete recovery of paralysis. As many as 65-75 per cent patients get significantly better after this injection in within next three months’ time. Six-hour window period is a golden period for treatment. However, only less than one percent of patients received medical aid in this period. As many as 95 per cent of people develop stiffness and deformities in their limbs after brain attack, known as post-stroke spasticity. Usually, patient develops this after one month and then it keeps on increasing. Then in a period of three months’ patient develops a full-blown spasticity. Treatment of post-stroke spasticity (PSS) There are a large variety of treatment options, including physical and occupational therapy, electromagnetic stimulation, casting, and pharmacotherapy (systemic and focal). These drugs produce generalised muscle weakness, potentially reducing muscle tone and sedation associated with these agents is a limiting factor for the use of these drugs. Because of the limitations of other pharmacologic agents, treatment policies have changed towards increasing use of intramuscular botulinum toxin, which currently is considered the treatment option of choice for upper limb focal spasticity, based on the strong evidence base. Botulinum toxin (botox), being one of the most potent biological toxins, acts by blocking neuromuscular transmission via inhibiting acetylcholine release. Currently, focal spasticity is being treated successfully with botox by injecting in the spastic muscles. Two antigenically distinct serotypes of botox are available in the market as type A and B. The PSS-related disability, such as poor hand function, involves both spasticity and weakness and needs to be addressed using a combination approach. Treatment with botulinum toxin in arm muscles reduces excessive flexion and associated pain, spasms, or postures that interfere with patients’ self-care; however, in contrast to other spasticity agents, botulinum toxin does not induce muscle weakness. Cerebral thrombosis is the most frequent form of stroke encountered in clinical studies, followed by haemorrhage. Subarachnoid haemorrhage and cerebral embolism come next as regards both morbidity and mortality. Although the prevalence of stroke appears to be comparatively less in India than in developed countries, it is likely to increase proportionally with the increase in life expectancy. Annually, 15 million people worldwide have a brain attack (stroke). Five million die and another five million are left permanently disabled with complications. As many as 33 to 42 per cent of patients still require assistance for daily living activities three to six years’ post-stroke, and 36 per cent of patients remain disabled after five years. According to recent studies, one third of the stroke patients are under the age of 65. The proportion of stroke in the young is significantly more in India than in developed countries. Some of the more important causes for this are likely to be rheumatic heart disease, ischaemic strokes in peripartum period and arteriopathies as a sequelae of CNS infections like bacterial and tuberculosis, meningitis and meningitis vascular syphilis. Stroke in young has special significance in developing countries. This is so because some etiologies like cardio-embolic infections are more common in these nations than in the developed countries, and the affection of economically productive group adds further to the overall disease burden. In recent years, there has been increasing economic and demographic development in developing countries resulting in a shift from diseases caused by poverty toward chronic, non-communicable, lifestyle-related diseases. This health issue in the younger age group adds to the social burden, and these patients merit special attention in diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive care. It leaves the patients with residual disabilities like physical dependence, cognitive decline, depression, and seizures. Cerebral venous thrombosis and rheumatic heart disease are the leading causes of stroke in the young in India. Tubercular meningitis leading to arthritis or autoimmune angiitis are also important risk factors for stroke in young. One third of the treatment cost of stroke attributable to rehabilitative care, the economic implications of chronic post-stroke disability may be considerable. Stroke is a chronic disease that should be managed on a continual basis in order to sustain functional gains and address new problems that may arise. As many as 95 per cent of people develop stiffness in their limbs, known as post-stroke spasticity. Poorly managed spasticity can be responsible for muscle shortening and the development of tendon and soft tissue contracture. Once present, these are often very difficult to modify, with long-lasting major functional implications. This is one reason why we need to follow-up with the neurologist for the treatment of post-stroke complications because it can further impair the quality of life of the individual. Prevention of stroke A brain-attack is a medical emergency. Prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can minimise brain damage and potential complications. The good news is that strokes can be treated and prevented, and fewer people now die of stroke than was the case even 15 years ago. Better control of major risk factors for stroke — high blood pressure, smoking and high cholesterol — are likely responsible for the decline. To check high blood pressure or hypertension, one must maintain proper weight. Eat right, cut down on salt and eat fruits and vegetables to increase potassium in your diet. Exercise more. Use the stairs instead of the lift. The doctor may prescribe medicines that help lower blood pressure. Controlling blood pressure will also help in avoiding heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure. Hypertension is common among diabetics and accounts for much of their increased stroke risk. Treating diabetes can delay the onset of complications that increase the risk of stroke. Cigarette smoking: Nicotine that is present in the cigarettes travels to brain within 8 seconds of the first inhalation. It makes blood thicker and increases the possibility of getting hit by a severe brain attack (stroke). The doctor can recommend programmes and medications that may help you quit smoking. Heart disease: The doctor will treat it and may also prescribe medication, such as aspirin, to help prevent the formation of clots. He may recommend surgery to clean out a clogged neck artery if you match a particular risk profile. Read the early signs of deteriorating health, stroke strikes fast, make the appropriate lifestyle changes and avoid smoking for a better and healthy life. The writer is Senior Consultant, Neurology, Max Healthcare, New Delhi
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