British lady lobbies for UK apology on Amritsar

Caroline Jaine, a British artist, writer and former diplomat is trying to get her government apologise for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 13 April 1919. Her application to e-petition the UK Foreign Office has been accepted and if she can get 100,000 British signatures for her cause by next August, she will be successful in getting the matter debated in Parliament. "I had never heard of the Amritsar (Jallianwala Bagh) massacre before," Jaine told this newspaper over the internet. "I wrote a blog (on Pakistan newspaper Dawn's website) about the summer riots in the UK and commented that I had been surprised that some South Asian friends appeared smugly happy with the unrest. Another blogger picked up on this and wrote a rather amusing tongue-in-cheek blog post listing the many reasons that Indians in particular might enjoy an ailing Britain. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was mentioned and I began to research it and realised what a terrible thing had happened," she explained. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in a public garden in Amritsar when 50 British Indian Army soldiers commanded by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer shot dead over 1,000 people. Jaine believes it is unfair that Britain was able to apologise for events like Bloody Sunday in Ireland, but not for what happened in Amritsar. "Google revealed how many appeals had been made to the British to issue an apology. I think the Queen even visited the site, but stopped short of saying sorry. I knew about the e-petition system and thought it was a good democratic way to demonstrate that the people of Britain would like to issue an apology." "I am hoping this campaign will be viral and that I will not be at the heart of it, as each of the signatories is as important as the other. The driving force will be the 100,000 signatures that we raise in support of the statement." Author of the book, A Better Basra based on the time she has spent in Iraq, Jaine also writes academic texts, and blogs for Dawn and World Bank. She also runs Cambridge Advanced Strategic Training (CAST) and Askance Publishing and lectures on Public and Cultural Diplomacy at London Metropolitan University. She has also taught at summer schools in both Oxford and Cambridge. She is a portrait artist and uses mediums like film, story-telling and oil paint. India has played an important role in helping Caroline select her surname "Jaine" after she was divorced. As she puts it, "Jains are known for their compassion for animals and dedication to a pacifist path in life. And I made a decision there and then on the surname. I would insert an 'I' at the very heart of Jane to make it mine." 18 September 2011 in The Sunday Guardian.

Now buy mobile apps from retail stores

Smartphone users can now walk into a retail store and buy their mobile applications offline.

Mobile retail company Onward Mobility has started selling mobile applications at retail stores in over 100 cities including Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

At the stores, users can buy and install applications through USB drive or Bluetooth.

The model plans to capitalise on the ever-growing market of mobile applications. Industry reports suggest that the overall market for mobility software and applications in Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at a CAGR of 35% from 2011 to 2015.

Arun Menon, CEO of Onward Mobility said, "The response has been fantastic as we have sold more than 1,00,000 apps in the last six to seven months. The do-it-yourself concept hasn't gained momentum in India as many are still handicapped in terms of technology. You have to push the need to the retail counter and its customers." Till now the company has launched only six-seven apps across 100 cities and plans to go pan India soon.

Planet M is also planning to launch offline app stores in September. "Our formal launch will be done by September end during Navratri. The main idea is to give customers the taste of apps," said Sanjay Karwa, CEO of Planet M. Planet M has more than 200 stores across 32 cities in India. "With this kind of reach, we can become the go-to offline store for apps," added Karwa.\

4 September in The Sunday Guardian.

Stamp issued to remember freedom fighter Pt. Santanam

After 50 years of struggle Madhuri Santanam Sondhi, daughter of noted freedom fighter Pandit K. Santanam (1885-1949) was able to release a commemorative stamp to honour her father's fight for India's independence. She has been trying to get a postage stamp issued since Pt Santanam's 75th birth anniversary in 1959.

The function held on Thursday at the India International Centre, New Delhi was inaugurated by Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar and Radhika Doraiswamy, secretary to the government in the Department of Posts. The opening speech was given by Pt Satanam's grandson Professor Shivaji L. Sondhi.

"The Department of Post has always honoured men and women who have fought for the country. These stamps will be sold at the national and international levels," said Radhika Doraiswamy.

Pt Santanam, originally from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, settled in Lahore after returning from England where he had gone to study law at Kings College, Cambridge and became a barrister in 1910.

"He took up the defence of those implicated in the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. During that period nobody was allowed to travel outside Amritsar under Martial Law then in effect, but my father managed to slip out and brought the atrocities taking place in Punjab to the notice of the Viceroy's Executive Council. After resigning from his legal practice he built a strong political foundation under Lala Lajpat Rai. He was considered as Lalaji's right hand. He even assisted Gandhiji in drafting the enquiry report by becoming an integral part of the Congress Punjab Enquiry Committee and was involved in the non-cooperation movement," said Madhuri Sondhi.

"We need to keep alive the memory of fighters responsible for the economic and political prosperity of our country. Pt Satanam had formed a company in 1924 named Laxmi Insurance under Lala Lajpat Rai's guidance. To accommodate the employees they built Laxmi Mansions. This building still stands tall in Lahore, Pakistan and interestingly there have been no efforts to change the name or demolish it," said Mani Shankar Aiyar.

Pt Santanam was arrested on 2 December 1921 along with Lala Lajpat Rai. He held several posts in the Congress Committee and also took part in the Salt Satyagrah Movement. He lived for two years after Independence and helped refugees as the member of the Advisory Committee to the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation.

28 August in The Sunday Guardian.

‘Brand image influences fresh job seekers’

The brand image of a company and the opinions of seniors are key factors that influence students during campus placements, shows the "Firstnaukri.com Employer Preference" survey.

The survey undertaken by Firstnaukri.com, a job search network for college students and recent graduates, questioned 4,500-plus engineering and graduate students about their employer preferences and the basis on which they decide to appear for interview for a company during placements. Most respondents ranked brand image of the company as their first choice and growth prospect in the company as their next preferred option, followed by job profile.

Deepali Singh, business head of Firstnaukri.com said, "It is interesting to note that students hardly have any information about career opportunities or work culture in organisations. This is the reason why students rely heavily on feedback from seniors and friends. Organisations need to spread awareness about the same, so that students can make well informed decisions during their campus placements." When the students were questioned about the biggest influencer during campus interviews, 35% respondents said seniors. Approximately 22% of them said parents and 19% opted for batchmates.

21 August in The Sunday Guardian.

Didi celebrates Tagore death, Delhi bemused

The national capital did not pay much attention to Rabindranath Tagore’s 70th death anniversary on Monday, 8 August, but in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made up for that by “celebrating” the poet’s death. She launched a year-long programme on that day to mark his 150th birth anniversary. Tagore’s birthday was on 9 May, but the Left Front government was in power in West Bengal at the time.

Trinamool Congress MPs’ plea for a holiday in both Houses of Parliament was turned down by Speaker Meira Kumar, who said that Parliament did not have a tradition of commemorating death anniversaries. “The Speaker has asked us to celebrate Tagore’s birth anniversary. We are discussing how to organise it in Parliament by month-end,” Trinamool Congress’ Saugata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development, told The Sunday Guardian.

The Central government organised two functions in the national capital to remember the poet. The Ministry of Culture organised a programme of music and poetry at the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

It was inaugurated by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Culture Minister Kumari Selja and Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi. The ministry also organised a seminar, “Remembering Rabindranath Tagore” at the Lalit Kala Akademi, to highlight the diverse aspects of Tagore’s vision, creativity, and contribution.

The Geetanjali Troupe, a non government cultural organisation, staged a dance drama, Shrabandhara, at the Sriram Centre Auditorium, leaving a group of students wondering what the function was all about. “Oh, I didn’t know it is Tagore’s death anniversary,” said one student sitting outside the auditorium.

S.N. Banerjee, one of the organisers, said, “Delhi has not forgotten Tagore. But it is not appropriate to ‘celebrate’ someone’s death. For the first time in history grand celebrations were held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for his birth anniversary in May. That was our biggest achievement.”

The Sriram Centre function presented odes written by Tagore dedicated to the monsoons.

In Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee took to the streets with thousands of schoolchildren, singing Rabindrasangeet. She urged Finance Minister Amit Mitra to sing a song when she saw him humming with the crowd and asked Higher Education Minister Bratya Basu to announce another holiday the next day for schoolchildren who had braved the rain to participate in the street celebrations.

In the evening, cultural luminaries were invited for a musical soiree at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

All this was a clear departure from the sombre mood of earlier years. But then the Chief Minister had promised that she would celebrate the poet’s birthday on Baishey Srabon (22 Sravan, 8 August), the day he passed away in 1941.

The national capital did not pay much attention to Rabindranath Tagore's 70th death anniversary on Monday, 8 August, but in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made up for that by "celebrating" the poet's death. She launched a year-long programme on that day to mark his 150th birth anniversary. Tagore's birthday was on 9 May, but the Left Front government was in power in West Bengal at the time.

Trinamool Congress MPs' plea for a holiday in both Houses of Parliament was turned down by Speaker Meira Kumar, who said that Parliament did not have a tradition of commemorating death anniversaries. "The Speaker has asked us to celebrate Tagore's birth anniversary. We are discussing how to organise it in Parliament by month-end," Trinamool Congress' Saugata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development, told The Sunday Guardian.

The Central government organised two functions in the national capital to remember the poet. The Ministry of Culture organised a programme of music and poetry at the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

It was inaugurated by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Culture Minister Kumari Selja and Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi. The ministry also organised a seminar, "Remembering Rabindranath Tagore" at the Lalit Kala Akademi, to highlight the diverse aspects of Tagore's vision, creativity, and contribution.

The Geetanjali Troupe, a non government cultural organisation, staged a dance drama, Shrabandhara, at the Sriram Centre Auditorium, leaving a group of students wondering what the function was all about. "Oh, I didn't know it is Tagore's death anniversary," said one student sitting outside the auditorium.

S.N. Banerjee, one of the organisers, said, "Delhi has not forgotten Tagore. But it is not appropriate to 'celebrate' someone's death. For the first time in history grand celebrations were held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for his birth anniversary in May. That was our biggest achievement."

The Sriram Centre function presented odes written by Tagore dedicated to the monsoons.

In Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee took to the streets with thousands of schoolchildren, singing Rabindrasangeet. She urged Finance Minister Amit Mitra to sing a song when she saw him humming with the crowd and asked Higher Education Minister Bratya Basu to announce another holiday the next day for schoolchildren who had braved the rain to participate in the street celebrations.

In the evening, cultural luminaries were invited for a musical soiree at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

All this was a clear departure from the sombre mood of earlier years. But then the Chief Minister had promised that she would celebrate the poet's birthday on Baishey Srabon (22 Sravan, 8 August), the day he passed away in 1941.

Shared by-line with Susenjit Guha on 14 August in The Sunday Guardian.

Cell phone addiction leads to orthopaedic problems

Doctors say that with the excessive use of smart phones, people are likely to get carpal tunnel syndrome — fibromyalgia, also known as the De Quervains disease. The early signs of this disease can be thumb and finger soreness and formation of calluses and numbness. Constant texting or browsing not only affects the patient's wrists and thumbs, but also strains the neck and shoulder area.

"Your condition can get as bad as having a cervical disc prolapsed with neurological deficit. There is a significant growth in the number of patients getting affected by this disease. There has been a 100% rise in the last five years. These patients mostly belong to the younger age group between 15-30 years, and this has become a common phenomenon in the metros because of easy access to several smart phones," said Dr I.P.S. Oberoi, senior orthopaedic consultant with Artemis Health Institute, New Delhi.

According to psychologists, cell phone addiction is mostly prevalent among the unsociable, unconventional and non-confident groups, and young individuals in particular. Then there are people who try to create a professional image of high efficiency with the help of a cell phone. "People start getting irritated more often and concentration level decreases. Depression is the most common and persistent problem among cell phone addicts. This addiction can also lead to brain tumour as revealed by studies," said Dr R. Chandra, a psychiatrist.

Dr Rajesh Verma, consultant orthopaedic with Gurgaon's Artemis Health Institute, who sees at least 30 cell phone addicts every month, advises regular exercise. "A few precautions and exercises can help your hands in the long run, like taking breaks from the phone every few hours or the use of Bluetooth while working and while driving, or even phones with larger keypads and other convenient phone accessories. Make sure that you exercise the affected muscle groups including both stretching and strengthening ones. Gentle massage and physio modalities also help," he said.

14 August in The Sunday Guardian.

Lose weight under knife, without scars

Scar-less weight loss surgery has become popular amongst the age group of 15-40 years recently. Scar-less surgery or single incision surgery is a technique by where the scar gets concealed in the umbilicus (naval).

Doctors say that women in the age-group of 20-30 years are keener to get this surgery done. "This surgery has gained popularity among young adults especially women. Over the past two years we have treated almost 50-70 patients for scar-less weight loss surgery. This surgery started in Ahmedabad two years ago, but has become popular in the northern areas recently," said Dr Mahendra Narwaria, bariatric surgeon at Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon.

23-year-old Shipra (name changed), who got this surgery done a week ago from Artemis Gurgaon, shared her experience with The Sunday Guardian. She was 89 kg when her surgery was done and after the surgery she has lost close to 10 kg. "Now I can attain my goal of weighing between 50-60 kg. I had lost all hope earlier after trying almost everything. But nothing worked because I have been suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (a condition in which there is an imbalance of a woman's female sex hormones) which added more weight. This made me extremely lethargic when I finally decided that I had to get a surgery done," said Shipra. She will be on a liquid diet for a month post her surgery.

Doctors believe that lately weight-loss surgeries have become essential. "Obesity has become a global epidemic and more so in the adolescent population. More than 40% of children in India are obese. Within the first month of the surgery more than half of the unwanted fat is reduced and after three months the body loses almost all of the unwanted fat. Personality change is the most immediate after effect as people become more confident after shedding the extra weight," said Dr J.P.S. Beed, a bariatric surgeon with Nova Medical Centres, New Delhi.

"Risks from the surgical process are negligible and subject to the clinical condition of the patient. But if a procedure is not performed well or a patient continues to take soft calories, then 10-15% weight gain can be expected. This will need diet modifications or under severe conditions another surgery," said Dr K. Lakshmi, senior consultant and laparoscopic bariatric surgeon of Global Hospitals.

Doctors add that patients can resume work 10 days to two weeks post surgery. "The duration of the ­surgery varies from five to ten hours and the cost ranges from Rs 4-5 lakhs. There are no ­complications as such but for the first two or three days we recommend ­taking multivitamins in case of ­deficiency," added Dr ­Mahendra ­Narwaria.

7 August in The Sunday Guardian.