Walking to stay fit

In an attempt to keep fit in these demanding routines more and more people are walking up to the need for a morning or evening walk. This fact came to the light when the Yuva Sambad team conducted a survey among 400 morning and evening walkers. Out of those surveyed, 40 percent walk for more than 2-3 km, 27 percent walk for less than 3 km while 29 percent walk for less than 1 km.

Jogging is the most prevalent activity among morning walkers. More than 50 percent people jog, while 27 percent settle down for normal walking, 9 percent loved standing and 14 percent walked briskly during the morning.

Going all alone for a walk is very boring, as revealed by 53 percent people who go along with a companion, 24 percent people go out with their family, while 43 percent enjoyed the company of friends and 33 percent went along with their neighbours.

In reply to a question if friends or companion failed to turn up for a morning walk, what would they do, 15 percent said they would not go out in that case, 25 percent said they would go alone, 25 percent said they will try to achieve their aim of walking in some other way, 32 opined that they would return early if their companion fail to turn up.

Regarding the place where they go for a walk, 31 percent said they found parks far from their houses very suitable. While 29 percent people preferred walking on open and wide roads, 25 percent said that they loved strolling in parks near their homes. Whereas 15 percent prefer jogging in big grounds 14 percent of them go to parks by a vehicle.

On being asked as to why they go for walks, 40 percent of them said walking is the best exercise. The reasons they go walking in parks were numerous; 26 percent felt that one gets lots of fresh air while walking in parks, 34 percent said that it made their bodies and minds healthy.

Exercise is another way of keeping fit and fine. Therefore 79 percent of the morning walkers prefer exercising, 63 percent start their routine by running, 20 percent prefer aerobics while 10 percent go in for yoga. Vipassna, another form of fitness exercise, was done by 7 percent of the people.

Morning and evening walkers were annoyed by the deteriorating conditions of the parks; 33 percent said that the parks were always dirty while 42 percent found the parks dirty sometimes, 25 percent of them said that they had no complaints regarding the cleanliness of the parks.

 The people are conscious of their surroundings. They were not satisfied with the greenery in and around the parks; 22 percent said that the parks are not watered properly and they lacked shady trees said 25 percent of the people. The grass in the parks was scanty and the green and brown patches looked ugly to 20 percent of the people. The parks lacked greenery said 17 percent of them, while to 16 percent of the walkers the parks looked more like a plain ground as there was hardly any grass in them.   

You know English but are you fluent in it ?

As most of you must have realised, knowing English does not automatically mean you can speak or write English fluently.  And the importance of being fluent in English cannot be underestimated if you are reaching for a place in the top levels of international business or trade.  Today’s world is totally communication-oriented and most business and social interaction is transacted instantaneously no matter the people involved are thousands of miles apart in different countries, thanks to the rapid development of communications technology.  And the global language, as we all know, is English.

Knowing English is extremely important and this is why Asian, African,South American and Eastern European countries place so much stress on learning and studying English.  The language has crept into every country to an astonishing extent.  In India, even semi-illiterate rural and urban dwellers use thousands of English words without even knowing they are doing it.  Some of them are kerosene, machine, car, highway, doctor, teacher, principal, apartment, complex, quarter, road, bridge.  You will be able to come up with many such words.

What is fluency?  What does it mean?  Fluency means getting into the habit of being able to respond quickly following the grammar and syntax of a language so that others knowing the language can immediately understand what you say or write.  And how do you become fluent in a language?  That’s easy to understand.  Aren’t you fluent in your mother tongue: Odia, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, whatever?  And how did you, even as a child, become fluent in the local language? Because you were in an environment where everybody spoke the language!  It just came naturally!

This does not mean you have to go and stay in England, America or any other English-speaking country to become fluent in the language.  In India, as in other countries, there are English medium schools, and if you are a student in such a school your task is half done already.  But don’t despair if you are in a local medium school.  If you have English-speaking friends, tell them you want to be fluent in English and ask them to help you by talking to you in that language.  They will be happy to help you.  Try to respond in English.  At first, you will be hesitant, but will soon fall into the habit.  Besides friends, there are hundreds of English channels on TV.  Watch them and listen to them talk.  Watch English movies and try to follow them.  Fluency is a habit that can be acquired.  Today when somebody talks to you in English your brain reacts in the local language and you consciously translate in your mind and then utter the words.  The more you listen to English, especially among friends, the more your brain will tend to respond in English.  After some time, you will be surprised how quickly you become fluent in English once you start trying to respond in that language.  As your vocabulary increases the response will be automatic—your brain will take over.

Many software packets are available on the Net that you will find helpful, among them audio tutorials.  Some of these packets will even test your fluency.  You just have to record a passage on the software and it will tell you how well you have done, even changing the order of some words.  You will also learn to pronounce the words as the software will repeat the passage.

All that we have said above requires that you understand the basics of English grammar and syntax.  But since you are reading this article and understand it, you already have the basics.  Your ability to join a company at the higher levels will expand in sync with how fluent you are in the global language—English.  It’s not easy.  But it gets progressively simpler as you continue.

Start now!

Friendly Fundas

A friend perhaps is the greatest gift you give yourself. Often when we cannot talk to our parents or siblings for reasons unknown, a friend comes in handy.  Being a friend needs skills. YS tells how.

=   Like yourself

The first important step is to accept yourself the way you are. If you do not like yourself, how will you like others? When we genuinely like ourselves, we are happy naturally and this shows in our personality. We have more to offer since we are not always busy with our reputation and image.

=   Give space

Remember, only wet clothes cling and they are discomforting. Now surely you do not want to be one. If you have problems being friends just let go. Give your friends space, they do not want any one breathing down their necks every second.

=  Choose wisely

Identify friends you want to be with. If you are comfortable with only one that is perfectly normal. No one expects you to be equally close to all and sundry. But choose people who are actually nice, helpful and easy going.

=  Time it

Friends are as important as relatives, so give them time. Now they too are a part of your life.  Take a few minutes out of your busy schedule and go out with your friends. If this is not possible, talk on the phone.

=   Remember

Try to remember important dates, birthdays, your friend’s parents’ wedding anniversary. Send flowers, a nice card or e-mail when your friend is down in the dumps.

=   Lend your ear

If you want to be listened to, the golden rule is to be a good listener. It will go a long way in keeping a healthy relationship.

=  Be interested genuinely

Do not fake that you are listening; your body language, eyes speak otherwise. Sooner or later your friend will get to know this and of course you will never want to hurt him/her.

If your friend is not there to defend herself/himself against rumours or criticism, you stand up. Would she/he have not done the same for you?

Always remember ‘to have a friend, be a friend.’

Online censorship in the offing

It may sound scary but it is true. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is being legislated in the USA, which is all set to set a precedent for Internet censorship

Frequent online users must have seen an advertisement in which an appeal has been made to oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The bill is called the Protect IP Act in the US senate. SOPA is a new bill proposed in the USA. If passed, it will allow the US government to block Americans from visiting websites that infringe the law.

Websites will be blocked if any infringing material, links or user-posted content is found. It means these sites will be liable for their content and even for user-posted content over which they have little control. The links and posts shared on social networking sites and micro-blogging websites like Facebook and Twitter will be monitored and if found to infring the law then the links can be deleted. The US government states that the bill has been designed to block ‘rogue’ websites.

Many companies including Google, Twitter, Facebook and Mozilla are up in arms against any such bill that is against innovation. They are of the view that if the USA implements this bill then IT will set a precedent for Internet controlling laws around the globe which means censorship could become a new standard after the USA sets the ball rolling.

IT companies have made an appeal to the public through an ad which says, “Our basic Internet freedoms are on the chopping block—it’s time to tell your congress person that American censorship isn’t ok.” USA will be the fourth country to use a DNA-based website blocking system after China, Syria and Iran.

It is a million-dollar question whether we need these harsh Internet laws? The answers of many would be ‘no’. All the opponents of the bill have their own reasons to oppose. Users are opposing the bill because it will not allow them to publish or share material which they do not own or have copyright rights. None of us would be able to download movies, e-books or songs using Torrent.

There are many creative persons who cannot afford setting up their own companies to showcase their creative ideas. They will be discouraged to put up ventures even in the virtual world where one needs relatively lower investment to set up a production firm and easily communicate with the world. People will not take the initiate fearing heavy penalties, as proposed in the bill.

Public petitions against the bill are circulating online, requesting President Obama to veto the legislation, named as the ‘E-Parasite Act’ by its opponents.

The growing tragedy of student suicide

Jeevan Nair

According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 7390 students committed suicide in 2010, up 26 per cent from 5857 in 2006 (all-India figures).  We can better understand the enormous tragedy of the situation if we realize that in 2010 twenty students killed themselves each day of the year!  And the suicide rate is going up. The 2010 figure represents a 9 per cent gain over 2009.

Odisha is no exception.  In the Capital City alone 13 student suicides took place in the last one year, four of them in a period of just 45 days.

The reasons for this grim state of affairs are many, all valid: shortage of qualified teachers, inadequate infrastructure, a growing number of students competing for inadequate seats in good schools and colleges, curricula created by bureaucrats that are out of sync with today’s employer needs and parents forcing children into colleges/courses ignoring their inclination and propensity.  Add to this extra tuitions, out-of-school trends, coaching classes, competitive exams, reservation policies, admission processes, quotas and love affairs in a permissive environment and one gets a better understanding of the intense pressures that beset today’s students from all sides.

Also, the growing hunger for quality education among the young people to qualify for higher-paid jobs adds another dimension which also accounts for falling standards of teaching as well as the dichotomy of a growing number of vacant seats in colleges despite the rise in student numbers.  ‘Deemed’ universities and coaching institutes are mushrooming beguiling parents with tempting claims and quite a number fall into the trap only to find that not only have they spent huge amounts for no benefit but also wastes years of their wards’ formative period.  Today, students and their parents understand the value of a good college and avoid institutes which have a low pass percentage.

Counselling is the best tool to remedy the students’ misery.  But not as it is done at the time of admission.  Counsellers should interact not only with students but also with parents and teachers and should be available 24/7.  In many cases, parents are responsible for student stress by making insidious comparison with other children who they feel are doing better.  They fail to realize that each child is different, has different propensities, capabilities and interests. Parents are usually blind to this aspect because they judge progress by report cards alone.  Teachers are more familiar with the child’s inclination and can make suitable suggestions during counselling.

Parents should concentrate more on providing the child with a happy and stress-free environment at home.  They should spend quality time with their children to learn their feelings and emotional stress, if any.  They must be ever on the look out for behaviour that is out of the normal as the first sign of stress is a change in behaviour or habit.  On their part, teachers should desist from any type of favouritism.  A child should never feel that he is not getting as much attention as others in its class.

All this will not eliminate stress altogether but the student will know there are people in the school and at home who will listen to him and guide him in stressful situations. 

Parents and teachers who wish to know more about how to raise children and teach them can resort to the Internet.  There are scores of sites which provide the advice of experienced child counsellers and child psychologists.

We have focused on child counselling because when the child grows up in a caring atmosphere, it will develop into a balanced, thinking young man or woman.  From childhood itself they will realize that there are people who really care for them at home and at school and college ready to help them.

In spite of the best parental and school care stressful situations will still occur, but suicide will no longer be an option.

Multifaceted Personality

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika

WE ALL know Dr. Bhupen Hazarika by his songs. Dr. Hazarika was also an accomplished filmmaker, author, political activist and journalist. A postgraduate in Political Science from Allahabad University and Ph.D. from Columbia University, USA, he also participated in India’s struggle for independence. He was awarded the ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 2001.

He sang his first song at the age of 11 for the second Assamese film ‘Indumalati’. and went on to sing 1,500 songs some of which he composed or produced.

The music of the film ‘Rudaali’ starring Dimple Kapadia and others won instant recognition. The song ‘Dil hoom hoom kare’ caught the imagination of listeners and critics. Dr. Hazarika was the executive producer and the music director of the film. He was an accomplished filmmaker.

For his contribution to cinema, he received the prestigious ‘Dada Saheb Phalke’ award. A rare feat indeed, for a man who started his career as a singer and a journalist.

Some of his Assamese films have won the National Award in several categories. He tried his hand at politics by contesting the assembly elections. However, he lost. Some experts believe that the people of Assam did not want Dr. Hazarika to lose his charm, humility and honesty by joining politics. He believed in the unification of the northeast as a single entity.

 He hosted and produced shows on the region to showcase its beauty. These shows were aired on Doordarshan. He wanted the people of the country to experience the rich cultural and social heritage of the region.

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika died of multiple organ failure on 5 November 2011. His achievements are an inspiration to several artistes of the country. In his death, he has left behind a legacy of perfection and uniqueness in the field of music and filmmaking.

How to order when eating out

YS Team

EATING OUT is fun and relaxing. All you have to do is order the right kind of food to keep a check on calories while eating at restaurants. Dining out does not have to be a catastrophe.

Just keep these realities in check before you order:

1. Extensive menu—The more choices you are offered, the more likely you are to find something appropriate to suit your taste and diet.

2. Preparations—While ordering, ask how the dish is prepared and make your preferences clear

 3. Sharing is the answer—Order one dish for two or three to prevent overeating.

4. Never go hungry—Eat a piece of fruit on the way to the restaurant to put that appetite under control.

Ordering Soup

 Settle for the clear variety. Avoid creamy soups as they have a high fat content.

Ordering Appetisers

 Settle for a fruit-based starter or a raw vegetable tray with a dip or anything steamed with vegetables.

Ordering Snacks 

In fast food restaurants, it is best to order a sandwich. However, avoid the double-decker ones as they give more calories than you need. Stick to idlis, uthapams and plain dosas.

Ordering Drinks

 Instead of aerated beverages, order half a glass of orange or apple juice or one glass of watermelon juice or warm water with some lime squeezed in it. Tea without sugar, coffee and diet aerated drinks are wise options too.

Ordering Salad

 Request that mayonnaise or any cream based dressing be left off your sandwich. Avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes and salads with lots of nuts.

Ordering Bread

Most breads have a fair amount of calories but whole-wheat bread has extra nutrients and dietary fibre. If you are at an Indian restaurant, ask for whole-wheat chapattis or a tandoori roti. Plain rice and a light dal is a good alternative to a greasy biryani. Remember, half cup cooked rice is equivalent to having one piece of bread or roti.

Ordering the main course

 Go easy on the gravies and sauces as they are oil-based and account for most of the fat and calorie-content in your meal. Avoid casseroles and creamed vegetables at all costs. If you are eating Chinese, order lightly-stirred or steamed vegetables. If you enjoy fried rice or fried noodles, mix them with a bit of steamed rice and stewed noodles to dilute the fried stuff.

If you are ordering Indian food, stick to the mildly marinated tandoori vegetables, plain lentils and dry tandoori rotis. Definitely skip the malai and butter gravies.

Ordering Dessert

While ordering dessert say no to pie, cake, ice-cream, pudding, whipped cream, cheese-cake, pastry and Indian mithais like gulab jamun and jalebi. Say yes to fruit salad or jelly minus the icecream.

The more you do to create your food, such as adding your own toppings, dressings and sauces, the better off you will be. Be ready to choose wisely by thinking through the menu before you arrive at the order counter.

Today's children think in clear terms

Abhishek Pandey

NIKITA MISHRA, a 10-year old student of Class V no longer feels attracted to PSP or the X-box the way her laptop does.

Looking to upgrade her laptop, her final call is Dell studio. Though kids of her age are known to be impatient, she was patient with her Google searches. Vidushi didn’t settle until she found a laptop that satisfied her needs and her dad’s budget.

Parents, she knows, earn money the hard way and that she cannot waste it. “Life is not complete, you know; I have so much to do and I need a better laptop,” she blurts out.

At 10, she displays a surprising maturity and hardly hides her planning for the future and what it takes to get there. Having Barkha Dutt in mind she is preparing to become a journalist of repute. “The Internet is an essential tool for me; it gives me all that I want,” she states.

On television, the girl is a regular viewer of Discovery channel and

the Hannah Montana show. “At least I get something to learn from them,” she says adding, “they have given me so much to think and read about.” For example, globalization has made her realize the value of savings and investments.

Welcome to the world of newage kids loaded with hyper energy, two extra yards of smartness and an amazing knack for adaptation. They are just opposite in behaviour to the kids born in the mid or late eighties, who had a whole new world too big to explore.

“A child asking her father if he has thought about his future or another boy thinking of booking cars when he will be vice president of a company might be tickling but it’s a reality which the adman has just brought on screen,” said Prerna Mussaddi, principal of Swaraj India. “You could say that ads have given children’s sky high ambitions a voice,” she added on a strong note.

This generation wants it all—a trait missing in the previous generation, which at best did class-to-class planning. Vidhushi Pradhan isn’t even nine years old but she has an innate sense of dressing and fashion. Parents do take her to a mall  but selection of items is her exclusive right. She picks her clothes and shoes. “I have always this idea about what’s going to look good on me; I enjoy this freedom,” said Rahul, another student.

Parenting expert Noel Robert finds that kids of this generation are very smart and talented and their ambitions, desires and skills have crossed the levels of the older generation. No one knows this better than leading mobile dealer Ramit Paul who has a request from Vivek Panigrahi, 11, to get him a Vertu mobile—his exporter father has agreed to pay.

“Lots of children of his age group buy expensive mobiles but this request from an eleven-year-old caught me off guard,” said Ramit. These days kids know more than what their parents or elder siblings know about the latest trends.

Ambitious students like Vidushi know at the tender age of 10 that Cambridge is one of the best universities for journalism and a kid like Farhan knows that Vertu mobile suits his need and would raise his status in his group. Alok Bajpai, a child psychiatrist said that most of the things that students of the previous generation used to know after class 10, the new generation knows it in class V.

 For the older generation, the world was limited to books and playgrounds but now kids spend their time at the latest gaming consoles like PS3 and Xbox 360 and live life with their virtual friends.

The older generation had the time to listen to stories read out or related by their grandparents but the new gen reads the same on Internet, as per their taste.

LK Singh, a social scientist believes that the communication revolution has damaged the cord attaching children to their family and friends. He added that they live in their own world and allow no one to choose their dresses, footwear or for that matter, anything they use.

Today’s children get to know the world much before they should and this exposure to  knowledge enables them to participate in decision-making at an early age. Thanks to technological advancements for providing more tools at their disposal and removing the traditional constraints of time and space.

The new gen explore everything that has made their world vast but cluttered at the same time. The excessive exposure to so many things has made them confused, impatient, intolerant and indisciplined. The most visible impact is early loss of innocence and untimely maturity

Technological advancements have made the world easy for them but someone has rightly said that a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

Wash your worries Away

DEADLINES, PHONE calls, lovers’ tiff, tension at office, traffic jams! We all have our share of worries but we also have ways to cope with them.

Here is what you can do:

Raise a glass

Not alcohol but water. Drink atleast 2 litres of water a day. It soothes your nerves and flushes out the toxins. Dehydration leads to tiredness which in turn will make you irritable. Then water is a saviour.

The lakeside view or the sea seashore often comes to your rescue.What is more, even the gurgling sound of a fountain works wonders in alleviating tension.

Fragrant facts

Aroma therapy is catching on these days. Even models and other hi-fliers use this therapy to destress. Whenever worries put you down, light aroma candles in your room and listen to music. The ambience will give a soft healing touch to your troubled mind. Even light body massage helps in relaxation of the muscles… feel the worries melting.

Choose what you want

Try to divert your attention from the worries. Make an appointment with your beautician for manicure/pedicure or a facial. If this is not possible, try yourself out in grooming. Put a few drops of aroma oil in your bucket and the medicated bath will have the much needed effect to vapourise all your tensions.

Eat up

Do not be too strict with yourself. Give yourself a treat. A little scoop of ice-cream once in a while does not harm. But cut back on coffee/tea. Instead have some herbal tea.

Potter about

Do things you really like. Painting, ceramic, fabric printing or playing with clay, all have great therapeutic value.

Yoga karma

It is not that only sadhus practice yoga. In fact it is one of the best alternative therapies available in India. Apart from increasing suppleness, yoga also helps clear the mind of all tensions.

Meditation medication

Meditating for even fifteen minutes a day is great to reenergise the mind and body. Join meditation classes to learn this art. Feel the tranquility.