ON THE RECORD


गर्दन और पीठ में आमतौर पर उठने वाले दर्द को अक्सर लोग मामूली समझते हैं। यही मामूली दर्द गंभीर बीमारी का इशारा है। काम करने के ग़लत तौर तरीकों का परिणाम है "रिपीटीटिव स्ट्रेस इंजरी" यानी आर एस आई या यूँ कहें कि बार-बार दबाब का दर्द। डॉक्टर संदीप गुप्ता ( ओर्थोपेडिक फिजियोथेरेपिस्ट ) का कहना है कि इस बीमारी के शिकार वो लोग ज़्यादा होते हैं जो घंटों कंप्यूटर पर काम करते हैं। घंटों काम करने से शरीर की किसी न किसी मांसपेशी पर ज़्यादा ज़ोर पड़ता है , जिसके कारण वो मांसपेशी कमजोर पड़ जाती है और काम करने में सक्षम नहीं रह पाती है। जिसके परिणामस्वरूप हमें अपनी रोज़मर्रा की जिंदगी में लगातार उठने वाले दर्द को सहना पड़ता है। डॉक्टर गुप्ता का मानना है कि यदि वक्त रहते इस बीमारी का इलाज नहीं कराया गया तो परेशानी इतनी बढ़ सकती है कि मरीज़ ना तो शर्ट का बटन बंद कर सकता हैं और ना ही चाय की प्याली ही उठा सकता हैं।
कनाट प्लेस के एच डी एफ सी बैंक मे कंप्यूटर ओपरेटर का काम करने वाली २३ वर्षीय मिनाक्षी, कमर दर्द से पीड़ित हैं। शुरू-शुरू में इन्होंने इस दर्द को सामान्य समझा पर दर्द ज़्यादा बढ जाने पर डॉक्टर ने इन्हें आर एस आई से ग्रस्त बताया और पूरे तरीके से एक महीने का बैड रेस्ट और फिजियोथेरपी की सलाह दी। ग्राफिक्स डिजाइनर व डी टी पी ( डेस्कटॉप पब्लिशिंग ) ओपरेटर २७ वर्षीय अमित शर्मा भी आर एस आई से पीड़ित हैं। लगातार माउस पकड़ने के कारण इनकी कलाई की मांसपेशियां कमज़ोर पड़ गई हैं। आलम यह है की अब अमित जब कभी हाथों से कुछ पकड़ने की कोशिश करते है तो उनकी कलाई में भयानक दर्द शुरू हो जाता है।
मौलाना आज़ाद हॉस्पिटल के सर्जन डॉक्टर यश कुमार मान का कहना है कि यदि लोग रोज़मर्रा की जिंदगी में थोड़ा बदलाव लाएँ तो इस बीमारी से बचा जा सकता है। जैसे: लगातार काम करते हुए हर आधे घंटे में आराम लें, ६-८ हफ्तों में डॉक्टर से रूटीन चैकप करवाएं, योग और मेडिटेशन के लिए सुबह १०-१५ मिनट ज़रूर निकालें, खान पान पर ध्यान दें, प्रोटीन अधिक खाएं। विदेशी कंपनियों का उदहारण देते हुए डॉक्टर मान ने सलाह दी कि बड़ी-बड़ी कंपनियों को अपने कर्मचारियों के लिए महीने में एक बार आर एस आई की जागरूकता के लिए वर्कशॉप करानी चाहिए।
ज्यादातर युवा वर्ग जिनकी औसत आयु तक़रीबन २२-२७ वर्ष के बीच होती है, आर एस आई के इन लक्षणों को गंभीरतापूर्वक नहीं लेते हैं। जिसके नतीजतन, यह मर्ज़ बढ़ते-बढ़ते महीनों बाद कईयों को नौकरी छोड़ने पर मजबूर कर देता है।

आर एस आई के लक्षण
  • दर्द
  • जलन
  • अकडन
  • सूजन
  • सर्दी-जुकाम
  • सुन्न होना चेतनशून्यता
बचाव के टिप्स
  • लैपटॉप को गोद में ना रखे।
  • लैपटॉप स्टैंड का ही प्रयोग करें ।
  • कुर्सी के बैक रेस्ट पर पीठ की टेक लगाकर बैठें।
  • टाइपिंग करते वक्त कलाई को सहारे के बिना रहने दें ।

Who will tune i-Tunes now?

Posted In: . By Journalism student

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, the age old adage may not prove worthy for Steve Jobs. Co-founder and CEO of Apple computer, known for astounding gadgets like i-Mac, i-Pod and i-Phone is taking medical leave because of his complex health problems.

On January 5, 2009 Steve disclosed that he would be out of action. In his letter to employees of Apple he says: “As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy.” However, Steve will continue as Apple’s CEO during his recovery. The stock price of Apple’s shares dropped by 7.07% and came down to $79.30 following the announcement.

Jobs not even attended the Macworld show on Jan. 6 this year. Macworld is a highly anticipated event by the Apple fans with the showcase of Mac products. Steve Jobs keynote speech in the event has always been a rage among the Apple lovers and most awaited among consumer electronics industry.

Steve Jobs’ life is not less than any bollywood masala movie plot. To borrow a cliche, he is a phoenix, who returned from the ashes.

He co-founded the company Apple in 1970. He gave the best personal computers to the world in the 1980-s. He was fired from his own company in mid of 1980-s. He spent 12 years in replenishing himself with same vigor and enthusiasm. He returned to Apple to save it from collapsing and turned it around into success story. The iMac changed the way we see PC’s, iPod transformed the music and iPhone created ripples in the telephone market.

He was born on Feb. 24, 1955 to an unwed graduate mother. Since, she was unwed; she decided to put him on adoption list. But it was with a condition that the parents should have attended college.

Since, Jobs’ foster mother, Clara never graduated from college and his foster father Paul never graduated from high school, his biological mother refused to give him. She only signed the adoption papers after getting assurance from the Steve’s foster parents that they would send him to the college.

This was the beginning of Steve Jobs’ life!

Seventeen years later he did attend the college. But when he went there, he found the classes very dull and boring. Soon, he dropped out from college. But unlike his parents, continued to attend those classes which he found interesting.

But it all came with a cost. He didn’t have a dorm room, so he slept on the floors of his friend’s room. He used to return the coke bottles for 5 cents to buy food. And walked seven miles on Sunday nights to get one good meal at Hari Krishana temple.

In a convocation ceremony at Stanford University he said to students, “it was all scary, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

Later on, with the help of his friend Steve Wozniak he co-founded the Apple computers. On April1, 1976 Apple was born in the garage of his parents. They gave the name “Apple” because they couldn’t find any other interesting name and moreover it was Jobs’ favourite food.

They worked hard and in ten years apple moved to $2 billion company with 4000 employees. They released their finest computer Macintosh in just 9 years. Everything was heading fine.

But one fine day he got fired!

To run an overgrowing company and to maintain the skyrocketing success of Apple, Jobs hired John Sculley, who was the CEO of Pepsico at that time. But soon their vision for the Apple’s future began to take different shapes. After a long tiff Jobs lost the battle and was thrown out of the company.

“At 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating. I really didn't know what to do for a few months,” said Jobs during commencement address of passing out students at Stanford. He further added, “I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it.”

Steve was rejected but not defeated. He still loved what he did. During the next five years he started a company called “NeXT”. He wanted to manufacture computers which would cater only to higher education market. But despite all his efforts, NeXT was a failure. This made Steve depressed and disturbed. It was at his career’s nadir.

However, such calamities were not new for Jobs and he knew how to bounce back. He started yet another company called Pixar Animation Studios, Inc. in 1985. And he also fell in love with Laurene Powell, an MBA student. Pixar went on to make world’s first computer animated feature film called Toy Story. Today Pixar is one of the most successful animated studios in the world.

At the same time Apple came down from market leader position to a struggling company. In this turn around of events, Apple bought NeXT and Steve Jobs was back in Apple computers, the company he founded.

“I am pretty sure none of this would have happened if I had not been fired from Apple. Sometimes life will hit you on a head with a brick, but don’t lose faith,” said Steve Jobs.
In the convocation ceremony at Stanford he urged students to remain “hungry and foolish”. He added, “You got to find what you love. It is true for your work as it is true for your lovers. Your work is going to fill large part of your life. And the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is a great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle.”

Today Steve Jobs is again on a fighting spree. This time around it is with life. 53year old Steve is again challenged by hard times. But coming back with full force is Steve’s habit.

Everyone is expecting Jobs to get fine and return back to his work. Apple is now synonymous of Steve Jobs. Famous International magazine commented on his leave as, “But the real question for Apple is whether the person of Mr Jobs is the glue that holds the talent underneath him together. Apple’s magic is part design, part engineering, part logistics and part vision. Design is the domain of Jonathan Ive, a shy Briton; engineering is split into hardware and software; logistics is run by Mr Cook. And the vision thing belongs entirely to Mr Jobs. Without him, will all the other pieces, and the magic, come unglued?”

The question is, will Jobs make it this time?

‘Retailers more focused in recession’

Posted In: . By Journalism student


By

Kunal Majumder

Retailers are no longer interested in expanding in all directions and are more focused on sticking to locations and formats that work, feels Shubhranshu Pani, managing director of retail at international property consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj.

“The tier II/III growth story in terms of retail is now on indefinite hold. Retail space developers will concentrate on focused developments in the metros and other proven catchments. Previous expansion plans will only be implemented once economic revival injects new liquidity and better sentiments into the market,” said Pani.

Fashion lifestyle category, which accounts for between 45-50 per cent of the country’s overall organised retail market, would see least 10-15 per cent in the next two years, Pani announces.

“Much depends on where the economy goes, but India currently has over a million consumers who invest regularly in fashion and lifestyle accessories. This number is unlikely to decrease, since baseline tastes do not change,” he explains.

Speaking on the realty front, Pani says retailers are now preferring single format stores on high streets compared to the malls.“Retailers have been contending with issues of viability and visibility and now give lesser importance to stores for branding purposes. High streets are the format of the future.”

Price the goods right, occupy the right spaces, use catchment-appropriate marketing and advertising, avoid overstocking and hire the right kind of people are the five mantras to override the economic slump, says Pani.

Rental falls
Retail rentals in the high streets and shopping malls of metro cities, in the past few months, have dropped significantly, according to a report prepared by globally renowned consulting firm Cushman & Wakefield. A further decline in the rentals of such properties is also expected during the current year (2009), predicts the report.
Some big retail names have defaulted their rent from September-October 2008 onwards, according to Association of Mall Owners of North India. Around 300 retailers operate out of 70 malls in north India.

Retailers Association of India (RAI) has called for a correction in rentals. RAI announced that if mall owners have not passed on the recent market correction in rentals, there may be a possibility that the retailers are trying to re-negotiate terms. According to RAI, 30-35 per cent of retailers want re-look at the terms of the contract with the mall developers.
The study reports a high overall vacancy rate of 16 per cent as at end of 2008. While, NCR had a mall vacancy of 24 per cent, it was 10 per cent in Mumbai. This has forced property rentals for retail space down from 20 to 40 per cent. A further drop of 10 to 15 per cent can not be ruled out, says Rajneesh Mahajan, Director, Retail services, Cushman & Wakefield.


· New Delhi-NCR has witnessed massive fall in retail rentals. While, the decline in the South Delhi was 12 per cent and 22 per cent in Noida, it was as high as 27 per cent in West Delhi. High streets like Connaught Place, Karol Bagh and Basant Lok witnessed the drop of 16 per cent, though it was slightly lower at 14 per cent in Khan Market.


· The drop in rentals in the Southern metro cities of Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore was a massive 33 per cent, 29 per cent, and 28 per cent respectively


· The drop in property rentals in Mumbai was as high as 44 per cent on Linking Road, while 41 per cent in South Mumbai areas of Kemps Corner and Breach Candy, and 38 per cent in Colaba Causeway. Even new shopping areas of Vashi and Goregaon registered drops respectively of 20 per cent and 17 per cent. The upcoming Northern suburb of Mulund also witnessed a drop of 14 per cent.

Growing Old with Dignity

Posted In: , . By Journalism student


By
Sheeba Naaz, Sumiran
Photo:Monis
“An 80 year old Prime Minister is acceptable to us, but we show no respect to for the elderly at our homes,” points out Himanshu Rath, Chairman, Agewell Foundation. For him this kind of apathy arises from no sensitisation of the society towards elderly.

This is true in case of Mohanlal (name changed), who now lives at Durga Care Centre for elderly, an old age home based in Sainik Farms, New Delhi. Mohanlal was an Army Captain. This wasn’t the life that he had dreamt of after retirement. Despite having all the facilities and companions of his age, this old age home is no less than a jail for him. His children are settled abroad.
“Beta bola, pitaji aapke rehne ke liye ek achcha sa bandobast kiya hai. Hum to videsh mein rahengey. Aapko yahan India mein akele rehne mein taqleef hogi. To mujhe zinda rakhne ka yeh bandobast kiya hai” (My son said, dad we have found a good place for you to live. We will live in foreign and you would face problems in living alone in India. So this is the place where I am suppose to spent rest of my life), murmurs Mohanlal with sad eyes.

“Yahan to kuch kaam karne to nahi hai to main sara samay so kar nikalta hoon” (I have nothing to do throughout the day, so I spent most of my time sleeping), he adds.
“If we will continue to be ignorant towards the needs of elderly, loneliness will creep in and they will become irritable. Shunning them and sending them to an old age home is not a solution,” asserts Mr. Rath. “What has to be done is the sensitization of the society towards its senior citizens and the most important is the preparation for old age from the beginning. In India there is a concept of our children taking care of us when we grow old. Therefore, none of us really prepare for our old age,” he adds

India has the second largest number of elderly in the world with as many as 77 million in 2001. By 2050, this proportion is expected to increase by 21 percent (World Population Prospects, 2004). With the rising population of the elderly in India, lack of social security system, poor healthcare, complex geriatric aspects and an acute sense of alienation are major concerns.
Government came up with Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Bill, 2007. According to this bill, a person responsible for the upkeep of his/her parent, in case of failure, can be imprisoned for three months and a fine of Rs.5, 000. Besides, it also gives the provision to parents to revoke their will.

Government has several schemes for elderly but the most sought scheme is Government Pension scheme, which seeks to ensure that the settlement of Pension, Provident fund, Gratuity, and other retirement benefits are made at the appointed time. It is also proposed to set up a Welfare fund for the old age persons.

For Harish of Durga Center having legal rights is a good support system for senior citizens. “Having legal rights make the elderly confident and less vulnerable and also gives a sense of independence. But even if senior citizens might have all the legal rights in the world and best of medical schemes, they long for the family support. We can’t put everything on government’s shoulder and get away.”

Azamgarh to Jantar Mantar

Posted In: . By Journalism student

Azamgarh since last September has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The encounter of alleged terrorists in the infamous Batla House, had cast serious doubts amongst the Muslim community and civil society. With accusations being labeled and clamor for judicial probe from the first day, a situation of fear amongst the domiciles of Azamgarh living in Delhi was created by the state machinery.
29th January, 2009 witnessed the arrival of horde of Azmis (title used by Azamgarh people) in the capital at Jantar Mantar. This photo feature aims at addressing and representing the diverse emotions across the age spectrum during this peaceful procession.. The procession organized by Ulema Council (religious cleric) demanded justice and judicial probe on the tarnishing incident.


Subdued emotions. There were many like him who braved around 800 kilometer to show their concern against the witch hunting.

This old man looked tired and despaired with the speed of investigation.


God is not blind.

The grim face shows his confidence in positivity.

By
Kinley, Nazia, Neha
Photo: Neha
Gurgaon might lack many basic civic amenities. So, how do the residents cope? Even those who have bought flats in the posh area of the city have their grievances, but a much toned-down one.

Living in a flat worth more than a fortune and having to pay extra for the parking and other basic amenities would be asking for a little too much. But the rich residents in Gurgaon would rather pay than harp.

Buying a condominium in Gurgaon can cost around a crore and sometimes the price even reaches a staggering rupees five crores. After investing so much, it is only natural to expect decent facilities like a copious park, good roads and non-stop supply of electricity and water as a part of the package. But this is a far cry from reality.

Vidhu Singh, a resident of Central Park, one of the elite condominium’s societies of Gurgaon, says, “We pay for own our maintenance charges like parking charges and the cost of diesel for running the generators. These generators supply complete power backup for our society.”

Many of the condominium societies have also hired facility managing companies to take care of the maintenance.

The estate manager of one of the facility management company who didn’t want to be named said, “The role of the government is to provide the basic infrastructure before housing colonies are setup. Since the government did not plan ahead, so now the residents are having problems.”

He further added that is where companies like his could play a role and make sure that people do not face problems. “People living in condominiums generally do not mind paying. So we offer them with services that they pay for,” he said.

These estate management companies generally offer security, power backup, proper upkeep of lawns in the common area, parking, and manage facilities like clubs and gyms, which have been built by the builder. But all these do not come cheap.

Vrinda Mehta, a resident of a condominium says, “We pay Re 1.75 a month for every square meter that we own. My maintenance bill comes to around Rs 6,000 a month since I live in a 2,500 square feet house and sometimes cost of diesel is to be paid separately.”

But not everyone seems to be complaining. Singh says she doesn’t mind paying these maintenance charges as she knows that her money is not being wasted. “I don’t think this price is too much for our safety and security. I feel safe knowing that there is a guard who will not let any stranger enter my building. And my car is also safe in the parking since I am paying for it.”

मज़बूरी

Posted In: . By Journalism student

जनवरी का महिना खत्म हो चला है पर सर्दियाँ अब पूरे खुमार पर है हम जब सुबह अपने नर्म और गर्म बिस्तर से उठते है तो क्या हममें से कोई यह बात सोचता है की बीती रात कितने लोगों ने सड़क, पार्क या फ़िर किसी फुटपाथ पर काटी होगी। मैं और आप इस ठण्ड में रजाई से निकलने के बारे में भी नही सोच सकते लेकिन कुछ लोग पूरी रात बिना चद्दर के ही काट लेते है ये बहादुरी नही मजबूरी है । रोज़गार की तलाश में रोज़ बहुत से लोग दिल्ली आते है लेकिन दिल्ली में क्या अब लोगों का पेट भरने और उनके सर पर छत देने की शक्ति रह गई है ...?
फोटो फीचर: जयश्री

एक इंसान जानवर से बुरी हालत में
इंसान की जरूरत दो गज ज़मीन


इट्स वर्क टाइम


सर छुपाने के लिए...