Archaeological Survey of India recently celebrated the world heritage week. With this ASI wants to involve people in its effort to save the monuments. Here is a report by Sumiran and Sheeba

By Dipu Shaw, Kapou Malaker, Gaurav Kumar

“The ban on smoking is a move in the right direction” - this is one thing that smokers, non-smokers or the busybodies of the anti-smoking lobby, all agree on. However, three months after the ban came into force, there are still doubts over how much it has worked.

Smoking already accounts for 900,000 deaths a year in India, according to a study of the New England Journal of Medicine. By 2010, this toll is expected to increase to 1 million people a year, the study points out.

Government of India has notified revised rules on the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places and geared up to prohibit smoking in public zone strictly from 2^nd of October, 2008.

As per the revised rules, the pubic zone has been categorized as shopping malls, cinema halls, public/private work places, hotels, banquet halls, discotheques, canteens, coffee houses, pubs, bars, airport lounges and railway stations.

But, making people aware of such no smoking zones is still a big challenge for officials.

“There are problems in executing the ban on smoking. Many people do not know how to identify these public places”, says Mohd. Iqbal, S. H. O. of Jamia Nagar police station.

However, a lot of people, mostly non-smokers believe that the ban is in the larger interest of the society. Prof. Manjula Batra of the Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia says that the objective of such an act is to promote the health of the people not only for this generation of people, but also of the future of the nation”. She suggests methods to spread awareness among the people. “We need to educate them. Media has an effective role to play. Arranging seminars, lectures etc to make people aware about the ban on the public places are available options”, she says.

Dr Sanjoy Gogia, physician, Internal Medicine in Max Hospital, New Delhi, is also one of the proponents of the ban. “This step is basically for the non-smokers. Passive smoking is equally harmful for people just like active smoking does”, says

Not everyone buys the views of the supporters of no smoking zones. “We know about the pros and cons of smoking. If we are uncomfortable with someone smoking in front of us, we can straightway go and tell that person not to smoke”, says Mukut Sharma, a student of the Indira Gandhi National Open University.

There are others in the student community who are demanding for Smoking Zones where they can go and smoke without affecting the non-smokers. Mayank Khurana, a 3^rd year statistics student of Hindu College, a regular smoker, feels that making the entire University campus a No Smoking Zone is not the best idea.

The Act has provisions for creating places where smokers can light up their cigarettes and smoke freely. Dr. Batra of Max Hospital says, “This act has clearly laid down that whereas in a hotel or a restaurant has the capacity of housing 30 people or more than that, then, it can have a separate smoking zone for it so that the general public is not affected”.

Nevertheless, places like University and college campuses do not fall in that category.

As of now, shutting your eyes to the “No Smoking Zone” boards and lighting your cigarette is a one way ticket to the police station.

By Aqsa Anjum and Sumiran Preet Kaur

Photo: Jaishree

“The pain is unbearable once it starts”, says Nuzhat Begum, a young teacher in Kucha Nahar Khan’s MCD school in Old Delhi who has been suffering from migraine for last ten years। “I ignored it initially but after some time it became unbearable. Soon I was under medication. Though I still get those pangs, but it is not that unbearable.”

Areeba Saeed, a student of Presentation Convent School is another victim of the pain.“During my boards exams, I suffered from anxiety. I used to remain awake at nights and this led to extreme pain in the right side of my head,” points out Areeba. Her mother Zakira Saeed ignored it thinking of it as a routine headache. But constant pain made her realize that it was not a normal headache compliant. Eventually Areeba started vomiting। Her case was severe.

“Refusing to recognize the symptoms is what leads to the problem,” points out Dr. Ajay Rohatgi , an MBBS doctor who owns a private clinic in Daryaganj. “It is a lifestyle disease that can affect anyone. Young generation of today are more prone to it due to their tedious lifestyles, stress and competition,” he adds . “Common triggers of migraine include heat, stress, and lack of sleep or food. But nowadays emotional changes in behavior can also influence the functioning of the brain stem. Migraine is also seen as a family tendency in few cases।”

Recognize the symptoms

The International Headache Society has come up with symptoms of migraine. These include headaches which usually last for between 4 and 72 hours (untreated). The patients will also have at least two of these symptoms:
-one-sided pain
-severe pain
-moderate to severe pain that interrupts your normal life
made worse by physical activity

DR. Parvez Akhtar, a physician who owns a private clinic in Yamuna Vihar says , “

A migraine attack is a chain reaction between nerves due to inflammation of certain nerves that can trouble a person to great extent। The cause of migraine has to do with a breakdown of communication in body with breakdown in communication between nerves.”

Look for Cure

One should not avoid migraine as a mere headache .It should be prevented before it worsens. According to Dr Rohatgi, “It can be cured by avoiding certain food and drinks which have the ability to trigger migraine in a person. Take light food especially bland food . Take lots of water. Avoid hard drinks and soft drinks. Meditation and exercise are good as they calm down the nerves. It is also advisable to sleep in dark room and take adequate rest. No worry is worth your peace of mind.”

By Neha Sethi, Nazia Jafri and Kinley Tshering

India is caught in a paradoxical situation of some sort, at least in this case. While the long running problem of malnutrition is still not solved, India is waking up to yet another rude fact- increasing urban, middle-class obesity.

According to the National Family Health Survey conducted in 2005-06, about 33.1 percent of India’s children below three years are undernourished. Health experts say that at the same time obesity is an emerging public health concern that is increasing especially among India’s affluent strata.

Doctor Atul Shardhana, a consultant pediatric surgeon at Kolmet hospital in New Delhi, says the extent of obesity among Indians living in urban areas has been calculated to be more than 30-33 percent. “What is alarming is the fact that there is an increase in obesity in children and adolescents,” he warns.

While obesity is caused due to improper diet, malnutrition is mainly caused due to insufficient food consumption. But both these diseases are ironically clubbed under the same group-malnourishment. Doctor Gitu, a Delhi based nutritionist, explains both malnutrition and obesity are cases of dietary deficiency. “What we mean by good food is the right kind of food in right quality and quantity.Taking a balanced diet is therefore very important either for an undernourished or an over nourished person,” says Dr Gitu Amarnani.

What many ignore is the eating habits. While the poor section do not have enough to eat, it seems the wealthier have not been eating well either. “India has been traditionally a country of farmers where the problem of availability of food has existed for a long time.Now with the abundance of food available and influence of western culture on the food pattern, obesity among the people is on the rise,” says Dr Shardhana.

The repercussions of obesity and malnutrition are grave on the public health as both the diseases are known to be life threatening. Obesity leads to secondary problems which are now called metabolic syndrome that includes type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular risks and cerebral risks to name a few.

While many attribute this parallel of under nutrition and obesity to India’s status as a ‘developing country’, there are economists who pin point the close relation of this parallel to the economy.

“One of the most important reasons for this is the inequality of income which exists in India। 70 percent of the Indian population is living under Rs 100 a day. Obviously people who cannot afford a proper meal will be malnourished,” says Professor Shahid Ashraf of the economics department in Jamia Millia Islamia.

Struck in this ironical situation, which disease should be given more priority as it concerns the health of two different section of the Indian population?“Malnutrition is the graver of the two। Obesity is a problem but it comes from a society who can contain the disease on their own. But malnutrition affects a huge number of people who has no access to improving their malnourishment,” adds Professor Ashraf.

In fact, India isn’t sure whether it will meet the Millennium Development Goal of reducing under nutrition by 2015. However, it will certainly have to face the growing problem of obesity.