Month: September 2015

Categories
Trends

Mumbai drivers do not let ambulances pass

Nanavati Hospital’s recently conducted mock ambulance drive finds continued apathy from the city’s road traffic towards ambulances rushing patients to hospitals.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The chances of a patient’s survival after a traumatic injury is directly related to how fast (s)he receives emergency care, called as ‘Golden Hour’ in medical parlance. Aimed at providing quality emergency care, Vile-Parle based Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital recently conducted a mock ambulance drive awareness campaign, named as ‘Mujhe Rasta Do’.

The drive was aimed to measure the responsiveness of Mumbai’s drivers in giving way to ambulances in traffic, while also creating awareness about giving way to ambulances so that lives may be saved. 10 ambulances drove to Nanavati Hospital from different locations; the aim was to reach in the shortest possible time.

Said Dr Rajendra Patankar, COO, Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, “It is well established that the patient’s chances of survival are greatest if they receive care within a short period of time after a severe injury. In emergency medicine, the Golden Hour is the time period following traumatic injury – a very small duration but with a high possibility of saving a life on providing prompt medical treatment.”

The drill included 10 different ambulances travelling from different locations across the city to reach Nanavati Hospital within the shortest time span. The initiative commenced from 11 am with all ambulances travelling from different locations without patients, but with the siren on. “Other vehicles did not make way for the ambulance to pass by, despite hearing the siren. This creates immense pressure on us to help the patient reach the hospital on time.

“Many times, the ambulance gets blocked in huge traffic creating delay to get the patient admitted in the emergency care unit. People also tried to drive right behind the ambulance thinking that if they followed it, they would also reach faster. This creates further blocks and difficulties,” said one of the ambulance drivers.

Said Maharashtra Health Minister Dr Deepak Sawant, “The State of Maharashtra has recently created a green corridor for a heart transplant. A green corridor between the hospital in Pune to the airport and another one from Mumbai’s Santacruz airport to Mulund was created at a moment’s notice. There is an urgent need to create an ambulance freeway to address the emergency medical care needs within the shortest period of time. The State Health Ministry will definitely work towards such initiatives with the State Road Transport Department.”

(Picture courtesy www.youtube.com)

Categories
Film

Review: Tu Hi Re

A film about having a secret past and making peace with circumstances, Tu Hi Re is a good love story.
by Ravi Shet

Rating: 3 out of 5

Tu Hi Re is a story about love, arranged marriage and fidelity.

The film starts with Nandini (Sai Tamhankar), a village belle who gets a marriage proposal from Mumbai-based boy Siddharth Desai (Swwapnil Joshi). Her family is happy that the boy is not asking for a dowry and is well settled in Mumbai, while Nandini is upset because it is her dearest ambition to have a love marriage. Siddharth marries Nandini without even meeting or talking her once. On their first night, Siddharth is uncommunicative, but Nandini expresses her feelings about their sudden marriage and how she was initially unhappy.

The story then moves ahead by 8 years. Siddharth and Nandini have a happy married life in Mumbai with their bubbly daughter Pihu (Mrunal Jadhav). Nandini finds a job in a hotel while Siddharth is an engineer in a textile company. Enter MLA Kamlakar Bhanushali (Girish Oak), who tells Siddharth that he can get the latter’s company more funds if he leaves his wife. This upsets Siddharth, who is further rattled when he sees the MLA at mall shortly after. Suddenly, his behaviour changes towards his wife and daughter. Finally, Nandini confronts him but he does not reveal the reason for his behaviour.

 

The next day, Nandini receives a package at home and is shocked at the contents: inside are a few pictures of Siddharth garlanding another girl. She later finds out that the girl is Bhairavi (Tejaswini Pandit), and she is MLA Bhanushali’s daughter. What happens next forms the crux of the story.

Sanjay Jadhav’s direction and screenplay are very good, and the film has some great background music. The performance are top notch – Sai Tamhankar and Swwapnil Joshi excel in their respective roles, and while the other actors lend good support as well. The film is a one-time watch and a good treat for fans of Sai Tamhankar and Swwapnil Joshi.

(Picture courtesy filmcollection.in)

Categories
Learn

All in one preparation for study abroad

Are you planning to study abroad? Read on to know a few rules for cracking the admissions and moving process.
by Adarsh Khandelwal, Co-founder, Collegify

In recent years, studying abroad has become an increasingly attractive option. While many dream about it, only a few make these dreams a reality.

Planning is the key to the entire process. One can significantly increase his chances of making it to a great university abroad by simply focusing on the right things at the right times. There’s no point of spreading oneself out too thin and resorting to multiple sources at once. You are only likely to be overwhelmed and confused with all that comes toward you. The first thing you need to do is gauge whether a foreign education is for you – academically and otherwise.

Do your research

Talk to students, alumni and possibly professors from the institutions you are considering to acquire an understanding of what you might be getting yourself into. Accordingly, gauge whether you would be interested in pursuing the option further. Next, talk to your parents and make your goals and plans clear to them while explaining to them the details, merits and demerits of the programs. You and your family need to take a hard look at yourselves financially and ascertain whether you will require external financial assistance or not.

Find professional help

Now that you’re firm on studying abroad, you need to strategise. For this, find an educational consultant who understands you and your goals and is committed to helping you realise them. The ideal counsellor will give you a comprehensive understanding of the application process, help you identify the best institutions for you, and assist you with the preparation of a timeline for standardized tests (SATs, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, TOEFL, IELTS, etc.) and essays. Prepare well for the standardised tests but account for time that may be required for a second or third attempt (with high costs, you should look to avoid them as much as possible). Essays are a crucial component of the application and you will need time to write and perfect multiple drafts.

Build your profile

Universities abroad seek holistically developed individuals, so you’re going to need a lot more than just good test scores and recommendations. You will need to start building your profile from a young age by pursuing your strengths and interests. A typical profile includes project work, summer internships, extra-curricular activities and volunteer work. If you already know where you want to go professionally, you could also start networking with individuals in the industry to understand the skill set required to succeed and begin working on developing those skills. This could help you land valuable summer internships in college that could lead to full-time jobs upon graduation.

The application process

Understand the details of the application process very well. Sometimes, colleges have nuanced differences in their application processes that might need to customise your application accordingly.

Help your school/college understand how to draft transcripts and recommendation letter that would portray you in the best possible light. Don’t hesitate to contact admissions committees with doubts. They are always happy to help and might even share information that may not be on their websites. Not just that, you might also gain an edge over competition by creating some recall value for your self in the committee.

Work on your applications in such a way that you have a month’s time to go over all your details and possibly edit some essays as well. Once satisfied with your work, compile all documents and mail them out or submit them online well in advance of the deadline. An early submission of an application gives you a better chance of being interviewed and sharing a side of yourself you were unable to in the applications. Also, if you achieve or do something significant in the period between submission and decisions, make sure you contact the admissions office and update them.

Once the course begins

Don’t be too hard on yourself when it comes to adjusting socially and making friends. Try – as much as possible – to be yourself. The more you try to put up an appearance, the more awkward and different you will appear to others. It’s okay if you’re not dressed like everyone else, or not in the popular clique. Relationships take time to develop and you can’t expect to forge ties like the ones you had with your friends back home within weeks.

Studying abroad is not about the fun, games, glitz and glamour of being in a first-world country. It is a serious life decision. You’re there for a reason – to grow to become an independent and resilient individual and push yourself to discover and realise the potential that may have never known you had. It is a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity offering exciting experiences ranging from learning about new cultures, speaking a new language, making new friends from diverse socio-economic,political and ethnic backgrounds, to discussing issues you might never have considered. With each of them, you can discover a new side of yourself, but it’s down to you to seize every moment.

(Picture courtesy www.youthincmag.com. Image is used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Film

Review: Dholki

A man who produces dholki notes with his bare hands? This film has an interesting story marred by boring execution.
by Ravi Shet

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Dholki, directed by Raju and Vishal Desai, is a comedy drama set in a village in Maharashtra. The film starts with a bhajan in a temple where villagers from different sections have come together. Lalya (Siddharth Jadhav) who has come with his mother (Jyoti Chandekar) is seen sleeping in the temple premises; however villagers rouse him. He prays to God and tells to forgive the villagers, since they have awakened him and God. Lalya is a lazy man, often referred to as ‘Kumbhakaran’ by the villagers; however he is also honest and straightforward. His mother tells the villagers that he has no job at hand, so she doesn’t mind if he sleeps all the time.

Wealthy Patil (Sayaji Shinde) of the village tries to get Lalya a job in the school. The head master of the school tells Lalya to produce his education certificate so that he can give him a job. While searching for the certificate at his home, he accidentally finds a dholki that belonged to his late father. Initially, he is puzzled to see the dholki, however he enjoys playing it. On hearing the sound, his mother intervenes and makes him promise never to touch it again.

 

After this, Lalya becomes aware of a special power in his hands – when he hits a surface, one can hear a dholki play in lavani style. On his mother’s advice, he starts practicing on the dholki for bhajans; however the moment his hands touch it, the dholki produces lavani notes. At this juncture, the good looking Lalibai (Manasi Naik) who owns a tamasha group is impressed by Lalya’s talent and gets him to join their shows.

The first half of the film is paced well, but the second half falls flat. Redeeming factors are the music by Tubby Parikh and cinematography by Rahul Jadhav. Siddharth Jadhav does an excellent job and carries the film on his shoulders. Other than these, there is little to recommend in this film.

(Picture courtesy www.marathidhamaal.com)

Categories
Hum log

The man who wants to make volunteering sexy

Shalabh Sahai, co-founder and director of iVolunteer, talks about starting the country’s first volunteer service enterprise and taking it places.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

For a country long grappling with a range of issues – from dire poverty to lack of water  and public toilets – it is astonishing to note that we have not yet given a serious thought to a basic idea: Helping with time and skill.

Today, NGOs work for the betterment of society in various parts of the country, and several Indians wish to help out many development projects. How to help is the key question, and many of us take the middle ground by donating money towards social causes. But what about actual, on-ground help?

This question led to the creation of iVolunteer, a platform that engages and connects skilled and passionate volunteers with the right social causes in India and abroad. Co-founded by Shalabh Sahai (39), iVolunteer today partners over 300 NGOs and several corporates, and is best known for its innovative models like Whiteboard, GYAN and Impact Projects suited to the skill-based volunteering context in India.

We spoke to Shalabh about starting iVolunteer and what people are actually signing up for when they take up volunteering for social causes. Excerpts from the interview:

Tell us about starting iVolunteer. Why did you feel the need for it?

iVolunteerI completed my MBA studies in Rural Management from IRMA, Gujarat, and constantly noticed that what was taught in management schools was very different from what actually happened on-ground. It was like we existed in two Indias, with nothing to reconcile the two. This was in 2000, when NGOs were working in silo, and when we founded iVolunteer at this time, we felt the need to break this pattern. Every social cause needs dedicated volunteers, change cannot happen with just NGO work on the ground.

Many people donate money to social causes, but this is an impersonal contribution. Volunteering involves donating one’s time and skill and is more personal. iVolunteer was started with the idea of matching passionate people’s skills and time with a suitable cause.

What were the initial days of starting iVolunteer like?

In a year of starting, we realised that there were many takers for the idea but not many on-ground conversions. The newer generation does not have a history of working with non-profits, so there was a big disconnect. We realised that we would have to handhold both the volunteers and the NGOs initially.

This was a time when the Internet was being accessed mostly from office, so we had a lot of working professionals making inquiries. There was a lot of skill and passion coming to the table, but these were people who didn’t have too much time to spare. We devised a training module to orient new volunteers.

Which causes are people most interested in?

Education and children. In Mumbai, there were many inquiries for children’s education. People expressed a desire to teach for 2 or 3 hours on a Saturday. But we ask each potential volunteer: are you actually willing to volunteer your time every Saturday? What about social commitments? Many people rethink their initial plan after a while. But there are many others who volunteer their skills. When working with an NGO that works with children, for example, we had a volunteer with an IT background develop an app that helps track counsellor attendance. Or another could help with administrative work. There are many areas in volunteering, you just have to pick the one that matches your skill and passion.

Why would anyone go through iVolunteer when looking for volunteers?

Because we match volunteer interests to community needs and we help strategise the volunteering effort. We are able to align volunteers across geographies, skills and time availability. This saves time and cost for corporates and NGOs looking for dedicated volunteers.

Where is iVolunteer currently?

After 14 years, we have now devised different models of volunteering – short term, long term and overseas. iVolunteer sends about 40 to 50 Indian volunteers volunteer overseasevery year to such areas as Nigeria, Mongolia, East Timor, South Africa…they work in the areas of health, HIV/AIDS, NGO management, education, etc. for a little over 1 year. Over 300 Indians have already been a part of this activity.

Then we have India Fellow, a youth social leadership programme. People under 28 years of age work for 13 months in development projects in a rural or urban setting that takes them away from home. This helps them learn about society in a different context.

We also started JobsForGood, which is a platform to get full time talent in the development world.

Why did you start iVolunteer Awards?

Over 14 years of building connections in the country made us realise that nobody recognises the value of volunteering. Even when people like you and I volunteer, we do it secretly because we feel shy talking about it. This mindset needs to change – we must bring volunteering out in the open and celebrate its spirit. The iVolunteer Awards are a way of recognising excellence and best practices in volunteering today, so that a roadmap can be created and others will be inspired as well.

My aim is to make volunteering sexy, because it won’t sell till then. We need to wake up and realise how important volunteering one’s skills and time is to our development story.

 

Categories
Do

How light influences your home

It’s not enough for the home to be beautiful, it needs sufficient light as well. Here’s how you can light up.
by Reyna Mathur

Many people do up their homes beautifully, sparing no expense on furniture and fittings. And then they fix ordinary tube lights and bulbs on the walls, killing off the beauty of the house in one stroke. You cannot leave the lighting of the house for last – light design is a discipline in architecture and interior design, and the fitting of lighting appliances in your home cannot be an afterthought.

People hardly ever give a thought to light as an element. It is available in both natural and artificial form, and it is up to a good designer to harness its power and beauty after studying the layout of the house. If not done right, your house can result in dim passages, over-lit bedrooms, dark entrance foyers, and dank bathrooms. Knowing which light is required for which space, and what sort of light design will get the best out of your home, is crucial.

If you haven’t thought about this subject before, let us offer you a handy guide:

Sunlight is key. Science dictates that sunlight kills a host of bacteria, clears the air and enhances our mood. The absence of sunlight acts on our mood directly – ever wondered why you feel a little gloomy during the rains, when there are cloudy grey skies? Hence, your home must receive an ample share of sunlight every day. Sitting in a patch of early morning sunlight will give you the required amount of Vitamin D for your body, and as the morning progresses, sunlight will purify your surroundings. Homes not receiving direct sunlight have a distinct disadvantage in this sense. Even if the light is piercing, don’t shut it out entirely from your home with heavy drapes. Expose your home to at least two hours of sunlight.

Which directions do your rooms face? However, direct sunlight can force you to beat a hasty retreat, especially if you’re at work in the kitchen or working on the computer in your bedroom. Architectural principles dictate that sunlight should enter directly in the living room and kitchen area, and also possibly in the toilet and bathroom, to reap all its natural benefits. But the bedroom spaces must be free of direct sunlight, because it can disturb sleeping patterns. When buying a new house, study the directions on a compass. Your bedroom should face the North direction, while the living room and other spaces may face the South. North lighting is the best – it is subdued, so you don’t need to shut the drapes on it. Those looking for studio space must insist on the light coming from the North direction, because it is the best for painting and comparing colours.

The right bulbs and lights. To save money, people opt for white tube lights all over the house. While this is a matter of personal preference, interior designers will tell you that the white light associated with a tube light or ‘cold’ halogen bulb is to be used in the kitchen and bathroom spaces only, not in the living spaces such as the living room and bedroom. In these living spaces, diffused yellow light is the best, because we spend most of our time in these spaces so the lighting conditions should be ideal. You can install yellow CFLs in the home if you are looking for a cost-effective, long term alternative to the usual light bulbs.

Hot and cool lights. Every lighting implement – whether natural or unnatural – has the element of ‘heat’ attached to it. Thus, white light associated with tube lights is ‘cooler’ than yellow light, because white light has no heat component. In contrast, yellow light emanating from the Sun or manmade light bulbs is ‘hot’ in nature, because close contact with it will make you experience heat (a big reason you can’t soak in the sunlight for very long). Ordinary tungsten filament light bulbs of 100W or more illumination are often used to provide heat in incubators, or to dry out a freshly painted wall and make the colour stick. If you are confused about which ones to opt for in your home, enlist the help of a knowledgeable interior designer to suggest options.

(Pictures courtesy www.foreignpixel.com. Image is used for representational purpose only)

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