TouchHB...............A SILENT REVOLUTION FOR A HEALTHY INDIA

"As the births of living creatures are at first ill-shapen, so are all innovations, which are the births of time"
meet Myshkin Ingawale , co-founder of an Indian med tech company called Biosense Technologies. Myshkin and his team have developed a portable, mobile phone-sized device to diagnose and monitor anemia non-invasively i.e without needles. The technology works on an optical principle and gives out results instantly.
Myshkin developed TouchHB ,a non invasive diagnostic apparatus for detecting undiagnosed anaemia which causes more than half of the maternal mortality cases in South Asia and Africa ,as is said"Invention is all about seeing what everyone sees and thinking what no one has thought"
A drive from mumbai to parel made him face the truth of Rural India ,that a thing like anaemia which is so easily preventable with iron and folic acid supplements is causing post partum haemorrhage and inturn death,just because of one reason that this engineer who is fond of making things found difficult to digest- Lack of devices,lab technitians to carry out the test
He says that"Public Health in India runs not on shoulder of doctors but on the Asha workers and we had to design something for her"
Why this inclusive thought which may be a common sense too missing from the heirarchy of policy makers?
""To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science" and this creative imagination and more so the concern for the countrymen gave us TouchHB  after failed 32 attempts 
Here is a non invasive apparatus that can count HB in just 20 seconds ,easy to operate and can find a handy place in Asha Didi's bag
Young thoughts,young ideas ,young people are silently bringing about a social revolution,somewhere around us,read about them ,listen to these inspiring Indians at

http://www.ftideacaravan.com/

Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012
. 
...........Myshkin is one such guy

Here is the Ted Talk of myshkin

WHO SAID SUPERHEROES DON'T EXIST??

We all grew up with tales of Superheroes…..some desi ones and some videshi but accept it once in your life we all have been in awe of these superheroes. We all have imagined the world under grave dangers and superhero saving them all and wooing the cutest girl too

Gradually we mature ,we realize that they don’t exist,they save lives only in comics but is it true? A big NO

This month rains and weather created havoc in uttarakhand during the peak season of Hindu pilgrimage ,more than 60000 people got stranded in cold,water without any food and water

Those who survived the cloudburst and flood that ravaged Uttarakhand are limping back home with harrowing tales of spending four days without food and water, being forced to pay Rs.200 for a Rs.5 biscuit packet, and of a former Bihar minister who slept on a "layer of dead bodies".
The hundreds and thousands returning to safety from the rain ravaged Kedar Valley and other parts of devastated Uttarakhand have stories to narrate of human insensitivity, as some locals are fleecing the trapped pilgrims and tourists in the wake of shortages of food supply, shelter, medicines and drinking water The scenes of abandoned bodies ,everywhere land submerged under water is scary to the core reminding us of the mythological euphemism of ”Tandav” by Lord Shiva
And who else than our Indian Army,Air Force and Paramilitary forces saved the day, nonstop rescue operations, medical aid to old, infirm and injured and even staying back at the flood sites so that more and more stranded people can be airlifted Men in uniform owe this to us .Endless stories of bravery, sensitivity and rescue have been viral on internet, we all are sharing pics of these amazing persons ,tweeting about them, blogging but do remember when the water recedes and things get back to normal ,don’t ever forget that …………….”SUPERHEROES DO EXIST “ and they are in between us donning that uniform
IMPORTANT- those who wish to contribute funds for supporting the relief operations can send cheques to Prime Minister National relief fund at
https://pmnrf.gov.in/payform.php

If you wish to send blankets,food packs and relief material ,send them to NGO ‘Goonj” on 011 4140216 

JAB GHAYAL HUA HIMALAYA,KHATRE ME PADI AZADI.....I

VIJAY DIWAS-The day when our Indian Armed forces won a war at Kargil, the war against Pakistan in 1999 The cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the LOC Chief Of Army showed involvement of Pakistani paramilitary forces,  Indian Army, later on supported by the Indian Air Force, recaptured a majority of the positions on the Indian side of the LOC infiltrated by the Pakistani troops and militants

And how easily we overlook this supreme sacrifice sayint it’s a soldier’s duty  

The war till date remains a tale of Valor ,bravery and struggle among inhospitable terrains ,logistics crunch and High altitude warfare One of the reason why Kargil was targeted was that the terrain surrounding it led to preemptive  seizure of unoccupied military position,akin to a fortress,so the army at higher position had the strategic advantage of position

DATE (1999)	HISTORICAL EVENT
May 3	Pakistani intrusion in Kargil reported by local shepherds
May 5	Indian Army patrol sent up; Five Indian soldiers captured and tortured to death.
May 9	Heavy shelling by Pakistan Army damages ammunition dump in Kargil
May 10	Infiltrations first noticed in Dras, Kaksar and Mushkoh sectors
Mid-May	Indian Army moves in more troops from Kashmir Valley to Kargil Sector
May 26	IAF launches air strikes against infiltrators
May 27	IAF loses two fighters — MiG-21 and MiG-27;. Flt Lt Nachiketa taken POW
May 28	IAF MI-17 shot down by Pakistan; four air crew dead
June 1	Pakistan steps up attacks; bombs NH 1A
June 5	Indian Army releases documents recovered from three Pakistani soldiers indicating Pakistan’s involvement
June 6	Indian Army launches major offensive in Kargil
June 9	Indian Army re-captures two key positions in the Batalic sector
June 11	India releases intercepts of conversation between Pakistani Army Chief Gen Pervez Musharraf, while on a visit to China and Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Aziz Khan in Rawalpindi, as proof of Pakistani Army’s involvement
June 13	Indian Army secures Tololing in Dras
June 15	US President Bill Clinton, in a telephonic conversation, asks Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to pull out from Kargil
June 29	Indian Army captures two vital posts — Point 5060 and Point 5100 near Tiger Hill
July 2	Indian Army launches three-pronged attack in Kargil
July 4	Indian Army recaptures Tiger Hill after an 11-hour battle
July 5	Indian Army takes control of Dras. Sharif announces Pakistani army’s withdrawal from Kargil following his meeting with Clinton
July 7	India recaptures Jubar Heights in Batalik
July 11	Pakistan begins pullout; India captures key peaks in Batalik
July 14	Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declares Operation Vijay a success. Government sets condition for talks with Pakistan
July 26	Kargil conflict officially comes to an end. Indian Army announces complete eviction of Pak intruders

               

Gallantry awards

A number of Indian soldiers earned awards for gallantry during the campaign.^[79]

·         Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav, 18 Grenadiers, Param Vir Chakra

·         .Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey, 1/11 Gorkha Rifles, Param Vir Chakra, Posthumous

·         Captain Vikram Batra, 13 JAK Rifles, Param Vir Chakra, Posthumous

·         Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, 13 JAK Rifles, Param Vir Chakra

·         Captain Anuj Nayyar,17 JAT Regiment, Maha Vir Chakra, Posthumous

·         Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, 18 Grenadiers, Maha Vir Chakra, Posthumous

·         Major Saravanan, 1 Bihar, Vir Chakra, Posthumous

·         Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, Indian Air Force, Vir Chakra, Posthumous

This Vijay Diwas ,light a candle in name of these bravehearts of Indian land,say a thankyou to them because they never winked for a second before laying out their life for their motherland

“I Salute, 
The Army, 
who risk their lives for their country.
I Salute, 
The Soldiers, 
who marched to the boundries of our Nation
to serve our Motherland.
I Salute, 
The Soldiers, 
who fight the enemy, 
facing bullets
falling to death from high ridges.
No one hear their scream.
Its such a lonely Death.
They are Our Infentry Men! 

Our hats off to such a Soldiers, 
who moves
to die for the nation.
They know, they have a duty, 
they have a pledge, 
they have a promise to keep! 

The Soldiers move forward, 
never asking question
never expecting an answer.

Brave, 
In the face of Death, 
facing bullets
dying alone in the snow.

Brave, 
That is what Our Soldiers are..... Sehar

The unsung saga of 18tH ROYAL GARHWALI RIFLES

Indian National Movement: the longest struggle of freedom that any country in the world went through and what makes it all together different is its unique nature “Non Violence embedded with extremism” .Who were the real heroes? Gandhi? Bhagat Singh? Vallabh bhai Patel? They were the leaders ,what made the national movement successful was the participation of that common Indian man who believed in them,who actually thought that burning the foreign clothes would bring his/her country independence Yes it was these unnamed,unsung heroes that brought light to India in the midnight of 14^th august 1947

In this post  we will talk about one such hero _18^th ROYAL GARHWALI  RIFLES .the period was  1930 ,freedom movement was going through an inactive phase .On 25 april 1930 Events in Peshawar took a dramatic turn. Gaffar Khan’s Pathan movement (who were called khudai khidmatgars)stayed non violent ,but it attracted large number of pathans who joined them in the hope that they would free them of the clutches of exploitative moneylenders.In six months from 1929-1930 the congress membership rose to 50000 from 500 .The British freely used aerial bombardment and arrested Gaffar Khan

This led to a massive upsurge in Peshawar with crowds confronting armored troops and defying all laws leading to intensive firing at Kishakahani Bazaar .According to official estimates 30 were killed but the death toll in real was 250-300 .

  A remarkable incident took place .Two platoons of Second Battalion of 18^th ROYAL GARHWALI RIFLES .all Hindu troops facing a Muslim crowd  ,refused to fire,broke ranks and fraternized with the crowd handing over their weapons they were later to declare before their court martial and were shot by canons on the charges of sedition

That was the passion to die for the country,that was the extent of Hindu-Muslim Unity  ,that was the junoon when people did not fear death and lets salute those real heroes …………Never ever forget their sacrifice…………sehar   

        

Train from.........PAKISTAN

Once again this story has its origin in a train ,it so happenned that I was on my way to my hometown & as soon as the train left Delhi ,I opened up a book and was engrossed in reading .Around me was a family with 3 kids who were howling & shouting &throwing things on floor,in short taking all the benefit of them being “the little ones” After an hour a voice said

“Maaf kariyega mohtarma,aapko in bachhon ke karan badi takalluf uthani pad rahi hai”

I said “ Nahi Nahi ye to chote bachhe hain” whereas in my mind I was thinking “Aisa kaun bolta hai yaar( who says like this )” and the well known human mind’s curiosity didn’t let me read ,I asked to the gentleman where were they going to ,got a reply “Nagpur” and then to Amravati . I said” coming from delhi?”

And got  a reply which solved the mystery of that urdu accent “ We are coming from PAKISTAN”

Pakistan??? I never knew Bilaspur Rajdhani comes from Pakistan .The gentleman laughed , told that they came to delhi and then are moving towards Amravati to visit a childhood friend  of his mother who is seriously ill

Friend?? Ok,our history books say once we were one and many of prominent activities of freedom struggle took place in lahore

After exchanging pleasentries ,I came to know that the gentleman Dr Shaukat was also a doctor and his lovely wife told me with almost a child like enthusiasm that her sister is also a doctor and was settled in Dubai .Why Dubai?i asked to which I came to know that Pakistan is still not a very progressive society when it comes to women working but then she also defended instantly saying things are changing and they would return back to their country to vote ,the first time for 37 year old Nagma

After some time I was offered “Peshaver ka halwa”,”khajoor ki kachori” and “lahore ka namkeen” which looked mouth watering but the logical mind screamed “You should not take any food from strangers” and the probability of risk grows when the strangers are from other side of border .Well I gave a look to the yummy food stuff and politely refused

The talks with Dr Shaukat revolved aroud the girl education ,medical field,exaggerating problem of power cut and it was refreshing to know from him that the youth wants change ,they want to get educated ,no politics of hatred ,want to work and bring about a change in the attitude of outside world towards their nation

Nagpur comes early morning,when they left ,bid a “Khuda Hafiz” ,mother of Dr shaukat kept a hand on my head and wished me”Barkat” from her Khuda Dr Shaukat and Nagma  wished me”behisaab khushiyaan” while I prayed for the good health of the Indian friend of the Pakistani lady

Off they went and with them went the “Peshawar ka halwa,Khajoor ki kachauri” from my eyesight,the train left nagpur and sleep was gone from my eyes .Suddenly I realised that in the pace of modernisation are we forgetting human values? As we have closed ourselves into AC Compartments have we closed the way to our hearts too??gone are those days when every journey to village in the sleeper compartment ,sharing the home cooked meals with strangers earned us friends to whom our parents used to send postcards?? And then the biggest question: who is more dangerous- a gang of men who can rape you in the light of a metro city, the sick people who ogle you when you wear a short dress and make you feel naked, a group of so called left wing extemists who kill their own men with such a brutality that can’t be judged in any parameter of humanity…….or a stranger family from a nation ,a neighbouring nation who is always portrayed as an enemy.If you happen to find an answer ,do let me know……….till then stay safe and keep the women around you too safe…..Seher

(P.S.- The views expressed in the blog are personal and if you happen to be a crazy lunatic under the mask of a patriot,please spare yourself from the difficulty of reading )

Celebrate the month of love with V SPOT CAFE

THE FRONT WALL

A Warm sunny Sunday that took me to V SPOT CAFÉ at Saket through Blogadda’s “Let the treat follow,Let the words flow” contest and hey it was a day well spent , A cafe which embraces you with its Rock On ambiance as soon as you enter : Colorful interiors,funky one liners,an amazing bar,a cool staff that keeps you engaged with some interesting games &of course the whole feel of Channel V everywhere .

What makes VSPOT Café different from others is its varied menu ,that too in a very affordable prices .If you are looking for a place where you can get high on soft drinks and finger licking food,where you wish to dance and enjoy with some cool names of breezers and cocktails ,V SPOT Café is your answer .We ordered a “Rumble in the Jungle Pizza” and two shakes –Chocolica and nutty delight to keep it light The pizza was thin crust ,well cooked and delicious .The shakes were so beautiful to look at that it felt a crime to disturb the whole look 

A brief chat with Mr Bappi –the floor manager ,he told us that the cafe has many outlets in different cities and is a big hit among the youth who look for a great place to hang out .The cafe regularly comes up with interesting theme parties like the  “Ghost Theme” at new year and Mr Bappi politely refused to divulge us the details of Valentine Day theme saying it’s a surprise but it would be best in the town……..I am planning to check out that surprise.Are you?

As is the tradition of the cafe to keep your guests engaged Rajeev,an employee dared us with some  interesting games like blowing up the egg without cracking it up &balancing a shot glass on a 100 rupee note ,we were destined to loose and we lost ,to our amazement Rajeev did it in a very clean and experienced way .The cost of losing up was to face a Dare and Rajeev asked us to convince the Manager and two other guests to dance .after a brief round of girlish convincing they agreed ,we joined them too to shake legs on “Gangnam Style"

                                                                                                                                                                                                             It was a great day, Do check out this amazing cafe at Saket and gurgaon for some awesome food,a great DJ ,a place where you are dared to play a game and everyone cheers ,for the funky napkins and lest I forget its washroom where you can record a message,upload a photo that’s played on Channel V   (now isn't that SUPER COOL) 

February is a month of autumn,cool weather,friendship,love,romance,dates …so visit this cafe ,write a blog,tweet,post a status update and Let the treat follow ,Let the words flow……………THANKYOU  BLOGADDA

"“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one

” 

Go find your one such moment at VSPOT Cafe

ON ARMY DAY...........NEVER FORGET....BECAUSE THEY NEVER FAIL AND NEVER FORGET TO SERVE

ON ARMY DAY..........a post in gratitude to the men who serve our country amid all odds away from their homes and families to held that tricolor high 

"We murmur daily and complain
Of irritations, minor pain,
And yet we stand, in freedom's gain,
View sacrifices with disdain.
This very day, around the globe,
The faithful stand upon the Hope,
Their bodies marred, their lives laid down
To gain a share of Heaven's crown.
These humble heroes meekly stand
And place their trust in nation's hand;
They count their sorrows wholly blest
To serve a calling o'er the rest.
Although their human lives be spent,
No enemy can circumvent.
With mortar mixed from martyr's blood,
The nation will stand through fire and blood"

For a while just say a word of thank you to these soldiers as we are sleeping peacefully at our homes as they are out there serving in tough terrains and harsh weather
"करता हूँ मैं देशभक्तों नमन

जाँ पे खेला बचाया है तुमने वतन
ज़ुल्म सहते रहे गोली खाते रहे
बीच लाशों के तुम मुस्कुराते रहे
कतरे-कतरे से तुमने ये सींचा चमन
आज करता हूँ मैं देशभक्तों नमन
साँप बनकर जो आए थे डसने हमें
कुचला पैरों से तुमने मिटाया उन्हें
कर दिया पल में ही दुश्मनों का दमन
आज करता हूँ मैं देशभक्तों नमन
सर झुकाया नहीं सर कटाते रहे
देख बलिदान दुश्मन भी जाते रहे
माँ ने बाँधा था सर पे तुम्हारे कफ़न
करता हूँ मैं देशभक्तों नमन."

-(the poem in hindi is through a post on Indian Army Fans FB Page)