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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)

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The mistakes of a start-up owner

Where every second person is the owner of a ‘start up’, business owners would fare better after changing their mindset.
by Reyna Mathur

Are you an entrepreneur with a fresh start up company just waiting (or struggling) to get off its feet? After the first heady rush of getting your ideas into action, securing funding for your venture, even getting a partner or two on board, buying or renting an office premises and hiring a certain number of staff members, it is time to ask – Now what?

Why do so many start-ups fail?

Most start-ups are born for a reason, fuelled by a passionate dream. They even find financial backing from partners who are as invested in that start up’s vision as the founder himself. And yet, once the first few days, then weeks, then months roll by, several start-ups fall by the wayside. Several shut down after the first year of operations, others scale down considerably, while still others cut their losses and sell. Many others continue to struggle, before finally giving up in the face of mounting losses.

1. Allowing the dream to die. “The thing to remember is that whatever happens, closing down is not an option,” says Manali Sengupta (34), who founded an online cooking class a few years ago. She is now based in the US. “What most people do is spend a lot of time gathering their resources for a year, maybe two years. What they don’t spend enough time is on internalising their vision, making it so powerful that even in times of obstacle, their dream should pull them through. A friend of mine also started a similar venture like mine, but she gave it up in a few months because she couldn’t find many interested takers.”

It is said that those who let their dreams die do not dream hard enough. The trick is to pull on and motivate yourself to push ahead, especially on the bad days.

2. Not doing market research. What may seem like a great idea to you might have already been implemented by somebody else. Take the time to study the potential market and the need for your business in it. If there are 10 people already doing the same thing that you are doing, you need to ask yourself if following on their footsteps is the right way to go. You might have to tweak your idea to come up with a better solution than your competition.

Studying your market with an expert and then floating the idea to people you trust will help you get initial feedback which is most crucial for any start up.

3. Not being innovative. Again, this deals with not thinking through your business objective enough, but we’re going to go a step ahead and explore the possibility where a person owns a start up with a great idea but whose mode of operations is about 20 years old. “A student of mine started a small news website two years ago,” says Geetha Sukumar, a media professional from Chennai. “She worked very hard at it, but she ran it like she would run a print publication. Very soon she began to struggle because she was not able to attract ad revenue to it. I advised her to reassess the medium she was dabbling in – digital is an instant medium, so you cannot give delayed updates. She quickly regrouped and now she owns five other web platforms.”

4. Trying to reinvent the wheel. In a world where zany ideas are being pitched by the second, it is next to impossible to create a concept or product which may be an actual new invention. It is sometimes enough to just give a new spin on a contemporary idea – instead of reinventing the wheel, it is sometimes sufficient to let the wheel assume a new avatar which others have not thought of before. Take the case of two Mumbai-based sisters who came up with a blanket that protects the wearer from mosquitoes. Instead of spending months in researching and trying to come up with skin creams or products to kill mosquitoes at their breeding sites, they simply understood that humans are at their most vulnerable when they are asleep – and hence created a protective layer against dengue and malaria-causing mosquitoes. Today, their patented blanket is being sold in large numbers and they have orders from all over the country.

5. Trying to make money from Day 1. Any good businessperson will tell you that a new venture takes a minimum of two years to make good money, and a further three years to stabilise. Sure, you may start making money in the first few months, but remember that each period of monetary gain is followed by a plateauing of creativity and funds. Only perseverance and more hard work can help you tide over these bad phases.

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

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Book trailers: ‘Watching’ stories

There is something so inherently wrong about book trailers. This is a book geek’s rant, but it bears thinking over.
by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

Ours is a generation of consumers. We are not just fashionably materialistic but also nerdy in our hoarding ways. And so, books aren’t meant to be passed on from one sibling to another, not unless they are super expensive. With the advent of the Rs 99 only book, everyone is a reader. And thanks to the marketing gimmicks which are meticulously planned, one hears more about the book even before anybody reads it.

The story of the IITian writer is now legend; he wrote a book categorically with a marketing vision in mind, and the woman editor of a prominent publishing house rejected his draft for reasons quite literary. She stood her ground for rejecting his supposed magnum opus. But his book finally found a home, and his first ‘blockbuster’ book created a furore. This gave many Dalal Street writers and IITians with scant knowledge (and regards) for the rules of English grammar and sentence construction the impetus to start writing books. As long as the cash registers are ringing, who cares!

After the books, come book trailers

The latest to join the marketing brigade are the book trailers. Yes, you read it right – forget waiting for a plum movie deal to come their way, the over-imaginative publishing teams are giving the readers a sneak video peak of the upcoming books. Animation, visual effects, voiceovers by stars and a launch pad for the trailer attended by Bollywood stars…this is how future ‘successful’ books are anticipated and marketed these days.

Amish Tripathi’s no-holds barred Scion of Ikshvaku trailer had set tongues wagging even before the hugely successful book launch. With the slick animation, one feels the book might have been written for a television adaptation in the future. There are other book trailers wherein the protagonist narrates crucial paragraphs to intrigue the readers among the viewers. And there are a few authors who like to question the audience on the perplexities of the character’s situation – thus building the suspense.

 

Do we need to market books like this?

But these marketing ideas rob away the charm of a book. Each book, I believe, has a unique voice. And that voice is the one given by the reader. The world an author creates with his words can be interpreted in myriad ways by each individual reader. Our experiences and circumstances give the book and its character a unique shape in our imaginations. This silhouette will forever be etched in our mind and that is what makes books and their stories memorable.

It is said each book comes to you at the right time. So while a Romeo And Juliet will be taught and read in school, it is only when you experience the first throes of love will you grasp the true meaning of Shakespeare’s words.

By releasing book trailers, marketing teams are subtly telling the readers ‘how’ to read. These dictate what kind of voice the book’s protagonist should talk in, how they should look and much more. One of the reasons movie adaptations of books are disliked by many readers is the loss of the unique voice. With every reader being forced to imagine the book as interpreted by the director, it loses its charm.

Your mind’s eye is what binds you to a book. A few exceptions to the movie-book adaptations are the superhero and sci-fi fantasy films. Their futuristic world is undoubtedly hazy in everyone’s mind and hence a clear image of the author’s writings is appreciated.

JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series is another exception. The happiness and thrill a reader feels when Harry enters the magical realm of Hogwarts and seeing it on the screen is what makes the series more lovable.

As for the Indian book trailers, only time will tell how profitable they are for the publishers. Till then, let us just wait and ‘watch’ these books.

What do you think of book trailers? Tell us in the comments section below.

(Picture courtesy indianexpress.com. Image is a file picture of Amish Tripathi’s book launch)

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Mumbai is choking on its own filth

The BMC’s environmental status report for Mumbai and an independent report by city-based NGO reveal disturbing pollution levels in Mumbai.
by Praja Foundation, Mumbai

Mumbai is home to 12.44 million (enough to fill the Wankhede stadium approximately 376 times) people, today. Every sixth Mumbaikar hails from a slum.The net waste production of our city is over 10,060 MT (Million Tonnes) of garbage everyday. The waste is disposed at the Deonar and Mulund dumping grounds,both of which have been due for closure since more than five years now. Cars on Mumbai roads, cause untold congestion, air and noise pollution.Toxic nitrogen dioxide (causes acid-rain, and ozone layer depletion resulting in hotter summers) and Suspended Particulate Matter levels are rising every day.

Water contamination

Water contamination levels in Mumbai reached an all time high at 19.9% in the 2012-2013 period,then,dipped to 10.84% in 2013-2014. C-ward leads in level of water contamination, followed by L-ward. Water is most cont amina ted during monsoon, bec ause of bacteriological content. Results of this are reflected in health. L-ward reported highest number of Diarrhoea cases:11,967 (2012-2013) and 9,631 (2013-2014). Water contamination in M/W, L and N ward has been constant through the last three year period,reflecting badly on the ward’s efforts to deal with contamination. G/S and H/E ward managed to reduce levels of contamination greatly this year, while C-ward which had the highest level of water contamination in 2012-2013,has managed to come back down to its 2011- 2012 level.

Sea water

The Coastal sea water shows remarkably high levels of Disolved Oxygen (DO),Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Fecal Coliform.At high BOD levels, organisms like leeches and sludge worms become numerous.While organisms like caddis fly larvae and mayfly nymphs which are significant food for several fish (trout, crayfish,salamander, frog, bats) and water bird species,die.The presence of high levels of Fecal coliform proves that high levels of human and animal waste is dumped in the water. Fecal coliform attracts dangerous waterborne diseases such as giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis (diseases of the intestine).

Air pollution in MumbaiLandfills

Most of Mumbai’s daily waste goes to Dumping Grounds at Deonar (132 hectares) and Mulund (25 hectares). Both these dumping grounds have been scheduled to close for years now.

Sewage

The 2013-2014 report does not to say anything about the status of the last year’s projects. Sites of Water Pollution Vakola Nullah Mithi River 9 locations 26 locations Ingress of sewage flow water pollution Mithi River flows majorly through Kurla,Saki Naka and Powai.Kurla is in L-ward where the maximum number of Malaria and Diarrhoea cases were seen in the last year.L-ward also has the second most contaminated water.As per Praja’s data L-ward councillors ask (save,Anuradha Pednekar and Saeeda Khan who are members of the Public Health commitee) an average of one questions per year on the topic of health.The councillors need to raise more questions on this subject to bring about positive change in the situation. Average Dry weather flow capacity of the greater Mumbai sewage system has not increased by even 0.1 MLD in the last one year – both reports have the same numbers.

(Pictures courtesy sites.google.com, www.mpg.de. Images are used for representational purpose only)

 

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Youngsters are donating blood more than ever before

Young people are considered ‘safe donors’ for others. Hearteningly, the numbers of young blood donors in the country are increasing.
Dr Sunita Dubeby Dr Sunita Dube, Chairperson, MedscapeIndia

Safe blood donors are the cornerstone of a safe and adequate supply of blood to the needy. The safest blood donors are the youngsters from the low-risk populations. Safe blood saves lives – but, for too many patients across the country whose survival depends on blood transfusion, blood transfusion is either not available or not safe. However, one can witness a change in the scenario with an increasing number of youngsters donating their blood on regular basis. These youngsters are quite knowledgeable when it comes to the process of blood donation and post-blood donation care.

Statistics say that accidents, diseases, surgeries and deliveries account for loss of a large number of precious lives due to non-availability of blood. In order to meet the growing requirements, organisations conducting blood donation camps should aim to initiate the youth into voluntary blood donation. Evidence shows that the prevalence of infection with HIV, hepatitis viruses and other transfusion-transmissible infections is invariably lowest among voluntary unpaid donors who give blood for purely altruistic reasons.

Voluntary young donors are more likely to be honest in answering questions about their health and lifestyle that help to screen those at risk of carrying these infections. We should aim at catching them young so that they become our lifelong blood donors and end up being centurion donors. There is an urgent need to organise planned programs to create awareness amongst the country’s population to ensure regular supply of good quality blood – disease free blood. Awareness also needs to be created to help the community understand the advantages of blood donation.

We have been organising blood donation camps on a regular basis. Nearly, 50 to 60 per cent of our donors are youngsters. MedScapeIndia also gives adequate attention to donor care, effective communication between blood centre staff and blood donors and initiatives for retention of voluntary blood donors.

Blood donation activity requires trust and public confidence. It is only through the provision of a quality blood service that the confidence can be built amongst the people. World Blood Donor Day on June 14 is therefore a reminder about the importance of resources needed to help address specific responsibilities of blood donation programs.

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

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On your marks

There is more to life than marks, everybody says. Then why don’t we let our children rise above the marking system?
by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

It is that time of the year when Mumbai colleges get divided in the stream of SSC, ICSE and CBSE boards. Leading newspapers publish the toppers’ round-faced photographs, thanks to their cheeks being stuffed with laddoos. Coaching classes print cropped images of their students with a sidebar proclaiming their percentages.

It has been close to three decades when my parents passed their 10th standard exams. And yet the focus of our modern and so-called westernised education has not gone beyond marks and percentages. My sister and I had to slug it out on paper to prove our worthiness for a seat in a ‘good’ college.

In a system of invigilators, moderators and rank holders, the final year of school becomes a trying and testing ground for the average student. Marks, marks and more marks is the mantra on every teacher’s lips. And when the results are declared, no one exists except the top three rankers from the school.

Next in line is the rush to fill the junior college admission forms. The serpentine lines of Arts, Commerce and Science stream is proof enough of our fledgling young population. Amidst chaos and a mixture of happy and sad faces, lists are read and students walk in their desired or not desired college. This year the same brouhaha will take place, albeit online and in a flawed manner.

But there is solace for the Whatsapp generation in the video by Vir Das. In his unique way, the stand-up comedian rubbishes the focus on marks. He flashes the entire life an average human being leads, and intersperses the plethora of emotions one will feel in this journey called life. Nowhere, he mentions, nobody will ask you – how much did you score in your 10th standard?

His words resonated with me, as during my SSC exams – I felt the pressure of delivering marks. I was a good student, but my Principal wanted me to commit a number above 90, to work on. Never to work under pressure, the undue importance given to my marks made me angry and my parents noticed a change in my behaviour. Their support and understanding of ‘we shall love you, even if you get less marks’ helped me overcome the tide.

But it wasn’t until my friends who wished to get in the Science stream and couldn’t do so because of less percentage and higher cut-offs – did I realise what a foolish system we have created. I can vividly recall the maddening desire of my sister to get in a particular Commerce College. Only because the entire family had graduated from this Juhu college and she wished it too. Her dejected look as she missed by a mark in the cut-off list broke my heart.

Am sure there are many such tales in every family, where the elders celebrate this passing ritual with a bittersweet smile and a mithai. As the newly-formed Government is so keen on reforming the education sector, why not start with a better way to embark the important phase of college life? A common exam wherein, all the boards get equal opportunity to showcase the knowledge imparted. But then, it is a money-making scheme – so it will remain. The SSC, ICSE and CBSE boards will thrive amidst all the confusion and students will be slaughtered with the numbers.

It starts out in the levelled playing field where your toddler runs as the teacher says, ‘On your marks’. But it ends in the competitive ground where the neighbourhood aunty has an advice – On your marks, on your choices and your entire life.

Do you have a marks-related story to share? Tell us in the comments section below.

(Picture courtesy indianexpress.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

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