First India-Ahmedabad Edition-03 August 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

27°C - 36°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

6,90,890 1,81,41,904 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 15,576 DEATHS 4,41,228 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 4,132 DEATHS 2,57,613 CASES

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RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 249

INDIA

GUJARAT

38,158 18,04,258 DEATHS

2,487

CONFIRMED CASES

DELHI 4,004 DEATHS 1,37,677 CASES

DEATHS

KARNATAKA 2,496 DEATHS 1,34,819 CASES

63,675

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 706 DEATHS 44,410 CASES

With Positivity, Amit Shah says he’s Covid +ve, tells all in contact to get tested!

While protecting Delhi from Corona, Home Minister puts his life at risk; admitted to Medanta Hospital Aditi Nagar New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has been at the forefront of the fight against Coronavirus that has infected over 17 lakh people in India, tweeted on Sunday to inform that he has contracted the deadly disease. He was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Haryana’s Gurugram and is believed to be stable.

Taking to Twitter, Shah said, “On getting the initial symptoms of corona, I got the test done and the report has come positive. My

health is fine, but I am being admitted to the hospital on the advice of doctors. I request all of you who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get your test done.”

After Shah tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, several politicians and social media users posted “get well soon” wishes on Twitter and prayed for his speedy recovery.

Within minutes of the home minister taking to Twitter announcing he had tested positive for Covid-19, #GetWellSoon was one of the top

trends in India.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors led by AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria is likely to visit Medanta, sources at AIIMS confirmed. The team is likely to oversee Shah’s line of treatment there and advice doctors there accordingly, sources added.

According to sources, Shah was present in the last Cabinet meeting that took place at the prime minister’s residence. However, sources said that social distancing was strictly followed in the meeting and all ministers were wearing masks.

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TN GUV, UP BJP CHIEF TEST +VE Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit Sunday tested positive for COVID-19 and was advised home isolation since his infection was mild. The 80-year-old Purohit was on self-isolation since July 29 after three people in the Raj Bhavan tested positive for the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the chief of Uttar Pradesh’s BJP unit, Swatantra Dev Singh, has also tested positive for Covid-19 and has quarantined himself at his home.

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BIG B DISCHARGED FROM HOSP Legendary Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, who was under treatment for coronavirus at Mumbai’s Nanavati hospital, tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday. The news of him getting discharged from the hospital after testing negative was shared by son Abhishek Bachchan on Twitter. The ‘Guru’ actor on Sunday tweeted that senior Bachchan would now return home.

P6 Mamata Banerjee @MamataOfficial

Vijay Rupani @vijayrupanibjp Rahul Gandhi @RahulGandhi

Wishing Mr Amit Shah a speedy recovery.

IPL final to be played on Nov 10 in UAE

Union Home Minister @AmitShah Ji’s corona test report has come out positive. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of the Union Home Minister @AmitShah Ji.

With 80 new cases, Rajkot city witnesses its highest daily jump  24 hours: 1,101 cases, 22 dead, 805 discharged

 Total: 63,675 cases, 2,487 dead, 46,587 discharged

Haresh Jhala

New Delhi: The finals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will be played on November 10, the sources within the BCCI confirmed on Sunday.

The IPL’s governing council met earlier today, and it has also been decided that the evening matches will start at 7:30 pm, half an hour earlier than usual. Jay Shah, the secretary of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and Arun Dhumal, treasurer of BCCI did not attend the IPL’s governing council meeting.

“The tournament will run for 51 days, usually the IPL should go on for 49 days as per the constitution, however in the meeting it has been decided that we will go to Supreme Court for conducting the IPL in 51 days,” sources within the BCCI told ANI. “As the tournament is running for 51 days, we will get the chance to play fewer doubleheaders, there would be just 10 double headers, evening Turn on P6

Gandhinagar: Six superspreaders tested positive on Sunday in Rajkot, a day after the local civic body tested 1,376 samples in a push towards more aggressive testing. As many as 613 superspreaders have reportedly been showing symptoms similar to that of COVID-19. They will be placed under home quarantine or be shifted to COVID-care centres. The city saw its highest daily jump with 80 new cases.

In the past 24 hours, 32 districts and eight municipal corporation areas have reported 1,099 cases, with two cases coming in from other states. Surat continues to lead the state with 237 cases, of which 209 occurred in the city and 28 came in from rural areas. There is a dramatic drop, given that rural Surat saw a whopping 80 cases just two days ago. According to a local daily from Surat, the novel coronavirus cost 400 people their lives in July.

There are 423 patients under treatment at the new civil hospital, including 19

Testing at a COVID-19 checkpost in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

COMPLAINT AGAINST POSITIVE PATIENT WHO FLED A case has been filed against one Nilam Gaikwad, who fled from the city after tested for COVID-19.

A Dhanvantari rath had tested her for antigens on July 28. When the report came back positive, the medics asked her to stay under quarantine.

However, they found the house locked when they returned for a medical check-up two days later. A neighbour informed the team that the had been locked since July 28. When they contacted the woman telephonically, they learnt that she had been hospitalized in Pune. The civic body has filed a police complaint against her for violating COVID-19 guidelines of home quarantine. on ventilators support, 41 on BiPAP machines, and 302 on oxygen support. Meanwhile, SMIMER hospital is treating 153 pa-

tients, 12 of whom are on ventilator support, while 23 are on BiPAP machines and 80 are on oxygen support.

While Surat’s former

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

standing committee chairman and BJP leader Narendra Gandhi succumbed to COVID-19, Gandhinagar North MLA and Congress leader CJ Chavda has tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, Vadodara has 1,010 active cases, of which 152 are on oxygen support and 35 on BiPAP machines. As many as 82 people have tested positive in the city’s South Zone in the past three days.

Apart from Surat, Ahmedabad district had 155 new cases, Vadodara had 96, Rajkot, 94, Bhavnagar, 72, Jamnagar, 52, Turn on P6

CR Paatil @CRPaatil

Hon’ble @AmitShah ji, Get well soon ! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Heard about the Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji being tested positive for #COVID-19. Wishing him a speedy recovery. My prayers are with him and his family!

Ayodhya becomes a fortress ahead of PM’s visit for pujan Ayodhya: Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya have put in place several security arrangements, including Covid-19 protocols and preventive measures, ahead of the ceremony to lay the foundation stone on August 5 for the construction of the Ram temple, a senior official said on Sunday.

PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Ram temple in a grand ceremony,

CAA rules: MHA seeks 3 addl mths New Delhi: The Home Ministry has sought an additional three months’ time for framing rules of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), officials said on Sunday.

The plea was made before the Department Related Standing Committee for Subordinate Legislation as according to the Manual on Parliamentary Work, the rules for any legislation should be framed within six months of the presidential assent or an extension must be sought.

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which will be attended by several dignitaries, on Wednesday. The Hanuman Garhi temple, where PM is ex-

pected to offer prayers, is being spruced up.

The majestic 76 steps of Hanuman Garhi have been cleaned. P5

WORLD’S HIGHEST RLY BRIDGE OVER RIVER CHENAB BY 2021

New Delhi: The world’s highest railway bridge over river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir will be ready by next year, and will connect the Valley with the rest of India by train for the first time by 2022, officials said on Sunday. The bridge, which has a central span of 467 metres, is being built at a height of 359 metres from the bed level. The height of Qutab Minar in Delhi is 72 metres and that of the Eiffel Tower in Paris is 324 metres. “This is the tallest railway bridge in the world and the maximum designed wind speed for the bridge is 266 kmph,” a senior government official said.

NEWS AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020

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AIR QUALITY IMPROVES

The landfill in Pirana area was visible from the RTO Circle, about 11 km away, as Ahmedabad’s air quality improved in the midst of the lockdown. —FILE PHOTO

Lockdown may have affected the economy adversely but it might be a viable way to control air pollution, new study says Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: Breathing easy is not the first thing that comes to mind in context of the novel coronavirus but the lockdown that accompanied the virus outbreak has literally made breathing easier for Gujarat’s more populous cities. While the lockdown, put in place by the Centre from March 24 to May 31, hit the economy, it benefited the environment, with air quality showing a significant improvement.

A study conducted on the lockdown, in which industries, factories, traffic and life in general came to a standstill, and its impact on air pollution found an improvement of up to 58% in the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading compared to several previous years.

Researchers from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, Ton Duc Thang University in Viet Nam, Ciudad Universi-

taria of Ciudad de México and Anna University of Chennai in Tamil Nadu have studied the air quality of the Gujarat state during the lockdown period and have concluded that oxygen level in the state improved during the lockdown.

The study says that the lockdown led to an important improvement in long-term air quality and it should be considered as an alternative measure to

reduce air pollution.

In the study, they estimated the improvements achieved in air quality during the lockdown period (March 24, 2020, and April 20, 2020) compared to the pre-lockdown (January 1, 2020, and March 23, 2020) by analysing PM2.5, PM10, sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) data from nine different air quality moni-

toring stations distributed across four different zones of the industrialized state.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)-AQI showed better air qualities during the lockdown with higher improvements in the zones 2 (Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar) and 3 (Jamnagar and Rajkot), and moderate improvements in the zones 1 (Surat, Ankleshwar, and Vadodara) and 4

(Bhuj and Palanpur).

The concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 were reduced by 38– 78%, 32–80%, and 30– 84%, respectively. The low reduction in CO (3–55%) could to be attributed to the continued functioning of power plants possibly, while lower emission of nitrogen oxide (NO) helped to improve ozone (16–48%) levels.

The researchers observed an overall improvement of 58% in

AQI for the first four months of 2020 compared to the same interval during the previous year.

The study looked at several cities with poor air quality (e.g., Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, and Surat) due to the presence of power plants, street dust, transportation, outdoor waste incineration, construction, and brick kilns. There are also several industrial zones with pro-

Comparison of mean levels of tropospheric NO2 measured by the S5p/TROPOMI-ESA between January–April 2019 and January–April 2020 in Gujarat.

duction units of multinational groups on the city outskirts. In 2019, CPCB had ranked Ahmedabad as having the fourth most contaminated air in India.

The network of air quality monitoring stations maintained by CPCB provided PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations for the same interval for two years.

Compared to the 2019 values, the average concentration of PM2.5 decreased by 39% (92 µg/m3) and the average content of PM10 fell by 44% (84 µg/m3) in 2020.

NO2 also exhibited a decreasing trend in 2020 and its concentration fell by 59% (15 µg/ m3). The concentrations of CO decreased by 25% (33 µg/m3).

Both NO2 and CO are produced largely through road traffic, especially from diesel combustion, and to a lesser extent from gasoline transport vehicles, manufacturing industry, and power plants in the urban part of the study area.

Closure of traffic flow during the lockdown period also led to

SALIENT POINTS TO REMEMBER 

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a reduction in the concentrations of NO2 and CO. Finally, the O3 levels increased by 58% (+30 µg/m3) as the lockdown led to reduction of NO emission and less consumption of O3.

The higher insolation and warmer temperatures of March– April might have also helped to increase the ozone levels.

COVID CARE

Plasma therapy has helped in reducing nCov mortality: Rupani He was in Surat again to take stock of the ongoing health crisis

CM RELEASES LOANS OF `100 CRORE

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First India Bureau Surat: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday attributed the fall in the mortality rate of COVID-19 patients to plasma therapy. “It has helped a lot and because of it, the state government has successfully brought down the mortality rate,” he said, adding that there was no shortage of drugs such as Tocilizumab and Remdesivir.

Rupani—along with Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, Chief Sec-

retary Anil Mukim and Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister K Kailashnathan—was in Surat for the second time in the span of a month, to get a handle on the steadily worsening COVID-19 situation there.

After visiting the dedicated COVID-19 hospital being developed at the Kidney Hospital, Rupani took stock of the situation from officers. He later told the media that first priority for COVID-19 treatment is government hospitals, since

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani hands over an Atma Nirbhar Gujarat Sahay cheque to a businesswoman.

people trust them more than they trust private hospitals.

Rupani refuted all allegations of manipula-

tion in death toll numbers. His defence is that there is an audit committee in each major city and district head-

quarters, which decides the cause of death and certifies it accordingly. Many times, a patient admitted and dies

before the test for the novel coronavirus comes back. In such a situation, no one can say that the person died because of Sars-Cov-2, he explained.

The state has been experimenting with plasma therapy for some

time, with recovered patients enthusiastically donating plasma.

This has helped in bringing down the COVID-19 mortality rate in the state, stated Rupani.

As many as 5,000 migrant workers are returning to various cit-

ies in the state for work.

Before they report to work, the local health team conducts screening at the railway station and asks them to undergo home quarantine for seven days and before reporting on duty. They are also requested to take the rapid antigen test and can only report to work if the report comes back negative. Even unit owners are instructed to take enough precaution, he added.

Chief Minister reiterated that the situation is quite under control. “There is no shortage of life-saving drugs like Tocilizumab and Remdesivir,,” he said.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020

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FOR SOME, IT’S JUST ANOTHER DAY The rest of the world might be pondering the questions of wearing a mask and maintaining physical distancing but, for these ragpickers at the Ganeshnagar landfill near Pirana in Ahmedabad, it’s work as usual. The civic body is yet to offer them even basic protective gear, even though they continued to work during the lockdown.

3 talukas receive more than 1K mm rain Yet, the state has witnessed just 355. 32mm of rain over the past two months, which is less than half of its annual average rainfall of 831mm Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: Almost two months since the onset of the monsoon, the state has received less than half its average annual rainfall, despite three talukas of Gujarat witnessing more than 1,000mm of rainfall each.

Gujarat has received 355.32mm of rain so far—42.76% of its annual average monsoon rainfall of 831mm, as

noted from 1990 to 2019.

According to data shared by the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), Khambhalia in Devbhumi Dwarka has received 1,483mm rain— 207.61%—against its annual average of 714mm.

Kalyanpur, in the same district, has received 1,134mm, or 151.21% of its annual average rainfall of 750mm. While these two towns faced flooding in the first two

Region Kutch North Gujarat East-Central Gujarat Saurashtra South Gujarat Gujarat

—FILE PHOTO

weeks of July, Umarpada in Surat is still waiting for almost two-

thirds of its annual rainfall. It has seen 1,051mm of rain but

Forced to pay year’s school fees, parents mull pulling kids out Surat: Following the Gujarat High Court’s decision to allow schools to collect fees for the whole year and the state government’s call to keep schools closed until 31 August, around 4,000 parents in Surat are now considering pulling their kids out of school. Parents in areas such as Pandesara, Dindoli, Limbayat, Udhna and Bhestan say they would rather have their children drop a year than pay for “wasted” time.

They and say they will readmit them next year.

—FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau

Schools were supposed to have opened after August 15 but will remain shut at least till the end of the month.

With schools already shut for five months of the current academic year, parents say half the year has already been wasted. Another issue is the state’s stand that “online education is not real education” as one parent put it.

Still, the biggest

worry is economic in nature. Parent Amit Patel said, “We parents are hardly able to manage our household expenses amid financial losses due to the COVID-19 epidemic. If we pay the outstanding fees or a full year fee, how will we run our families? We

all know the high fees that private schools throw at us. Hence, we parents discussed the problem. Some parents have already decided to withdraw their children from school for the rest of the academic year.”

Deepak Rajguru, a spokesperson for private schools in the city said, “Schools are aware of the problem of parents. Schools can help those parents who really have problems.”

Parents, on the other hand, say that the state government could have taken the matter to the Supreme Court, but has now abandoned them to the mercy of the schools.

Mayor’s fund exists after all: AMC Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: Among other things, the Right to Information is meant to promote transparency and make the government more accountable.

However, sometimes, the government’s response to RTI applications can be quite confusing. As in the case of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s response to five RTIs relating to the Mayor’s Relief Fund.

First, AMC denied having any such fund

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

in place. This response was allegedly based on available records from the past 10-15 years.

Now, in a U-turn, the local civic body, has not only said that such a fund exists, but also ad-

—FILE PHOTO

mits that it is not empty.

Social activist Yash Makwana, who filed the RTIs, says, “A few weeks later after denying the Fund’s existence, the AMC sent me a letter with a bank

statement for the same Mayor’s Relief Fund account, held with the State Bank of India.”

Makwana was also baffled to learn that the last transaction for the account occurred in April this year.

“The account was opened in April 1999.

The last transaction occurred on April 24, 2020. As of July 23, 2020, the account has Rs6.38 lakh deposited. Now I am wondering why the account was kept dormant for so long? Who gave such orders? What was its purpose?” Makwana asked.

Rain in 2020 368 206 231 493 451 355.32

this is just 62.41% of the 1,684mm monsoon rainfall it receives on average each year.

SEOC data also says that all of Gujarat’s 252 talukas have seen rain this monsoon season.

Annual average 412 791 819 677 1,447 831

% 89.41 28.69 28.18 72.87 31.16 42.76

Dahod’s Singvad recorded the lowest rainfall with just 53mm, or 6.67% of its annual average of 795mm. Also in Dahod, Limkheda-which received just 67mm rainfall, or 8.30% of its an-

nual average of 807mm— witnessed the second least amount of rain.

Across the state, Devbhumi Dwarka leads the list of districts in terms of rainfall received, with 1,081mm.

The district’s annual average rainfall is 640mm, meaning it has already 169% of its average annual rainfall in the past two months.

The lowest rainfall has been recorded in Dahod district, which

has seen 18.74% of its annual average of 751mm with 141mm.

In terms of meteorological regions, the Saurashtra region has seen the most rainfall, with 493mm. With this, the region has received 72.87% of its annual average of 677mm. The South Gujarat region has seen the next highest quantity of rain, at 451mm. However, this is just 31.16% of the region’s annual average of 1,447mm.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020

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04

EDUCATION IN NATIVE LANGUAGE: YES TO INNOVATION AND NO TO ROTE LEARNING AASHISH CHATURVEDI The writer an IIT Delhi alumnus, is a seasoned entrepreneur & mathematician having about 16 years of experience in education sector.

He held various positions in BJP including IT head of BJP Rajasthan twice & at present state head of elibrary prakalp of BJP Rajasthan

I

At present, Higher education in native language may not be a viable goal in India due to the diversity of languages spoken in India and the dearth of efficient translation technology for converting the latest research into our languages

was born in a middle class Hindi-speaking family and no one was conversant in spoken English except my father.

Hindi is the language I first heard while I was in my mother’s womb, my first lullaby language, and was the driving force to shape my emotions, thoughts, the way I see the world. I had primary education in Hindi-medium school, enjoyed school immensely, developed my self-esteem as I learnt better in my mother tongue, a language I can understand quickly. I remember my nanny telling me countless stories in my native language and those had the maximum impact on me.

My mother interjected her critique when I revised my lessons in Hindi and led to discussions developing my critical thinking skills. It was my education in my mother tongue, which still gives me rich vocabulary for expressing thoughts and emotions. Just think of words like vatsalya, santosh, sukh, these are words of the vernacular language and early student of foreign language may convert them into simpler words like mother’s love (vatsalya), satisfaction (santosh), happiness (sukh). However, there is deeper reality of these words which may be lost in translation.

Mother tongue, as a language for primary education, is the key to innovation. Our most successful professionalsbe it scientists like APJ, doctors, engineers, lawyers- had their primary education in their mother tongue. I did my primary schooling from Hindi medium and engineering from IIT, Delhi. A student spends 18 hours at home where he thinks, speaks and dreams in his native language.

While in 5-6 hours spent at school, he is expected to think

and understand even the difficult concepts in English. If English is not spoken at home, which is the case for 99% of the Indian population, he struggles first to understand the language and second to understand the concepts leading to rote learning. If he is not able to even understand the concept, how can we even expect our students to apply it for solving problems and thinking laterally. This dual tussle can be ended with this new step. It was not English that helped me get through IIT but critical thinking skills I developed in primary education. Most Innovative countries indexed by Bloomberg be it Germany, South Korea, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Israel and Finland- have their mother tongue as medium of instruction. The USA and UK’s mother tongue is English and teaches subjects in these languages.

There is no study which says that studying primary education and related concepts in foreign language, not in mother tongue, leads to better brain development or conceptual thinking but there are studies which disprove this view. Knowing a foreign language and being proficient may be important due to it being a status symbol, for better career prospects, but

Current policy is a welcome step as it emphasizes learning a second language, but not as a medium of instruction. Knowledge of native language, language spoken at home can be used to learn English and students can expand their thinking horizons in English, Hindi and Sanskrit learnt in primary school years

using it for building foundations of the learning process in primary education is a sure way to failure.

Current policy is a welcome step as it emphasises learning a second language, but not as a medium of instruction. Knowledge of native language, language spoken at home can be used to learn English and students can expand their thinking horizons in English, Hindi and Sanskrit learnt in primary school years. A multilingual approach helps in deeper understanding of languages, comparing these lan-

guages and organising the way we see the world.

Solving the conundrumNative language for primary education and English for higher education.

Having said that, there is an important distinction between the above said innovative countries and India. They teach even higher education in their mother tongue whereas the medium of instruction is English in Indian professional colleges. Many of my friends and students who got into engineering colleges had secondary education in Hindi and engineering education

was not easy for them initially. It was difficult to switch to English in just a few months as structures of the Hindi language is different from English. They had to put enormous effort in learning the nuances of this language. Same problem was faced by many of my students who went into prestigious medical colleges like AIIMS, MAMC, and SMS medical college.

At present, higher education in native language may not be a viable goal in India due to the diversity of languages spoken in India and the dearth of efficient translation technology for converting the latest research into our languages. If we would like to develop innovations to solve the most critical problems of India and end rote learning, primary education in the mother tongue is the most essential and required step. However, There is an additional critical step required for transition from native language medium school education to English-medium higher education- way we teach English language.

There are two ways to learn a language - direct way, the way I learnt Hindi and grammar translation method as practiced in our schools to teach English. According to linguistic researchers, the

It’s OK to be OK: Stop feeling ‘survivor guilt’ E

veryone’s pandemic experience is unfolding differently.

There’s no denying COVID-19 has been devastating for millions of people around the world. At the worst end of the spectrum are the millions of cases and hundreds of thousands of people who have died, as well as their grieving friends and families.

There are also likely millions suffering financial hardship due to the pandemic, which in many cases will be affecting their mental health. But at the other end of the spectrum are those who are not only doing well, but in some cases thriving.

For some people, this can lead to a kind of “survivor guilt” – believing they’ve done something wrong by surviving and thriving during the pandemic.

A NEW TYPE OF SURVIVOR GUILT

The term survivor guilt is usually used to describe the emotional distress some people feel after surviving a traumatic event in which others have died, such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

It has been identified in military veterans, those who survived the Holocaust, 9/11 survivors, and emergency first responders. COVID-19 has certainly been a traumatic experience and has had a profound impact on mental health. Around 1,000 people have died by suicide in Australia since it began and modelling from the University of Sydney found suicide deaths could rise by 25% annually for the next five years.

During COVID-19 we have witnessed the conven-

The term survivor guilt is usually used to describe the emotional distress some people feel after surviving a traumatic event

tional type of survivor guilt associated with surviving the coronavirus when hundreds of thousands haven’t.

But not everyone is struggling, and this has resulted in a new type of survivor guilt. This emerging type of guilt is characterised by not feeling “impacted enough” by the pandemic.

This type of survivor guilt can be seen in the

workplace. The pandemic has forced many organisations to reduce staffing, causing some remaining employees to feel guilty, according to John Hackston, head of thought leadership at the Myers-Briggs Co. Survivor guilt can result in a range of emotions, from shame to a sense of unworthiness or even anger. When emotions are not processed properly, they can impact our physical and mental health and cause depression, anxiety and physical illness.

IT’S OK TO BE HAPPY DURING THE PANDEMIC While mental health advocates and support groups are right to remind people who are struggling that it’s “OK not to be OK” during this pandemic, it’s important to remember it’s “OK to be OK” too.

During a global public health crisis, no one should feel bad for being healthy or able to continue working.

And if this pandemic has resulted in opportunities not just to survive but to thrive, we should celebrate those wins. Cassie Mogilner Holmes, associate professor of behavioural decisionmaking at UCLA, says it’s not only OK, but essential, to enjoy one’s good fortune.

“It’s actually more important now than ever to focus on our personal emotional health,” says Holmes.

Professor Kim Felmingham from the University of Melbourne says feeling guilty about being “OK” during these challenging times isn’t just a “perfectly normal” reaction — it’s part of our evolutionary programming.

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direct way is the most effective way. In India, Focus is on grammar rules of English, applying these rules for translation from native language to English language while students are passive listeners in class. Students may prefer not to learn a foreign language in the Grammar Translation Method due to penalties for wrong usage, no focus on practice, fear of failure and being laughed at and shyness.

If English is taught in a direct way, where emphasis is on practical understanding of both spoken and written form through role plays, movies, their subscripts, recordings of their own voices and its analysis, students will become active participants with teachers appreciative feedback for even speaking it imperfectly. There won’t be any need for rote learning grammar rules as they will be learnt inductively by practice. Numerous Activities can be easily designed for different levels using apps and plethora of knowledge on the internet. If this succeeds, It will be a new dawn for countless innovative minds, transitioning from native languagemedium schools to Englishmedium higher education, to face the world with renewed self-esteem and confidence.

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TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Modi govt’s investor-friendly regime is attracting global investors to India. Proposals by global tech-giants to manufacture in India will make India a mega-manufacturing hub and create large-scale jobs opportunities for our youth.

Subramanian Swamy @Swamy39 Some habits die hard !TDK again bluffs on her educational qualification in the Lok Sabha Who’s Who !!! I have written to the Lok Sabha Speaker to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee !

Spiritual SPEAK

Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. —Romans 8:2

Vol 1 Issue No. 249 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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05

RAM DHUN ECHOES, AYODHYA DECKS UP FOR D-DAY PM Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in a grand ceremony, which will be attended by several dignitaries, on Wednesday L u ck n ow : A yodhya, around 135 km from Uttar Pradesh’s capital of Lucknow, is getting ready for the bhumi pujan or foundation laying ceremony for the Ram temple on Aug 5. A cleanliness drive is under way in Ayodhya ahead of the event.

PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Ram temple in a grand ceremony, which will be attended by several dignitaries, on Wednesday.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, the organiser of the event, is leaving nothing to chance. The temple town situated on the banks of Saryu river is being decked up for the ceremony.Around 3,000 sound systems are playing ‘Ram Dhun’ across Ayodhya. These sound systems will also play Vedic hymns during the bhumi pujan.

Every nook and corner of the town, including its lanes and by-lanes, are being spruced up with nearly 500 sanitation workers deployed round the clock. Buildings on main streets across the temple town are being painted yellow. “Yellow is an auspicious colour. In Hindu tradition, yellow is used in all ceremonies. It symbolises purity and light,” said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor-designate to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the trust.

Security arrangements beefed up for Bhumi Pujan

An illuminated view of Ayodhya ahead of foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Temple.

Yogi emerges as BJP’s new poster boy for ‘Hindutva’ Lucknow: As the countdown begins for the ‘bhumi pujan’ of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the BJP has found a new poster boy of ‘Hindutva’ in Chief Minister Yogi Adity-

Yogi Adityanath

anath.

Ever since he assumed the office of Chief Minister in March 2017, Yogi has made it a point to constantly reaffirm his commitment to the Hindu ideology.

By declining to address the Muslim community at the Eidgah on Eid-a tradition followed by all CMs- refusing to lift the ban on sale of meat on Bakrid, he has reinforced his image as a Hindu leader. —ANI

CM’s VISIT CANCELLED Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s visit to Ayodhya on Sunday to review the preparations for Ram Temple foundation laying ceremony was cancelled. The visit has been cancelled due to the demise of the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Kamala Rani Varun who was was receiving treatment for COVID-19. —ANI

Ayodhya: Preparations, including a cleanliness drive and sanitisation, are underway in Ayodhya ahead of the foundation laying ceremony of the Ram Temple on August 5, which will witness the attendance of several national leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

People were seen cleaning the roads, markets and ghats. According to the police, the security arrangements for the foundation stone-laying ceremony have been put in place and people are being requested to refrain from gathering at a place.

Ayodhya Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Deepak Kumar said, “Barricades are being set up at 12 places across Ayodhya. Protocols for the security of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be followed during his visit to Ayodhya. COVID-19 protocols are also being followed.”

Kumar further added that more than five people will not be allowed to gather and added that shops will be allowed to remain open in the city. —ANI

Hanumangarhi: Mantras to be chanted during PM’s 7 min visit Ayodhya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will offer prayers at the Hanumangarhi temple while en-route to the mega foundation laying ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5. Hanumangarhi is the first stop he would be visiting.

The ceremony is expected to last for about seven minutes, during which time three minutes time will be spent on the recital of mantras

by Vedic priests for PM’s wellbeing and to reduce the spread of COVID-19

SPECIAL GIFT

Narendra Modi

in the nation. Mahant Raju Das, the head priest of Hanumangarhi said that they have been allocated only seven minutes’ window for Prime Minister’s ritual prayers at the temple. —ANI

Stonework for temple reaches final stage

Carved sandstone pillars at stone-carving workshop in Ayodhya.

Ayodhya: With the foundation laying ceremony of the Ram temple around the corner, caretaker of temple stone workshop, Hanuman Yadav said, “Stonework is ready for the construction work till the first floor of the temple. Cleaning work is almost done but some work is still left which will be done soon after the trust’s meeting.” —ANI

‘Spread the message of dharma’

New Delhi: V-P M Venkaiah Naidu has urged people to understand & spread the ‘universal message of ‘dharma or righteousness’ as depicted in the Ramayana.

In a Facebook post, ‘Rebuilding the shrine, Enshrining the values’ in 17 languages, he expressed happiness over proposed rebuilding of Lord Ram’s Temple in Ayodhya from Aug 5.

“Calling it a moment of celebration, he said that this moment could lead to a societal spiritual rejuvenation if we can understand the essence of Ramayana. —ANI

High time Mehbooba Mufti Police probed people for SC to hear plea of Mulakkal is released: Rahul Gandhi publicity: RK Singh seeking discharge on Aug 5 SUSHANT DEATH CASE

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded the release of PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti who has been detained under Public Safety Act in J &K. “India’s democracy is damaged when GOI illegally detains political leaders. It’s high time Mehbooba Mufti is released,” the Congress leader tweeted. Earlier

Rahul Gandhi

on Saturday, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said that the extension of the detention of former Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti under the PSA is an abuse of law and an assault on the Constitutional rights guaranteed to every citizen.

Mufti’s detention was extended by three months. Earlier, the former J&K Chief Minister’s detention was extended on May 5 for three months. Mufti and many other political leaders of Kashmir, including Farooq Abdullah, were put in detention last year following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that accorded special status to the erstwhile state. —ANI

INDIA YET TO CONFIRM PARTICIPATION IN SCO MEET New Delhi: Russia has proposed Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meet in Moscow on Sept 10, the meet will also see participation of Pakistan and China. According to diplomatic sources, “On the same day, Russia has also offered to host BRICS Foreign Minister’s meet.” this meet was

scheduled during preCOVID times & India can only confirm its participation after evaluating current situation, there is no official confirmation that India will attend meet. If India decides to participate, this will be the first time that foreign ministers of India, Pak & China will come face to face in the same group.

CONGRESS CHIEF SONIA DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL

Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who was admitted to Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Thursday, was discharged on Sunday afternoon, a senior doctor said. The 73-year-old Gandhi was admitted to the hospital for what the doctors called ‘routine tests.’

New Delhi: Holding that people’s demand to transfer the actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case to the CBI is justified, Union Minister RK Singh on Sunday said that the Mumbai Police was probing people for publicity.

“People’s demand for transferring case to CBI is justified. I took this request to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray but he was not in favour. A CBI probe would be better from the point of justice and the family of the victim also wants the same,” Singh said.

Earlier, Thackeray had said that Rajput’s death case should not be politicised to create friction between Maharashtra & Bihar. —ANI

AKHILESH TARGETS CENTRE, YOGI GOVT OVER ECONOMY Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh CM & SP chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed BJP govt over several issues including the border, economy and employment. “In this coronavirus period, neither our borders are secure, nor are our businesses and jobs. The economy and the banks are going down. Interest on deposits is decreasing. People are forced to withdraw money from their providential funds. People have lost their loved ones.

Due to flawed policies of BJP government, the netizens are becoming hopeless,” he tweeted.

Sushant Singh

COPS SPEAK

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on August 5 a plea of former Bishop Franco Mulakkal seeking direction to discharge him from the nun rape case.

A bench headed by Justice AS Bopanna will hear Mulakkal’s plea for dropping of rape charges against him. Mulakkal has filed the plea in top court where he claimed to be innocent and said he was implicated after he questioned the financial dealings of the victim nun.

He has recently approached the top court after the Kerala High Court has rejected his plea for discharge from the case.

On July 7, the Kerala High Court had rejected

IP VIPIN IS COMMANDANT OF AIR FORCE ACADEMY, SECUNDERABAD Secunderabad: Air Marshal IP Vipin took over as the Commandant of Air Force Academy on August 1 from Air Marshal J Chalapati, who has proceeded to Southern Air Command Thiruvananthapuram to assume the charge of Senior Air Staff Officer. An alumnus of National Defence Academy Khadakwasla,

Defence Services Staff College Wellington and National Defence College New Delhi, Air Marshal IP Vipin was commissioned in the Flying Branch of Indian Air Force in June 1982. The Air Marshal has over 6000 hours of flying experience on different types of transport aircraft, trainer aircraft and gliders, MoD said.

NUN RAPE CASE

Mulakkal’s plea to quash the charge of sexually assaulting a nun against him and directed him to face trial.

The prosecution in HC had contended that there was strong evidence against him and he was moving pleas frequently to delay the trial. He had approached the Kerala High Court after a trial court in March in Kottayam had dismissed the plea to discharge him from the case.

Mulakkal, former head of the Latin Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, had sought from trial court to quash charges against him claiming that the rape survivor had implicated him after he took action against her for financial irregularities in the convent.

In June 2018, the nun, who is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation based in Punjab, had complained to the police in Kottayam that Jalandhar Bishop had raped her several times between 2014 and 2016.

After several rounds of questioning, SIT of Kerala Police arrested him in Sept 2018. The SIT had filed charge sheet against him last year. —ANI

‘HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED IN SEVERAL DISTS OF KERALA’ Thiruvananthapuram: India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for several districts in Kerala, saying that very heavy rainfall is expected tomorrow in Idukki, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasargod districts. “Orange alert issued for tomorrow in Idukki, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts with the prediction of isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall,” said IMD, Kerala.

On Saturday, IMD had predicted an increase in rainfall intensity over the Konkan region including parts of Maharashtra during next four-five days.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020

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With spike of 54,736 cases, India’s COVID-19 tally crosses 17L mark

06

BORDER ROW

India, China hold fifth round of talks

Maharashtra, the worst affected state from the infection, has a total of 1,49,214 active cases & 15,316 deaths

New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 tally crossed the 17 lakh mark with 54,736 positive cases and 853 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

“The total COVID-19 cases stand at 17,50,724 including 5,67,730 active cases, 11,45,630 cured/discharged/migrated and 37,364 deaths,” said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

The recoveries/ deaths ratio is 96.84:3.16 now. Recovery rate among COVID-19 patients has increased to 65.44 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry.

As per the data provided by the Health Ministry, Maharashtra - the worst affected state from the infection -- has a total of 1,49,214 active cases and 15,316 deaths. A total of 4,31,719 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the state up to Saturday, as per the state health department.

Tamil Nadu has a total of 60,580 active cases and 4,034 deaths.

In Delhi, the total cases rose to 1,36,716, including 1,22,131 recovered/discharged/ migrated cases and 3,989 deaths. There are 10,596 active cases in the national capital.

The total number of COVID-19 samples tested up to August 1 is 1,98,21,831 said the ICMR. —ANI

Big B tests negative, discharged from hosp

TAMIL NADU GOVERNOR TESTS POSITIVE Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has tested positive for COVID-19, a statement from a Chennai hospital said. The Governor has been advised home isolation and he will be monitored by a team of doctors from the hospital.

Army vehicles on the Manali-Leh road leaving for Leh with military contingents for soldiers posted at Ladakh.

A health worker in PPE , collects a nasal sample from a man at a local health centre in New Delhi on Sunday.

UP Min Kamal Rani dies of Corona Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh minister Kamal Rani Varun, who had earlier tested positive for the novel coronavirus, died due to the infection in Lucknow this morning.

She was 62.

The minister died at 9:30 AM at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, the government said in a statement. Kamal Rani Varun, who served as Minister of Technical Education, is the first minister in Uttar Pradesh to die after contracting coronavirus.

The 62-year-old politician was admitted to hospital on July 18 after

Kamal Rani Varun

she tested positive.

“She had comorbidities in the form of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hypothyroidism. She had bilateral pneumonia at admission and was shifted to ICU on the day of admission itself be-

cause of high oxygen requirement.,” Dr RK Dhiman, Director SGPGI, Lucknow, said.

President Kovind, in his condolence message, said that Kamal Rani was well respected for serving people at the grassroots. —ANI

Saddened by the death of the Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Smt. Kamala Rani Varun Ji. Her entire life was devoted to social service. She played an important role in strengthening the BJP in the state.

My condolences are with her family and supporters in this hour of grief. Om Shanti!

—NARENDRA MODI @narendramodi

Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday said that he has tested negative for COVID-19 and will now be quarantining at home.

The 77-year-old actor, who was admitted to Nanavati hospital along with son Abhishek after testing positive for COVID-19 on July 11, expressed his gratitude to well-wishers for their continued support and prayers.

“I have tested COVID —, have been discharged. I am back home in solitary quarantine. Grace of the Almighty, blessings of Ma Babuji, prayers, duas of near and dear and friends fans EF and the excellent care and nursing at Nanavati made it possible for me to see this,” Senior Bachchan wrote on Twitter. —Agencies

New Delhi: Senior military commanders of India and China are holding a fresh round of talks on Sunday with an aim to ensure expeditious disengagement of troops from all the friction points along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, military sources said.

It is the fifth round of corps commander-level talks in nearly two months with an aim to defuse the border tensions triggered by a violent clash between the two militaries in Pangong Tso area in eastern Ladakh on May 5.

The meeting in Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC. The sources said the Indian side will insist on total withdrawal of Chinese troops from the Finger areas in Pangong Tso at the earliest besides completing the disengagement pro-

STORY SO FAR

cess on a couple of other friction points.

In Sunday’s talks, the Indian delegation was set to be led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, while the Chinese side was to be headed by Major General Liu Lin, Commander of the South Xinjiang military region.

The first round of talks was held on June 6. —PTI

Railways hold virtual retirement ‘Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission’ gets a nod function for the first time THE INITIATIVE New Delhi: In a first of its kind event, the Ministry of Railways organised a virtual retirement function for 2,320 Indian Railways officers and employees who superannuated on July 31 this year.

According to an official statement, the event was attended by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, MoS of Railways Suresh C Angadi, Railway Board Secretary Sushant Kumar Mishra and senior officers of the ministry. Piyush Goyal said, “In COVID-19 phase, freight trains, parcel trains, Shramik Special trains were mov-

ing. Railways have put in best efforts to serve the nation during the pandemic. Railway employees are no less than Corona warriors.

I would like to compliment the staff for making efforts to fight against COVID.”

“It is a day of happiness & sadness. It is a happy occasion because the employees have served long period in different areas, capacities. Your contribution to make the Railways better shall be remembered,” Goyal said. —ANI

New Delhi: MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari has approved an employment generation programme proposed

by Khadi and Village Industries Commission to make India self-reliant in agarbatti production. The programme named ‘Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission’ aims at creating employment for unemployed and migrant workers in different parts of the country while increasing domestic agarbatti production substantially, the MSME Ministry said. “The proposal was submitted to the Ministry of MSME for approval last month.

The pilot project will

There are 14,601 active cases in the state, with 81 patients on ventilator support.

The government has decided to take the services of private doctors, at a rate of Rs5,000 a day, to plug the shortfall in doctors at government hospitals.

Rajnath Singh, and BJP president JP Nadda on Sunday wished for the speedy recovery of Shah.

Singh Tweeted, “Amitji, your perseverance and willpower has been an example for every challenge. I believe you will definitely win over this big challenge of coronavirus. I pray to God for your speedy recovery,” Singh tweeted.

Nadda tweeted, “Got the news of Honorable Home Minister Amit Shah infected with the coronavirus. I pray to God for his speedy recovery.”

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also

tweeted, “Amit Shah! It is a prayer to God that you will soon be healthy and start serving the country with the same energy again.”

Meanwhile, Union Minister Babul Supriyo has tweeted that he met with Home Minister Amit Shah, who has tested positive for coronavirus, on Saturday.

Supriyo said he is going into self-isolation and away from family as advised by his doctors.

BJP’s Gujarat unit president C R Patil wished a speedy recovery to the home minister. TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Ba-

If we spare some time & utilise our experiences for the service of the nation, our country’s future can become bright. We may encourage the next generation in a better way.

—Piyush Goel, Rlys Minister

Nitin Gadkari

be launched soon and on full-fledged implementation of the project, thousands of jobs will be created in the agarbatti industry,” the ministry said. The programme aims at handholding artisans and supporting the local agarbatti industry.

The current consumption of agarbatti in the country is approximately 1,490 MT per day but local production is just 760 MT. There is a huge gap between the demand and the supply and hence, immense scope for job creation, said the min-

istry. Under the scheme, KVIC will provide automatic agarbatti making machines and powder mixing machines to the artisans through the successful private agarbatti manufacturers who will sign the agreement as business partners.

nerjee also wished speedy recovery for the Union minister and said her prayers are with him and and his family.

Politicians from several parties, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, have wished a speedy recovery for Shah.

environment can be maintained,” he added.

The IPL’s governing council also confirmed that Women’s IPL will also go on and four teams would be participating in it.

“When it comes to women’s IPL, there would be four teams and the matches would be played at the time of playoffs for men’s IPL,” the source said.

The source within the BCCI also said that the governing council would be meeting again to discuss the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all the franchises that

need to be followed in the IPL. The governing council meeting discussed the quarantine measures along with the standard operating procedures (SOP), bio bubble training facilities, stay and travel of the players.

A few days earlier, the IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel had confirmed that the 13th edition of the mega event will commence on September 19 in the UAE. This year’s IPL was slated to commence from March 29 but the tournament was post-

KVIC has decided to procure only locallymade machines by Indian manufacturers.

The Centre earlier took two major decisions by placing the agarbatti item from “free” trade to ‘restricted’ trade in the import policy and enhancing the import duty from 10 per cent to 25 per cent on ‘round bamboo sticks’ used for manufacturing of agarbatti for the benefit of the domestic industry. KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said the two decisions of the central government created a huge employment opportunity in the agarbatti industry. —PTI

FROM PG 1 With 80...

Mehsana, 43, Junagadh, 40, Gandhinagar, 29, Panchmahal, 27, Valsad had 20, while Amreli, Dahod and Kheda had 17 each, and Anand, Bharuch and Kutch reported 16 each.

Twelve of the 22 patients who died were from Surat; Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar and Vadodara had two deaths each and Devbhumi Dwarka, Gandhinagar, Patan and Rajkot reported one death each.

The state tested 23,255 samples on Sunday and claims that it is now conducting 357.76 tests Per Million Per Day.

With Positivity...

While Shah’s contact tracing will be done, it is unclear whether all of his Cabinet colleagues, who he had come in contact with in recent meetings, will undergo coronavirus tests or not.

Union Ministers, including Defence Minister

IPL final... matches will start at 7:30 and the afternoon matches will start at 3:30. The matches will be played across three venues at Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah as travelling here by road is easier and bio-secure

poned due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) had also confirmed receiving the official Letter of Intent from the BCCI to host the 2020 edition of the IPL. —ANI

CAA rules...

The controversial CAA, which facilitates granting of Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, was passed by Parliament nearly eight months ago and had led to protests in different parts of the country. —ANI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020

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07

The advisory reasons that the mask may get soaked in the sweat released from our face while exercising and may foster the growth of microorganisms which can work in favour of the virus

D

o you wear a face mask during exercise?

Perhaps that isn’t a good idea in the first place! The scientific guidelines and research related to Covid-19 have constantly evolved since the onset of the lethal virus from the Chinese city of Wuhan over six months ago. At the very onset of the virus, the health experts across the world led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) advised against wearing masks in public mandatorily and only suggested masks for the use of healthcare workers and infected patients. Charting a different territory many countries including the Indian government made face-masks

SHOULD WE USE

FACE MASKS WHILE EXERCISING?

mandatory at public places fearing the spread of Coronavirus in the large populations. However, in his latest advisory the Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that people should not wear face masks while doing exercise or physical workout.

WHY PEOPLE SHOULD NOT WEAR FACE MASKS DURING EXERCISE

should not Pduringeople wear face masks their physical

workout and exercises as the masks may reduce the ability to breathe comfortably, Vardhan wrote on his official twitter handle along with sharing a chart enumerating the disadvantages of wearing a mask while exercising. The advisory reasons that the mask may get soaked in the sweat released from our face while exercising and may foster the growth of microorganisms which can work in favour of the virus. However, the advisory cautions that people should mandatorily maintain a distance of more than a metre with

other people in the area while exercising and only then they should get rid of their face masks.

With Coronavirus becoming a part of our lives, people are reluctantly returning back to their old pattern of living.

Advisories like these will not only help people remain healthy but also ward off their unfounded fears of contracting the virus from different sources. Health Experts have also highlighted the indispensability of a strong immunity to fight against the virus and exercises and physical workout in a safe manner is essential for boosting our immunity and sanity of our minds.

HOW HARD SHOULD A CLIENT EXERCISE WHILE WEARING A FACE COVERING?

onitoring exercise M intensity is always essential for a safe and effec-

tive workout, with or without wearing a face covering.

However, wearing any type of covering over the nose and mouth while exercising is likely to reduce the flow of oxygen into a person’s lungs (Capritto, 2020).

Some workouts, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which have been shown to be very demanding on the cardiorespiratory system, may feel a little more difficult. This could be a direct result of reduced amounts of oxygen reaching the vigorously exercising muscles. Less oxygen to exercising skeletal muscle reduces the ATP production to provide the needed energy to maintain the exercise intensity and duration (Hargreaves, 2016). Therefore, a slightly lowered oxygen level reaching the muscle is a central contributing factor to fatigue (Hargreaves, 2016).

Some exercisers who wear face masks may notice they are not able to complete an otherwise “normal” workout, or they feel more fatigued than usual during and after the workout.

To minimize early symptoms of fatigue during exercise with a face mask, exercise professionals should encourage clients not to push themselves as hard as usual. They should be encouraged to use rating of perceived exertion (RPE) in combination with heart rate to monitor exercise intensity.

Advise clients to allow their cardiorespiratory system time to gradually adapt to the slight restriction of air flow (from the face mask).

Fitness adaptations to changes in overload during workout programs usually take weeks to occur. Therefore, educate face mask wearing clients that it may take several workouts before they are fully training at their regular exercise intensities.

TIPS ON PROPER WEAR OF A FACE COVERING DURING EXERCISE  Make sure your mask is big enough to cover

your nose and face for proper protection.

 The mask should feel comfortable and snug

around your cheeks and nose. Try not to fidget with the mask while you are working out.

 If the mask restricts your breathing prior to

exercise, it will not be good to wear during exercise.

 Wash your hands PRIOR to putting on your

mask. Soap and water are fine or use an alcoholbased hand rub.

 Make sure you do not touch your eyes, nose or

mouth when removing your mask. Wash your hands AFTER taking off your mask.

 It is best to remove your mask by the ear loops

he purpose of the face Trespiratory mask is to help block droplets from be-

ing sprayed into the air when a person coughs, sneezes, breathes or talks (Sweeney 2020). Surgical masks (also called medical masks) and N95 masks (which are a form of a respirator) are critical masks used by health care workers, who wear them when treating high-risk patients and where social distancing is not possible.

However, the efficacy of wearing a medical mask during exercise has not been investigated. For repeated use, cloth masks are a very good option during exercise.

It is best if the cloth mask has multiple layers of fabric (Sweeney, 2020). A person can buy a cloth mask or make one. Masks made of a

WHAT TYPE OF FACE COVERING SHOULD A CLIENT WEAR FOR EXERCISE?

scarf, bandana or T-shirt are not a great option (Sweeney, 2020), as they usually do not fit the face as well as a cloth mask. A neck gaiter (also called a buff) is a flexible

tube fabric worn to keep the neck and face warm in cold weather. Neck gaiters are not a good option for exercise enthusiasts because they are designed to keep the face and neck warm, and during exercise it is important to dissipate heat from the body (to cool it off). Also, avoid using masks that have plastic valves in the front, as these only filter air that a person breathes in and does not block the air breathed out (Sweeney, 2020). Finally, face shields offer yet another face covering option for exercisers. Face shields provide wearers protection (entire face—eyes, nose and mouth) without impacting breathing.

The unfortunate downside is that face shields tend to be less available than other facecovering options.

because the front of the mask is where germs will collect.

 A great advantage of a cloth

mask is that it can be washed.

Exercise enthusiasts who exercise regularly are encouraged to have a few masks so there is a clean, dry mask ready for each workout. Any laundry detergent will be fine for washing cloth face masks.

 When you talk, keep your

mask over your nose and mouth. Do not pull it down as this defeats the purpose of blocking respiratory droplets from being released in the air.

 If you tend to sweat a lot when you workout

(indoors or outdoors), perhaps bring a second mask with you and replace when it becomes damp. It is best to replace a damp mask (from workout sweat or outdoor humidity).

 For people who wear glasses, sometimes they

fog up if too much air is released near the nose of the face mask. Readjust the mask to be snug over the nose. Furthermore, it has been shown that washing glasses with soapy water, without rinsing, and letting them dry prior to wearing a face mask reduces fogging. Alas, folding a tissue and placing underneath your glasses may absorb any escaping moisture from your breath.

 With children, find a cloth mask that fits a child’s

face, comfortable but snug, and follow all of the same safety instructions above. Do not put masks on young children under the age of two.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

Remember, when a bush does not bloom, we give more care to it by watering it, putting manure; we don’t cut it down.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020

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08

SOME MAY BE INSULATED FROM COVID: STUDY 80%-90% people living in the same household as a COVID-19 patient do not get the disease, says study by Indian Institute of Public Health First India Bureau AHMEDABAD: ‘Recently, we have made an analysis that if a member in famliy is diagnosed with Covid 19 and other members too are susceptible to coronavirus may not be true. This states the fact that the others may have developed some form of resistance to the disease’, said Director Dileep Mavalankar, The Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar.

He said half of the population is not susceptible to the virus, as

per a theory of “immunological black hole” propounded by Karl Friston, a neuro-scientist at the University College of London.

Based on European data, Friston has modelled his theory which shows 50 per cent of the people in Europe do not seem to be susceptible to the virus.

“One of the first reasons for this is many people are limited to their homes and are not going out much, while some people already have some immunity due to some other infection, and some are

Our recent study is based on a review of 13 globally published newspapers on the topic of household family transmission of COVID-19. The review, titled 'Secondary Attack Rate of COVID-19 in Household Contacts: Systematic Review', where most papers showed the household Secondary Attack Rate (SAR), or the rate of transmission of the virus from one member of the family to the other is 10 -15%; three papers showed SAR of 30 - 50%.

—Dileep Mavalankar,

Director, The Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar

A man helps a commuter wear his mask correctly.

susceptible but develop mild infection that cannot be transmitted to others. We get to see transmission

from an adult to the child is lower, but from the adult to an elderly person is higher,” Mavalankar

added.

According to Friston;s theory, Ahmedabad, which were worst affected

by COVID-19, where sero-prevalence or the infection rate reached 28 per cent, only 12 to 15 per cent

people are susceptible. The same thing has been witnessed in Delhi where sero prevalence reached

Suspended cop moves bail application before High Court First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Suspended Police Sub Inspector Sweta Jadeja, who is facing charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, has moved a regular bail application before the state High Court after a lower court rejected an earlier application.

In her bail application, Jadeja has submitted that there is no substance to the allegations

made by rape accused Kenil Shah.

In the FIR (first incident report) filed against Shah, there were two charges in connection with rape and one for criminal intimidation. In the third case, an inquiry was constituted in which police have found some substance in Shah’s allegation against the present applicant.

Jadeja, in her bail application, said that

PSI Shweta Jadeja, who has been charged with extorting Rs 35 lakh from a man accused of rape, being produced in a lower court in July.

—FILE PHOTO

Shah’s allegations against her are meant to pressure her, as she is the investigating officer in one case.

The accused, Kenil Shah wants the prosecution and investigating agency to believe that he was afraid of being arrested under PASA (Prevention of Anti Social Activities Act), Jadeja’s application points out. It adds that, while Shah has alleged that Jadeja was paid a total of Rs 35

Parents shift children from private schools First India Bureau Surat: Several parents in Gujarat’s Surat have shifted their children to government schools from private ones amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of parents who shifted their wards to municipal schools is especially high in the diamond hub of Surat citing financial distress as one of the main reasons for choosing government schools over private ones.

“My two nieces recently took admission in a government school. These days there are hardly any jobs. A lot of people are going through fi-

lakh, the police hae only been able to track Rs15 lakh, which Shah withdrew from the bank. There is no clarity on where he got the rest of the money, or how he sent it to her, the application said.

Jadeja, who joined the police force three years ago, stands accused of extorting Shah, the accused in a rape case. She allegedly threatened to have him arrested under PASA if he failed to pay her.

—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

23 per cent in July. In (Mumbai’s slum area) Dharavi also, with 50 per cent sero-prevalence, not all its residents are infected.

“We need more research on why people are not getting infected.

In April, they were testing all household contacts of a positive case, which was (later) stopped. Now, only family members who have developed symptoms for COVID-19 are getting tested. Asymptomatic persons are not getting tested because the ICMR has changed the policy,” he added.

@ahmedpatel

Wishing Home Minister @AmitShah ji a very speedy recovery and best of health.

No major loss in Chlorine tanker blast First India Bureau

nancial hardship due to coronavirus pandemic,” said Kaushik Patel, a resident from Surat.

The admission numbers of the Surat Municipal Education Board (SMEB) recorded as many as 12,300 new admissions, of which about 5000 were of students who were going to private schools till last year.

“For the past few years, we are doing well in academics. We are giving all kinds of facilities in the schools for free. Therefore, parents of the teachers are opting for a government school,” said Hasmukh Patel, Surat Nagar Palika Sikshan Samiti Chairman.

STAYING SAFE: Masks, face

shields and physical distancing are evident as students take the entrance exam for the Indian Institute of Teachers Education (IITE) at CN Vidyalaya in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Dhandhuka: A tanker truck carrying chlorine exploded on the Dhandhuka highway on Sunday. The truck had been carrying the toxic element from Gandhidham and was headed to Vadodara.

Images from the accident, which have surfaced on social media, show thick plumes of smoke that resulted from the explosion.

Dhandhuka police and fire brigade team rushed to the highway as soon as the fire was reported and averted a major tragedy by controlling the fire in a timely manner.

Give that chlorine gas is a corrosive agent

Plumes of smoke were visible after the blast.

known to cause inflammation in the eyes and nose, there were some concerns about damage to the several other vehicles that were present in the area at the time of the blast.

However, there have been no reports of deaths or major injuries.

65 YEARS OLD

71st Van Mahotsav kicks off birthday celebrations for CM Rupani Masuma Bharmal Jariwala Rajkot: The 65th birthday celebration of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani kicked off with the inauguration of the 71st Van Mahotsav via video conference. To make Rupani’s dream of fresh air for people of the state, the government has, this monsoon season, distributed 10 crore saplings across Gujarat’s 33 districts, 250 talukas, corporation and nagarpalika areas and 5,100 villages.

The event was clubbed with the inau-

guration of the 20th Sanskrutik Van Mahotsav in Rajkot, jointly organized by the Rajkot Municipal Corporation and the state forest department.

An urban forest has been planned across 156.16 acres of city land.

Plantation in 10 acres of land was completed last year. Since the event coincides with the remaking of Ram Mandir in Ayodya in coming weeks, Rupani named the upcoming urban forest in Rajkot as Shri Ram Van. Go green Raths and

PRAYING FOR CM’S HEALTH

CM Rupani plants a tree in Rajkot on Sunday.

Sanjeevani Rath were also launched on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Rupani said, “To take Gujarat to the next level, the state is committed to being pollution-free; to give people

clean air, clean water and a clean environment. It is my dream to ensure people of Gujarat get clean natural oxygen.”

Forest Minister Ganpat Vasava speaking on the occasion said, “The

Go Green Rath will go door-to-door with trees and tree guards for those interested in tree plantation while the Sanjeevani Raths will take care of COVID-19 patients under home isolation.

Speaking to First India, RMC director for parks and gardens, Dr Khimji Hapalia said, “This year we have targeted to plant 55,000 trees in the city including an urban forest.

People can call the RMC and our team will go and plant the tree with tree guard protectors.”

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PYAAR KA BANDHAN

City First wishes its readers a very happy RAKSHA BANDHAN and also takes you through a few glimpses of the behen-bhai jodis of the industry!

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

R

aksha Bandhan is one such festival in the Indian tradition that is dedicated to the siblings. In this, the sisters tie a ‘rakhi’ around their brother’s wrist, symbolically protecting them. But looking at the present day, it’s not just about the brothers and

sisters, but about any sibling for that matter of fact. There are people who tie a rakhi to their sisters with a share of responsibility to protect each other, which is really sweet; isn’t it?

This festival is also observed as the last day of the Hindu Lunar calendar month of Sawan. The expression ‘Raksha Bandhan’ in Sanskrit refers to the bond of protection, obligation or care towards one another.

Talking about the brothersister jodis in the Bollywood industry, there are a few of them that not just made heads turn with their skills, but also with how adorable they actually are together!  Sara & Ibrahim Ali Khan: Born to Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, these star kids have set major goals on social media, from travelling to celebrating festivals together.  Janhvi & Arjun Kapoor: Considering the fact that they are

step-siblings, it is safe to say that their relationship is looked upon to by many people. Arjun sure is an extremely protective brother and loves all of his sisters from the bottom of his heart.  Ranbir & Riddhima Kapoor: Born to Neetu and late Rishi Kapoor, these Kapoor siblings are always in support of each other. May it be a big incident or a small moment of happiness, both of them are there with each other, no matter what.  Sonam & Harshvardhan Kapoor: Being born to Anil & Sunita Kapoor, this set of Kapoor siblings are always fun to watch.

May it be a talk show or just a casual video on social media, this jodi is undoubtedly loved by everyone; especially considering the fact that Harshvardhan is a really reserved person.

Turn to P10

09

ETC

Happy Rakshabandhan

AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020

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10

PYAAR KA BANDHAN

FROM PG 1  Abhishek & Shweta Bachchan: Born to Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, this bhai-behen jodi is absolutely inseparable. Their unity as siblings is to look up to.  Saif & Soha Ali Khan: Saif and Soha have been shoulder-to-shoulder through every thick and thin of each others’ lives. The royal heir and heiress of the Pataudi family sure know how to keep the love high in the air.  Hrithik & Sunaina Roshan: Even after various controversies, this brother-sister jodi has been with each other no matter what the situation was.  Shraddha & Siddhanth Kapoor: Born to Shakti Kapoor and Shivangi Kolhapure, this duo is always all over the internet for all the cute reasons. They pump each other in such a way, which is adored by people all across.

FA CE OF TH ED AY

 Ekta & Tusshar Kapoor: Being star kids and born to Jeetendra and Shobha Kapoor, this brother-sister

jodi has always been a hit for supporting each other. The best thing about this duo is that both of them are single parents and are raising a child without getting married; doesn’t that break a lot of stereotypes?  Sonakshi & Luv-Kush Sinha: Sonakshi is the youngest sibling out of the three and the most renowned one too. Born to Shatrughan & Poonam Sinha, this trio is loved by everyone in the industry.  Salman & Arpita Khan: Even though Arpita might be Salman’s adopted sister, the bond they share is priceless.

Arpita sure is the most-loved sister of the family.

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You will decide today to start living and stop worrying and that will be your best decision in recent times. Homemakers may decide to buy some new decor stuff out of boredom. Just don’t use words today that can potentially pierce through someone’s heart.

You have achieved the goal that you set for yourself but now you are looking forward to achieve the next one. Encourage people the ones specially sensitive people who are loosing their mind. Your family is your priority today and you will really cater to their every need.

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, think positive.

There is no harm in mending relationships with people about whom you really care.

Business deals will give your lots of profit but only and only if you are fully honest with your terms.

You are a social being & you cannot manage without a social system.

You like to spend a lot of money on lifestyle and there is no harm in that as far as your pocket allows but it wiser to spend less. You may decide to discuss something sensitive with your kids.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Today is a lucky day for you as you tend to receive a lot of money from different sources today. Also money invested in some foreign scheme will give multiplied returns. Professionally though people admire and look upto you, somewhere you still feel empty inside so think and introspect.

Sometimes you crave for attention more than anything else and you get it too. You are doing everything in your capacity to get the desired body transformation and you will succeed be rest assured. In financial matters, decision making shouldn’t be delayed at all.

You smile and everyone smiles along with you, such is your power. A lot of physical exertion is on the cards and don’t worry you will have the energy to do it. Your dedication is your secret on business front. You always make a point to do business with pleasure and thats how to grow.

Your stars are going to give you unexpected benefits in coming time.

The time is coming when you will be rewarded for your good deeds. You’ll keep earning lots of blessings from both your family and outsiders. You will be very focused as far as your work is concerned.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You will get a sum of money to start your new business from somewhere or the other. You are a great and a very loyal friend, there hasn’t been a time when you didn’t stand by the side of your friend no matter what the situation was. Avoid any kind of argument with your sibling.

Your star placement is such that you will make all the right moves to keep things nice and beautiful at home but still sometimes some unexpected things come up. Because of boredom you may buy new things in the house as life has completely changed and you need some change.

You have a risk taking attitude in life because you want to make it large. You want lot of money not just for yourself but for your family too.

You may feel bored a little more than usual today because of too much silence or peace at home today. You will only get what you deserve.

Apologise, if you think you really have hurt someone at home today. You will win everyone’s heart by your out standing results in project, on office front. Inspite of the pandemic, you income will only grow. You are very emotional about you ancestral property and may decide to keep it.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

MITALI DUSAD, Student

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC

Happy Rakshabandhan

AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020

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11

Refreshing

STILLS

...her post

H

ours after dropping the breath-taking trailer of her upcoming film ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’, actor Janhvi Kapoor on Saturday shared some stills from the flick on social media.

The forthcoming film chronicles the journey of the first Indian Air Force (IAF) lady officer -- Gunjan Saxena -- to enter a war zone, which will be portrayed by Janhvi in the film. The 23-year-old actor on Instagram shared three refreshing stills from the movie. In one picture, the actor is seen donned in the uniform, while the other two pictures have adorable moments shared by Kapoor with on-screen father Pankaj Tripathi.

She kept the caption minimal by writing “Gunju”. The trailer of her much-anticipated movie, that was dropped earlier today has been receiving a vast, positive response from netizens, and from Bollywood celebrities alike.

—ANI

... her post

Janhvi Kapoor

‘GOT THE DAY RIGHT THIS TIME’

GUNSHOTS NEAR MANALI RESIDENCE

K

angana Ranaut, who has been strongly voicing her opinion in Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case, has made the headlines lately for a piece of shock-

Kangana Ranaut

ing news. It is reported that the Queen actress heard gunshots news her home in Manali late Friday night following which she called the cops. While the cops have deployed the security team outside Kangana’s residence, the actress feels it is an attempt to intimidate her as she has been making sharp comments against some big shots of the country.

The actress revealed that she heard two gunshots at around11:30pm and had sent a guard to check on it. Later they even called the cops.

While the police are investigating the matter, Kangana is sure that she heard the sounds of gunshots.

Kangana, who is known for not mincing her words, called the incident an alarming call for herself as she has been making comments about ‘the chief minister’s son’. Relating it to Sushant’s demise, the actress stated that the late actor must have frightened like this. However, Kangana is adamant to continue to ask questions. To do this to make a statement on the day I called out the chief minister’s son - I don’t think it was a coincidence. People are telling me that they will now make your life miserable in Mumbai. Well, I don’t have to be in Mumbai, they are doing it here also.

Is there an open goondagardi in this country? This is how Sushant must have been frightened. But I will continue to ask questions.”

—Agency

C

Sara Ali Khan

hanneling her Sunday mood, actor Sara Ali Khan treated her fans to a stunning picture in a yoga pose as she stood by the swimming pool.

The ‘Kedarnath’ actor put out a post on Instagram wherein she flaunts her toned physique. In the picture, Sara is seen sporting red shorts and matching crop top while she concentrates in a yoga pose. The ‘Simmba’ star is seen standing by her pool in the garden as is evident from the lush green trees load... her post ed with flowers, and other plants. Sara captioned the picture: “Happy Sunday#sundayfunday #sunnyday #sunnysunday. If only peace, serenity and green truly made you wiser.. but at least I got the day right. this time...” —ANI

NO ACTING BEFORE

DAUGHTERS TURN 14

T

he 45-year-old actress began her career when she was just 11 months and worked throughout her childhood. While speaking to Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell via video chat, Drew Barrymore said that she would support Olive and Frankie, if they wanted to follow in her footsteps, but would rather wait until they are at least in their teens before encouraging them to do so. “I would be the first person to help them, but not before 14 or 15,” she said.

She said, “I have all sort of wonderful baggage that I would never let go of or have it any other way because I wouldn’t be exactly who I am at this moment in time without those experiences.” Meanwhile, the actress recently admitted that she found homeschooling during the coronavirus pandemic to be overwhelming at first.

She said, “Between homeschooling and working, I felt very overwhelmed at first and I hate feeling overwhelmed. It was weird to be a mum and a teacher and a provider and a friend. I felt sad for a while.”

—Agency

Drew Barrymore

Adele

Makeover surprise

A

dele sure knows how to make some noise!

Adele has been experimenting with her looks for a while now. A few months ago, the singer revealed she had lost a few pounds. The unrecognizable singer left fans in shock with her makeover. While fans continue to debate over the old Adele and the new Adele, the singer decided to undergo another makeover and leave fans talking. The international songstress took to social media and debut her new hairdo while gushing about Beyonce.

In the new photo, Adele was seen showering Beyonce with love over her recent Black Is King. Adele sported the same outfit as Beyonce from the visual album.

—Agency

Staying away from dating rumours

T

he internet was left wondering about Chris Evans’ relationship status after he was spotted with Lily James. The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ star was seen with the Mamma Mia 2 actress twice in a week. At first, both the stars were seen leaving a hotel in the wee hours. In a recent interview, Chris opened about his trip to the UK but stayed away from talking about the two spottings. The Defending Jacob star was asked if he was back to work since he was spotted in London recently. “No – aside from the website, which is probably been more work than I’ve ever done on any movie set,” he said, talking about the new website, A Starting Point, he’s been devoted to.

—Agency

Chris Evans

CITY BUZZ

Happy Rakshabandhan

AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020

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Astro Advice for celebrating

12

INSTAGRAM POST!

RAKSHA BANDHAN of water, with a few strands of grass, after completing the aarti, sprinkle this water on the right and left side of his shoulder. It will ward off bad eyes.

MAHESH BANG

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

n The younger of the two

should touch the feet of the elder then hug each other.

R

aksha Bandhan will be celebrated today and the most appropriate times to perform the ceremony is between 09: 28 am to 09:26 pm.

In the current COVID-19 situation, it is better to tie a normal red string (mouli) that most people have at home, whilst simultaneously video calling your sister.

As per the Astro-advice, the following can be done:

n Brother must give a gift or

money as a token of appreciation to the sister as soon as aarti finishes. n Always have rakhi’s tied in

even numbers. Example; if one has one sister she can tie two rakhi’s to make it even. n It is good to chant “Hare

Krishna” mantra, The Gayatri Mantra (if one knows the correct pronunciation), and/or “Om Namah Shivaya”.

n Before the ritual, tie the first

rakhi to Lord Krishna or offer it to his feet.

Leave it there until the next spiritual event.

ring finger.

n A coconut is given to the

n Thereafter she ties

n Brother can sit on a stool

and face east. Next, the sister applies tilak and then a few grains of rice on the forehead of her brother with

rakhis on the right wrist of the brother.

Sister prays and expresses her wish for the well being of brother, and brother, in turn, pledges to take care of his sister lifelong.

brother and the sister also makes him eat something sweet, if possible give a pinch of jaggery first. n Sister performs an aarti with

a tray with lighted lamp. n On the aarti tray put a tiny lota

n This is one of two days in the

year dedicated to brother and sister festivals. The other one falls two days after Diwali and it is called ‘Bhai Dooj’, where brother goes to sister’s house to celebrate unlike on Raksha Bandhan, where sister goes to brothers house.

Robert Vadra

SIMPLICITY OF NATURE

R

obert Vadra on Sunday, posted a series of pictures wherein he was appreciating the nature during the pandemic.

In the caption, he expressed how one can enjoy the simplicity of nature and appreciate it. He wrote, “Go slow... Are You Serious?! Ok, But don’t let it kill your positive vibes. We never thought that we will be dealing with a pandemic... Well, life has a way of creating a correction. Appreciate and enjoy where you are, make most of each day. Nature is for all and free, enjoy its simplicity. Have a super Sunday.”

— Vaishali

DURING THE DAY! RAJASTHAN: During the shoot of the latest song, celebrities Jass Manak, Brazilian Actress Larissa Bonesi posed with CEO Shiv Vilas, Satya Narayan Sharma; Vice President, Mahesh Sharma; Jacque Franze; and Director Satti, Dhiren Manadap.

CELEBRATING THE

TRADITIONS

A CONVERSATION ON BALOCHISTAN CITY FIRST

Dhiraj Srivastava CITY FIRST

R

ajasthan Foundation is going to host Teej celebrations online which will be attended by more than 100 participants from over 50 countries.

It will be telecasted live on various social media platforms at 7.30 pm on August 6. There is a lot of enthusiasm among the NRRs who have migrated to foreign lands many years ago and still want to remain in touch with their culture and tradition.

Dhiraj Srivastava, Commissioner, Rajasthan Foundation said, “The objective of Rajasthan Foundation is to organise such events to promote and foster the traditional Rajasthani values; improve the understanding of the rich culture and traditions amongst the young generation and strengthen our engagement with NRR community,” The event will have artists singing Rajasthani Teej folk songs. They will also interact and engage with the partici-

pants.

The Foundation had formed a Whatsapp group in March 2020, which has now grown into one big family of 170 members with representation from over 50 countries.

“It is the time to make the women and daughters of our family happy,” said Srivastava organising Teej, which is dedicated to the ladies of the family. The common thread that binds all NRRs is sharing the culture, heritage and traditions of their native land. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

F

ormer Special Secretary, RAW, and Cabinet, Government of India and Author, Tilak Devasher addressed a live talk on his book, ‘Pakistan: The Balochistan Conundrum’ on Sunday, in conversation with Literary Secretary of IAS Association, Mugdha Sinha. The program was organised by IAS Association, Rajasthan on their Facebook Page.

During the session, he stated that the Baloch narrative hinges on the indelible historical memories of their identity. Howev-

er, their identity faces a serious crisis due to extreme human rights violations, unfair distribution of natural resources, lack of economic development, and longstanding resentments among the people of Balochistan. Apart from this, the exclusion of the Baloch about megaprojects has further accentuated their anxiety of being turned into a minority in their province and soon losing their identity. Unless this resentment is resolved, the insurgency in Balochistan, even at current levels, will eat the innards of Pakistan. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

TRENDING ON SOCIAL MEDIA CITY FIRST

A

young IAS officer of Rajasthan, Monika Yadav has become a celebrity on social media these days.

In a picture from March 2020, she is sitting, holding her newborn girl, wearing Rajasthani attire. Monia got the 403rd rank in the IAS examination of 2017. Presently, she is undergoing the IAS training and is on maternity leave.

The daughter of Lisariya village in Srimadhopur tehsil of Sikar, Monika has been raised in the vil-

IAS Monika Yadav

lage atmosphere and is connected to those traditions even after becoming an IAS. She is married to Sushil Yadav from Narnaul in Haryana, who is also an IAS from the 2017 cadre of Rajasthan and is currently posted as the SDM in Rajsamand.

At the same time, Monika’s father Harphal Singh Yadav is a senior RAS officer, who is working on the post of Registrar in Rajasthan University. Generally, young IAS officers forget the traditions of their native place after their first posting, but Monika is totally different from them. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

RAJASTHAN: Non- Residential Rajasthani Association organised ‘Sur-e-Rajasthan’ digitally on Sunday, where Raja Hasan performed Rajasthani songs along with various film songs.

The program was supported by Rajasthan Foundation, Rajasthan Association UK, Rajasthan Association Europe, Rajasthan Immigrant Association, Doctor of Rajasthan International, Rajasthan Media Association of North America, Rajput Association of Australia, Rajasthan Association of Canada, International Wing of All India Jangid Brahmin and Vishwakarma Organization, and Global Rajasthani Community.

RAJASTHAN: On the occasion of 27th death anniversary of worker leader of INTUC Federation and the first head of INTUC Federation, late Mangilal Sharma, a blood donation camp and tribute meeting under the aegis of PHED Sports Club and Shramik Sangathan was organised on Sunday at Jawahar Nagar Community Center. During the program, more than 135 units of blood were donated and hundreds of water workers paid tribute. MP Ramcharan Bohra; Former state BJP president, Ashok Parnami; Union patron, Jagdish Sharma and Union president Sanjay Singh Shekhawat paid tribute to labour leader Mangal Sharma.

HAPPY B’DAY!

Niranjan Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Excise Department, celebrated his birthday on 2 August, Sunday. We wish him all the best!

RAJASTHAN: In an ongoing live series of Rajasthan Progressive Writers Association, Dr Satyanarayan was seen in conversation with Author Madhav Rathore on Sunday, where he talked about the times when he used to read live characters scattered on the streets of the walled city Jaipur.