Friday, July 11, 2008

Restroom horrors


Washing hands Could go a long way in preventing infections

Recently, the World Health Organization reported that poor hygiene and toilet habits have cost the life of thousands in Asia. As per the report, out of 1.8 million worldwide deaths from poor hygiene, two-thirds are from Asia with more than half in India and China. This raises the issue of lack of proper sanitation in India. This is mainly because of improper maintenance, improper usage of toilets, improper ventilation, lack of awareness about healthy habits and illiteracy. “We have eight bathrooms but only one is functional,” says Rekha, a final-year microbiology student in the city. “We don’t even have sufficient number of mugs and buckets,” she adds. Of course, extra care is taken to maintain only the staff toilets.

Unhygienic
Tamil Selvi, a class IV student from a reputed school says she never turns to ‘that’ area because it makes her nauseous. Sometimes, the students are forced to carry water bottles due to lack of water supply. “Because some children avoid using unhygienic toilets, they may develop urinary tract infection at a later stage," says Dr. Mohan Stephen, a child specialist. He also points out that the flies in toilets are major carriers of cholera and typhoid. “Though preventive vaccinations and medicines are available, the danger still remains.”

Foul odour and slippery floors are signs of improper maintenance. Germs thrive in such restrooms. Lack of supplies such as water, mugs, buckets and dustbins prevent users from keeping the toilets clean. Those infected by germs are likely to transfer them through contact with door handles and taps. Though one cannot avoid the germs completely, the simple act of washing one’s hands can drastically reduce the chance of germ transference.

Experts say that the Government should intervene and pay more attention to sanitation. Awareness creation and privatisation of public toilets, education on healthy habits and proper toilet design can alter the situation significantly. “Above all, everyone should try and maintain the public toilets the way they would their own toilets at home,” says Dr. Stephen.

Doctors point out that women’s restrooms have twice the bacteria than men’s; also they are more prone to related diseases. More people like Sudha Krishnan are called for. A medical officer at PSG Urban Centre, Coimbatore, she conducts awareness programmes regularly to make the 22 slums in her area disease-free.

To educate the public, Domex, a Hindustan Unilever product has launched a campaign on toilet hygiene in association with the Indian Medical Association, Mumbai. The objective is to share the findings of the Unilever Global Research Centre (on the harm caused by microscopic germs lurking in toilets) with the public.

RIA LAKSHMAN. V

This article is published in The Hindu Metroplus (Chennai and Coimbatore edition) on 10th July 2008.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Faculty development


Angel College of Engineering and Technology, Tirupur, recently conducted a seven-day faculty development programme on “Learn to Teach.” The programme included classes on health and hygiene, working in a professional environment and teamwork.

S.Sadasivam, Dean of Kumaraguru College of Technology, spoke on time management, planning and prioritisation. P.Sivakumar, Chief Executive Officer of the college, stressed the need for counselling. N.Gunasekharan, principal of the college, advised the teachers to follow ethical methods of instruction. Other speakers dealt with topics such as improving vocabulary, public speaking, the need to be assertive.

RIA LAKSHMAN. V
This news report is published in The Hindu Education Plus (Coimbatore edition) on June 30th 2008

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Who is Chikki?

That is me-Ria Lakshman V.

An aspiring journalist would be the right way to define me. It is now the gurukulam era and I spend part of the days honing my skills to accomplish the dream. The rest of the time I spend freelancing for few websites, newspapers and most importantly, to snore and eat. I do not claim to be a dexterous writer or a crackerjack in anything. Rather, I possess a passion for the career and own a determination to succeed.

Chikki4fun is a place for me to express myself with no Editor’s meddling. This is a podium for me to speak out and reach to similar minds. I do not limit the topics in this blog to anything particular. ‘Anything under the sun’ would be the apt connotation.

I have incorporated few of my works published in newspapers and other sources as well. These are the other extensions of my journey so far. I also plan to extend this blog into my other areas of interest - drawing and painting which are in the offing.

Monday, June 9, 2008

An Intro by a cute little squirrel!

"Today is the first day for the rest of my life"...this is what I say in the beginning of each day...I plan small small things, something for my betterminent(of course..something for others to bear me easily), for my bright little future..even if things go wrong as they sometimes will;the first statement brings me back on track..Chikki's days go brighter each day...will share u the pranks, my too serious opinions on things around, my hidden secrets,loves,hates everything...Not promising u anything but will give something..C me on this..