8 Candles

Page 1

@Editorial

ANDLES Be A Team Member Mr. Chiradeep Patra

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an is a social animal. This is the first and foremost statement we find in the civics book that we used to study in our school days. Even in the Bible we find God created man and woman both, thinking that they will live together complementing each other in everything within their life spans. Our creation is such that we cannot survive all alone in this world. Our survival strategy is to live with each other. There are advantages in staying and cooperating with each other. Life is designed for companionship, not isolation, for friendship, not loneliness. Some prefer isolation, thinking they can do everything on their own, which is just impossible. The great king Solomon also supports the fact that it is very important for us to live with one another to survive. He expresses his viewpoints as under: “I observed yet another example of meaninglessness in our world. This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing. Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (Eccl. 4: 7-12) Wow! What a study! So, friends, don't isolate yourself and try to do it alone. Seek companions; be a team member. Please send your Suggestions & Articles for the Next issue of CANDLES to “Mr. Chiradeep Patra, 11A/1A, Mahendra Chatterjee Lane, Surya Niketan Housing Complex, Kolkata 700 046; E- Mail thecandles@sify.com; Mobile: 09830930379, Web site: http://thecandles.blogspot.com.” All the articles should reach us at least one month in advance. The publisher reserves the right to edit, publish or reject the submitted articles. Articles submitted Cannot be returned, so please keep a copy of the article sent to us.


Our Family

The Family that stays together Mr. Binoy Kumar Muduli

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amily is God's wonderful creation of a closely knitted community. The members of the family share moments of happiness and sorrow. There are also painful moments of strife and quarrel. But God's intention of family is not to create strife or division and falling apart. A healthy nation is built upon healthy families. Let's take a moment to check the health of our families. Do we appreciate one another? In a healthy family, the members express a high degree of appreciation for each other. Several families even created projects around the house to stimulate praise. For example, one household of five could have creative events with funny, attractive title. Every few months, the family members could meet and each could spend one minute praising every other member of the family. There could even be a family post box placed in a central place. Each member, at their convenient time, could drop small chits of appreciation or positive quality of other members. Such creative fun events are certainly stimulating and inspirational. Do we have quality time together? The healthy and happy families spend a great deal of quality time together. They genuinely enjoy being together. They worked at doing things that involved every member of the family. It is a wonderful team where all members are self-motivated directed. They share responsibilities and create synergy. Do we effectively communicate? The successful families have good communication patterns. They spend time talking to each other. The key to effective communication in a family is that members listen and work at understanding each other. Are we committed to one another? The healthy families have a strong sense of commitment. They actively promote one another's happiness and welfare. An example of this commitment is in how these families handle themselves when things become too hectic, causing them to spend less time together. In your home, each family member could make a list of his or her individual activities. The things he or she really doesn't want to do or that isn't very important are scratched to provide more time for family involvement. How strong is our religious orientation? The next common ingredient is a high degree of religious orientation. These families participate in religious activities together. They are committed to a spiritual lifestyle. How do we handle crisis situations? The happy family has the ability to deal with crises in a positive manner. This isn't to say that they enjoy crises, but even in the worst situation they are able to find some positive elements, no matter how tiny, and focus on that. So make all efforts to have a healthy and happy family. Enjoy life and help built a happy nation.


Our Health

Basics of Nutrition: A report from the USA Mrs. Allison Willis Greetings from the USA! My name is Allison Willis and I am a registered and licensed dietitian in the great state of Oklahoma. I have my bachelor's and master's degrees in nutrition from the University of Central Oklahoma. I currently work at a local hospital and also teach a nutrition class at a nearby university. I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Chiradeep Patra and his lovely wife during a recent tourist trip to Calcutta. Mr. Patra told me about his newsletter and welcomed my input. I am honored to be included in this newsletter and hope to contribute further in the future. I am very concerned for community health and feel that nutrition is a big contributor. Unfortunately, in the United States at least, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. You do not have to have a degree or any credentials whatsoever to give nutrition advice to the public. This is a tragedy to public health and has led to the dissemination of a large amount of misinformation regarding the science of nutrition. My advice to you is to seek nutrition advice from a professional. Evaluate and research your sources for nutrition information. Many of the popular diets in the United States have no scientific support and can actually do more harm than good. Yes, you may lose weight, but you may be losing muscle weight rather than fat. Or you may be simply dehydrating yourself. Our society in America has accepted many lies, and I hope that this is not the case in India. But rather than focusing on the lies, I would like to give a very brief introduction to the truths of good nutrition, in hopes that they would give you a place to start in evaluating your own nutritional well-being.

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oods are not good or bad. There is nothing that you can NEVER eat. A good diet and I do not mean diet in the popular sense of the word, but rather mean your lifestyle of eating consists of balance and moderation. The things your mother told you were right: Eat all different kinds of foods and eat them in moderation. Three meals a day, or even 5 smaller meals a day, are important because they keep your metabolism going throughout the day. Many people make the mistake of eating just one or two meals a day, and end up stuffing themselves because their bodies are “starving� for nutrients and aren't sure when they may get more again. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products, lean meats including fish, poultry, and loin cuts of beef, and even healthy oils can all be part of a well-balance diet. It is not necessary to eliminate snacks, but rather to choose healthier snacks in appropriate portions. To cut portion sizes, try eating only 75% of what's on your plate. Feel your fullness take your time eating and spend at least 20 minutes per meal. It takes your body this long to begin to feel whether you are full or not. Use smaller serving dishes and utensils studies show that this decreases how much you will eat. Drink water or calorie-free drinks with your meals, or try to drink a glass before your meal. This will help you feel more full. Along with eating healthy, it is important to exercise. If you are trying to lose weight and only trying to do so with your diet, you are only fighting half the fight. Any form of movement could be considered exercise, so even if you'll never run a marathon you can certainly walk more or increase your movement in some form. Be wary of drinking calories alcohol, sodas (except for diet sodas), and coffee (except for black coffee) can be concentrated sources of calories and should be used in great moderation. Aim to increase your water intake for the best effect.


If you are not eating a well-balanced diet, consider taking a simple mulit-vitamin. You do not need the expensive kinds touting extreme percentages of vitamins and minerals. The truth is, you can only absorb so much and the rest will be excreted anyway. Save your money. Besides, some vitamins can be harmful to you if consumed in excess. And finally, although I could of course go on, don't expect to lose weight rapidly. It is a slow process. You should aim to lose no more than 1-2 pounds a week. Losing weight quicker than this is harmful to your body because it throws off your internal equilibrium. And if you make a mistake and indulge once or twice, don't fret. Just go back to your healthy eating plan and forgive yourself. If you never indulge, you may someday give up your intense striving. It's OK every now and then. Just don't skip your next meal to make up for it. That will become a vicious cycle.

My Heavenly Home Mrs. Helen Swarna It is one Golden Morning, for which the saints wait with longing; That glorious day is drawing near, When the sound of trumpets, we shall hear. The clouds will scroll up like a sheet, When our Loving Father, we shall finally meet; That day we can really kiss His feet, our hearts filled with Joy, when the Holy Angel's greet; We will hold our Mighty Father's Hand, When Joyous music it plays, the heavenly Band; This day of promise we shall soon see, And Forever in His presence we shall be; He's Going to say, “Well done, my servant, You have been so Faithful and Patient;” As a Glorious Bride, we shall shine, When At last in our heavenly home, With our father, we shall dine; There will be a royal banquet, beyond the sky, In the Land where Joy and Music never die, At Last, we shall lay our burden down, And wear a beautiful Golden Crown; Oh! Lord my God! How long should I wait… To enter the glorious Pearly Gate Lord, Faster let that golden day come, And take me to my Heavenly Home.

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