Health

Consider your mask a vaccine, says Delhi CM as third wave of Covid hits Delhi

New Delhi, November 6 (IANS): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on November 6 said wearing a mask is the biggest protection against Coronavirus till the time a vaccine is developed. The Chief Minister was laying the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Rohtak road on November 6. Kejriwal said Delhi is facing a third wave of the virus, and he was extremely hopeful that Delhiites will continue to support the fight against the pandemic. “Earlier, Delhi has successfully defeated dengue. In 2015, dengue cases had reached a new high. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Over the past two years, we have did not start at 0 in terms of the decomposer invented by Pusa not recorded a single death due number of Covid cases. Delhi Institute on all the farmlands in to dengue,” said Kejriwal, while started at thousands owing to Delhi.” speaking on the occasion. the lack of aggressive testing This decomposer is an effective The CM further said, “To fight of people who flew in from alternative to stubble burning Covid, the only protocol to follow international flights. Delhi is as it turns stubble into manure. is wearing your mask. Till the time the national capital of India and This stubble has now turned into we don’t have a vaccine, consider attracts people from all over an opportunity for the farmers, your mask as the vaccine. There the world. What we are facing it is no longer a liability. He said is no other way to fight this virus. currently is the third wave,” said Haryana and Punjab government Covid doesn’t distinguish between the CM. must also help their farmers just demographics. It can happen to Kejriwal said that pollution is also like Delhi did. anyone. I strongly appeal to all present here, to turn wearing a mask into a movement.” on the rise in Delhi. “We have had a strong hold on pollution control in Delhi. It’s only in the “I sincerely believe that this is the last year when we have to tolerate pollution due to stubble burning. He alleged that when the months ahead of winter that we Now, no other state should make pandemic was in the initial stage, face this issue but that is also excuses for not helping their flights carrying approximately due to stubble burning in the farmers. If they need help, we 32,000 Indians from various neighbouring states. To combat are ready to provide them with countries landed in the national pollution within the city, Delhiites chemicals,” he said. capital. “But there was no system have surpassed every state. The of aggressive testing then. Delhi Delhi government sprayed the

Reduction in fossil-fuel CO2 emissions due to Covid-19: Study

Tokyo, November 8 (IANS) The Covid-19 pandemic has been affecting the global socioeconomic activity, leading to a significant reduction in fossil-fuel-derived CO2 (FFCO2) emissions and other anthropogenic air pollutants in the world, say researchers, including one of Indian-origin. This situation gave a unique opportunity to assess the ability by the restrictions associated with the Covid-19 outbreak in JanuaryMarch 2020. “We estimated that the FFCO2 emissions decreased by about 20 per cent during January-February 2020 as a result of the measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 within China and to the outside world,” said study author Prabir K. Patra from Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and of the atmospheric CO2 and CH4 observed at Hateruma Island for the past 20 years at daily time intervals. The research team found that the monthly average ratio of the atmospheric CO2 to CH4 variations in January, February, and March tracked the yearly increase in FFCO2 emissions from China during 1997-2019. to quantify the changes in the Technology (JAMSTEC) in Japan. However, the ratios showed regional FFCO2 emissions using atmospheric observations, the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, said. While a significant reduction of the atmospheric pollutants has been reported, papers on the atmospheric signals of the FFCO2 significant decreases in February and March 2020, which coincided with the lockdown period in China. However, there are few reports of reduction are yet to be found in “The relationship between observational evidence for CO2 the published literature. the variation ratio and the emission reduction due to the Covid-19 lockdown, although a large number of publications have reported reductions in shortlived air pollutants from various “The size of the atmospheric reservoir of CO2 is quite large and the atmospheric CO2 has a relatively long lifetime. These characteristics make the FFCO2 emissions from China should be evaluated by using an atmospheric transport model and a set of CO2s and CH4 flux maps,” the study authors noted. parts of the world. change in the atmospheric CO2 In the study, the research team concentrations caused by the ADVERTISE WITH US analysed atmospheric CO2 and Covid-19 influence quite small,” CH4 concentrations observed at Hateruma Island, Japan, and Patra added. To detect such faint signals in the Call us at detected signals related to the FFCO2 reduction in China caused CO2 variations, the research team focused on the relative variation 1300 859 066

Global COVID-19 cases cross 50 mn: Johns Hopkins University

New York, November 9 (IANS): followed India with 5,653,561 cases Global COVID-19 cases surpassed and 162,269 deaths, the world’s 50 million, according to the second largest death toll. Center for Systems Science and Countries with more than 1.1 Engineering (CSSE) at Johns million cases also include Russia, Hopkins University. France, Spain, Argentina, Britain The global case count reached and Colombia, while other 50,052,204, with a total of 1,253,110 countries with over 40,000 deaths deaths worldwide as of 11.24 a.m. include India, Mexico, Britain, local time (1624 GMT), the CSSE Italy and France, according to the data showed on November 8, center. Xinhua news agency reported. Global cases topped 30 million The United States reported the on September 17, and rose to 40 most cases and deaths around the million on October 19. It took world, which stood at 9,879,323 32 days for the global caseload and 237,192, respectively. India to jump from 30 million to 40 recorded 8,507,754 cases, ranking million, and only 20 days from 40 second in the world. Brazil million to 50 million.

India’s largest Covid hospital reeling under pressure as cases soar

New Delhi, November 7 (IANS): Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, India’s largest Covid-19 hospital run by the Delhi government, appears to be crumbling under the weight of soaring coronavirus cases, with only 6 per cent ventilator beds vacant in the hospital. According to Delhi government’s Corona application, only 19 per cent of the ICU beds with ventilators are vacant across the city, 22 per cent of ICU beds without ventilators are unoccupied, while only 50 per cent of normal Covid-19 beds are available. The patients are running from pillar to post just to occupy a single bed. LNJP currently has only five vacant ventilator beds, 22 ICU beds without ventilators and 1,398 Covid-19 beds. Speaking to IANS, LNJP Medical Director Suresh Kumar said, “If we run out of beds, we have central allocation. For example, if the beds are full, patients can be sent to Rajiv Gandhi, GTB or other hospitals.” The Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital confirmed that it has been receiving patients from LNJP due to shortage of beds. Delhi has been witnessing a massive spike in daily Covid-19 cases for the last one week. It had witnessed its highest single-day spike on November 6, when it reported 7,178 cases. Previously, the increase in the number of cases had prompted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to admit that a ‘third wave’ of infection has hit the national capital. Kumar said that admissions to city hospital have doubled over the past few days. He attributed the spike in Covid-19 cases to drop in temperature, which favours the viral replication, over-crowding in markets and flouting of Covidappropriate behaviour. According to Resident Doctors’ Association President Keshave Singh, more than 100 doctors of the hospital have been infected till now, out of which two have succumbed to the disease. The Medical Director of Delhi government-run Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, B.L. Sherwal, also told IANS about the significant spike in the number of admissions in comparison to October.

Anupam Kher authors new book on Malayalam author wins positive thinking JCB Prize for Literature

New Delhi, November 7 (IANS): know that I am a restless person New Delhi, November 7 (IANS): Celebrated actor, author and and someone who is always on the “Moustache” by S. Hareesh, former Chairman of the Film move -- creating opportunities translated from the Malayalam and Television Institute of India to channel my thoughts and by Jayasree Kalathil, was on Anupam Kher on November 7 passion,” Kher said. November 7 named the winner announced his third book, which he describes as “a journey of self-discovery, willpower, small triumphs and the strength of positive thinking”. The book will be released worldwide on “This book is an attempt to reach out to everyone and share common experiences -- a journey of self-discovery, willpower, small triumphs and the strength of positive thinking. The battle of the Rs 25-lakh JCB Prize for Literature, India’s richest literary award, for the “agile and deeply insightful way” it deals with the caste and gender equations in the state’s Kuttanad region. December 5. ahead of us is long, but together The winner was announced by “Your Best Day Is Today!” will not we will persevere. Our resilience JCB Chairman Lord Bamford in only act as a companion “in these will bring us back on the path Starting his career with films a first-of-its-kind virtual awards dark times, but also serve as a of glory. Something tells me such as “Saaransh” and “Daddy” ceremony. guide to know one’s self better. that all of us wrote the future in India, he has featured in The book was chosen from among Drawing inference from personal during this unprecedented time. mainstream Hollywood films a shortlist of five which included experiences, it is a compilation of A future where the world would such as “Silver Linings Playbook”, “Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line” learnings and observations that be healed…a future where the “Hotel Mumbai”, “The Big Sick” by Deepa Anappara, “Chosen are aimed towards motivating the coming generations will look up and “A Family Man”. Spirits” by Samit Basu, “Prelude to reader to adapt to changes in their surroundings and adopt a positive approach towards their life,” the publisher, Hay House India, said in a statement. to us as the pioneers of the healed world,” Kher said. A gold-medalist from the National School of Drama, New Delhi, Kher is one of India’s most prolific He has worked with directors such as Ang Lee, David O. Russell, Woody Allen, Gurinder Chadha and Lana and Lilly Wachowski. He is also the author of “The a Riot” by Annie Zaidi and “These, Our Bodies, Possessed by Light” by Dharini Bhaskar. Hareesh’s debut novel, which is a contemporary classic mixing Kher said the book has been on actors with over 530 films (in Best Thing about You Is YOU!” magic, myth and metaphor into his mind ever since he first heard several languages, both at home which has been translated in a tale of far-reaching resonance, about the novel coronavirus. and in the West), 100 plays and six languages and is in its 22nd was the unanimous choice of the “In my 36-year-long cinema numerous TV shows to his credit. reprint. jury. It is the second debut novel career, I had never taken a day off for the simple reason that when you do what you love and have a deep passion for it, everyday seems like a holiday and a day well spent. My friends and family He is a winner of two National Film Awards, eight Filmfare Awards and a BAFTA nomination besides being conferred with the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri for his contribution to cinema. Kher presently shuttles between Mumbai and New York, where he is one of the lead actors on the recently premiered hit TV show “New Amsterdam” on NBC Entertainment. as well as the second Malayalam translation to win the award. Hareesh will also receive a trophy sculpted by Delhi artist duo Thukral and Tagra titled “Mirror Melting.” The translator will receive Rs 10 lakh. Time to reaffirm ‘patriotic idea The winner was selected by a panel of four judges comprising professor, cultural theorist and of India’, says Shashi Tharoor author Tejaswini Niranjana (chair); writer and translator Aruni Kashyap; playwright and director Ramu Ramanathan; and society forums, energetic clear separation of powers, in Head of the Arts and Culture human rights groups, assorted order to ensure efficiency and portfolio at Tata Trusts Deepika autonomous institutions, and democracy”. Sorabjee. the repeated spectacle of our remarkable general elections, are all assets for India’s civic nationalism. Elected chief executives at all levels, from village heads up to the President, would “have the mandate, the authority and the “Moustache is a fine work of Indian fiction by a highly regarded Malayalam author whose work is now coming into English “Together with a fractious and resources to deliver solutions translation. Hareesh engages in competitive political culture, in their respective areas, to be an agile and deeply insightful sustained by the proactive accountable to independent way with the caste and gender framework of the Constitution, elected legislatures, and an New Delhi, November 5 (IANS): India is a rare example of the successful management of diversity in the developing world. But the events of the past few years make it necessary to “reaffirm the patriotic idea of India enshrined in our Constitution” to build a “New India that will cherish and uplift” all its citizens, writes noted author and parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor in a scholarly new book that methodically takes the reader through the world of patriotism, citizenship and belonging. “The healthy spirit of acceptance of difference, of constitutional encouragement of debate and discussion, fuelled by a thriving free media, contentious civil they have made of India a rare example of the successful management of diversity in the developing world,” Tharoor writes in “The Battle of Belonging - On Nationalism, Patriotism, And What It Means To Be An Indian” (Aleph). “It is time to reaffirm the patriotic ‘idea of India’ enshrined by our Constitution, in order to build a New India that will cherish and uplift each and every one of us. This requires a conscious effort to defend the besieged institutions of civil nationalism, restore their autonomy and ensure their effectiveness,” he writes. Towards this, “we will need to separate the powers and roles of the legislature, the judiciary and the executive to ensure that the first two do not become mere rubber stamps for the third”, Tharoor states, harkening back to his book “India Shastra” in which he had advocated a Presidential form of government “with a autonomous judiciary, and to face voters at the end of fixed terms”, he writes. The existence of such multiple power centres “would ensure decentralisation and prevent the emergence of a hyper-nationalist strongman, while celebrating patriotism and the best features of civic nationalism at all levels”, Tharoor maintains, even as he admits he is “conscious of how little support there is in India’s political class for a presidential system”. Even so, Indianness is constantly being remade “in a continuous process of deliberation and democratic discourse, a process that must continue (and that civic nationalism permits and encourages) in perpetuity”, he asserts, adding, “To defend and strengthen our civic nationalism , with its unique overlay of everything that is good and valuable about India, we will also need to undertake a careful retelling of modern Indian history that is comprehensive, embraces all experiences, and refuses to see the past through the prism of any one faith.” Recalling that Swami Vivekananda spoke of the religion professed by the majority in this country, Hinduism, as “one that does not merely tolerate other faiths but accepts them as they are”, Tharoor writes that this acceptance of difference has been “the key to our country’s survival, making....’unity in diversity’ the most hallowed of independent India’s self-defining slogans. It is that unity we seek, not uniformity; it is consensus we must pursue, not conformity”. Noting that this requires a “rearmed liberalism, with a mass movement for the restoration of our civic nationalism” the author writes that the “battle of belonging in our country is a battle between two ideas -- the idea of a civic nationhood equations of the Kuttanad region in this intricate and highly readable story. Jayasree Kalathil’s translation of the novel is fluent and energetic. She conveys the specificity of the context without missing the wood for the trees,” Niranjana said. Hareesh is the author of three short-story collections: “Adam”, which received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award; “Rasavidyayude Charithram”; and “Appan”. He is also the recipient of the Geetha Hiranyan Endowment, the Thomas Mundassery Prize, and the V.P. Sivakumar Memorial Prize. Jayasree Kalathil’s translation of N. Prabhakaran’s novella “Diary of a Malayali Madman” won the Crossword Books Jury Award for Indian Language Translation in 2019. Her translation of “Moustache” was published by HarperCollins India in 2020. Jayasree is also the author of “The Sackclothman”, a children’s book that has been translated into Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi. Originally from Kottakkal, Kerala, Jayasree currently lives in London with her husband Adley Siddiqi. “Moustache” is her second translation.

of pluralism and institutions that protect our diversity and individual freedoms, pitted against the ethno-religious nationalism of the Hindu rashtra”. To effectively wage this battle, Indian liberalism “needs new ideas, precepts, narratives and heroes. It must be rooted in genuine patriotism and refuse to cede ground to the Hindutva bakths on nationalism”. “It also needs a wide social coalition as Gandhiji was able to build for his nationalism” and probably also needs to “move out of the Khan Market circles so beloved of the Lutyens elite, to the mohallas, the jhuggi-jhopris, the rural hamlets, and the streets of India”.