India Demolish Australia by 295 Runs: A Historic Win! P2
Centuries by Virat Kohli (far left) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (middle) and eight wickets taken by Jasprit Bumrah (above) helped India recover from the brink of defeat on the first day to a dramatic win on the fourth day.
Dr. Virendra S. Mathur, eminent cardiologist and community leader, passed away at 89. -- PAGE
How Bumrah Masterminded India’s Rout of Australia in Perth
By AlgAPPAn
Muthu at a place where they’ve had some great successes but they’ve been sporadic successes.
Perth: Jasprit Bumrah had just peeled away for a little time on his own. This win - away from home, by a whopping 295 runs, to set up a five-match series that has now taken a whole new dimension - means a lot but it feels a whole lot nicer to share it with the people close to you.
“My wife and son were here to watch the match,” Bumrah said. “So I was just gesturing to them that we won the match. It’s very special. He is too young right now, but when he grows up, I have many stories to tell him like when he was young, he was at Perth for an important win.”
Angad Bumrah is in for a great story in a few years’ time. Fourday wins by India over Australia, on one of their fastest and bounciest pitches, at the start of a tour, with 2/5ths of their bowling attack having never played any Test cricket let alone in one of the toughest places on earth; these are the stuff of legend. Fully grown, battle-hardened men have broken down on tours here. And it seemed that could well be where this team was headed when they were bowled out for 150 at tea on the first day.
150 all out came on the back of 46 all out and 156 all out and 121 all out. And those low scores had come at home. This one had come
Bumrah, in his second Test as captain, looked out at his dressing room and for some reason “everybody was confident that if they backed their own ability, we can also make an impact.”
An hour or so later, Australia were 32 for 5. And now this is the defining thread of the series. How are Australia’s batting going to cope with Bumrah? His first spell of this Test match ripped 47 centuries out of the Australian batting line up in the space of two balls, Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith back in the hut. Later on, the match in one picture played out when Australia’s designated No. 3 batter didn’t even take up arms against Bumrah and was out lbw.
make the job a little bit easier for the new guys coming in.”
“Obviously, whenever tough scenarios come, I look at myself that how can I contribute even when I am not the captain. So whenever tough scenarios are there, I look at answers that okay, if I am going to bowl at this moment, what can I do? So in this moment, we were a new side, so I automatically wanted to put me in tough scenarios whenever we needed to do something. I was trying to put myself in that tough scenario to
There is history in Australia of individuals being able to drive whole oppositions up the wall. Just that usually they’re wearing baggy green and don’t India know it.This kind of dominance is hard to fathom even when a full-strength team comes here. India were missing Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami and their absence was barely felt. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul stepped up to shepherd India from the top of the order. Rana bowled the ball of the match to get rid of Travis Head. Nitish Kumar Reddy was part of a raucous period of play last evening
when India scored 77 runs in just 54 balls. This was a team put together in crisis and it is incredible how well they’ve done.
“When they [Rana and Reddy] made their debut, the biggest positive sign was that they were not nervous at all and it didn’t seem like they were playing for the first time in Australia or that it was their first match,” Bumrah said.
“They were asking for responsibilities. If I told them the team needs them to do something in a certain situation, they were more than ready. They never said ‘Bhaiya, we won’t be able to do it’. They wanted responsibility. Bumrah is confident the markers India have laid down in Perth can be taken forward. “I think that going further will help us in good snares because, as I said, this is a tough place to play cricket and you will be put under pressure. When you respond to pressure, that gives you a lot of confidence going further in your career.”
His imprint on this win was everywhere, particularly in the way they bowled in the first innings. “The message was we will be nice and disciplined and we will make run making as difficult as we can because that is what has worked in the past over here as well. When we are able to do that, that gives
us a lot of success. So that was the message that was passed.
“Usually in Perth, there could be a scenario where when we come from India, the bounce is not as prominent as what is here. So you tend to bowl a little short, you can get excited by the bounce and you can’t find the length. It looks good when you bowl a back of length delivery and the batsman gets beaten, but the batsman is still there. So you have to find the right length and as I said, we knew that if you make them play more, there is enough in the wicket to give us assistance.
“So we were focusing on our strength. We as a bowling unit do get a lot of dismissals with bowled LB and caught behind. So we realised that you have to stick to your strengths and find the right length over here and we were able to do that.”
So it was natural that the question was asked. Would Bumrah go to Rohit, who landed in Perth on Sunday and had his first hit on Monday, and say I’m keeping the captaincy? “I was filling in for him. I still had discussions when he was in India discussing how we are shaping up. But yeah, I am not going to tell him that I am going to lead but I am going to help him in whatever capacity I can.”
Bumrah. Never puts a foot wrong. Neither did his India. -ESPN Cricinfo
Pillar of the Indo-American Community -- Dr. Virendra S. Mathur: 1935-2024
houston: Dr. Virendra Singh Mathur, one of the Founders and Trustees of India House, passed away on November 21, 2024, at 2:05 PM.
The funeral service for Dr. Mathur was held at the Sugar Land Mortuary last Sunday, Nov. 24 in Sugar Land. Dr. Mathur is survived by his wife Nalini and son Dr. Gaurav Mathur.
Hundreds of mourners from the Indian Americans community, as well as Dr. Mathur’s mainstream friends, colleagues, and wellwishers, attended the funeral service
Eulogies and tributes were offered by his son Gaurav Mathur, followed by India House Trustees
Dr. Durga Agarwal and Gopal Rana, and India House Executive Director Col. Vipin Kumar. The speakers described Dr. Mathur’s contributions to advances in cardiology such as stem placement and balloon angioplasty.
Dr. Mathur was a visionary, one of the world’s leading cardiologists, who earned global recognition, treating Presidents, Prime Ministers, and leaders from across the globe. He was affiliated with Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center within the Hall-Garcia Cardiology Group.
Beyond his professional excellence, Dr. Mathur was a philanthropist, a community builder, and a true friend to all. His humility, simplicity, and unwavering dedication strengthened and uplifted
our community in countless ways. His initial involvement in com-
munity service was with India Culture Center. Since 2000, Dr. Mathur was instrumental in bringing India House to fruition through its conception, fund raising, and administration.
Once India House was operational, Dr. Mathur started the Saturday charity clinic. The clinic offers free health check-ups with experienced doctors for indigent patients and is open to everyone. The clinic now bears his name: Virendra Mathur Charity Clinic.
Dr. Mathur received his medical degree from University of Lucknow/King George’s/CSM Medical College and had been in practice for more than 66 years.
Tribute from Krishna Vavilala, Founder and Chairman, Foundation for India Studies, Inc.
When we moved to Houston in 1981, Dr. Mathur was already a renowned cardiologist practicing within the esteemed St. Luke’s hospital system as part of Dr. Denton Cooley’s team. His professional excellence earned him widespread respect, not only in Houston but also in India. As a result, many heart patients from India, including prominent figures such as Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Chief Ministers, sought
his expert care.
Having worked alongside and attended numerous India House meetings with him, I always admired his unwavering commitment and passion for transforming India House into a premier community center serving all.
Though Dr. Mathur has departed this mortal life, his spirit and legacy will continue to live on through India House and the countless lives he touched.
Dr. Virendra S. Mathur
Dr. Virendra S. Mathur and wife Nalini flank their son, Dr. Gaurav Mathur (right) and his partner Dr. Gaurav Arora at a reception held in their honor at Sweetwater Country Club in 2015.
Some of the stalwarts who turned India House into reality. Dr. Durga Agrawal (left), Chowdary Yalamanchili, Dr. Virendra Mathur and Jugal Malani. Not pictured: Ashok Dhingra.
PAN 2.0: What is the Project, Why You Need to Upgrade Your PAN Card
By AAnchAl MAgAzine
new Delhi: The 10-digit alphanumeric Permanent Account Number (PAN), issued by the Income Tax Department, is set for an upgrade, with a QR code to be incorporated in all new and old cards, a completely online application process, a merger of all existing identification numbers to make PAN as the common identifier for businesses, in addition to a data vault system for data protection and cybersecurity purposes.
The Union Cabinet approved the PAN 2.0 Project on Monday (November 25) for PAN to be made the “the common identifier for businesses” and to make PAN as the “single source of truth and data consistency”.
With the upgrade, PAN is expected to become a strong source of identification and information for the authorities, as it is already linked to the other identification number of Aadhaar.
The existing PAN holders, which are around 78 crore in number, can upgrade their PAN cards. The number or PAN will remain the same for existing users, but the card will need to be upgraded, which the government said would be free of cost for the users.
What is the PAN 2.0 Project?
The PAN 2.0 Project of the Income Tax Department, with a financial implication of Rs 1,435 crore, was approved by the Union Cabinet on Monday. Under the project, the existing PAN system will be upgraded completely, the IT backbone will be revamped and
PAN will be made as a common business identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said during the Cabinet briefing on Monday.
“There were repeated demands from the industry to have a common business identifier. They used to say they don’t want different (identification) numbers, a single number would be beneficial. The project will make efforts to make PAN as the common business identifier. All PAN/ TAN/ TIN will be clubbed under this system,” Vaishnaw said.
What are the features of PAN 2.0?
Apart from the QR-code feature for all new and existing PAN cards, the PAN 2.0 project aims to set up a unified portal along with a “man-
datory PAN data vault system” for all entities using PAN data. This is being done for data protection and cybersecurity purposes.
“One of the most important features would be a PAN data vault system. The PAN related information is used by many entities such as banks, insurance companies. We give details of PAN at various places. So, those (entities) who take details of PAN, they will have to keep PAN data safely, mandatorily through the data vault system,” Vaishnaw said.
There will also be a unified portal as the existing software is nearly 15-20 years old, Vaishnaw said. “It’ll be completely paperless, online. A lot of focus will be on the grievance redressal system,” he said.
The PAN 2.0 project will enable technology-driven transformation
of taxpayer registration services with an aim to improve ease of access and service delivery, an official statement said. This will be an upgrade of the current PAN/TAN 1.0 eco-system consolidating the core and non-core PAN/TAN activities as well as PAN validation service.
What does this mean for individuals and businesses?
Existing users will have the option to upgrade for the PAN 2.0 card. The details about the application process and the timeline are yet to be released by the Income Tax Department.
The QR-code feature on new and old PAN cards will mean an enhanced level of integration of financial transactions with the tax department. The QR code was introduced in PAN in 2017. The PAN 2.0 project intends to contin-
ue with this feature with enhancements, tax officials said.
“The existing PAN card holders can regenerate the old PAN card to the QR code-enabled ones. PAN holders having an old PAN Card without QR code have an option to apply for a new card with QR code. In PAN 2.0, the submission of applications is going to be online (paperless),” a senior Finance Ministry official told The Indian Express. The upgrade of the PAN card for the existing users will be free of cost, Vaishnaw said at the briefing.
What are the existing identification numbers of PAN and TAN?
A 10-digit alphanumeric number, PAN, enables the Income Tax Department to link all transactions of a person with the department. These transactions include tax payments, Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) / Tax Collected at Source (TCS) credits, returns of income, specified transactions. PAN, thus, acts as an identifier for the person with the tax department. Once PAN is allotted, it remains the same forever. It is mandatory to quote PAN on filing of income tax return.
TAN stands for Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number, which is a 10-digit alphanumeric number issued by the Income Tax Department. TAN needs to be obtained by all persons responsible for deducting or collecting tax at source. It is compulsory to quote TAN in TDS/TCS return, any TDS/TCS payment challan, TDS/ TCS certificates. -- IE
IndIa Off the Beaten track An Itinerant’s Encounters of the Gastronomic Kind
By shAshishekhAr gAvAi
MuMBAi: It is risky business these days in our country that is Bharat to disclose one’s preferences for one kind of sustenance or the other – at best you may be denied membership of a housing society and at worst you could be butchered for transporting what is suspected to be the wrong kind of animal protein. And somewhere in the middle your good friend, who has been a carnivore for close to 4 decades but has now seen the light, may harangue you on the horrors of non vegetarianism. His is the zeal of the convert, the proverbial cat on a pilgrimage after gobbling up a hundred mice.
This dietary intolerance has made it difficult to sample some of the culinary delights of Mumbai where I live. Over the years I have come to relish the crispy mutton samosa served mainly in minority-owned establishments. Today it has disappeared from the menu of many of them and has been replaced by the feeble chicken samosa. The owner of one such restaurant admitted hesitatingly that he had stopped making the mutton samosa because he was afraid that the filling may be mistaken for the wrong kind of meat landing him in serious trouble. So much for the fundamental right to eat what one wishes to eat which is so dear to the gastronome.
I must confess that I wasn’t born a gastronome(I dare not use the term ‘gourmand’ given my modest appetite – the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak). Until my early teens my experience of food was largely limited to the staid fare of dal, roti, sabzi and mutton curry(for Sunday lunch). It took a few years for my mother to discover her culinary talent and that opened up for the family the brave new world of pasta, shepherd pie, hamburgers and several vegetarian delicacies. All these recipes she wrote down very assiduously for the benefit of posterity. The moderate quantum of servings on the table however, scarcely matched our appetites, obliging my kid brother and I to keep a vigilalent eye on each other to ensure that not an extra spoonful was had by the adversary.
The realisation that quality beats quantity dawned over me one day when I was home from college on vacation. The virtually inedible food that is served in most college hostels turns their inmates into voracious predators and I was no exception. Mother had made a huge quantity of vada sambar, a substantial portion of which I devoured in one sitting as if there was no tomorrow and with complete disregard for my poor stomach which lodged a strong protest with my palate. For several years after I suffered from the ‘vada
sambhar syndrome’, meaning I couldn’t look at a vada in its eye without feeling sick.
A fresh chapter in my gastronomic journey opened in the mid 70s in Delhi where I was a foreign service trainee officer. The restaurants on Pandara Road and the dhabas in the outer circle of Connaught Place introduced me to the pleasures of butter chicken and
itals they served (but they mercifully survived and by all accounts are quite hale and hearty now). Restaurants in Yugoslavia had beef this, pork that, chicken this and that, fish so on and so forth, but a vegetarian could at best have bread, butter and salad. The “vegetable” soup he could only order at his own peril as it was prepared in a beef stock. In one of her letters(
other goodies. It was also the 70s which took me on my first posting abroad to the former Yugoslavia (it subsequently broke up into seven countries ….no fault of mine of course). Those were the days when vegetarianism outside of India was either a fad or was unheard of and a couple of my strictly herbivorous service batchmates were reported to be close to starvation in the cap-
no email or internet calls in those ancient times…) Mother anxiously enquired if I was consuming bovines so sacred to us. Instead of a direct answer I responded rather facetiously that the Yugoslav cow was a different kettle of fish altogether and had not attained any level of sanctity whatsoever.
From Yugoslavia my diplomatic career took me to several
countries. German food was a lot of sausage – bratwurst, bockwurst, bregenwurst, rindswurst, even currywurst(perhaps to make the Indian expat feel at home).It was truly a Wurst case scenario(if you pardon the pun), because there’s only so much sausage that you can eat. British food of course is famous as a culinary disaster. Scotland where I served, prided itself on its haggis, its traditional national dish which is sheep’s offal boiled with oatmeal and stuffed in the same animal’s stomach. To me it looked like something that the cat brought in and tasted similar. The Scots though more than made up for it by dazzling (and sozzling) the world with scotch whisky(although if reports are to be believed more of the stuff is produced in India than the place of its origin). The Scots also have their salmon and trout aplenty, the latter being introduced by the Brits in the cold rivers of Kashmir and Himachal in the 19th century. So avoiding haggis entirely I consumed a lot of these species of fish, almost to the point of falling victim to my ‘vada sambhar syndrome’. South of Scotland lies what nationalistic Scots refer to as the ‘Auld Enemy’, meaning of course England. They do have some decent pies and cakes but overall the traditional English stuff as I discovered was best avoided. Even after ruling over India for a 150 years all they could bring back from the incredibly rich variety of our cuisine was a bastardised version of good old ‘rasam’, the mulligatawny soup. Nor did they leave much of a culinary legacy behind. However, the post colonial period did bring about the realisation that tandoori chicken and masala dosa are vastly superior to roast beef and Yorkshire pudding so the English then concocted the chicken tikka masala and declared it as their national dish. But in the typical British culinary tradition they have messed this up too. What you have essentially is chicken boiled in a sweet tomato sauce. Lamentably our present day Mir Jafars have slavishly adopted this abomination and pass it off as butter chicken in Pandara Road and most other places, as I discovered to my utter horror some time ago. There should be a law against such atrocities !!! That being said there were some honourable exceptions to the unrefined British tastebuds. Warren Hastings, the first governor general of India, was apparently a fan of Indian food. A recipe for ‘kebaub khataee’, obtained from the Nawab of Lucknow and written in his own hand in his private diary, exists in the British Library. Unlike the Brits some colonial powers have indeed left their epicurean mark on former colonies. The influence of Turkish cuisine is evident even today in the former Ottoman Empire – from the Balkans, through Greece, the Middle
East into Central Asia. During a visit to Turkey I tried one of their desserts -Irmik Helvasi which was almost exactly like our Sooji Halva and made from the same ingredients (It was perhaps introduced in India during the Delhi Sultanate period as the rulers were of Turkish origin). In Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos I have eaten exquisite french breads and pastries from local patisseries and have sampled ‘haute cuisine’ in restaurants. Some like the Dutch had nothing to offer to their subjects in terms of fine dining. But as I learnt in Indonesia they took some of the best native dishes and created a ‘thali’ – the Rijsstafel or rice table and took it home to Holland. I just read a news item which claims that sweat-infused rice balls shaped in the armpits of young women have become a culinary hit in Japan and are being sold at ten times the price of their traditional version ‘onigiri’. If this sweaty delicacy does achieve international popularity, I fear the deodorant industry may be in serious trouble. This is indeed extreme cuisine and brings to mind ‘Bizarre Foods’ a popular TV show hosted by Chef Andrew Zimmern . I was an avid viewer and watched with a mixture of awe and revulsion as the man nonchalantly devoured scorpions, tarantulas, maggots and rotten fish. Morbid curiosity indeed! I can never hope to match the gastronomic gumption of Zimmern but I too have partaken of stuff that would set a vegetarian stomach churning and may even cause a flutter in the average non – vegetarian belly.
In addition to the inedible haggis, I have sampled at different times and in various corners of the world, durian( the South East Asian fruit which stinks to the high heavens); frogs legs and snails ( great delicacies in France ); tartar steak ( finely minced raw meat which must have been greatly fancied by our Stone Age ancestors before they discovered fire ); and crocodile tail ( which tasted like rubbery chicken). I know for sure that I will never be able to eat scorpion, tarantula, maggot, rotten fish and other exotic species that Andrew Zimmern consumes with such elan. We all have our limits , the red line that cannot be crossed. Even Chef Zimmern does ! He just cannot bring himself to eat , believe it or not , walnuts and oatmeal. Now ain’t that just cute! Shashishekhar Gavai is an Indian diplomat, whose foreign service posts included serving as the High Commissioner to Canada and Consul General in Houston (2005 to 2008). Retired in Mumbai, Gavai enjoys traveling and writing about unique locale and gastronomic adventures.
Warren Hastings’ kebab recipe
FIS Presents Presents Webinar on Indian Participation in US Elections
houston: On November 3rd, before the American Presidential General Elections, Foundation for India Studies (FIS), a non-profit organization serving the Houston community for the past 18 years, presented a timely webinar before the American General elections to discuss how the Indian diaspora in America was likely to vote in the 2024 American General elections.
The title of the presentation was “Indian Americans at the Ballot Box: Results From the 2024 Indian American Attitudes Survey.
The presenter was Dr. Milan Vaishnav , Sr. Fellow and Director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a nonpartisan International affairs think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C.
His co- researchers were Sumitra Badrinathan and Devesh Kapur. Dr. Vaishnav was the presenter of his team’s findings.
Key takeaways from the presentation:
Indian Americans remain com-
mitted to the Democratic Party, but their attachment has declined.
Six in ten Indian American registered voters intend to vote for the Democratic party candidate, Kamala Harris, a decline from 2020
There is a new, striking gender gap in voting preferences.
Indian Americans hold lukewarm views toward prominent Indian American Republicans
Abortion has emerged as a toptier policy issue, especially for Democrats and women.
The Republican disadvantage
with Indian Americans is rooted in policy Implications: Need to rethink our assumptions about voting behavior of visible minorities/immigrant communities
Harris’s self-identification as both Black and Indian led to assumptions of greater support from these communities compared to Biden 2020. The study found the opposite.
As with the overall U.S. population, they expected younger Indian-American voters to be more pro-Harris compared with their
older counterparts. But The study found the opposite.
Given India’s patriarchal society: They expected naturalized male citizens to be more pro-Trump than U.S.born males. The study found the opposite Implications
The general impression is that White voters are most concerned about illegal Immigration. But so are immigrants—whether Indian Americans or Hispanics.
While the focus on polarization has been on racial/religious divides, the emergence of a gender divide was not foreseen. Whether this divide is here to stay and acts as a cross-cutting cleavage remains to be seen.
In summary
One should be very careful of simple narratives of what drives voting behavior. We know much less than we think we do.
Dr. Vaishnav and his team’s findings were quite insightful and revealing.
The hour long presentation opened with a brief Welcome speech by FIS Chairman, Krishna Vavilala and ended with a lively Q & A session, ably moderated by Mr. Arun Venugopal, a Senior Reporter of WNYC radio station in New York City. The webinar was coordinated by the event Chair, Hiren Sarma which concluded with Vote of Thanks given by Mr. Sudhakar Tallavajhula, both FIS Board Members. Technical support was provided by Aashta Sharma and Chandra Vavilala.
Up next: How do Indian Americans assess the state of U.S.-India relations and India’s domestic trajectory?
How do Indian Americans perceive their own identity and social realities?
COMMUNITY
‘I Can’t Breathe’: How the Young Struggle Amid Air Pollution in Delhi
By AnkitA uPADhyAy
new Delhi: “Saans nahi aa rahi hai, Sir (I am unable to breathe, sir),” says Krishna Koli softly. The doctor nods, places his stethoscope on the 10-year-old’s chest and listens.
He then swivels around in his chair, pulls a fresh sheet off his prescription pad and prescribes an inhaler and a spacer (to get the medication into the lungs more efficiently). “Pollution ki wajah se hai (It’s the pollution that’s making him sick). Let him wear a mask at all times and stay indoors,” says Dr Vikram Bhaskar, Associate Professor and head of the asthma clinic at Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, as Krishna’s mother Soni, 28, nods.
As Delhi’s pollution levels peaked — on November 19, the Capital’s Air Quality Index touched 494, just short of the maximum 500 on the scale — the weekly asthma clinic for children at GTB Hospital, one of the biggest tertiary care health facilities run by the Delhi government, saw a steady stream of patients, many of them with chronic asthma.
The clinic sees around 10-15 patients every Tuesday, but it’s around this time of the year, when the temperature dips and haze covers the city, that Dr Bhaskar and his team of two, which includes a junior doctor and a technician, have their hands full.
“Asthma is a chronic condition that inflames and narrows the airways in the lungs. There could be several factors — from genetic to environmental. Most of these children are on some sort of controller therapy for asthma and many are on regular inhalers. They also have their vaccine courses, including flu and pneumococcal vaccines. But if they are surrounded by aggravating factors like dust, smoke and pollution, their symptoms worsen,” he explains.
The weekly clinic, which saw a monthly average of 40 child patients in July-August this year, has already seen 100 children so far in November — 35 new patients and 65 regular patients with chronic conditions.
“With the rising AQI, there has been a surge of patients in our hospital’s emergency department. Of the children who were brought to the hospital, almost 60-70 per cent had respiratory issues. Some of them were referred to our clinic.
On Monday (November 18), our hospital’s paediatric department saw 350 child patients, of whom 190 had respiratory illness,” says Dr Bhaskar.
He then calls out to a staff member to bring the ‘Asthma Register’, which he maintains for his regular patients and enters Krishna’s details. Dr Bhaskar then directs a staff member to take the child for the spirometry tests.
As Krishna waits in the queue for the test, clutching his mother’s hand, his beanie now sliding down to almost cover his eyebrows, he watches the other children blowing into the mouthpiece of the spirometer device.
After a wait of 10 minutes, it’s Krishna’s turn.
The technician instructs him, “You see these balls inside this tube? Inhale and then blow hard… You’ll see them rising.” Krishna blows hard, his cheeks hollow from the effort, but the balls in the device barely move.
The technician now holds a piece of paper and asks Krishna to blow on to it. He does, but the paper stays still.
Children are known to be especially vulnerable to air pollution, with experts agreeing that exposure to high levels of pollutants can lead to significant, and worrying, longterm respiratory consequences — from structural changes in airways to altered immune responses and impaired cognitive development, besides worsening of existing respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
According to the Global Asthma Network, around 6 per cent of children in India suffer from the disease, a cohort for whom air pollution is an added cause of concern.
In March 2021, doctors at the Paediatric Pulmonology Department of AIIMS and Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute studied the link between ambient or outdoor air pollution and the daily visits of children to the Emergency departments of two hospitals in the Capital — AIIMS and Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital.
Out of 1,32,029 children screened for the study, 19,120 candidates with acute respiratory symptoms for less than two weeks and those residing in Delhi for the previous four weeks were enrolled. The study recorded a 29% increase in emergency room visits by children on ‘high pollution cluster days’ and 21% on ‘moderate-level pollution cluster days’.
Dr S K Kabra, paediatric pulmonologist and former head of AIIMS’ paediatric department, who was part of the study, says, “We could see that if there was a 10unit increase in PM 2.5,
PM 10 or NO2 levels, there was a corresponding 20-40 per cent increase in the number of children landing up in the Emergency. This is not necessarily children with prior history of asthma or respiratory illnesses, but children as a whole.”
It’s 4 pm and the OPD at the asthma clinic is winding up for the day. The mother and son prepare to head home to Nandgram in Ghaziabad, where Soni’s two younger children — eight-year-old Anjali and five-year-old Kartik — have been waiting. Her husband Doulat Ram, who does house painting jobs, is out at work.
After collecting their medicines from the hospital pharmacy, Soni and Krishna go to a nearby general store to buy a packet of biscuits and apple juice — they haven’t eaten since they left home five hours ago. “We will take an auto from the hospital to Dilshad Garden and from there, two more rickshaws till we get home. It costs me Rs 100 in
all,” she says.
The sun hasn’t been out since morning and the smog hangs low. Sitting in the auto that’s now weaving its way through the traffic, Soni says Krishna had to be brought here after he suffered an asthma attack on November 16, a day after she and her husband took the children out for a rare picnic to India Gate. The AQI at India Gate that evening was above 408 — ‘severe’.
“The next morning (November 17), Krishna started coughing and had difficulty breathing. He used the inhaler, I got him to inhale steam and took him to the nearby clinic, where they put him on a nebuliser. But he didn’t get better and I decided to get him here,” she says.
Soni says Krishna’s illness began sometime in 2020, when he would have frequent bouts of coughs, followed by fever, and she would manage with cough syrups and, if his condition worsened, take him to the local doctor. The family lived in East Delhi then. But last year, while on a visit to his aunt’s in Ghaziabad, Krishna had a coughing fit and collapsed.
The family rushed him to a hospital in Ghaziabad, where he was admitted for a few days after which he was referred to the asth-
ma clinic at GTB Hospital. At their one-bedroom home in Deendayal Puri, Nandgram, a neighbourhood with narrow lanes and closely built houses, Krishna is greeted by his siblings Anjali and Kartik, who unlock the door after climbing onto a chair. The house is on a floor above a private school, where the children study.
“We decided to shift here because the hospital is close by, the rent (Rs 2,500 a month) is lower than in Delhi and the children don’t have to travel to school. Also, I can keep a watch on Krishna. There have been several occasions when I have had to bring him home after he fell ill in school,” she says, opening a file that’s bulging with Krishna’s prescriptions.
Over the last three years, she says, the family has spent about Rs 30,000 on Krishna’s treatment.
“He has fallen sick about 20 times in this period. Since GTB Hospital is far away, we rush him to local doctors in case there’s an emergency,” she says.
Soni says she doesn’t let Krishna go out to play; he isn’t allowed spicy or fried food either. “Thankfully, Krishna doesn’t like fried food and prefers roti and dal. He probably knows it’s better for him,” she says.
As Anjali and Kartik step out to buy snacks, Krishna walks out to the school’s terrace, an extension of their house. The terrace is his space — it’s here that he spends time with himself, looking out at the grey sky, watching his siblings run around. He now leans against the terrace wall, watching Anjali and Kartik as they walk down the dusty lane that’s lined by a wide, open drain. --
Indian Express
Krishna Koli, a patient with breathing issues, resides in a one-room apartment above a private school in New Delhi’s Raj Nagar area. The AQI level in the national Capital has been ‘severe’ for the last few days.
(Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)
How Indian Researchers are Discovering microRNA Diagnosis, Treatments
By AnonnA Dutt
What if the ammunition to fight diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s lies in the smallest part of your cells? We all know that DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) contains the blueprint of life and the RNA (Ribonucleic acid) helps in transcribing the information and producing the proteins to sustain it. However, it is a tiny molecule called microRNA, which helps cells control the types and amounts of proteins they make, that has opened up new pathways for diagnosing and treating diseases — from cancers and Alzheimer’s to viral infections.
Scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for their discovery of microRNA in 1993. Now, researchers across India are working with these molecules to treat the untreatable and diagnose conditions in their early stages.
Early Cancer Detection
Dr Lekha Dinesh has been working with microRNAs for nearly a decade, looking for ways to quickly diagnose colorectal cancer. In fact, her research at CCMB (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology) has proven that it is possible to measure the levels of specific microRNA from a tumour sample and figure out not only whether someone has colon cancer but also the stage of the disease. If proven for use in humans, the test can help diagnose and grade colon cancer in just a couple of hours after a biopsy — a process by which a piece of tumour is extracted for testing. “Current diagnosis protocols take around a
week. But we have figured out a list of microRNA that get either upregulated or downregulated when a person has colorectal cancer. Just by looking at the levels, you can also tell the stage of cancer they have,” says Dr Dinesh.
Better still, a company that the institute has tied up with, is now working to devise a blood test that can do the same. “We have now proven that some of these microRNAs are detectable even in blood samples, meaning just a blood test can give us all the information about the cancer theoretically. This is what the company is now working on,” adds Dr Dinesh. Finding a Cure for Alzheimer’s
Even as the burden of Alzheimer’s is on the rise, an effective cure remains elusive. A group of researchers from the National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Raebareli (NIPER-R) has been working on changing the levels of certain microRNAs that activate a protein, which in turn protects cells from oxidative stress or damage — one of the factors known to influence development of Alzheimer’s disease. “Nrf2 is a protein that is the
body’s first line of defence against oxidative stress. The levels of Nrf2 go up to protect a cell when they experience any toxin or free radicals. We are looking for microRNAs that can regulate the Nrf2 levels,” says Ravinder K Kaundal from the department of pharmacology and toxicology at NIPER-R.
The researchers have been conducting experiments in cell cultures and animals to see whether changing the levels of certain microRNAs can change the levels of Nrf2 and in turn protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
Once identified, these microRNA targets can be used as biomarkers to develop quick tests to detect Alzheimer’s disease in blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples. At present, the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is mainly based on the doctors evaluating a person’s memory, abstract thinking, problem solving, language usage and changes in mood. Brain scans can be done sometimes. A diagnostic test can help in diagnosing more people at an early stage.
Infection control
Dr Anupam Mukherjee and his team — from the ICMR-National Institute of Translational Virology
and AIDS Research — has been working to study the role of microRNAs in infections like hepatitis C, HIV, Herpes Simplex and Rotavirus.
MicroRNAs can change the levels of various proteins in the body
to create a hostile environment for pathogens within the body. Two, they can target certain genes to prevent the maturation or multiplication of a virus within human cells. Three, they can directly target viral proteins to prevent an infection. “Another advantage is that traditional antiviral drugs are made up of chemicals that can cause unwanted side effects — nausea, fatigue or damage to healthy cells. But because microRNAs are naturally produced by our bodies, using them as therapy could come with fewer side effects, or even none at all,” adds Dr Mukherjee. -- IE
ENTERTAINMENT
Silence Speaks Volumes in a True Story
By renukA vyAvAhAre
Story: Words are currency for marketing hotshot Arjun Sen (Abhishek Bachchan). He is clever, shrewd and singularly focussed on his demanding job in the US,until he is caught off guard by a life threatening health condition that could also affect his ability to speak.
Review: In denial initially, this traumatic health crisis, numbs the pain of everything else in comparison including a broken marriage and financial downfall. What follows is countless hospital visits and an unpredictable future which tests the relationship Arjun shares with his daughter Reya. Arjun is bruised not broken. There’s a certain nonchalance about Shoojit Sircar’s (Piku, October) gaze as a storyteller. It grows on you slowly and steadily. As it happens in life too, emotions are not always verbalised or expressed freely. There’s a lot of withholding and long pauses, which can be perceived as detachment or aloofness but it’s just him using silence and monotony to lead you to that breaking point. The one, you don’t see coming. There’s a certain stillness to story progression and yet you find yourself immersed in every scene.
Beyond the extraordinary survival story, the father-daughter,
Doctor-patient bond and anticipation of death (like Piku) being worse than actual death form the film’s key elements. While Arjun’s extremely independent, those who have been caregivers for parents, can relate to Reya’s emotional turmoil and outbursts. The realisation that healers also need healing leaves a lump in your throat. Arjun’s nurse and friend Nancy (Kristin Goodard), signifies this sentiment.
Despite it being a heavy human drama, the film never ceases to be optimistic and casual in its approach. Our ability to endure pain or suffering is acknowledged, not glorified. Hospital bills, visits, surgeries, uncertainty of life, running a house… Arjun’s story is simply told. You admire his extraordinary courage without it screaming for attention or sympathy. The cinematic treatment’s unconventional and effective.
Holed up in his house all day if not the hospital, Arjun and Reya’s rare outings by the lake and heartto-heart conversations feel therapeutic. Abhishek Bachchan anchors this survival tale skilfully. He lends Arjun his cheeky repartee and humour without losing grip on the situation. Ahilya Bamroo, popular on social media for her language and accent reels, makes her film debut here and she is perfect as Reya. As someone who deeply cares but doesn’t wish to be consumed by grief and pain, Bamroo is an incredible find and a great casting decision. Jayant Kripalani as Dr Deb provides the film its light-hearted moments. It’s pleasant to see Johnny Lever on screen even in a small part.
In book terms, ‘I want to talk’ may not be a page-turner but it’s not a sob story either. It reminds you that you are way more stronger than you think you are.-- ToI
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