Blood Donation at GSI Gandhinagar

A blood donation camp was held at Geological Survey of India, State Unit: Gujarat, Gandhinagar on 13.08.2018. Officers and staff members donated blood to the Civil Hospital, Gandhinagar. A total of 16 units of blood were collected in this event. Many of us donated blood for the first time and it was an enjoyable experience.

Blood donation is something we have all heard since our childhood. It is indeed a wonderful act which does save lives. Moreover donating blood is good for the donor too. Every year India requires more than 5.5crore units of blood out of which approximately 40% of the requirement is fulfilled. 

Some of the facts that underlines the importance of blood donation are listed below:

1. Every 2 seconds someone needs blood in our country.

2. More than 45000 blood donations are required everyday to match the normal requirement.

3. Thalassemia and sickel cell anemia patients require fresh blood throughout their lives. Patients diagnosed with cancer also require blood transfusions.

4. Commuters meeting with accidents on the roads can require huge volume of blood which might add upto 100 units of flood. In India, more than 150000 people die each year from road accidents which means 400 fatalities a day many of which occur due to lack of proper blood supply.

Donating blood has benefits for an individuals' emotional and physical health. According to a report by the Mental Health Foundation, blood donation can:

• Lower risk of  heart diseases
• Lower risk of cancer, especially liver, lung, colon, stomach to name a few. 
• You get a free health checkup: Blood, blood pressure, hemoglobin levels etc.    
• Removes the body of many toxins and helps in generation of fresh blood.

Around half of the blood that is donated is made of water. This means its best to be fully hydrated. When a donor lose fluids during the blood donation process, the blood pressure can drop, leading to dizziness. Intake of enough fluids can restore this condition. Foods rich in iron should be taken for the next 2 to 3 days to increase the hemoglobin in the blood. 

Donating blood is a great way to give back to the community. It’s usually quick and easy. 

If one eats healthy on the day of the donation and drink plenty of extra fluids, one should have minimal or no side effects. 

This was a wonderful initiative taken by GSI Gandhinagar and hopefully this benevolent act will continue in the future.

Blood donation camp

"Blood is meant to circulate so pass it around."

22 e Shrabon

২২ এ শ্রাবণ প্রত্যেক বাঙালির কাছেই এক বিশিষ্ট দিন। জোড়াসাঁকো ঠাকুরবাড়িতে আজ যেমন নানা অনুষ্ঠান হয় তেমনি অনেক বাড়িতে, কিছু পাড়ার ক্লাব গুলিতেও ছোট অনুষ্ঠান আয়োজন করা হয়ে থাকে । বাদলের ঘনঘটা ও বৃষ্টি দিয়ে ঘেরা সন্ধ্যা তে বসে মুড়ি-তেলেভাজার সাথে রবীন্দ্রসংগীত ও চা কার না ভালো লাগে। ২-৪ ঘন্টা নিমেষে কেটে যায় । বাইরে কাঁচের  সার্সি দিয়ে গড়িয়ে পড়া বৃষ্টির জল, ল্যাম্প পোস্টের নিয়ন আলোর যে ছবি টা আঁকে তা কিছু টা  অস্পষ্ট করে দায় আকাশ থেকে পরে যাওয়া অবিরাম বারী । ঠিক যেমন টা  হয়ে মনের মধ্যে , কিরকম যেন ধোঁয়াশা । রবি ঠাকুরের গানের মাঝেই মানুষের সব রকম ইমোশন লুকিয়ে আছে মনে হয় । মনের যে ভাবটাই থাকুক না কেন কোনো এক গানে নিশ্চই পাওয়া যায় । প্রত্যেক ঋতু নিয়ে তো গান আছেই সঙ্গে প্রত্যেক রিতুর মধ্যে আনন্দের ও বেদনার গান ও রয়েছে। পদ্মের যেরকম পাপড়ি গুলো এক অদ্ভুত সিমেট্রি তৈরী করে ঠিক সেরকমই রবীন্দ্রনাথের গানেও অনেক গভীর মানে লুকিয়ে আছে ।

সুখ দুঃখ সকল মানুষের জীবনেই আসে । তার বহিঃপ্রকাশ হওয়া বেশ প্রয়োজনীয় । আনন্দ যেরকম একা অনুভব করার চে দশ জনের সাথে অনুভব করা  অনেক ভালো । অথচ বেদনা হয়তো নিজের মধ্যে রাখা টাই অনেকে পছন্দ করে। হয়তো ১-২ জনের সাথে শেয়ার করলে কিছুটা  হালকা লাগে কিন্তু কি   লাভ ? মনের ব্যাথা তো নিজের কাছেই , অন্যরা হয়তো কিছুক্ষন সংবেদনা দেখাবে  তারপর সেটা নিয়ে মজা করবে । এটাই দুনিয়া। প্রকৃত বন্ধু তো খুব কম আজকের কলিযুগে । রবীন্দ্রনাথ ও অনেক কষ্ট ও দুঃখ সহ্য করেছেন তার জীবনে । তার বহিঃপ্রকাশ তাঁর  লেখা গানে, কবিতাতে , গল্পে । বেদনা না পেলে ওরকম লেখা হয়তো লেখা সম্ভব নয় । তবে রবি ঠাকুরের সঙ্গে কাউকে তুলনা করাটা মূর্খতা ছাড়া আর কিছুই নয় তবুও যেকোনো সৃষ্টি যা সময়কাল ধরে জনপ্রিয় তা হয়তো বেদনার ফল । ভ্যান গঘ র অপরূপ ছবি বা বেটোভেনের  অসাধারণ ৯ সিম্ফনি । কিংবা মিল্টনের কবিতা হোক বা নিখীল বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়র সেতার-- বেদনা একটি খুব বড়ো  ক্যাটালিস্ট র কাজ করেছে  বৈকি ।
লেখা টা শুরু করেছিলাম ২২এ শ্রাবন  নিয়ে কোন দিকে যেন চলে গেলো । মনের ভাব টা হয়তো সেরকম, কিরকম যেন এলোমেলো ।

ঝড় হোক বাইরে আজ, বৃষ্টি তে ভেজা ঘাস গুলো নিয়ন আলোতে জ্বল জ্বল করুক । মনের ভাব টা  প্রকৃতি প্রকাশ করুক । এটাই কি রবীন্দ্রনাথ কে আবার খুঁজে পাওয়া নয় ?

আজি   বরিষনমুখরিত শ্রাবণরাতি,           স্মৃতিবেদনার মালা একেলা গাঁথি॥ আজি   কোন্‌ ভুলে ভুলি   আঁধার ঘরেতে রাখি দুয়ার খুলি,    মনে হয় বুঝি আসিছে সে   মোর দুখরজনীর সাথি॥           আসিছে সে ধারাজলে সুর লাগায়ে,           নীপবনে পুলক জাগায়ে। যদিও বা নাহি আসে   তবু বৃথা আশ্বাসে ধুলি-'পরে   রাখিব রে   মিলন-আসনখানি পাতি॥ রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর ২১ শ্রাবন ১৩৪২

Indian Football on the Rise

India stunned Argentina in the Under-20 COTIF Cup tournament and it definitely is one of the most memorable victories for Indian Football defeating the 6 time U-20 champions and a heavy-weight team like Argentina. On a cool Sunday evening at Valencia, Spain, the Indian colts played out of their skin to snatch a deserved 2-1 victory over the Argentines despite being reduced to 10 men at the 54th minute of the game. Goals from Deepak Tangri(4') and Anwar Ali(68') saw India notch up a historic victory under coach Floyd Pinto. The Argentines on the otherhand were coached by 2006 World Cupper Lionel Scaloni and former star midfielder Pablo Aimar.

In Jordan on Sunday, an injury time goal by Bhuvenesh earned India U-16 team a stunning 1-0 victory over current Asian U-16 champion Iraq in the WAFF U-16 championship.
India produced a dominating performance as Buevenesh headed in the match-winner in the dying minutes to provide the perfect finish to a sublime build-up.
This is the first-ever victory for any Indian football team against Iraq in any format and among all age-groups.
“I would like to dedicate this win to all my fellow Indian coaches who train the boys before they join us at the AIFF Academy and eventually the National Team,” India U-16 head coach Bibiano Fernandes said.

Two memorable victories in a single day marks a historic day for Indian Football. But will this incredible achievement ring any bell on the Sports Ministry? For years the only sport promoted in the country is Cricket. The players are no less than Gods worshipped all over the nation. With billions of viewers of cricket the money pumped in unbelievable amounting to a multi-billion dollar industry. The cricket stars earn millions of dollars and fame is only comparable to the Bollywood stars in this cricket crazy country.
But the question is when will Football and athletics and other sports gain similar kind of attention?
A small fact : 212 countries are registered under FIFA, whereas only 188 countries are registered in the United Nations. Imagine India playing the football World Cup with the world watching and the National Anthem playing in the background, the new generation of Indian Football stars emerging! I hope it becomes a reality soon.
If a country like Croatia having a population of 4.3million can play the World Cup final then why can't we produce a world class team with 1.2 billion people?
The answer is simple. Lack of interest and infrastructure.  Owing to the growing interest in foreign leagues such as La Liga( Spanish League), English Premier League(EPL), Bundesliga(German League), Copa Italia( Italian League) viewership has increased in the country but still hardly a handful can name 5 players of the Indian Football team.
We should take note of our football players with similar interest as we take in our cricketers. Virat Kohli and Sunil Chetri are both captains representing our Nation. Both should be given equal stature. but unfortunately that's not the case.

These victories are no easy feat as defeating a team like Argentina is a massive achievement and add to that defeating Iran, Asia's top ranked team at the moment.
The AIFF and the Sports Ministry should look after the grooming of our young, talented football players as in the near future they have the potential to represent India in the biggest sporting event on planet Earth.

Lets grow some interests other than cricket , Football in our country needs our support and we the sports lovers can give that and then perhaps the Authorities will be bound to take action and money will be invested by the industrialists.

So lets cheer for the Men In Blue, only

this time the ball is at their feet! 

U-16(left in white) and U-20(right in blue) Indian team made us proud

 

Floyd Pinto-coached side scripted a historic result against ..

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/65288222.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The Last Goodbye

Come what hurricane may,
I will love you
Till my dying day...
That's what the poet says.

And a poet is forged out of pain
A life full of despair;
'I hope you remember our happy times,
For me those were the moments of a lifetime.'

Love is the language of God
So they say;
Then why do men don't respect this holy script?
What kind of justice is this, I ask thee?

I feel like life has passed me by.
I'm breathing but my soul feels lost!
Goodbye my love...It's time I fly
To the unknown, undying lands afar!

I say Goodbye one last time!
Hope to see thee in the undying lands!
Hope is what keeps one alive
A ray of sunshine awaits the gloomy sky!

 

Cab Service Exploitations

In today's busy schedule we all are scurrying from one destination to another. 10 years back the dependence was on public vehicles or the yellow taxis in the cities of India. With the advent of cab service providers such as Uber which came into existence in California, USA things became a lot more easier for the public. Several offers were given to promote the application. Soon it spread like wild fire all over India.
Initially for the first couple of years the service of cab companies such as Uber and Ola were satisfactory. With passing time the major problem which arose was the sudden and unexpected surcharges. Even when there are plenty of cabs around a particular area surcharges are levied on customers citing increased demand. Going for a 5km trip costs 150 or 200 bucks or more depending on the so called demand. It's really annoying for all to pay such ransom for such short trips.
Then comes another problem that is the addition of trip fare to the next trip even when you have cleared it by paying your
hard earned money to the cab driver or through online payment portal. I will share one of my experiences.
I was left aghast when I tried to book an Uber a couple of days back when the app showed that I have to pay an excess of 262 rupees withstanding from my last trip. For the record, I had paid 105 rupees for a distance of 5 km. I was left wondering how I could be paying the said amount. Even after reaching out to the Uber helpdesk i did not receive any reply to my satisfaction.

The next major issue many customers are facing is the little knowledge the drivers have of the city they are driving in. If you are in a new city it is sometimes very difficult to know the shortest route especially when you are in a hurry. It really helps if the driver has basic idea about the city routes. I have faced a similar problem in Hyderabad where the driver took  a much longer route to reach the desired destination at double the charge than was estimated during the start of the trip. Its absolutely bizzare. I find no logic behind these absurd fare that these cab companies are extracting from us in various tricky ways. They should look into these matters and stop exploting the customers.

Something needs to be done to address these issues or else we, the common man, will be the scapegoat.

Cabs are growing by the day in the cities and so are the unjustified fares

Please come forward and put forth suggestions as to how this growing problem can be solved to some extent.