Make Easter more eco-friendly! Dig into the reusable Swedish Easter eggs that can be filled with what you like…reports Asian Lite International.
Art of thoughtful gifting
Creativity into next step
Lockdown was probably the most creative time, which people ever spent in their lifetime. Some started new home-centered businesses and others monetized their creativity.
This is also a successful story of three women entrepreneurs and their love for thoughtful, sustainable Scandinavian gifts. With nothing but facetime and Zoom to connect them to their motherland, Annica Wainwright, Jessica Dahlin, and Linda Nordlund who have lived in the UK for many began getting nostalgic. With lockdowns in place their yearning to go home only grew stronger.
Art of thoughtful gifting
Story of three women entrepreneurs
“When it became clear that we won’t be able to travel in spring, we began missing our Easter Eggs desperately. So we made a decision: If we couldn’t get to the eggs, we would bring the eggs to England. A few phone calls later, the first pallets of Easter Eggs set sail, Annica got to work on words, Jessica researched on sustainable packaging and Linda sorted artwork from her kitchen studio in Stockholm.”
The trio soon launched Brand Gåva, a design-led gift company, to showcase the Scandinavian art of thoughtful and sustainable gifting. For the three, who work in hospitality, the lockdown helped them envision their dreams.
Art of thoughtful gifting
These handmade, reusable Easter Eggs can be filled with what you like to. Just like Christmas stockings, they can be taken out and refilled every year.
The eggs are available in various sizes and designs (including a DIY egg), Swedish Easter Eggs are designed to hold any number of thoughtful surprises, from homemade treats and experience vouchers to jewelry, toys, or simply better-quality chocolate than the Easter eggs from the neighborhood supermarket.
Art of thoughtful gifting
The options to personalise these eggs with stylishly wrapping them with some homemade treats can be a perfect treat for neighbors, colleagues, and family. It can also help children to make giveaways mindfully. Whether you buy yourself an Easter egg or use them to share thoughtful gifts, you will help reduce plastic waste, not just for this Easter, but also for many to come.
A special SC/ST court has dismissed the bail petition of two of the four accused in the Hathras gang rape and murder case of the 19-year-old girl.
The victim’s lawyer, Bhagirath Singh, said that Ravi and Lovekush had moved a bail application and the same was dismissed by the court of special judge (SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act) Hathras, B.D. Bharti on Thursday.
Last month, the court had dismissed the bail application of accused Ramu after hearing the arguments, he added.
The CBI had filed a charge sheet in the court in Hathras and invoked charges against four accused — Sandeep, Ravi, Ramu and Lovekush.
Student activists protest against the Hathras gang rape case, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Oct 2, 2020. (Photo: IANS)
They have been charged under sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape), 376A (punishment for causing death resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim) and 376D (gang rape) of the IPC, and under Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act (offence punishable with imprisonment for a term of 10 years or more against a person on the grounds that the person belongs to an SC or ST community).
The CBI had registered the case on October 11 and started investigating two days after that.
The case had hit the headlines in September last year when the victim died after battling for life for almost ten days. Her body was hurriedly cremated in the dead of the night which further fueled the controversy.
Women will be inducted as pilots in the Army Aviation Corps from next year, Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Tuesday.
Till now, women are only part of ground duties in the Army Aviation Corps.
Women pilots would be flying helicopters to forward locations and be part of operations at the borders, the Army Chief said, adding that the proposal has been cleared.
The Indian Air Force has 10 women fighter pilots. In the Indian Navy, women pilots are flying the Dornier aircraft and also as observers on board helicopters and P8I surveillance aircraft.
Other than the 10 fighter pilots, the IAF has 111 women pilots who fly transport planes and choppers.
During his annual press conference in New Delhi, General Naravane said: “Last month, I had initiated a proposal that women officers can be recruited to Army Aviation. The next course which will begin in July this year, will induct women for training purposes in flying branch and after one year they will be able to join in operational duties.”
The Indian Army raised the Army Aviation Corps on November 1, 1986 and it comprises helicopters that fly in conflict and peace zones.
The Aviation Corps is critical for the Indian Army as it is pressed into action for evacuation of injured troops during operations or health emergencies in high altitude areas.
Army Aviation Corps choppers are also used for reconnaissance, observation, casualty evacuation, essential load drops, and combat search and rescue.
The helicopters participate in Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations across the country. The corps has played an important role in the past in operations like Kargil but has also been at the forefront carrying out varied tasks during the ongoing India-China military standoff in Ladakh.
National carrier Air India’s historic flight from San Francisco lands in Kempegowda International airport Bengaluru with all-women pilot crew. The team has covered almost 16000 Kilometers and made a significant record.
“In a moment to cherish & celebrate, women professionals of Indian civil aviation create history. Heartiest Congratulations to Capt Zoya Aggarwal, Capt Papagari Thanmai, Capt Akansha Sonaware & Capt Shivani for flying over North Pole to land in Bengaluru from San Francisco”, Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted to congratulate the whole women cockpit crew.
Captain Zoya Aggarwal shared her extreme happiness and pride on having this successful fly from North Pole and for having the whole women team with her.
Notably, the direct distance between Bengaluru and San Francisco is approximately 13,993 km and the cities are diametrically at opposite ends of the world with a time zone change of about 13.5 hours.
According to a statement issued by Air India, “The flight was operated by an all women cockpit crew of Capt Zoya Aggarwal (P1), Capt Papagari Thanmai (P1), Capt Akansha Sonaware (P2) and Capt Shivani Manhas (P2).”
“The total flight time on this route is more than 17 hours depending on the wind speed,” the airline said. “The flight was operated with a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft VT ALG with a seating capacity of 238 seats including 8 first class, 35 business class, 195 economy class configurations, besides 4 cockpit and 12 cabin crew,” it added.
“The route for this flight will be the safest, fastest and most economical. It will be an around-the-world flight and based on the wind speed and other logistical parameters, the polar route may be chosen as the flight path, which will result in savings on flying time, fuel consumption and curbing carbon footprint.
“Air India is engaging an all women cockpit crew for this flight. Air India has the highest women employee ratio for an airline in the world. Capt Nivedita Bhasin, Executive Director (Flight Safety), Air India, is also traveling on this flight,” the statement said.
At present, Air India operates non-stop flights from Delhi to New York, Newark, Washington DC, San Francisco and Chicago and from Mumbai to Newark and New York.
In addition, the airline plans to start its first ever non-stop service between Hyderabad and Chicago from January 15.
According to a study about gender equality conducted in eight countries (India, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, UK and US), sexual harassment in public spaces was identified as the No. 1 issue women and girls are facing across the world.
As much as 78 per cent of women globally have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces, said the survey by L’Oreal Paris – IPSOS. It added that only 25 per cent of victims say someone helped, adding 86 per cent of us do not know what to do when we witness it happening.
The beauty brand has developed an awareness and training programme ‘Stand Up’ against street harassment, in partnership with the NGO Hollaback!.
The programme offers a proven 5D methodology (Direct, Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay), to help both men and women to safely intervene if they witness or experience street harassment.
Pau Gruart – General Manager, L’Oreal Paris, India tells IANSlife: “Street harassment robs women of their dignity, sense of security and feelings of self-worth, which goes against everything L’Oreal Paris stands for. That’s why it’s so important for us to stand up and help to combat this issue that affects us all.”
He adds: “We will partner with expert NGO partner Breakthrough to take Stand Up into the heart of communities and create a global movement of upstanders.”
The trainings will be online as well as offline. The online training is available for everyone across the country at www.standup-india.com.
L’Oreal Paris aims to train 1 million people across the country in bystander intervention to tackle street harassment by 2022. This community will be trained in the 5D’s — the simple act of interrupting an incident by asking the time or pretending to be lost.
“By opening the public eye to the scale of harassment women in particular, experience, Stand Up aims to simultaneously discourage harassers, support victims and encourage bystanders to intervene in a safe manner,” Gruart says.
The global initiative was launched in India through a virtual event, attended by Gruart, Emily May, co-founder and executive director of Hollaback!, Sohini Bhattacharya, President and CEO, Breakthrough India, and Bollywood actress Aditi Rao Hydari, brand ambassador of L’Oreal Paris, India.
According to the National Family Health Survey, in India, more than 50 per cent of children, women of reproductive age, and pregnant women suffer from anemia, making it a large-scale public health problem…writes Siddhi Jain.
A research study in the Indian Journal of Public Health says that while anemia is a global health problem in both developed and developing countries, children and pregnant women from poor socioeconomic status are more vulnerable to it. Nutritional anemia due to iron deficiency is the most common cause of anaemia.
“50 per cent of anaemia worldwide is due to iron deficiency. The leading causes of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in children is: Low iron stores at birth due to high levels of maternal anaemia; Inappropriate feeding practices – lack of diversity and iron-rich food in complementary foods and feeding; Inadequate quantity of iron and iron enhancers (like vitamin C rich foods) in the diet along with low bioavailability of dietary iron; and Iron loss due to parasitic infestations like intestinal worms, malaria.
“Iron deficiency anaemia in women is mainly due to: Inadequate quantity of iron and iron enhancers (like vitamin C rich foods) in the diet along with low bioavailability of dietary iron; Iron loss during menstruation and childbirth; The physiological requirements of iron are higher in women during pregnancy and lactating period; Poor iron stores due to childhood deficiency; Teenage pregnancy and frequent pregnancies (interval of <2 years); Iron loss due to parasitic infestations like intestinal worms, malaria; and Poor compliance to prophylactic iron supplements during periods of enhanced need like pregnancy, lactating period, adolescence,” Dr Sebanti Ghosh – Country Program Director, Alive and Thrive, FHI360 told IANSlife.
The iron & folic acid (IFA) supplementation programme was introduced in India in 1970s, but was given importance only since 2018, under Anemia Mukt Bharat and POSHAN Abhiyaan, says an expert.
“At state level, measures have been intensified and efforts are directed at improving supply and consumption. I understand the progress was good (prior to COVID) and schools closing. The strategy is correct and should make a difference if well implemented. The effort being made for streamlining IFA supply, creating demand for IFA, monitoring IFA consumption and promoting diversified balanced diet and fortified food is a very high priority of public health nutrition programme,” Dr. Sheila Vir, Founder Director of the Public Health Nutrition Centre said.
For achieving the target, we need to go beyond free supply of IFA or fortified food by government. Children, adolescent and women who do not attend government schools or health system are deprived of any inputs or information, Anaemia affects all socio-economic status persons. Investment in social marketing of weekly IFA supplements (WIFS) to women of reproductive age who have the resources to purchase low-cost IFA supplements needs to be introduced. Diet measures will take longer and need to realistically promoted, she says.
Various strategies have been adopted to combat nutritional anemia in India which includes dietary diversification, food fortification, weekly iron and folic acid supplementation, improving infant and young child feeding practices, and promoting safe water, hygiene, and sanitation.
“Food diversification approach designed to increase micronutrient intake through diet represents the most desirable and sustainable method for preventing micronutrient malnutrition. Foods of vegetable origin are the main source of iron in diets of majority of Indian people.
“The Indian diets are primarily derived from cereals, pulses and vegetables and contain approximately 7 mg of iron per 1000 kcal. Bioavailability of iron from the plant based sources is low (5% in men and children and 8% in women) due to presence of inhibitory factors such as phytates, polyphenols, tannins and oxalates. Although heme iron derived from animal sources is better absorbed than non-heme iron derived from plant sources, whole cereals, whole pulses, and vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables (GLVs), contribute to a significant intake of dietary iron in Indian diets. Poor bioavailability of iron from non-heme sources) and increased bioavailability from heme sources needs to be balanced,” Dr. Kapil Yadav – Additional Professor, Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS told IANSlife.
According to Dr. Praveen Kumar, Director Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Associated Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital – New Delhi, “Lack of consumption of iron rich food items, low bioavailability of dietary iron, lack of consumption of iron enhancers like vitamin c rich foods and excessive intake of tea/coffee are important dietary factors contributing nutritional anemia Improvement in dietary diversity will also increase consumption of iron, vitamin B12, folate and other micronutrients and thus will help in eliminating nutritional causes of anemia.”
The number of women-led businesses has seen a sharp spike in the last few years. COVID-19 has been, however, especially harsh on women entrepreneurs, many of whom already walk the tightrope between personal and professional…writes Siddhi Jain.
IANSlife speaks to six women entrepreneurs across industries, to know how the ongoing pandemic impacted their business and how they managed to carry on, and strive to build back stronger. Excerpts:
F&B — Hospitality: Christine Samandari, Co-Founder and Director, L’Opéra
How did the pandemic impact business? Very seriously. Indeed, the travel industry with airlines and cruise companies on the top of the list, the hospitality industry and the restaurant industry are among the hardest hit industries by the COVID-19 pandemic. We see and feel the impact in several areas of our business. First and foremost was the requirement for added emphasis on everything which has to do with the safety of our customers and our staff. To this end we immediately introduced very strict hygiene measures at all levels of our activity starting from production, through our logistics and in-house delivery service to the activities in all our outlets. We even pioneered the concept of individual packaging for each and every piece of pastry which is unique in our industry. In terms of actual volume of business, we went from total standstill of activity in the first days of the initial lockdown to today whereby our level of activity is in the range of 70 per cent of the comparable period of last year. This is mainly due to three factors, namely the reduced capacity for dine-in guests, the reluctance of some patrons to visit outlets and finally the reduction of available free income of customers to spend.
How efforts propelled forward business? Besides the measures detailed above, we at L’Opéra went through a detailed analysis of our business and identified several major thrust areas. These included, re-negotiation of the lease agreements for as long as the extra-ordinary circumstances prevailed; development of home delivery services; development of a very solid website to this end; use of innovative technologies such as contactless ordering and innovations such as described above in terms of packaging of products. Understandably, these measures had to be accompanied by rigorous cost cutting measures to minimise the burning rate of the company during these challenging times.
Executive coach: Manbir Kaur, author of ‘Are You The Leader, You Want To Be?’ and ‘Get Your Next Promotion’
How did the pandemic impact business? In my business, getting new projects depends on getting new meetings, which is tough these days. Quite a few corporates are under stress and have gone into cost cutting, which in quite a few cases has impacted executive development. Some of my existing clients are more inclined to discuss in a face to face meeting compared to a remote setup. In group programmes, sometimes it is tough to make sure that everybody is fully tuned in.
How efforts propelled forward business? I have stepped up the efforts on social media to work on lead generation. This has helped me to connect with many new people. The benefit is that everyone is now getting used to remote working and distances do not matter anymore. Also, since executives are not traveling, it has become easier to get their time. I have started making group sessions/speaking engagements more interactive. I have added more experiential elements to make sure professionals stay engaged.
Integrated Marketing, Digital and Public Relations: Neha Agrawal, Founder of MensenTock Communications
How did the pandemic impact business? Like many others initially we were grappling with the situation but the struggle died in 7-10 days. Thanks to the understanding of business continuity and handling of crisis situations. We, in no time were absorbed in creative thinking and solving problems through effective communications for our clients. Pandemic in 2020 had a positive impact on our firm in more than one way. We successfully acquired a digital marketing firm and suddenly demand for our media training, my advisory on personal profiling and paid mentorship sessions increased.
How efforts propelled forward business? We acquired a digital marketing firm and closed on domestic and international clients for a diverse set of services. We branched out with a new office in the USA in June 2020 and it’s been rewarding equally for us and our clients. We did not stop taking strategic decisions for growth of our firm and team members. We had new hires in fact during the first six weeks of lockdown as we had scaled up our operations globally.
Textile and furnishing: Suruchi Khanna, owner of Sana Furnishings by Suruchi Khanna
How did the pandemic impact business? With the complete lockdown in the country, we had to close our business operation. Our parent company Sava International Pvt Ltd is majorly into exports, With no travel possible for so long, we had to cancel all our exhibitions. With our domestic brand Sana Furnishings as well, we cancelled our Delhi exhibitions and shows. With people avoiding their outings, of course sales were also affected as people were not shopping at all, and there was a complete dip in the retail sector.
How efforts propelled forward business? We have been in this show for the last 30 years, one thing that stays permanent is that the show must go on. Adapting to the need of present is the most important skill every business should have. We started doing virtual shows, exhibitions, online seminars to showcase our new line. We have also started online selling from our website. Other than this, at domestic level, we also launched a new line of breathable masks.
Art and exhibitions: Priyanka Banerjee, artist
How did the pandemic impact business? Daily routine has become virtual now and people are trying to exhibit or sell their wares through various social media platforms as all the cultural centres remain closed. Businesses in the country are suffering greatly and the art industry is no exception.
How efforts propelled forward business? The internet is coming to our rescue in this time of pandemic by acting as a bridge between the buyer and seller. Myriad government initiatives like Vocal for Local, Atmanirbhar Bharat have given a new lease of life to the craftsmen and artisans of our nation. The above initiatives and people’s response have given an immense boost to the small scale industries.
Education: Dr Sunita Gandhi, Founder of GETI AND GCPL
How did the pandemic impact business? Things that don’t go so well include things like; basically; having to manage with scarce resources, because there are parents who cannot pay, realistically. We had to borrow funds to pay salaries to supported staff, drivers, and ancillary services without affecting anybody. The upside has been that we have learnt new things. We have time to think, be in the present, think deeper about education, in the sense that we now can conceptualize education in profoundly different ways than we did in the past.
How efforts propelled forward business? I don’t know how to propel it forward, honestly. Because when we look at propel it forward, it means a longer term, not short-term fix. We are still in the pandemic, and it will take time to emerge from all the economic havoc that it has created, especially in education; I think education is far worse affected than most every segment. Whatever we can do now, we are doing, and we will continue to learn inclemently, but the major move will be possible only after the situation improves.
Seventy Palestinians, including men and women, took part in the event on Thursday, which was part of a 16-day campaign to fight gender-based violence..reports Asian Lite News
The European Union, in partnership with the a non-government Sharek Youth Forum, has organised a cycling event in the West Bank city of Jericho to raise awareness of women’s rights and protection.
Seventy Palestinians, including men and women, took part in the event on Thursday, which was part of a 16-day campaign to fight gender-based violence, reports Xinhua news agency.
The participants started their journey from Hisham’s Palace, an archaeological landmark north of Jericho, to Bab Al Shams Park in the city.
Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, the EU representative in Palestine, said that “we are here to say that the consequences of the novel coronavirus and the lockdown have negatively affected the life of women and children”.
“The closure imposed on the Palestinian territories, as well as the countries around the world, has contributed to a significant increase in the rate of violence against women,” he added.
Bader Zamarah, the event’s organiser, told Xinhua news agency that the event aims to tell people that women are an essential part of the community.
“We should protect women from all kinds of violence, including domestic violence that has been doubled amid the novel coronavirus,” he said.
Gender Based Violence is a key protection concern in Palestine.
According to Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) 2011 Violence Survey, an average of 37 per cent of women are victims of GBV in Palestine; in the Gaza Strip, this percentage increases to 51 per cent.
Women in Palestine face multiple layers of violence and discrimination.
Most pregnancies last 40 weeks; a baby is known as a premature or pre-term when her or she is born before the completion of 37th week. Based on the gestational age, pre-term babies are sub-categorised as extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28 to 32 weeks), moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks)…Siddhi Jain.
“Advances in the field of medicine have meant that more than 9 out of 10 premature babies survive, and most go on to develop normally,” says Dr Archana Dhawan Bajaj, Gynaecologist and Obstetrician and IVF expert, Nurture IVF Centre.
There are several reasons for preterm births, while most happen spontaneously some are due to early induction of labour or caesarean birth, whether for medical or non-medical reasons, she says. “Some of the common causes include multiple pregnancies, infections and chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure; however, often no cause is identified.”
Dr Bajaj explains risk of premature or preterm birth has been associated with exposure to air pollution during pregnancy by increasing toxic chemicals in the blood and causing immune system stress, which can weaken the placenta surrounding the fetus and lead to preterm birth. This, in turn, raises risk of health complications for the baby, both in the short and long term.
“As per estimates, more than 3 percent of all premature births in the US are attributable to air pollution. Furthermore, findings suggest that considerable health and economic benefits can be gained through reductions in outdoor air pollution exposure during pregnancy.
“Several studies have found air pollution as one of the risk factors for preterm birth. Air pollution is associated with an unfavourable vaginal microbiota suggesting a relationship between environmental and biological risk factors that may further substantiate the risk of pre-mature birth in pregnant women. US Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre and the University of Cincinnati carried out studies and identified a 19 percent increased risk, with the greatest risk when exposed to air pollution during the third trimester of pregnancy.”
Another study has found an association with exposure to high levels of small particulate matter with an increased risk of premature birth, she points out. One of the professors in the US said that decreasing the amount of particulate matter in the air below the US Environmental Protection Agency’s standard threshold could decrease preterm birth in women exposed to high levels of small particulates by about 17 percent, which corresponds to a 2.22 percent decrease in the preterm birth rate in the population as a whole,’ Dr Bajaj says.
COVID 19 has been spreading far and wide across the globe with devastating effects across majority of population. While it’s the aging population which is at a major risk of developing complications from the disease, pregnant women also have a reason to worry as they may face an elevated risk for delivering their babies prematurely, according to new studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, they may also be at greater risk of losing the pregnancy or having a stillbirth, says the doctor.
“While none of the data indicate that pregnant women are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 infection, nor have studies suggested an increased risk of miscarriage, congenital anomalies, or early pregnancy loss in pregnant patients, however, studies have described an increased risk of preterm birth.
“Similar results have been found with another study conducted in Korea which further stresses the point that COVID-19 can be associated with premature birth and sometimes severe outcomes for mother and baby, including death.
Several other researchers in various parts of the globe have studied the effects of the novel coronavirus on pregnant women and its outcome on the new born. They share the same views of pregnant women experiencing a higher rate of preterm deliveries than expected and a British study noted a population-wide uptick in stillbirths during the pandemic.
Summary Pregnancy is a time filled with joy and happiness for every woman and it is the responsibility of one and all to ensure a healthy outcome for pregnant women and their infants.
While there are several other reasons that can cause preterm births including air pollution and COVID 19 infection, proactive clinical management and dedicated support coupled with adequate safety measures must be adopted to help protect those who are pregnant and their newborns.
Ace Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has opened up about her time during pregnancy and how she felt she could never return to the court again.
Sania, who married to Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik in 2010, gave birth to baby boy Izhaan in October 2018. After that in January 2020, she made a return to tennis circuit and won the doubles title at the WTA Hobart International 2020 with her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok.
“Pregnancy and having a baby made me a better person,” said Sania in an open letter – ‘An Ode to All Mothers’ after watching ‘Being Serena’ on Discovery Plus.
“Pregnancy is something that I had experienced for the first time in my life. I thought about it and I think we all have a certain picture about it but once you experience it, you really understand what it means. It absolutely changes you as a human being,” she added.
Later came the part to overcome the physical obstacles and get back to her earlier self to make a comeback to the court.
“Getting back to shape and form after pregnancy can be a challenge and I can relate to Serena and every other woman on that. I think it’s normal for everyone because you don’t know how your body is going to react post-pregnancy and during pregnancy,” said the 34-year-old.
Lastly, the Indian tennis star — while depicting her transformation journey and the sheer joy of being on the court — said, “Having put-on around 23kg during my pregnancy, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get back to being fit and playing tennis again.”
“However, I lost around 26 kilos with a lot of workout regimes and very strict diets and came back to tennis because that’s what I know, love and do. Finally, when I won at Hobart after coming back it was pretty amazing. I was honestly very proud of myself to have been able to put myself to compete at the highest level again and I think that’s where I was mentally,” she added.
