Sunday, January 29, 2012

Kokan News, Vol. 4, No.1, 2012 by Dr. Siraj Bijile

Please see below Kokan News, Vol 4 - Issue 1 of 2012. Sorry due to limitations of Blogger can't attach PDF file.

The main highlights are :
-  Best of Kokan
-  Journey to Makkah
-  Pregnancy and Healthcare
-  Recent Publications on Kokan
-  Muslim Caste in an Industrial Township


























Makkah's heritage vanishing behind skyscrapers

Source of News : Gulf News
Visitors and residents point to a government-owned clock tower as evidence of rapid urbanisation damaging the ethos of a city renowned as a sanctuary

The Makkah Clock Tower looms in the distance as pilgrims walk around the Ka’aba in the Grand Mosque during the recently-concluded Haj.
Future development in Makkah will be more in tune with traditional architecture, the mayor says, but for now residents worry that one of Islam's holiest sites is disappearing behind skyscrapers.
The historic city, the birthplace of Islam, is studded with dozens of yellow and red cranes and metal scaffolding aimed at increasing hotel space and improving facilities to make the annual Haj safer and easier.
As more than 2.5 million Muslims from across the world flood Makkah's narrow streets for the annual pilgrimage, however, many visitors and residents point to a government-owned 657 metres tower surmounted by an extravagant clock as evidence development has moved too quickly.
"The building regulations in the city take into consideration the width of the streets, central locations and do not allow the building of skyscrapers... what was built was that," Mayor Osama Al Bar told Reuters when asked about the tower.
Future projects "will be far from the grand mosque by 300 metres ... The buildings will have reasonable heights between 8 to 10 floors and will have the Makkah style", he said.
Within six years, the government hopes to reinforce the infrastructure surrounding Grand Mosque, home to the Ka'aba towards which Muslims the world over turn in prayer, replacing congested narrow roads with new ones, installing foot bridges for pedestrians and a four-line metro.
Crown Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz has said the development that had already taken place would "be little compared to what will happen".
"We want to evolve Makkah, not change it," said Sami Angawi, founder of Haj Research Centre and an expert on Makkah. Angawi, who is originally from Makkah, has not stepped into his city for the past two years because he is unhappy about the way that it is being transformed.
"I love Makkah and cannot see the beloved [sanctuary] of the Prophet being destroyed and handled this way," said Angawi, who shares a belief with many Muslims that Makkah is a holy place where change must be made in a delicate manner.
Spread of prayer mats
An hour before evening prayer, the marble floor around the Grand Mosque is hardly visible as millions of worshippers stand side-by-side, lining their prayer mats outside the overflowing mosque to reserve a spot in anticipation for the call to pray.
The pilgrimage was once the culmination of an arduous desert journey over perilous weeks or months, but with the advent of modern transport, the number of Hajis, or pilgrims, has risen to millions, gridlocking the city's roads and compromising safety.
Deadly stampedes, tent fires and other accidents have several times caused hundreds of deaths, forcing the government to spend lavishly on new infrastructure.
"For sure [the expansion] will be good for pilgrims because usually there are huge numbers of pilgrims, especially during prayer times," Ahdab Saif, an Egyptian pilgrim, said outside the Grand Mosque.
Long-term projects around the mosque will include hotels, malls and cafes. Developments in the suburbs include housing estates and a park for residents who have been made to relocate from the city centre.
"Makkah is known to be an old city ... it has some old haphazard buildings located near the Grand Mosque and this project will reshape the face of Makkah and raise the capacity and services of the city," Bar said.
"By 2020 we hope that results will be visible as major parts of the projects will be complete," he said, sitting behind his wooden desk at the Makkah municipality.
Among the announced projects, which will cost more than $30 billion (Dh110.1 billion), is a historic expansion of the Grand Mosque to add 400,000 square metres and add shaded areas to shelter worshippers from the scorching desert sun.
The clock tower of the King Abdul Aziz Endowment, which is visible for miles around and stands next to the Grand Mosque, has been the focal point of criticism.
"What is not nice is that the outside design is not traditionally Arabic... What they created looks like the buildings in Australia, it does not give a feel of Arabs and Makkah," said Wafa Sbbet, 50, who came from Sydney for the Haj.
The tower, which overlooks the Ka'aba, was built over a demolished 18th-century Ottoman fort on a prominent Makkah hillside, now flattened to the ground.
Land value
"This is a sanctuary ... My objection is not about expansion, or increasing the capacity for pilgrims or developing Makkah. My objection is about how it is done," Angawi said.
"This tower does not respect the dignity, sanctity and culture of the Ka'aba ... it has demolished a whole mountain." Makkah residents, who once lived a few steps from the Grand Mosque, say they are being pushed away from the city-centre to make way for hotels and restaurants that will cater to visiting pilgrims.
A square foot of land around the Grand Mosque has in some cases reached up to $18,000, Bar said, significantly higher than average prices of around $4,420 in Monaco.
Property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle could not corroborate those prices but confirmed that the land around the Grand Mosque is the most expensive real estate in the world.
"Makkah is the heart of the Islamic world... what we are doing is changing the heart from a natural heart to a mechanical one," Angawi said.
"Now we should review and stop any project that does not respect the scale of the Ka'aba and the environment of the holy sanctuary ... Take the bulldozers and dynamites out of Makkah."

Sleep Disorder

Source of Article – Daily Mirror
Why we all need more sleep
33% of us have sleep disorders such as insomnia, according to a recent report for the Mental Health Foundation, Charlotte Haigh
Posted On Tuesday, November 08, 2011
It’s official, we’re not getting enough shut-eye. Some 33% of us have sleep disorders such as insomnia, according to a recent report for the Mental Health Foundation. And 80% of us rate our sleep as inadequate. But that doesn’t just leave you snapping at the kids or snoozing at your desk – poor sleep could have serious consequences for mental and physical health as well.
“We still don’t fully understand the reasons why we need to sleep, but we do know about the effects of not getting enough,” says Bupa clinical adviser Dr Sarah Salvilla. Here are some of the health implications of sleep deprivation.
Matters of the mind
Recent research from Stanford University in the US suggests fragmented sleep can cause memory lapses.
“Sleep is thought to be important for preserving our mental function, which is why feelings of tiredness and low concentration are common after poor sleep,” says Dr Salvilla.
Low mood
Anxiety disorders and depression are strongly connected to a lack of sleep and it can become a vicious cycle. Insomnia causes anxiety among sufferers, which then triggers further sleep disruption.
All tired out
Seen those “Don’t drive tired” signs on the motorway? They’re there for a reason. “Drowsy driving causes about 20% of all accidents on major roads, according to government figures – and that’s probably underestimating the issue,” says Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Oxford University.
Weight gain
Bad sleepers have a higher risk of serious weight gain. “Studies suggest a lack of sleep might affect the balance of appetite hormones, so you eat more and less healthily,” says Dr Salvilla. The obesity connection may also explain why poor sleepers are at higher risk of diabetes.
Heart disease
Long-term sleep deprivation raises the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure – and research from the University of Warwick found the link is stronger in women. Scientists believe a lack of sleep may increase inflammation, which can damage arteries. Sleeping soundly at night is well known to lower blood pressure.
Cancer risk
Over time, women who sleep fewer than 7 hours a night have a 47% increased risk of cancer, an American study found. Shift workers who have to stay up at unsociable hours have a much higher chance of developing the disease, too. According to Prof Foster, it may be because the immune system response is dampened by the body’s continual attempts to override its natural sleep/wake cycle. This often takes place when you force yourself to stay awake throughout the night.
Trouble-shooting insomnia
Been staring at the ceiling for hours, listening to the clock ticking? “Try not to lie in bed thinking about how much sleep you are missing,” says Dr Salvilla. “It’s best to get up and read until you feel sleepy, then go back to bed.”
And if your insomnia’s long term? “Medicines can help, but they may not work for very long and can sometimes make you feel drowsy ­the following day,” he says. “Plus, they can be addictive and you will need to take more and more to get the same effect.” Instead, you should try to deal with any sources of stress disturbing your sleep.
Or, if you’re a naturally tense person who finds it hard to switch off, learn relaxation techniques such as meditation. Insomnia can be a sign-of depression or anxiety, so see your doctor if you have other symptoms such as low mood.

Inside-aircraft stories : Stress factor for air hostesses and cabin crews

Source of Information : Economic Times

Call Jahnavi Kumar* at 12 pm and she replies in a sleepy voice. Flying the international circuit, she had got in late. When she calls you back, it's 5 pm and she's ready with her lipstick in place to fly the domestic circuit.
She says she's reaching her breaking point soon. But for now, she combs her bun, pins her hair up and is all set to welcome aboard yet another round of "thankless passengers who feel that they are entering a restaurant and not an airplane", her summing up of the airhostess profession.
But how widespread is this mood among the women (and a few men) who are up in the air? Which is to ask has airlines' current business troubles severely impacted the flight crews? Is this sunrise segment of GenY employment looking less sunny?
As ET on Sunday spoke to air hostesses, industry experts, aviation professionals and cabin crew trainers, a counter-intuitive conclusion emerged. Airlines' scary business numbers hasn't, yet, affected either those working as cabin crew or hiring. But the very reason aviation is considered viable, low-cost airlines, has increased the stress factor for the women up in the air.
Jobs are Still There
Air tickets, despite recent jumps in prices, are still cheap and passengers still have many options. According to aviation industry estimates, there are 430 aircraft up and flying in the Indian skies. By rules, it's mandated that there should be a team of 110-150 employees per aircraft (in a rotation of 10 teams) from pilots, cabin crew to engineers.
Going by these estimates, roughly the Indian cabin crew strength stands at 17,200. A 2010 McKinsey study on aviation stated that India's aviation industry will create an additional 40,000 vacancies in cabin crew jobs over the next 3 to 4 years.
KPMG's Amber Dubey (director, aviation) says, "We do not anticipate a shortage in cabin crew capacity, given the large population of English speaking youth in India and the aspirational value of the airline sector." Air hostess training institutes tell the same story. Some of the institutes, including the interestingly named Flying Cats, set up when aviation took off post-reforms have shut down. But those are like Frankfinn are still in business and new trainers have entered the market.
Industry watchers say that it is noteworthy that despite all the troubles in airlines, cabin crews haven't lost jobs in numbers. So far, the worst hasn't happened. Some cabin crew will tell you stories of irregular salary payments but almost no one ET on Sunday spoke to reported a crisis situation in their jobs. But there were plenty of tales of on-job stress. The little-appreciated fact of this job is that, according to air hostesses at least, the glamour wears off quickly, and it does so especially in low-cost carriers.
Everyone's Flying, So...
Priyanka Guha*, an air hostess with a low-cost airline, says, "Everyone who flies today don't have travelling etiquettes." Guha, who moved from a full-service airline to her current one a couple of years back, has been flying for three years now and doesn't mince her words.
"There have been cases where irate customers have thrown food back at flight attendants," she says. Her complaint: most Indian passengers feel that if they have bought flight tickets they have bought the service. "They want to travel cheap but with all the perks of a full-service, which is not possible," she says.
History offers an interesting insight into complaints like Guha's. The cabin crew job never started out as being glamourous. And women weren't employed in the beginning. Britain's Imperial Airways had "cabin boys" or "stewards" in the 1920s.
In the US, Stout Airways was the first to employ stewards in 1926 and Western Airlines and Pan American World Airways were the first carriers to employ stewards to serve food. And in 1930, United Airlines created history by hiring the first female flight attendant, 25-year-old registered nurse Ellen Church.
Many of the early flight attendants were nurses, because, and this is what many passengers probably miss, then and now, serving food and giving blankets are not air hostess's primary job, ensuring safety of passengers comes first.
Yes, the boring, rehearsed pre-flight safety demo where air hostesses tell you how to tie your belt to secure the life jacket is their prime work. "Even in our training, the technical and the safety aspects dominate," says Divya Aggarwal*, a flight attendant with a no-frills carrier. She says she has been trained to do anything from attending cuts to delivering babies in-flight.
When did flight attendants become glamorous? When Pan Am started picking cabin crews who looked or could be made to look glamorous, in their sassy blue skirt suits. Incidentally, the strict uniform code of cabin crews is a result of the military aviation background of many commercial aviation pioneers in the West.
As air hostessing became a pink-collar profession, airline companies realised the publicity value of their stewardesses. The glam image took hold firmly from the post-war period, and is alive till date.
The Skirt & the Money
In post-reforms Indian aviation, there have been plenty of air hostess fashion highlights. Jet Airways has become more practical by introducing pants and Kingfisher went for the stark red and white combination. But it's Indigo's short blue skirts with hair tied in a tight French knot or retro bun, you have an option to wear a short cropped wig, which is probably the most interesting fashion statement. It's the retro flight attendant look.
"The glamour comes from the uniform, the well-groomed look, travelling and the fact that cabin crews are among the best-paid jobs in the middle-skills service industry," says former Jet flight attendant, Mansi Luthra. Luthra is now the city head for Pune branch of an image consultancy First Impressions Consulting. Luthra gave up her wings after three years of flying. She says monotony had set in her job, there was no prospect of growth. But the money isn't bad.
Today an entry level (all you need is a Class XII exam certificate) air hostess can start at Rs 25,000-30,000 per month (plus allowances) in the domestic circuit. Pay for the domestic circuit can go up to Rs 70,000 per month. In international airlines, pay, excluding allowances), starts at Rs 70,000 and can hit Rs 1.2 lakh per month.
Swati Sengupta*, a first-month-into-her-job flight attendant with a low-frills airline, checks all the boxes Luthra says are a must for joining the job. She loves the idea of donning her uniform and "the poise and stature" it gives her.
"You are different from the rest and that's clear when you walk to your aircraft," she says. But she also says the glamour fades fast, especially when she has to fly out at odd hours in full make-up and her hair neatly tucked, and still get bad flight reports for not applying the lipstick properly.
Passengers & Peanuts
Veterans like Kumar look at Sengupta's enthusiasm as a novice's exuberance. They say donning the war paint day in and day out is the toughest call of their profession. "Knowing that there's no career change that you can hope for really gets you down. Even if your grade goes up, you will still be pushing trolleys and talking to disgruntled travellers," Luthra says. She recalls passengers at the bar service asking why they can't get bigger packets of chips instead of small packets of peanuts. "You can't tell them they are not in a restaurant, so you smile and serve."
Luthra is happy her days of putting the 'work' face on every morning are behind her. "Yes, you get paid but it's not easy money. You are sweating it out every inch of the way. There are passengers who literally demand three meals on board," she recalls. The high points that survive all the stress? Travelling and meeting new people. Including people who can change your life?
Look where Maureen Wadia, Nina Pillai and Parmeshwar Godrej landed their planes, many air hostesses say. But those days are over probably. As a columnist noted, people have stopped looking up to flight attendants. There's glamour in plenty of other places.
How to Handle Drunks
So, how are the air hostesses of tomorrow feeling? Pretty good. Nalini*, 20, is enrolled with one of the new aviation, hospitality and travel management training institutes Asia Pacific Academy for Aviation & Hospitality. She's sitting in a class where she learns how to handle difficult passengers. The trainer was a flight attendant with Air Sahara.
The teacher takes the class through a crash course, handling everything from how to calm down inebriated passengers to treating epileptics. The class of six looked attentive, enthusiastic and there were plenty of questions: the best ways of grooming, what substances are banned on board and Kingfisher. Clearly, the class was following the twists and turns in the fortunes of a potential employer.
However, more than a few flight attendants, current and former, say training institutes don't really work. "It helps girls to open up and develop their communication skills. As for the in-flight service, your airline training is more solid," says Aggarwal.
But Samir Valia, president, marketing & corporate communication head for Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, says the institute has managed to place 5,000 students in this "recessionary period", 1,600 got jobs in airlines, Indian and foreign.

Inside-aircraft stories: Stress factor for air hostesses & cabin crews

"There's a huge gap in training and a huge demand for cabin crew with most domestic airlines stepping up operations," he says and adds that at Frankfinn they primarily concentrate on soft skills (communication, presentation and interview techniques).
"Most people will forego a small flaw in looks if the person is good at communicating. It's this skill that we help develop." Valia also says recruitment of cabin crew hasn't gone down. He names Indigo, Emirates and Oman Air as airlines which are recruiting almost on a monthly basis.
More Trainers
While many training institutes like Flying Cats, Maples and Air Hostess Academy have closed down, there are new entrants. Rajan Mehra's and Deepak Gupta's Asia Pacific Academy currently has two centres, both in Delhi, and both running to capacity from the first month.
"The industry is still glamourous," says Mehra, "Except it's more practical now." He says women enter the industry with a conscious decision to fly for some time and use the platform for preparing for other careers.
Frankfinn has 78 centres with multiple batches of 30 people running at all times. A year-long course with them costs Rs 1.6 lakh. A post-graduate diploma costs Rs 1.2 lakh. APA charges Rs 1.4 lakh for a year and Rs 70,000 for a month. But the courses don't come with any job guarantee. "That is something you can't ensure. No institute can," Valia says.
Luthra was a trainer with Frankfinn for six years before becoming an image consultant. She says on an average, three out of 10 flight attendants recruited are from training institutes. "Ultimately, the job teaches you the most," says Aggarwal, who's now contemplating doing the MBA she had promised herself.
But there are those who want to stay on. Kumar says, "The job becomes an addiction. The flying, the erratic schedules, everything becomes acceptable. Even demanding customers. I still have passengers come and tell me that I am doing the job of their dreams." If only there were fewer food-throwing passengers.
Confessions of an Air Hostess
A month into her job, the glamour of flying is forgotten. But aviation still soars high for this 21-year-old employed with a private airline.
There are whispered voices in the aisles of cutbacks, job losses and airlines shutting down. And I will be lying if I said that we are not affected. Flight attendants of another private airlines who are now joining us share horror stories of not being paid for six months, of flights flying with only 60-70 seats full and of living in fear of losing their jobs the next day.
It makes you worry but then you see that you are catering to a full-flight service with 180 passengers, of your employer buying more planes and welcoming new entrants everyday and you breathe a sigh of relief. It's been a month since I have joined this industry, completely on a lark.
During my interview, my hands were scanned thoroughly and after meeting the usual height, weight and looks criteria, there were general questions on education, where you see yourself five years from now, etc. And after a final meeting with the company president, I was in. What followed was a gruelling two months' training in Gurgaon. Surprisingly, serving was just a small part and was only taught after we passed the DGCA test on airline safety and technical details.
Glamorous? Not really
Within our training we had our grooming classes, on how to apply our makeup and wear our uniform. In fact, in our last inspection few girls were held back for two weeks because their eyeliner was not even!
The glamour comes from the whole persona of a flight attendant. The uniform, make up and the look. When you step out of the house, all eyes are on you. But after flying 60-70 hours a week the glamour wears off quickly.
To get up at 3 am and put on a cake of paint on you, wear a bun and don your uniform, the glamour flies out of the window. Before each flight we are scrutinised from top to toe, any chipped nailpaint, uneven lipstick or awry hair strands are a black marks on your flight reports. More such faux pas and you are grounded.
And then comes the most difficult part of the job, passengers. Some of them think since they have bought a ticket, they have bought the airline. They constantly crib. They ask for blankets, cotton, tea, coffee and complain about food.
On each flight, usually with 4 cabin crew members, we are supposed to do two rounds of food and beverage, two rounds of merchandise and two rounds of cleaning. But people are so buzzer happy that we don't get past seats 1 to 30. And that's another black mark on our flight reports. Most flights, I don't end up eating anything as I am always on the buzzer.
Excess Baggage
Then there's the usual Indian men who would do anything to get close. In our training, we are told to ignore them but inform the crew head or the captain as a first step. If they persist, tell them off in a polite yet stern manner.
And thirdly, if they really persist restrain them by tying their hands with the seatbelt or keep them in the aft. But many times the harassment is subtle. They would get up the moment you are around and brush past you, or call you and then touch you accidentally. What can you do?
Then there are the difficult passengers who refuse to comply with anything. They ask for your name and want to report you at every given chance. It stresses you out. But when the passengers are nice, they come and thank you for a service and appreciate you and that helps to ease situations. It's this positive feedback that makes me want to don my uniform and wear my war paint every day, at 3 am in the morning