Karnataka First

The award is given to nurses based in Karnataka who have made a significant contribution to the nursing profession.

It was a special moment for Jemimal Christopher when she received the Florence Nightingale Award last week at a ceremony in Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru. In her career spanning 42 years, Christopher says, this was the first time she was awarded for her contributions to the nursing profession and the healthcare system.

The Florence Nightingale Award was first established in 2000 by Ivan Nigli, former MLA of Karnataka. Now the Florence Nightingale Award is organised by The Anglo Indian Unity Centre and Garshom Foundation, Bengaluru, in association with the Karnataka government’s Health and Family Welfare Department.

The award is given to nurses based in Karnataka who have made a significant contribution to the nursing profession. This award is named after Florence Nightingale, who is known as the founder of modern nursing. Florence Nightingale was an English nurse who gained fame during the Crimean War for her pioneering work in nursing, which helped to establish nursing as a profession.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, Christopher said, “It was a great honour to receive this prestigious award from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and to be acknowledged for my years of service.”

Christopher, presently a senior nursing superintendent at SPARSH Hospital, Bengaluru, says compliments from the recovered patients are satisfying.

“I have been in the nursing profession for 42 years and the one thing I really love about the job is the satisfaction that patients feel when they recover from their illnesses and as a nurse that is an emotional reward for me. Receiving emotional rewards from a patient is very satisfying, especially from vulnerable patients. They think nurses are angels, so we experience the satisfaction of contributing something to society. I get happy when patients appreciate my work,” she tells indianexpress.com.

Recalling the days of the Covid pandemic, when patients visited hospitals with breathing difficulties and were put on ventilators, Christopher says, “They walked back home after we treated them, appreciating our nursing. There was so much uncertainty during the first wave and this virus was affecting everyone. However, we took it as a challenge. In the nursing profession, we have to dedicate ourselves to the service of people. We never said no to anyone.”

haring one of her experiences which she remembers even today, Christopher says, “There was a civil war when I was in the Yemen Republic in 1992-93. It was the first time all of us experienced war first hand. We had only heard stories and news about wars until then. There was no communication between my husband and I for six months because there were no ships or satellite phones. My son was seven-year-old then and they were in Tamil Nadu. My husband worked in CMC Vellore and watched the TV daily, hoping to see me. My son used to ask my husband if I was alive. We treated many soldiers, many of them wounded by bombs. We used to treat the Yemenese. They appreciated the help because we worked all day and all night.”

Born in Tirunelveli district in Valliyur, Tamil Nadu, Christopher completed her schooling in the same district before moving to Madurai to pursue nursing.

Recalling her early days, she says, “I moved to Madurai for nursing and worked at The Christian Mission Hospital, Madurai. After completion, I was sent to CMC Vellore and over there I worked for six to seven years. In 1997, my husband passed away and I joined Mallya Hospital in Bengaluru. For career growth, I joined Apollo Hospital, Mysuru. I was the one who had set up the nursing department at Apollo and later on I joined SPARSH Hospital in 2011 and it’s been 12 years. I am continuing my services at SPARSH as a senior nursing superintendent and it has been a great journey.

In sixth and seventh grade, she would often observe nurses and admire their courage and strength. Christopher was enchanted by nursing as a profession. At a very young age, she aspired to become a nurse.

“The sight of their uniform instilled in me the confidence to pursue this profession. Coincidentally, my brother was employed at a hospital in Madurai, which I frequently visited and witnessed firsthand the polite and compassionate behaviour of nurses and their interactions with patients. These experiences made me want to become a nurse. Over the course of my 42-year career as a nurse, I have never once questioned my choice. I have always found fulfilment and happiness in my profession, and I take immense pride in being a nurse,” she says.

Christopher firmly believes that dedication and commitment are two key fundamental qualities that every nurse should have. Through their actions, attitude and unwavering dedication to their profession, she believes that young nurses should serve as a source of inspiration for their colleagues and others. Moreover, she emphasises the importance of gaining essential skills necessary to effectively handle challenging patient scenarios independently, manage patients with utmost care and adeptly solve problems as they arise.

Asked if the nursing profession has changed in the last 42 years, she responds, “When I was a student or rather a fresher, we would think only about the dedication towards the profession. We got plenty of clinical experience back then because most of the colleges had attached hospitals. Today, there are nursing colleges in every corner but not all have attached hospitals, hence people come with no clinical experience and zero technical knowledge. They have only theoretical knowledge. Further, everyone flies abroad for which they need a one-year experience certificate. They come for a year of experience and have no dedication towards the profession. This is my sincere message to all my junior staff that dedication, empathy and sympathy are important when you work as a nurse because the emotional reward from the patients only comes when you work hard and are dedicated.”

source/contents: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

India’s most loved cueist Pankaj Advani got his hand on his first cue at the age of 10 and so far has gone on to win 25 World Titles and 13 Asian Titles across both snooker and billiards. Hopes are high to see more of these titles add up as he is currently in Iran to participate in the Asian Team Snooker Championship and the Asian 6 Reds Snooker Championship happening from June 16 to 22, with competitors from  20 countries taking part. 

“I am excited to represent India in both events. Since it’s a short format, anything is possible. However, India has done well in the past. A medal-winning performance is what I’ll be striving to achieve,” says the 37-year-old.

Considered the poster boy for snooker in India, Advani feels the snooker scene has improved a lot in the country. “We have got so many tournaments now. Earlier it was just the clubs with a snooker table, and it was considered very niche. But now, we can see many hangouts in the city having snooker tables where people can try it out. Also, when you have so many players in the game it just adds to the inspiration,” says Advani, adding that he grew up watching the likes of Geet Sethi and Micheal Ferreira. 

However, it was Advani’s elder brother and sports psychologist, Shree Advani who passed on to him the metaphorical ‘snooker baton’. “Shree used to play this game initially. He used to play at Bowring Institute but I wasn’t allowed to play due to being underage! I only watched and learned at that time. It was during the summer holidays in 1996, when I used to watch him play at a snooker parlour called Top Gun in Fraser Town, a few minutes walk from my house on Wheeler Road…After three years of watching him play, I thought why not give it a shot? And in my first shot, I got the ball in. I would like to think it was natural talent,” says Advani with a laugh, further adding, “After that shot, I was hooked to the game.”

With so many laurels like the Padma Bhushan and various championship titles to his name, Advani mentions it was his first World Championship in 2003 that continues to hold a special place. “I went to China to play in the World Championship and was representing India for the first time. I went there as a nobody. I was supposed to be knocked out of the tournament, but a fluke changed the whole course. I went on to win the world championship at the age of 18,” recalls Advani. That year Advani defeated a player from Pakistan to win the coveted trophy. “I remember it was Deepavali, and many people mentioned it as ‘Pankaj’s Diwali gift to India’. It was a special moment for me,” he says.

A quintessential Bengaluru boy, Advani’s family moved to Bengaluru from Kuwait after the Gulf War broke and mostly ‘because of the city’s lovely weather’. He did his schooling at Frank Anthony Public School. “I was a very shy boy in school. My school was really supportive of my sporting career. When they saw me succeeding, they encouraged me and I even got to miss a few exams,” adds Advani with a smile.

When you have a charming personality, with a promising sports career at such a young age, it’s not hard to lose focus. “Since I have to practice, which is both mentally and physically challenging, I have to have a disciplined life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” says Advani, adding that he loves watching superhero movies when he is not preparing for his tournaments. Apart from his professional career, he is also working towards introducing billiards to different schools in India, where children can get access to proper professional training.

Pankaj Advani, presently in Iran to participate in the Asian Team Snooker and Asian 6 Reds Snooker Championships, speaks about representing India for all these years and how Bengaluru shaped him into the snooker star that he is today.

source/contents: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Earlier, Zomato announced that such resting points can also be accessed by the delivery partners of other brands too.

A new Zomato resting point has been set up at Bengaluru’s Vega City mall on Sunday for the delivery partners of the food delivery aggregator. This is said to be south India’s first resting point and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya participated in the launch event.

Surya took to Twitter and wrote, “Set up South India’s 1st Resting Point for Delivery Partners at Vega City Mall in association with @zomato and @vegacitysocial. With essential amenities such as first-aid, drinking water, & clean restrooms, the point will serve as a place for all delivery partners to rest, rejuvenate, and recharge.”

Earlier, Zomato announced that such resting points can also be accessed by the delivery partners of other brands too.

In February this year, Zomato CEO Depinder Goyal wrote, “Announcing ‘The Shelter Project’ – we’ve started building public infrastructure (Rest Points) to support the well-being of delivery partners of various companies.” High-speed internet, first aid, phone charging facility, washrooms and drinking water are some of the amenities that come with the rest points, which are open to delivery agents from other companies too, Zomato earlier announced.

He also called delivery partners as the ‘heart and soul’ of their business and revealed Zomato’s plans to set up more shelter places in the ‘most dense clusters’ of its food delivery service. A few rest points are already in place at Gurgaon, where Zomato’s headquarters is located.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

Sajeela Kola, the principal director of Simran Institute, has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in fashion and styling in a recent event held in International iconic awards Season 9 2023 produced by Mohammed Nagaman Lateef.

She is the first woman in Karnataka to be honoured with this prestigious title in fashion. Sajeela Kola has been an integral part of the fashion industry for over three decades.

The award ceremony was held in Mumbai at St Andrew’s Auditorium and was attended by prominent personalities from the fashion and Bollywood industry. She is the president and director of Simran Institute in Mangaluru Sajeela Kola’s achievement is not only a personal milestone but also a moment of pride for the entire state of Karnataka.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

Such a probe can easily be fabricated into a strip-based kit that may enable on-site diagnosis.

Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers have designed a small molecular fluorogenic probe that can sense a specific enzyme linked to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Such a probe can easily be fabricated into a strip-based kit that may enable on-site diagnosis.

Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder, results in memory loss and compromises cognitive abilities in many people beyond the age of 60. Currently used techniques to detect manifestations of the disease (MRI, PET, and CT scans) are complex, expensive, and often produce inconclusive results, according to the researchers.

The molecular fluorogenic probe is designed by Debasis Das, assistant professor in the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry at IISc., and Jagpreet Sidhu, a C.V. Raman postdoctoral fellow in the department.

“Our goal was to find a reliable, cost-effective solution. Fluorogenic probes are not fluorescent by themselves, but upon reaction with a target enzyme, they become fluorescent. Our target enzyme is Acetylcholinesterase (AChE),” said Mr Das.

Studies have shown that in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, AChE levels become imbalanced, thus making it a potential biomarker for the disease.

Brain cells, or neurons, secrete neurotransmitters — signalling molecules that instruct other cells to perform certain functions. Acetylcholine (ACh) is one such neurotransmitter. Its levels in our nervous system are tightly controlled by enzymes like AChE, which breaks it down into two parts — acetic acid and choline.

Current approaches determine AChE levels indirectly by measuring the levels of choline.

“They also often give confounding results because AChE has sister enzymes, such as butyrylcholinesterase and cholinesterase, that work on similar substrates, including ACh,” said Mr Das adding that they now have a proof-of-concept and a lead.

“Our goal is to take it to translation, in an Alzheimer’s disease model. For this, we need to modify the probe. Currently, the probe is UV-active, which can be harmful to tissues in high doses. These modifications would lead to the development of near-infrared active probes, which would be safer for living cells, and allow deep-tissue imaging. We are already quite close to doing this,” he added.

Apart from Alzheimer’s disease, such a probe can also be used for other applications, like detecting pesticide-related poisoning, as AChE can be inhibited by compounds used in some pesticides, Mr Sidhu said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)