Souvenir Advrtisements

work on souvenir subject to 13th conference of AIPSN going on. please send the advertisements collected by the KSSP district committees and friends

Adv. K.P.Raviprakash

A Report of the Twelfth AIPSC held at Ranchi

A Report of the Twelfth Congress of the All India Peoples Science Network held at Ranchi

Amit Sen Gupta

ON December 20, 2008, the streets of Ranchi reverberated to the sounds of Jan Vigyan Zindabad, AIPSN Zindabad as over 2,500 activists of the All India Peoples Science Network marched to mark the opening of the twelfth All India Peoples Science Congress. The twelfth congress of the AIPSN also marked its 20th anniversary, after its formation in 1988 in Cannanore. Participants in the rally included over 600 delegates who had congregated in Ranchi from 24 states in the country, representing over 30 organisations and over 5,00,000 activists that are part of the AIPSN. It also included over 2,000 activists who had come to Ranchi from different parts of Jharkhand, led by an over 1,000 strong contingent from Dhanbad.

HARNESSING SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE

The rally culminated in the open session at the Gossner College grounds of Ranchi, that marked the opening of the congress. The session was conducted by Ashim Sircar, secretary of Jharkhand Gyan Vigyan Samiti, the hosts of the twelfth congress of the AIPSN. Welcoming the delegates, Amit Sengupta, general secretary of AIPSN, said that the congress was being held in the backdrop of several challenges that are starting to affect the lives of common people across the world. The world food crisis a year back has been followed by a global economic meltdown. While countries try to bail out big business and capitalist banks, global capital will try to pass on the burden of the crisis on to the people. He said that this crisis has been brought about due to the pursuance of neoliberal economic policies across the globe and had been predicted by many, including the Peoples Science Movement. As the crisis deepens, more and more people are being forced to compete for less and less, thus creating conditions for communal and fundamentalist forces to divide people on the basis of religion. The challenge for us today is to help maintain the unity of the working people on one hand and to pose alternatives through the use of advances in Science and Technology, that address the real needs of working people.

M P Parameswaran, former president of AIPSN, in his address retraced the route of decentralised democracy in India and spoke of experiments in decentralisation in the three Left led states of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. While speaking of the experience of Peoples Plan Campaign in Kerala, he lamented the total absence of the same in Hindi heartlands of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. He appealed to the Peoples Science Movement to take forward to much larger constituencies its experience on decentralised planning and peoples participation. Prabir Purkayastha, from the Delhi Science Forum, spoke about the need to define development in terms of its ability to make a real difference in the lives of common people. He said that the agenda of development has been hijacked by global capital, and today it means immense prosperity for a few and increasing misery for the vast majority of people. He warned against creating a false contradiction between science and technology on one hand and inclusive development on the other, and said that the former needs to be harnessed in a way so that its full potential can be controlled by people and utilised in their own interest.

The session was also addressed by J S Majumdar, one of the founders of the All India Peoples Science Network in 1988, as the then general secretary of the Federation of Medical Representatives Association of India (FMRAI). He spoke about the special needs of Jharkhand and its unique situation. Jharkhand is one state in India where whole families continue to migrate to other regions to look for work. While Jharkhand is one of the best endowed in the country in terms of mineral and natural resources and the presence of heavy industries and science and technology institutions, it is also one of the poorest in the country. He spoke about the need to challenge the entrenched feudal structure in the state as a fundamental requirement to change the conditions of the people. He also spoke about the need to understand and address the genuine concerns of adivasis and other working people, who are opposing a model of development that leads to further pauperisation and displacement of the local people. The open session was also addressed by veteran trade union leader of Jharkhand, A K Roy, and Dayamani Barla, activist and leader of adivasi struggles in the state. C P Narayanan, president of AIPSN, in conclusion, said that the Peoples Science Movement is uniquely placed to bridge the gap between the promise of science and its present situation where it is largely used as an instrument of power by the ruling classes. He expressed the hope that the twelfth congress would help the AIPSN chart out a course that would be designed to do this work. The cultural troupe of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS) also presented a colourful skit titled Gyan Vigyan ki Rail which depicted the need and the potential to use the power of learning to change the circumstances and the conditions of ordinary people.

Interactive Discussions Sharing of Experiences

In the next two days of the congress, over six hundred delegates divided themselves into separate sessions that deliberated on the eight sub themes of the congress: science popularisation; health; rural technology, enterprises and self help groups (SHGs); exclusions and marginalisation; agrarian crisis and sustainability; education and literacy; decentralised governance and entitlements; and environment and climate change. The discussions were structured into eight short sub-plenary sessions where presentations focused on the AIPSNs perspective, experience and future strategy in the respective areas. These were interspersed with 30 interactive workshops, in which specific issues related to each sub-theme were discussed in detail. A special feature of this congress was a focus on concrete experiences within the AIPSN and their sharing with others. More than 50 written papers were submitted, and the AIPSN shall compile them for distribution among member organisations. Those presenting in the sessions prepared written papers, thus also initiating the work of documentation of the rich experience that the peoples science movement has gained over the past two decades. Another unique feature of the delegate sessions was that each session was preceded by a choral song prepared by the Kala Jatha group of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti. Each song was specially prepared to express the thematic content of that particular session.

Senior activists and experts who spoke at the different plenaries and workshops included Suneet Chopra (All India Agricultural Workers Union), T Jayaraman (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), Raminika Gupta, V Venkatachalam (director general, CAPART), Vijender Sharma (Democratic Teachers Front), Ashok Aggarwal, Sabyasachi Chaterjee (Indian Institute of Astrophysics), K K Krishnakumar, Amitava Guha, D Raghunandan, Asha Mishra, T Gangadharan, M K Prasad, Aniruddha Das, R S Dahiya, Dinesh Abrol, K Sashidharan, Manoj Kulkarni, Vinod Raina, Vivek Monteiro, etc.

The different sessions deliberated on the movement’s diverse experiences and attempted to evolve some future directions. A wide range of discussions were held in packed halls and class rooms on diverse topics such as: the Right to Education Bill; the National Rural Health Mission; Medicines and Patents policies; strategies to diversify and deepen work with SHGs and in setting up of rural enterprises; experiences of the SAMATA network of the peoples science movement; the AIPSN’s nationwide campaign on climate change and global warming; experiences within the movement on working with marginalised sections such as dalits, adivasis and minorities; experiences in different states in conducting anti-superstition programmes and in publishing science magazines; the proposed campaign in 2009 on the International Year of Astronomy; experiences in peoples planning and decentralised governance etc. The way the congress was structured allowed a large number of activists to present their experiences and suggestions making the congress perhaps the most participatory and interactive ever.

The venue reverberated in the evenings to the sounds of cultural presentations. One day was devoted to performances from Jharkhand while the second day saw performances by different member organisations of the AIPSN. The performances captured the rich cultural and social diversity of the country and depicted the ability of the peoples science movement to capture this diversity.

The venue was also dotted with colourful stalls where member organisations displayed their publications, products made by SHGs and rural enterprises and exhibited the work that they are involved in. Exhibitions were put up all around the venue and an exhibition on science films ran continuously in one hall.

A Memorable Congress

Kashinath Chaterjee conducted the closing plenary of the congress, which, while bidding farewell to all the delegates, expressed the resolve to take forward the work of the peoples science movement. The congress resolved to strengthen the ideological bonds that bind the partners of the AIPSN together by forging common programmes and by increasing the capability within individual organisations to intervene in diverse issues that now form part of the mandate of the AIPSN. The congress committed itself to building and strengthening the ongoing campaign of the AIPSN on Planet Earth, Development and Sustainability. Delegates at the closing plenary were also introduced to the new office bearers of the AIPSN. A 21 member executive committee was elected by the general council, which also re-elected C P Narayanan as president, Amit Sengupta as general secretary and D Raghunandan as treasurer. Also elected were Sabyasachi Chaterjee and Komal Srivastava as vice presidents, and Satyajit Chakravarty and Joginder Walia as joint secretaries.

Three resolutions were adopted by the congress. The first was an appeal from all delegates to the Jharkhand government to immediately initiate measures to hold Panchayati Raj elections in the state. The second was a resolve to carry out a countrywide campaign against the practice of sex-selective abortions. Finally, the congress resolved to build a national programme that explores the multi-cultural heritage of our country, including the heritage of science and technology that has drawn and nourished itself from a large diversity of sources.

Delegates returning from the congress took back two abiding memories. The first was the participation of over 2000 activists from different districts of Jharkhand in the opening rally and open session. They came to the congress after traveling all through the night, in harsh cold and foggy weather. Yet they brightened up the congress with their slogans, their traditional cultural performances and their commitment to the movement. Their presence showed that the AIPSN is on the right path in trying to build a peoples movement. Finally, delegates will take back the memory of numerous volunteers from Jharkhand BGVS, helped by some volunteers from other states, who ensured that the congress functioned with clockwork precision. It was a huge challenge to organise the congress in Ranchi amidst financial and organisational constraints. Ranchi was chosen as a venue as it was the state capital, though the organisational strength of BGVS Jharkhand lay in other parts of the state like Dhanbad. The admirable conduct of the congress is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of activists of the state.

HEALTH CLASS

NOV. 7 CLASSES

Veetumutta classes on Lifestyle diseases are designed as a awareness campaign against lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart attack, stroke, hyper tension and cancer and also as the academic propaganda of the 13^th All India People’s Science Congress.

The training of Resource Persons were conducted on 16^th and 23^rd November, 2010 at the Parisarakendram, Thrissur. Health workers from Public Health Centres and Sub Centres and ASA workers under the NRHM were trained on 16^th. Nearly 120 persons attended the training. More than 60 NSS volunteers from Vimala College, St. Thomas College and Co-operative College and St. Joseph’s College were undergone the training on 23^rd. The sessions were led by Dr. KG Radhakrishnan, State Executive Committee Member, KSSP.

It is decided to conduct 500 veettumutta classes in the month of November in Thrissur district. The first class on the topic was organized in Chalakkudi meghala. Nearly 80 persons of all age groups from nearby 20 families were present in the class from 7 pm to 8.30 pm at the house of Sri. Shailajan, Konur, Koratty Panchayath. Sri. KM Baby took the class. Dr. KG Radhakrishnan presented the class at uzhingara colony in Pottore Panchayath in Ollukkara maghala and Sri. Rajesh, at Kodakara on 31^st Nov. More than 60 persons attended both the classes.

Large number of classes will be conducted on 7^th Nov. Following classes are planned at present.

Irinjalakkuda

Pullor (3 pm), Azad Road (7 pm)

Puthenchira

Vallivattam Milk Society (2.30 pm), Kuzhoor Library (7 pm)

Kodakara

Nedumbal, Moolamkudam, Pookkode (6.30 pm)

Ollukkara

Kolazhy (2 Pm), Achuthapuram

Kodungallur

Eriyad Bhagat Singh Club, Eriyad Cheraman, Block office.

Cherpu

Vallachira, Paralam

Chavakkad

Thampuranpadi Library(7 pm)

Mathilakam

SN Puram (7 pm)

Another major programme is decided on 14^th Nov., the World Diabetes Day. Mass campaign of Body Mass index examination is planned at Thrissur Round at 6 spots. 5 health workers will be present at each place, taking BMI and displaying banners and placards with the slogans of right lifestyle. Pilot programme of this is organized at Thriprayar on 13^th evening.

Institutional health classes in schools, civil stations and work places are being conducted in the latter half of the month.

BMI verification is planned as an invariable part of the classes. Parishath Hot Box will be exhibited at all centres.

Let us take control of diabetes. Now.

About World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated every year on November 14. The World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness. World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public spotlight. This year sees the second of a five-year campaign that will address the growing need for diabetes education and prevention programmes.

World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community. While the themed campaigns last the whole year, the day itself is celebrated on November 14, to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1922.

Diabetes Education and Prevention is the World Diabetes Day theme for the period 2009-2013. The campaign slogan for 2010 is 'Let's take control of diabetes. Now.'

Where is it celebrated?

World Diabetes Day is celebrated worldwide by the over 200 member associations of the International Diabetes Federation in more than 160 countries and territories, all Member States of the United Nations, as well as by other associations and organizations, companies, healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes and their families.

How is it marked?

The global diabetes community including International Diabetes Federation member associations, diabetes organizations, NGOs, health departments, civil society, individuals and companies develop an extensive range of activities, tailored to a variety of groups. Activities organized each year include:

• Radio and television programmes
• Sports events
• Free screenings for diabetes and its complications
• Public information meetings
• Poster and leaflet campaigns
• Diabetes workshops and exhibitions
• Press conferences
• Newspaper and magazine articles
• Events for children and adolescents
• Monument lightings
• Human blue circles
• Walks
• Runs
• Cycle Race
• Political Events

Is there a theme?

Each year World Diabetes Day is centred on a theme related to diabetes. Topics covered in the past have included diabetes and human rights, diabetes and lifestyle, and the costs of diabetes. Recent themes include:

2005: Diabetes and Foot Care
2006: Diabetes in the Disadvantaged and the Vulnerable
2007-2008: Diabetes in Children and Adolescents
2009-2013: Diabetes Education and Prevention

Understand diabetes and take control

Diabetes Education and Prevention is the World Diabetes Day theme for the period 2009-2013. The campaign calls on all those responsible for diabetes care to understand diabetes and take control. For people with diabetes, this is a message about empowerment through education. For governments, it is a call to implement effective strategies and policies for the prevention and management of diabetes to safeguard the health of their citizens with and at risk of diabetes. For healthcare professionals, it is a call to improve knowledge so that evidence-based recommendations are put into practice. For the general public, it is a call to understand the serious impact of diabetes and know, where possible, how to avoid or delay diabetes and its complications. The key messages of the campaign are:

• Know the diabetes risks and know the warning signs
• Know how to respond to diabetes and who to turn to
• Know how to manage diabetes and take control

Campaign Objectives

The objectives for the 2009-2013 campaign were informed by the work of the Federation’s Consultative Section on Education and its Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention. The objectives were further informed by the World Health Organization’s 2008-2013 Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. This document is available online in English at http://www.who.int/nmh

The World Diabetes Day logo is the blue circle - the global symbol for diabetes which was developed as part of the Unite for Diabetes awareness campaign. The logo was adopted in 2007 to mark the passage of the United Nations World Diabetes Day Resolution. The significance of the blue circle symbol is overwhelmingly positive. Across cultures, the circle symbolizes life and health. The colour blue reflects the sky that unites all nations and is the colour of the United Nations flag. The blue circle signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes

The campaign goals are to:

• Encourage governments to implement and strengthen policies for the prevention and control of diabetes and its complications.
• Disseminate tools to support national and local initiatives for the prevention and management of diabetes and its complications.
• Illustrate the importance of evidence-based education in the prevention and management of diabetes and its complications.
• Raise awareness of the warning signs of diabetes and promote action to encourage early diagnosis.
• Raise awareness of and promote action to reduce the main modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
• Raise awareness and promote action to prevent or delay the complications of diabetes.
  

Haritham-Brochure

Haritham-Brochure(inner)

Documentation Committee

Documentation committee of AIPSC 2010 held at Parisara Kendram, Thrisur. Number of participants are 21. Following are the brief of the Programme.
1. Strategies to be implemented for documentation presented by M.Ramanunni, Chairman of the documentation committee.
2. Story board development and blog content creation presented by   Dr.Vidyasagar.K.U.
3. Material collection was presented by Sudheer.K.S.
4. Exhibition of the documentation was presented by V.Manoj.
And discussion were made and the following decisions were taken.

I. CD should comprise these contents.

1. History of KSSP (Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow). 2. Regular activities of KSSP
3. Special activities in connection with AIPSC 2010 4. Different sessions and discussions in the AIPSC.

II. Documentation of Special activities in conection with AIPSC 2010 at various places during November and December, 2010.

Material collection and uploading to the Organising centre.
Photos and vedeos from Mekhalas

III. Charges of each area are assigned for collecting and uploading to the folowing team.

1. Mathilakam &Kodungallur - Manoj(9497654765), Sreejith(9349013048), Nelson(9495503624).
2. Kunnamkulam, Chavakkad - Ravi (9446939482)and Shadeed((9746069010)
3. Cherpu - Tony and VV Subramanian(9446343670)
4. Thrissur, - Joseph(9447238280),
5.Ollukkara-Nijil and Kiran(9447778178).
6. Chalakudy , Kodakara-Dileep(9539415475), Vipindas(9605707202)
7. Irinjalakuda, Puthenchira- VN Krishnankutty(9446502468) and Shihab.
In the Afternoon session training to develop the skill of photography given by Dipumanohar.
The charges were given to
1. Exhibition of Documentation - Manoj.V(9497654765)
2. CD Production - M.Ramanunni(9388555988) and Dr.Vidyasagar.K.V.
3.. Co-ordination - Sudheer( 9495576123)and Seraphin(9446375081)
Next sitting on 9.10.2010. 5.30pm
The meeting concluded at 4 p.m.

The All India People's Science Network

All India People's Science Network (AIPSN )is a network of scince organisations, basically peopls science movements, working in all states with a social outlook. Currently Sri C P Narayanan, a senoir KSSP Activist is the president of it.

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS) or 'Indian Organization for Learning and Science' is a National Organization with units in 23 states, 350 districts with 300,000 volunteers in more than 10,000 villages which work in close association with AIPSN. currently K K Krishnakumar, a senior KSSP activist is its President. Go to BGVS http://www.bgvs.org

AIPSN Members (updated in 2008 , There may be changes.)

Jan Vigyan Vedika, A.P.
B4, F2, HIG
Bagh Lingham Palli,
Hyderabad
Andhra Pradesh- 500 047
Ramesh, General Secretary,

Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Assam
Mandovi Apartment, Unit, C & D,
G. N. B. Road, Ambari,
Guwahati
Assam- 781 001
Mozibur Rahman, General Secretary

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti – Bihar
Raj Nilay,
Ashok Puri Chauraha, Khajpura (Baity Road)
P. O. V. Collage
Patna
Bihar- 8000 014
Sachchidanand, General Secretary

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Haryana
77/29 Chanakya Puri
(Behind Shiela Cinema)
Sonepat Road
Rohtak
Haryana - 124 001
Raj Pal Dhaiya, General Secretary

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, H.P.
Tirath Niwas, Engine Ghar, Sanjauli
Shimla
Himachal Pradesh - 171 006
Jia Nand Sharma, General Secretary,

Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Jharkhand
Saraswati Sadhan, Professors Colony
Chiragra, Hirapur,
Dhanbad
Jharkhand- 826 001
Asim Sarkar, General Secretary

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Karnataka
C/o Electro Chemical Society of India,
Indian Institute of Science Campus
Bangalore – 560 012
F. C. Chegareddy, General Secretary

Kerala Shastra. Sahitya Parishad
Parishad Bhavan, Chalappuram
Kozhikkode
Kerala – 673 002


Kavumbai Balakrishnan - President
TP Sreesankar- General Secretary



M.P.Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti,
E-7/32-B (SBI) Arera Colony,
Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh- 462 016
Rahul Sharma

BGVS, Maharashtra
Flat No- 9, Apoorva Society,
Adhar Apartments, 305 Narayan Peth
Pune
Maharashtra- 411 030
Vinaya Malati Hari

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Orissa
C-2, (HIG) Housing Board Colony,
Baramunda,
Bhubaneswar
Orissa- 751 003
Amulya Das

Pondicherry Science Forum
46, II Street, P.R. Gardens,
Reddiarpalayam,
Pondicherry- 605010
T. Parshuraman
Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Punjab
H.No.1065, Ground Floor, Sector-21 B,
Chandigarh- 160 022
Pyare Lal Garg

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Rajasthan
80/200, Nyapath, Patel Marg,
Mansarovar, Aggarwal Farm,
Jaipur
Rajasthan- 302020
Vijay Raghav, General Secretary

Tamil Nadu Science Forum
New No-245, Old No-130(3),
Avvai Shanmugam Sali, Gopal Puram,
Chennai
Tamil Nadu – 600 086
S. T. Balakrishnan

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Tripura
Melarmath (Near Nazrul Chhatrabash)
Agartala
Tripura- 799 001
Braja Gopal Mazumdar

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Uttaranchal
Sector-2, A- 96 Defence Colony
Dehradun
Uttaranchal- 248 001
Vijay Bhatt, General Secretary

Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti
B-8, Bramhapuri,
Behind Lakshmanpuri,
P.O. R. S. M. Nagar,
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh- 226 016
Sanjeev Sinha, General Secretary

Paschimbanga Vigyan Mancha
162-B Charya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road,
Flat No. - 401, 402
Kolkata - 700 014
Satyajit Chakrabarty, General Secretary

Society for Technology and Development, H.P.
Village – Malori, Post - Behna,
Dist. Mandi.
H.P – 175 006
Joginder Walia

Madhya Pradesh Vigyan Sabha
Gyan Vigyan Parisar
(P.O.) Koluva Khurd
Raisen Road,
Bhopal – 462021
S.R.Azad, General Secretary,

Navnirmiti
2 Rani Niwas, Ganesh Nagar,
Quarry Road, Bhandup,
Mumbai 400 078
Vivek Monterio

Assam Science Society
Lamb Road,
Latasil.
Guwahati-781 001

Federation of Medical Representatives Associations of India (FMRAI)
372/21 Russa Road East
Calcutta- 700 033
Amitava Guha

Delhi Science Forum
D-158, LGF, Sakrt
New Delhi – 110 017
D.Raghunandan, Secretary

Forum of Scientists, Engineers and Technologists (FOSET)
15 N, Lindsay Street (5th Floor),
Kolkata – 700 087, West Bengal

National Confederation of Officers’ Assns. (Central PSUs)
Ashok Rao

National Secretariat
c/o Delhi Science Forum
D-158, LGF, Sakrt
New Delhi – 110 017
Ph. 26524323, email: ctddsf@vsnl.com
Dr.Amit Sen Gupta, General Secretary

Thrisur Location map

 

To get rout map from Thrisur Rly Stn(A) to Kerala Varma College(B)                                                                 click the following link 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Poothole+Rd&daddr=Unknown+road&geocode=FZ5woAAdENSKBA%3BFWCpoAAdpKmKBA&hl=en&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=15&sll=10.52275,76.203446&sspn=0.019367,0.027595&ie=UTF8&z=15

HARITHAM ‘10

ഹരിതo '10

FIRST GREEN AND RURAL TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

ALL INDIA PEOPLE's SCIENCE CONGRESS

27 – 31 DECEMBER 2010, THRISSUR, KERALA

SREE KERALA VARMA COLLEGE

PEOPLES SCIENCE MOVEMENT is a nation – wide movement with 300,000 members, coming from all walks of life, distributed in 30 organizations in various States and Union Territories. These organizations are linked together in the form of a network – ALL INDIA PEOPLES’ SCIENCE NETWORK. The 13^th Congress of AIPSN is being hosted by Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishath and will be held at Thrissur from 27 to 31 December,2010. The AIPSC will be attended by over seven hundred delegates, five hundred of them coming from various parts of India.

On the occasion of the 13^th AIPSC, a Science and Technology Exhibition is being conducted from 26 to 31 December,2010 at the Sree Kerala Varma College premise, Thrissur. It is named as HARITHAM '10, the first Green and Rural Technology Exhibition.

Our state, Kerala, is undergoing vast changes under the rapid pace of urbanization, making the whole State with urban environment. The rural and urban are alike confronted with the same set of developmental problems : solid waste issues, energy and drinking water shortage, fall in agricultural production and ecological turbulences. This exhibition is addressing all these problems and presenting technological solutions, befitting for all rural and urban regions, under one umbrella. These are the prime exhibit profiles:

• Solid Waste management: Collection, treatment, storage, transportation and disposal of solid waste, Waste recycling,Waste to energy, Composting, Bio-gas plants and Gasifiers.
• Energy and conservation: Unconventional energy like Solar energy and Windmills, Renewable energy and LED lighting.
• Construction and Building Technologies: Building materials using mud and bamboo, Architectural products and services.
• Agro Industries: Agricultural machines and tools, Food processing, Value added products using coconut tree and water hyacinth.
• Technology for value added products in Pottery,Handloom, Khadi and Coir.

Hon. Ministers, renowned Scientists, Mayors, Municipal Chairpersons, Grama Panchayath Presidents, Industry Professionals/ consultants, Public Administrators, Public Utility Providers, Water and Waste water Consultants, Experts, Town planners, Architects, Engineers and Professionals will attend and participate in the Exhibition.

Classes on Lifestyle Diseases

AIPSC 2010, the national level peoples’ science congress, is reached at the threshold , which is in the last week of December, 2010. To spread the message of the Science Congress, the Sub Committee (Classes) is conducting “One Thousand Classes” related to public health in November in all the Grama Panchataths and Municipalities in Thrissur District.

Topic selected for the class is "Lifestyle and Health". High morbidity of lifestyle diseases is the main reason for selecting the subject for the class. Also, the mortality rate due to the diseases is raised to 95% of the total deaths. It is the biggest threat that the State now confronts in social arena.

( Lifestyle Diseases – A time bomb is ticking ….

Kerala’s achievements in health have been universally recognized and praised. The dramatic decline in fertility and child mortality during the last four decades has given Kerala reputation as the healthiest state in India. Our female life expectancy has touched

76 years while male life expectancy is languishing at 70 years. During the last decade, crude death rate has shown a steady rise from an all time low of 5 per hundred to the current levels of 6 per hundred. The increase cannot be solely accounted for by the shift in age while male life expectancy is languishing at 70 years.

During the last decade, crude death rate has shown a steady rise from an all time low of 5 per hundred to the current levels of composition alone; rather it suggests an increase in mortality in the middle age group. Kerala has experienced a health transition from that of a high child mortality- high morbidity picture to that of low child mortality- high adult morbidity situation in just over one generation time. In other words our health picture has taken a quantum leap from that of an under developed society to that of a developed, urbanized society. The paradox is that by western standards we are still a low consuming society both in terms of food consumption and economic consumption. Our per capita income is still around 500 US Dollars as against 30,000 Dollars plus in the west! The striking similarities in the profiles of death between Kerala and the United States of America is seen in the Table.

The data presents a frightening scenario in terms of its implications to the society of Kerala. When cardiovascular deaths contribute to nearly half the deaths in a population, the state of health of the people is far from satisfactory. The tale that the dead tells is a picture of highly morbid society, weighed down by heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes. Collectively, these diseases are called modern lifestyle diseases, denoting the negative side of westernization of our culture. Health Action by People, an NGO, working in Kerala is involved in delineating the health profile of Kerala through rigorous field studies.

The studies were initiated in 1998 and are continuing. The information so far gathered is alarming necessitates corrective action on a war footing. The emergence of the silent epidemic of lifestyle diseases poses disastrous consequences for our state. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure in Kerala is much higher than the reported estimates in thewest. While about eight percent of adults are diabetic in Kerala, the proportion in Kerala ranges from six percent in rural areas to nearly 20 percent in the cities. The only exception for high prevalence of diabetes is the coastal sea-going fisher folk among whom the prevalence is as low as three percent. The lessons that we learn from the protective factors will certainly help in evolving strategies to combat the diabetes epidemic in other communities.

By a most conservative estimate there are about 1.5 million diabetic subjects in Kerala. These people need lifetime management involving lifestyle modifications, drugs and diet. The economic cost of managing diabetes in Kerala is mind-boggling. When we learn from our studies that most of the diabetic subjects are getting irrational and unscientific management in our state, we can only shudder at the thought of future increase in numbers of people suffering from advanced renal failure, and blindness two dreaded complications of diabetes.

Recent surveys in different categories of subjects in Kerala reveal that one out of three adults in Kerala is a hypertensive. Unlike in the case ofdiabetes, where most persons are aware of their sickness, most cases of hypertension are detected the first time during screening programmes. Hyper tension, the insidious killer contributes to heart attacks, stroke and kidney failure in addition to eye complications.

Hypertension too is a lifelong disease and needs careful sensible management throughout life. The alarming increase in heart attacks and strokes in Kerala is partly the contribution of the high prevalence of hypertension in our society.

An interesting feature that has emerged recently in Kerala is the alarming increase in overweight and obesity. Overweight and obesity are indications of an increasingly indolent society. Our bodyweight is a reflection of the balance between food energyi ntake and expenditure. Physical activity determines the total energy output of an individual. When intake of energy exceeds output, the extra energy is stored as fat. Over years extreme corpulence sets in and invites a host of medical problems.

Obesity is a risk factor for heart attack, hypertension, breast cancer, and diabetes and joint problems. Obese people are also prone to chronic lung diseases. In other words most of the lifestyle diseases that we mentioned earlier are woven into the fabric of overweight and obesity that exists in our population. The accumulation of fat in our population is strikingly different in our people. We suffer from “apple obesity” or truncal obesity unlike the western population in whom the fat is more generally distributed. The abdominal obesity that characterizes our people is causally implicated in the emergence of diabetes. Recent studies on the urban and rural people of Kerala suggest that nearly fifty percent of women in Kerala are overweight, of which 15 percent are frankly obese.

Heart attacks constitute over 21 percent of all deaths, followed by stroke (13 percent) Infectious diseases do not contribute more than 6 percent of the deaths, while two decades ago it contributed to more than twenty percent of deaths. The most tragic picture is the alarming rise in suicides deaths in our state. 8 percent of deaths is from suicides. If we add on accidents and violence it will rise to 13 percent, and jump to second place among important causes of death. The tragedy of Kerala is that the suicide rate of women in Kerala, which stands at 31 per 100,000 women is the highest reported anywhere in the world! A tragic reflection of the mental health of our people! The median age of deaths from suicides is only thirty years in women, while the age is 75 years for deaths from all causes.

Fortunately for Kerala, cancers contribute only about 10 percent of deaths. This is likely to rise in future. Already there are disturbing trends. Breast cancer has emerged as the leading cancer among both sexes. More over, women suffer from breast cancer nearly

ten years earlier than in the west. In the context of the established relationship between breast cancer and obesity, the future does not augur well unless we act fast. What, then are the lifestyle factors that have given rise to this disturbing picture? Is it diet or is it indolence? One who knows the Kerala society do not have to look for new and mysterious factors? There is no doubt that the single most important contributor to the modern ills of Kerala is lack of physical activity. Indolence breeds heart attacks; it invites overweight and obesity and creates a favorable milieu for diabetes and hypertension.

Walking has become a reassured memory for the Keralite, for anyone with means walking is unfashionable. Children will be discouraged from dangerous activities like running! This morbid fear of physical activity has become pathological in Kerala. We eat less, but spend energy lesser still, resulting in overweight and obesity. Schools have no playgrounds; those places with playground are the undisputed domain of the canine citizens of India. The increasing use of tobacco as cigarettes and beedis has also contributed to the rise in heart attacks and lung cancer. We have not yet seen the peak of the tobacco related epidemic.

The emergence of overeating and increasing tendency to snacking during TV watching also may contribute to further worsening of the health scene. What then is the solution? Kerala has to undertake a massive lifestyle education programme. The thrust has to be on physical activity, prudent eating and abstinence from tobacco. Early detection through screening for diabetes hypertension and overweight have to be integrated into the culture of theKeralite. Time is not on our side. Only timely action can help defuse the bomb –Courtesy :Wikipedia)

The discussion session was convened on 16^th October at Parisarakendram, Thrissur. The inaugural presentation made by Dr. KG Radhakrishnan, State Committee member of KSSP. Dr. K Vijayakumar, Dr. PS John, Prof. M Haridas, KM Baby, P. Radhakrishnan, C Prasad, Sudheerkumar and Sijukumar addressed the gathering.

On November 7, 100 classes are being conducted in Panchayath centres. It is proposed to convene the Meghala Committees on 31^st October to plan the VEETTUMUTTACLASS (Courtyard Class), by trained resource persons, inviting the neighboring residents.

By Baby KM, Convener.

AIPSC Organising Committee

All India People's Science Congress organising committee is formed. Dr Kavumbai Balakrishnan is elected as the General Convenor. His mobile number : 09447614774

Welcome

All India People's Science Congress 2010 at Thrissur welcomes you