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Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009
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New Delhi

Inside delhi

Testing times

With the Central Board of Secondary Education annual examinations for Class XII and X under way, most students have been complaining of stress and anxiety. A major reason for this stress is high expectations from parents, teachers and family members, according to the findings of a project conducted by three students of Modern School in Vasant Vihar.

Pragya Mahendru, Tarini Sahai and Devika Monga conducted the project, “Influenced Stress among Board Exam Students”, in the summer of 2008 interviewing 1,036 respondents, mainly from Delhi, who had appeared at the CBSE examinations in the past three years.

“Influenced stress is the kind of stress that is not self-generated. It is induced upon students. According to respondents, they felt the maximum pressure from their teachers and tutors,” said the survey.

When asked what influenced them negatively, 39 per cent of the students mentioned “high expectations”, followed by “college cut-offs” as mentioned by 28 per cent of the respondents. About 23 per cent said comparison (with other children) by parents also affected them in a negative way.

The project was an endeavour under the aegis of the Vinod Dikshit Foundation -- involved in commissioning socially uplifting projects to young students -- that will award the trio a certificate for their work.

The study concludes that exam stress had become a “serious modern-day problem” and that students’ desires and aspirations need to be encouraged, and not blinded in pursuit of marks.

Parul Sharma

On deaf ears

Strong protests by residents of the Minto Road complex seem to have fallen on deaf ears with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi yet to do anything about drain-water spilling over to the road because of ongoing construction of the new Civic Centre near Tagore Road.

While the construction work has been causing a lot of noise and air pollution, this latest nuisance has not just made the road unusable but also raised fears of a malaria or dengue outbreak in the nearby housing complex.

“We have been complaining about the noise pollution caused by the construction. It gets unbearable at night. The residential complex has become a nightmare for families with little children or old parents. We have requested that the work be stopped at night, but so far we haven’t had any luck,” rued Lalit Suri, a resident of the area.

“And now as if the noise and air pollution wasn’t enough, we have drain water spilling on to the main road, the stench of which has made life miserable. We have mosquitoes breeding in the dirty water and it has become a major health concern for the residents. Our complaints haven’t been heard so far. While the MCD has been doing checks of water coolers, no one has bothered to check mosquito breeding in the open!” he adds.

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

Fighting TB

A four-day photo essay exhibition to celebrate the lives of people fighting tuberculosis ended at Lokayata Art Gallery in Hauz Khas Village this past week.

“Because I Care – I am Stopping TB” was organised to highlight the worrisome fact that India was home to the largest number of people living with active tuberculosis in the world. While eight million people are affected by tuberculosis on an annual basis, about 325,000 people across the country die of the disease every year.

Selected from across the country, the photographs presented an imagery of challenges faced by tuberculosis patients -- their many responses to treatment and many examples of undying hope in the face of adversity. The underlying message was that tuberculosis is curable and persistent efforts and unique partnerships are the only way to fight it.

The exhibition displayed captivating panels of 53 visuals shot by photojournalist Subhash Sharma.

“There are always many sources of inspiration for the one who wants to create. It is just a matter of sensing it and reacting to it. Through my photographs, I have endeavoured to showcase matters of concern in India, tuberculosis being one of them,” says Subhash, the creative mind behind the photo essay.

Madhur Tankha

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