CORPORATE CITIZEN CLAPS FOR MOUNTAINEER AND IRONMAN 70.3 TRIATHLON ASPIRANT-HARSHVARDHAN JOSHI FOR INTRODUCING ECO-FRIENDLY MEASURES DURING HIS MOST RECENT EXPEDITION TO MT. EVEREST

This 24-year old Navi-Mumbai lad conquered the world’s highest peak on May 23, 2021 but also revolutionised the manner in which the fuel is consumed by mountaineers during their climbs. In a rare feat, Joshi’s three-membered team-a part of Satori Adventure Everest Expedition, he used mobile solar panels for heating instead of the normalised methods of burning diesel or non-renewable fuel for their sustenance in the cold climates of the mountain. In pioneering this carbon neutral effort, Harshvardhan had also promised to install solar power systems in the remote villages of the Himalayas in Nepal. An experiential traveller, Harshvardhan believes in sustainable development and has a deeper understanding of how solar energy is economically efficient. He had a desire to dedicate his most recent journey to a cause larger than himself, which was to initiate the use of solar energy as a scope in mountaineering. He, therefore, aimed to carry solar panels en route to Mt. Everest for powering all electricity devices. In 2015, Harshvardhan’s passion for mountaineering led him to take the decision to climb Mt. Everest once in his lifetime. Initially, he scaled Mount Stok Kangri in a solo journey, making him the youngest person then to have achieved this feat at the age of 20. With advanced certifications in mountaineering and skiing, he has climbed 11 summits at altitudes of 6000 M. His Mt. Everest journey was delayed last year but he shifted his focus temporarily during the 2020 lockdown to accomplishing the Ironman 70.3 triathlon at Goa which unfortunately was cancelled too. He then organised a self-paced triathlon and although he did not officially become an Ironman triathlete, the move helped in spreading the message that despite having a non-athletic background or not being genetically gifted, he could accomplish the race. He credits some of his Ironman success to his mountaineering experiences, which physically and mentally conditioned him for the event.

CORPORATE CITIZEN SLAPS THE OVERWHELMING PREVALENCE OF ANAEMIA AMONGST WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN INDIA

According to the most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-20, Phase I data released for 22 states and union territories (UTs), indicate that in 15 of the 22 states and UTs, more than half the children are anaemic. Likewise, 50% of women are anaemic in 14 of these states and UTs. However, the proportion of anaemic children & women is comparatively lower in Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and higher in Ladakh, Gujarat, J&K, and West Bengal. While medical reasons such as iron and vitamin B12 deficiency are the most common types of anaemia in India, iron deficiency is prevalent due to menstrual iron losses and also the high iron demands of a growing foetus during pregnancies. But, behaviour change communication challenging detrimental social norms must be taken into consideration too. While genetic or environmental factors might be causative agents, the son-biased fertility preferences, results in girls being breastfed for less time than boys and receive lower food supplements-making them weaker during their developmental cycles. Also, traditionally, women eat the last and the least at home with the leftovers not having enough iron and protein required for their body. The lack of vitamin B12 and hookworm infestations in the stomach makes the little iron that they consume, not getting absorbed in their body. Despite health programmes like ICDS that have been providing Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets to pregnant women for decades, and the Anaemia Mukt Bharat Score Card (2019) revealing that 84.85% of pregnant women in India are within the IFA coverage (2018-2019 Q4 data), the NFHS-5 (2018-19) shows a rise in anaemia among women. This indicates a problem with the uptake of IFA tablets with data showing that for 22.6% of female respondents, the decision about their own health is vested with their spouse. Studies have also found that husbands don’t pay much heed to women’s problems, and react or take them to the doctor only when they are bed-ridden. Interventions must recognise that women eating last and least in the household, husbands or families dictating the need for antenatal care, women’s need to take the permission before visiting a healthcare facility, needs complete overhauling within societal consciousness for the good of the better-halves and their girl-children.