Bangalore, 4 March 2023: A leading mental health organization says that, in the last 18 months (August 2021 to January 2023), at least one third of people, who reached out to them for counselling told them that they have been battling anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, and sought upfront psychological support to combat the crisis. The Cyrus and Priya Vandrevala Foundation, which provides free mental health counselling adds that in the past three months (November 2021 to January 2023), such conversations have touched nearly 40 percent.

14 years of supporting those who need mental and emotional counselling, the foundation has facilitated 1 million+ counselling conversations to date. The only emergency 24 x 7 x 365 days available WhatsApp mental health support in India, Vandrevala Foundation’s helpline is accessible in English and 10 vernacular languages (Hindi, English, Marathi, Guajarati, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi and Urdu) free of cost to offer free psychological counselling to anyone who is experiencing distress due to depression, trauma, mood disorders, chronic illness amongst many other mental health issues.

“One third people who reached out to us told us that they struggled with mental illness, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Suicide killed more people in India than murders and coronavirus in 2022. Even if every medical student in the country today became a psychiatrist, we do not have enough people to solve the mental health crisis” said philanthropist Priya Hiranandani-Vandrevala, who leads the foundation.

A NIMHANS study in October 2022, reported that 150 million Indians may be in need of mental health care services. The 2022 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on suicidal deaths in India said that 1,64,033 suicides were reported in the country in 2021. It was an increase of 7.2 per cent in comparison to 2020.[1]

India in 2021 recorded 12 suicides per lakh of population. Maharashtra, followed by Tamil Nadu, MP, West Bengal and Karnataka reported the highest incidents of suicide in India, an indication that mental health crisis among the population of these states are a high cause of concern and can be attributed to multiple reasons.

“The data from Foundation suggest that 81% of the people seeking counselling on issues concerning mental health have come from Maharashtra 17.3%,Uttar Pradesh 9.5% , Karnataka 8.3%, Delhi 8 % , Tamil Nadu 6.2% , Gujarat 5.8%, West Bengal 5.4% , Kerala 5,3%, Telangana 4%, Madhya Pradesh 3.8%, Rajasthan 3.6% and Haryana 3.6%. This reflects our efforts on creating awareness of our free helpline in these regions. This data also guides us to scale our efforts and fund appropriate initiatives is low awareness states.” Priya Hiranandani-Vandrevala said.

Another crucial finding was that the preferred mode of communication changes with age and gender. Data shows that the use of WhatsApp increases with the younger population. A telephonic conversation is preferred by those over 35 years of age. This data validates that there is a need to provide crisis intervention via both WhatsApp chats and Telephonic conversation 24*7/365 days.

Usage of WhatsApp is increasing with the younger generation. The last three months of data suggests that more and more young people are using WhatsApp to get help with their mental health. 65% of people under 18, 50% of people aged 18-35, 28.3% of people aged 35-60, and 8% of people over 60 are all using WhatsApp for this purpose versus a phone call.

WhatsApp has opened communication to a different segment, who perhaps could never seek mental health support offline. Women, girls, young men, who wanted to discuss their mental health issues without the knowledge of their family or peers found a medium to seek support with this powerful digital platform that offers privacy and confidentiality. Almost 53% of women prefer to contact the helpline using WhatsApp chat, whereas 42% of men preferred the use WhatsApp chat.

The foundation is keen to expand the footprint of its free 24x7x365 free helpline (+91 9999666555) to reach more people and offer long term therapy as well.

New Delhi 4th March 2023: In order to enable India to reach a $5 trillion economy, it would need to include more of its underrepresented women workforce, particularly in its real estate and construction sector, as discussed on the side-lines of 2nd Naredco Mahi Convention. A joint report made by JJL and Naredco Mahi also released at the 2nd Naredco Mahi Convention on March 3. The report also indicates that women’s participation in real estate is estimated at 7 million against men’s 50 million, and there is a 15% pay disparity in the leadership roles of women.
Additionally, the report highlights that only 2% of women hold leadership roles in construction companies, which needs to be addressed. The report has been prepared by Naredco Mahi and JLL and reveals that women constitute 33% of the workforce in India, as compared to 67% men. Employable women make up 52.8% of employable men, with the employability ratio increasing from 46.2% in 2021 to 50.3% in 2022.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Raghuvanshi observed that gender integration in real estate would prove to be an important milestone in the growth of the real estate sector in India, recognizing the contribution of women employees equally. She also felt that skilled workforce in real estate is critical to achieving near-perfection in construction.

The second Naredco Mahi Convention began on March 3, 2023, and a host of panel discussions took place on subjects such as Water Way to go – Jal Bachao Kal Bachao, Green Building and Sustainability, and Scale and Growth of Indian Startups in partnership with WiREnet World. The convention began with a welcome address by Dr. Ananta S Raghuvanshi, Founder Member, and President of Naredco Mahi. An address was also delivered by Mr. Rajan Bandelkar, President of Naredco, who focused on establishing linkages between past and future real estate practices with the integration of modern technologies.

Present on the occasion, Naredco President Mr. Bandelkar believed that the impression that real estate remains a male-dominated industry must disappear, which would be possible if female work participation is encouraged.
Mr. Alok Gupta, Director General of Naredco, and Ms. Preeti Singh, Deputy Director General of Naredco, were also present, and the focus of the convention was to build real estate for every section of society so that the government’s commitment under PM Modi is fulfilled, and other stakeholders in the sector enjoy a win-win situation of building India.

The panel discussion on Water Way to go – Jal Bachao Kal Bachao focused intensely on water treatment, with the best available modern technologies employed in each project where construction activities are picking up and proposed to come up in the future. Participants included Mr. Gurmit Singh Arora, President of the Indian Plumbing Association, who emphasized that stakeholders in construction projects should pledge to save and treat each drop of water to prevent water pilferage.

Mr. Sanjay Dutt, MD and CEO of Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited, who also took part in the session, pointed out that their real estate and infrastructure projects respect and preserve water bodies and their sources, in order to achieve the goal of “Jal Bachao Kal Bachao” (Save Water, Save Tomorrow). Ms. Meghal Arya, author of “Spatial Ecology of Water,” also emphasized the importance of respecting and honoring water bodies and their preservation, so that water flow is sustained in these properties.

Ms. Smita Patel, Managing Director of SSPL Group, and Ms. Sheetal Bilkar, Director of Urja Building Services Pvt. Ltd, equally stressed the need to save water and called for each drop of water to be valued as precious, as it is essential for our survival.

Likewise, another panel discussion on Green Building and Sustainability was held, with a focus on not only preserving the environment, but also ensuring its sustainability in real estate and construction projects for the future. The session featured participants such as Mr. Nitin Mittal, Chairman of KNest Aluform, Ms. Shabnam Bassi, Associate Director of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Dr. Ruby Makhija, Founder of the Why Waste Wednesdays Foundation, Dr. Sunita Purushotam, Head of Sustainability at Mahindra Lifespaces Developers Ltd., and Ms. Umit Bhatia, Director of Sustainability Strategy, West Asia, JLL

Additionally, an intense deliberation was held on the entrepreneurial mindset scale and growth of Indian startups in partnership with WiREnet World, during which a Memorandum of Understanding was announced between Naredco Mahi and WiREnet World. Ms. Khair ULL Nissa Sheikh, a founder member and Vice President (North) of Naredco, played a crucial role in moderating this panel. The panel discussed ways to promote entrepreneurship in the country and foster an ecosystem that supports the growth of startups in the real estate industry.

One key feature of the memorandum suggested that WiREnet World would provide skilled manpower for the entire real estate industry to meet its multiple requirements, ensuring that the necessary human resources are available for construction and real estate.

Lastly, one of the major highlights of the conference was the presence of the “pond man of India,” Mr. Ramveer Tanwar, and Smt. Sampat Devi, Founder of the Gulabi Gang. Mr. Tanwar expressed his commitment to revive the extinct ponds within Delhi NCR, while Smt. Devi was engaged in conversation with the deputy director of Naredco and its founder members to discuss the contribution of her Gulabi Gang.

Hyderabad, Mar 4, 2023: India’s biggest Agri show-KISAN, got underway in Hyderabad today. It was inaugurated by Mr Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, Minister of Agriculture, Cooperation and Marketing, Government of Telangana State.

SPARK, a special section for agri-startups; Gnana Kendram, a cluster of participants from the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and State Agricultural Universities and the participation of a significant number of major industries will be the highlights of the show.

The 3-day event has attracted more than 150 exhibitors. The exhibition is spread over 12,000 sq m area. It is expected to connect 160 plus companies through the platform. The organisers expect more than 30,000 visitors from Telangana and neighbouring states.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister, Singireddy Niranjan Reddy observed, “It is the first time that such a huge Agri expo is taking place in Hyderabad. There are wide varieties of machineries and new innovations in agriculture displayed here. Looking at all these we can say that the state of Telangana is definitely going to make a difference in agriculture industry compared to other states. And we hope this exhibition will not only help innovators but also farmers as well.”

The Convenor – KISAN Forum Pvt Ltd. Mr Niranjan Deshpande said “We are delighted to host such a big Agri show in Hyderabad. We thank the Government of Telangana and the minister for inaugurating this show. The exhibition, a one of its kind will hopefully pave the way for innovators to build and create new technology in the field of agriculture. The technology on display will also be useful for the farmers in the state as well as in the country”.

Startups & Technology:

With startups being promoted in a big way in the country, the exhibition has allocated a separate pavilion-SPARK, for Agri Startups to present their innovative ideas. The penetration of mobile phones and Digital India Initiatives are empowering farmers. Over 20 Agri Startups will present their new technologies and concepts here.

At the Gnana Kendram, farmers will get information and knowledge about new technologies and innovations appropriate for Telangana Farmers.

KISAN will also showcase the latest technological developments in the agriculture sector. Innovative mechanisms which are adoption-ready will be introduced into the market very soon, said Mr Deshpande.

Overall, the KISAN exhibition will focus on agri Input, water management, tools & implements, seeds & planting material to help farmers locate things of their interest. The ‘Open Arena’ will display large farm machinery & implements. Farmers will get to see many innovative farm technologies especially developed for Indian agro-climatic conditions.

The inaugural event was also attended by several dignitaries from Dept. of Agriculture and Dept. of Horticulture – Telangana State.

It’s International Women’s Day on March 8 and the world is gearing up to recognize and celebrate the achievements of women across the globe. Comedy Central has been on the forefront of celebrating women with their armada of the funniest and most memorable characters who act as role models for us all. On this International Women’s Day, let’s take a look at the top five iconic female characters from their hit shows FRIENDS, The Middle, Atypical, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Parks and Recreation!

Rachel Green from FRIENDS

A true inspiration, Rachel Green from FRIENDS is one of the most iconic characters in all of sitcom history. She is a strong, independent woman, who is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in. Rachel is a role model for women everywhere, showing them that they can be successful and have a fulfilling career and a personal life. She proves that it is possible to have it all and that women don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. Rachel is also a great example of how even the strongest women sometimes need a little help from their friends, and that there is no shame in seeking help when it is needed.

Frankie Heck from The Middle

Frankie Heck from The Middle is a mother of three who works hard to make ends meet. Despite the obstacles she faces, Frankie is a force to be reckoned with. She is a true fighter who never gives up or takes no for an answer. At the same time, Frankie is a loving and gentle mother and a wife, making her one of the most lovable characters in the show. Frankie is a great reflection of the million roles that women throughout the world take up on a daily basis, and still have the courage to smile at the end of a tiring day.

Elsa Gardner from Atypical

Elsa Gardner is truly an inspiration to women out there. She is a strong, independent woman who stands up for what she believes in. Her character on Atypical shows us that women can be strong and vulnerable at the same time. As an overprotective mom of a son with autism, Elsa represents the tireless love and care that women put into raising their children. Her character shows us the strength and resilience that comes with motherhood.

Amy Santiago from Brooklyn Nine-Nine

A true leader, Amy Santiago from Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an independent woman, who is determined to prove that she can be a great leader. She has, in her own way, proved that women can be successful in a male-dominated field too. Moreover, she is also a great example of how to build the ideal relationship where love and respect are in equal parts, along with responsibility and a little bit of tough love. She is also a great example of how to be assertive and stand up for what you believe in, even when it is not the popular opinion.

Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation

A true hero, Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation is always determined to make a difference and set the right example. Leslie is proof that hard work and dedication can lead to success, and that no goal is too big to achieve. She is also a great example of how to stand up for what you believe in and fight for what you think is right, no matter the odds. Leslie is a hero and a great example of how to be a true leader.

Tune in to Comedy Central to watch your favourite shows and celebrate these female stars this Women’s Day!

Bengaluru, March 4, 2023: Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (“KMBL”/“Kotak”) today announced Kotak White Credit Card’s tie-up as Presenting Sponsor for The Backstreet Boys: DNA World Tour in India.

Under this partnership, all Kotak Credit Card holders will get an exclusive 48 hour access to the pre-sale of concert tickets from 12 PM on 6th March. General sale of tickets opens at 4 PM on 8th March.

Over and above the exclusive access, Kotak White and White Reserve Credit card customers shall also enjoy a 25% off, up to a maximum of Rs 7500, on the concert tickets. Given the expected high demand, this benefit shall be offered on a first come-first serve basis.

Elizabeth Venkatraman, Joint President – Marketing & Alliances, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. said, “At Kotak, we observed that there is an overall increase in interest in the music genre among our customers. Hence, we responded to this trend by actively associating ourselves with musical events, and offer unique experiences to our valued customers. We are excited about Backstreet Boys’ DNA India Tour and the band’s long-awaited return to India after 13 years. We are happy to curate exclusive benefits for our credit card holders, and we hope that they avail the benefits and enjoy this event to the fullest.”

Kotak Credit Card customers can register for the tickets to the event, clicking the below link:

Mumbai, 4 March , 2023: Dalmia Bharat Limited, leading Indian cement company, launched a thought-provoking digital campaign called ‘Homemaker’ commemorating International Women’s Day which is on 8th March. The Indian construction and real estate sector employ around 57 million workers, out of which only 12% or 7 million are women. No more than 1.4% are engaged in technical and managerial roles as architects, civil engineers, supervisor etc and less than 2% in leadership positions. Emphasizing the disparity and gender-ratio gap in this sector, Dalmia Bharat is pioneering the initiative to encourage women across India to join the construction industry in crucial roles.

The online campaign centres around a play on the word ‘Homemaker’ and the difference between its literal and conventional meaning. Normally the word ‘Homemaker’ is associated with stay-at-home mothers or housewives. However, the campaign focuses on interpreting the word literally to mean someone who builds homes. Through this campaign, Dalmia Bharat aims to highlight the gender ratio skew in the business and wants to lead the change in perception, showcasing women as equally skilled members of this fraternity.

The digital campaign will be activated through a series of teasers, testimonials, and a short film. Tagged as Because I’m that woman who chooses to be a #homemaker, the short film showcases how women in the construction industry are building their own destiny while encountering constant stereotypes. Initially it will seem that a woman is being portrayed as a homemaker, but there will be a twist towards the end showing her as the actual engineer, contractor, architect of homes – the actual ‘homemaker’. Targeted at Tier I and Tier II audience, the Women’s Day campaign will aim to reach out to a larger talent pool, potential employees, and educational institutes. The campaign will run across six key digital platforms – LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp till March 2023.

Commenting on the marketing campaign, DBL spokesperson said, “Traditionally, the construction industry is a male dominated field and only 12% women are part of this workforce in India. It remains an uncommon choice for women professionally due to the typecast and lack of opportunities. On Women’s Day we want to amplify our intent for the need to bring about a paradigm shift in this industry. We hope the campaign can sensitize and encourage women to explore and consider opportunities in our industry and company.”

Hyderabad, March 04, 2023……The Ministry of MSME, Govt of India is helping 60 MSMEs to participate in the 3rd Business Women Expo 2023 to be held at Hitex from March 10 to 12 for three days informed Mr. M.V. Sudhir Kumar, Asst Director, MSME-Development Institute while addressing a press conference organized on Thursday by Hitex at their office in Madhapur to give a brief about the forthcoming event . We bear their cost of participation, he added.

Speaking further Mr. Sudhir said, they help MSMEs in many ways such as credit facility, technology upgradation, infrastructure development, increase in capacity, marketing support and it also helps them to participate in domestic as well as international exhibitions.

Further the department is helping women MSMEs with new age skills such as Trademark, Patent registration, GST, nil returns filing, cyber security and many such new issues and subjects MSMEs are confronted with, Mr. MV, Sudhir Kumar said.

Dr. KBRS Visarada, Principal Scientist of IIMR-Indian Institute of Millet Research said nutritional security is the order of the day. Earlier it was food security. Now the food is abundantly available. Millets are a good cereal for nutrition security.

IIMR is developing new millet recipes, reviving some old and introducing millet drinks too. It runs programs to cook with millets. It trains home entrepreneurs on how to make biscuits, cookies for household use as well as commercial use.

IIMR played a key role in making the United Nations to announce the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets. Millets are the pride of India. Our Traditional Grains have got international recognition, she added. She urged people to make Millets part of food service.

Dr. Shilpi Reddy of KIMS Cuddle said Millets are a source of energy. Their stall in the expo will help women learn how to have intelligent babies by their own training, she said.

Srini Chandupatla, Vice President of TiE Hyderabad said TiE will run an investor connect program for the benefit of women entrepreneurs. They can pitch to potential investors. He gave a list of initiatives TiE Hyderabad organizes to promote women entrepreneurship.

Usha of We Hub said that they were planning to start an accelerator soon. They were also planning to launch WE CORNER, the first retail forward linkage support channel for women entrepreneurs.

Abhinav of AasaanWill said their online Will Writing Platform is only one of its kind in India. It helped 1000 plus people to write their Will. Unfortunately 95% of the Indian Population does not know much about Will and Will Writing. He told women to secure their hard earned properties.

WEDO, Women Entrepreneurship Development Organization plans to present visionary women awards during the Business Women Expo 2023.

I-Run to organize Hyderabad’s first exclusive women’s run. It is women only run to be held on the last day of the exhibition, said Mr. Samuel from I-Run Break Barriers. We found that women are shy of participating in runs. They say it is because of lack of company, who to run with. Also they don’t participate partly because of their household responsibilities, he said. 1500 women are expected to participate in the run.

Sambit of Hitex said the objective of the expo is to create business opportunities and give them a platform to network.

The World Book Fair Children’s pavilion hosted a fascinating, multi-disciplinary event by internationally acclaimed author-dancer Jaya Mehta and illustrator Suruba Natalia from Moldova. They shared with children, parents, and educators their creative journey of making the book, ‘Nritya Katha – Indian Dance stories for Children’. Published by The National Book Trust of India, the book brings alive the rich culture of different states of India, through the journey of a child discovering various Indian dance forms.

Culture curator Swati Chattopadhyay asked the author about her motivation to create a unique storybook about India’s dance forms for children. Jaya Mehta expressed that India with its rich heritage of eight classical dance forms and hundreds of regional dance forms needed a storybook that deeply connected children to Indian dance forms as a means of culture connect and personal discovery. The bigger role of classical dance, the author explained, is to connect children to the rich architecture, sculpture, crafts, costumes, paintings, and music of each state. Jaya Mehta also illustrated how these vibrant connections of dance and culture, enable children to develop powerful inter-disciplinary thinking and rich cultural pride.

Jaya Mehta shared the fascinating process of how a dance form, like Manipuri or Kathakali, was first understood through an exchange of ideas between the author and illustrator. Over the pandemic period, they shared pictures and videos of each dance form and discussed the details to develop through illustration. Suruba Natalia demonstrated the process by which an illustrator created children’s book illustrations that are rich in colors, feeling, tactile quality, and imagination. She also conducted a drawing session for children at the event, showing how they can visualize a character from a story.

The artist and illustrator insisted that the imagination of a child was their strongest faculty, in which there is a feeling of play. It is imagination and feeling richly that lead a child towards creativity and discovery. They encouraged parents to allow their children to deeply engage in an art form, like writing, painting, music, or dance, so that this superpower of imagination becomes heightened.

Children and parents at the event felt deeply inspired to pursue the path of imagination and learned much about the process of how a book takes shape between an author, illustrator, and designer. The book ‘Nritya Katha – Indian Dance stories for Children’, gave the audience a fascinating glimpse into creative processes that shape a unique book and the vast kaleidoscope depth of Indian classical dance forms.

New Delhi; 4th March 2023: On National Security Day, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has recruited seven transgender professionals for the security function of its plant at Jharsuguda (Odisha), which is one of the world’s largest aluminium smelters. The seven employees Aarunita Payasingh, Aarohi Sharma, Sandhya Yadav, Siddhi Nage, Khushi Dhruv, Pavitra and Roma Dhruw, will join the company’s formidable security team and will be responsible for ensuring strict round-the-clock security of the assets and workforce. This is the second hiring of LGBTQIA+ professionals at Vedanta Aluminium, with the previous recruits working at the company’s Chhattisgarh-based subsidiary, BALCO, in security and material handling functions. Last year, the company embarked upon the mission to expand its recruitment ambit to tap into the LQBTQIA+ talent pool, who are yet to find acceptance in the mainstream and corporate world.

With 14 transgender employees, Vedanta Aluminium is now amongst the handful of manufacturing companies in India and the world to have LGBTQIA+ employees in core operations. Globally, the gender diversity ratio in manufacturing and heavy engineering industries has traditionally been low, and this deficit is even more acute in metals and mining. To build a diverse workforce, Vedanta Aluminium has been working extensively towards attracting high-potential women and LGBTQIA+ professionals to join its ranks.

To ease their transition from the fringes of society to smart manufacturing plants, and help them evolve from semi-skilled people into professionals, Vedanta Aluminium has adopted a three-pronged approach, that includes:

Identification of trans people with minimum required skills for working in a manufacturing industry by conducting skill mapping studies.
Extensive training programs for the recruits, aimed at honing the required skillsets, including soft-skills and business knowledge.
Building an empathetic & inclusive environment by conducting gender-sensitization sessions for its workforce, with respect to the social and psychological challenges of trans people, proper code of conduct and ways of working to build a cohesive and encouraging environment for all. This also includes ensuring required infrastructural augmentations.
Going forward, the company intends to recruit more employees, both directly and indirectly through its business partners, from the LGBTQIA+ community to further increase the diversity of its workforce.

Speaking about Vedanta Aluminium’s endeavours to increase diversity of workforce, Mr. Rahul Sharma, CEO, Vedanta Limited – Aluminium Business, said, “Our markets, customers and businesses are diverse and complex. To match that, we believe in recruiting people with diverse experiences, skills, education etc so that the business strategies they formulate, the problems they solve, the innovations they make are correspondingly well-rounded. The secret sauce for our healthy gender-diversity ratio includes gender-agnostic job roles, a merit-driven work culture, a host of global experts who train and groom our employees for success, a sharp & rich learning curve, and a plethora of wellbeing initiatives designed to support them at every stage of their lives. Our ultimate objective is to build a wholesome culture, that makes our employees and partners feel welcomed, encouraged and empowered to deliver to the best of their potential.”

Arohi Sharma, one of the newly recruited transgender employees, said, “Vedanta Jharsuguda has taken utmost care towards ensuring a comfortable induction into the organization for me and my colleagues. We have been provided with robust functional and safety trainings, sessions on diversity and equal opportunity, and technical trainings for our roles & responsibilities as part of the company’s security force. Our colleagues are friendly and respectful and have made us feel welcomed. I am thankful to Vedanta for this life-changing opportunity.”

Another employee, Roma Dhruw, adds, “From struggling to survive in society to being given the empowering responsibility to handle the security of one of the world’s largest aluminium plants, I am proud to have come this far. This is a milestone moment in our lives, and the transgender community. I thank Vedanta Aluminium for giving us the opportunity to be part of the company’s growth journey.”

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.27 million tonnes in FY22. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow. www.vedantaaluminium.com

Related to:

#vedanta #vedantaaluminium #transgender #LGBTQIA #diversity #diverseworkforce #diversityandinclusion #dei #workforcediversity

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-Dr. Mahipal S Sachdev, Chairman & Founder, Centre for Sight group of Eye Hospitals

With the festival of colors- Holi approaching, the whole of India especially the northern regions is going to be covered in colour in the coming days. While this time of year is enjoyed by people of every age group with gatherings and get-togethers of friends and family, Holi with itself can also bring agony to the general public’s eyes, skin, hair, and respiratory tracts.

The risk of infection in the body increases gradually in this period as the synthetic colors used are composed of chemicals and possess a great threat to people’s eyes. These Colors contain chemicals like Mercury Sulphite, Lead Oxide, and Copper Sulphate that are harmful to the eyes. Exposure to these chemicals can result in people suffering from eye allergies, temporary blindness, and conjunctivitis (pink eye). Some other health hazards include skin allergies, dermatitis, drying and chapping of the skin, skin cancer, rhinitis, asthma, and pneumonia.

These synthetic colors can get easily mixed with water and enter the eye causing mild redness and irritation. It is advised for patients that if this irritation and redness do not go away in a day or two, they should refer to an ophthalmologist. The particles present inside color powders (shining mica particles in gulal) can also cause damage to the cornea. The patient can experience pain and watering from the eye and if not treated in time, this can cause an ulcer/ infection in the eye. The corneal abrasion is an emergency and one should consult the doctor immediately.

The use of these synthetic colors can also lead to partial vision loss. A gray patch appears on the retina and blocks sight. It is a serious medical complication and therefore, should not be ignored. Delayed treatment can lead to complete loss of sight. Not only holi colors but also sprays or mace can result in temporary blindness.

There is a gradual increase in the number of patients visiting hospitals Post-Holi due to skin and eye problems. The eyes are the most sensitive part of the body and any chemical that goes inside can cause mild allergy to severe chemical burns in the eye.

The balloons used by children during Holi are also dangerous as they can cause blunt eye injury. There can be bleeding within the eye, lens subluxation, macular edema, or retinal detachment. These can lead to loss of vision or loss of the eye. These are all eye emergencies that require immediate specialist consultation.

Tips you must follow to prevent damage to the eyes:-

• · Cover the eyes while playing Holi – Always cover your eyes whenever there is a chance of color coming in contact with them. Sunglasses are useful for this.
• · Keep your eyes close – Try to dissuade people from applying color all over your face with their hands. If you fail to do so, be especially careful in keeping your eyes and lips tightly shut. Always request the person not to smear the colors near the eyes.
• · Keep the windows closed when traveling by car – The menace of water balloons can be tackled in this way. Water balloons can be most damaging for your eyes as they can rupture the eyeball or even lead to retinal detachment.
• · Remove contact lenses if you feel irritation – If the eye is exposed to aniline dyes during Holi, it causes great irritation to the eye. The exposure to the dye increases for those who wear contact lenses. They should immediately discard the contact lens.

Home-made colors are always better than synthetic colors. Everybody is aware of it and can make these at home. “Haldi” mixed with flour gives yellow color, while petals of flowers of “Tesu/Palash” give you saffron color. The “Beetroot” pieces soaked in water can give magenta color. Even henna powder, gulmohar flowers, or hibiscus flowers can be used to make colors. These homemade colors are safe for the skin and eyes.

Taking this opportunity, I would request everyone to enjoy their festivities responsibly, in terms of maintaining the social distancing norms, being watchful with the synthetic colors, and your health.