While we are often sucked into endless debate on Iraq, Afghanistan and ‘War on Terror’, we miss out on lot of other exciting things happening in the world. If only we could look beyond the world of our own making…
Here’s a fascinating story about a different kind of expedition to the Everest. A British Professor has decided to take his kids to the highest peak in the world to undertake medical tests.
Monty Mythen, Smiths Medical Professor of Anaethesia and Critical Care at University College London, told The Times: “ ‘At sea level you can’t tell who will cope and who won’t. On Everest, if we can understand more about what makes someone a rapid adapter, we may be able to find the switches and adaptors to help the others cope.’
“The only problem was, whatever the study might reveal about adults could not safely be applied to children. “Children are not just miniature adults,â€? he said. ‘Their bodies function differently.’
“The test needed to be replicated with children — the results could prove vital to the treatment of premature babies, babies born with cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease, and children with congenital lung problems.
“Sometimes roped to Sherpas as they ascend up to 13,000ft (4,000m), The Smiths Medical Young Everest Study will test how nine children, aged from 6 to 13, respond to high altitude and low oxygen levels. It is, for obvious reasons, the first test of its kind.
“The tests they undergo could prove lifesaving, and open up a new frontier of child-testing on Everest. It will also demonstrate the durability of new technology, including a ‘life vest’ that could allow sick children to be monitored in their home rather than in hospital.”
Here’s some more information on Mt. Everest…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.