Gyan Darpan

The Bowri or Step-well in Shekhawati Rajasthan

Gyan Darpan 6/17/2015 0

In some of the towns of shekhawati, a Rajput ruler or merchant financced the sinking of a Bowri, Stepwell a major feat of engineering, This is a vast, masonrylined chasm reaching down to below the water lable, no mean depth in a desert region. From one end, step lead down to the water's edge. At the opposite end, adjoining the deepest part of the step-well, is a normal well shaft. Such a structure was a very striking feature in Shekhawati's towns. Most have become dry as excesive demand the ground water drasticaly lower the water lable.

Now, they worst is that at the centre of Fatehpur, now neglected after almost 400 year service to the town. Best maintained is that at Sikar. The Mertani bowri, one of three in Jhunjhunu, has reccently been cleaned and poorly restored.
Read More : Buy "The Painted Shekhawati" Book Written by : IIay Cooper

Rajasthani Love Story Moomal Mahindra In Hindi

Moomla Mahindra

Gyan Darpan 5/15/2015 0

Read Rajasthani Love Story Moomla Mahindra in Hindi.

Mahindra was son of Rana Visaldev Shodha of Amarkot sindh (now in pakistan) and Moomal was dauther of King of Lodrwa in Jaisalmer state.
Moomla mahindra story in hindi, mumal mahindra kahani hindi me.

Click Here to Read Full Story in Hindi

Lt.Col James Tod wrote wrong about Rani Padmini

Rani Padmini

Gyan Darpan 5/15/2015 0

Every historian and Indian known that Rani Padmini was wife of Rawal Ratan Singh of Chittaur. But Lt.Col James Tod (a highly respected authority on the history of Rajputana) write in his history book “Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan” that Padmini was wife of Bhimsi. As per Lt. Col James Tod – “ Lakumsi was minor when he ascended the gadi in 1274, and Bhimsi, his uncle, acted as regent and protector. Bhimsi had married a Chohan princess, by name Padmini, who was of surpassing beauty . Indeed, if her charms were inferior to those of the heroine of Troy, they were not less fatal in their consequences; for, according to the bard chroniclers, it was the desire to possess this peerless princess, rather than the acquisition of military fame, which prompted Allah-ud-din to attack Chitor”.

B.K.Karkara the writer of “Rani Padmini : The Herione of Chittor” write in his above said book on Lt.Col. James Tod’s view. As per Karkara – “ The question now is as to who occupied this high pedestal of Hinduism when Alauddin left Siri to attack Chittor on 28 January, 1303. There is now hardly and doubt that Rawal Ratan Singh was the ruler of Chittor, he was her husband. However, we find Lt. Col. James Tod (a highly respected authority on the history of Rajputana) talking in terms of one Bhim Singh being the husband of Padmini and Lakshman Singh as the rular of Chittor at the time of the Alauddin’s attack. Obviously, Tod had been fed this information by the bard who often said what cheir patron wanted to hear.

K.R.Qanungo, a modern scholar, has further confounded the confusion by asserting that there were four rulers by the name of Ratan Singh who were in some way or the other involved in the fight against Alauddin. According to him, they are the following:

1. Ratan Singh, son of Rawal samar Singh of Chittor.

2. Ratan Singh, son of Chitrasena and husband of Padmini as per the Padmawat story.

3. rattan Singh, son of the Dhundhar chief, Khema who died protecting the lower town of Chittor.

4. Ratan Singh, son of Hamir Dev Chauhan who moved to Chittor after the fall of Ranthambhor.

The learned historian has suggested that Ratan Singh of Jayasi’s Padmawat was not the ruler of Chitrakuta or Chittor, the capital town of Mewar, but the ruler of a place in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh having the same name. On going through Padmawat a little more carefully would leave nobody in doubt that none other than Rawal Ratan Singh of Mewar fits into the Jayasi’s description of places, persons and event. The ruler of the nondescript Chitrakuta of Uttar Pradesh could hardly be referred to as the leading light of the Hindus, as Jayasi makes out his hero to be. Beside, jayasi’s Chittor is a neighbouring principality of Kumbhalgarh while Banda is hundreds of miles away.

Maharana Pratap Bhawan, Palwal Haryana

Maharana Pratap Bhawan

Gyan Darpan 12/10/2014 0

Maharana Pratap Bhawan, Palwal Haryana, managed by Rajput Sabha, Plawal. Palwal is on the Delhi-Agra National Highway.

Bundelkhand Kesri Maharaj Chhatrsal

Glorious History

Gyan Darpan 12/04/2014 0

Bundelkhand Kesari Maharaj Chhatrsal Bundela
Maharaj Chhatrsal
Chhatrsal Bundela
Click here to read Chhatrsal Bundela Story In Hindi

Ajaypal Temple, Ajmer

Glorious History

Unknown 11/17/2014 0

Rajputs of Shekhawati

Shekhawati

Gyan Darpan 10/24/2014 0

IIay Cooper write about shekhawati's Rajputs in his book "The Painted Towns of Shekhawati" - "Sons of Kings, the rulers and fighter in the system. Courage and martial skill are their highest goals. In the history of Rajasthan their standard of bravery and honour have become legendary, embracing the women no less than men would set out to die fighting clad in saffron clothes. They left the women to burn themselves to death rather than fall to the enemy.

Rajputs are divided into a number of sub-castes and many clans. The Kachhawaha sub-caste dominated in Jaipur state, the Maharaja and most of his barons of this group, Rathore, the thakurs of Churu amongst them, ruled over Bikaner and Jodhpur.

Rajputs may eat meat (not including beef or,in the case of Shekhawats, pork) and have a penchant for intoxicants. The men take a pride in their facial hair. They range from erstwhile Maharajas to the smallest cultivators. Their sons often aspire to a military career. In the urban environment caste differences are softened and Rajputs take up a variety of other occupations, as do members of other castes.

JKBT Biogas Promoting Program me for non-conventional energy sources

energy

Gyan Darpan 9/07/2014 0

Biogas is a boon to the rural household. The multiple benefits of the biogas have changed many lives in the rural area. Under National Programme, JKBT (Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Trust) has been implementing boigas programme in collaboration with Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology in Sikar district. The unit cost of Biogas plant is Rs.17500.00 of which JKBT contributed 23%, Govt. 45% and remaining contributed by the beneficiaries. Biogas slurry has also proved to be a nutrient-rich fertilizer, adding to increased agricultural yield.

Biogas for Domestic Purpose
Biogas has several benefits for its efficient use in cooking, lighting and farming. The Biogas Programme and its growing popularity have established the Trust as the biggest biogas promoting organization in the Rajasthan. With constant support and efforts of JKBT, biogas is used to meet household energy needs in the programme areas, such as an alternative fuel for cooking in plce of wood, use in domestic lighting and organic manure. Creating awareness among the members of SHG and farmer's club became a proven strategy for the expansion of biogas programme in the surrounding villages. A local carde of masons was trained for the construction, supervision and maintenance of biogas plants.

Environmental Friendly Rural Tachnology Grameen Fridge - Appropriate

Rural Tachnology

Gyan Darpan 9/05/2014 0

Grameen fridge is a low cost storage system for preserving farm and dairy produce. This is more beneficial during summer season to store perishable agriculture produce and maintain shelf life upto 7days. This Grameen Fridge does not need electricity to function but keeps the maximum temperature upto 10-11 degree celsius even during hot summer.

It is low cost innovative, small structure built in an open area. it is made up of bricks with cement (without plaster). A layer of sand/bricks pebbles is kept inside the two layers of bricks with bottom covered with the sand and pebbles. Two vertical and horizontal ducts of around 4" each are kept at the bottom for aeration. One of 2'x2' is kept at the top for strong vegetable inside the fridge.

The beneficiaries recommended few more innovations in Grammen Fridge. Some beneficiaries installed drip system with water tank kept on the top of top of Grameen Fridge to pour water in the sand/pebbles layer continuously. Some installed a small set of sprinkler to pour water in the sand/pebbles layer continuously, while some grew lawn grass on the top of its roof to lower down the inside temperature. Some coverd the fridge with a small roof prepared with local grass to minimize the impact direct sunrays on it.

NABARD also made collaboration with Jamnalal Kaniramram Bajaj Trust (JKBT) for promotion of Grameen Fridge. The cost of the construction of a Grameen Fridge is Rs.4100.

For More information contact to Jamnalal Kaniramram Bajaj Trust (JKBT)
Programme Office
Bajaj Bhawan, Bajaj Road, Sikar (raj) ph-01572-252710

Thakur Devi Singh ji, Mandawa

Rajput Leader

Gyan Darpan 9/04/2014 0

Thakur Devi Singh ji Mandawa was a person of pleasing personality and it was always a pleasant occasion to enjoy his company and listen to his tales of Rajput bravery and chivalry. His knowledge was vast which he used in writing a number of books outstanding value. One particular book he wrote named "Bharat Aur Bhartiyta Ke Rakshak" revealed the prominent part played by then rulers of Rajasthan and Gujarat, Bappa Rawal and Nagbhatt respectively to check and repulse the invasion of Arabs from Sindh into rest of India. Hardly anyone is aware of this, which took place during the seventh century. His other books are also very valuable including history of Rajput Clans.

It was so very kind of him to present me a copy of each of his books, duly autographed by him. I thus have a good collection of them and the last one he presented was on 31-12-98 called Prtihar aur Unka samrajya". He was a true histrorian in every sense and as such would not accept any fact of history, unless it was proved by some recorded evidence. For example when I told him that my ancestor Raja Bhim Sin ghji, one of the sons of Maharana Raj Singhji of Mewar and founder of Banera family, was a "Panch-hazari" the highest "Mansab" given by Mugal Emperors to Maharajas and Rajas, he would not accept it and asked me to produce historical data about it. However, some year later when I called on him at his Mandawa House on Sansar Chandra Road, he jubilantly told me that Shri Ojha, the great historian of Rajasthan, had said so in his book, the matter was at last settled between us.

I first met Thakur Saheb when he was a Kunwar during 1977 and I called on him to negotiate the alliance of my second daughter Manjul Kumari to his third son then Bhanwar Randhir Vikram Singhji, I am happy to say that the alliance took place and from then onwards I used to meet him and stay with him, whenever I visited Jaipur. Our get-together in the evening were always very interesting and rewarding as I learnt much from him about Rajput history which I shall cherish. He had other interests also, such as old forts and monuments, music both classical and Rajasthani. Earlier he was interested in Shikar also and shot panthers and wild boars, but later he had no spare time for it. Once we both even made a programme to go for a big game shoot but it had to be cancelled, due to his other engagement. As working President of the All India Kshtriya Mahasabha he attending meetings at various places and so had to travel often.

Beside writing books and visiting places he also edited the monthly journal "Ranbankura" which also gave valuable information on Rajput history and culture. He thus did great service to the Rajput race and his contribution would he fondly remembered. His passing away at the age of 77 years is a big loss to us and I pray to God to give all peace to the departed noble soul.

Colonel Maharaj Guman Singh (Retd)
Banera
in Ranbankura, April 1999

Where was Rani Padmini of Chittor born?

Rani Padmini

Gyan Darpan 8/30/2013 0

Padmin permeates our national consciousness as an iconic figure with immortal legancy. She emerges as a brave and worthly individual, capable of meticulous planning and flawless execution. She was also an extraordinarily brave, wise and virtuous women. The confluence of beauty, bravery, wisdom and virtue in the persona of one individual is, indeed, a very rare phenomenon.

No mutch known about Padmin’s family bachground and even the place where she came from as a bride into the ruling family of Mewar. However, she has been repeatedly mentioned in the Hindi literture as a relation of Gora and Badal who were Chauhans and have a haveli to their name in the fort of Chittor. Gora was supposed to be her uncle and Badal, the son of Gajanan, her cousin. Further detail of this relationship are not known. The earliest refernce to Padmini, to our present state of knowledge, is contained in Chhitai Charitra composed in AD 1526. This, however, is just a passing refernce, devoid of any detail about her.

As already brought out, the seas in those times were held in graet awe and their crossing, a big adventure. Thus, Jayasi, Hem Ratan, Labdhodaya and other who have composed works relating to Padmin have chosen to make her a Ceylonse Princess. Their idea was to lend touch of high adventure and drama to their romantic scripts and give Ratan singh, their hero, the image of dashing young prince. We have to keep in mind that all of them were poets out to catch the popular imagination and not proper historians by any chance. Every world of theirs is not supposed to be history. They have, indeed, built quite a few frills and fancies around their narration which need to be carefully separated to get at the historic reality that we are after.

According to Jayasi, Padmin was the daughter of King Gandharva Sen of Ceylon, and Rawal Ratan Singh went all the way to the Island seeking her hand. It took him eight long year to win her in marriage and bring her to Chittor to the great delight of his subjects. A number of other Hindi works on Padmini from the sixteenth century onward like the Gora Badal kavit by an anonymous writer, Gora Badal Padmini Choupai by Hem Ratan, Gora Badal Choupai by Jatmal Nahar, Padmini Charitra Choupai by Labdhodaya and khoman Raso by Daulat Vijay all insist that Padmini came from the Royal family of Singhaldeep,i.e. Celyon or Shri Lanka. Taking them seriously the, the royal family of Udaipur is believed to have invited a delegation from Shri Lanka to examine their antique ancestal ornaments. None of these could be eastablished to be of the Shri Lankan origin. The Celyonese connetion of Padmini is, therefore, highly improbable. Because Rana Ratan Singh had no time on hand for the Island adventure due to war cloud those time.

Col. Tod started compiling his Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan in 1806 and completed 1829. Padmini is mentioned to be the daughter of King Hamir Sank (Hammir Singh Chauhan) of Ceylon in this work. Tod’s version is, of course, based largely on the Bardic sources, the reliability quotient of witch could not be very high for obvious reasons. In fact, as as per history, the contemporary ruler of Ceylon was King Prakaram Bahu 1V. this, in itself, should go a long way to negate the theory of the Ceylonese origin of our national herione.

Such a hot equatorial region is least likely to be overflowing with fair ladies of class of Padmini as made out in our Hindi litrerature.

Abul Fazal and Haji-ud-Davir do not describe her as Padmini by name, but as an extraordinarily beautiful women of the Padmini class. In fact Col.Tod also write that she was bestowed with the title of Padmini because of her exquisite beauty. Her maiden name may well be different and she may have been renamed Padmini.

Our scriptures divide women into four categories as per their physical, attributes, mental attitudes and spiritual inclinations- Sankhini, Hastini, chitrni and of course, the most cherished , Padmini. This is how these classes have been comprehensively describes by Labdhodaya in his Padmini Charitra Choupai. The issue that need to be settled right now is that our Padmin could not have the Ceylonese background for several reasons. First, Cyelon is the least likely place for women of her class to be found. Secondly, Rawal Ratan singh had no time on hand to go all the way to Ceylon looking for something that could not even be likely to be found there. It is thus, reasonably clear that Ceylon got dragged in to the literature on Padmini only to add a dash of adventure to the romance of the story.

A place known as Pungal in Rajasthan itself has been traditionally famous for Padminis. Dainty-looking women of petite build and chiselled feature are even now found in some part of Rajasthan.
Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha suggested that Padmini may have belonged to the village of Singholi, forty miles to the east of Chittor. Earlier the Amar kavya Vanshawalis had also mentioned Singoli as the place of birth of Padmini. Since the name of village rhymes well with Singhaldweep, it may have made the poets mind soar to the far away island.

Thus, if we are able to from a final view that our natinal heroine is a historic reality, then we shall also have to recocile to the fact that she did not come as a bride in to royal family of Mewar all the way form Ceylon, but from some place much nearer Chittor.

For more know about our National Heroine Padmini Buy the book “Rani Padmini, The Heroine of Chittor.”written By B.K.karkra

You can get this book online from here

Women's Categories as per Our Scriptures

Women's Categories

Gyan Darpan 8/29/2013 1

Our scriptures divide women into four categories as per their physical, attributes, mental attitudes and spiritual inclinations- Sankhini, Hastini, chitrni and of course, the most cherished, Padmini. This is how these classes have been comprehensively describes by Labdhodaya in his Padmini Charitra Choupai.

पद्मिनी पद्म गन्धा च पुष्प गन्धा च चित्रणी|
हस्तिनी मच्छ गन्धा च दुर्गन्धा भावेत्संखणी||

A Padmini has the fragrance of a lotus and Chitrani that of a folower. A Hansini smells like fish and Sankhini carries a foul smell about her.

पद्मिनी स्वामिभक्त च पुत्रभक्त च चित्रणी|
हस्तिनी मातृभक्त च आत्मभक्त च संखिणी ||

A Padmini is atteched to her husband, Chitrani to her sons, Hastini to her mother and Sankhini to her own self only.

पद्मिनी करलकेशा च लम्बकेशा च चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी उर्द्धकेशा च लठरकेशा च संखिणी ||

Padmin has curly hair, Chitrani long hair, Hastini short hair and Sankhini rough and meshed up hair.

पद्मिनी चन्द्रवदना च सूर्यवदना च चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी पद्मवदना च शुकरवदना च संखिणी ||

Padmini’s body carries the lustre of the moon, Chitrni’s the brightness of the sun, Hastini’s the feel of the a lotus and Sankhini has a body like that of a dog.

पद्मिनी हंसवाणी च कोकिलावाणी च चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी काकवाणी च गर्दभवाणी च संखिणी ||

Padmini has the voice of a swan, chitrni that of nightingke, Hastini that a crow and Sankhini that of a donkey.

पद्मिनी पावाहारा च द्विपावाहारा च चित्रणी |
त्रिपदा हारा हस्तिनी ज्ञेया परं हारा च संखिणी ||

Padmini is used to eating very little, Chitarni consumes twice that quantity, Hastini three times and Sankhini eats an enormous amount of food.

चतु वर्षे प्रसूति पद्मन्या त्रय वर्षाश्च चित्रणी |
द्वि वर्षा हस्तिनी प्रसूतं प्रति वर्ष च संखिणी ||

Padmini procreates once in four years, Chitarni once in three, Hastini once in two and Sankhini every year.

पद्मिनी श्वेत श्रृंगारा, रक्त श्रृंगारा चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी नील श्रृंगारा, कृष्ण श्रृंगारा च संखिणी ||

Padmini likes dress up in white, Chitarni in red, Hastini in blue and sankhini in black.

पद्मिनी पान राचन्ति, वित्त राचन्ति चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी दान राचन्ति, कलह राचन्ति संखिणी ||

Padmini has a fondness for pan, i.e. stuffed betel leaf, Chitrni for mony, Hastini for alms and Sankhini derives pleasure in causing conflicts.

पद्मिनी प्रहन निंद्रा च, द्वि प्रहर निंद्रा च चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी प्रहर निंद्रा च, अघोर निंद्रा च संखिणी ||

Padmini sleeps only once a day for a few hours, Chitrni likes to sleep twice as long, Hastini thrice and Sankhini feel like sleeping all the time.

चक्रस्थन्यो च पद्मिन्या, समस्थनी च चित्रणी |
उद्धस्थनी च हस्तिन्या दीघस्थानी संखिणी ||

Padmini has rounded breasts, Chitrni proportionate ones, Hastini small ones and Sankhini long ones.

पद्मिनी हारदंता च, समदंता च चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी दिर्घदंता च, वक्रदंता च संखिणी ||

Padmini has well placed teeth in the form of a garland, Chitrni has proportionate teeth, Hastini long ones and Sankhini has staggered teeth.

पद्मिनी मुख सौरभ्यं, उर सौरभ्यं चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी कटि सौरभ्यं, नास्ति गंधा च संखिणी ||

The charm of a Padmini lies in her face, in case of Chitrni it lies in her bust. Hastini has a beautiful waistline and there is nothing charming about Sankhini.

पद्मिनी पान राचन्ति, फल राचन्ति चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी मिष्ट राचन्ति, अन्न राचन्ति संखिणी ||

Padmini is fond of Pan, Chitrni of fruit. Hastini od sweets and Sankhini of cereals.

पद्मिनी प्रेम वांछन्ति, मान वांछन्ति चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी दान वांछन्ति, कलह वांछन्ति संखिणी ||

Padmini has a desire for love, Chitrni for clout. Hastini for alms and Sankhini revels in a sitution of conflict.

महापुण्येन पद्मिन्या, मध्यम पुण्येन चित्रणी |
हस्तिनी च क्रियालोपे, अघोर पापेन संखिणी ||

Padmini belives in a high sense of piety, Chitrni has an average sense of piety. Hansini believes in worldliness and Sankhini in lowest sin.

RESPONSIBLE PET PARENTING

Gyan Darpan 8/27/2013 0

It is often our mistake and not the pet problem that results in a misbehaved pet putting strain on our relationship with him. Rather than a friendship bond, it leads to stranded relationship, with each one wanting to get rid of the other.
Watch out for your responsibilities before adopting a pet and behave like a responsible pet parent. The bond between you and your pet will blossom beyond imagination as your pet gives you back much more than what he receives from you. He sees you as your mentor and will follow the path laid by you.

What does pet parenting means?
As we like to see our children grow to be a disciplined and cultured lot, the same is true for our pets. We put a lot of efforts in parenting our children to ensure their desired upbringing. The same is required for our pet to transform them into a healthy, disciplined and cultured one. For this transformation, responsible pet parenting is essential.

Why is right pet parenting essential?
Adopting a pet does not ensure that he is going to inherit all the breed characteristics. Exploiting the genetic potential depends on its upbringing, thereby comes the role of pet parenting.

It is to be understood that as per the breed dogs possess different characters. For eg. German Shephard, Rottweillers, Doberman, have a natural instinct to guard hence are more aggressive, Labradors are docile with good sniffing characters, Cocker spanial and Dashound are a hyperactive lot and so forth and so on. Since the basic breed characters cannot be changed, it becomes very important to pick a breed with the desired characters. Once selected a right breed, the role of pet parenting comes into play to exploit the breed characteristics. A misguided or ill trained dog, even of a very friendly characteristics becomes a nuisance at times.

The Human-Animal Bond
Having pets makes you feel good, both physically and mentally. Many medical studies have shown that pet owners have lower stress levels and fewer heart attacks. If you have a dog or cat, you always have someone to come home to and your furry friend will never tell your boss all the horrible things you said after a particularly bad day at the office. It should come as no surprise that researchers have found that petting and talking to a companion animal actually reduces blood pressure.

Many retirement facilities and hospitals bring in pets for visits or have a pet at the facility. Animal assisted therapy is being used for more health issues than ever before. Guide dogs continue to help the blind, but now assistance dogs also help deaf humans, the physically handicapped, and people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and other afflictions.

Sometimes pet problems are people problems
Many “dog problems” stem from a lack of understanding. Many people approach pet ownership as something akin to owning a car: if it’s broken take it to be fixed. If it has too many problems, you return it to a dealer or sell it. This “pets are disposable” attitude is why so many dogs end up in rescue groups and animal shelters. It’s tragic because almost all problems can be solved with a little patience and understanding. A dog is a dog. It is not a small human, and expecting it to behave like one is unfair. Every pet is an individual and you have to work within the limitations of the animal’s personality. All pets in the household need to learn the rules, but the humans need a few rules too. Your pet loves you and the best thing you can do is love him in return. Like any family member, you learn to live with a few foibles because the companionship and love you receive is worth it.

Time and Patience
To own a dog, the two most important things you need to have are time and patience. You need time and patience for feeding your dog every day, housebreaking him, brushing him, walking him, taking him to a vet, playing with him, training him, and most importantly for loving him. All this has to happen whether you feel like it or not. So if you are considering getting a dog, first be honest with yourself.

Kids and Pets
If you are thinking about getting a pet and you have children, it may be time to step back and evaluate your kids’ attitude toward animals. Many children have never had any guidelines as to the proper rules for dealing with animals. Some kids run up to the animals recklessly and other shy away in fear when they encounter one. Learning respect for animals should be a big part of growing up, but the increasing number of dog bite incidents is clear evidence that parent’s aren’t telling kids what they need to know. Start teaching your kids about animals at an early age. Show them how to listen and learn about their animal compatriots. Teach your child to be gentle. You might show them how to stoke an animal gently on a stuffed animal first, and then graduate to a friend’s pet that you know is very gentle. Be sure to teach your child not to chase or hit any animal. A kid that is taught to care about animals learns that animals and people are living things that should not be treated violently. If you plan to get a pet, have your child help you research breeds and learn how to take care of new pet. Explain that owning an animal is a lifetime commitment and point out that the animals should not be treated as disposable “throw away” toys. Show your kids the importance of having the pet as a family member, but don’t expect small children to take full responsibility for caring for an animal. Getting a pet is a fantastic opportunity for education. Kids that have been taught to respect animals learn to look at the world around them in a more humane, caring way. And who wouldn’t want that for their kids.

Think about the Pets
Life is full of changes and if you don’t think your pet notices, well, you are wrong. Many times behaviour problems in pet can be traced to changes in their home life. After all, they live there too. Major life events such as death, separation, or divorce cause a great deal of emotional distress and pets pick up on it and become anxious. If people suddenly start shouting and arguing with one another, it has effect on every creature in the house.

What’s a working person to do?
We have all seen dogs left outside all day to fend for themselves or chained to a doghouse, presumably while their owners are at work. Less obvious are those dogs that are left at home all day trapped in a crate. Dogs are social animals and when they are left alone for hours everyday, behavior problems may occur. But even dogs that spend a lot of their time with their owners can end up with behavioral issues when the owner goes out. Unfortunately, this type of destruction, barking, obsessive-compulsive behaviors and anxiety are all potential results of social deprivation and boredom. Even though all dogs were bred to do some type of work, too many of them are forced to spend their days doing nothing at all. As with your little kids, if you don’t give a dog something to do, she will find something to do. And it would be undoubtedly be something you won’t like. As with your children, someone needs to be in charge. Dogs feel more secure when they have a set routine and a clear leader. That leader should be you. The answer is to provide a stable environment with clear ground rules. If you aren’t the one in charge now, it’s time to start exercising some leadership. For example, when you leave the house, never make it a big production. Just go. It’s an ordinary event for you and it should be for the dog. If your comings and goings have turn into a massive emotional situation, you need to tone it down. Owning a dog when you have a job is not impossible. But when you’re home, be sure to give your dog lots of love and exercise. After all, a tired dog is a good dog.

Tips for Responsible Pet Parenting
• It starts with bringing home a pup with the desired breed characters.
• Ensure that the pup is brought from a recognized breeder or vet to avoid genetic defects and health problems.
• Before entry of pet in the house, you need to make provision for his place, bed, feed and water etc.
• You should be sure of free and restricted area in the house for the pup. The pup should not be allowed the access to the restricted area from day one. If you do not like the pet to come on the sofa or bed, avoid getting him there from the very beginning.
• Fix the timings, place and bowl for feeding and do not expose him to the other stuffs being eaten by you.
• Expose the pup to the food that is healthy for him and do not feed scraps. • Pups normally relieve after meals if diet schedule is followed. Take the pup to the place where you want him to relieve. Repeat this for a few days, following which the pup gets accustomed to this routine. • Do not beat or scold a dog unnecessarily. Speaking in a high pitch commanding tone is enough, if he has done some mistake. • Children and other members of the house should get familiar to the pet as a part of socializing.
• Playing with the pet is good but he should not be over bothered so as to irritate him.
• Develop a bond with the pet by patting, massage, grooming and playing since the dogs love these things.
• Involve the pet is constructive activities and not the destructive ones.
• Train the pet for all commands you would like to follow him and make use of these commands regularly.
• Train the pet to remain at home even in your absence. This can be done by leaving him for short duration to begin with that is gradually extended.
• Encourage for good habits and discourage for bad habits from the very first day.
• Avoid accidents by not taking out the pet loose.
• Avoid chances of poisoning by keeping such substances out of reach of pet.

By Dr. Aradhana Pandey

Dr. Aradhana Pandey, is owner of Doggy World, an exclusive center catering to all dog needs. Apart from clinical practice, she specializes in dog grooming, dog behavior and nutrition.

Beware: Diabetes can lead to blindness

health

Gyan Darpan 8/19/2013 0

Beware: Diabetes can lead to blindness

Diabetic Retinopathy is basically a situation where due to diabetes retina of the eye is damaged and can lead to blindness. In fact, all diabetic patients should be very careful about their eyes. Interestingly, 90% of total cases of diabetic retinopathy can be reduced.

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

“Any patient of diabetes can develop hyperglycemia, which is an excess of blood sugar or serum glucose for extended period of time in body. Although glucose is a vital source of energy for the body, a persistent elevation of serum glucose damages to capillaries (tiny blood vessels in the eye) that supply blood to the retina,” says Dr. Sardana of Sardana Eye Institute.

There are two types of diabetic retinopathy:

Background or nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR)
Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) or background retinopathy is the earliest stage of diabetic retinopathy. “In this stage, damaged tiny blood vessels within the retina begin to leak blood or extra fluid into the eye. The leaking fluid causes the retina to swell. It's called Nonproliferative because at this stage, new blood vessels do not grow (proliferate),” says Dr. Sardana. NPDR is a mild and moderate form of diabetic retinopathy

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)

“With the progress of disease, severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy go into an advanced, or proliferative stage when blood vessels starting proliferating or growing. They can start bleeding and blur vision,” avers Dr. Sardana First time it may not be very severe. If you see a few specks or blood spots floating in your vision field, this may be proliferative diabetic retinopathy. PDR is more severe than NPDR as far as vision loss is concerned because it affects both central and peripheral vision.

Symptoms:

· Spots. Dots, or dark strings floating in your vision (floaters)

· Blurred vision

· Fluctuating vision

· Poor vision in night

· Dark or blank areas in your vision

· Vision loss

· Difficulty in color recognition

Who is at risk?

“Anybody who is suffering from diabetes is at risk. The longer a person has diabetes, the higher the risk of developing some optical problem,” says Dr. Sardana. It is believed that after 20 years of diabetes, almost all patients with Type I diabetes and around 50% of patients with Type II diabetes have either acute or some degree of retinopathy. Even 10 year old diabetes is crucial for vision. In fact People with any type of diabetes can develop retinopathy.

Risk factors:

Though there are several factors, the most crucial are blood sugar level and blood pressure. Both should be under control otherwise can prompt diabetic retinopathy.

What to do?

Strict control of your diabetes and blood pressure is the best way to prevent vision loss. You must consult your eye doctor regularly if you have diabetes, even if your vision is fine. Regular diabetic retinopathy screening is required to detect diabetic retinopathy in the early stages.

By Sachin Singh Gaur

When blood sugar levels are too high for extended periods of time, it can damage capillaries (tiny blood vessels) that supply blood to the retina. Over time, these blood vessels begin to leak fluids and fats, causing edema (swelling). Eventually, these vessels can close off, called ischemia. These problems are signs of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).

Eye care in monsoon

health

Gyan Darpan 8/19/2013 0

No doubt, the rainy season brings lot of happiness and joy with it but it also brings lot of bacteria and viruses which cause eye problems and infections. So it is very important during this season to care your eyes properly and take all the precautions ophthalmologists suggest to avoid eye problems. Though lot of eye problems persist in monsoon the main are Conjunctivitis, Stye, dry Eye and Swimming Pool infections. Conjunctivitis

“The surface of the white of the eye and the inner surface of eyelids is called conjunctiva. Inflammation of conjunctiva along with redness & swelling is called conjunctivitis,” says Dr. Jagmohan Sardana of Sardana Eye Institute. The common causes of conjunctivitis are infections, allergy or viral fever which reduces immunity of body. Conjunctivitis is the main eye problem during monsoon. It spreads like an epidemic,” says Dr. Sardana.

Stye

Stye is a red painful lump along the eyelid with formation of pus points. The main causes of stye are frequent rubbing of eyes with unwashed hands and bacterial infections.

Other common problems

Dryness of the eyes is another common problem in Monsoon season. Burning, itching and watering are symptoms of dry eye. Moreover, swimming pools cause lot of infections and allergy.

What to do?

“A person should consult an eye surgeon without delay and have proper treatment began. He should follow the guidelines given by the ophthalmologist and take medicine. Self medication can be risky. It should be avoided,” says Dr Sardana.

Other than that there are some basic points which should be remembered to avoid these problems.
• Maintain proper hygiene
• Never touch your eyes without washing your hands
• Never share your handkerchief or towel and other toiletries
• Wear goggles while travelling
• Avoid exposure to dust, pollution and bright sunlight
• Avoid crowded places during epidemics of conjunctivitis
• Avoid swimming during epidemics of conjunctivitis
Dr Sardana's Contact No.9811543436
By Sachin Singh Gaur