Two Articles

Yesterday, I was browsing archives of Gujarat Samachar to find some article, and while searching for it I came across a couple of other articles that really made me think.

The first one was about a 17-yr old 12th standard student and another 22-yr old young man getting heart attacks in Vadodara. I was appalled to read this article. It might be the pressure from parents and/or family that might have lead to the stress that the 12-standard kid felt but at the same time I couldn't help thinking what might be the diet of these youngsters. The new Indian generation has adopted a lot of Western traits and life styles but are they aware of it all? Are they aware of how these new fancy living styles and eating habits might be causing a lot more problems for them health wise and socially? Smoking, drinking, eating out, eating junk foods, no exercise or workouts and many other things could have been responsible for this type of case. Partial knowledge about anything is dangerous. Those kids don't realize that these life styles have caused so many problems for people living in the Western world - child obesity, adult obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, lung cancers and all. At the end of the article, there was a quote by one of the doctors, which said "in coming next ten years, among the there heart patients and diabetic patients Indians and specially Gujaratis will be in leading numbers". I know a lot of it could be genetic also but the current life style also matters a lot. I wish the new generation gets more awareness about all these from their convenient interaction with the rest of the world.

Another article was about three women commiting suicide by burning themselves because of problems with in-laws. First thing I had to check was I was browsing this article in correct century. Gujarat Samachar doesn't even have newspapers before year 1998 in their archives but the headline of this news took me aback. In this age? Women are still so backward in my state that they can't get up and do something about their own lives to make them better? I mean don't they have any guts? Just last week I was reading the poetry titled "ChaaraN Kanyaa" by Zaverchand Meghani. It's about a 14-yr old girl who chases after a lion because the lion tried to attack her calf and eventually she drives him off. And then reading this made me think, how powerful a woman can be. And if they come together, they can do even better but here I read something totally opposite - three of them killed themselves together. What a sorry case! It's a shame to even read something like this. There are so many programs out there to help battered and abused women and still the word is not getting out there. I know this because I've heard of stories from my sister in India, who works for such an organization that helps women all over the state of Gujarat to help make their lives better. The volunteers and employees go to villages and town to spread the awareness but I guess more efforts need to be put in to spread this message. *sigh*