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Volume-39

Communicate Minds
15th June 2006 FORTNIGHTLY

ADVISORS
Khirod Ch. Malick Pitabasa Sethi Jogeswar Majhi Makardhwaj Sahu Shiv Prasad Meher Aurobinda Mahapatra

Shital Shashthi

A DIVINE CULTURE OF SAMBALPUR

In this Issue...
Editorial Shital Shasthi Yatra Health Practices in India Other BISWA News

The Link
Chief-Editor Debabrata Malick Editor Guru Prasad Nahak

Contact :-

Central Office BISWA At-Danipali, P.o-Budharaja Dist-Sambalpur, PIN-768004 Tele fax- +91-663-2533597 Email:biswamalick@rediffmail.com kc_malick@yahoo.com www.biswa.org State Office
C-243, Kuber Griha Society Rohinipuram, Raipur-492010, Telephone No: 0771-2241837 Chhattisgarh

Sambalpur has a rich tradition to observe Shiva-Parbati Bibaha on the occasion of Shital Shashthi. As a matter of fact Shavya and Shakta (followers of lord Shiva & Shakti) throng in large numbers in and around Sambalpur from time immemorial. There was a period when both the groups of followers were in conflict but in the course of time they compromised and started living together. It is evidently seen at Sambalpur. Shital Shashthi is an occasion where the compromise is observed at its height, as both the iconic lords are wedded. People throng in lakhs from far and near to witness this holy marriage ceremony and seek blessings of the holy couple. To make the occasion more participatory there is a tradition to play the role of parents of the holy bride and able persons queue to avail the opportunity. Such an opportunity was availed by Srimati & Shri K.C.Malick, Chairman,

BISWA this year as they were lucky to get it. The holy mother (Parbati) of Shri Shri Jageswar Baba (Shiva temple of Modipara) was adopted as a daughter by Malicks. The day of initiation of this holy marriage is observed as Patrapendi, which took place on May 29 th , 06. It was observed in a traditional gay and pompous manner. The Malicks home was decorated lavishly to welcome their newly adopted daughter and a grand dinner was launched to treat the invited guest on that occasion. The day after the day, i.e. on May 31st 2006, daughter Parbati arrived at her new parental home. Then she was taken as a bride to the Lagna Mandapa, arranged at Gaiety Talkies, in a grand procession with traditional gaiety in the evening. The holy marriage took place that night, which was stretched till the next morning. A grand Bhajana Sandhya was organised at Gaiety Talkies that night to enthrall the
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We are so preoccupied in our materialistic world to earn a comfortable living that there is hardly time left for some spiritual activities; though we have a rich tradition of spiritualism. Fortunately the tradition is still in living conditions to some extent that we are involved in some spiritual activities voluntarily or under social compulsion. At Sambalpur Shital Shasthi is such an occasion when we enter into spiritualdom under condition of social compulsion. It needs not to explain here that creation and operation are two major aspects managed by The Almighty to keep all our worldly activities lively. It is on the occasion of Shital Shasthi both the aspects of The Almighty are wedded together in a worldly manner. In our Hindu philosophy creation is monopolized by feminine gender and thus it symbolizes the mother. So it is the occasion when the holy mother (creator) and the Holy Father (operator) are wedded together. Incidentally this wedding ceremony is observed and managed by we human beings, the subject of The Almighty. It is also an occasion to commemorate that the main two factions of Hinduism, i.e. Shabya and Shakta are no more in conflict but living together.

PANI CHHATAR ON SITAL SASTHI

On the auspicious occasion of Sital Sasthi, BISWA organised water kiosk (Panichhatar), to provide cold water to the public in various location at Sambalpur like, Ashapali School, Town High School, in front of DRDA office and Kunjelpara chouk. Many volunteers of BISWA participated in with dedication in each water kiosk centers. Mr. S.S.Dalpat, District Coordinator and Mr. Ajaya Dhar Badgayan, Area Coordinator of Sambalpur district actively coordinated to make it successful.

occasion. The newly adopted affectionate daughter took leave from her parents home in a traditional fervor followed by a grand procession in the streets, where her devotees were ready on their feet to give her a standing ovation. The temporarily erected Lagna Mandapa at Gaiety Talkies was lavishly decorated and colorfully illuminated with drizzling tiny electric bulbs. Lord Shiva as the bridegroom, in his whole magnamity, arrived with his Barrat in a grand procession. The Holy Marriage took place in the auspicious muhurta and the Lagna Mandapa with its surrounding buzzed with traditional enthusiasm and spirit. People throng in large number to pay their respect and their devotion to the holy couple alongwith seeking blessings from them. Then the ceremonial departure took place and the holy couple started for their heavenly abode at the temple of Jageswar Baba, Modipara. The following evening the newly wed holy couple came out of the temple to go for a round the city (Nagar Parikrama) with their followers, devotees and blessing seekers in a hugely decorated procession. And this occasion is known as Shital Shashthi Yatra, which literally means journey on the cool sixth day. As the occasion takes place in the peak of the summer season during the month of Jaishtha (MayJune), when it is an arduous task to come out of shade and face the piercing sunlight. The old saying goes as, there used to be sudden momently shower to cool down the hot and humid earthly being lot on the occasion of Shital Shashthi. In a way it is an occasion to welcome the ensuing rain after facing all the hardship of a hot summer.

ROOF TOP WATER HARVESTING STRUCTURE

JALACHHATRA
BISWA organised Jalachhatra (water kiosk) at Rourkela to quench the thirsty, to provide adequate cold water and protection from sun stroke from May 1st to June 1st 2006. This activity was managed under the supervision of Mr. Pradip Kumar Roy, District Coordinator, Sundergarh, BISWA.

BISWA organised a program on handing over assets of roof top water harvesting structure at Jujumura Girl High School of Jujumura block on June 9 th, 2006. The roof top water harvesting structure was constructed by BISWA with support from AGRAGAMI, Kashipur, Raigada. Recently the harvesting structure work has been completed and it was handed over to Roof Top Water Harvesting Structure Committee (RTWHSC) of Jujumura block. On the occasion Mr. Chitrabhanu Singh, Sanitation Member, Mr. Padmalaya Bhoi, Sarpanch Jujumura, Mr. Lingaraj Das, Asst. Planning Manager and A.K.Satpathy-BISWA present on the occasion.

R e pr oducti v e and Ma ter nal Health Car e oductiv Mater Practices in India
Some 1,400 women die every day from problems related to pregnancy and childbirth. Tens of thousands more experience complications during pregnancies, many of which are lifethreatening for the women and their children or leave them with severe disabilities (2002: UNICEF).1 In the scheme of development planning in India over nearly five decades, substantial results have been achieved in terms of aggregate economic growth and qualitative excellence in several technical and creative fields. All the same, there has admittedly been a relative, if unintended, neglect of human and social development, as distinct from the evident emphasis on material resources and service infrastructure. True, there have been significant attempts in support of the social factors of development like education, nutrition and health, each in its own sphere and respecting the distinction of their disciplinary origins and departmental jurisdictions. Not surprisingly, the essential link between the cluster of socio-cultural factors on one hand and an economic base to sustain them on the other has remained weak. This situation has had a somewhat disabling effect particularly on that half of the population in or near conditions of poverty. In India, within the given socio-cultural matrix women get low access to medical care. Women belonging to the low strata of the socio-economic hierarchy and to the rural areas have been the critical manifestation of this aspect. Womens health is affected by a series of interrelated economic and sociocultural factors, viz. levels of earnings and educational background, and the attitudes to marriage, age of marriage, value attached to fertility and sex of the child, the pattern of family organizations and the ideal role demanded of women by social conventions (NPPW 1988:97).2 Hence we are to examine the question of womens health. Motherhood for the majority poor Indian women has always been a period fraught with difficulties, given the low nutritional and health care, a set of relatively recent social changes has not made life easier for them; for example: urban growth and congestions, increasing number of nuclear families, population increase and environmental degradation. While considering the factors of disparity and of development influencing the life cycle, it would be logical to begin with life before birth, from conception. Through the formative stages of life and its development it is necessary to see the child together with the mother. But what the mother is to the child is determined by her situation of life and status in society, as a person and as a woman. These in turn are mounded by the conditions of her childhood and upbringing. How does the existing health system respond to the vulnerable condition of the biological dyad that is the motherand-child? Recall a typical village situation in any of the stages in India, the woman is in an advanced stage of pregnancy. She is going to be a mother the fourth time in an advanced stage of pregnancy. She is going to be a mother the fourth time in nine years and her youngest child is just a year old. In fact, she did not want this pregnancy and did not know how to avoid it. She is pale and tries easily yet she works at home and continues to help out in the farm to supplement her husbands meager income as a landless agricultural worker. There is no one to help her. But, once she is in labour, the people around call in the traditional birth attendant (dai). She starts bleeding but the dai is unable to cope with the situation. She needs to be taken to where some maternity care is available, which happens to be the district headquarters about 40 kilometers away. The health sub-centre is nearer but does not have the relevant facility. Neighbors are ready to accompany her but transportation is difficult and the roads are bad. Along with the baby to be born, she faces grave risks. Maternal deaths are caused either by direct causes arising from complications of pregnancy, delivery or their management; or indirect causes on account of aggravation by pregnancy or child birth of an existing abnormal condition; or by reasons unrelated to the state of pregnancy. Female mortality is considerably higher than male mortality up to the age of 35. During the reproductive age of 15-34 years, the differential (excess female mortality) is greatest in relative, rather than numerical terms, compared to the preceding age brackets. The difference is as much as 50 per cent higher than the corresponding male mortality. Indias maternal mortality rate, usually estimated at 400-500 per 100,000 live births, is about 50 times higher than that of many industrialized countries. There is no figure for maternal mortality rate for the country which can be considered as, reasonably conclusive, because it levels as high as 1360 have noted in certain rural areas. The danger of childbearing can be greatly reduced, if a woman is healthy and well nourished before becoming pregnant, if she has a health check-up by a trained health worker at least four times during every pregnancy and if the birth is assisted by a skilled birth attendant such as a doctor, nurse or midwife. The woman should also be checked during the 12 hours after delivery and six weeks after giving birth.
Refference: 1 . 2002, United Nations Childrens Fund. Facts for Life. 3rd edition, UNICEF. New York. 2 Govt. of India, 1988. National Perspective Plan for Women01988-2000A.D. Department of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development: New Delhi-_National

PARTICIPATION

DD MASS MEDIA
Meeting of Door Darshan Mass Media Committee on Agriculture took place on May 31st at the conference hall of Collectorate in the chairmanship of Mr. Vishal Gagan, Collector and District Magistrate, Sambalpur. Mr. D.C.Pal, DDA, Sambalpur convened the meeting to discuss the next quarterly program of the committee. M.K..Meher, Program Executive, DDK Sambalpur appraised about the ongoing situation and strategy for the future. Mr. Santosh Budek, President Zilla Parisad, Sambalpur was also on the dais. Mr. Shiv Prasad Meher, PRO represented BISWA in it and participated with his view on the program of the committee.

HKNS SUB COMMITTEE VISIT HHH

The sub committee formed by governing body of Hind Kustha Nibaran Sangathan, Sambalpur, District unit visited Hatibari Health Home on June 5th to study the development works undertaken by BISWA there. In the absence of CDMO Dr.T.Panda, ADMO-PH presided over the meeting. The other members of the sub committee Dr. Diptibala Pattnaik, Mr. Runu Lakra, DSWO and Mr.B.B. Behera, BDO, Mr.K.C.Malick, Chairman, BISWA attended and took part in the proceeding. Dr.Kamal Choudhuri and Dr. Ritarani Sahu, also took part in the meeting and appraised the sub committee about the health sector activities of Hathibari Health Home. Mr. Shiv Prasad Meher, PRO and Ms. Sunita Padhi, Asst. Planning Manager coordinated the meeting at Hathibari on behalf of BISWA.

The Link B I S W A At-Danipali P.O-Budharaja Dist-Sambalpur PIN-768004 91+6632533597(O)

REGIONAL WORKSHOP OF WATER POLICY

A regional level workshop on water policy was held o June 12th,2006 at Sundergarh district. The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Jagannath Behera, PD-DRDA, Sundergarh. The main objective of the workshop was to focus on framing state water policy with national water policy in order to give emphasis on basic access and control over water for every human being as a natural right. This workshop was supported by OPDSC. Mr. B.S.Mishra, Program Manager participated in it on behalf of BISWA and presented a paper on Water is Life which was highly appreciated by all.

Printed and Published by Debabrata Malick, Chief Editor. The Link, at BISWA Computer Section, Danipali, Budharaja, Sambalpur. PIN- 768004 Ph. No- 0663-2533597