Volume 3 Issue 1 January 2013

Transporting The year it was- R e m e m b e r i n g blood over long 2012: Let’s look Netaji: On 23 distances? The back at some of the January 1987 one best options one major events for the of the greatest son has to transport year 2012 and how of this soil was blood for upto 48 they shaped our b o r n . S o m e hours Page 3 future. Page 6 excerpts Page 9 Do you really care for the cause of India? The emotions are simmering. Facebook does not seem to be talking as much about Sachin leaving ODI as it is talking about what is happening in Delhi. Probably for the third time this year, the nation is up against the wrong doings and the youth are taking the lead. Videos from India Gate and Raisina Hills show fearless young people willing to suffer the blows of lathis, water cannons and teargas shells all for one thing - to get the people on the top to do what is right. Are you experiencing a similar emotional situation - maybe different in magnitude once in a while? Are you feeling just so bad about the state of affairs that you want to break free of your own inhibitions and do something about it? If the highest levels in the Government, there is that yes, then probably this article will help you ask some possibility of us saying no to bribe and put up a stiff fight in our personal lives to get things done without bribing more questions to yourself and find a way ahead. anyone. This kind of behaviour is not very limited to the individual alone. Let's start with who's nation this is. Is it the property of the Government of India and all of us are tenants in it? Try something next time you see people ready to break Is it that the Government has the right and the the traffic signal. When they are all set to take off few responsibility to be the whole sole authority in-charge tens of seconds before the light turns green, the of the nation and all the rest have no option but to honking will rise and the engines will ignite. In that petition or beg before the Government to bring about a moment, just resolve not to start the engine until the change? An amazing this about the several protests signal turns green. Almost immediately you will feel a seen this year, including the ones for Jan Lokpal Bill sense of compulsion to start and join the crowd. At this was that the individuals took to street to make the moment just hold your breath. Do not look at people Government realise what it should be doing. I would around you. Do not try to convince anyone. Just be like to think of myself belonging as much to this country convinced by yourself that the right thing to do is to wait as it belongs to me. A direct connection without the aid for that light to turn green. Probably people will honk of the so called Government. The problems of this badly at you. Some may even utter some foul words. nation affect me because this nation is mine. Is it the Someone would crank up the engine and jump the case that the only way I have is to request the signal followed by a couple of others. People will stare Government to act in a way that addresses my feelings at you for blocking their way. But if you carefully think, and concern for this nation? I believe that we as you will find a lot of good men and women around too, individuals, especially those who care for what goes on who seeing you do the right thing, will continue to wait around them, do have a way of making things better by till the signal turns green instead of making their way direct action. While we do fight to prevent corruption at around. The New Year Resolution for 2013 for one and all - #donateblood Resolution for regular donors: #giveblood4times, #donate platelets Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 2 January 2013 transformation. They have started to associate this with the word Open - Open Movements! When some common people here and there thought that they had had enough of the monopoly and the exploitation of the giants in software business - the cathedral view of a computer software broke down and millions of contributors across the world created the free and open source software movement. This is just one example. There are millions. Once you pull up your socks and start working - in your own way - to solve the problems that concern you - in some time you will realise how numerous people all around you are trying to do their bits - that you are not alone. More importantly, you will realise that under the pomp and show of the so called civil structure, the enormous contribution of these individuals makes living so much more better for all of us. This is a different way of protest. This is as loud as the cry from your throat at the protest sites. Instead of lecturing the world, you are choosing not to let go of what you think is right. For a moment, you may think that there is little point in facing all the heat when anyways people do find their way around you and break the signal. But think carefully. Without uttering a word, you have been heard. If not by everyone, at least by some. By standing for what you believe in your own personal life, you not just bring about the much needed transformation and relief for yourself, but you also facilitate the movement of the society as a whole in the right direction one step at a time. Learn if you can, to work for what you believe in not only One time emotional outburst is a different thing. when the adrenaline is high, but also when you have a Expression of anger is also a different thing. If you difficult day. Learn if you can, to have faith in your own really get affected time and again by the situation relationship with this soil, and realise that working for around you then you have untapped potential energy the mother - the motherland - is a personal affair. Learn inside you. You could either use it to tell people what if you can, that beyond that smallest of steps, when they should do or you could use it to do what should be taken with persistence, without much thought given to done. the end result at every step, is all that is needed to make the best out of the journey of life. Conventional thinking has made us too dependent on the managements, the administration and the When you bring in a change in the personal self - when Government. We tend to have more faith in the power you choose to act - the biggest impact is that on of these institutions to change things than they actually yourself. From a demanding member of the society have - with all the interests with which they march up to whose intellect was being used to raise the voice, you these positions of power. This nation does not belong become a contributing member of society - whose to the Government; it belongs to its citizens. The day inner unrest is shaped into constructive good work. the person realize that when he say that the nation belongs to him - even the problems of the nation belong Kindly note that we have very high regards for the to him, things start changing. Then you stop thinking individuals who break free from the inhibitions and about what is it that people should do. You start asking, choose to hear the voice of their heart to come out what is it that I can do. When individuals do what is openly and protest! When we see the numerous there in their own capacity, however small it may seem, children who were gathered at the India Gate, we have there is a real change. deep respect for their emotions. Protest and raising the voice are definitely the first steps. However, shouting at Our times are exceptionally important because we are the deaf has limited impact. When we see the potential living in a period in history when the power of common that these very young fellow citizens have, all we can people working in their own ways, from their own wish for is that all of this energy be channelized into a places - contributing towards a bigger cause - a cause long term - sustained effort - far beyond the streets - which they believe in has brought about massive with a deep intent followed by active action to shape a better India. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 3 January 2013 Transporting Blood over Long Distances With better communication and coordination among the donors and blood banking community across the nation, things have improved vastly. If some years back someone had Bombay Blood Group(BBG) or had some unusual antigen/antibody, the chance of it getting detected were limited. Even if detection did happen, the possibility of organising blood in a fragmented blood donation movement like the one in our country was still smaller. Sankalp has often catered to emergency blood requests for BBG and sometimes rare sub-groups across the nation. Here we share the strategies which enable such long distance transfers. THE CONSTRAINTS ! Blood banks recommend that the maximum especially if the unit is taken inside the cabin. time a blood unit should stay outside the blood ! bank with the regular gel packing that is done to Without a clear policy of permission to check in maintain temperature below 8 degree Celsius is 8- blood into the aircraft, more often than not the 10 hours. airlines staff refuse to accept it as check-in !luggage. Extremely rare groups are mostly available only ! on very large cities. Very costly.(Rs10,000 upwards) ! Coupled with this is the chance that the unit may be available in a city which is far away. Courier by Airlines ! Not always the donor may be in a position to The other option that has been used is courier by travel to the city where blood is needed airlines. In this method the unit is taken to the airlines ! The patient's party is not always rich enough to cargo 1-2 hours before flight departure. The unit can be bear the additional expenses in organising for the collected at the cargo section at the destination 30 travel of donors and even for their own travel to minutes after the flight lands. This is far more cheaper other cities. that actual travel. The starting cost of a unit of blood if couriered by an airlines is about Rs. 1500/-. Person Traveling by Air to Get The Unit This is one of the better understood and utilised PROS method of transferring blood units across large ! Cheaper than any other option (Rs. 1500/- distances. While several times the patient's family upwards) members travel to far of places by air(thanks to the ever increasing connectivity of towns), this is not CONS always a viable options, specially owing to the fact that ! Very few airlines accept blood in Cargo. As of last minutes tickets push the bill for such transport in date only Jet Airways has a clear policy for the several tens of thousands. An individual going, same. collecting the unit and coming back is good if and only if ! Blood needs to be packaged carefully to take they family is very rich. care of the rough handling which may happen en- route PROS ! Safer option than the others with more-or-less assured safety of the blood component in transit

CONS !Some airlines create problems in transporting units which are being temperature controlled using gel packs, dry ice and sometimes even normal ice -

20th century is characterized by perfection of means and confusion of ends.-Einstein Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 4 January 2013 ! The airlines take blood in courier if and only if /Hyderabad / Delhi from Bangalore. Take a break there there is a direct flight to the destination. This and take the unit to some blood bank in the city. Allow it drastically reduces the options. to be cooled and repackaged and then take the next lap from Mumbai to Indore. In either of the air transfer options you must ensure that the following are in place: PROS !Ensures that the blood does not spoil even when ! The signed and sealed blood request form taken beyond the 10 hours period ! The letter issued by the blood bank issuing blood indicating that the contents is nothing but CONS human blood ! Even more expensive and logistically difficult ! Identity cards with the sender and the receiver

In-spite if these two solutions, there are several places Use Special Packaging Material which are not connected directly (or within 10 hours With the advancements in the packaging industry, a total travel time duration). When blood is needed in tier new kind of packaging has come into the market which 2 cities, it may often so happen that transferring units is used in Temperature Controlled Logistics(TCL). becomes a nightmare. There are 2 solutions that one These packages are designed to maintain the may use to solve this problem. temperature of the goods at the designed temperature range for up to 48 hours. These packages are self sustaining and do not require any battery or power.

PROS ! With the 48 hours time duration, the units can be transported virtually anywhere ! Cost is negligible considering the cost involved in other methods ! Some courier services have TCL services so a person need not even travel. This however is very expensive.

CONS ! Packaging material is not available on demand. Someone should procure them well in advance and save them for the situation.

TCL offers whole new world of solutions to the problem of transporting blood. Even if a blood bank is organising blood drive in a remote area, using TCL packages, the units can be transported back to the blood bank safely without the need of installing expensive refrigerators in vehicles.

The need of the hour is a policy for Civil Aviation which enables safe and easy transfer of blood units across all the airlines Hop the units from one city to the other while keeping the necessary checks and balances. When the situation is such that it is impossible to have the units transported within the stipulated time period While the aim of this article was to bring to the notice of safely, the option one has is that of finding an the readers little information which may be useful in intermediate city to hop from. Let's say someone emergencies we welcome our readers to suggest needs blood in Indore and the unit is available in improvements to these methods and also suggest the Bangalore. If there is no flight which can directly take methods which we are unaware of. We will be happy to the person from Bangalore to Indore within 10 hours publish them in successive issues of the Patrika. then the option is to take a flight to Mumbai / Pune

Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom!- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 5 January 2013 Can women donate platelets by Apheresis method? Blood donation , be it whole blood donation or platelet belief that men are stronger than women and they donation( plateletpheresis) does not have any gender only can withstand this procedure( apheresis) and bias, scientifically. All men and women can donate not women. Scientifically this has not been whole blood if they meet the minimum requirements of validated. weight(45KG) and can donate platelets if they meet the !Most importantly all blood banks are careful to minimum requirement of 55kg body weight. While ensure that platelet( pheresis) donors appear very whole blood donors and platelet donors-male or fit ( in their individual perception) in addition to female need to have a Hemoglobin of 12.5 g/dl, meeting scientific criteria as they are worried about platelet donors need to have atleast 1.5 lakh wasting the expensive kit ( Rs 6000-7000) . platelets/uL. There is hardly any physiological variation in the platelet count between males and females and Thus in our male dominated society, bias towards men both are equally eligible to donate blood. who are perceived as strong, unfounded fear of a reaction in case of a female plateletpheresis donor , However most blood banks in the city have a coupled with the associated financial loss ( Rs 6000- preference for male donors. The reasons for this could 7000) to the blood bank, if the procedure has to be be : discontinued, is probably the most important reason !Scientifically, it is advisable that apheresis why blood banks choose to ignore/reject female donors should have donated whole blood atleast apheresis donors. once before platelet donation. More women in We need to encourage and do more plateletpheresis India, than men have never donated blood and procedures on female donors to prove or disprove our hence are excluded by this criteria. understanding of female apheresis donors. !More importantly most equipment operators and Blood bank officers are men with a soft corner( not -Dr. C. Shivaram a bias ) for the fairer sex and would like to ensure that no harm comes to women. It is our cultural

Very recently we came across this image of a lady blood donor from Mumbai. On a little investigation, we got to know that lady donors donation platelets by the apheresis method is not just a usual but even regular in Mumbai. Since none of the scientific literature suggests that women are unfit to donate platelets by apheresis method, makes us wonder why we in Bangalore are not open to evaluating the fitness of a lady donor before deciding upon their fitness to donate platelets. It is time that we take a more pragmatic and scientific view and welcome the women to contribute. Let us hail the concept of voluntary platelet apheresis for one and all.

Photo courtesy IndianBloodDonors.Com "Technology and University Degree are not linked as most people tend to believe" - Dr. Verghese Kurien Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 6 January 2013 The year it was: 2012 India's performance in Olympics Assam floods and insurgency

The Indian Olympic Association sent its largest delegation to London in Olympic history. A total of 83 athletes, 60 men and 23 women, competed in 13 sports.

2012 turned out to be India's most successful Olympics in terms of total medal tally, having won a total of 6 medals, which included 2 silver, 4 bronze, and sadly no gold. India doubled the nation's previous record of 3 medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Two medals each were awarded to the athletes in shooting and wrestling. India also set a historical milestone for the female athletes who two Olympic medals. While Saina Nehwal brought bronze home, boxer Mary Kom, aged 29, won the bronze medal inspite of her detoriating health. In June 2012, the floods in the Brahmaputra basin were unprecedented due to heavy rains leading to a We @ Sankalp are proud of our sportsmen. Your humanitarian crisis that left more than 6 million people strength, determination and hard work had made us all displaced. The river water rose far beyond the regular very proud. areas, breaching the embankments, washing off roads and leaving millions of people marooned. The remoteness of the places that got affected, the notion

“India’s Place in the Sun Would Come from the Partnership Between Wisdom of its Rural People and Skill of its Professionals" - Dr. Verghese Kurie Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 7 January 2013 of floods being a very regular and very harmless event, defined a generation of Indian cricket - Rahul Dravid, and the general working style of the media ensured Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar. that the news of the disaster was slow to come. Every death and every retirement filled our hearts with This was soon followed by communal disharmony. We nostalgia. Each of these were dreamers who poured @ Sankalp, being a disaster mitigation and their heart and souls in what they did. You will be management group, decided to act. By the time, we, missed. situated 3000 km away at Bangalore realized the gravity of the situation and decided to act - the worst A different kind of protest wave of floods was over - but the suffering was not. Project Prayas: Relief for the Flood Affected Assam was initiated on 11th July 2012.

The next 11 days saw the implementation of the largest ever relief mission undertaken by us in terms of the number of families supported. With two field teams and round the clock support of Control Centre at Bangalore, we were able to organize for 1147 sheets of tarpaulin for the victims of the massive floods at Majuli (District Jorhat - The largest river island in the world) which was almost completely submerged by the floods. On the other hand the team came face to face with a fresh wave of flood at Sootea in the Sonitpur district providing another 800 sheets of tarpaulin there. A total of 31 villages were reached, mostly by boats reaching out to 1947 families - providing them what they and the local administration told us was needed The year marked deep unrest among the youth. From the most - sheets of tarpaulin. the Janlokpal movement to the protests against rape - Indian urban youth seems to exploiting its true potential. This phase of Indian history can cause deep The deaths and the retirements impact like the freedom struggle, the JP movement once did – and thereby infuse new blood in the veins of Indian politics, Indian bureaucracy. There are people on streets who will change – who will choose to act – the biggest impact of the protest and the rage will be on themselves. From a demanding member of the society whose intellect was being used to raise the voice, they will become a contributing member of the society – whose inner unrest will shape into constructive good work.

While the youth has stood up against the problems the nation has faced, we, the volunteers @ Sankalp chose to work harder for the cause we stood for. We decided to shed all inhibitions and do what it takes to become the ultimate realization machine. All the anger against crime and corruption came out in the form of getting 2012 witnessed the sad demise of some of the most one more work done. We spent an extra hour at the loved Indians. This included Verghese Kurien - father Thalassemia day care trying to make it better. Result - of the white revolution; Pt. Ravi Shankar - the man who the number of patients increased from 60 to 180. We gave Indian ragas to the world; A K Hangal - a freedom organized one more camp trying to improve the blood fighter, a lifelong humanitarian and an actor, Rajesh situation of Karnataka. Result 7744 units got collected Khanna - the first and original superstar of Indian in Bangalore alone. We tried to look into each other's cinema; Sunil Gangopadhyay - noted Bengali eyes and see two revolutionaries face to face. littérateur and Sahitya Akademi president; Jaspal Bhatti - the King of India satirical comedy; and Yash 2012 marked a year when a nation tried to rejuvenate Chopra - the famous Bollywood director. itself. Sankalp too, 10 years young - tried to reinvent itself to blend better into the spirit of life. 2012 also witnessed the retirement of three men who We are still trying. " Remember that the greatest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong." - Netaji Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 8 January 2013 umbrella - the bombaybloodgroup.org, things are set Fighting the Bombay Blood group for change. As of date, a huge number of Bombay blood requests from all across the country are getting crisis handled.

Recently, the Karnataka State Drugs Control Department launched a website where people searching for blood can access the stocks details of blood banks. This site too includes a separate column for Bombay Blood Group. Blood Banks have updated Bombay group stocks here which were utilized properly. Looking forward The nation is progressing, and so is Sankalp. As we knock the doors of 2013, we know we have come a long way since we were a college group to become an organization with national level visibility. But we do realize that we have long road ahead. Every nation, A few years earlier, Bombay blood group was lesser organization, and individual needs to rejuvenate, known - even in the most active donors and the blood rethink and forge its road ahead - especially during its banking community. 2012 marked stark progress in darkest hours. We wish everyone the strength and this area. With more than 50 BBG blood requests conviction to make 2013 the year of action and not just handled over the year and blood banking community complaints. Let's pull our socks - and jump! and Bombay group donors brought under one single

Let's do something this time Something meaningful!

No Celebration.. but commemoration

To mark the day - to remind ourselves To remind those who would forget the most.

Free we are.. free to make of ourselves Whatever we want! And we must!

Do something this day that brings peace to you And meaning to someone who is loosing faith

"One individual may die for an idea; but that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives. That is how the wheel of evolution moves on and the ideas and dreams of one nation are bequeathed to the next." - Netaji Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 9 January 2013 Remembering Netaji

23 January 1897 was the day when Netaji was that is the noblest that the human mind can conceive born. That was the day when courage, patriotism, of. For the fulfillment of such a mission no sacrifice is too great, not even the sacrifice of one's life. You are sacrifice, hope was born for our country. Here are today the custodians of India's national honor and the some excerpts from his speeches. Saluting our Netaji embodiment of India's hopes and aspirations. So Subhash Chandra Bose on his birthday. conduct yourself that your countrymen may bless you and posterity may be proud of you. I have said that today is the proudest day of my life. For enslaved people, there can be no greater pride, no TO DELHI , TO DELHI higher honor, than to be the first soldier in the army of Speech at a military review of the INA July 5, 1943 liberation. But this honor carries with it a corresponding responsibility and I am deeply conscious of it. I assure When France declared war on Germany in 1939 and you that I shall be with you in darkness and in sunshine, the campaign began, there was but one cry which rose in sorrow and in joy, in from the lips of German suffering and in victory. For soldiers--"To Paris, To the present, I can offer you Paris!" When the Brave nothing except hunger, soldiers of Nippon set thirst, privation, forced out on their march in marches and death. But if December 1941 there you follow me in life and in was but one cry which death, as I am confident you rose from their lips-"To will, I shall lead you to S i n g a p o r e . T o victory and freedom. It does S i n g a p o r e ! " not matter who among us Comrades! Soldiers! will live to see India free. It is Let your battle-cry be- enough that India shall be "To- Delhi to Delhi! free and that we shall give “How many of us will our all to make her free. individually survive this May God now bless our war of freedom, I do not Army and grant us victory in know. But I do know the coming fight ! Inqualab this, that we shall Zindabad ! Azad Hind ultimately win and our Zindabad ! task will not end until our surviving heroes hold the victory parade on another graveyard of the British empire, the Lal Kila or Red Fortress of ancient Delhi... Give me blood and I shall give you ... As soldiers, you will always have to cherish and live freedom! up to the three-ideals of faithfulness, duty and sacrifice. At a rally of Proud Indians in Burma Soldiers who always remain faithful to their nation, who July 4, 1944 are always prepared to sacrifice their lives, are invincible. If you, too, want to be invincible, engrave ...It will be a fatal mistake for you to wish to live and see these three ideals in the innermost core of your hearts. India free simply because victory is now within reach. A true soldier needs both military and spiritual training. No one here should have the desire to live to enjoy You must, all of you, so train yourselves and your freedom. A long fight is still in front of us. comrades that every soldier will have unbounded confidence in himself, will be conscious of being We should have but one desire today- the desire to die immensely superior to the enemy, will be fearless of so that India may live- the desire to face a martyr's death, and will have sufficient initiative to act on his death, so that the path to freedom may be paved with own in any critical situation should the need arise. the martyr's blood Friend's! my comrades in the War of During the course of the present war, you have seen Liberation! Today I demand of you one with your own eyes what wonders scientific training, thing, above all. I demand of you blood. It is blood alone coupled with courage, fearlessness and dynamism, that can avenge the blood that the enemy has spilt. It is can achieve... blood alone that can pay the price of freedom.

...Comrades ! You have voluntarily accepted a mission Give me blood and I shall give you freedom!... The best things in life, aren’t things Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 10 January 2013 Blood Shortage in December December end was a period of acute shortage of The good thing about the people associated with blood. Please read to know how a lot of people got Sankalp is that in the hour of need each one chips in with their little bit. It makes fighting with the biggest together and contributed to ensure that the children difficulties so much more easier. We propagated the suffering from thalassemia did not have to face this message among our friends and well wishers and thus shortage. started the process of daily donation.

It was the Christmas Day when I went to the Every day, one or the other volunteer would sit down to Thalassemia Day Care Centre with the intent of getting call some more donors. Their donations were the new Day Care Incharge getting started with her scheduled and the volunteers ensured that the donors work. We were there on a holiday because there were were kept as comfortable as possible even as several too few patients expected. When I sat down to explain of them chose to spend their evenings in hospitals the intricacies of thalassemia management to her, I got when their folks wanted them to join the party. Some a call from one of the volunteers explaining that we people sent mails to people they knew. One donor need to be calling blood while donation blood called a donors. Since 15th few of his friends and December, there were eventually there were 7 too few blood donation donations. Some people spoke camps in the city and the to their colleagues in office. shelves were dry. In such Some of them called friends scenario, with more than who had fallen out of touch and 60 units of blood required called them to meet - at the each week for the kids blood bank. They discussed life coming to the day care and living while donating blood. we had a desperate Drop by drop the blood kept situation. We could have coming into the blood bank and asked the kids to come the wheel of life kept turning. for the transfusions in January. However, if that While the donors played their was the case, then what role, the blood banks (IGICH, was the need for us to NIMHANS and Rashtrottthana) intervene in the first did exemplary service. They p l a c e ? S a n k a l p worked night and day to ensure participated in the day that the children coming next care center at IGICH to day got blood on time. that the gaps in the delivery of healthcare - to It is not particularly a proud e n s u r e t h a t t h e s e situation for us not to have children never had to blood off the shelves coming suffer because of blood. from voluntary blood donation Beside this side of things, drives. More camps need to be d e l a y i n g b l o o d organised when the need is transfusion has an adverse impact on the child's body. acute. Better planning and more effort should have It accelerates the process of deposition of iron in the gone in to ensure that there was no shortage in the first organs which eventually becomes the cause of death place. However, all said and done, one the situation for most individuals with thalassemia. was there confronting us - the donors, blood bankers and volunteers got together and worked - shoulder to Therefore blood had to be arranged - anyhow! We shoulder. What better New Year Gift for the little started calling the donors on the database. One call children. after the other eventually we must have called more than 30 individuals. Some responded. 2 of them came Thank you everyone who saved the day! in to donate that day. After 6 hours of calling donors and managing donors alone, while on the way back home, the only question on my mind was what next!

"The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, But because of the silence of good people!"- Napoleon Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 11 January 2013 Events in December 2012 Here is how the month of December went about in Sankalp.

Contrasting from the previous month, the month of December saw the city of Bangalore in specific and most blood banks across Karnataka in general suffer from extreme shortage of blood. In general, students were busy with exams and the corporates were busy with the year end. There were very few camps and the shelves dried up quickly. The emphasis was to organise as many drives as possible. However, we must admit that we were not able to organise as many drives as were required.

APPLIED MATERIALS motivate people to join this cause. 50 units were 4th Dec: Applied Materials has always supported us in collected from the company of 150 employees which is blood donation drives at ITPL. This time though, an an amazing turnout. ITPL camp was not possible due to unavailability of space. Applied Materials continued their support by VANGUARD BUSINESS SCHOOL orgaizing a blood donation camp in their campus. 15th Dec: Vanguard Business School organized a Donors were motivated and came in good numbers. blood donation drive for the first time on 15th 129 units were collected in the camp. December. The total strength of college is about 120 people including faculty. Even with such a small ITPL strength, 47 students turned up for donation which 5-6th Dec: Due to unavailability of space in ITPL main shows their high level of enthusiasm and motivation. campus, a blood donation drive was organized in Prak Due to many rejections in the camp mostly on the Square Mall near ITPL. It was a 2 day event and a medical grounds, we collected 31 units of blood. public camp. Being organized in mall, we couldn't get a high inflow of donors. Still with good publicity and LUCENT brochure distribution, we collected 163 units of blood in 19-20th Dec: Eleventh blood camp was organized in 2 days. Lucent on 19th-20th December. 92 units were collected in the well organized camp.A series of drives CAPGEMINI happened in Capgemini on 15th, 16th, 29th and 30th 7th Dec: Capgemini organized a camp in Ecospace November. A total of 335 units were collected in the campus on 7th December. Due to the last minute drives. The company has moved from one location to change in plans, the camp had to be closed early and the other and there is a lot of work still in progress to get we collected 45 units of blood. the facilities in top shape. However, even in such conditions, the organisation did not want to disturb it's INTEVA rich tradition of tri-annual blood drives. With smaller 12th Dec: First blood donation drive was conducted in locations with very little space and hard timing Inteva Products India Autommotive Pvt Ltd. Being constraints too, the enthusiasm and the participation of organized on 12-12-12, people were really excited and the associates was commendable. keen to donate blood! Also an awareness session was conducted in the company which certainly helped to

Being born a human being also go on to being human.. Donate Blood Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 12 January 2013 Indo-Pak War 1971 Ye khoon se lathpath kaaya, Bangladesh by Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. West Pakistan in response ordered a military phir bhi bandook utha ke action to restore authority. The subsequent civil war Ek-ek ne dus ko maara, saw more than 10 million refugees fleeing to India. So, India decided to provide aid and support to the phir gir gaye hosh gawa ke Bangladeshi Mukti Vahini. Jab ant samay aaya to, keh gaye ki hum chalte hain By November, the war had become inevitable. India started building up of forces in the east front. Pakistan Khush rehna desh ke pyaron, declared emergency and asked its countrymen to be ab hum to safar karte hain! prepared for war. On 3rd December, Pakistan air force The Indo-Pak war was fought in December 1971. Also, launched a pre-emptive strike against India on the known as Bangladesh Liberation War, the war began western front. 11 air bases were attacked including on 26 March 1971 between East and West Pakistan. Agra. India responded with declaration of war and India intervened on 3rd December 1971 after counter air-attacks on the same night. This began the Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan’s pre-emptive official Indo-Pak war of 1971. strike on 11 Indian airbases. In just 13 days, the war The War: This war was fought for 13 days and resulted was over with decisive Indian victory and formation of in decisive Indian victory on all the fronts. The end goal Bangladesh. More o f f r e e d o m o f than 93000 Pakistani Bangladesh was soldiers including achieved with ease. p a r a m i l i t a r y The war saw a major surrendered making use of air force and it the biggest ever navy. Indian Navy surrender of armed attacked Karachi port forces post World and destroyed it in War-II. Operation Trident. Pakistan lost more Events Leading to than a third of its War: Before 1971, n a v a l f o r c e s Pakistan comprised i n c l u d i n g t h e t w o d i f f e r e n t d e s t r o y e r P N S geographical and K h y b e r. O n t h e cultural areas east eastern front, led by and west of India. V i c e A d m i r a l T h o u g h E a s t Krishnan, Indian Pakistan was more navy completely populous the West Pakistan dominated the country isolated Pakistan by making a blockade in the Bay of politically and received more funds. On 25 March West Bengal. INS Vikrant was deployed to provide air Pakistani forces brutally supressed the civilian leaders support by using its Sea Hawks bombers. Pakistan who were rising against the atrocities. This led to the tried to counter INS Vikrant by INS Ghazi, which sank declaration of East Pakistan as an independent state of mysteriously. Though Indian navy had a victory on both

“Quartered in snow, silent to remain. When the bugle calls, they shall rise and march again.”- Siachin basecamp Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 13 January 2013 the fronts, a major loss was the INS Khukri which was saw the largest disproportionate one sided tank sank by PNS Hangor on December 9. United States causalities since World War II. On the eastern front, came to rescue Pakistan by deploying USS Enterprise Indian forces joined the Mukti Vahini of Bangladesh to in Arabian Sea. This however was trailed by nuclear form Mitra Vahini (Friendly Army). Unlike the 1965 war submarine from Soviet Union which helped to ward off which had emphasised set-piece battles and slow any threat by USS Enterprise. advances, this time the strategy adopted was a swift, three-pronged assault of nine infantry divisions with India also established air superiority on both the fronts. attached armoured units and close air support that Right from the night of initial air strike by PAF, IAF rapidly converged on Dhaka, the capital of East launched a series of attacks on West Pakistan with the Pakistan. aim to restrict their movement. On the eastern front, Dacca (now Dhaka) airfield was destroyed and made The war ended with the surrender of Pakistan on 16th out of commission. Pakistan was forced to look for December and formation of Bangladesh. More than foreign aid which included air crafts being supplied 90000 Pakistani soldiers and civilians were taken from Jordan and Libya. US also asked Iran to supply Prisoners of War; the biggest ever surrender post aircrafts to Pakistan. However, even after foreign aid to World War II. Pakistan lost more than half of its enemy, IAF continued its air strikes in West Pakistan till population, half of its navy and one-third of air force and December 17 and helped to gain more than 14000 km2 army in the war. Before leaving the country however, land of West Pakistan which was later returned as Pakistani forces slaughtered many Bengali Hindu goodwill. civilians. The total civilian toll is between 300,000 to 3 million based on different estimates. War Heroes More than 1400 Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives in the war. After the war a total of 41 battle honours and 4 theatre honours were awarded to India. 4 soldiers were awarded Param Veer Chakra for extreme courage and self-sacrifice shown during the war, including Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was just 21!

Lance Naik Albert Ekka Albert Ekka was born on 27 December 1942, in Jari village of Chainpur tehsil of Ranchi district (now Gumla district) in the Indian state of Bihar (now Jharkhand). His As with any other war, major action took place on father's name was Julius ground. On the Western front, Indian forces were Ekka. On 27 December attacked by Pakistan. One of the major battles on this 1962, at the age of 20, Albert front was the Battle of Longevala where a full Pakistani was enrolled in the 14 regiment along with mobile infantry and an armoured Guards of the Indian army. tank division lost against an Indian company of just 120 men led by Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri. This battle On the very first day of war, was one of the decisive points in the war. This battle 14 Guards was given the task to capture a Pakistani position at Gangasagar, near Akhaura, on the border between Tripura and East Pakistan. This was a well- fortified position held in strength by the enemy. The troops were subjected to intense shelling and heavy small-arms fire. Lance Naik Albert Ekka noticed enemy light machine-gun (LMG) inflicting heavy casualties on his company. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he charged the enemy bunker and bayoneted two enemy soldiers. Though seriously wounded in this encounter, he continued to fight, clearing bunker after bunker with undaunted courage. An MMG opened fire from the Northern end of post. Once again, without a thought for his personal safety, despite his serious "Martyrdom does not end something, it only a beginning." - Indira Gandhi Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 14 January 2013 injury and the heavy volume of enemy fire, he crawled Arun Khetarpal was born in Pune, Maharashtra on 14 forward till he reached the building and lobbed a October 1950. His father grenade into the bunker. With outstanding courage and Brigadier M. L. Khetarpal determination Lance Naik Albert Ekka scaled a side was serving in the Indian wall and entering the bunker, bayoneted the enemy Army and his family traced a soldier who was still firing. In this process however, he long history of service. received serious injuries and succumbed to them after K h e t a r p a l j o i n e d t h e the capture of the objective. National Defence Academy in 1967. He subsequently In this action, Lance Naik Albert Ekka displayed the went on to join the Indian most conspicuous valour and determination and made Military Academy. In June the supreme sacrifice in the best traditions of the Army. 1 9 7 1 , K h e t a r p a l w a s commissioned to the 17 Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon Poona Horse. Nirmal Jit Sekhon, a jat Sikh, was born on July 17, 1943 in the village of Isewal Dakha On 16 December 1971, the Squadron Commander of in Ludhiana District, Punjab. ‘B’ Squadron, the Poona Horse asked for He was the son of Warrant reinforcement as the Pakistani Armour which was O f f i c e r H o n . F l i g h t superior in strength, counter attacked at Jarpal, in the Lieutenant Tarlochan Singh Shakargarh Sector. On hearing this, Second S e k h o n . H e w a s Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal moved along with his troop, commissioned into the to assist the other squadron. En route, while crossing Indian Air Force on June 4, the Basantar River, Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal 1967 as a Flying Officer. and his troop came under fire from enemy strong points and RCL gun nests that were still holding out. During the Indo-Pakistani Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal started attacking the War of 1971, he was impending enemy strong points by literally charging assigned to the No. 18 them, overrunning the defence works with his tanks Squadron, "The Flying Bullets", flying the Folland Gnat and capturing the enemy infantry and weapon crew at fighter aircraft based at Srinagar. On 14 December pistol point. In commander of his troop was killed. 1971, Srinagar airfield was attacked by six Pakistan Air Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal continued to attack Force F-86 jets. Flying Officer Sekhon was on relentlessly until all enemy opposition was overcome readiness duty at that time. However, he could not take and he broke through towards the ‘B’ Squadron off at once because of the clouds of dust raised by position, just in time to see the enemy tanks pulling another aircraft which had just taken off. By the time the back. He started chasing the withdrawing tanks and runway was fit for take-off, no fewer than six enemy even managed to shoot and destroy one. Soon aircraft were overhead, and strafing of the airfield was thereafter, the enemy reformed with a squadron of in progress. In spite of the mortal danger of attempting armour for a second attack and this time they selected to take off during an attack, Flying Officer Sekhon took the sector held by Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal. off and immediately engaged a pair of the attacking A fierce tank fight ensured ten enemy tanks were hit Sabres. In the fight that followed, at tree top height, he and destroyed and Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal all but held his own. He was eventually overcome by was severely wounded. He was asked to abandon his sheer weight of numbers. His aircraft crashed and he tank but he realised that the enemy was continuing to was killed. In thus, sacrificing himself for the defence of advance in his sector and if he abandoned his tank, the Srinagar, Flying Officer Sekhon achieved his object, for enemy would break through. He gallantly fought on the enemy aircraft fled from the scene of the battle and destroyed another enemy tank. At this stage his without pressing home their attack against the town tank received a second hit which resulted in the death and the airfield. of this gallant officer.

Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon is remembered for his The bravery of Khetarpal is deeply embedded in the gallantry and statues of him have also been erected in ethos of the army and is evident from the numerous many cities in Punjab. A marine tanker built in 1985 was buildings named after him at IMA and NDA, higher than named Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC. any other officer of the Indian Army. The IMA has its He is the only personnel from Indian Air Force to be auditorium named Khetarpal and the all passing out awarded Param Veer Chakra. officers take oath in front of this building. The IMA also has one of the main entrance gate named Second Lieutenant Arun Khetapal Khetarpal.The main ground at NDA is named Arun Khetrapal's final words over the radio to a superior officer who had ordered him to abandon his burning tank were, "No Sir, I will not abandon my tank. My gun is still working and I will get these bastards." Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 15 January 2013 Khetarpal Ground. The tank of Arun Khetarpal was of the heavy shelling and tank fire went from trench to called Famagusta Jx 202. It was restored after the war trench, motivating his command and encouraging his and is kept in the Armoured Corps Centre and School men to stand fast and fight. Inspired by his courage and Ahmednagar. dauntless leadership, his company repulsed all the attacks inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy. Again, His bravery was even praised by Maj (Rtd) A. H. Amin, on 17 December 1971 the enemy made another attack Pakistan Armoured Corps and Brigadier Khawja with a battalion supported by heavy artillery fire. Mohammad Naser, 13 Lancers, Pakistan, the man Though seriously wounded by enemy shelling, Major responsible for his death! Hoshiar Singh again went from trench to trench moving Colonel Hoshiyar Singh about in the open with utter disregard to his personal Colonel Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, was born in Sisana safety when an enemy shell landed near the medium village, Sonipat district, machine gun post injuring the crew and rendering it Haryana to Choudhary Hira inoperative. Major Hoshiar Singh, realizing the Singh on 5 May 1937. He importance of machine-gun fire, immediately rushed to was commissioned in The the machine-gun pit and though seriously wounded Grenadiers Regiment of the himself, manned the gun inflicting heavy casualties on Indian Army on 30 June the enemy. The attack was successfully repulsed and 1963. Before the 1971 war, the enemy retreated leaving behind 85 dead including he also saw action in 1965 their Commanding Officer and three other officers. Indo-Pak war. Though seriously wounded, Major Hoshiar Singh refused to be evacuated till the ceasefire. On 15 December 1971 a battalion of the Grenadiers was given the task of establishing a bridgehead across the Basantar River in the Shakargarh Sector. Major Hoshiar Singh was commanding the left forward company and was ordered to capture the well- fortified enemy locality of Jarpal. During the assault, his company came under intense shelling and effective crossfire from enemy medium machine guns. Undeterred, he led the charge and captured the objective after a fierce hand-to hand fight. The enemy reacted and put in three counterattacks on 16 December 1971, two of them supported by armour, Major Hoshiar Singh unmindful BUILD YOUR BOND WITH THE PATRIKA! Participate If you are wondering how Sankalp Patrika’s operation is funded? This magazine is printed from the contribution of the volunteers of Sankalp India Foundation. Your participation and support is vital to keep this newsletter going. If you wish to contribute towards the publication of this newspaper, please contact the publisher at 9880132850/[email protected]. Contribute We invite you to contribute your articles and stories for printing in Sankalp Patrika. You can mail the digital copy of your article to [email protected] or send them by post to the office of the publisher. Subscribe Are you interested in receiving a copy of Sankalp Patrika regularly? Please write to the publisher or sms/mail us your name and address to 9880132850/[email protected].

"I am thankful to all those who said NO to me It's because of them I did it myself." - Einstein. Sankalp Patrika Volume 3 Issue 1 Page 16 January 2013 Capgemini: The Real Stuff 2 9 8 5 3 / There were no camps organized in the city from the mid 0

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