From Sindh to Katra
Sir,
A large group of
pilgrims from Sindh in Pakistan have visited the
cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Katra. These
pilgrims numbering about fifty two are the
largest group of Hindus to have visited the cave
Shrine so far.
The attraction
towards the Goddess made these people to visit
the holy shrine although they are more than two
thousand miles away in Pakistan. The devotion of
these people was something quite remarkable. They
themselves said that they did not believe their
eyes when they landed in Katra. We know that what
are the conditions for minorities in Pakistan.
They are being subject to a treatment that is not
in conformity with the international standards.
Despite the fact there are some important Hindu
Shrines in Pakistan like Hingula Devi, Katas Raj
Multan, and Sharda in Pak occupied Kashmir. But
these pilgrim sights have not been developed as
they should have been.
Even the
pilgrimage to Sharda which is considered a Chief
Shrine of the Hindus has not been thrown open to
pilgrims from this State leave aside of the
country. We have to impress upon the Government
in Pak Occupied Kashmir and Pakistan to throw
open the sacred places and pilgrim centre in
Pakistan so that visitors visit these shrines.
However the
pilgrim guests from Pakistan were accorded all
the facilities here. We hope that more and more
people from Pakistan came to visit shrines in
India. This way the bonds between the two nations
will be strengthened.
Yours etc...
Rohit Sharma
Sainik Colony
Jammu
A puff that kills or
heals
Sir,
A write up titled,
"A puff that kills'' published in this paper
(Feb 24) made an interesting and useful reading.
King James-I of
the 17th Century England declared smoking ''A
vile custom'' and called tobacco,'' A stinking
weed'', though millions of tons of this weed were
imported from Virginia into Europe. The author
Ms. Aarti has quoted data to show that smoking
could possibly shorten ones life time by a few
years. That is partly acceptable and partly
debateable. We have Winston Churchil dying with a
cigar in his nineties; Fidel Castro and numerous
luminaries ripened with age.
While in the US, I
have seen more young and adult women smoking
compared to lesser number of menfolk. Reason :
Failure in married life, workplaces and uncertain
future. That is one side of the story; the other
side is 'notorious' but useful Nicotine present
in tobacco. Readers will be amazed to know that
the recent research conducted at the Duke
University in North Carolina, have proved
nicotine to be an effective treatment for
Parkinson's disease and a powerful Alzeimers
prevention aid.
While an average
cigratte contains between 8-20 mg of nicotine,
hardly 1 mg of that is actually absorbed in to
the system through lungs within 10-15 seconds. To
start with, nicotine gives a quick burst of
energy by a rapid release of Adrenaline that
increases heart rate, blood pressure and
breathing rate. Different people metabolize
nicotine at different rates.
Why is nicotine so
addictive? Once reaching the brain, nicotine
binds to a neurotransmitter called
acetylcholines. It 'tells' the brain to do two
important things. It prompts the release of
dopamine, another neuro-transmitter that brings
on happy, pleasant feelings. It also influences
the release of glutamate, another
neurotransmitter associated with learning and
memory. When you smoke, glutamate can create a
memory loop that reinforce the good feelings you
get from smoking.
In the year 2000,
researchers at the university of Chicago found
that since nicotine increases levels of dopamine
in the brain, smoking gives many psychiatric
patients temporary relief from the frequency and
severity of schizophrenic hallucinations. A 1996
study published by the American Chemical Society
showed that smokers were statistically less
likely to develop Alzheimers by stopping the
early development of plaque-like structures in
brain. Nicotine actually helped Alzheimers
sufferers to remember more of their pasts and
ability to form new memories.
Yours etc...
Dr. T K Munshi,
287/3, Channi Himmat Colony
Jammu
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