Latest news with #AbhijitPathak
India Today
11-07-2025
- Health
- India Today
NIT Rourkela study reveals health toll on parents of children with disabilities
A recent study by researchers at NIT Rourkela has brought attention to a pressing issue that often goes unnoticed, how raising children with developmental disabilities takes a serious toll on the physical and emotional well-being of parents, especially by Dr Ramakrishna Biswal, Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, along with senior research scholar Abhijit Pathak, the study explores how continuous caregiving can cause exhaustion, health problems, and emotional work was published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development. Surveying over 400 parents of children with autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and multiple disabilities, the research found that the daily caregiving demands often lead to chronic headaches, fatigue, pain, ulcers, and a feeling of being emotionally worn impact on physical health, the study shows, is not just a result of stress, it can also make stress harder to manage, creating a feedback loop that further weakens a caregiver's capacity. STUDY URGES CAREGIVER SUPPORT FOR BETTER CHILD DISABILITY The researchers used the biopsychosocial model, which looks at how health is shaped by physical, psychological, and social forces together, not in findings reveal that while physical health is a key factor, financial pressures and social isolation also play major roles. Many parents, especially in India, struggle with stigma, lack of awareness, and minimal access to support on the findings, Dr Biswal said: 'Disability rights are increasingly recognised, but caregivers remain overlooked. Raising such children is not just a parental duty, it's a shared responsibility of the entire community.'The team recommends including caregiver health checks and stress support within paediatric disability services. They also suggest setting up community-based centres where families can access medical, mental, and financial help in one its heart, the study sends a clear message: when caregivers are supported, children thrive. Without that, families are left to cope alone, and too often, they do so in silence.- Ends
India Today
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Watch: Nottoway Plantation fire unearths deep pain over enslavement of Africans
A fire engulfed the historic Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, Louisiana on May 15, 2025, leaving behind only ashes and a storm of public reaction. The mansion, built in 1859 by sugar planter John Hampden Randolph with the forced labor of enslaved Africans, was the largest remaining antebellum house in the American South. At over 53,000 square feet, it had long stood as both a historic site and a lightning rod for controversy over its romanticized portrayal of slavery-era wealth.A devastating fire destroyed the Louisiana's historic Nottoway Resort, the largest antebellum mansion in the South, officials confirmed Friday.#Nottowayplantation #Louisiana Abhijit Pathak (@aajtakabhijit) May 16, 2025advertisementAs flames consumed the towering white pillars and grand verandas—once used to host weddings and luxury events—video footage quickly spread across social media and news platforms. For some, the destruction was a loss of architectural heritage. For many others, particularly Black Americans, it represented long-overdue justice and a symbolic end to a legacy of and celebratory posts flooded the internet. One clip of the fire set to Usher's 'Let It Burn' went viral, while others added ASMR-style sound design to the crackling wood. In a widely shared post, historian Mia Crawford-Johnson shared a grinning selfie from across the river, writing, 'Went and watched Nottoway Plantation burn to the ground!'While fire officials confirmed the blaze was likely caused by an electrical fault and found no signs of arson, the emotional impact ignited intense debate. advertisementPreservationists mourned the loss, citing the skill of the enslaved craftspeople whose work had been erased in the fire. But critics pointed to how the plantation had for years downplayed its brutal origins, often omitting or sugarcoating the experiences of those who were enslaved Andrea Livesey, a historian who visited Nottoway in 2019, noted that the site's museum offered just a single placard on slavery, one that disturbingly claimed enslaved people were 'treated well for the time.' As of this writing, the plantation's official website makes no mention of either its enslaved history or the fire that destroyed many, the fall of Nottoway was more than the loss of a building — it was a inputs from Associated Press
