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Mint
21 hours ago
- Health
- Mint
Learning to ride a bicycle as an adult
Gift this article "This is what we call the death grip," Parag Patankar, the volunteer guiding me, said, not unkindly. He was right. Unconsciously, my arms had become ramrod stiff and I was holding the bicycle handlebars tightly, as if for dear life. My feet were firmly planted on the ground but I was a bundle of nerves as I sat astride the bicycle and viewed the gentle slope I was to go down with trepidation. "This is what we call the death grip," Parag Patankar, the volunteer guiding me, said, not unkindly. He was right. Unconsciously, my arms had become ramrod stiff and I was holding the bicycle handlebars tightly, as if for dear life. My feet were firmly planted on the ground but I was a bundle of nerves as I sat astride the bicycle and viewed the gentle slope I was to go down with trepidation. When other people turn 40, they set glamorous targets like running a marathon or going on an arduous trek. I decided to learn to ride a bicycle—child's play for those who know it but no less intimidating than summiting a mountain for adults like me who don't. Unlike driving, formalised avenues for adults to learn cycling are not aplenty. Online searches led me to Bangalore Bicycling School (BBS), a completely volunteer-led effort to teach adults how to cycle for free. It was an initiative which, I learnt later, was completing a decade this year. I messaged the phone number mentioned on the Facebook page, filled up a Google form and showed up at 8am on a Sunday at the designated spot in Bengaluru's Cubbon Park. That phone number belonged to Dr Ali Poonawala, a 68-year-old urologist and one of the moving spirits behind BBS. The wiry doctor will invariably be at Cubbon Park on Sunday mornings, as he has been for the last 10 years, guiding both the adults and children. Also read: Finding the music that you love BBS, he says, came about somewhat organically, a culmination of multiple factors. One was the 'Cycle Day" organised by Karnataka government's Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) around 2012-13, where a street would be cordoned off for cycling and other street activities. There, Dr Poonawala and a few fellow cycling enthusiasts noticed that there were adults who wanted to cycle but had never learnt. Around the same time, DULT also facilitated free cycle rentals in Cubbon Park to promote the activity. BBS kicked off lessons with those cycles. In those early days there would be the occasional Sunday when it would be just Dr Poonawala, the bicycles and a couple of banners donated by DULT. But he persisted. Dr Poonawala's resolve to teach adults was strengthened by something he had noticed while on holiday in Kodaikanal, where families would rent cycles near the lake. 'The father and children would go off on cycles, while the mother would be left behind. I would feel upset because that's not how it should be—everyone should be cycling together." What he had seen was yet another reflection of the gender gap in cycling in India. According to Census 2011, only 4.7% women used bicycles to commute compared to 21.7% men, among the working population. Another analysis of cycling internationally found that on average, 'females were one-tenth as likely to cycle compared to males in Indian cities". The learner demographic at BBS also bears this out. Patankar, the instructor I first met and a regular volunteer, estimates that 80-90% of students are women. 'We've tried asking why. What we've seen is, some women just did not get the chance to learn when they were young—perhaps no one in the family thought it was important to teach them. If they had male siblings, the boys went out and learnt from their friends," says Patankar who, in true Bengaluru tradition, is also the co-founder of a software product firm. Other volunteers include professionals spanning software, real estate and finance sectors. Reflecting on his comment later, I realised this was true for me, too—my brother learnt to cycle from his friends while I did not. Patankar broadly categorises the adult students into three. Those over 50 for whom learning to ride is typically a bucket list goal. Those aged 30-50, whose motivation may be fitness, for errands in the vicinity or to join family and friends who ride. And those below 30, who plan to graduate to a scooter. On his part, Dr Poonawala describes a typical learner as someone aged 35-40. 'She feels she's been left out, looks online and finds us." Again, me. Regardless of the category, Patankar says BBS provides a safe space. The need for this was again reinforced by Dr Poonawala's personal experience, when his wife, Dr Fatima, wanted to learn cycling over a decade ago. 'I felt I was missing out on a lot of fun because he loves cycling," says the 67-year-old who adds it took her several sessions, multiple trainers and cycles till that 'eureka moment" when she could do it on her own. Dr Poonawala jokes that husbands are the worst teachers but the experience, he says, taught him that adult learners need a safe, non-judgemental space. The group has developed training manuals and a teaching process that continues to evolve. The biggest hurdle for an adult learner, as I can personally aver, is the fear of falling. 'That fear grows as the person gets older," says Dr Poonawala. Unlike children, adults can also come with other inhibitions and, possibly, baggage involving previous attempts. I had mine. The last time I tried to learn, I accidentally bumped into a senior citizen, leaving both of us traumatised. It was only in my recent conversations that I found out that my then trainer, Anil Kadsur, was one of the founders of BBS who, unfortunately, died a year ago. It somehow felt right that I was trying again with something he had helped launch. Despite their inhibitions, learners keep turning up—including women in their 60s. On a phone call, Annapoorni (she requested that only her first name be used), who is now 74 and describes herself as a 'health freak", recalls feeling nervous on the way to her first lesson. Acquaintances who heard about her derring-do questioned why the then 66-year-old wanted to learn 'at this age". But within three-four sessions and despite a fall, she learnt to ride. 'I was over the moon," she says, the excitement in her voice palpable even eight years later. Other memorable alumni include a group of women working in garment factories, who were taught in an initiative with Greenpeace. However, Dr Poonawala regrets that there were no follow-ups on the non-profit's part about whether the women continue to ride. In general, tracking whether learners keep cycling has been a challenge. 'Of the thousands who have gone through BBS training, what fraction would be riding regularly? I struggle with this question," says Patankar, who estimates it would be a small share who cycle even once a month. Dr Poonawala says the lack of follow-up is a criticism levelled against them but adds that the volunteers have their limitations. With classes only on Sunday mornings, a cherished time, there is also a churn among trainers. Attempts to replicate the model in other parts of the city have typically not endured for longer than a year because of this. Currently, about three-four instructors come every Sunday from 8-10am, to assist 10-15 learners at various stages. Dr Poonawala and Patankar say they persist out of their passion for cycling and to 'increase their tribe". It helps that some alumni also volunteer. Among them is Aman Sabherwal, a 35-year-old finance professional. On a visit to Cubbon Park, she was convinced by Patankar to get on a bicycle for the first time since she was in an accident when she was six years old. Sabherwal says she volunteers whenever she can. 'That feeling of seeing others riding freely on their own and that smile on their faces makes me happy," she says. I know that smile. It's the same one I flashed towards the end of that first session when I found, to my utter surprise and elation, that I was finally riding a bicycle, all by myself. Indulekha Aravind is an independent journalist. She posts @indulekha_a. Also read: 'I Am on the Hit List': A deep dive into Gauri Lankesh's murder Topics You May Be Interested In
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Own-source income incentive scheme for low-population panchayats in U.P.
Small-population village panchayats in Uttar Pradesh will now receive government assistance equal to five times the revenue they generate on their own under a new incentive scheme aimed at strengthening financially weak rural bodies. The 'Own Resource Income-Based Panchayat Compensation and Incentive Scheme,' notified by the government, targets 12,087 gram panchayats with populations up to 1,500. These include 252 panchayats with fewer than 1,000 residents and 11,835 with populations between 1,001 and 1,500 as per the 2011 Census. Additional chief secretary, panchayati raj, Anil Kumar issued a GO (government order) introducing the scheme here early this week. The scheme is aimed at addressing the long-standing funding gap that hampers the functioning of smaller panchayats, which often struggle to meet routine expenses such as sanitation, drinking water, electricity, and maintenance of community assets. Population-based fund allocation leaves these panchayats with little support despite their critical role in grassroots governance. Many of these smaller panchayats, the GO points out, face a financial crunch due to increasing responsibilities at the village level. With the expansion of rural development activities and establishment of panchayat secretariats, they are now required to meet recurring expenses such as salaries of pradhans, panchayat assistants/accountants-cum-data entry operators, caretakers as well as pay electricity bills, like for stray cow shelters and panchayat secretariats etc. However, limited fund allocation based on population often falls short of meeting these obligations by small local rural bodies. Eligible panchayats under the new incentive-based scheme will be compensated based on verified own-source revenue (OSR) collected in the previous financial year from local resources like market stalls, ponds, waste collection, community halls, common service centres and other assets listed under Section 37 of the UP Panchayat Raj Act, 1947. They can collect revenue from local sources such as taxes, fees, fines and rents. District magistrates will certify these earnings. Funds under the scheme will be routed through the State Finance Commission and can only be used for approved development activities — not for honorariums or salaries. A dedicated digital portal will be developed to monitor panchayat income and disbursal, with 0.05% of the scheme's allocation set aside for its upkeep. As per the 2011 Census, out of over 57,,691 gram panchayats in the state, nearly 25% have populations below 1,500. These panchayats often get disproportionately lower funds compared to larger panchayats due to the 90:10 allocation ratio based on total and Scheduled Caste/Tribe populations respectively. The scheme will not only reward such panchayats but also promote transparency and accountability by mandating proper documentation of income sources through the OSMARO portal. Panchayats will have to upload records of income from markets, tourism-related receipts, community hall rentals, and other services. District-level committees led by the district magistrate will assess the eligibility of panchayats and recommend the amount of incentive to be awarded. The incentive could go up to five times the panchayat's own income deposited in the designated account. The GO mandates that all incentive amounts be used strictly as per the guidelines set by the state and central governments. 'Despite having functional secretariats and sanitation infrastructure, most gram panchayats lack mobility and operational resources. This scheme marks a shift towards rewarding self-reliance and incentivising rural bodies to build their own financial base,' a senior panchayati raj official said. The initiative, he pointed out, was in line with the spirit of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, which sought to empower panchayati raj institutions and decentralise development planning to the grassroots.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
"Learn to Code" Backfires Spectacularly as Comp-Sci Majors Suddenly Have Sky-High Unemployment
It looks like the "learn to code" push is backfiring spectacularly for those who bought in. As Newsweek reports, recent college graduates who majored in computer science are facing high unemployment rates alongside the increasing probability of being laid off or replaced by artificial intelligence if and when they do get hired. In its latest labor market report, the New York Federal Reserve found that recent CS grads are dealing with a whopping 6.1 precent unemployment rate. Those who majored in computer engineering — which is similar, if not more specialized — are faring even worse, with 7.5 percent of recent graduates remaining jobless. Comparatively, the New York Fed found, per 2023 Census data and employment statistics, that recent grads overall have only a 5.8 percent unemployment rate. While folks who majored in fields like anthropology and physics fared even worse, with unemployment rates of 9.4 and 7.8 percent respectively, computer engineering had the third-highest rate of unemployment on the New York Fed's rankings, while computer science had the seventh — a precipitous fall from grace for a major once considered an iron-clad ticket to high earnings and job security. (Those numbers, notably, are worse even than the outcomes for journalism grads. Despite being accurately advised that their chosen field is dying, recent grads who majored in journalism are only experiencing unemployment at a rate of 4.4 percent, per the NYFR's analysis.) Bryan Driscoll, an HR and business consultant, told the magazine that the pipe dream "sold" to CS majors doesn't match up to the reality of the current job market that still "rewards pedigree over potential." "We've overproduced degrees without addressing how exploitative and gatekept the tech hiring pipeline has become," Driscoll said. "Entry-level roles are vanishing, unpaid internships are still rampant, and companies are offshoring or automating the very jobs these grads trained for." By automating, of course, the consultant means being replaced with AI as part of the second apparent phase of the tech industry's latest crash following major layoffs in recent years. Michael Ryan, another of Newsweek's experts, suggested that recent CS grads are, somehow, doing a crappier job than their AI competition. "Every kid with a laptop thinks they're the next Zuckerberg," the finance guru behind told the magazine, "but most can't debug their way out of a paper bag." "We created a gold rush mentality around coding right as the gold ran out," Ryan continued, referencing the "learn to code" craze of the late 2010s and early 2020s. "Companies are cutting engineering budgets by 40 percent while CS enrollment hits record highs. It's basic economics. Flood the market, crater the wages." Where do they go from here? Aside from going back to school for something more lucrative, they could take the suggestion from one laid-off tech veteran, who last year told SFGATE that she had started selling her blood plasma to make ends meet. More on post-grad struggles: Berkeley Coding Professor Says Even Grads With 4.0 GPA Can't Find Jobs
The Hindu
2 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Kerala's delimitation commission publishes draft notification on ward restructuring in block panchayats
The State Delimitation Commission has published the draft notification on ward delimitation in the 152 block panchayats in Kerala. This exercise forms part of the second phase of the ward delimitation in local bodies in the State. Complaints and opinions regarding the draft will be accepted till June 7. The notification contains the list of grama panchayat wards within a block, the population and maps. The draft can be accessed at the local self-government institutions, district collectorates and on the websites and The Local Self-Government department had published a notification revising the number of wards in the block panchayats on the basis of the 2011 Census. The reservation wards for women, and the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe categories also had been revised as per the notification. As per this decision, 187 new wards are being added to the blocks taking their number from 2080 to 2267. Complaints should be submitted to the commission secretary or the District Collector either in person or through registered post. Copies of documents, if any, accompanying the complaints should be self-attested.
The Journal
2 days ago
- Health
- The Journal
Do you smoke tobacco?
TODAY IS WORLD No Tobacco Day, when people are reminded of the dangers associated with the habit and smokers are encouraged to quit. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 'This yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.' Advertisement The 2022 Census included a question about smoking for the first time. It found that fewer than one in 10 people smoked daily and 4% of the population smoked occasionally. So, today we want to know: Do you smoke tobacco? Poll Results: No, never (69) I used to but I quit (65) Yes, daily (23) Only occasionally (13) Yes, daily Only occasionally No, never I used to but I quit Vote
