Jo Bole So Nihaal! Sat Sri Akaal!

First Sikh soldiers go on parade to guard the Queen…without the traditional forage cap!

They are not quite what the tourists might expect when they come looking for a snapshot of a Buckingham Palace guard. There's not a red coat or a bearskin in sight - but there are two immaculately wrapped turbans in fetching shades of blue. Because they are changing the guard at Buckingham Palace.
And Signaller Simranjit Singh and Lance Corporal Sarvjit Singh are it - the first Sikh soldiers to guard the Queen. There has been a long tradition of Sikhs serving in or with the British Army, but not until now has a Sikh soldier been among those charged with the responsibility of guarding the queen at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
The honor of being the first Sikh to take up the prestigious role fell to Signaller Singh, 'Sim' to his colleagues, earlier this summer. The 27-year-old is serving with the 21 Signal Regiment, normally based in Colerne, Wiltshire, but is at the end of a summer 'tour' of London.
Mounting guard duty is normally carried out by the Guards of Household Division in their distinctive scarlet tunics and bear skin caps, but when the Guards units are busy with operational duties other regiments step in. Which is how Signaller Singh found himself leaving his normal duties at the headquarters' motor transport department looking after vehicles and radio equipment. As a Buckingham Palace guard he has had to adjust to the rigors of ceremonial parade, and, of course, standing motionless for up to two hours at a time while tourists do their very best to raise a smile. And because of his turban, in dark blue to coordinate with the forage caps of his fellow soldiers, Signaller Singh has become used to tourists.
'People do try to make me laugh,' said the soldier, who is married. 'They have made me smile a couple of times but not laugh. I'm there to do my job and I try to do my best.'
Born in India he came to Britain as a teenager and worked as a clerk in the NHS before joining the Army in 2006. He has uncles serving in the Indian Army and a grandfather who served with the British Army in Burma. His family are incredibly proud, he said, of his latest role. And his proudest moment on duty? Probably when the Queen gave him a wave. 'That was a good day,' he said modestly. 'Things like that do matter to you as a soldier when you are doing your job protecting the Queen.'
Lance Cpl Singh, 28, shares the same sense of pride in his job. He was born in India in 1981, but came to England in 2000 when his father, a state general secretary in India was working with the High Commission, and joined the Army Air Corps four years later. Due to marry later this year the soldier still has another month of Royal duty.
He said it was 'hard work' training for drill movements, and for the long periods standing stock still, but worth it. A medal marking the fact he has served in Afghanistan adorns his tunic. But Lnc Cpl Singh said that for his family, the greater emotional impact came when he told them he was guarding the Queen.'I feel very, very proud to have this honor,' he said. As for being a soldier and a Sikh he said he was treated like everyone else, apart from the occasional occasion about his turban and whether it gets hot.
Turbans, long hair and beards are considered a mandatory religious uniform for all Sikhs. Keeping uncut hair is required according to the Rehat Maryada, the Sikh instruction for living.

The MOGS-FPAI Avabai Wadia Indo-Israeli Workshop & Conference on Contraception

The MOGS FPAI Dr Avabai Wadia Memorial Workshop on Contraception was held on 26 September 2009. Cases were conducted at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Sion and relayed live to the Regus Convention Center, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai.
The Workshop was held in two sessions. In the morning session, there was a demonstration on puerperal tubal ligation. Two different techniques of tubal ligation were shown – the Pomeroy’s and Madlener’s techniques – on either tube. This was followed by a demonstration of a laparoscopic tubal ligation. Special attention was paid to safe entry techniques in laparoscopy and instrumentation in terms of the band applicator. These surgical procedures were demonstrated by Dr Y S Nandanwar and Dr V R Ambiye.

The MOGS-FPAI Avabai Wadia Memorial Workshop Inauguration
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This was followed by the Inauguration of the Workshop. The Workshop was Inaugurated by Dr Sandhya Kamat, Dean, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and the Chief Guest was Dr Asha Advani, Officer on Special Duty, Department of Family Planning, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.

In the afternoon session, Dr Nandanwar and Dr Ganpat Shinde demonstrated puerperal sterilization by Wood’s technique – a technique which has the maximum chances of successful recanalization. Kroener’s fimbriectomy procedure was shown in another case. Dr Asha Advani demonstrated Non Scalpel Vasectomy under local anesthesia. She also gave a lucid account of the rules and regulations around taking consent for sterilization and the correct forms to be used for this purpose. Dr R P Soonawala demonstrated the insertion of the Levonorgestrel intrauterine system with practical tips on making the procedure easy and comfortable. History of sorts was created at this Workshop with the first ever demonstration of the Essure device in the country. The Essure device for hysteroscopic sterilization was demonstrated by Dr Asher Shushan, one of the Israeli faculty members. The procedure was carried out very smoothly and it was much appreciated.

There was healthy interaction between the faculty in the Operation Theatre and the chairpersons and audience at the Convention Center. The operation theatre was coordinated by Dr Niranjan Chavan and Dr Shailesh Kore. The sessions were chaired by Dr V D Patkar, Dr Mukesh Gupta and Dr Abha Bhat in the morning and Dr Asha Dalal and Dr Vipin Checker in the afternoon. The organizing secretaries were Dr Sulbha Arora, Dr Raju Nagarkatti, Dr Vipin Checker and Dr Parikshit Tank.

The MOGS – FPAI Avabai Wadia Conference on Contraception was held on the 27th of September 2009 at ITC Grand Central, Parel. There were 100 delegates for this event including 12 postgraduate students. The Israeli Faculty included Dr Asher Shushan and Dr Motti Hallak. Dr Gautam Allahbadia, MOGS President welcomed the Israeli Faculty, the MOGS members and delegates from all over India. The national anthems of both the countries ie India and Israel were played to commemorate the MOGS Indo-Israeli year of Academic Exchange. Dr Usha Krishna, President FPAI and Dr Anjali Sen, Regional Director International Planned Parenthood Federation, addressed the audience. The program began with the Avabai Wadia Video Film Festival on Reproductive Health Technologies, where 8-minute videos were presented on Tubal Ligation and its reversal, Vasectomy and its reversal, Manual Vacuum Aspiration and Hysteroscopic Permanent Sterilization. This was followed by a Panel Discussion on Repositioning Family Planning Leading to Population Stabilization. The panel was expertly moderated by Dr Usha Krishna. The panelists included the Israeli Faculty as well as renowned doctors & family planning practitioners from India. The Indian Demographic scenario, the role of the Government & NGOs, factors having positive & negative influence, and advantages / disadvantages of the available methods were discussed. The Avabai Wadia Memorial Oration was delivered by Prof RP Soonawala on The Indian Contraception Story: Lessons Learnt and Future Challenges. The wonderful talk outlining the evolution of contraception over the last 3000 years with fascinating stories and personal experiences was enjoyed by all. Post Lunch we had four sessions of Invited Lectures on four different aspects of Family Planning. The Hormonal Contraception Session was sponsored by Wyeth, and covered lectures on Low Dose Oral Contraception, Modern Trends in Contraception and Injectable Contraception. The MTP Session included Medical Methods, Implications and Amendments of the MTP Act and Emerging Trends in Second Trimester MTP. The session on Surgical Approach covered the areas of Non Scalpel Vasectomy, Trials & Tribulations of Female Sterilization and Hysteroscopic Sterilization. Lastly we had a session on Contraception in Special Groups such as Adolescents, the HIV Positive and women with Medical Disorders. The day concluded with the MOGS Dr Bhanuben Mahendra Nanavati Golden Jubilee Oration, which was delivered by Prof Suneeta Mittal from New Delhi on Contraception Acceptance: Gaps and Promises. This excellent oration was founded on years of experience, data, images and personal insights. The tireless efforts of the Organizing Committee ensured that the conference was a success in all aspects – the acquisition of knowledge, free exchange of ideas with audience interaction and experts’ opinion on all aspects of family planning.