KARACHI: The polling process at Dakhtaran Awami Secondary School, a polling station of NA-250 Karachi, began as per schedule but the process was later hindered by some miscreants who claimed that the ballot papers were not stamped by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

At 10:30am, the miscreants who apparently belonged to a political party but refused to identify themselves entered the polling station and clashed with the presiding officer.

Claiming that the ballot papers were not stamped by the ECP, they said that the entire process was illegal and all ballot papers should be emptied out and the voting process should be restarted from the beginning.

The presiding officer conceded that the ballot papers were not stamped but he had been calling the ECP offices since 3am and no representative showed up to solve the issue. The officer said that the process was rightfully being carried out as the presiding officer gets to have the final say in the matter.

Natural methods for mole removal may seem the cheapest but are not the wisest. By far the most innovative one requires you to peel it off with duct tape. But we highly recommend a trip to the dermatologist before you rip off more than you intend to.

What are moles?

This small patch forms when a collection of cells called melanocytes produce pigment in your skin. The lighter your skin tone, the greater the number of moles you can have.

More than one kind

You are either born with a mole, known as a congenital mole, or acquire it after birth. The most common ones are either brown, round and flat, raised, pale and sometimes hairy or light brown. Some moles are surrounded by a white ring, where the skin has lost its colour and people also develop blue ones.

Removal the right way

Save your cauliflower juice and garlic paste for cooking. Instead visit a dermatologist. “You’ll be in and out of the clinic within 15 minutes,” assures skin specialist and dermatologist Dr Badr Dhanani.

“The oldest and cheapest method involves burning them off or cauterisation,” says consultant dermatologist, laser therapist and cosmetologist, Dr Najjia Ashraf.  A wand-like heat device is used to shrink the mole until it falls off. This is only done on smaller moles that usually hang from the skin.

The more advanced and most effective method is laser removal as it causes minimal scarring. Prices range from Rs2,500 to Rs10,000 depending on the size.

Freezing with liquid nitrogen is another option. “The mole is frozen to a temperature of minus 40 degrees Centigrade which destroys the cells, after which the mole falls off within two weeks,” says Dr Badr, explaining cryotherapy. Contradictory to common belief, it is not the burning which causes more scarring, but freezing. The treated area should be covered to avoid infections.

Surgical excision involves either cutting the entire mole and suturing back the skin or using a scalpel to shave the mole down to skin level or just below it. “It is the most invasive and thorough way of removing a mole, but most people prefer the laser to the scalpel as surgery often leaves a big scar,” says Dr Badr.

However, if a biopsy test indicates cancer, the mole has to be surgically excisied. “But a cancerous type is quite rare here,” says Dr Badr. This is supported by Dr Najjia who adds: “Australia has the highest incidence for melanoma in the world because of genetics and too much exposure to UV radiation. In Pakistan, only government-run clinics have reported a slight rise in melanoma cases.”

Occasionally, a punch biopsy is recommended for a very small mole that run deeper in the skin and cannot be simply shaved off. The technique involves a small incision made by a cookie-cutter-like device.T

Use the ABCDE method to detect Melanoma:

A symmetry

One half is unlike the other half.

B order  irregularity

An irregular, scalloped or poorly defined border.

Colour change

Has shades of tan, brown or black; is sometimes white, red or blue.

Diameter

Melanomas are usually greater than 6mm (the size of a pencil eraser) when diagnosed, but they can be smaller.

Evolution 

A mole that looks different from the rest or is changing in size, shape or colour.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, April 28^th, 2013.

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While most children play pittu and chupan chupai during school recess, these children prefer to sit on the lawn with their close friends and munch on their lunch. While most children stand outside the canteen in a queue, yelling and vociferously demanding the person in front of them to “hurry up”, these children wait patiently. Some use sign language to communicate with the person on the other side of the counter or attempt to express themselves with their limited speaking skills to purchase a meal of either samosas or crispy, deep-fried rolls for their half an hour break. While most children are special mainly in the eyes of their loved ones, these children are termed ‘special’ the world over.

Ida Rieu in Karachi has been catering to the special education needs for these children since 1922 and reveal the story behind their success in this field along with the difficulties they face.

Starting from the basics

A student of KG 1, Madiha, who suffers from impaired hearing, closely follows her teacher’s instructions and enthusiastically makes the appropriate symbols for ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’. During a lesson in colours which follows suit she replies to her teacher’s question with regards to the colour of her bag. “Red,” she says loudly, stammering on the ‘e’ but showing progress made during her speech therapy classes. The interactive session continues with the girls surprisingly louder than the boys and ends on a highly positive note with appreciation voiced by the little girl.

“I li-ike my te-e-ccher”, she utters in slow progression with her lips curving to form a smile as she glances at her teacher.

Music for the soul

Every Wednesday and Thursday, students enjoy a lesson in music under the sun. The music instructor at Ida Rieu explains how he teaches music to a group of students, half of whom cannot see him or the instruments before them and half of whom cannot hear his voice: “We follow a set format here. The children follow my instructions as I do counting on my fingers, each number representing a rhythm. We mastered the tune of the national anthem that way. The visually impaired children face greater difficulties as they cannot see my numeric instructions — however, they are gifted with strong listening skills. You give them a clear set of instructions once and they remember them.”

Touched by colour

Blending colours on a canvas during art class are students of grade nine and ten and displayed in the background are the creations of previous students. Ranging from glass paintings to oil paintings, the students bring forth their creative side when left alone with a paintbrush in hand. Also displayed in the art room are pictures of famous artists who have visited the school, gifted art supplies to students and appreciated their work.

Hall of fame

Pinned up on the soft boards in the hallway of the school are the pictures of ex-students who have earned the title of ‘stars’. These special achievers have excelled in the field of education by holding top ranking positions in their secondary school and college exams and then going on to either teach at school or realising their potential in other fields. They are the pride of the school and inspire other students to follow in their footsteps.

Getting knot-ty

Children gather around their teacher who is giving them a lesson in block printing. Home economics is another subject which is being taught at the school. Children often bring their own suits and paint them with bright colours, ready to be worn at some festive occasion.

Toddling around

Visually impaired children recite nursery rhymes and the room echoes with the sounds of laughter and clapping. The children, anxious to leave the room at the sound of the bell, which will announce the end of another productive school day, are obeying the teacher’s last instruction. Some children make their way to the toys and learning tools lined up on the shelves along the wall, bumping into tables and chairs as they feel their way towards the shelves.

“Some of these students have partial vision due to damaged eye nerves and wear glasses but their vision is still not very strong. You need to call out their name several times for them to follow the sounds and make their way up to you,” says their facilitator.

Simple yet effective teaching techniques

For children who are visually challenged, Braille, the standard form of reading and writing by means of raised dots on paper, is used. It generally consists of cells of six raised dots conventionally numbered and the presence or absence of dots gives the coding for the symbol. The Braille typewriter, typically consisting of six keys, enables children to write and teachers to teach with greater ease and speed.

Children in the nursery section, who suffer from partial visual impairment, are catered to by playing videos and enlarging the images on the screen so as to allow children to recognise the objects displayed before them. To further assist them in learning, bold letters are written on a white sheet of paper with a thick black marker and placed under a bright light so as to enable them to read.

This Braille slate is used during math class for calculations. Tiny magnets are placed in the indented Braille cells to represent numbers.

Another simple technique employed at the school involves printing larger versions of textbooks to aid reading.

Since all students cannot be provided with their own Braille typewriters, which are fairly expensive, they are given a Braille slate. This is a two-part hinged device between which a sheet of Braille paper is placed and children use a stylus, consisting of a small handle made of plastic with a sharp metal point, to make tiny dots on the sheet of paper.

As the children advance to higher grades, their reading packages begin to include long passages. To facilitate their reading needs, a cctv camera, attached to a screen, is placed over the textbook to capture clippings of the text which appear on the screen and are then enlarged. This makes reading a relatively painless experience for children with partial visual impairment.

Bring on the braille

The new modern and well equipped complex of Ida Rieu which facilitates the visually challenged children is complete with a state of the art Braille printing machine which converts normal textbooks into Braille books.

An ex-student and an expert at playing the tabla recites a verse from the Quran and its translation from one of the Braille books printed at the school.

Fruity fun

A valuable lesson on fruits is being conducted by Ms Shakila Fatima who has been teaching at the school for the last 8 years. She slides her hand across her face which indicates, “Where are your copies?” When the children do not respond, it doesn’t take long for her to solve the mystery: most children did not have their hearing aids on after returning from recess. Having solved that problem, she proceeds with her lesson, making sure to repeat each word several times so as to allow the children to keep up with her pace. “By attending numerous training sessions I have been able to better communicate with my students … I understand their needs better now,” she states as she turns towards the white board to draw an apple.

Spirit of dedication

Ms Shakila Sadiq has been teaching the students of grade two at the school for the past 25 years and speaks about her fruitful experience: “I joined the school after completing my Matric and i’ve been here since. I never felt the need to leave this place and work someplace else…I completed my BA from here and attended various training sessions. It’s the kids themselves who teach us more than anyone else … I learnt by reading their facial expressions which speak a million words. It’s been great teaching these children.”

The last word

“These children are just like all other children…they are not mentally retarded…that is a general misconception which needs to be corrected. If the right teaching methods are implemented they can compete with ‘normal’ children in all fields, be it sports, academics, arts or even singing,” says Ms Qudsia Khan, the principal of Ida Rieu. “This long journey has been highlighted by many successes and the setbacks that come”, she expresses as she points towards the three rows of trophies lined in the showcase adjacent to her desk.

As a woman who made it her mission in life to learn about the challenges faced by these children, she had a lot to contribute on the subject by way of her experience and her struggle to improve the teaching methods and techniques for these children. “Paucity of funds is the biggest hurdle we face … the government is not fulfilling its responsibility so NGOs step in to fill in the gap and other individuals who make generous donations from time to time,” she says. “We lack the modern techniques and technology needed to teach these children, along with properly trained staff. Although we are making the effort, we need a proper system in place to improve the quality of education and reach out to more and more special children.”

“People over here lack awareness with regards to special education”, she admits sadly. “Parents usually don’t accept their special children; they think they cannot study like other kids so they start neglecting them. I personally think only 5% of parents give their children the kind of attention they need,” she concludes.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, May 6^th, 2012.

“Fixing potholes is the most direct and effective way to improve our quality of life. Roads can be made safer and smoother for vehicles and for people who walk to work every day,” he said.

Futehally has a bigger motive behind his quest for a pothole-free Karachi than just smooth rides, he claims if people work on this together it can help bridge ethnic and religious divides in the city.  This is a way of getting to know our neighbours and understanding where they come from, he said.

“People don’t interact with each other,” he bemoaned. “If people take charge of things, they will feel a sense of empowerment.  When they realise their goal is one, they will work together as a single force,” he said, adding “If people mend their own lanes, they will set a precedent for others to follow.”

As simple as the idea may appear to be, it took 20 years for Futehally to perfect the technique of fixing potholes. Finding the necessary ingredient for the mixture was the main reason behind the delay.

The magic ingredient is clay or “chikni mitti” as it is popularly known, is brought from Balochistan and kept in a large, circular receptacle. It is immersed in water to keep it soft, which is the key to moulding it in the shape of a pothole. The cost of materials rarely exceeds Rs 25,000 and transportation is the only expensive part of the project.

Futehally’s first pothole repair drive was a small project, which he funded himself, to repair the road outside the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture around seven years ago. Tired of the potholes outside their school, students volunteered to help Futehally fix them.

A second repair drive was conducted on August 14 this year, this time sponsored by others who shared Futehally’s dream. The event marked the beginning of a social movement that has an increasing number of people signing up as volunteers on Facebook.  “We have now acquired the confidence,” said Futehally, adding “We can easily mend 10 yards in a day, all we need now is manpower – people to come forth to free Karachi of potholes.”

He said that he does not repair potholes on main thoroughfares because municipalities object to it. However, people should fix potholes on their own streets because blaming authorities for inefficiency serves no purpose, he added. “It is you and I who can make a difference.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2012.