Extra Academic Activity (EAA) is an important component of UG curriculum at IIT Kharagpur with NSS, NCC, NSO under its fold. Our youtube channel is http://www.youtube.com/user/iitkgpnso
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New venue, new vigour! There was another new in today's work out. The attached pics says it all. Yes, we witnessed sun rising and moon setting both in our work out session.
We have now moved to Jnan Ghosh stadium and the sessions will be held here now onward. Due to the onset of summer, we are incrementally advancing the reporting time to make the whole session enjoyable. We shall be reporting five minutes early at 5:50 A.M. in next session.
Two new videos are uploaded in our youtube channel (Video 9, Video 10 : also available at the end of this post). The long shot taken from stadium gallery is able pick up the 800+ contingent together but lacks detailing in feature. The exercise themselves are understandable and one can follow the same from these videos.
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We have reached the first milestone of this relaunched Health and Fitness (NSO) program and entered the mid-semester examination week. Attached are few pics picked up from a continuous shot of a video (6:30 - 7:00 sec. of Video 8) where the trainer salutes his officer at the end of a session. The officer too returns salute. So do we, the entire team of students and faculty associated with this program.
We would like to salute our trainer Corporal Josh, his officer Wing Commander Trilok Bandhu Gupta, entire team of Air Wing, NCC for the way they have come forward to serve our young students.
We salute our Director, Dean (UGS), Registrar, EAA Coordinator, President (Gymkhana), NCC Coordinator, ERP team, NSS lead members and larger campus community for their direct and indirect support to this program without which we would have missed this magnificent experience. It inspires us when in a social gathering, not only a faculty member but the family discuss if they can participate in this program meant for our students.
Triggered by suggestion of a student of this program (Link), we started video logging of segments of the exercise from second day. The fifth day's work out had an interesting warm up exercise! It was start up material for a martial art training. We have video of it (Video 6) which may help those who takes interest in this.
The third video (Video 7) shows why it is so much fun to work together, how to coordinate body and mind and be in synch with a large team. While we conduct this drill, it takes us beyond our individual self and immerse in an identity which is that of 800+ members in a team. The feeling may last for the period of exercise now, but we start getting that feel - what is like being in a disciplined team and working in coordination with each other.
Video 6, 7 and 8 and later few still images from day's work out:
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We heard of 'divine discontent', a discontent for not being able to reach superior-self of one. How often we hear of discontent for not being able to participate in health exercise, when many hundreds perform the same, before one? How do we term it?
There was a discontent brewing among the faculty members whose responsibility is to engage the students in this program. To see interesting and inspirational exercises being carried out day after day and not being able to participate in it, was at the root of this discontent. Yes, yearning for health and fitness is infectious!
This was the fourth morning of the relaunched program. And the faculty could work out solution to for this too! What did we find? They themselves were also participating in the exercises, were following the trainer to the best of their capacity. The first two stills here are from continuous shot of a video. The videos are available at the end of this posts and in our youtube channel (Link). We take this opportunity to introduce the faculty members associated with this program, working with the students in the field on WED and SAT morning. The faculty list is given later in this post.
These are light physical training. Even then all have been sensitized with repeat communications so that none overstretches and does as much as body permits and slowly the fitness will increase. The buzzwords are progressive overload: frequency, intensity, time, type.
And as the trainer keeps saying, it is all about gaining control over body and mind.
The field game, which had been a part of this program, was at its peak today. While some amount of disqualification cannot be ruled out :-) Group 2B and 8C were declared winner and the fair play award went to Group 4C, 5A, 5B. There is a video clip at the end of this post.
The session ended after the game with, as has been the practice, light stretching, breathing, mental concentration and posture correction exercise.
Our Program Officers:
UNIT 1 : Prof. Debalay Chakrabarti
UNIT 2 : Prof. Vasudeva Rao Allu
UNIT 3 : Prof. Debapratim Pandit
UNIT 4 : Prof. Ganesan Mani
UNIT 5 : Prof. C. Shaji
UNIT 6 : Prof. Anoop Ayyappan
UNIT 7 : Prof. Aradhna Malik
UNIT 8 : Prof. Samik Nanda
UNIT 9 : Prof. A. Rajakumar
Program Coordinator : Prof. Goutam Saha
A continuous shot of 10 minutes segment of the work out session on 13-02-2013
This was the third day today in our relaunched health and fitness program. It drizzled a little yesterday evening. The mercury suddenly dropped by a couple of points. But a good habit, once cultivated, helps us to stay on course. And we are on course.
We got our own youtube channel now. We laughed our way into it which was video no. 2 (Link) in the series. This was a short clip from our Day 2 exercise. The first video is hosted in IITKGP NSS youtube channel (Link). A six and half minute video (Link) of today's exercise is now available in our channel as video no. 3. We also post here few pictures taken today. This includes the 17 x N formation we had for the short field game which showed lots of enthusiasm and almost equal disqualification ... due to over enthusiasm!!!
And we had tempo shout today initiated by, none other than our very strict instructor :-) "IIT ka tempo, high hai."
As winter traces its steps back, the chill factor receding, we took one more step forward this morning with this program! The student feedback has been overwhelming to our online survey (Link1, Link2). The facebook posting showed ex-kgpians expressing their desire to join us in the morning exercise when they hit Kharagpur again.
That the momentum is building can be found from how students are coming forward, how they are trying to reach out to each other, with tips that can improve health and fitness. Here is an excerpt of mail received by us.
My name is --- (Group leader --- NSO Health and Fitness). Todaywhen I was browsing on net about health and fitness, I got very nice videos in youtube which are very helpful for all students. These are some basic exercises which can be done right from our rooms only. There are total 20 videos in this link...If you think these are useful and if it is possible mail this link (youtube link) to all the students. Thank You.
This mail led us to think why should we not have our own youtube channel. This may have an extra dimension. While the previous one was individual sessions by a trainer, ours is a work out in group. This may inspire people, specially youngsters - near and far, to get going when they see young iitians are there on field before sunrise braving winter chill. And thus the momentum can build beyond the confines of this program.
Please find below one youtube upload of today's one ten minutes segment. There is an issue with google profile of 'IITKGP NSO' which we want after organization and not individual. Till that is sorted out, the video is held temporarily in other location. Yes, we are lending space from our big competitor friend 'IITKGP NSS' (Link) who we shall outshine soon :-) if we keep up with this momentum and tempo!
We conducted a quick online feedback collection from students on the relaunch of Health and Fitness (NSO) program. We are so happy that the students find it useful and enjoyable. Thank you, dear students! The more we progress with this program, the more we shall be able to discover the strength within and feel confident and happy about ourselves with improved self-image.
Following the photo collage we present below some of the student expressions that captures how they feel. Every appreciation is thankfully acknowledged. Every suggestion has a quick response as an addendum. A better visual walk-through of Day 1 in action is available in our previous post (Link).
"I thought it would be just like that of first semester but it was overwhelming . I am very happy for the relaunch."
"very well organized!"
"It is benificial for all students."
"The Overall Composition was Very Good and I felt that Health can surely be improved with such Kinds of Programmes."
"It was a nice experience........ the feeling to rise up early in the morning was very good.This is just the beginning and this physical training will give long term positive effect on our health."
"The relaunch is good. The only issue that would arise at any time would be because of not being able to wake up so early."
"1st day was awesome."
"(It) had fitness with fun...enjoyed it a lot."
"I had a great time as i have not done exercise in a long time, also getting early up in the morning has its own benefits. "
"It was a learning and enjoyable experience and hope that it stays this way."
"Do this, do that game was awesome."
"Except for waking up early from sleep in the chilly morning , it was a good experience ."
"To make NSO more enjoyable there should be some competition among all the unit and also some prizes for those units or students who won." [We shall look into how to recognize superlative efforts.]
"Separately appointed faculty in charge for each group's monitoring can bring a bit more of discipline into the programme. Also the faculty should explain or discuss the activities the group leaders are supposed to carry out before the relaunch." [One faculty in charge for one UNIT of 100 students has already been appointed. Group Leader selection will be done from field activity. Provisionally one student from each group has been asked to come forward. Orientation slides and ERP mails sent to all students, explain more.]
"What about the people already doing more intense form of workouts on a daily basis, something which definitely is institute's priority and is monitored by officials appointed by the institute, like inter hall/ inter iit practice. its absolutely useless for them..if ERP doesn't allow changing of EAA, at least exempt those people from these kind of sessions" [This was an anonymous submission. Thus we do not know how to reach out to him/her. Through this post, we would like to assure him/her that once he/she helps us to establish contact with the trainer he or she reports to, we shall be able to take care of issues raised.]
"Wednesday should not be there either a long period on sat or on both sat
and Sunday, it would be difficult to manage it on Wednesday along with
classes." [The limited survey we conducted before this relaunch showed that students want at least one day of the week, in this case Sunday, to be free from institute responsibility. We shall leave those who have 7:30 AM class little early when we follow winter schedule.]
"WED and FRI would be more convenient." [We have to make use SAT slot as per institute timetable for EAA. Our SAT engagement can be little longer than WED when we take up promotional activities in later part of the semester.]
"The whole thing was really enjoyable. We were standing in the back and the instructor was not audible." [We are trying to have an alternate arrangement of microphone-speaker. It is expected to be ready within a week.]
"Overall experience was good. Such type of physical activities should be a part of our KGP life. Personally I look forward to new and more rigorous workout in the remainder of the semester.Thank you professors and NCC officials for the effective and serious relaunch of health and fitness."
"Sir, I would say that it must be made compulsory for all the campus students, if possible. The format of the activity is simple and playful."
Thank you all for your comments and suggestion to improve. Overwhelming majority of you recommend this program for all the students (not only the ones registered for this program) in the IIT Kharagpur campus for their own benefit. Thank you once again. We meet 5:55 AM on Wednesday (and again on Saturday) at Tata Steel Sports ground.
We had a great relaunch today! Since it was the first day, we had a briefing during 6:00 - 6:15 A.M. Then Corporel Josh of Air Wing, NCC took over. The demonstration and conduct was exemplary.
There was short warm-up to start with. The second last item of the morning exercise was a fun game, "Do This. Do That". The students were supposed to follow the posture (part of exercise) of demonstrator that goes with "Do This" command and not the ones that goes with "Do That" command. There were great sportsman spirit amongst students to zero on the winning Unit with maximum no. of students able to match the body-mind coordination. The last item was a breathing exercise which besides taking care of lungs and stamina, also helps to enhance concentration.
That the students enjoyed it to its full the entire work-out could not be missed from the cheer and appreciation received for the demonstrator. Each time they responded with big "YES" when he asked after demonstration of every item, "Can you do it?"
A small 'homework' on wrist-bending, both inward and outward, with hands stretched to the front in full and tightfisted were given to students till we assemble again on Wednesday, the 6th February, 2013.
Commanding Officer of NCC, Air Wing, Wing Commander Trilok Bandhu Gupta and his team, Mr. Soumen Mandal from Gymkhana all ten institute faculty members / officer was present in the field to help students.
With a successful relaunch, we look forward to greater days ahead to inculcate and promote healthy lifestyle among our students and in turn IIT Kharagpur campus.
All students who participated in this Day 1 relaunch are encouraged to fill up response form to help them serve better. Please click on the 'Student Response of Relaunch' link below. It will open a form to respond and submit.
New venue, new vigour! There was another new in today's work out. The attached pics says it all. Yes, we witnessed sun rising and moon setting both in our work out session.
