Inspiring Note

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In a team, members inspire each other. The success story of one motivates another. Health and Fitness program is not just an exercise to remain fit and strong. It helps improving self-image and we start feeling good about ourselves. Haven't we heard, "A healthy mind is in a health body"?

The "Suggestion Box' requested team members to give suggestion on how we can improve the program. The other day, on opening the box, we found an interesting note. We share it with the team withholding personal identity of the contributor. The message is inspirational and shows how one can benefit from a program like this.

"I weigh around 90 kilograms, this programme is a boon for me, I have started jogging every morning WED and SAT, and at least two more days in the evening too. I feel leaner, and I was very happy when my mother said that I looked leaner. I haven't cut down on food intake at all, this is the best part!!

I love being a part of NSO."

Health and Fitness (NSO) is proud to have you in the team and through your mother we show our gratitude and respect to all parents / guardians for encouraging and promoting healthy living among their wards. Our sincere regards!

Hello, Hello

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It was dropped in the "Suggestion Box" by students! And the wireless collar microphone was introduced today, became an instant hit. The wireless handheld microphone was inconvenient for the instructor as instruction and demonstration were concurrent. We thank Mr. Apurba and Mr. Saroj, laboratory technicians from Dept. of Electronics & ECE for making necessary customization in the P.A. system for field use.

We had one more first today. One faculty member, unconnected to this program, joined us in the exercise for the fun of it. While we were winding up today in the stadium, one research student approached us and asked if he can join the exercise from next session. We welcomed him and welcome all! Didn't we say that yearning for health and fitness is there in all of us and it is infectious :-) [previous post, 'Me Too']?

Finally, the first group meeting of lead student members took place today during 7:00 - 7:30 A.M. We discussed the launch of our newsletter, a full service website, upcoming rally, division of labour etc. It is great to see young student members in the team coming forward and owning responsibility. It is early days yet. We are at ideation stage only. But, yes, we made the first step today and we feel positive about it! Two videos on work out (Video 11  Video 12) are available at the end in player.

New Venue New Vigour

We are looking for a quick feedback from registered students of this program to help us conduct a "Leaders' Meet" on March 02, 2013.

Suggestion Box (short deadline)

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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.

Our Salute

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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:

Me Too

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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 

The first round of the field game on 13-02-2013

On Course

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."

Building Momentum

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). Today when 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!



Health and Fitness (NSO) Video 1