It’s raining adventure!

Deccan Herald, 25 July - Arun Katiyar

MONSOON MAGIC The outdoors are great for fitness and provide a mental toughness that no gym can. Besides, there’s that seductive temptress adventure waiting for you, only if you care to step out of your house this monsoon, says Arun Katiyar

Bangalore is not just blessed with great weather; it is blessed with great places to go out to. And the monsoons make the perfect time to backpack into the hills for a hike or toodle down to a river for some heart-stopping rafting... read more >>

Let a river run through you...

Deccan Herald, 25 July - Dinesh K S

Being in the outdoors has a transformational effect on human minds, says Dinesh K S

Imagine you’re atop a mountain, high in the Garhwal range, breathing in the rarefied air, beside a small mountain stream, a 'babbling' brook, straight out of a Wordsworth poem. You pause by its side to catch your breath, revel in its icy coolness as it wends its way past rocks. Their jagged edges have, quite like the edges of rough people, been smoothened by the water's tenacious persistence... read more>>

TiE event

Here's a note completely unrelated to the outdoors and adventure: about The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). They are the world's largest not-for-profit organization promoting the entrepreneurial spirit. Founded in Silicon Valley in 1992 by people who had their roots in the Indus region, TiE now has 53 Chapters in 12 countries. Over 12,000 members are top entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and management professionals in their chosen field.

So what has this got to do with Wildcraft, you ask? Well, Dinesh KS, co-founder of Wildcraft and intrepid entrepreneur himself was invited to a TiE Member Meeting in Bangalore on July 8, 2009 to speak on the panel discussing The Business of Sports and Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Sports. On the panel with him were Charu Sharma, Saumil Majumdar (co-founder and CEO of Sportzvillage), Mahesh Bhat (Founder, MMB Legal) and Ara Pararajasingham (Director, Leander Paes Sports). It was by any standards, a very august gathering.

The discussion centered around sport and its attendant ecosystem of players and athletes, equipment, events, sponsors, training, media & entertainment, and agents that drive huge business opportunities worth billions of dollars. In India, this is an emerging industry. Dinesh spoke of the story of Wildcraft, and how it was an integral part of this ecosystem dealing in adventure and outdoor activity gear.

BACKPACKS - HEAVY LOADS & BACK PAIN - PLUS TIPS TO HELP PREVENT PAIN

Backpack technology: American Chiropractic Association

Not only do kids of today pack heavy schoolbooks into their backpacks, many of them also strap popular electronic devices as laptop computers, cellular phones, MP3 players, CD players, and personal digital assistants (PDA) specially designed compartments inside their backpacks.

This improvement in backpack technology has brought about a greater awareness of the dangers of young, developing bodies wearing backpacks that are too heavy. For example, school textbooks are the heaviest they have ever been. So what happens to our kids' bodies when they haul these heavy books and other personal effects directly on their backs? Two new studies may help to answer that very question.

The first study, published in the May 2003 issue of the journal Spine, found that the use of backpacks during the school day and the weights of the backpacks associated with back pain. And a second, presented by researcher Dr. Heidi Orloff at a May 28, 2003 meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in San Francisco, concluded that children actually hunch their bodies forward and lower their heads to accommodate the burden of wearing heavy backpacks.

This news comes as no surprise to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), which for years has educated the public on backpack "ergonomics."

"In my own practice, I have noticed a marked increase in the number of young children who are complaining about back, neck and shoulder pain," said Dr. Scott Bautch, immediate past president of the ACA's Council on Occupational Health. "The first question I ask these patients is, 'Do you carry a backpack to school?' Almost always, they answer 'yes.'"

As part of its effort to help alleviate this growing problem, the ACA offers the following tips to help prevent the needless pain that backpack misuse could cause the students in your household.

- The backpack should weigh no more than 10 percent of a child's bodyweight.
- The backpack should never hang more than four inches below the waistline it will increase the weight on the shoulders, causing your child
to lean forward.
- A backpack with individualized compartments helps in positioning the contents most effectively. Pack pointy or bulky objects away from the area that will rest on your child's back.
- Bigger is not necessarily better. The more room there is in a backpack, the more your child will carry the heavier the backpack will be.
- Wear both shoulder straps to distribute the weight of the backpack evenly.
- Wide, padded straps are very important. Non-padded straps can dig into your child's shoulders.
- Shoulder straps should be adjustable so the backpack can befitted to your child's body.